. . . as they say, that blows nobody any good. A couple of weeks ago, there was a controversy about a journalist’s infiltration of a support group for gay people who don’t want to be gay — and his outing of a Lutheran pastor in the group. I think decent people should be opposed to this violation of his privacy; but the boundaries of public and private are changing, not for the better. Next thing you know, somebody will be offering cash on the barrelhead to people in support groups of various kinds to violate the confidences of their fellows.

But on a lighter note, it’s an ill wind . . . And the silver lining, in this case, is for the tiny (pop. 5.4 million) Central European republic of Slovakia. The outed Lutheran pastor was quoted, in the notorious article (to which I will not link), as saying that he had just been on a “preaching mission” there: “I fell into temptation. I was weak. [Slovakia] has this really, really weird, demonic energy. I just got weak. . . .”

Now, Slovakia is a delightfully bucolic, 60 percent Catholic country. I would imagine, therefore, that it tends to attract the sort of tourists who like delightfully bucolic, 60 percent Catholic countries. But it now has a golden opportunity to broaden its market: If the state tourism bureau uses the pastor’s endorsement to advertise to the right Western demographic . . . well, let’s just say there’s one plucky little Slavic country that’s about to get pulled out of the global recession, pronto.

Disclosure: I am of Slovak ancestry on both sides, and both of my parents were actually born in that delightfully bucolic, etc. country. I have visited Slovakia myself only once, and on that occasion . . . whoops! I almost forgot the new rule: “What happens in Banská Bystrica stays in Banská Bystrica.”

PS. Looking up an explanation of the old “ill wind” phrase, I found a candidate for the Pun Hall of Fame: “The oboe is an ill wind that no one blows good.”