Oh, did I tell you we secured our tickets for the Munster - All Blacks game at Thomond Park?  We’ll be there on the 18th.

I also nearly forgot to mention that we have tickets for the All-Blacks against Ireland as well, so the Bullet and myself will be off to Dublin for that.

And of course I should say that we’re going to Thomond Park on Saturday to see the Ireland-Canada game where Keith Earls gets his first international cap.

It’s going to be a busy week or two.

There’s a black guy in the White House and a Moyross lad playing for Ireland.  New world order.

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UPDATE: Munster 16 — All Blacks 18

Also:

Munster versus All Blacks

Ireland Defeat Canada 55-0. Keith Earls Makes Rugby History

Is there no end to the Catholic church’s arrogance?

Yet again we have Cardinal Seán Brady presuming to tell us what legislation we may have and what we may not.  This time, Brady is lecturing us about a planned law on civil partnerships, warning the government that it could be facing a legal challenge.

Seán doesn’t like the Civil Partnership Bill, which will increase protections for cohabiting couples, including people in same-sex relationships, in matters like inheritance rights, pensions and taxation.

Brady doesn’t like this.

He thinks it’s an attack on the family, whatever that is.  This term “the family” is a stick the religious Right have used for generations to beat the rest of us over the head and try to intimidate us, but somehow they never quite manage to define what The Family is, apart from  some intangible, abstract concept to which they own the rights.  A bit like a KFC franchise.  A Family Soap-box.

How’s this for a condescending, supercilious threat to the Irish people and to their legislature?

Those who are committed to the probity of the Constitution, to the moral integrity of the word of God and to the precious human value of marriage between a man and a woman as the foundation of society may have to pursue all avenues of legal and democratic challenge to the published legislation if this is the case.

There are many assumptions in there, including the assumption that the Catholic hierarchy has enough surviving moral authority to lecture anyone on matters of probity. These people who presided over the abuse of generations of children, and who protected the rapists, still feel entitled to lecture us on probity.  Isn’t it amazing?  And isn’t it remarkable that Seán and his fellow bullies feel so unsure of their status these days, that they need to resort to the threat of legal action?

Incidentally, I have news for Seán.  As a celibate, he has no legal standing in the matter.  Furthermore, even if he were married, he would still have no standing to mount a legal challenge, because the Bill won’t change the law on marriage.  But in any case, he’s a celibate.  An unmarried, single cleric, who would do well to stick to his prayer book and stay out of affairs of State. And who would do well, as a celibate, to keep his lectures to himself about things like marriage, of which he knows nothing.

Don’t forget, these are the same people who tried to slither out of their responsibilities by claiming not to understand child-abuse.  Odd, isn’t it, the way these guys’ minds work?  They want a free pass on child-abusing priests by claiming to know nothing.  But on the other hand, they feel entitled to lecture normal people on things like contraception and marriage: things of which they also know nothing.

In years gone by, when Seán’s people were in positions of real temporal power, they abused that power and they abused the children of this land.  They betrayed the trust placed in them so badly that their word no longer commands respect or authority in this land, but despite everything, they’re in a state of denial and they can’t see how little we think of them.

They’re a disgrace.  They are widely held in contempt for their dishonesty and they’d be better off trying to win back our trust by a display of true humility instead of trying to intimidate us through silly legalistic bluster.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Seán Brady has made an ass of himself in recent years.

You might remember some of these Bock posts.  Have a flick through them and then tell me the Irish Catholic clergy are living on the same planet as the rest of us. 

Cardinal Error: Brady Gets the Red Hat

Half God, Half Biscuit

Oh those feckin old bishops!

The Brothers of Charity:– Raping Your Children Since 1883 !!

What Is Desmond Connell Trying To Keep Secret?

Is it possible?  Dangerous days ahead.

If the Huffington Post can do it, so can Bock.

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___________________________________________________

Well here we are.

The United States presidential elections are finally upon us, in which the Americans try to overcome the dishonest anti-democratic scheming that subverted their last election and put a man in office who wasn’t actually elected at all.

Isn’t it a nice irony that this same man, ever since, has been lecturing the world about democracy?  Well no.  It isn’t.  It’s appalling that a know-nothing redneck puritanism has taken over the most militarily aggressive and self-righteous nation on Earth.  Appalling and terrifying.

As you know, I hope Obama wins.

That isn’t because I think he’s Superman, or because I think anything will change overnight if he’s elected.  Obama is a quintessential establishment figure, and there are only two reasons he’s transformational.  One is his race,which of course is utterly irrelevant, but which challenges America’s blatantly false belief that racism doesn’t exist any more.  The other reason he appears transformational is the contrast with the unbelievably aggressive and corrupt people who went before him in Washington. 

Obama is not a radical, or a redeemer or anything else.  He’s just a politician like all the rest of them, but at least he’s not GW Bush, and that gives us some idea how low the world has sunk thanks to the savages who have led America for the last eight years.  We’re not happy to see an inspirational figure running for President.  We’re just relieved to know he isn’t a criminal idiot.

Isn’t that sad?

As for our economic welfare, it would be foolish to think that Obama is good for Europe.

I don’t believe that.  In fact, I believe that if he’s elected America will retrench, and I think we’ll lose a significant amount of US industrial investment in this country.

That’s bad for us.  Very bad. 

But it isn’t as bad as the alternative which is this: John McCain gets elected, promptly drops dead and is replaced by an airhead religious extremist maniac who wants the world to end anyway and now has a lacquered fingernail on that red button.

That’s a lot worse for us.  Much worse.

Why is it much worse?

Because although Obama will probably make us all poorer, Sarah Palin will probably make us all dead.

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Also on Bock:

United States — Election Statistics And Live Coverage

I don’t understand this.

Sharon Collins and Essam Eid were charged with conspiring together to murder PJ Howard and his sons Robert and Niall.

The State failed to prove that Essam Eid conspired with Sharon Collins, and entered a nolle prosequi, but Sharon Collins was still convicted of conspiring with Essam Eid.

Do you get the logic of that?  I have to admit, I can’t see it.  There are no other conspirators in the case, and therefore it seems to me that you have to prove they both conspired. 

It seems to me that if you fail to convict one of them, it makes no sense to convict the other.  After all, nobody can commit a conspiracy on their own.

What am I missing?  I don’t get it.

So you have no idea how

To write?

Not to worry. Just put

Down any old

Shite that comes

Into your head and set it out in

Lines

Like this.

Read

It aloud in monotone with lots.

Of.

Pauses.

And if you keep a straight

Face,

They will call you

Poet.

Woo. 

Hoo.

Result.

………………………….

Next month’s poem, about the demise of the Celtic Tiger, is entitled Goujons Me Bollix

_________________

Also on Bock:

Poetry

In 1989, a huge political scandal erupted when five United States Senators were accused of corruption.  This was the Savings and Loan debacle that led to Senators Alan Cranston, Dennis DeConcini, John Glenn, John McCain and Donald W. Riegle being accused of improperly interfering on behalf of Charlie Keating, a cast-iron crook who stole the life savings of thousands of elderly Americans.

Keating was sentenced to ten years in prison for perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in American history. The Savings and Loans scandal has gone down in history as one of the filthiest scams ever conducted, involving the defrauding of 17,000 people of their life savings. Many of these people were elderly, and many lost everything they owned.

Charles Keating donated 1.25 million of these stolen dollars to Mother Teresa, and also gave her the use of his private jet. At his trial the good nun sent a letter to the trial judge, Lance Ito (a man you might remember from the OJ Simpson case).

This is what Mother Teresa said on behalf of Charles Keating:

Dear Honorable Lance Ito,

We do not mix up in Business or Politicts or courts. Our work, as Missionaries of Charity is to give wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor.

I do not know anything about Mr. Charles Keating’s work or his business or the matters you are dealing with.

I only know that he has alway been kind and generous to God’s poor, and always ready to help whenever there was a need. It is for this reason that I do not want to forget him now while he and his family are suffering. Jesus has told us “Whatever you do to the least of my brethern … YOU DID IT TO ME. Mr. Keating has done each to help the poor, which is why I am writing to you on his behalf.

Whenever someone asks me to speak to a judge, I always tell them the same thing. I ask them to pray, to look into thier heart, and to do what Jesus would do in that circumstance. And this is what I am asking of you, your Honor.

My gratitude to you is my prayer for you, and your work, your family and the people with whom you are working.

God bless you

M. Teresa

Thinking that Mother Teresa didn’t understand how Keating had robbed countless old and vulnerable people to obtain this money, the deputy District Attorney in the case, Paul Turley wrote a personal letter, as follows:

Dear Mother Teresa

I am a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles County and one of the persons who worked on the prosecution of your benefactor, Charles H. Keating, Jr. I read your letter to Judge Ito, written on behalf of Mr. Keating, which includes your admission that you know nothing about Mr. Keating’s business or the criminal charges presented to Judge Ito. I am writing to you to provide a brief explanation of the crimes of which Mr. Keating has been convicted, to give you an understanding of the source of the money that Mr. Keating gave to you, and to suggest that you perform the moral and ethical act of returning the money to its rightful owners.

Mr. Keating was convicted of defrauding 17 individuals of more than $900,000. These 17 persons were representative of 17,000 individuals from whom Mr. Keating stole $252,000,000. Mr. Keating’s specific acts of fraud were that he was the source of a series of fraudulent representations made to persons who bought bonds from his company and he also was the repository of crucial information which he chose to withhold from bond purchasers, thereby luring his victims into believing they were making a safe, low-risk investment. In truth and in fact, their money was being used to fund Mr. Keating’s exorbitant and extravagant lifestyle.

The victims of Mr. Keating’s fraud come from a wide spectrum of society. Some were wealthy and well-educated. Most were people of modest means and unfamiliar with high finance. One was, indeed, a poor carpenter who did not speak English and had his life savings stolen by Mr. Keating’s fraud.

The biblical slogan of your organization is ‘As long as you did it to one of these My least brethren. You did it to Me’. The ‘least’ of the brethren are among those whom Mr. Keating fleeced without flinching. As you well know, divine forgiveness is available to all, but forgiveness must be preceded by admission of sin. Not only has Mr. Keating failed to admit his sins and his crimes, he persists in self-righteously blaming others for his own misdeeds. Your experience is, admirably, with the poor. My experience has been with the ‘con’ man and the perpetrator of the fraud. It is not uncommon for ‘con’ men to be generous with family, friends and charities.

Perhaps they believe that their generosity will purchase love, respect or forgiveness. However, the time when the purchase of ‘indulgences’ was an acceptable method of seeking forgiveness died with the Reformation. No church, no charity, no organization should allow itself to be used as a salve for the conscience of the criminal. We all are grateful that forgiveness is available but we all, also, must perform our duty. That includes the Judge and the Jury. I remind myself of the biblical admonition of the Prophet Micah: ‘O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you. To do justice, love mercy and walk humbly.’

We are urged to love mercy but we must do justice.

You urge Judge Ito to look into his heart — as he sentences Charles Keating — and do what Jesus would do. I submit the same challenge to you. Ask yourself what Jesus would do if he were given the fruits of a crime; what Jesus would do if he were in possession of money that had been stolen; what Jesus would do if he were being exploited by a thief to ease his conscience?

I submit that Jesus would promptly and unhesitatingly return the stolen property to its rightful owners. You should do the same. You have been given money by Mr. Keating that he has been convicted of stealing by fraud. Do not permit him the ‘indulgence’ he desires Do not keep the money. Return it to those who worked for it and earned it!

If you contact me I will put you in direct contact with the rightful owners of the property now in your possession.

Sincerely,

Paul W. Turley

There was no reply and the money wasn’t returned.

So much for living saints.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with John McCain, or does it?

Well perhaps it does.  After all, John McCain walked away from the disaster that left 23,000 old people destitute, having been robbed by his pal Charlie Keating, and that leaves us with only one fact: 23,000 old people were robbed.

So who suffered?

Well, I suppose 23,000 old people suffered.  I suppose 23,000 old people,who saved all their lives, ended up with nothing thanks to John McCain’s crooked thieving con-man buddy, Charlie Keating, but who else suffered?

Well, Mother Teresa had the decency to die.

Charlie Keating did time.

John McCain?

Well, John McCain ran for President, and he might easily win.

So who suffers?

Would you like to know?  All right then: the answer is all of us.

The whole world suffers.

Enjoy it, my friends.