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It seems a lot of folks are shocked and disturbed by the recent allegations that former bishop Raymond Lahey, who recently helped negotiate a landmark $15 million settlement in an abuse case before abruptly resigning,  is involved in child pornography. Why the shock?

Though the Roman Catholic organization attracts many decent and morally-abiding people to its professions, it is also attractive to those who are harboring certain sexual tendencies, such as those with an unhealthy interest in children. It’s not a stretch to wonder if Lahey’s own feelings of guilt and self-loathing might have played a part in reaching the agreement with abuse survivors.

For centuries, the priesthood has been a safe hiding place for men confused or disturbed by their developing sexuality. Perhaps they feel that by burying themselves in celibacy and “service to God” that they will overcome what, to them, are highly disturbing thoughts and desires. After all, no one will question a priest as to why he is not married or without a girlfriend. Yet the desires never completely go away and combined with easy access and the ability to psychologically manipulate and intimidate followers, it’s inevitable that slip-ups will occur.

The Roman Catholic organization has always known this, has always made it easy for offenders to slip in and out of parishes and dioceses, has always left a wake of abused and traumatized children wherever it sets its claws. So why the surprise that yet another of its ranks has fallen to these kinds of accusations?

Letting priests marry will solve nothing. A pedophile is a pedophile; gay or straight, married or single, it makes no difference. Pedophiles are attracted to the Roman Catholic Church because it provides them a safe haven to prey on victims. When they get caught they are simply moved somewhere else and the files get buried or vanish entirely. Or, if there is publicity, victims are paid off.

Either way, the practice has been widespread for centuries and the highest-ranking church officials right up to the Pope have always been aware of it. It’s only been in relatively recent times that the Church has been confronted with any type of consequences from the crimes it has perpetrated. Before that, it was open season on children (and anyone else) with complete impunity.

So no, I’m not shocked that ex-Bishop Lahey was allegedly found with a laptop full of child porn. What shocks me is that people still willingly support and endorse this long obsolete and abhorrent institution, this organization that feeds on guilt, ignorance, and fear, this unrepentant and remorseless destroyer of children. That’s what really shocks and surprises me. Who can take this organization seriously anymore? Who really thinks that they have any interest in anything other than the pursuit and protection of their own wealth and power?

It seems parents are no longer allowed to discipline their children. An Ottawa man has been charged for spanking his young son. Okay, so maybe he first grabbed the little guy by the throat. But still, cut the guy some slack. In the course of a day I see at least a dozen children deserving of a merciless beating. From the screeching tykes in the local mall to those annoying brats in the restaurant who keep peeking over their booths to stare at us while we eat, there are many times when stern, firm, and painful physical discipline could be a useful tool in correcting this misbehavior.

My brother and I were beaten all the time as kids. I remember being held down and burned with cigarettes, thrashed with belts and wooden spoons, and being confined to a 3×3 foot cage until I “learned my lesson”. Did I learn it? Of course! To this day I sit quietly with my hands folded, and always say “Yes, sir” and “No, sir” when I am spoken to (and ONLY when spoken to). My parents loved us. I mean, how many other parents would take the time to teach the lesson of the hot stove by actually placing your hand on the scorching hot burner? Ours did.

And how many parents these days help keep their kids fit by chaining them to a trailer hitch and driving so fast that you either keep up or end up being dragged along the road? Ours certainly did. My brother and I excelled at track in high school, and though our parents never attended our events or awards ceremonies (they didn’t have to—they knew they had trained us well), we knew they were proud. And when we forgot to go out into the yard and clean up the dog poop one day, our father simply took the dog away. We don’t know where ol’ Sam went, but we had learned our lesson. Thanks Dad!

So I say go easy on this guy. He’s only trying to do what’s right. Now excuse me, I have fires to set and small animals to torture.

This was the first time my wife and I went to this location for breakfast. And it will probably be the last. It wasn’t that the service was particularly bad or the food tasted like crap, it was just that simple courtesy wasn’t anywhere to be found.

Our waitress, for whatever reason, just seemed to have an instant dislike for us. There’s no way for me to explain this, it’s just one of those “vibe” things you pick up on. Maybe she was having a rough day or something, but she was friendly enough to the couple at the table behind us. A warm welcome, some friendly chatter. For us, it was right down to business. No pleasantries at all. I ordered a “Theos Skillet”.

A short time later, a different server brought out our plates.  My wife’s order was correct, but they had brought me a “Theo’s Omelette”. I informed the server that there must be a mistake. Without apology, she informed me that it would take a few minutes to prepare a new plate. So I watched my wife dig in and waited for the correct order to arrive. When it did, it was brought over by yet another server.

Meanwhile, our original waitress ignored our table completely. Maybe she thought I would say something nasty to her. Anyone can make a mistake. I’m certainly not going to rag on someone for making an honest error. Regardless, for the rest of our meal she did not stop by to check in, ask if we wanted more coffee (at $2.05 per cup, a refill would’ve been nice), or apologize for the mixup. The only time our server came back was to deliver the check.

The server who’d corrected the mistake (who seemed to be a manager or at least a supervisor) also chose not to follow-up to see if everything was satisfactory now. I didn’t need my balls cradled while sweet-nothings were whispered in my ear; all I wanted was for someone to say “sorry about that, is everything okay?” But the impression I got was that they were pissed off at me. They were certainly NOT going to apologize for bringing me the wrong order. It’s not that big a deal, but simple gestures go a long way.

By contrast, when my wife found a rotten strawberry in her fruit cup at the Wright Avenue (Dartmouth) location, they apologized profusely and gave her $20 in gift certificates. We thought that was a bit much, but hey, they screwed up and felt badly about it and wanted to make sure we came back. Hmmm. If we do decide to eat at Cora’s again, I wonder which one will get our business?

Ok. I’ve seen the previews, like, a gazillion times already. And it is still not funny. Remember when dumb comedies were actually made by smart and talented people?