KOEB Tuesday (4-19-05)

[RevCheesehead]

anyone wanna play?

[Patsy Stone]

1. Hi, Rev!

How are ya?

[RevCheesehead]

2. Doing great, Pats -

and you?

[Patsy Stone]

6. All's well on this end.

Trying to work my head around the idea of a new Pope. And he seems like a peach already.

[Clark2008]

15. Ewwww.... he was absolutely last on my list

I have been very depressed as a result of his being named.

Sorry. I don't agree with you on this one.

[RevCheesehead]

20. I think her tongue was firmly planted in her cheek.

No, not the "other" cheek!

[Clark2008]

24. Ahhhh... my apologies, then.

Been very sensitive today. It has NOT been a good day.

Blue is relapsing and my Gran'ma has been moved to hospice because her system is shutting down. Then, they named the neo-con vallet as Pope.

I'm just not having a good time of it.

[Patsy Stone]

29. Hi, Clark

So sorry to hear about all of that.

[RevCheesehead]

30. oh, no! I'm so sorry!

hang in there, and deal with it literally "one day at a time."
(I wish I could give you a hug in person!)

[Patsy Stone]

25. :)

This is gonna be something. What is a "Transitional Pope" anyway?

[RevCheesehead]

31. one who's not "all here"

and not yet "all there."

[Patsy Stone]

22. Sarcasm

It was sarcasm. Not happy, me.

[WhirlyGirl]

3. Keith has the whole (journalistic) world in his hands!

. . . Greetings, Keithophiles!

[RevCheesehead]

4. Hey, Girl!

Nice to have you with us.

Have a buoy:

[WhirlyGirl]

7. Imitating Pt Benjamin, opening her 'chute: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

[Patsy Stone]

8. Salutations, WG!

And we have a chance for extra Keef tonight. It is good. Even if it's all about Benedict.

[WhirlyGirl]

21. Hi, Patsy! ... I thought they'd do Countdown first and then the pope stuff

. . . Oh, well -- I got my share of laughs already this evening w/ John Stewart -- and especially Stephen Colbert. Stevie has snark!

[RevCheesehead]

26. Last night's Daily Show was hilarious!

It had me laughing out loud. Poor Stephen - kept tripping on his lines, but they were still funny!

[WhirlyGirl]

39. That's the one! That "This week in God" was the first one I ever liked--

. . . I said if Alison couldn't sub for Keith and they were looking for somebody with real snark, Colbert could do it with ease!

[RevCheesehead]

42. Complete with his "all-knowing smile."

I love Stephen!

[Greylyn58]

5. Howdy All

Thought I'd pop in and say hello. Hope everyone had a great day.

for our Keith

[Patsy Stone]

11. Hi there, Grey!

How are ya?

[WhirlyGirl]

12. Good to see you, Lady Grey! ... Sherry: A-WOOoooooooooo!

[RevCheesehead]

14. Hi, Grey and Sheridan!

woof!

[Clark2008]

9. Hey.. a wee bit late, but here, none-the-less!

for two hours of the Keith!

[WhirlyGirl]

13. Hi, Clark!

. . .

[RevCheesehead]

17. Hi, Clark

How's Blue Doggie doing?

[bleever]

10. Hi there all. Everyone feeling pope-tastic?

[WhirlyGirl]

16. The all-seeing Eye appears ...

. . . Eve'ning, bleev!

[bleever]

28. When you've only got one, you really got to work it.

How's the mistress of the flaming longboat?

[WhirlyGirl]

48. Bleev - do you ENJOY watching me scream and tear my hair out?

. . . It wasn't me, it was my double.

Inga.

The heroine or the envious bitch, depending on which story proposal you prefer. (One of them was YOURS!)

[bleever]

60. Hey, just kidding; I know you survive to drop tears on poor

Botany's grave.

At least he dies in the arms of Ms. Steph after one last trip over the top of the Mount Olympus of love.

[WhirlyGirl]

68. But what a way to go!!!

Dropping tears on Bo's grave -- well, we don't have to bury him THAT deep.

Just up to his ankles (head down )

----------
<< Hey, just kidding; I know you survive to drop tears on poor Botany's grave. At least he dies in the arms of Ms. Steph after one last trip over the top of the Mount Olympus of love. >> bleever

[RevCheesehead]

18. Aye/Eye, cap'n!

Arrh!

[bleever]

34. Howdy Cheese. Maybe this pope will be good for recruiting:

yours, that is; not the RC Church's.

I think the cardinals must have been in a hurry to get out of Rome.

[RevCheesehead]

38. either that, or they used Diebold.

As to the recruiting, maybe/maybe not. The local parish is getting a new priest in a few weeks, and people are more focused on what happens locally, than globally.

I did give my friend Rose a hug today, and told her if any were discouraged, that our doors would always be opened to them.

What's new in Bleeverland?

[bleever]

52. Just got back from a trip to the east coast, and my first trip

into NY City.

[RevCheesehead]

54. wow!

Is it still there?

We sure missed ya around here!

[bleever]

63. Yep, and it's a heckuva town. As far as I can tell, the Bronx is

up, and the Battery's down.

I didn't get to see the train; I'm not sure where they put it.

[Patsy Stone]

75. People travel

In a hole in the ground...

[RevCheesehead]

78. Like Bugs Bunny, no doubt.

[bleever]

94. Shut up!!! Where did you get that?

Hi Pats. You been there?

[Patsy Stone]

102. The answer to both

is "It's a fact!"

And you should smell the Subway. Oh.

[Clark2008]

19. I'm feeling better about how the Dems stood up in Congress today

than about the naming of Ratzinger.

In fact, I'm leaving the Church, as a result. I mean - I've been lapsed for awhile, but now I'll be officially leaving.

[RevCheesehead]

23. Great news about Bolton, eh?

I think this one might be sinking fast.

As to your decision, I suspect that you are not alone. Why not come over to the Liberal Christians group and chat later?

[WhirlyGirl]

32. Why don't they mention what all the Democrats think of when they hear ...

. . . Ratzinger's name??? This has to be a conscious decision by the lapdog media not to remind people of his meddling and unreasonableness.

Even our truth-teller is casting Ratzinger's interference in one person's relationship with his clergyman into the sea of forgetfulness!

TV is the opiate of the masses!!! <--pope/dope smoke

[Clark2008]

43. Well, Keith just did

He called it "walking into a buzzsaw of protests."

The guest said the Europeans are VERY unhappy with the election of Ratzinger.

I just hope he's more like St. Benedict, who went and hid in a cave and didn't speak for years.

[WhirlyGirl]

51. I missed it! -- he actually mentioned Ratzinger and Kerry???

[Nothing Without Hope]

109. Ah Clark, that's sad. I left long ago when I was in college, but I recall

the sadness. With this terrible selection of Pope, a lot of people are going to be turning away. I'm afraid the moral authority of the office is going to be eroded further, which is too bad. Moral authority can be useful at things like making peace.

I am totally bummed by this. I ranted about it to poor Bleever upthread. This is just awful for so very many reasons. It will cause such pain, because it makes the priorities so crystal clear - as if JP2 didn't already do that.

I'm so sorry for your sense of loss in being forced to walk away from something you've lived with so long and now no longer can accept.

[Nothing Without Hope]

128. I mean, what kind of person would forbid condoms in African countries

with sky-high HIV infection rates? Both parents die, the children are born with it, and the grandparents try to hold the family together when the middle generation is gone and the children are sick.

But condoms are BAD! Why, you might accidentally prevent a pregnancy while you're saving someone from death from HIV!

THAT I cannot forgive. THIS is a religion of a god of love? No need to answer that one.

I think I should go to bed - I'll just make your own downer worse. I hope things are better for all of us soon. And Ratz - may he do no more damage than is unavoiable by having him fill that airspace. May he spark an outpouring of enthusiasm for real, healing change at last.

[gkhouston]

158. may he truly learn what it means to be "simple" and "humble"

I don't know about y'all, but big warning flags go up in my mind anytime someone describes himself as humble. Usually a clue that a power grab has just taken place or is about to.

[Patsy Stone]

36. Absolutely Pope-tabulous!

And you?

[bleever]

40. Twirling my "Pope-on-a-Rope" over my head with joy.

Jeez, an anti-liberation, pro-starving-children, pro-HIV pope.

No offense to my friends who might still be Catholics, but I don't see the work of Jesus here.

Reminds me of the bumpersticker: "God: 'Don't make me come down there.'"

[Patsy Stone]

46. And they chose him so quickly

Because he's the right guy for the job.

Sects, bad. Other religions, not so good. Women, nope. Don't even get him started on homosexuality! Oy.

[Clark2008]

50. The first words (after "DAMNIT") I uttered after Ratzinger

was announced was to my mother, "Well, I guess the anti-Christ needs a false 'holy' man."

Of course, then she told me about my Gran'ma, so we didn't talk too much more about the pandering Papal.

[bleever]

56. Well, now our fake president (with Nazi ties to his family) can look

to a pope with Nazi ties, and our governator in Collie-phone-ya with Nazi ties, and feel right at home.

Oy gevalt.

How many Acts of Contrition is it gonna take to wash THIS clean??

[Clark2008]

62. And the irony here is the dates of mid-April

Waco and OK City - April 19
Hitler's birthday - April 20
Columbine - April 21.

Not, in my opinion, the days of light in which to pick a Pope, particularly one of German heritage (who was, I know, FORCED, into being a Hitler Youth, but who has, at least in my research, never fully denounced it).

[bleever]

66. Wow, good catch there.

But to be fair, according to that Ratzinger fan club web site, he did say that the Nazis had gone too far.

So he's a moderate.

[Clark2008]

72. OMG! They think that?

[WhirlyGirl]

83. 'he did say that the Nazis had gone too far. So he's a moderate.' - bleev

. . .

[Nothing Without Hope]

110. Maybe he thinks they should have CONVERTED all those Jews, gypsies

and homosexuals they slaughtered. After all, he's been the head of the renamed Inquisition - yes, THAT Inquisition, it's still running - for a very long time.

He's also the darling of Opus Dei, their candidate, which is awful for a whole DIFFERENT set of reasons.

[WhirlyGirl]

119. yeahhhhhhhhhhh ... all this stuff is coming back to me now...

. . . about the Inquisition, for example. I think they prettied it up by re-naming it, didn't they?

Opus Dei rings a bell, too, but I'd have to go out on the Internet to "refresh my recollection" about who or what that is.

[Nothing Without Hope]

123. You can read the Da Vinci code - that will give you actually a fairly real

idea in some ways. They are very rich and very pro-self-inflicted "discipline" and pain. Very ultra-conservative. Closed-minded to an extreme degree. Secretive, shadowy, deeply involved in finances, the Vatican, and international politics.

Very scary. And Ratz was their favored candidate. He's been involved in Opus Dei a long time, in his spare time away from the Inquisition and intolerance-promoting speeches.

[gkhouston]

159. Sorry to hear about your Grandma, Clark.

Big hug for you and the assorted younguns, furry and otherwise.

On a semi-positive note, Ratzinger doesn't look to be in the bloom of health, either. One can hope, and even if that's an un-Christian thing to hope for, I am hoping for it.

on second edit: You gotta wonder why JP II had this guy at his side for so long. Was he utilizing his "keeper of the faith" tendencies, believing he could keep them in check and bring them to some sort of balance? Did he perceive some redeeming qualities in him not apparent to our eyes? Was he blind to the man's shortcomings and just too far removed from some of the pain of the secular world to understand how much damage some of the Church's dogma wreaks on others?

Ooh, I love it, the spellchecker thinks "Ratzinger" should be "Rat zinger".

[Nothing Without Hope]

108. I am so totally disgusted by the choice of pope, even though I haven't

been a member of that church for a long time. Not surprised, it was predicted and the LA Times even ran an article early this AM on how Opus Dei has a stake in the papal election:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
and
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

And then there he is, their candidate wins. He is TERRIBLE. The best thing anyone can seem to say is that he's 78 years old and wasn't exactly a Nazi. That's really scraping the bottom of the barrel. When you think of what a real spirutial leader could do to reassure people and bring them together in peace - it's such a bitter waste.

He thinks the pedophile priest scandal was mostly a media campaign of the US media.
He disciplined a nun for daring to minister to gay men and lesbians.
He disciplined priests in Asia for daring to be open to the idea that other spiritual traditions might be a valid way to god.
Then there were his statements about politicians daring to support reproductive rights.
And so much more.

He's been the head of the renamed Inquisition for a very long time, the chief doctrinaire enforcer for 20 years, the chosen candidate for the Opus Dei right-wing extremist - what do you call them? Conspirators? Power-mad nut cases?

I am very upset about this. He may be 78, but he could last a long time. Besides, he was chosen so fast, by JP2's huge hand-picked majority of cardinals. If he does go soon, they'll just pick another reactionary.

This is bad, even though I'm not a catholic any more.

[bleever]

116. Hi Hope! And cheer the heck up, dammit.

Church doctrine has been going nowhere at top speed for the last 500 years (with the exception of women wearing hats in church, the priest turning his back on the parishoners during mass, the choice of Latin over stilted English, and the right to eat a hot dog on Friday without risking eternal damnation.

Things aren't going to change that much. I know that's a shame, but at least we've learned to survive with it.

[Nothing Without Hope]

120. I agree with part of what you say. The reason why I am so upset is

that this is such a critical time in the evolution of international society, and with the blivet** and his buddies battening on everything good and producing fear and hatred, there is such a need for a healing influence. The papacy is not relevant to my personal life any more except for rarely seen relatives who still take it seriously (I've always been something of a changeling). But the bitterness of the waste, the bitterness of what this narrow, heart-blind man and his fellow "princes of the church" will do...I feel choked by iit.

I should go get some sleep - it's worse when I'm this tired. Don't have the energy to lift myself back up to equanimity. Sorry.

[RevCheesehead]

126. Aww, sweetie -

This is when you have to have faith that the Love of God is powerful enough to overcome anything!

All is not lost! Seriously - things might seem bleak, but trust me, the sun will rise, the flowers will come, and the human spirit cannot be extinguished, no matter WHAT happens!

[sparky_in_ma]

130. Hi Rev

[RevCheesehead]

131. Hi there, handsome.

How ya doing tonight?

[sparky_in_ma]

134. Not a happy camper

I have to go in at 4:00 am to work, plus I've got another dept. head trying to tuck it in my nether regions. I don't even let my doc root around there, much less someone else. Nothing I can't handle, others have tried to take me out, they're long gone.

That too will pass, other people have it a lot worse than me.

[RevCheesehead]

137. Please inform said person

that your nether regions are already spoken for!

You are one of the most level-headed people I know. I'm certain you can handle it, but keep your spirits up... it will drive them crazy!

[sparky_in_ma]

139. I agree on keeping spirits up

They've never seen me get shook. It bothers some people all to hell.

[RevCheesehead]

142. So, go to bed already!

I want you fresh and perky tomorrow night!

Give my love to Jamie.

(BTW, Roo is doing even better today. He's eating - the little pig!)

[sparky_in_ma]

143. Good for Roo

That helps.

[RevCheesehead]

144. and if you're not unwound yet -

check out The Daily Show - last night's repeat - on right now.
It is truly one of their best - it will have you laughing.

(I think I'm headed for bed - I got a TV in there, and will soon be snuggling with my three beasties.)

Good night, Sparks

[sparky_in_ma]

146. Nite Rev

[Nothing Without Hope]

132. Yes, I believe in the resilient power of the human spirit

But I am so sad to see one of its oppressors rise to power over so many. There will be great pain from this.

My chief hope in this situation is that his actions, his intransigence, his hubris, and his ultimatums will spark a huge outpouring of confidence in the people, so that they turn to new ways that are healing, tolerant and inclusive. He's welcome to sit in his overbuilt mausoleum of a palace iin the uncomfortable, elaborate robes all he wants if it manages to help birth a new movement of outreach from the people who finally give up on the old reactionary ways he represents.

[RevCheesehead]

136. Believe me, he is in for a big dose of humility.

It's one thing to be a pope-wannabe, but quite another to actually take on the role of spiritual leader. If he thought he met opposition before, he hasn't seen anything yet.

Please don't let this get you down. You have always been a hopeful person (especially when I needed it), so let me share some hope with you.

In my faith, Jesus has been raised from the dead, and offers new life to all who would accept it. I see this papal election as if the Pharisees just replaced Caiaphus with Ananias. Christianity endured, in spite of the pharisees, in spite of Roman persecutions, in spite of the inquisitions, the Reformation, the enlightenment, the age of evolution, and so on.... And we will survive this, too.

Keep Hope alive. (I intend to!)

[Nothing Without Hope]

140. Thanks, Cheese. A wise friend of mine once told me her mother's advice

to her: when something awful happens, it's quite OK to indulge yourself with a hissyfit, stay in bed, feel sorry for yourself and generally hide from the world.

For 24 hours.

Then you have to set it all aside and get back to your life. It hasn't been 24 hours yet.

[RevCheesehead]

145. Good advice.

Give yourself time to mourn, then sleep on it.
Things really do seem more managable the next day.

Good night, Hope.

[Nothing Without Hope]

148. Good night, Cheese

[bleever]

156. Dearest Cheese:

Seriously.

[RevCheesehead]

164. "Dearest Bleev"

for you:

Seriously.

[gkhouston]

160. actually, we've mostly learned to survive without it

the daily overweening presence of the Church, that is. Not so good for the Church. Debatable as to whether it's good for us. And at the other extreme of the spectrum...

Got into an interesting discussion of the new megachurches last night; you know, the ones that resemble sports arenas. Here in Houston, one of them *is* taking over an old sports arena. One of my friends calls such churches "Six Flags Over Jesus" because this latest trend in religion seems to be taking a trend towards amusement park religion. No time for contemplation or personal reflection, just Jesus shoved down your throat with amplifiers and thousands of your closest friends. One of the local churches (which has taken its denomination out of its sign) uses its electronic sign to boast that it has WiFi connections and serves Starbucks in the cafe every morning! Yeah, that's what matters to me in a church, dropping by for my Starbucks so I can look at online porn in the cybercafe on the way to work.

[Gogi]

151. Nope

I'm feeling poped-out!

[Clark2008]

27. Keith looks very fine tonight.

I'm so glad I have something pleasant to feast my eyes upon after my crappy day.

[RevCheesehead]

33. I was kind of enjoying that shiny orange tie, myself.

Isn't his voice comforting?

Can't you just imagine waking up to hear him say, "would you like some coffee, dear?"

[Clark2008]

37. Coffee?

How 'bout a hug and some bigtime protection against the "dark forces."

[RevCheesehead]

41. Mmmm - a Keef blankie

[Clark2008]

44. Well, hee hee, he's fuzzy like one.

[RevCheesehead]

47. snuggle with those eyebrows, girl!

and help him find his glasses in the morning!

[Clark2008]

55. Heh... I was thinking more of the little black hairs that peak

out from under his shirt sleeves - that drives me WILD - and I don't know why.

But... yeah... his glasses will be safe with me.

[WhirlyGirl]

59. I really like this subthread.

[RevCheesehead]

64. and please note that we didn't need any "male imput"

to go there all on our own!

[Clark2008]

70. Male input...

Um...

Never mind...

I don't think I'll comment on that golden opportunity.

[RevCheesehead]

71. I think you just did.

But I won't spank you.
We'll let Sparky do it, if he shows up tonight.

[Clark2008]

65. Well, it's certainly making me think about things other than all my woes!

[WhirlyGirl]

69. Clark --

. . . did you say you might hear something about that job toward the end of the week?

[Clark2008]

74. End of the month

I have an appointment tomorrow with a career counselor who gets paid to help me look for work.

[WhirlyGirl]

76. A week and a half. You're going to need a lot of distraction, then!

. . . KO better keep up his end! (so to speak)

[RevCheesehead]

80. I prefer one "at ease with himself."

[WhirlyGirl]

85. It's so tempting to celebrate the llllllllovely ...

. . . lllllllllllegs --

But I vowed to stay focused above the waist.

[Clark2008]

88. Keep up his end?!

My mind is in the gutter tonight!

It must be because I gave up Catholism. Bahahahaha!

[RevCheesehead]

92. nah, you were corrupt way before tonight!

[WhirlyGirl]

97. Are you Clark's spiritual advisor, too?????

. . .

[RevCheesehead]

99. I make myself available to all in need.

Just ask "you-know-who."

[Clark2008]

103. Just a little...

My corruption is usually more contained.

[WhirlyGirl]

107. 'Just a little... My corruption is usually more contained.' - Clark

. . . (Your SportsCenter catchphrase here. )

[WhirlyGirl]

35. Don't recall seeing that gold tie before.

. . . Against the violet shirt, it's nice.

[RevCheesehead]

45. Hell, put it on Keith, and ANYTHING looks great!

[WhirlyGirl]

49. I joked about a merry widow and fishnets one time...

[RevCheesehead]

53. Here comes the opposing voices!

You had to know Keith was going to cover it all!

[WhirlyGirl]

57. Fair, balanced ... AND accurate!

[Clark2008]

58. This guest is an idiot

I already know of at least 20 Catholics, locally, who are leaving the church - and in Knoxville, that's "droves." And folks are already concerned with Ratzinger's role in NOT protecting children during the priest sex scandals.

People are NOT embracing this guy. What rock does he live under?

[RevCheesehead]

61. Academia, from what I can tell.

Sometimes those folks need to take a stroll through the real world and find out about a little thing called "reality."

[Nothing Without Hope]

111. The hubris of the Church top hierarchy and its enablers can choke you

if you don't remember to breathe. They assume that it's their way - whatever the hell they want to order - or the highway, meaning eternal damnation and pain. Great group. Think about the Dalai Lama to imagine what a REAL spiritual leader can be and do. He is inspiring and he reaches out to everyone, regardless of the tradition they come from. he is radiant and unassuming, with his beautiful smile and readiness to laugh.

The choice of Ratz ihas demonstrated to many people that the Church cannot truly be divinely guided. And if there's one lie, then the whole house of cards comes tumbling down.

If they then dare to look into what biblical scholarship says about how and when and by whom the New Testament was cobbled together and the rules were made and sealed into supposed divine finality -- they will soon be wondering why they ever hesitated to leave.

[RevCheesehead]

67. Off-Topic

Here's my nomination for the "most obscure drive-by post" of the day:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[Patsy Stone]

73. Noooo, David! The Tie! Bad!

Doesn't go with the suit!
Run away!

[Clark2008]

77. Methinks David didn't pack well for his trip to Roma.

eom

[WhirlyGirl]

79. Um ... I thought we had a regular Countdown at 9 - Was that in a ...

. . . PARALLEL UNIVERSE?


.

[WhirlyGirl]

93. Guess we just got all we're getting tonite - w/ the puppets.

[seito]

81. Hi guys

Just stopping by to say

[RevCheesehead]

84. Hi, seito - we need your talents.

Do you have some kind of merry smilie to perk up our hearts?

[bleever]

82. Alright, Keef's not skipping the Nazi angle.

Not that I'd want to be judged on the basis of the worst of the Boy Scouts, or the Catholic Church, or the high school Thespian Society, but come on, if you were a Nazi, you have to do more than condemn them for their "excesses".

[WhirlyGirl]

86. I still want him to discuss the Kerry angle ...

. . . Clark said he did, but I didn't hear where.

[Clark2008]

91. He didn't discuss the Kerry angle, per se.

He discussed the European angle as it relates to Ratzinger's hardline stances, which included keeping communion away from certain people (but he didn't mention Kerry).

[WhirlyGirl]

96. Sounds like a smoke screen. Not that it's not true - everyone says Euros--

. . . aren't church-goers and don't follow the rules.

But I think Ratzinger tried to manipulate the results of an American election by making a candidate's private religious beliefs an issue -- which under normal circumstances would be a separate news story and an important issue to be explored.

As in-- how much MORE of that is he going to do, now that he has all this additional power?

[Clark2008]

100. The problem is that there's nothing we can do about it short of

leaving the Church.

[RevCheesehead]

104. On one of the lounge posts, I said "Poping is Hard Work."

(title: "Things you WON'T hear at the conclave")

Perhaps I was mistaken. Seems like Pope Benny is taking a page from the blivet's "mismanage Americka" plan. If you can't run it, then reduce it in size, so it becomes more managable.

Funny thing is, when CEO's do this, they get raises, too.

[Nothing Without Hope]

112. He's a close associate and the chosen candidate of Opus Dei

And they are deep into political manipulation. Very scary.

[bleever]

98. True dat.

But for KO, that would be an oversight rather than a purposive omission.

And maybe it comes up in the next segment.

This is a pretty in-depth and balanced look at the new pope, especially coming from a Catholic in network media.

[RevCheesehead]

87. Yeah - a simple little "oops" isn't going to do it.

I didn't realize that Hans Kung opposed Ratzinger. Very interesting. (Kung is a theologian whose teachings are often used in seminaries around the world)

[RevCheesehead]

89. Yea! PCPT is back!

The second and final installment...

[WhirlyGirl]

90. Isn't he gonna get ...

. . . pounded for this?

[Nothing Without Hope]

113. If you guys ever see a video capture of PCPT, PLEASE let me know!

It's the only happy thing about this whole bitter travesty, and I can't see it without cable.

[WhirlyGirl]

124. Here's the first instalment. The video quality is really good for once too

. . .

http://video.msn.com/video/p.htm?t=1&p=News_Comment%20-...

[Nothing Without Hope]

138. Ah WG, I tried, but it doesn't run on my Macinosh - it's Windows-only

But thank you for posting it! Maybe someone will post one in Real or Quicktime or something else my system can dance with.

Again, thank you fortrying to give me Keef's PCPT!

[WhirlyGirl]

150. NERTS. Quanlin, can you come to this EDV's rescue?

[_q_]

152. Hey there

Try this:
http://olbermann.org/ko/video_detail.cfm?id=102
Should run on a Mac okay. If it doesn't work, try another browser on the Mac.
-q

[WhirlyGirl]

154. You're a WONDER, q - wading thru these threads to find DUers in distress!

. . . A St. Bernard in a former life, maybe!

If you don't mind, I'll cross-post this in the Clubhouse where she'll be more likely to see it, okay?

Btw, are you going to put that beautiful "One man told the truth" poster in your gallery? And do you see anything galleryworthy in any of the gogomag caps recently? I thought a few of them were sort of nice.

-WhirlyG

[Clark2008]

95. Jason Berry is hitting the nail on the head as it relates to American

Catholics.
This has probably torn those poor families of the abused, and the abused, apart. It's like being abused again.

[bleever]

101. Ratz: "The sex thing is overblown. We only protected sexual abuse by 1%

of priests.

Come on, people, let's put this in context."

[RevCheesehead]

105. and who's managing the other 99% ?

It's a legitimate question.

[_q_]

153. And how many abuse victims are there

for each sex offender, tolerated for decades in the Church?
That thought makes 1% seem like an AWFUL lot.
-q

[bleever]

157. "Awful" is the word for it. The correct level of this in the church would

be ZERO. Certainly, the tolerance of it by the church should be zero.

Welcome to DU, _q_!

[gkhouston]

161. where is this 1% number coming from?

Is this an actual statistic? Based on what? I'm guessing a lot of abuse may never have been reported. I personally know one of case that wasn't.

[bleever]

162. I believe that was the number that Ratzinger himself used;

maybe someone can find the exact quote. It was in the context of him blaming the media for overstating the problem.

[gkhouston]

163. that's the number he used.

I'm just wondering whether he pulled it out of his ass or whether it has a basis in fact.

[WhirlyGirl]

106. That last point was a . . .

. . . distinction without a difference. Either the Church is wishywashy or clearly defines its stand.

So you're wishywashy for saying on the one hand, on the other hand... or you display "clarity" by saying WHICH SITUATIONS you can do what in!

[Berry Cool]

114. This Pope sounds like a Rope-a-Dope...

...but at least along with two hours of Keith, we got one more episode of Papal Conclave Puppet Theatre! The absolute best!

Not only that, but some of the biggest promotion our man has gotten in a while. They ran at least two ads for *tomorrow's* Countdown during tonight's show. The story about beating high gas prices by going to the local greasy spoon sounds hilarious! What, is someone making car fuel out of waste deepfryer oil?

Let's just hope Alison isn't back in the chair again! Agh!

Oh, one more thought: if we have to have a Pope with a German last name, why can't we get someone like...say...a guy named Olbermann? Finally...a Pope Hilarius II!

Now what a great, open and welcoming church *that* would be. "All women, gays and victims of abuse welcome...to enjoy my snark."

[WhirlyGirl]

117. 'Pope Hilarius II' - Berry .........Too funny! - I'd join that church--

. . . in a heartbeat!

If I ever thought of Keith as our "minister of snark," I'd never have imagined it in the religious sense!

[Nothing Without Hope]

115. NATURE PHOTO for the night - I'm feeling chilled and bleak about the

papal election, so the lush, life-filled ones didn't seem fitting somehow. This is another (not mine) from northern England.

[sparky_in_ma]

121. Bear picture for you Hope

Visiting the feeder last year. (guess what brave cat was under the bed?)

[Nothing Without Hope]

125. Oh Sparky - thank you for this. I've been looking forward to seeing

your feeder-dining/deconstructing bear. Doesn't look quite fully grown, very photogenic. So your cat decided on a well-timed nap - felines are so funny when they pretend to not be noticing something going on that they are trying to avoid or snub - but they're so transparent. This bear may not be all that big, but no wonder your cat chose the better part of valor!

Thank you!

[sparky_in_ma]

127. She brought my attention to it.

I just came in the door from work when I Jamie growl, jump off the table and come running past me, with her tail down. I saw it by my mailbox, and had time to get my camera.

[Nothing Without Hope]

133. So funny - if you were suficiently blindly adoring, you could pretend she

warned you deliberately - but that would not be according to the strict codes of cat ethics, which do not permit undue fawning upon humans without a clear goal in sight. I notice that she didn't expect you to protect her either - it was every mammal for him/herself!

[sparky_in_ma]

135. LOL

She's very cautious when on the table now.

[Nothing Without Hope]

141. Hah! All those peple who think dogs are smarter than cats just don't ask

the cats the right questions to really find out. With a dog, it's "Do you want to please me by doing this?" and the dog will slobber and laugh and do anything for you. With a cat, well, let's say a cat has certain standards.

But ask her if she remembers that bear and what to do about it, and she shows you there's lots of synapses firing away behind those pretending-to-be-so-cool eyes.

So funny - thanks again, I'm going to save this one.

[RevCheesehead]

129. It's the Bay Air!

Hi Sparky - glad you could pop in tonight.

Lots of kleenex lying around tonight, but fortunately, not much drinking. I think things will perk up tomorrow.

[Nothing Without Hope]

118. On the positive side, there WAS a great NYT op/ed on Scalia today

(Scalia is persistently rumored to be an Opus Dei enabler or member hiimself, you know)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
Thread title:
NYT Editorial: Scalia is an activist judge too! (You'll love this one)

And there was also a good NYT op/ed on the non-energy strategy of the blivet** administration:
NYTimes: THE MISSING ENERGY STRATEGY (about time it was noticed!)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[Clark2008]

122. Shit, shit, shit

Look what I found roving around that link that WG provided earlier today in the clubhouse.

Moving Keith? Rumors flare up again:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[Nothing Without Hope]

147. Another NATURE PHOTO - Orion in infrared light

From the Astronomy Picture Of the Day site ( http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html ), where you can read all the embedded links to explanatory material in this caption:

Explanation: Do you recognize the constellation Orion? This striking but unfamiliar looking picture of the familiar Orion region of the sky was produced using survey data from the now-defunct InfraRed Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). The above image combines information recorded at three different invisible infrared wavelengths and covers about 30x24 degrees on the sky. Most of Orion's visually impressive stars don't stand out, but bright Betelgeuse does appear as a small bright purplish dot on the lower left. The bright region on the right contains the Great Nebula in Orion, while the bright region just above the image bottom is the Rosette Nebula. Surrounding these regions are a jumble of chaotic glowing gas and dark dust jettisoned by stars forming and exploding over millions of years.

[CC]

149. A hit & run to say hi and goodnight.

Impact panels are draining though this one seemed very productive. People listened and 2 guys came and gave us "victims" hugs and said they admired us talking to them, not down to them and expressed surprise that we aren't meaner to them for being stupid. You have to try and get something good out of bad stuff somehow. Impact panels are part of my therapy. Plus I tell them to imagine the person they love most in the world driving in whatever condition they were in when they were arrested, you can see them think and do an oh damn no way kind of face. Most of us make it a point to mention we drink too, just don't drive. I did tape Keith and almost had the whole two hours, ran out of tape.

As far as the new pope, not much I can say not being catholic and haven't had a chance to talk to my student priest (photography student, older priest), though he tell me it would be No more than 3 days before there was a new one. Will grill him again next time I see him. Willing to ask any questions anyone may have. (Poor guy , first I tell him the catholic religion seems mystical to this methodist raised person, then I grill him with questions) Maybe the office will change the man. (Bet he doesn't like blivet* though if JP2 didn't)

Clark, so sorry about your grandmother and now Blue again. I am more than willing to donate to the vet fund. The animals here haven;t broken the vet emergency fund yet. And I know how it feels, sides you have an intelligent adorable boy that needs a healthy Blue to hang with and spoil.

On the remote and coffee cup, not that small a remote but fell in end up so it got soaked. It did dry out enough to work.

gkh, I stole the animations. The maker seems to not be online with them anymore and try to be sure the AJ is there on them all.

Whirls, not only did the crafty little stinker show off, he pooped on me and the vet. Hmmm thinking he does not like it there. The vet got it worse.

Off to bed since I am working tomorrow (boss doesn't know how lucky he is to not have a ferret in his office. )

Take care all and BIG HUGS.


added, Hope beautiful picture. You are so good at making people feel good, whether with stories, jokes or pictures. You're priceless. Thanks.


KO


KEEF

[WhirlyGirl]

155. LOL - CC, this almost reminds me of those Xmas letters . . .

. . . "Sue is on the honor roll and Richard got the lead in the senior play (they're doing 'Our Town')"

. . . Except yours is interesting, so I guess it doesn't.

That ornery little critter! I had a cat do that to me once, in an elementary school classroom.