Francis: Pope of the Americas
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on March 15th, 2013 11:08 pm by HL
Francis: Pope of the Americas
Howard Chua-Eoan, Time
Habemus Papam Franciscum came the tweet, the first official word from the @Pontifex account, after the white smoke curled from the copper chimney watched by hundreds of thousands in St. Peter's Square, by millions and millions on every imaginable 21st century technology around the world. And there it was, old and new, past and present, the arrival of a Pope who for the first time hails from "the most unequal part of the world," as he once called Latin America, who cooked his own dinners and rode the bus and took his regnal name from the sainted champion of the least…
Wolf Whisperer in the Vatican
Timothy Egan, New York Times
The world is full of Roman Catholics who long ago stopped following the dogma, doctrine and medieval sexual dictates of the church. But they never lost faith in Francesco, the merchant’s son who spoke to wolves, slept on dirt floors and dined with lepers.That the new pope would take the name of Francis, in honor of the saint from the Umbrian town of Assisi, is the most radical first move by a pontiff in some time. The 12th century mystic is the nature saint, patron of the environment, the poor, the dispossessed. He did not believe in owning money or property, let alone shoes. And…
President Obama Accelerates His Irrelevancy
Chris Stirewalt, FOX News
“I actually just want to govern — at least for a couple of years.”– President Obama speaking to donors to his permanent campaign organization at Washington's St. Regis Hotel.How much will it cost for President Obama to fly to his hometown of Chicago on Friday to give a speech at a research lab about the need for increased federal spending on projects to fight climate change?Certainly more than the estimated $74,000 in estimated savings from closing the White House to public tours. Ten times more? Perhaps, given the tremendous cost of presidential travel.
Senate Dems’ Long-Awaited Budget Fizzles
Philip Klein, DC Examiner
Is this what we waited four years for?There was a lot of buildup to the first budget released by Senate Democrats since 2009, but the actual document didn’t even meet low expectations.After blasting House Republicans for being overly intransigent and unwilling to compromise, Senate Democrats unveiled a budget that not only raises taxes by nearly $1 trillion by closing unspecified loopholes, but it actually increases spending on a net basis.
