"The Catholic Church is full of child molesters!" "Ban the Catholic Church!"

The Pope's in town. He's the Bishop of Rome and the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church (in case you weren't quite sure what it is he does). He met with a number of people who had been abused or molested by Catholic priests while growing up and shared with them his personal shame for what happened to them - and the shame the Catholic Church has suffered.

I once heard someone say, "they should disband the Roman Catholic Church for all the good it's doing" (by the way, I'm Catholic).

Fine. Let's ban the Catholic Church for the child abuse scandal. Then let's ban the Jewish and Muslim faiths for their unending killing of thousands of people over thousands of years. We can ban the Eastern Orthodox faith for the 100,000 Jews and Polish Catholics one of its leaders killed during the 17th century. Then we can ban the Protestants and the Spanish Catholics for the Protestant and Spanish Inquisitions, as well as the Puritans for Oliver Cromwell's extermination of Catholics and Anglicans. And on and on and so forth ad nauseum.

Is it "religion" that commits irreparable damage or is it the people who, in the name of religion, that are the culprits (much like the question, "do guns kill or do people kill?")? I've always been of the mind that religion is a wonderful thing for those who want it in their lives. Now I'm not the most faithful-going Catholic, but I DO BELIEVE in the basic tenets of the Catholic Church (I do feel, however, that priests should be granted the right to marry). I believe in God and Jesus and I pray every night before I go to bed. I don't believe in necessarily turning the cheek - I'm more of an Old Testament, vengeance is mine sorta guy. I also believe one can not condemn an entire religion based on a very ugly incident that erupted suddenly over a short span of time.

That's all I've got on religion. I'd rather talk about sex...

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Short Cuts

* John Travolta set to star in the remake of the 1974 flick, The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3. He'll reprise the role originated by Robert Shaw (Jaws, A Man for All Seasons) as the leader of a foursome that hijacks a Gotham subway and ransoms its passengers. I'll take the Shaw version over Travolta's any day. You gonna argue with "Quint" from Jaws?

* Robert DeNiro to star in Frankie Machine, the story of a retired mob hitman who runs a bait and tackle and is pulled back into the business (Michael Corleone, sound familiar?). I love DeNiro but a mob guy - ain't that a stretch??

* AskMen.com conducted a poll and one million people voted on the "manliest" men. The soccer play Beckham was voted #1. Justin Timberlake was #5. Really? "Manly" and "Justin Timberlake" have never been in any sentence I've uttered, so I'm not sure who voted. Suffice it to say I would never "ask Men" anything about being a men. Ever (I never did anyway).

* Two television shows in fear of losing me as a viewer: Grey's Anatomy and Heroes. Never cared for Sandra Oh and it's the same shit every week and my attention is waning. I find myself fast forwarding to all the Katherine Heigl scenes anyway. Same with Heroes - I hate the villian (I know you're supposed to hate the villain, but I don't like that actor) and I read that Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) is joining the cast as a new hero. Don't like Kristen Bell either. And I'm fast forwarding to all the Ali Larter scenes.

* If you're not watching Californication on Showtime (and you have Showtime), you're missing out. Smart writing. Clever plots lines. David Duchovny (X Files) is excellent and the supporting cast is just as good. It's filmed on location right down the street in Venice, CA.

* Mad Men need to learn how to smoke. I enjoy watching this new show on AMC, about the ad biz in NYC during the early 60's - I spent some time in an in-house ad agency and loved it and have always been fascinated by that industry. As you can imagine, there's a lot of smoking throughout the show - it was a reflection of the times and the agency represents a cigarette manufacturer. Problem is there's smoking in just about every scene which gets very annoying AND a number of the actors look like they've never smoked, particularly the lead, John Hamm, who plays Don Draper. Not knowing how to hold or smoke a cigarette is good for your health - not for the credibility of the characters these actors portray. Just an FYI, John.

* The walls have ears. Halle Berry is the lastest celeb to speak off the cuff. She made a comment on Jay Leno that could be considered (probably) offensive by many Jews. Not sure what backlash, if any, will come of it, but it's just a matter of time before the Anti-Defamation League (Jewish) admonishes Berry (and she's black and should know better). Is it just me or can't a guy take a piss anymore without first getting permission from the Jews and the NAACP and the Mayans and PETA and whomever else deems my words or actions (or yours) as either appropriate or offensive. The Anti-Defamation League has recently published a report expressing its concern over various groups who are targeting illegal immigrants, afraid their tactics and rhetoric too closely resemble those of the KKK and other Nazi factions/hate organizations. One of the groups the Anti-Defamation League listed is Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee. The first two lines in their platform read:

ALIPAC supporters have a diverse range of opinions, yet we are united in the belief that more should be done to reduce illegal immigration.

ALIPAC supports those that legally immigrate, but we DO NOT support any amnesty, visa expansion, or "Guest Worker" program designed to reward illegal aliens or legalize their presence in the US.

Not sure what the Anti-Defamation League sees there that's wrong, but - well, they're the Anti-Defamation League...they can say anything, can't they.

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