A labor rights group alleged...that crucifixes sold in religious gift shops in the U.S. are produced under "horrific" conditions in a Chinese factory with more than 15-hour work days and inadequate food.
But I guess it's OK because those Christians have to pray to a graven image of their god being tortured.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Microwaving Satan
A man who believed he bore the "mark of the beast" used a circular saw to cut off one hand, then he cooked it in the microwave and called 911, authorities said.
The man, in his mid-20s, was calm when Kootenai County sheriff's deputies arrived Saturday in this northern Idaho town. He was in protective custody in the mental health unit of Kootenai Medical Center.
"It had been somewhat cooked by the time the deputy arrived," sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger said. "He put a tourniquet on his arm before, so he didn't bleed to death. That kind of mental illness is just sad."
It was not immediately clear whether the man has a history of mental illness. Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Johnson would not say whether an attempt was made to reattach the hand, citing patient confidentiality.
The Book of Revelation in the New Testament contains a passage in which an angel is quoted as saying: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink the wine of God's fury."
The book of Matthew also contains the passage: "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."
Wolfinger said he didn't know which hand was amputated.
OK, my question to any Christians here is this: why wouldn't Christians rise up to this guy's defense? Your buy-bull tells all about Satanic and demonic possession and your Jeebus tells you to cut off your hand if it causes you to sin. Seems like this guy is holier than most Christians.
Unless, maybe, you don't believe all of that crazy shit in the buy-bull?
The man, in his mid-20s, was calm when Kootenai County sheriff's deputies arrived Saturday in this northern Idaho town. He was in protective custody in the mental health unit of Kootenai Medical Center.
"It had been somewhat cooked by the time the deputy arrived," sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger said. "He put a tourniquet on his arm before, so he didn't bleed to death. That kind of mental illness is just sad."
It was not immediately clear whether the man has a history of mental illness. Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Johnson would not say whether an attempt was made to reattach the hand, citing patient confidentiality.
The Book of Revelation in the New Testament contains a passage in which an angel is quoted as saying: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink the wine of God's fury."
The book of Matthew also contains the passage: "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."
Wolfinger said he didn't know which hand was amputated.
OK, my question to any Christians here is this: why wouldn't Christians rise up to this guy's defense? Your buy-bull tells all about Satanic and demonic possession and your Jeebus tells you to cut off your hand if it causes you to sin. Seems like this guy is holier than most Christians.
Unless, maybe, you don't believe all of that crazy shit in the buy-bull?
Christian Terrorists on the Attack
Christian terrorists were on the attack again in Albuquerque last month.
This just goes to show that "radical Islam" does not have a monopoloy on terrorism. Let's call these crazy-ass christians who are attacking abortion clinics what they truly are - - terrorists.
And hey, aren't we fighting a war on terror?
This just goes to show that "radical Islam" does not have a monopoloy on terrorism. Let's call these crazy-ass christians who are attacking abortion clinics what they truly are - - terrorists.
And hey, aren't we fighting a war on terror?
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Send Them to Jail!
A hemophilic boy in Pennsylvania bleeds to death over a period of two days from a small cut on his foot. An Indiana girl dies after a malignant tumor sprouts from her skull and grows so enormous that it’s nearly the size of her head. A boy in Massachusetts succumbs to a bowel obstruction. (His cries of pain are so loud that neighbors are forced to shut their windows to block out the sound.)
None of these children benefit from the readily-available medical treatments that might save their lives, or at least mitigate their suffering. Because the tenets of their parents’ religious faiths mandate it, their ailments are treated by prayer rather than medical science. The results are tragic.
It is difficult to determine precisely how many children in the United States lose their lives every year as the result of the phenomenon that has come to be known as religion-based medical neglect. A landmark study published in the journal Pediatrics uncovered more than 150 reported fatalities over a 10-year period – a tally that one of the study’s authors later said represented only “the tip of the iceberg” of a surprisingly pervasive problem.
I've discussed this kind of thing here before, but I want to reiterate it - these fools should be prosecuted and sent to jail for child abuse. The responsibility you take on when you have a child is more important than your "belief" in mythical creatures and superstitious remedies.
Bottom line: if you don't get your children some good old-fashiond doctorin' when they are sick, then off to jail with you!
None of these children benefit from the readily-available medical treatments that might save their lives, or at least mitigate their suffering. Because the tenets of their parents’ religious faiths mandate it, their ailments are treated by prayer rather than medical science. The results are tragic.
It is difficult to determine precisely how many children in the United States lose their lives every year as the result of the phenomenon that has come to be known as religion-based medical neglect. A landmark study published in the journal Pediatrics uncovered more than 150 reported fatalities over a 10-year period – a tally that one of the study’s authors later said represented only “the tip of the iceberg” of a surprisingly pervasive problem.
I've discussed this kind of thing here before, but I want to reiterate it - these fools should be prosecuted and sent to jail for child abuse. The responsibility you take on when you have a child is more important than your "belief" in mythical creatures and superstitious remedies.
Bottom line: if you don't get your children some good old-fashiond doctorin' when they are sick, then off to jail with you!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Why I Won't, Nay, Can't Vote Republican
McCain: "I'm proud that we have Justice Alito and Roberts on the United States Supreme Court." ... [And when asked whether he admires any Supreme Court justice in particular] "Of course, Antonin Scalia."
Huckabee: "My own personal hero on the court is Scalia."
Romney: "I think the justices that President Bush has appointed are exactly spot-on. I think Justice Roberts and Justice Alito are exactly the kind of justices America needs."
Giuliani: "I will nominate strict constructionist judges with respect for the rule of law and a proven fidelity to the Constitution -- judges in the mold of Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito, and Chief Justice Roberts."
Huckabee: "My own personal hero on the court is Scalia."
Romney: "I think the justices that President Bush has appointed are exactly spot-on. I think Justice Roberts and Justice Alito are exactly the kind of justices America needs."
Giuliani: "I will nominate strict constructionist judges with respect for the rule of law and a proven fidelity to the Constitution -- judges in the mold of Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito, and Chief Justice Roberts."
Welcome Back Jon Stewart!
In case you did not notice, Jon Stewart is back on the air; so is Stephen Colbert. Both shows had been off the air because of the writer's strike, and I missed them both. Stewart is now calling his show "A Daily Show" instead of "The Daily Show," because he says that "The" Daily Show is the one put on with his full staff of writers.
It was on Stewart's show that I finally got to see the video of Hillary supposedly breaking down in tears. In reality, her voice cracked a little and she was more emotional as she spoke than usual. But she did not cry; she came nowhere near crying. I'm ashamed of myself for "believing" that she did.
And Hillary Clinton won the New Hampshire primary, even as the pundits had all but coronated Barack Obama as the winner. I still support Hillary Clinton and hope she is the Democratic nominee. I think she'll make a fantastic president.
Oh, and McCain won in New Hampshire, too. I wouldn't be surprised if that re-energizes ol' Yosemite's campaign and he becomes the eventual Republican nominee because, let's face it, he is probably the best of a very sorry lot... but that ain't saying much.
It was on Stewart's show that I finally got to see the video of Hillary supposedly breaking down in tears. In reality, her voice cracked a little and she was more emotional as she spoke than usual. But she did not cry; she came nowhere near crying. I'm ashamed of myself for "believing" that she did.
And Hillary Clinton won the New Hampshire primary, even as the pundits had all but coronated Barack Obama as the winner. I still support Hillary Clinton and hope she is the Democratic nominee. I think she'll make a fantastic president.
Oh, and McCain won in New Hampshire, too. I wouldn't be surprised if that re-energizes ol' Yosemite's campaign and he becomes the eventual Republican nominee because, let's face it, he is probably the best of a very sorry lot... but that ain't saying much.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Not A Slow News Day At All!
This post will be a jumble of different news items that struck me today as somewhat important.
First up, to paraphrase Tom Hanks, there's no crying in presidential politics! According to Yahoo News! a teary-eyed Hillary Clinton pushed for support on Monday as polls showed her poised for a huge New Hampshire loss to Democratic rival Barack Obama, but the former front-runner vowed to carry on with her presidential quest even if she loses. How pathetic! And she has had my support up until now. Nobody wants a crying president, especially when it just reeks of "Oh, poor me, I'm losing." Perhaps if she was overcoming a personal tragedy or something, but not losing Iowa and being behind in the NH polls. I may have to switch my support over to Obama.
Of course, none of the other candidates have to face troglodytes shouting "iron my shirt!" the way Hillary Clinton does, so perhaps she deserves some understanding.
At the same time, the federal budget deficit continues to grow. The budget deficit is $27 billion higher after the first three months of the 2008 budget year that began Oct. 1 than it was after a comparable period for 2007, said the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. We need some fiscal discipline and, believe it or not, I think that will come from Democrats, not Republicans. You cannot decrease taxes and increase spending on a long-term basis folks... it just won't work.
And then there is the Middle East. Yahoo News! reports: Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, the commander of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is based in the Gulf, said five Iranian fast boats moved aggressively toward the U.S. ships in international waters and their actions were "unduly provocative." "The ships received a radio call that was threatening in nature, to the effect that they were closing on our ships and ... the U.S. ships would explode," Cosgriff told reporters at the Pentagon via videolink from his Bahrain headquarters.
Conversely, Iran on Monday downplayed the significant of an incident which involved three U.S. Navy ships and Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said the act taken during the weakend in connection with the American navy ship "is something normal."
It'd be a lot easier if we had on-going diplomatic communications with Iran, wouldn't it?
And finally, The McLaughlin Group voted on whether the "atheism trend" would continue in popular culture. I didn't see it (haven't watched McLaughlin in ages), but I get this vision of Dana Carvey shouting "Wrong!" at Pat Buchanon as he says it will. Wow... I think I'd like to watch this just to see Pat saying that!
How about you?
First up, to paraphrase Tom Hanks, there's no crying in presidential politics! According to Yahoo News! a teary-eyed Hillary Clinton pushed for support on Monday as polls showed her poised for a huge New Hampshire loss to Democratic rival Barack Obama, but the former front-runner vowed to carry on with her presidential quest even if she loses. How pathetic! And she has had my support up until now. Nobody wants a crying president, especially when it just reeks of "Oh, poor me, I'm losing." Perhaps if she was overcoming a personal tragedy or something, but not losing Iowa and being behind in the NH polls. I may have to switch my support over to Obama.
Of course, none of the other candidates have to face troglodytes shouting "iron my shirt!" the way Hillary Clinton does, so perhaps she deserves some understanding.
At the same time, the federal budget deficit continues to grow. The budget deficit is $27 billion higher after the first three months of the 2008 budget year that began Oct. 1 than it was after a comparable period for 2007, said the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. We need some fiscal discipline and, believe it or not, I think that will come from Democrats, not Republicans. You cannot decrease taxes and increase spending on a long-term basis folks... it just won't work.
And then there is the Middle East. Yahoo News! reports: Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, the commander of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is based in the Gulf, said five Iranian fast boats moved aggressively toward the U.S. ships in international waters and their actions were "unduly provocative." "The ships received a radio call that was threatening in nature, to the effect that they were closing on our ships and ... the U.S. ships would explode," Cosgriff told reporters at the Pentagon via videolink from his Bahrain headquarters.
Conversely, Iran on Monday downplayed the significant of an incident which involved three U.S. Navy ships and Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said the act taken during the weakend in connection with the American navy ship "is something normal."
It'd be a lot easier if we had on-going diplomatic communications with Iran, wouldn't it?
And finally, The McLaughlin Group voted on whether the "atheism trend" would continue in popular culture. I didn't see it (haven't watched McLaughlin in ages), but I get this vision of Dana Carvey shouting "Wrong!" at Pat Buchanon as he says it will. Wow... I think I'd like to watch this just to see Pat saying that!
How about you?
Sunday, January 6, 2008
The End of Faith
Anybody remember Graham Parker? He was (actually, is) a great singer-songwriter of caustic pop who was (semi) popular during the late 70's thru the mid 80's. I've been a fan of his for years and yes, he is still at it. I mention it here because I ran across a site promoting his latest single (MP3) titled The End of Faith. Click over and check it out.
At the same time I also ran across something so surreal that I had to share it:
Shock the Monkey by Don Ho
Yes, you read that correctly... and it isn't too bad, actually.
At the same time I also ran across something so surreal that I had to share it:
Shock the Monkey by Don Ho
Yes, you read that correctly... and it isn't too bad, actually.
Huckabee on Taxes
While I abhor most of Huckabee's social policy positions (anti-gay, anti-abortion, pro-evangelical, etc.), I like his position on the flat tax: "The FairTax will replace the Internal Revenue Code with a consumption tax ... All of us will get a monthly rebate that will reimburse us for taxes on purchases up to the poverty line ... That means people below the poverty line won't be taxed at all," says his Web site.
I blogged about this last year (check it out here) and I still think it is a great idea. I wish a sane candidate would support it.
I don't think Huckabee can sustain a campaign for any length of time. He has already done some incredibly stupid things. He produced an attack ad against Mitt Romney, then decided not to air it, but played it for journalists, anyway. (How many sides of a position can you take?) Then he appeared on the first Tonight Show after it came back on without writers, essentially crossing a picket line. Then he said he supports the Hollywood writers' strike. Huckebee also campaigned at a casino in Burlington, Iowa, despite his opposition to gambling. And, oh yes, he has been campaigned with Chuck Norris (remember, I've blogged about him, too). This guy is not completely glued together properly!
I blogged about this last year (check it out here) and I still think it is a great idea. I wish a sane candidate would support it.
I don't think Huckabee can sustain a campaign for any length of time. He has already done some incredibly stupid things. He produced an attack ad against Mitt Romney, then decided not to air it, but played it for journalists, anyway. (How many sides of a position can you take?) Then he appeared on the first Tonight Show after it came back on without writers, essentially crossing a picket line. Then he said he supports the Hollywood writers' strike. Huckebee also campaigned at a casino in Burlington, Iowa, despite his opposition to gambling. And, oh yes, he has been campaigned with Chuck Norris (remember, I've blogged about him, too). This guy is not completely glued together properly!
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