Month: June 2012

Here is how the Cardinal has responded to his previous archdiocese's spokesman's revelations that he authorized payments of $20,000 to pedophile priests to expedite their removal from the ministry:

"The New York Times does not have a reputation for fair and accurate reporting when it comes to this issue. So, to respond to charges like that — that are groundless and scurrilous — in my book it’s useless and counterproductive."

Does he regard his former archdiocese, whence the NYT's proof came, as equally fallacious?

And then you get the real Dolan, the man who puts ecclesiastical power before the protection of children or compassion for the abused:

The cardinal also lashed out at an advocacy group — Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests — that has called the payments 'secret deals' and 'incentives.' But Dolan fumed, “SNAP has no credibility whatsoever.”

You heard that right. A cardinal from a church revealed to have operated a global child rape cover-up for decades says the chief group for the victims "has no credibility whatsoever." After this outburst, Dolan took a week off in Ireland.

"We believe that the [Obamcare health insurance] exchanges are the solution to small business insurance market and that’s gotten us sideways with some conservatives," – Mike Leavitt, former Utah governor, Health and Human Services Secretary under President George W. Bush, and transition director for the Romney campaign.

The BBC's coverage of the Jubilee flotilla yesterday has been roundly trashed. But this polling question really is awesome:

My favorite splutter called the coverage:

"an onslaught of inanity, idiocy and full cream sycophancy uttered, muttered and buttered on thickly by a team of presenters who were encouraged to think that they were more important than the events unfolding around them.”

It was a perfectly British day: pissing down, with intervals of snark. And a wave of pro-monarchy sentiment.

A puff-piece on a feminist, big-boobed gun-lover (no, not Palin; she can’t shoot a gun). Money quote from the heroine of the Fox right:

“I despise all law enforcement and any governing authority. I am not one for selective targeting but mass destruction.”

Chait suspects Obama would steal it:

[I]f you think about it, having a real proposal to boost the short-term economy would be counterproductive to Romney’s chances of winning. Romney’s advisers — and, when speaking off the cuff, Romney himself — all believe in a basic Keynesian view of the world. They advocate that short-term increases in the deficit will boost demand and increase growth. If Romney came out with a plan like that, Obama could just grab hold of it and demand that Congress pass it (and Republicans would be hard-pressed to explain why they were voting down their own nominee’s plan.) Romney could try to pair it with long-term changes Democrats would hate, but Obama could just pick out the short-term stuff and punt on the long-term parts. And if a plan like that passed, it would boost the economy and harm Romney. So he won’t do it. 

The sabotage meme gets more credible by the day, doesn't it?

There was a technical hiccup earlier today, but full service should have resumed by now. Apologies.

Jason Alexander seems, well, sincere.

The Gay Pride march happened in Salt Lake City, with the straight LDS "Mormons Building Bridges" contingent right in the thick of things. You want to know how to overcome a culture war? Try this:

Some Bridges marchers worried how the crowds would react, especially given the history of LDS Church-backed opposition to same-sex marriage.

“But when we turned the first corner onto 200 South Street, the crowd just roared,” says Austin Hollinbaugh, a recent BYU graduate from Provo, Utah, who joined the Mormons Building Bridges group. “I thought to myself, ‘Why are you cheering for me? I am supposed to be here for you. People deserve to be loved, and all I am doing is standing up for that.’”

SLC Pride organizers were surprised by the size of the Mormons Building Bridges delegation. “You are three times as large as we thought you would be,” the parade master of ceremonies announced as the group approached her booth, her voice breaking up with emotion.

Emotion reverberated all along the parade route, as Pride attendees—many of them gay and from Mormon backgrounds—cheered and cried. Some crowd members sang the lyrics to hymns quoted on Mormons Building Bridges placards. Marcher Susan Dortsch walked over to hug a woman at the edge of the parade route. “She had tears rolling down her face,” says Dortsch. “She was sobbing and saying, ‘Thank you so much.’”

Adam Ford of Alpine, Utah marched in his Sunday best with his sons Parley and Willard, who are named for historic LDS Church leaders Parley P. Pratt and Willard Richards. “I saw about a dozen people openly weeping as they watched us walk by. One body builder guy in a tight tank top heaved with sobs,” said Ford. “I walked over and hugged him.” Clair Barrus witnessed the tears of parade-goers as evidence of deep wounds carried by gay Mormons and gay people with Mormon backgrounds. “Their soul has been torn in two pieces,” said Barrus, “their integral gay selves, and their Mormon selves.”

 

Nina Strochlic chats with Lennon and Maisy Stella, stars of the viral video seen above:

Their mom, MaryLynne, uploaded the recording at 2 AM last Wednesday. When she checked the next morning, the ticker showed 304 views. "Wow, that’s incredible!" she thought. Turns out the volume of traffic had frozen the counter. The next day, the whole family was flying to New York, where the girls performed the song on the morning show. They had their first taste of celebrity on the plane ride, when a passenger did a double take, pointing to the pint-sized artists and whispering "butter containers" to her friend.