Two really horrible things.

[squigybits]

The first is Michael O'Brien talking about his abuse by the clergy as a child and what has happened to him while reporting it.
See the Ryan Report for more info.

Click to view

The second horrible thing is Bill Donohue of the catholic league defending that abuse. Hell from the way he is talking I'm surprised he didn't come out and say that those kids deserved to

Comments

[kd_lalala]

From what I'm hearing, Bill Donohue is trying to argue that they're using incidents of corporal punishment, which is apparently not a big deal at all to him, to make the report seem more serious than it is?

[squigybits]

Basically,yes.
Instead of looking at the big picture he is nitpicking the small stuff to discredit the whole thing. In the first part he claims that the people are just out for money so he is trying to make the people who were abused into the bad guys. He is one real piece of work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKLlxAgMO-w

[kd_lalala]

I wonder, is there some kind of name for that kind of defense? When you're trying to justify something that is basically indefensible so you just circle back to one specific point and seize hold of it? I see it used so much if it doesn't have some kind of name of it's own it seems like it ought to :P

[squigybits]

It falls under Circumstantial Ad Hominem http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/circumstantial-ad-hominem.html

And Special Pleading I think http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/special-pleading.html

[kd_lalala]

Ah, thanks!