Deferred Retribution

Never a dull moment here in the beautiful Kingdom of Northumbria... the soothsayers are currently in ecstasies over the seismic and tidal catastrophes in the distant oriental Kingdom of Japan: it appeals to their unwholesome and ghoulish preoccupation with the sufferings of others - which are repeated ad nauseam to those unreflective enough to heed their whinings and mindless opinings. If I understand - and if the Holy Catholic Church teaches - Divine Writ correctly, they're in for a fair measure of torment themselves - unless they repent. Caedmon often says that the mills of the Almighty grind exceedingly slow and exceedingly small...

While we're on such retributative matters - Walthelm the Hag - the eggshell blond Foreign Liaison Officer of the Tree/Liberationist Witangemot - has been getting his knuckles rapped by a senior prelate. And rightly so: the man doesn't have a gnat's whisker's worth of religion in him, and his palpable lack of Christian belief and principles is impacting on the decisions he takes on the Kingdom's behalf.

Recent history has clearly revealed to those who are willing to learn from it that wherever and whenever this Anglo-Saxon Kingdom militarily and politically tinkers in the political affairs of oriental, heathen lands, the native Christians always suffer as a consequence. In fact, it seems to have become a historical law. The adventures in Mesopotamia in the recent past are a prime example of this historical principle; before the previous tyrant had been overthrown and beheaded, the Maronite and Assyrian Catholics were left to themselves. Since the well-meaning Anglo-Saxon idiots have played their part to make the land between the two rivers more desirable to their own taste, the inhabitants have turned against the Christians as if it were all their fault. Most of them have had to flee the land for their lives - if they haven't been killed already.

But Haggy boy and his politico pals don't give a gnat's dump about that. He'll have you know he's obeying the orders of the Great and the Good. Except that they're neither: they're ignoble and evil - the playthings of the devil, and they're assiduously doing his dirty work for him. Their rewards for their misdeeds are momentary and as elusive as mist.

I hope that the Cardinal sorts Haggy and his pals out and persuades some true religion into them. If he doesn't, I know one mean moggy who'll get them down on their atheistic knees in prayer. I'm studying that cage door, and believe me, it's only a matter of time...