Criticize the Pope, get labeled a Terrorist

[Clio]

The Vatican's official newspaper accused an Italian comedian on Wednesday of "terrorism" for criticising the Pope and warned his rhetoric could fuel a return to 1970s-style political violence.

In an unusually strongly worded editorial, L'Osservatore Romano said a presenter of a televised May Day rock concert, which is sponsored by Italy's labour unions, had launched "vile attacks" on Pope Benedict in front of an "excitable crowd".

"This, too, is terrorism. It's terrorism to launch attacks on the Church," it said. "It's terrorism to stoke blind and irrational rage against someone who always speaks in the name of love, love for life and love for man."

At the concert, held every year in front of the Saint John in Lateran basilica -- Rome's cathedral where Pope Benedict sits as bishop -- one of the presenters, Andrea Rivera, spoke out against the Pontiff's stand on a number of issues.

Link to Article

Interesting that verbalization of disagreement with the Pope would be labeled terrorism.

Care to speculate on where this might be leading?

[John317]

I think we can see where that kind of thinking could lead. Of course we don't know that it will lead to anything, but that kind of thinking reminds me of the UN resolution that could lead to people's arrest and conviction of the crime of genocide for trying to convert others to Christianity from some other religion. In Canada, I understand that a minister can be arrested for preaching that the practice of homosexuality is sinful. We're living in very interesting times for sure.

[bevin]

Yeah - thanks to Caesar Bush's rhetoric, "terrorism" is now a label you apply to anything you don't like.

It is not leading anywhere that previous labels haven't already not gone - communist, radical, liberal, fascist, ...

/Bevin

[olger]

Everything is Bush's fault. Makes it simple...

oG

Ps. This does have potential implications with the vatican..

[Tom Wetmore]

Actualy it really is, at this point in history...

[olger]

Define "it."

Hopefully it's different than "is" .

[Bravus]

If 'terrorism' applies to everything, it applies to nothing

[olger]

I wish they would dissolve the Homeland Security thing.

olger

[bevin]

They can't - it is a huge Bush boon-doogle for transferring money from tax-payers pockets to Bush's friends pockets.

I got issued my new NH State-wide EMS walkie-talkie this week. A Kenwood TK-5210 Type II. http://mills-wireless.com/government/TK-5210_Catalog_Sheet.pdf List price $1750

The Dept Homeland Security is paying for these, not the State of NH - in NH alone they have bought thousands.

Everyone agrees that we could have got a radio that met our real needs for about $200-$450.

Right there is a >$1M waste - and a healthy profit for Kenwood at the expense of the tax-payer.

/Bevin

[Kountzer]

I have a ham lic. and a 2m handheld talkie.

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to some SWAT team members who were taking tests to qualify to drive these big 18 wheel tractor trailer trucks that their department recently acquired with Homeland security money. They're going to use these trucks as command centers in the field. Several of them told me that the smaller box trucks that they had and used before were more than adequate for what they do.

[Amelia]

Oh great. The "bigger is better" waste of taxpayers money.