What do
convicted killer Christian Longo, Pope Benedict XVI, Roman Emperor Varius
Avitus Bassianus, Lady Gaga and the American femme fatale have in common? They have
all recently caught the attention of Portuguese columnist Carla Hilário Quevedo,
who offers readers of Lisbon's Sol newspaper a look at the widely divergent threads
that make up American culture today - and a little of ancient Rome's.
I read a disturbing
article in The New York Times about Christian Longo, a prisoner on
death row in the Oregon State Penitentiary [photo below]. Longo killed his wife and three
children. He is 37 and has been awaiting execution for eight years. The time
has served to end his denial and attempts to deceive others about what he did, acknowledge
his heinous crimes and call off his requests for a pardon. Longo now accepts
that he must die for his crime, and has one final request: he wants to donate
his organs. Although there's no law that prohibits him from doing so, his
request was refused by prison authorities. The three drugs used for lethal
injection permanently damage the organs. But that isn't the case in all states.
In Ohio or Washington State, a larger quantity of a powerful barbiturate is
used, which isn’t as destructive. It's disconcerting that someone sentenced to
death is suggesting a less intoxicating way to die with the intent of saving
anonymous lives. Others on death row have followed Longo's example - and none
are now seeking to alter their sentences. Since a good deed doesn't compensate
for a bad one, why not accept the donation? It won't save them from hell.
Death
row inmate Christian Longo: Not only has he dropped his
demand
for a pardon, he is asking that his execution not damage
his
organs so he can donate them. Many of his fellow inmates are
following
suit.
WANTING ISN’T ENOUGH
Benedict XVI will
go down in history as more than just a Pope who fulfilled his responsibilities. Let's look at three
courageous statements of the Catholic Church leader, starting with the latest.
Benedict XVI stated that the Jews aren't guilty of Jesus Christ’s death, firmly
rejecting the accusation that for centuries legitimized the rudest
anti-Semitism and justified the most egregious crimes of persecution against
the Jewish people. The second important statement appeared in his New Year’s
message, when the Pope condemned violence against Christians in the Middle East
and called for religious freedom as the way forward for the establishment of
peace. The third statement came in late January and went largely unnoticed.
In his annual address to the Tribunal of the
Roman Rota, which approves annulments of marriage [video below], Benedict
XVI said that no one can claim a right to a wedding ceremony. The rise in U.S. marriage
invalidations is the basis of great concern for the Pope, who advised faithful who
say they are prepared for this important step in their lives to seek premarital
counseling. Marriage isn't for everyone.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
HOMICIDAL PETALS
Those who've never heard of Roman
Emperor Varius Avitus Bassianus (218-222), also known as Elagabalus or
Heliogabalus, have an excellent opportunity to learn of his story and the
painting that made him famous. Just read Mary Beard’s article from The
Times Literary Supplement, with
the lovely title Facts Among the Flowers, about the publication of The Emperor
Elagabalus: Fact or Fiction? by Leonardo de Arrizabalaga y Prado. Mary
Beard talks about the painting by Lawrence Alma-Tadema called The Roses of Heliogabalus. At a sumptuous
dinner, Elagabalus and his friends observe an apparently pleasant and lovely scene.
Multi-colored flower petals fall over the other guests, who are all lying on
the floor. The story is, after all, about a mass murder. There were so many petals
that the guests were asphyxiated. When Alma-Tadema’s painting was presented to
the Victorian public, one critic praised its technique but expressed
reservations about the scene chosen by the painter. The new book about
Elagabalus seems to confirm the rumors, but the veracity of the story isn't as
important as knowing the fears of the time. Don’t buy the book. See the
painting [below].
Alma-Tadema's
1888 painting TheRoses of Heliogabalus, which depicts a
mass
murderby one of ancient Rome's most depraved emperors, Varius
Stefani Joanne Angelina
Germanotta/aka Lady Gaga, was
interviewed by Anderson Cooper of 60 Minutes [video below]. At age 24, she
has been appointed the worthy successor to Madonna, who
she's so often compared to. The comparison never seemed evident to me, but the
interview served to reveal that Lady Gaga is a star just like Madonna was - or
is. Madonna exploited fame with such success that the biggest complaint she confronts
now is that she's 50. Lady Gaga says of herself that she's an expert in the
"art of fame," but her description of the concept is better than its
title. She says fame is created and controlled by the artist. The trick is to divert
the attention of the public in the direction of her choice - Lady Gaga - not to
what matters to her fans: her personal life. The solution is to "invent a life" on stage that doesn’t coincide with her own, but meets the expectations of those
who watch it. And the expectations are always the same: people want to see the
fall and resurrection of their heroes. Fans want to see death? Lady Gaga simulates
death. They want resurrection? Gaga breathes in the next music video. This is
clever, but still requires further explanation.
MISSING THE BAD GIRLS
In Obit Magazine, Kevin Nance complains about the
extinction of the femme fatale from American cinema [video example below]. With
bitter irony, he suggests that the closest thing to a vengeful and manipulative
woman nominated for an Oscar this year was Mattie Ross, the 14-year-old girl
from True
Grit played by Hailee Steinfeld. It’s true that we no longer see
beautiful women and amorality like we used to. The misogyny used to be channeled differently,
as if evil has gradually stopped carrying the name "woman" - perhaps
because of a fear of feminist retaliation. However, Nance recalls that the role
model of the independent woman who resisted being a victim was represented by
the extraordinary power of the femme
fatale. Beautiful, insolent, and above all, determined to get what she wanted.
She was irresistible, not only to the men who were deceived by them, but the public which longed for her and hoped the story ended well - or rather - badly
for everyone else. Perhaps it's too late to bring back these demons with
angelic eyes and legs that never end. Nowadays, girls just cry and suffer and
suffer and cry. Or they kill with karate blows. What a bore ...
![[Click Here for Jumbo Version]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/The_Roses_of_Heliogabalus.jpg){kind=link}