Tags
abortion, brain, budget, cosmology, David Barton, Eric Cantor, evolution, founding fathers, History, medicine, Mike Huckabee, Planned Parenthood, psychology, soul, teabaggers, women's rights
Everybody has those kinda days. When you get up already behind. This is usually the result of “sleeping in”. I’m a 7 am kinda person. I find that a humane time to arise. Some days, I don’t quite make it. Thus, I’m behind.
Tomorrow, I’m shopping, so I’m not sure I’ll get to blogging.
The Contrarian, however, puts his time to good use. He’s a thinker. Remember his desire to hold a thinkathon? Much easier than having a walkathon he thought.
When he thinks too much, well, I usually get concerned. His latest “breakthrough” is a humdinger.
The Contrarian has long pondered the existence of the soul. That has led him to toil in the backyard of the differences between humans and other animals. That place, he contends is where one might locate the seat of our divine connection. With me so far?
The places tred by medical men and women, philosophers, and theologians. What of the soul?
And, as I said, he thinks he has had a breakthrough.
He asks this question:
Is there any other animal but humans who react with distaste to the fart?
I know, its blasphemous. It’s crazy. It’s absurd, illogical, and downright unpretty. It is the Contrarian. Don’t blame me. I’m just reporting the news.
♦
If’n you didn’t know, the right-wing religious are, as you know, against abortions. And they are very against Planned Parenthood, and they devise all manner of nasty things to “prove” that PPH should be shut down. One of their more ingenious methods is to claim that PPH is about the business of genocide of the African-American population. This because statistically more black women obtain abortions than white or Latino.
Now the fact that this has to do with poverty and lack of access to medical information and contraception at the same level as their more wealthy white counterparts is ignored. No, it’s so much easier to suggest that PPH has as an unstated goal, the destruction of an entire people.
I imagine that the NAACP and other African-American groups are so grateful to the white folk for being so concerned for them. Yes, I guess we can all be grateful to those benevolent white people.
♦
Roger Ebert talks about what he understands as the Universe and evolution. It’s a lovely piece. Makes ya feel all warm inside for reasons I cannot explain. Least it do for me.
♦
See, now we know that serendipity is real. I mean, after writing about the Contrarian and his “breakthrough” I come across this article: Natural History of the Soul. Nicholas Humphrey argues that spirituality is essential to consciousness. Read it in The New Humanist. Humphrey is an evolutionary psychologist, and he’s written a book called Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness. Looks like a very interesting read.
♦
If there were any question about the agenda of Mikey Huckster, read on. It seems Mikey attended one of those uber right-wing conferences, one that featured pseudo-historian David Barton and his revisionist history of the founding of this country. Why Mikey was just adoring of said Barton and said the following:
“I almost wish that there would be, like, a simultaneous telecast, and all Americans would be forced–forced at gunpoint no less–to listen to every David Barton message, and I think our country would be better for it.”
Of course, in the “official” video of the event, the “joke” was scrubbed. And of course, Mikey meant every word, until he realized it wouldn’t play well outside his crazy base.
♦
Good news to report. I don’t have a link, but I’ve heard or read it in so many places that it is obviously true. The teabagger phenom is beginning to wane. Their unfavorables are now above their favorables. Which is all the more amusing since the Prez wannabes are all still dancing like marionettes to the teabagger tune, afraid to pirouette too far from the dark force.
This is causing all sorts of problems with the budget. Word is that Boehner wants desperately to make a deal rather than shut down the government, but he dare not piss off the wonkettes, who are picketing in Washington, even as we speak. Well, we all knew this would happen didn’t we?
And who might you ask is riding to the rescue? None other than boy wonder Eric Cantor. Cantor has introduced a bill that will be voted on in the House on Friday, entitled, “Government Shutdown Prevention Act.” What it does it tell the Senate to act on the budget bill before the deadline and if it doesn’t the House passed bill will become the law of the land.
Yes, you heard that right. Cantor is simply tearing the Constitution up and making up his own new one. Yes, that’s some pretty strict construction there Mr. Cantor. Uh…do you dance too?
♦
What’s on the Stove? Fajitahs!
Related Articles
- Mike Huckabee thinks all Americans should be forced at gunpoint to listen to David Barton (heartchasms.wordpress.com)
- Huckabee Wants Barton to Teach All Young Americans [Dispatches from the Culture Wars] (scienceblogs.com)
- David Barton: Bad Preacher, Terrible Exegete (scotteriology.wordpress.com)
- Soul Dust by Nicholas Humphrey – review (guardian.co.uk)
- The Books Interview: Nicholas Humphrey (newstatesman.com)
- Anti-abortion billboard using Obama’s image raises ire (windsorstar.com)
My apologies for this – I try not to be a blog whore. But Roger Ebert – this post is from last year when I found myself re-acqainted with him online.
http://maureenholland.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/the-newfound-movie-critic/
Ahh, didn’t know that! Thanks Moe
Too many Comment Topics to write on this posting, Sherry: (1) Hubble has already “Looked Back” to the First 20% of the Universe, as it was Then, published years ago. That is because the Light from maybe 10 Billion Years ago (The Universe as it ewas Then) is just now reaching us. (2) There will be no ‘messages’, or ‘alien Life Forms’ visiting us, because of the Immense Distances, because our Earth would be A Billion years Older, and ‘quite different’, as it was a Billion Yeaers Ago. (3) Roger totally ignores God, The Creator (by Definition). All the Complexities of the Universe, including the Laws of Calculus, and how to make a Good Tomatoe Sauce can Only have origionated by THE INTELLIGENCE, Our Creator God. God has been excluded from ‘modern thinking’ as ‘obsolete, old fashioned, obsolete’, even though Atheists are about 8% Maximumun in the World. It’s a ‘no-brainer’ that NoThing, (aka Nothing) makes Any sense withiout The Mastermind Creator: God. (4) Goldfish, Cats, Dolphins certainly do Have a Mind of their Own, far below the Human intellect, No one noticed our pets ‘communicating with us, their requests, opinions? Ever been kicked by a mule: Proof! Elephants Mourn their Ancestors, at the Bones of Elephants, obviously emotionally. (5) Evolution is a Proven misnomered ‘theory: Everything in existence is evolving, changing with time. There is interesting speculation of how the Human Brain is evolving…….More oriented to pictures/videoes/smartphones? (6) The Big Bang has also been Proven, from the Rare of expansion. (7) The Discoverer of the incredible Big Bang Origin of Everything was the Now Famed Belgian Priest/Scientist: Fr/Dr Georges Lemaitre, in the 1920’s based Solely on previous Scintific, no Religious, Discoveries. Fr/Dr Lemaitre, who Albert Einstein recognized as one of the Great Scientists, postulated the “Origin” of the Universe (Everything) as a ‘subatomic particle’, since Science does not recognize Nullity as existance. The Mastermind Creator is The (a) Spirit, not physical body, until Jesus. (8) OKJim, the Ultimate Beer can not be improved upon, ask Any Irishman, or German.
Thanks Tony, you are our resident expert on the Universe and Big Bang. We appreciate your input as always.
So…..the essence of the soul is distaste for farts? When Satan wants you to sign a contract in blood giving him your soul, all he wants you to give up is your distaste for farts?
Actually I suspect this isn’t true. Many animals have a far sharper sense of smell than humans do. Let rip a really rancid one in a dog’s face and see how it reacts. It might bite you — and the Contrarian’s hypothesis — in the ass.
Aww, he will be heart broken when I tell him. But we do notice our dogs and cats all have a rather strong affinity for sticking their noses in each other’s behinds. We thought they liked the odor…lol..
PS: Thinkathon? Walkathon? If the Pope endorses this concept, I’m going to have a fartathon.
Now that’s the spirit!
//Is there any other animal but humans who react with distaste to the fart?//
hhhhhhmmmmm….. gonna make beans for supper….. I will work on this and get back to you. this could be a break-through moment….. the implications are boggling… it’s really fart for thought! The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind…..
HA! you always do me one better. Bless ya Jimmy
If Distaste for the Fart is proof of the existence of Soul, then is The Fart the Gaseous Embodiment of Satan? God, I hope not…
***
Yes, serendipity is real! I had a particularly serendipitous occurence t’other day…
I was reading Stephen King’s Wizard & Glass on the way to the train station. I stopped reading just as the protagonists were about to click their heals together as per Dorothy and her ruby slippers in order to open a magical gate. I went into the station, selected a couple of choccy bars, plonked them on the counter and noticed on the counter The Sun newspaper with a story… about how Lady Gaga has bought Dorothy’s original ruby slippers! I feel I must quote what Lady Gaga says in the article:
“When you don’t feel like someone on the chorus or the Scarecrow – just know you will have opportunities in your real life to change things and maybe someone will hand you a pair of ruby slippers.”
I think I’d look a bit odd in a pair of ruby slippers… but ta for the Message From the Universe, Lady Gaga! 😉
It bears much further study I’m afraid…I wonder if I should inquire about gas masks?
Gas Masks of the Soul! AKA… um… Faith?
well there you go!
“Is there any other animal but humans who react with distaste to the fart?”
Well, cockatiels are startled by the sound of a fart, even if their sense of smell is so poor that they can’t smell it. Do cockatiels have souls?
hahaha, good question. I have no clue!