One of the nice things about having a publicly-visible email address is that you get such interesting mail from such interesting people. There's the Canadian man who periodically sends me huge collections of Word documents in which he describes — among other things — how he is being stalked by Alan Greenspan and Queen Elizabeth of England. There's the man in California who sent me death threats because I had "shut God up in a rock" (don't ask; it's a long story).

Today's 'fruit of the loon' mailing came from a man in Trieste who's concerned with the notion of original sin. His message — in Italian, and mostly in block capitals — begins modestly enough:

But if it's true that the Eternal God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob also created the Devil to tempt humanity, what is the meaning of the fact that Satan is against Him if God is Omnipotent? If G. created the snake as well and set him in the garden to guard the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, to tempt Eve and Adam, then the Serpent also named Devil, Satan, deceiver, the first murderer, opponent, adversary of man, Saitan, Iblis, Belzebub, is working for GOD?

These are good questions, I'm sure you'll agree, and 'profetaeliah' ("Prophet Elijah") is right to be concerned with them. However, his interest seems to be more than merely theological. At times, in fact, it seems to be downright personal and it appears to have driven him to actions that a wiser man might have regretted. After the initial preamble, the block capitals begin, as he includes a series of 'open letters' that he has written. The first one is mostly concerned with original sin and is convoluted but unremarkable. It was the second one, however, that stopped me in my tracks in a fit of giggles.

It is addressed to the Mental Health Department of the Maddalena Hospital of Trieste, to Professor dell'Acqua of the said department, to the Bishop of Trieste, the office of the chief of police and the Public Prosecutor (with a copy for information to Pope Benedict XV). It begins as follows:

1 - IN THE YEAR 2003 YOU FORCED ME TO UNDERGO A COURSE OF TREATMENT AT THE REQUEST OF THE BISHOP, THE POLICE AND THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR. FOLLOWING MY [ACT OF] THROWING EGGS AT THE BISHOP OF TRIESTE WHO REFUSED — AS HE STILL REFUSES — TO WORK WITH ME TO MAKE AN ACCURATE ANALYSIS OF ORIGINAL SIN AS DECLARED NECESSARY BY POPE JOHN PAUL II IN HIS BOOK "DECALOGUE FOR THE THIRD MILLENIUM"

Let he who is without original sin cast the first egg.