PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH # 2

As promised, I've done a little more digging on that whole indulgence thing. Turns out the new, improved indulgences turned 40 last year, and, understandably, are wanting to get out more. Pope Palpatine Benedict has been throwing them out like candy to kids at a parade for the last year or so.

Why do indulgences exist? Well, if you can get in to trouble, naturally you'll want a way out. Since Catholics have many, many ways of getting in trouble, there are many, many ways of getting out.

Now, that's my take. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have a more fun and concise explanation here. Catholic.org takes all the fun out of it, explaining that indulgences are not a get out of hell free card - there's work involved.

Well, ok, then. There's a recession on, and not much to do, so hey, why not indulge?

What's that? The title? Where does it come from? Here.

Imagine a 50 year old woman teaching 10 year old you about Ejaculations

Indulgences are back, say they were never really gone.

Man, this brings back memories. One of my Catholic educations was four years at ye olde catholic school, where Vatican II was obeyed but looked at with jaundiced eyes. So we had our Catechisms from the 1950's, which depicted a sleeveless dress as "not covering enough". And Headless Jesus, appearing in an aura of light to scold wrongdoers.

My favorite? Ejaculations! Saying "My Jesus Mercy" whenever you'd hear an ambulance pass was supposed to get you three years off your time in Purgatory in what I eventually called the Catholic Calculus.

I'll have to look up more on the different equations later.

David Duke Calls Black a Kettle

Well, if President Obama isn't bad enough, that scumbag socialist who freely associates with terrorists, now we have the new RNC chairman, one Michael Steele, a RADICAL RACIST, doncha know. Oh, wait. David Duke is from Louisiana. He's a da-yum RAAAAAAD-I-CAAAAL ray-cist, y'all!.

Now Fark got it right, I think: "With no ulterior motives whatsoever, RNC elects Michael Steele as chairman"

Just as we had Gov. Palin, now we have Mr. Steele. "Anything you can do, I can do better, anything you can do I'd better do." Imitation isn't flattery, it's "oh hell, that didn't work, let's see what they're doing."

Which is nothing new. Going back to 2004, the Democrats were ripping each other up over whether or not they were Republican enough to get elected. In 1992, we had the Republican "Big Tent" which was supposed to welcome just everyone, except that it didn't. No surprise.

Then this past year we had the PUMAs, which made more news than impact.

And it's all a distraction, a side show. There's very little of substance in what Mr. Duke has to say. His tirade is analagous to the ambulance-chasing lawyer passing out his cards at the scene of an accident.

What is substantive is the "purity" battle going on now in the Republican party. How pure and what kind of pure is going to distract for a while, but it will be back, and if responsible people aren't paying attention, the hucksters again will get up just enough support to make a comeback.