Creationism

Well, there's the rub - you have to think.

Stand up to the NRA

Like so many things in life, issues don't become important until they happen to you. Like the guy who never donates to cancer research until he gets cancer and is ever after out campaigning for cancer research. But when it comes to gun violence it's even more serious - the gun nuts won't change until someone in their own circle is shot and killed. Then it gets serious for them.

So the question remains - how many have to die before the laws are changed? Twenty - say it again - twenty little kids mowed down like so many blades of grass - and those fucking NRA turds don't have a single God damn ounce of sympathy. Pricks and assholes - all of them.

Remember

Remember when Republicans said they loved the country? When they told the Vietnam protesters, "Love it or leave it?" Now their new slogan is, "Get the fuck outta my town." It's sort of the same. It seems they like everything about America except the people in it.

Obama

President Obama said to be getting pissed. I read it somewhere, yesterday, that President Obama is getting wise to the fact that there is little he can do to convince Republicans to negotiate in good faith, so he is standing firm on a lot of issues that he had formerly been willing to compromise. We'll see.

Gun control?

Gun control? Really, we all know there's no need for gun control. The NRA has it ALL under control. Right? RIGHT?

Funny words

Yeah, it's funny words but don't forget his profession (politician) as he says them.

I offered my opponents a deal: "if they stop telling lies about me, I will stop telling the truth about them".~Adlai Stevenson, campaign speech, 1952.

Oh Canada

Canada has it's problems, but at least they're on the right track and not reverting to pre-civilization folklore for their guidance.

The Pope

It is what he says it is because (he says) he talks directly to God.

Comparative religions

If you're going to be religious, make sure you consider carefully from the "big two" before choosing...

The Daily Show

A couple of days ago, Jan 8, Jon Stewart and the Daily Show did one incredible job over the first 2 of 3 segments in dissecting the discussion over gun control. If you've got some time, here is the link to the entire program...

1/8/2013 Daily Show

Falling further behind

As we fail to fix the things that are wrong with our nation, we fall further and further behind the rest of the developed world. Someday Republican obstructionism will be viewed as the second civil war in the U.S.

Yes, dear, Romney lost.

Although Mitt didn't win, there are plenty of Republican men out there still plotting on how to get control over the workings of women's private parts. There's hope for Republican women yet!

TSA

Transportation Safety Administration - still a major loss of our freedoms and as ineffective as ever.

Within the past couple of days...

Gun control? GUN CONTROL? WE DON'T NEED NO STEENKIN' GUN CONTROL!

Or DO we?

Christian, better know your Bible

If you believe some of it, you must believe all of it or you're not a true Christian.


76 things banned in Leviticus

Here’s chapter and verse on a more-or-less comprehensive list of things banned in the Leviticus book of the bible. A decent number of them are punishable by death.

Unless you've never done any of them (and 54 to 56 are particularly tricky), perhaps it’s time to lay off quoting 18:22 for a while?

1.       Burning any yeast or honey in offerings to god (2:11)
2.       Failing to include salt in offerings to god (2:13)
3.       Eating fat (3:17)
4.       Eating blood (3:17)
5.       Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you've witnessed (5:1)
6.       Failing to testify against any wrongdoing you've been told about (5:1)
7.       Touching an unclean animal (5:2)
8.       Carelessly making an oath (5:4)
9.       Deceiving a neighbor about something trusted to them (6:2)
10.   Finding lost property and lying about it (6:3)
11.   Bringing unauthorized fire before god (10:1)
12.   Letting your hair become unkempt (10:6)
13.   Tearing your clothes (10:6)
14.   Drinking alcohol in holy places (bit of a problem for Catholics, this ‘un) (10:9)
15.   Eating an animal which doesn't both chew cud and has a divided hoof (cf: camel, rabbit, pig) (11:4-7)
16.   Touching the carcass of any of the above (problems here for rugby) (11:8)
17.   Eating – or touching the carcass of – any seafood without fins or scales (11:10-12)
18.   Eating – or touching the carcass of - eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. (11:13-19)
19.   Eating – or touching the carcass of – flying insects with four legs, unless those legs are jointed (11:20-22)
20.   Eating any animal which walks on all four and has paws (good news for cats) (11:27)
21.   Eating – or touching the carcass of – the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon (11:29)
22.   Eating – or touching the carcass of – any creature which crawls on many legs, or its belly (11:41-42)
23.   Going to church within 33 days after giving birth to a boy (12:4)
24.   Going to church within 66 days after giving birth to a girl (12:5)
25.   Having sex with your mother (18:7)
26.   Having sex with your father’s wife (18:8)
27.   Having sex with your sister (18:9)
28.   Having sex with your granddaughter (18:10)
29.   Having sex with your half-sister (18:11)
30.   Having sex with your biological aunt (18:12-13)
31.   Having sex with your uncle’s wife (18:14)
32.   Having sex with your daughter-in-law (18:15)
33.   Having sex with your sister-in-law (18:16)
34.   Having sex with a woman and also having sex with her daughter or granddaughter (bad news for Alan Clark) (18:17)
35.   Marrying your wife’s sister while your wife still lives (18:18)
36.   Having sex with a woman during her period (18:19)
37.   Having sex with your neighbor’s wife (18:20)
38.   Giving your children to be sacrificed to Molek (18:21)
39.   Having sex with a man “as one does with a woman” (18:22)
40.   Having sex with an animal (18:23)
41.   Making idols or “metal gods” (19:4)
42.   Reaping to the very edges of a field (19:9)
43.   Picking up grapes that have fallen in your  vineyard (19:10)
44.   Stealing (19:11)
45.   Lying (19:11)
46.   Swearing falsely on god’s name (19:12)
47.   Defrauding your neighbor (19:13)
48.   Holding back the wages of an employee overnight (not well observed these days) (19:13)
49.   Cursing the deaf or abusing the blind (19:14)
50.   Perverting justice, showing partiality to either the poor or the rich (19:15)
51.   Spreading slander (19:16)
52.   Doing anything to endanger a neighbor’s life (19:16)
53.   Seeking revenge or bearing a grudge (19:18)
54.   Mixing fabrics in clothing (19:19)
55.   Cross-breeding animals (19:19)
56.   Planting different seeds in the same field (19:19)
57.   Sleeping with another man’s slave (19:20)
58.   Eating fruit from a tree within four years of planting it (19:23)
59.   Practicing divination or seeking omens (tut, tut astrology) (19:26)
60.   Trimming your beard (19:27)
61.   Cutting your hair at the sides (19:27)
62.   Getting tattoos (19:28)
63.   Making your daughter prostitute herself (19:29)
64.   Turning to mediums or spiritualists (19:31)
65.   Not standing in the presence of the elderly (19:32)
66.   Mistreating foreigners – “the foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born”  (19:33-34)
67.   Using dishonest weights and scales (19:35-36)
68.   Cursing your father or mother (punishable by death) (20:9)
69.   Marrying a prostitute, divorcee or widow if you are a priest (21:7,13)
70.   Entering a place where there’s a dead body as a priest (21:11)
71.   Slaughtering a cow/sheep and its young on the same day (22:28)
72.   Working on the Sabbath (23:3)
73.   Blasphemy (punishable by stoning to death) (24:14)
74.   Inflicting an injury; killing someone else’s animal; killing a person must be punished in kind (24:17-22)
75.   Selling land permanently (25:23)
76.   Selling an Israelite as a slave (foreigners are fine) (25:42)

Fear

A lot of religious belief is founded in fear...

Could be!

Since there's no real, physical evidence that Jesus existed, we have to examine all of the possibilities...

Examining the proof

We've been wrong...

This blogger has worked out where we went wrong, oh so many years ago...

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time, in a world where business leaders understood the need for educated employees with purchasing power, where business leaders wanted to be rich - but not at the expense of everyone else, there was this...

It's a big war, too

The plant is making headway - just legalized in two states.

Just saying

Mosque Arsonist Tells Court: 'I Only Know What I Hear on Fox News'
from Crooks and Liars by David

An Indiana man convicted of setting fire to a mosque in Ohio told a judge on Wednesday that he committed the crimes because Fox News and conservative talk radio had convinced him that "most Muslims are terrorists."

Randolph Linn, 52, accepted a plea deal in which he pled guilty to all charges in connection to setting a fire in the prayer room at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo on Sept. 30. Under the deal, Linn is expected to serve 20 years in prison instead of 40.

Linn explained to the court that he had gotten "riled up" after watching Fox News.

Trying to understand

Just one small man trying to understand the inconsistency of religion.

Where did we come from?

The dumbing down of the American educational system - teach religion, not science.

CEOs survive

One day in the future, they will gather around a camp fire, if they can find any wood left to burn, and discuss the good old days.

The Supremes

When a government appoints Supreme Court Justices because of their bigoted, religious views, you are going to get court rulings that just don't make sense. Citizens United is just one example, and it's going to get worse before it gets better.

It's evolutionary

Science always triumphs - because it is the truth.

Gun Control?

We don't need no stinkin' gun control.

The key difference...

Again, not sure of my source, but this is spectacular...

A key difference between a Democrat in Congress and a Republican in Congress is, when one of the bulbs in a Democrat's head goes out the others stay lit.

Gullible

A whole lot of religious folks are a whole lot gullible.

Please explain this to me...

God rules are difficult to understand. Maybe they're not real?

Good words

I didn't verify that these words came from Gene Roddenberry, but they are good wherever they originated.

Not a funny subject

Abortion is NOT a funny subject, but just about anything to do with rednecks is funny, so this is a toss up - take offense or laugh? I chose to laugh.

No time for the children of infidels

Jesus is busy.

Just clarifying

When the religious freaks have us praying in schools and on the streets, which prayers, exactly do they want us to say? Which imaginary father-figure are we praying to? And what important issues are we praying about?

The Party of "No."

Republicans would vote no on a bill to support lollipops, rainbows, puppy dogs and fluffy white clouds if Obama proposed it. Then they would yell and scream on the talking-heads news programs about his lack of leadership. It's what they do.

Speaking of Sandy Hook

The following post was all over the blogs - I've included the header from the post where I found it. It is a very sad story and speaks to the need for the American medical community to address the mental health needs of our nation.

___________________________________________________

'I Am Adam Lanza's Mother' - Let's Talk About Mental Illness

from Crooks and Liars by Susie Madrak

This is also very sad. And infuriating. I used to work with a woman who had not one, but three kids like this. One was hospitalized after trying to kill her. He was 10.

----------------------------------------------------

Friday’s horrific national tragedy—the murder of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in New Town, Connecticut—has ignited a new discussion on violence in America. In kitchens and coffee shops across the country, we tearfully debate the many faces of violence in America: gun culture, media violence, lack of mental health services, overt and covert wars abroad, religion, politics and the way we raise our children. Liza Long, a writer based in Boise, says it’s easy to talk about guns. But it’s time to talk about mental illness.

Three days before 20 year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, then opened fire on a classroom full of Connecticut kindergartners, my 13-year old son Michael (name changed) missed his bus because he was wearing the wrong color pants.

“I can wear these pants,” he said, his tone increasingly belligerent, the black-hole pupils of his eyes swallowing the blue irises.

“They are navy blue,” I told him. “Your school’s dress code says black or khaki pants only.”

“They told me I could wear these,” he insisted. “You’re a stupid bitch. I can wear whatever pants I want to. This is America. I have rights!”

“You can’t wear whatever pants you want to,” I said, my tone affable, reasonable. “And you definitely cannot call me a stupid bitch. You’re grounded from electronics for the rest of the day. Now get in the car, and I will take you to school.”

I live with a son who is mentally ill. I love my son. But he terrifies me.

A few weeks ago, Michael pulled a knife and threatened to kill me and then himself after I asked him to return his overdue library books. His 7 and 9 year old siblings knew the safety plan—they ran to the car and locked the doors before I even asked them to. I managed to get the knife from Michael, then methodically collected all the sharp objects in the house into a single Tupperware container that now travels with me. Through it all, he continued to scream insults at me and threaten to kill or hurt me.

That conflict ended with three burly police officers and a paramedic wrestling my son onto a gurney for an expensive ambulance ride to the local emergency room. The mental hospital didn’t have any beds that day, and Michael calmed down nicely in the ER, so they sent us home with a prescription for Zyprexa and a follow-up visit with a local pediatric psychiatrist.

We still don’t know what’s wrong with Michael. Autism spectrum, ADHD, Oppositional Defiant or Intermittent Explosive Disorder have all been tossed around at various meetings with probation officers and social workers and counselors and teachers and school administrators. He’s been on a slew of antipsychotic and mood altering pharmaceuticals, a Russian novel of behavioral plans. Nothing seems to work.

At the start of seventh grade, Michael was accepted to an accelerated program for highly gifted math and science students. His IQ is off the charts. When he’s in a good mood, he will gladly bend your ear on subjects ranging from Greek mythology to the differences between Einsteinian and Newtonian physics to Doctor Who. He’s in a good mood most of the time. But when he’s not, watch out. And it’s impossible to predict what will set him off.

Several weeks into his new junior high school, Michael began exhibiting increasingly odd and threatening behaviors at school. We decided to transfer him to the district’s most restrictive behavioral program, a contained school environment where children who can’t function in normal classrooms can access their right to free public babysitting from 7:30-1:50 Monday through Friday until they turn 18.

The morning of the pants incident, Michael continued to argue with me on the drive. He would occasionally apologize and seem remorseful. Right before we turned into his school parking lot, he said, “Look, Mom, I’m really sorry. Can I have video games back today?”

“No way,” I told him. “You cannot act the way you acted this morning and think you can get your electronic privileges back that quickly.”

His face turned cold, and his eyes were full of calculated rage. “Then I’m going to kill myself,” he said. “I’m going to jump out of this car right now and kill myself.”

That was it. After the knife incident, I told him that if he ever said those words again, I would take him straight to the mental hospital, no ifs, ands, or buts. I did not respond, except to pull the car into the opposite lane, turning left instead of right.

“Where are you taking me?” he said, suddenly worried. “Where are we going?”

“You know where we are going,” I replied.

“No! You can’t do that to me! You’re sending me to hell! You’re sending me straight to hell!”

I pulled up in front of the hospital, frantically waiving for one of the clinicians who happened to be standing outside. “Call the police,” I said. “Hurry.”

Michael was in a full-blown fit by then, screaming and hitting. I hugged him close so he couldn’t escape from the car. He bit me several times and repeatedly jabbed his elbows into my rib cage. I’m still stronger than he is, but I won’t be for much longer.

The police came quickly and carried my son screaming and kicking into the bowels of the hospital. I started to shake, and tears filled my eyes as I filled out the paperwork—“Were there any difficulties with… at what age did your child… were there any problems with.. has your child ever experienced.. does your child have…”

At least we have health insurance now. I recently accepted a position with a local college, giving up my freelance career because when you have a kid like this, you need benefits. You’ll do anything for benefits. No individual insurance plan will cover this kind of thing.

For days, my son insisted that I was lying—that I made the whole thing up so that I could get rid of him. The first day, when I called to check up on him, he said, “I hate you. And I’m going to get my revenge as soon as I get out of here.”

By day three, he was my calm, sweet boy again, all apologies and promises to get better. I’ve heard those promises for years. I don’t believe them anymore.

On the intake form, under the question, “What are your expectations for treatment?” I wrote, “I need help.”

And I do. This problem is too big for me to handle on my own. Sometimes there are no good options. So you just pray for grace and trust that in hindsight, it will all make sense.

I am sharing this story because I am Adam Lanza’s mother. I am Dylan Klebold’s and Eric Harris’s mother. I am Jason Holmes’s mother. I am Jared Loughner’s mother. I am Seung-Hui Cho’smother. And these boys—and their mothers—need help. In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, it’s easy to talk about guns. But it’s time to talk about mental illness.

According to Mother Jones, since 1982, 61 mass murders involving firearms have occurred throughout the country. Of these, 43 of the killers were white males, and only one was a woman.Mother Jones focused on whether the killers obtained their guns legally (most did). But this highly visible sign of mental illness should lead us to consider how many people in the U.S. live in fear, like I do.

When I asked my son’s social worker about my options, he said that the only thing I could do was to get Michael charged with a crime. “If he’s back in the system, they’ll create a paper trail,” he said. “That’s the only way you’re ever going to get anything done. No one will pay attention to you unless you’ve got charges.”

I don’t believe my son belongs in jail. The chaotic environment exacerbates Michael’s sensitivity to sensory stimuli and doesn’t deal with the underlying pathology. But it seems like the United States is using prison as the solution of choice for mentally ill people. According to Human Rights Watch, the number of mentally ill inmates in U.S. prisons quadrupled from 2000 to 2006, and it continues to rise—in fact, the rate of inmate mental illness is five times greater (56 percent) than in the non-incarcerated population.

With state-run treatment centers and hospitals shuttered, prison is now the last resort for the mentally ill—Rikers Island, the LA County Jail and Cook County Jail in Illinois housed the nation’s largest treatment centers in 2011.

No one wants to send a 13-year old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail. But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, “Something must be done.”

I agree that something must be done. It’s time for a meaningful, nation-wide conversation about mental health. That’s the only way our nation can ever truly heal.

God help me. God help Michael. God help us all.

Time for a change

Looks like the driver needs a new co-pilot. The old one isn't too reliable.

Giving credit

Giving credit where credit is due...

Viva la difference!

Science versus religion.

Creationists

Passing ignorance from generation to generation.

Negotiations

They hold our government hostage, threaten to destroy our economy and our safety nets, then we negotiate with them. Tell me, other than the fact that they are working from the inside, how are they different from any middle eastern terrorists?

More on facts

Unless you're reading this in a news reader, you're probably seeing this post before you see the previous one I posted. I point that out because I was just addressing the need to carry out our political discussions by starting with facts and working from there. That message should never get old. Start with the facts.

The truth

What amazes me most in political news covered on most 24-hour news networks, with the exception of a few shows on MSNBC, is that discussions don't start with facts and evolve from there. Why is the following not offered up by newscasters before talking to those knowledge-less Republicans?