Unbridled Charity

Me and the Devil
was walkin' side by side
Me and the Devil, ooh
was walkin' side by side
--Me and the Devil Blues, Robert Johnson
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Ranger was a little boy. Once upon a time he was a young 2nd grade student in a Catholic school. This fact prompts the following commentary on "Nun Pleads No Contest in Sex Abuse."

"A Roman Catholic nun pleaded no contest to two counts of indecent behavior with a child in connection with accusations from the 1960s when she was a principal and teacher at a Catholic school in Milwaukee.

"The nun, Norma Giannini, 79, faces up to 20 years in prison for what prosecutors say was sexual abuse of two male students."

"The complaint said the assaults included intercourse and occurred in numerous locations, including a convent and a classroom."

First, a comment on the head description of the offense as "Sex Abuse." The criminal complaint describes the incidents as "intercourse," implying penetration occurred. Shouldn't that more correctly be described as "rape"?

Why the double standard -- is it that boys are presumed to always be putting notches in their belt, therefore, if an older woman commits intercourse with a boy, he is only being "educated" (nudge-nudge, wink-wink.) These are 5th grade boys we are talking about. Even if they were to gain erection, the onus is on the adult to prevent that from going anywhere.

Well, as we used to say about the nuns, "just don't get in the habit."

Ranger spent 10 years in Catholic education and was never sexually molested in any manner by nun or priest. But in the 2nd grade a certain Sister Giles forced little future Ranger Hruska to kneel for twenty minutes and and be sprinkled with holy water because, he was told, the devil was in him.

Imagine that! A second grader being told that the devil was in him. Now, this is not sexual abuse, but it certainly is abuse of another kind and was detrimental to the mental health and welfare of a young child.

What allowed this type of behavior? What God condoned such nastiness? Is it any wonder that old Ranger Hruska won't step into a church?

Which is worse, sexual abuse or pyschological? Both scar for life.

So not only was I born with original sin, but Jesus's wife tells me I've got the devil in me. A heapin' helpin' of guilt. By second grade, I'm a two-time loser. So much for the baptism.

Another aside: I remember the nun's wedding bands, signifying their spiritual marriage to Jesus. With this I draw the logical parallel to the Muslim vest bombers, who anticipate their reward of 72 virgins following their martyrdom.

It hit me that Jesus can expect 100's of 1000's of spiritual brides upon their passing. Yet we criticize the vest bombers as being nuts, and consider Jesus to be holy. If one takes this thing literally, Jesus is a bigamist. Which leads to the logical conclusion that the Mormons must be right in their bigamist practice. Maybe Romney shouldn't be knocked out of the ring on the basis of his religious beliefs alone.

By the way, Sister Giles was a Vincentian Sister of Charity. If she is still alive, Ranger wishes her the best. Her service to Jesus was unique.

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Follow-on: Seeking the correct word for an adult who engages in sex with a child, we checked out "pederasty : A man who has sexual relations, especially anal intercourse, with a boy." So in common vernacular, there is not a word for an adult woman who engages a boy in sex. What does this imply about our society?