its a trying time for us catholics - waiting and wondering who the next pontiff is going to be.
its at moments like these we look on high for a sign that shows that there is a divine purpose to the world, that in the gloom there is light, that the clouds do have a silver lining. we look to the things that will bring a smile to our faces.
and bless his cotton socks mark thatcher has stepped up to the challenge and has shown that he can indeed be a bringer of joy. mark, you may remember, was (“nudge nudge wink wink”) slightly involved in a fail coup in africa when he paid for a helicopter that he “suspected” of being used in mercenary activities.
it was.
they were unsuccessful.
the finger got pointed at mark.
he got caught.
in true fashion he toughed it out, it was stiff upper lip time, take me medicine like a man, play on a straight wicket... oh no that’s right he squealed like a stuck pig and plea bargained.
the plea bargain got him out of south africa, where i am sure he has lots of friends just wanting to pop round to “congratulate” him on his result. next stop england to spend time with his mum, the formidable mrs thatcher, no doubt proud of what mark has achieved. the plan was to go and join his anxiously waiting family in texas.
it was a nice plan, but the american authorities hadn’t read the script and his visa application has been turned down.
instant smile on my face.
yes as one of my mates has pointed out, he will get a chance to try again in two years time, and yes he is rich beyond my wildest dream – but for a few hours today he is nothing more than a common criminal, excluded from american because he had links to terrorist activities. (here and
here ).
a close second in the cheer up pat stakes was jonathon king (our very own low rent michael jackson). he has just been released from jail for serving part of his sentence for abusing underage boys. although he has gotten his freedom back he has just lost his bid to claim back some of the costs of one of his other cases that saw him being acquitted of abuse.
but as the judge said he had "brought suspicion on himself".
so king is out of pocket.
like thatcher he is probably wealthy enough not to miss the money, but for a short period of time he has lost again!
though he may just have the last laugh as he is talking about entering the music biz again.
what’s the chances of king, jackson and townsend forming a trio. suggestions for their name on a postcard please – but lets keep fiddling out of it. (go here for the king story)
7 comments:
Perhaps J.K will be the next pontiff? or even M.J ? isn't the church about money, power and corruption?
unfortunately the catholic church has enough kiddy fiddlers at this time and is not recruiting anymore.
everyone will be pleased to know that although i qualify as a candidate (male, baptised and catholic) i have decided not to throw my hat into the ring.
Wondering who the next pointiff will be certainly won't bring a smile to my face. Same bollocks. Different person. (I refer to Diana).
while not trying to sound like an old conservative there is a world of difference between diana and the next pope.
british monachy - good for a laugh and some photo ops.
pontiff - leads and influences millions.
so the new one will be important.
interestingly the various cardinals have made a point of letting it be known that the important thing is going to be what the new guy thinks rather than what he looks like or where he comes from.
(it's the thinking part that meant i wouldn't have progressed beyond the first round...)
Very different people but the same levels of hysteria for someone people have never met or known.
He certainly led and influenced millions - against equal rights for women and homosexuals, against contraception and abortion. Let's just hope the next one is living in the modern world.
also against the war in iraq, also for moderating the excesses of capitalism, for debt relief and much else. jpii, like so many of us, was a contradiction..
(interestingly one of the arguements about the spread of AIDS in africa - points out that condoms wouldn't make much difference if the woman couldn't insist they were used and that more effort should be pushed into "gender" relations.)
as for the mourning - i would argue there is still a big difference between diana and jpii. but the outpouring of such hysteria does seem to be a fact of modern life now, but then look at what happened when john lennon and elvis popped their clogs.
Was I alive when Lennon and Elvis said farewell?
You have a point with the AIDs/comdoms thing. I love the story from a few years ago - a campaign for condoms in South Africa went belly up as the volunteers stapled the condoms to the info sheet.
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