Lesbian with a Luger

Old Blogs - Nonscience: How to Eat a Holy Diet - Recipee #1 - 4/10/07

2008-01-25T07:33:00.000-08:00

How to Eat a Holy Diet - Recipe #1

Locust Bisque
This recipe is from Bert Christensen's website at: http://bertc.com

1 gallon locust shells
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 celery stalk
2 carrots
1/2 tsp. powdered mace
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup whipping cream

Put all ingredients except whipping cream into a large stew pot, and fill with water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 hours. Process in blender or food processor in batches, and strain before returning to clean pot. Add whipping cream, being sure not to allow it to boil.

Serve with animal crackers.

Serves 6.

Old Blogs - Nonscience: How to Eat a Holy Diet - 4/10/07

2008-01-25T07:32:00.000-08:00

How to Eat a Holy Diet

The Bible has some very strict rules about how to be holy through diet and that you *should* practice the dietary rules outlined in Leviticus and Exodus in order to be holy.

Rule # 1 - It is God's Law that you eat a holy diet!

Your best bet is to become a vegan and not eat any processed foods. That way you can make sure that you aren't eating any creature that moves on the ground. Be holy because God is holy!

"Every creature that moves about on the ground is detestable; it is not to be eaten. You are not to eat any creature that moves about on the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is detestable. Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy."

Rule #2 - Only eat meat during the evening

But... if you can't give up the meat, then just make sure that you eat fish (not shell fish) and only eat in the evening. If you eat *any* animal during the day you are unclean simply because you've touched part of the carcass... forbidden animal or not. Plus, you'll have a LOT of laundry to do if you eat during the day. Eating only in the evening saves you the hassle of constant washing because in the evening you're automatically clean! Also, this means you can only hunt and prepare the animal in the evening too... unless of course you don't touch the animal while doing so.

"If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean till evening. Anyone who eats some of the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening."

Rule # 3 - Count the legs!

Flying insects are one of the most abundant food sources on the planet! You'll never go hungry with this holy dietary tip!

Insects have six legs, so they automatically walk on at least four of them. However, some insects may have fewer than six legs or even fewer than four! This can happen when a kid pulls the legs off of an insect once he catches it and then lets it go. To be sure you have an insect that flies and walks on all fours, be sure to count the legs! You absolutely must count the legs on the insect before eating it! If it has exactly four legs, you can not eat it!

However, there are exceptions to this four-legged rule. You may eat locusts, katydids, and grasshoppers who have two missing legs.

"All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you. There are, however, some winged creatures that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper. But all other winged creatures that have four legs you are to detest."

Rule #4 - Stick to Chicken Tonight.

As long as you eat it in the evening, chicken is ok to eat. I didn't know that bats were birds... but they are also off limits.

'These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the 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.'

Rule #5 - Beef, it's what's for dinner.

As far as animals that chew their cud and have a split hoof go, you can't get much more cud chewing than a cow. But remember, only in the evening. No hamburgers for lunch! Oh, and NO CHEESE GOATBURGERS! EVER!

"You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud."
"Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk."

Old Blogs - Milwaukee: Snow Removal - 2/26/07

2008-01-25T07:31:00.002-08:00

Snow Removal

In Milwaukee we are supposed to remove snow from the sidewalks so that people in wheelchairs can get by. If the snow is not removed from the sidewalk within 24 hours, the owner of the property is charged a fee.

This sounds resonable, however, we recently received a decent snowfall that made snow removal a bit of a pain... literally (my back is killing me). After 2 hours of mid-morning shoveling, I woke up the next morning to find that the city snowplows had undone all of my hard work. The plows ended up spraying all of the snow from the street into my yard and all over my sidewalk. This street snow was thicker and heavier than then snow I had shoveled earlier and meant that I had to reshovel everything again!

Also, because my neighbors are elderly and have had a number of strokes, it means that unless I don't shovel their sidewalk too, they will get a fine! So... after 2 hours of shoveling, I ended up having to go back out and reshovel my walks and theirs. Thank you city snow plows. Thanks a heap!

If I am expected to have the snow off of the sidewalk within 24 hours, for what I assume would be daytime use, then how about plowing the streets BEFORE everyone gets our their shovels!?

Old Blogs - Milwaukee: Property Taxes - 2/26/07

2008-01-25T07:31:00.001-08:00

Property Taxes

I keep hearing about how Republicans want to lower property taxes and how Democrats want to raise them. I think this is a bunch of bologna.

My wife and I have owned a house in Milwaukee for 5 years. During that time, our our property taxes have gone up $700 to a total of $3700. In total, it's quite a hefty sum that is covered, in part, by the amount we get back from our federal returns. The kicker is that we don't even own a fancy house. We live in a decent working-class neighborhood with good neighbors, but our house is the ugliest on the block and parts of it are falling apart.

I'm not as angry about the taxes as I am about people lying about them. At least when the Democrats say that they are going to handle taxes by raising them or lowering them as needed, they are telling more truth than the Republicans.

Every election I hear nothing but Republicans screaming not to vote for a Dem because they want to raise taxes. Its true, I haven't seen a big percent increase in taxes... but it's a lie that Republicans won't raise them. They just don't raise the percentage.

Every year we've lived in our house the amount we pay in taxes each year has gone up. How can it go up every year if the Republicans aren't increasing taxes? Easy! They don't increase the percentage paid on every $1000 of your home's worth... they just reassess the value of your house every year! Apparently, the city thinks my house is worth $60,000 more than it was 5 years ago when we bought it!

Yep. They are raising taxes too! BUT they're lying about it by inflating the value of housing rather than increasing the percent of the tax.

I don't have a problem paying for schools, roads, hospitals, and things like that... but don't lie about it to me!

Old Blogs - Milwaukee: Transportation - 2/27/07

2008-01-25T07:27:00.000-08:00

Milwaukee Transportation

Milwaukee is a great city. I've lived in many large cities: Akron, Detroit, Orlando, New York, Boston... and I'd have to say that Milwaukee is one of my favorites. I would rank it as #2 on my list.

Boston would have to be first on my list with Milwaukee as a very very close second. Both cities are some of the cleanest I have lived in. They both have a variety of events throughout the year, so it's hard to get bored. The only reason Milwaukee isn't first is because it lacks a reliable and usable public transportation system.

Sure, we have buses. But the problem is that if you need to go anywhere not directly on the bus line or if you don't want to spend all day riding the bus to run errands, there's no way to get around. I would love to be able to take the bus downtown and then ride my bike to go everywhere I need to go, but the buses aren't set up with bike racks.

I've called the Transportation Department about this and got answers of: "The garage isn't big enough to hold all of the busses if they have racks on them." and "The racks cost too much." and "We're adding more bus lines so that you can go more places." Unfortunately, I don't know how valid the issue of garage space is, but as for the other two answers... the bus lines have been cut... NOT added to... and there's a federal grant that would cover almost the entire cost of the bike racks... so they can't use those two excuses.

Apart from the bike/bus issue, we really need a commuter line. I know that we have something like $98 Million to build a public transportation system and just can't agree on what type. Here's a hint... the Waukesha-Milwaukee commute on I94 is hell!

With the Marquette interchange already torn up, why are we not putting a rail down the middle? It would certainly save some money to do it now rather than trying to figure out where to put it later and having to tear everything up again. Also, to save some room, it could even be a double decker train where westbound tracks are above eastbound.

I know there's talk of the Milwaukee-Chicago extension of the Metra... but let's start with the Waukesha line first. It's the worst traffic problem and many of the people who live there work downtown. Also, unlike the Metra system, let's have a car for people with bikes. That way if people work 4 blocks from the train, they can bike the rest of the way to work and at the end of the day, they can bike from the train to home.

Apart from time savings of not having to wait for an hour in stopped traffic and not having to try to find parking downtown, a Milwaukee-Waukesha line already has another advantage over the current system... Park and Ride. The line could be set up to use, as train stops and parking lots for commuters, the I94 Park and Rides that are already in existence.

One thing that I do know about public transportation is that as gas prices rise, the demand and use of public transportation also rises. Also, if the system isn't usable, people won't use it. A Milwaukee-Waukesha line would probably be one of the most used commuter lines we could construct. It would also help to revitalize areas of downtown and the night life. (When people ride the train, they don't have to worry so much about who's the D.D. for the night.)

A list of stops on the line could be:

*Waukesha I94 & G:
*Waukesha I94 & F: Quad Graphics Pewaukee
*Waukesha I94 & 18/Y
Milwaukee I94 & Moorland: Quad Graphics New Berlin
Milwaukee I94 & Mayfair: Quad Graphics West Allis/Zoo
*Milwaukee Petit/State Fair
Milwaukee Miller Park
Milwaukee 27th Street
Milwaukee Pottawatomie/Marquette
Milwaukee St.Paul/Amtrak
Milwaukee Summerfest/Art, Science Museums

*Denotes Park and Ride stop

To make this work for more than partying... you would also need to have it hook up with a good downtown transportation system. This could be buses, monorail, or light rail and would have to go to or be very near to places of higher population and places that people go for business or pleasure. It would most definitely have to hit Water St. bars and Theater district, the mall downtown, Brady St., the convention center, hotels, Harley, and yes... the airport. (The ferry would be nice. I guess you could make a 794 line from the airport, Bay View, and the ferry, up to Summerfest and hook it up there.)

Old Blogs - Dec. 20, 2005

2008-01-25T07:24:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Holiday Trees

Are you tired of the "War on Christmas?" Well, so am I!

Oh yeah, and why is it that some so-called Christians have to turn EVERYTHING into fear and war?

The Christmas tree was not originally Christian and STILL belongs to other religions that the Christians "borrowed" it from (and now ALSO belongs to Christianity). It is, now, in fact, a Winter-Solstice-Aessulapius-Woden-Christmas Tree. Being that that is a mouthful to say... and that the government is not allowed (by the First Amendment of the Constitution) to respect the establishment of ANY religion (that means they can't call it a Christmas tree), it may be a Christmas tree to you, and a Solstice tree to me, but to the government, it's a Holiday Tree!

There is no war on Christmas. You are free to call it what you wish and to celebrate whatever holiday you want - as are others. The very same amendment that does not allow the government to call it a Christmas Tree also protects your personal right to call it a Christmas Tree and to greet everyone you meet with a big smile and a "Merry Christmas!"

So... that being said... here's the facts.... and have a very Happy Hanukkah!

http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm

"The first decorating of an evergreen tree began with the heathen Greeks and their worship of their god Adonia, who allegedly was brought back to life by the serpent Aessulapius after having been slain." ₅ The ancient Pagan Romans decorated their "trees with bits of metal and replicas of their god, Bacchus [a fertility god]. They also placed 12 candles on the tree in honor of their sun god" ₂Their mid-winter festival of Saturnalia started on DEC-17 and often lasted until a few days after the Solstice. In Northern Europe, the ancient Druids tied fruit and attached candles to evergreen tree branches, in honor of their god Woden. Trees were viewed as symbolizing eternal life. This is the deity after which Wednesday was named. The trees joined holly, mistletoe, the wassail bowl and the Yule log as symbols of the season. All predated Christianity. ₅

The Christmas tree tradition dates back to Western Germany in the 16th century. They were called "Paradeisbaum" (paradise trees) and were brought into homes to celebrate the annual Feast of Adam and Eve on DEC-24. ₄ They were first brought to America by German immigrants about 1700. Christmas trees became popular among the general population about 1850. ₂

Senator Sues God

2007-09-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

State Senator Ernie Chambers Sues God
Chambers says its to prove a point about frivolous lawsuits.

POSTED: 1:52 pm CDT September 17, 2007
UPDATED: 3:04 pm CDT September 17, 2007

OMAHA, Neb -- State Senator Ernie Chambers is suing God. He says it to prove a point about frivolous lawsuits.

Chambers says senators periodically have offered bills prohibiting the filing of certain types of suits. He says his main objection is the constitution requires that the doors to the courthouse be open to all. Chambers said, "Thus anybody can file a lawsuit against anybody - even God."

Chambers said he decided to file this lawsuit after a suit was filed in early September in federal court against Lancaster County Judge Jeffre Cheuvront. He's the judge who was hearing a sexual assault case, where the woman wants to use the words "rape and victim" during her testimony.

Chambers lawsuit, which was filed on Friday in Douglas County Court, seeks a permanent injunction ordering God to cease certain harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats.

The lawsuit admits God goes by all sorts of alias, names, titles and designations and it also recognizes the fact that the defendant is “Omnipresent”.

In the lawsuit Chambers says he’s tried to contact God numerous times, “Plaintiff, despite reasonable efforts to effectuate personal service upon Defendant (“Come out, come out, wherever you are”) has been unable to do so.”

The suit also requests that the court given the “peculiar circumstances” of this case waive personal service. It says being Omniscient, the plaintiff assumes God will have actual knowledge of the action.

The lawsuit accuses God “of making and continuing to make terroristic threats of grave harm to innumerable persons, including constituents of Plaintiff who Plaintiff has the duty to represent.”

It says God has caused, “fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes, pestilential plagues, ferocious famines, devastating droughts, genocidal wars, birth defects, and the like.”

The suit also says God has caused, “calamitous catastrophes resulting in the wide-spread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth’s inhabitants including innocent babes, infants, children, the aged and infirm without mercy or distinction.”

Chambers also says God “has manifested neither compassion nor remorse, proclaiming that Defendant “will laugh” when calamity comes.

Chambers asks for the court to grant him a summary judgement. He says as an alternative, he wants the judge to set a date for a hearing as “expeditiously” as possible and enter a permanent injunction enjoining God from engaging in the types of deleterious actions and the making of terroristic threats described in the lawsuit.

sigh...

2007-09-10T10:03:00.001-07:00

Life's too short...

Bizarre Bikes

2007-08-07T10:50:00.000-07:00

Sideways Bike

Tree Branch Bike

Rail Bike

The Stinkbike
by Saul

About as useful as mudflaps on a tortise...

Garage Refuse Recumbent
by dome_head

Who says you can't afford a recumbent!?

Office Chair Bike
by Woodenbikes

Now this is a much better use of an office chair. Check out that "bucket seat!"

Wooden Bike
by Matin

No pedals? WTF!?

Propeller Trike
by Damon Vander Lind

TallBike
by Tim Anderson

No Welding Needed!
(probably not too safe)

18 Foot Tall Bike

New McCarthyism

2007-06-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

http://pressesc.com/01182668252_espionage_indicators

Also, here's the pdf of what YOU can do to help stop espionage... http://www.ncix.gov/archives/docs/Your_Role_in_Combating_the_Insider_Threat.pdf
Funny, the list of things that describe the type of person who would be vulnerable for exploitation and use in espionage all describe the President...

* Drug or alcohol abuse.
* Repeated irresponsibility.
* An "above the rules" attitude.
* Financial irresponsibility.
* Repeated impulsive behaviors.
* Extreme immaturity.
* Willingness to violate the rights of others to achieve one's own ends.
* Accumulating or overwhelming life crises or career disappointments.
* Willingness to break rules or violations of laws and regulations.

FBI to restrict student freedoms
Submitted by Canada IFP on Sun, 2007-06-24 06:58.Americas | United States | News

US university students will not be able to work late at the campus, travel abroad, show interest in their colleagues' work, have friends outside the United States, engage in independent research, or make extra money without the prior consent of the authorities, according to a set of guidelines given to administrators by the FBI.

Federal agents are visiting some of the New England's top universities, including MIT, Boston College, and the University of Massachusetts, to warn university heads about the dangers of foreign spies and terrorists stealing sensitive academic research.

FBI is offering to brief faculty, students and staff on what it calls "espionage indicators" aimed at identifying foreign agents.

Unexplained affluence, failing to report overseas travel, showing unusual interest in information outside the job scope, keeping unusual work hours, unreported contacts with foreign nationals, unreported contact with foreign government, military, or intelligence officials, attempting to gain new accesses without the need to know, and unexplained absences are all considered potential espionage indicators.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to monitor their colleagues for signs of suspicious behaviour and report any concerns to the FBI or the military.

"What we're most concerned about are those things that are not classified being developed by MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology], Worcester Polytech [Worcester Polytechnic Institute] and other universities," Warren Bamford, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston office, told the Boston Herald. "It's to make sure these institutions receive training...[on] what spies look for. There are hundreds of projects going on that could be useful to a foreign power."

"My understanding is that what the FBI is proposing is not illegal, but it does raise questions about the chilling effect in regard to academia,"Chris Ott, Communications Manager of the ACLU of Massachusetts told WSWS. "What will it mean about feeling free to pursue information? People on the campuses will be afraid to ask questions or take on the investigation of certain areas, say, for example, nuclear energy. "

University administrators have expressed their appreciation of FBI efforts.

"It was a very nice offer," Robert A. Weygand, vice president for administration and a former Rhode Island congressman told the Boston Herald. "We are taking it under consideration."

Last year the FBI initiated the College and University Security Effort (CAUSE), in order to establish an "alliance" between the Federal agency and academic institutions.

According to the FBI, through CAUSE, Special Agents in charge meet with the heads of local colleges to discuss national security issues and to share information and ideas.

Learning something new...

2007-06-22T07:58:00.001-07:00

I've always had ideas for stories that never get written. I recently started writing one of them... the problem is, I see my stories in comic book form. I've been trying to find someone to draw what I see, but I've had no luck finding anyone who is comfortable with their drawing ability...

So... I've decided to try to teach myself how to draw.

Here's my first attempt. I know that the lines are too dark in some places and not dark enough in others... and that it makes my character look a bit lion-like... and that my character looks very tired and thin... like he's in a K-hole or something... but... again, it's my first attempt at drawing.

I'll post more attempts as I do them. Maybe I'll learn some patience from this exercise as it takes quite a lot of it!

Frack you, you fracking Nazi bastard. - A letter to the Pope.

2007-06-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

I'm sick of dealing with people's fracking feelings. I don't give a damn if I "hurt your feelings". Frack you. You hurt more than feelings all the damn time... You hurt families and entice violence toward people! ...but heavens forbid anyone say anything against you or your "church." You have long said that I am a danger to children, marriage, family... and that I'm going to be the downfall of society. Seems to me more evils have been committed in the name of your God than I have *ever* committed. Heck, even more evils have been committed by you, you Nazi bastard ...and you call *me* evil!? Whatthefrackever. Then, you get mad and say it's "grotesquely obscene" when people displayed signs outside your church that said "No Vat" (as in Vatican). Yes... you can call people abominations, evil, and even be a fracking Nazi.... but when people hold up signs saying "No Vat" in protest to the Vatican's role in politics... it is *those* two words that you consider "grotesquely obscene." You're a fracking idiot. I wish there were a hell for you to go to.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell... We'll Come Looking

2007-06-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

I got this bit of news second hand, so I'm not sure how accurate it is... but... if it is accurate, then apparently "Don't Ask" means that they will do their own snooping.

A friend of mine was recently dishonorably discharged from the Army because Army officials found her wife's mySpace website and found out that she's a lesbian. To me, "don't ask" also means that they won't go looking for answers.

Unfortunately, my friend was discharged after serving two tours in Iraq. She was the bread winner of the family and has since lost her income. The two have a son together who is the cutest little button. Now, their family has no health care, no income, and no recourse.

Don't Ask Don't Tell needs to stop. Just because of whom they love, we are losing valuable soldiers who have served our country honorably. When the government can just go seeking answers, it's the same as asking. So... a warning and a plea. Please help end Don't Ask Don't Tell... and please, if you are in a same-sex relationship with someone in the service, don't put it on your mySpace page.

Little Baby Cheney vs the FCC

2007-06-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

First... check this out
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/images/20070523-4_v052307db-0034jpg-731v.html

Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, welcomed their sixth grandchild, Samuel David Cheney, Wednesday, May 23, 2007. He weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz and was born at 9:46 a.m. at Sibley Hospital in Washington, D.C. His parents are the Cheneys’ daughter Mary, and her partner, Heather Poe. White House photo by David Bohrer

Now... check this out...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/04/business/main2884093.shtml??source=RSS&attr=_2884093

The "reasoned logic" they speak of is something not mentioned in the article. They reasoned that because the President and Vice President (The Government) uses and has used the words publicly, that it negates the law saying that other people can't use it.

So... let's follow the logic here...
1) A law is created.
2) The government doesn't follow the law.
3) Since the government doesn't follow the law, it can't tell other people they have to.
4) The law is invalidated.

Ok... so right there on the White House website is a picture of the Cheney's holding their baby grandson. The page recognizes Mary and her partner as the parents. So... apparently the government MUST recognize same-sex partners, their families, AND that both moms are in fact the parents!

Oh yeah, and if to slap Cheney in the face, Bush's latest court appointment is a guy who has ruled that a gay parent raising a child poses a health risk to the child and has even ordered children to be taken away from their birth mothers because the mothers are either bisexuals or lesbians.

James W. Holsinger, the next Surgeon General?

2007-06-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

I fucking hope not!

This asshole is supposed to be a doctor - a scientist. He may well hold a medical degree, but he's certainly not listening to *any* of the major medical organizations nor paying attention to science and peer reviewed research!

This guy is Bush's latest NeoCon, x-tian, gay hating, yes man, and nominee for the position of Surgeon General. That's right! The top doctor in the nation!

This guy founded an ex-gay group and truly believes that gays can be converted through a belief in God. Never mind the fact that every major medical and psychological group has found absolutely NO EVIDENCE that this is possible, and in fact say that trying to change someone's sexual orientation is psychologically damaging! (And I can vouch for that!)

Please please please call Clinton, and Kennedy and ask them to not allow this guy to be appointed.

The next thing you know he'll have us all in shock therapy and recommend reading the Bible to cure menstrual cramps... oh wait... we already had that Surgeon General...

Dishonoring Our Veterans

2007-05-31T07:36:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a Memorial Day service in Green Bay, WI at Fort Howard Memorial Park. I was thoroughly disgusted by the service.

Memorial Day is meant to be a day to honor *all* of the fallen soldiers who have served our country. It is a day to remember *all* of the solders and to honor their sacrifice. It is not a time for religious propaganda nor a time for politics. Unfortunately, the people who were leading this particular service didn't understand that.

The service was filled with references to the current war in Iraq, the catch phrase "war on terror," and references to Jesus. The speaker referenced that God was on our side in the "war on terror" and that our soldiers would be victorious. He said that God would watch over them and protect them and that Jesus was to be praised.

Let's get something straight... Muslims, Christians, and Jews worship the *same* god. If there *were* no belief in this god, we would not have the fundamentalism that has caused this war. This war cannot be won through a belief in a god. God, or rather the belief in God, is the cause of the war in which we find ourselves.

*Not once* did the speaker make reference to the fact that our soldiers have different beliefs, that this country was founded by people of differing beliefs (Deists, Unitarians, Atheists, and yes, Christians), and that because of the sacrifices that soldiers throughout history have made, we are supposedly free to believe what we want. All of the speaker's references were of the "Praise Jesus and Pass the Ammunition" type. The speaker at this service did *not once* offer remembrance to any of the soldiers of over 40 other religions. He only referenced the Christian soldiers.

The speaker also referenced the freedom that all American's enjoy because of the sacrifices of our Christian soldiers. Well... let me tell you... I do not enjoy the freedoms that other Americans enjoy. I am not free. As long as Christian Fundamentalists, like the speaker at the Memorial Day service, continue to push their agenda onto those of other faiths and as long as they continue to make laws that take away my freedom, I am not free.

I considered those soldiers who are not Christian and yet died fighting for freedom. I believe that as long as fundamentalists refuse to honor and respect those soldiers, and as long as those of us who are non-Christian citizens are forced to live by laws that go against our beliefs, we are not free.

The type of behavior displayed by the speaker only furthers my disdain for the theocracy that this country is becoming and for the pride and audacity of these religious fundamentalists. The speaker's lack of respect for *all* of our soldiers is truly unpatriotic and disgusting.

It was as if the speaker at this service, by honoring only the Christian soldiers, was implying that all others died for nothing. To him, they were already forgotten.

Swallow it down...

2007-05-21T06:16:00.000-07:00

This post isn't going to be one of my usual... this one... well, is more of a window into the inner workings of my head. It's an attempt at trying to focus in and understand all of the noise in my head... all of the screaming, doubt, anger, sadness, hopefulness, happiness, joy, and beauty that it perceives. It's an attempt to quiet the storm, to hush the voices (all my own of course... there's no one else living here), to find some solace, and to come to terms with the fact that this is not the world in which I wish to live. This post is free form, flowing thoughts, with no beginning or end - like many thoughts in my brain, only a middle.

blue pill... take the blue pill... why? why does everyone insist on taking the blue pill?.. Is it because they have not the capacity to deal with the wrongs? Is it too much to handle?... Prozak, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, why do we fell the need to medicate ourselves until death... why are we so anxious, so depressed, what is wrong with society that damn near everyone I know is on some sort of anti-depressant?... $3.50 a gallon, no freedom of speech, don't dare disagree with the administration, starving children right here in our own back yards, NEW JOBS CREATED they cry... yet all of them low wage, expanding health care costs while CEOs make millions off the backs of the working poor, religion influencing the laws that others must follow, laws which only serve to help a few and stomp on others, socioeconomic discrimination - legalized, my family doesn't matter... fuck the reich, those holier than thou hypocritical bastards... ignore the fact that it's all illusion, believe in the illusion, take the blue pill and it'll all be so much better... believe the way 'we' do, live the way 'we' live... No! Fuck you!... I find no solace in the blue pill... pretending everything's ok... EVERYTHING IS NOT OK!... open your god damned eyes!... fuck the blue pill!... but then it makes everything so much more difficult... is the path of least resistance really the best path? Take the damn blue pill? Ignore the veil and live in the illusion? Fucking fascists... that's what they would prefer... a dictatorial government where only they have privilege and everyone else has no rights... excuse me if I still believe in the American Dream and opportunity for everyone... not in privilege for few... why the hell should I blindly follow laws and morays created by those with greed for money and power? ...laws created by those whose IQs are significantly lower than my own and which only serve a handful of people? People are fucking stupid. I despise this world. I despise the blue pill. Oh, but just take it and you too will be able to function in 'our' illusion. Don't want to take it? Well we've got a solution for that too... we will force you to. We will medicate society and subdued them with fear... fear of eachother.. then we will be able to control them all because everyone will be too afraid of eachother to even communicate with each other... to afraid to learn that different is not bad, it's just different... yes, we will medicate and paralyze everyone... only then can we carry out our true plan of world domination... those who disagree with our own "values" will be socioeconomically bludgeoned into non-existence.. no one really cares about them anyway... cause they're different... and remember, the blue pill tells you different is bad and everything is going to be okay.. just do what we say and fear your neighbor... take the blue pill and just pretend right along with us that everything will be okay. Fuck the blue pill... then again... until I find a way out... it is easier... I do not want to live in this world which they are creating. I do not wish to live in their reality. This is not the reality which I choose for myself. Maybe I'm an idealist... but I don't see how this blue pill bullshit is benefiting humanity. It only makes us fear and hate one another while pretending that everything is okay.... EVERYTHING IS NOT OK... but for now, I've no way out... so... for now, I'll swallow it down, I'll give in, I'll pretend, and maybe... everything will be okay.

The king of veto power...

2007-05-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well, today the White House vetoed yet another war spending bill. This bill gave the President full authority to ignore the suggested withdraw deadline, yet still he vetoed it. It is clear that he does not care that there are people dying every day. It is clear that he wants it his way or no way.

...remember, "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. "-W. ... and by "us" he means "me" ...and by "terrorists" he means "everyone who disagrees with me."

It's really no surprise... has everyone forgotten this great Bush quote?

"I will not withdraw even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me." -W.

That's right... the Barney The Dog holds more weight than the voice of the American people.

Falwell's Death

2007-05-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

Some people were wondering how I feel about Falwell's death.

I was taught that if you don't have anything nice to say... don't say anything at all. So that's what I'm saying about this... nothing.

Instead... I'll leave you with some of his quotes and leave it up to you to figure out how I feel about it.

Jerry Falwell Quotes:

Regarding 9/11 and terrorism:

"The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'" --on the 9/11 attacks
“I had a student ask me, "Could the savior you believe in save Osama bin Laden?" Of course, we know the blood of Jesus Christ can save him, and then he must be executed”
"You've got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I'm for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes 10 years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord."
“God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve”
“I sincerely believe that the collective efforts of many secularists during the past generation, resulting in the expulsion from our schools and from the public square, has left us vulnerable”

Regarding homosexuality:

"AIDS is the wrath of a just God against homosexuals. To oppose it would be like an Israelite jumping in the Red Sea to save one of Pharaoh's charioteers ... AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."
“Homosexuality is Satan's diabolical attack upon the family that will not only have a corrupting influence upon our next generation, but it will also bring down the wrath of God upon America.”
“[homosexuals are] brute beasts...part of a vile and satanic system [that] will be utterly annihilated, and there will be a celebration in heaven.”
“I do not believe we can blame genetics for adultery, homosexuality, dishonesty and other character flaws”
"He is purple — the gay-pride color, and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay pride symbol." –from a "Parents Alert" issued in Jerry Falwell's National Liberty Journal, warning that "Tinky Winky," a character on the popular PBS children's show, "Teletubbies," may be gay

Regarding marriage, paedophelia, prostitution, and adultery:

“Grown men should not be having sex with prostitutes unless they are married to them”

Regarding the Government and Politics:

"I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!"
“Textbooks are Soviet propaganda”
“Pat ran for president once and he's a very political person, and that is the way politicians talk. They all use intimidation and political strong-arming to hopefully pick up a vote or two.
"Nothing will motivate conservative evangelical Christians to vote Republican in the 2008 presidential election more than a Democratic nominee named Hillary Rodham Clinton - not even a run by the devil himself ... I certainly hope that Hillary is the candidate. She has $300 million so far. But I hope she's the candidate. Because nothing will energize my [constituency] like Hillary Clinton. If Lucifer ran, he wouldn't." --at a "Values Voter Summit"
“The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country”
“The ACLU is to Christians what the American Nazi party is to Jews”
“The whole (global warming) thing is created to destroy America's free enterprise system and our economic stability”
“We visit prisoners on death row, and some of them are saved, but we believe their sentences should be carried out because they have a debt to society”
“Joseph Farah raises a clarion call to action in his new book, 'Taking America Back.' He hits the nail on the head on every issue. What's more, he lays the blame for America's problems right where it belongs ? in the lap of liberalism. His insightful analysis of what he calls 'this evil ideology' is worth the price of the book. Don't miss it!”
“What we've worked on for 30 years, to mobilize people of faith and value in this country, what we've done through these years is coming to culmination right now.”
“Now we're looking at what we really started on 30 years ago, reconstruction of a court system gone awry.”

Regarding Religion:

“Christians, like slaves and soldiers, ask no questions”
“Billy Graham is the chief servant of Satan in America”
“If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being”
“It appears that America's anti-Biblical feminist movement is at last dying, thank God, and is possibly being replaced by a Christ-centered men's movement which may become the foundation for a desperately needed national spiritual awakening"

Pineapple! Pineapple! Pineapple!

2007-05-17T06:36:00.001-07:00

Another funny video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7336037952396897588&q=ross+the+intern+steve+irwin

There's a bear in the back yard!

2007-05-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

This has got to be the funniest thing I've seen in a long time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cv4a0OMgrE

The Meaning of Life

2007-05-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, my grandmother, Baba (that's Slovak for Grandma), passed away a few months ago. She was a sweet woman with a beautiful smile and we are now learning that she was quite ornery and had a wit that was cutting as well! :)

Anyway, since her passing, I think I've talked with her and spent more time with her than when she was alive. She shows up quite often in my dreams and we hang out and have wonderful little conversations.

Here's last night's dream:

My sister, my dad, Baba, and myself are sitting in a little hotel room (these dreams almost always take place in a waiting room or hotel room... I'm not sure why). My sister figures that since my Baba has passed over to the other side, that maybe she can offer a little insight into things. So she asks her, "What's the meaning of life?"

I laugh and reply, "42."

My dad starts into this big long speech about how you have to define what the word "meaning" means before you can even answer the question.

My Baba just sat there and smiled. "Do you know?" I asked. Her eyes smiled at me and she said, "Yes."

"Well?" I say, "What's the answer?"

She replies... "Everyone thinks they need to drive a damn car."

WTF!?

2007-05-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

So, I'm on my way to work today and I see this big ass SUV pass me going at least 10 over. On the back of this huge 15mpg Tahoe carrying one passenger is a window painting of a landscape with horses. Underneath the window painting is a bumper sticker that reads: "Save gas. Ride a horse."

Electric Vehicle Solution - maybe...

2007-05-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

So I'm wondering what your thoughts are about solutions for electric assisted or fully electric powered vehicles. Sure they're great for short trips into town for work or school, but they're not so great if you want to go on a road trip.

So what I'm thinking is that they need to come up with exchangeable batteries. I guess it would work a lot like propane tanks. You pull into the fuel station when your battery is low, pop your battery out of your vehicle, pay a few dollars, and exchange your low battery for a fully charged one that you can pop back into your vehicle and be off!

The batteries could even be recharged using renewable energy resources like wind.

Now, I have no idea the amount of wind power would be needed to charge a battery for a 2 or 3 person small vehicle... but I'm sure that some of you out there have thought about it or already have it figured out.

So... what are your thoughts?

Damned if I do.

2007-05-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Ok... so I've come to the conclusion that no matter what I drive, it's still a car and it still sucks.

If I buy gasoline for my car then I'm supporting big oil, war, and all of the atrocities, including human rights violations, that happen in countries like Sudan. As well, I'm definitely contributing to CO2 emissions.

If I fill my car with ethanol, since most of it is made from corn grown in second and third world countries instead of corn made here, and also because it's made from a food source that isn't very energy efficient, I'm supporting starving people rather than letting them have food to eat and still contributing near the same CO2 emissions.

Not only that, but the cost of producing 1 litre of ethanol is about $1.24 inculding tax subsidies. That's $4.59 a gallon!

Even worse, the good byproducts do NOT outweigh the bad byproducts! Corn crops contribute the most herbicide pollution and soil erosion that any other crop grown! Also, ethanol plants are not held to the same standards as other refineries when it comes to chemical pollutants. That means that they can, and do, produce and introduce into the environment more pollutants than other fuel refineries.

Ethanol from sugar cane costs $0.33 per litre. That's certainly better... and people don't need raw sugar to survive. Unfortunately, it also amounts to a net negative energy savings.

Apparently the only thing that *might* be a viable renewable fuel source is not a liquid fuel at all. It's a pellet. Switch grass pellets have an energy return of about 1:14.6 kcal. Pellets can also be a good alternative source of energy in stoves for heating. Unfortunately, I don't see any automakers rushing out to make pellet fueled cars and trains.

So... I guess as long as I'm driving a car and as long as the city continues its 20 year argument of *how* and *where* to build a commuter rail, then I'm stuck being responsible for killing and raping people in Sudan or starving people in South America.

Damned if I do. Damned if I do.

My car eats corn.

2007-04-18T06:04:00.000-07:00

Ok... so I ended up getting a new car. I was really hoping to put off getting rid of the Subaru until I'm done with school... that way I can go carless. But I'm not as hard core as some of my friends. ;)

The Subaru was nice, quiet, and great in the snow. The gas mileage was... well... better than most, but certainly not where it should be. But then again, no cars are as efficient as they could be. It lasted me 160k with no problems. Then the head gasket started leaking oil into the radiator. :(

So... without much research and with absolutely no desire to buy a car... I went car shopping. It would have been nice to look around and get something I really wanted... like a light, small, biodiesel that I could feed Blimpie's or Hardee's. But... it's too cold to ride my motorcycle and my school/work schedule doesn't afford me enough time to bike back and forth between the two. And... I'm still waiting on that train they promised us.

Anyway... it seems that car salesman want to steer you away from anything "alternative." None of the sales people knew anything about any of the cars on their lot with respect to which would run alternative fuels and what type of mileage they got with it.

So... I drove 3 different used cars. The first two really sucked. One had compression problems, I'm guessing it was the catalytic converter. The other had seats that felt like they were eating you. The I drove the Chevy Impala. It was a quiet, smooth, comfortable ride.

I remembered seeing the Impala listed as one of the cars that could run ethanol, depending on the model. I had also looked into fueling stations and had found that there are quiet a few of them in the midwest. (Lack of fueling stations is the reason I didn't get the Civic CNG for $10k new.)

So, I got the car and brought it home and read the manual. Apparently the 3.5L 2006 Impala only runs flex fuel if the 8th number in the VIN is a K.

So, if it's a K then it's OK that it 8 e85. If it's an N it's NOT.

I checked my car and it was a K. So... I found the nearest e85 station and filled up. It was $0.50 less a gallon than gasoline and so far it seems to be getting better mileage than my Subie got on petrol.

Now... time for my hard core bike friends to tell me the bad news!

I know that cars are incredibly inefficient. I know that the US paves the hell out of everything. I know the chemicals used and the mining to get the materials cause damage. I know it takes a lot of energy to build a car. All that aside for the sake of this conversation....

What are the drawbacks to ethanol? I know the positives... they're played up a lot. What are the honest to goodness drawbacks?

Happy Easter?

2007-04-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

You fucking sick people. How the hell can you even live with yourselves? How the hell can you dare call yourself "Christ-like?" This is just about the WORST behavior I have seen in a very long time!

This is absolutely disgusting!

...and people wonder why I don't care to associate myself with the word "Christian"...

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-4116.html

12th April 2007 13:01
PinkNews.co.uk writer

A funeral service in the Carribean island of Jamaica has been disrupted by a mob attempting to attack a group of mourners.

The Easter Sunday funeral of Kirk Wayne Lester, a Jamaican businessman, was attended by "gay cross-dressers," reports Real Jamaica Radio.

A mob surrounded the church and attacked people thought to be gay with knives, stones and bottles.

Missiles where thrown through the windows.

The island's gay rights movement, the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals and Gays (J-Flag), is forced to operate underground and anonymously.

It called on police to find the people who attacked the church in Mandeville.

Pressure group Jamaicans for Justice agreed that a urgent police investigation is needed.

JFJ said it is deeply disturbed by yet another incident involving mob violence against gay people latest incident is particularly daring because it occurred during a church service.

In February three gay men were stoned by a huge mob in a homophobic attack in Jamaica.

Police came to rescue the men from a pharmacy in Saint Andrew Parish, where they had been hiding for almost an hour.

An angry crowd had gathered outside the pharmacy, hurling insults and threatening to kill the men.

When the police arrived, the mob demanded the men be handed over to them.

The police tried to escort the men to their car, but the crowd began to throw stones at the objects of their hate, hitting one of them on the head.

Finally, officers were forced to disperse the crowd with tear gas. According to the Jamaica Observer, as many as 2000 people were involved in the attack.

International human rights organizations have described Jamaica as one of the most homophobic places in the world.
Gay and lesbian relationships are largely conducted in secret.

Sex between men in Jamaica is illegal, and punishable with up to ten years in jail, usually with hard labour.

In December 2003, a World Policy Institute survey on sexual orientation and human rights in the Americas said that:

"In the Caribbean, Jamaica is by far the most dangerous place for sexual minorities, with frequent and often fatal attacks against gay men fostered by a popular culture that idolises reggae and dancehall singers whose lyrics call for burning and killing gay men.

"Draconian laws against sexual activity between members of the same sex continue to be in force not only in Jamaica, but in most of the English-speaking Caribbean."

According to Amnesty International, the gay and lesbian community in Jamaica faces "extreme prejudice" and are ‘routinely victims of ill-treatment and harassment by the police, and occasionally of torture."

Amnesty has highlighted the growing problem of vigilante action against gays and lesbians – Wednesday was just one example of this.

In 2004, the organisation revealed that "gay men and lesbian women have been beaten, cut, burned, raped and shot on account of their sexuality," and that they are one of the "most marginalised and persecuted communities in Jamaica."

Political parties have ignored the issue of gay rights. Indeed, homophobia is flourishing amongst politicians and the police.

For example, opposition leader Bruce Golding vowed last year that "homosexuals would find no solace in any cabinet formed by him."

Anne Coulter is a bitch

2007-03-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

...but I guess we all knew that. So... what did she say at the 2007 Conservative Political Action Committee meeting that has conservatives and liberals up in arms? View it here. She outwardly displays her hatred for gay people and democrats all in one swoop.

Why are conservatives upset? Because they were the ones caught laughing at her remarks! Their hatred is finally "out of the closet!" They can no longer say "no we don't HATE people... we just don't agree." They've finally been revealed as the hate mongers they are!

Why isn't the media all over this one like they were all over Isaiah Washington? Why haven't you heard about this? DAMN GOOD QUESTION!

Why don't you go ask the so-called LIBERAL MEDIA!?

MLK Day - Why some white and some black people piss me off.

2007-01-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

I'm pissed off at white people and at black people.

I'm pissed off at white people for treating Martin Luther King Jr. Day as if it is a 'black holiday'. It's an AMERICAN holiday. All Americans should be proud to celebrate MLK Day because it marks an important time when America moved one step closer to opening up the American Dream for ALL citizens of this country.

I'm also pissed off at black people because they completely ignore Bayard Rustin's role in securing equal rights for African Americans. Mr. Rustin organized the 1963 March on Washington as well as acted as a mentor to Dr. King and taught him the leadership skills and nonviolent resistance that Dr. King used to help further the cause for equality.

I'm pissed because when it comes to gay rights most black people ignore their own gay brothers and sisters and even go so far as to vote to discriminate against gay people in their state Constitutions. A gay black friend of mine was even told that he couldn't join the Black Student Union at our school because he was gay, and that meant he wasn't black!!!

This is just plain fucking wrong. Do they not realize that Mr. Rustin, the mentor and key player in the fight for their civil rights, was a gay black man?

Face it black people! Without this gay black man, you would not have the rights you have today! Gay black people do exist and it's time to start fighting for their rights too!

What do you think?

2006-11-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

So... I got to thinking...

We've got this stupid constitutional amendment for a marriage/civil union ban here in Wisconsin that is on the ballot Tuesday. Not only would it ban marriages and civil unions, but it would also take away wills, domestic partnerships, powers of attorneys, etc.... and not just from gay people either. Also from unmarried straight people. It even takes away our right to *ask* or *petition* the government for our rights.

How this doesn't violate the 14th amendment of the constitution... I still have yet to figure out. How anyone in their right mind would even consider something like this to be okay, I don't know. ...Except to say that it's a group of Christian fundamentalists that are pushing for it. The guy who wrote the bill has been divorced three times. The fundies here have resorted to lying to people to get them to vote in favor of it... even telling them that voting against it would *legalize* gay marriage. That just isn't true. It's already against the law here. All that would change by voting against the ammendment is... well... nothing. Everyone would get to keep their rights exactly as they are right now. No one's rights would be taken away.

So... please people, VOTE NO!

If this ammendment passes (if people vote yes), then I may not even have the right to sign a contract with my wife. Our wills can be contested, our health insurance taken away, and our power of attorney voided. Worst of all is that because of the way the ammendment is worded, after they take away all of this from us, WE HAVE NO LEGAL RECOURSE. The ammendment takes away our right to petition the government! Essentially this makes us second-class citizens. Let me repeat this part...

WE HAVE NO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO PETITION OUR GOVERNMENT FOR OUR RIGHTS!

We will be second-class citizens... kind of like the Jews in Germany... only without the trains and concentration camps... at least for now. Can anyone say Nuremberg? No? Okay then, how about Jim Crow?

So if it passes, I'm thinking of some way to protest on campus without losing my job or getting expelled. So, I'm thinking of wearing a sign with a big not equal sign and the words "second-class citizen" as well as shaving my head. (I would, of course, donate my hair to locks of love.)

What do you think? I need your opinion.

UPDATE: The amendment unfortunately passed. I didn't shave my head. I'm glad now that I didn't... I wouldn't want my friends making "she's lost it" Britney Spears jokes or calling me Sinead. I did wear the shirt though... no one said a word. It was VERY quiet on campus the next day. Many of my teachers who are gay could hardly get through class. Most classes let out early.

Good Morning, Columbus Ohio!

2006-11-03T05:39:00.000-08:00

Hey there in Columbus, Ohio! Nice to see that the DoD has something useful to do with their time. Ah, my tax dollars at work!

Remember, remember the 5th of November.

2006-11-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

When you are met with violent opposition, when you are refused medical treatment because of who you are, when your friends are subject to sexual harrassment and humiliation, when your teachers make jokes and incite the class to make fun of who you are, when you suffer years of self-hatred because it is impossible for you to be the person society tells you to be, when you can't go to a funeral without being harrassed, when every day you are told that god created you and he hates you, when you are marginalized, when you are forced to pay more taxes because of your relationship status, when your government spends your tax dollars against your family to take away your freedom and rights, when you are taxed without representation, when people won't do business with you, when you are afraid to go somewhere alone for fear of getting jumped because of who you are, when you have to constantly assess situations and look over your shoulder, when your friends and family have had death threats, when your gathering places are burned down or the people inside them slain, when hate and lies about you are preached and endorsed by so-called religious leaders, when you hear 'faggot' and 'carpet muncher' everywhere you go and every day, when your freedom of speach is being silenced, when your right to petition your government for your rights is taken away, when you don't get equal pay for equal work because of who you love, when you can't protect your family because the law won't allow you to do so, when you aren't allowed to be the legal parent of your children, when the public and the media completely ignore it... or worse... endorse it, when no one is willing to stand up for you, what exactly are you supposed to do?

My Hero

2006-10-30T07:43:00.000-08:00

I have a few heros. These are people that I look up to and who have served as a guide in my life. Some of these people I know, my grandmother for example, others are people who I have yet to meet. One of these people that I know by name only, but who has served as a guiding force is Biologist, Richard Dawkins.

As a Panthiest and a Premedical Molecular Biology and BioInformatics student, I find Dawkins' contributions to the scientific community and to society to be some of the most important of our day.

Dr. Dawkins seeks the rational and testable explanations to questions in science and philosophy. He is a wonderfully eloquent speaker, to whom I could for hours listen. He is also very controversial. As an example, he once said "I think a case can be made that faith is one of the world's great evils." I think there are many with this line of thinking who would agree .

One of my favorite of his quotes is, "We are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further."

If you haven't heard of Richard Dawkins, please listen to NPR's Dawkins interview, "A Case For Athiesm."

Ouch! Reich-Wing Stung by Gay Reality Bee.

2006-10-23T05:43:00.000-07:00

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/12102006/80-132/birds-bees-gay-museum-exhibition.html

"OSLO (Reuters) - The birds and the bees may be gay, according to the world's first museum exhibition about homosexuality among animals.

With documentation of gay or lesbian behaviour among giraffes, penguins, parrots, beetles, whales and dozens of other creatures, the Oslo Natural History Museum concludes human homosexuality cannot be viewed as "unnatural".

"We may have opinions on a lot of things, but one thing is clear -- homosexuality is found throughout the animal kingdom, it is not against nature," an exhibit statement said.

Geir Soeli, the project leader of the exhibition entitled "Against Nature", told Reuters: "Homosexuality has been observed for more than 1,500 animal species, and is well documented for 500 of them.""

http://www.amazon.com/Biological-Exuberance-Homosexuality-Natural-Diversity/dp/0312192398

Cow Clones

2006-10-19T04:32:00.000-07:00

Well, unfortunately, even with all of my dietary restrictions because of medical reasons, it appears that I'm going to have to add another restriction to the list... meat and dairy.

Organically raised *original* meat is going to have to be the only meat option for this omnivore. The FDA has announced plans to approve offspring from genetically cloned animals. This is a *very* bad idea. http://www.organicconsumers.org/Toxic/clone.cfm

As of right now, there is not enough scientific evidence to show if eating the meat or dairy from second generation clones is safe. Cloning, contrary to what the name implies, actually changes the structure of the molecules in the cells of animals. Many times, cells from other animals (humans, worms, mice) are used in the cloning process. While we all share many of the same genetic code, no one is really sure how much of the structure that this process changes and if those changes will be safe for human consumption. Also, there are many ethical questions regarding cloning. I don't know about you, but I sure don't want to eat anything cloned with human DNA... just the idea of it makes my stomach turn. Fortunately, the process is so expensive right now that many farmers will not resort to this option.

Unfortunately, consumers probably won't know what they are eating once this hits the market. We have many genetically engineered foods on the market right now and few, if any, of them are labelled as such. I doubt that meat and dairy products would be labelled as second generation clones.

One of my fears about food cloning is more than just a personal aversion to the topic. I wonder if by changing the structure of molecules and cells, we will also inadvertently end up creating an ideal environment for new virus and bacteria to thrive. One small change in a protein could be all it takes for a mutated virus to find a binding site to a cell and enable it to reproduce.

There just hasn't been enough research into this area of "reproductive technology." Who knows if the offspring of these animals will be safe to eat.... the Food and Drug Administration sure doesn't.

An Idiot's Guide to Voting...

2006-10-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

It's nearly election time again and some informed people and great masses of the uninformed will go to the polls to cast their votes. So, out of boredom and cynicism, I've composed the Idiot's Guide to Voting.

Idiot's Voting Rule #1
Read the Constitution and Bill of Rights *before* you vote for the first time or, if you have never read them before, read them before you go vote again.

Constitution and Bill of Rights... have a good read: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/index.html
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.overview.html
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/funddocs/billeng.htm

If you haven't read the Constitution and Bill of Rights, then you probably don't have an understanding of how the government and laws are suposed to work. You probably also don't know what rights you are guaranteed by the Constitution and what rights you may not take away from others.

Idiot's Voting Rule #2
Know the roles of each branch of government and what powers they have and do not have.

Do not vote for the President because he is "pro-life" or because he is "pro-choice." The Office of Presidency has little, if any, power over the precedence of Supreme Court decisions. Single issue voters often have good intentions, but their energy would be better used writing to their representatives and congressmen who make the laws.

Vote for a President for three reasons: 1) Who they may choose as a Supreme Court Justice should there be a seat to fill... 2) How well they will represent the Country and the people when it comes to foreign relations... 3) If they have leadership *and* humility (i.e. if they will subvert their own personal opinions to the best interest of the public)

Idiot's Voting Rule #3
Always remember that the government is made of and exists to protect a country's citizens and their rights... all of the citizens, even the ones you don't like or disagree with.

Idiot's Voting Rule #4
Know why you're voting and for whom.

Informed voting is better than not voting...
Not voting is better than uninformed voting...
Uninformed voting is a danger to democracy.

If you don't understand the language of a proposed law or ammendment, don't vote either way... skip it and move on. Read the ENTIRE law or ammendment IN CONTEXT. Often they will write laws where the first sentence or two sounds like a good idea, knowing that people won't read the whole thing. Unfortunately, the next few sentences may be a very bad idea, or may even violate someone's right's under the Constitution! Bad laws and bad ammendments cost tax payers a lot of money in lawsuits and court costs.

If you see a candidate on the ballot that you don't recognize, don't vote for them just because you like their name or because they are in the party that you identify with. This could easily turn into a bad decision. Research the candidates before you go to the polls and vote for the person you think will uphold the law and work in the best interest of *all* of the people... not just yourself. If you don't recognize the people running for an office, just skip it and move on. Not voting is better than uninformed voting.

Idiot's Voting Rule #5
Do not single issue vote.

You may feel very compassionate about an issue and only want to vote for the person who feels the same way about it as you do. Unfortunately, politicians know this and will lie about how they really feel just so they can get your vote. Also, for every decision that you feel is a good one that they make, there could be 10 bad ones.

Know as many sides of an issue, law, or amendment that you can find. There may be something that you didn't think about that will be an important reason why you should/should not vote for something.

Also, often times you may votefor a person because of a single issue, but that person cannot not do anything about that issue given the position for which they are running.

Idiot's Voting Rule #6
Voting is NOT an opinion poll!

Do not vote for something because it's your opinion that something should be one way or another. Do not treat the rights of others and the rights of yourself as if they are a Cosmopolitan Quiz of the month. Know your rights and DO NOT do anything to subvert the rights of others, they may one day subvert yours!

Do not waste time with questions on ballots that are opinion-type questions. If the branch of government cannot do anything about an issue, it does NOT belong on a voting ballot. It rather, belongs on an opinion poll.

Your rights should not be left up to the whimsical opinions of others!

Idiot's Voting Rule #7
Voting is not a popularity contest.

I really have heard people say, "Oh, I voted for so-and-so because I thought they were cuter."

Idiot's Voting Rule #8
If you have ever violated rule 7... grab yourself a gallon of bleach and a gallon of ammonia, lock yourself in the bathroom, mix the two together in the tub and JUST STAY HOME!!!

Actually, don't do that... it's rumored it will kill you... but DO STAY HOME!

If I Had Only Had a Penis...

2006-10-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

In case it wasn't already confusing enough on who can get married in what state depending on if you're gay or straight... what if you're transgendered? I forget where I found this... but here it is in all of its glorious confusion and nonsense.

"Some people are aware that transgender individuals are often able to enter into a heterosexual marriage after undergoing sex-reassignment. What may be less well-known, however, is that a transgender person may also be married to a person of the same sex. That situation arises, for example, when one of the spouses in a heterosexual marriage comes out as transsexual and transitions within the marriage. If the couple chooses to stay together, as many do, the result is a legal marriage in which both spouses are male or female. Alternatively, in states that do not allow a transgender person to change his or her legal sex, some transgender people have been able to marry a person of the same sex. To all outward appearances and to the couple themselves, the marriage is a same-sex union. In the eyes of the law, however, it is a different-sex marriage because technically speaking, the law continues to view the transgender spouse as a legal member of his or her birth sex even after sex-reassignment. In short, marriage is a very real option for a variety of transgender people in a variety of circumstances."

Regarding Vic Toews

2006-10-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a letter I sent in to my favorite news show, As It Happens. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Barbara & Carol,

I listen to your show at 5am in the States while driving to work. Normally, I am very pleased with the insights that your guests provide into issues about which I may not know much. However, this morning when I tuned in, there was a man proclaiming falsehoods as truths to further his agenda of discrimination and dislike toward gay people.

I am sick and tired of being told that as a gay person, I have no values or that I am destroying the institution of marriage or that I am not "pro-marriage." Just because my values differ from those of your guest, it does not mean that I have no values. Nor does it mean that I am destroying or in any way hold no value of the institution of marriage. In fact, I am "pro-marriage." I am for *everyone's* marriages. Not just those that resemble my own. Your guest should instead call himself "anti-same-sex-marriage" or "pro-heterosexual marriage."

My wife and I were married in Niagara Falls, ON on December 22, 2003. We wanted to get legally married by a minister even though we knew the marriage would not be recognized by our federal government nor our home state of Wisconsin. We believed, and still do believe, that it was important for us to have our marriage sanctioned by an authoritative body. We proudly display our marriage certificate which is framed and hung in our family room. We also understood, because of the way the laws work, that we cannot get divorced. If for some reason our marriage took a wrong turn, we would just have to work it out. In order to get a divorce, one of us would have to immigrate to Canada and live there for at least a year before we could file for a divorce. Our home state of Wisconsin, as well as the surrounding states, does not have the authority to grant us a divorce for a same-sex marriage performed in Canada. This was the second reason why we chose to marry in Canada. We had to be certain that when we said "until death do us part," we meant it.

Your guest stated that religious persons opposed to homosexuality are forced to perform our marriages. This is simply not true. We had a tough time finding a minister who would perform our marriage. We were turned down by every Christian minister that we contacted. They said, rather curtly, that they could not perform our marriage because it was "against their religion" or that it was "against God's law." After we completed our pre-marriage counseling here in the States, we eventually found that we would have to be married by a minister who was not of our faith - a Unitarian minister. He wrote a wonderful ceremony for us and even included some of our favorite Bible versus.

Also, the woman who worked in the chapel in which we were married took the cross down off the wall on which it was hanging before our ceremony... to which my thought was "Who do you think you are? How dare you make the judgment that you can take Jesus away from me!" It was infuriating, but I did not make an issue of it because it was to be a joyous day, not one filled with argument.

Your guest also stated that marriage has always been between "one man and one woman" and that the so-called "activist judges" (funny how they're only 'activist judges' when one disagrees with them) were re-defining marriage by allowing gay people to marry. This is simply fallacy.

Defining marriage as "one man and one woman" would actually be redefing it. To your guest I would ask, "How many wives did Abraham have?"

Marriage has historically been between:

one man and many women (or as many women as the man could afford - remember, women were chattel)
one woman and many men (only a couple of cultures exist with this history)
one man and one man (as in marriages between Japanese men - these marriages were considered the purest form of love, or as in Emperor Nero and two of his husbands, or as in Diocletian and his husband, or as in Khnumhotep and Niankhkhum - who shared the title of Overseer of the Manicurists in the Palace of King Niussere during the Fifth Dynasty of Egyptian pharos)
two people of the same sex (as in the many Native American tribes that celebrate formal marriages between two same-sex "two-spirit" people)
two women (as in "Boston Marriage")
a man and a woman (arranged marriage for political or geographic reasons)
and more recently, one man and one woman (marriage for love)

It has not been until relatively recently that the institution of marriage was considered, in the West, only to be (by some) 'one man and one woman.' Even in the early days of Christianity in premodern Europe same-sex marriages were celebrated and sanctioned. Furthermore, it was not until recently that people could marry out of love rather than some economic or pollitical arrangement. As to how recent, my great-grandparent's marriage was arranged... and they passed over only about a decade ago.

If *anything* has destroyed the historically defined definition of marriage, it has been the idea that one can marry for love and that once that love ceases to be as strong, one can easily obtain a divorce. By your guest claiming to "protect marriage" by barring gay people from it (oh... wait... I thought he was claiming to be protecting religious freedom... well... anyway) he is in fact, doing it a great disservice.

Your guest is doing nothing to protect my marriage... whcih I value greatly. If your guest were truly interested in "protecting marriage" then he should protect all marriage - from divorce. Your guest would be better suited to protect marriage by attempting to toughen divorce laws and by advocating for pre-marital counseling.

Your guest also stated that it was necessary to "protect children." I would ask your guest how revoking my wife's and my marriage would possibly protect our children? I would think that they would have a hard time grasping why and how any religion of love could possibly be protecting them by either taking away recognition of their parent's marriage or by making it possible for teachers to say mean things about them and their parents in class.

Your guest also stated that people who disagreed with same-sex marriage should not be forced to recognize them. This is a very dangerous and slippery slope on which I hope Canada does not tread. Here in the States the idea of a "consiencous objector" status for persons who disagree with *anyone* for *any reason* has been brought into light... or into darkness in my opinion. This would essentially create the type of "religous protection" your guest seeks. It could, and has been, used to deny basic (and necessary) medical proceedures to; single moms, gays and lesbians, persons of differing faiths, persons preceived to be of different faiths or sexual orientation, persons of differing ethnic background, and persons of questionable legal status. While this has not been publicized, it has personally happened to me and to some of my friends. This might seem avoidable if one lives in a large city like Toronto. One could simply go to a different medical provider. In rural areas of Canada however, there are people who would be caused great harm and who would have to go through teh painstaking and expensive process of trying to find a doctor in a geographic area not their own, who will treat them.

Also, this opens the door for discrimination in the workplace. Religious businesses or even a corporate institution that is headed by a person of a faith that disagrees with homosexuality (or any for any other reason they feel is wrong) would be allowed to fire someone because they do not agree with the person.

It would place children in danger because teachers would be allowed to teach their class that a certain child's family is worth less or that their family is somehow immoral. These children could be the endless subject or ridicule and persecution by other students. This bill would do serious and real harm to many families across Canada.

A friendly warning from one of your southernly neighbors... It's already happening here, this isn't hype, don't go this route.

What your guest is really looking for is a legalized free pass to discriminate. He is looking for a way to spread his way of how he thinks the world should be and to persecute those that do not fit his definition of what is right. To your guest, I would ask how a Jesus, who loves and welcomes all, would respond to this action? I would ask if God will judge me for whom I love, or him for whom he hates and harms?

Your guest also mentions that he would like to see a review of how same-sex marriage affects society and marriage. This is simple... count the percentage of divorces that have occurred between opposite-sex couples and the percentage of divorces that have occruued between same-sex couple in the time frame in which same-sex marriage has been legal. If it's anything like it is here in the states... there's a lot more straight marriages ending in divorce.

Also, studies here have been done that show that the states that are most opposed to same-sex marriages and who proclaim to rate "family values" and religion as their most important values, also have the highest divorce rates. Interestingly, the only state that allows same-sex marriage, Massachusetts, has the lowest divorce rate in the nation. Now, how is it again that my marriage is somehow a threat to the institution?

Finally, I would ask, rather beg, that you *please, please, please* invite a guest on your show to discuss the *real* history of marriage, not just the recent Western history of marriage. It is important that people are informed and that they do not remain ignorant regarding this topic.

As always, I'll be listening attentively.

Happily (gaily) Married,
ShayShay
----------------------------------------------------

Pro-What?

2006-10-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

I'm sick and tired of the hypocrisy and the labeling of things with names that are exactly the opposite of what they mean.

Take, for example, the gubernatorial debate that happened here in Wisconsin on Friday between Doyle and Green...

Green stated that he makes "no bones about it," he's pro-life. He also did not dispute that he opposes abortion in *all* cases. Green also says that he does not support the use of tax dollars to "destroy living human embryos."

Then, Green turns around and voices support for the death penalty.

Pro-life should mean just that. Not just pro-embryo or pro-fetus. Pro-life should mean pro-all life. If you label yourself as "pro-life" but are for the death penalty and/or for war, you're nothing but a hypocrite. What you should call yourself is anti-abortion... not pro-life.

To go even further, I should hope that anyone who *does* call themselves pro-life is also a vegetarian. Life is life... it should not matter if it is human or other animal. It should also not matter that you consider your life to be of greater value than that of other animals. I'm sure that the dear that hunters shoot value their lives more than the lives of the hunters. If you were to ask the dear, I'm certain that it would consider itself in the definition of what it would mean to be pro-life.

It is the ignorance of self-importantance that is promoted by religion that makes humans think that they should value themselves more than any other of Earth's creatures.

And... just for the record... I'm pro-choice and an omnivore. I personally wouldn't get an abortion unless it wasn't my choice to conceive a child. But I don't feel that I have the right to impose my belief system on everyone else. As for eating meat. I'm allergic to all kinds of grains, so meat is a huge staple in my diet. I do not consider myself more important than any other animal on the planet... we all have a purpose... but I will gladly eat a tasty bit of meat and live knowing that something may one day decide that I also look like a tasty bit of meat.

You may ask how I feel that I can be critical of other's beliefs when I do not wish to impose my beliefs on others. The answer is simple. I won't impose *my* beliefs on anyone else, I *will* impose someone else's beliefs on themselves. (And I like it when others point out to me when I fail to live by my own standards. It forces me to re-evaluate myself and my beliefs.) If you believe in something, then believe in it. Don't pick and choose. Don't be a hypocrite. Have reasons to back up your belief... or at the very least do not label yourself falsely as pro- something you're not.

One Nation Under God

2006-09-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

Everything you learned in school is a lie.

Let's get something striaght right now. This is NOT a Christian nation... never was. Never was meant to be. The founding fathers were NOT Christians. They were Diests and Unitarians. Our founding fathers fled here because of persecution BY CHRISTIANS!

I'm sooooooo sick of hearing so-called Christians justify their bigotry and prejudice by claiming that this is a Christian nation and that we should follow Christian laws.

What you were told in school is a lie. Learn more, read more, become informed, and stop our country's most dangerous terror threat... IGNORANCE!

"The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretence, infringed.'' - James Madison (Original wording of the First Amendment; Annals of Congress 434 (June 8, 1789).)

According to the U.S. Dept. of Treasury, the motto 'In God We Trust' came about not at the time of the Constitutional Conventions, but due to increased pressures to recognize God on coins and money during the Civil War. In April 22, 1864, Congress passed an Amendment authorizing the motto to be placed on the two-cent coin. It appeared on various coins throughout the years, and appeared on paper money in 1957. The phrase was eventually printed on all paper bills, superseding the motto "E Pluribus Unum" (From Many, One) adopted by the Union in 1782.

As we enter the Independence Day weekend, it seems appropriate to examine some of the freedoms that we in the United States enjoy because of our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. One of these rights is the Freedom of Religion - guaranteed to all Americans in the First Amendment. The wording of the phrase pertaining to religion, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof", has been the subject of endless speculation in our country's history. Perhaps these quotes, from the men who wrote, debated and ultimately adopted the Bill of Rights, can shed some light on their view of God, religion in general, and the meaning of the Separation of Church and State.

"I believe in one God, Creator of the universe.... That the most acceptable service we can render Him is doing good to His other children.... As to Jesus ... I have ... some doubts as to his divinity; though it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble." - Benjamin Franklin (Alice J. Hall, "Philosopher of Dissent: Benj. Franklin," National Geographic, Vol. 148, No. 1, July, 1975, p. 94.)

"Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon, than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness, that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason, 1794-1795.)

Every man "ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience." - George Washington (Letter to the United Baptist Churches in Virginia in May, 1789)

"Question with boldness even the existence of a god." - Thomas Jefferson (letter to Peter Carr, 10 August 1787)

"When a Religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its Professors are obliged to call for help of the Civil Power, it is a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one." - Benjamin Franklin (from a letter to Richard Price, October 9, 1780;)

I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of... Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all."- Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason, 1794-1795.)

"Is uniformity attainable? Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error
all over the earth." - Thomas Jefferson (Notes on Virginia, 1782; from George Seldes, ed., The Great Quotations, Secaucus, New Jersey: Citadel Press, 1983, p. 363.)

"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution." - James Madison (Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments, 1785.)

"Where do we find a precept in the Bible for Creeds, Confessions, Doctrines and Oaths, and whole carloads of other trumpery that we find religion encumbered with in these days?" - John Adams

"The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretence, infringed.'' - James Madison (Original wording of the First Amendment; Annals of Congress 434 (June 8, 1789).)

"As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries." - (Treaty of Tripoli, 1797 - signed by President John Adams.)

Also see Treaty of Tripoli

"As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of government to protect all conscientious protesters thereof, and I know of no other business government has to do therewith." - Thomas Paine (Common Sense, 1776.)

"That religion, or the duty we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience." - Patrick Henry (Virginia Bill of Rights, June 12, 1776.)

Superman Returns: Review

2006-07-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

Superman Returns! Superman Returns! Superman Returns! Superman Returns!

Oh how I was excited about seeing the new Superman! I remember being a kid and seeing the first 3 Superman movies and liking them a lot. I never saw the 4th movie. So, when Superman Returns hit the theaters went to see it.

I waited until Monday night when the theater would be less crowded and there would be fewer children in the theater. I hoped for a wonderful movie going experience with no distractions so that I could fully participate in the experience. My wife and I found our seats in a fairly uncrowded theater and settled down with our quart of soda and basket of pretzel bites and waited for the movie to begin.

We waited through the 15 minutes of pre-preview commercials and the 15 minutes of upcoming movie previews, none of which excited me (except the new Spiderman). They all seemed to be about God or Football. I found this mildly annoying.

Then, the screen went black and the movie began. A couple had settled in behind us in seats to the left. They too were excited about the movie. I knew this because of their rather loud conversation that never ceased throughout the duration of the movie.

Without giving away the plot, I'll tell you that the first half of the movie dragged on. I found myself increasingly uncomfortable in my seat and had to switch positions many times to try to get comfortable. This was not a promising sign of my enjoyment (or lack) of the movie. Around the mid way point of the movie I wanted to ask my wife if she wanted to leave, but I had paid full price, so I thought I should stick it out.

I was disappointed with the believability of the movie. I understand that it's fiction, and I fully expected to suspend my disbelief in flying men with superpowers, but other aspects of the movie left me thinking, "hey, she would have passed out by now," and "hey, why isn't the kryptonite affecting Superman now?"...

At this point I was also highly annoyed at the behaviour of other movie goers. This is the main reason I seldom go to theaters anymore. I would much prefer to sit in the quiet comfort of my own house and watch them. The couple behind us and the trio on front of us continued their private conversations throughout the movie. This was incredibly annoying. On top of this, the guy behind us did not have his cell phone turned off, so it kept beeping that he had a voice mail. Also, he was restless and kept putting his feel up on the seat in front of him and kicking the back of the seat. This is behaviour I would expect from a child, not from adults. Increasingly, I find that the behaviour of others in movie goers is a detriment to the movie going experience. Also, it seems that the bad behaviour is no longer in children, but that there have been more adults with this behaviour as well. I didn't pay $9 to sit and listen to the conversation of others and be constantly kicked in the back.

By the end of the movie, I was completely disappointed in the whole experience. The audience was ill-behaved; the story was poorly written, predictable, and dull; the action scenes were boring; the movie was rather preachy with strong religious overtones (Superman has always been a little religious, but this was exceedingly so); it was long and boring; and the child actor was a bad actor (not that I expect too much from a child actor).

The basic concept of the movie was true to the Superman style. The actors were good and Kevin Spacey was a wonderful choice for Lex Luthor and the only source of comic relief (apart from the little dog). The movie was cast well and the costuming and makeup was good. The special effects were decent.

Unfortunately, no amount of good casting could save this movie. Not even the best of actors could have made the story exciting, or even marginally so.

Overall, there are very few movies that I am upset that I spent the money to go see... this was one of them.

Bite my ass!

2006-05-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Okay... so I'll go into details later about why one of these people can bite my ass... for now, here's a few people that can BITE MY ASS! We'll just call it a list of people I think are assholes and would like to flip the digital bird

Julaine Appling
Jim Stills
The entire Religous Reich
Paul Kehrli, Basil, and Nate

The War on Christmas!

2005-12-20T12:23:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of the "War on Christmas?" Well, so am I!

Oh yeah, and why is it that some so-called Christians have to turn EVERYTHING into fear and war?

So... that being said... here's the facts.... and have a very Happy Hanukkah!

http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_tree.htm

A Letter to America, by David Clark

2005-10-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

This was posted on one of the yahoo groups to which I belong. It's a wonderful reminder of love and hope for a world to come.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Letter to America

copyright 2005 David Clark
P.O. Box 148
Cochran, Ga.

May 23, 2005

Greetings,

I have spent the last 16 months or so traveling around America. I've gone to
41 states. My rule was to have a good conversation with someone every day.
For one thing, it kept me from getting homesick. For another, I wanted to
know what America was thinking.

These conversations took place in truck stops and diners, on street corners
and after my concerts or speaking engagements. I rarely knew my conversation
partner. I will never see most of these people again.

This letter is sent via the modern electronic version of the Town Crier's
dispatch pouch, as he journeyed from town to town to spread a particular
word. I have no other means to relay my voice. I have no sweating horse to
ride, and no dusty street corners where sweating people gather.

I am but one man.

But I am a free man, and I urge my trusty electronic steed on to town after
town, mailbox after mailbox, hoping to find open ears, minds, and hearts.

Rather than calling these words out in the open air as they should be called
out, I instead send email. I trust to the reader to imagine these words
having a real, live voice, explaining and calling. Like every town crier
experienced, not everyone will hear these words even if they listen to them.

My business is to speak the words, like a planter dropping seeds. What those
hearing these words will do with them is their choice. I have faith that
good ground remains.

There is a particular group that I keep meeting. Some of these people stay
in touch with me through letters. Some of these people I've not actually met
face-to-face. Others I've only met in passing at a concert or other
circumstance.

Each of these people has some talent. Each person is an artist in their
particular field, even though that field might not necessarily be considered
artistic. There are indeed visual, literary, or musical artists in this
group, but there are also counselors, nurses, teachers, business owners, and
tradesmen. There is even a minister or two in this bunch.

Maybe the best way to describe these folks I'm talking about is that they
are artistically-minded. By that I mean they are sensitive to tings that
many or perhaps most people ignore. They feel things most people miss,
though when these things are expressed they are recognized by most anyone as
true.

One of the common threads is that each of these people is searching,
earning, studying, seeing new ways of understanding how things work and how
they fit in.

Many of our conversations have happened when they felt as if they did not
fit in, when they felt as if they couldn't see how things work, when they
felt as if they were completely out of place in the world.

I understand this feeling all too well. It is one of the loneliest-and
scariest-feelings a person can know.

Another common thread is that each of these people has expressed a feeling
of being in the world but not a part of the world. A stronger way of saying
this same thing is that each of these people has expressed the feeling that
they have felt crazy at times (or most of the time!), especially by what are
considered "normal" standards.

Several of these people have said to me: "There's no way I would tell most
people what I think, because they wouldn't understand."

If this group of people sounds like a bunch of nuts to you, then you're
probably not part of it.

If, on the other hand, they sound very familiar to you, then you are most
likely one of the bunch even if we have not met or corresponded.

The reason I have conversations with these "weirdo friends" of mine is
because I'm a weirdo, too. We understand one another. e can talk to one
another and not laugh at one another.

In the last month, a similar conversation has been brought up by over a
dozen different people in one form or another.

What these people expressed to me is that the American people are numb. A
couple of folks have said the American people are dead, and just haven't
fallen over yet. These things are not said in jest or criticism of our
American brothers and sisters, but rather as an observation.

If you're not one of us weirdos you may not understand what I'm about to
say.

The story goes that if a person is about to get struck by lightning, the
hair on their arm stands straight up.

My artistically-minded friends are telling me in their own way that the hair
is standing up on their arms. I don't think any of us have realized this as
we were talking about it, but after having heard the same line of thinking
now for the past 30 days, it strikes me there is a pattern among those of us
who feel things deeply.

I recently read a news story about an old man who noticed that all the
animals were clearing out of a particular part of the forest and moving into
another part. He mentioned to a younger neighbor that perhaps he should move
his horse from where it was to another location, because a bad storm was
coming.

The sky was clear, and the younger guy at first thought the old man was
crazy. He finally moved the horse, mainly to humor the old man.

The next day a tornado came through, wiped out the forest where the animals
had been, and destroyed the place where the horse had been.

Someone asked the old man how he knew. His response was this: "I didn't
know. The animals knew. I just happened to notice them."

All of us artistically-minded people are the animals of society. At our
best, we are the closest to the wild and untamed that the culture has.
Culture keeps us at a distance by telling us we are crazy for our wildness.
They believe they keep us in cages by hanging our pictures on walls and
playing our records and reading our stories. And at our best, we know the
cages don't really exist, and that we can fly as we please. The statements
in this paragraph are not intended to express good or bad, but rather a
simple statement of how things are.

One question that has been voiced to me by the dozen different
cultural-forest friends of mine is this: "What are we doing? Where are we
at?" This is not the discouraged form these types of questions can often
take from artists, but rather they are asked from a place of awareness, as
if each person is looking at the hair on their arm standing on end and
wondering about it.

I have no idea what all of us are seeing and sensing. But I know we are
seeing and sensing Something.

What I want to say to each of you is this: We are in training. For what, I
don't know. Each of us has our gifts. Carry on with them.

This all sounds very new-agey, doesn't it?

Remember the animals in the forest, and how most people would say the old
man was nuts.

Accept the gift of your so-called craziness, and understand that your
craziness and wildness and unchained self is a vehicle for a spirit.

There are only two forces: love and fear.

Your gift is your vehicle for either force. I am writing this to encourage
you to allow yourself to love yourself and your gifts, to know that what you
are and what you know inside is a real gift to yourself, and through you to
the world. If you can allow yourself to accept this gift of love for
yourself, then you will not be afraid. Through you and your work, others
will feel less fear.

I cannot know what your work is or will be.

I can only know from my own experience what I am perceiving in our culture
as I have traveled around this country. We are a comfortable people, which
is why most of our art is at best ignored or at worst objected to.

The most dangerous way of life a person can reach is extreme comfort. In
that place, one is no longer living. One is simply at rest. While rest is a
necessary thing, to rest as a way of life is another way of dying.

The old alchemical teachings were a metaphorical description of the process
of healing and the process of becoming whole. The first step in this process
was called by names such as "the black" and in the Latin as "massa confusa"
or "nigredo." If you look at these words and descriptions you can easily see
that the healing process was said to begin with darkness, confusion, and the
deepest blackness-as opposed to light. The old alchemists insisted this
darkness had to be created first in order to create the "philosopher's
stone" of personal wholeness, and that without this darkness it was
impossible to go any further. But-they also said that IF this darkness was
created, the "stone" was almost sure to emerge.

You may recognize a parallel to the first few verses of Genesis, describing
the creation of the world. The first thing created was chaos. The world was
without form, and was void. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the
deep.

The Genesis story tells us that God moves where there is darkness and chaos.

All of us have been through this great blackness in our lives. We call it
soul-searching and other similar names. From this darkness has come our art
in its various forms. From this darkness has come our faith.

There are other stages to this process, and that is not the point right now,
but rather to say that our culture is not willing to go into a great
darkness but would rather sit on the couch and watch television.

Human beings just naturally shrink from darkness, particularly when it is
the darkness within. We don't mind seeing darkness in others, but to be
willing to see it in oneself is of prime importance.

The passage of each day tells us that night always comes, whether we like it
or not. This daily reminder is an example of natural law telling us our
culture is heading into nighttime, willing or not.

The similar conversations I refer to above are all saying the people are
numb, that the people are dead and dying. It is a temptation to begin
talking about why this is so, and to blame everything and everyone from the
war to the media to the President to salaries of major league baseball
players.

Our place is not to assign blame, but to concentrate on our own art and
willingness to know that we are approaching a time where our talents and
gifts will be the only thing left shining in a dark, dark world.

Some of you know that I have said and written publicly that there is a
coming darkness. I don't say this as an expression of fear, but simply as an
observation.

This coming darkness, however it comes, is the first stage of a great
healing.

During this time of darkness-the 'massa confusa'-people will no longer be
comfortable. They will need and will seek guidance. Most of the cultural
leaders, whether political or religious, will disappear from view as their
own lack of understanding and lack of leadership ability will render them
irrelevant.

Suddenly, your art, your stories, your work, your gifts and talents, will be
of prime importance.

In all times and in all places, the work of the artist has been the light of
his or her culture.

The artist was called by other names in older times-these names sounded more
like medicine man, shaman, and similar expressions. This person was listened
to by the village. The village came to listen, came to tell their dreams,
came to hear interpretations of what was happening.

I have a feeling that we are quickly approaching a situation where we will
be living more in villages than in a country.

Do not doubt your value. Make the choice each day and every moment to not
doubt it. Cultivate what you know to be true. Listen to your intuition. Pray
and learn more and more how to trust the conversation you have with your
higher power. And do your art for all you are worth. Let it flow out of you.
Discover your story, the stories that work for you, that speak truth to you.
The time is soon coming where you will not only tell these stories for
yourself but for others. It would not surprise me if the truth in your
stories will be the only truth that is being told in your part of the world.

The key is to dig into these stories, consider them, listen to them, be open

to them, so that you can hear more and more of the truth these stories can
tell. This is a healing thing for you, and will be a healing thing for
others.

The old legends tell us of different cultures which disappeared. Probably
the most alluring and famous is Atlantis, which most people know to be a
culture which disappeared for some unknown reason ranging from because men
began having sex with goats to men having developed a weapon which destroyed
themselves.

There are legends of different ages and different cultures such as this. All
of these legends follow a similar pattern. It is impossible to verify any of
the stories. Verification is not the point.

For my eye, the most important part of the legends is that a select group
remained from each civilization that became the light-givers, teachers, wise
ones, or some other similar name to the new civilization which emerged.

I make no claims to know what will happen to our present culture. It could
be as logical as some environmental incident or an attack from some source.
It could be the shifting of the magnetic poles of the earth. It could be a
intergalactic Volkswagen that careens into our path. Or it could just as
easily be some cosmic thing we cannot comprehend that suddenly presents
itself.

Our task it not to figure out what will happen, but to pay attention to our
gifts and talents, to cultivate our sense of inner truth and faith in our
God, ourselves, and our stories and gifts. Through this paying attention we
will be able to shine some kind of light where we are.

I have a very strong feeling it will be as if we will all come around a
curve and come face to face with the sudden need for what we know to be
true. At that point, none of us will be able to call on any experts or lay
claim to any documentation backing up our truth. And no one will ask us for
it. It will be a different time, when people will suddenly realize they are
starving and our gifts will be the only food available.

As an artistically-minded person, consider that the color black is a funny
thing. It occurs in at least two circumstances: (1) in the absence of light,
and (2) when all colors are mixed together.

In the spectrum of light, white is the mixture of colors.

The artist's mind understands the paradox-that if black is all colors mixed
together, then black is like a painter's toybox containing all the colors
under the sun. Likewise, the light contains all the colors just waiting to
be chosen, so to speak.

This non-scientific way of looking at things is intended to say that most
people may see black as nothing more than a mess, and white as just another
type of void.

Your intuition tells you differently. Listen to the part of your spirit that
sees a painter's toybox in what others see as a mess, and sees the whole
range of life in what others see as a void.

Many people I've met on the road are deeply worried about America. No one
has any idea of what to do.

Most people I've met have said they are convinced we must have a catastrophe
in order to change.

Do we honestly want to be forced into change? Only individuals can choose to
change.

We must remember that an illness reaching a point of crisis is also reaching
a cure. Pain is the first symptom of healing.

Almost every single person I have met in the last 16 months of traveling has
told me they believe our country is ill, and that a crisis point is not far
off.

I do not know how many people reading this would consider themselves to be
leaders. But if you are a person who sees a painter's toybox in the mess,
then you are a leader in your own way.

Your work, your vision, and the statements you make through your work, are
more of a leadership than you realize. Others will be sparked into deeper
living simply by observing what you do.

This country was begun by a few men and women taking a stand and acting.
Others saw this and did their part. Some did their part by writing and
painting. Some did their part by fighting and dying. Some did their part by
loading muskets. Some did their part by gathering groups of people together
and reading the Declaration of Independence to them. Some did their part by
providing soldiers with a coat and a blanket.

Of course, there were also those who did nothing. That will always be the
case.

Those who want the bounty of a garden must help tend the garden.

Our country is a big garden, and the weeds are getting mighty high. The
weeds are sure to grow. Your work is the tending of your little patch.

Do not be discouraged if the corn is slow in making. Every fruit has its
season. Watch for the tassels, watch for the silk, and know the ear is sure
to come.

If you've gotten this far, then you must be one of the weirdos who are this
culture's unknown hope. Carry on.

Do your art. Take the time to volunteer at the nearest V.A. Hospital. Go
shake hands with the lonely disabled vets and thank them for their service.
If you don't live near a V.A., then just pick a nursing home and stop by
once a month and visit with someone. This giving of yourself above and
beyond what you already do will have a powerful effect on you and an unknown
but very real affect on others. Your giving is a source of service to the
country -- a tending of the garden.

Remember the corny idea of a pebble thrown into a pond. Throw the pebble
that you are into the pond. Invite others to join you.

Read Thomas Paine's "Common Sense." Read "The Declaration of Independence."
Read them to your children and friends. Read them to your civic group and
church. Get people thinking about the basic ideas of America and freedom. If
you need a copy of either one of these writings, send me an email or letter
requesting them and I will send them to you.

Danger and deliverance are always on two converging paths which are destined
to meet. Do not be discouraged at the danger that you see. It is only when
the two converging paths cross that one will take the lead. Doing your part
now gives strength to deliverance.

Our lives have crossed for a reason. I trust that process.

No matter how far-flung you may feel from others of our kind, you must know
that you are not alone. Know that you have kindred souls all over, and
somehow or another our minds and hearts are joined. I believe that and am
seeing it work.

Be good to yourself. Send your thoughts, whatever they may be.

I hope to cross paths with you one day.

David Clark
P.O. Box 148
Cochran, Ga. 31014

<http://www.outofthesky.com>

Dead Can Dance

2005-10-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

My wife and I went to the Dead Can Dance concert in Chicago last night with a couple of friends from Ohio. DCD was wonderful! After 9 years of waiting, I was hoping the concert would never end. They played two encores of about 3 songs each. Lisa sang a lullaby as her very last song of the night. It was unexpected, but very nice. She has such an amazing voice. When she sings, the gods stop what they're doing and listen.

Just a couple of things that bothered me about the show... the audience! Haven't people been to a REAL concert before? ... one that isn't a rock concert!? Here's some basic rules and things that bothered me.

1) Shut up! If you need to say something, do it during the applause.

2) Turn off your cell phone BEFORE the concert starts. If someone's cell phone goes off during the performance, that person will be embarassed enough as is and they'll turn it off. DO NOT "shhhhh" them or yell at them. You make more noise than the phone did and cause a greater disturbance.

3) Don't "shhhh" people. It's louder to everyone around you than their mumbling is. If you can't wait until the applause to tell them to be quiet, turn to them and TELL them to be quiet.

4) Please don't bring your friend who pretends to have turrets syndrome or who is drunk. If they really DO have turrets, explain it to the people around you before your friend gets their ass kicked for yelling out "Rock and Roll!" in the middle of a quiet symphonic part of a piece.

5) Wait until the applause before getting up to get a drink or use the facilities. Wait until the applause to make your way back to your seat. Don't loiter in the isle while waiting.

6) No flash photography. If you MUST take a picture, don't use the flash. It's distracting to others and all you'll get is a bright picture of the back of hte head of the person sitting in front of you.

and lastly,

7) Put your camera phones away. Don't even bother to take them out during the concert. In a dark concert hall, the screen on the phone is VERY bright and distracting to others. It can be brighter than the stage lighting and catch the corners of your eyes. It's very annoying.