smokingboot

So are we broke or are we not?

http://www.secularism.org.uk/protests-planned-for-pope-visit.html

I don't want to pay for the pope to visit. Even if he wasn't anti-gay, anti-womens rights, anti-contraception, even if he wasn't the champion of an institution with a conscious policy of keeping mankind in in servile ignorance for hundreds of years, while I would never stop him coming to Britain, I see no reason to pay for him. Cos apparently, we have no money. He has lots.

Don't get me wrong - I don't think we should be paying for Brenda pick-nose either, or HRH the man who would be tampon - but at least they don't spout. Or if they do, it's not (excuse the pun) treated as gospel. I'm not discriminating against him particularly - I would feel the same of any iman who wanted to talk about forcing women behind the veil, any hindu who suggested that suttee was a fine idea, any buddhist who claimed that Gautama was perfect because he was neither crippled, nor a woman*. I'm all for free speech. You can say what you want to say, let me pay what I want to pay - absolutely nothing.

*I've come across every single one of these views, this last in a very sacred and respected gompah in Nepal. The major religions of the world really don't like girls.