Pope Blames the ’70s for Pedophile Priests, Says Wasn’t ‘Evil’
December 31, 2010
(ChattahBox World News)—Somehow with all that was going on politically in the waning days of the lame-duck Congress leading up to the Christmas holiday, I missed the story of the Pope finding yet another scapegoat for the decades-long cover up of the clerical sexual abuse of children. What is it this time? Apparently, the freewheeling and sexually liberating 1970s. During a Christmas address to bishops and cardinals, Pope Benedict XVI blamed the ’70s for creating the “ideological foundation” for pedophilia. In Pope Benedict’s view, the sexual abuse of children by priests in the ’70s was the norm. And he further reasoned that the 70s version of pedophilia was not “evil in itself.” I don’t know what kind of ’70s experience the Pope had, but in the real world the rape and sexual abuse of children by adults was never accepted as normal. And there is no greater evil than a religious institution claiming moral superiority, that for years covered up the rape of innocent children by male priests. Read more
Outgoing Lawmaker to GOP: Obama ‘Hatred’ Destroying ‘Credible’ Conservatism
December 31, 2010
(ChattahBox Political News)— At least one outgoing Republican Congressman, who lost to a fringe tea party candidate, is refusing to engage in the rabid hatred of President Obama. As he prepares to leave Congress, Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) is warning his fellow Republicans to end the vicious character assassination of our President, or risk destroying the “credible conservative” movement altogether. The election of our first black president two-years ago in a landslide victory ushered in a new season of hope, after eight long years of war, illegal torture and economic malpractice under the Bush/Cheney administration. But the election of Barack Obama also unleashed a wave of hysterical xenophobia and racism from the right-wing malcontents, the likes of which our country has not seen in modern times. President Obama was smeared as an unpatriotic Nazi, Socialist, Marxist and Communist, as well as a secret Muslim, an illegal alien and a scary Manchurian candidate. The idea was to portray our President as some sort of “other,” a foreign usurper who is not a “real” American. The insane pathological hatred of President Obama by the right-wing teapartiers, became so intense, it was even given a name, Obama Derangement Syndrome. Read more
Isolated N. Koreans Watch First Western Film on TV ‘Bend It Like Beckham’
December 31, 2010
(ChattahBox World News)—You have to wonder what was going through their minds, as a militaristic nation of starving people, closed off from the rest of the world sat in front of their television sets and watched a Western-made film for the first time. Last weekend, the popular British-made 2002 film “Bend It Like Beckham,” was shown in North Korea, in observance of the 10th anniversary of diplomatic relations between North Korea and the United Kingdom. This was certainly a welcome change of pace from the usual state sanctioned propaganda extolling the virtues of the Totalitarian nation’s military and the cult of personalty surrounding the “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il. Read more
Gov. Richardson: A ‘Close Call,’ But No Pardon for Billy the Kid (Video)
December 31, 2010
(ChattahBox US News)—In the end, after the outgoing Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson (D) brushed off his feelings of historical romanticism for a Western folk hero, he found the evidence for a pardon lacking. After much deliberation and media attention, Richardson announced he will not issue a posthumous pardon for notorious 19th century teen outlaw Billy the Kid. Why? Well for one, after Territorial Governor Lew Wallace reneged on his promise of a pardon, Billy the Kid continued with his murdering ways, killing two lawmen. Read more
Unresolved Issue: What Will Obama Do?
December 31, 2010
courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
(ChattahBox Op/Ed News) This will be my last column for the year and as much as I want it to be a pep talk or a direct conversation with you about how amazing 2011 will be it would be a smoke screen at best. I am worried about plenty of issues and I am vastly concerned about Democratic leadership as we begin anew in a few shorts days. The number one question for Democrats and Progressives is who will President Obama be and what will President Obama do? They are two very separate and critical questions. Read more
Poll: Why do Republicans Want Their Own Country to Fail?
December 30, 2010
(ChattahBox Political News)—Soon after our first black President Barack Obama won the 2008 presidential election in a landslide victory, conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh was on the air rooting for his failure. “I hope he fails,” said the hate talker. Those hateful words kicked off an anti-Obama campaign, fueled by xenophobia, racism and blind hatred led by the usual group of right-wing Republican malcontents, re-branded as the tea party. The knee-jerk hatred and opposition to anything Obama even has a name, Obama Derangement Syndrome. Still, a new poll showing that a majority of Republicans are actively rooting for their own president to fail is shocking. These so-called patriotic Americans want their own country to fail. Why? Read more
Ex-Israeli President Katsav Guilty of Rape, Faces Jail Term
December 30, 2010
(ChattahBox World News)—Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav was found guilty of rape and sexual assault on Thursday by a three-judge panel of the Tel Aviv District Court, after a year-long criminal trial. Katsav, who resigned from office in 2007 amid the escalating sexual scandal, rejected a plea bargaining deal that would have ensured that he would serve no jail time. Now, with such serious convictions, Katsav is expected to be sentenced to prison. The district court judges condemned Katsav’s testimony as “riddled with lies.” Read more
Unresolved Issue: Is The Tea Party A Threat or An Opportunity?
December 30, 2010
(ChattahBox Op/Ed News) News yesterday of a federal investigation into Republican Tea Party Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell was an important reminder that we need to examine and reexamine the Tea Party movement and what it could potentially mean to the country at large, not just the Republican Party.
Clearly the Tea Party had an effect on the November 2010 mid term elections but to what degree is the question. In some parts of the country the Tea Party is a serious force to be reckoned with, while in other parts of the country they barely move the political dial. Christine O’Donnell is a prime example of what is wrong with the movement; namely candidates that upon further examination are less than qualified and lack serious acumen to lead. The inconsistency of the Tea Party candidates is an important consideration when weighing whether or not they should be taken seriously or if they will have longevity. Read more
Obama Battles GOP Obstructionism: Makes Six Recess Appointments
December 30, 2010
(ChattahBox Political News)— With hundreds of administrative and judicial nominees stalled in the Senate for months due to unprecedented Republican obstructionism, President Obama used his executive powers during the legislative break to make six recess appointments to fill vacancies in the Department of Justice and the State Department. This hardly makes a dent in the 79 nominees needed to run the government, who have been languishing in the Senate for months. The obstructionism of judicial nominees is so severe that it has caused a crisis in our federal courts. Really, just six recess appointments in the face of such legislative dysfunction is not much, but Republicans will whine and complain regardless. Read more
Fox News’ Tucker Carslon: Eagles’ Vick ‘Should Have Been Executed’ (Video)
December 29, 2010
(ChattahBox Political News)— Conservative Fox News contributor Tucker Carlson is seemingly a fairly bright person, but he has a history of making utterly moronic and heartless statements. Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart perfectly described Carlson’s tiresome boorishness during a 2004 appearance on the now-defunct CNN’s Crossfire, co-hosted by Carlson at the time. After a heated exchange Stewart said, “You’re as big a dick on your show as you are on any show.” And really that’s all you need to know about Tucker Carlson. So, it should come as no surprise that after weighing in on President Obama’s support for giving Michael Vick a “fair second chance,” Carlson spewed out something beyond absurd. What did he say? Carlson said Vick should have been punished with the death penalty for his crime of running a dog fighting ring. Read more