Author: R J Adams

As the Roman Catholic Church shells out another huge monetary sum – some $660 million – as blood money to yet more victims of its abuse, this time in Los Angeles, one has to wonder at the sheer temerity and arrogance of that institution’s present leader, Benedict XVI. Only last week he reaffirmed through his Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – of which, as Cardinal Ratzinger, he was once the head – that the Roman Catholic Church is the only true church.

Do these people expect us to treat them with any respect?

There are certain similarities between the position of the Roman Catholic Church in the religious world, and the United States of America in the political one. Both are claiming some God-given right to exalted leadership, while sanctifying corruption, perversion, inhumanity, and greed. Comparisons can be drawn between Benedict XVI and George W Bush. Each is narrow-minded, lacking vision, and retains a perception of the world that has failed to keep pace with modernity. As the many Protestant churches protest Benedict’s leadership proclamation, so do other nations stand in horror as the USA continues its preemptive power struggle in the Middle East.

For those individuals capable of stringing together two or more relevant thoughts coherently, the very concepts of politicians and clergymen have become anathema.

Filed under: Power plays

And so this short break in Michigan’s Upper Peninsular draws to a close. Friday will find me on the road, back to the heat, humidity, and eternal flatness of Central Illinois.

The western Upper Peninsular has been an escape into paradise. Lush greenery, cool clear streams, verdant hillsides, lakes the size of inland seas. Above all, the weather has been so typically British.

Of the places visited, Houghton is without doubt the most appealing town. Nestled among hills on the banks of Portage Lake, this delightfully compact municipality has a sense of character frequently lacking in small town America.

At the bottom of Main Street, a sharp right-hander leads one without warning onto a glorious example of a double decked vertical lift bridge. In fact, built in 1959, it’s the widest and heaviest of its type in the world.

The main thoroughfare from Marquette to Houghton bejewels the traveler with a myriad of delights, not least the magnificence of Lake Michigamme as viewed from a roadside rest spot.

Marquette is a great base to explore the western Upper Peninsular. The harbor area on Lake Superior is a good place for a stroll in the evening and the sheer size of the old iron ore dock, built in 1911 and rumored to be still commercially active, dominates the view.

Sixty or so miles south of Marquette is Escanaba. While the town itself is not particularly impressive, its frontage onto Lake Michigan most certainly is. The large marina is a pleasure to stroll around, or just sit and admire the many boats entering and leaving its compact harbor, though some are definitely too large to be accommodated among the many yachts and sportsboats.

Even if you’re not into boating, the adjacent parkland with its ornamental fountain and acres of recreational space are there to be enjoyed to the full.

And……no, I didn’t stand and salute the flag. Sorry!

Sadly, I will be leaving it all behind me for now, but I’ll return to Illinois with fresh hope that one day, hopefully in the not too distant future, I’ll be coming back.

Filed under: It had to be good somewhere

Have you ever wondered why Osama bin Laden has never been caught or killed? Considering he is the world’s most wanted man, and hunted – so we are told – by the most powerful nation in the solar system, isn’t it just a little odd no-one ever has sight nor sound of him?

There’s one lady who may possibly be able to help. Her name is Jane Felix-Browne and she lives in a small village called Moulton, in Cheshire, England. It just so happens Osama bin Laden has recently become her father-in-law. Ms Felix-Browne, age 57, has married bin Laden’s fourth eldest son, Omar Osama bin Laden, age 27, who is still practicing the art of scrap-dealership in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while he waits for his bride to obtain a visa allowing him to visit Britain.

According to a BBC report, Ms Felix-Browne says:

“There’s no problem of him coming to England. Most of his aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters live in London anyway.”

Aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters – but not his father?

The CIA and FBI maintain bin Laden is still holed up on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, after they failed to trap him at Tora Bora. Even back in 2002 it seemed ridiculous that a billionaire like bin Laden would be hiding out in caves when he could be living in the luxury of a top class hotel – in London?

The Dorchester, perhaps, or the Ritz?

Of course, Ms Felix-Browne says Omar has not seen his father since 2000.

But then, she would – wouldn’t she?

BBC report HERE.

Filed under: Fishy smells