you say you want a revolution?

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Apr 27, 2005

Rea Howarth of Catholics Speak Out came to Rome to convince the Church to renounce patriarchy. She -- Ms. Howarth, I mean, not the Scarlet Woman -- kept a diary of her adventures. The following paragraphs, which I swear I'm not making up, were posted in response to the flop:

About 40 people turned out for the Dr. Valerio's presentation, but few came from the Italian press and there were no cameras from Italy's three stations, which are owned by Berlusconi who owns three television stations and the government controls two of the three public stations. The government-controlled press and Berlusconi's media empire totally ignores anything that women or anyone else has to say that is the least bit critical of the church.

The fiendish cunning!

Robert Blair Kaiser pushed the organizers of the conferences to go to the streets and do some sort of public protest, such as burning bras, to compel the press to turn out in greater numbers. Frankly, it's too cold to take off my shirt here, but I am considering burning my supply in the public square. Kaiser also was critical because the organizers have not yet sent "these important speeches" to all the cardinals. He said we should be working furiously to email them to all the cardinals before they are shut off from the world.

Burning bras? We're in a serious time-warp here. While you're at it, Bob & Rea, why don't you stage a mass Teach-In next to the Domus Sanctae Martae while playing an eight-track tape of Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" and destroying your draft records. That'll bring out the press. Also some discreetly-marked ambulances crewed by quiet, purposeful, white-jacketed men with syringes.