This guy would cuckold the world.
(And a surprising number of Italians welcome the abuse.)
***
Alan: Silvio Berlusconi provides prima facie evidence that human beings see what they want to see, hear what they want
hear, believe what they want to believe... and disregard the rest. Even the Vatican (an intermittent friend of fascism), dislikes this guy. Cardinal
Camillo Ruini, the president of the Italian bishops' conference and a trusted
aide of the Pope, criticizes Berlusconi. "The cardinal said that insisting immigrants have a work contract before arriving, and restricting the number of
relatives who could join them, was contrary to church teachings on respecting
people as humans, not just workers." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/mar/13/rorycarroll Elsewhere in The Roman Church, Genoa's
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco had sufficient courage (undermined by an admixture of cowardly omerta)
to implicate Berlusconi in "mortifying
behaviour (by Italy's political class) that is not only contrary to public
decorum but also intrinsically wretched and empty.” http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2011/09/28/cardinal-condemns-berlusconi-scandals/
In the same chapter of Luke that opens with "The Lord's Prayer" -- http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2011&version=NIV -- Yeshua targets "the ruling class" with his startling list of "Woes."
Among them,
In the same chapter of Luke that opens with "The Lord's Prayer" -- http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2011&version=NIV -- Yeshua targets "the ruling class" with his startling list of "Woes."
Among them,
Luke
11:47-48
New
International Version (NIV)
47 “Woe
to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who
killed them. 48 So
you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the
prophets, and you build their tombs.
Luke
11:47-51
The
Message (MSG)
47-51 “You’re
hopeless! You build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed. The tombs you
build are monuments to your murdering ancestors more than to the murdered
prophets. That accounts for God’s Wisdom saying, ‘I will send them prophets and
apostles, but they’ll kill them and run them off.’ What it means is that every
drop of righteous blood ever spilled from the time earth began until now, from
the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was struck down between altar
and sanctuary, is on your heads. Yes, it’s on the bill of this generation and
this generation will pay.
Luke
11:47-48
The
Voice (VOICE)
47-48 Woe to you; you don’t fool anybody! You seem very
religious—honoring the prophets by building them elaborate memorial tombs.
Come to think of it, that’s very fitting, since you’re so much like the people
who killed the prophets! They killed the prophets; you build their tombs—you’re
all in the same family business!
***
Notably, those who "seem very religious" take the brunt
of Jesus' criticism, a criticism that identifies a transgenerational lineage --
centuries long!-- that transmits and validates the desecration of Truth, first
by murderous violence, then by building massive monuments atop the bones of the
slaughtered, as if making sure the dead stay buried.
Until "The Revelation" is complete, expect little of
"the world" whose primary purpose is to take power, secure power and
prolong power.
Even so, while expecting little, keep an iron in the fire for
"you can fool some of the people some of the time and all of the people
some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.
Elbert Hubbard observed that "Every
man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.”
Try to keep your foolishness to a minimum.
At the same time, shine your light on the foolishness of buffoons
and villains.
Berlusconi typifies the breed.
Silvio Berlusconi convicted over Italy wiretap
Silvio Berlusconi has been beset by accusations of criminality
Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been convicted and sentenced to a year in jail over an illegal wiretap.
He was accused of arranging for a police wiretap concerning a political rival to be leaked and published in a newspaper run by his brother.
Mr Berlusconi is likely to appeal and will remain free in the meantime.
He is presently appealing against a tax-fraud conviction and also faces a verdict in a sex trial later in March.
The tax fraud conviction stems from a trial last October that saw him sentenced to a year in jail.
The sex trial concerns allegations that he paid for sex with an underage prostitute.
The BBC's Alan Johnston in Rome says there is no real prospect of Mr Berlusconi going to jail over the wiretap case, but the conviction is another very serious blow to his reputation.
It comes weeks after his right-wing coalition did better than expected in a general election that provided no clear winner.
However, his coalition looks to be on the margins of efforts to form a new government, and the outcome of this court case is unlikely to have any direct bearing on those negotiations.
The other faction leaders have long had utter contempt for everything Mr Berlusconi stands for, and this verdict will only serve to entrench their views, our correspondent adds.
Vendetta claims
Prosecutors brought the wiretap case after a transcript of a phone conversation intercepted by the authorities was published in the newspaper Il Giornale, owned by Mr Berlusconi's brother Paolo.
The conversation took place between the head of insurer Unipol and Piero Fassino, who was the leader of the biggest centre-left party and Mr Berlusconi's biggest political rival at the time.
Unipol was trying to take over BNL bank in 2005. Magistrates had ordered the wiretap as part of an investigation into inappropriate interference in the takeover.
The publication of the transcript in a national newspaper broke secrecy rules, and Mr Berlusconi was accused of obtaining the transcript from the wiretap company used by magistrates.
He was convicted of breaching confidentiality.
His brother Paolo was convicted of the same charge and jailed for two years and three months.
Analysts say wiretapped conversations are widely published in Italian media, despite the risks of prosecution.
In numerous trials over the years, Mr Berlusconi has been accused of charges including accounting fraud, perjury, bribery, corruption, having unlawful sex with a minor, and fraud over the sale of film rights.
Mr Berlusconi says he is the target of a vendetta by politically biased prosecutors. He has denied all the accusations against him and has either been acquitted or let off under statutes of limitations.
Berlusconi's first job was crooning on a cruise ship.
Secrets of success
Italians mark end of era
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