Greeley's third and thinly-veiled semi-autobiographical novel, Cardinal Sins, proved a huge sensation, given that its 1981 publication coincided with scandalous revelations about the sordid private life of the then-Archbishop of Chicago, the late Cardinal John Cody, who was accused of diverting archdiocese funds to pay for the apartment of his mistress.

Suffice to say that Father Greeley and Cardinal Cody were hardly fans of one another. Cody was a longtime critic of Greeley's pioneering sociological work on American Catholics, which revealed an then-surprising diversity of thought that often strayed from Church doctrine, particularly in matters of sexuality and family planning. His work has been credited in debunking a number of persistent and longstanding stereotypes about Catholics that existed in mid-20th century America.

For his part, Cardinal Cody used his 1965 elevation as Chicago archbishop to deny Fr. Greeley a home parish, and made considerable efforts to marginalize the priest. Greeley, in turn, publicly denounced the cardinal in 1972 for closing over two dozen Catholic schools in inner-city Chicago in order to transfer resources and personnel to new Catholic schools in the city's growing suburbs, and further offered his opinion that "the present leadership in the church [is] morally, intellectually and religiously bankrupt."

In more recent years, Fr. Greeley was a popular columnist with the Chicago Sun-Times, where he proved to be an unrelenting critic of the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq, and his essays on the subject eventually became another bestselling book, "A Stupid, Unjust, And Criminal War: Iraq 2001-2007."

In retrospect, had Catholic officials and leadership spent as much time actually listening to Fr. Greeley, as they did in forever trying to silence him, the Church would probably be in a much better place today. His was a voice of reason and compassion, something that has all too often been missing in action in Catholicism of late.

Guantanamo, for example.

What is happening with the prisoners there? Are they still being force-fed? Are they dying?

One week, it is a major story. Even Obama references it.
Then, one has to search to find out.

Iran. One day, the evil empire. Out to destroy the world. Must be contained. Sponsor of terrorism. Next day, out of the news.

Same with North Korea.

Russia: One day good. Our buddy. Next day, bad. Not our buddy.

One day, ww3 is on the front burner.
Then, not so much.

The temporary reduction to SS payroll tax in 2011 and 2012 reduced payroll tax by an estimated $222 Billion in total.  The legislation provided for transfer from the General Fund to the Trust Fund in  order to "replicate to the extent possible" payments that would have occurred if the payroll tax reduction had not been enacted.  Those General Fund reimbursements amounted to about 15% of the program's non-interest income in 20ll and 2012 which was apparently the "extent possible"(payroll tax expired at the end of 2012.)

As for social security, After 2020 the US Treasury will redeem trust fund asset reserves to the extent that program costs exceed tax revenue plus interest earnings until depletion of the total trust fund reserves in 2033 (in accord with financial plans of the 1980's).  This is the same year projected in last year's Trustee's Report.  Thereafter, tax income alone would be enough to pay about 75% of benefits through 2087.  

Medicare, Part B (doctor bills/other outpatient costs) and Part D, drugs, will remain adequately financed into the indefinite future because current law automatically provides financing each year to meet the next year's expected costs (however, costs will escalate over time--2% of GDP up to 4% of GDP in 2087.  The HI Trust Fund (for part A, hospital care) will be depleted in 2026, 2 years later than projected in last year's report, at which time dedicated revenues would be enough to pay 87% of HI costs.  

The U.S. Naval Academy is investigating allegations that three members of its football team sexually assaulted a female midshipman at an off-campus house last year, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday, and a lawyer for the woman says she was "ostracized" on campus after she reported it.

TGIF, and I've just made myself a delicious, ice-cold, gin passionfruit Cosmo.

BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) -- When Dusty, a 19-month-old black Labrador, walked past a pipe full of marijuana during a recent police search of a house, he was doing exactly what his handler hoped.

The newest drug-sniffing dog on the police force in Bremerton, near Seattle, is one of a few police dogs in Washington state that are not trained to point out pot during searches. Other police departments are considering or in the midst of re-training their dogs to ignore pot as well, part of the new reality in a state where voters last fall legalized marijuana use.
...
Police departments in Bremerton, Bellevue and Seattle, as well as the Washington State Patrol, have either put the dogs through pot desensitization training or plan not to train them for marijuana detection.

I've also said no f*ckin' way, but when Microsoft money is looking to plant some seeds, alongside former Mexico Pres Vincente Fox, maybe this ship will come in before too long.