Not So Common Threads- Freeh's Religious Obsession

by Barry Bozeman

PART 1 of Not So Common Threads Series

Politics & Religion are touchy subjects when it comes to attempts at unity. That is why I have waited some time to publish this entry. At this point, it has become difficult to see any downside in discussing the connections involved in this series. 

The following "Not So Common Threads" essays consider connections that have not been explored. These connections may be evident to some and less obvious to others. Did certain political interests see Graham Spanier and Penn State climate scientists as an impediment to their plans?  What role did religion play with Louis Freeh when he was hired to do harm to the credibility of your university using the accusations against its football coach, President, and culture? 

OPUS DEI - A SPOTLIGHT ON MEA MAXIMUM CULPA 

Back in Nov of 2011 there was an overwhelming amount of information about the "Penn State" Scandal that led to the naming of this website as The "Second Mile Sandusky" Scandal, and it seems I missed something very important in understanding Louis Freeh along with additional reasons for Corbett to seek the ouster of Dr. Graham Spanier. 

We all know how this came to be known as the "PENN STATE" Scandal. The 'Board of Traitors' led by John Surma as arranged by Tom Corbett sold Penn State in the persons of Joe Paterno, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz down the proverbial river. The Surma co-opted BOT accepted a Presentment by AG Linda Kelley, now known to be a bald-faced lie, as unassailable truth. There are other acts of treason in history that rival 11/9/11, but few so clear cut and egregious as the BOARD OF TRAITORS breach of fiduciary duty represented by that decision. 

We came to learn why John Surma did it: THE SURMA VENDETTA and THE SURMA VENDETTA PART II. None among us can find a valid reason why Surma should not have recused himself from that decision instead of leading the drive to dismiss Joe Paterno after learning of this clear conflict of interest. 

We know about Tom Corbett's UNCOMMONLY COMPLETE CONFLICTS OF INTEREST and why Corbett and his appointees should have recused themselves or supported Spanier and Paterno as the two individuals who could have commanded enough respect to make the media and the public aware of the facts in the face of AG Kelley's sensationally erroneous presentment and the media tsunami that engulfed Penn State.  

We were even made fully aware of how Louis Freeh was inflicted on Penn State in just one week after that Nov 9, 2011 disaster. A mere 4 hours of interviews of only 2 candidates by the CORBETT, SURMA, FRAZIER, TOMALIS & BALDWIN team were revealed on SMSS. 

        WHAT I MISSED IN NOV. 2011.  

But I missed an article in ESQUIRE that wondered:  
What the choice of former FBI director, Opus Dei running buddy, and cutthroat careerist Louis Freeh to lead Penn State's investigation into itself as regards the Sandusky scandal would come to mean to the people involved. 
It all depends on two factors the writer mused:

1) How often Freeh's finely rehearsed performance-art public morality comes into play; and 
2) What result will be best for Louis Freeh, secular saint, and avenging angel?

As it has turned out Freeh based his entire finding on his self-serving moral superiority. He now admittedly, had no evidence to support his conclusions. It was the "failed culture at Penn State" and an "omnipotent head football coach" indicted and skewered in the court of public opinion over a mere 2 email fragments mentioning "coach". 

The Esquire writer now seems downright prophetic with his observations. Freeh pocketed 8.2 million Penn State dollars for trashing the university as a failed culture without ever having to interview the key witnesses to the charges he made or any requirement to justify his results. Freeh was all moral outrage hat with no evidence cattle. 
As Esquire points out: 

"Freeh has a long history of Opus Dei morality. He was the cilice around Bill Clinton's upper thigh because Freeh disapproved of a president having non-Vatican-endorsed sexy time with a young woman. Freeh's FBI railroaded Wen Ho Lee because Freeh was convinced that the Clintons played loose with national security secrets because of Chinese political contributions. Another charge with no basis in fact. 

In 2005, Freeh wrote a book explaining how he, the righteous moralist Louis Freeh, stood alone against all enemies, foreign and domestic. He absolved the FBI of involvement in the framing not only of Lee, whom Freeh still believed to be guilty of espionage, but of Richard Jewell, the innocent man Freeh fingered as the 1996 Olympic Park bomber. 

Freeh claimed that what happened to Lee was the New York Times's fault, and that the FBI went after Jewell for the sake of thoroughness. Freeh was too busy pointing his moral finger at Jewell and Lee to keep an eye on his own FBI where US secrets were being sold to Soviets costing US billions". (Robert Hanssen below)

Freeh was perfect for the heavily Corbett influenced Special Investigation Task Force - an Opus Dei member out to eviscerate non-priest child molesters and redeem the moral standing of his Church in the wake of decades of priest pedophiles. Joe, Graham, Tim and Gary never had the chance for a fair unbiased investigation by this angry righteous Opus Dei scold. A PSU version of Tomas de Torquemada, Freeh would have preferred the rack and wheel ending with a burning stake.   

THE CLIMATE AT THE TIME 

Freeh's investigation could not be his preferred inquisition but the report would be his sermon as avenging angel striking back against the priest pedophiles who besmirched the reputation of his church. The Spotlight on pedophilia in the Roman Catholic Priesthood was focused by The Boston Globe, Mea Maximum Culpa, Deliver Us From Evil  and the tidal wave of stories across the country exposing priests who were pedophiles.                               CONTINUED BELOW


Opus Dei Louis Freeh was understandably upset. Louis Freeh attended mass with fellow Opus Dei adherent Robert Hanssen - the worst spy in US History. Freeh would do almost anything to turn attention away from Hanssen or his church. Tom Corbett gave Freeh the perfect opportunity. Freeh could focus national attention even more on Joe Paterno, Dr. Graham Spanier, and Penn State. 

No evidence is required to raise the ire of the public in the case of child abuse. The allegations are as effective as any proof, particularly when the Attorney General and the Board of Trustees were not about to challenge his word and had abdicated all responsibility when they literally declared PSU and Paterno guilty in the "emergency" meeting called by Surma to eliminate the most effective voices for the defense of Penn State. 

Corbett demanded that Freeh would work with his Attorney General. This was never an "independent" investigation - it was designed from the start to reinforce the Presentment and the case of the Commonwealth.  Simply read the bottom paragraph in this email from Corbett's hand-picked SITF member Ron Tomalis telling of the Governor's desire to have Freeh working hand in hand with the Attorney General.  

"I talked with the Governor this afternoon re the Attorney General and our approach about having the outside firm talk directly with that office. He strongly agreed with the approach and added that he had already discussed the role of the committee with her........." 

It doesn't get more direct than that. In fact, it is amazing that such an email exists. Here the Governor's man on the SITF writes it down. The Governor is so involved with this case he is discussing the role of the so-called "independent investigator" with the Attorney General and having that "outside firm" work directly with her. Since when is it appropriate for a sitting Governor to plan the prosecution of cases with the Attorney General using a fake 'outside independent investigator' paid 8.2 million by the institution he is framing? There is some kind of warped unbelievable genius in that subterfuge.  

Governor Tom Corbett wanted Opus Dei member Louis Freeh and he wanted Louis Freeh to work directly with his hand-picked Attorney General. That should result in criminal charges of undue influence. Ron Tomalis was Corbett's hand-picked Special Advisor on Education. A man with no experience in teaching who oversaw drastic cuts to public and higher education while championing school vouchers that benefited private (religious) schools. Tomalis as Vice Chair along with Chairman Ken Frazier arranged the selection of Opus Dei member Louis Freeh on behalf of Governor Tom Corbett and sealed the fate of PSU, Spanier, Schultz, Curley, and Coach Paterno after removing Joe and Graham from the board on 11/9/11 using John Surma.  

It is impossible to overstate the control exercised by Tom Corbett in the defamation of Joe Paterno and Graham Spanier - the two most visible faces of Penn State. Corbett set out to cut Penn State funding and get rid of President Spanier because:
1) Spanier was an effective voice for funding for Penn State
2) Corbett thought Spanier was supporting his opponent 
3) Corbett's fossil fuel industry supporters disliked Penn State climate scientists and 
4) Blaming Penn State diverted attention from Corbett supporters at The Second Mile. 

ANOTHER OPUS DEI CONNECTION

Criticism of Opus Dei includes allegations of secretiveness, controversial recruiting methods, strict rules governing members, elitism, misogyny, and support of or participation in authoritarian right-wing governments; especially the Francoist Government of Spain until 1978. Mortification of the flesh practiced by some OD members is bizarre. Even within the Church, Opus Dei is criticized for seeking influence, independence, and extremism. 

This Freeh OPUS DEI connection brings us to Rick Santorum. In 2002 Senator Santorum sponsored Jerry Sandusky for the honor of "Congressional Angel in Adoption,"  Even Santorum was fooled by Sandusky enough to sponsor the Second Mile founder 2 years after Joe Paterno parted company with him. Surely a US Senator has methods of vetting those chosen to receive such a high honor. Even with his connections in Pennsylvania, nobody warned him that Sandusky might have exhibited questionable behavior? 

In 2012 fellow OPUS DEI member Louis Freeh's high-minded moralizing brought sanctions against the football program at Santorum's alma mater by denouncing the failure of Joe Paterno to stop a predator he had no authority to stop in 2001 when Sandusky was a Second Mile employee not under Joe's supervision or control. 

Santorum's alma mater Penn State was paying the price for Freeh's moral outrage. An irony that is hard to miss in the world of "family values" where a dedicated family man and "success with honor" coach was forced to bear the cross of Freeh's Opus Dei fervor. One can only imagine the internal agony suffered by Joe the short time between his public disgrace and death. This irony evidently failed to reach the rock solid mass between Freeh's ears when it's clear to all that Paterno lived the exemplary life of a family man of unimpeachable honor.   

Rick Santorum was one prominent PA politician in a position to offer support to Penn State and Joe Paterno. But this is all he could do for Joe and his Alma Mater?

 "Look, I pray and hope that he [PSU coach Joe Paterno] didn't do anything he shouldn't have done, but it certainly looks horrible for the university, horrible for the football program and obviously people were fired, should be fired." 

It was Rick Santorum who chose to honor Sandusky in 2002. Joe was done with Jerry back in 1999. Santorum managed to come to the defense of the man he knew was all about family values and "success with honor this once", but after that Santorum's messages were a mixed bag.at best. 

Freeh and Santorum belong to Opus Dei and even attend the same church. What effect did that have on Rick Santorum's mixed message stand on his alma mater and Joe Paterno against Tom Corbett and Louis Freeh? What effect did the pedophile priest scandal have on Louis Freeh and his fervor for accusing Joe Paterno and Penn State? It is not easy to find connections between Opus Dei and The Second Mile - we wonder if there were any. 

FREEH, OPUS DEI, AND THE WORST SPY IN US HISTORY 

The worst spy in American history was former FBI Soviet expert Robert Hanssen and Hanssen was not only Opus Dei, he attended Mass with Louis Freeh on the day of his arrest as a member of the same church. 

St. Catherine of Great Falls, Virginia claims 3,400 parishioners. "Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia attend Mass there with the head of the NRA and former FBI director Louis Freeh. The church suffered brief notoriety when FBI agent Robert Hanssen—a member of the congregation—was arrested for selling intelligence to Russia after attending Mass. Santorum attended Mass there nearly every day."  Hanssen is imprisoned in complete isolation at the Super-Max facility in Florence, Colorado.

The movie THE BREACH is recommended for those of you who do not know about Robert Hanssen and the damage he caused the United States while working under Louis Freeh for years. 

Joe Paterno is an iconic family man and molder of young men in his care as a coach and it's difficult to understand why Freeh felt compelled to attack him so viciously based on such flimsy "evidence" But in order to detach the pedophile tag from priests in his church and tie it  to Penn State, Joe had to be involved along with Graham Spanier because they were the most identifiable faces of Penn State. Freeh owed his selection to Corbett - he had to earn that 8.2 million by reinforcing the Corbett case against Penn State.