The Uninspired Manifesto

Happy Thanksgiving.

2008-11-27T14:57:00.003-06:00

Another year has passed, and Thanksgiving is here once more. This time last year I was celebrating the holiday with family on a warm day in Austin, and this year, I'm treading snow covered ground to celebrate with family in Spokane.

Wherever you are, though, enjoy today. Plenty of food and football to go around. As for me, I'm going to stuff my face, get drunk, and break the plastic on my DVD copy of a Colbert Christmas.

Happy Holidays.

A Quick News Updates...

2008-11-18T20:08:00.004-06:00

I really should log on more often, but between my various daily activities, as well as my propensity to spend hours surfing YouTube, It's hard to find time to search out news stories. Still, I came across one that warranted a look from those that might be interested.

From The International Herald Tribune:

A last-minute Bush administration plan to grant sweeping new protections to health care providers who oppose abortion and other procedures on religious or moral grounds has provoked a torrent of objections, including a strenuous protest from the government agency that enforces job-discrimination laws.

The proposed rule would prohibit recipients of federal money from discriminating against doctors, nurses and other health care workers who refuse to perform or to assist in the performance of abortions or sterilization procedures because of their "religious beliefs or moral convictions."

...

To avoid the usual rush of last-minute rules, the White House said in May that new regulations should be proposed by June 1 and issued by Nov. 1. The "provider conscience" rule missed both deadlines.

Under the White House directive, the deadlines can be waived "in extraordinary circumstances." Administration officials were unable to say immediately why an exception might be justified in this case.

I don't know if this ruling will pass or not, and in the case that it does, how long it would hold up under the next administration. Everyone knew that the closer we got to the end of the Bush era, the harder he would push to sneak through rulings that otherwise wouldn't make it past a vote in the House. This one in particular could force clinics to hire employees that may refuse to do their job.

I be back with another update in the near future.

I'm Back! (...Hold For Applause)

2008-11-10T21:58:00.003-06:00

It's been a long time since I've posted anything here. I could lie and say that it was for a good reason, but the truth is, I just decided to take a short break. And then I forgot I had a blog. A lot has happened since the last time I wrote anything up, and rather than go into details, I'll just give you the broad strokes:

I got a different job.

I quit that job.

I moved to a different town, state.

I got another job.

There was also a lot of shit that went on across the country while I was away, but there are plenty of other blogs available for you to sift through the archives of for all that. Otherwise, expect a few new posts over the next couple of days as I try to get back into this habit.

Keith Olbermann on Mitt Romney

2007-12-08T22:22:00.000-06:00

Keith Olbermann give us a little bit of insight into Mitt Romney's speech regarding his Mormonism this past week.

R.I.P. Pimp C

2007-12-04T18:54:00.000-06:00

This is a very sad day for fans of UGK and Houston rap/hip-hop, as Port Arthur native Pimp C was found dead in his West Hollywood hotel room Tuesday morning. The Houston Chronicle has more.

Pimp C, one-half of hip-hop duo UGK, was found dead Tuesday morning in his room at the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood. A local police spokesman said the death is being investigated by its homicide division.

Police found the rapper, whose real name was Chad Butler, dead in his bed at the Mondrian Hotel after responding to a 911 call. According to Deputy Bill Brauberger, Butler died at 9:20 a.m. The call came three hours later.

Butler was 33 years old.

There's not a lot I can say, except that he was truly a legend here in Houston, and helped bring this city's rap artists like Mike Jones and Chamillionaire to the national spotlight. I've been listening to UGK's music for a number of years, and while they're very popular and have a number of hits, coming off their commercial peak with the first studio album in five years, it's sad to think he died without ever reaching super stardom.

Something For The Catholic League To Actually Complain About

2007-11-30T00:51:00.000-06:00

With all the bullshit about The Golden Compass flying around, somehow the Catholic League managed to miss out on a film that takes their concept of The Golden Compass to a literal level. Firstshowing.net has an excellent write-up. (Rotten Tomatoes also has a set visit article that's worth checking out.)

"Franklyn is basically about four intertwining stories, three of which are based in contemporary London and one of which is based in a kind of parallel fantasy environment called Meanwhile City. Our hero in that strand is this sort-of masked vigilante detective who's the only atheist in Meanwhile City, played by Ryan Phillippe, who basically runs around trying to extract people from cults, has a big cynicism about the whole thing and hates The Ministry with a vengeance."

What is Meanwhile City? "It's this place which is sort-of run by a shadowy, religious uber-power called The Ministry who has decided, over the centuries, that as long as they can get their population to believe in something - anything - they can control them. People have faiths and religions based on strange things like The Seventh Day Manicurists and Washing Machine Street Preachers. Their doctrines and dogmas are all based on things like washing machine instructions."

From everything I've read, regardless of any atheist content, it still looks like an excellent film. It stars Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green (who was excellent in Casino Royale), and Sam Riley, and is set to come out in 2008.

I Really Should Watch My Local News More Often

2007-11-27T23:19:00.000-06:00

So, last night I was baking a cake (fuck you, it's my kitchen and I'll do what I want) with my local news on in the opposite room. Now, I rarely watch my local news; and by rarely, I mean never. So, when I heard the words 'Harris County' and 'Bible monument', it's understandable that I had no fucking idea what was going on. Anyway, here's the story from the Houston Chronicle:

Harris County loses lawsuit over Bible monument

HOUSTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review lower court rulings that a monument outside a courthouse featuring the Bible should be removed and that Harris County must pay the legal fees for the woman who sued over the monument.

Harris County Attorney Mike Stafford had asked the high court to vacate a ruling by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake, who sided with a woman who sued in 2003 claiming a monument featuring the King James version of the Bible was offensive.

In the appeals court ruling, a majority of judges said preserving Lake's ruling would serve judicial and community interests by discouraging refiling of lawsuits on the same issues by the same parties.

...

"This case has always been about religious freedom," Kallinen said. "In the United States, we are a nation of many religions. And to stick with one sect of Christianity, that one respresented by the King James version Bible only, is not what America is about."

We won... Yay?

This went all the way to the Supreme Court, and I had no idea it was even happening. In my defense though, along with not watching local newscasts, I also don't read the local newspaper or associate with anyone that would discuss current events. In any case, the monument has been moved and plans are in place to somehow revise the monument in order to make it less offensive.

More Pullman Hate

2007-11-24T22:06:00.000-06:00

So, I begin my return to regular posting with the story I've been trying to avoid because of how much it angers me; The Golden Compass. Every day, I open my Gmail account, and check my Google alerts, only to find 10 new stories about how the new film 'The Golden Compass' is subverting innocent movie going audiences into becoming atheists.

I first read 'The Golden Compass' in 2000, after finding a copy in my school library. I was only 12 years old, but already confirmed in my non-belief. After only fifteen or twenty pages, I was hooked. I loved the story, the characters, everything about it. After finishing the first book, I immediately returned it to the library, and picked up 'The Subtle Knife', followed soon after by 'The Amber Spyglass' when it was published in the US in 2001. I wasn't very knowledgeable about atheism at the time, and unless someone were to point it out to me specifically, I didn't see any connection to religion in the first two books. With the third book, even though it uses the name God, I never connected it to being anti-religious, as it's laid out that the children are not going after God, but rather an arch-angel that has taken the place of God. Years passed, and though I regarded the experience as quintessential in my early teenage development, I had largely forgotten the books themselves. Then, I got word, almost a year ago, that New Line Cinema had auctioned the rights to a film version of 'The Golden Compass', and it was going into production. This gave me pause, as I reflected on how much I enjoyed the books, finally deciding I needed to re-read the trilogy before the release of the first (of hopefully all three) films. This brings us to a few months ago, when the first negative press about 'The Golden Compass', Phillip Pullman and his atheism popped up. I reported on the first of the controversy, discussing my disdain for those who criticized the work based solely on Pullman's atheism, and left it at that, hopeful the controversy would burn out quickly, and I could enjoy the film upon it's release. But that didn't happen.

As the days passed, more and more christian/right-wing blogs and news sites picked up on 'The Golden Compass' controversy, until the Bill Donohue and The Catholic League released a pamphlet titled "The Golden Compass: Agenda Unmasked", which - though I haven't read it personally, information I've gathered on it suggests that it - contends that the film itself, though religious themes have been greatly watered down, will drive parents to buy the books for their children for Christmas, exposing them to "Pullman's anti-Catholic hate". Since being drawn up, Donohue's pamphlet has made the rounds to thousands of religious people, inspiring a series of e-mail campaigns directed at warning christian parents to stay away from the film. This sparked a long line of newspaper articles, and news reports outlining the controversy and warning everyone to "do their homework" before allowing their children to see the film.

This leads us to now, with me sitting in front of my computer, typing away, wondering how one little book can divide so many in this day in age. I mean, fuck man, Dawkin's "The God Delusion" didn't stir up this much shit.

First off, let me state that I am a movie fan above all else, and from that point of view, there are legitimate complaints. In order to give Daniel Craig top billing along with Nicole Kidman, they had to cut up the film, as his character only has three or four scenes in the book. Other than that, all arguments about the religious content of the film are unfounded, and I have problems with both sides. My biggest problem with the Catholic League's argument is that they're warning people about a book published in fucking 1995. For twelve years, they could have said something about it, but only chose to do so when New Line commissioned a feature film based on the book, and they could get some press from it. Other than that, he simple fact that none of them even read the series before lambasting it, and applying their own interpretations on it. Of course, all one has to do is listen to any member of the Catholic League discuss scripture for a few minutes, and it becomes clear that it's nothing new to them. On the atheist side, though, we have a bunch of whiny self-important asses crying over the studio removing any religious references that could be considered offensive. It's not as if butchering a novel's film translation is anything new for a production company. Of course they removed anything that could be deemed anti-religion. They did that a long time before this controversy even started. Also, as much as I respect Ellen Johnson for all she's done, please stop trying to defend this movie. You're doing a terrible fucking job. The film itself has never, and will never contain any influential atheist material.

Still, though, the debate rages on, dividing people all across the country (but mostly just online) over an issue that should have been swept to the wayside a long time ago. The latest casualty of which, comes to us from CTV.ca:

The Centre for Inquiry and the Canadian Secular Alliance is calling an Ontario school board's decision to remove a children's book from its library shelves, "an overt example of the discrimination against atheists by the religious."

The Halton Catholic District School Board ordered "The Golden Compass" to be removed from library shelves at dozens of schools after receiving a request for review from a member of the community.

...

The board -- which oversees some 43 elementary and secondary schools in Ontario -- has pulled the book from public display and two other Pullman titles from the "Dark Materials" trilogy. The books are available to students upon request.

This article has been showing up a lot around the atheist blogosphere the past couple days, with cries of discrimination ringing out. While I certainly don't agree with the boards decision, I can't say I don't understand it. After all, they oversee Catholic schools, and as long as that stupid fuck Bill Donohue is spraying his bigoted hatred over every 24-hour news channel he can find, they'll follow suit.

The only good news I can relate is that the film opens in just under two weeks, (Dec. 7th, my birthday of all days... how fucking perfect is that) and we can put all of this behind us. Good night...

Life, Death, And This Hot Chick At Chili's

2007-11-21T23:35:00.000-06:00

So, there's quite a few things going on with me at the moment. Most pressing, though, is my upcoming trip to my mom's for a bit of in-between holiday celebration. (I'm timing it for exactly halfway between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I won't get roped into celebrating either one with them.) This means a couple of things: First, I'll have to pack away my Dawkins and Hitchens books, as not to offend the fragile christian sensibilities of my mom's part of the family. And secondly, I'll have to sit through a lecture covering everything from my sporadic visitation (with longer intervals between each one) to my lack of faith, including - but not limited too - church attendance, prayer, and whatever seemingly intelligent questions they read in the latest pamphlet from some random christian publication that preaches combating the recent rise in secularism. I've always hated these little 'talks' (as they call them; though they do most of the talking, while I scroll through shows they've recorded on their DVR) but it seems that lately, they've become more hostile towards my responses. Granted, this could be mostly my fault, because as they become more hostile, I, in return, have become more sarcastic and begun to mock their beliefs more openly. It's not to the point that I call them stupid, but it's close.

For example, on my last visit, after a particularly heated back and forth, we all went out to a restaurant, and standing in front were a few volunteers for some christian charity that was sponsoring a blood drive. As we approached the front door, a young attractive blond woman wearing a powder blue t-shirt with something akin to 'Give Blood For Christ' on it, approached me in particular, reaching out with a flyer, which in retrospect, I should have read, and asked if I would like to donate. I'm not sure why she was directed to me in particular, (most likely the 'Coexist' t-shirt I wore that night) but without a moment's hesitation, I crumpled the piece of paper, thew it into a nearby wastebasket, replied, "Sorry, I'm HIV positive," and walked inside.

It's statements like that, that I find the most rewarding as an expression of humor, while my mother and step-father seem put-off by the fact that I would willingly and randomly announce to a group of complete strangers that I have AIDS. Of course, I don't.. I know that, they know that, but instead of seeing it for what it was, (attempting to make myself laugh) they became defensive by condemning me for lying and making both them and the 'oh so wonderful' jesuits uncomfortable.

So, after all that, we finally get to the point of my story. Upon leaving the restaurant, instead of conceding to my mother's complaining and apologizing, I handed the young woman a folded napkin that included my cell number, and the phrase 'Wanna Hook Up?' Later that night, I sat alone outside smoking a cigarette, thinking about life and death. What I would do if I knew I had only a short time left; who would I talk to? What would I say? This inevitably led me to think about what would happen when I did die. I'm very firm in my non-supernatural view, and I know that nothing will happen when I die. There will be no afterlife, no eternal suffering, (as so many loving christians are quick to point out) but that doesn't mean it's not a disturbing concept. Still, I've always maintained that this is the most important contention between theists and atheists; while atheists can accept there is no heaven or hell, and no consciousness after death, theists are held by this belief. I know this is probably an over-simplification, but almost every theist I've met to this point have been genuinely shocked that I don't believe in an afterlife.

F. Forrester Church once said:

Religion is the human response to being alive and having to die.

It's impossible to know what happens when a person dies, but given the information we currently have, it's a safe assumption that there's nothing out there for us. While most religious people would contend that we do, in fact, have a soul and it will continue on in some form long after our physical bodies have deteriorated. I don't believe in souls, only the majestic power of the human mind, continually evolving to help us understand the universe around us. While I was sitting there, smoking my cigarette and looking up into the night sky, imagining the possibilities that lay centuries ahead of my time on this planet, it pained me to think I wouldn't be around for that. To see our scientists map the farthest reaches of the Milky Way galaxy, and possibly discover alien life-forms...

As I finished my cigarette, putting it out in an ashtray next to me, I took one last look into space just in time to see a small comet fly across the sky, and the realization that it could all be over tomorrow brought me back to the present. There's a lot of things wrong with the world today, but at the same time, we're the proprietors of great scientific advancements, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else...

Quality, Not Quantity

2007-11-16T23:25:00.000-06:00

So, it seems that once again, I've been caught up with the various goings on here at my house, and haven't been able to update the blog. I do promise to start updating regularly soon, but until then, I wanted to leave you with some comedy.

For the benefit of those of you that don't scour shitty B-movies as much as I do, I wanted to entice you with what is by a wide margin, one of my favorites. It's called Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter, and let me attempt to explain the plot. Basiclly, Ottawa is over-run by vampires who are killing all the lesbians and harvesting their skin to graft over their own so they can walk around during the day. Local clergy, having no other option, reach out to Jesus for his help. What follows in 90 minutes of Jesus Christ, with the help of his sexy female companion, Mary Magnum, and a Mexican wrestler, Santos, fighting their way to the head vampire to save the lesbians.

If that isn't enough for you to walk away from your computer right now, and seek out this DVD, there's something wrong with you. Anyway, to point out the greatness of theis film, I present you with the "theme song" of the movie, 'Everybody Gets Laid Tonight' by The Hammerheads. (Note* The guy making the speech at the start of this video is Jesus.)

Church Sponsored Youth Therapy

2007-11-12T17:41:00.000-06:00

Article from Bismarck Tribune.

The name of the organization tells it plainly: Freedom From Religion Foundation. The Wisconsin-based group wants a U.S. district court to rule against any public funding of the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch. The legal complaint further demands that public agencies not refer troubled young people to the program as long as religion plays any part in the treatment.

...

It's alleged that "children are committed to the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, without their consent, by county social service agencies or the (state)Department of Juvenile Services and/or the (state) Department of Human Services, and all the children receive religious inculcation, including those who are committed by public agencies."

The atheist foundation might have its strongest argument on a constitutional basis if it's true that "children are disciplined for refusing to participate in the spiritual aspects of their therapeutic treatment plan, including suspension of privileges; prolongation of commitment (to the program). ... Refusal to participate in religious activities is considered non participation in a child's treatment plan."

This certainly isn't a new occurrence, as church sponsored therapy or rehabilitation programs are the most commonly court ordered. I believe I've talked before about my own experiences, including AA, NA, and court ordered therapy sessions along with school ordered counseling sessions, all of which for some reason had to be infused with religion. In NA (Narcotics Anonymous, for those of you who don't know), for example, we started every meeting with a mandatory prayer, which, on the occasions I did not participate in, I was reprimanded for several minutes before we could continue. When I first began the program, among the first few questions the counselor asked me, was what religion I would like to be identified by. When I responded with a 'No Preference' (Seemed less intrusive than atheist, and I really wanted to stay out of the spotlight), it began a line of questions trying to connect my substance abuse to my lack of religious affiliation. In my court ordered therapy sessions (for an entirely different reason) the same line of questioning came up, trying to connect my lack of faith to what got me expelled. (They were in some ways connected, but not like that)

My point is, though, that a purely secular rehab program would work just as well, if not better because of the forced segregation. A court ordered program needs to be all encompassing, and not attending a church sermon or praying in a group isn't going to affect a person's rehabilitation. I was never an addict myself, so giving up was as easy as losing my dealer's number and not having any way to contact him. Almost a year later, and I don't even miss it. Still, my biggest influence was the stories I hear in those AA and NA meetings from life long addicts who've suffered horrible loss and tragedy at the hands of their addictions, not 12 fucking steps. Hearing a young mother openly weep as she discusses the death of her young son while she was high on crystal meth did a hell of a lot more for me than a few fucking bible verses.

Don't get me wrong, though, I can understand a person using religion as a crutch to help them with their addictions, or stay clean, but its not for everyone, and the court system has to understand that. Forcing a person to conform to ideals they don't agree with is only going to hinder their progression in any program, especially one as vital as this. All I can say, is that I hope the Freedom From Religion Foundation is successful so that more young people can get help without having to suffer through a fucking recruitment speech for the christian church.

A Long Break...

2007-11-09T18:18:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been out of commission for some time. Besides the DVDs from my last post, I've been working a lot and haven't been keeping up with the news. And when I so check up on it, which I have from time to time, every other story is another christian group harping on The Golden Compass, Phillip Pullman, and the atheist agenda. I've voiced my sentiments on the subject before, and I'm so fucking tired of these assholes acting as if it's the worst book ever written. If you don't believe me, for whatever reason, search google for recent reviews on Christian web blogs for 'The Golden Compass', a book that came out 10 FUCKING YEARS AGO!

Anyway, I'll try to get back here for a few posts before I leave for work tonight, but If I can't make it, be sure to check out all the blogs on the Atheist Blogroll on the left side of my page for opinions that are better worded and use the word 'fuck' less often than I do.

Updates Coming Soon

2007-10-29T00:49:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't been able to update the blog lately, but I've had... well, I haven't had a whole lot going on, I just got distracted by some shit. First, it was running around town with some friends, getting into some crazy shit I'm not going to detail here for fear of legal recourse, (nothing too bad, trust me) and then it was some long hours at work combined with the shit-load of DVD's I bought on Thursday. Heroes Season 1, American Gangster Season 1 (great BET series, check it out if you have a chance), The Office Season 3, The Sarah Silverman Program Season 1, Jericho Season 1, and The Stanley Kubrick Collection (though I could do without Eyes Wide Shut). Needless to say, I still haven't gotten through all of them, but I'm sacrificing a lot of sleep to accomplish that goal.

Other than that, the only thing I have to add is a visit from one of the local church 'community outreach' program things. (I don't know what they call themselves) Apparently, they're somewhat offended that I don't attend their church, and they wanted to know which church I did attend, most likely to determine whether or not I would jump ship and join them. I can understand the idea of community loyalty seeing as how my house is less than 100 yards away from the church in question, but it's still annoying as hell to wake up only a few hours after getting home form graveyard shift to tell a bunch of morons in matching 'I Love Jesus' jumpsuits to 'fuck off'. I was a little nicer than that, though it wouldn't have made much difference as I answered the door shirtless, sporting my (as I've been informed by friendly church-goers before) somewhat menacing tattoos. Still, after a brief conversation about how I did not attend any church, and had no plans to anytime in the near future, I managed to have my address removed from whatever list they used to terrorize locals.

It should be noted that I really have nothing against these people. They seemed nice enough, and had no idea I was so exhausted. The only reason I harbor so much resentment against them was their overbearing nature, and incessant pushing for a long dialogue about my lack of faith. I understand the teachings of the church direct christians to seek out non-believers and try to convert them, but it's just childish to believe merely discussing jesus and the bible will convert someone. Conversion from one faith to another, or to none at all requires a desire for change in the individual that can't be brought upon by a random verse from some book.

One more thing proselytizing christians need to understand; most atheists and agnostics (not all mind you) at one time or another belonged to some form of organized religion. I know a common misconception is that they don't understand god, or were never really true christians (can be substituted for any faith), but we did. We held our beliefs in as high a regard as you currently do... we just outgrew them.

Well, that's enough for tonight, and I better get back to my TV... Jessica just made the deal with Linderman to get her and Nikki out of prison. Why did they have to kill of D.L.

(Watch Heroes!)

Conservative Republican Bobby Jindal Elected Louisiana Governor

2007-10-21T19:45:00.000-05:00

From Time Magazine Online.

In a widely expected victory Saturday night, Bobby Jindal, a 36-year old Republican congressman, won the Louisiana gubernatorial election, becoming the nation's first governor of Indian-American descent and the youngest chief executive of any state. Jindal took 54% of the vote in the state's off-year open primary, the first since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, and became the first non-white politician to hold the state's highest office since Reconstruction. Jindal, one of the few young rising stars in the GOP ran on a strong reform platform. "Don't let anyone talk badly about Louisana," he said during his Saturday night victory speech at a Baton Rouge Holiday Inn. "Those days [of corruption and incompetence] are officially over. There has never been a clearer mandate for our state."

I bring this up because of some disturbing comments I read in a previous Time article:

A Catholic convert who grew up in a Hindu household, Jindal has made his name by aligning himself with the cultural conservative wing of the Republican Party, fiercely opposing stem cell research and abortion while favoring the teaching of Intelligent Design in public schools. The strategy has helped his standing among the state's conservative Christian voters, and helped him overcome the twin liabilities (in some circles) of intellectualism and ethnicity — traits that arouse suspicion in some of Louisiana's rural stretches, and that many say also helped tip the scales against him in 2003.

I've talked about my time in Lousisana High School's before on this blog, and it serves to point out that only someone who has spent time in a rural Louisiana school knows how depleted the church-state seperation already is. To the point where the Biology teacher, whose class I sat in on occasionaly throughtout my senior year, started every lecture on evolution with "I in no way agree with this theory, but..."

If Jindal proposes a bill to introduce Intelligent Design into classrooms, there is no doubt in my mind that it will pass, and when it does, it will the first in a line of bill that will systematically break down scientific adanvcement throughout the state. There are far too many people in Lousisana, including members of my own fucking family (how sad is that), that believe religion should play a much more prominent role in public life. It's this kind of ignorance I fought so hard against in my schools, and whatever progress I told myself I made to get to sleep at night, will be wiped away by asshole fundameltalist politicians so they can get more votes.

At least I don't live there anymore...

Dumbledore Is Gay!

2007-10-20T17:53:00.000-05:00

Let me start out by saying that I am in no way a Harry Potter fan. I never liked the books, and hated the movies. I had no objection to any supposed wiccan conotations, I just thought they sucked. Still, I wanted to share a few lines from a report I read on ABC13.com. (My hometown news, no less)

That's right, Harry's mentor and father-figure would prefer a nice wizard to a hot witch any day.

In a surprising new Potter twist, author J.K. Rowling outed Dumbledore at New York's Carnegie Hall in front of 2,000 Potter fans during a question and answer session Friday night.

...

One major anti-Potter crusader is Laura Mallory, a mother of four from Georgia, who made headlines earlier this month when she told the Gwinnett County Board of Education that the series was trying to indoctrinate children into the Wicca religion. In response to Dumbledore's outing, Mallory told ABC News that the Potter series has "an anti-Christian agenda," and, "this only further supports that."

"My prayer is that parents would wake up, that the subtle way this is presented as harmless fantasy would be exposed for what it really is -- a subtle indoctrination into anti-Christian values," said Mallory. "The kids are being introduced to a cult and witchcraft practices.

"A homosexual lifestyle is a harmful one," she added. "That's proven, medically."

Not surprisingly, conservatives at Saturday's Values Voters' summit in Washington also had some thoughts on the now controversial wizard.

"I feel like children's books shouldn't be political -- they shouldn't have political ties, they're entertainment," attendee Katie Beach said. "I think it's pretty ridiculous for her to say that or to do that."

I've talked a few times on this blog before about the assholes that try to ban the Harry Potter series for whatever stupid reason they can think of, and for some reason the press has to look to them for comments whenever a new book or movie is released. It's not even like they have constructive criticism; they just spout the same hate filled bullshit over and over.

It's an incredibly simple concept that for some reason needs to be reiterated time and time again: If you don't agree with the book, don't read it. If you don't like the movie, don't fucking watch it. I never really enjoyed either, so I stay away from it. It's not that fucking hard.

Colbert '08

2007-10-17T12:58:00.000-05:00

Stephen Colbert is running for president of the United States... in South Carolina. The Associated Press has more.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Colbert announced his candidacy for president on "The Colbert Report" on Tuesday night, tossing his satirical hat into the ring of an already crowded race.

"I shall seek the office of the President of the United States," announced Colbert on his Comedy Central show, as balloons fell around him.

His recent best-seller, "I Am American (And So Can You!)" afforded him the opportunity to mock the now-standard approach to a White House run, complete with a high-profile book tour.

...

Colbert planned to get his name on the primary ballot in South Carolina, where the comedian is originally from. Earlier this week, South Carolina public television station ETV invited Colbert to announce his candidacy on its air.

When recently asked what party affiliation he would adopt if he tossed his hat in the ring, Colbert replied: "Both. I can lose twice."

In a guest column for Maureen Dowd in Sunday's New York Times, Colbert wrote: "I am not ready to announce yet — even though it's clear that the voters are desperate for a white, male, middle-aged, Jesus-trumpeting alternative."

I was supporting Obama, but now I have to jump on the Colbert Nation bandwagon.

Have Scientists Been Wrong For 400 Years?

2007-10-16T15:13:00.000-05:00

...That's the title of a pamphlet I found, while rifling through today's junk mail. Believe it or not, it's a advertisement for a bible. But not just any bible, mind you, but rather The Geocentric Bible 6. From the pamphlet:

To anyone educated in the twentieth century, the "facts" seem clear. [Notice the word facts is in quotations marks; obviously something is up] The earth spins around the sun. Scientists call this theory heliocentrism. [It was painfully clear at this point they're trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator]

Wait a minute, you may be saying, "That's not a theory." [I'm copying this exactly as it's written in the pamphlet] Scientists as far back as Galileo in the 16th century proved the earth circles the sun. Not vice versa.

But did they really prove anything? [Yes. Conclusively. It was necessary to achieve space travel.]

Yes, new subjects are seldom easy to accept, [How the fuck is this new?] and this is especially true when scientific principles are involved. Or, when the subject appears not to be logical and easily grasped by what has come to be considered common sense.

After an opener like that, you would think they'd have at least some scientific research to back up these claims. Maybe an ostracized astrophysicist or someone with a theology doctorate and an interest in space travel. But no, all they can do is fall back on the legitimacy of the bible.

Literally dozens of Bible verses support the concept of the earth as a central point in God's universe. Even skeptical believers can find compelling evidence in familiar and lesser-known passages in Genesis, Exodus, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Judges and more.

...

The mobility of the earth is the only place where science and the Bible have com into real conflict, [Really? I could think of a few more places] and is the starting point for all churches that have compromised the authority of Scripture.

...

What is the moral significance of these verses - and dozens of others in the scripture?

As R.G. Elmendorf wrote in the Biblical Astronomer pamphlet: "The philosophical consequences of the geocentric/heliocentric controversy are plain enough that if the earth is not fixed on center stage of the universe, then life on earth and man himself are essentially meaningless."

Rather than go into this long diatribe about how fucking stupid the idea of a geocentric universe is, I want to focus on the very last sentence. It represents the most ignorant of the fundies that take the bible so literally, life loses all meaning if any part of it is proven incorrect. Perhaps I'm just cynical, but I will never understand that kind of devotion to something, especially a fucking book.

Debate Rages Over 'Lake Of Fire'

2007-10-14T21:23:00.000-05:00

Director Tony Kaye made a name for himself with the highly controversial film 'American History X', and is back again with another movie that's already pissing people off, 'Lake Of Fire', which is currently running in limited release here in the US. If you haven't heard of the film yet, it follows the evolution of the abortion debate over the last 15 years, in graphic detail. Agence France Press had this to say about the film. (Links courtesy of Talk To Action)

"Lake of Fire," currently on limited release in the United States, unwinds over more than two and a half hours of interviews with some of the leading figures from the pro-life and pro-choice camps.

But it is the graphic and disturbing depiction of termination procedures, filmed like the rest of the movie in black and white, that marks the film out.

...

One scene depicts a doctor sifting through a surgical tray after performing a late-term abortion, where the grisly residue of an arm, a foot and part of a face can be clearly made out.

"It's about as shocking as any motion picture can ever get. It's illegal to film someone being killed," said Kaye.

They may be the kind of images used by anti-abortion activists, but Kaye also doesn't shy from showing pictures of a kneeling and bent-over naked woman who died after performing a botched abortion on herself with a wire coat hanger.

Kaye worked for more than 15 years on "Lake of Fire" -- anti-abortion activist John Burt's description of the hell awaiting abortionists -- and said his goal when he set out was simply to show both sides of the argument.

"The concept was to make a film about the debate over the issue of abortion but to make it a non-propagandist way and to create a kind of war of words."

Of course, pro-life activists are concerned about the film's graphic portrayal of religiously inspired domestic terrorism. ABCNews.com has a detailed article on reactions to the film so far.

Audience members' reactions were equally mixed. Many told ABCNEWS.com that they thought the film was a balanced look at the issue, while others insisted it was largely "anti-abortionist" and some even said it was "very liberal."

More than a few viewers said they had to look away during the movie, which one person called "very difficult to watch."

...

"This was not a balanced portrayal of the issue," said Carol King, former National Organization for Women board member and abortion-rights activist, who has seen the documentary. "One of the things that has upset me more than anything else is the [comparison] of the anti-choice extremists to pro-choice activists. I have never encouraged in any way to kill people with whom I disagree."

...

"It's important for people to know what an abortion is," said Dr. Wanda Franz, the president of the National Right to Life Committee, who has not yet seen "Lake of Fire." "These graphic photos remind people that every abortion kills a living human and so for that reason, we think it's important for people to know the truth about abortion. Seeing it in a film like this is important for educational purposes."

When asked whether she thought extremist anti-abortion activists like the ones depicted in Kaye's film barricading doors of abortion clinics reflected poorly upon the anti-abortion movement, Franz said that sometimes such protests are useful to promote their cause.

"There are times that it's very helpful when [the protest] is in conjunction with political efforts," said Franz. "We're not represented in the movie and I think what you see in the film does not reflect our methods. We do other things — it's important to do education, legislation and political action."

King, who said she has witnessed several abortions and spent time as a "operation rescuer" whose job it was to ensure women were able to enter clinics safely, said that the methods used by anti-abortion groups have been discussed at length by abortion-rights organizations that have never been able to justify the use of images as graphic as the ones shown in Kaye's film.

I definitely take a pro-choice stance, but whether this film leans to one side or the other (which from what I've read, it really doesn't) it's going to be important to see, if only to be more informed on the issue. Of course, there are some legitimate reasons to disagree with abortion, but forcing your views, especially those based on your stupid religion, on others by fucking fire-bombing Planned Parenthood is not only insane, but much worse than anything going on inside one of those clinics.

'Agent Of God' Sentenced To Death

2007-10-11T19:55:00.000-05:00

Story from About.com: Atheism/Agnosticism.

In 1983, Frank Spisak was found guilty of three murders committed in 1982. A neo-Nazi and briefly also a transvestite, Spisak's trial was sensational to say the least and he's been running appeals of his death sentence ever since. The 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ordered a new sentencing hearing but the Supreme Court tossed that out and reinstated the death sentence for Spisak. Now the self-proclaimed warrior for God is waiting for an execution date.

...

Spisak's trial in June 1983 turned into a racially and sexually charged public spectacle in which he grew an Adolf Hitler-style mustache and carried a copy of Hitler's book "Mein Kampf." He said he was an agent of God in a war against blacks and Jews.

After the trial judge sentenced him to death, Spisak responded with a two-minute tirade about white supremacy, ending it with a vigorous "Heil Hitler" salute.[Source: Guardian]

I will never understand how anyone can take something so seriously, applying their own prejudice and hate to a random passage in a fucking book, justifying these horrible acts.

'God Is Not Great' Nominated For National Book Award

2007-10-11T19:46:00.000-05:00

From Associated Press.

NEW YORK (AP) — Should Christopher Hitchens win a National Book Award, you can be sure he won't thank any higher powers.

The author, columnist and commentator was nominated for "God Is Not Great," a polemic with a self-evident theme. Hitchens' book received mixed reviews, but became a best seller over the spring and summer and continued a wave of anti-religious works, including Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" and Daniel Dennett's "Breaking the Spell."

...

It was the first National Book Award nomination for the British-born Hitchens, who wasn't even eligible for the prize until last April, when on his 58th birthday he became a United States citizen. He resides in Washington, D.C., and has well lived up to the title of his featured column on Slate, "Fighting Words."

A somewhat unflattering write-up, but still good to see that it's getting some more recognition. Of course, this will most likely lead to some sort of religious protest and several more articles about how the secular left is trying to eradicate god from this country, but that's nothing unusual.

"Government Paid Missionaries" For Christ

2007-10-09T23:12:00.000-05:00

Story from Talk To Action.

A new story on Truthout.org entitled Report: Pentagon Facilitating Christian Evangelism details new Military Religious Freedom Foundation findings on a Campus Crusade For Christ sponsored ministry that has been given access to set up religious education programs at two leading US military basic training facilities in Texas. A page from the ministry website states explicitly the goal ; to make US active duty service members into "government paid missionaries". The Merriman family, through their Campus Crusade For Christ supported Military Ministry, are not promoting Christianity in general but but a very specific, sectarian interpretation of Christianity: premillennial dispensationalist Christianity, and that is consistent with a pattern that is emerging from research findings by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation ; the pervasive presence in, and institutional favoring by, the Department Of Defense, of a warlike, apocalyptic interpretation of Christianity. The pattern can be construed as an unofficial institutional endorsement of what is at base a Christian theology of war.

The Merrimans have been granted access to the US basic training facilities at Fort Sam Houston and Lackland Air Force Base - where they evangelize recruits in basic training. The Merriman ministry, which is under Campus Crusade For Christ's "Military Ministry", has notable points of commonality with the organization described below, the Military Missions Network. As Truthout notes, both "count current and former high-level personnel from all four branches of the military as board members and use their relationships with base commanders to gain access to soldiers, according to documents from both groups."

This crusade for christ bullshit is getting out of control fucking insane. These hypocritical pieces of shit cannot claim to be any better than fucking islamic terrorists that blow up buildings when they talk about going to war in the name of christianity. Here's part of the report from Truthout:

Military Ministry boasts that it has successfully "targeted" basic training installations, or "gateways" and has converted soldiers to Christianity.

"Young recruits are under great pressure as they enter the military at their initial training gateways," the group has said, according to an archive on its web site. "The demands of drill instructors push recruits and new cadets to the edge. This is why they are most open to the 'good news.' We target specific locations, like Lackland AFB [Air Force base] and Fort Jackson, where large numbers of military members transition early in their career. These sites are excellent locations to pursue our strategic goals."

...

Fundamentalist Christian right "para church" ministries with apocalyptic theological views appear to have penetrated the United States military in a pattern, going from the Pentagon on down to the base level, by which evangelical :"military ministries", many of which are under the Campus Crusade for Christ, teach both that the Bible is without error and literally truth, and also dispensationalist, "Rapture" theology. Many of these ministries have been invited onto US military bases and even onto basic training facilities to - run "religious education" programs and evangelize recruits.

It's not only fucking illegal, but extremely dangerous when you brainwash young people into believing they're fighting to spread the word of jesus christ. They are literally copying islamic fascism and applying it to their own fucked up world-view.

Intimidation, Anti-semitism... High School Football Sucks

2007-10-07T00:49:00.000-05:00

This story, surprisingly enough, doesn't come from the Bible Belt, (where HS football IS god) but rather East Brunswick, N.J. Courtesy of The Carpetbagger Report.

A federal appeals court in Philadelphia this week heard arguments in a case involving a public school football coach who wants to pray with his team.

Marcus Borden of East Brunswick, N.J., claims he just wants to show respect for his players by going down on one knee and bowing his head while they pray. But court documents show that Borden has a long history of promoting Christian religious worship among students, cheerleaders and others. For many years, he either personally led prayer before games or brought in a minister to lead them.

...

This case has many disturbing features. Cheerleaders who complained about the prayers were tarred as “Jewish cheerleaders” and exposed to anti-Semitism. Borden, when told to stop praying with the players, arranged for them to take a vote on having prayer. Everyone knew where the coach stood, so of course the vote was in favor. One boy later told his mother that he opposed the prayers but feared being kept out of the game if he voted no.

Its sad this case had to go all the way to court in the first place, when the school should have taken care of the problem from the beginning.

'Oral Roberts University' Is Fucked (Pun Definitely Intended)

2007-10-06T03:04:00.000-05:00

Here's another great example how christians are more moral than us evil atheists, courtesy of Associated Press.

Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts, says God is speaking again, telling him to deny lurid allegations in a lawsuit that threatens to engulf this 44-year-old Bible Belt college in scandal.

Richard Roberts is accused of illegal involvement in a local political campaign and lavish spending at donors' expense, including numerous home remodeling projects, use of the university jet for his daughter's senior trip to the Bahamas, and a red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV for his wife, Lindsay.

She is accused of dropping tens of thousands of dollars on clothes, awarding nonacademic scholarships to friends of her children and sending scores of text messages on university-issued cell phones to people described in the lawsuit as "underage males."

...

Richard Roberts, according to the suit, asked a professor in 2005 to use his students and university resources to aid a county commissioner's bid for Tulsa mayor. Such involvement would violate state and federal law because of the university's nonprofit status. Up to 50 students are alleged to have worked on the campaign.

The worst part of this isn't even their despicable actions, which are fucking terrible in and of themselves, but how many people will stand up in support of this prick before its all over. You have to hand it to the fundies; no matter what immoral fucked up scandal one of their own gets involved in, they'll stand behind them. Let's continue with the laundry list of allegations levied against Roberts.

The professors also said their dismissals came after they turned over to the board of regents a copy of a report documenting moral and ethical lapses on the part of Roberts and his family. The internal document was prepared by Stephanie Cantese, Richard Roberts' sister-in-law, according to the lawsuit.

An ORU student repairing Cantese's laptop discovered the document and later provided a copy to one of the professors.

It details dozens of alleged instances of misconduct. Among them:

- A longtime maintenance employee was fired so that an underage male friend of Mrs. Roberts could have his position.

- Mrs. Roberts - who is a member of the board of regents and is referred to as ORU's "first lady" on the university's Web site - frequently had cell-phone bills of more than $800 per month, with hundreds of text messages sent between 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. to "underage males who had been provided phones at university expense."

- The university jet was used to take one daughter and several friends on a senior trip to Orlando, Fla., and the Bahamas. The $29,411 trip was billed to the ministry as an "evangelistic function of the president."

- Mrs. Roberts spent more than $39,000 at one Chico's clothing store alone in less than a year, and had other accounts in Texas and California. She also repeatedly said, "As long as I wear it once on TV, we can charge it off." The document cites inconsistencies in clothing purchases and actual usage on TV.

- Mrs. Roberts was given a white Lexus SUV and a red Mercedes convertible by ministry donors.

- University and ministry employees are regularly summoned to the Roberts' home to do the daughters' homework.

- The university and ministry maintain a stable of horses for exclusive use by the Roberts' children.

- The Roberts' home has been remodeled 11 times in the past 14 years.

To build up this many infractions, this has to have been going on for quite a few years. Why the fuck has it taken until now to notice this shit? You would think that maybe after the eight or ninth home remodeling, a few eyebrows would be raised. Perhaps because of his status and reputation, people were likely to give him the benefit of the doubt, but the little fucker just got too greedy.

Bakersfield trustees to consider "God" motto in schools

2007-10-04T16:57:00.000-05:00

From The Associated Press.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — A trustee in the Kern High School District wants to tack up posters bearing the motto "In God We Trust" in all of the district's classrooms.

Trustee Chad Vegas, a pastor who founded the Bakersfield Christian church Sovereign Grace, said the posters were intended to inspire patriotism, not to promote religious beliefs.

In God We Trust America, Inc., a nonprofit run by Bakersfield City Councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan, planned to donate the posters, which the group believes will not violate the constitutional separation of church and state.

"There are those that are trying to remove God from our public life, and I do not think that is right," said Sullivan.

Sullivan led a campaign to get the phrase "In God We Trust" posted in Bakersfield's city council chambers in 2002, and in 26 other cities in the state. But if the Kern High School District approves the measure, it will be the first in the state to do so, Sullivan said.

How the fuck would that not be a violation of church-state separation? Also, there's no one trying to remove god from your life, they just don't want you proselytizing to their children. It's so fucking simple; keep your religion at church and at home, and leave the rest of us the fuck alone.

The Fall Season

2007-10-04T00:19:00.000-05:00

I've been dealing with a lot of shit lately. From my malfunctioning computer to problems at work I'm not going to get into, so I haven't had too much time to update the blog. Thankfully, most everything was dealt with, but I'm still distracted by the new fall season (also football, but that's mostly weekends). Tonight in particular, the premiere of 'Pushing Daisy's', which, although only a single show in, is my new favorite series. (Apart from 'Reaper' on CW) For those of you that don't recognize good television, it's the new series from Bryan Fuller, creator of some of my favorite shows, Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls. But, beyond creating critically acclaimed shows, he's also known for having his great shows canceled far too soon in their runs, and 'Pushing Daisy's' is well on it's way to suffering the same fate.

Why does TV have to fuck up everything I love... Anyway, I'm finally back to update the blog (I'm serious this time) and should have some more up either tonight or in the morning.