Unnecessary Gesture Politics

[Mulboyne]

The town of Futaba in Fukushima is in the evacuation zone and some refugees have ended up in Kazo in Saitaima. One of them, a 57 year old self-styled religious leader, was arrested last week. He had apparently told a 17 year old high school girl that she was possessed and need to send him some nude pictures of herself so he could conduct an exorcism. Police are charging him under child pornography laws. Futaba town leaders, embarrassed by the affair, then declared that they would turn down disaster relief donations to atone for the miscreant. Futaba residents, on the other hand, are angry at the move, believing such a gesture is wholly inappropriate when so many are still in need of help. A spokesman for the town hall said officials acted properly.

Source (Japanese)

[sublight]

Interesting. And baffling.

Are any of these 'town leaders' also having to live in shelters?

[2triky]

^ Preposterous response by town officials...

[Samurai_Jerk]

What!?

No, seriously. What!?

[Coligny]

What!?

No, seriously. What!?

It's political enhanced darwinism...

Look at how everybody is retarded beeyond all hope:

17 years gurl: sending naked pictures, believing in exorcism.

Politician: totally non-sequitur answer to a problem

Cult leader: pulling a pervert stunt that would get him shot in the head in 80% of French highschools (maybe).

And those people are allowed to breed, use electric devices on their own, operate dangerous machineries (cars)... I sometimes wonder how anything manage to be successfully done anyway with these kind of peeps...

[ChargerCarl]

dude that religious guy stole my line

[Kanchou]

Wait, she actually did it?

[kagemusha]

I sometimes wonder how anything manage to be successfully done anyway with these kind of peeps...

LOL
Nothing has been successfully done here for the last 20 years.

[FG Lurker]

LOL
Nothing has been successfully done here for the last 20 years.

Dunno about that, looks like the "religious" dude was successful in getting those pictures...

[Mulboyne]

The Mainichi has the official English translation:

Evacuees protest town's decision to turn down relief money after arrest of shaman

KAZO, Saitama -- Evacuees from the Fukushima Prefecture town of Futaba are protesting the local government's decision to turn down disaster relief money for its citizens after one citizen was arrested for having a minor send him a naked photograph.

The arrested man, a 57-year-old, self-described shaman, was arrested on May 25 for allegedly making a 17-year-old girl send him a naked photograph of herself, after which he pledged to exorcise her of a "vengeful spirit" that he said had cursed her.

On June 1, Futaba Mayor Katsutaka Idogawa, speaking at a high school in Kazo, Saitama Prefecture -- where around 1,000 Futaba residents and the town's governmental functions are currently located due to the ongoing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant -- mentioned the arrest and said, "As a form of apology, I will decline relief money payments."

Some town council members who were present reportedly protested, saying they had heard nothing of the decision and that it didn't make sense to turn down the money.

The next day, news of the sudden decision to turn down the money reached a hotel in the Fukushima Prefecture town of Inawashiro where around 760 Futaba evacuees are living.

"How can the town government single-handedly decide to turn down the relief money that the residents so badly need?" said one 52-year-old man angrily.

A spokesperson for the town's public relations department said, "We do not believe there was a problem with the way the decision was made or how it was announced."

[Coligny]

A spokesperson for the town's public relations department said, "We do not believe there was a problem with the way the decision was made or how it was announced." http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110603p2a00m0na003000c.html

how... unsurprising of them...