Oh the poor farmers in Japan. You think it's easy to go out into your tiny fields and plant rice? You try it! Nobody in Japan really wants to do it, so farming is left to the aged (average age 65!). Women especially are fleeing the countryside in droves. What happens is that the menfolk – what few young ones are left – then cannot find a marriage partner. Many are "reduced" to ordering brides from abroad, bringing a foreign woman who usually cannot speak any Japanese into the isolation and decline of their farming village.
To top this all off, rice production across the country is dropping and there is pressure from abroad for Japan to open its rice market to imports. Japanese pay more than 10 times what Americans pay for rice, but they still believe that rice cultivation is an important aspect of Japanese culture that needs to be preserved. The Japan Agricultural Cooperative (slogan: Diapers are available in adult sizes at our stores) helps to promote this inefficiency by using its powerful political weight to stop rice imports.
What can be done about this problem?
Move the farmers! Yes, the Japanese government should undertake a massive relocation program for the nation's farmers. Since rural areas are becoming depopulated anyway, the government would simply be speeding up the process and making the transition easier.
But where should they be moved to?
The answer is simple. Move everyone involved in farming to the cities and along major transportation routes where they can plant on small plots of empty land or rooftops of buildings and thus be visible to the urban population. The urban residents, more than 65% and growing, will feel better about the traditions of rice cultivation being upheld. The farmers could even be decked out in traditional "farmer wear" and do all their work by hand (saving on all that imported fuel that powers Japanese agriculture today), giving a more picturesque aspect to their bucolic revival. Traditional thatch roofed houses could be rebuilt in these areas, filling the nation's transportation corridors with a nostalgic, rural Japan theme park!
Since the amount of land cultivated for rice will be dramatically reduced, the shortfall in production will have to be covered by imports. This would be a win-win situation for everyone. Japanese farmers would be able to keep up their timeless activities in a traditional way, but since they would be in or near urban areas, more women would stick around at home and men would not have so much trouble finding brides. In addition, Japan would be able to respond positively to foreign pressure to open its market for imports. The price of rice would fall and the Japanese salaryman would be able to eat his much cheaper, convenience store box lunch on the train while looking out over the classic scenes of Japanese life, a view that hasn't been seen in a century or more! How much better can it get?
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Save The Japanese Part 2
Do you remember the angst that swept Japan several years ago when it was discovered that Japanese elementary school children were unable to sharpen their pencils with knives? That precious tradition had been lost, and parents (especially fathers who should get off their butts from in front of the TV and actually interact with their children once in a while!) should spend the time to teach their little ones this valuable cultural lesson. Well... not many fathers got around to it, and now the chickens have come home to roost.
Kyodo News
Friday, January 14
OMG! 1/3 of male teens averse or indifferent to sex
(actual headline in The Daily Yomiuri)
As reported here in an August post, time is running out on our chances to save the Japanese from extinction.
A recent survey done by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (no less!) has revealed that over 36% of boys between the ages of 16 and 19 are averse or indifferent to sex, more than double the results shown in a similar survey conducted in 2008. That's not all. The same survey revealed that 59% of girls shared their feelings, an uptick of 25%.
"So, what's the connection between pencil sharpening and sex," you ask?
A very pertinent question! In fact, I was preparing to answer it even before you asked.
Remember World War 2? Probably not. OK, let me rephrase that question. Have you read about WW 2 and how brave and tough Japanese were in fighting against the Americans in the Pacific? Does anyone think that your average Japanese – say – high school or college kid could behave like that today? Not in a million years. Why? It is because of the herbivore education that they receive! Of course they learn math and science, reading and writing, and always outscore Americans on any international tests on these subjects, but they miss out on the blood-and-guts, carnivorous parts of education, those parts that get Americans to say things like, "Shoot first, ask questions later," or post signs on their properties that say, "Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again." Why, 99.99% of Japanese have never even touched a gun, much less fired one.
Never mind guns; they have not even been taught to sharpen a pencil with a knife!
Such is the sad state of Japanese education – cranking out herbivores who have no interest in keeping the Japanese nation viable into the future. It has become even worse than the pandas who at least have zoos and other institutions, watching over them and forcing them to breed in captivity (by showing them panda porn and so on).
Drastic measures need to be taken if we are to keep the Japanese from going extinct. Already their population is slated to fall to around a third of its present level in less than 100 years!
What can we as concerned world citizens do? Have sex with a Japanese? Nuh uh. This will only dilute their Japanese gene pool and make them go extinct even more quickly. What we need to do is help in education. Write to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan and tell them that you are worried that Japanese are all becoming herbivores and that they should teach more "robust" subjects in schools: Small Animal Butchery in elementary school, for example, or Comparative Porn Around the World in high school classes. "Sports" such as Advanced Petting should be included in the curriculum. Moreover, a more active attitude towards encouraging male–female contact should be promoted. High schools and universities should be required to offer dances and other social events for students. The drinking age should be lowered to 16 as it is in many countries in Europe, and alcohol should be served at these social functions to break down the herbivore inhibitions.
Only through these drastic measures can the Japanese people be saved from going the way of the dinosaur.
Kyodo News
Friday, January 14
OMG! 1/3 of male teens averse or indifferent to sex
(actual headline in The Daily Yomiuri)
As reported here in an August post, time is running out on our chances to save the Japanese from extinction.
A recent survey done by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (no less!) has revealed that over 36% of boys between the ages of 16 and 19 are averse or indifferent to sex, more than double the results shown in a similar survey conducted in 2008. That's not all. The same survey revealed that 59% of girls shared their feelings, an uptick of 25%.
"So, what's the connection between pencil sharpening and sex," you ask?
A very pertinent question! In fact, I was preparing to answer it even before you asked.
Remember World War 2? Probably not. OK, let me rephrase that question. Have you read about WW 2 and how brave and tough Japanese were in fighting against the Americans in the Pacific? Does anyone think that your average Japanese – say – high school or college kid could behave like that today? Not in a million years. Why? It is because of the herbivore education that they receive! Of course they learn math and science, reading and writing, and always outscore Americans on any international tests on these subjects, but they miss out on the blood-and-guts, carnivorous parts of education, those parts that get Americans to say things like, "Shoot first, ask questions later," or post signs on their properties that say, "Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again." Why, 99.99% of Japanese have never even touched a gun, much less fired one.
Never mind guns; they have not even been taught to sharpen a pencil with a knife!
Such is the sad state of Japanese education – cranking out herbivores who have no interest in keeping the Japanese nation viable into the future. It has become even worse than the pandas who at least have zoos and other institutions, watching over them and forcing them to breed in captivity (by showing them panda porn and so on).
Drastic measures need to be taken if we are to keep the Japanese from going extinct. Already their population is slated to fall to around a third of its present level in less than 100 years!
What can we as concerned world citizens do? Have sex with a Japanese? Nuh uh. This will only dilute their Japanese gene pool and make them go extinct even more quickly. What we need to do is help in education. Write to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan and tell them that you are worried that Japanese are all becoming herbivores and that they should teach more "robust" subjects in schools: Small Animal Butchery in elementary school, for example, or Comparative Porn Around the World in high school classes. "Sports" such as Advanced Petting should be included in the curriculum. Moreover, a more active attitude towards encouraging male–female contact should be promoted. High schools and universities should be required to offer dances and other social events for students. The drinking age should be lowered to 16 as it is in many countries in Europe, and alcohol should be served at these social functions to break down the herbivore inhibitions.
Only through these drastic measures can the Japanese people be saved from going the way of the dinosaur.
Monday, January 17, 2011
North Korean 101
As with cricket reporters, the North Koreans have come up with interesting variations of language use that may not be immediately clear to the novice. After long and patient hours of study and extensive research, I have educated myself to the point where I can translate these expressions into common English for the average person.
As a professional language teacher, I know that the best place to start in any language lesson is with its easiest components, so let's begin with some of the simpler expressions that spring from the mouths of North Korean spokesmen. I will put the expression here (from North Korea's 100th Anniversary of Juche New Year's greeting) and will give examples of inaccurate translations as well as the correct answer.
1. "This year's general offensive is a continuation of the grand onward march for improving the people's standard of living, and its new, higher stage." (from the New Year Report)
Translation A: We will continue to work towards improving the lives of the average North Korean citizen.
This translation is incorrect. If you understand that the words "the people" actually mean "Kim Jong Il and his cronies", then you will understand the true meaning of the expression. Translation A did leave out "its new higher stage", which is accurate. This is only filler and has no real meaning.
2. "Light industry is the major front in the general offensive of this year."
Translation B: We will develop light industry as never before.
This is an almost accurate translation. It would be better if the words "as never before" were omitted and "one of these days" put in their place.
3. "The present grand onward march for the improvement of the people's standard of living demands that a full-scale offensive be launched in the overall economic front."
Translation C: Hmm.... something about improving Kim Jong Il and his cronies' standard of living, but I don't get the rest of it.
Yes, this one seems easy but is more complicated than it looks. You got part of it right though! Quick learner.
A correct translation would be, "We will continue to work hard to improve the standard of living of Kim Jong Il and his cronies by making a serious effort to get around the sanctions imposed on us."
4. "A revolution in light industry is just a revolution in chemical industry."
Translation D: Huh?
Exactly. Sometimes even the North Koreans do not know what they are saying.
5. "An important way to accelerate the speed of the onward march for a great upsurge in the whole of economic construction is to continue to intensify the drive of breaking through the cutting edge."
Translation E: Wow, these are really getting hard! I am completely perplexed.
Once again, you are correct. This is actually just a stringing together of "buzz words" without thinking about whether they actually make a hive.
6. "Greater efforts should be made to spruce up the overall looks of the country as appropriate to a thriving nation."
Translation F: I got this one, I think! "We will try to make our country more attractive"?
No. Completely wrong. This is better translated as "We will control the movements of tourists and other visitors even more, so that they can't see what our country really looks like". Actually "sprucing up the overall looks of the country" would require taking money from "the people", if you get my drift.
7. "At present the Juche-oriented cause of army building is making dynamic progress on a new, high stage."
Translation G: Let's see... "new, high stage" is filler, so I can ignore that, so how about, "We are building our army"?
Very good. Simplicity of expression is not one of their strong suits, but you just about covered it.
8. "Last year our nation's movement for the country's reunification made dynamic progress even in the face of the vicious challenges of the separatist forces inside and outside."
Translation H: How about, "We made progress in our relations with South Korea despite troubles from inside and outside"?
Close, but you are not reading between the lines. A better translation would be, "We tried very hard through sinking a South Korean naval vessel and shelling one of their islands to show that they need to cave in to our pressure, but they didn't and the US didn't either."
9: "Confrontation between north and south should be defused as early as possible."
Translation I: Surely this means what it says?
No. The correct translation is, "We will continue to subvert the south by every means possible and fritter away time at the negotiating table in order to keep our government afloat".
Finally, I challenge any of my readers to read through the message from North Korea upon the 100th anniversary year of Juche, or another example of their messages here.
As a professional language teacher, I know that the best place to start in any language lesson is with its easiest components, so let's begin with some of the simpler expressions that spring from the mouths of North Korean spokesmen. I will put the expression here (from North Korea's 100th Anniversary of Juche New Year's greeting) and will give examples of inaccurate translations as well as the correct answer.
1. "This year's general offensive is a continuation of the grand onward march for improving the people's standard of living, and its new, higher stage." (from the New Year Report)
Translation A: We will continue to work towards improving the lives of the average North Korean citizen.
This translation is incorrect. If you understand that the words "the people" actually mean "Kim Jong Il and his cronies", then you will understand the true meaning of the expression. Translation A did leave out "its new higher stage", which is accurate. This is only filler and has no real meaning.
2. "Light industry is the major front in the general offensive of this year."
Translation B: We will develop light industry as never before.
This is an almost accurate translation. It would be better if the words "as never before" were omitted and "one of these days" put in their place.
3. "The present grand onward march for the improvement of the people's standard of living demands that a full-scale offensive be launched in the overall economic front."
Translation C: Hmm.... something about improving Kim Jong Il and his cronies' standard of living, but I don't get the rest of it.
Yes, this one seems easy but is more complicated than it looks. You got part of it right though! Quick learner.
A correct translation would be, "We will continue to work hard to improve the standard of living of Kim Jong Il and his cronies by making a serious effort to get around the sanctions imposed on us."
4. "A revolution in light industry is just a revolution in chemical industry."
Translation D: Huh?
Exactly. Sometimes even the North Koreans do not know what they are saying.
5. "An important way to accelerate the speed of the onward march for a great upsurge in the whole of economic construction is to continue to intensify the drive of breaking through the cutting edge."
Translation E: Wow, these are really getting hard! I am completely perplexed.
Once again, you are correct. This is actually just a stringing together of "buzz words" without thinking about whether they actually make a hive.
6. "Greater efforts should be made to spruce up the overall looks of the country as appropriate to a thriving nation."
Translation F: I got this one, I think! "We will try to make our country more attractive"?
No. Completely wrong. This is better translated as "We will control the movements of tourists and other visitors even more, so that they can't see what our country really looks like". Actually "sprucing up the overall looks of the country" would require taking money from "the people", if you get my drift.
7. "At present the Juche-oriented cause of army building is making dynamic progress on a new, high stage."
Translation G: Let's see... "new, high stage" is filler, so I can ignore that, so how about, "We are building our army"?
Very good. Simplicity of expression is not one of their strong suits, but you just about covered it.
8. "Last year our nation's movement for the country's reunification made dynamic progress even in the face of the vicious challenges of the separatist forces inside and outside."
Translation H: How about, "We made progress in our relations with South Korea despite troubles from inside and outside"?
Close, but you are not reading between the lines. A better translation would be, "We tried very hard through sinking a South Korean naval vessel and shelling one of their islands to show that they need to cave in to our pressure, but they didn't and the US didn't either."
9: "Confrontation between north and south should be defused as early as possible."
Translation I: Surely this means what it says?
No. The correct translation is, "We will continue to subvert the south by every means possible and fritter away time at the negotiating table in order to keep our government afloat".
Finally, I challenge any of my readers to read through the message from North Korea upon the 100th anniversary year of Juche, or another example of their messages here.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Dumb and Dumber
Oh my, oh my, we do have a problem in the good ol' U. S. of A. This calls for another rant. Apologies in advance for it not being particularly funny.
Information
What is the most popular news channel in the US today? Fox News. Fox News has been cited by a recent poll as the most trusted name in TV reporting. Particularly Republicans like what Fox presents; a whopping 74% of Republicans think that Fox News is the most trustworthy of the TV news disseminators.
Another recent study done by the University of Maryland concludes that Fox News makes its viewers stupid.
OK ...
maybe that's not fair. It COULD be that stupid people watch Fox News and that Fox News only brings out the "best" in them.
And what exactly IS that "best" in the nation that wants to claim world leadership? Well, a full 40% of Americans believe in creationism, that is to say specifically that they believe humans were created by God within the last 10,000 years. (Let's just say the Paleolithic Period never happened, OK?) 52% of Republicans have this view while "only" 34% of Democrats or Independents do. Clearly we have a serious failing in our schools' approach to science education if 40% of Americans believe something that is simply not supported by scientific investigation.
In addition, international awareness – especially important for a super-power – is abysmal. Two thirds of college-age Americans cannot find Iraq on a map, and despite a compelling need for speakers of other languages, only about a quarter of our elementary school pupils and less than half of our high school students are exposed to a foreign language. In addition, Americans are outscored by most other developed nations in internationally accepted tests in math, science and reading. This failure cannot be explained away by the diversity of our nation.
Denial
According to the Center of Disease Control, roughly 30% of Americans are obese. Not pleasantly plump, not well-rounded, obese. This contrasts sharply with the public view which, according to one poll, indicates that 90% of Americans think they eat a healthy diet. When First Lady, Michelle Obama, came out in support of better eating habits, she was snarked by Sarah Palin for trying to impose governmental controls on us. Sarah Palin is a Republican leader. She also works for Fox News. She also believes creationism should be taught in our schools.
Defense
The United States spends more on "defense" than all the other nations in the world combined – more than 6 times as much as its nearest competitor, China. It costs around $400,000 per year to support one soldier in Iraq. $400,000 would pay for the following:
1. annual tuition at Harvard University for 10 students with money left over, or for the total costs of almost 20 students to attend the University of Washington, or
2. annual rent for a two-bedroom apartment for almost 60 families of four, living below the poverty line in a city like Seattle, WA., or
3. 160,000 free lunches for children going to our schools, or
4. almost 8 police officers' annual salaries, or
5. pay the total cost of 8 Peace Corps volunteers for one year (includes all administrative costs and volunteer stipends etc.).
Only one soldier. For only one year.
It is harder and harder to be audaciously hopeful.
Information
What is the most popular news channel in the US today? Fox News. Fox News has been cited by a recent poll as the most trusted name in TV reporting. Particularly Republicans like what Fox presents; a whopping 74% of Republicans think that Fox News is the most trustworthy of the TV news disseminators.
Another recent study done by the University of Maryland concludes that Fox News makes its viewers stupid.
OK ...
maybe that's not fair. It COULD be that stupid people watch Fox News and that Fox News only brings out the "best" in them.
And what exactly IS that "best" in the nation that wants to claim world leadership? Well, a full 40% of Americans believe in creationism, that is to say specifically that they believe humans were created by God within the last 10,000 years. (Let's just say the Paleolithic Period never happened, OK?) 52% of Republicans have this view while "only" 34% of Democrats or Independents do. Clearly we have a serious failing in our schools' approach to science education if 40% of Americans believe something that is simply not supported by scientific investigation.
In addition, international awareness – especially important for a super-power – is abysmal. Two thirds of college-age Americans cannot find Iraq on a map, and despite a compelling need for speakers of other languages, only about a quarter of our elementary school pupils and less than half of our high school students are exposed to a foreign language. In addition, Americans are outscored by most other developed nations in internationally accepted tests in math, science and reading. This failure cannot be explained away by the diversity of our nation.
Denial
According to the Center of Disease Control, roughly 30% of Americans are obese. Not pleasantly plump, not well-rounded, obese. This contrasts sharply with the public view which, according to one poll, indicates that 90% of Americans think they eat a healthy diet. When First Lady, Michelle Obama, came out in support of better eating habits, she was snarked by Sarah Palin for trying to impose governmental controls on us. Sarah Palin is a Republican leader. She also works for Fox News. She also believes creationism should be taught in our schools.
Defense
The United States spends more on "defense" than all the other nations in the world combined – more than 6 times as much as its nearest competitor, China. It costs around $400,000 per year to support one soldier in Iraq. $400,000 would pay for the following:
1. annual tuition at Harvard University for 10 students with money left over, or for the total costs of almost 20 students to attend the University of Washington, or
2. annual rent for a two-bedroom apartment for almost 60 families of four, living below the poverty line in a city like Seattle, WA., or
3. 160,000 free lunches for children going to our schools, or
4. almost 8 police officers' annual salaries, or
5. pay the total cost of 8 Peace Corps volunteers for one year (includes all administrative costs and volunteer stipends etc.).
Only one soldier. For only one year.
It is harder and harder to be audaciously hopeful.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Pope Blames Priestly Pedophilia on the '70s!
Dec. 20 (Monday) Pope Benedict XVI in his year-end message called on the Catholic Church to reflect on the abuses committed by priests against their charges but also suggested that pedophilia was considered a kind of norm of the times (the 1970s).
Now, I can see the 1970s driving someone to drink; all you need to do is listen to My Ding A Ling a few times, and you will be hitting the gin very seriously indeed. But those were simple times and people had simpler tastes in music. I would also blame the song My Way, sung by Frank Sinatra, as a cause for almost any horrible thing: serial murder, whales beaching themselves, or global warming, just to name a few.
The lyrics of that song are so strained, you can almost feel the writer (Paul Anka) struggling with poetic constipation: "I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption"...
And then: "but through it all when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out." (YUCK!)
And even worse.., "For what is a man, what has he got, if not himself, then he has naught".
Naught... when did you use THAT word last? When did ANYONE use it? 1920s? But that song was released in 1969, so we cannot blame the errant behavior of the priests on its pernicious influence.
(I do, however, believe in the death penalty for Paul Anka who wrote it.)
But pedophilia? I sort of remember the 1970s, and I don't remember huge waves of popular pedophilia sweeping the nation. But maybe I missed something.
What particular aspect of the '70s might it have been? The Pope would not make something like this up. And he does not strike me as the tongue in cheek sort. It had to be something.
The movie, "The Exorcist", came out in 1973. Could this have caused those priests to go over the edge?
There they were, worried that they didn't have the "right stuff" to chase away the devil, so they had no alternative but to go over to the "dark side" and molest children?
Seems unlikely, doesn't it?
Perhaps it was the waterbed which coupled with the new advances in women's reproductive rights lead to a sexual revolution?
There they were, surrounded by pictures of hot women such as Farrah Fawcett and Cheryl Tiegs, and driven by lust, they had no alternative but to molest the young boys in their congregations.
No... maybe that is a little far fetched too. Why would they molest boys, after all?
What was it about the '70s that caused those poor priests to loose their moral compass and molest youngsters?
The personal computer!
Yes!
The advent of the personal computer in the 1970s must have been too much for them to handle, so they needed to escape the stress somehow and had to "handle" something else!
But no. The child porn sites and nun-porn sites were still a distant dream in the future.
What COULD it have been?! I mean... what would drive these priests to molest the people in their congregations? It had to be something bad; they would never ever do this on their own, for sure. Right? I mean would the Pope make something like this up?
Maybe it was something the Pope himself had in mind? What was he doing in the 1970s?
According to Wikipedia, "He founded the theological journal Communio (which has) become a prominent journal of contemporary Catholic theological thought. He remained one of the journal's most prolific contributors. In 1976, he suggested that the Augsburg Confession might possibly be recognised as a Catholic statement of faith. This however did not happen due to differences in theology on justification."
Does this sound a lot like cricket news to you? It does to me. The Augsburg Confession. I am willing to BET that this has something to do with "throwing down the stumps".
Those Popes! Aren't they just a gas? But what about the XXs, VVs, and IIs after their names? Are they so unimaginative that they can't come up with new names without the cumbersome Roman numerals? Instead of Pope Benedict XVI, why not Pope Fred, or Pope Ralph?
Wait... we are talking about the priests, not the Pope. But "Pope Paul VI did cause considerable surprise when he suddenly denied rumors of "scandalous behavior".
Maybe the Devil made them do it?
Maybe you have an idea? Check out the '70s and let me know.
And Happy New Year!
Now, I can see the 1970s driving someone to drink; all you need to do is listen to My Ding A Ling a few times, and you will be hitting the gin very seriously indeed. But those were simple times and people had simpler tastes in music. I would also blame the song My Way, sung by Frank Sinatra, as a cause for almost any horrible thing: serial murder, whales beaching themselves, or global warming, just to name a few.
The lyrics of that song are so strained, you can almost feel the writer (Paul Anka) struggling with poetic constipation: "I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption"...
And then: "but through it all when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out." (YUCK!)
And even worse.., "For what is a man, what has he got, if not himself, then he has naught".
Naught... when did you use THAT word last? When did ANYONE use it? 1920s? But that song was released in 1969, so we cannot blame the errant behavior of the priests on its pernicious influence.
(I do, however, believe in the death penalty for Paul Anka who wrote it.)
But pedophilia? I sort of remember the 1970s, and I don't remember huge waves of popular pedophilia sweeping the nation. But maybe I missed something.
What particular aspect of the '70s might it have been? The Pope would not make something like this up. And he does not strike me as the tongue in cheek sort. It had to be something.
The movie, "The Exorcist", came out in 1973. Could this have caused those priests to go over the edge?
There they were, worried that they didn't have the "right stuff" to chase away the devil, so they had no alternative but to go over to the "dark side" and molest children?
Seems unlikely, doesn't it?
Perhaps it was the waterbed which coupled with the new advances in women's reproductive rights lead to a sexual revolution?
There they were, surrounded by pictures of hot women such as Farrah Fawcett and Cheryl Tiegs, and driven by lust, they had no alternative but to molest the young boys in their congregations.
No... maybe that is a little far fetched too. Why would they molest boys, after all?
What was it about the '70s that caused those poor priests to loose their moral compass and molest youngsters?
The personal computer!
Yes!
The advent of the personal computer in the 1970s must have been too much for them to handle, so they needed to escape the stress somehow and had to "handle" something else!
But no. The child porn sites and nun-porn sites were still a distant dream in the future.
What COULD it have been?! I mean... what would drive these priests to molest the people in their congregations? It had to be something bad; they would never ever do this on their own, for sure. Right? I mean would the Pope make something like this up?
Maybe it was something the Pope himself had in mind? What was he doing in the 1970s?
According to Wikipedia, "He founded the theological journal Communio (which has) become a prominent journal of contemporary Catholic theological thought. He remained one of the journal's most prolific contributors. In 1976, he suggested that the Augsburg Confession might possibly be recognised as a Catholic statement of faith. This however did not happen due to differences in theology on justification."
Does this sound a lot like cricket news to you? It does to me. The Augsburg Confession. I am willing to BET that this has something to do with "throwing down the stumps".
Those Popes! Aren't they just a gas? But what about the XXs, VVs, and IIs after their names? Are they so unimaginative that they can't come up with new names without the cumbersome Roman numerals? Instead of Pope Benedict XVI, why not Pope Fred, or Pope Ralph?
Wait... we are talking about the priests, not the Pope. But "Pope Paul VI did cause considerable surprise when he suddenly denied rumors of "scandalous behavior".
Maybe the Devil made them do it?
Maybe you have an idea? Check out the '70s and let me know.
And Happy New Year!
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