mighty forces

Reap the whirlwind

The cold-blooded assassination of abortion doctor George Tiller yesterday (as he stood in the lobby of his church) is an act of domestic terrorism, pure and simple.

Reading the gloating and celebration on crapweasel gathering places like FreeRepublic is literally sickening. Some are even celebrating the shooter, hoping he eludes police (too late), or offering to contribute to his defense fund.

Personally I think it’s time to expand our use of waterboarding and extra-Constitutional surveillance to the growing problem of domestic terrorism. A starting point might be waterboarding the Tiller suspect and all his close associates to see what they know about other planned terror acts in the “homeland.” Then maybe a massive investigation into every single “pro-life” group in the country – wiretaps, IRS audits, travel restrictions, FBI detainment. That’s a start, anyway.

Let’s see how they like it when these techniques are used on them and their families, instead of faceless brown people in secret prisons.

Quote of the Day

from a Digg commenter, on the Jodie Foster movie “Contact”:

“After I saw that movie, I began to think maybe it’s best we don’t talk to other worlds. We might inadvertently convert the aliens into to believing in a guy who died two thousand years ago cuz he was telling the religious leaders of his time they were all wrong. What did we do? We built another religion around his teachings. Something tells me that’s SO not what he had in mind.”

These are frightening times

Comments from Rev. Arnold Conrad, giving the invocation at a McCain rally in Iowa:

“I would also pray Lord that your reputation is involved in all that happens between now and November, because there are millions of people around this world praying to their God — whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah — that his [McCain’s] opponent wins for a variety of reasons.

And Lord I pray that you would guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you would step forward and honor your own name in all that happens between now and Election Day.”

It’s pretty clear now that the idea of Barack Obama actually winning the U.S. Presidency has driven a fair amount of the populace to the brink, if not over the edge completely. Racists and xenophobes and wingnuts who have been at a low simmer for months are starting to boil as Obama’s poll numbers climb. I’m beginning to get as afraid about an Obama victory as I am an Obama loss. And that’s not a fun place to be.

Just sick of it

What do you want to bet that if Janet Folger was writing columns in the 60s, she would be saying that interracial marriage would bring on The End Times?

I know religion can bring out the best in people. But why does it also have to be so damn destructive? Is that the way God wants it?

This is just one of the many ways I feel like an outcast in my own society – and I don’t mean about being gay.

Vote Kodos!

We will have an openly gay President of the United States long, long before we ever have an openly atheist President of the United States.

Here’s my reckoning of the probable order:

1. Black
2. Female
3. Gay
4. Muslim
5. Transgender
6. Space alien
7. Atheist

Why I love John Cole of Balloon Juice

“Rev. Wright was a Marine and then spent his entire life trying to make things better for people. He can say whatever the fuck he wants. And he sure as hell didn’t send the economy into the shitter while vilifying half the country and sending 4,000 people to their deaths while presiding over a torture regime. Some perspective, please.”

Amen, brother.

Pick a side

Q: How did life begin on Earth?

SCIENTISTS: We don’t know. But we’re looking into it.

CREATIONISTS: God did it.

Pick a side, people. It’s not difficult.

Fun fact: The Scopes Trial was more than 80 years ago.

Questions I have about God

(These may seem snarky, coming from a cynical agnostic like me. That’s not my intention at all.)

• Does God value a person higher who worships Him over one who doesn’t, even if both are good people who live good lives? If so, why?
• If God does want us to worship Him, isn’t that sort of egotistical? Why should an all-powerful being want or need our worship?
• If God does want us to worship Him, why does he make it so difficult to figure out the correct way to do it? Is it some sort of a test?
• Not only is it difficult to figure out which is the “correct” faith, but if God wants worship, why doesn’t he make his existence more undeniable? Another test?
• If God is God, why is religion so cultural? Why is your religion so dependent on where you live, when you live, and who your parents are?
• Why are ancient religions so easily dismissed as fables and stories, when contemporary religions have just as many strange and fantastical aspects?

Godel, Escher, Bach

Had a fascinating conversation over IM this snowy morning with John Callender of lies.com about aliens and Carl Sagan and the Drake equation. It was quite deep, at least deep for IM, and left me feeling a little like an unfrozen caveman trying to read “Godel, Escher, Bach.” As far as I can tell, John believes that SETI is indistinguishable from religious faith. I think there is a difference, but I’m not smart enough to explain exactly why. I guess it is similar because I definitely believe there is life on other planets, but there isn’t really any evidence of that. Still, we do know there are other stars, and other planets….I don’t know. My brain hurts.

Of course, even though I’m fascinated by it, I don’t really understand religious faith either, at least to the level I would like. I understand it intellectually, and sociologically, but not emotionally. Not on a deep level. And I wish I did.

“Freedom requires religion”

Holy fuck, Mitt. Seriously. You just jumped up neck-and-neck with Rudy as “scariest Republican presidential candidate.” And that’s a high bar.