I suppose I should think about this post before I actually write it down, but that would defeat the purpose of my premise, so I'm not gonna think, I'm just gonna blurt....... 

Let's get this out of the way, right at the outset: I'm a Catholic boy, born & raised.  I'm Italian on top of that, so just take my word for it, I'm more Catholic than you are.  I went to 12 years of Catholic school in my youth and continue to attend Mass to this day, at 60 years old, so it's not just some passing fancy.  

That being said, tonight I could not possibly be more ashamed of my religion being implicit in Gordon Gee resigning as the president of Ohio State University.  

For the life of me I cannot understand what has happened to the sense of humor of people in the United States of America. 

For the life of me I cannot understand how the obviously lighthearted comments of a university president SIX MONTHS AGO IN DECEMBER 2012 could run him out of office now.  Good job, spineless trustees.  (At the same time I have to acknowledge that I thank my God every morning for those Mitt Romney "47 percent" comments coming out and sinking his campaign.  But that elitist prick wasn't joking.)

Anyway, here are some recommendations for my Catholic brethren (my Catholic sisters don't count, believe me, that's one of the problems) so that I can stop or at least cut back on being ashamed of my religion;

1) Stop forcing unmarried pregnant women in Cincinnati to take you to court to fight for their right to work.  

2) Stop firing Columbus lesbian gym teachers after decades on the job (come on, you never SUSPECTED a THING in those 19 years?) simply for publishing the name of her life partner (who, by the way, she's not allowed by law to marry, way to rub it in, guys) IN HER MOTHER'S OBITUARY!  (Way to kick a girl while she's down.  No, wait, way to kick a girl down, stomp on her back and grind her face into the mud while she's down.)  (How could any teacher in a Catholic school EVER teach a lesson on how bullying is a bad thing and you shouldn't do it with a straight face after this little Bishop Watterson episode?)

3) Maybe stop obsessing a little less about the morals (or lack thereof) of your female employees and turn your attention to the men.  The reasons given for Christa Dias' and Carla Hale's dismissals was for violating their oath to uphold the teachings of the Catholic church, NOT ostensibly because they were artificially inseminated or gay.  I have not heard of one case of a male teacher being dismissed from his position for premarital and/or extra-marital sex, or for using birth control (and yes, non-Catholic readers, condoms count as birth control), all of which violate the teachings of the Catholic church.  (And believe me, I have been apprised of those teachings OVER AND OVER AND OVER.)

4) Don't even get me started on male priests having sex with little boys & girls (mostly boys) in nearly every country on every continent, and then having their monsignors & bishops cover for them and simply move them from unsuspecting parish to unsuspecting parish, that's just too easy a target.

5) But I digress; Whatever happened to "To err is human, to forgive is divine?"  Whatever happened to "Whatsoever of you is without sin, let him cast the first stone?"   Why hound a person I actually have some respect for - Gordon Gee - out of office for what I consider harmless (and pretty funny) off-the-cuff remarks about Catholics?  And I can say that, 'cuz I'm a Catholic boy. - Ricki C. / June 4th, 2013

Click below for The Jim Carroll Band's "Catholic Boy" video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZoZEY69QQs