IN WAY OVER THEIR HEADS

  • Over Their Heads

IN WAY OVER THEIR HEADS

By Mark L. Taylor in The Daily Call (9/24/15)

You can read many more articles, quotes and cartoons on Mark L. Taylor’s website:
www.thedailycall.org

Pope Francis gave an often inspiring speech before the gang of spendthrift grifters, hypocrites, fakes, racist bullies, big business pimps, flim-flam artists, and well-paid corporate sycophants making up the vast majority of the United States Congress. While far from the kind of well-deserved paint-blistering attacks on rapacious capitalism he has given in the past — and one would have hoped he would drop on the assembled congressional rustlers — he did throw a light on topics that have been well scrubbed from the empty moral hallways of the United States Capitol building. You know, things like cooperation, compassion, dignity, the common good, peace, humanitarianism, protecting and defending human rights, respect and responsibility for caring for the least of us.

Lined up with their glistening little lapel flag pins, $400 haircuts, shiny shoes and afternoon schedules of appointments with lobbyists representing arms dealers, financial swindlers and oily industry bag men logged into their iPhones, the assembled congressional reps and senators smiled nicely and nodded vigorously at anything that sounded like they should agree with the Pope on.

But really, what do most congress critters know of — much less care for — the kind of true Christian values the Pope was talking about? The Pope was like a vegan in a stinky back alley slaughter shop.

Really, it must have been so confusing for those blow-dried crooks…

“Compassion??” What the hell is that?

“Humanitarian?” Is that anything like hummus at the Ritz?

“The poor?” Hmm, do they have a lobbying group and a PAC?

“Responsibility?” What the hell is that? Why didn’t somebody give me a briefing paper on that?

“Service to humanity?” Please, what kind of campaign donation can I get for that crap?

“The Golden Rule?” I know that one; when Goldman Sachs calls, I jump! 

It must have taken them all back to their school days when they suddenly realized they had cribbed notes for the wrong test they were taking.

The dark catechism of corporate greed

Really, the compassionate Pope Francis was a stranger in a very strange and brutal land. He brought a necessary message of humility and humanity to those steeped in the dark catechism of corporate greed; loyal disciples of the Bible of Betrayal. They don’t even speak the same language of Pope Francis; how, they must have wondered, can I get any of this when I don’t even know the words he is using? Someone should have handed out dictionaries before the speech. I guess it was nice for the congress critters to take a few minutes out of their busy schedules of their particular brand of narcissistic dysfunction that may well lead to a government shutdown in a week.

Truly, there are none so blind as those who refuse to see and that pretty much sums up the reality of those in Congress who mouth empty platitudes of service while rolling over to have their bellies rubbed by the nearest sociopathic bankster.

No wonder the Pope chose to pass on an invite for lunch with the congress critters and instead motored off in his tiny fuel-efficient Fiat to help out at a D.C. soup kitchen for the poor. No word on any of the “peoples’ representatives” volunteering to go along to lend a hand.

There are none so deaf than those who will not listen.

The true value of the Pope’s visit is not that it might change the shriveled, desiccated hearts of our nominal “leaders”, it is to remind the rest of us of the values that truly count. We need to look to and depend upon each other — not the congressional love children of corporate rot — if we hope to see the kind of change the Pope challenges us to create and become the nation and people we are so far from being.