Noted sex authority, Pope Benedict XVI, seen here at a recent art show in Milan, continued to insist that despite the planet’s population surpassing the 6,666,666,666 mark last week, contraception is a mortal sin in the eyes of the Church.

He must have been really happy to hear that the Duggar Family announced last week that they have conceived Child #20. Or, probably not, come to think of it, because the Duggars are not Catholic, and what Papa Ratzi really means is that the world needs more Catholics, not any of those “not-quite-Christian” religions (not to mention Muslims or Jews). About all *I* can say about the Duggars is to quote Grouch Marx: “I like my cigar, lady, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while.”

This article in The American Prospect by Dana Goldstein took the American media to task for not asking the Pope any tough questions on his recent American visit about the Church’s policies on contraception and its role in the spread of AIDS in the developing world. Goldstein quotes a doctor who treats AIDS patients in Southern Africa:

This is the reality: A married woman living in Southern Africa is at higher risk of becoming infected with HIV than an unmarried woman. Extolling abstinence and fidelity, as the Catholic Church does, will not protect her; in all likelihood she is already monogamous. It is her husband who is likely to have HIV. Yet refusing a husband’s sexual overtures risks ostracism, violence, and destitution for herself and her children.

This Pope occasionally gets referred to as the “Pope of Reason” because many of his appeals rely on the context of reason, but as Morgan Meis wrote around the time of the papal visit, it’s a carefully constructed misdirection. Benedict is using the pretext of reason to argue against modernity itself in favor of a decidedly less friendly and understanding authority in Rome that is more committed to its own power base than any real effort at promoting global harmony. Another American Prospect piece, this one by Adele Stan, points out that his pointed remarks at the Muslims make it clear that he’s offering a “my-way-or-the-highway” route for anyone who is not Catholic.

It’s no wonder Dick Cheney likes this guy so much.

…or Clinton, or Obama…

• Five Mistakes HIllary Clinton Has Made
• Hillary Plays The Crazy Card
• Why Hillary Can’t Win
• When Will The Clintons Realize It?

• Joseph Wilson (Valerie Plame’s husband) slams Obama’s qualifications
• Obama’s Top Ten Weaknesses
• Obama “Vulnerable” To Republican Smear Tactics
• Rush Limbaugh changes his mind and tells “Dittoheads” to vote Obama

• Voter confronts McCain about his short temper
• John McCain’s Top Ten Out-Of-Touch Moments
• John McCain and John Hagee
• McCain is a “Flip-Flopper”

That carrot is looking better and better by the second.

If you still have all your fingers left after blowing up that jar full of sugar and potassium chlorate, you could learn a few sleight-of-hand magic tricks like making a toothpick disappear. In fact, here’s a video of that creepy Criss Angel guy showing you how to do the trick.

Just be careful you don’t show this trick to anybody in Florida. Apparently, a teacher in Land O’ Lakes, FL showed this trick to some of his students, and some parents called to complain that he was “practicing wizardry” and got the guy fired.

(Why do I suspect those parents were Christians? Hmmmm??????)

Once again, the gaping chasm between Reality and the News Media makes itself painfully clear.