Friday, 17 October 2003 - 2:07 PM EDT

I'm very curious! I've been following Hitchens' take on MT in the media of late (article in Slate and saw him on 60 Minutes talking about it (I was suprised and elated to learn that he was actually invited to Rome to argue against MT's canonization, even though it was inconsequential.).

Any interesting details you gleaned from the book would be much appreciated! It's always refreshing to hear someone challenge a universally-accepted idea such as MT's saintliness.

Friday, 17 October 2003 - 2:14 PM EDT

I've been talking up means testing for years; it's an idea whose time has come.

I see SSI (ideally) as a welfare bureau, not a pension/insurance one. I think a lot of the problems with it could be solved if it was viewed that way; means testing and min. age increase would come sooner, perhaps. (Current workers would be more vigilant over how the money's spent, as they'd see it for the wealth transfer that it is, and the question of "how old is too old for someone to work?" would actually be debated for once.)

Saturday, 18 October 2003 - 10:51 AM EDT

Is Hitchens a Catholic? I would have assumed he is C of E. Who cares what non-Catholics think about someone's canonization (says the non-Catholic)?

Monday, 20 October 2003 - 11:08 AM EDT

Good point. Hitch is an athiest; I guess he's trying to win some converts.

Thursday, 23 October 2003 - 10:42 AM EDT

Sean,

It's been sometime since i've read the Hitchens book, but there are still a couple of things I do recall. MT has little to no medical training and neither does her staff. Her "hospitals" are just places for people to die. Her order is flush with cash and yet makes its followers live in abject poverty. The order's money, which is bountiful, has not led to the building of a hospital or medical center. She has close ties to Haitian dictators. The next time I see you I will bring the book with me.