Pepper

Was reading the Red Pepper just recently and came across something that struck me as odd. The Red Pepper journalist was interviewing a Retired Cardinal (or someone big in the Church, I forget). This journalist was asking the Clergy man about what the Vice President should do on account of his sex scandal. The Clergy man said (forgive my inexcusable grasp of specifics) that he'd read about the sex scandal in The Red Pepper, and if it was true, the VP should resign.That was amusing. the Clergy man reads the Tabloid.This story reminded me of a time back then, when the Red Pepper was an underground tabloid. Which no self-respecting clergy man would admit to reading... in that same tabloid. A friend of mine told me his dad would buy it at the corner, from a really shady-looking dealer. Crack-coke style. How far the tabloid has come.A long while later when the paper had started toning down some, my dad - ok, it wasn't my dad. It was another friend of mine's dad, would buy the tabloid, and stuff it in Bukedde newspapers. Now he knew we they didnt read Bukedde at all, so this went on for a while. Now, at the time I was on campus - so we used to read The Red Pepper all the time and laugh at all the gossip. So occasionally I'd get surprised when I'd go home and I'd find the house-maid using the tabloid for her charcoal stove. I'd think to myself - my friend's dad so hates this despeakable thing, he buys it so he can burn it.So this one time, I went with him to work to do a short internship stint and he stopped by the place he buys newspapers. The newspaper dude came up to the passenger side and dropped a Bukedde, and a Red Pepper on my lap. You could have heard a pin drop. I think there was a sharp intake of breath too. I think in his routine, my dad musta forgotten I was sitted right next to him. You know the phrase, dying of laughter? I almost exploded.... but I didn't. I held it in as best I could.He said something to the effect, "Anyway, I know you're all mature, you've seen these before."To which I replied, "Why, of course, my friend's dad, we read that paper all the time on campus."