The beauty of subtle change...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYw8JR1N90o&feature=related

Embedding has been removed from the above video, I urge you to follow the URL and view it, especially if you are younger than 35. It is the video of Sinead O'Connor's performance of "War" on Saturday Night Live. She made that performance in 1992. The video shows her very powerful performance in which she ends with the tearing of a photograph of the Pope.

Sincere apologies were issued by both SNL and Ms. O'Connor following that performance. Even at a young age, I was saddened by her apology. Her very apology reduced the impact of what was then and still is now, a very powerful message. Sinead all but disappeared from public view in the U.S. following that performance. She paid a very high price for her "disrespect", both personally and professionally. She had the guts to do, what many of us wanted to, and yet, we all fell silent as she fell from grace.

Not this time around....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_pope_britain

LONDON – Britain's Foreign Office issued a hasty apology Sunday to Pope Benedict XVI after publication of an internal memo in which officials joked he could open an abortion clinic, launch a range of condoms or sing a duet with Queen Elizabeth II during a four-day visit in September.

The document, sections of which were published in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, also proposed the pope could bless a gay marriage, and acknowledge the clerical sex abuse scandal by establishing a hot line for abused children, or honoring abuse whistleblowers.


So, you felt the need to aopolgize? I find that somewhat hard to believe. It appears apologetic on the surface, but if one looks a little beyond the writing, and remembers the punishment dolled out to Ms. O'Connor, I see it quite differently, and it gives me hope.

First of all, those suggestions are not only appropriate, but perfectly toungue in cheek funny. An abortion clinic? Blessing a gay marriage? Good stuff there, kids. However, my favorite is the hotline suggestion. Well done. I don't see WHY that would be offensive to such good people leading such a diligent and loving flock.

Junior officials wrote the memo following a brainstorming session intended to discuss ideas for the visit, the first to Britain by the head of the Roman Catholic Church since Pope John Paul II in 1982.

Though some included advice for Britain's government on how to approach the abuse scandal, the ministry condemned many of the proposals as "ill-judged, naive and disrespectful."

Britain's ambassador to the Vatican, Francis Campbell, met senior Vatican officials offer a formal apology and one individual involved in drafting the memo has been transferred to other duties, the ministry said.


This is truly a thing of beauty. Several people opened their mouths and allowed their voices to be heard. I find it interesting that this memo was "leaked" so carelessly. Was it really? I also find it curious that only ONE of the participating parties was punished, and by punished, I mean "transferred". How appropriate, after all, isn't that what Popey on High did with his offending priests as Red Hat Wearing Ratfucker? Oh, the Karma. Well played, ministry. I feel that transfer was MORE than the aprropriate punishment, in light of the behavior of the "falsely offended" members of the vatican.

"The Foreign Office very much regrets this incident and is deeply sorry for the offense which it has caused," the ministry said in a statement. "We strongly value the close and productive relationship between the U.K. government and the Holy See and look forward to deepening this further with the visit of Pope Benedict to the U.K."

The document featured a diagram listing people likely to have an influential role during, or in commenting on, the visit — which ranked Scottish singer Susan Boyle, the surprise reality television star, as more important than Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

An accompanying note acknowledged many of the ideas contained in the memo were extreme. "These should not be shared externally...," it read, explaining the document was "the product of a brainstorm which took into account even the most far-fetched of ideas."


Translation: "We are sooooo sorry that we hurted your feewings, but guess what? Susan Boyle is more important than your archbishop!" I also love the attatched memo to the memo. "Don't hold us accountable, after all, these are just ideas...as far fetched as they are, we are looking into them. *wink wink*"

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said an apology from Britain had been received through the Holy See's embassy. "They supplied all the explanations, and there is nothing to add," Lombardi said.

Do I sense a large roll of duct tape with this one? Lombardi FINALLY kept his mouth shut? I guess he would have to, after all, how can one argue with, "oops, my bad...don't know how you saw that...we are looking into it...we transferred one person...um...somewhere else...kinda."

Sheer perfection.

Britain's Scotland Secretary Jim Murphy on Sunday branded the suggestions contained in the memo as despicable. "These are vile, they're insulting, an embarrassment, and on behalf of the whole of the United Kingdom, I would want to apologize," he said, during an election debate.

During his visit to Scotland and England, Pope Benedict XVI will give a speech in London, attend an ecumenical service at Westminster Abbey and conduct a public mass in Glasgow's Bellahouston Park.


Then the blowhard speaks. There is a key phrase here that can explain his "outrage". Do you see it? "DURING AN ELECTION DEBATE".

Nice try, Jimmy.

So, the changes that have been ever so subtle in the past eighteen years since Ms. O'Connor's performance are that people are not so afraid to speak out against big organizations that shroud themselves in "respect". The penalty seems to have also lessened as the shock waves of the corruption of Catholicism ripple accross the globe.

Thank you, Sinead. I will only accept your apology for apologizing. All those who call out the wrong doings of the most powerful should raise their heads high, and pity those who live in fear of reprisal from those who, themselves, have recently fallen from grace.

I have a headache? *blink*

Is Roethlisberger's brain trauma at fault for recent behavior?


By Carl Prine
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, April 25, 2010

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_678091.html


On Nov. 22, the helmeted head of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger met the knee of onrushing Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson.

The quarterback with two Super Bowl rings wobbled off the field and sat out the next game. Less than four months later, he stood accused of raping a Georgia student in a Milledgeville nightclub, and quiet questions began: Six years in the National Football League, 242 sacks, four serious head traumas -- three on the field and one from a nearly fatal 2006 motorcycle crash -- and two sexual assault allegations after boozy evenings in Nevada and Georgia.

On Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ordered Roethlisberger, 28, to undergo a battery of medical tests, part of a conditional punishment plan that could bench him for up to six games and cost him about $2.8 million.

Medical experts consulted by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review refused to diagnose the root causes of Roethlisberger's pattern of self-destructive behavior. But frontal lobe brain trauma has long been known to affect mood, judgment, interpersonal relations, foresight and the inhibition that keeps most others from displaying inappropriate social behavior -- what's called "executive function" by neurologists and psychiatrists.


*beats head off of keyboard*

Hey ladies! Forget about Viagra! Juat whack him a few times in his frontal lobe!

Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?????

Back up the stupid express for just one minute, please. Our "beloved" Big Ben Roethlisberger has now, for AT LEAST, the second time, been accused of sexual assault. Lucky for his stupid ass, there wasn't enough DNA to determine more than the fact that she had sex with a human. I am not making that up. So, the girl dropped the charges so as to NOT be vilified by the media in good ol' Pittsburgh Pennsyltucky. Big Ben (that has new meaning now) is now suspended for six games as punishment from the NFL (No Fucking Logic).

This is my favorite part...

"Ben Roethlisberger is a guy with a lot of concussions," said famed forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht. "It would be a very wise decision, a very appropriate one, for the NFL to test him for damage related to them. That's being very fair to Ben.

"It's conceivable to think that there is a possibility that those concussions have led to some behavioral issues. The question I pose is simple: Can someone with several chronic or repetitive head injuries later display behavior that is socially undesirable? It's certainly possible, but we won't know that unless there is a proper evaluation, then work-up and treatment plan. It would be medically negligent not to include these sorts of tests as a part of this disciplinary process."


Oh Mr. Wecht, I know that you too have been caught with your pants down, so to speak, but really, this is no way for you to redeem yourself politically. You seem to think that this city gives a shit about a player when he is NOT winning gold rings. You are a forensic pathologist. How about you wait until Ben is dead before you render your diagnosis and concerns, k?

This is pretty good too...

Wecht doesn't want to excuse Big Ben's boorish behavior, only to ask the NFL to strongly consider the causes of it, including underlying brain trauma. The former Allegheny County coroner was so concerned with the issue that he convened a March 12 and 13 pow-wow of leading concussion experts at Duquesne University -- a conference he provocatively titled "Is Football Bad for the Brain?"

IS FOOTBALL BAD FOR THE BRAIN???? Again, are you FUCKING KIDDING ME??? No, not a problem to be hit in the head repeatedly, Mr. Wecht. I see why you make the big bucks there, genius.

I think that the question is, "should we excuse someone who gets paid A LOT of money to be hit in the head, for bad behavior that may or may not be attributed to his CHOICE in profession?"

Jesus jumped up FUCK, people! This asshole was an asshole long before he took a few whacks from defensive linemen. You know how I know that? BECAUSE HE JOINED THE NFL! That seems to be all you morons recruit anymore. (again, thank you, Titans!)

Please explain to me again, why it is that Ben likes to fuck young girls who are drunk out of their minds in public places...I will be on the edge of my seat waiting to hear how it is actually the lineman's fault for hitting Benny too hard.

I say, HIT HIM AGAIN! Hit this asshole as many times as it takes to get through his ego driven skull that women are not objects to be abused and left as garbage!

Maybe we should hold the entire NFL responsible for promoting an event that causes men to rape women. How does THAT sound, you feeble minded twits? No? You don't like that? Then stop making excuses for assholes who choose to live their lives as a perpetual twelve year old, including playing a game for a living and doing things that they have been told repeatedly NOT to do!

If you can't control your gladiators because they have "frontal lobe" damage..then do us all a favor and put them back in their cages.

In a society that LOVES to make excuses and lay blame for bad behavior, you sure have stepped up your game with this one.

Ben's representatives won't comment. HAHAHA! Even THEY know this is bullshit!

Stop this crap. They know the risks when they join this idiotic organization. I don't see why you have to make the rest of us unsafe by justifying what they KNOW can be a result of their choices.

Concussions can make a pro ball player into an asshole rapist. Beautiful.



"Until we examine a lot of people like Ben Roethlisberger and study the histories of brain injury and relate them to exhibited behavior, we won't be able to answer the essential questions that need to be answered," Mayer said. "There's so much more we need to know."

That's why the NFL last week donated $1 million to Boston University to study chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Known simply as "CTE" or "punchdrunk syndrome," it's a degenerative brain condition that affects cognition and player conduct, eventually leading to dementia. Post-mortem examinations of the brains of Steelers Terry Long, Justin Strzelczyk and Hall of Fame center Mike Webster found evidence of the syndrome.


"punchdrunk syndrome"? You mean, "I am a moron syndrome". I let another man beat me senseless, and then I can do whatever I want because of it.

How do you plan on "preventing" this so-called condition of turning an otherwise "great all American guy" into a douche bag?

Maybe bigger helmets? No? ummmm...how about you just play flag football. No?

You won't do shit about it. I know this because it is the violence and physical strain of the game that puts asses in the seats. Those asses pay for your private jets.

Good luck selling flag football tickets, or banning hitting someone in the head.

Just another excuse to add to the list of staggeringly stupid shit spouted by both the medical community and it's parnership with the NFL.

You never cease to disappoint.

Holy shit! I just became a Titans fan!

Titans get Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle in sixth round
By Doug Farrar

The Tennessee Titans may have questions about what they see on game film from their sixth-round safety, but there won't be any questions about his intelligence, determination or character. With the 207th overall pick (the final pick in the sixth round), Tennessee drafted Florida State's Myron Rolle. There's some real football skill there, but it's what Rolle did outside of football in the 2009 season that made news.

Rolle, who graduated in 2 ½ years from Florida State with a 3.75 GPA, spent the 2009 football season as a Rhodes Scholar, studying in Oxford, England at the highest academic level. Still, he was labeled by some as a football deserter - someone whose love for the game was questioned. He came back to the game in time for all the 2010 pre-draft activities, recording decent numbers at the scouting combine and in a private workout for NFL scouts.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Titans-get-Rhodes-Scholar-Myron-Rolle-in-sixth-r?urn=nfl,236457



In recent years, I have all but refused to watch professional sporting events in the U.S. The reasons are not that complicated. I am tired of hearing about how our overpaid, over-indulged, severely character flawed athletes are "American heros". Thanks to Ben Roethlisberger, my city has, yet again, sustained embarrassment thanks to one of our so-called heros. Ben, apparently, has an affinity for young, drunk college students, and can't seem to sort out the need for self control. This is, of course, after having the pleasure of other "heros" like Plaxico Burres, the idiot who shot himself in the leg. Ahh, the glory of the NFL.

Now, here comes Mr. Rolle. A Rhodes Scholar??? Unbelieveable. For an organization who prides themselves on the "character" of their members, "character" certainly is in short supply. I am happy to see that someone with a brain, priority systems, and character FINALLY entered their ranks. Congratulations, Dr. Rolle. What a novel concept, Mr. Rolle explains that exercizing his brain is just as important and necessary as exercizing his body. As a matter of fact, he delves further and explains that it is NECESSARY to exercize both. Stunning.

So, I will make this short. If the parents out there reading this have half a brain in their heads, they will tell their children EXACTLY what constitutes a role model, and Mr. Rolle is it. I don't care if he warms the bench for ten years. This man has accomplished more than imaginable for most people, and he did it with determination and intelligence. THAT is a role model...even without a Super Bowl ring.

Congratulations to the Tennessee Titans, he may have been a last round choice, but to those of us who are tired of the bullshit of the NFL, you just redeemed a little bit of my respect. For what it is worth...

This year, I will watch the Titans...and hope to see Dr. Rolle take the field, just so that I can tell my sons who he is.

Oh, and on a side note, a young, athletically gifted, brilliant young man...and he is BLACK! LOL The Kryptonite of the Republican party. It is a true thing of beauty...now hurry up, trailor dwelling, conservative NFL fans, buy his jersey! HAHAHA!

Mother, May I?

I remember being a small child and playing "Mother, may I?" on the school playground. For those of you who have never played that game, (this is specifically directed at you!) it was a game of trickery and manners. One child stood a distance from a line of other children. The "mother" child would give instructions like "take one giant step forward". The other children then had to respond with "Mother, may I?". Permission was then either granted or denied. If the child did not state "Mother, may I?" before carrying out the action, they went back to the starting line. The "mother" child would use inflection and speed of the command to trick the child into NOT saying the proper response.The first child to be able to reach out and touch "mother" was declared the winner, and had the privledge of becoming "mother" in the next round.

I took my ten year old son to work with me this past week, in honor of "take your child to work day", which apparently interferes with the public school system's state fund raising...otherwise known as "standardized testing". However, that is another rant for another day.

My son awakened at 4:45am in excitement for his journey to work with Mom. I am employed in a labor capacity with ALL MEN! This is a ten year old boy's dream job. He was excited to see our equipment and get a ride in the infamous John Deere Gator that he has heard so much about. We stopped at the local gas station for snacks and coffee for Mom. He placed his snacks on the counter and said "good morning!" to the young man that rings up my coffee every morning. The young man smiled and conversed with Adam for several minutes about the excitement of his day. Adam then bound out the front door smiling and thanking the young man for wishing him well in his adventure.

While we drove the 45 minutes it takes for me to arrive at work, I reminded Adam to please use his good manners and to closely follow instructions while in the workplace. I have three sons, ages almost 15, almost 13 and 10. (Some days I wish that I could put a shot of Whiskey in my coffee!) Adam is the one who requires constant reminders about EVERYTHING. I was a little stressed out about taking this particular child to work with me that day. He is my "difficult" child. He is strong willed and high energy at all times. This is a parenting challenge, to say the least.

Our first task of the day is to clean the litter from the sidewalks of several city blocks. Adam happily, and dutifully went about his task without complaint, and even listened when I told him to try NOT to get run over by a bus. Whew, first stressor dealt with. Along his journey, we ran into one of the department managers. I introduced Adam to him, and Adam reached out his hand and said, "Hello, Mr. ___". I was so proud of him. When the man walked away, Adam asked me if he was a boss. I said yes, and asked him how he knew that. He said, "He looked like a boss, and he wears a tie, Mom...geeez *eye roll*". Well played, Adam.

Adam worked well with my co-workers, and remembered to always give them a title when speaking directly to them. Mr. Mike was his favorite. He helped him bend a penny in a vice. Oh, the things that entertain males. Mr. Dave showed him how the Robins will eat the grubs from the newly cut sod, and helped Adam up when he stumbled and fell, landing a large piece of sod directly over his face. Adam got up laughing, and Mr. Dave couldn't help but laugh along. Mr. Alex commiserated endlessly with Adam over the pains of dealing with Mom everyday. Thanks, Alex. Mr. Joe showed Adam how to use the mower, and even let him cut for a while. Adam beamed all day long. I began to wonder if his face would cramp from the permanent smile.

Finally, it is lunchtime. We go to the Cafe located on the seventh floor, and I am anxious for Adam to meet one of the nicest people employed in this hospital, another Mr. Joe. He is the head chef. Adam meets him, shakes his hand and carries a fairly long conversation about his day thus far. Then it is time to order lunch, and Adam does so, remembering to say "please" and "thank you". He gobbled down his personally crafted grilled cheese (just what head culinary chef LOVES to prepare) and we head back to work for the afternoon. We saw, and met several more managers throughout the day, and even a Vice President. Adam carried himself like a proud little man, and never needed further reminding of how to behave.

When I went to the Cafe the following day to order my lunch, the man behind the counter asked to speak with me for a moment. He stated that he was stunned by Adam's behavior and complimented me on how polite and happy he was. I actually hear this quite often in reference to all three of my boys, and have heard it since they were very young. I replied to him with thanks and told him that it saddens me that my son stands out, simply because he was respectful. He proceded to tell me that there were many children in there the previous day, they were children of doctors, administrators and CFOs. He said that they were rude and demanding, just like their parents. He thanked me again for raising a son that knows how to treat people, even the lowly people working behind a counter. I laughed and said, "It isn't that difficult, when you understand what it feels like to be viewed as "lowly".

I was proud of my son that day, and everyday for various things. You see, I spend my day observing people, and their behavior. I see people bump into each other without even so much as an "excuse me". I see them drop doors on the people entering behind them. I see them berate the men and women at the information desk, as if they are not even worthy of basic human respect. I see you refuse to hang up your cell phone, or even take pause when ordering your lunch. I rarely hear the words, "please" or "thank you". I see children damaging other's property or running around screaming while the mother or father chats away on their phone, or simply ignores them. I hear children calling adults by their first names and seemingly not even know the existance of the word, "please" when making a request.

I have taught my sons to ALWAYS hold a door for someone, especially someone struggling with it, even if you don't plan on entering yourself. I have taught them to help people when they see the need for it. I have instructed them repeatedly on the need to show respect and poise when faced with someone deserving of it. They are to ALWAYS show basic human kindness and respect, and if they do not, they will be reprimaded for it, even if god himself is standing there. The incredible thing is, I don't have to remind them. They see the positive reactions and benefits of behaving properly, and they continue with what is CLEARLY working for them. My 15 years old son can enter the local store or mall with his friends, and NOT be followed by the manager or security simply because he has carried himself appropriately and spoken with respect to those people.

I suppose that I am not so much speaking about manners, as I am about respect and kindness. Does one not reflect another? Where did this lost art go? Is it really that difficult to take a moment to tap into your instinctual human empathy and behave the way that you would like to see other behave toward you? Why have we lost this skill? Granted, it is difficult to smile through the rudeness of others, but why do we succumb to the same behavior? I am guilty of that, myself. When met with someone who behaves in a way that is disgusting or distainful, I will open my mouth and give them a little dose of their own medicine. That, in itself, is a delicate art. I am not so delicate. LOL I have been chastised by my own sons for that very behavior. Good for them, even their mother is not exempt from behaving appropriately.

I wonder, as they grow older, will they succumb to the frustration of dealing within a rude and self-serving society? Have I actually harmed their ability to deal in a world where their behavior is all but rendered obsolete? I truly hope not. I write this, in the hope that there are others feeling the same frustration and confusion. I also write it in the hopes that some of you will pull your heads from your asses and start raising your children as human beings instead of wild animals with no self control or language skills!

There is a fast food restaurant near where I work, and the sign on the front counter states this....

"We will be more than happy to assist you when you hang up your phone. Until then, we will take the next customer in line. Thank you, MGMT."

Good for you. It's a start.

Jesus, people. You are being parented by Burger King. Wake up.

I stop.....and think...

Death of 'Caveman' ends an era in Idaho
Richard Zimmerman, known to all as Dugout Dick, succumbs at 94.


Known as the "Salmon River Caveman," Richard Zimmerman lived an essentially 19th century lifestyle, a digital-age anachronism who never owned a telephone or a television and lived almost entirely off the land.

"He was in his home at the caves at the end, and it was his wish to die there," said Connie Fitte, who lived across the river. "He was the epitome of the free spirit."

Richard Zimmerman had been in declining health when he died Wednesday.

Few knew him by his given name. To friends and visitors to his jumble of cave-like homes scrabbled from a rocky shoulder of the Salmon River, he was Dugout Dick.



Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/04/23/1164899/death-of-caveman-ends-an-era-in.html#ixzz0lxmY7SAp



I had never heard of this man prior to reading this article. I intend to do some more reading about him and those who lived similar lives. I find it humorous that I will use technology to research such a man, but that is the very thought that made me take pause, and....think.

I thought about my life, and what a stark contrast it is to his. I am somewhat resistant to technology,or at least I thought I was. I refused to use computers for many years. I refused to allow my children to use the internet for what seemed, to them, to be an eternity. I resisted texting and cell phones, to the point of teasing from friends...well...that is...until recently. I have "caved" to all of the pressures of "necessary technology".

When I try to imagine a life lived entirely dependent upon one's own resources and personal resolve, I cannot fathom the loneliness. I wonder if he felt profound loneliness, or a peace that is immeasurable by the technologically savvy world that he left behind. There is a part of me that envies him tremendously. I cannot imagine the beauty that he experienced. I have seen starry nights and beautiful sunsets. I imagine a man quietly strumming his guitar with nothing to interfere with the pure sound of music created from an uninterrupted emotion. If I combine those beautiful nights with a sound so pure, my mind wanders into what feels like a dream. One of the most beautiful sounds on this earth is the sound of rain falling in harmony with nature. I wonder how many nights he fell asleep to the rhythm of raindrops and the sounds of animals that live as freely as he did. Is that what his music sounded like? I wish I could have heard it, just once. Where did his mind go when he felt peace? I would love to visit that place.

The Earth yielded everything that he required to stay alive. He worked hand in hand with what we disposed of, discarded, and what we take for granted, just to sustain his life...for over 90 years. I find myself in a very strange emotional place while I think of what it must have been like to be him. What was it like to fall asleep in pure silence without the touch of human companionship? It saddens me to think that he lacked one of the greatest feelings on this incredible planet, while experiencing things that most of us will never know. His life could not have been an easy one. To have the soil yield what your body needs to live, or to have animals provide necessary sustenance, you must nurture both...and then destroy them. We, "civilized society", have the pleasure of not raising and nurturing the animals that we eat. We find it a difficult task to even find the time and energy to gather our food at a market where the sweat and ugly part of killing our food has already been done for us. Was he a callous man who could raise an animal from a baby, kill it, and devour it with the idea that "that is just what we do to survive", or did he truly realize the harsh reality of nature's food chain, and accept his place within it?

We have gardens on our patios, or little fenced in areas where we grow things as a hobby. I don't know anyone who sustains their family off of what they grow on their own. We go to our local large chain store, or if you are a more caring person, you head to your local nursery and gather your seedlings, fertilizer, soil, animal repellent, stakes and cages, pots, cute little plant labels, and even ridiculous trinkets to decorate our gardens. What would he say about that? I imagine him laughing at our inability to keep our tomatoes from falling off the vine before they ripen, and then running inside to Google "tomato falls off vine before ripe". Did he use the eggshells from his chickens to prevent the blossom end rot that we would take an hour to determine after asking three different "professionals"? Well, I know he didn't buy a fungicide sold to him by a teenager wearing an orange apron. I have heard so many people say, "I would love to grow my own fruits and vegetables, but it is just too much of a hassle, and I don't have time for that." These are the same people who complain relentlessly about the sub standard quality of those same items sold by their local grocer.

This man took, what we considered "trash", and used it as if it were brand new. Then, incredibly, WE paid him to live in it! He did not charge a fee that would ever make him wealthy, but merely enough to help him to survive. How many times have we all heard this, "My_____ broke this weekend, so I thought about fixing it. I spent all weekend trying to find the parts, and then I realized that I needed a new tool to fix it, so I said 'to hell with it', and I just bought a new one. It only cost me___ more to buy a new one than to fix it." Well, not only did he "fix it", but he may have just used it...as is. He used it the way you left it...broken. Is a door really "broken" or "outdated", or are we just spoiled over-indulged brats?

As I sit here, I hear the pump running on my fishtank. I hear the (riding) mower outside. I hear the noise from my son's room, and the sound of the fan in my laptop, and I wonder to myself, is this the music of MY life? My refrigerator is full of food purchased from someone who paid someone else to kill or harvest it. My windows have just enough...whatever...in them to keep out the damaging rays of the sun that could fade the paint on my walls. I have a new "energy efficient" furnace with a filtration system to keep out of of those nasty things that the guy who sold it to me said were there. I have three vehicles sitting in my driveway, one of which is one of my favorite possessions. I pay $20 more for a bag of dog food because my dog is allergic to...um...something....in the others. I complain relentlessly about how my job barely allows me to make ends meet, but the good news is, I can drive home in my truck.

I am actually a "blue collar" worker. Yes, I get dirty and I sweat to earn my paycheck. Until now, I thought I had a physically demanding job. What I realized is that someone else provides me the opportunity to get dirty and sweat, no one provided that to him. He did it on his own, and relied solely on himself to provide even the soil that stained his clothes. I doubt that he used Oxy Clean or Tide to remove that soil. I wonder if he even cared that it was there.

His photograph is one of a man who has been beaten by the sun, and soaked by the rain for 94 years. We hear the lyrics to songs that talk about the callouses of an old man's hands. I looked at my hands, just now, and I can see the callouses of my life, and the age creeping into the crevices of my fingers. What did his hands look like when he was my age? My hands have held my sons, and felt the touch of the people that I love. Will they remember the feel of my touch? I am a woman, and we have built an entire industry around our skin and our appearance, but he never saw or felt you. I doubt that he ever knew or cared what "alpha hydroxy" was or was supposed to do. Come to think of it, neither do I, and I bet you don't either.

My goodness, how we strive to have so much, and we don't even know what it's purpose is. To us, music is what comes out of expensive speakers mounted in just the right places to accomplish the perfect sound. What was music to him? What inspired him to pick up that guitar and play it? Would we have even considered it to be any good? I guess to understand whether or not it was "good", we would have to feel what inspired it. What a shame, we never will.

I do not envy the hard work that was required to live the life that he chose, and I do not envy the loss of human companionship. I do, however, envy the freedom that he experienced. It came at a heavy price, and that was the life that I lead. I wish that I could have heard his music and felt his hands. I wish that I could have seen the sights that surrounded him and felt the rhythm of the rain, in the ways that he did. But, I would then like to awaken from my dream, and see the people that I love, and hold my sons after a long day at work.

Life is full of choices, consequences, and reward. I try to keep a balance in my life that allows me to experience this world and yet remain a part of it. He chose to leave it behind, and live by his own hand. It is an admirable and poetic existence. I am not a poet, and I do not seek to be admired. My guess is, neither was he, nor was that his desire.

So, I have decided that I will be happy in my life, and hope that he was happy in his. There are people in this world who strive for fame and notoriety, yet he did everything to avoid it. In his attempts at closing out the rest of the world, he invited us in. Thank you, Mr. Zimmerman, for giving us a look at the world that we live in. Sometimes, it takes just stopping and trying to see the world through someone else's eyes, just to see it through your own.

..and Ratzinger hums...."The Good Old Days..."

I am not quite sure what word to use that truly encompasses the idea that welcoming a Holocaust denier wasn't all that bad of a PR move in light of Ratzinger's current political quandry.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100416/tuk-bishop-fined-for-holocaust-denial-a7ad41d.html

The case prompted a rare comment on religious matters by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called on Benedict to "clarify unambiguously that there can be no denial" the Nazis killed six million Jews.

The German pope later admitted mistakes in his handling of the case, saying he was unaware of Williamson's latest remarks and stressed that it was "intolerable" to dispute the facts of the Holocaust.

The trial comes amid a ballooning sexual abuse scandal rocking the Catholic church, with hundreds of people coming forward in Germany and other countries around the world saying they were molested by predatory priests.

Benedict himself has been accused of turning a blind eye to abuse before he became pope.

Williamson has said he wished to apologise to anyone offended by his comments but has refused to retract his assertions, saying only that he would re-examine the historical evidence.

The court on Friday heard an excerpt of the interview, in which Williamson is heard telling the interviewer: "Be careful, this is against the law in Germany."


So, Dick, you are going to "re-examine the historical evidence", huh? *blink* Let me help you. Before Hitler's regime, there were a lot of Jews. After Hitler's regime, there were a whole lot less Jews. Where did they go? YOU are going to re-examine the evidence..LOL. I will be waiting on the edge of my seat to FINALLY have the REAL truth, as provided by a mid-ranking minion of a large cult. You do that, Dick. Find the truth, and then type it all out in Latin, and we can call it your "manifesto". Countless historians have weighed in on the subject, but it is YOUR research that has us completely spellbound. I can't wait to read about your explanation for the survivors tales of torture, and eye witness accounts of what vast suffering plagued their friends, families and neighbors. Maybe those tattoos they sport are numbers from their stay in Hitler's most elite country clubs. Maybe they weren't really tortured and killed in the gas chambers. Maybe they all got together and orchestrated the largest "disappearance" in human history. Geeesh, you would think that you deniers would have found a few of them by now. Maybe Hitler and the Nazis used their Acme ray guns and vaporized them! Maybe it was 10,000 Jews, maybe 300,000...or maybe 6 million. WHAT THE FUCK DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE???

Oh, I know the answer to that one. You think that "THE JEWS" have extorted an excessive amount of funds due to exagerated claims of loss of life and crimes against humanity. Your own deep rooted hatred of an entire group of people based upon their faith has blinded you to human suffering and made this entire thing about money. Well I have to say, you joined the right group.

I can give you some peace, here. Shhh, don't tell anyone, but pope Ratfucker agrees with you. He just can't say it out loud because people are listening, and THAT would be bad! It is NEVER good, when attempting to gather support, to use unpopular speech. (If you are following along, you know who said that.) You don't like when a group with a different view has more financial backing than you do. You feel threatened by their numbers and the loyalty of their followers. HAHA! Oh, the irony.

So, you are going to try to diminish the amount of deaths, and the level of inhumanity of the crimes. Good luck with that. The average moderately intelligent person does not care if it was 10,000...300,000 or 6 million. You see, we aren't blinded by some ficticious war over a sandy haired, blue eyed (*blink*) hippie who tried to tell people to stop being assholes. It is amazing how one can sum up your bullshit in one sentence. Listen, maybe they killed him, maybe they didn't. Look at it this way, if they did...you should THANK them! His death is what allows you to sin freely, and without reprisal from that god guy! Which brings me to the whole point of this snark and irony...What other skeletons do you have in your closet, Dick?

Frank Collin, a native of Chicago, joined George Lincoln Rockwell's National-Socialist White People's Party in the 1960s. He broke with the NSWPP due to a disagreement with Rockwell's successor, Matt Koehl, who had assumed the leadership role by popular vote after Rockwell's August 25, 1967 assassination by a disgruntled member, John Patsalos, who used the name "John Patler" during his tenure in the NSWPP.

Collin's downfall began with the revelation that his father, Max Simon Collin, was a Jew whose original surname had been "Cohen". Max Cohen/Collin claimed to have been a prisoner at Dachau concentration camp, where Frank Collin was said to have been conceived.

While president of the NSPA, Collin was arrested by Michigan police while having sex with a pair of 10-year-old boys. These revelations led to his dismissal from the neo-Nazi movement. A psychiatrist who interviewed Collin declared that he was "consumed by hatred for his father"; it was argued that Collin rejected his father by becoming a neo-Nazi and adopting and publicly espousing antisemitic beliefs.

Collin was convicted of child molestation and sent to Pontiac prison in 1979.[2] He served three years of a seven year sentence.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Collin

Uh oh. Is this a common link? You see, Dick, there is a common occurance among molesters,and that is deep rooted self hatred. In order to gain power over those feelings, the mentally disturbed molester will target someone or something else to hate. When hatred grows to a painful level, the victimizer releases that hatred in a need to cause another the pain and suffering that they feel. That was complicated, I know. Let me put it this way, the Nazi groups here in the US recruit young boys and hide them deep in wooded areas. They hide from the general public and indoctrinate the youth, many of whom come from horrible backgrounds, with their hatred and need for vengeance. One of their tools is molestation.

I am not, in the least bit surprised, to find common psychological disorders within your ranks. You are ALL narcissistic personalities determined to have the final word...at any and all costs. Those costs include our children, and the mental stability of your followers.

Oh poor popey Ratfucker. He has quite a mess to sort out...and frankly, he isn't that good of a PR guy. Maybe a more charismatic speaker is required to get you out of this mess....I can think of one...

As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice.


Adolph Hitler

It's time to pray.

Hartford, Connecticut (CNN) -- A bill in Connecticut's legislature that would remove the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse cases has sparked a fervent response from the state's Roman Catholic bishops, who released a letter to parishioners Saturday imploring them to oppose the measure.

Politics from the pulpit? What happened to your fantasy of separation of church and state? I guess since YOU don't abide by "the rules", then neither will we. TIME TO PAY TAXES! So, the men in red dresses speak out again. This is priceless.

The proposed change to the law would put "all Church institutions, including your parish, at risk," says the letter, which was signed by Connecticut's three Roman Catholic bishops.

The letter is posted on the Web site of the Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference, the public policy and advocacy office of Connecticut's Catholic bishops. It asks parishioners to contact their legislators in opposition of the bill.

The "legislation would undermine the mission of the Catholic Church in Connecticut, threatening our parishes, our schools, and our Catholic Charities," the letter says.

The Catholic archdiocese of Hartford also published a pulpit announcement on its Web site, which was to be read during Mass on Sunday, urging parishioners to express opposition to the bill.


What I want to know is, how the fuck a supposedly sentinent human being can sit on a wooden bench, hear their puppet say "oppose legislation that erradicates the statute of limitations" on the worst crime imaginable, and nod their heads in agreement.

Listen you fuckin idiots, if you are not harboring molesters, and the "false accusers" have no evidence of the alleged crimes, you have nothing to worry about. But you know better, don't you...you KNOW that you are harboring molesters, and you care more about your fucking church than you do about your fellow man. Typical arrogant Catholics. Do you jackasses even know that one of the classic traits of a cult and a cult leader is paranoia? Yes, it is true. ALL cults and their leaders show a fear of reprisal for the purity of their beliefs, and pass that fear to their willing sheep. They wipe away their wrong doing by claiming that there is a conspiracy afoot designed to destroy what you hold so dear...your lies.

What really goes through your head when you hear the red dress guy say, "all church institutions are at risk, including your parish..."? Please tell me that you wonder if they know something you don't, like that YOUR priest is a molester. Because any other thought is simply paranoia and conjured fear at the hands of manipulative cult leaders. Will you think twice about their stand on this issue? Do you even ask yourselves why the need for such fear?

To help you, I suggest that you read up on the lifelong effects of sexual abuse. It can take decades for a victim to come to terms with what happened to them. Their lives are forever altered from that moment forward, whether they consciously realize it or not. The least that we, as acommunity, can give them, is time. I am willing to give them a lifetime to find peace...yet you Catholics won't. UN FUCKING BELIEVEABLE!

I have another suggestion, be careful campaigning from the pulpit, because one day, you may find yourselves being hit where it hurts more than just bad PR. We will hit you in the wallet. Let me help you out with this one. Instead of waiting for living, breathing human beings to listen to you....try this one out...

Dear god...

Please use your hand of justice and help the people to see the truth and love within your church. Guide us and give us the strength to find the flaws within our own humanity, and see the sufferings of those who have been hurt by evil that has infiltrated your church. May our courts be fair, and just, and may all those who have brought harm to our children be punished by human laws guided by your hand, and may they face final judgement before you. We give our trust and our faith to you, almighty god.

There. See? He will fix it...now shut the fuck up...and see the power of your "god" in action.

Good luck with that. In the meantime, we will put your priests, bishops...and even your pope behind bars, if THAT is what OUR laws determine.

You better start praying for the right things...1,000 years is sufficient time to figure out what the "right thing" is, don't you think?

fuckin hypocrites.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/11/connecticut.abuse.bill/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

Could you PLEASE keep your god and your politics OUT of my uterus??

LINCOLN, Neb. – Two first-of-their-kind laws in Nebraska put new restrictions on abortion, including one that uses a new legal rationale for a ban on later-term abortions.

That law bars the procedure at and after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the assertion that fetuses can feel pain at that point. The other requires women be screened before having abortions for mental health issues and other risk factors indicating if they might have problems afterward.

A national abortion rights group already appeared to be girding for a legal challenge, calling the ban at or after 20 weeks "flatly unconstitutional."


Oh, enough of this bullshit. I still don't know, or care what the freakin constitution has to do with my uterus. Jesus Christ, they didn't even know what a uterus was when it was written. You can twist and turn the "rights of the individual" all day long, and you have yet to show me where the constitution mentions anything about governing an internal organ. Get a grip.

Here is my stand on abortion. I am Pro-Life for myself, and ONLY myself. I, however, want to know that if my child were to be born deformed or mentally deficient, that I retain the right to medically and safely terminate my pregnancy.

What the fuck is so complicated about that?

Listen to me, and listen carefully. IF a woman gets pregnant, and had the desire and ability to terminate the pregnancy JUST BECAUSE she was too "lazy" or "irresponsible" to be a mother, why the FUCK would you want her raising a child? You show me where, in the constitution, it states that YOU should have the right to make that determination.

Now, the rights of the father. There aren't any. When he decided to trust her to prevent the pregnancy, and didn't wrap his dick, he terminated his right to an opinion. He had another option, and that is to NOT ejaculate happily inside of her, OR to decline having sex at all if he felt that he did not want to risk creating a child that she may abort.

Next issue, drug addicted mothers. Yeah, good plan assholes. Force THEM to give birth. How many crack babies are YOU willing to raise when they are placed in our already overburdened foster care system? Oh, none? Then shut up.

Do I really have to address rape, incest and twelve year old mothers? If I do, you are not worth talking to.

I do not give a rats ass what fictional diety you believe in, or how far on the right side of the fence you sit. You have NO right to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with what is contained within her own body. Period. You jeopardize ALL of our rights when you force these issues. How much would you like US to invade YOUR body?

You are so fucking desperate now, that you have decided when a fetus can feel pain? Really? What the fuck difference does THAT make? You seem to care very little for the pain of growing up with a crack addicted mother. Morons.

We can split hairs all day long on the issue of what is a "baby", what is a "fetus"..blah blah

How about this...

You give birth to your babies..

and leave the fetus killing up to the rational and not deluded...

K?

Oh, and by the way, do us all a favor. When you give birth to your one armed, three legged drooling pile of skin, keep it the hell out of OUR liberal social programs, would ya?

After all, you guys keep cutting the funding...so leave what is left for the "welfare sucking" liberals that were forced to give birth. I will happily pay for them, AND adopt their children. I doubt that you would.

Thanks.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_nebraska_abortion_laws

Excuse me, Mr. Lombardi, has celibacy made you...cranky...or just frustratingly arrogant...

Asked about this at a briefing on the pope's trip to Malta this weekend, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi scoffed.

"This is a bizarre idea to say the least. It looks like the intent is to make a public opinion splash. I think they should look for something more serious and concrete before we can respond to it," he said.

"The pope's visit (to Britain) is a visit of state, and so it would be very strange if during a state visit the person who is invited to make a state visit is arrested," he said.


Can you say "POLITICAL LIABILTY"? This asshole wouldn't know "concrete" unless it was in the foundation of another monsterous, gold encrusted investment...you know, a church.

Did this pompous ass just demand "something more serious and concrete"? Really?

Scoff away, you arrogant, out of touch, hypocritical, heartless pile of dog shit! Everytime you speak, I can hear the sounds of silence in your tithing baskets. Keep talking, asshole.

http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6074&Itemid=48

THIS, of course, is my favorite...read...and enjoy...

6. The pope's recent trip to the Holy Land was probably the last place on earth where the Vatican would want to launch a news cycle dedicated to Benedict and the Hitler Youth, but that is precisely what happened. In a May 12 press conference, responding to media commentary on the pope's visit and speech at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, Father Lombardi vehemently denied that the young Joseph Ratzinger had been enrolled in the Nazi Hitler Youth program. "The pope has said he never, never was a member of the Hitler Youth, which was a movement of fanatical volunteers," he said.

Then-Cardinal Ratzinger himself, however, in a 1996 book of interviews, Salt of the Earth, said that he had been drafted into the Hitler Youth, because membership in the movement had been made compulsory by the Nazi regime. Father Lombardi's clumsy attempt to deny something that the pope himself had already conceded long ago reawakened the story, prompting media agencies around the world to rehash the details.



"Father" Lombardi is a living, breathing example of what is wrong with, not just Catholicism, but organized religion as a whole. There is a level of "untouchable arrogance" in this man that just begs to be silenced.

It is ironic, that he is "head of the press office" that heads the "press office" for god. That makes me laugh. God can't talk directly to you. Then there is the Pope. He is human, right? Well, apparently, HE can't talk directly to you either. So, there is this "Press office" that speaks on his behalf. The head of this debacle is "Father" Lombardi. You Catholics sure do have A LOT of "middle men". Maybe this is why you are so fucked up. Listen, when ONE MAN cannot properly carry the message of ONE OTHER MAN correctly and factually....how the FUCK do you people trust all of the other crap that they spew? I mean, really, this isn't a long chain of command, is it? God...Pope...Lombardi. *eye roll*

I wonder if good ol' Ratzinger (Benedict, whatever) cringes when Lombardi speaks like husbands cringe when their wives speak after a few glasses of wine at the company Christmas party. I only ponder that because it seems as though Lombardi is taking quite a few liberties that he is not entitled to. I would think that the leader of such a wonderfully loving and tolerant religion would NEVER condone "scoffing" at the idea of being arrested for assisting in the cover up of countless cases of child molestation. Would he?

Let's talk about this, in all seriousness. This man, Ratzinger, is the closest thing you Catholics have to god, right? Why, then, does he require immunity under the title "head of state"? Isn't he the head of....oh...morality...righteousness....truth...sanctity...and on and on your bullshit goes. What does he have to hide? Why does he NOT open a FULL investigation into ALL claims of sexual abuse within his flock? Why does he hide? He hides behind the walls of a golden palace. He hides in a bulletproof carriage. He hides behind the misguided fumblings of Lombardi. He hides from his loyal followers, for fuck's sake!

If it were not for the suffering of countless abuse victims, I would find this humorous...but I do not.

The Vatican said on Tuesday Pope Benedict was willing to meet more sexual abuse victims but not under media pressure and scoffed at calls for the pope to be arrested when he visits Britain in September.

The pope feels that meetings with victims should take place "in a climate that is intentionally one of reflection, discreet, and not under pressure of the glare of the media, so he can have a real possibility to listen and communicate personally," Lombardi said.

The Vatican has rejected accusations the pope helped to cover up abuse by priests in jobs he held before his election in 2005 and has accused the media of waging a "despicable campaign of defamation" against him.

Is Ratzinger too busy campaigning for anti-abortion legislation or shutting down sex education for our youth that he cannot open the golden palace and hear the pleas and see the tears of his victimized followers? Does he need to repeatedly slap them in the face by speaking through a moron like Lombardi? Does this organization not, at the very least, owe these people the opportunity to speak, and provide the very proof that the asshole, Lombardi, demands?

Apparently not.

Instead, The Vatican just continues to spin and twist their way through lie after lie, and cover-up after cover-up. I see why you people so dutifully follow their lead. *blink*

You might want to think about just praying to your god in your kitchen. There is less room for "miscommunication" when going through "middle men". According to your own beliefs...he will hear you.

*eye roll*

The crisis over abuse of children by priests shows no sign of abating, with new revelations emerging almost daily and the Vatican scrambling to find a response strategy.

Scramble, twist, lie, manuipulate and deny...but know this. Justice will be served...by man...not your delusions.

...in time.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100413/wl_nm/us_pope_abuse_1

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

I have listened to the braindead justifications spewed by the dutiful followers of the Catholic church since the onset of this "scandal". In my last post on this matter I made reference to a quote by Adolph Hitler. I want to post it again, being as it is quite fitting to the mindset of the bleating sheep.

All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.


I have found that there are three "stock answers" that are given when questioned about their loyalty to an organization so massive and corrupt.

1. "I have been a practicing Catholic for _____ years, gone to church every Sunday, and I have never experienced anything like what they are accusing our priests of. This is just another example of them trying to destroy our faith."

2. "So there are a few 'bad priests'. Show me an organization that doesn't have problems. My priest/pastor is a good man, so it doesn't effect me."

but THIS one is my favorite...

3. "There are molesters everywhere. They are in our school systems, other churches, and our governments. The only reason they are attacking Catholics is because they are looking for a reason to destroy us. Look at that teacher that molested that boy, she was a public school teacher, but no one attacked public education the way they are attacking us. Plenty of other religions have problems with this too, we aren't any different."

Every time I hear one of these, or similar responses, it makes my eyes glaze over and I lose ten IQ points. Having a discussion with a Catholic about the corruption and history of their organization is like talking about gun control with a man who lives in a trailor and sleeps with his assault rifle under his beer stained mattress.

You can boil all three of these responses into very simple, child-like retorts.

1. "I don't care, it didn't happen to me. They are just picking on us because we are better than them."

2. "It's not that big of a deal. Leave us alone."

3. "Everyone else is doing it too! It isn't OUR fault! Stop picking on us!"

So, let's address this staggering blindness and immaturity for a minute. The one thing that I have noticed as a consistent reaction from their supporters is defensiveness. I do not understand this, at all. They feel the need to defend this organization as if it personally represents them. Their brains are that of a collective consciousness, and unable to break away and see the problem as it exists. This is not a complicated concept to grasp. This is about a systematic cover-up of continued abuse at the hands of their leaders. This is NOT about the amount of priests who offend. This is NOT about having one religion pitted against another. This is NOT about how many sex offenders there are in other groups and organizations. This is about betrayal and self preservation of big business at the cost of our children.

One thing that has been overlooked throughout this scandal, is the amount of women and men who have been raped by their priests. This is not something that is happening only to our children, but to anyone perceived as weaker and able to be controlled and manipulated by those who hold power within the ranks of the Catholic church.

Rape, molestation and sexual assault are about power. What grants more power to a person than the ability to control a belief system that dictates their victim's everyday lives? They creep into every crack and crevice within their minds and hearts and this behavior renders the victim as helpless. Therefore, every act committed by the one in power is seen as "guidance and love"...even rape. That, in itself, is an apalling abuse of power. Then you combine that with a system that buries these offenses "for the good of the church", and you have a breeding ground for EVERY SINGLE PERSON affiliated with this organization to be placed directly in harm's way.

Yet, much like the abused cult follower, they cannot and WILL NOT accept and aknowledge simple facts. I can only think that it is part of the indoctrination process to create followers that see "outsiders" as simply attacking them without cause. Their denial runs so deep that they cannot even see the dangers to their own children.

The difference between "those other religions and organizations" and the Vatican, is that they do not hold the financial and political power of the Vatican. They do not have the financial resources or ability to evade the law because of sheer numbers and immunity under the laws. Our public school systems are NOT sovereign states. They are subject to harsh and applicable laws when caught offending. The Catholic church is not. You are aware of molesters in our schools and in other faiths because they have been splattered all over our news media when they are ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED! You are NOT made aware of Catholic priests and nuns for the same reason. The intent of the Vatican is to shroud every accusation in controversy. It is a system of "we are looking into it" conbined with gross denail of the acts. How is this acceptable to people who have placed such trust and support behind them? These same people would be flailing their arms in rage over a similar accusation brought against a non secular member of their community. So much for God-like forgiveness to anyone viewed as an "outsider".

The future Pope Benedict XVI resisted pleas to defrock a California priest with a record of sexually molesting children, citing concerns including "the good of the universal church," according to a 1985 letter bearing his signature.

The letter, signed by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was typed in Latin and is part of years of correspondence between the Diocese of Oakland and the Vatican about the proposed defrocking of the Rev. Stephen Kiesle.

The Vatican confirmed Friday that it was Ratzinger's signature. "The press office doesn't believe it is necessary to respond to every single document taken out of context regarding particular legal situations," the Rev. Federico Lombardi said.

The diocese recommended removing Kiesle (KEEZ'-lee) from the priesthood in 1981, the year Ratzinger was appointed to head the Vatican office that shared responsibility for disciplining abusive priests.

The case then languished for four years at the Vatican before Ratzinger finally wrote to Oakland Bishop John Cummins. It was two more years before Kiesle was removed; during that time he continued to do volunteer work with children through the church.

In the November 1985 letter, Ratzinger says the arguments for removing Kiesle are of "grave significance" but added that such actions required very careful review and more time.

But the future pope also noted that any decision to defrock Kiesle must take into account the "good of the universal church" and the "detriment that granting the dispensation can provoke within the community of Christ's faithful, particularly considering the young age." Kiesle was 38 at the time.

Kiesle had been sentenced in 1978 to three years' probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of lewd conduct for tying up and molesting two young boys in a San Francisco Bay area church rectory.

Here is where I would like you to pause, and pay attention. Fr. Kiesle received a slap on the wrist for molestation and then was returned to the priesthood for nine more years, with full access to chldren....

As his probation ended in 1981, Kiesle asked to leave the priesthood and the diocese submitted papers to Rome to defrock him.

California church officials wrote to Ratzinger at least three times to check on the status of Kiesle's case and Cummins discussed the case with officials during a Vatican visit, according to correspondence. At one point, a Vatican official wrote to say the file may have been lost and suggested resubmitting materials.

As Kiesle's fate was being weighed in Rome, the priest returned to suburban Pinole to volunteer as a youth minister at St. Joseph Church, where he had served as associate pastor from 1972 to 1975.

Kiesle was ultimately stripped of his priestly powers on Feb. 13, 1987, though the documents do not indicate how or why. They also don't say what role — if any — Ratzinger had in the decision.

Now, here is where I challenge you to defend the acts, or lack thereof, of your sitting Pope...

Kiesle, who married after leaving the priesthood, was arrested and charged in 2002 with 13 counts of child molestation from the 1970s. All but two were thrown out after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional a California law extending the statute of limitations.

He pleaded no contest in 2004 to a felony for molesting a young girl in his Truckee home in 1995 and was sentenced to six years in state prison.

Kiesle, now 63 and a registered sex offender, lives in a Walnut Creek gated community, according to his address listed on the Megan's Law sex registry. An AP reporter was turned away when attempting to reach him for comment.


More than a half-dozen victims reached a settlement in 2005 with the Oakland diocese alleging Kiesle had molested them as young children.

"He admitted molesting many children and bragged that he was the Pied Piper and said he tried to molest every child that sat on his lap," said Lewis VanBlois, an attorney for six Kiesle victims who interviewed the former priest in prison. "When asked how many children he had molested over the years, he said 'tons.'"


And now...the dance of denial from the cult of the holier than thou....

Documents obtained by the AP last week revealed similar instances of Vatican stalling in cases involving two Arizona clergy.

In one case, the future pope took over the abuse case of the Rev. Michael Teta of Tucson, Ariz., then let it languish at the Vatican for years despite repeated pleas from the bishop for the man to be removed from the priesthood.

In the second, the bishop called Msgr. Robert Trupia a "major risk factor" in a letter to Ratzinger. There is no indication in those files that Ratzinger responded.

The Vatican has called the accusations "absolutely groundless" and said the facts were being misrepresented.


I beg to differ, I think that Fr. Kiesle provides the "ground". These are FACTS, people, not rumors or unsubstantiated claims. They are FACTS. How many priests like Fr. Kiesel have to be unearthed before you aknowledge that the organization that you so lovingly support has betrayed you? What will it take for you to step back and realize that in order to keep your faith as the pillar of morality (cough cough) you MUST demand erradication of molesters and rapists within your church?

As long as you continue to view this as an "us against them" dynamic, you are actually placing your church under much worse fire than if you demand that they do the right thing, and bad PR be damned. The Catholic church must make a stand and show that this behavior will not be tolerated, and they may just gain the respect of outsiders like myself. They must send a clear and concise message that their churches are no place for deviants to lurk, prey and find sanctuary. Unfortunately for you, their dutiful minions, they refuse to do so. So, I suppose that you will go down with the ship. What a sad place it must be to live inside your minds. I cannot imagine the ability to rationalize away the betrayal in these circumstances.

There have been countless jokes and parodies made in reference to the "child molesting Catholic priests". It is a sad reflection of our culture, in my opinion.

"I read this in the paper this morning: New York City has a priest shortage. So you see, there is some good news in the world. ... To give you an idea how bad it is, earlier today in Brooklyn an alter boy had to grope himself." —David Letterman

"As you've probably heard, the Pope has asked all the Cardinals to return to Rome. You know how they got them all to come back? They told them that there was going to be a performance by the Vienna Boys Choir." —Jay Leno

"The Supreme Court ruled today that virtual child pornography is legal. Finally, some good news for the church." —Jay Leno

"Kids, if you see an ad that says Cardinals looking for a bat boy, watch out, that has nothing to do with the baseball team." —Jay Leno

A priest and a lawyer are walking down the street and see a small boy eating an ice cream. The priest says, "How'd you like to fuck that?" To which the lawyer replied, "Out of what?"



Do you want the jokes to stop? I know that I do, and I don't share your faith. Here's an idea, instead of supporting and defending them, demand a thorough housecleaning, starting with the golden palace. If your church is what you claim it is, it will survive and be renewed. If not, then there is always Jonestown, Heaven's gate, Waco, Branch Dividians, The Solar Temple, or any other Kool-aid drinking, child molesting cult.

Just imagine if Jim Jones had accumulated the power of The Vatican.

One final quote for you...

“Subtlety may deceive you; integrity never will.” Oliver Goldsmith

I guess Ol' Jimmy Jones just lacked the necessary subtlety....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100409/ap_on_re_us/us_pope_church_abuse

....and again....

"With this spirit today we rally close around you, successor to (St.) Peter, bishop of Rome, the unfailing rock of the holy church," Sodano said. "Holy Father, on your side are the people of God, who do not allow themselves to be influenced by the petty gossip of the moment, by the trials which sometimes buffet the community of believers."

TRANSLATION

Limbaugh asks Miss America contestants: "Ours is a world governed by the aggressive use of force. Do you accept that?"

answer: "Sometimes war is inevitable"

Oh...wow. For once in my life, I agree with a woman who puts Vaseline on her teeth. If you are puzzled by how I see those two statements as a translation for the statement made by the cardinal, you didn't read it closely enough. His statement is one of "it's us against them." Well sir, when you use statements like, "petty gossip", when referencing participation in sexual assault of children, it is a war that you will beckon. What is the use of aggressive force in regard to his statement? It is guilt, used in combination with commanding loyalty. It is classic passive aggressive behavior. This has been a tool on the belt of clergy for as long as they have existed. They command the war, and then wash their hands of it, and "pray" for it to come to an end.

"Especially with you in these days are those 400,000 priests who generously serve the people of God, in parishes, recreation centers, schools, hospitals and many other places, as well as in the missions in the most remote parts of the world," the cardinal said.

TRANSLATION

If you've been victimized by clergy, please know that you are not alone. You can get better. You can reach out to others who've been hurt just like you have. Together, we can heal one another.

We are SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. We are the nation's largest, oldest and most active support group for women and men wounded by religious authority figures (priests, ministers, bishops, deacons, nuns and others). We are an independent and confidential organization,


OH SNAP! My Brothas and sistas in GAWD....looks like a war you shall have! 400,000 strong, eh? Not good, boys....not good at all. You clearly do not understand the ripple effect of harm placed upon the youth within our communities. You look confused, allow me to put it in terms you can understand...


But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."



For those of you wearing the red dresses, this DOES NOT mean to place your dick in their mouth! You seem to be confused. It also mentions something about sodomy somewhere in that great book of yours. Hey, if you like things up your ass, good for you, who am I to judge. BUT that 7 year old child does not want, nor does god require you to put anything up their ass. Was that too harsh for some of you? Does the thought of a grown man in a black dress placing his hands, tongue, penis, or any other appendage in or on a young boy in a white dress bother you? I hope it does. I also hope that is the visual you have in your head each and every time you tithe.

Their power comes from YOU, not god. Their ability to victimize and then lie comes from your simple need to have the answers to "why".

Benedict singled out the "trials and sufferings" of Christians in Iraq and Pakistan, noting that these believers have risked persecution and death for their faith. He urged hope for the people of Haiti and Chile, devastated by earthquakes. He said Easter could "signal the victory of peaceful coexistence and respect" in crime-ravaged areas of Latin American countries plagued by drug trafficking and said he would pray for peace in the Middle East.

TRANSLATION

All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of the people.


OR THIS

All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.


OR THIS

Any alliance whose purpose is not the intention to wage war is senseless and useless.


Who is the origin of those three quotes? Adolph Hitler.

The pope will "pray for peace in the Middle East". huh. That's kinda ironic, don't ya think? I mean, how stupid do you have to be in order to find solice in the idea of prayer ceasing a war started by a self professed Christian?

Sunday's edition of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano denounced the accusations against the pope as a "vile defamation operation."

TRANSLATION

"Oh Lord, help me! It is false. I am clear. For my life now lies in your hands...."




That quote? It is from the tombstone of Rebecca Nurse, hanged as a witch in 1692.

"Ye are all against me..."


Martha Corey, hanged 1692



"...I am wronged. It is a shameful thing that
you should mind these folks that are out of
their wits."


Martha Carrier, hanged 1692

So, Pope Ratfucker, what size is your tie? You come from a long line of people corrupted by beliefs in fairy tales. You have descended from those who denied the corruption and political motive of their so called faith. Those just like you have perpetrated inhuman acts against the members of their communities. The victims of this religious zealotry were not heard...they were killed. I think, in light of the current situation, the least you could do, is step down. You are no innocent man being victimized by those who oppose you. You are at the very heart of an organization that has victimized thousands of innocent followers. I do not care for your pleas of innocence anymore than those like you cared for the pleas of the innocent.

Dressed in gold robes and shielded from a cool drizzle by a canopy, Benedict looked weary as he listened to Sodano's speech at the start of Mass in the cobblestone square bedecked with daffodils, tulips and azaleas.

TRANSLATION

The Master Manipulator

Let us look for a moment at how some of this manifests in the cult leader. Cult leaders have an
outstanding ability to charm and win over followers. They beguile and seduce. They enter a room and garner all the attention. They command the utmost respect and obedience. These are "individuals whose narcissism is so extreme and grandiose that they exist in a kind of splendid isolation in which the creation of the grandiose self takes precedence over legal, moral or interpersonal commitments."(l8) Paranoia may be evident in simple or elaborate delusions of persecution. Highly suspicious, they may feel conspired against, spied upon or cheated, or maligned by a person, group, or governmental agency. Any real or suspected unfavorable reaction may be interpreted as a deliberate attack upon them or the group. (Considering the criminal nature of some groups and the antisocial behavior of others, some of these fears may have more of a basis in reality than delusion!)

Harder to evaluate, of course, is whether these leaders' belief in their magical powers, omnipotence, and connection to God (or whatever higher power or belief system they are espousing) is delusional or simply part of the con. Megalomania--the belief that one is able or entitled to rule the world--is equally hard to evaluate without psychological testing of the in- dividual, although numerous cult leaders state quite readily that their goal is to rule the world. In any case, beneath the surface gloss of intelligence, charm, and professed humility seethes an inner world of rage, depression, and fear.

Two writers on the subject used the label "Trust Bandit" to describe the psychopathic personality.(l9) Trust Bandit is indeed an apt descripdon of this thief of our hearts, souls, minds, bodies, and pocketbooks. Since a significant percentage of current and former cult members have been in more than one cultic group or relationship, learning to recognize the per- sonality style of the Trust Bandit can be a useful antidote to further abuse.

The Profile of a Psychopath

In reading the profile, bear in mind the three characteristics that Robert Lifton sees as common to a cultic situation:

1. A charismatic leader who...increasingly becomes the object of worship

2. A series of processes that can be associated with "coercive persuasion" or "thought reform"

3. The tendency toward manipulation from above...with exploitation--economic, sexual, or other--of often genuine seekers who bring idealism from below(20)

Based on the psychopathy checklists of Hervey Cleckley and Robert Hare, we now explore certain traits that are particularly pertinent to cult leaders. The 15 characteristics outlined below list features commonly found in those who become perpetrators of psychological and physical abuse. In the discussion we use the nomenclature "psychopath" and "cult leader" interchangeably. To illustrate these points, a case study of Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh follows this section.

We are not suggesting that all cult leaders are psychopaths but rather that they may exhibit many of the behavioral characteristics of one. We are also not proposing that you use this checklist to make a diagnosis, which is something only a trained professional can do. We present the checklist as a tool to help you label and demystify traits you may have noticed in your leader.

Characteristics of a Cult Leader

People coming out of a cultic group or relationship often struggle with the question, "Why would anyone (my leader, my lover, my teacher) do this to me?" When the deception and exploitation become clear, the enormous unfairness of the victimization and abuse can be very difficult to accept. Those who have been part of such a nightmare often have difficulty placing the blame where it belongs--on the leader.

A cult cannot be truly explored or understood without understanding its leader. A cult's formation,
proselytizing methods, and means of control "are determined by certain salient personality characteristics of [the] cult leader....Such individuals are authoritarian personalities who attempt to compensate for their deep, intense feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and hostility by forming cultic groups primarily to attract those whom they can psychologically coerce into and keep in a passive-submissive state, and secondarily to use them to increase their income."(l)

In examining the motives and activities of these self-proclaimed leaders, it becomes painfully obvious that cult life is rarely pleasant for the disciple and breeds abuses of all sorts. As a defense against the high level of anxiety that accompanies being so acutely powerless, people in cults often assume a stance of self-blame. This is reinforced by the group's ma- manipulative messages that the followers are never good enough and are to blame for everything that goes wrong.

Demystifying the guru's power is an important part of the psyche- educational process needed to fully recover.(2) It is critical to truly gaining freedom and independence from the leader"s control. The process starts with some basic questions: Who was this person who encouraged you to view him as God, all-knowing, or all-powerful? What did he get out of this masquerade? What was the real purpose of the group (or relationship)?

In cults and abusive relationships, those in a subordinate position usually come to accept the abuse as their fault, believing that they deserve the foul treatment or that it is for their own good. They sometimes persist in believing that they are bad rather than considering that the person upon whom they are so dependent is cruel, untrustworthy, and unreliable. It is simply too frightening for them to do that: it threatens the balance of power and means risking total rejection, loss, and perhaps even death of self or loved ones.
This explains why an abused cult follower may become disenchanted with the relationship or the group yet continue to believe in the teachings, goodness, and power of the leader.

Even after leaving the group or relationship, many former devotees carry a burden of guilt and shame while they continue to regard their former leader as paternal, all-good, and godlike. This is quite common in those who "walk away" from their groups, especially if they never seek the benefits of an exit counseling or therapy to deal with cult-related issues. This same phenomenon is found in battered women and in children who are abused by their parents or other adults they admire.

To heal from a traumatic experience of this type, it is important to understand who and what the
perpetrator is. As long as there are illusions about the leader's motivation, powers, and abilities, those who have been in his grip deprive themselves of an important opportunity for growth: the chance to empower themselves, to become free of the tyranny of dependency on others for their well-being, spiritual growth, and happiness.



The Authoritarian Power Dynamic



The purpose of a cult (whether group or one-on-one) is to serve the emotional, financial, sexual, and power needs of the leader. The single most important word here is power. The dynamic around which cults are formed is similar to that of other power relationships and is essentially ultra- auhoritarian, based on a power imbalance. The cult leader by definition must have an authoritarian personality in order to fulfill his half of the power dynamic. Traditional elements of authoritarian personalities indude the following:

-the tendency to hierarchy

-the drive for power (and wealth)

-hostility, hatred, prejudice

- superficial judgments of people and events

-a one-sided scale of values favoring the one in power

-interpreting kindness as weakness

-the tendency to use people and see others as inferior

-a sadistic-masochistic tendency

-incapability of being ultimately satisfied

-paranoia(3)

In a study of twentieth-century dictators, one researcher wrote: 'Since compliance depends on whether the leader is perceived as being both powerful and knowing, the ever-watchful and all-powerful leader and his invisible but observant and powerful instruments, such as secret police) can be invoked in the same way as an unobservable but omniscient God....Similarly, the pomp and ceremony surrounding such an individual make him more admirable and less like the common herd, increasing both his self-confidence and the confidence of his subjects. The phenomenon is found not only with individual leaders, but with entire movemnts"(4)

We will see, however, that an authoritarian personality is just one aspect of the nature of a cult leader.

Who Becomes a Cult Leader?

Frequently at gatherings of former cult members a lively exchange takes place in which those present compare their respective groups and leaders. As people begin to describe their special, enlightened, and unique "guru"--be he a pastor, therapist, political leader, teacher, lover, or swami--they are quickly surprised to find that their once-revered leaders are really quite similar in temperament and personality. It often seems as if these leaders come tiom a common mold, sometimes jokingly called the "Cookie-cutter Messiah School."

These similarities between cult leaders of all stripes are in fact character disorders commonly identified with the psychopathic personality. They have been studied by psychiatrists, medical doctors, clinical psychologists, and others for more than half a century. In this chapter we review some of this research and conclude with a psychopathological profile of traits commonly found in abusive leaders.

Cultic groups usually originate with a living leader who is believed to be "god" or godlike by a cadre of dedicated believers. Along with a dra- matic and convincing talent for self-expression, these leaders have an intuitive ability to sense their followers' needs and draw them closer with promises of fulfillment.
Gradually, the leader inculcates the group with his own private ideology (or craziness!), then creates
conditions so that his victims cannot or dare not test his claims. How can you prove someone is not the Messiah? That the world won't end tomorrow? That humans are not possessed by aliens from another world or dimension? Through psychological manipulation and control, cult leaders trick their followers into believing in something, then prevent them from testing and disproving that mythology or belief system.



The Role of Charisma



In general, charismatic personalities are known for their inescapable magnetism, their winning style, the self-assurance with which they promote something--a cause, a belief, a product. A charismatic person who offers hope of new beginnings often attracts attention and a following. Over the years we have witnessed this in the likes of Dale Carnegie, Werner Erhard (founder of est, now The Forum), John Hanley (founder of Lifespring), Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Shirley MacLaine, John Bradshaw, Marianne Williamson, Ramtha channeler J.Z. Knight, and a rash of Amway "executives," weight-loss program promoters and body-building gurus.

One dictionary definition of charisma is "a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure (as a political leader or military commander); a special magnetic charm or appeal."(5) Charisma was studied in depth by the German sociologist Max Weber, who defined it as "an exceptional quality in an individual who, through appearing to possess supernatural, providential, or extraordinary powers, succeeds in gathering disciples around him."(6)

Weber's charismatic leader was "a sorcerer with an innovative aura and a personal magnetic gift, [who] promoted a specific doctrine.... [and was] concerned with himself rather than involved with others....[He] held an exceptional type of power: it set aside the usages of normal political life and assumed instead those of demagoguery, dictatorship, or revo- lution, [which induced] men's whole-hearted devotion to the charismatic individual through a blind and fanatical trust and an unrestrained and un- critical faith."(7)

In the case of cults, of course, we know that this induction of whole hearted devotion does not happen spontaneously but is the result of the cult leader's skillful use of thought-reform techniques. Charisma on its own is not evil and does not necessarily breed a cult leader. Charisma is, however, a powerful and awesome attribute found in many cult leaders who use it in ways that are both self-serving and destructive to others. The combination of charisma and psychopathy is a lethal mixture--perhaps it is the very recipe used at the Cookie-cutter Messiah School!

For the cult leader, having charisma is perhaps most useful during the stage of cult formation. It takes a strong-willed and persuasive leader to convince people of a new belief, then gather the newly converted around him as devoted followers. A misinterpretation of the cult leader's personal charisma may also foster his followers' belief in his special or messianic qualities.

So we see that charisma is indeed a desirable trait for someone who wishes to attract a following.
However, like beauty, charisma is in the eye of the beholder. Mary, for example, may be completely taken with a par- ticular seminar leader, practically swooning at his every word, while her friend Susie doesn't feel the slightest tingle. Cehtainly at the time a person is under the sway of charisma the effect is very real. Yet, in reality, charisma does nothing more than create a certain worshipful reaction to an idealized figure in the mind of the one who is smitten.

In the long run, skills of persuasion (which may or may not be charismadc) are more important to the cult leader than charisma--for the power and hold of cults depend on the particular environment shaped by the thought-reform program and control mechanisms, all of which are usually conceptualized and put in place by the leader. Thus it is the psychopathology of the leader, not his charisma, that causes the systematic manipulative abuse and exploitation found in cults.



The Cult Leader as Psychopath

Cultic groups and relationships are formed primarily to meet specific emotional needs of the leader, many of whom suffer from one or another unotional or character disorder. Few, if any, cult leaders subject them- selves to the psychological tests or prolonged clinical interviews that allow for an accurate diagnosis.
However, researchers and clinicians who have observed these individuals describe them variously as neurotic, psychotic, on a spectrum exhibiting neurotic, sociopathic, and psychotic characteristics, or suffering from a diagnosed personality disorder.(8)

It is not our intent here to make an overarching diagnosis, nor do we intend to imply that ah cult leaders or the leaders of any of the groups mentioned here are psychopaths. In reviewing the data, however, we can surmise that there is significant psychological dysfunctioning in some cult leaders and that their behavior demonstrates features rather consistent with the disorder known as psychopathy.

Dr. Robert Hare, one of the world's foremost experts in the field, estimates that there are at least two million psychopaths in North America. He writes, "Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they selfishly take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or regret."(9)

Psychopathy falls within the section on personality disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the standard source book used in making psychiatric evaluations and
diagnoses.(l0) In the draft version of the manual's 4th edition (to be released Spring 1994), this disorder is listed as "personality disorder not otherwise specified/Cleckley-type psychopath," named after psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley who carried out the first major studies of psychopaths. The combination of personality and behavioral traits that allows for this diagnosis must be evident in the person's history, not simply apparent during a particular episode. That is, psychopathy is a long-term personality disorder. The term psychopath is often used interchangeably with sociopath, or sociopathic personality Because it is more commonly recognized, we use the term psychopath here.

Personality disorders, as a diagnosis, relate to certain inflexible and maladaptive behaviors and traits that cause a person to have significantly impaired social or occupational functioning. Signs of this are often first manifested in childhood and adolescence, and are expressed through distorted patterns of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself. In simple terms this means that something is amiss, awry, not quite right in the person, and this creates problems in how he or she relates to the rest of the world. 6

The psychopathic personality is sometimes confused with the "anti- social personality," another disorder; however, the psychopath exhibits more extreme behavior than the antisocial personality. The antisocial per- sonality is identified by a mix of antisocial and criminal behaviors--he is the common criminal. The psychopath, on the other hand, is characterized by a mix of criminal and socially deviant behavior.

Psychopathy is not the same as psychosis either. The latter is characterized by an inability to differentiate what is real from what is imagined: boundaries between self and others are lost, and critical thinking is greatly impaired. While generally not psychotic, cult leaders may experience psychotic episodes, which may lead to the destruction of themselves or the group. An extreme example of this is the mass murder-suicide that occurred in November 1978 in Tonestown, Guyana, at the People's Temple led by Jim Jones. On his orders, over 900 men,women, and children perished as Jones deteriorated into what was probably a paranoid psychosis.

The psychopathic personality has been well described by Hervey ClecMey in his classic work, The Mask of Sanity, first published in 1941 and updated and reissued in 1982. Cleckley is perhaps best known for The Three Faces of Eve, a book and later a popular movie on multiple personal- ity. Cleckley also gave the world a detailed study of the personality and behavior of the psychopath, listing 16 characteristics to be used in evaluating and treating psychopaths.(ll)

Cledde's work greatly influenced 20 years of research carried out by Robert Hare at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. In his work developing reliable and valid procedures for assessing psychopathy, Hare made several revisions in Cleddey's list of traits and finally settled on a 20-item Psychopathy Cheddist.(l2) Later in this chapter we will use an adaptation of both the Cleddey and Hare checklists to examine the profile of a cult ieader.

Neuropsychiatrist Richard M. Restak stated, "At the heart of the di- agnosis of psychopathy was the recognition that a person could appear normal and yet dose observation would reveal the personality to be irra- tional or even violent."(l3) Indeed, initially most psychopaths appear quite normal. They present themselves to us as charming, interesting, even humble. The majority "don't suffer from delusions, hallucinations, or memory impairment, their contact with reality appears solid."(l4) Some, on the other hand, may demonstrate marked paranoia and megalomania. In one clinical study of psychopathic inpatients, the authors wroa: "We found that our psychopaths were similar to normals (in the reference group) with regard to their capacity to experience external event~ as real and with regard to their sense of bodily reality. They generally had good memory, concentration attention, and language function. They had a high barrier against external, aversive stimulation....In some ways they dearly resemble normal people and can thus 'pass' as reasonably normal or sane. Yet we found them to be extremely primitive in other ways, even more primitive than frankly schizophrenic patients. In some ways their thinking was sane and reasonable, but in others it was psychotically inefficient and/or convoluted."(l5)

Another researcher described psychopaths in this way: "These people are impulsive, unable to tolerate frustration and delay, and have problems with trusting. They take a paranoid position or externalize their emotional experience. They have little ability to form a working alliance and a poor capacity for self-observation. Their anger is frightening. Frequently they take flight. Their relations with others are highly problematic. When dose to another person they fear engulfment or fusion or loss of self. At the same time, paradoxically, they desire closeness; frustration of their entitled wishes to be nourished, cared for, and assisted often leads to rage. They are capable of a child's primitive fury enacted with an adult's physical - capabilities, and action is always in the offing.$l6)

Ultimately, "the psychopath must have what he wants, no matter what the cost to those in his way."(l7)

Go back. Read it. Listen. Think for yourselves.

http://www.anandaawareness.com/cult_leaders.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_vatican_easter
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/adolf_hitler.html
http://home.texoma.net/~adwignall/stones.htm