Catholic priest risks being defrocked after multiple rape convictions

The Bishop of London, Ontario, Ronald Fabbro, is demanding the Vatican defrock the "Reverend" Charles Sylvestre after the priest pleaded guilty last week to sexually assaulting 47 women over four decades. An additional 14 charges remain pending. If the application is successful, it would be the first time in Ontario -- perhaps Canada -- a cleric has been so defrocked. Although officially Sylvestre is "retired" he still can perform the sacraments so being stripped of his collar would mean, among other things, his licence to perform religious and civil marriages would be stripped.

All I can say is, better late than never. And it's high time the Church, or at least some people within it, took this as seriously as it has.

It may help that the current Pope is Ratzinger and not Wojtyla. The former Pontiff just didn't get it, or at least did not understand just how serious the sex abuse scandal was in his church. He must have thought "one a priest, always a priest" and that even the worst pedophiles were potentially redeemable. The current administration appears to have taken a much harder line, ordering the founder of a major religious order to retire earlier this year although stopping just short of "laicization" -- demoting a priest down to the laity. The charges here are much more serious, however, and Benedict might feel compelled to push Sylvestre over the edge.

I hope the Pope does. The game of musical chairs is simply unacceptable. While the current Bishop in London may have had no part in it, the fact that Sylvestre was moved around (to Windsor, Chatham, Sarnia and Pain Court) in a deliberate effort to ensure he evaded prosecution is morally reprehensible; and if there were officials who were complicit in the obstruction of justice they too should be stripped of their official duties. In fact, I'd call for their outright excommunication.

The fact is, in high school I was spurned so often by my female classmates, too many times in fact that I seriously considered joining the priesthood. What put me off, however, was the emergence of the sex scandal here at around the same time -- first at an orphanage in Newfoundland, then which spread like wildfire across Canada as we learned of systemic and state-sponsored abuse of native children by the mainline churches here, with some cases going back decades. I was so disgusted that I decided it was simply not possible I was hearing the call, because if I was I would be joining a profession where I would be presumed guilty by association. Only the Devil would make me want to be a priest, so I said "Screw it."

Until I find Ms Right, I am quite content to live the single life -- a member of the Church, but not part of the section of a group that still has to come to terms with the rogue elements within the flock. I do not regret my decision in the slightest, because I refuse to be part of the "pray, pay and obey" crowd. Charges should be based on solid evidence, and the presumption of innocence should remain standard; but where there is a blatant disregard for the laity as was true in this case, no recourse should be offered -- it should be "One strike and you're out." Not forty-seven as was in Sylvestre's case.

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There's oil in them thar hills -- not!

The US division of British Petroleum announced they're shutting down, indefinitely, their production facility at America's largest oil field -- Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, owing to ongoing corrosion problems with two pipelines. This has reduced oil supply by about 400,000 barrels per day -- and explains why oil is trading about two bucks a barrel higher than on Friday. Meanwhile, White House officials have conceded that America is now preparing itself for a civil war to break out in Iraq -- like a civil war hasn't happened already -- and if that happens the US will stage a massive pullout of US troops.

Call me cynical, but wasn't the whole point of the Iraq war to drive oil prices down to six dollars a barrel; and thus to make alternate fuel options as well as relatively new sources of traditional supplies like the Alberta tar sands not worth exploring at all? Now it's at seventy six and climbing, natural gas prices are out of sight (which affects most people, like me, who use gas to heat homes) and far from securing the West's safety, we've only gotten more vulnerable to attacks. All of a sudden alternate sources look appealling except for the fact the infrastructure is still limited and our policies have generally discouraged people from switching to other fuel supplies.

We've seen the commercials promoting cars that run 85% ethanol fuel -- E85. How many gas stations in Ontario and Québec sell E85? Not any I've seen. Many people spent thousands converting their cars to natural gas in the 90s, only to find that now all the filling stations are gone. And of course, the One Tonne Challenge is now toast in Canada because Stephen Harper's blood bleeds oil only slightly less than the Bush (read al Saud) family.

The cabal at 1600 has gotten the world backed into a corner. And they figure out the only way to save face is to bring home the troops and make the announcement just before the November mid-terms -- another October surprise, as it were. Muslims have very long memories -- but so do Christians and Jews. I don't think they'll let the Karl and Rummy show get away with it yet again. People were pissed off in 1994, and I think they're about to let loose in 2006.

For once, I'd like to see someone create an energy policy that both promotes real independence and ties foreign oil purchases to human rights reforms.

Don't hold your breath. Not as long as they can still find some oil and natural gas here, even if they have to drill three kilometres down to reach it.

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Gratitude -- and talking points (2006-08-06)

want to thank Scott Tribe for putting the first get-together of some of the members of Progressive Bloggers, as well as Shoshanna Berman and her husband for hosting the event. It was really nice being able to put together a face to bloggers such as Section 15, A BC'er in Toronto, Take Off Eh and Canadian Cynic. This was a lot of fun, with two or even three discussions going on at once about current events. I also learned some insider stuff about one of Canada's registered parties, something that the mainstream media simply will not touch, but perhaps they should be paying attention to.

Just a few thoughts from some random news items today.

• The Connecticut Senate Primary is on Tuesday, and the Hartford Courant reports that nearly 20,000 residents of that state have either registered to vote for the first time ever or have switched their preference from "non-aligned" to card carrying Democrat. (CT is a closed primary state, meaning only party members may vote for the man or woman who will carry their banner in November.) The race, which was once a shoe-in for longtime Senator and former Vice-Presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, has turned into a huge surprise with some polls showing his challenger Ned Lamont ahead by 13 percentage points. Even four weeks ago, as I told the other ProgBlogers yesterday, I was convinced Joe had it in the bag. But the war in Iraq is extremely unpopular in the Northeast and his near unwavering support for Dubya could be his downfall. A lot depends on the turnout two days hence. What I am interested in and was not reported is how many Republicans are "temporarily" switching parties just to make sure Lieberman stays in the race. Unpopular incumbents bring out the vote, and usually that spells trouble for the defending champion. If I put odds on it, I'd say Ned has a better than even chance of winning -- and by a wide enough margin that Joe will decide an independent run would be futile.
• The Hong Kong legislature took a step backwards today when it passed a "spying law" that critics say will severely curtail privacy rights in the former British colony, which is supposed to have a significantly higher degree of personal freedom than the Mainland of China under the "one country, two systems" policy. So furious were the pro-democracy section of the legislature that they walked out before the final vote as an act of protest. This law is a blatant attack not just on the attorney-client privilege (which continues to exist in HK but not in Beijing) but also on a journalists' right to protect confidential sources. Check out any of the papers from HK -- in Cantonese or English -- and one finds an extraordinary level of criticism of the central government, the kind that wouldn't be tolerated even in Singapore. It also serves as inspiration for George W Bush and Stephen Harper, both of whom hate most members of the press.
• On the lighter side of the news, the Caesar's Casino Corporation is red-faced after its facility in Bridgeport, Indiana had a slot machines automatically multiply credits by ten -- so if one put in a hundred dollar bill, say, he or she could hit the cashout button and immediately get a thousand dollar voucher. Over two days, the machine paid out $500,000 and it would have kept going until an honest woman from Louisville, Kentucky reported the problem to security. What went wrong? A credit switch inside was set for the Philippines, not the US and Canada, which resulted in the 10 by phenomenom. Man, if only I had that luck!
  

Go take on the day.

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Comments:

BCer in Toronto

06/08/2006 12:21:49 PM
(http://bcinto.blogspot.com)

Was good to meet you and everyone else yesterday. Hope you guys didn't stay out too late after we left!

Meeting my fellow Progressives (well, some of them)

I'm off to Guelph to meet with some other members of the Progressive Bloggers syndicate later today. It'll be nice to put a face to some of the blogs I frequent -- and, I hope, they're reading my thoughts as well. I'll have more to say about it when I get back. Have a great day, everyone.

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Second drug positive test for Landis

So it's official. Floyd Landis didn't just test positive for drugs, he was juiced up. The "B" sample came back this morning and it showed an extremely high level of testosterone -- 11:1, well above the legal limit of 4:1 observed by most sports federations.

Landis continues to insist the spike occured naturally. How? Let me count the possible excuses:

• He abstained from sex all that time? That's an old one, something soccer teams use all the time to try to make sure their teams stay focused and win -- it's an urban legend, with little or no scientific proof.
• Someone spiked one of his drinks. That's the excuse Ben Johnson used at first, then retracted when forced to testify under oath.
• One of his nutrition supplements must have had it? Sports governing bodies test the supplements regularly to make sure they're compliant with current standards, so that won't wash either.
• Oh, let's see ... he had a cold, went to the over the counter section, and picked the wrong colour package? That's something rower Silken Laumann accidentally did once -- she was cleared of wrongdoing as she made an honest mistake, but that is no longer an excuse under current rules.
• That leaves a drug cocktail that was legal and cleared for use resulted in a "false positive." That could help Landis; except for the fact that one can only take a restricted substance with clearance from a governing body and only under tightly controlled circumstances -- in other words, the amounts approved for use ensure a "false positive" won't result. If there is a way taking such rehab drugs could spike up testosterone to the stratosphere, I'd like to know about it.

The days when the Americans could claim the high moral road on this one are long gone, as more and more who wear the Team USA logo get caught in malfeasance. If George W. Bush has any sense of what's right or wrong on this one, he'll end pro sports' anti-trust exemption on this issue (and I mean all team and individual sports, including pro golf and NASCAR) and state from here on in, the World Anti-Doping code applies to all Americans and all athletes competing in America. That includes those competing for the Mr. and Ms Olympia bodybuilding titles. Just once, I'd like to see one of them win WITHOUT using steroids.

Far as I'm concerned, Harper should do the same here in Canada and say all NHL players, not just those eligible for the Olympics or World Championships, must also submit to random drugs tests both in and off season. If it's good enough for the amateurs, it's good enough for the pros.

As for Landis, he got himself into this mess -- he has to get himself out. I don't feel sorry for him, one bit.

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Smearing Ole Anthony

This post turned out quite different from what I had planned ... but here goes.

For well over a decade and a half, the Trinity Foundation of Dallas' Ole Anthony has been the "go to guy" for the mainstream media whenever they're investigating a televangelist or cult. From his exposé of Robert Tilton to revealing some potentially nasty personal information about Paul Crouch and his current focus on Benny Hinn, Anthony has become somewhat of a folk hero.

According to a recent article by the Dallas Observer, however, Anthony runs the Dallas Project as well as his ministry like a cult ... or does he? The article was quickly dismissed as something only a tabloid could come up with. Such as the allegation that the guy who's taken a vow of poverty actually has a huge bank account with Merrill Lynch.

I've followed Ole Anthony's work for a number of years and I subscribe to his bi-weekly e-newsletter. He's certainly not perfect, but he has the courage of his convictions and asks the questions that few dare to. For this, he is dismissed as being against the Lord's "Anointed." One only has to look at all the so called "signs and wonders" performed by the hucksters, which are really nothing more than self-fulfillment fantasies. If the TV preachers -- and for that matter, many of the leaders in the mainstream churches -- practiced what they preached, or were at least as generous with their gifts to others as they are to themselves, there would be no need for muckrakers like Anthony.

So I say keep up the good work and fight. We need lie detectors, both in the sacred and secular worlds.

HT to Kathy for the original article and the update.

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Comments:

(no name)
20/08/2006 11:00:02 PM

My wife wrote the book exposing Ole Anthony, I Can't Hear God Anymore: Life in a Dallas Cult. I understand many people are sympathetic with him for what he has done to expose corrupt televangelists. We are only suggesting that he hold himself to the same standard of accountability to which he is holding others. There are many, many problems with Ole and his ministry that my wife points out and which have been corroborated by investigative reporter Glenna Whitley in her excellent piece in the Dallas Observer. It is our prayer that Ole and others at Trinity Foundation take an honest look at themselves and correct the things in their ministry which need correcting. Until they do this, they do not have the moral standing to pass judgment on other ministries.

www.dallascult.com


BlastFurnace
21/08/2006 3:36:27 PM
(http://blastfurnacecanada.spaces.live.com/)

Thanks for your comments. As I said at the top of my original post, I was going to be rather critical of Mr Anthony's methods; but that was untilI checked some other blogs -- including evangelical ones -- that said the Dallas Observer was not much better than a tabloid. So I'm prepared to keep an open mind. I totally agree with the line "Judge not lest ye be judged," and Anthony should certainly be held to the same standards of those he criticizes. I'm just of the type of person that needs more corroboration.


(no name)
22/08/2006 12:01:55 AM

The Dallas Observer is an alternative weekly in Dallas, part of the New Media chain that includes about 16 papers like it, the Village Voice being the flagship. The major daily here in Dallas, The Dallas Morning News, no longer does any investigative reporting worth lining the bottom of a birdcage with since their rival, The Dallas Times Herald, went out of business in the early 90's. The Observer is willing to take some risks and go out on a limb, and I suppose that sets them up to make mistakes occasionally, but if we did not have the Observer here we would be unable to read very much good local reporting. Anyway, most stories come down to the integrity of the reporter who is actually doing the investigation, and Glenna Whitley is a very highly respected journalist around here. She has written for D Magazine, Texas Monthly, and has co-authored a book that was well received. And, speaking as one who has inside knowledge of this story, I can tell you that she got it right. In fact, this is the first really accurate story to come out about Ole Anthony and Trinity Foundation.

Patriotism is not blind loyalty

In an attempt to rally support for the Canadian-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, Stephen Harper chose instead to interfere in the Liberal leadership race and score political points over the fact the Grits are divided about the mission, while the Conservatives are united.

“For those who have lost their family or their colleagues, these are always terrible moments. As fellow Canadians, I know that we all share their grief,” Mr. Harper said. “But what the men and women in harm's way want and need to know in moments like this is that their government and Canadians stand behind their missions.”

Unlike many Progressives, I support the Kandahar tour of duty. I continue to support the mission. But as it drags on and more Canadians are killed -- four were yesterday -- I am beginning to wonder what the terms of reference are supposed to be, and to put it mildly my patience is running thin.

I was under the presumption that the mission was as much about deterrence and development as it was about defence -- about using swords and spears as weapons and peacekeeping tools at the same time. There should be no illusions: The old fashioned peacekeeping model that Canadians came up with to keep the Suez Canal open in 1957 simply is irrevelant in 2006. Before there is a peace to be kept, it must be made. To have tranquility, sometimes wars must be fought. Canada is not a neutral country nor should it be. Our allies are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy -- some countries we have fought alongside for centuries, others we fought against before but now share common interests of security.

Canada didn't declare war on the Taliban -- it declared war on Canada when it chose to provide aid and comfort to Al Qaeda, who murdered 24 Canadians among thousands of others, on 9/11 after refusing to turn over Osama Bin Laden as the world community so justifiably demanded. The Taliban must be destroyed, and destroyed no matter what it takes because the honour of Canada was violated on that day of infamy.

However if Canadians were to be asked, did we go to war to create a regime potentially hostile to Israel, or to stand idly by while opium production skyrocketed, or to become an ally of three former Soviet republics (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) that have all turned into repressive personality cult regimes -- the answer would almost certainly be "no."

For Stephen Harper to effectively say, "Supprt our troops, ask questions later," is disingenous at best and insulting at the worst. Canada is a democracy. Citizens are supposed to ask the tough questions and engage in the issues of the day. Without dialogue, there can be no freedom. No doubt about it, this has been a tough military campaign and casualties are going to continue to mount -- we can expect perhaps an average of one killed in action every day before it's all over. So far, we've lost 23 service persons and 1 diplomat. But moving forward, we need two things from our Prime Minister.

One: He needs to stop questioning the patriotism of the Liberal Party and in fact all Canadians of all stripes or none at all who are asking what the purpose of the mission is. We support our troops even if some of us may not agree with the mission or the political decision that sent the troops there. There is no inconsistency in that.

Two: We need, once and for all, clearly stated terms of reference -- not a detailed battle plan necessarily (the enemy doesn't have to know everything, after all) but a summary of what exactly are we trying to accomplish. At the top of the list or near the top should be a statement that we're not going to be hypocrites; namely, we're not going to fight a war against marijuana grow operations in Canada while allowing the opium trade to blossom. That we're going to continue to provide aid money as well as safe conduct for non government aid agencies who distribute the aid. That as we continue to fight against the forces of evil, we're going to give people in Afghanistan a hands up and not a handout -- that we're going to help them become a self-sufficient country. And last but not least, we're not going to disarm one sets of warlords just to empower another; that we're there to disarm them all and help Afghanistan become a truly democratic and plural society.

I suspect if Afghanistan had significant resources of oil or natural gas, the tone of the debate would be entirely different. It does have some, but nowhere near enough to be a net exporter. It does have reserves of precious metals and stones; but I wonder how many Canadians would support troops and civilians dying for diamonds as is the case in so many countries in Africa, especially when Canada has vast reserves of a "girl's best friend" right here at home and a small but growing number of women are demanding their men buy diamonds which are blood and conflict free.

The bottom line is, Harper has misread Canadians, again. He got it wrong on keeping military funerals private and was forced to back down when the families of the deceased troops told him off. He's also got it wrong about "my country, right or wrong" -- and I suspect it will also be military families who will have to remind him that our troops are fighting for free speech and debate, not to stifle it.

Loyalty to Canada is not incumbent upon loyalty to whoever occupies 24 Sussex Drive. We salute one flag -- not one party.

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Pat Robertson finally moves left -- just slightly

Incredible -- wacky Pat Robertson finally sees the light and admits global warming is real. (Video here.)

Now if only his cross-Virginia rival Jerry Falwell would do the same ... nah, not going to happen. The mandarins at The Miracle Channel will vote Liberal before Falwell admits he's wrong about anything.

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Tom Delay still stuck on Texas 22 ballot

A panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans has upheld a lower court ruling, saying that Tom Delay must remain on the ballot for the November 7th election even though he now lives in Virginia, not Texas. (Source: Lone Star Project) In a move extremely rare in the United States (but common in Canada), the court also ordered Delay to pay the legal costs of the Texas Democratic Party in this case.

Good.

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Hands in my pocket: Ontario Power remix

Ontario is still under a power consumption warning today. Yesterday, we set an all-time record for power usage during one five minute period -- 27,098 MW at 5 PM. That's about as much power as all of Hamilton uses in an entire day. During the one hour before, the market price for power hit 31.776 cents per kilowatt hour (a kWh is the amount of power needed to light a 100 watt bulb for 10 hours). Bear in mind the consumer price is regulated at 5.7 cents so everything above that is paid for by the taxpayer.

The old standbys -- surplus power from such places as Québec, Manitoba and Michigan -- were all out because their systems too were being strained to the limit from demand. And even if they were available, they charge top dollar.

I've mentioned it previously, but it needs saying again -- we just can't rely on new plants. We need a massive shift in thinking about conservation. Check the skylines of most Ontario cities -- the skyscrapers keep all their lights on at night even though they are not necessary and also a threat to migratory birds in flight. And do we really need bone-chilling shopping malls and offices? For that part, what's with people at home keeping their climate control systems so low? Some may need it for health reason, but most dont'. I for one set my A/C at home at 27 degrees C, much higher than what I would deem comfortable but cool enough so I'm not sweating to death.

A couple of other sensible things -- one, unplug the beer fridge. I did that a few years back, long before deregulation, and in one month my power bill dropped twenty percent. Also the freezer -- if you're not using it, unplug that too. It's money down the drain -- and it means higher taxes for everyone.

It's a two way street, however. At least there are some who are doing their part for conservation. It's time the government did the same with their offices as well as an overall strategy to make sure the lights stay on. As a first step, maybe -- just maybe -- we should do what Québec did after the ice storm and put some kind of a firewall to stop a chain reaction of blackouts like what happened in 2003. We all remember the lights went out in Ottawa but not in Gatineau. Then we can talk about responsible ways about generating what we need -- and nuclear should be a last resort, not a first choice.

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Hey Steve, where's the "Fifth Priority"?

News this morning that a 20th Canadian has died in fighting in Afghanistan while driving a light armoured vehicle (LAV) makes me wonder why we still have LAVs as support vehicles. What happened to all those heavy armour G-Class Mercedes SUVs that we bought? Aren't the Canadian Forces supposed to be using them?

Meanwhile, the latest Decima poll shows the Harperites in a near dead heat with the still leaderless Liberal Party (32-31). Even more significant is that the Grits are now way ahead of the Conservatives in Ontario (42-33) and are slightly ahead of the Cons in Québec. No doubt the situation in the Middle East and Stephen Harper's pro-Israel stance has put a damper on his popularity, especially in urban areas.

I think the much bigger issue is "Steve" Harper's coziness to the Bush Administration. He promised he would "Stand Up For Canada." Signing a softwood lumber dead that gives the lion's share to US producers, making the NORAD extension permanent rather than on the old five year basis, and parroting every single stance of the religious right in the US -- is not my idea of defending Canada.

And whatever happened to his fifth priority -- a health care guarantee? You know, a maximum wait time for specified emergency procedures with an offer of intraprovince or ever interprovince travel in case one's home jurisidiction can't handle the patient? Since Parliament reconvened in April, there has not been one single mention of how Harper is going to implement this. Not one.

Could it be because he never had any intention of implementing it in the first place -- preferring a US style system of be rich or die? Or could it because the provinces won't cooperate unless they get their way on reforming equalization? Or could it be something much deeper, a desire to risk a snap fall election on the issue?

It's obvious he's going to use any pretext to drop the writ; to make any issue one of non-confidence.

I for one would like to know whether all of a sudden he's changed horses in mid-stream and decided the fifth priority is joining the Globar War Against All Extremism or World War III or whatever it's called this week. If he has, he's proven he had no intention of standing up for Canada in the first place. Canadians' first priority -- not the fifty -- is reforming health care and making the single payer system work for the Third Millenium. The Romanow Report continues to gather dust, as does the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Affairs which also spent a great deal of ink and money talking about health care.

It's time for "Steve" to start talking. I'd suggest the current respite from the heat wave as a good time as any to begin the dialogue.

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Death to freedom! Vive le France!

In an almost unannounced move, the House of Representatives Cafeteria has dumped "Freedom Fries" and "Freedom Toast" and gone back to calling them French Fries and French Toast.

Only thing is, though, French toast and French fries as we know them today are both Belgian inventions. And for what it's worth, the Senate lunchroom kept it "French" all along. Not too surprising -- given all the French and butt kissing that goes on in the cloakrooms -- but at least they were more reasonable about it.

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Who will protect the children?

There is, thankfully, good news this morning about the kidnapping of two young boys from Western Canada -- Jordan Bruyère and Zachary Miller. Both are alive and well after going missing for days. Their alleged kidnapper, Peter Whitmore, is now in custody after surrendering peacefully to the Mounties. The crazy thing about it all is that an AMBER alert was issued for Miller when he went missing a couple of days ago. On the other hand, Bruyère got no such consideration even though the m.o. was almost identical and he was just at much risk -- and he had been gone for weeks, not days.

As for Whitmore, he was clearly a high risk offender, having had numerous sexual offences. Where was the Parole system in all of this -- and why weren't they keeping a closer eye on the situation?

I fully understand the concerns of those who feel that first time offenders who made a mistake just want to get on with their lives, and may get caught up in a "law and order" régime. When it comes to sex offenders, however, and multiple ones at that, shouldn't the system be keeping a tigher leash and monitoring them? Put it bluntly, Whitmore shouldn't have been on the streets in the first place -- or at the very least, a section 810 order restricting his movements should have been renewed. (Apparently, that's what was supposed to happen but one province forgot to notify the others -- totally crazy in my opinion. Isn't that why we have a National Sex Offender Registry?)

If it were my kids, I'd be personally suing the members of the Parole Board who let this bastard out in the first place. They clearly weren't doing their job. No one -- not even those of us in the Progressive Movement -- should have to put up with this.

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Comments:


Howie
02/08/2006 9:50:37 AM
(http://howie51.spaces.live.com/)

Nothing makes my blood boil hotter than to hear about yet another offense by one of these animals, who, as I understand it, can rarely ever be rehabilitated. Peter Whitmore practically begged the authorities to control him, when he admitted his sexual desires were out of control, and he considered himself to be dangerous. In the face of overwhelming evidence that men and women like Peter will consistently re-offend, we let them loose into society again and again, to ruin the lives of innocent children. Haven’t I read somewhere, that to offend one of these little ones would mean that you would be better to have a stone tied to your foot and be cast into the sea, than to face the judgment of God? Would that not infer that the members of Canada’s Parole Board had better get some swimming lessons if they insist on releasing these people?

Conyers calls Bush's bluff

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI 14), head of the Democratic faction on the House Judiciary Committee, pulls no punches. Yesterday, he released this 26-page indictment of the current White House and their total lack of respect for the time honoured system of checks and balances. Josh Marshall at TPM lets it speak for itself without further comment.

It's lengthy, but worth a read. If nothing else, it shows that even Richard Nixon, for all his misdeeds, had more respect for the democratic process and for Congress itself; than the man in the Oval Office right now.

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Fidel Castro ailing (?)

When most world leaders are ailing, people usually pray for that person's recovery -- and when he or she ultimately leaves this world to join the next, we offer condolences. Heck, when the Queen Mother died, the congregation I belong to offered prayers for the repose of her soul, even though she wasn't Catholic.

Even if it's a dictator of the likes of Kim Il-Sung or the Ayatollah Khomeni, at most we often just shrug and move on, and hope their successors will be more reasonable and treat their citizens accordingly.

Yet when news broke out last night that Cuba's Fidel Castro temporarily ceded executive power to his brother so he could undergo emergency surgery, people were dancing in the streets of Miami. These so-called "Christians" have been actually praying for their former tormentor's death, and are gleeful they may finally get their wish.

Well what if it does? Do they think their brothers and sisters back on the island are just going to embrace America again with open arms? Get real. A decades-long trade embargo has only hardened attitudes, and has impoverished Cubans. Not quite to the point of the destitution ravaging North Korea, but it is a hard existence. I went there 20 years ago during the height of the Cold War and the differences between what tourists experiences and what the locals did just blocks away was absolutely striking even then.

I doubt that Batistas are returning to power any time soon, but it seems to me that all the Miami Cuban community wants is a government in Havana that would essentially be the pasty of the White House, taking direct orders from it. That's not freedom. As comedian Rick Mercer once said in reference to American attempts to impose the Cuban embargo rules on longstanding US allies like Canada, "Freedom does not mean doing only what the Americans will let us." Among world countries, only Israel and the Marshall Islands honour the US embargo -- all the others have recognized it's better to deal with the devil they do know and have full trade and diplomatic relations.

So, when it comes down to it, I think democracy may be finally coming to Cuba sooner than we think. But I think the result will be the exact opposite of what Cuban Americans want, instead it will more like than not be a home grown government that will take its own stride and keep Washington at much further than arms' length.

And that's also a good thing. The more countries that keep Washington as friends but also on a tight leash, the better. As for all those people wishing Castro dead, I have this to say: Odds are God will return the favour on you before he takes out Fidel

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