tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87762482024-02-28T18:05:21.295-05:00Thomas Aikenhead SocietyThomas Aikenhead (c.1676-1697), a young University of Edinburgh student who allegedly railed against the Holy Trinity and stated that the doctrines of Christian theology were “a rapsodie of faigned and ill-invented nonsense” was judicially hanged for his offence on January 8, 1697. His execution, which raised considerable concern, was the last execution for blasphemy in Britain.Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-73832388504517696222011-12-26T14:25:00.002-05:002011-12-26T14:26:09.002-05:00The Dickensian Mr. NugentA few days ago a friend e-mailed me the following article entitled “<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/16/poor-parental-choices-make-poor-children/">Nugent: Poor parental choices make poor children”</a> and asked me for my thoughts. When are people going to learn not to do that…<br /><br />First, allow me to express my keen disappointment in the Motor City Madman’s rather bland regurgitation of right-wing think tank talking points. This is work more akin to the bleating duckspeak of a second tier Fox news commentator than something from the man who inflicted <em>“Wango Tango”</em> and <em>“Cat Scratch Fever”</em> on the American public thirty odd years ago. You would think there would be more pyrotechnics. <br /><br />However, there are some pleasures to be found in Mr. Nugent’s unlettered drivel, even if they were unintended.<br /><br />Let’s take a moment and savor the delicious irony of Ted “Wango Tango” Nugent extolling the probity of middle class sexual mores to the feckless poor. To my mind, this is a bit like enduring an avuncular lecture about the evils of chemical dependency from Keith Richards. <br /><br />Terrible Ted opens his salvo on the less fortunate with the admonition:<br /><br />“The fault is with the parents or, often, the lack thereof.”<br /><br />Nugent is so good as to graciously spare the children from being complicit in their parents’ inconsiderate actions which so aggrieve good conservatives such as he. This is a common complaint. Even at the most cursory glance, history is chocked full of examples of society’s betters bemoaning the fecundity of their lesser members (see Dickens). Setting aside the lack of originality, it’s Nugent’s shameless hypocrisy that comes to the fore.<br /><br />Nugent has been married twice and is the father of eight children. His first wife Sandy divorced him, accusing him of “bizarre sexual practices”. Three of the children were from his first marriage and two were from the second. Wait a minute; that is only five, his other three were born out of wedlock! And if that wasn’t enough, he further warns “mindless baby-making machines”:<br /><br />“… if you can’t afford to have kids, quit having them and expecting the taxpayers to pay for them. Men and women with no visible means of support other than the taxpayer dime shouldn’t be having children. That may sound ugly and controlling, but it’s much uglier to expect the taxpayer to pay for mindless baby-making machines…”<br /><br />Of course, Ted takes his responsibilities very seriously, so much so that in 2004 he was sued for unpaid child support payments for a bastard he fathered in 1995. <br /><br />It must be said that Nugent contributed more than his fair share to the corrosion of our cultural currency. His 1980 classic <em>“Wango Tango”</em>enlightens young minds with the following lyrics:<br /><br /><em>“Kinda like, goes kinda like this<br />You take her right ankle out<br />You take her left ankle out<br />You get her belly propped down<br />You get her butt propped up<br />Yeah lookin' good now baby<br />I think you're in the right position now baby…”</em><br /><br />Oh there’s more,<br /><br /><em>“I got salivate late, salivate late, salivate late<br />I got the droolin', droolin', get all wet, salivate, salivate<br />Got salivate, salivate, salivate, salivate, heh heh heh<br />Yeah you look so good baby, I like it, I like it, I like it<br />You know what I been talkin' about honey…”</em><br /><br />Ted, no vicarious tunesmith, often put these words of wisdom into action. He gained a bit of notoriety in October 2000 when Spin magazine declared what follows as #63 on their list of the "100 Sleaziest Moments in Rock". Channeling his inner Jerry Lee Lewis, the thirty-year old Nugent initiated a “relationship” with seventeen-year-old Hawaii native Pele Massa. (There seems to be some dispute as to Ms. Massa’s true age with allegations she might have been as young as thirteen). Due to the age difference they could not marry so Nugent joined Massa's parents in signing documents to make himself her legal guardian. The above lyrics probably give some insight into the type of guardianship “Uncle Ted” was providing. Nothing creepy here.<br /><br />It is illustrative that Nugent chooses to quote William J. Bennett another leading light of the “do as I say, not as I do” school of conservative thought. Bennett, when not dropping millions on the tables of Las Vegas, spends his time cranking out unreadable tomes with a singular theme – blame the victim. Perhaps Bill “Know when to fold ‘em” Bennett wants the poor to parlay their lottery tickets and repair “The Broken Hearth”. <br /><br />Of course, we have to “punish” the poor for their own good. They don’t work. That broccoli on your table just finds its way there. The toilets at the McDonalds just clean themselves. Damn, if those poor people would just work 100 hours a week between three or four jobs, they could make as much as $725.00 a week! “[We] must make hard choices that force people into making smart, responsible decisions.” You’re too late, Ted, poor people make hard choices every single day.<br /><br />I suppose it is now <em>de rigueur </em>in conservative circles to blame teacher unions for AIDS, the Kardashians and the fall of Western Civilization. This argument is so tiresome and spurious, I can only respond as Christopher Hitchens would have responded; 'That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence'. <br /><br />The most risible and laughable of his assertions is “…we need a government that respects the free market and private sector instead of spitting on them. The more our government embraces the private sector, the more opportunity there is available…” It could well be argued that our government does a bit more than “embrace” the private sector. In fact, given its behavior toward Wall Street and the trillion dollar bailouts one could say they fellate the private sector. Now that we have protected the “job creators’” wealth from taxation, the question remains – where are the jobs?<br /><br />If Mr. Nugent really wants us face the “ugly and uncomfortable” truths about poverty in America today, he might start by leaving his “canned hunt” in the wilds of Michigan and ask a few a few of his former fans – many of whom are becoming statistics in the longest recession since the 1930’s - in decaying rust belt cities that long supported his decadent rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. If this really all the right has to offer, along with the cavalcade of clowns they call their candidates; Mr. Obama, of whom I am no fan, should have nothing to worry about this November.Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-89227160310543075302010-11-25T07:27:00.002-05:002010-11-25T07:27:19.947-05:00Quote for the day"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." <br />
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Louis D. Brandeis (Supreme Court Justice)Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-69078847529413222742010-11-25T06:58:00.002-05:002010-11-25T06:58:47.569-05:00"There is nothing mysterious about the foundations of a healthy and strong democracy. The basic things expected by our people of their political and economic system are simple. They are:<br />
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Equality of opportunity for youth and others;<br />
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Jobs for those who can work; <br />
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Security for those who need it;<br />
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The ending of the special privileges for the few;<br />
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The preservation of civil liberties for all; <br />
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The enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in a wider and constantly rising standard of living." <br />
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- Franklin D. RooseveltBarneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-8953921758990985052009-10-21T06:19:00.000-05:002009-10-21T06:19:17.720-05:00NPR Check: Barbara Bradley Hagerty - God Help Us<a href="http://nprcheck.blogspot.com/2009/10/barbara-bradley-hagerty-god-help-us.html">NPR Check: Barbara Bradley Hagerty - God Help Us</a>Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-43707900272989707322009-10-10T16:05:00.004-05:002009-10-10T16:58:17.977-05:00Portland Catholics raise $86,000 to fight same-sex marriage in MaineNo doubt, the baby Jesus is beaming with pride in regard to his acolyte, the bishop of Portland, and his minions for doing their part so the fairies can’t marry. Throughout the month of September, the diocese took “special” collections to ensure that people who are fond of people with similar genitalia are denied inheritances, health insurance, and the other benefits most of us take for granted. And to buy air time<br /><br />Every time I turn on the radio, there is another commercial warning us of the evils of same-sex marriage. One of the supposed “mandates” of the law is our children in the public schools would be indoctrinated with the idea that two people who love one another should be allowed to marry regardless of their orientation.<br /><br />Huh? The next thing you will know, they will be letting colored folks sit next to us on the bus!<br /><br />I would like to reassure the opponents of same-sex marriage they need not worry. I’ve met plenty of the recent graduates of the public schools and if their grasp of history, literature, biology and mathematics is any indication of their ability to retain knowledge – the Gay and Lesbian community should be in for a real disappointment.<br /><br />(For the fact-based community: there are no plans to teach about same-sex marriage in the schools.)<br /><br />But the part of the commercial that catches my attention is the ominous warning: “this law could possibly do away with the church’s tax-exempt status”. Now, we are getting down to the meat and potatoes of the issue – the Benjamins!<br /><br />Personally, I think tax-exempt status for churches is an egregious violation of the constitution and should be ended immediately. Tax-exempt status should be reserved to those organizations that can be shown to provide a public good. I’ll be damned if I can see the public good in buggering children and helping the perpetrators escape justice. But, that’s just me.<br /><br />It seems the threat to the holy gravy train lies in the fact that by treating evil homosexuals like citizens, the churches won’t be able to discriminate against them any more in matters of employment, adoption, etc. and still be able to suck on the public teat. It seems the state isn’t really interested in the Bishop’s (and others of his ilk’s) hate-filled, homophobic rants, and what really hurts; it doesn’t want to pay for them anymore.<br /><br />I can’t help but wonder what the baby Jesus would have done with the 86 G’s? Maybe help the poor, or feed the hungry – you know – that whole “sermon on the mount” thing. Maybe, just maybe show a little compassion too.<br /><br /><br />Barney F. McClelland 10/10/09Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-67567376110906693632009-10-10T06:51:00.002-05:002009-10-10T06:54:41.265-05:00US hypocrisy on free speech at United NationsFound this disturbing article at the "Index on Censorship" website:<br /><br /><br />08 Oct 2009<br /><br /><a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/un_human_rights_council.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/un_human_rights_council.jpg"></a>The UN Human Rights Council has passed a resolution condemning “stereotyping of religion”. It’s a move that flouts freedom of expression – and it was sponsored by the United States. Roy W Brown reportsThe United States has backed a new UN resolution on free expression which would be considered unconstitutional under its First Amendment — which protects freedom of expression and bans sanctioning of religions.<br /><br />The UN Human Rights Council on 2 October adopted the resolution, which the US had co-sponsored with Egypt. The US had finally joined the Human Rights Council in June, and its support for the measure reflected the Obama administration’s stated aim to “re-engage” with the UN.<br /><br />While the new resolution focuses on freedom of expression, it also condemns “negative stereotyping of religion”. Billed as a historic compromise between Western and Muslim nations, in the wake of controversies such the Danish Muhammed cartoons, the resolution caused concern among European members.<br /><br />“The language of stereotyping only applies to stereotyping of individuals, I stress individuals, and must not protect ideologies, religions or abstract values,” said France’s representative, Jean-Baptiste Mattéi, speaking for the EU. “The EU rejects the concept of defamation of religion.”<br /><br />France emphasised that international human rights law protects individual believers, not systems of belief. But European members, eager not be seen as compromise wreckers, reluctantly supported the measure.<br /><br />On the other side of the fault line stood the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which lobbied for a measure against “religious defamation”.<br /><br />“We firmly believe that the exercise of freedom of expression carries with it special responsibilities,” said Pakistan’s delegate, speaking for the OIC. The “defamation” of religion, he said, “results in negative stereotyping of the followers of this religion and belief and leads to incitement, discrimination, hatred and violence against them, therefore directly affecting their human rights.”<br /><br />Following the OIC’s logic, one could equally apply the language of the resolution to Islamism, a political form which is arguably a “contemporary manifestation of religious hatred, discrimination and xenophobia. It results in negative stereotyping of the followers of other religions and beliefs and leads to incitement, discrimination, hatred and violence against them, therefore directly affecting their human rights.”<br /><br />The EU also had other worries. European members felt that the provision in the resolution on “the moral and social responsibility of the press” was objectionable in that it went beyond the limited restrictions set out in <a href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm#art19" modo="false">article 19</a>, the provision on free expression in the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights.<br /><br />Finally, the EU encouraged the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Frank LaRue, to continue his work. This was an indirect reference to the attacks made against LaRue by several OIC members at the June session of the Human Rights Council. (Read more <a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2009/06/shoot-the-messenger/">here</a>)<br />The Council stopped short of repeating the OIC’s criticisms of the Special Rapporteur but encouraged him to stick to his mandate. That indicates that he should continue to focus on violations of free expression, rather than purported “abuses” of that right.<br /><br />While this new resolution reflects new efforts by the US to broker compromises between Western and Muslim nations, it also represents an ominous crack in the defences of free expression.Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-21833407443636571602007-05-27T12:24:00.000-05:002007-05-27T12:29:01.982-05:00Northern ExposureLike most readers, I carry an image of Alaska that was formed in large part by the quirky television program <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Exposure"><em>Northern Exposure</em></a>. A populace comprised of congenial misanthropes and eccentrics who were charming against a backdrop of majestic natural beauty.<br /><br />The frozen north it seems is not quite as friendly – at least to nonbelievers – as we were led to believe. The following letter has a decidedly less tolerant tone than one would expect to find in the <a href="http://www.peninsulaclarion.com/"><em>Kenai Peninsula Clarion </em></a>where stories of moose charges and Grizzly bear sightings make the front page. A certain <a href="http://www.ravingatheist.com/">Alice Shannon</a>, whose letter appeared in the Clarion holds somewhat xenophobic notions in regard to infidels:<br /><br /><strong>“It’s time to stomp out atheists in America. The majority of Americans would love to see atheists kicked out of America. If you don’t believe in God, then get out this country.<br /><br />The United States is based on having freedom of religion, speech, etc. which means you can believe in God any way you want (Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc.), but you must believe.<br /><br />I don’t recall freedom of religion meaning no religion. Our currency even says, “In God we trust”. So to all the atheist in America: Get out of our country.<br /><br />Atheists have caused the ruin of this great nation by taking prayer out of our schools and being able to practice what can only be called evil. I don’t care if they have never committed a crime, atheist are the reason crime is rampant.”</strong><br /><br />Well, Alice certainly has a bee in her bonnet. One hardly knows where to begin with this (but I am sure some readers do!). If I might throw in my two cents worth, I’d like to address Alice’s failing memory, “I don’t recall freedom of religion meaning no religion.” To quote Thomas Jefferson, author of the amendment she so clearly admires; <br /><br /><em>“But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."</em><br /><br />-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782<br /><br />So to all you evil-doing atheists (with or without felony records) out there, watch out! Alice Shannon is on to you, and she has the [final?] solution.<br /><br />My thanks to the <a href="http://www.ravingatheist.com/">Raving Atheist </a>for this gemBarneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-17781246873630260382007-05-26T18:35:00.000-05:002007-05-26T18:37:40.819-05:00Nearly 1 in 3 Believe Bible is Literal Word of GodI found this disturbing little bit of news in the latest issue of <a href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003590603">Editor and Publisher</a>. I think it speaks for itself:<br /><br /><strong>Nearly 1 in 3 Believe Bible is Literal Word of God </strong><br /><br />By E&P Staff <br /><br />Published: May 25, 2007 10:05 AM ET <br />NEW YORK About one-third of the American adult population believes the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally word for word, a new Gallup poll reveals. This percentage is only slightly lower than several decades ago. <br /><br />Gallup reports that the majority of those "who don't believe that the Bible is literally true believe that it is the inspired word of God but that not everything it in should be taken literally." Finally, about one in five Americans believe the Bible is merely an ancient book of "fables, legends, history, and moral precepts recorded by man."<br /><br />There is also a strong relationship between education and belief in a literal Bible, Gallup explains, with such belief becoming much less prevalent as schooling continues.<br /><br />Those who believe in the literal Bible amount to 31% of adult Americans. This is a decline of about 7% compared with Gallup polls taken in the 1970s and 1980s. It is strongest in the South.<br /><br />Believe in the literal word of the Bible is strongest among those whose schooling stopped with high school and declines steadily with educational level, with only 20% of college graduates holding that view and 11% of those with an advanced degree. <br /> <br />E&P StaffBarneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-75946917039796641172007-05-25T11:53:00.000-05:002007-05-25T11:56:38.888-05:00Cincinnati's ShameThis past Sunday the Cincinnati Enquirer devoted the <a href="http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=creationmuseum">front page and an entire section</a> to the creation museum opening here on the 28th. Of course, the praise was lavish and what few criticisms there were, buried in the "letters" section (yours truly was included). An entire spread was dedicated to Ken Ham, the Chaucerian mountebank who swindled the credulous out of $27 million to erect this shrine to ignorance where Adam and Eve go to Sunday school riding dinosaurs; a place where Darwin, secular science and troubling evidence hold no sway.<br /><br />If our bumpkinhood was not already confirmed, this insult to every natural history museum in the world was splashed across the pages of the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/arts/24crea.html?em&ex=1180238400&en=b95a574977c8d65a&ei=5087%0A">New York Times </a>yesterday. And to my horror, it remains the most popular e-mailed, blogged and searched article today. Now the whole world knows of our shame and can only conclude we are hotbed of inbred goobers. <br /> <br />This utter barking lunacy make one almost wish for biblical wrath; a nice plague of locusts or a Sodom and Gomorrah tactical nuclear strike, anything to end the embarrassment.Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-85155661501359724392007-05-24T15:07:00.000-05:002007-05-24T15:08:09.946-05:00Christopher Hitchens on "Militant AtheismThis appears in the current issue of <a href="http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=fi&page=index.">Free Inquiry</a> magazine:<br /><br />"All you need is to ignore the difference between someone who believes in, say, heaven and hell and someone who doesn't. The first has a lot of work to do by way of providing anything that even looks like evidence. The second rests his case on the extreme improbability of any such evidence being adduced. Are these positions really describable as morally or intellectually equivalent? Or take the case of someone who believes in punishment for blasphemy or in prior restraint on those who might commit it. Is this the same dogma as the argument that says that religion, since it makes such huge claims, must expect to have them submitted to rigorous questioning?...The faithful believe that certain truths have been 'revealed.' The skeptics and secularists believe that truth is only to be sought by free inquiry and trial and error. Only one of those positions is dogmatic."<br /><br />Well said...Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1160674139398651012006-10-12T12:28:00.000-05:002006-10-12T12:28:59.510-05:00Quote of the day“He who begins by loving Christianity better than truth, will proceed by loving his own sect of Church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all.”<br /><br />Samuel Taylor ColeridgeBarneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1118970283719624662005-06-16T20:03:00.000-05:002005-06-16T20:04:43.730-05:00Creation Myths at the Tulsa Zoo<em>“For that matter, even religious worship would have been permitted if the proles had shown any sign of needing or wanting it. They were beneath suspicion. As the Party slogan put it: ‘Proles and animals are free.’’’<br /><br />1984<br />-George Orwell</em><br /><br />Well, those crazy, cretinous creationists are at it again. Not satisfied with undermining scientific education in the schools, they have moved on to bigger and more public targets such as the local zoo.<br /><br />In Tulsa, Oklahoma, <a href="http://okimc.org/newswire.php?story_id=830">the Park and Recreation Board voted this past Tuesday </a>in favor of a Biblical display highlighting the myth of Genesis in which God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh at the <a href="http://www.tulsazoo.org/">Tulsa Zoo</a>.<br /><br />In spite of objections from zoo officials and scientists, the board voted 3 to 1 to include the religious display without regard to the fact that theology should not be part of a taxpayer-funded scientific institution. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/640/0037-0501-3009-5754_SM1.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/320/0037-0501-3009-5754_SM1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Jesus loves me this I know... <a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Hello" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The lone dissenting board member, Dale McNamara, said the zoo is dedicated to animals and science, not religious beliefs. "I do not like the idea of scripture at the zoo," she said. <br /><br />Exhibit curator at the zoo, Kathleen Buck-Miser, expressed misgivings about the zoo delving into theological debate. "I'm afraid we are going in the wrong direction," she said. <br /><br />The move to have a creationist display was spearheaded by religious fanatic <a href="http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/2437/zoolies.htm">Dan Hicks</a>, who has campaigned since the mid-nineties to have evolution-based displays removed. Hicks’ objection is to the statue of Ganesh, a Hindu elephant deity that stands outside the elephant exhibit. "I see this as a big victory," said Hicks, "It's a matter of fairness. To not include the creationist view would be discrimination." <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/640/0010-0410-2517-2757_SM.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/320/0010-0410-2517-2757_SM.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Because the Bible tells me so! <a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Hello" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Zoo officials argued that the zoo, as a scientific institution, does not advocate religion and that displays like the elephant statue are meant to show the animal's image among cultures. The same exhibit includes the Republican Party's elephant symbol. <br /><br />Tulsa’s conservative Republican mayor, Bill LaFortune supported the initiative saying the zoo already had religious exhibits referring to the Ganesh statue. But, more likely, the two thousand signatures Hicks had collected on a petition more heavily influenced the decision on the mayor’s part. After all, Mr. LaFortune is the man who declared March as National Caffeine Awareness Month in Tulsa.<br /><br />The board agreed to post a disclaimer on signs around the zoo that reads, "There are many views on the origins of biological species and their behaviors. The information that accompanies our displays is based on evidence of the natural sciences. Because scientific knowledge is subject to change these displays may be revised as new information becomes available."<br /><br />Another dark day indeed for science and progress.Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1116983544023593212005-05-24T20:11:00.000-05:002005-05-24T20:12:24.030-05:00Fairy Tales Pass as News at the EnquirerFairy tales, superstition and imaginary friends now qualify as facts at the <a href="http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/NEWS01/505220369&template=printpicart">Cincinnati Enquirer</a>. In a marketing coup that would garner the envy of Fortune 500 corporations, “<a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/">Answers in Genesis</a>” (AIG) bamboozled the Gannett owned rag into spreading their message of extreme right-wing creationist nonsense all over the front page. I wonder who at the Enquirer is on the AIG payroll?<br /><br />The piece entitled “Ministry uses dinosaurs to dispute evolution” has an uppercase banner above Ken Ham the founder of the museum with some of his dinosaurs, proclaiming, “How and when did life begin? Ken Ham wants you to find the answer in his $25 million Boone County CREATION MUSEUM. <br /><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/640/A%20giant%20step%20backward.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/320/A%20giant%20step%20backward.jpg'></a><br />A giant step backward <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><br />Among the more idiotic beliefs that these bible-thumping morons want you to believe is that man and dinosaurs lived together and the world is only 6,000 years old.<br /><br />The Rev. Jerry Falwell, of Moral Majority fame, is featured prominently in the lead with quotes such as, “When that museum is finished, it’s going to be Cincinnati’s No. 1 tourist attraction. It’s going to be a mini-Disney World.”<br /><br />Oh Joy! Cincinnati is soon to be overrun with throngs of ignorant, knuckle dragging hayseeds from Kansas and Alabama. Perhaps I can make my fortune selling pieces of the “true” cross at a roadside stand to the fat pig-eyed pilgrims and their slack-jawed spawn on their quest to seek darkness and eternal imbecility. I’ve a half cord of firewood left over from this past winter; if these troglodytes believe this nonsense, they believe anything.<br /><br />Falwell goes on to say, “(Ham) is a very popular speaker here at Liberty University (a rival, no doubt to Oxford and Cambridge). He brings science down to a populist level where people leave saying, ‘That makes sense.’” <br /><br />“And who are you who are so wise in the ways of science?” Ham doesn’t bring science down to a “populist level”, he buries is in the medieval muck of ignorance and superstition. His “science” is fabricated out of whole cloth. One of the life size models at the new museum will be a Triceratops sporting a saddle. They also contend that the Grand Canyon was formed by floodwaters in a matter of days. This is what passes for science at the Creation Museum. It would be as funny as anything Monte Python could concoct, only they believe it to be true.<br /><br />More disturbing is the fact that the 95, 000 square foot complex on 50 acres in rural Boone County receives between $300,000 and $400,000 in contributions and operates on a $14 million budget.Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1112545217149141422005-04-03T11:19:00.000-05:002005-04-03T11:20:17.150-05:00It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg<a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/640/jefferson1.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:1px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/320/jefferson1.jpg'></a><br />Thomas Jefferson <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><br /><em>But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.<br /> <br />-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782</em>Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com550tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1112485200461036222005-04-02T18:39:00.000-05:002005-04-02T18:40:00.463-05:00Satanic Terrapins....Oh My!It appears that the semi-aquatic turtle species <em>Trachemys scripta elegans</em>, better known as the <a href="http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/wild/vertebrate/reptiles/slider.htm">“Red-eared Slider”</a> and often called the “dimestore turtle”, is now in league with the Prince of Darkness. According to pet shop owner, Bryan Dora, the image of Satan has appeared on the carapace of Lucky, the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/21/evil.turtle.ap/index.html">sole survivor of a fire</a> which destroyed his Frankfort, Indiana pet store, Dora's A-Dora-ble Pet Shop. "The marking on the shell was like the devil wanted us to know he was down there," Dora said. "To me, it's too coincidental that the only thing to come out unscathed would have this image on it."<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/640/24.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/320/24.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Dora is currently trying to sell Belial's Lucky online <a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Hello" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Meanwhile, several fundamentalist theologians have speculated as to why Beelzebub would choose such a humble species on which to reveal himself.<br /><br />“I’m sure he [Satan] was pretty hacked off about the <a href="http://www.arikiart.com/blog/2004/11/b_v_mary_on_grilled_cheese.htm">Blessed Virgin</a> appearing on a grilled cheese sandwich several months ago,” said Rev. Bobby Ray Hinton, “and it brought a pretty penny on E-bay, which couldn’t make him too happy.”<br /><br />Rev. Billy Earl McGuffy believes it is the devil’s way of foisting the dreaded theory of evolution on America’s innocent children. “Them evil-utionists is always saying that turtles have been on earth for 225 million years, but Holy Scripture clearly states that the Almighty created the world less than 6,000 years ago!,” McGuffey bellowed, “This is just one of the Devil’s tricks to confuse our children and spread the unholy gospel of Darwin!”<br /><br />Other Biblical literalists are reserving comment until they can consult the book of “Revelations” to see if there is any mention of turtles.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/640/0010-0301-1912-4806_SM1.jpg"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; MARGIN: 2px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/140/2092/320/0010-0301-1912-4806_SM1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Satan's emissary on Earth? <a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" alt="Posted by Hello" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" align="absMiddle" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In related news, <a href="http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/">Butterflies and Wheels</a> editor, Ophelia Benson claims to have seen the nappy rash of the Baby Jesus while spreading marmalade on her toast.Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1106519835497519142005-01-23T17:35:00.000-05:002005-01-23T17:37:15.496-05:00New Article in "Butterflies and Wheels"With the recent controversy surrounding SpongeBob Squarepants and other cartoon stars under attack from the Christian right for “promoting” homosexuality, <a href="http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/">Butterflies and Wheels</a> special correspondent Barney F. McClelland uncovers a cartoon hero for our times.
<br />
<br />Go to: http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/
<br />
<br />Look under “Articles”
<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/articleprint.php?num=103">Beloved Cartoon Character Comes Out of Retirement</a>
<br />By Barney F. McClelland
<br />Finally, a cartoon hero who's not a little light in the loafers. Whew.
<br />Date filed: 21-01-2005
<br />Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1106178256486330702005-01-19T18:42:00.000-05:002005-01-19T18:45:29.236-05:00Have We Found Angels In The Forms Of Kings?Tomorrow we shall all be witness to the coronation of King George II in a ceremony we once referred to as the Inauguration of the President of the United States. Mr. Bush with the generous help of his corporate sponsors and cronies will unleash one of the most lavish and decadent spectacles this side of Hollywood, displaying all the subtleties of taste and decorum one would expect from a trailer park superintendent who has just won the Powerball Lotto. The pomp and circumstance carries a price tag of a mere forty million dollars – a small price indeed for the moguls who have been the beneficiaries of Mr. Bush’s largesse in the form of tax cuts and war profiteering.
<br />
<br />Contrast this, if you will, with an article I read in this morning’s paper concerning a local school district that finds itself scrambling to find ways to get children to school after bus service was discontinued because of a failed levy. How many young scholars could be ferried to classes with forty million dollars? Perhaps the money could be better spent on the armor our troops require in Iraq and Mr. Rumsfeld found so difficult explain away. Are there not a few phrases in the preamble of the very Constitution Mr. Bush is going to swear to uphold tomorrow that address the issues of to “provide for a common defense” and “promote the general welfare”? Is this garish extravaganza what our country needs in such troubled times? Or, more importantly, does it cause us to pause and contemplate that august document that serves as our foundation?
<br />
<br />But, more than all this, is that this ostentatious pageantry of plutocratic privilege is an effrontery to the memory of our founding fathers who sought, with much peril to their persons and property, to free us of the trappings of potentates and princes. Take for example the inauguration of Thomas Jefferson, a man of rare intelligence and accomplishment – a man hardly to be confused with the current occupant of the White House.
<br />
<br />On the morning of March 4th, 1801, the author of the Declaration of Independence and one of the principles of the American Revolution rose from his bed in a small room of a boarding house on Capitol Hill. He dressed plainly and went down to the dining room for his breakfast. Refusing a place of honor at the table he took his usual seat. Shortly before his swearing in, he walked through the muddy streets of Washington to the Capitol were he was quietly sworn in as the third president of the United States.
<br />
<br /> He then eloquently delivered his brief (a mere 1,724 words and masterpiece of conciseness) <a href="http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/presiden/inaug/jefinau1.htm">inaugural address </a>affirming his belief in “Equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none; the support of the State governments in all their rights, as the most competent administrations for our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks against anti-republican tendencies; the preservation of the General Government in its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet anchor of our peace at home and safety abroad; a jealous care of the right of election by the people…”
<br />
<br />He went on to pose the question: “Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question.”
<br />
<br />He then walked back to the boarding house to take his dinner, again refusing to take a place of honor. How unlike our current administration – Jefferson realized that he was not a ruler, but a servant of the people.
<br />
<br />Barney F. McClelland
<br />Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1101171185075299502004-11-22T19:51:00.000-05:002004-11-22T19:53:05.076-05:00Punch-up at tomb of Jesus <em>I know this is a little dated, but it is still good...</em>
<br />
<br />Allyn Fisher-Ilan in Jerusalem
<br />The Guardian
<br />
<br />Fistfights broke out yesterday between Christians gathered on the site of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ.
<br />"There was lots of hitting going on. Police were hit, monks were hit ... there were people with bloodied faces," said a witness in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, reputed to be Golgotha where Christ was crucified, and the site of the tomb where he was buried.
<br />
<br />The punch-up erupted during a procession to mark the discovery in 327 by Helena, mother of Constantine, of the True Cross.
<br />
<br />A Greek Orthodox cleric said Franciscans had left open their chapel door in what was taken as disrespect. Priests and worshippers hit one another at the doorway dividing Orthodox and Franciscans, said a police spokesman.
<br />
<br />Arrests were made but nobody was seriously hurt.
<br />
<br />"This is supposed to be a festive time," said Pandelemos, an Orthodox cleric afterward at the site of the tomb.
<br />
<br />"We are all Christians, and there is nothing to fight about," said David Khoury, a Franciscan.
<br />
<br />The row was the latest in a series of disputes at the church, where six Christian denominations guard rights laid down in an Ottoman law of 1757 to separate parts of the Romanesque building, built by Crusaders in 1149 on the earlier Byzantine basilica.
<br />
<br />Two years ago, Ethiopian and Copt monks threw stones at each other over rights to the church roof.
<br />
<br />http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1314466,00.html
<br />Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1100911893162626572004-11-19T19:46:00.000-05:002004-11-19T19:51:33.163-05:00A Peaceful Religion?This story about the gentle nature of Islam comes to us from the <a href="http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/001327.html">Iran Press News</a>
<br />
<br /><strong>A 14 year old boy is sentenced to 85 lashes for breaking his Ramadan fast</strong>
<br />
<br />A 14 year old boy died on Thursday, November 11th, after having received 85 lashes; according to the ruling of the Mullah judge of the public circuit court in the town of Sanandadj he was guilty of breaking his fast during the month of Ramadan.
<br />
<br />The Kurdish site Rojeh´heh Lât reports that the young man´s identity has not been disclosed. He was scheduled for burial on Saturday, November 13th (after 3 days at the local morgue), in the cemetery of Beheshteh Mohammadi in Sanandadj. However due to the public´s realization of the events surrounding the boy´s circumstances the cemetery was stormed [in protest] and his burial did not take place.
<br />
<br />According to informed sources, supervisors have instructed that the burial take place in the presence of his closest relatives, surveyed by security forces.
<br />Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1099062494172095302004-10-29T10:05:00.000-05:002004-10-29T10:08:14.173-05:00Girly-Men or Manly Men?We all know that the Democrats are all girly-men and weak on defense, right? Their cravenly “peace at any cost” mentality leaves our country vulnerable to attack at any moment. This is, of course, fact!
<br />
<br />We also know those brave hearty men of the Republican Party will protect us and lead us valiantly to victory over our evil foes! We MUST trust their judgment in martial matters without question! Our sons and daughters serving in the military are most assuredly in trustworthy hands!
<br />
<br />But, please don’t take my word for it. Let’s look at the military records of members of both parties distinguishing the men from the boys:
<br />
<br /><strong> The cravenly cowards of the Democratic Party</strong>
<br />
<br />* George “Peacenik” McGovern: He flew 35 combat missions as a B-24 bomber pilot in Europe, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, Silver Star &DFC during WWII.
<br />* Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
<br />* David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
<br />* Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
<br />* Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam January,
<br /> 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
<br />* Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
<br />* Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
<br />* John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze
<br /> Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts.
<br />* Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
<br />* Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star &Bronze Star,
<br /> Vietnam.
<br />* Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
<br />* Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
<br />* Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
<br />* Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
<br />* Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam,
<br /> DFCs, Bronze Stars, and Soldiers Medal.
<br />* Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple
<br /> Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
<br />* Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
<br />* Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in
<br /> Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
<br />* Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
<br />* Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
<br />* Chuck Robb: Vietnam
<br />* Howell Heflin: Silver Star
<br />* George McGovern: Silver Star &DFC during WWII.
<br />* Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments.
<br /> Entered draft but received #311.
<br />* Jimmy Carter: Annapolis graduate, skippered nuclear sub, seven years
<br /> in the Navy.
<br />* Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
<br />* John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18
<br /> Clusters.
<br />* Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII.
<br /> Saved by Raoul Wallenberg from forced labor camp.
<br />
<br />
<br /><strong>The manly men of the Republican Party</strong>
<br />
<br />* Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
<br />* Tom Delay: did not serve.
<br />* Roy Blunt: did not serve.
<br />* Bill Frist: did not serve.
<br />* Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
<br />* Rick Santorum: did not serve.
<br />* Trent Lott: did not serve.
<br />* Dick Cheney: did not serve. Five deferments, the last by
<br /> marriage.
<br />* John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
<br />* Jeb Bush: did not serve.
<br />* Karl Rove: did not serve.
<br />* Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." (This is the man
<br /> who attacked Max Cleland`s patriotism.)
<br />* Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
<br />* Vin Weber: did not serve.
<br />* Richard Perle: did not serve.
<br />* Douglas Feith: did not serve.
<br />* Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
<br />* Richard Shelby: did not serve.
<br />* Jon Kyl: did not serve.
<br />* Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
<br />* Christopher Cox: did not serve.
<br />* Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
<br />* Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
<br />* George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard service; assigned to Alabama to campaign for a family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam; AWOL
<br />* Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role
<br /> making movies.
<br />* B-1 Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea.
<br />* Phil Gramm: did not serve.
<br />* John McCain: Lt. Commander, USN; Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit,
<br /> Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
<br />* Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.
<br />* John M. McHugh: did not serve.
<br />* JC Watts: did not serve.
<br />* Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem," although continued
<br /> playing in the NFL for 8 years.
<br />* Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
<br />* Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
<br />* George Pataki: did not serve.
<br />* Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
<br />* John Engler: did not serve.
<br />* Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
<br />* Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.
<br />
<br /><strong>Prominent Rightwing Pundits & Preachers & Posers
<br /></strong>
<br />* Sean Hannity: did not serve.
<br />* Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a `pilonidal cyst.`)
<br />* Bill O`Reilly: did not serve.
<br />* Michael Savage: did not serve.
<br />* George Will: did not serve.
<br />* Chris Matthews: did not serve.
<br />* Paul Gigot: did not serve.
<br />* Bill Bennett: did not serve.
<br />* Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
<br />* John Wayne: did not serve.
<br />* Bill Kristol: did not serve.
<br />* Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
<br />* Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
<br />* Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
<br />* Ralph Reed: did not serve.
<br />* Michael Medved: did not serve.
<br />* Charlie Daniels: did not serve.
<br />* Ted Nugent: did not serve. (He only shoots at things that can’t
<br /> shoot back.)
<br />
<br />
<br />Can we spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E, boys and girls?
<br />Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1098908966177880892004-10-27T15:25:00.000-05:002004-10-27T15:29:26.176-05:00A God-fearing, Christian Nation?Perhaps one of the most irritating espousals frequently heard these days is that our system of government was founded on “Christian Principles”. In fact, it is said so often and with such authority, that it is rarely questioned. While the United States, like the rest of the western world, is heavily influenced by something we obliquely refer to as the “Judeo-Christian” tradition, its origins lie more in the Enlightenment with its emphasis on the rationalism and empiricism of John Locke and David Hume, not to mention Adam Smith, than the parables of Jesus.
<br />
<br />As for our “God-fearing” Founding Fathers – there does not seem to be much enthusiasm for a godly or Christian state. It might be mentioned, that if these men were to walk among us today they would be labeled “secular humanists”; which, by the way, was exactly what they were. At the very least, most of these men were agnostics, some were no doubt atheist. But, enough of my opinions; let them speak in there own words.
<br />
<br />Thomas Jefferson said, <em>“Our civil rights have no dependence on religious opinions, any more than our opinion in physics and geometry.”</em> And if that is not enough to cause apoplexy among the cousin-lovin’ crackers for Christ, Jefferson went on to state; <em>“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.”</em> No god-fearing here!
<br />
<br />In 1797, our second president, John Adams, signed the Treaty of Tripoli (along with the majority of the senate), stating that <em>“The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”</em> In a 1756 letter, he wrote: <em>“This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it.”
<br /></em>
<br />James Madison, later to be our fourth president, was forthright in his argument: <em>“Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise…the legal establishment of Christianity [results in] superstition, bigotry, and persecution.”
<br /></em>
<br />Thomas Paine, author of “Common Sense” and credited with rallying the colonists in their darkest hour, rejected all denominations of Judeo-Christian faith, saying, <em>“I disbelieve them all.”</em>
<br />
<br />But, what about good, old, honest Ben Franklin? Surely, he was a god-fearing Christian? Well, this was his assessment, <em>“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason: The Morning Daylight appears plainer when you put out your Candle.”
<br /></em>
<br />Ethan Allen, the leader of the Green Mountain Boys and hero of the Revolution, was straightforward in his writings with a simple declaration, <em>“I am not Christian.”</em> Years after his death, the Reverend Nathan Perkins wrote in his diary, <em>"Arrived at Onion River falls and passed by Ethan Allyn's grave. An awful infidel, one of Ye wickedest Men Yt ever walked this guilty globe. I stopped and looked at his grave with a pious horror."</em>
<br />Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1098467288538302642004-10-22T12:41:00.000-05:002004-10-22T12:51:41.716-05:00Vive La France!France Turns to Tough Policy on Students' Religious Garb
<br />
<br />By Elaine Sciolino
<br />
<br />From the New York Times
<br />
<br />PARIS, Oct. 21 - To enforce its new law banning religious symbols from public schools, the Ministry of National Education has decided to get tough.
<br />
<br />This week it held formal disciplinary hearings and began expelling students who violated the law. The goal was to get rid of those defined as hopeless cases before the 10-day All Saints school vacation that ends with a national holiday honoring all of Catholicism's saints.
<br />
<br />The French government sees no contradiction or irony here.
<br />
<br />Nine female Muslim students who have refused to remove their Islamic head coverings have been thrown out of schools across France. After the All Saints break, dozens of cases that are pending will be reviewed.
<br />
<br />"The phase of dialogue and consultation is over," said an official at the ministry, who refused to allow her name to be used. "It was an unbearable situation for the teachers and the pupils. It was a crazy situation. The law has to be respected at some point."
<br />
<br />Since school started a month ago, students who have refused to remove what school administrators define as conspicuous religious symbols have been quarantined in study halls or libraries and not allowed to attend class.
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<br />The banned symbols include anything that can be construed as an Islamic veil (head scarf, bandanna, beret), a Jewish skullcap, a large Christian cross and a Sikh turban.
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<br />Officially the law is aimed at enforcing France's republican ideal of secularism. Unofficially it is aimed at stopping female Muslim public school students from swathing themselves in scarves or even long veils.
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<br />There have been odd, unintended consequences.
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<br />Despite the 1905 law separating church and state in France, public schools have been allowed to keep chaplains, most of them Catechism-teaching and Catholic, on their staffs as long as they were not paid by the state. In 1960 a law set up a formal process to create new chaplain posts and allowed existing ones to continue.
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<br />But this fall some teachers at the Dumont d'Urville high school in the southern city of Toulon objected to what they said was a double standard: Muslim girls had to doff their scarves, but the Rev. Antoine Galand, the school's Catholic chaplain, could wear his priestly garb.
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<br />So Father Galand was barred from the school and may return only if he removes his collar and cassock and dons a business suit.
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<br />"We regret this interpretation of secularism, because it's not what the law says," said the Rev. Charles Mallard, the priest responsible for youth instruction in the Catholic Diocese of Toulon. "But it's not worth fighting over an article of clothing, knowing that in Catholicism, 'the cowl doesn't make the monk.' "
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<br />He added that even in secular France it was considered "normal" to have Catholic chaplains in public schools.
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<br />Cennet Doganay, a 15-year-old Muslim of Turkish origin from Strasbourg, showed up on the first day of school in a large beret. The school administrator told her that the beret was a religious symbol, refused to admit her to class and advised her to take a correspondence course from home, Ms.Doganay said.
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<br />She refused. She asked her parents to help her shave off her hair, returned to school in the beret and when she was required to remove it, she revealed her bald head in protest. Since there is nothing particularly religious about baldness, she is going to school again.
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<br />"They drove me crazy and tried to brainwash me so much that I got fed up and I did it - I shaved my hair off," she said. "Now I feel alone; I feel like a monster. It's like being naked on the street."
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<br />France's Sikh community, meanwhile, challenged the new law in court after the Louise-Michel school in the Parisian suburb of Bobigny barred three male Sikh students from classes because they were wearing turbans.
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<br />The three boys were at first put into a separate room where they could not attend class and then banished from school without having the chance to defend their case at a formal school hearing, Antoine Beauquier, one of the boys' lawyers, said.
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<br />"For the moment we are in this no man's land of no law," Mr. Beauquier said. "These three kids, who are good students with no problems, have had no access to classes. The effects are terrible."
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<br />Confusing matters, he added, some Sikh boys in other schools have been allowed to attend school wearing a hairnet or a small piece of fabric on their heads.
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<br />In a letter to President Jacques Chirac nearly a year ago, the Sikh community argued that the turban should be allowed because it is a cultural, not a religious, symbol.
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<br />Under the new law, expelled students have the right to appeal to their local school boards. If they are under 16, the legal age for quitting school, they have a stark choice: they must be schooled at home or by correspondence or find a private school. France has only one Muslim high school.
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<br />In an interview with France Inter radio on Tuesday, Education Minister François Fillon said he was pleased with the way things were going. He said that at the start of the school year there were 600 cases of students refusing to remove their religious symbols - most of them Muslim girls in scarves - but that most had agreed to do so after a "dialogue."
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<br />A number of opponents of the law criticize the "dialogue" process as nothing more than pressure to break the will of students. "It's a machine that destroys the individual in the name of a fundamentalist secularism," said Dr. Thomas Milcent, a Strasbourg physician and convert to Islam who heads a Muslim lobbying group. "Some girls have been treated with cruelty, kept in isolation for days. This is extremism."
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<br />Hélène Fouquet and Ariane Bernard contributed reporting for this article.
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<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/22/international/europe/22france.html?ex=1099466574&ei=1&en=a1d7048b7d6befca" target="_blank">http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/22/international/europe/22france.html?ex=1099466574&ei=1&en=a1d7048b7d6befca</a>
<br />Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1098465799064289432004-10-22T12:22:00.000-05:002004-10-22T12:23:19.063-05:00An Open Letter“There's no reason to bring religion into it. I think we ought to have as great a regard for religion as we can, so as to keep it out of as many things as possible.”
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<br />- Seán O'Casey
<br />- The Plough and the Stars
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<br />Dear Friends,
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<br />Are you among a growing number of citizens who are increasingly wary of the alarming interference of religious fanatics in our political system? Do you find it more than a little troubling that in this day and age a political candidate must openly declare his religious beliefs (or lack thereof) in order to be elected to any office? Would you be willing to vote for a man or woman who prefers rationalism, science and inquiry as opposed to having their life ruled by the fairy tales of psychotic desert nomads from thousands of years ago?
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<br />Many Republican voters say that there is a crusade at stake here, that President Bush's absolutist positions reveal the moral and – some would say – Christian heart of our nation. Many Democrats, on the other hand, see something just as important at risk: the Enlightenment idea that human reason and rational debate are the source of political truth, a notion championed by deists like Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin as the sine qua non of American democracy.
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<br />And speaking of our founding fathers and the constitution; does it not strike you as a little strange that a document, purported by the Bible-thumping pseudo-patriots to be “divinely” inspired, gives the Almighty such short shrift by not mentioning Him once!
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<br /><a href="http://achinhead.blogspot.com/">The Thomas Aikenhead Society</a> is for readers and writers who cherish a secular and tolerant society; for whom the appellation skeptic, agnostic and atheist is a source of pride rather than that of disdain.
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<br />Yours,
<br />Barney F. McClelland
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<br />If you would like to contribute interesting links, articles, or original essays, stories, and poetry to the <a href="http://achinhead.blogspot.com/">The Thomas Aikenhead Society</a> please submit them to:
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<br /> <a href="mailto:thomasaikenhead@yahoo.com">thomasaikenhead@yahoo.com</a>
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<br />Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1098389034424097582004-10-21T15:02:00.000-05:002004-10-21T15:07:21.596-05:00Quote of the Day<em></em>
<br /><em>"Fear of power invisible, feigned by the mind or imagined from tales publicly allowed, [is] religion; not allowed, superstition. "
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<br />- Thomas Hobbes
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<br />Leviathan: The Matter, Form, and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiastical and Civil (1651), quoted from Jonathon Green, The Cassell Dictionary of Cynical Quotations
<br />Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776248.post-1098370313262866082004-10-21T09:50:00.000-05:002004-10-21T09:51:53.263-05:00U.S. Bishops Back the Forces of Reaction<em>
<br />As if this was a surprise. It seems a group of the Pedophile Protecting Prelates of America (otherwise known as Catholic Bishops) have decided take up the cause with the fundamentalist protestant wingnuts in their effort to have George II installed again in the White House.
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<br />The august vicars of Rome have joined forces with the U.S. Christian Coalition, (or as I like to refer to them, “The Cousin-lovin’ Crackers for Christ”) in a mean-spirited ecumenicist fervor and have decided to use the old eternal damnation tactic on U.S. Catholics who vote for the rational and secular leaning John Kerry. What upsets their Excellencies so? Kerry, a Catholic, has had the temerity to suggest that since not all of his countrymen share his religious viewpoint, they should be allowed to have the freedom to choose in the matter of abortions.
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<br />Kerry also openly admits to preferring science and inquiry over superstitious mumbo-jumbo by supporting stem cell research. While Kerry opposes gay marriage, he does support the idea of “civil unions” which would allow those who subscribe to a same-sex preference to enjoy many of the benefits we “normal” folks do.
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<br />It is these three issues the good bishops want to make the focus of the upcoming election. For Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, the highest-ranking Roman Catholic prelate in Colorado, there is only one way for a faithful Catholic to vote in this presidential election, for President Bush and against Senator John Kerry. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis also issued just such a statement. Bishop Michael J. Sheridan of Colorado Springs and Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark have both recently declared that the obligation to oppose abortion outweighs any other issue.
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<br />The implication is simple: vote for Kerry and you commit a sin.
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<br />While most people associate this sort of political meddling with crackpots like Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell, Catholic bishops have had a long history of supporting despicable reactionary regimes in the past. Look at Franco’s Spain.
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<br />Our founding fathers desperately wanted to keep religion out of our political system and for good reason – religion, of any kind, is a corrupting influence.</em>
<br />Barneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00489442969526249101noreply@blogger.com1