OH, dear.
Why is this not surprising?
Scott Lively, the controversial, anti-gay pastor and operator of the Holy Grounds Coffee House on State Street, said Thursday that he did not know that his volunteer manager is a convicted sex offender.
The manager, Michael J. Frediani, 38, of 453 State St., located above the coffee house, was arrested Thursday morning by Springfield police at his apartment for failing to register as a Level 2 sex offender in this city.
Frediani, who went by the alias of Michael Free, was imprisoned in New York from 1996 to 1999, for sexual abuse in the first degree involving an 11-year-old girl, according to New York state criminal records.
“I was not aware that he is a sex offender or that he was arrested,” Lively said. “This is the first I heard of it.”
“I’ve only known him a few months,” Lively said. “He strikes me as a vey kind and gentle and honorable man.”
Yes, well, Scott Lively isn’t a very good judge of character, or much of anything else.
Joe points out that this isn’t the first time in the past few weeks Lively’s coffeehouse has gotten itself in trouble:
Last week Lively’s coffeehouse was raided by public school truant officers, who accused Lively of allowing students to ditch school there. According to my tipster, students were offered free coffee and hot chocolate in return for wearing one of Lively’s Jesus pins.
Nice. Free coffee and hot chocolate for kids served up by a child molester in an establishment owned by an anti-gay hate group leader.
Parents in Springfield: Teach your children to run, not walk, past the Holy Grounds Coffee House. Stranger danger!
I sent the following email to Scott. His email address is sdllaw@gmail.com.
Hi Scott,
Just read that you have been harboring a child molester at your christian coffee house. Also read that you’ve been cited for encouraging children to skip school.
Got to say that I’m not surprised. Although you christians like to claim that gays are pedophiles, peer reviewed social science since the 1980s has shown that gay men are responsible for only 3-5 percent of child molestation. The rest is committed overwhelming by men who are only attracted to children (gender seems to be irrelevant to these) and straight men (again gender seems to be irrelevant). If you find it difficult to believe that straight men rape boys, just consider prison populations: men rape men all the time as an expression of dominance. I imagine a similar thing is going on when straight men rape children.
And from all indications, it seems that christian straight men are more inclined to child molestation more than others. Which brings me to my question: are you a child molester? You’re straight. You’re christian. You harbor child molesters. You encourage children to stay in your coffee house and to skip school by giving them gifts (christian pins, I believe). All of this seems rather suspect, wouldn’t you agree?
My other question is this: is your anti-gay rhetoric and actions a smoke screen so that the general public will not suspect you of being a molester? By blaming gay men for this hideous behavior are you trying divert attention from you, a straight, christian man?
Gotta say, it seems awfully suspicious.
Kisses and Hugs
Love it, Jim! Great letter. Ever notice how many of the “panties in a twist over GLBT people” fundies end up either being gay themselves. Or they end up being paedos? I always question groups that harbour paedophiles.
…Wow read the story the guy “invited God to touch them” and he’s classed as most likely to repeat, wow just wow
Lively also claimed not to know that his hate sermon in Kampala would lead to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that would include the wanton murder of gay people.
It is curious how Lively is always shocked and unaware of the events that surround him. He’s always blindsided.
Or, maybe he’s just a pathological liar?
Some years back, the ONLY Christian Child Psychiatrist in Georgia was arrested for molesting the children who came to him for help and he was involved in child pornography. His garage had a hidden panel filled with child pornography. It seems his wife had no clue as this guy was so involved in the Christian community in Georgia.