Wait for it, Wait for it. See I Told Ya They Would

Tags

budget, Einstein, gay rights, GOP, Humor, justice, Michele Bachmann, morality, philosophy, physics, Sarah Palin, speed of light, teabaggers

Yesterday you were invited to watch the debates under a new game rule: look for the inappropriate audience response.

And as expected, those of you who watched saw just that.

That the GOP and the TeaNutz® are morbidly repulsed by gayness, is of course well-known. It’s against their self-serving interpretation of the bible.

Last night, a gay soldier asked the candidates what they would do given that DODT had been ended.

The response of the audience was a very loud bunch of booing, and then the usual Ricky (why won’t you give me a chance) Santorum response which is that “we shouldn’t be doing social experiments with those we need to protect our country.” See a complete transcript of the exchange at Pass the Doucheys on the Right, as well as appropriate biting comment.

Might I also note, that not a single one of the “candidates” bothered to thank Mr. Hill, who is serving in Iraq, for his service to the country, something all the GOP pushes and shoves to be first to say to prove their patriotism.

God, the GOP sucks.

Note also that Chauncey de Vega has a great piece on this event as well.

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You know, I’ve often alluded to the fact that our world, especially here in America is deeply out of whack. What I refer to is how we reward people in oddly weird ways over others. Huh? Okay let me clear it up.

We pay actors, who individually may be pretty much stupid as rocks, millions to make us laugh or cry, or applaud a fantasy life or event. We pay CEO’s millions for making a company wealthy, and at least a few stockholders a few bucks. We pay schoolteachers paltry amounts to teach our children whom we claim we worship and want the best for. We pay scientists next to nothing even though they discover the things that make our lives easier, healthier, and safer.

It’s called moral philosophy, and the king of the hill is one Harvard professor named Michael J. Sandel. His lectures were turned into a PBS series, and in Asia have prompted classes to mimic his ideas. His book, Justice: What’s the right thing to do?, has been a great hit.  A NYTimes article about his success is linked here. Might be worth buying his book.

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When does the difference between 299,792,458 and 299,792,454 matter? Why that’s easy. Come on you know the answer. The first is the speed of light. And the second it the time it took some neutrinos to make the circuit. And that means that maybe the SOL is not what we thought it was.

And that means that Einstein was wrong, and somethings (neutrinos) can travel faster than the SOL, and that means something really really big and important, and it probably means that we can go to Arcturus by the end of next week.

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It’s the old chutzpah again. The GOP holds the disaster relief funding hostage unless the Democrats agree to funding cuts to the most job-producing programs going, and then accuses the Dems of holding up FEMA relief!

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I continue to hold out hope that our dear girl Sarah will jump into the fray. Her slavish knuckledraggers are sure hopin’ the same too, and took time after last night’s debate to hit her main target with all they had. From Conservatives4Palin:

Everyone here in Palinville who looks forward to good hard competition will be relieved to know that Gov. Rick Perry was NOT drunk at last night’s debate, all appearances to the contrary. It’s just that before taking the stage he inexplicably chose to receive a Gardasil shot, one of whose known side effects is mental slowness.

Given that our Sarah subbie, Michele (I am frakin’ dumber that her actually) Bachmann is unable to know fact from fiction and has slipped down the hill toward the black hole of oblivion, we have no choice but to wave a flag pin at the Palinator and hope hope hope she joins the increasing circus that is known as the “TeaNutz® on Parade” or “The Last Dance of the Dinosaurs” which ever you prefer.

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From Think Progress

On the Stove? Oh a new Chicken Enchilada recipe. I’ll post it if we decide we like it. So far, it seems to meet my objections to most Enchilada recipes: the turning to mush of the corn tortillas. I’m hopeful if this technique works, that it will be my new go-to method for both green and red enchiladas.

 

Related articles

• GOP Debate Viewers Jeer Gay Soldier (pinkbananaworld.com)
• GOP Debate Crowd Booed Gay Soldier (abcnews.go.com)

Are We All Nuts?

Tags

Casey Anthony, debt crisis, gay rights, GOP, justice, Media, Michele Bachmann, paleontology, science, wombats

The latest in our public obsession with sensational murder cases has ended. Casey Anthony was found not guilty of all of the major charges, and those she was convicted of, well, she has basically already served the sentence.

Almost all of the talking heads had it as a slam dunk for the prosecution. I too expected that she would be convicted of the less serious manslaughter offense. I also suspected there was a fair amount of error in the record and a reversal might also ensue.

So it was a shock to most, and immediately all the cable stations went into a full-court press about this unbelievable outcome. That horror of all horrors, Nancy Grace must have pulled out every hair on her head. Her “reports” which I assiduously avoided as best I could, fairly boiled over with venom and snarling accusation. No doubt she is busy screaming travesty in her shower this morning.

What didn’t surprise me were the hoards outside the courtroom and in various locations where cable TV was running (Applebee’s anybody?), and their reaction. Unspeakable moans, tears, and all manner of fist shaking was seen. How could this have happened?

And while I expected this reaction, part of me shook my head in wonder. What is wrong with these people? How do ordinary? people become invested in these cases when they have no personal involvement with any of the participants? I’m told people planned vacations around this event, and traveled hundreds of miles to be in on the trial theatrics.

Are these people just nuts? Do they not have lives? Are they sick? I sat there, sanctimoniously I might add. I am a lawyer by training and I would not hazard an opinion on this one. But that was because I rather intentionally avoided watching it. I realized that some of these poor souls had in fact watched every blessed moment, and they felt entitled to an opinion.

I then recalled an embarrassing truth. I had watched a fair amount of the OJ trial. I surely had an opinion, and to this day, am quite certain of his guilt. So am I any different? I have to wonder.

So my arrogance was deflated.

Questions arise. Do we infuse these cases with something they are not? Are these exceptional cases? Or only media induced high-profile circuses? Does the wild attention given them contribute to incorrect findings? Does everyone perform to the intrusive camera? Does this change the entire dynamic of a trial?

I suspect there are plenty of psychologists asking those very questions and formulating experimental models to test those hypotheses that seem reasonable.

So what do you think?

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I must say, that as more media attention comes Michele “Crazy” Bachmann’s way, I get happier. She has a trail of anti-gay wackoness that is stunningly sick. She claims that her own half-sister who is gay leads a “sad life” and is in the hands of Satan. That will get you so far down the road with the rational American public.

Her hubby is even worse if that is possible. His “Christian” therapy center is widely understood to try to de-gay folks, and it’s entirely possible that he has received Medicaid monies to do so.

When you add it all up, the queen of the Teanuts will be destroyed in a general election, but she might be like a certain little girl who wandered into a house and found one bed “just right”. If the wackonuts continue to control the GOP, she could be “just right” with them.

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 Climate change is the culprit! I know there are deniers out there, but Australian scientists think that the demise of the giant wombat was caused by climate changes, and not from over-hunting. The mega-marsupial, about the size of a four-wheel drive car, was a plant eater, so don’t get your knickers in a twist if you are headed to Aussieland for a vacation.

Still and all, if you wander around Queensland, be sure to keep an eye out for more skeletons of this humongous creature, that passed out of existence some 50,000 years ago.

Cutie doncha think?

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I think the GOP is in big trouble. Their boy the budget czar, Ryan, is about the third most hated Rethuglian in the country only behind Newt and Sarah. Everybody, except the extremely crazy are running from him as fast as they can. They are sort of getting the idea that Merika wants nothing to do with Medicare or Medicaid tinkering.

Saner heads, if there really are any, are sickened by what has happened to the once proud party of Lincoln. I can’t say that I agree often with David Brooks, the conservative columnist, but I have to say I do agree with his assessment of things in his latest op-ed in the NYTimes, The Mother of All No-Brainers.

Basically, Brooks argues that the GOP may well squander the best of all opportunities, in the name of rabid ideological protest. In other words, let the country go down the drain if it means we can eradicate that awful “otherness” that inhabits the White House.

Brooks is spot on here. His words are the harshest I’ve read from a conservative, while Bachmann, in Iowa on the 4th, taunted her Teanut fans that they were being likened to hillbillies by the Democrats. Brooks might argue that the Teanuts are far far below the intellectual level of your average hillbilly. Read the editorial, and you may well agree that the GOP has stepped in its own elephant poo.

Related articles

• Even the right is pissed at Republicans (capitolhillblue.com)
• GOP needs to learn how to declare victory (dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com)
• Nancy Grace On Casey Anthony Verdict: ‘In The End, Tot Mom’s Lies Seemed To Have Worked’ (mediaite.com)
• Nancy Grace’s Coverage of the Casey Anthony Trial Posts Record Ratings for HLN (aoltv.com)
• Nancy Grace a Disgrace (newsy1.wordpress.com)
• Fall From Grace: CNN’s Nancy Grace Denounces Dancing Devil After Anthony Verdict (jonathanturley.org)

The Only Person I Know Who is Sane, is Me

Tags

atheists, biblical studies, civil rights, Congress, Declaration of Independence, democracy, Democrats, enemy combatants, Evan Bayh, fundamentalism, Jefferson, justice, Miranda warnings, terrorism, theology, war on terrorism

I figured you should share in my nightmare too, so the picture at right, having little to do with the commentary which follows, only serves to seer your brain with an image that will haunt your peaceful sleep in ensuing nights.

You see, it’s all too apparent that I don’t belong here. I’m in the wrong century, on the wrong continent, and most likely I belong on Betelgeuse, a red giant star, found in the constellation Orion. Well, not  actually ON Betelgeuse, that would be a short life indeed, but orbiting it at least, on a planet that is SANE.

This one, boringly named “earth” (why earth which is small in comparison to “water” I have no clue), is patently insane, and I have more proof for you today of that fact.

The uproar for weeks about where we can try a criminal, Khalid Sheikh  Mohammed, has been ongoing. Of equal hue and cry is the correctness of interrogating Umar Farouk Abdulmutallub using civil criminal methods versus military methods. At the center of much of this is the god-awful horror of our having “read them their rights.”

Everyone on the far right, and heck, half in the moderate category suggest this is a no brainer. Not a citizen, not entitled to Miranda warnings. I cannot fathom why. Now before you start up all the usual enemy combatants garbage, its a bit more basic that all that.

Once upon a time, far far ago, a country was contemplated, a nation, a place of freedom and liberty for all. In fact, a document to those principles was created by a guy by the name of Thomas Jefferson. You may have heard of him.  One of the things he wrote, and presumably believed, was something about freedom and liberty. He claimed that such rights were the “laws of nature, and of nature’s God.”

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Now, what it did not say, is that said rights only accrued to “American” citizens or those who were contemplated anyway. At the end, there are the signatures of a whole bunch of white men, who apparently all agreed to such a claim. We refer to them collectively as our “founding fathers.”

Historically, for several decades now, we have held ourselves out as that beacon of freedom, an example to the rest of the world. We have made awful attempts to export our “freedom” to others. We have encouraged revolutions to overthrow dictatorships and we have instigated wars to do the same.

Yet, we parse hairs here and claim that non-citizens in our custody are NOT to be beneficiaries of such GOD given rights? Explain this please? Oh and just for the record, should anyone ask, there is no such thing logically as a “war against terror.” Terror is a state of mind, and not an enemy. People who hold extreme views that cause them to espouse destruction without reference to the consequences to innocents are proper targets of efforts to put them out of business. Let’s keep things straight.

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Evan Bayh comes off as Mr. reasonable in his decision to not seek re-election as Senator from Indiana. He seems reasonable. All that touchy feely, “I can’t stand the gridlock,” and “I love Indiana, but I don’t love Congress.”

Yes, but his timing was about as bad as it could be and Democrats are scrambling to even get a Democrat on the ballot now for next November, and Republicans now are starting to realize the impossible–control of Congress after 2010. Lots of time to go, lots can change, but the damage is huge.

And of course Bayh did NOTHING to help the Health care reform bill get through, and has been a whiny crabber about fiscal responsibility when we can’t afford to do anything else but pump the economy full and bring down unemployment rates for the working poor.

One could argue that Bayh was himself one of those obstructionists he condemns so loftily. That being said, I suspect what he has done is not so bad overall.  The electorate, having an attention span that is over faster than the speed of light, is so fickle these days that what chagrins today, will be forgotten tomorrow.

There is something to be said, that democracy is wasted on those who have inherited it. Every where you turn, the far right makes it clear they would remove freedom in the name of freedom. Catchy huh?

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The most idiotic post I’ve read in a long time can be found here. First I would say, that I don’t for a minute think the author believes what he says, namely that fundamentalists are more coherently theological than are liberal Christians. It’s the old, “I want to attack thoughtful rational Christians and the best way is to suggest that the most incoherent Christians are actually the most rational.” So I see this all as just that, shock value rhetoric designed to stick it to mainstream believers.

To suggest that fundamentalists have a coherent worldview and “live out” their theology accordingly with a faithful though wrong, consistent interpretation of scripture, is to be so utterly devoid of rationality as to be a joke. The writer cannot be serious.

There is zero coherence in fundamentalism, in fact its most noted element is the ability to hold diametrically opposite views at the same time. It’s followers are famous for picking and choosing what bits of scripture they will follow and which not.

Mainstream theology and biblical studies have an unbroken 2,000 year history of development, all placing the bible and its contents in proper prospective, as well as tackling the big issues, always conscience of how they impact on each other in a rational logical fashion. Fundamentalism is stuck in mud, having made no progress ever, since by definition it is dramatically cut and dried, once and for all, take it or leave it, archaic and primitive in its outlook.

But then, perhaps it was all done tongue in cheek and I missed somewhere the punch line.

No matter, I hear the moons over Sirius are particularly nice this time of “year” and I’m heading there in my ship now. Come along if you’d like.  Make it so.

The Radical Old Testament

Tags

bible, climate change, environment, God, Jesus, Job, justice, social change, theology

When God insists, I acquiesce. Either that, or God hounds me until I do. So it makes a lot of sense to give in immediately.

Such happened this morning as I prepared for my facilitating of the last of Job and Mark in the lectionary for tomorrow.

In reading a homiletical treatment of Job, I discovered something I had not realized: namely that Job became something of a radical after his transforming experience with God.

For those of you who don’t recall, I refer you to chapter 42:13-15. God has given all back to Job and more, blessing him with sons and daughters. The daughters are uncharacteristically named and in verse 15, they are given inheritance rights “like their brothers.”

I’ve never caught this before. That Job became radicalized by his encounter, giving to his daughters what was not common in those days, perhaps mostly unheard of, the right to inherit like the boys. They are raised from their lowly status as female and given a certain equality.

For those who think that the closing epilogue of Job serves to resurrect the cause and effect of retributive justice again, you are most certainly wrong. God upholds in fact Job’s protest against it both to his friends and God himself. Job is transformed by his personal encounter, realizing that this God of whom he once had  learned,  he now sees directly as participating at least in his misery.

And Job sees, perhaps as a shocking aha moment, that it is humans who must do the work of justice, rather than leave it to God. And so he does so in his new life after sorrow.

One of the dumbest most absurd explanations I have ever heard is from a bible thumping woman who claimed that global warming was a hoax perpetuated by “money and power” interests. We shall ignore the stupidity of failing to see that the oil cartel and various other industries who pollute with abandon, also are money and power interests who have a vested interest in not changing laws that would cut into their profit margin. They are the main perpetrators of the “nothing wrong here boss” idea of climate change.

But the biblicist announced that after the Flood, when God said that he would never destroy the earth again, well that means that nothing CAN destroy the earth, including silly notions of man-made behavior that destroys the ecosystem, making the planet uninhabitable for humans and most other life.

This refers to Gen 8:22, wherein God says: As long as the earth endures: seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. (We’ll skip too the relative nature of this statement. Winters of no freezing and summers of drought and 90’s is a season, it just may not be a nice one.) What is essential to read here is that this is preceded by God stating that never again will HE act to destroy. He makes no mention of others acting or failing to act to protect the earth.

Additionally and most importantly, it is clear throughout Genesis that God places man as his steward upon the land to care for it and all it contains. We are to act as God’s regents in the world. Time and time again, God reminds us of this. If God’s creation is good as he announced, than our stewardship must include protecting it against harm, especially harm caused by our own actions in “subduing” and bringing under our authority the earth itself.

A friend of mine has a “green” bible, wherein the text is in green whenever there is mention of environmentally favorable wording. Job seems full of such greening. God again and again speaks lovingly of his creation.

It is the height of stupidity and worse yet arrogance, to stand by and “let God” take care of it. God has made it clear that we, as his regents, have responsibilities too. We are not as it were “potted plants” to sit and consume and abuse the world, confident that daddy will clean up after us. That is sheer absurdity and mocks the very God we praise.

I had often thought of the Hebrew Scriptures as the history of a people’s walk with their God. As such, it is instructive on many levels, yet I never thought of it as a particularly radicalized document. No doubt, as we learn from Job’s “friends” it is not. They were assured that old and well-worn beliefs in retributive justice were at work. They continued to prod Job about his “sins.” They were echoing the beliefs of their time and of their history.

Yet, if we look closely, we can see, that even then, the amazing encounters between creature and Creator often led to  new radicalized views of the world and how life is to be conducted. Who would not argue for instance that Lamech’s overkill (no pun intended) at a small slight was significantly changed by the eye for eye doctrine, bringing retribution at least into some sort of equality with the gravity of the offense?

This of course, all would come as a great shock to the sola scriptura folks who never read ALL the bible in equality, but pick and choose in the most ugly cafeteria style, those verses that support their own particular needed worldview and reject or “forget” all the verses that speak to a new way of seeing and a new way of relating.

Don’t get me started on Mark’s treatment of Bartimaeus in the New Testament. Perhaps I’ll chew on that tomorrow. It calls to shame the bible thumpers who consistently find reasons why we don’t need to address social needs of the poor on a national scale. Jesus was the most radical of all, and yet they seem to have hardly known him. They are more like disciples than they realize.

Living Large in Rural Iowa

Tags

Barack Obama, Catholicism, church/state, Civil War, courts, creationism, fundamentalism, Gardening, gay rights, History, immigration, Jam/jelly, John McCain, justice, mulches, quilting, salad, vegetables, Veterans, weeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This piece is simply called Goddess, and is from the Cypro-Archaic period mid 6th Century B.C. It can be viewed at the Louvre.

It’s a bit on the soggy side today but they say the rain will be moving off soon. It is however chilly again, and that is getting most depressing. It seems it’s never to be warm and stay that way.  We have tantalizing glimpses of summer then the cold returns. I am having digestive “issues” and so have decided to beg off the cleaning duties today, as I’m rather out of sorts. The Contrarian has risen to the occasion as he usually does and is doing the cooking today.  I’m putting up this blog which helps keep me occupied and away from my troubles. A bland diet for a few days should put things in order again. We are doing our standard holiday fare for Monday, ribs, potato salad and pea salad.

Nothing is happening in the garden so far, but the Contrarianis his usual impatient self in that regard. Each day he goes for a tour and reports that the corn is not up yet. Of course it was just planted Monday or Tuesday, and he grew up on a farm so he knows better. This does not dissuade him from his daily progress reports however. So far our plants have not been eaten. I found a dead baby rabbit in the bathroom a couple of days ago, thanks no doubt to Spencer the killer cat. That was the same day I was chasing him through the house with his latest dead bird, this time a goldfinch. He specializes in wrens usually.

On to the news of the day:

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We in this country, with the blessings of our dear Supreme Court, continue to murder in the name of law, and we call it fair punishment for crimes committed. The death penalty is a cause near and dear to my heart, having been a criminal defense attorney for more than 20 years. I know at first hand the incredible injustice of the “justice” system. I know of the miscarriages that occur, and know first hand of at least two cases in which innocents were convicted. One was later released after serving four or five years. The other is presumably still there having now served more than 25 by my recall. Even when the system corrects an error and releases an innocent, is this justice? Read about how prisoners newly released try to cope with their new found freedom at Alternet‘s exemplary post by Liliana Segura.

Meanwhile, some states continue to pursue a course of public education designed to move American students farther down the competitive ladder in science. Louisiana in its infinite lack of wisdom has passed state legislation that allows the teaching of non-science in the guise of “supplemental materials.”  These bills are called “academic freedom” bills and are being offered mostly in the deep south bible belt where backwards thinking is still all too common. They are pushed by reactionary right religious organizations who are determined that Christianity will be taught one way or another. Apparently they do not feel that they can teach Christian principles themselves in their respective churches.

John McCain has no integrity, none. Yesterday he lambasted Obama  claiming he knows zero about veterans rights since he hasn’t served. You can read his entire rant at Blue Girl, Red State. It’s an embarrassing loss of cool once again, as McCain tries to justify his refusal to vote for Webb’s new GI Bill. Of course as she points out in a earlier post, some of the folks that are on his bill aren’t veterans either, but that of course is not mentioned. Worse yet, McCain skipped completely the latest war funding vote because he decided to spend the day with the Governor of California. And that would be Arnold who admittedly went AWOL from his duties in Austria to compete in a bodybuilding meet. Seems old old Mac has trouble remembering things these days. This subject is huge on the internet blogging world today. Think Progress has some more details that might be of interest.

I sadly don’t often have the opportunity to praise my Church. Today I can. Both the archdiocese and the Sisters of Mercy are on record in Iowa calling for immigration reformafter the ugly raid in Pottsville. Calling the policies of the Governmentboth disastrous and inhumane, the Sisters call for changes that insure that dignity and human rights are respected.

If you are interested in learning a bit about yawning, slip by C’est La Vie and Josie will give you the ins and outs. It’s an annoying thing to endure some times, especially when you are trying to watch something really good on TV and keep being distracted by uncontrolled yawning. And it’s contagious as well, as we all know.

I don’t know about you but I love beets. I can’t eat a lot because of their high sugar content, but this recipe looked so good. I don’t like the bleeding idea in this recipe, but if you grow the golden ones, it would be absolutely perfect. In any case, its a great little summer salad. Coconut & Lime brings us Beet Potato Salad.

History News Network offers us a fine piece on the question of the Confederacy’s treasury which has long been the topic of speculation. Did it exist, how much did it contain, and more importantly, where is it? There were supposed to be some 35 kegs of Mexican silver that have never been accounted for. Read this fascinating account and decide what you think.

A pear jelly recipe is offered at Homemade Jam and Jelly blog. I really enjoy making jelly and jam and I find it quite easy to do, and frankly, I have to because I can control what type of sugar is used. I’ll file it away with my others choice jam and jelly recipes. This year I’m planning on making crab apple jelly if our huge tree produces a good set of fruit. They say apples are setting very well this year in Iowa.

Have you heard? McCain has renounced his friends and spiritual advisors, Hagee and Parlsey. His minions are across the landscape claiming that it didn’t take Mac 20 years to do so either. But of course that begs the question. Mac actively  sought the endorsement of Hagee. And Hagee’s pronouncements in all their vulgar ugliness existed well before. So does McCain have no vetting process? Inside-Out the Beltway has another great piece on the subject. Given that McCain has shown us again and again that he has no ability to assess the integrity of those he takes on board  his campaign, why should anyone trust him with the government? Simple answer: NOBODY.

Inspired by antique quilts has a look at a new quilting book. I don’t buy these because I simply don’t have that kind of disposable income, and you can get most patterns free on the web. But I sure like to look at the lovely pictures which do give you ideas as well as that ubiquitous inspiration.

The reason why I love the National Reviewis that they are wingnuts of the first order. The degree of their attack shows the degree of their fear that all will be lost this November. Given this post, I would guess they have given up.  Rich Lowry offers us a complete article claiming that Obama is gay-marriage’s best friend based on one word, and that word is “respect.” Obama said that he “‘respected’ the decision of the California Supreme Court.” With that alone, Lowry concocts an entire post of conjecture, supposition, and innuendo. Too funny for words. I’m still waiting for somebody to explain to me what marriage has to be protected from. Any takers?

If you would like to see a broader discussion of gay marriage visit On Faith wherein this issue is debated and you of course can add your two cents. The usual suspects are panelists. The comments are great, ranging from the outrageously idiotic to the intelligent and well thought out.  

Don’t know if you heard or not but Johnny Mac has invited some folks to his house for barbecue this weekend. Some of those invited are supposed to be on the short list for consideration of VEEP. One of those is the kid Jindal who is a whopping  37 years old and about as right wing as you can get. I mean he is a wingnut. American Prospect has a very thorough vetting on him today. Don’t miss it. I think he would be a grand choice, one we can all get behind to campaign against.

Tip Junkie has amassed a bunch of tutorials for you. There are ones to create a diaper cake for those baby showers, one to make soap, and about six or more others. Take a look and see if there is anything there that peaks your artistic interests.

The best mulch is a living mulch. That’s what I always say. Well, I guess i don’t always say it, but I have learned to plant in patterns that make the plants kind of help cover the area which does help the weeds to be kept at a minimum. Veggie Gardening Tips has plenty of advice as to how to do this technically speaking. Take a look and save your aching back.

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“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.”  Elizabeth Taylor

“It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this.” Bertrand Russell

“A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top .”  Unknown

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More of those bumper stickers:

CAUTION: This car will be left behind during rapture

Coffee, Chocolate, Men. Some things are just better rich.

Consciousness: that annoying time between naps.

Conserve toilet paper – use both sides.

Constipated People Don’t Give A Shit.

Death is God’s way of telling you not to be such a wise guy.

Despite The Cost Of Living, Have You Noticed How It Remains So Popular?

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

Do they ever shut up on your planet.

Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.

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John McCain is going to be the Republican nominee for president, so he is now auditioning candidates for vice president. And they’re visiting at his home in Arizona, which I believe is called the Lazy Artery. Wait, I believe it’s a ranch. I think it is the Double Hernia, or maybe it is called the Rancho Prostateo. David Letterman

A California biotechnology company is auctioning off five opportunities to clone your family dog, with the bidding starting at $100,000. The first bid came in from the parents of a boy named Timmy who want enough cloned copies of their collie that they never have to worry about Timmy falling down a well again.

It’s not Cannes, but the city of Dammam in Saudi Arabia is holding that country’s first-ever film festival. The most popular movies at the Saudi festival are “Sand By Me,” “Like Oil For Chocolate” and “Sheiks and the City.” – Paul Seaburn, Spring, Texas