Thoughts While in New York City


It's fun to visit a place where I lived for about a year when much younger. In many ways NYC has not changed in 50 years. The stores, shops and buildings have turned over and been remodeled several times. Back when I lived here the city did not work very well. It still doesn't. 

Sixty years ago I heard of an area called "Little Italy." I went there to see an Italian festival. Back then Little Italy was considered a center of the gangster world. Since then I've read about the specific Italian restaurants the mafia leaders would gather at every evening. There were long dinners with business and crime decisions on the agenda. 

Today, the Diocese of New York is headed by Archbishop Dolan, one of the shadiest characters in the Catholic enterprise. He originated the ruse of taking Diocese money and hiding it in "Trusts" so judges ruling in favor of children molested by priests might not find it. He tried to pull this off in Milwaukee. A judge said in effect, "Cut the malarky." He had to pony up the money. As a reward for this noble ruse, he was awarded the New York Diocese. 

New York is home to perhaps the most magnificent church buildings in the USA, Saint Patrick's Cathedral. For reasons only they can understand, worshippers gave money to build this huge place and continue to keep it open. If one is not impressed with spending money for this purpose, as I am not, it seems much more reasonable to spend such funds on the poor or for victims of priests who abused children. This kind of thinking would be foreign to the mind of Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

New York City remains a mecca for atheists like myself. It is humanity packed together teeming with energy. While there are lots of churches, I don't think NYC is a place where prayer is important. Racial diversity, gay life, theater, performing art, museums and sidewalk cafe life thrive and may it always be so.

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