Thankfully, somebody cherishes our children

One of life's greatest vexations is the fact that the most apt words one can think of to vent one's anger are considered taboo. They are not fit for polite company, and certainly not suitable for print. Swears, expletives, curse words: the most effectual linguistic means by which one can express oneself. Therefore, in the interest of decorum and good taste I will have to make do without these gems. However, please feel free to mentally insert a good sprinkling of such words yourself as you read along - don't worry, you will know instinctively where and when to do this. The source of my annoyance is the story in a recent edition of this paper about a little girl called Kayley Dunne who suffers from a form of Cerebral Palsy called Spastic Diplegia, and the admirable people who have been fundraising for her up-coming surgery in America. The altruistic work of these volunteers gives us hope in a country that is otherwise abysmally disheartening. But why, in the name of God, should they have to walk halfway round the country, swing out of poles and jump out of airplanes to ensure that this sweet little child gets the surgery she needs and deserves? All Kayley and her family want is for her to be able to walk with a bit more ease and not be in pain. A pretty reasonable request for any six year-old, I would say. Apparently, Kayley's mother, Jacky, did her own research and found a hospital in Missouri that performs the surgery, Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR). So, not only is the HSE not funding this procedure, but it appears that this poor mother was left alone in this gargantuan task, unguided by medical professionals. The usual reason the Irish government gives for not funding procedures such as SDR is that it is experimental. But according to Missouri's Children's Hospital's website, over 1,700 patients have undergone this surgery with none experiencing long-term complications going back as far as 1987. Besides, was the Irish Bank Guarantee Scheme of 2008 not one extraordinarily massive, risky experiment? Are we to deduce then that it is more acceptable for a child to be left in pain than to allow bankers face the consequences of their actions? By now it's generally accepted that many of our government members are pathologically useless, but at least they don't try to hide their ineptitude. God bless them, but some of them even wear their stupidity like a badge of honour. But what about that institution that purports to do God's work on earth: the Catholic Church? What role do they play in charitable donations? Giving them, that is... Growing up in Ireland we listened ad nauseam to priests dictating to us that we should give as much money as possible to those less well off than ourselves. Somehow, in their twisted logic, this group included themselves. And give it we did. Poor people handed over money they could ill afford and the church readily took it - not even a blush. Another thing that's rather perplexing is the notion of paying a priest to pray for someone. Correct me if I'm wrong, but are spirituality and materialism not mutually exclusive? In light of the atrocious child sex abuse cases, one would imagine that the Catholic Church would be bending over backwards to regain the respect of the Irish people. Ensuring that sick children get the care they need, regardless of cost, would be one obvious way to do this. Selling some of their vacant parochial houses would be one easy way to do this. But instead, this organisation sees children as a means to amass even more wealth - they demand two million euro every year from the primary school system for providing management support services - whatever that means. I have no idea what the religious inclinations (if any) of Kayley's volunteers are. But if these people represent a cross-section of modern society, it is safe to say that they are not all fully paid-up members of the Catholic Church. Never mind - God's work is indeed being done in Ireland - by ordinary, dignified, humble people. And little Miss Kayley - we will all be thinking of you on 23rd October.