Read My Mind

Jessica Ahlquist: Fight Over Prayer Mural 'Worth It' Despite Harassment Threats

2012-01-21T12:14:00.001-05:00

To the outraged Christians who feel their religion has been slighted by this, I would only ask that you honestly consider how you would view this if the prayer was from the Quran, or from the Torah. Would you even care that it was deemed unconstitutional to display in a public school? I think you're putting your personal beliefs ahead of the issue.

Finally, if you want prayer in school, go to a private school that is of your religion, and stop the hate towards a young woman who is not doing anything wrong. Display some of that Christian tolerance we hear about - or is this what you mean by it?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Christopher Baker, 4th Grade Boy, Allegedly Stuffed Into Duffel Bag By School Employees

2011-12-23T12:20:00.001-05:00

Sounds like they've got some individuals down in Kentucky that weren't too 'intelligently designed'.

The Interim Superintendent said "The employees of the Mercer County Public Schools are qualified professionals who treat students with respect and dignity while providing a safe and nurturing learning environment". Really? I think they need to examine what they consider "qualified" and "professional" down there. I also think all of the people involved in this should be fired as they obviously show severe lack of judgment and have no idea how to handle special needs children.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Lowe's: Come All Ye Bigots

2011-12-20T20:08:00.002-05:00

Lowe's has shown again the ugly side of religion in America. You probably know all about the home improvement stores decision to pull adverts from TLC's "All-American Muslim", which in turn created a shit-storm of outrage at the company and the group behind getting Lowe's to decide to cancel the ads, the Florida Family Association.

I'm not surprised that this FFA would pressure a corporation to pull ads from the show. After all, as I've said many times in this blog, the Christian evangelicals are probably the most hateful, bigoted, and plain racist group of wing nuts in America today. What does surprise me a little is that Lowe's caved in to these bigoted demands.

The morons in favor of Lowe's decision posted all sorts of supportive comments to Lowe's Facebook page, which have since been removed. You can find some of these here - lowes-facebook-hell-racist-comments-pile

If you've read them, you can see what paragons of tolerance, love, and other so-called Christian values the people who posted them are. They apparently have forgotten, or never knew, that religious tolerance is a founding principle of our nation. Yep, those Founding Fathers that they like to invoke all the time were dedicated to creating a society where all are equal, not just the Christians.

Lowe's has aligned itself with the worst in our nation; ignoramuses and bigots. Lowe's has aligned itself as a corporation that believes that ALL Muslims are terrorists, and that ONLY so-called Christian values have any merit in America. Well Lowes, and the FFA, you're wrong. We're seeing a huge backlash from religious leaders of all faiths, from poltical and entertainment figures, and from ordinary Americans who do not support these bigoted beliefs, and who will boycott Lowes.

When you align yourself with hatred, fear, and ignorance, this is what happens.

Rick Perry Goes After Obama Over Don't Ask Don't Tell

2011-12-07T19:35:00.001-05:00

Christians baffle me. Why the obsession with gays? Hell, you'd think they'd be FOR gays in the military since soldiers do meet sad ends sometimes.

And what is with that comment that kids can't openly celebrate Christmas? Does he live in Sombertown with the Burgermeister? This "war on Christmas" is such a farce, clearly existing only in the minds of extremist Christians.

As for prayer in school, Rick, you're wrong. Kids and teachers can pray in school as long as it's not organized or sanctioned by the school. So if you want to sit at your desk and silently pray to your god, you have that right. I'm just so tired of you Christians trying to get your faith endorsed by the government. Would you allow Muslims to pray in school, you know with the whole getting onto the prayer mat and facing Mecca thing? Yeah, I didn't think so.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Student, 9 Years Old, Suspended For Sexual Harassment, Calling Teacher 'Cute' (VIDEO)

2011-12-05T22:15:00.001-05:00

I think you're the one who is pretending. A little bit of factual data for you;

Source: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/23/nation/na-gates23

[An op-ed article in the Boston Globe on Wednesday by Georgianna Melendez, who co-directs a project aimed at making the state more friendly to minorities, cited a 2006 University of Massachusetts at Boston study that showed 75% of African Americans interviewed said race relations in the state were fair to poor. In addition, 17% of blacks surveyed said they had experienced racial discrimination by police within the previous year.]

Maybe you and your Blue-blood ancestors don't feel that Boston is a racist city, which would be accurate in regard to white people, but obviously the people of color who have to deal with racist issues feel differently. Your outright dismissal of even the possibility of race playing a part in this situation is patently ridiculous, and demeaning to the fact that racism does indeed exist in large measure in Boston.

You are fortunate that the color of your skin affords you the luxury of taking a callous approach to such a serious topic.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Leatrice Ann Eng, Elementary School Teacher, Tells Students Santa Isn't Real (VIDEO)

2011-12-05T18:13:00.001-05:00

But all the Jewish and Muslim and Atheist kids knew this already. They probably told all their Christian friends in kindergarten.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

2011-12-01T19:14:00.001-05:00

Crazy Women of the GOP, Part 2

Michele Bachmann's Embassy Embarrassment

If elected, Bachmann promises that the U.S. will not have an embassy with the Klingon Empire...


Somewhere in Tehran, she thinks

Or was that Iran? Meh, Iranians, Klingons, it's all the same to her; scary swarthy skinned aliens from some foreign land that don't believe in Jesus Christ.

So never mind that there hasn't been a U.S. embassy in Iran since just the other day in 1979!! Our little miss Bachmann Turner Off'erRocker will ensure that we do what we already did some thirty-three years ago. She's very contemporary, ain't she?

Must look normal...concentrate...relax...look normal...there, I nailed it!!

I have no doubt that this picture is the closest she's ever been to a Newsweek magazine. It's almost funny that someone who wants to be president is so ignorant on foreign policy.

Birthers - How They View Things

2009-07-27T17:10:00.003-04:00

illustration by Dave The Angry Rhode Islander

This illustration is how Birthers apparently view the presidency, anatomy, politics and science. It's a confusing, illogical, horrifying way to go through life, yet there is no shortage of these idiots who would like to believe that Obama is not an American by birth. These are no doubt the same morons who believe the sun orbits the earth, the earth is flat, and that anal and oral sex is abstinance.

Insane Palin Speech

2009-07-04T13:32:00.004-04:00

"Crazy kisses for you! And you! And you!"

This insane, rambling speech is taken directly from her official Governor of Alaska website. I've just added some comments, in red. Enjoy the lunacy.

Hi Alaska, I appreciate speaking directly to you, the people I serve (for 3 more weeks), as your Governor.

People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska. Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine. (which is why I’m quitting)

I want Alaskans to grasp what can be in store for our state. We were purchased as a territory because a member of President Abe Lincoln's cabinet, William Seward, providentially saw in this great land, vast riches, beauty, strategic placement on the globe, and opportunity. He boldly looked "North to the Future". But he endured such ridicule and mocking (which you have kindly kept as tradition) for his vision for Alaska, remember the adversaries scoffed, calling this "Seward's Folly". Seward withstood such disdain as he chose the uncomfortable, unconventional, but right path to secure Alaska, so Alaska could help secure the United States. (She writes like an 8th grade cheerleader. A dumb one, at that)
Alaska’s mission – to contribute to America. (what kind of sentence is that?)We’re strategic in the world as the air crossroads of the world, as a gatekeeper of the continent. Bold visionaries knew this - Alaska would be part of America's great destiny.

Our destiny to be reached by responsibly developing our natural resources. (another great bit of writing) This land, blessed with clean air, water, wildlife, minerals, and oil and gas. (is she capable of coherent thought?) It's energy! (yayyy!!!!) God gave us energy. (he gave Saudi’s energy too – I thought he only liked ‘Merkins)

So to serve the state is a humbling responsibility, because I know in my soul that Alaska is of such import, for America’s security, in our very volatile world. (another nonsensical, incoherent sentence) (Don’t start sentences with ‘and’) And you know me by now, I promised even four years ago to show my independence… no more conventional “politics as usual”. (quitting is certainly not “politics as usual” – Mission Accomplished, Sarah!!)

And we are doing well!(again, with the ‘And’, and another exclamation point. Yayyyyy!!!) My administration's accomplishments speak for themselves. We work tirelessly for Alaskans. (Until we quit on them)

We aggressively and responsibly develop our resources because they were created to be used to better our world... to help people... and we protect the environment and Alaskans (the resource owners) (so God created the resources, and gave them to Alaskans?) foremost with our policies.

Here’s some of the things we’ve done: (not “Here’s”, Sarah – you wouldn’t say “here is some of the things we’ve done”, you’d say here ARE some…well maybe YOU would say that, what with your community college education)

We created a petroleum integrity office to oversee safe development. We held the line for Alaskans on Point Thomson – and finally for the first time in decades – they’re drilling for oil and gas.

We have AGIA, the gasline project – a massive bi-partisan victory (the vote was 58 to 1!) (exclamation point – Yayyy!!!) – also succeeding as intended - protecting Alaskans as our (no Sarah – it’s God’s, remember?) clean natural gas will flow to energize us, and America, through a competitive, pro-private sector project. This is the largest private sector energy project, ever. This is energy independence. (nice, ‘Merkins love short, fragmented sentences)

And ACES (stop beginning sentences with “and”) – another bipartisan effort – is working as intended and industry is publicly acknowledging its success. Our new oil and gas “clear and equitable formula” is so Alaskans will no longer be taken advantage of. ACES incentivizes new exploration and development and jobs that were previously not going to happen with a monopolized North Slope oil basin.

We cleaned up previously accepted unethical actions (well that remains to be seen – as there’s no doubt some of your own that will be investigated); we ushered in bi-partisan Ethics Reform.

We also slowed the rate of government growth, we worked with the Legislature to save billions of dollars for the future, and I made no lobbyist friends with my hundreds of millions of dollars in budget vetoes... but living beyond our means today is irresponsible for tomorrow. (she saw this on a bumper sticker once, you betcha!)

We took government out of the dairy business and put it back into private-sector hands – where it should be.

We provided unprecedented support for education initiatives, and with the right leadership, finally filled long-vacant public safety positions. We built a sub-Cabinet on Climate Change and took heat from Outside special interests for our biologically-sound wildlife management for abundance.

We broke ground on the new prison. (this is deserving of a new paragraph?)

And (and and and) we made common sense conservative choices to eliminate personal luxuries like the jet, the chef, the junkets... the entourage.

And (brutal, just brutal) the Lt. Governor and I said "no" to our pay raises.

So much success in this first term – and with this success I am proud to take credit... for hiring the right people! (exclamation point – Yayyy!!!) Our goal was to achieve a gasline project, more fair oil and gas valuation, and ethics reform in four years. We did it in two. It’s because of the people… good public servants surrounding the Governor's office, with servants' hearts and astounding work ethic (quitters have such great work ethics)... they are Alaska's success! (Yayyyy!!!!)

We are doing well!(Yayyyy!!!!) I wish you'd hear more from the media of your state's progress and how we tackle Outside interests - daily - special interests that would stymie our state. Even those debt-ridden stimulus dollars that would force the heavy hand of federal government into our communities with an “all-knowing attitude” – I have taken the slings and arrows with that unpopular move to veto because I know being right is better than being popular (another bumper sticker). Some of those dollars would harm Alaska and harm America – I resisted those dollars because of the obscene national debt we’re forcing our children to pay, because of today’s Big Government spending; it’s immoral (immoral like children out of wedlock?) and doesn’t even make economic sense! (Yes, this is all Obama’s fault. Has nothing to do with the guy in office the previous 8 years, just the 5 months of Obama)

Another accomplishment – our Law Department protected states’ rights – two huge U.S. Supreme Court reversals came down against that liberal (Boo…hiss! Liberal = SATAN!) Ninth Circuit, deciding in our state’s favor over the last two weeks. We’re protectors of our Constitution – federalists protect states’ rights as mandated in 10th amendment. (more brilliant sentence structure)

But you don’t hear much of the good stuff in the press anymore, do you? (I think Thomas Jefferson wrote in a similar style)

Some say things changed for me on August 29th last year – the day John McCain tapped me (tapped you?) to be his running-mate – I say others changed.

Let me speak to that for a minute. (Go ahead, take as long as you need)

Political operatives descended on Alaska last August, digging for dirt. The ethics law I championed became their weapon of choice. Over the past nine months I've been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations – such as holding a fish in a photograph, wearing a jacket with a logo on it, and answering reporters’ questions. (Right, let’s forget the $150,000 wardrobe, the inability to answer Katie Couric’s questions intelligently, or even coherently, the whole TrooperGate thing, the pregnancy of your unwed teenage daughter, and other ethics questions raised about you)

Every one – all 15 of the ethics complaints have been dismissed. We’ve won! (Yayyyy!!!!) But it hasn't been cheap - the State has wasted thousands of hours of your time and shelled out some two million of your dollars to respond to “opposition research” – that’s money not going to fund teachers or troopers – or safer roads. And (really, this is pathetic) this political absurdity, the “politics of personal destruction” … Todd and I are looking at more than half a million dollars in legal bills in order to set the record straight. And (you just can’t stop, can you?) what about the people who offer up these silly accusations? It doesn’t cost them a dime so they’re not going to stop draining public resources – spending other peoples’ money in their game.

It’s pretty insane (and she knows insane!) – my staff and I spend most of our day dealing with this instead of progressing our state now. I know I promised no more “politics as usual,” but this isn’t what anyone had in mind for Alaska.

If I have learned one thing: life is about choices! (Yayyyy!!!!)

And (painful, isn’t it?) one chooses how to react to circumstances. You can choose to engage in things that tear down, or build up. I choose to work very hard on a path for fruitfulness and productivity(until I quit). I choose not to tear down and waste precious time; but to build up this state and our country, and her industrious, generous, patriotic, free people! (Yayyyy!!!!)

Life is too short to compromise time and resources... it may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: "Sit down and shut up"(if only you would), but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out. (which is exactly the way you took – quitter!) And (on and on she goes, like a demented wind-up toy) a problem in our country today is apathy. It would be apathetic to just hunker down and “go with the flow”.

Nah, only dead fish "go with the flow". (Nah? Who writes like this other than unintelligent 8th graders and soon to be ex-governors of Alaska?)

No. (quite the fragmented thinker here)Productive, fulfilled people determine where to put their efforts, choosing to wisely utilize precious time... to build up. (this sentence makes zero sense)

And (she’s addicted to stupidity)there is such a need to build up and fight for our state and our country. I choose to fight for it! (until I quit) And (see what I mean?) I'll work hard (until I quit) for others who still believe in free enterprise and smaller government; strong national security for our country and support for our troops; energy independence; and for those who will protect freedom and equality and life... I'll work for (until I quit) and campaign for those proud to be American, and those who are inspired by our ideals and won't deride them.

I will support others who seek to serve, in or out of office, for the right reasons, and I don't care what party they're in or no party at all (or no party at all – where did she learn how to write?). Inside Alaska – or Outside Alaska. (another incoherent fragment)

But I won’t do it from the Governor’s desk. (no shit, Sherlock)

I've never believed that I, nor anyone else, needs a title to do this - to make a difference... to help people. So I choose, for my State and my family, more "freedom" to progress, all the way around... so that Alaska may progress... I will not seek re-election as Governor. (because obviously with a dolt like you in office, progress is impossible)

And (on and on and on she goes) so as I thought about this announcement that I wouldn’t run for re-election and what it means for Alaska, I thought about how much fun some governors have as lame ducks… travel around the state, to the Lower 48 (maybe), overseas on international trade – as so many politicians do (what the fuck is she prattling on about?). And (more of the same) then I thought – that’s what’s wrong – many just accept that lame duck status, hit the road, draw the paycheck, and “milk it”. I’m not putting Alaska through that – I promised efficiencies (such as quitting mid-term) and effectiveness! (Yayyyy!!!!) That’s not how I am wired (a team of psychologists would have trouble figuring out how you’re wired). I am not wired to operate under the same old “politics as usual.” I promised that four years ago – and I meant it. (Betcha didn’t think that meant I’d quit on ya!)

It’s not what is best for Alaska.

I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is unconventional and not so comfortable.

With this announcement that I am not seeking re-election… I’ve determined it’s best to transfer the authority of governor to Lieutenant Governor Parnell; and I am willing to do so, so that this administration – with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future – can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success.

My choice is to take a stand and effect change (quitting is such a stand) – not hit our heads against the wall and watch valuable state time and money, millions of your dollars, go down the drain in this new environment. Rather, we know we can effect positive change outside government at this moment in time, on another scale, and actually make a difference for our priorities – and so we will, for Alaskans and for Americans. (huh?)

Let me go back to a comfortable analogy for me – sports… basketball. I use it because you’re naïve if you don’t see the national full-court press picking away right now: A good point guard drives through a full court press, protecting the ball, keeping her eye on the basket… and she knows exactly when to pass the ball so that the team can win. And (and and and) I’m doing that – keeping our eye on the ball that represents sound priorities – smaller government, energy independence, national security, freedom! (Yayyyy!!!!) And (make it stop!) I know when it’s time to pass the ball – for victory. (Actually Sarah, you’re not passing the ball – you’re quitting the game. Big difference, dummy)

I have given my reasons candidly and truthfully (actually you haven’t given one single concrete reason)… and my last day won’t be for another few weeks so the transition will be very smooth. In fact, we will look to swear Sean in – in Fairbanks at the conclusion of our Governor’s picnics.

I do not want to disappoint anyone with my decision; all I can ask is that you trust me with this decision – but it’s no more “politics as usual”.

Some Alaskans don’t mind wasting public dollars and state time. I do. I cannot stand here as your Governor and allow millions upon millions of our dollars go to waste just so I can hold the title of Governor (hey dummy, you weren’t elected to hold any fucking title – you were elected to SERVE the people of your state!). And (she’s a dreadful writer) my children won’t allow it either.

Some will question the timing. Let’s just say, this decision has been in the works for awhile… (dot dot dot – I’m expecting a few OMGs in here somewhere)

In fact, this decision comes after much consideration, and finally polling the most important people in my life - my children (where the count was unanimous... well, in response to asking: "Want me to make a positive difference and fight for ALL our children's future from outside the Governor's office?" It was four "yes's" and one "hell yeah!" The "hell yeah" sealed it - and someday I'll talk about the details of that... I think much of it had to do with the kids seeing their baby brother Trig mocked by some pretty mean-spirited adults recently.) Um, (UM!!?? She fucking wrote the word “Um” in a professional statement? Absolutely incredible) by the way, sure wish folks could ever, ever understand that we all could learn so much from someone like Trig - I know he needs me, but I need him even more... what a child can offer to set priorities right – that time is precious... the world needs more "Trigs", not fewer. (who ever said the world needed less Trigs?)

My decision was also fortified during this most recent trip to Kosovo and Landstuhl, to visit our wounded soldiers overseas, those who sacrifice themselves in war for our freedom and security… we can ALL learn from our selfless Troops… they’re bold, they don’t give up (you really learned something about not giving up from them, right?), they take a stand and know that life is short so they choose to not waste time. They choose to be productive and to serve something greater than self... and to build up their families, their states, our country. These Troops and their important missions – those are truly the worthy causes in this world and should be the public priority with time and resources and not this local / superficial wasteful political bloodsport. (war is what is truly important)

May we all learn from them! (Yayyyy!!!!)

*((Gotta put First Things First))* (what the hell is she on?)

First things first: as Governor, I love my job and I love Alaska (so much that I have to quit). It hurts to make this choice but I am doing what’s best for Alaska (I agree with that). I’ve explained why (no, not yet)… though I think of the saying on my parents’ refrigerator (obviously the source of all her philosophical wisdom) that says “Don’t explain: your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe you anyway.”

But I have given my reasons… no more “politics as usual” and I am taking my fight for what’s right – for Alaska – in a new direction (nice spin on quitting).

Now, despite this, I don’t want any Alaskan dissuaded from entering politics after seeing this real “climate change” that began in August… no, we need hardworking, average (you are certainly the epitome of “average”) Americans fighting for what’s right! (Yayyyy!!!!) And (I wish a high school English teacher would slap her for every one of these) I will support you because we need you and you can effect change, and I can too on the outside.

We need those who will respect our Constitution where government’s supposed to serve from the bottom up, not move toward this top down big government take-over… but rather, will be protectors of individual rights - who also have enough common sense to acknowledge when conditions have drastically changed and are willing to call an audible and pass the ball (or quit)when it’s time so the team can win! (Yayyyy!!!!) And (slap!) that is what I’m doing! (Yayyyy!!!!)

Remember Alaska… America is now, more than ever, looking North to the Future. (we are?) It'll be good. So God bless you, and from me and my family - to all Alaska - you have my heart.

And (slap!) we will be in the capable (now there’s change Alaskans can get behind) hands of our Lieutenant Governor, Sean Parnell. And (slap!) Lieutenant General Craig Campbell will assume the role of Lieutenant Governor. And (slap! My God, this is incredible) it is my promise to you that I will always be standing by, ready to assist (by assist, I mean “quit”). We have a good, positive agenda for Alaska.

In the words of General MacArthur said (children write better than this), “We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.” (Onward, Christian Soldier!!)

I Return with Palin!!

2009-07-03T18:30:00.004-04:00

"Yes, I'm whacked out of my fucking gourd!"

Yes, after many months of not making any posts here, I announce my triumphant return to blogging. And to mark this most momentous of occassions, I have my take on the wacky, strange, befuddled Sarah Palin.

The political world is abuzz with talk and conjecture about her announced resignation today. Why is she resigning? Will she run for preznit? Such good questions!

Now I'm no expert, much like the people at Fox News, but I think that what she did today was political suicide. You can't quit your job as GOVERNOR and think that you are somehow strengthening your political career in preparation for a presidential run.

I think that she's going to run off with Mark Sanford of North Carolina and go to Argentina where they will procreate biblically and ethically. There is David Letterman in Argentina to make fun of her, which is good for her. She couldn't take the mocking from the media, although she did like to dish it out as she displayed in making fun of John Kerry and his long face.

Alaska, you come out a winner in all of this. Your whack job soon to be ex governor will no longer embarrass you. Have you learned any lesson in all of this, about who you elect? Man, I hope so!

Nazi Propaganda At the RNC - Olbermann Outraged

2008-09-06T09:33:00.004-04:00

.
Generally I don't like to post about something directly addressed by another blog, but in this case I have to comment. There's a great post over at Crooks and Liars about the disgusting propaganda being put forth by the Republican party. There's a bit of video well worth viewing that features Keith Olbermann expressing his anger and pain over the RNC's exploitation of 9/11/01 - remember that George W. Bush was president at the time.

The video equates 9/11/01 - Bush was president - with the Iran Hostage Crisis from 1979, the Cole bombing, and other terrorist acts against the United States. It shows visceral, bloody images of loved ones looking for their missing family members at Ground Zero, posting bloody flyers. It sends the message that 9/11/01 - Bush was president - was an act of war committed by an enemy nation, clearly implied as Iran. At the end of this propaganda, the mindless masses of semi-literate, barely sentient right wingers are chanting USA...USA...USA...USA, as if this was some sort of fucking sporting event!

This piece of propaganda would have made the Nazis proud, indeed it is so eerily similar to see the wild-eyed stares of the nationalist morons as they chant that this could be mistaken for a Berlin rally. I worry for the future of my country.

Dems React To Palin Speech: "Formidable," "Shrill And Sarcastic" (VIDEO)

2008-09-06T08:43:00.001-04:00

Sarah Palin is nothing more than a Republican wind-up attack doll. She's attractive, young, and has the genitalia du jour between her Alaskan thighs. The words that come out of her mouth are no more impressive or meaningful than the words spoken by the toy dolls when their strings are pulled on their backs.

When she has to debate, live and without a pre-written speech, much will be learned about the intellectual capacity of this woman who went to 6 colleges in four years - none of which regarded her with any distinction or even recollection of her attending. Less than stellar, for sure.

As time goes by we will certainly see much more of the hypocrisy of the GOP revealed through the Palin unwed mother issue, the Trooper-gate issue, and the Bridge To Nowhere. How apt that we have a presidential ticket of McCain and Palin building another bridge to nowhere, metaphorically speaking of course, for the whole nation.
About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Juno From Juneau: A Video Report From The RNC Floor On Palin's Problem

2008-09-03T19:38:00.001-04:00

Do these girls, that have the "promise rings" to keep their promise to remain "pure", consider oral and anal "pure"? Seriously, because we've all heard the stories of how the backdoor is ok, and oral is ok, but vaginal intercourse is VERBOTEN! UNPURE! Man, these Republicans sure are raising some messed up children. And as we all know so well, "Abstinence Only" works SO well...
About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Palin's Daughter Pregnant, Campaign Announces

2008-09-01T13:42:00.002-04:00

Palin's daughter is pregnant maybe for the second time. Let's do the math;

5 months pregnant +

4 month old baby =

9 months

so the math adds up to suggest that Bristol COULD have had the other baby. Not out of the question.

How will this play with the evangelical fundies who espouse abstinence and marriage before babies? A child out of wedlock?! For shame! Surely the poor girl must have accidentally been impregnated while in the presence of some liberal, atheist democrats, like how Alaskan salmon spawn.

About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Gestapolice State America

2008-09-01T09:12:00.002-04:00

So it has come to this: Dozens Detained Ahead of Convention. The article from the NY Times details arrests, illegal searches, and intimidation of innocent people who may or may not have been planning to protest the RNC in St. Paul. This is NOT America anymore people! This is something out of a fascist handbook, a totalitarian police state, a Nazi government.

It has now gotten to the point in George fucking W. Bush's nation that riot police will smash down our doors and search our homes, arrest us, and detain us because they think we might be planning to engage in our Constitutional given right to peacefully protest and freely express our speech. What is this?! When will the book burnings begin? When will the gays, Jews, communists and other "undesirables" be rounded up and shipped out?

Is this the image of the Republican Party, the vision they have for America -

The people that were detained by the Gestapo/police in St. Paul had their computers taken, their homes searched, and they were detained without charge, all for doing what we are all allowed to do, at least in theory. The trampling of our Constitution continues, the erosion of our Bill of Rights continues, and the American people continue to do nothing to stop it. Awareness is key, voting for Obama is key, taking back our country from these fucking neocon fascist bastards that have fucked us and the world for these past eight years is key! Talk to people, let them know what's going on. Turn off the TV and pay attention to political matters - the Rights you save may be your own!

Olympic Stupidity, Greed and Abuse

2008-08-09T13:40:00.007-04:00

I am not and will not be watching the Olympics. Between the forced fake political chuminess that happens every 4 years, and the inevitable political, human, and drug-related scandals that will occur, I just don't find this interesting as a sport event. What is interesting is the incredible shallowness and commercialism on display for all the world to marvel over.

One of the stupidest examples of this is the Beach Volleyball event. Women in teeny tiny bikinis play volleyball in sand. As an Olympic event. Riiiight. Now tell me, could this be a popular sport if the athletes wore shorts and shirts as they do in regular volleyball? Of course not. I think it would be interesting to see if they played in swimwear from a more chaste era -

But then there'd be no ratings, no advertisers, nothing for people to leer over and fantasize about while pretending to really care about the beauty of the game and the competitiveness of those gritty young ladies.

For that matter, why aren't all the women's Olympic events played in skimpy little bikinis? And let's not be sexist here, the men should wear skimpy little bottoms too - wouldn't that be fun to see in the boxing ring and on the basketball court?

See this is what I find so stupid about the modern Olympics; the blatant disregard for the spirit of the Games. Olympic games should be classic contests of athleticism, not merely a showcase for whatever new passing fancy is in vogue. Limit the events to track and field, swimming, gymnastics, boxing, and wrestling. Of course there'd be no one watching, but is this really so bad compared to the situation now?

We have one sport in particular - "Womens" gymnastics - where the athletes are practically forced to stunt their physical development through diuretics, laxatives, eating disorders and intimadation. The top "women" in this sport are 14-16 years old and are washed up by their late teens. Not to mention the dirty little secret of sexual abuse that is well known to happen by some of the coaches of these "women".

So we have an event that features pubescent young "women" flauncing around in tight, revealing costumes, and an event that features real women flauncing around in the sand showing their asses in tight, revealing bikinis. Is any of this really fooling anyone into thinking that people watch this as legitimate sport? Don't be surprised if in the near future we have Olympic events like the Double-ended Dildo Tug-O-War, the Stripper-Pole Vault, and Womens Synchronized Orgasm.

More Police State Terrorism

2008-08-08T11:37:00.004-04:00

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It's bad enough that we have to worry about foreign terrorists, but now we also have to worry about our own police forces smashing their way into the homes of innocent people, arresting them, and killing their dogs for no reason.

The Mayor of Berwyn Heights, Maryland, and his wife had such a thing happen to them. The link is to an article on CNN's website. Imagine coming home and finding a package on your front step addressed to your spouse. You bring it inside, and the next thing you know armored SWAT forces are smashing through your door, shooting your pets to death, and terrorising your family - and you've done nothing illegal. This is the "Free Country" we live in, the one our forefathers went off to fight wars for, to die for, so we could live in peace and freedom. Thanks to our neo-fascist president and his followers, we have lost our freedoms and gained a police state where we can be victimized by our police who are supposed to serve and protect us.

This is going to be more and more common, unfortunately, as we continue to watch our civil liberties erode before our eyes, all in the name of liberty.

Heroic or Suicidal?

2008-08-06T11:10:00.002-04:00

You may have read about the 11 (at least) climbers who died this week on K2 in Pakistan. Whenever a climber dies on one of these mountains, articles invariably refer to him or her as "heroic". Tell me, what's heroic about climbing a 28,000 foot mountain that will kill you if you make one mistake, or if misfortune finds you?

I find it sad and strange that we often find these foolish, egotistical thrillseekers being hailed as heroes for doing something that is in no way heroic. They are knowingly and willingly placing themselves and everyone else on the climb in mortal danger. And for what noble purpose do they risk the lives of so many? Ego. Don't try to make it into something that it's not - it's purely an ego thing. They do it so they can say that they climbed such-and-such.

There's no heroism in doing something that doesn't benefit another human being. It's incredibly selfish behavior, to put others in terrible danger so that you can join a foolish fraternity of narcissists. I feel sad for the families of the dead, to think that they have to suffer without their sons, fathers, husbands, because they put their selfish egotistical desires above the needs of their families.

The mountains will always attract fools - people that think there is some sort of glory to be found in standing at the top of a mountain. When you think about all the other things that are truly heroic, it's an insult to call one of these mountain climbers a hero because they died in a place that humans aren't capable of surviving. Save the label "hero" for people that actually save lives, not for those that throw theirs away.

Next Stop; Nazi America

2008-08-01T15:14:00.005-04:00

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Scary article in the Washington Post about how the government, almost officially calling itself Big Brother, can and is detaining personal electronics such as laptops and cellphones without any probably cause. The auspices of this extremely egregious violation of the 4th Amendment is that at border crossings, sometimes peoples laptops, cellphones, scraps of paper and video tapes have to be taken and examined for an unspecified amount of time in the interests of national security.

I cannot overstate enough that the DHS does NOT need to have any reasonable cause to take your laptop or cellphone or iPod or even scraps of paper you've written on. NONE! And they don't have to tell you when or even if you'll ever get your stuff back. AND they can copy and distribute your data as they see fit.

Does this sound at all like a government that believes in our Constitution and Bill of Rights? I sure as hell don't think so! It sounds more and more like a Nazi government, bent on destroying any civil liberties that don't fall in line with the party line.

This is but one small step away from the Gestapo/DHS showing up at your door in the middle of the night to search your house. Seriously - I'm not at all going for melodrama when I say this. We as a nation have lost our rights, and no one seems to give a fuck. What will it take to make the sheep of this nation realize that we are all at risk of losing everything?

Hooray For France

2008-07-19T10:29:00.003-04:00

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Recently, the case of a Moroccan woman seeking French citizenship has been making news. For details, see this NY Times article. I applaud the French government for their stance, as "politically incorrect" as it may seem to some people.

We have to remember that the state of a nation - France, the U.S., whichever - is just as worthy of preserving as the rights of its citizens. In this case, this woman is NOT a citizen, and has no rights afforded to citizens. If the government deems that she isn't entitled to citizenship, then that is their right, and should be respected.

The crux of the matter is the religious beliefs and expressions of those beliefs by Ms. Silmi. She insists on wearing the full veil, known as a niqab, which covers her entire face except for a slit for her eyes. This is unacceptable to the protectively secular French. Ms. Silmi, and others, insist that they have a right to the private religious expressions and beliefs they choose. However, they seem to not understand that when one walks around in PUBLIC wearing religious garments that are offensive to people who believe in equality of the sexes, one is no longer practicing in private.

I applaud France for the decision, and I only wish that my own country would establish policies more in the interests of secularism and less in religion.

Tattooed Ladies

2008-07-13T22:15:00.008-04:00

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Just a quick little rant here about the sad practice of a beautiful woman disfiguring her skin with stupid, ugly tattoos. I saw this comparison of Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie on some other website, and how they both have these tattoos scrawled across their upper backs. What a shame, really.

There's nothing more unattractive than tattoos, including cigarettes, on a good looking woman. At least you can quit smoking, which immediately makes you 10x more attractive. Tattoos just look cheap, classless, and trashy.

Another tattoo on Megan Fox spells out the name "Brian". I bet she's not with this Brian guy anymore, but she still has that stupid tattoo. At least now you can laser it off somewhat, and have a big scarred area instead. How lovely. It's probably just never a good idea to do anything permanent to your body based on your "undying" love for someone - until you dump them or they dump you, or the alcohol wears off and all you're left with is a killer hangover and a permanent reminder of how stupid you are.

But of course Megan and Angelina are simply expressing their individuality, their uniqueness. Nevermind that millions of other unique individuals have the same stupid tribal patterns, tramp stamps, and ankle butterflies as each other - you're all so fucking unique!! Hooray you, for your willingness to openly express your inner trashiness for all to enjoy.

Where's Karldo?

2008-07-13T09:27:00.004-04:00

Douchebag Supreme, Architect of the Worst Administration In U.S. History, Karl Rove is missing! Reports have placed him in an undisclosed location outside the country. The fact that he's been subpoenaed to testify before Congress doesn't mean shit to the man affectionately known as "Turdblossom". Turdblossom is thumbing his pig-like snout at our judicial system, our Constitution, and at all of us, the citizens of the United States.

Please, if you see him let someone in the State Dept. know where Karldo is - he has an important meeting with some people who'd like to ask him some tough questions, and then hopefully fit him for a stylish orange jumpsuit.

One last thought; this may be the modus operandi for all Bush administration cronies - the Nazi-like exodus to foreign lands to escape justice. Who will be our Bush Hunters, our Mossad, our Wiesenthal?

Jesse Helms, Dead Racist

2008-07-09T16:28:00.005-04:00

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You know, I just read a very good commentary by Roland S. Martin, of CNN.com that takes issue with the glowing praise heaped upon the very dead and very racist Jesse Helms.

We're a funny society; when someone is alive people take all kinds of pot-shots at them and worse. Once that person dies however, they suddenly become a saintly figure. Well you know what? Martin is right on the money. Helms was a racist son-of-a-bitch, and it's about fucking time that he was denounced for it. I applaud Martin's commentary, although I really wish that he had the balls to write this before the bastard died. Better late than never, I guess.

I'm tired of the tolerance for racism in America. Easy for me to say as a middle-class white guy, but really, it's way past the time we allowed assholes like Helms the luxury of voicing their hatred in political office. If someone's a racist and they aren't an elected official, oh well, people have the right to be assholes and ignorant. But we MUST stop voting for people who espouse hatred towards ANY minority, be they race-based, faith-based, gender-based, or sexuality-based. It's bad that there are plenty of fucks like Helms in the world, but it's shameful that we keep electing them.

I've always heard that it's not nice to say bad things about the dead. Too fucking bad - I'm not nice. I'm also not religious or superstitious so I have no fear in saying that I'm glad as hell that another racist prick is dead. If only more of them would see the error of their ways (Special thanks to the good Dr. Zaius for his guidance on the error of my ways).

South Carolina Hates Non-Christians

2008-07-07T15:48:00.007-04:00

South Carolina is proposing to make Christian license plates. They would feature a big cross and the words "I Believe", as in the above example from a proposed Florida plate. In an article at CNN's site, the whole thing is explained in more detail. Never mind that this is a gross violation of the Separation of Church and State. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer apparently has never heard of this obscure, mystifyingly vague concept;

"I think it allows people of faith to profess that they believe in a higher calling, they believe in God," said Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer.

Yes Mr. Bauer, it does allow people to profess their belief in God. So does tattooing "I Believe" on your forehead or putting bumper stickers on your car. The problem here, Mr. Bauer, is that the State has no right to favor or promote one religion over another or over non-religion. There's that pesky little Separation thing again. God Damn those Founding Fathers and their ideas on equality! This is a Christian nation, and only Christians will be given special privileges like "I Believe" license plates!

I made the comment that South Carolina hates non-Christians. Some of you may be saying, "Whoa - that's a bit much there, Angry Dave". Let me then tell you why I feel this is the case.

South Carolina's legislature isn't making a similar plate available for any other faith. So no Jewish license plates, no Muslim license plates, Buddist, Zoroastran, Satanist, Pagan, or Atheist plates. ONLY CHRISTIAN!

As the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State so correctly puts it;

"The state has made believers of non-Christian faiths feel that they are second-class citizens...Under our Constitution, that's impermissible."

Lt. Gov. Bauer has a different viewpoint - he's feeling persecuted that Christians shouldn't be given special privileges. He said that people who oppose these plates are "prejudiced against Christians". Mr. Bauer, I am not prejudiced against Christians, but I am against one group of people forcing their beliefs on everyone else, at the same time as not extending the same privileges that their own little group is enjoying. That's just fucking wrong! I am prejudiced against proselytizing, sanctimonious, Holier-than-Thou assholes who think that they have a monopoly on belief systems.

I am going to be watching this very closely - if this happens as planned, we are all one step closer to the theocracy I fear we are inevitably doomed to become. Thanks, Christians, for your ever so tolerant ways towards we non-Christians. Well done!

God Blechh America

2008-07-06T11:28:00.005-04:00

When did the saying "God Bless America" become such an infestation of phony patriotism? Was it right after 9/11? Or was it's inception more strongly founded in the Cold War era?

I love America - I'm an American born and bred. But I don't love everything my country does, and I don't believe in or understand the notion of "God Bless America". This seemingly pleasant and innocent little saying is really offensive when you start to think about it. It was nearly inescapable over this 4th of July holiday, from the song at baseball games, to firework displays, and on countless bumper stickers.

Do the people that say this, and especially the bumper sticker people, think that God favors America above all nations? This to me would be extremely un-Christian, as I believe the Bible tells you that God loves all his children. I don't recall ever hearing that it was only the American ones. But perhaps I'm wrong, as I am an Atheist and this religious stuff is all a bit nonsensical to me.

Think about it though - when you say "God Bless America" you're really saying "Fuck You, Rest of the World". Why not say something a little more in line with those so-called 'Christian Values' we always hear so much about? Here are some suggestions;

"God Bless Earth" - I'm pretty sure I've actually seen this once or twice.

"God Bless All of Us, Even the Poor, the Gays, the Blacks, the Jews, The Muslims, and Even Those Awful Liberal Democrats" - I know, I'm dreaming.

"God Bless Whoever God Feels Like Blessing" - Enough already with you fucking Christian prima donnas thinking you can decide who is worthy of blessing. Seriously.

So those are a few suggestions that maybe the religious types will try out, just for kicks you know.

Related to this whole "God Bless..." thing is the weird practice of putting American flags on your car - here in America. I could almost see the point of displaying your patriotic pride if you did that when you were not in America, but driving around here with a flag is sort of like signaling to everyone that you're not sure which country you're in at the moment.

We're IN America! I know that, you know that, but apparently the morons with the flags on their cars have forgotten where they are. Do they really need the reminder? Are they thinking that they're MORE patriotic than people who don't drive with a flag on their car? That must be it - some people just need to show everyone else how whatever they are, whether it's patriotic, cool, tough, gay, straight, liberal, conservative, whatever. Weird really when you think about it. It's like putting one of those flags on their cars somehow is going to make them a better person. Maybe God will bless them more than people like me who don't put anything on their cars.

And this seems to be a purely American phenomenon. I've been to other countries and haven't seen nearly the amount of jingoism that is common here. Do other countries have songs equivalent to "God Bless America"? Is there a "God Bless The Netherlands" or "Allah Bless Afghanistan"?

I'd like to think that IF there was a god, he, she, or it wouldn't give a flying rat's ass about one group of people over another based on what speck of dirt they huddle on. I'd like to think that IF there was a god, he, she, or it would like to have a word with the people that think they can speak for this god about what he, she, or it wants or doesn't want. I bet that would be most interesting.

Damned Kids!

2008-07-02T08:48:00.005-04:00

Rant time! People and their kids are driving me nucking futs lately. The other day I was at the dentist and this lady was in the waiting room with her three boys. They were probably between 9 and 11 years old. The three of them were running around, banging on shit, wrestling with each other, throwing a fucking ball around, making tons of noise and general mayhem. Mom just sat there with this bemused stupid expression on her face like she was thinking "oh what darling little angels".

I seriously wanted to go up to her and say "Lady, your fucking kids are acting like animals. Teach them some manners, you stupid cow!" Instead I sat there trying to ignore the whole annoying mess as I read the National Geographic. Chalk one up for civility, I guess.

Now if this was an isolated incident, I wouldn't be ranting like this. But this was the second time in a few days that something like this happened. A couple days earlier Iwas out at my favorite taco place and there were two parents each with a little girl. The girls were screaming and running around, jumping all over the place and acting like they were on the playground. Granted, a taco joint isn't a fancy restaurant, but still, there are people trying to eat and I sure as hell don't need two 5 year olds squealing and stomping about.

What the hell is wrong with parents anyway? Did it suddenly become acceptable to just let your kids behave any way they choose? It seems that manners and consideration for others have been tossed in favor of a "I'll do whatever the fuck I want" attitude. It's this type of entitled attitude that is getting more and more common. People, if you can't expect your offspring to show some sort of civilized behavior in public, then please stay the hell home! You are no more important or special than anyone else, so stop fucking thinking that you are and teach your kids some manners, and learn some yourselves while you're at it.

Of Course It Makes Sense!

2008-06-29T08:45:00.003-04:00

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Thanks to Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars for bringing this to my attention; The Bush administration, in yet another brilliant move based on logic, intelligence, rational thought and concern for the well-being of the American people (and humanity in general) has decided that we must hold off on developing that dangerous, toxic energy source known mysteriously as SOLAR power.

In this inexplicably laconic NY Times article, the decision to put a moratorium on the development of solar farms is described. It's a ridiculously transparent sham by our oil-loving, nay, our oil-whoring government to promote the continued exploitation of fossil fuels at an ever increasing cost to consumers, political relations, and the health of the planet. At the same time, Bushes cronies are saying that we must do a 2-year study on the environmental impact of solar farms, AND open up drilling for oil in protected areas. Is this fucking crazy, or what?

What kind of bullshit is this? Where's the outrage? Come on people, speak the fuck up, do something to let your elected 'leaders' know that this is nothing more than Big Oil protecting its own interests at the expense of our economy, health, and environment.

How The West Was Lost

2008-06-11T21:04:00.003-04:00

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There's an outstanding article at National Geographic's website about the drying up of the American west. One of the more interesting facts about what's going on is that according to millennia worth of data, the 20th century was the wettest one on record, which of course coincides with the incredible population expansion.

Along with this article is a series of stunning photographs, both aesthetically and editorially. Looking at the oasis-like vision of a lush golf course in the middle of a freaking desert is an excellent insight into our culture of excess and destructive gluttony. Do we really need golf courses in the middle of deserts? Do we really need cities where there are more than 30+ days of 110 degree or higher temperatures? These relics of 20th century thinking are not only dangerous to the environment, but ultimately to the people that live there. What will happen to them when the water runs dry, which it inevitably will?

We've seen again and again the sorry condition of our electric infrastructure. Every summer it's the same thing - blackouts and brownouts because of too much demand on an aging, obsolete system. Just the other day here in Rhode Island we had outages when temps hit the high 90's. Imagine what will happen in Phoenix when the system fails.

We as a nation were seduced by the abundance (relative) of water in the west last century which came at exactly the right time for industrialization and population growth, only now to be faced with the very real threat of losing massive areas of our country to drought, fire, and withering heat.

Water is scarce and soon I fear will be the cause for violence. I hope we can figure out a solution to this serious problem peacefully.

Forgotten D-Day

2008-06-08T20:07:00.002-04:00

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No, that's not a stutter in the title. Very little attention has been paid to the 64th anniversary of D-Day, which was on June 6.

I'm not a vet of that war, being in my early 40's, but the historical importance of that day means a lot to me, and should have received more coverage. Sixty-four years is a long time, but not so long that we can't stop for a day from the usual bullshit that passes for news to honor the remaining men who played such a significant role in overthrowing a truly evil regime.

Thank you, guys.

Be Back Soon

2008-06-05T16:58:00.003-04:00

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To all my loyal readers (I know there's at least one), I must apologize for the recent drought of posts. I have been in the middle of moving house, and starting a new job, all roughly at the same time. My life has been to say the least, chaotic, for these last couple weeks.

Hopefully things will return to a semblance of normalcy very soon. I'll do my best to get some new things posted here, so until then,

DaveTheAngryRhodeIslander

What's Wrong With Hillary?

2008-05-24T08:34:00.005-04:00

I've been trying to give Hillary the benefit of the doubt about some of her comments, her choice in advisers, and her politics in general, but every time she says something it makes me wonder if she's really playing with a full deck.

The other day she was blaming her problems in the campaign on sexism. This seems to me an act of desperation - Hillary, you are a senator from New York, one of the most influential states in the nation. Did you get elected to that position despite sexism? I think it's insulting that she's chosen to turn herself - and by extension all women who are in important positions in politics and business - into a victim. Playing the "Sexism" card is the same as if Obama were to play the "Racism" card. Now does anyone think that it's easier for a black to get elected than a white woman? I sure as hell don't.

Of course, there have been some morons out in the media who've made sexist remarks about Clinton, but they are not the ones setting the tone of the entire campaign landscape. Rather, they are simply a few idiots who are voicing opinions that most intelligent, thinking people don't give consideration. The morons don't matter because there are at least as many who won't vote for Barack because he's a "nigger" - please note that I'm not calling Obama this, just using the word for effect to show how many people unfortunately will think of him.

Now the latest dumb move off Clinton's is bringing the assassination of RFK into this as some sort of justification for her to continue her campaign despite all the signs. It's appalling that she'd even think this, let alone say it publicly. In essence, she said that she's going to stay in the race to the bitter end because just like RFK was assassinated in June of his campaign, Obama might be too.

WTF??? Hillary, that's just twisted thinking.

Feet and Loathing

2008-05-20T17:56:00.003-04:00

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Rant time! Now that summer is almost here, one of my biggest issues with people is starting again - disgusting, dirty, ugly feet on display all summer long.

I HATE seeing peoples feet. Especially given the fact that most people are less than appealing physically, and that when wearing flip-flops or sandals, or going barefoot, their feet are dirty. Not to mention the fact that many times people have some sort of gross foot disorder like nail fungus or that dry flaky skin on the edges of the heels, or corns or bunions or whatever else.

Feet should be ensconced in socks and shoes or sneakers. The ONLY feet that aren't disgusting to look at belong to little babies, and foot models. Everyone else, please keep those ugly feet to yourselves. Yuck!

End Times A'comin'

2008-05-12T20:31:00.003-04:00

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Earthquakes in China. Cyclones in Myanmar. Bushes in the White House. This really may be the End Times. If so, I better find me some religion quick. But which one?

If I go just by numbers, Christians are the most popular clique on the planet. Muslims are closing, followed closely by those tenacious Hindus. My group, the god damned Atheists, is at the back of the pack, although we are pounding the shit out of those zany Zoroastrians.

Looking at this chart, makes me wonder where some of the other religions of the world have gone. This list courtesy of Wikipedia shows dozens of them. It's interesting that most of them are called "mythology" as they are really old, and not followed by lots of sheep...I mean people. How many years will it take before Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are considered myth? Who knows, maybe some pygmy tribe deep in the jungles of New Guinea really has the one true religion. Or maybe it was the Norsemen and their gods, or the Egyptians and their pantheon. Damn, maybe I can hedge my bets and sign up with ALL of them, just to cover my ass when the Day of Reckoning puts the hurt on all we sinners.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

2008-05-06T19:16:00.004-04:00

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Some horse needs to be euthanized at a race and all these people get upset - the animal lovers who are saddened by the death of a livestock animal, and the animal lovers who are upset that animals are raced or eaten or used for work. It's a horse. It's basically no different than a cow or a pig except it's "cuter" and can run like a son-of-a-bitch.

I like cows and pigs, and chickens too. I've never been saddened by the thought that we kill these animals to eat them, any more than I'd be saddened by the thought that a bear kills fish, a tiger kills a gazelle, or a hawk kills a mouse.

If we all want to get upset about a horse, that's fine. It's just as wrong as racing greyhounds, but because it's a billion dollar industry for the ultra rich rather than the white-trash milieu of dog-racing, people don't scrutinize horse racing. So either stop horse racing altogether, along with dog racing and bull fighting and big-game hunting, or do it and realize that basically people don't give a fuck about animals if they can make shitloads of money on them.

Cars, Gas, and Oil and Obscene Profits

2008-05-02T09:24:00.006-04:00

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Lots of stuff in the news of course about the insane price of a gallon of gas. Just the other day, there was a report about BP's "obscene" profit, up 48% and Shell's 12% profit.

It's good to see that some people are not suffering with the skyrocketing price of gas. It's good to know that our money spent on gas is lining the pockets of the already wealthy and making them 48% more wealthy. Now I have nothing against capitalism, but when big business is getting incredibly rich while the customers they profit from are being bled dry, there's a problem.

If BP were to make say a 10% profit and we could buy a gallon of gas for $2.00, wouldn't everyone be happy? They make billions, we buy gas at an affordable price. Everyone wins. Dream on...

This of course is all part of the larger issue of cars and gas mileage. When you think that we're using a 19th century technology to power 21st century vehicles, you start to see the scope of the problem. In the 125 years or so since Karl Benz (you know, of Mercedes Benz - that guy) made the first gas powered vehicle, we haven't advanced the technology very far.

Sure the car of the 21st century looks a lot different and has a few more creature comforts, but the engine is basically not that advanced from 19th century engineering principles.

You'd think that in the last 50, 40, or even 20 years, we'd be able to increase mileage by orders of magnitude. Our cars today get about the same mileage as the cars our parents drove in the 1960's. Somethings wrong with that. That "something" is the oil industry.

We've all heard stories about the 100mpg carburetor that was quashed by Detroit automakers. It's the oil industry that's held technology for cars back 100 years because 20mpg cars are great for them. If engine technology had advanced like many other things, such as medicine, and electronics, we'd be getting 200mpg. That would be great for the consumer, but terrible for BP, Shell, and Exxon.

So next time you're filling up the tank at $3.70 a gallon, ask yourself again why we're using 19th century tech in the 21st century.

Nude Nude Nude!

2008-04-26T09:44:00.002-04:00

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Hey, I bet that got your attention. There's a story on the NY Times site about the surging popularity of nude vacationing. I think it's interesting, and I certainly have nothing against nudity, as I find it the best way to shower and have sex. But when I vacation, I want to see my fellow vacationers WITH clothes on.

I guess I just don't get the point of the vacations sans clothes. When you're in a tropical paradise, is there really that much difference that leaving the swim trunks on makes? Maybe you're proud of your package, but really, I don't want to see your junk flopping around like a slinky going down stairs. So what's the appeal? It's not that these frolicking nudists are all toned 20-somethings, so it's probably not a sexual thing.

I don't know about you, but I think keeping a layer of clothing between someones sweaty, hygienically variable ass cheeks and genitals is a good thing. Someone enlighten me on this, please.

Is Syria the New Iraq?

2008-04-24T17:27:00.002-04:00

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In the news today, is information that Syria was trying to build a nuclear power plant NOT for peaceful purposes. So now is this the WMD wild-goose chase? It will be interesting to see just how big this becomes as we get closer to the elections. Maybe the Syrian Nook-yoo-ler plant is where Osama Bin Laden has been hanging out. Time for the bogey man to make an appearance.

Nazi Pope Reminisces

2008-04-20T10:53:00.005-04:00

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Pope Rat talked about the Nazi regime he was a part of to a crowd of adoring cultists...I mean followers, in New York. This quote is very interesting -

"My own years as a teenager were marred by a sinister regime that thought it had all the answers," he told the crowd at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers.
"Its influence grew, infiltrating schools and civic bodies as well as politics and even religion before it was fully recognized for the monster it was," the pope said.

If you forget about the "even religion" part for a moment, you can easily see strong parallels between what he was referring to and Christianity. Both think they had all the answers. Both were/are infiltrating schools and civic bodies, and both have the same types of trappings that cause thousands of people to shout in adoration at giant rallies. I can almost imagine Pope Rat standing before the chanting crowds as he extends his arm in a stiff Sieg Heil!

It's well known that the Nazis took a lot of their ceremony from religion. How appropriate now that religion has it's own Fuhrer - a former member of the Nazi party. The brainwashing techniques and blind faith are very much the same.

War Puppets of the Pentagon

2008-04-20T09:30:00.002-04:00

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The New York Times had this great, lengthy investigative piece on the complicity of many retired officers with promoting the pro-war propaganda for the Bush regime. The Times had to sue the Pentagon to get 8,000 pages of documents detailing the various techniques and strategies used by the war puppets of then Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld.

Part of the info available is a well presented multimedia bit that blends audio and video clips with pertinent documents as it shows precisely how Rumsfeld and the Pentagon used these officers as "message force multipliers". It's disheartening to see how ideas discussed in strategy sessions at the Pentagon then become the talking points for these disgraceful military men on national news outlets.

These men took an oath to protect their nation, yet they allowed themselves to be used as puppets to spread misinformation and propaganda to the American people. I strongly urge you to read this excellent expose.

Angry Dave's Music

2008-04-19T12:46:00.003-04:00

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This is an experiment for me. I want to see if posting some of my favorite tunes is worthwhile. I'll see how people like this and decide. So enjoy, and hopefully I can turn you on to some cool stuff you've never heard before.

My first choice is by one of my favorite, largely unknown in the states bands. Play it loud!

Nazi Pope Pissed At America!

2008-04-18T13:39:00.008-04:00

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Pope Rat is warning the U.S. about the dangers of secularism. You go Pope, you go! It's the fucking secularists that are the problem with the world after all, not the religious zealots, fanatics and fundamentalists killing in the name of their gods, raping children, and suppressing truth and knowledge. Right on!

In the speech he gave at the White House, he said -

“Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted,”

Must be resisted? Why? What objection does he have about treating religion as a private matter, especially in a country founded on the principle of SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE?

Ohhhh, right...that separation thing is being done away with now that the Fundies run the country. Just do us secularists a favor and give us a ten second head start when you come to burn us at the stake, ok?

Plane Crash Survivors Spared By God

2008-04-16T17:13:00.005-04:00

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The Mosier family, from Minnesota, survived a plane crash in The Democratic Republic of Congo that killed at least 36 people. One of the comments they made afterwards was that "He still has work for us to do", which is heartening for them, but what about all those burnt dead people?

I guess God was done with them - didn't need them any more. And rather than let them die peacefully of old age in their sleep, He decided that it would be best to slam a fucking burning plane into them, chopping their bodies into bits, burning them to death, and thrilling them with the agony and terror of catastrophe. Yay God! Way to go.

It's reasurring to know that God is a loving god, and that we are all His children. Imagine how shitty life would be if He didn't love us?

Look, I'm glad those delusional missionaries are alive, really. But stop with the "God wants us for some purpose" shit. It's fucking demeaning as hell to all those poor bastards that died so horribly. You missionaries aren't any more worthy of life than they were - you were just lucky. Show some humility for crying out loud!

The Decline of the Airline

2008-04-16T16:17:00.007-04:00

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We're seeing the death of an industry. Gone are the Golden Years of air travel when smartly dressed attractive women and men catered to our every needs as we jetted across the globe.

*thanks to British Airways for the groovy photo

These days, our air travel experience is more likely to resemble a scene from the movies of an angry mob -

A good article about this is here, which talks about how as consumers we have no rights. We are treated as nuisances and as cattle - which given the hefty size of most Americans these days I can understand - but I digress. The direction we're headed as a nation is symptomatic of what's going on with the airline industry. We're slowly becoming a Third-World Nation, with all the wonderful benefits that go with such status.

Unreliable, unsafe, unregulated, unclean airlines is but one symptom. It's amazing how quickly this decline has happened. The fact that customers are so poorly treated is arrogant and inexcusable. Unfortunately, it will probably get a whole lot worse before anything changes.

I have decided that there will be no flights in my near future. I will miss not being able to travel to foreign countries and enjoy the culture, food, and customs offered there, but I will not subject myself to dehumanizing conditions and treatment that I have to pay so much for the "privilege" of flying. Fuck it, Canada is as good as Europe and for me it's only a 5 hour drive to Montreal. Bienvenue!

A True Hero

2008-04-14T16:53:00.004-04:00

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It's not often that something happens that makes me hopeful about people, but this story of a 17-year old saving the life of a 5-year old (link to CNN video) who was being mauled by a pit-bull and another dog is one of those good signs.

Heroic Teen Saves Boy From Dog Attack
A local teenager is being hailed a hero, after saving his 5-year-old neighbor from two attacking dogs.

The News On 6's Jeffrey Smith reports 5-year-old Zach Miller got home from the hospital early Sunday morning. He has about 100 stitches and he'll need plastic surgery on his head and his ear. But it could have been much worse had it not been for the efforts of a 17-year-old neighbor.

They barely knew each other before, now they won't forget each other.

Cody Phillips and little Zach Miller are neighbors joined together by a pit bull attack Saturday afternoon.

"Both the dogs had the little boy. One on each end and they had him up in the air just tearing him apart. And I started screaming," said Cody's mother, Shannon Ash.

Zach was outside playing when he was pulled through a fence by a pit bull and a sharpei.

"I heard a blood-curdling scream. And I went running next door. It was bad. There was blood everywhere," said Ash.

He was dragged more than 20 yards. Then 17-year-old Cody came running out.

"When I was running towards him, I wasn't scared of the dogs at all. I just didn't have time to think about it," said Cody Phillips.

He saw Zach and jumped the fence

"I just had to get him away from the dogs. So I just picked him up," said Phillips.

"He's more than a hero. Cause you hear about dog attacks all the time, and nobody gets involved with it," said Zach's father, Robert Miller.

Zach was taken to the hospital with extensive injuries to his head and legs.

"He was telling us that he didn't want to go to the doctor. And that he wanted his mommy," said Phillips.

"He was a hero by putting his life at risk and saving my son. Because without him and his quick reaction my son would not be here today. And that boy deserves all the glory in the world. He's a hero," said Zach's mother, Dana Miller.

Cody admits he's had a tough time with it

"I wasn't able to sleep last night. I was having some bad dreams," said Phillips.

But with Zach back at home, he says he'll be able to sleep peacefully tonight.

Zach's will celebrate his birthday this Tuesday. He was going to have a party, but now that'll have to be rescheduled.

Cody wasn't invited, but now Zach's parents say the first thing they'll be doing is making an extra invitation.

The teen is a very brave young man, who should get some sort of recognition from his governor. We hear all too often about the awful things people do, and many times these are teens. This is a story of courage and selflessness that we can all feel good about. Cody's family should be very proud of him.

Now I'd like to say a little about pit-bulls. These dogs are dangerous - period. I'm sick and tired of hearing owners of them say how we all have it wrong. We don't! Pit-bulls are killers, and should be sterilized into extinction. No one should ever get attacked by one of those vicious monsters. Do not breed, buy, or tolerate them in your neighborhood - it is only a matter of time till a pit-bull, any pit-bull, attacks and injures someone.

Nazi Pope Protects Pedophiles

2008-04-13T09:49:00.003-04:00

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This is not anything new, but the topic was one I was reading about this morning and I wanted to comment on it. Jolly ol' Pope Ratzinger was a Cardinal back in 2001 when he sent a letter to every Catholic Bishop basically telling them to keep the fact that priests were raping little boys a secret. This is an article that discusses this in detail - Confidential letter reveals Ratzinger ordered bishops to keep allegations secret

I'm posting this because of the latest news involving the polygamists deep in the heart of Texas, and the feigned indignation of so many about their disgusting practices with children. If this nation was truly as moral as so many of us pretend to be, we'd oust these types of organizations so that not one more child is the victim of predatory adults. Of course, since it's all under the banner of RELIGION, we won't do a fucking thing. We're so scared of pissing of the religious here that we'll allow all sorts of evil to happen, knowingly. Only when something reaches unbelievable proportions do we react. Meanwhile victim after victim is abused in the name of god.

Pope Rat allows this, our state and federal governments allow this, and the majority of mindless sheep we call our neighbors, family, and friends allow this.

Dick Cheney's Evil Grin

2008-04-09T21:49:00.006-04:00

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I worked up this little image of Dick Cheney smiling about something. Now what the hell could make this evil bastard actually smile? Thanks to Crooks & Liars for the source photo. Click for a much bigger image - I hope you like my amazing, mega super wicked pissa Photoshop skills.

Stop the Leetspeak!

2008-04-08T18:06:00.003-04:00

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One thing (among thousands) that has been driving me nuts for a while is leetspeak. One of my favorite blogs - Crooks & Liars - use this crap on occasion. Nothing smacks more of juvenile stupidity than reading an otherwise salient post and coming across a "teh" thrown in for effect. It's pretentious, annoying, immature, and just stupid.

I think there should be an unwritten rule, that if you're older than say, 15, you should never use

teh
pr0n
haxor
suxor
lulz
lol
pwn

or any other of the myriad internet slang words. They make the user sound like a frigging moron.

UC-Berkeley's War Criminal Professor Yoo

2008-04-07T11:10:00.006-04:00

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John Yoo, the White House lawyer whose infamous memo condones torture, is a professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley.

Why not send him an email which is listed on his UC webpage? Why not send UC Berkeley one as well, asking them why they have a war criminal as part of their faculty. I did, asking them if they think it's right to have someone with views such as Yoo's warping the minds of students.

Ask them if the University of California, Berkeley also condones torture, and if they think that any of the other protections and civil liberties covered by the Geneva Conventions don't apply to the United States. Contact the President of the University of California, Robert Dynes. There's an email form as well as snail mail address.
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Can We Have Your Gun Now, Mr. Heston?

2008-04-06T10:21:00.003-04:00

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Charlton Heston is dead.

He may have been "only" an actor, but he had a large effect on the American popular psyche. While I disagree strongly with his stance on guns, he was a supporter of civil rights and of Martin Luther King Jr.

I liked him in "Planet of the Apes"

And in "The Omega Man"

So now that movie has reached the credits, and the lights in the theater are coming up, I will remember him as the guy who made some cool movies and stood for equal rights and not as the guy the NRA used to promote their gun agenda.

Cult of Polygamy

2008-04-05T07:55:00.003-04:00

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In the news this morning is a heartwarming story of a ~~religion~~ cult and its followers in that wacky little ol’ state of Texas. By now, if you've read some of my posts, you know my feelings on religion. My usual feeling about religion is that it's a pretty bad institution, no matter the flavor. But this one is up there with the worst.

52 children were removed by protective services from the west Texas ranch of Warren Jeffs. These girls were being used for sex by grown men, with the knowledge and consent of the grown women in this cult/religion/sect. A 16-year old girl and her 8-month old daughter were among the group taken away.

The leader of the group known as Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Jeffs, who is as you may know, in jail for crimes committed in Utah that include accomplice to rape. Arizona is looking to try him for incest and eight charges of sex with a minor. This guy is a serial abuser, rapist, and child molester. Oh, and he's the spiritual leader, the prophet, of a 10,000 member church!

That's a whole lot of really fucked up people; people here, in America, who say they believe in god and Jesus and the bible and all that crazy horseshit that goes with it like raping teenage girls and marrying girls at 13 and incest and child abuse. Another fine moment for religion.

I really can't understand why this is. We live in the 21st century, not the fucking Dark Ages! Yet, there are millions of people in this country alone who haven't moved beyond the same superstitions, fears, and abuses their religions have been using to keep them under control for centuries. Millions of you out there believe without question that soon, god will wave his godly whatever and send all the sinners to hell and take the good ones up to heaven. That whole Rapture business, you know. It's crazy, but you believe it. So if you're one of them, and you're passing judgment on Warren Jeffs and his polygamist cultists, look at yourself and ask what the fucking difference really is. You're two sides of the same awful coin.

Fly The Deadly Skies

2008-04-03T10:58:00.004-04:00

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In a revelation that should shock no one, we find that Southwest Airlines has been putting profits ahead of passenger and employee safety. Reacting to this damning news, Southwest CEO and Vice Chairman Gary Kelly released a letter on Southwest's website that tries to allay the concerns raised. It reads in part;

Putting Your Trust in Southwest Airlines

Many of you know that Southwest Airlines has received a lot of media attention recently regarding the safety and inspections of our aircraft. I acknowledge that recent events may have caused some of you to doubt the trust you place in us, and for that I am very sorry.

When you step on one of our airplanes, it is a matter of trust that you will arrive safely at your destination, and we consider that trust to be sacred. Let me assure you, that no company is more passionate about the safety of our Customers and Employees than we are. While this space precludes a lot of detail, I want to take a few moments to highlight our Safety Culture and what we are doing to make a safe airline, even safer.

Since our inception, Southwest Airlines has safely transported the population of the United States—every man, woman, and child—four and a half times over without a single injury related to a maintenance malfunction. This is a fact. We have been a safe Company, and I believe we are safer today than we've ever been.

But we can’t rest on our laurels. Safety has to be our top priority, and it is our top priority...
Gary Kelly
CEO and Vice Chairman
Southwest Airlines

That's quite an outrageous fucking LIE, now isn't it? They were deliberately trying to keep FAA inspectors from doing their jobs, because Southwest KNEW they were flying unsafely. They KNEW it, and now this douchebag, Gary Kelly, is lying to all of us about how important our safety is. I bet this would never have been worth 2 seconds of his time were it not for the two whistleblowers from the FAA.

The men who exposed this, Bobby Boutris and Douglas Peters, brought the safety violations to the attention of their bosses at the FAA. The FAA of course did NOTHING! So not only do we have at least one airline - which happens to be the biggest carrier of passengers in the country - not giving a shit about our lives, but the agency we tax-payers pay to protect us from shit like this, also isn't doing their jobs. This is some way to run a country, ain't it?

If there's anything I can suggest to do about this, it's write and call Southwest, and the FAA. Tell them you won't be flying on Southwest, and why. I have been reluctant to fly for years now, and with this latest bit of news, I may decide to never fly again. It's just not worth the hassles and the risk anymore.

Southwest -

Customer Relations 214-792-4223 Mon - Fri, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm CT

Public Relations/Media Relations 214-792-4847

Southwest Airlines
P.O. Box 36647 - 1CR
Dallas, Texas 75235-1647

FAA -

www.faa.gov

FAA Headquarters
Federal Aviation Administration
800 Independence Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20591

Aviation Consumer Protection

Call Aviation Consumer Protection at (202) 366-2220

Great Wall of Racism

2008-04-02T15:23:00.004-04:00

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I was listening to NPR today about the Border Fence that's being rushed into existence. Our Homeland Security believes that in order to protect the nation from the scourge of TERRORISM and drugs and illegal immigrants, we need a giant wall built across our border with Mexico.

I made this map to show you basically what the North American continent looks like to those fucking idiots, Bush, Chertoff, Duncan Hunter, et al -

I don't recall that the people responsible for the terrorist attacks on 9/11 came through Mexico. Yet, that fear of terrorism is cited as one of the main reasons we need this barrier. One of the other reasons is all the marijuana and cocaine coming across the border. And the last, yet truest fear our government has, is the illegal immigrants - by which they mean "Filthy Brown Heathens". If illegal immigration and terrorism were true border concerns, why then aren't we building a wall on our border with Canada?

Does Homeland Security think that terrorists will only come to the U.S. after a nice sunny vacation in Mexico? Do they think that drugs and illegal immigrants can't find other points of entry into the U.S.?

Look at the map! Are we going to build walls around all our shorelines? Can't drug smugglers figure out that they could use a boat? Couldn't immigrants do the same? Of course, but the real issue hear is RACISM. If Mexico were populated by white people of European descent, there'd be no talk of fences. This is purely directed against the Mexican people because of their color.

If we're going to build a fence to protect our borders, as DHS keeps harping, then make it ALL our borders, Canada and Mexico. And mine the waters, and set up barriers to all our harbors and post sentries at the mouths of all our rivers.

We don't need a wall to protect us. We need sensible policies regarding immigration and security. Walls on one border and not another is such a blatant, overt form of racism that there can be no other way to define such a thing. Shame on us if we let this happen. It will be yet another signal to the rest of the world that Americans are arrogant, uncaring, and racist. It's really about time we started to show otherwise.

America, Land of the Stupid, Home of the Insane

2008-03-27T20:39:00.005-04:00

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In a new and frightening example of just how completely FUCKED UP our government truly is, we have this report from the NY Times, detailing a $300 million arms contract to an unqualified 22-year old.

One sign you might be dealing with incompetent or corrupt arms dealers is when they're younger than the ammo they're selling you. The ammo sold to the Pentagon, and sent to Afghanistan for use by American front line soldiers was over 40 YEARS old!

This is the 22-year old president of the company selling 40 year old (useless, dangerous to the user) ammo -

And this is the vastly older and more qualified 25-year old licensed masseur who is the vice president -

Great job, Pentagon! Buy weapons and ammo from a fucking kid and his masseuse pal. Yeah, that's the way to run a military.

There's also the issue of a $300 million dollar contract being handed out with the same apparent nonchalance as when I toss Snickers Bars and Reese's Cups into the bags of trick-or-treaters on friggin' Halloween.

We deserve the impending end of our civilization, as we're obviously too stupid and too corrupt to carry on any further.

You Damn Dirty Ape!

2008-03-27T17:22:00.005-04:00

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Ok, thanks to the evil orange orangutan Dr. Zaius, I have now been burdened like a mute human underling to provide my Middle Name Meme. Bastard!

Here are the rules;

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name).
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person (or blogger of another species) for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.)

I submit the following:

B is for Belligerent, which I can be.
A is for Astounding, as in my charm.
N is for Neurotic, which I am only when I'm not paranoid.
D is for Delirium, for our president, who is in a state of.
E is for Energy, which I get from coffee.
R is for Rhode Island, small state - big corruption.
S is for Sex, as in say "no" to abstinence.
N is for Nihilist, behold our republican party members.
A is for Alcohol, which I could use some right now.
T is for Talented, which I may be a little.
C is for Charm, which is astounding, remember?
H is for Humble, as in I'm ever so.

So now I have to pass this plague on to some other poor sucker. I bequeath this mess unto;

Swinebread
Grumpylion
BobbyV

Lucky you!

Religion Kills Children

2008-03-26T21:50:00.005-04:00

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This is a tragic story of the needless suffering and death of an 11-year old girl. The stupid, heartless, mindless parents of Madeline Neumann decided that prayer would be better than medical help for a common ailment. I guess their kind and loving God didn't think too highly of them or their poor daughter -

WESTON, Wis. — An 11-year-old girl died after her parents prayed for healing rather than seek medical help for a treatable form of diabetes, police said Tuesday.

Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said Madeline Neumann died Sunday.

"She got sicker and sicker until she was dead," he said.

Vergin said an autopsy determined the girl died from diabetic ketoacidosis, an ailment that left her with too little insulin in her body, and she had probably been ill for about 30 days, suffering symptoms like nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness.

The girl's parents, Dale and Leilani Neumann, attributed the death to "apparently they didn't have enough faith," the police chief said.

They believed the key to healing "was it was better to keep praying. Call more people to help pray," he said.

The mother believes the girl could still be resurrected, the police chief said.

Telephone messages left at the Neumann home by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.

The family does not attend an organized church or participate in an organized religion, Vergin said. "They have a little Bible study of a few people."

The parents told investigators their daughter last saw a doctor when she was 3 to get some shots, Vergin said. The girl had attended public school during the first semester but didn't return for the second semester.

Officers went to the home after one of the girl's relatives in California called police to check on her, Vergin said. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The relative was fearful the girl was "extremely ill, dire," Vergin said.

The girl has three siblings, ranging in age from 13 to 16, the police chief said.

"They are still in the home," he said. "There is no reason to remove them. There is no abuse or signs of abuse that we can see."

The girl's death remains under investigation and the findings will be forwarded to the district attorney to review for possible charges, the chief said.

The family operates a coffee shop in Weston, which is a suburb of Wausau, Vergin said.

The parents should be charged with manslaughter or murder or child abuse or SOMETHING! Did you see the part about the mother (stupid child-abusing twat) saying that the girl could still be resurrected? Their daughter DIED because they thought that prayer would heal her. This is one of the many reasons why I absolutely feel that religion is for fucking morons.

Even if there is a God, surely medicine and medical science would be a part of this supreme being's universe and that He/She/It would want its beloved children to make use of His/Her/Its gift of medicine. Would a kind and loving God allow an innocent child to die because her parents were so fucked in the head with religion?

The Nuemanns are monstrous - imagine watching your child suffer and die, while you did nothing! I hate people like them. Look at what your God has done, despite your useless prayers. Stupid, stupid, stupid people! To let a child suffer like that for weeks because of religion should be a crime. They are child-killers, plain and simple, and religion is an accomplice. Shame on them all.

Shit like this happens all over the world, every day. Girls in some countries have their clitoris' circumcised because of religion. Women in some countries are stoned to death because of religion. Children are hacked to pieces with machetes because of religion. Homosexuals are hanged because of religion. Countries are invaded and occupied because of religion. It goes on and on and on. Religion is the greatest threat to humanity, and that's the fucking truth!

Update! New Photo From Tuzla

2008-03-25T21:08:00.005-04:00

This startling new photo shows conclusively that not only was it safe and secure in Tuzla when Hillary was there in 1996 with her daughter, but that Hillary is actually an undead vampire seeking the blood of Bosnian virgins. Oh the humanity...

(Thanks to Dr. Zaius for the inspiration)

Millions of Lies...oops - Words a Day!!

2008-03-25T10:39:00.004-04:00

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Hillary "Miss Poke" Clinton is now backing away from her claims of being shot at by snipers on the harrowing, death-defying trip to Bosnia back in 1996.
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As seen in this dramatic photo, Hillary is shielding an innocent 8-year old Bosnia Freedom Fighter from the hail of deadly sniper fire. Her brave daughter Chelsea defends freedom with her body as well as the other, smiling brave men surrounding the terrified little girl. Truly a desperate and horrifying moment in the life of Mrs. Clinton.

In the article Clinton is quoted saying;

"I say a lot of things -- millions of words a day -- so if I misspoke, that was just a misstatement," she said.

She is a remarkable woman if that's true, for to say millions of words a day must be quite tiring. That would mean that she speaks constantly, without stopping for even a moment from the instant she wakes to the instant her lying head hits the pillow. Hell, she probably has to speak constantly while sleeping in order to say MILLIONS OF WORDS A DAY!

What's funny about her comment, beyond it's basic stupidity, is that she's saying that BECAUSE she speaks so much, some (if not most) of what rushes out of her mouth is not true. In other words, it's only natural that when one speaks as much as she, some of what is said must not be truth. How can that be a defense?

Hillary, millions of words? Surely that's another lie? Oh, right - misstatement. Hey Hillary, how about a little truth: you're a fucking LIAR!

All politicians lie, it's par for the course. But when you get caught in such an egregious, blatant, videotape to the contrary lie, STOP LYING. Say you're sorry that you made those erroneous comments.

I don't have the greatest memory, I admit. But I'd sure as hell remember if I was ever being shot at by fucking snipers! Or maybe not...maybe it's hard to keep reality sorted from delirious fantasy. Maybe Mrs. Hillary Miss Poke Liar Clinton really believes she and her 16-year old daughter were being shot at. Like the time I was attacked by six ninjas on top of the Eiffel Tower while being shot at by snipers who were circling in flaming hang gliders as bombs blew up and missiles rained down upon me. Yeah, I think I just misspoke there. Never mind, but remember that my experience qualifies me for any 3:00 AM phone calls involving ninjas and hang gliding snipers. Really.

Hillary's Sniper-Fire Fantasy

2008-03-23T12:44:00.004-04:00

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I am not a fan of Hillary Clinton. I haven't been for a long time, even though I voted for Bill twice. I don't like her because she's basically full of shit. The woman lies, and lies about everything. This is a great post at Daily Kos about her lies regarding sniper fire on a trip to Bosnia.

In recent days, the woman has tried to tell the world that she is experienced in foreign policy and affairs, and that on one occasion, she was in grave personal danger as she flew into Tuzla, Bosnia in 1996. According to Mrs. Clinton, her plane had to perform evasive maneuvers as it was under sniper fire, and that they had to run from the plane to the safety of cars.

Of course, there's video which shows us that she's lying -

It's amazing how audacious she is with her bullshit. We see her standing calmly chatting with a little 8 year old girl. We see Chelsea standing placidly besides Mother Dearest. What we don't see is anyone running for cover, any Secret Service agents hustling the First Lady into safety, or anything remotely like what Hillary lies about.

Would a mother bring her teenage daughter into a dangerous war zone for a publicity stunt? Of course not! So by the very fact that Chelsea was with her on this trip shows how absolutely secure they were in the safety of the trip.

This begs the question; why lie? Perhaps her lying is patholigical, which I think it is. Christopher Hitchen wrote an excellent little book about the lies of the Clintons, both Bill and Hillary.

When I read it, I was astounded at how ingrained lying is in their psyches. I know many liberals are not particularly fond of Hitchens, but I thought the book was well researched, and quite eye-opening.

When confronted by a direct question regarding the alleged sniper-fire, she still continues to lie about it. I'd love to see someone sit with her and watch the video from that day together, then ask her about the sniper-fire. Would Hillary's head begin to smoke and spark as her mind tries to concoct lies in the face of reality? It would be most interesting to watch. I really do find her to be a vile, reprehensible person.

Whoops - That's No Bird!

2008-03-23T10:54:00.005-04:00

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In the Stupid People category is this bit of brilliance, again pointing out the incredible joy hunting brings to a father and his 6 year old son. Oh, and the joy brought to the family of the dead guy.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- A camouflaged hunter sitting in a tree was accidentally shot and killed Friday by another hunter trying to shoot a turkey, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.Investigators said Michael Shane Hasting, 40, was hunting with his 6-year-old son at the River Ranch Acres Hunt Club Friday and spotted a turkey.Hasting fired at the turkey and moved forward to see if he hit the bird. He then discovered that he accidentally shot Randall Williamson of Pompano Beach.

Williamson was in the wooded area sitting in what is known as a squatter's chair and wearing camouflage clothing and mesh over his face, according to a Polk County sheriff's news release. He was also holding a camouflage shotgun.Detectives are treating the incident as an accidental shooting and no charges will be filed, according to officials.

I'm sure that hunting is a great and treasured past-time for many people. It brings us back to our roots, when we didn't have modern conveniences like supermarkets, refrigeration, cars, and the ability to differentiate between turkeys and humans. Granted, the dead guy was camouflaged, but still, I've seen plenty of wild turkeys and not a one of them was wearing camo.

The sad thing about this is the thought of a 6 year old seeing a man shot and killed. I only hope that he's getting some therapy with this. Unfortunately, it wouldn't surprise me if the therapy consisted of a short talk with dad about the foolishness of the victim who was somehow doing something wrong when he was mistaken for a bird. "Well, son, that durn fool was a-sittin' in the same way a turkey would sit, so it's really his fault I done shot him."

Jesus Was a Jewish Zombie

2008-03-23T08:38:00.007-04:00

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Happy Easter! Today is the day when millions of insane people celebrate about a dead Jew named Jesus who was apparently turned into a zombie after he died. This is of course all a fairy tale;
Jesus, according to these crazy Christians, was a white guy with gorgeous blue eyes.

The clever folks over at the BBC (that's the place where news is reported, unlike American media which reports gossip and propaganda) did a project where they researched what a "historical Jesus" would have looked like.

In other words, what a person from that region of the world looked like. This picture shows how a guy named Jesus would probably have really looked -

Of course this more historically accurate depiction of this Jesus guy would not sit well with the millions of Caucasian Christians who've promoted their religious beliefs over the centuries.

If this Jewish Jesus looked like the dark-skinned fellow above, how could they justify the slaughter of millions of people who looked like him? He does look a little those Iraqis we're killing, and those Iranians our government wants to kill next. Or maybe he looks more Palestinian, or Syrian, or Saudi? For certain, he looks nothing like the glowing, pink, fair-skinned Jewish guy above him.

I like the idea of all these crazy Christians believing in the idea that a dead Jewish guy who came back from death, like a zombie, is their savior. Dead, zombie, Jewish. It's almost funny. Well, it would be if the crazy Christians hadn't been killing in his name for 2000 years. Happy Easter!

Ferraro Exposed

2008-03-14T08:08:00.004-04:00

Geraldine Ferraro has shown her true colors. Her recent comments regarding Barack Obama has drawn a ton of criticism, all valid. Now she's digging the hole even deeper;

Geraldine is playing the victim, after she made the racist remarks. This is from a few days ago -

...she told an interviewer that she felt she was being attacked because she was white.
"Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in this world, you're accused of being racist, so you have to shut up," she told the Daily Breeze of Torrance, California. "Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white. How's that?"

How's that? I'll tell you how that is, Gerry; It's FALSE! Your playing the victim is a joke. You attacked Obama's accomplishments by saying that he hasn't done anything other than having the good fortune of being Black. You invalidated everything he worked for, his intelligence, his value as a person by reducing him to nothing more than a label. How insipid of you! As a woman, you should know better than to characterize a person based on anything other than their accomplishments and the content of their character. Then you have the gall to play the victim. I'm so absolutely disgusted by you, Ferraro.

To review, here's what she said last week that caused all this;

In her first interview with the Daily Breeze, published late last week, Ferraro said: "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman, he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

What she's saying in plain English is that by "virtue" of being a privileged black man in America, Obama has benefited from those advantages to gain position not attainable by the burdened white man or woman.

Indeed, she claims he's "very lucky" to be a black man in the Utopian culture that is America. She's really fucking nuts. There's no other way to explain comments like hers.

The saddest thing is that she's also trying to somehow make this into a 1st Amendment issue. No one that I've heard is saying that she doesn't have the right to speak as she has. She has every right to say all the stupid, racist, hateful, bitter things she wants. We all have the right to tell her what a stupid ass she is for saying those things.

Iraq Innocent Declares Pentagon

2008-03-14T07:37:00.002-04:00

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Despite the fact that the Bush White House is trying to pretend the Pentagon report on Iraq's link to Al Qaeda doesn't exist, the information IS getting out to the masses. While there is evidence that Saddam and his government sponsored terrorism, that was only involving terrorism against Iraqis opposed to Saddam. That doesn't make Saddam a nice guy, or innocent, or anything less than the monstrous dictator that he in fact was. But this does PROVE without a shadow of a doubt that the Bush administration was LYING about Iraq.

This isn't a revelation to anyone that's been paying attention. What I'm excited about though is that the issue is now officially decreed and by the Pentagon, no less. No one can ever again try to make a claim that we should be in Iraq fighting this illegal war. NO ONE.

Now isn't it time to charge Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, etc. with war crimes? That's what I REALLY want to see, as soon as this goddamned war is ended.

Why Spitzer Needed to Resign

2008-03-12T18:42:00.004-04:00

Stupidest person of the month, Eliot "Client 9" Spitzer resigned today, and it was the right thing to do. There has been a lot of hand-wringing over the fact that fucking a prostitute is a private matter, and that Bush and Cheney have done far worse things and they haven't been asked to resign.

While this may be true, especially about Bush and Cheney, the fact is that what Spitzer did was ILLEGAL! Whether you agree with the illegality of prostitution or not, it is illegal in the Spitzer case. As governor, one cannot break laws and expect to be able to retain the public trust. Add to this the fact that he spent around $80,000 on prostitutes over several years - money that I am sure was not his personal finances. How can someone who holds elected office expect to break the law, and maybe more than one, and not have to resign? My guess is that this is far from over, and Client 9 may be seeing some jail time in the near future.

Some people seem to have a difficult time understanding the concept that laws were broken. I've heard dopes call in on radio shows, and read in comments on blogs, that what Spitzer did isn't any worse than what Bill Clinton did, and Clinton didn't resign so why is Spitzer? Hey, dummies - Clinton had an affair and Spitzer broke the law! It's that simple.

Resigning was the only thing to do in his situation. His daffy wife wanted him to stay in office, which says a lot to me about her. I criticized her for standing next to him when he admitted to the world that he was a john. My feeling is that he didn't need her by his side when he was screwing hookers, so why should she demean and humiliate herself at his side now? Apparently she doesn't think that what he did was in any way inappropriate for the governor of a state, let alone a husband and father of three daughters. She is as big a twit as he.

The saddest thing about this is that his daughters will have to deal with the fact that their dear ol' dad spent $80,000 of misappropriated funds on whores. Oh, right...escorts. Sure. A whore by any other name is still a whore - I have no respect for a person (male or female) who would sell their body to strangers for sex. If you want to do that, you should have the legal right to do so, but I would still think you're an idiot. Self-respecting people don't sell themselves to be used as fuck-toys.

How does Papa Spitzer impress upon his dear daughters that women are the equals of men, that women should respect themselves and that they have every right to anything any man has? How does he instill them with self-esteem? Not an easy thing to do now that he's been caught treating women like toys, buying them and getting them to turn tricks for money. Not a good lesson in that. But at least his loving, spineless wife is still standing by her man. What she should be doing is taking those kids, and leaving him immediately. The man is not a good role model for his children or for the people of New York. Good bye, Client 9, good bye.

When the Spitz-er Hitz the Fan

2008-03-11T16:46:00.005-04:00

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Governor Eliot "Ness" Spitzer has been implicated in a prostitution ring. The governor, also now known as Client 9 - that has such a snappy ring to it - is on the verge of resigning. This is the right thing to do.

As governor, he was elected to serve the people of New York, not to serve up his dangerous kinks to a prostitute from an escort service. Right...escort service. Let's call it what it is - a brothel. An expensive as hell brothel, but a brothel none the less.

There's been a lot of reaction about this, in which people have been whining about the illegality of prostitution and the fact that it involved two (apparently) consenting adults. I have a problem with this in that whether or not prostitution should be illegal isn't the issue. The issue is that Spitzer broke the law and broke his trust with his wife, Silda.

In his career, Spitzer prosecuted a couple of prostitution rings, and beyond that was sworn to uphold the law. He's a hypocrite, and a scumbag. Yes, scumbag - fucking other women behind your wife's back is a pretty good definition of scumbag. Breaking the law in such moronic, blatant style while you're the governor is pretty stupid. Did he think he was immune to discovery based on his position? For a Princeton and Harvard Law graduate, that's shockingly stupid.

Some democrats have been giving him a pass on this - not me. He's an idiot, and the fact that he's a democrat is regrettable and unfortunate, but he's still an idiot. Another thing about this that I find a little idiotic is that his wife Silda goes out and stands next to him while he gives his meaningless apology. Silda, my dear, this "man" was fucking around on you, and if you think this was the first time, you're as stupid as your husband.

I'd love to see a woman in this situation behave like a proud woman, not as a subservient trophy to their husband. She should have told him to go to hell and not gone out there with him. Stand up for yourself, Silda, and show some self-respect. She didn't deserve to be publicly humiliated by her husband's idiotic behavior and she doesn't need to stand by him. All women should refuse to allow men to treat them as possessions, and by standing there with him, she basically surrendered her self to his ambitions and needs. He fucked up, he should suffer the consequences on his own. Be strong, Silda.

The thing about this that is so deplorable isn't so much that he had sex with someone, it was that he had sex that is illegal, immoral, and without his wife's consent. If he and his wife had an arrangement where he could have affairs, fine, but that obviously isn't the case. Also, it may be that he used public funds to pay for his sexual escapades. This will be interesting to follow.

Sally Kern Hates Gays

2008-03-11T09:39:00.004-04:00

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Meet Sally Kern. This is the face of hatred and ignorance. See how pleasantly she smiles, almost in a lobotomized manner. Yet underneath that vacuous yellow-teethed semi-grimace and behind those hollow eyes is the mind of a dangerous hateful bigot.

You may have heard of Sally's little rant about how the gays are destroying us, like a cancer, and how they're more dangerous than terrorists. Yes, to this twat, gays are more of a threat to her way of life (the Christian, Born-again way, of course) than guys who fly planes into buildings.

I posted a comment to my favorite political blog, Crooks & Liars, which I'm re-posting here so you can see how she is supported in her awful beliefs by many of our fellow Americans:

(This comment was a response to the idiocy of some dope named Paul. His words are in italics. I made the bold words in his comments for emphasis)

DaveTheAngryRhodeIslander Says:

Paul @ 224:

Y’know, I hear blame and I hear “WOW” and I hear disgust with what this brave, forthright, prepared to speak her mind like an American is supposed to be able to, woman has said. What she has said is the absolute truth, and the real fascists are the ones who want her to shut up, would scream and bark at her for bravely speaking her mind.

How is that “the truth”? Truth according to who? Are you going to quote the bible now as your source of “truth”? If so, remember that according to that source, the world is flat, 6000 years old and the sun revolves around it. Not much truth to be found there.

She’s absolutely right in what she’s said. When 2% of this nations population can rule in our courts and ruin our television

Who is “our”? Are you referring to a specific segment of the population that owns television in this country? Is this your Christian agenda showing, or what?

with their rhetoric, and FORCE the rest of the population to accept their abominable ideals and sexuality, there’s a problem.

“FORCE” you to accept? Are you being forced to have gay sex, or is it something you do because you find it enjoyable? Really, you are being FORCED to do something?

Now, she said it’s the right of gays and lesbians to be gays and lesbians but, just like I wouldn’t do it doggie style with my girl in public, and just like I don’t go screaming about doing it doggie style with my girl even in the bedroom, I don’t want to hear about it or see it from the gay and lesbian community.

The simple fact of the matter is you people are screaming over a subject you really have no right to scream over, but since you are allowed by law in the United States to post whatever comments you want, just as I am allowed to do and am doing, now, Mrs. Kern has the absolute right to say what she wants to say.

Because gays and lesbians are so fervent in their desire to see themselves as married couples in this nation, their lifestyle, their lack of morality, and their inability to see what they are doing is harmful to this nation and to my children, my family will suffer, and my ability to have rights as a married person are already in jeopardy.

Gays are harming this nation and your children? How? I think your irrational hatred for gays is making you delusional. Describe in some sort of specifics just HOW gays are harming your children. You can’t.

Gays and lesbians, like married couples, should keep their fudge-packing and pole-smoking to themselves and stop doing everything they can to turn this nation, which is already in jeopardy because of them, on its head.

For those of you who believe that this sort of thinking is wrong-headed, and are surprised these sorts of thoughts are outdated, outmoded, and should be marked as hate speech, and illegal, consider what you’re saying and why you’re angry. As early as two decades ago, being gay and lesbian was considered, and rightly so, abominable behavior, by even non-Christians; the common man on the street and the common woman in her home thought about one man shoving his dick in another man’s ass and would be ready to vomit, as I still am in this day and age.

Homosexuality is not a genetic marker or disease or disorder and is not passed from parents or grandparents to their children, it is a choice. Don’t force your choices on me just because you want to be politically correct and believe that you are being “tolerant”.

So in your (insane) view, homosexuality is a “choice”. Then heterosexuality must be a choice as well. Did you CHOOSE to be hetero? Did you try homosexuality and DECIDE it wasn’t for you? If heterosexuality is not a choice, neither is homosexuality.

Blacks being given their freedom was right… women being given their freedom was right… except look at what both groups have done with that freedom since. Blacks kill each other on a daily basis over drugs and territory that doesn’t belong to them, and women fight every single day to take children away from their fathers in a divorce and custody court system that favors women 92% of the time.

Nicely done - you make your case that you feel Blacks and women should have their freedom and equality stripped from them because of the actions of a few. Way to generalize.

You good people, with your opinions, need to take a look at what you are doing to this nation on a daily basis because of your definition of “tolerance”, and you need to understand that you are shaping the wholly negative future of this country, rather than just stumbling blindly along this path because it’s someone else’s idea of the “right thing to do”.

Good day.

Wow - the hatred and ignorance in Paul’s post are mind-boggling. He’s so messed up that it’s hard to know where to begin with this.

I wanted to re-post that so you can see how her views are not unusual. It's really depressing to read some of the comments at C&L that support her position. Most of the people sharing those views bring the bible and religion into it, as the basis of their hatred. Isn't religion wonderful?

Sally used to teach school for almost 20 years or so. It's good to know that such a smart and knowledgeable woman was imparting her wisdom to children. Her husband is the pastor of Olivet Baptist Church. I wonder if he preaches about Jesus and love, or why we should hate and fear the gays.

A lot of people in America might not care about gays, but the point here is that we have a person who is openly calling a large segment of society a danger and comparing it to cancer. Substitute the word "gay" for something else, like "Black" or "Jew" or "Mexican" or "Atheist" or "Asian" or any other non-white Christian peoples. It's not at all different. This bigoted fear-mongering is why I have such dislike for people like little Sally Kern and her supporters. If they want to hate and practice their religious beliefs they should be able to do so, but the instant that hate is publicly stated and directed towards anyone, they should be exposed and vilified.

There have been a number of people defending her on the grounds of the 1st Amendment. The problem is that what little Sally Kern is doing is a hate-crime, which is not protected by the Constitution. Gay people have been killed because of the type of thinking Sally is promoting. Remember, today it's gays, tomorrow it may be Blacks or Hispanics. The Sally's of this country should be told in no uncertain terms that their beliefs don't represent what America is. Her beliefs are what her religion tells her.

Atheist Soldier Punished for Being Atheist

2008-03-06T20:56:00.004-05:00

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Here's another article chronicling the continuing assault on non-Christians, and particularly that most dangerous of creatures, the Atheist. In this latest bit of news, courtesy of the AP, we learn of Spc. Jeremy Hall, who was punished for not being a Christian.

It's heartwarming to see that the United States of Christian White Heterosexuals is so open to the beliefs or non-beliefs of others. We have a decorated veteran of two combat tours of duty in Iraq being told that basically, he's not good enough to be promoted to lead because he can't pray with the other soldiers. He's good enough to kill Iraqi's and of course good enough to be KILLED by Iraqis, but the Christian god of tolerance and love doesn't want him polluting his Crusaders with his Atheist poison.

What a fucking joke! I suppose it's actually somewhat of a complement to be told that you're not qualified to lead blind sheep who kill innocent men, women and children in an illegal and immoral war. They're doing God's work over there, converting the dirty fucking heathens with bullets. Raping the women in the name of Jesus, killing children in the name of Jesus.

Fortunately, Hall has some help. The Religious Freedom Foundation is involved in his case. I suggest you visit their site - it's extremely informative, and very disturbing.

Gender, Color and Voting

2008-03-04T16:55:00.005-05:00

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Lately there's been a lot of discussion about the roles of gender and color in voting. I think that it's a ridiculous factor to consider when you're weighing the candidates.

We've all seen the clips on TV or online of someone saying they're voting for Clinton because she's a woman, or Obama because he's black. Well actually he's "half-black" as his mother was "white as milk", to quote Senator Obama himself. When I hear that someone is voting for a person based on skin tone or gender, it makes me want to tap them on the head and ask if anyone's home. Seriously, you'd vote for someone because you share a set of genitals in common? That's beyond fucked up.

I know that there are some of you who say that women or blacks or lefties or people who don't like broccoli need to be better represented in society and politics. Sorry, but that just doesn't apply anymore. We have women in all segments of society, including the highest levels of government, commerce, and academia. The same for blacks. Lefties are another story, and as a lefty, I'll be protesting about that at some point in the near future...

Just the fact that we have a woman and a black running for president should be proof enough that any door is open to any person in this country. Our last two Secretaries of State have been female, and one is black.

The notion of voting for Obama (who I'm voting for) simply because he's black is just as wrong as a jury saying that OJ Simpson was not guilty because it was time for blacks to get a victory for one of their own against "the Man." I'm not in any way comparing Obama to OJ, so don't even go there - I'm just making a point about the ludicrous nature of supporting someone based on color. It's just as wrong as discriminating AGAINST someone based on color.

The same logic applies to voting for a woman because you too have a vagina. Silly, silly, silly. Can you imagine how outraged people would be if men stated they were voting for so-and-so because the person was male? It works the same way.

Vote for someone because of the issues they support and their positions. Don't even get me started on voting based on religion - I will tackle that one when I'm much more caffeinated and ornery. Till then...

Voting Today in the RI Primary

2008-03-04T13:14:00.005-05:00

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Today is Rhode Island's chance to vote in the primary. Of course, the nation awaits our result with baited breath, for as Lil' Rhody goes, so goes the Nation. Or not. Fine, maybe our primary isn't worth a rat's ass, but it's ours and we are roaring.

Turnout has been of historic proportion, according to our Providence Journal. When I voted earlier this morning, there was a long line of people waiting to fill out forms to change their party affiliation. From what I heard, most were switching to the Democrats. Not really a surprise as Rhode Island is usually a Democrat state, but it was still exciting to learn that lots of people are becoming registered Democrats.

In my town, there was a huge turnout and fortunately everything seemed to be running well. I got to the gym where the polling station was and gave the nice old ladies my name and address. They gave me a big blue folder with my ballot inside and I went to an open booth. The ballots are the kind where you draw a line to complete an arrow. I like this - simple to read, and easy to mark. No punched holes, no electronic bullshit. They better not change this ballot come November!

So I voted, put my ballot in the machine that pulls it in and stores it safely (I hope) and was on my way. All that remains now is to see how things turn out.

Oh - you're probably wondering who I voted for...Barack Obama.

Another Attack on Non-Christian Americans

2008-02-26T19:23:00.003-05:00

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Thanks to Perrspectives for this piece on the furthering of the Christian Agenda in America - CBS News Calls Secular America Immoral.

It is becoming ever more clear that in America, if you're not Christian, you're not welcome. Now, we who consider ourselves to be either Atheists or secularists are being called IMMORAL! Yes, that's right, those moral Christians:

with their child raping priests and Cardinals and Popes who hid those pedophiles;

the same Christians who start wars based on lies that kill hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children;

The same Christians whose leaders use methamphetamines and have gay sex with male prostitutes;

And the list could go on and on - Mark Foley, Rudy Giuliani, etc. A child abuser, an adulterer, well, you get the picture. These are men of high moral standing, but you secularists and Atheists out there are scum.

I've posted on this in the past, and this type of "report" reinforces my belief that America is being made into a place that is only for Christians. Don't be surprised if someday in the near future we non-Christians are forced to wear arm-bands in public.

Darth Nader

2008-02-24T20:35:00.005-05:00

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Now things are really getting ridiculous. Ralph Nader has once again entered the race as a candidate for president. Nader, you are an ass - go away! You haven't done anything at any time to qualify yourself as a viable candidate. Why are you doing this again?

Really, that's the question isn't it? Why is Nader running again? The only effect he has on an election is to help republicans by taking away votes from the democrats. So who put him up to this? Is anyone actually going to vote for him? He's a relic from the past who has zero relevance in today's politics. Stupid republican tool!

NIU Tragedy

2008-02-17T07:13:00.004-05:00

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The shootings at Northern Illinois University that left 5 innocent students dead is another tragedy on one of our college campuses that never should have happened. I have written before about how it's far past the time our nation rethinks the outdated and irrelevant 2nd Amendment. This massacre is one more example of why we need to repeal it.

When Steven Kazmierczak burst into the classroom intent on killing as many people as he could, he was armed to the teeth. He didn't have one gun. Or two guns. He had four - a shotgun, a three pistols. But of course as we all know, "guns don't kill people, people kill people." That's of course the deranged mantra of gun lovers, that strange, inbred segment of our society that thinks that their "Right to bear arms" is more important than the right of the rest of us to live without fear of our children getting shot to death in school.

Just like after the massacre on the campus of Virginia Tech in which 32 kids were killed, there will be idiots from the right wing trying to blame everyone and everything but the actual root of the problem. It's so sad to think that those 32 students who were killed, and the 5 at NIU will have died and not one fucking thing will change to prevent this from happening again.

The idiot right wingers will blame the medication Kazmierczak was on (and apparently not taking anymore), they'll blame the university, the security guards, the professor and probably the innocent victims too. They will not however put the onus on the reality that anyone with the desire can legally buy weapons of mass destruction in the U.S. I know that sounds melodramatic, but it's not - these guns are WMDs. 9mm Glocks aren't designed for hunting quail. Assault rifles aren't designed for protecting our citizenry from the British troops. We have the world's most powerful military for that purpose and it's foolish to think that bands of militia men will repel any foreign invaders. This is the 21st century, not the 18th.

It leaves me so saddened and angry to think that if we would only mature as a nation and take away the "right" to own guns, we could prevent massacres of our children like this. Unfortunately, the fear-mongers and gun-nuts will prevail and hundreds more innocent people will probably die on campuses and in classrooms in the next few years because we can't do what's best for all of us. We get the society we deserve.

Jane Fonda's "Cunt"

2008-02-15T20:44:00.006-05:00

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You've probably heard about Fonda saying "cunt" on TV the other day. The link goes to Huffington Post where there are clips of her saying it, and Meredith Viera apologizing for the horrible word. I can't get over how stupid we can be about words. You can't say cunt, fuck, and a few other things on network TV and radio because somehow these sounds are so awful that to simply hear them will cause irreparable harm to the listener.

Sounds are offensive; a few syllables strung together have such power that they must be BANNED! Yet, image after image of violence is not a problem. Watch TV for any short time and you'll see commercial after commercial for gruesomely violent crime shows, graphically violent dramas and of course movies. It's bizarre how violence is so promoted, but a few little words cause people to get in a lather when accidentally spoken on TV.

I don't watch much network TV, but I do like to watch sports and it never fails to amaze me the amount of violence shown during these games. Football games are watched by millions of people including many children. During the games commercials are shown that invariably show people pointing guns at each other, shooting, punching, crashes, explosions, etc. No one seems to be bothered by this wallowing in violence. But, imagine if some commercial showed a woman's naked boobs - people would flip out - especially the religious right. Show a guy getting his head blown off, no problem. Show tits? Fucking Armageddon!

I wish the "Today" show didn't make an apology over this. What does apologizing for a word mean or do? It treats us all like children. We're adults and we can hear a word like this used in a context that isn't meant to offend without getting outraged. Of course there are those out there who will immediately say "but what about the children?" in a whiny/self-righteous tone. First of all, most children under the age of 12 have no idea what that word is, and if they do, your problem isn't TV.

These are WORDS, sounds, nothing more. Words can have the power to make a difference of course, but that is when they are used in conjunction with concepts and ideas. The concepts and ideas may be offensive, but a word on it's own like cunt is really pretty innocuous. Making a big deal about it by apologizing gives that word a power it would never have if nothing was made of it. She didn't call anyone a cunt - she said it as the title of a play. Big deal. I guess we can go back to all the violence and shootings safe in the knowledge that someone is making sure that we are safe from the dreaded mighty cunt.

Huckabee Still In The Race

2008-02-06T09:30:00.000-05:00

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I was a bit premature in thinking that Huckabee was on the verge of dropping out of the presidential race. Yesterday was "Super Tuesday" - what a stupid name - and Mike Huckabee did quite well, unfortunately.

His base is of course the extremely conservative evangelical Christian Right. Here's a quote from Huckabee;

"The conservatives are in the South, and the conservative base of the Republican Party, I'm winning it. And there's just no way to argue that," Huckabee said in the AP interview. "Romney had to be able to show that he was really pulling those conservative votes, and he's not."

Preliminary exit polling from 16 states showed that white, born again, evangelical Christians split across the three leading Republican candidates, with one-third supporting Huckabee and the rest evenly divided between McCain and Romney.

The last paragraph there is pretty much all you need to understand - the majority of white, born again, evangelical Christians are supporting him. This is almost entirely a phenomenon of the South, where religious beliefs run strong and extreme, and education has always taken a backseat to the bible. This is exactly what scares me about my country.

In some ways I find myself wishing that the United States had divided into two separate countries in the aftermath of our Civil War. One country being the Union states, mainly the industrialized North, and the other being comprised of the losing Confederate states. It would have been a quicker route to the destination we're apparently heading towards almost 150 years later.

That destination is a nation created entirely by and for evangelical Christians. A nation where non-white, non-Christians will be second class citizens at best, and slaves ideally. Remember the big reason for the Civil War was Abolition. There's no doubt in my mind that "true" Southerners want to reestablish the glory of their forefathers by bringing slavery back, among other things.

So Huckabee appeals to this type of Southerner very much. He appeals to people who live in fear of the unknown, of the different, of anything not quotable in their bibles; non-Christians, non-whites, science, education, justice, equality, and more are all things that make these people uneasy.

I worry about what would happen should a man like Huckabee become president. I worry about the path our nation is on that such a thing is a possibility. When we as a nation are more supportive of fear, hate, intolerance, inequality and ignorance, than of courage, love, tolerance, equality, and knowledge, then we are truly lost. I only hope I'm wrong about this.

Whittling Down the Bastards

2008-01-31T10:48:00.000-05:00

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Yesterday, Ru-A-dolph Giuliani dropped out of the presidential race. I admit that some months ago my paranoid fears got the best of me and I thought that he was indeed going to be our next s-elected Fascist-in-Chief. So there's a bit of relief and even rejoicing going on for me about this. Of course, McCain and Romney are still there, so all's not yet well.

John Edwards is gone too, but I don't consider him a bastard. He would have been a decent president, but he had zero chance. Why? Too nice, too young, too principled. I really don't see him as the type of politician to make it in the cut-throat environment of Washington.

Now the wait is on for Huckabee to drop out. I can't wait. There's some sort of relief in the realization that Americans aren't flocking towards the lunatic religious right. Maybe there's hope yet? I will wait and see on that.

Back to McCain and Romney. McCain is almost certainly insane, and the sad thing is that it's probably due to his being a POW and tortured. No one should ever go through what he and many others did, and he of all people should be speaking out loudly and clearly against our policies on torture. Yet he's not. He's guaranteeing that we'll have more wars if he's elected. Great. Sorry McCain, but you are clearly deranged and need to retire peacefully somewhere.

Romney is even worse though. "But Dave", you're saying, he's so handsome, so presidential, and he's got a cool name - Mitt - too. "How can he be worse than McCain?" Glad you asked. Here's why-
McCain is at the least genuine. Veins-in-his-teeth, war-mongering crazy, but goddamn he stands for something. Romney is a plastic mannequin. He has no soul, no solid belief in anything that he can't wriggle away from as soon as it's beneficial. Romney is a prostitute basically. Pay him and he'll turn tricks for you. I believe that McCain wouldn't sell himself for something he doesn't believe in, although what he believes in is scary and dangerous.

As for Kucinich, well, we hardly got to know him. The debates ignored him, as did most of the media, which is shameful. The guy had great vision and his principles were sound. I wanted him to be my president, but it wasn't to be. Maybe in 2012.

Now let's just get rid of Huckabee, Romney, and McCain and we'll be making real progress. And please, someone, tell that fucking idiot Ralph Nader to go away. He's almost as big a phony as Mitt.

Anti-Abortion Protesters Real Agenda

2008-01-23T11:02:00.001-05:00

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What's really going on with the anti-abortionists in this country? This video on YouTube provides a pretty good clue. In it, a bunch of anti-abortionist protesters are asked quite simply what should happen to women who get abortions if it is illegal. The answers are amazing, because none of them had any real thoughts on a theoretical penalty.

Most of them said they'd never really given any thought to how women should be penalized for having illegal abortions. Interesting. It seems to me that the real purpose of their protests isn't so much a concern about the legality or illegality of a particular act. There's something deeper going on there.

I think the real purpose of the anti-abortionists is to impose their religious beliefs on all of us. Abortion is a convenient and sympathetic vehicle to this end. No one wants to kill babies, right? But babies and fetuses and embryos and conception aren't really the point.

How can you work for a cause for YEARS without thinking about the effect said cause would have on the people it's aimed at? Either these anti-abortionists just don't give a flying rat's ass about victims of rape, incest, underage sex, etc., OR they have an ulterior motive. I go for the ulterior motive idea.

If they really cared about women (which it's obvious they don't) and babies, they'd have been able to give lucid, reasoned answers to a simple question. What they want is to establish their biblical ideals of how the world should be for all of us. The woman at the end said that god called her to be there at the protest. When the interviewer started to ask when god actually called, she got all scared, crossing herself to ward off his evilness and walked away quickly. I guess when god calls on you, he doesn't expect you to actually stand your ground and defend your beliefs.

For all you women who might be reading this, how do you feel about the idea that if these people get their way, you, your daughter, sister, whoever, may someday find themselves in a back-alley "clinic" getting a coat hanger shoved inside them? Is this progress? Is this what women have fought for so hard all these years to have the freedom to choose what to do with your own bodies? As we see with the women in the video, even they don't really believe that having an abortion is a crime. They just want their god and their beliefs set as the way for all of us to live.

Truly Scary Extremism in America

2008-01-16T14:21:00.001-05:00

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Mike Huckabee is insane. OK, that's out of the way. His political views are polluted by his religious beliefs, which is fine as long as he never holds any elected office. You have the right to be fucking nuts.

Where I get really worried and more than a little scared is when I see shit like this -

You've got your religion in my government!

In this video clip Huckabee proclaims his intention and desire to change the Constitution to fit God's standards. Basically it's a call to create a faith-based Constitution to direct the course of a Christian nation. This goes against EVERYTHING the Founding Fathers created the Constitution for!

The scary thing isn't so much Huckabee's insanity. There are millions of nuts in the world. What's really scary about this is that the guy has supporters. "Normal" Americans like your next door neighbors, your co-workers, your classmates, your relatives, who believe like he does that this country needs a government based on Christianity.

Huckabee's views are especially disturbing as he is one of the truly batshit-crazy-fucking-nuts-insane ones who belief that we are in the "end days". Arma-fucking-geddon, Rapture, blaring trumpets, cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria type crazy. This guy wants to be PRESIDENT...the guy with 10,000 nuclear weapons at his disposal. Yeah, scary is a good goddamned word for it.

Ask yourself this; If a guy in position to bring about the one thing he desires more than anything else in the world, the one thing he believes his god has ordained and promised him, do you think he'll use his position to make that happen?

No Church in Our Schools!

2008-01-12T12:27:00.000-05:00

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Why is it so hard for Christians to understand that school is not church? Are they stupid? Are they ignorant? Maybe it's just that they don't give a damn about the constitution and separation of church and state.

This article describes a fight over the distribution of bibles to school kids in the schools. Clearly, to anyone with half a brain, this is a blatant violation of the separation of church and state. If you read the article, you'll see that this isn't a new practice - it's been ongoing for around the last 30 years or so. Finally some intelligent parents sued the school district to get the illegal proselytizing stopped, but the Christians were allowed to continue their mission by the school district due to some shady loopholes. That has all thankfully been stopped.

What is the problem with the Christians in this country? Do they feel it's their duty to convert everyone to their faith? Obviously they must, or this type of bullshit wouldn't be happening. Christians, I ask YOU, leave your religion in your churches where it belongs. You can teach your children anything you like in your homes, and you can take them to church to learn more, but stop trying to turn our PUBLIC schools into indoctrination centers for your churches.

Non-Christians aren't going into your churches and giving away atheist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddist, or other propaganda. We non-Christians don't feel the need to convert you (well maybe some Islamic radicals, but they're no different than Christian Fundamentalists) or turn your children to our beliefs. Stop trying to do so to us. Leave us alone! Enjoy your faith, believe what you want, but you can't force or sneak your beliefs in to our public schools.

This is NOT a Christian nation, despite the claims made by some of your more rabid spokespeople. If you find this shocking, or hard to believe, I suggest you educate yourself on the Treaty of Tripoli, Article 11. Google it if you've never heard of it, and then you will have some interesting new topics to discuss at church. See? Our nation is a nation for EVERYONE! Not just for you guys.

War on Atheism

2007-12-09T09:59:00.000-05:00

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It should come as no surprise to those of us who pay attention to what's going on, and use our brains, that the biggest threat to freethinking, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and freedom of body is coming from the Catholic Church. We Atheists have been making a lot of noise the last few years, and we're really pissing off a lot of people. What many of you may not know yet is that the Pope has just recently come out with his latest encyclical in which he basically declares war on atheism.

Blaming Atheists for all the ills of the world, he goes on to essentially say that atheism is evil, thus equating the few people on the planet who don't subscribe to some sort of bloody, torture-filled theology, as evil. He says of atheism, "It is no accident that this idea has led to the greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice,". This is of course, ludicrous. I guess he thinks that Atheists were responsible for the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Conquistadors, to name a few. The Crusades, I'd like to remind Joseph Ratzinger, were sanctioned by the Church and Pope. They went on for 200 years and killed more people than any atheist body politic. The Pope mentions Marx and hints about Communism as being the great atheist evil. It needs to be pointed out that Communism didn't allow religion not for reasons of theology, but for the simple effect of demanding loyalty only to the state. There could be no division of loyalties between god and state. It should also be pointed out that Communism, as it pertains to Europe, is dead.

It's most hypocritical of Ratzinger to rail against atheism as a force of evil in the world, without acknowledging the atrocities commited in the Church's name during the Crusades and Inquisition. It's like he'd like the world to forget that those things ever happened, much like he'd like us to forget that he was once a Hitler Youth (yes, he says he was an "unwilling" member like every other German of that time - like every person in jail says they're innocent too). He'd like to ignore the role ordinary Germans played in the Holocaust. He'd like to equate the Nazi's with atheists, as he said during his visit to Auschwitz: He then cast the war into a larger theological frame: that the Nazis' attempt to eradicate the Jews was an attempt by man to banish, and replace, God. Of course, this is not true, as Nazism was basically founded with Lutheran principals at its core, along with elements of mysticism and other beliefs. That fact is that Hitler and the Nazi party did not reject Christianity, only they did not want it placed above the Nazi party. They did NOT want to banish God.

The danger in the Pope's latest encyclical is that it promotes hatred and fear of atheism. If atheism is to blame for all the world's ills, then by God, let's get rid of it! Is it a stretch to imagine a persecution of Atheists? Not really, if one simply looks at the history of the Catholic church.

Guns Don't Kill People...

2007-12-06T10:31:00.002-05:00

Of course by now everyone has heard about the mall massacre in Nebraska. The killer did it because, in part, he felt it would give him a moment of glory. He said in his suicide note that "now I'll be famous". One of the more disturbing things about our society now is this fascination with killing, in the media and in our "entertainment". Obviously Robert Hawkins felt that he would gain some sort of macabre immortality by his actions. When a main motive for killing is to be famous, that's a powerful symptom of a sick society.

The other really disturbing issue is the ease and access to high powered guns that any teenager working at a McDonald's in this country apparently has. This was a kid who had a previous felony drug conviction against him and several misdemeanor charges. How does a punk like this get a gun in the first place? I'll tell you how. Because of the NRA, and the gun-loving paranoids who support it. We all know that there will be fools on TV saying that "guns don't kill people..." like they always do after a tragedy like this. Yet the stark reality (imagine that, facts!) is that, yes, guns DO kill people. Guns kill people with incredible efficiency. If Hawkins has gone into that mall with a knife, a baseball bat, a bow and arrow, or a sword, do you think 8 people would have been killed? Would Seung-Hui Cho have killed 32 at Virgina Tech if he didn't have easy and essentially non-controlled access to guns? Absolutely not!

How many more innocent people need to die before we all stand up and say "ENOUGH!"? We don't need guns as civilians. Not one person with a handgun has ever or will ever use that gun for hunting. The only thing a handgun is made for is killing people. We don't need assault weapons as civilians. If the time comes when our civilians will be fighting an invading army, or even our own military gone awry, assault rifles will be of little use against tanks, jets, and real soldiers. That scenario is nothing more than a paranoid fantasy, a Rambo-esque wet-dream for NRA, White Supremacist types who play militia in the woods while waiting for the end of the world. A civilian militia was important and a needed reality (there's that troublesome word again) back in 1776 when the nation was struggling for existence. It was important when the military weapons of the day were not effectively different than the guns farmers had and used for hunting. Colonists didn't have handguns - they had hunting guns, which could be pressed into service as weapons against the King's Army. Different times, different needs. Yet we still have many people who think that we have the same needs now.

Guns kill people everyday. This is 2007 and we don't need guns as civilians. The gun lobby is outdated by about 200 years and it's well past the time that we repeal the 2nd Amendment. No more should people like Hawkins and Cho have unrestricted (the laws are toothless - any felon can buy a gun) access to guns. As a nation, we need to show signs of maturity and move past some of the privileges afforded to citizens during the formative years of the country. We are established, protected, secure and supposedly civilized. It's time to start acting that way.

Stupidest Person of the Year?

2007-12-05T17:03:00.000-05:00

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I don't know who Sherri Shepherd is, as I don't watch much TV, and not 'The View' at all. But I saw this on Huffington Post, and it amused me on one level and disgusted me on many others. Since I could use a little break from all the shitty things and people in the world, I could use a little levity, and laughing at her boundless stupidity helps offset the anger.

The ignorance she displays is pretty astonishing. You would think that anyone with a high school education knows that Christ was born, oh let's say roughly 2007-8 years ago! And that there were people around BEFORE him, like Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians. And those people had their own sets of gods they worshiped. It really doesn't get more basic than this, does it?

Does that twit Sherri Shepherd know WHY this year is the two thousand and seventh? Has she given it any thought at all as Christmas approaches just what Christmas is a celebration of?

For a little further insight into the deep and probing mind of Ms. Shepherd, it's good to read about how she believes the world is flat. Yes, that's right, FLAT! I could forgive this if this were 1607, and maybe even 1707, but Jesus (and that's the Hispanic Hay-Soos) H. Christ, it's 2000 and fucking 7! And if any of you Flat Earthers are reading this and getting pissed - screw you! The earth isn't flat, and anyone that believes it is flat is a total moron. Hmm, like Sherri Shepherd.

Hooray Australia!

2007-11-26T11:35:00.000-05:00

Australia is doing the right thing. In this article from BBC News, Australia's plans to distance itself from the policies of George Bush are detailed. This is a good example of what I think will become a common action taken by rational, non-criminal governments around the world to get as much distance between them and the US as possible.

Every other industrialized nation recognizes the threat posed by global warming. They have all, or will soon, signed the Kyoto Treaty. Why is the US government so far behind on this? I ask that rhetorically, of course, because anyone with half a brain knows that my wonderful government is only interested on corporate profits and power. We're behind on global warming, and we will soon be behind in science, and industry. The only thing made in the USA in the future will be military supplies. We've supplanted science with religion and we've outsourced most manufacturing overseas.

Australia is taking the right steps to making the world a better place. We are not. Yet another proud day for America...

Here Comes the Flood - again!

2007-11-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

What the fuck is wrong with the Army Corp of Engineers? Do they have an agenda against the mostly poor, black residents of New Orleans? It would appear so, as this article describing the critical errors of the new flood control system there states. The new flood system was supposed to reduce flood waters 5.5 FEET. Due to sloppiness, errors, carelessness, callousness, whatever, calculations were incorrect and the actual reduction would amount to 6 INCHES!

It gets worse. The scientists and the Army Corp of Incompetents realized this, but they didn't disclose this and instead buried the info. So let me ask this; when people DIE because of this incompetence and negligence to publicize the truth, who will be accountable?

This is astounding incompetence given what we've all learned and experienced during Katrina. Is there any area of our government that isn't a complete clusterfuck?!

The Value of an Iraqi Civilian's Life

2007-11-14T13:05:00.000-05:00

When is a massacre not a massacre? Apparently, when the victims are Iraqis. This story about the killings of 14 Iraqis is yet another example of the atrocities being committed against innocent civilians by American SS, otherwise known as Blackwater.

A government official (official what?) said this about the incident;

“I wouldn’t call it a massacre, but to say it was unwarranted is an understatement.”

I think that's ludicrous. Of course it was a massacre! Let's look at perhaps the most famous massacre in American history - The Boston Massacre.

Five civilians were killed, and the label of massacre has been associated with that seminal event in American history ever since. Five dead civilians. A massacre.

Let's look at some more recent examples;

The Capitol Hill Massacre - This just happened last year in Seattle. How many were killed in this massacre? Six. Yet there is that word 'massacre' again.

Brown's Chicken Massacre - in 1993, seven people were killed in a Brown's Chicken restaurant near Chicago. Seven, massacre.

Columbine High School Massacre - 1999. 13 Killed excluding the suicides of Harris and Klebold. No doubt that this was a horrible massacre, right?

These are all awful events, tragedies that need never happened. The one thing they all have in common is that the victims were Americans. The official who so callously deemed the deaths of those Iraqis as less than a massacre is showing us all how little our government values the lives of non-American civilians.

They were massacred; they were human beings whose lives were worth no less than any other's, yet we have this casual dismissal by an unnamed "official". This disgusts me. Blackwater disgusts me. My government disgusts me.

I hope that soon, we get some real human beings back in the White House and Washington. Our country and the world can't take much more of the current government.

Australians and Obese Airline Passengers

2007-11-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

Aussies have an interesting issue they're proposing - Obese people weigh more so pay more

This makes a lot of sense. Think about this; you pay more if your luggage is too heavy, or in some cases you may not even be allowed to check it in. Now you, a normal sized average person weighing 160 pounds pays XX for your ticket. Next to you in your cramped little seat is a rather large fellow, who weighs let's just say, 320 pounds. That person weighs twice what you do, yet their ticket costs the same. The worrisome factor about this is that the airlines have weight limits on how much a plane can safely carry.

If as studies show, people are getting fatter and fatter, before long planes will be dangerously overloaded just from the passengers. Australia seems to understand this, and I think they are right - obese people are NOT within the norms, and there must be measures taken to address obese people when it comes to the safety and comfort of the non-obese.

Requiring them to pay more for their seats is really not the way to approach this though. What should happen is that obese people should be made to purchase two seats. This would give them the room their oversized frames require, while giving we of normal size appropriate space, and would compensate for weight issues for the plane.

I find it interesting that Australia, like America, is having terrible problems dealing with the health of its population in regards to obesity. It's not just Americans that are morbidly obese and growing fatter by the day. This is a serious issue, and there will be fat people who take offense to this, but the issue really is their obesity, and how it's adversely affecting society. Health care and insurance costs are increasing along with the size of our population. Public comfort and safety is now being affected too. It will only get worse, unfortunately.

God Hates Georgia

2007-11-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

In a remarkable display of lunacy, Georgia governor Sonny Perdue is calling for prayer to bring rain to the drought stricken state.

"The only solution is rain, and the only place we get that is from a higher power," Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley said on Wednesday.

Now let's follow the logic of this, or more accurately, the lunacy. The idea that you can pray for rain means that god can grant you the rain you pray for. As Brantley said, rain comes only from god. So, if it doesn't rain, that means that god decided that you aren't getting any. Why would god deny the good people of the Southeast and Georgia in particular, rain? Does he not love them, as we're asked to believe?

God is portrayed as this beneficent father figure, an all-knowing, all-loving kind of guy. If your children were thirsty, would you deny them water? Of course not, but god does this. Which brings us to fools praying for rain. God makes the rain, but god isn't giving rain to the people in Georgia. God must hate those poor bastards.

I can't believe that in the 21st century, people think that praying for rain is meaningful. What happens if it still doesn't rain? Does it mean that their god has it in for them? Maybe he missed the prayer and was too busy doling out famine in Africa. Or maybe he's "testing" his flock. Yeah, that's it, he's testing their faith. Kinda like how he might have been "testing" the flood victims in Mexico, or those tsunami victims a while ago. Be careful, you praying fools in Georgia, god might not like you asking for rain that he's already decided to deny you; he may just give it you in spades. Do you know any "Stop the flood" prayers, just in case?

Pull Up To The Bumper, Baby

2007-11-09T13:37:00.000-05:00

This is probably only of interest to locals, but I am angry about this, so I must rant.

The DOT of RI has just opened its much ballyhooed new bridge, connecting 95 north to 195 east. The bridge is supposed to alleviate what has been truly awful traffic jams. Of course, this isn't happening. The first couple days the new route was open, traffic was worse than before, and the DOT was getting pummeled by criticism from everyone. They have been apologizing like mad, and trying to fix the mismanagement of the new traffic flow.

One of the most maddening things is that now the DOT is declaring triumphantly how the traffic is much better now; it's at nearly the same exact level of backup as it was in the months before the new bridge opened! That's good? Way to set expectations high, guys. Our DOT is spending millions of our dollars to bring our traffic delays to almost where they were before they spent millions of our dollars. Great fucking job!

Writer's Block

2007-11-05T17:11:00.001-05:00

I know this won't be the popular opinion, but I'd love to see this writer's strike go for a long, long time. I have some conflicting feelings about this, as I am a creative person and sympathize with the idea of fair pay for one's work. At the same time, I think the television/movie industry is an absolute cesspool, and the writers are the ones who churn out the same offal ad nauseum.

So I hope the writers get what they want from the corporate fat-cats who are making billions on the work produced by these relatively anonymous people. They should get paid appropriately for the work, which isn't the case now. The world has changed dramatically (no pun intended) since the last time they had a contract, and there aren't provisions for revenue made from downloads, dvd sales, iPod/iPhone sales, etc.

During this strike, maybe some of the writers will leave the industry and turn to real writing, rather than the typical, formulaic violence we get bombarded with now. I won't miss any programming since there aren't many things I like to watch.

Maybe people will find better things to do than watch TV. Maybe they'll read books, or make art, or music, or help a charity, or clean their yard. Maybe TV will loosen its grip on the American public and stop feeding it shit. Maybe we won't have to see any more about Britney and Paris and who they're screwing. Maybe we won't be so caught up in the fantasy of might makes right and the John Wayne bravado that's gotten us so ready to go to war with anyone and everyone. I'd like to think that those writers can turn their talents to far better things.

Holy Cow! You're As Big As One

2007-11-03T09:24:00.000-04:00

Want to see something truly disturbing? Look at this map which charts obesity in the US over the past 22 years.

I shudder to think (great expression) of how bad it will be in another 22 years. And before any of you obese defenders of the fatties attack me, consider that your eating and exercise habits are the problem, not my reaction. I don't want to see my health care costs continue to grow in proportion to your waistlines. I don't want to have to squeeze into an airplane seat next to someone who's body is twice the natural size of a healthy person and have your fat pushing against me.

Exercise, take a walk, eat less, eat healthier food, take the fucking stairs, park at the other side of the mall parking lot, don't go to the all-you-can-eat buffet, don't get the 64 ounce soda, don't get the triple-fucking-heart-attack-whopper, get a dog, join a gym, do SOMETHING! You'll feel better, look better, and live better.

Licenses For Illegal Immigrants Is Terrible

2007-10-30T10:55:00.000-04:00

There's talk again of allowing drivers licenses for illegal immigrants. NY Governor Eliot Spitzer has said that he will go forward with his plan allowing illegal immigrants to get licenses.

I have blogged about illegal immigrants before, so I'll try not to repeat myself. The idea of rewarding illegal immigrants with drivers licenses is a terrible one. First of all, I doubt that there are very many people who are stupid enough to apply for a license if they're illegally here. Maybe there are plenty of stupid people in the NY government - hello Eliot Spitzer - who think this is a good idea. Same with Vermont, Arizona, and Washington.

Does anyone seriously think that rewarding illegal activity will help curb it? This topic is very troubling to me, because I do have a lot of sympathy towards immigrants in general. I understand the powerful desire to live a better life, and to have a sense of hope for the future. Just come here legally. We shouldn't be rewarding illegal immigration, or illegal anything else. Spend the money that would be used on licenses and the infrastructure to run that, to provide legal assistance to any illegal immigrant that wants to become a legal immigrant.

We should be finding ways to take the immigrants who are already here and processing them as applicants for citizenship. I'm not talking about amnesty which is another terrible idea, rewarding illegal immigration again. I'm not in favor of Minuteman type vigilantism either. However, there has to be a reasonable middle ground between the extremes of amnesty and vigilantes.

I don't have the answer to what that would be, but I do believe that giving a license to an illegal immigrant is not going make the problem better.

One Flew Over the White House

2007-10-25T20:23:00.000-04:00

This OP-ED piece from today's LA Times is startlingly blunt and dead-nuts accurate.

Straitjacket Bush

I think this is a brilliant piece by her, although I do think they should be tried as criminals, and then locked up in a loony bin. Good job, Rosa!

Disaster Disneyland; A Study in Contrasts

2007-10-25T10:38:00.000-04:00

(Slight edit just to clarify - I have nothing but sympathy for the wildfire victims. Their losses are horrendous and I wish them all the best. All I'm pointing out is the huge disparity between this and Katrina, and the fact that race appears to play a part in relief)

I've been reading about the way disaster victims are being treated in Southern California. Here's a good report on the relative luxury that the predominately white, affluent victims are receiving;

Massages, Acupuncture and Hugs

Contrast that with the treatment the poor people of New Orleans received. Two stadiums, one mostly black and poor, the other mostly white and affluent. In one, people are truly happy little campers with tents, balloons for the children, plentiful food, massages, water, and more. Now think back, waaaaaay back to the distant past, to the days before electricity, television, weather forecasts, disaster planning infrastructure, helicopters, internal combustion engines, common sense...wait! Katrina was only 2 years ago! So then, why is the situation so completely different in California?

Where are the ARMED troops pointing guns at civilians? In New Orleans, SWAT teams and National Guard troops patrolled with loaded weapons until finally Lt. Gen. Russel Honore restored order among the military force, by ordering troops to lower their weapons and reminding them that they were not in Iraq. Somehow, fortunately, Lt. Gen. Russel Honore was put in charge - which is one of the only things that went well in New Orleans.

I haven't forgotten the heroic rescue efforts by the thousands of brave men and women who helped out. I haven't forgotten the Coast Guard saving all those people, or the people who did try to do the right thing. But I also haven't forgotten, nor will I ever, the sight of people dead outside the Superdome, or the bodies laying in the streets, or the reports of people forced to live in their own shit for days in the Superdome while Michael Brown dined on steak.

I'm not angry at the people at Qualcomm Stadium. I feel for them and hope that they come through this OK. But it is remarkable how different the scene is compared to the horror of New Orleans. There's no way you can look at this and compare the two disasters without seeing that poor black people got treated like shit, while affluent whites are getting pampered. When you have massage therapists and kosher food available, there really is no need for Geraldo Rivera to fly in and hold dying babies up to the camera. That was the right thing for him to do, as so many in the media did during those awful days in New Orleans.

Now the media and guys like Geraldo who like to posture so much, should be asking questions about this blatant disparity in treatment. Black people in the media, and black people in general should be clamoring for explanations about this. If Detroit was destroyed by fires, do you think the victims there would get the same treatment as the victims in San Diego? I think it would be a lot more like New Orleans.

Cesca Nails It

2007-10-25T08:12:00.000-04:00

Is Bob Cesca reading 'Read My Mind'? He posted this a day after I posted "More Lies of the Religious Right". Coincidence? Two great minds thinking alike? Or is he a fan of mine? I say coincidence, and he wrote a damn good post which you should read, right after reading mine first of course.

More Lies of the Religious Right

2007-10-23T18:28:00.000-04:00

Here's yet another attempt by the Religious Right to hijack history in order to further their agenda. Mike Huckabee said this at the Republican debate this past Sunday. Hey Mike - Fuck YOU! The Founding Fathers weren't interested in your delusional wet-dream of a theocracy. They were creating a new nation in order to get away from precisely the type of shit you'd put us in.

I'm so, so, so fucking tired of people like Huckabee pandering to the ignorant masses and playing on the prevailing religious majority. If you are one of those "god-fearing" good Christians, hey, keep your religion out of my government! You want to go to church and pray to an imaginary dude, great. I have no problem with that. But please stop trying to make the rest of the country (and now the world) subscribe to your superstitious bullshit. You're the problem - not Atheists, not Agnostics, not scientists, not Al Gore. You. You and the need to make the world follow some looney biblical ideal. That was a fairy tale. Allegory, metaphorical hocus pocus to explain an unexplainable world. And then came ENLIGHTENMENT!

See, eventually people began to study the world scientifically. They learned certain truths. Of course, the Church burnt many of these poor fuckers at the stake for going against church dogma. Religion is so nice, isn't it? At this point, you're wondering, "Dave, what the hell does this have to do with Huckabee?" I'll tell you what it has to do; Huckabee and his ilk want to bring us back to those Halcyon days of burning scholars and scientists at the stake. Extreme, maybe, but the stakes (haha) couldn't be higher.

Atheism Growing in America?

2007-10-22T16:02:00.001-04:00

If this keeps up, I may have a reason to think that there is some hope for us after all.

God bless us Atheists!!

The 14 Signs of A Fascist State

2007-10-20T20:17:00.000-04:00

What IS a Fascist State? Funny you should ask...check this out;

Fascist America

Thanks to bushflash.com for putting that together.

Bush HATES You!

2007-10-17T20:26:00.000-04:00

What is it with Bush and his hatred for everything non-Christian Conservative? His newest move is the appointment of Susan Orr to The Department of Health and Human Services. This move is more than a bit puzzling, if not simply a blatant disregard for the post. She will be responsible for contraceptive programs in the US. The problem is that Orr is anti-contraception. She was the senior director for marriage and family at the Family Research Council, which is a conservative group that is against contraception. Not only are they against contraception, they want no one else to be able to choose contraception. The Family Research Council opposes any federal money for contraception.

So how does this make sense? In a twisted, evil way it does. Let's say you're the president of a country, and in that country there are millions of people who are very different from you. Because these people are different from you, you fear them. And because you fear them, you hate them. Now, how do you handle this situation? You put your friends and cronies in positions of power to control and suppress those that you fear and hate. For example, you appoint a woman who is vehemently opposed to contraception in charge of national policy on contraception! Brilliant!!

The audacity of putting a person in charge of a policy that she is opposed to is stunning. The thing that continues to anger me about these fucking right-wing Christian conservatives is their inability to tolerate any other beliefs than their own. Aren't Christians supposed to be tolerant and loving of others? I ask this because at every opportunity, Christians will tell you about what a great guy Jesus was and how he loved everybody and that's really what Christianity is all about.

UNLESS...you aren't a subscriber to their belief system. Then it's "Fuck you!", we'll legislate you into insignificance at the least, and non-existence if they can swing it.

This hatred of everything non-Christian is becoming more and more transparent in the US thanks to Bush. One of his good soldiers, Ann Coulter recently was spewing some hateful talk about how Jews need to be "perfected" into Christians. This is a very dangerous thing. It's not a far leap to go from spouting shit like that to marginalizing a people and then vilifying a people and ultimately calling for the genocide of a people. Apropos of that, genocide is something Bush doesn't want to recognize in regards to Turkey and the Armenians killed a century ago. For him, this recognition threatens his ability to wage war on yet more non-Christians in the Middle-east. I'm glad Congress passed that resolution. Genocide is genocide, whether calling it that causes political headaches or not. We need more defiance of Bush's agendas.

It's Called Global Warming, Morons!

2007-10-16T10:50:00.001-04:00

This is a picture of a lake in Georgia. Well, what's left of it anyway. Seems that now that the water in the Southeast is almost all gone, people down there are scratching their heads about how this came to be. This article in the NY Times is worth reading.

I wonder how so many people still can't comprehend the realities of global warming. Al Gore just won the Nobel Fucking Peace Prize for his work on the dangers of it. The Southeast is in a record shattering drought (Biblical proportions for you Christian right-wingers?) that is causing severe problems. And yet there are many voices out there screaming that global warming is a figment of the godless liberal loonies.

How about we do this; Divide the country into two regions - one where science and empirical evidence determine the course of action, and the other where religion and god rule. Because that's really where this divides - along religious vs. scientific lines. The religious right denies any and all concepts that global warming is the looming catastrophe that all signs say it is. The religious right contends that our effect on the climate is negligible.

Fine! Let them live in their denial. Just let them live in a place where their narrow views won't affect the rest of us. You know they will be doing a lot of praying for rain in the coming weeks and months in Georgia. I just wonder at what point will these zealots realize that global warming is a big problem. I wonder, but it probably won't matter. The religious right will most likely attribute everything to God's Will, and see it as a sign of the coming Rapture. Remember friends, God is a loving and benevolent guy. Riiiiight...

False Patriotism

2007-10-15T10:36:00.000-04:00

Flag pins and the great controversy surrounding the wearing of them has gotten to be one of the most annoying and infuriating “issues” in recent months. Barack Obama chose not to wear a flag pin on his lapel, and has been attacked by many as being unpatriotic.

Wearing a flag pin doesn’t make you more patriotic than someone who doesn’t. A patriot doesn’t have to go around telling everyone how patriotic they are. A patriot shows his patriotism by his actions. You can wear 1,000 fucking pins and do unpatriotic things that harm your country – just look at the assholes in the White House.

How many American soldiers have they killed in this unnecessary and illegal war? How many people have been illegally tortured? How many people have been illegally detained in Guantanamo? How many people have been illegally spied upon with wiretaps? These are not the actions of patriots!

This lapel flag pin wearing gives me the same uneasy feeling I get when I see someone driving a car with a big flag attached to the antenna or wherever. Or the dolts that bring flags to sporting events that don’t have any other countries competing in the event. It seems like such mindless jingoism. I know which country I’m living in, so why do these people feel the need to wave flags? Are they trying to say that America is great? OK, fine – I have no problem with that in theory. They love their country, as do I. But driving around in our country with the American flag on their car seems so lemming-like. It would make sense on some level if they were in, say, Iran and they wanted to show support for America, but here there’s really no point other than wrapping themselves in the flag as a faux-political statement.

This flag waving false patriotism extends to many areas in our society. Watch football on TV and you’ll see all of the commentators wearing their flags. For them it’s probably mandated by the network, so I can almost give them a pass for this. What bothers me is that the networks seem to be making policy on patriotism. It will soon become a competition to see who can have the most flags festooning everything. This is so stupid and offensive! Putting flags everywhere doesn’t mean you’re more patriotic than someone with less flags or none.

Not Enough Guns?

2007-10-12T14:05:00.001-04:00

Guns are the issue today. After the school shooting in Cleveland, all the gun nuts are fluttering around wildly again. One of them, Glenn Beck of CNN was raving last night about the need for more guns in our schools.

Now for most rational, intelligent people the thought of guns in schools is pretty disturbing. Not so for the gun nuts. His argument was that since guns already exist, and we have a Constitutional right to own guns, that guns aren't the problem - it's the people who shoot holes in other people with their guns that are the problem.

The solution for Mr. Beck, is that schools need more guns. He was saying that the problem in America 2007 is that good guys aren't toting shootin' irons around, like back in the good 'ol days of America 1887. In America 1887, good guys had guns, just like the bad guys, and when the bad guys started trouble the good guys were there with their firearms to stop it.

What Mr. Beck fails to realize is that we do have these good guys; they're called POLICE nowadays, Mr. Beck. Arming every citizen with a loaded gun, teachers included as he argued for on his show, will only make this country an even more dangerous place than it is now. Can you imagine the chaos if everyone was running around with guns? Road rage would become a shootout at every traffic light. Someone cut you in line at the movies? Blast 'em! Scariest of all is the thought of having teachers patrolling schools with guns. We have teachers in this country that think nothing of having sex with their underage students - all we need is to give those lunatics guns.

The thing about these gun nuts that drives me crazy is their argument about the right to bear arms. Sure, you NRA loving folks do have that right, but the Constitution has been changed many times in our history. These changes are what educated people refer to as AMENDMENTS. As times changed, amendments needed to be made. For example, the 2nd Amendment, which gave us the right to bear arms. So that was added in as seen fit during the formative years of our nation. Other important examples would be the 13th Amendment and the 19th. Look them up if you don't know these - if you're an American and you don't know what these are, you should!

The point I'm making is that as the world changes, our Constitution has reflected those changes. To this point in history these changes have been to the betterment of society. Some bigots and racists will disagree with that, but they are not enlightened and therefore their opinions should be derided and scorned. We have passed the point in time where we need to make the 28th Amendment - one that will prohibit the owning of guns.

I can hear the outraged cries of the gun nuts howling about our need to protect ourselves, or about the need to maintain a militia in case we have to revolt against our own government or a foreign invader. These people have watched too many TV shows and Rambo movies. Do they really think that a militia serves a real purpose in 2007? Do they really think that they could prevent an army with tanks and jets and hi-tech weaponry from doing whatever, with assault rifles, handguns, and grenades? This thinking is much more in line with the guerrilla fighters in Afghanistan or the Taliban than it is with a reality-based view.

A) This isn't Afghanistan - you won't be supported illicitly by a world superpower.
B) If we ever need to defend our country against a foreign invader, how do you propose to fight nuclear bombs?
C) The British aren't coming!

We don't need a militia. Period. That's the only reason the 2nd Amendment was created. Now that we don't have this as a concern, we don't need the amendment. We repealed Prohibition - we can repeal the 2nd Amendment too. Of course this probably will never happen because the gun lobby is so powerful. I also think there's more than a little bit of racism involved, but that's a post for another day.

Bush Vs. Iran

2007-10-02T17:25:00.000-04:00

The hatred and aggression is continuing to pour forth from Bush's Reich cabinet -

I hate all Iranians, US aide tells MPs

Of course, the twisted woman denied making those comments, which is contrary to the testimonies of three British MPs.

It seems to me that the pretense of democracy is fast dissolving here in the US. When twats like Debra Cagan can make comments to members of another nation's government like she did, with no concern for consequence, we are surely in deep, deep shit.