When a Nation Pretends One Thing is Happening But It's Not, Something Will Crash


Right now, I assume people in Russia are hearing their war in Ukraine is going great. If the truth is it's not, someone or something will crash. We went through something like that in Viet Nam. I recall the news releases were about "body counts." Our soldiers were racking up big numbers. It turned out these meant nothing.

We live with something similar today, the Catholic practice of marriage annulment. The church pretends a marriage never took place. Let's see, there was a license, a wedding with lots of people attending, then there was a house, children, etc., but the church pretends there never was a marriage. Like governments pretend they are winning a war when they are not the Catholic church pretends some were never married so they can pretend they were never divorced.

I just finished a popular book, We Don't Know Ourselves by Fintan O'Toole. It is a history of Ireland since about 1950. Ireland, writes O'Toole, has always had an over-arching history to think of itself as much different than it was. Much of the deception was produced by a government and church that pretended one thing while something entirely different was actually taking place. 

One came from a marriage of "wonderful" politicians with the "holiest" of clergy. The holy clergy were experts on morals and informed Prime Ministers as to what people should be allowed to do and what not. Clergy praised the wisdom of the Prime Ministers. This was all pretend. The Prime Ministers were corrupt and stole money. The clergy were molesters and rapists. 

The holy clergy told people there was no abortion nor homosexuality. For decades women were going to England for abortions and some were performed underground in Ireland. Gay people were there but in secret. 

The church/government created the false impression people were happy with no gays or abortions. Reality was the huge out migration was made up of people who did believe the ruse. Those remaining continued to pretend giving the appearance of local support. During the past decade the pretend came crashing down. National referendums voted in gay marriage and legal abortion by large percentages. 

I get the impression religious anti abortion operatives and politicians in some states will be telling us about their success eliminating abortions. Ireland, Chile, Mexico and other countries have ended the false narratives and chosen reality. When reality bursts the no abortion facade it will do so, as in Ireland, with lots of noise.  

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