So what a second. House speaker Dennis Hastert has met this morning with an evangelical leader who knew al-Qaeda’s Abu Musab al-Zarqawi “when he was nobody”? An evangelical leader who has counselled Saddam Hussein, Muammar al-Khaddafi, Slobodan Milosevic, Liberia’s Charles Taylor, and Tom Delay? And they discussed whether or not Hastert should resign? UPDATE: Weirder and weirder. The evangelical that … Read More
An Actor’s Death
Veteran stage and screen actor Gene Janson was starring in Gore Vidal’s The Best Man at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater. He played a fictional U.S. President; his character dies halfway through the play. Janson didn’t make it that far: Mr. Janson was 20 minutes into the show… when he put his head in his hands. When asked if he … Read More
Death of the Cursive
I agree with Ezra: This Washington Post lament over the decline of cursive instruction aside, I’m hard-pressed to come up with a subject nearly as useless as script writing. In elementary school, stylized penmanship was a big deal. By high school, the teachers had asked that I stopped using it because it was harder to read. Glad I learned that. … Read More
War On Christmas Accessories
Well, it’s autumn. Which means Thankgiving approaches. Which means Christmas is just around the corner Which means it’s time to get your gear on for the next skirmish in the "War on Christmas"(TM) The American Family Association is willing to take your money to FIGHT for your right to have K-Mart employees wish you a "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy … Read More
Buck O’Neil: RIP
Fans of Ken Burn’s Baseball documentary will be sad to learn that Buck O’Neil passed away: Buck O’Neil, a star first baseman and manager in the Negro leagues and a pioneering scout and coach in the major leagues who devoted the final decade of his life to chronicling the lost world of black baseball, died last night in Kansas City, … Read More
Republicans: Bad For Rapture
Preacher says GOP delaying 2nd coming: Voters should oust congressional Republican leaders because U.S. foreign policy is delaying the second coming of Jesus Christ, according to a evangelical preacher trying to influence closely contested political races. K.A. Paul railed against the war in Iraq on Sunday before a crowd of 1,000 at the New Spirit Revival Center in Cleveland Heights, … Read More
Everyone’s A Giggly Teenage
Even the respectable journalists at The Hill. From its lead editorial: Hastert and Boehner need to get on the same page or Republican troubles will continue to mount. Oh, stop it. [Via Wonkette]
GOP Losing Christian Right
Wow. That title felt really good to type. But it’s true. The evangelical base that Karl and Ken have worked so hard to feed and care for is deserting the Republican party: A nationwide poll of 1,500 registered voters released yesterday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that 57 percent of white evangelicals are inclined to vote for Republican … Read More
Foley Blame Game & The Foley Effect
I wish I had kept this list earlier, because then I could hyperlink to examples. But off the top of my head, this is a short list of all the entities named by the right wing pundits on AM radio and the right blogistan who are actually responsible for Foley’s malfeasance: Demon alcohol Catholic priests Gay GOP staffers ABC’s Brian … Read More
Dobson Tells Why Boys Aren’t Glad To Be Boys
Focus On The Family’s James Dobson asks: "Is Your Son Glad To Be A Boy?" and then answers his own question with an apparaent "no". He starts off with some supposedly true anecdotes: "Our son was using our home computer to do some research for a report he’s writing. While doing a search, he accidentally stumbled onto a porn site. … Read More
“The Real Issue”
Billmon: When a 16-year-old boy is not safe from sexual solicitation from an elected representative of the people, we should question the moral direction of our nation," a conservative advocacy group said on Monday. The [Family Research Council] also said Foley’s behavior raises the "real issue" of homosexuality and child abuse. Cybercast News ServiceConservative Group Examines ‘Real Issue’ in Foley … Read More
School Shootings And The Copycat Effect
This blogger is an expert on school shootings and the "copycat" effect. his name is Loren Coleman and he has dealt with the Copycat Effect through his federal government funded research work, books, and media consultations for almost three decades. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of over 25 books, one of which is the acclaimed Suicide Clusters (Faber … Read More
What You Missed
In the local community theater scene, there are several companies from which you can expect a quality production: Little Theater of Winston-Salem, Winston Salem Theatre Alliance, Community Theatre of Greensboro, etc. Then there are other smaller companies (from smaller communities and/or church groups) which lack the budget and personnel and so-on who mount reasonable shows, but it is sometimes a … Read More
Tell Me Why
And nobody’s going to go to school today…. Reports of armed teen sparks school lockdowns in Las Vegas Number of people dead in Amish school shooting Yeah, I don’t like Mondays either, but….
Did Neil Armstrong Screw Up?
"That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." When you think about it, those famous words — perhaps the most famous words spoken in the last century — don’t make sense. Clearly, Armstrong was trying to juxtapose an individual "man" with the greater "mankind". But he left out the "a" before "man", so essentially, he said: "That’s … Read More