PhotOh! Completely Inappropiate Stained Glass

By GottaLaff

My Twitter pal LJSearles found this via davetube555, who, incidentally, lives in Northern Ireland. We're not sure if it's "real", but....


Holy mother of...

Good lord.

Pope 'led cover-up of child abuse by priests'

By GottaLaff

This is not what one would call a Popeworthy approach to child abuse:

The Pope played a leading role in a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests, according to a shocking documentary to be screened by the BBC tonight.

In 2001, while he was a cardinal, he issued a secret Vatican edict to Catholic bishops all over the world, instructing them to put the Church's interests ahead of child safety.

The document recommended that rather than reporting sexual abuse to the relevant legal authorities, bishops should encourage the victim, witnesses and perpetrator not to talk about it. And, to keep victims quiet, it threatened that if they repeat the allegations they would be excommunicated.

If this is true...

There are more details at the link.

A tweet from Roger Ebert says, "It appears to me as if Pope Benedict will be forced to resign."

What do you think?

That Marine reservist who beat a Greek priest? Here's the racy sequel

By GottaLaff

Is it hot in here or is it just Jasen? (Original post here)

Check these out. Here's a sample:

Is that a tire iron, or are you just happy to see me? Whew! Semper fi, indeed.

Too bad he's a violent, racist thug.

H/t, or should I say "hot" tip: Joeyess and TPM

Marine reservist beat Greek priest; thought he was Arab terrorist

By GottaLaff

Tampa's Welcome Wagon

UPDATE: Racy sequel here.

Have you heard the one about the priest and the tire iron? The ClusterFoxers would be proud.

TAMPA — A Marine reservist armed with a tire iron beat and chased a man he thought was an Arab terrorist and even called 911 to say he was detaining the man, police said. [...]

That's why police arrested reservist Jasen D. Bruce on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Police said they're also investigating whether Bruce, 28, committed a hate crime.

The priest was on his way to bless another retired Greek priest, but got lost. He asked Jasen for help, but...

Instead of offering help, Bruce struck the priest on the head with a tire iron, police said.

Isn't that just like a good citizen? I wonder if he's a Glenn Beck fan.

He called 911 and told them that an Arabic man tried to rob him, and that-- check this out-- he was going to take the priest into custody. When the police showed up, Tire Iron Jasen told them the priest was a terrorist.

Then officers went to Bruce's apartment to speak to the reservist again. But he already had an attorney with him and refused to speak, police said.

Yep, Brucie pre-emptively lawyered himself all up. Isn't that just like an innocent man?

Moral: Always jump to conclusions. All foreigners are terrorists. And all foreigners should be beaten with tire irons. Hold all questions until later.

It's the American way.

H/t: Joeyess

Let us prey: Cardinal George harbors pedophile priest but balks at Obama Notre Dame speech

By GottaLaff

Remember the recent Notre Dame controversy? We posted about it here, here, here, and here. Someone over at BuzzFlash points out ju-u-ust a smidge of hypocrisy:

Cardinal George of Chicago has a soft spot for pedophile priests – and is not embarrassed by letting them stay in his mansion or on the job, but he is, in brazen hypocrisy, embarrassed that the President of the United States will be the Notre Dame commencement speaker.

Now that’s the kind of thing that not only gives religious self-righteousness a bad name, it is a frightening disregard for the impact of priests who sexually abuse children.

Is BuzzFlash exaggerating?

Hardly not.

Read this long excerpt from Beliefnet.com about objections to Cardinal George becoming the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2007 [...]

[F]ast forward to 2009.

According to all the Chicago newspapers, "Cardinal George rips ND for inviting Obama" (as the Chicago Southtown Economist headlined) [...]

So, it is not an embarrassment to host and lodge pedophile priests and let others continue to have contact with children, but it is an embarrassment to have the President of the United States speak at the flagship Catholic University? These are warped priorities that are as destructive to victims of Priest sex abuse as they are an insult to the Presidency.

Fortunately, Notre Dame is not succumbing to Cardinal George’s tolerance for pedophiles and intolerance for such life-saving research as stem-cell research. [...]

Clearly, there are many fine priests committed to the teachings of Christ, but Cardinal George sullies them by – shall we say – being as chummy with pedophile priests as if they had just been guilty of unpaid parking tickets.

Many young people sexually abused by priests never fully recover, and their families experience the dreadful pain of betrayal and coping with the after effects.

Cardinal George should spend more time with dealing with these victims than dishonoring the President of the United States and the prestigious tradition of Notre Dame.

Please go read the entire post. These were only a few of the pertinent excerpts.