Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush

(Note: I wasn't going to post this here, but Blogger has been a nightmare and I finally got in after a day of frustration, and I want to see if it works here as well as at Corrente. Note to readers: I was able to post while in IE, but not in Firefox. Also, Blogger's grand new feature, "Recover Post", which appears on the edit screen in Firefox, can't be seen on my screen in IE. Does this have anything to do with it? Search me. Here goes.)


Church to Parishioners: Screw You

Remember Bernard Law, who presided over a Boston diocese riddled with sexual abuse and whose indefensible protection of the perpetrators led to his resignation when the public outcry over 600+ victims became too much even for this mafia-like institution? Seems like just the kind of guy to honor with a special place at the Pope's funeral, doesn't he?

"Cardinal Bernard Law, who was forced to resign in disgrace as archbishop of Boston two years ago for protecting sexually abusive priests, was named by the Vatican today as one of nine prelates who will have the honor of presiding over funeral Masses for Pope John Paul II."

Good job. No doubt the laundries will be opening again soon, too.


Africa Dies; Nobody Cares

At least it feels like it. When is the last time you saw Africa in the news, aside from some fleeting references to Darfur (oh, is that still going on?) The death toll in Angola from the Marburg virus has climbed to over 170 since October, and shows no sign of stopping. Marburg was the precursor to the slightly more lethal Ebola, but the it's just as incurable, and its victims die just as horribly. Oh, and most of them are under 5. Ho hum. It's just Africa.

America's Guns Laws Prove Adequate Once Again

In Delaware, a guy straps on some body armor, grabs a movei's worth supply of ammo and a 9 mm, and goes shopping:

"Weston, shot in the face, could not run. His was the first killing in a rampage that over 45 minutes would reach down into Maryland and leave two dead and four others wounded -- victims apparently chosen at random.
During the violent spasm, which shook the small towns in its path, the gunman stole a car and then hijacked an SUV and killed its driver, authorities said. He littered the streets of the Eastern Shore with bullets as he fired at passing vehicles, homes and dogs, they said."

This is a gentleman with a history:

"...on Wednesday, Norman failed to appear in Wicomico County Circuit Court, where he was due to answer handgun charges. A judge issued a $10,000 bench warrant for his arrest, Court Clerk Mark S. Bowen said."

He had been telling people he was planning on doing this, too. Now, the NRA would tell you the only thing wrong with this scenario was that the folks he shot and killed didn't have their own guns in hand when he went off. When will America ever learn?
But Jeb Bush would understand. Why stop the epidemic of weaponry when you can just give the imprimatur of deadly force to everybody?