Two-thirds of a billion dollars...

No, this isn't a post about the Iraq war, and we're still talking about that much money. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is going to pay out $660 million to victims of their priests who thought buggering little boys was fun:

Sobs and a moment of silence for those who died during years of negotiations punctuated a Monday hearing at which a judge accepted a $660 million settlement between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and alleged victims of clergy sex abuse.

"This is the right result," said Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Haley Fromholz.

The settlement is by far the largest payout by any diocese since the clergy abuse scandal emerged in Boston in 2002. Individual payouts, to be made by Dec. 1, will vary according to the severity of each case.

Two-thirds of a billion dollars would go a long way in improving schools in Los Angeles County. It certainly would help in re-building the Ninth Ward in New Orleans. But I don't begrudge the victims of The Holy Pole and Fr. Ratzinger, mind you. Let's just hope these foolish old men have realized they can't simply run-and-hide from buggery without very costly consequences.

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