It's been some time since we looked at the schizophrenic state of the Catholic Church in China. Faithful Catholics must choose whether to give their loyalty to the schismatic "Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association" -- a puppet of the Communist government -- and the "underground Church", the bishops and priests who owe their allegiance to the Holy See.
The underground Catholics must meet in secret, for fear of being arrested and imprisoned...or worse. Their churches -- the buildings which survived the Cultural Revolution -- have been handed over to the CPCA or closed altogether. So also their shrines, which may still exist but are off limits to the faithful.
Rome has been pussyfooting around the issue. Led by the Vatican's left-leaning Secretary of State, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the Holy See has been trying to find some way to reconcile with the "official" church.
New bishops have been consecrated with the consent of the Communist government. Some say those who accept their mitres from Rome and Beijing are no more than collaborators with one of the most repressive and autocratic régimes on earth.
Meanwhile, the old bishops are dying ... or being killed off. On August 28th John Yang Shudao, Bishop of Fuzhou, died at the age of 91, as the result of a crippling stroke.
Bishop Yang had been imprisoned by the Communists in 1955, released in 1981, but later sentenced to a new 3-year term, after his 1987 consecration as a bishop. He had been held for shorter terms at least twice since 2000. In all, he spent more than 28 years in Communist prisons.
His death poses a new test for the level of cooperation between the “official” Catholics recognized by the Beijing régime and the underground Church loyal to the Holy See. About two-third of the Catholics in the Fuzhou diocese adhere to the underground church.
Bishop Yang’s funeral is scheduled for September 1st, and government officials are reportedly working to "assert control", lest a massive public demonstration reveal the CPCA for the fraud that it is.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
500
This is Walt's 500th post. That's an average of pretty close to 36 per month in the 14 months we've been "live". [Or you could say "undead". ed.]
To celebrate this anniversary, Agent 46 has sent along a transcript of a little conversation in the surgery of a large metropolitan hospital. Five surgeons are talking...
The first says, "I like to see accountants on my operating table, because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered. "
The second responds, "Yeah, but you should try electricians. Everything inside of them is colour coded."
The third weighs in with, "No, I really think librarians are the best, because everything inside of them is in alphabetical order."
The fourth chimes in, "You know, I like construction workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over."
But the fifth shuts them all up when he observes, "You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains, and no spine -- and the
head and the ass are interchangeable!"
To celebrate this anniversary, Agent 46 has sent along a transcript of a little conversation in the surgery of a large metropolitan hospital. Five surgeons are talking...
The first says, "I like to see accountants on my operating table, because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered. "
The second responds, "Yeah, but you should try electricians. Everything inside of them is colour coded."
The third weighs in with, "No, I really think librarians are the best, because everything inside of them is in alphabetical order."
The fourth chimes in, "You know, I like construction workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over."
But the fifth shuts them all up when he observes, "You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains, and no spine -- and the
head and the ass are interchangeable!"
Monday, August 30, 2010
152
Cpl. Brian Pinksen, RIP
We don't have the usual Defence Department photo of yet another Canadian soldier who died in Afghanistan. This is Corporal Brian Pinksen, who was injured in an IED blast last week, and succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Germany today.
I'm also sorry not to be able to tell you Cpl. Pinksen's age. He looks young, doesn't he. Most of them are young -- young lives wasted in "Operation Enduring Freedom". No, I'm not making that up.
That's 152 so far...and still counting. Canadians only hear about these casualties when they die. The Defence Department doesn't publish the number or names of those wounded, many of whom will never have anything like a normal life again. We aren't told about them because, well, you know...looks bad in the papers and damages the government's standings in the polls.
For those who want a bit of help keeping score, check out http://www.icasualties.org/ for the latest body counts from Iraq and Afghanistan. You'll find the Canadians listed under "other".
Footnote: The picture of Cpl. Pinksen is from his Facebook page.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Iraq war not over, after all
Saw an interview with NBC's senior foreign affairs correspondent, Richard Hertz [Richard ENGEL, surely! ed.] in which he disabused me of the notion that the American withdrawal from Iraq means the war is over. Mr. Engel was the man who covered the premature evacuation, so he should know.
Apparently what we witnessed earlier this week was the end of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" -- I'm not making that up -- which was the "combat operation" in which 1000s of Americans (and Iraqis) died. So the troops who left, shouting "We won! We won!" were combat troops. With me so far?
Well, it seems there are still 1000s of American troops in Iraq. On September 1st they begin a new mission, "Operation New Dawn". That is a training mission. The troops are there to give "advice and assistance", dontcha see.
Does that mean they won't engage in combat? Errr...no. They are armed and may use their weapons if fired on...or threatened...or whatever. Does that seem not right to you? Remember Vietnam. Our "military advisors" did a lot of fighting, and not a whole lot of advising because after awhile there wasn't anyone to advise. Just us.
What strikes me as odd is that Iraq is beginning to look like Vietnam in reverse. We send in combat troops, fight for seven years or so -- longer than WWII -- then declare victory and send the combat troops home...or maybe to Afghanistan. Then we send in the advisors.
Can you tell the difference between a soldier who fights and a soldier who advises? I wouldn't think so. They wear the same uniforms, carry the same weapons, salute the same flag. I wouldn't think the Taliban or the Shiites or other Iraqis will be able to tell the difference either -- worse luck for our side.
Apparently what we witnessed earlier this week was the end of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" -- I'm not making that up -- which was the "combat operation" in which 1000s of Americans (and Iraqis) died. So the troops who left, shouting "We won! We won!" were combat troops. With me so far?
Well, it seems there are still 1000s of American troops in Iraq. On September 1st they begin a new mission, "Operation New Dawn". That is a training mission. The troops are there to give "advice and assistance", dontcha see.
Does that mean they won't engage in combat? Errr...no. They are armed and may use their weapons if fired on...or threatened...or whatever. Does that seem not right to you? Remember Vietnam. Our "military advisors" did a lot of fighting, and not a whole lot of advising because after awhile there wasn't anyone to advise. Just us.
What strikes me as odd is that Iraq is beginning to look like Vietnam in reverse. We send in combat troops, fight for seven years or so -- longer than WWII -- then declare victory and send the combat troops home...or maybe to Afghanistan. Then we send in the advisors.
Can you tell the difference between a soldier who fights and a soldier who advises? I wouldn't think so. They wear the same uniforms, carry the same weapons, salute the same flag. I wouldn't think the Taliban or the Shiites or other Iraqis will be able to tell the difference either -- worse luck for our side.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
LTTE, please call home!
Word reaches Walt from British California [British Columbia, surely. ed.] that the Tamil "refugees" who washed ashore there recently have been allowed to call their families and friends in Sri Lanka, at no charge. No charge to them, that is. Charge to the Canadian taxpayer? Plenty!
International phone cards advertise rates of about 10 cents a minute for calls to Sri Lanka. Assume 490 refugees talking for half an hour each. That would be 14,700 minutes, at a cost of just under $1500.
Canadian taxpayers who feel their money could have been better spent are invited to contact the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism [No kidding, that really is his title. ed.], the Honourable Jason Kenney, to voice their opinion.
Mr. Kenney's e-mail address is Kenney.J@parl.gc.ca. The phone number at his Calgary riding office is (403) 225-3480. If you're still stuck in the 80s, the fax number is (403) 225-3504. Mr. Kenney prefers to be spoken to in English and please remember, the profanity filter is ON.
Footnote: For those who haven't been paying attention, "LTTE" is the acronym for the banned terrorist organization aka the Tamil Tigers. You're welcome.
International phone cards advertise rates of about 10 cents a minute for calls to Sri Lanka. Assume 490 refugees talking for half an hour each. That would be 14,700 minutes, at a cost of just under $1500.
Canadian taxpayers who feel their money could have been better spent are invited to contact the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism [No kidding, that really is his title. ed.], the Honourable Jason Kenney, to voice their opinion.
Mr. Kenney's e-mail address is Kenney.J@parl.gc.ca. The phone number at his Calgary riding office is (403) 225-3480. If you're still stuck in the 80s, the fax number is (403) 225-3504. Mr. Kenney prefers to be spoken to in English and please remember, the profanity filter is ON.
Footnote: For those who haven't been paying attention, "LTTE" is the acronym for the banned terrorist organization aka the Tamil Tigers. You're welcome.
Pakistani Taliban: "We don't want your aid!"
BBC News passes on a warning from an anonymous "senior US official" that the Pakistani Taliban is planning to attack foreigners helping with flood relief efforts in the country.
The official told the BBC the Taliban plan "to conduct attacks against foreigners participating in the ongoing flood relief operations in Pakistan." He (or she) added that "provincial ministers in Islamabad" may be at risk.
The warning comes as thousands flee their homes in southern coastal areas as floods sweep down from the north. The UN says more than 17 million people have been affected by the monsoon floods, and about 1.2 million homes have been destroyed.
Some five million Pakistanis have no shelter, and urgently need tents or plastic sheeting to protect them from the sun. But do they want our help? Apparently not.
Walt wonders who the "senior official could be". Just by coincidence this morning's Globe and Mail quotes Rajiv Shah, a senior administrator of USAID, as saying that Pakistan will have to demonstrate it can spend relief funds transparently and well if it wants more help in rebuilding after its massive floods.
There are concerns, he said, about how the foreign aid money will be spent by the government, which has a reputation (well-deserved, in my view) for inefficiency and corruption. You read it here first!
The official told the BBC the Taliban plan "to conduct attacks against foreigners participating in the ongoing flood relief operations in Pakistan." He (or she) added that "provincial ministers in Islamabad" may be at risk.
The warning comes as thousands flee their homes in southern coastal areas as floods sweep down from the north. The UN says more than 17 million people have been affected by the monsoon floods, and about 1.2 million homes have been destroyed.
Some five million Pakistanis have no shelter, and urgently need tents or plastic sheeting to protect them from the sun. But do they want our help? Apparently not.
Walt wonders who the "senior official could be". Just by coincidence this morning's Globe and Mail quotes Rajiv Shah, a senior administrator of USAID, as saying that Pakistan will have to demonstrate it can spend relief funds transparently and well if it wants more help in rebuilding after its massive floods.
There are concerns, he said, about how the foreign aid money will be spent by the government, which has a reputation (well-deserved, in my view) for inefficiency and corruption. You read it here first!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Ordinary people... keep talking! Tell it like it is!
Out of town but still part of the wired world. Agent 17 e-mails this mini-review of Jon Krakauer's new book, Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman.
"Finished the book. It should be must reading. It is a riveting account of a truly exceptional human betrayed by his own country, the army, military and civilian leaders.
"This disgusting episode would have died except for the Tillman family."
Walt comments: This is so often the case. The pundits -- the "wise men" whose columns and articles shape our opinions -- rely on what they hear from officials, "inside sources" and each other.
They don't often hear real stories from real people, so they don't find out what's really going on in places like Armpitistan. It takes ordinary people, like the Tillman family, to keep speaking the truth they know first-hand -- even when they're told to be quiet.
If there's someone out there who has a story that hasn't been told, something that the nation needs to know, please tell someone. You can write to an ombudsman, but civil servants like that are toothless fart-catchers for the government, so don't hold your breath waiting for justice.
Tell someone who cares! Tell a "muckraking journalist". Tell a friend. Tell anyone who's not part of the power structure. Start a blog. Use the social media. Get the truth out there where the rest of us can see it! Don't let the "powers that be" silence you.
"Finished the book. It should be must reading. It is a riveting account of a truly exceptional human betrayed by his own country, the army, military and civilian leaders.
"This disgusting episode would have died except for the Tillman family."
Walt comments: This is so often the case. The pundits -- the "wise men" whose columns and articles shape our opinions -- rely on what they hear from officials, "inside sources" and each other.
They don't often hear real stories from real people, so they don't find out what's really going on in places like Armpitistan. It takes ordinary people, like the Tillman family, to keep speaking the truth they know first-hand -- even when they're told to be quiet.
If there's someone out there who has a story that hasn't been told, something that the nation needs to know, please tell someone. You can write to an ombudsman, but civil servants like that are toothless fart-catchers for the government, so don't hold your breath waiting for justice.
Tell someone who cares! Tell a "muckraking journalist". Tell a friend. Tell anyone who's not part of the power structure. Start a blog. Use the social media. Get the truth out there where the rest of us can see it! Don't let the "powers that be" silence you.
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