Well this is quite novel: a defense of molestation on the grounds of “Otherness.” Were he not dead, Eddie Said would be so proud! The meat:

[…]when asked whether a white priest fondling an Alaska Native boy would have an impact, positive or negative, Loyens [a retired Reverend who holds a doctorate in cultural anthropology] said the Athabascan Indian and Yupik Eskimo cultures were “fairly loose” on sexual matters.

He said he knew mothers in villages who played with their baby boys’ testicles “and the little boy was enjoying this immensely.”

Asked how that applied to a priest accused of molesting boys ages 6 to 12, Loyens replied that, 30 or 40 years ago, “that would be less impressive than it would be for, say, somebody in Fairbanks or Spokane.”

Plaintiffs’ attorney John Manly then asked: “So basically, it wouldn’t have, in your view, much of an impact?”

“That’s what I’m inclined to say, in terms of the anthropological background,” Loyens replied.

He continued, “And besides, you should have seen how these kids dressed. Little slices of heaven, the lot of ’em — what with the animal pelts and the twine-wrapped booties and those cute little mittens. It’s almost like they were asking for it. I mean, they fairly dripped of musk. And those eyes. My God, those eyes…”

In a related story, Michael Jackson purchases lots and lots of Gortex.

Rimshot.

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