21 Oct 2003
Saint Mommie

From Secular Blasphemy comes this link to a piece by Christopher Hitchens in Slate, ripping Mother Teresa as a candidate for "sainthood":

Mommie Dearest.

Hitchens excoriates MT for her unflinching opposition to abortion and contraception. But how unflinching was it, really? When martial law was imposed in India in 1975, and a campaign of [somewhat]forced sterilzation was proposed, did MT speak out? Oh no, she basked in the protection afforded by India's crafty Indira Gandhi, going so far as to issue a public statement lauding the governments efforts! (see Mother Teresa)

As a shameless grifter and hypocrite who accepted money from any source, she refused to die in her own clinic in Calcutta, preferring the modern medicine of the West when push came to shove.

I got some strange looks in 1997 from friends and co-works when, upon hearing of MT's death, I burst into a chorus of "Ding-dong, The Witch is Dead!" from the Wizard of Oz. But just look around today:

How about Mother Teresa: The Musical?

or

As beatification nears, sales grow

Vatican-issued stamps, a display of her blood, even a musical and cartoon celebrating her life: These are some of the ways Mother Teresa's supporters are honoring the nun who will take a step toward Catholic sainthood when she is beatified next month.

It's enough, as my dad used to say, to gag a maggot....

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Rated Rx

From the NY Times comes this bit on ratings at the movies. Seems as though an 'NC-17' is the kiss of death:

Russell Schwartz, president of domestic marketing at New Line Cinema, said the studio had to trim "Chainsaw Massacre" twice to get an R rating. In particular, the ratings board was concerned about one graphic scene in Leatherface's lair, where characters die on meat hooks at the hands of the chainsaw-wielding killer. "There was too much impaling," Mr. Schwartz said.

How much impaling is too much impaling?

Studios Killing (but Carefully) for an R Rating[The New York Times]

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