9 May—Robert Prevost never would have been elected pope had it not been for Donald Trump. As far as we know, Trump hasn’t come out and said as much. But he probably believes it. And he may not be wrong.

Because one faction of Trump supporters likes to think that the cardinals chose an American because they wanted to suck up to Trump, whom they—the cardinals as well as Trump supporters—fear like the lord.

Another faction of Trump supporters, on the other hand, as well as Trump detractors, reckons that the cardinals chose a guy who hasn’t hesitated to criticize Trump and his sick administration to show the world that the church isn’t afraid of the big bully. (The supporters wouldn’t put it quite like that, of course.)

Consider that the despicable, paranoid racist termagant Laura Loomer, who exemplifies Trump’s coterie of creepy and moronic misfits, called Leo XIV a “WOKE MARXIST POPE,” “anti-Trump, anti-MAGA, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist like Pope Francis,” and added that it’s “GROSS” that he’s now in charge of the Vatican. One wonders if Laura has . . . we mustn’t go there.

Consider, too, that other MAGA misfits have sniveled on all the usual MAGA media that the cardinals “chose a globalist and woke Pope from the West ON PURPOSE” specifically to criticize, piss off, and defy Trump. Heaven forfend!

So we have to conclude that the cardinals have chosen well. Therefore we wish Pope Leo XIV a hearty Mazel tov.

🏫 🏫 🏫 🏫 🏫 🏫 🏫

Back in Litchfield County, here’s a letter from RSD 20’s new superintendent. The tincture of transparency is encouraging. Actual pragmatic fiscal responsibility—of which the superintendent has shown he is capable—is an absolute necessity.

Incidentally, surprise, surprise! A short story on Tuesday’s RSD 20 referendum was buried in the back of the first section of yesterday’s Hearst Republican-American . . .