How The World Is Run

[poliphilo]

It happened again. They put the ballot papers on the fire and the smoke coming out the chimney was white. Everybody in the square was jumping up and down, weeping and clapping their hands- we have a new Pope! And then the smoke turned black. Sorry, folks, no Pope today.

Quaint.

But communicating by smoke signals isn't the half of it. We're choosing a man to fill one of the most powerful posts in the world and the electorate consists of a handful of (supposedly) celibate old gents in their seventies.

Why aren't we laughing?

This is the 21st centry, not the 14th.

But I guess you and I don't get to vote for the chairman of Microsoft either.

Comments

[karenetaylor.livejournal.com]

I want them to display their complete trust in God, put all the eligible names into a hat (those pointy ones would hold a lot of names!) and pull one out.

Maybe that's what they do anyway. The smoke signals are just for show.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That would be great.

And if I remember correctly, it was more or less what the apostles did when they were looking for a replacement for Judas Iscariot.

"And the lot fell upon Matthias".

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I loved this.

"Those pointy ones would hold a lot of names!"

:)

You crack me up.