I have had — and will continue to have — a lot of fun mocking religious conservatives who complain endlessly about their values being under attack, simply because (for example) the people at Walmart say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". They talk about the "secular agenda", as if the ultimate goal of "librels" is to remove God from all … Read More
It Was 50 Years Ago Today…
…that Rosa Parks stayed sat in that bus seat. New York is doing something very nice: On Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses in New York City and Long Island, the seat behind the driver will be symbolically reserved for the late Parks, whose act of disobedience and subsequent arrest prompted a bus boycott and proved a major turning point in the … Read More
Bush Declares War On Christmas
Like Walmart and Target, Bush is spitting on the idea of Christmas being about the birth of Jesus. His "Christmas" card this year make no mention of the word "Christmas" and merely says "best wishes for a holiday season of hope and happiness". The wingers (if they have any logical consistency) will go nuts.
Focus on SCOTUS: Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England
Yup. It’s time once again to look at a major case coming before the Supreme Court, and attempt (inadequately) to translate what the legal issues are, as well as the case’s impact. Tomorrow, the Court will hear arguments in the case of Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. As you may have guessed, this is an abortion case, … Read More
Julie Andrews Ruins The Opening Of “The Sound Of Music” For Me
CNN: At a question-and-answer session celebrating the 40th anniversary of "The Sound of Music," Julie Andrews recalled the scene in which her character, Maria, runs through the mountains singing the title song. It wasn’t as serene as it looked, the 70-year-old actress said Monday. "I will never forget it, there was a large helicopter coming towards me through the mountains … Read More
Everything’s Out Of Whack In Kansas City
…but they haven’t gone as fer as they can go. A group of concerned parents in the Blue Valley School District want to ban certain books from the high schooler English curriculum. The petition objects to the "quality of the books", although as far as I can tell, literary "quality" is measured largely by the number of polite words (the … Read More
The Abstinence Wars
What’s more important? Young girls learning to have safe sex so that they don’t get pregnant and/or sick — or young girls being sexually abstinent? Logically, these two positions are not incompatible. Most would agree (I hope) that we would want young girls to be knowledgeable about safe sex, and then choose abstinence (until they are ready). But sadly, much … Read More
It’s The End Of The World On Your TIVO
I’ve always been intrigued by entertainment fads as a reflection of culture and the national psyche. For example, after Japan was nuked (twice) in WWII, they started making movies about giant monsters (Godzilla, Mothra, etc.) sent to destroy civilization. And nuclear radiation was often the given reason why these monsters came into existence in the first place. I’m not a … Read More
Vatican vs. Me
The Vatican (as reported by Reuters): The Vatican newspaper said on Tuesday that homosexuality risked "destabilizing people and society," had no social or moral value and could never match the importance of the relationship between a man and a woman. Me: "The segmentation of people based on their sexual preference destabilizes people and society, has no social or moral value, … Read More
Fox News: Anti-Christmas
Well, the "War on Christmas" trumpters have a new enemy: Fox News. Here’s why: Fox News, the media company whose hosts have staunchly defended the public use of the word "Christmas," is raising eyebrows after posting a story on its website with the headline, "Holiday Trees Arrive at Capitol, White House." The story written by FoxNews.com starts off with its … Read More
Pat Did It
Headline from a 2003 news story about Pat Robertson’s plea to change the judiciary: Praying For Supreme Court Shake Up Today’s headline: Pieces Fall From Supreme Court Facade
About Time
Ever wonder how James Dobson’s Focus On The Family can get away with all the politicking they do, yet still remain a tax-exempt as a not-for-profit institution? Well, the truth is, they can’t get away with it. Not legally, anyway. Which is why this was inevitable: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today filed an Internal Revenue Services … Read More
Where Would Jesus Shop?
Christians Underground, a website for all of the oppressed Christians who make up the vast majority of this country, weighs in on the "War on Christmas" with this observation: On the first Sunday after Thanksgiving 2005 I visited Manhattan to go to Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and to see the displays in the front windows of two famous Fifth … Read More
AIDS Relief in Africa: Strings Attached
AIDS in Africa could reach pandemic perportions: The HIV/AIDS scourge on the African continent could worsen in 2006 if developed nations do not deliver on their financial pledges, the U.N.’s top AIDS official in Africa said on Monday. Stephen Lewis, U.N. special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, said treatment, prevention and care programs on the continent will start losing out … Read More
Rent: My Mini-Review
I don’t go to the movies much anymore. It’s such a hassle. And movies that I’m interested in seeing? They’re only around for a week or two (or so it seems). But the film adaptation of the stage musical "Rent" was one I wasn’t going to let slide. I’m a fan of the show — I saw it in 1997(?) … Read More