[Quote:]

Pope Benedict XVI has opened Holy Week indicating that he will “not be intimidated” by accusations against the Vatican over the clerical sex abuse crisis.

In his Palm Sunday address the Pope said that Jesus Christ “leads us towards courage which does not allow us to be intimidated by the chatter of dominant opinions, towards patience which supports and sustains others”.

So the fact that the dominant opinion is that sex with little boys is illegal will not intimidate him.

In his homily today the Pope addressed himself to young people, reminding them that “Christian life is a path, or pilgrimage with Christ, a walk in the direction that he has chosen and shows us”.

When Michael Jackson addressed young people in his homely, he was sued. Remember that.

Now I’ve read the linked article twice, and I fail to see another way to interpret these remarks. Is it just me?

[Quote:]

Fed up with waiting, President Barack Obama announced Saturday he would bypass a vacationing Senate and name 15 people to key administration jobs, wielding for the first time the blunt political tool known as the recess appointment.

The move immediately deepened the divide between the Democratic president and Republicans in the Senate following a long, bruising fight over health care. Obama revealed his decision by blistering Republicans, accusing them of holding up nominees for months solely to try to score a political advantage on him.

“I simply cannot allow partisan politics to stand in the way of the basic functioning of government,” Obama said in a statement.

The 15 appointees to boards and agencies include the contentious choice of union lawyer Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board. Republicans had blocked his nomination on grounds he would bring a radical pro-union agenda to the job, and they called on Obama not to appoint Becker over the recess.

Obama went ahead anyway, while also choosing a second member for the labor board so that four of its five slots will be filled. The labor board, which referees labor-management disputes, has had a majority of its seats vacant for more than two years, raising questions about the legality of its rulings.

Overall, the appointments will take place through next week, allowing people to make the transition to their new jobs, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. said. The news of Becker’s appointment drew the quickest ire from Republicans.

“Once again the administration showed that it had little respect for the time honored constitutional roles and procedures of Congress,” said Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Obama’s foe in the 2008 presidential election. “This is clear payback by the administration to organized labor.”

John, you’re really getting senile. Check the actions of W.

(update- meant to do the video Marcel-Jan pointed out in his first comment as the second video – copy paste error – thanks, Marcel-Jan!)

[Quote:]

The Vatican’s chief spokesman on Saturday praised the US Catholic church for what he said were its successful efforts in curbing sexual abuse of minors by priests.

[..]

‘An impartial observer will not fail to notice that the authority of the pope and the intense and coherent commitment of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith have not been weakened, rather they have been confirmed in their support and guidance to bishops to combat and root out the blight of abuse wherever it appears,’ Lombardi said.

A river in Egypt springs to mind…

[Quote:]

Sony Entertainment has shut down Beyonce’s official YouTube site. Congrats to Sony Entertainment for wisely spending its legal dollars and working on behalf of its artists. Truly, you deserve many laws and secret treaties passed to protect your “business model” (how else could such a delicate flower survive the harsh realities of the real world?).