Opinion: May 4 buzz: John Paul II, saint? State budget plan by Democrats, fair? Turkey to mitigate bloodshed in Syria, reasonable?
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Most viewed: Is Pope John Paul II fit for sainthood?
In writing about Pope John Paul II’s legacy, columnist Tim Rutten quotes dissident Swiss theologian Hans Kung:
‘John Paul II is universally praised as someone who fought for peace and human rights. But his preaching to the outside world was in total contrast with the way he ran the church from inside, with an authoritarian pontificate which suppressed the rights of both women and theologians.... Wojtyla and Ratzinger are the people most responsible for the chronic sickness of today’s Catholic Church.’
And Rutten concludes:
John Paul II’s legacy is, for many Catholics, best summed up by one of his own favorite phrases: ‘a sign of contradiction.’
Most commented: California budget: Sticking it to the GOP
Two prominent Democrats say that if Republican lawmakers insist on spending cuts instead of tax hikes, their districts should suffer the most severe spending cuts. It would turn the California budget plan from a statewide initiative to a district-to-district and case-by-case plan. Aside from being messy, the editorial board says, ‘threatening to concentrate the pain in the dissenters’ turf is ham-fisted and wrong.’
Says reader TimBowman:
This only reinforces that Democrats in charge (I won’t use the word leadership) are more interested in petty politics and having their way rather than responsible governance. Nonetheless, if they are likewise willing to raise taxes in their own districts with no appreciable cuts or increases in service, I’m willing to go along. Let’s see who cries foul first.
Most shared: Turkey’s neighborhood troubles
Henri J. Barkey outlines a game plan for Turkey to follow, so as to minimize fallout with its neighbor Syria. Here’s an excerpt:
Erdogan might be sorry to see his ‘brother Bashar’ leave, but he must also understand that a Rubicon was crossed when Syrian tanks invaded civilian neighborhoods. It is in the interest of Turkey and the United States that an orderly transition to a post-Assad era begin soon. The White House’s measured statements on Syria indicate that the Obama administration is worried that a bloodbath may follow any sudden collapse of the regime.This is where Turkey can potentially play a crucial role by working closely with the West, and the U.S. in particular. There already are some signs of that. It is not a coincidence perhaps that Erdogan’s first, though still muted, personal criticism of Assad came after a telephone conversation with President Obama.
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--Alexandra Le Tellier
