What's the Point?

Sunday, January 30, 2011
"The Raging Judge"

This comically oversized revolver is capable of shooting 28 gauge shotgun shells. What's the point? Really what is the fucking point?

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Freedom of Information and Human Rights?

Saturday, January 29, 2011
United Nations Human Rights Council logo.United Nations Human Rights Council
Many countries give lip service to human rights by allowing what appears to be freedom to its citizens. They have a democratic government, independent newspapers, and access to the Internet. However, as soon as the government is threatened they close the newspapers and shut off access to the Internet.

So, what are human rights?
Health, Life, Liberty? Sure.

Food, Water, Shelter? With out question.

Freedom of the press? Absolutely.

Freedom of Internet access? Yes.
So is freedom of information a human right?

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Rise in Unemployment Expected for H.S. Biology Teachers

Friday, January 28, 2011
Intelligent design                      Image via Wikipedia
This just in, an at least 13% rise in unemployment is expected for H.S. biology teachers. This expected development can be tied directly to the view of the majority of high-school biology teachers not taking a solid stance on evolution with their students. 

While fewer than 30 percent of teachers take an adamant pro-evolutionary stance on the topic, a new study finds that 13 percent of teachers advocate creationism in their classrooms.

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Say What?

Thursday, January 27, 2011
From the dumb and stupid file we find that Tom Ritter, who taught physics and chemistry for over a decade, has filed a federal lawsuit against The Blue Mountain School District in the Middle District of Pennsylvania where he resides. This is same district that rendered the infamous Kitzmiller decision in 2005. 

Tom Ritter's argument:
Evolution is Unscientific "The theory of evolution by cumulative natural selection is the only theory we know of that is in principle capable of explaining the existence of organized complexity." -- Richard Dawkins, famous Atheist

Biology studies organisms. It can also explain how organisms got that way, but studying organisms does not require explaining how they got that way, and the theory of evolution is bad science.

Evolutionists cannot demonstrate that three critical points are even possible, let alone that they actually happened:

(1) No one has demonstrated that life can be created from non-life.  (Reports of artificial DNA do not alter this fact. Life is still required.)
(2) No one has demonstrated that a new "sexual species" can be created. (Since the definition of species is contested, for these purposes it is defined as an organism that can breed with its own kind and produce fertile offspring, but cannot breed with its ancestors.)
(3) Evolutionists theorize the human brain evolved from lower forms. Over 50 years into the age of computers, machines can crunch numbers far better and faster than humans, recognize and use language and tools, and beat us in chess. Yet science has yet to build even a rudimentary computer that can contemplate its own existence, the hallmark of the human brain. (Contemplating your existence is best understood as imagining what will remain after your death.) And no animal, no matter how "intelligent," can do this either. Ask anyone who espouses evolution if these three points are not true. If evolution is unscientific, why teach it? Because no Creator means no God. In other words, evolution taught without a possible alternative is Atheism. Now Atheism rests on an article of faith (A strong belief that cannot be proven but is nonetheless believed). Therefore Atheism is a religion. And it is illegal to teach religion in the public schoolss.

(I am not defending creationism or intelligent design. But evolution has not proven its case, and until it does, saying it is the only explanation for present life is Atheism.)
I just don't know what to say.

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New Religious Push in Schools

Saturday, January 22, 2011
Moses with the tablets of the Ten Commandments...Image via Wikipedia
Now that school boards and legislatures are back in full swing after the holidays I am noticing a push for more religion in schools. From moments of silence and church graduations to creationism science freedom and religious liberties bills. 

I am not going to go into the specifics of each link below as many others have already done so. But, here is a sample of bills and board decisions in the last few weeks.   
Schools may again require moment of silence

Giles schools give God space; will return Ten Commandments display to buildings 

School board: Graduations to stay at church

Oklahoma House Bill 1551 (rtf) and Senate Bill 554 (rtf).

Mississippi Student Religious Liberties Act Of 2011
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Who's More Dangerous to America - Muslims or the Right?

Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Newt GingrichImage via Wikipedia
I believe it to be the Right! However, Newt Gingrich still thinks American Muslims are more dangerous. Gingrich during a interview in the right-wing Don Wade and Roma radio show said the following;
You know, you have to ask yourself what is it on the left that makes it impossible for them to tell the truth either about radical Islamists or about nuts? And what is it about the left that requires them to smear conservatives with no evidence at all, and to do it with great moral indignation?


Yet on the left the very people who scream if you tell the truth about American Islamists, as I did in our movie “America at Risk,” turn around and say “oh let me draw the worst possible comparison because it makes me feel better”.
I don't mean to say that the Right is violent in and of itself but there is no question that their, 1st Amendment protected, speech has reached a level that is more dangerous and inflammatory them anything coming from American Muslims.

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A Well Regulated Militia

Monday, January 10, 2011

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, who lost her husband to gun violence before coming to Congress, and who has since become one of the leading pro-gun control politicians in the country, plans to introduce legislation in response to the shooting in Tuscon, Arizona that claimed the life of six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in a medically induced coma.
“My staff is working on looking at the different legislation fixes that we might be able to do and we might be able to introduce as early as tomorrow,” McCarthy told POLITICO in a Sunday afternoon phone interview.

Gun control activists cried it was time to reform weapons laws in the United States, almost immediately after a gunman killed six and injured 14 more, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, in Arizona on Saturday.

Many said that people with a history of mental instability, like the alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, should not be able to buy a gun — and no one should be able to buy stockpiles of ammunition used by the 22-year-old assailant.

McCarthy said she plans to confer with House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to see “if we can work something through” in the coming week.
I believe we need to preserve the right to have a well regulated militia and I fully support the right of all Americans to own a firearm. However, think we need to make it very difficult for most Americans to purchase a firearm.

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What's up with Interstate Batteries?

Sunday, January 9, 2011
Interstate Batteries Chairman Norm Miller has created a commercial to promote God's Love. The commercial advertises the site http://www.iamsecond.com/.  OK, I have no issue with this, he can have his first amendment rights to free speech.

Interstate Batteries is a privately held corporation with 1400 employees nation-wide. Since they are a privately held corporation and not publicly traded, they obviously do not have to deal with shareholder outrage over corporate sponsorship of religion.

However, if we use the national average of those that identify as non-religious (approx. 16%) then over 200 Interstate Batteries employees would fall into this category. I wonder how they feel about their Chairman using company resources and time to promote God. I, for one, would have an issue working for Interstate Batteries or any company whose Chairman uses company resources and time to promote God.

Interstate Batteries has an entire web page on their corporate site devoted to Norm Miller's God's Love. On the page there are links to other sites to Share God's Love.

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Pot Calling the Kettle Black

We are already failing to learn the potential lesson of the tragedy in Arizona. While the media is reporting on what is known about Loughner and what may be attributed to him the right is blaming the left for violent rhetoric.


Neither one is right here however the last thing I would ever accuse the left of is violent rhetoric. If any violent rhetoric can be assigned to any group it is the Tea Party candidates and Sarah Palin. 

I don't mean to actually accuse the Tea Party candidates and Sarah Palin of wanting people dead. But, there is no doubt that they used the rhetoric of Tea Party members to reach out their base.


I think what we are seeing with Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and other far-right members of society is a cult of personality. Where what they say maybe construed as instructions to others.

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Jared Lee Loughner an Atheist?

Saturday, January 8, 2011
Jared Lee Loughner
Commenter's (and a few posts) on several of the many sites reporting on the Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shooting are claiming that Jared Lee Loughner is an atheist. They are saying that Loughner's My Space and You Tube postings show that he claimed he was an atheist. 


Unfortunately, I can not confirm the My Space and You Tube postings because I can either not find them or they are not loading (too many viewers). 

However, I can certainly find many references to Jared being an atheist:
I do not think it matters weather he was an atheist or not. What matters was his mental state, which appears to me to be not so good. However, the religious right is going to have a field day with this whether or not Loughner was an atheist.


There mere suggestion that he was an atheist will be played over and over in the Christian media and most certainly on Fox.

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Foxx in the Hen House

Virginia FoxxImage via Wikipedia
Representative Virginia Foxx that is, from the the land of republican stupidity that is known as North Carolina.


Rep. Foxx has been named chair of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education. Have we already forgotten Don McElroy?

I do not know if she is a creationist but she is certainly so far to the right on the issues I would not be surprised.

Here are some of her greatest hits (or misses):
  • One of 11 members out of the entire Congress to vote in 2005 against the $51 billion aid package to victims of Hurricane Katrina
  • In 2006 she awas one of only 33 Republicans to vote against the extension of the Voting Rights Act. 
  • In 2010, she voted against the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, the Aiding Those Facing Foreclosure Act of 2010, and against the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
There is a petition to get her replaced on the committee. You can find it here.

BTW - Does anyone else think picture reminds you of a grandmotherly serial killer?

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Religious Gadgets

You might remember this one from Haiti - Solar Bibles. Faith Comes by Hearing sent audio bibles to victims of the Haitian earthquake because apparently the word of God is more important than food and water.

Of course, if distributing the Proclaimer to dying Haitians isn't enough how about the Bible Stick available in NIV and KJV versions. Oh and do not miss the KIDZ Bible Stick full of children's indoctrination bible stories and sounds. But wait, act now and get the Bible Stick for military outreach so you too can help, "Deploy the Truth". 

In addition to the many audio bible gadgets and apps there are flash Drives, MP3 Players and religious gadget crap galore. There are so many I can not possibly list them all. But here are few:

Lastly, from CES 2011 comes the ioPrego Electronic Rosary.


I just don't get it. Why can't people, "Just Say No"!
 
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Marijuana Possession Now an Infraction in California

Sunday, January 2, 2011
Rock 2Image by Just Say Now via Flickr
As of January 1st California as changed possession of less than an ounce of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction.
SB 1449, Leno. Marijuana: possession.

Existing law provides that, except as authorized by law, every person who possesses not more than 28.5 grams of marijuana, other than concentrated cannabis, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not more than $100. This same penalty is imposed for the crime of possessing not more than 28.5 grams of marijuana while driving on a highway or on lands, as specified.

Existing law provides with respect to these offenses that, under specified conditions, (1) the court shall divert and refer the defendant for education, treatment, or rehabilitation, as specified, and (2) an arrested person who gives satisfactory evidence of identity and a written promise to appear in court shall not be subjected to booking.

Amends existing law to provide that any person who commits any of the above offenses is instead guilty of an infraction punishable by a fine of not more than $100. This bill would eliminate the above-described provisions relating to booking and to diversion and referral for education, treatment, or rehabilitation.
 Finally, a little common sense on marijuana possession. If only we can get marijuana completely decriminalized and treated like alcohol.

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