Headlines (Happy B-Day, Pope; I don't trust either side; he was born in 1936!)

Bush, big crowd greet pope on birthday

"One topic not mentioned as a subject of discussion was the clergy sex abuse scandal that has devastated the American church since 2002. But a private meeting later Wednesday between Benedict and American bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was being closely watched for discussion on the pontiff's trip-opening promise to "do everything possible to heal this wound." -- the Sun-Sentinel

It's a good thing they're finally acknowledging the issue of child molestation in the Catholic church, because it's something that always seems to fall conveniently by the wayside. It's hard listen to the Pope (or Bush, for that matter) talk about the "immorality" of abortion and stem cell research when clergymen are luring unsuspecting altar boys into confessional booths for hot monkey business. As a society that loves to witch-hunt, it's disgraceful that we haven't done a better job of turning the heat up on high-ranking officials in the Catholic church. This problem needs to be dragged out of the shadows and paraded loudly through the streets. And speaking from personal experience, I can attest that these sex scandals (and more importantly, the failure to so much as address it, let alone solve it) have profoundly effected my faith in the clergy. Church has always been boring; but now, more than ever before, it's become extremely disingenuous.

And my biggest disappointment in this article? Not a single mention of the Popemobile.

Legal experts call Schultz suit a long shot

"Schultz's expected attempt to prove that Clay Bennett and his partners acted in bad faith when they promised to try to keep the team in the Northwest could set up years of courtroom litigation -- less a legal slam dunk than an exhausting chess match." -- SeattlePI.com

I don't think there's any sincerity at all in this story. Schultz, who is also the CEO of Starbucks, willingly sold the Seattle Supersonics to Bennett, a native of Oklahoma City with no historic ties to the tradition of the franchise or regional ties to the Pacific Northwest. He had to know that this could've happened. To me, this seems like less of a case of compassion or benevolence on Schultz's, and more of a PR move to save face. By filing this half-hearted lawsuit against the new owners of the Sonics, he can build himself up as a hero, a noble businessman that fights the good fight and swoops in during the 11th hour trying to save the hometown team from relocation. Only problem is, he was the cause of all this unrest. If he didn't want to keep the team, that's fine. But at least have the decency to sell it to one of the many potential suitors from the area. He protects his investments from bad publicity, all the while making himself look good in the process. Basically, he gets something for really doing nothing. That's dirty business.

I feel bad for Sonics fans. They're getting jerked around by a bunch of billionaires.

Murtha says McCain too old to be president

Democratic Rep. John Murtha said Wednesday that Republican Sen. John McCain is too old to be president. Murtha is 75, four years older than McCain. He says they are nearly the same age, and the rigors and stress of running the country is too much for guys their age.

"I've served with seven presidents," Murtha told a union audience. "When they come in, they all make mistakes. They all get older."

"This one guy running is about as old as me," he said, drawing laughter and applause. "Let me tell you something, it's no old man's job." -- the Associated Press

I don't normally support ageism, but in this case, it's true. John McCain is too old to be our president. The most troubling thing about his campaign is that while Hilary and Obama offer the potential of what could be, McCain can only offer the stark reality of what already is. He's 71 years old. I don't see much room for improvement there, much room to grow and change and age (that is, figuratively and not literally). He is who he is, and in all likelihood, there won't be much changing that. Worst of all, McCain doesn't offer me much in the way of hope. He's just some old guy who doesn't like the things that I like, hasn't grown up in the times that I have, and has already exhausted over 3/4 of his lifetime. Nothing about that excites me.

And then of course, that isn't even addressing the touchy subject of health deterioration and onset of dementia at that age...