You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
If he got rid of those big f'n grasshoppers, I would make him a saint to.
ReplyDeleteIs there a saint for stinkbugs?
ReplyDeleteThere is no patron saint for insects. Seems unfair, bc there is a patron saint for lawyers.
ReplyDeleteFinns -- that's with a double "n" -- wouldn't be the only ones who have fashioned their own saint. The Irish confection of St. Patrick (never declared a Catholic saint)is perhaps the gold standard in the field. And grasshoppers pose a much greater danger than snakes -- some are known as locusts, for example, so good for Urho. Full disclosure: half of me is Finnish. The country is one of the most accomplished and sophisticated on earth. Check it out.
ReplyDeleteKen, I corrected my spelling error with respect to the Finns. This past weekend, I listened to a radio program about that county's short work week. The people there believe those who work long hours are inefficient and lack balance. One American working there got lousy evaluations bc she worked too hard.
ReplyDeleteBut let me correct you. St. Patrick is indeed a Catholic saint. It's certainly true that many fables have arisen about him bc, after all, he lived in the land of many tall tales. But he is recognized by the Church.
https://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1325
This is about the most magnificent statue I have ever seen, what is his location Bernie?
ReplyDeleteThat statue is at Menahga, Minnesota.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sainturho.com/menahgamn/menastatue.htm
Bernie,
ReplyDeleteYe of little faith. Ask and the good Lord sends answers:
http://saints.sqpn.com/patrons-against-insects/
These are Catholic. Unlike "saint" uhro.
I was asked to identify a patron saint for insects. Stinkbugs, specifically. There is none. There are two saints (at least) against them.
ReplyDeleteI agree that my faith is weak, and thank you for your link.
Perhaps I misunderstood "for" as being in support of stink bugs.
ReplyDeleteStink Bugs first identified in Allentown.
ReplyDeleteYou could look it up.
Credit where credit is due.
Isn't it time for an Allentown Stink Bug
Fest
Fondness even veneration of St. Patrick by the Irish no doubt qualifies him for sainthood of a kind but no pope ever declared him a saint of the church. Historians don't even quite know whether he was one person or a conflation of two or more. So far as the Finns are concerned: given the denigration of the Irish based on shallow or deliberatly false sketches, I'd be very careful about stereotyping Finns based on a radio show. It is in the tradition of egregious smears.
ReplyDeletemy just sent message wasn't intended to be anonymous. sorry
ReplyDeleteKen, St. Patrick is a Catholic saint even though he was never officially canonized. The reason for this is bc he lived in the 5th century, long before the Popes started making these decisions. There are numerous Catholic saints, including Peter the Apostle, who were never formally canonized. Holy men and women were recognized as such locally, and as I understand it, bishops would add them to the calendar. So though never canonized, he is recognized in the Catholic Church as a saint.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I must add that no denigration of Finns is intended, either by me or the NPR show I listened to this past weekend.
ReplyDeleteBernie --
ReplyDeleteYes, it does depend on how "saint" is defined. St. Paul used the term to refer to ordinary members of his scattered Christian communities. And exemplary Christians were certainly honored on local and regional bases. But I think you'd agree that the common meaning now, at least among Catholics, is reserved for those who have been vetted and declared such by the pope for the whole church. It was that status Patrick never attained, not least because ordinary screening would be unable to establish the reality of his existence as a singular, extraordinary person. No discredit to the folk life; it's probably a better means of setting aside saintly character than the one used now, but a distinctly different category. Thanks for the discussion and I withdraw my jumpiness about the Finns
No need, Ken. Your jumpiness gave me an opportunity to explain that the Finns were portrayed in a very positive light. In fact, I 'm watching a Chinese-Finnish movie right now. That 's how I celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
ReplyDeleteBernie --
ReplyDeleteIf you have a chance I'd love to know the name of the movie. St. Patrick has the kind of adventurous reputation that would appreciate that. As you may know, Finnish origins aren't Germanic, as are Swedes, Norwegians or Danes, or otherwise European. The best guess is Central Asia -- so the Chinese connection may be distant family. Thanks
Jade Warrior. The movie is in Finnish (I think) and Mandarin (I know). It is inspired by a Finnish story, I've read.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_Warrior_(film)