This and That

So, the Pope is coming.  The US, or at least much of it, is agog.  I think this Pope is delusional in many respects.  I don't at all remember the exact wording of either the questions or his responses, but they, his replies, were very wrong-headed.  Back with Charlie Hebdo, he was asked about it.  Instead of loudly and repeatedly condemning the mass murders by Islamists, he said something about punching in the nose a guy who might insult Francis' mother.  Unless I missed his point, it seems like he was saying that we shouldn't insult someone's religion and, if we did, we get what's coming to us.  OK, maybe that's not it, but it certainly was no condemnation of the Islamists.

A while ago he was asked about the Islamists/ISIS who cut off the heads of Christian kids in front of the kids' parents.  Asked what should be done about that he mentioned something like "Violence is not the answer."  Huh?  He said a dialogue should be started.  Maybe we can ask ISIS to be nicer?  Maybe if we say "Pretty please?"

And while in Cuba, why wasn't he all over the Castros about their decades of abuse of civil rights, including religious rights?  It will be interesting to hear what he says about the US when he comes to the US.

He's been real big about the plight of the poor.  I don't know, but how much of the vast wealth of his Catholic Church has been given to the poor?  (Did you ever read Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West?)

It's hard to take the man seriously, Pope or not.  I wonder if he realizes what would have happened, for instance, to Gandhi had he not lived in a civilized society?  How successful do you think Gandhi would have been in Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia?  Right, we'd have never heard of him.  Gandhi's tactics--and those of others like him--can succeed only in a civilized society.

Hasn't it become ridiculous how seemingly every day there is some media shark-fest over something a Republican candidate has said?  Granted, some of the statements have been crude, rude, and even stupid.  But the one over Ben Carson's comments on a possible Muslim candidate for President is one of the silliest.  He didn't say a Muslim couldn't run for President or even that one is or should be barred from running.  He said, and I heard his words (unless they were doctored by several radio news broadcasts), were that he couldn't/wouldn't "advocate" for a Muslim candidate for President.  To me that means he wouldn't support, wouldn't vote for a Muslim candidate.  That's a whole lot different from the headlines that came on the national radio news programs.  What I'm really looking for is one of these candidates to say to a correspondent, "With all of the serious issues in this country, that's a really stupid question!  Aren't you in the least bit embarrassed to ask such a silly question?"  I think I'll be waiting for a long time.

Again, I am not a Trump guy.  I would never vote for him.  Yet I understand his current popularity.  It isn't Trump, not at all.  Too many people are upset with the arrogant, lying, dishonest elitists who have been running the government, at all levels.  This goes for politicians of both parties.  Now, come election time, will these Trump supporters actually vote for him or someone outside of the Establishment?  I somehow doubt it.

With my current schedule, five classes four days a week, running after work/school with Carrie, trying to grade many papers, etc., I've been feeling overwhelmed.  I will miss a writing deadline today and have another next Tue; I may or may not make it.  I refuse to let my schedule interfere with my running and still look to bike most days--those are priorities.  Still, the rest of my time is very frenzied and, maybe it's age, I find myself discomboobulated [sic] and out of sorts, at least often so.  I don't seem to be able to accurately express myself, at not as clearly as I would like.  But, I'll keep trying......