some animals are more equal...

A couple of days after the Vatican suspended the "bishop of bling" for his high-falutin' spending habits, comes the story of Catholic donors whose generosity earns an entree into places and situations that less-well-heeled Catholics might envy.

Such access comes with a price, but it's not as high as you might think.
For starters, all it takes is $500 a year to join the Patrons of the Vatican Museums, the fundraising organization that hosted last week's extravaganza.

George Orwell once wrote that "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."  No reason to think the aptness of that observation should stop at the barnyard gate.