Pope to make evil friar a saint

Always with the surprises, that Pope Francis. He's quite the guy. The latest is that he plans to create a new saint. He's chosen a Spanish friar named Junipero Serra for this honor, but perhaps the church should have done a little investigation first. You know, maybe talk to the people he tried to convert, suss out what happened. For instance, maybe the tribes and descendants of the Native Americans he converted would have something pertinent to say about this soon-to-be-sainted man.

Alas, the church seems to have skimped on the local investigation. Thus, we get this:

Tribal leaders have condemned Pope Francis' wish to canonize a 18th-century Spanish friar believed responsible for the destruction of indigenous people through his missionaries.

(snip)

[H]is work was anything but holy, argues Chief Anthony Morales of the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe. “There’s nothing saintly about the atrocities on our culture and our people,” Morales told KNBC-TV.

(snip)

Serra’s beatification heralded protests at his Carmel gravesite and the Junipero Serra Museum in San Diego for rumors of harsh punishment, such as whipping while converting reluctant tribes, that have been passed down through generations.

The museum was defaced with slogans such as “Genocidal Maniac” and “Serra was a Baby Killer.”

Saint Genocidal Maniac. Kinda has a Catholic ring to it. He'll be welcome alongside Mother Theresa, for sure. She's been lookin' for a buddy, up there in heaven. No one else will talk to her. I'm thinking this guy will.

Bad guy out, semi-good guy in

Thankfully, Pope Francis pushed out one of the most anti-gay cardinals in the United States, and installed a seemingly reasonable bishop in his place.

The bishop chosen by Pope Francis to be the new head of the Archdiocese of Chicago says that people should not read too much into the decision about the Catholic Church's future direction.

Bishop Blase (BLAHZ') Cupich (SOO'-pihch), of Spokane, Washington, has been described as a moderate and has called for civility in the culture wars.

Civility would be nice. Let's see if he churns any out.

The only hint in the linked article of the monster who preceded this appointment is given here:

During a news conference Saturday in Chicago, Cupich was asked several times about whether he would shift direction as a successor to Cardinal Francis George, who is particularly admired in the church's conservative wing.

You know what it takes to be "admired" by the "church's conservative wing", doncha? This kind of thing. Yup, he actually compared gays to the KKK. He is a full-fledged monster. So good riddance, though who knows if Cupich will be any better.

Seriously, there's a "wing" of the Catholic church that consistently cheers vicious statements? Says a lot about the god those people worship, doesn't it?

And of course, the clincher is that there is no god. All this hate, for no reason at all. As I often say, religion is a magic fence surrounding nothing.

Linda Harvey, vicious anti-gay wingnut

Linda Harvey is one the worst anti-gay bigots in America - and that's saying a lot, given the competition. I bumped into this at Right Wing Watch a couple of days ago. Whoo-ee, Harvey sure does hate gay pride marches.

Harvey: “We need to go to our city councils and stop these parades. I think they are a blight on the community, they communicate exactly the wrong message: that homosexuality and gender change is totally fine, that it’s a big joke, because there are men dressed in feather boas, lipstick and heels in these parades, this is such a raw message to our children especially. My opinion is gay pride parades ought to be banned and we have every reason to do so, there is no redeeming social value, that’s my belief.”

Tch, tch. She sure is touchy. You have to wonder what happened to her as a child. She's so damaged. Well, I think normal kids, both straight and gay, would enjoy watching a gay pride march and would, if anything, feel relieved at seeing "men dressed in feather boas, lipstick and heels in these parades". The message is that all the restrictive sexual norms that adults are so eager to implant in the minds of young people are just nonsense. And that's a good, healthy message.

When you're a kid, you often get a terrible reaction from adults if you step out of line with gender norms. If you're a little girl who hates makeup and likes baseball, or a little boy who likes to play with dolls and enjoys wearing mommy's clothes, you're out of luck. At least, that's what authoritarian parents, school officials and religious leaders would have you believe.

But suddenly, there you are at a gay pride march and you see Dykes on Bikes and drag queens and androgynous people of all sorts. This is refreshing, it's good and healthy. And kids, even if they're stuck with cavemen for parents, probably see a glint of hope. The message is "Hey, you can be what you want to be!" It's like a breath of fresh air.

Linda Harvey is an American monster. She proves this each time she opens her mouth. Google her for a minute or two and you'll realize she's the last person from whom you should take child-rearing advice. This has always been the only rule for parents: Just have fun with your kids and love them and let them be who they are.

I swear, I wish all these ignorant bigots would just disappear, perhaps in their longed-for Rapture. Fine with me as long as they leave. In the meantime, at least Right Wing Watch keeps an eye on them for us. Thank goodness for the internet. May it remain open and free forever.

Dowd eviscerates Condi

Every once in a (great) while, Maureen Dowd is worth reading. Her column today is one of those moments. It's called "Condi's Lesson". Here's a small excerpt about Rice's ignominious eviction from Rutgers' graduation ceremony:

For a militaristic imperialist, Rice caved awfully easily. She should have invaded Rutgers, occupied the podium and said her piece about her failures on peace. And the students shouldn’t have jumped the gun. After all, there was always a chance, a small one, admittedly, but a chance, that Condi Rice would have looked into her soul and told the story of what happens when you succumb to the temptation to sell it.

There's more at the link. You know you wanna read it. Fly, my pretties.