Anybody dying never a good thing
So it goes with Pauley, I mean PJP II.
The good thing about is, it knocked Schiavo off the incessant news cacophony. Shew. thank, god for that.
As an instutionally non-religious person, I more or less could care less. I mean for a short while the significance of it reverberated, but ultimately, I was getting decidedly annoyed by the endless mundane analysis of his life, his legacy, yadi yadi yada. I swear, it's impossible to care about serious historic moments/stories/news these days. The endless repetition trivializes them. I have been ready for the pope to be dead and buried for a while now. Good lord, how long was it going to last? The speculation about his sucessor was already in the mix.
I kinda dig the fact that Dubya got booed though at the funeral, and Clinton got mobbed. Although Clinton being chummy-chummy with Dubya has cast serious doubts as to the convictions of the man.
About il Papa. I kinda think it's idiotic for anyone to expect him to have sanctioned abortioned. Come on, please. Those of us who oppose the death penalty and support a woman's right to have an abortion must admit that, wrt life the positions are inconsistent. To expect the Pope to embrace abortion is sheer lunacy, I am not churchy.
His position on women priests is old-fashioned and lacks moral coherence, it doesn't add anything to his belief structure, except that this is how it's always been. Ditto with the condoms/contraception thing.
The child-molestation thing, well. I think, his reaction was churchy, and really religious. Most people would say, he just didn't get it. But, if you seriously believe in god and that only God has the right and power for ultimate retribution, you can sort of understand the instinct to not punish the "evil-doer" priests, get them to repent yadi yadi yada. Pay-off the victims to express your emphathy. It's the religious thing to do. God will judge them afterall, right? So, I think he was consistent with his belief structure, even though I don't particularly approve of the approach. But I am not churchy.
His position on pre-emptive war, iraq, the death penalty absolutely consistent also. The thing I find interesting is how his role in "defeating communism" has been played up. I am not disputing it per se, I have no fucking idea -it's sweeping generalization to make for or against. I just keep thinking, they said the same thing about Reagan. They lauded him (Reagan) endlessly for defeating communism. Not that both of them couldn't have worked to overthrow "communism." It's just that, each time they have made it sound like each chap practically single-handedly caused the collapse of a 60/70 year old politico-socio-economic structure. It's all very hyperbolic.
But the passing of a Pontiff who has ruled for 26 years is a historic moment, one which makes one ponder one's own spirituality and morality. It's a pity, the significance is drummed out by the incessant mindless noise and images. God at one stage I was in Vegas, and the only cable news channel in the hotel was Fox: They said the Pope had died even before he was actually dead.
==========================================================
PS. It peeves that Gorbachev gets no credit, for the fall of "communism."
PPS. I don't particularly get the public outpour/grief/people crying in the streets whenever somebody really famous dies. Honestly, I mean it's not like you knew the guy personally. Paying your respects is one thing, freaking out (irrational behavior) is quite another. Some of the behaviour, I found downright macabre. Pushing and shoving to file past a dead body, taking pictures of a dead corpse - fucking macabre. It's just weird. I'm more like, dead bodies should be respected, treated with honour. people leaving flowers, candles, notes in non-descript, make shift places. That shit must stop. Who the fuck cleans up after that?
I mean wouldn't it be more meaningful for people to get together, hold vigils, sing , read, whatever to remember the deceased. Leaving flowers on the streets is an empty, thoughtless, pretentious fucking gesture. That shit must stop. Dead people don't wake up and gather flowers.
Bill Clinton reckons il Papa had a mixed legacy. It's too fucking rational to suggest that. Nobody wants to hear that. Fox are quite happy pretending the Pope supported the war in Iraq. Don't be a party-pooper, Bill.
The good thing about is, it knocked Schiavo off the incessant news cacophony. Shew. thank, god for that.
As an instutionally non-religious person, I more or less could care less. I mean for a short while the significance of it reverberated, but ultimately, I was getting decidedly annoyed by the endless mundane analysis of his life, his legacy, yadi yadi yada. I swear, it's impossible to care about serious historic moments/stories/news these days. The endless repetition trivializes them. I have been ready for the pope to be dead and buried for a while now. Good lord, how long was it going to last? The speculation about his sucessor was already in the mix.
I kinda dig the fact that Dubya got booed though at the funeral, and Clinton got mobbed. Although Clinton being chummy-chummy with Dubya has cast serious doubts as to the convictions of the man.
About il Papa. I kinda think it's idiotic for anyone to expect him to have sanctioned abortioned. Come on, please. Those of us who oppose the death penalty and support a woman's right to have an abortion must admit that, wrt life the positions are inconsistent. To expect the Pope to embrace abortion is sheer lunacy, I am not churchy.
His position on women priests is old-fashioned and lacks moral coherence, it doesn't add anything to his belief structure, except that this is how it's always been. Ditto with the condoms/contraception thing.
The child-molestation thing, well. I think, his reaction was churchy, and really religious. Most people would say, he just didn't get it. But, if you seriously believe in god and that only God has the right and power for ultimate retribution, you can sort of understand the instinct to not punish the "evil-doer" priests, get them to repent yadi yadi yada. Pay-off the victims to express your emphathy. It's the religious thing to do. God will judge them afterall, right? So, I think he was consistent with his belief structure, even though I don't particularly approve of the approach. But I am not churchy.
His position on pre-emptive war, iraq, the death penalty absolutely consistent also. The thing I find interesting is how his role in "defeating communism" has been played up. I am not disputing it per se, I have no fucking idea -it's sweeping generalization to make for or against. I just keep thinking, they said the same thing about Reagan. They lauded him (Reagan) endlessly for defeating communism. Not that both of them couldn't have worked to overthrow "communism." It's just that, each time they have made it sound like each chap practically single-handedly caused the collapse of a 60/70 year old politico-socio-economic structure. It's all very hyperbolic.
But the passing of a Pontiff who has ruled for 26 years is a historic moment, one which makes one ponder one's own spirituality and morality. It's a pity, the significance is drummed out by the incessant mindless noise and images. God at one stage I was in Vegas, and the only cable news channel in the hotel was Fox: They said the Pope had died even before he was actually dead.
==========================================================
PS. It peeves that Gorbachev gets no credit, for the fall of "communism."
PPS. I don't particularly get the public outpour/grief/people crying in the streets whenever somebody really famous dies. Honestly, I mean it's not like you knew the guy personally. Paying your respects is one thing, freaking out (irrational behavior) is quite another. Some of the behaviour, I found downright macabre. Pushing and shoving to file past a dead body, taking pictures of a dead corpse - fucking macabre. It's just weird. I'm more like, dead bodies should be respected, treated with honour. people leaving flowers, candles, notes in non-descript, make shift places. That shit must stop. Who the fuck cleans up after that?
I mean wouldn't it be more meaningful for people to get together, hold vigils, sing , read, whatever to remember the deceased. Leaving flowers on the streets is an empty, thoughtless, pretentious fucking gesture. That shit must stop. Dead people don't wake up and gather flowers.
Bill Clinton reckons il Papa had a mixed legacy. It's too fucking rational to suggest that. Nobody wants to hear that. Fox are quite happy pretending the Pope supported the war in Iraq. Don't be a party-pooper, Bill.
posted by knikik at 3:10 AM
<< Home