Murmurings of a Mind Malcontent

It's All About Science...Even for Santa

2005-11-26T11:45:00.000-08:00

I ran across this a few years back and have gotten a few good chuckles out of it ever since as the silly season has rolled around each year. Unfortunately, I've never been able to trace down the original author. Regardless, I thought I'd get into the spirit and share it with my regular readers as well... Jage

"There are approximately two billion children (persons under 18) in the world. However, since Santa does not visit children of Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, or Buddhist (except maybe in Japan) religions, this reduces the workload for Christmas night to 15% of the total, or 378 million (according to the population reference bureau). At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that comes to 108 million homes, presuming there is at least one good child in each.

Santa has about 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 967.7 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with a good child, Santa has around 1/1000th of a second to park the sleigh, hop out, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left for him, get back up the chimney, jump into the sleigh and get onto the next house.

Assuming that each of these 108 million stops is evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false, but will accept for the purposes of our calculations), we are now talking about 0.78 miles per household; a total trip of 75.5 million miles, not counting bathroom stops or breaks.

This means Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second - 3,000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man made vehicle, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a pokey 27.4 miles per second, and a conventional reindeer can run (at best) 15 miles per hour. The payload of the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium sized LEGO set (two pounds), the sleigh is carrying over 500 thousand tons, not counting Santa himself. On land, a conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting that flying reindeer can pull 10 times the normal amount, the job can't be done with eight or even nine of them -Santa would need 360,000 of them. This increases the payload, not counting the weight of the sleigh, another 54,000 tons, or roughly seven times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth (the ship, not the monarch).

A mass of nearly 600,000 tons traveling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance - this would heat up the reindeer in the same fashion as a spacecraft re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer would absorb 14.3 quintillion joules of energy per second each. In short, they would burst into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them and creating deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team would be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second, or right about the time Santa reaches the fifth house on his trip. Not that it matters, however, since Santa, as a result of accelerating from a dead stop to 650 m.p.s. in .001 seconds, would be subjected to acceleration forces of 17,000 g's.

A 250 pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim considering all the high calorie snacks he must have consumed over the years) would be pinned to the back of the sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force, instantly crushing his bones and organs and reducing him to a quivering blob of pink goo. Therefore, if Santa did exist, he's dead now. MERRY CHISTMAS!!!"

Has Fear Simply Become the New God?

2005-11-23T23:12:00.000-08:00

"Yea, and I will bring down'eth My mighty hand of fire and brimstone to smite those who would dareth use the brain unto which I have bestowed upon them'eth...Yea."

I just don't know what to say. Many of you may not be aware of this, but the American Museum of Natural History in New York recently debuted a fantastic exhibit of the life and scientific discoveries of Charles Darwin. The opening began with a fanfare of celebrities and patrons of the museum. Jon Stewart of the Daily Show was in attendance and had this to say as he marveled at the collection of specimens demonstrating Darwin's discoveries...

"It just makes you wonder," deadpanned Stewart. "Why is Jesus trying to trick us?"

"I do wish George Bush would start paying attention to issues that are important for the country," Stewart went on. "Gay marriage, for instance. I don't understand why the religious right fears homosexuality. They say it's an abomination. The Bible says that shellfish are also an abomination. … They who oppose sodomy must also oppose scallops."

For the rationally-based in the audience this might sound like an encouraging step, huh? Well, there's a kicker...the $3 million budget for the exhibit had to totally be funded through private donations as not a single corporation in America had the guts to sponsor it. Not one. Because of fear of the room-temperature-IQ Intelligent Designers (AKA ' Creationists', AKA 'Young Earthers').

Why do so few in this country remember this mentality's first two installments of this 'Leave Us Behind' movie series? You know, 'Part Alpha - The Earth is Flat' and 'Part Deux - The Universe Revolves Around the Earth'. Why are we now letting a freak show of uber-literalist individuals run amok around our great nation proclaiming that the Earth is only 6,000 years old with hardly any resistance? Is it just because it's easier to give in to stupidity? When the Hell did it become PC to cave in to coercion from religious fanatics? Again, I just don't know what to say...other than I'm starting to really lose tolerance with our unbridled religious-tolerance. We either have to decide to move forward as an intelligent species or just stop and give up trying...it truly is that simple... Jage

God Prefers Big Breasts

2005-11-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

"Check out those, err, that cross..."

But, but, but...I thought 'deviant' sexual behavior was a bad thing...once again, the Religious-Right repeals the double-standard rule...you know, one would almost begin to think that there's a connection between continued repression of normal sexual desires/urges and such outbursts of sexual weirdness from those espousing those moral dictates...hmmm... Jage

From Adult Christianity...(with comments from me as marked)

"You just put your lips together...and blow." The sultry words of Lauren Bacall must have lodged in the subconscious of J. Lee Grady, the editor of Charisma magazine, one of dozens of Strang magazines targeted to Pentacostals. He's blowing the whistle these days and it's not on the usual suspects: homos, baby killers, and the ACLU. This time he's turning on his own.

In an article aptly titled It's Getting Really Weird Out There Grady catalogs the sins of powerful Pentacostal leaders, and these include:

a Christian megachurch pressuring the leaders' wives and female staffers into getting breast implants (I guess their original breast sizes weren't designed intelligently enough - Jage)
several elders of a Bible-believing church found having homosexual sex with their married pastor (But at least he was officially married to a woman, so they can cut him some slack - Jage)
a powerful Pentacostal leader who told his congregation that men at his level of service to God are allowed multiple sexual partners (So, it was wrong when David Koresh made this proclamation, but it's okay in this application? Hmmm...I must just not understand the difference - Jage)

Avian Flu Post

2005-11-15T22:20:00.000-08:00

If you're interested, I just made a post about the much-hyped 'Avian Flu' over at the Matilda's Advice and Rants blog where I also serve as an occasional staff writer. The post can be accessed from the link below... Jage

Like Chickens with Our Heads Cut Off

The Natives are Getting Nervous...

2005-11-14T18:45:00.000-08:00

If you haven't visited the Church Sign Generator yet, you should...lots of blasphemous fun to be had there... Jage

The Beast from 134,994,000 B.I.D. (Before Intelligent Design)

2005-11-13T16:04:00.000-08:00

...or 135 million years ago to the scientific and sane in our society... Jage

Ancient 'Godzilla' Crocodile Found in Argentina

Unlike present-day crocodiles, the Dakosaurus andeniensis lived entirely under water and had fins instead of legs, said Ohio State University researcher Diego Pol, who determined that the creature was an ancestor of the crocodile.

Discovered at the southern tip of South America in 1996 by paleontologists Zulma Gasparini and Luis Spalletti of the University of La Plata, in Argentina, the three fossils were identified using an advanced computer program, Science magazine reported on Friday.

Its the size of the animal that makes it a "Godzilla", explained Pol, adding that contemporaries of Dakosaurus andenienis were smaller and more delicate, with long, skinny snouts and needle-like teeth for catching small fish and mollusks.

Godzilla, instead, had a short head, a jaw 47 centimeters (1.5 feet) long with interlocking serrated teeth up to 10.2 centimeters (four inches) long.

Pol said Godzilla was a fearsome predator even among the monstruous creatures that roamed the seas at its time and represented a remarkable jump in size, tooth and jaw shape in the sea crocodile's evolution.

One of the fossils was unearthed in Argentina's western Mendoza province, while the other two were found in southern Neuquen province.

Sex Sells...Even for Christian Purposes!

2005-11-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

I'm confused again...being in the sex industry is morally wrong, but if you're trying to save these potentially lost souls then it's okay to use sex to sell your message? Ahhh, now I remember (actually, how could I ever forget?)...if the means suit the religious-right's ends, then the double-standard rule gets suspended in the spirit of the cause... Click here to visit the 'JC's Girls' web site and witness the newest approach by the D.E.F. (Don't Ever Fuck) Christian Militia... Jage

(Thanks to Adult Christianity for the story and link!)

I've Got Religion - You've Got Sorcery

2005-11-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

What an utterly useless waste of time...I mean, jeez, some of these tribes were still worshipping the cargo planes that dropped supplies to their tribes in decades past...how threatening could that really be for any 'serious' religion or government? Jage

PORT MORESBY (Reuters) - Police in Papua New Guinea have arrested 320 people for practicing sorcery and religious cults, the National newspaper reported Thursday. Belief in sorcery is widespread in this jungle-clad, mountainous South Pacific island nation where some villages only encountered Western civilization in the 1930s.

Police raided three villages Monday near the city of Lae on the north coast and arrested leaders of a "cargo cult" and their followers, the newspaper said. Those arrested were aged between 20 and 70. Cargo cults believe that Western goods or cargo, first encountered through missionaries and explorers, are created by ancestral spirits. They have been known to build airstrips in the jungles in the belief that planes would land with cargo.

One group led by two women used menstrual blood as "sacred water" to enable them to see "invisible things," said the newspaper in the capital, Port Moresby. One of the female cult leaders, Malamba Kifea, said the sorcery improved the livelihood of the people in Kasin village, a remote settlement some eight hours walk from the main highway.

"We read the Bible and in the book of Leviticus, we found strange teachings about women and their monthly period," Kifea told The National. "We were not sure and did not consult our pastor but kept the secret to ourselves after having revelations and seeing cargo and money being given to us."

Arkansas Blog Index

2005-11-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

I just discovered a really new index site for Arkansas blogs that looks like it could eventually grow into a useful resource for people across the state. It seems to cover the whole spectrum of blogs with all viewpoints included. Parts of the sidebar links on the page look like they're still under construction, but I already noticed a couple of updates to the site today. I've gone ahead and added a link to it on my sidebar and e-mailed them some suggested blog sites to include as well. Give it a look (click here) and see what you think...it's the biggest collection of Arkansas blogs I've seen so far... Jage

Jesus Imagery of the Week

2005-11-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

Balloon Jesus

Simply put, it's an “airigami” rendering of a very, very happy Jesus. Though it's best not to get him near any barbed wire, tacks, angry unicorns or crown-of-thorns...

Photo Courtesy of J2K-five.

I've Become an Official Disciple!

2005-11-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

Follow this link for the proof...praise be, maybe there's hope for me yet... Jage

Open Hearts - Open Minds - Open Assisted Suicide

2005-11-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

A Lament for an Aborted Chicken-Baby

2005-11-04T16:03:00.000-08:00

"Please don't terminate me...
I'll be tasty when I'm grown."

I don't feel the necessity for much commentary on this story...it definitely speaks volumes all on its own. I will say, however, that it's a shame the chick didn't get any consideration for its' right to be born. Ah, the downfalls of being 'soulless', eh? Anyway, since this is a BBC article, there are some spellings and colloquialisms that might need clarifying. Credit to Adult Christianity for the link to the story... Jage

- 'Foetus' is the British spelling of 'Fetus'.
- 'Gossip' in this usage refers to the tactics of religious extreme groups in Liverpool who have been causing a lot of ruckus lately.
- Liverpool is a very conservative Christian town with a good bit of political pull in GB. A conservative MP (Member of Parliament) recently caught a lot of flak for saying the "Liverpudlians were hooked on grief".

From the BBC:

Tributes left for a dead chicken

Flowers and tributes were left in an alleyway where the body of a mystery dead baby was found - before police realised it was only a chicken foetus. A member of the public discovered the remains in a back alley in the Anfield area of Liverpool. Police cordoned off the scene but soon realised that it was not a human but a chicken foetus.

Well-wishers had laid more than a dozen bunches of flowers at the scene, along with cards and teddy bears. One of the cards read: "RIP Little Baby. Safe in the arms of Jesus. From someone who is a loving mother xxxx." Merseyside Police told the community on Monday to "stop grieving, it's only a chicken".

A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said: "It seems a member of the public saw the remains of a foetus, which possibly resembled a human foetus, and called us. "We cordoned off the area to investigate, as we would with any possible suspicious death, but it became apparent it was not a human foetus. "The flowers and cards are obviously the result of local gossip, but we can assure people that the remains were not human."

The Rapture is a Racket?

2005-11-04T01:11:00.000-08:00

Oh, say it ain't so...I was counting on getting my neighbor's new car when he goes floating skyward (yes, I'm coveting again, how damned American of me)... Jage

Below are excerpts from an interview by 'The Wittenburg Door' with Dr. Barbara Rossing who teaches New Testament at the esteemed Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. An ordained Lutheran minister, Rossing holds a doctorate from Harvard University Divinity School and a Master of Divinity from Yale University Divinity School. The interview focuses on the subject of her new book. The Rapture Exposed:The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation.

Rossing: The first sentence of my book is, "The rapture is a racket," and I think it's important for your readers to know that the whole rapture is a fiction. It was invented by British preacher John Nelson Darby in the 1830s as part of his system of biblical interpretation called dispensationalism. The system of dispensationalism divides world history into periods of time, the second to the last of which will be, according to Darby, the so-called "seven-year period of tribulation," followed by the return of Christ and then the 1,000-year millennium. This is the basic system of premillenialism, but what proponents can't agree on is when the so-called rapture will happen, sucking naked born-again Christians out of their beds, cars, airplanes...

Door: Um, did you say naked??

Rossing: The main way you'll know the rapture has happened, according to Left Behind, is that people's clothes, glasses, false teeth, replacement knees, will all be left behind on their chairs and in their beds. One day, my students left all their clothes carefully arranged on their chairs to make me think they'd been raptured, but lo and behold, I found the students down in the cafeteria!

Door: Those rascally scamps! But aren't there indeed passages in the Bible about people getting sucked up into the air and stuff?

Rossing: That's I Thessalonians 4:13-18, but the word rapture does not occur here or anywhere in the Bible. This is a passage about Jesus descending to earth from heaven and how Christians go out to meet him as part of that descent. The dispensationalists have to piece together numerous Bible verses, in what I call a "pick-and-choose" method of interpretation, in order to fabricate their notion of the rapture.

Door: On 60 Minutes in April 2004, LaHaye and Jenkins claim to be totally biblical. Jenkins says, "I didn't make this stuff up. This comes straight out of the prophecy."

Rossing: Anyone who wants to take a Bible verse here and a Bible verse there and string them together can make the Bible say anything they want. Tim LaHaye uses the image of a prophetic clothesline, and he hangs Bible verses on it.
...

Door: What precisely are you trying to expose about the Book of Revelation?

Rossing: The word revelation is the word apocalypse, which means unveiling or exposing. The Book of Revelation exposes the oppression and domination of the Roman Empire for first century Christians. The question for today is, "What needs exposing in our culture?" In my view, it is the violent and dangerous "gospel" of books like Left Behind that leads to war and an eagerness for Armageddon.

Door: In your book, you speak of Left Behind proponents who support Israel at the expense of the Palestinians. Do they want the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians to get worse?

Rossing: It's a peculiar kind of support for Israel. They want Israel to take over all the land but in the end only Jews who convert to Christianity will be saved. Two prominent Israeli rabbis recently warned against accepting financial support from Christian fundamentalists. I read that one American fundamentalist Christian group raised $100 million for settlements in the occupied West Bank, so I'm delighted that finally some rabbis are speaking out against this. Peace is bad, according to these Christians, because only the Antichrist signs peace treaties in the Middle East. They want the Jewish temple to be rebuilt and animal sacrifice to resume on the Temple Mount—only so that the Antichrist can desecrate it three and one-half years into their seven-year period of tribulation. Of course, to rebuild the temple would mean destroying the Dome of the Rock, Islam's third holiest site, which would undoubtedly precipitate a war. Christian Zionism is a theology that could be characterized the way Israeli peace activist Yehezkel Landau ironically says: "God so loved the world that He sent World War III."
...

Door: You also suggest that rapture theology leaves ecology far behind.

Rossing: It presents an escapist rapture off planet earth as God's plan for Christians. It's no coincidence that Christians in Left Behind first drive Range Rovers and then Hummers, the most gas-guzzling vehicles on earth. Gas mileage doesn't matter if you think the world has only seven more years. It's a use it or lose it theology—the very opposite of early Christian ethics, which taught that the urgency of Jesus' return means caring for the world as good stewards until He comes again. It's surprising to people, but I find the Book of Revelation one of the most down to earth books of Scripture. If anything, it's about a "rapture in reverse," because God and the Lamb come down from heaven to earth in the final vision, to which the whole book leads.

Thought for the Day

2005-11-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

"This would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in it. The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."

– John Adams (2nd President of the United States of America)

Halloween: Christianity Unmasked, Part 3

2005-11-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

Part 3 - Tribulation Trail, Revelation Walk, Scaremare and More

In conclusion of this three-part series (part 1 here and part 2 here), the focus shifts from the fundamentalist Halloween 'alternatives' that are rapidly marching into every state of the union to three thus far localized, but very nationally-recognized, events. Not that that being in one spot prevents crowds of 30,000 or more making pilgrimages across the country to these events each year or anything. From what I've garnered in my research on these attractions, beyond attracting the unsuspecting visitor in the area looking for a good scare, the primary means of promoting and transporting crowds to these events are being organized through Christian youth groups around the nation. The mottos operandi generally is, starting through a word of mouth campaign among teens in their schools/communities, to attempt to load a busload with members of their group along with some of their more heathery friends on a Halloween 'field trip'; always with the hopes of bringing back a few newly saved souls on the return home. Actually, that's passé now...the new catch phrase is for saved people is soemone who has made the 'decision'. If you've done any follow-up to the web sites listed in this series, I'm sure you've see that euphemism in use a few times as well. And it's always important to stay 'hip' when talking about the fundamentalist movement, right?…ahem… Anyway, since I'm covering three spectacles in this final post, I'll keep my input below to short intros rather than additional exposition…

(Now complete with a Middle-Eastern Military scene)

Tribulation Trails

The Metro Heights Baptist Church near Stockbridge, GA started its "Tribulation Trail" in 1992. It was based on an event called 'The Chilling Fields' that a few churches in Georgia had done a few years previously. Metro Heights gets around 30,000 paid visitors (at $10.00/head) during the Halloween season each year. Visitors get to see a demonstration of what conservative Protestants call "The Tribulation"; a time when a wrathful God sends massive afflictions to humans.

Various scenes deal with:

- The exile of John, whom they believe wrote both the Gospel of John and book of Revelation.

- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, representing conquest, war, famine and plague.

- Movies of the attack on the World Trade Center.

- A classroom debate on the separation of church and state. It ends with a black-clad girl (presumably representing a Goth, Satanist or Neopagan) pulling out a gun and shooting a classmate. She shouts that she is "sick of hearing Jesus this and prayer that." (Note: It may be worth mentioning that no Goth, Satanist, Wiccan or other Neopagan student has ever been involved in a school shooting in North America)

(From the Baltimore Business Journal)

"You see, the Tribulation Trail is a big-time production, well known in the Atlanta area and beyond. And what people are slapping down their hard-earned cash to see isn't what many of us consider entertainment; on the contrary, it is a frightening vision of the last days of the world, based on the biblical Book of Revelation.

Many conservative Christians believe in an event called the Rapture, when Jesus Christ returns to take believers to heaven. Those left behind have to deal with seven years of tribulation, a time when the satanic "antichrist" takes over and forms a diabolical one-world government. This time of trouble, which some Christians believe is coming soon, is captured by convincing, volunteer actors on the Metro Heights church grounds.

Eventually, on the trail, Christ returns to defeat a shrieking Satan -- just behind the house where I was staying -- and rule the world.

Along the way, visitors are treated to an orgy of violence, including the antichrist's machine gunners mowing down people who refuse to get a computer chip implanted in their heads. Another scene features a girl who shoots a Christian classmate.

In one of the final scenes, a woman meets a guy playing Jesus and begs for mercy. The guy isn't buying it. He tells her, "I never knew you," and shoots her through a trap door, presumably to the fires of hell.

From a business perspective, it is a marketing phenomenon. Metro Heights gets about 30,000 visitors to its trail every year. At $10 a pop, that would be an additional $300,000 in church revenue. You can't do that selling peach pies at a bake sale.

I was sure of one thing after standing in line for an hour: The Tribulation Trail is one helluva business."

(From Creative Loafing, a Blog/News Site from Atlanta, GA)

"Last year's Tribulation Trail featured "evidence that the end is near" with a slide show montage that conflated Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden with "Will & Grace." This year's montage replaced "Will & Grace" with images of the Asian tsunami and hurricane damage.

Other than that, everything's pretty much the same. God speaks with lots of reverb. The grim reaper drawls. The United Nations and the European Union are still tokens of Satan. The various Jesuses still look like the king from the Burger King commercials, and the River of Life is still lined with plastic."

Revelation Walk

In essence, this is another of the Rapture's-Coming-'Round-the-Corner melodies. It was started in 1999 by the Eden Westside Baptist Church in Pell City, Alabama, and is now drawing thousands of visitors each year. It consists of 12 scenes involving over 180 members of the congregation in its construction and operation. It describes "an outdoor drama that will show what the end times will be like for those who are left behind when Jesus 'raptures' the church." Just for those who don't know (seriously), the rapture is a conservative Christian belief that Jesus will literally appear in the sky and call all saved Christians onto himself. Those who have died will have their bodies reconstructed, and will leave the grave, rising towards Christ in the sky. Saved Christians who are alive at the time of the second coming of Jesus will rise bodily into the sky to join Jesus as well. Look at the large version of the picture above this section if you won't take my word for it…

(From Eden Westside Baptist Church's Web Site for the Event)

"Revelation Walk is an interactive outdoor drama based on the Biblical book of Revelation. The drama is portrayed by several outdoor scenes.. Walking shoes are recommended. You will be guided through the walk in groups of 25-50 people with some parts of the walk stepped with cross ties. No child care is provided.

What you will see.

The Word From John - This dramatization is based on John’s personal account of the vision God gave him. This provides the setting for our Walk.

Do You Hear It? - Meet our Pastor, Rev Jacky Connell hear his message and watch the video.

Tunnel Of Despair - A mother deals with a tragic event, drop in on a family at home and then meet the unexpected.

John meets with his Pastor - Listen in to this vital conversation as John seeks explanations to the events happening in his life Why do bad things happen to good people?

Chaos at the Warehouse - Two men milling around a warehouse are about to experience an explosive event. Where will they end up?

Camping can be Creepy - Hear people being freaked out at this campsite. Where are Jeff and Tracy?

The Wreck - You will be met by an officer. Listen carefully to the instructions and be aware of your surroundings. Experience the intense panic as a family is separated.

Sharing Regrets - Listen as two people share some poor decisions taken up to this point. Will you make the same mistake?

Demon Central - Hear about the plotting of evil and how Satan works to organize a plan to destroy lives. This is a world of chaos, confusion and intense assault as evil reigns.

An Audience - You will meet and hear the plan of a promise, safety, security, food and water in return for.........

The Horseman of the Apocalypse - These four horseman have a message for you. Murder, Mayhem, Famine and Death. Will you survive their threats.

The Execution - What happens when you refuse the mark that promises food, medicine..the very essentials needed for life. What sacrificies will have to be made just to survive?

The Great Divide - Be still, in this place, if you can and you may hear our Lord of Peace. Who is the final victor?

The Tunnel - As you walk, enter the tunnel but listen carefully.

The Great White Throne - Watch and hear Jesus speak to those who stand before His throne. Knowing about Jesus does not mean you accept him or that you will go to Heaven. Understand the truth once and for all.

Counseling - You have by now seen and heard the messages, now is an opportunity for you to make a decision for Christ based on what you have seen in Revelation Walk.

There is a simple way to accept Christ in your own life. One of our trained counselors will be available for you to talk to tonight."

(This is from a Quasi-Religious Group Called 'Universists' - It's Their Group's Rules for Behaving During the Show)

"Please note that we WILL NOT DISRUPT the event. We're going for our own genuine entertainment and education about evangelical Christian culture. There will be no heckling and an absolute minimum of laughing at the natives! Remember, opposing Christians peaceably attended our movie premiere. There is an opportunity to be "saved" after the Revelation Walk is over - at that point I think it's perfectly fine, if you are itching to respond, to engage the counselors in discussion."

Scaremare

This brain-child comes from the gut of one of my old buddies: Reverend Jerry Falwell and his Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Jerry and I have had a hate-hate relationship continuing since the last good old Christian conservative days with the Gipper. Putting that long running angst aside for the purposes of this story, this probably is the least controversial of the popular Christian Halloween alternative festivals. Or let me put it this way, the central focus with this house-o-heathen-horrors is on death and gore and, though they verbally espouse their views on abortion, even Falwell wouldn't let them depict an abortion scene as the others in the field of fundamentalist frights are doing. So, it's that kind of less controversial, if you understand the fine point. Still, the pressure tactics used by the 'counselors' on visitors at the end of the show seem to be a tad aggressive. Darn those enthusiastic collegiate Christians! Click here for the official 'Scaremare' web site.

(From the Washington Post)

"Compared with some of its offshoots, Scaremare -- a $50,000 production -- is fairly light on the hell but heavy on the death. Some years, it features scenes of drug overdoses and teen suicide, Vandegriff said. It scrapped a school shooting scene a few years ago after receiving complaints, he said.

After his message last week, Cashman asked those who were accepting Christ for the first time to make eye contact with him. In the first two weekends of Scaremare 2004, about 10 percent of visitors made that commitment, Vandegriff said.

Vandegriff said some students have suggested an abortion scene, which he has vetoed. Even Falwell -- never one to shy away from controversy -- said he supports that decision.

"We don't try to push the envelope," Falwell said in a telephone interview. The Baptist television evangelist attends Scaremare each year.

Last weekend, Scaremare seemed to make its point well enough. Descending a dark set of stairs, a group of adolescent girls gripped hands and chanted, "I like Jesus. I like Jesus. I like Jesus."' (Now that sent shivers up my arms! - Jage)

(From a Blog Where Liberty University is Located)

"Every year about 20,000 souls descend upon Jerry Falwell's Liberty University to attend Scaremare.

Scaremare, produced by Liberty University (LU) students for over three decades, is part cheap thrills and part hokey sermon that graphically depicts the fundamentalist college's views concerning issues like abortion and homosexuality.

Thrill seekers are ushered around the grounds of a building where bodies spill out of the wreckage of a grisly car crash, a young girl is laid to rest and a bloody Jesus hangs on a cross.

The innocent pilgrims are then brought to white tents, where LU students attempt to persuade them to turn to Jesus Christ. What ever happened to employing logic and reason to convince others to accept your views? Why do religious fanatics like Mel Gibson and Jerry Falwell feel it's necessary to scare us into converting to their brand of fundamentalist Christianity?

I live in Lynchburg and I can testify that LU students with their vacant eyes, clean-cut appearance and uncontrollable exclamations of "Praise The Lord" are scarier than a bunch of zombies. I can't think of anything more terrifying than becoming a fundamentalist Christian, I'd rather turn into a Reality TV contestant or a punching bag for Mike Tyson."

Heaven's Gates & Hell's Flames

Honorable mention goes out to this act as it's quite a hit as well. In essence, they use the same scene formats as seen in Judgement Houses (discussed in part 2 of this series) except it's all performed on a single stage that the audience watches from either a seated or standing viewpoint. A central link to these events is below if you're curious.

http://mze.com/heavensgates/

In Summary

All I can say in conclusion is that the sane and rational in this nation need to wake up and smell the Inquisition burning down the street before it's our own front lawns that are on fire. The fundamentalist movement is ever-growing and really itching for a showdown with non-believers in both the political and social arenas in the near future. And don't kid yourself that these are attributable to harmless holiday fun - whether it's a Hell House, Judgement House, Tribulation Trail, Revelation Walk or whatever it may be called…these atrocities are a breeding ground of prejudice and hatred that's cunningly capturing the clutched fears of thousands of citizens each and every year. As the philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell so concisely put it, "Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom." Oh well…Happy Damned Halloween anyway!… Jage

Halloween: Christianity Unmasked, Part 2

2005-10-31T23:24:00.000-08:00

Part 2 - Judgement Houses

(Before I begin…a quick apology for the continual misspelling of the word 'Judgment' throughout this post. Apparently, the church that began this Hell House variation felt their message extends far beyond the need for proper 'riting or other such fancy stuff and, wanting to present a fair portrayal of this event, I'll just go ahead and swallow my grammatical OCD tendencies, leaving it spelled so below in the spirit of honesty…except for the one critic quoted below who got it right… Jage)

This 'alternate' alternative to the celebrating Halloween dilemma for American Fundamentalists actually scares me a tad more than the 'Hell House' phenomenon I discussed in the first part of this series (here). It's promoted as a less-horrific approach than the in-your-face style of Hell Houses, but the accounts I've read about this growing sensation over the past twenty years smell heavily of the 'wolf in sheep's clothing' reality in the final analysis. The main goal of the program is still to use fear as a tool for 'saving' a person and bringing them into the tithing fold (along with making some good seasonal revenue as well). This quote from Adam Butler of the Alabama Freethought Association who visited a Judgment House at Westwood Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL pretty much sums it up in my opinion...

"After I saw two children praying through tears at the end of a performance, I realized just how powerful the fear tactics used by Judgment House really are. The mentality of churches to produce such an atrocity is simple--scare children early in their lives and they'll fear it until the day they die...what is the purpose of Judgment House, if not to use fear to convince someone of something that reason cannot?"

As in the first part of this series, I'll start out with some simple background on the concept…

A Typical 'Judgement House'

From the mouths of the makers themselves of the official Judgement House Kit - "A standard presentation involves an eight-scene walk-through drama that tells the story of several youth facing their individual daily challenges. A guide leads visitors from one scene to the next as the narrative unfolds…Each 5 – 7 minute scene is a progression of one story that focuses on the decision we all must make to either accept or reject the salvation offered by our Lord Jesus…One teen chooses to accept Christ and another chooses to reject Him. Then the characters die in a common calamity such as an a car crash or natural disaster, and they are flung into their respective eternal destinations, thus revealing the end results of the choices they made -- everlasting Heaven or Hell…After the heaven scene the guests go to an invitation room where they are offered the opportunity to accept the free gift of salvation, to rededicate their lives to the Lord, or to pray with a counselor."

Scenes from 'Judgement Houses'

(From the Original Script by New Creation Evangelism - makers of the kit)

- A fire kills Darren and mortally injures Whitney. A medical team unsuccessfully tries to save her life. Whitney dies, is judged, and is granted her reward of eternal life in heaven. However, Darren did not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior while he was alive. He is thrown into the lake of fire for eternal torment without hope of mercy or relief. "The Hell scene usually consists of a dark room heated to about 80 degrees into which the participants are herded to listen to agonizing screams from invisible speakers that surround them. Heaven is usually depicted as a bright white room (with no deficit of air conditioning) where one is surrounded by soft music and men and women dressed in heavenly garb." Jesus is shown welcoming each new arrival. Christian counselors are accessible to the viewers as they exit the heaven scene.

(From the Updated Script by New Creation Evangelism)

- This year’s script is called ABDUCTED. It is the story of two middle school girls who are in the parking lot of a movie theatre and are taken away. It is a parent’s worst nightmare. You will see the trauma that the parents go through and the reaction of the girls, one who has a personal relationship with Christ and the other who does not. You will see how they handle their circumstance and you will follow them in the midst of their terrifying experience. More and more there seems to be headline news about kidnappings and abductions. This is a relevant storyline that touches the hearts of not just teens but parents as well.

(From a Judgement House by Northside Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, TN)

- This year's Judgment House — "In the Twinkling of an Eye" — will emphasize the rapture, a future Biblical event where the faithful suddenly disappear from earth. The drama is being put together with the help of David Allen, an illusionist from Georgia, and Clark expects attendance to exceed that of last year's event.

(From a Judgement House by First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach, FL in 2002)

- "People lie dying on the street of a small Florida town hit by a tornado, their mangled bodies buried under uprooted palm trees. Survivors walk around in a daze, pleading for help. A small boy, blood running down his face, goes from person to person asking: "Have you seen my mom?" A busload of people arrive to witness the carnage. They lift the yellow tape of the police cordon and walk through the scene, anxiety written on their faces. But they make no attempt to help. They are hurried on by a tour guide, who leads them into a makeshift operating theatre where victims lie on the floor screaming in pain"

(From the 2005 Judgement House by First Baptist Church of Maryville, IL)

- More than 1,500 people toured the church's Judgment House last year. The theme this year is "Family Skeletons: What's hiding in your closet?" Judgment House is a one-hour, guided walk-through drama based on the reality of American life. Guests are guided through several scenes in the lives of a typical American family as they struggle to live the American Dream while they cope with the price they pay for the realities of unemployment and alcohol abuse.

The History of 'Judgement Houses'

Tom Hudgins, youth pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, FL created the first Judgment House in 1983 "as a Christian alternative to Halloween." Since then, he founded New Creation Evangelism, Inc (also in Clearwater) to begin selling the 'concept' and script kits for the event. But - don't order just yet - the payment of $335.00 (US) doesn't just buy the kit…the participating church also becomes a 'Covenant Church' with annual membership fees and new sinner scripts each year. If you're curious what churches in your state are on the membership roles, click here for an interactive map for each state. So far, this particular outbreak has mostly been contained within the Baptist Church in southern states, but it is beginning to spread across the land between the shining seas as a quickening pace.

The Target Audience

As with the Hell House goals, there's a specific focus on aiming the message of eternal doom and punishment for certain sexual and social behavior on teens and pre-teens. The scripted stories in Judgement Houses are always about teens making bad choices while children. And it's having the desired effect. Here's a letter sent in to New Creation Evangelism by a Baptist minister operating a Judgement House…

"A group of 30 teenagers came through our Judgement House presentation with some pretty rough looking guys and gals. The youth pastor that brought the group was really excited that so many unsaved teenagers came with him to tour Judgement House. After going through the tour, one of the boys raised his hand for salvation during the invitation and went for counseling. No one else in the group responded to the invitation.

Several hours later the youth pastor called my cell phone. He was sobbing uncontrollably as he shared his story with me. He had been discouraged that only one young man from his group was saved. On his way home he was upset because it seemed that God had not worked. He began to rationalize why no one else had responded—the drama wasn’t real enough, the invitation wasn’t strong enough, hell wasn’t hot enough, etc.

When he got back to his church parking lot, the one 14-year-old boy who did make a decision asked if he could say something to the entire group. The youth pastor gave him the okay. All the students gathered around while this newly saved teenager began to speak. The teenager was not raised in church but with the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of God’s grace toward him, he started to give the plan of salvation to his fellow students. He quoted Scripture that he heard in the invitation room word for word and presented the gospel in clear fashion. His final statement was, “I have only been saved for an hour but God has made a big difference in my life already.” With that final statement, he gave a chance for others to respond to what he had already tasted. Fourteen of his peers accepted the Lord in that parking lot!

Funny isn’t it how God can continue to work even after the groups leave our churches? Our job is to sow the seed…Judgement House allows us to do that time and time again.

Serving the Lord and Loving it!
Dan Kubish
Messiah Baptist Church
Wichita, Kansas"

On the Light Side

Here's the bugger about this one…there is no light side. The overly-obvious Hell Houses are finally starting to get some scrutiny and scorn from the sane, but Judgement Houses are still pretty much flying under the radar. If a Judgement House isn't in your city or state this year, chances are it likely will be in one of the Halloweens to come… Jage

Next: Part 3 - Tribulation Trails and Revelation Walks (Final Segment)

Some Related Judgement House Stories Online:

http://www.rickross.com/reference/fundamentalists/fund151.html

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/282005c.asp

http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/hallow1.htm

http://www.mbcpathway.com/quasar/isl/content/content.isl?channelid=-1999993227&partnerid=-1999999057&contentid=-1999965368

Thought(s) for the Day

2005-10-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

"The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country."

- Rev. Jerry Falwell, Sermon, July 4, 1976

"I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises."

- Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Samuel Miller, 1808

"Jerry Falwell believes that Thomas Jefferson was the Devil."

- The Jage, 2005

Halloween: Christianity Unmasked, Part 1

2005-10-30T18:45:00.000-08:00

Part 1 - Hell Houses

As is common in social environments where fundamentalist religious fervor is allowed to fester unchecked, the use of fear as a tactic for both conversion and condemnation eventually becomes prevalently public. During the past decade, there has been a growing focus by American Christian sects to target Halloween as an actual day of literally evil and a time of battles fought between the forces of light and darkness (see related post here). One particular phenomenon that has rapidly caught on during the past decade, not only as a means of frightening-into-fellowship new members but also as a big money maker, is a 'Christianized' variation of traditional walk-through haunted houses called 'Hell Houses'. And though many of the participants in these events don't seem to realize it, it's a fascinating unveiling of the ugly engine under the proverbial Christian church's hood.

You might not think this is such a big deal, but from the debut of the first 'official' Hell House thirteen-years ago, there were at least 3,000 churches across America operating a similar franchise of fear in 2004. Today, CNN estimated there are between 3,500 and 4,000 Hell Houses expected for the 2005 Halloween season and that this year there will finally be a Hell House in every single state of the nation. So, what's the big deal, you ask? Well, let's start with a little background on the matter for those who aren't familiar…

A Typical 'Hell House':

A Hell House consists of a group of horrific scenes within a type of 'haunted house'. The customer walks through a sequence of tableaus designed to create terror and revulsion. The last scene is different; it is typically a portrayal of heaven. The visitors are then asked to accept salvation by repenting of their sins and trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Hell Houses are a relatively new evangelistic technique used by thousands of conservative Christian churches in North America alone. One of the main intents is to proselytize the 'unsaved' public. Another is to promote certain conservative Christian beliefs:

- that abortions kill human babies;

- that sexual orientation is a matter of choice and can be changed;

- that everyone who is not saved will go to hell when they die (perhaps sooner, if Jesus returns);

- that underground Satanic cults engage in widespread sacrifice of humans.

Some hell houses are intentionally disguised to resemble conventional secular haunted houses. The customer only realizes that they have a religious theme after they have bought their ticket and gone part of the way through the scenes.

Typical Hell House Scenes:

- A realistic reenactment of the murder of Cassie Bernall, a teenager victim at the Columbine High School in 1999-APR. She was allegedly asked whether she believed in God, answered yes, and was murdered on the spot. The incident never happened. But the story has taken on a life of its own, and is frequently referred to in conservative Christian magazines and radio programs.

- A person being sacrificed during a Satanic ritual.

- Women undergoing very bloody late-term abortions, complete with screaming, lots of blood, and particularly insensitive, uncaring health providers. This scene has been partly abandoned in recent years in favor of a portrayal of guilt and depression arising from Post Abortion Syndrome.

- Gays and lesbians being tortured in hell for all eternity because of their behavior while they were alive on earth.

- The dangers of "dabbling" in the occult and becoming demon possessed (complete with Harry Potter analogies).

- Personal tragedies arising from pre-marital sex.

- Disastrous tragedies and loss of life resulting from drunk driving.

- A man has an argument with his wife and is later seduced by his secretary.

- Witches pressuring a depressed teen to murder his fellow students.

- A 9/11 ground zero scene.

The History of 'Hell Houses':

The earliest hell house may have been created by Trinity Assembly of God in Dallas, Texas from an idea popularized by Rev. Jerry Falwell in the late 1970's. The concept was 'officially' picked up in 1992 by an ambitious minister named Keenan Roberts who opened his first Hell House was in Roswell, NM. Keenan then become a pastor of the Abundant Life Church in Arvada, CO where he developed "Hell House Outreach" kits for other churches. Eventually, he became minister of the Destiny Church (an Assembly of God affiliate) where the continued marketing of his Hell House kits has become a staple of their ministries.

Here's some helpful advice from the kit that isn't advertised on their web site…

- "Pieces of meat placed in a glass bowl to look like pieces of a baby... purchase a meat product that closely resembles pieces of a baby."

- "Theatrical Blood. Because a large amount of blood is used in this scene and in others, someone should be responsible for mixing a vat of it each evening..."

- "Chrissy [the woman having an abortion] starts crying. She is extremely distraught...the medical staff is cold, uncaring, abrupt, and completely insensitive..."

In his first three years of business, Roberts sold 300 kits, and had 20,000 guests. His own Hell House reports about 7,000 or 35% Christian conversions (instances of personal salvation).

The Big League:

Trinity Ministries in Texas mentioned above still runs a really large Hell House each year (click here) and has gained the most nationwide publicity from their efforts. So much so, in fact, that they get a minimum of 10,000-15,000 visitors every year. Click here for the web site for their newest Hell House.

Their heavenly house of horrors was the subject of a documentary made in 2001 by Director George Ratliff named 'Hell House' which exposed the phenomenon for what it really is at its core. Surprisingly, those that were the target of the documentary (as well many churches recommending the film to this very today) apparently didn't get that their effort was being mocked at by the makers of the revealing film. Click here to go to a great site about the documentary and rent it if you can for a real scare this Halloween. It'd be fascinating if not for the fact that what you see on screen is really happening in your state as well…

Moral Madness:

As I said before, in these days of a seemingly religious renaissance of Inquisitorial-views regarding 'morality', this scare-them-to-Jesus path is a frightening glimpse into the controlling psyche of American Christian churches. Not only can Hell Houses be found in every corner of our country, national leaders in the growing fundamentalist scene are throwing in their support for this nightmare to be brought to your city.

Here's what Rev. Dobson's 'Family in Focus' has to say about the Hell House craze…

"Thousands of churches will work hard this Halloween season to frighten young people with the reality of sin—and then win them to the peace of heaven.

More than 3,000 churches present some form of "Hell House" as an outreach to a generation of youth who may not know the love of God. There's even a documentary film that presents scenes of drunken driving, suicide, domestic abuse and AIDS.

"It's not just about scaring people," said Terry Lee, who has organized Hell Houses for several churches. "It's about helping them to see that there's a God who loves them and wants to come to a relationship with them."

"When you use a real-life situation to confront people in their sinfulness, that is a scary prospect for many of them, because they've never seen it as sin. They've just seen it as their daily routine and activities."

On the Light Side:

Fortunately, there are a few grass-root attempts underway by rational citizens to educate people about these fanatical festivals and, more importantly, to make fun of them.

This year marks the debut of the 'Hollywood Hell House' in Los Angeles. In essence, a producer had the great idea to purchase one of the Hell House Outreach Kits and set up several scenes as outlined by the guide but to have the roles of the characters played by comedians. On opening night, Bill Maher played Satan and Andy was Jesus. They followed the scenes word-for-word but, as they say, everything's in the delivery of the lines. It's apparently a hit and is opening people's eyes to the medieval methods of fundamentalists subjecting children to these orgies of violence and archaic prejudice.

Click here for the main Hollywood Hell House web site or here for a story about the production.

Another good jab at Hell Houses comes from one of my favorite online places - the Landover Baptist Church web site (where the 'unsaved are unwelcome'). Landover is an incredible site created for the sole purpose of making fun of the current fundamentalist Christian movement. Truthfully, though, it doesn't take much reading of their fake news stories to see haunting similarities to actual current church dogma. Anyway, in spirit of the season, they've mocked up their own Hell House with an online interactive map (click here). It's too bad it's only a virtual event as I suspect it would be hilarious if enacted.

So, what can be learned from the infectious and rapid spreading of these Hell Houses across our great secular nation during the past 10 years? Actually, it's a simple lesson…fanaticism is frightening, whether here or abroad, and, if anyone cares to look, we again have a once-a-year chance to unabashedly see the fear and hate mechanisms that drive the very soul of American Christian churches… Jage

Next: Part 2 - Judgment Houses

Some Related Hell House Stories Online:

http://www.boulderweekly.com/archive/101801/coverstory.html

http://www.godestiny.org/ministries/hell-house/articles/us-news-and-world-report.php

http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/hallow1.htm

http://www.planetout.com/news/article-print.html?2000/10/31/3

Who\What God Hates This Week

2005-10-30T12:54:00.000-08:00

Wow, talk about 'from outta left field'... Considering how the last two weeks have gone, I was sure the Big Man was ready to lay the smite-down on another animal\food product but, boy, was I wrong again. Unfortunately, I've really got to say that this time I disagree with the G. Even though I have some friends that also don't understand good stories can be told through the animated medium, I must say I am still more or less an overall fan of the style (except when it's an offering by the demonic Disney, that is). Of course, as is usually the case with such 'Deital-decrees', it is a tad ambiguous as to whether he's specifying cartoons in print, on TV or in the movies. Also, this leaves some grayness to the areas of CGI, claymation and other cartoon-like, but not animated per-se, forms of entertainment. Oh well, I guess, once again, that it's just not our place to analyze His hates too much... Jage

UPDATE: Upon closer inspection of the artist's rendition of God's hate-announcement for the week, I noticed the Almighty Himself sitting on high watching none other than a cartoon TV show while His faithful below carried out His wishes without question! In sooth, how could this be so? I consulted a local priest to help clarify this problem and he did help a lot by explaining sometimes we need to just 'do as God says and not as He does'. Whew, almost had a crisis there, thank goodness for the wisdom of our current clergy for that crucial catch...

Jesus Imagery of the Week

2005-10-30T12:13:00.000-08:00

Blood and Gore Jesus

Just in time for Halloween! Being the hip prodigal party Son, Jesus knows how to celebrate Pagan festivals in style! Any other day he'd be happy just showing some spike holes, a bloody forehead and a stab wound in the side, but with Halloween around the corner, the Guy thought it the perfect time to go gross and gory. Sporting a messianic mess that'd even get Mel Gibson excited, Bloody Jesus is sure to scare children of all ages as he stands head and crown-o-thorns above the other undead costumes walking the streets this Hallows' Eve... Jage

Evil Made Easy

2005-10-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

No wonder the rat bastards have been taking the upper hand in the fight between right and wrong...they now have an unfair advantage over we dwindling good guys. Click the link below to see what I mean... Jage

THE ONLINE EVIL PLAN GENERATOR

Another Reason I'm Not Worried...

2005-10-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

Some Small Science News

2005-10-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

And I literally mean small. I don't know if many people keep up with this emerging science, but there have been some significant breakthroughs in the field of nanotechnology recently. In fact, some of the newest 'nano-inventions' are going to help open up the realized capabilities of this seemingly sci-fi advancement a lot sooner than most of us are aware. Molecular construction crews are actually on the horizon now...incredible stuff... Jage

All Stories Via LiveScience.com:

The World's Smallest Car

Using the parts inside a single molecule, scientists have constructed the world's smallest car. It has a chassis, axles and a pivoting suspension. The wheels are buckyballs, spheres of pure carbon containing 60 atoms apiece.

It'd be a real squeeze to take it for a spin, however.

The whole car is no more than 4 nanometers across. That's slightly wider than a strand of DNA. A human hair is about 80,000 nanometers thick.

Other groups have made car-shaped nanoscale objects. But this is the first one that rolls "on four wheels in a direction perpendicular to its axles," the researchers reported Thursday.

What's the point? Nanotrucks, of course.

Eventually the researchers want to build tiny trucks that could carry atoms and molecules around in miniature factories.

"We'd eventually like to move objects and do work in a controlled fashion on the molecular scale, and these vehicles are great test beds for that," said James Tour, a Rice University research who co-led the work. "They're helping us learn the ground rules."

Walking Small: The First Bipedal Molecule

Scientists have created a molecule that walks on two feet when it feels hot or when lured by the tip of scanning tunneling microscope.

The molecule, called 9,10-dithioanthracene (DTA), walks in such way that only one "foot" rests on a surface at any one time. When heated, the body of the DTA molecule pivots forward, causing one leg to lift up and the other to plop down.

In this hot-potato fashion, it plods along in a straight line without veering off course or stumbling.

Bipedalism like this is, of course, the preferred mode of natural movement for humans, but it's not easy to accomplish even in the realm of human-sized robots.

DTA can also be lured by the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope serving as a sort of carrot. In tests on a standard copper surface, DTA took 10,000 steps without faltering once.

Ludwig Bartels, lead researcher of the project at the University of California, Riverside, said the tiny walker could one day be used to guide the movements of molecule-based information storage or even computation.

The World's Smallest Motor

Scientists recently unveiled the tiniest electric motor ever built. You could stuff hundreds of them into the period at the end of this sentence.

One day a similar engine might power a tiny mechanical doctor that would travel through your body in the ultimate house call.

The motor works by shuffling atoms between two molten metal droplets in a carbon nanotube. One droplet is even smaller than the other. When a small electric current is applied to the droplets, atoms slowly eek off the larger droplet and join the smaller one. The small droplet grows – but never gets as big as the other droplet – and eventually bumps into the large droplet. As they touch, the large droplet rapidly sops up the atoms it had previously sloughed off. This quick shift in energy produces a power stroke.

Although the amount of energy produced is small -- 20 microwatts -- it is quite impressive in relation to the tiny scale of the motor. The whole setup is less than 200 nanometers on a side, or hundreds of times smaller than the width of a human hair. If it could be scaled up to the size of an automobile engine, it would be 100 million times more powerful than a Toyota Camry’s 225 horsepower V6 engine, the researchers say.

And I Bet He's a Pro-Lifer Too...

2005-10-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

Yet another depressing tidbit on how a fanatic, through his desire to control the public mindset, ended up doing something that just didn't rank too high on the overall scale of morality. Basically, a Baptist minister in Colorado found out about a planned local 'Pagan' fund-raiser to help benefit St. Jude's. He raised enough of a racket at a City Council meeting that the press associated with the event made St. Jude's eventually decline to accept the money.

Pagans' benefit shot down

St. Jude hospital rescinds permission to use charity's name

By Deborah Frazier, Rocky Mountain News
October 7, 2005
Pagans on Colorado's plains wanted to give St. Jude Children's Research Hospital a helping hand but say they got a slap in the face.
The Secret Garden Coven planned to donate proceeds from a festival on Oct. 29 in Ramah, east of Colorado Springs, to the hospital.

But the hospital's attorney recently rescinded permission to use the St. Jude name in the crafts festival, dinner and midnight healing ritual.

"We have no opinion regarding your chosen path of spirituality in this land where freedom of religion and speech are honored," wrote St. Jude's attorney, Diane Spears.

"However, your event, regardless of its affiliation with an organized movement or religion, has become politicized and controversial."

The group plans to donate the money to elderly Sioux Indians on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.
George Shadroui, a spokesman for St. Jude's fundraising division, said coverage of the pagans' conflict with the Ramah City Council troubled the charity.
A Baptist minister had urged the council to ban the gathering in the town of 120.
Though some members agreed, the council did nothing and the mayor ultimately apologized to the pagans.

Now I'm not trying to create extra sympathy for Pagans as a whole, as it's pretty much a fluff faith. All the rituals and ceremonies that they so sincerely perform have all been created within the past 100 years. Though references to Pagan religions, and sects such as the 'Druids', are found throughout Europe's literary and archeological record, there has never been a single discovery of the detailing of the specifics of any Pagan or Druidic ritual. So, in essence, they've literally been re-making it up as they go along. Naturally, if that's the way they want to believe, that's absolutely their privilege; just as it is mine to snicker at it. On the other hand, I will say that these New Age faiths, on the most part, seem much less derogatory-based and vicious than the bulk of the older established religions.

Anyway, the long and short of it is because one zealous person disapproved of the way another person thought, sick kids ended up getting the ultimate short end of this particular stick. But, as is usually the case with narrow minds, the big picture generally doesn't figure into the equation. Sad... Jage

See, even Mattel doesn't mind taking
Pagan's money when it comes to kids...
(From the Secret Spells Barbie 'Wicca-Friendly' Line)

Thought for the Day

2005-10-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

"Religion I found to be without any tendency to inspire, promote, or confirm morality, serves principally to divide us and make us unfriendly to one another."

- Benjamin Franklin

2005-10-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Finally, a prescription I can use... Jage

Jesus Imagery of the Week

2005-10-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

Tattoo Jesus

"Hey man, what’s on your mind?

It’s Jesus! And he seems to be rolling his eyes at the amazing decision-making skills of his disciples.

When a man starts balding, the first logical step is to shave the remaining hairs to the shortest length possible. The second phase of balding is to talk through it. This might involve making self-deprecating jokes or naming other balding men whom women find attractive despite their hair loss. Anthony Edwards circa 1997? Come on, ladies!

The third phase of male pattern baldness is to actually turn the now-exposed scalp into something better than a full head of hair, such as a tattooed homage to your religious savior. The third phase is not often reached. Thank God.

p.s. The sunglasses are a nice addition."

Photo and article courtesy of J2K-five

Who\What God Hates This Week

2005-10-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

Interesting...this is the second week in a row the Big Man has had it in for a food product. The two He's picked thus far, first bacon and now shrimp, are, granted, pretty bad medicine for maintaining a heavenly physique. Perhaps he's on a diet and this is a form of negative association to remind him not to indulge too much. Sort of a deity-based version of the oinking pig people put in the refrigerator; he starts to grab an extra handful of popcorn-shrimp and then, 'kazaam', he remembers he damned it just a few days ago (at least in 'mortal time', that is). I have no problem in agreeing with G on this decree, though. My own personal condemnation of the juicy little buggers stems from a long since past shrimp-eating contest and over 60 jumbo shrimp, grilled with a thick and buttery herb sauce, repeatedly defying the laws of gravity after being consumed. Fortunately, I can now say, when asked, that I can't eat them for religious reasons. But just as with the bacon\pig exception last week, my grudge is only with the cooked crustacean. The live ones can swarm all over the ocean's floor as long as they stay off my plate... Jage

Thought for the Day

2005-10-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

"The clergy converted the simple teachings of Jesus into an engine for enslaving mankind and adulterated by artificial constructions into a contrivance to filch wealth and power to themselves...these clergy, in fact, constitute the real Anti-Christ."

- Thomas Jefferson

Messiah of the Month

2005-10-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

This month's winner is...Rabbi Yosef Dayan of Israel...well, maybe...the 'predictor', Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri, might have to change his mind down the line. So I guess this will just have to be awarded on a temporary status until Rabbi Dayan makes a final decision or until next month's Messiah is revealed to the world; whichever comes first. Article from Bartholomew's Notes on Religion...

Messiah Countdown in Israel

Latest news from the Israeli religious right, via Arutz Sheva:

On Thursday night, Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri said, "Jews must come to the land of Israel to receive our righteous Mashiach (Messiah), who has begun his influence and will reveal himself in the future."

…During the afternoon Mincha prayer on Yom Kippur, the Kabbalist scholar surprised his students and fellow worshippers with secrets relating to the coming of the Mashiach…Only after some 45 minutes, the Rabbi raised his head and looked around the room at the students and worshippers who were gathered at his Nachalat Yitzhak Yeshiva, in the Bucharim neighborhood of Jerusalem. With a broad smile on his face familiar to his students when he has a revelation, he declared, "With the help of G-d, the soul of the Mashiach [i.e. “Messiah”] has attached itself to a person in Israel".
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The Arutz Sheva report also gives Kaduri’s timetable for the Messiah’s appearance, based on his interpretations of the writings of a mystic known as the Vilna Gaon:

On September 24, 2001, Channel One Israel TV broadcast an item on what Torah and other mystics were saying in the wake of the World Trade Center attack. Speaking from the room adjacent to where Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri receives visitors, Arutz Sheva Hebrew radio showhost Yehoshua Meiri, a close confident of the Kabbalist, explained to the cameras Rabbi Kaduri's understanding of the events based on the calculations of the Vilna Gaon: "On Hashanah Rabba, the actual war of Gog and Magog will commence and will last for some seven years," said Meiri. [ Click here to view the Channel One clip in Hebrew and Rabbi Kaduri's prediction communicated by Meiri at the 1:40 minute mark.

Precise to the minute, 13 days later on October 7th as the sun was setting and the Jewish holiday of Hoshana Rabba was ushered in, US and British forces began an aerial bombing campaign targeting Taliban forces and Al-Qaida.

So, apparently, while the person who will be the Messiah is around at this moment, he will not actually become the Messiah until two more years have passed. But who will the “Messiah” be? Most likely, Kaduri is backing Rabbi Yosef Dayan, who claims to be the legitimate King of Israel, and who recently uttered a death curse against Sharon. But if the Messiah must be Sharon's successor, perhaps Kaduri (pictured below) has a more likely candidate in mind...?

"Hey, if you end up becoming the Messiah,
let's let political bygones be bygones, alright?"

On a serious note, we all need to pay more attention to these events as this could represent some truly scary days ahead for the rest of the sane world. As I've always griped and moaned, when government officials and news Medias give public credence to this alarmist end-of-the-world nonsense, it always pushes the envelope of possibility that someone in power might dictate policy in a fashion to facilitate this catastrophic end-result. Maybe I just can't wash Martin Sheen's voice as the American President in the movie 'The Dead Zone' out of my head…"Mr. Vice President, Mr. Secretary, the missiles are flying. Hallelujah. Hallelujah!"

With the Middle East an extremely over-primed powder-keg just waiting for the right spark, movements such as this sure don't help the situation much for any nation in the region. Everyone worries about Muslim nations getting nuclear weapons in the near future (which is, admittedly, quite troubling)...but I tend worry a bit more about how many 100's of nuclear bombs Israel already has stockpiled. Fanaticism by any other name is still as dangerous... Jage

Sorry, No More Fishin' Allowed

2005-10-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I gave in to the baiting of a reader looking for a God-fight and started exchanging responses with him/her. I even brought the exchange out of the commentary area and made it an actual post onto itself. Then it occurred to me that almost all the spare time I had to do the posts I wanted to see were slowly being devoted into a petty, zero-sum debate. It never ceases to amaze me how so many people, instead of doing something themselves, devote such a considerable amount of energy into trying to piss on someone else's creation.

Anyway, a few minutes ago I received another e-mail notification that this same boy/girl had sent yet another round of why their belief is the only right one in the world and I thought about opening it for a few seconds…before I hit the delete button. I knew that if I read whatever he/she had spun this time around, that something in my gut would incessantly chew at me until I, yet again, typed another lengthy dissertation on why I frankly don't care how they believe. Their newest comment might have been the same jargon as before or it may have contained the cure for cancer; but neither I nor the rest of my readers will ever know for sure. Darn...

Without a second of further thought, I went to my blog settings and deleted that post I had made against that particular person. I should have never posted anything so personally directed at any reader...that's never happened before and won't again. I also completely turned off the comment option for all posts from this point forward. With the tone in which I address some religiously-based topics, there'll always be another God-fearing soul out there upset at my words and ready to argue until the proverbial cows come home. And I would invariably be drawn back into another time-consuming moot argument which would take the place of new posts, etcetera, etcetera, ad naseum.

So, no offense to regular readers is meant, but I'm going to go forward with a post-only approach. That's all I have the time or patience for right now anyway. If someone doesn't like what I say here then, well, go start your own damned blog. As always, though, feel free to link to any articles or posts here that you do find interesting... Jage

Beware the Ides (x2+1) of October!

2005-10-21T23:39:00.000-07:00

"Cover Quiz: Religious Self-Help Video
or Amateur Pagan Porn Tape?"

For conservative Christians wringing their hands yet once again as the evil day of the dead approaches, the answer to whether you should allow your God-fearing children to participate in such a pagan-draped festival has finally arrived! Some highlights from the full guide…

Taken from the 'ChristianAnswers.net' web site:

Instead of celebrating, what's a Christian to do on Satan's feast day? PRAY! Intercession and spiritual warfare should be the first item on our agenda. It is NOT a last resort!

- Join with other families in the church. Have the pastor announce a night of spiritual battle. Organize a group of Christians parents and students from your children's school or homeschool group. As a family, designate the seven nights before October 31 as Family Prayer Outreach nights.

- Pray for protection. Pray over both those who engage in prayer warfare and over those who will be out trick-or-treating or at Halloween parties. October 31 is a prime recruiting time for witches and Satanists....and a time for interested kids to experiment. Pray that the Lord keeps our kids from falling prey to those who worship the enemy.

- Pray for discernment. Let the Holy Spirit direct you to specific prayer requests. Pray that the children who are "out there" will somehow "know" to keep away from certain activities. I have relatives who, even though they were not Christians, "knew" that ouija boards and levitation games were dangerous.

- Pray that the Lord hinder the occult rituals. For four years, I lived in a building which over looked a cemetery where occult ceremonial markings were often found. ON certain occult feast days, usually between midnight and 3am, I would look down into the darkness and kneel at my window binding the demons that controlled the ceremonies. I'll never know this side of heaven what effect my prayers had. Maybe a potential sacrifice escaped. Maybe the occultists weren't successful in summoning their demon. Maybe a new, young recruit decided that this was not the lifestyle he thought he wanted.

- Pray for the salvation of the occultists. Jesus Christ died for those whom Satan holds captive and deceived, for those who mock Him, who deny His deity or His existence. He doesn't want them to perish, but to come to Him calling Him Father, Lord. Pray the veil is lifted from their eyes, the Lord allows them to see clearly their spiritual condition and their only hope lies in Jesus Christ. Pray also, about whether the Lord would have you take a more active role in bringing the gospel to Satan's servants.

- Let your children know that this is effective warfare. They must know their prayers are heard and acted on by our Father. Let them know they can make a difference. Come October 31, they'll know they have a job to do.

And don't for one second be fooled by those 'Harvest Parties' many churches are offering in lieu of children having to participate in the real evil deed…

"Let's take a look at the typical Harvest Party.

It is a celebration.

It is chaperoned (usually).

It may have costumes.

Games are played.

Contests are held.

Food abounds.

Music blares.

Everyone enjoys themselves.

Certainly, nothing to get concerned about, right? The problem, however, lies in the billing. The Harvest Party is usually referred to as the Christian alternative to traditional Halloween hijinx. Alternative, however, implies substitute. It assumes our children need something to take the place of Halloween, since they won't be participating in the secular and pagan celebrations. It suggests our kids are missing out on something. And indeed they are, if we allow them to spend Halloween in celebration."

Actually, she's technically correct in her adherence to that latter stance…if you're anti-'something', then you need to be anti-'alternative' to the something as well. Of course, it doesn't help that many Harvest Parties are billed as 'alternatives' to Halloween…you know how fundamentalists are about anything dubbed 'alternative'. Regardless, the author of this article does knows her stuff; not only does she see the battlefield from Jesus' side, she was once a practicing witch fully aware of the demon hordes waiting in the shadows for us all…

"If we are to train our children to be soldiers in the army of Christ, why would we sign a pass for them to go on leave when the battle is escalating on the front lines?

As a child of four, I contacted the first of many spirit guides (read: demons) while playing with a Kindergarten classmates' ouija board at a chaperoned Halloween party. This spiritual assault ignited an intrigue with the supernatural that culminated in my lifestyle as a practicing witch: divination, necromancy, channeling, astrology, psychic ability, and spell working. It wasn't until I was twenty that I met the real Jesus Christ, and was released from the trap that Satan had set for this young prisoner of war sixteen years earlier.

There are too many casualities on Halloween and far too few troops fighing the enemy. Instead of partying on Halloween, teach your children how to fight. Keep them aware that the fight isn't against occultists, non-Christians, Christians who feel differently than we about Halloween, or institutions that promote Halloween, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers or darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12)."

As G.I. Joe once said, "Knowing is half the battle." And now you know…about the battle, I mean...the epic battle fought every Halloween...the one making the streets safe for heathens like me...at least until Christmas, that is... Jage

Thought for the Day

2005-10-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

"Theology...is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn't there. Theologians can persuade themselves of anything."

- Robert A. Heinlein

Thought for the Day

2005-10-18T01:54:00.000-07:00

"I am responsible for everything...
except my very responsibility."
- Jean-Paul Sartre

The unspoken mantra of the religious right? Hmmm... Jage

Wonder What They Think About Chucky?

2005-10-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

"Why would anybody discriminate against me?"

From TalkLeft - 'Here's a good reason to buy your niece or daughter (or maybe your boss) a doll from American Girl this holiday season:

The maker of the highly popular American Girl line of dolls has become the target of conservative activists threatening a boycott unless it cuts off contributions to a youth organization that supports abortion rights and acceptance of lesbians.

American Girl supports Girls Inc. programs that help girls develop self-esteem by improving math and science skills, encouraging athletic participation, and nurturing leadership ability. Some right wing groups contend that Girls Inc. deserves no support because it also opposes abstinence-only education and "condones lesbianism." In other words, Girls Inc. supports tolerance and wants children to have the information they'll need to make smart decisions as they mature.

American Girl says it has no position on the political issues that provoke such consternation in the right wing extremists. It simply supports the mission of Girls Inc.: "inspiring girls to be strong, smart and bold."

Girls Inc., which traces its roots to a center founded in Waterbury, Conn., in 1864, serves about 800,000 girls a year, many black or Hispanic and most from low-income families.

So far, American Girl isn't caving in to the threatened boycott.'

Thanks to Greyhair for the heads-up on this article... Jage

"Hey, smart-chick dolls...come to papa!"

Who\What God Hates This Week

2005-10-16T01:21:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...bacon. I guess I understand this as the industrial animal-for-food complex is somewhat on the darker side of morality if you really examine it objectively. And, beyond that, cholesterol is a fairly bad side-effect of bacon. I just wonder if this means He only hates the processed and cured product or the poor piggys as a whole. From the sentiments of several world religions that don't look too kindly at any hogly appetites, it ain't looking too bright for Wilbur or Piglet when the Rapture comes. If CNN starts talking about a new pig-plague looming on the horizon, then we'll know for sure... Jage

Subtle Snark Alert - Notice Jesus' name squeezed into the confines of a Star of David shape on the women's t-shirt? Though historically accurate, it's sure not very theologically kosher, so to speak. Of course, that is, unless you belong to Jews for Jesus...

Halloween with Jack Handey

2005-10-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes when I feel like killing someone, I do a little trick to calm myself down. I'll go over to the person's house and ring the doorbell. When the person comes to the door, I'm gone, but you know what I've left on the porch? A jack-o-lantern with a knife stuck in the side of it's head with a note that says 'You'. After that I usually feel a lot better, and no harm done."

Jesus Imagery of the Week

2005-10-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Golgotha La-Z-Boy

"Order up the buffalo wings and ice down the Milwaukee’s Best--it’s almost football season! And there’s no better place to play armchair quarterback than in the Golgotha La-Z-Boy.

The plush arm cuffs will crucify you in comfort, and the retractable footrest will support your feet with more ease than a nine-inch nail. I’m not sure if this particular model has a massage feature or built-in remote caddy, though."

Photo and article courtesy of J2K-five

God, Genitals and Harriet Miers

2005-10-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

So, the Jesus-freaks are up in arms about Harriet Miers' nomination for the Supreme Court. And many of us (the non-deital aligned and rational blokes of this nation) have scratched our heads a lot about the right-wing uproar. Could it be that fundamentalists are afraid she might suddenly turn pro-life one day down the line? Hardly. If anyone really thinks Bush would select someone who wasn't adamantly 'towing-the-line' on this issue, then they haven't been paying attention to his style of governance for the past five years. So, is it that she might possibly rule on other issues in less than an uber-Christianly manner? Again, another strike. Not only are her evangelical electives being pushed front and center in her nomination, she's the sort of Christian that Jesus tracked down for her 'born-again' conversion smack dab in the middle of the offices where she worked. Alrighty, then it has to be that these angst-ridden WASPs are upset about what many liberals are also offended by; the fact that she's never, ever held a judicial post. Well, besides some highly-educated Republicans such as Robert Bork and a random politician here and there, I don't sense that her lack of time on any bench is really bothering the religious right that much. They've been told for too many years now that judges are mostly vile and evil pseudo-dictators re-writing the fabric of their beliefs from the bench. And from various articles I've read and the comments of nutbars like Dobson, Robertson and Falwell, it seems that a trial-by-fire nominee, as opposed to a previously jaded judge, has a certain appeal to pre-programmed God-fearing folks. So, again, where's the rub, as my old friend Willie Shakes used to ask? Well, all I can say is praise be to the Founding Fathers that we still have pithy comedians and commentators in our midst, because thanks to them, I get it now.

Last night, as is the case most every Friday night, I watched 'Real Time with Bill Mahr' on HBO and during one of the show's ending segments, Mr. Mahr went on a rant about this particular topic. And the revelation his acerbic wit laid in front of me made me blink as much as Bush during an interview as I realized how simple the answer really was…and how it's always the driving force behind any damned thing that gets the Godfreaks going…yes, once again, it's about sex. How could I have been so blind? (no masturbatory innuendos intended)

I've since discovered a few other places where this sentiment has been expressed, but I believe the outline of the issue by Mr. Mahr is the most concise and practical of them all. Though I can't yet find the transcript of his rant, which would be too lengthy to post here anyway, I'll do my best to convey the basics of this dissection of the dissent using Mr. Mahr's suggestion as a springboard (and, naturally, heavily laced with ad-libs and expansions from myself)…

FACTS: Harriet Miers is a 60 year-old woman who has never been married and never had children.

PROBLEM: There are only five possible explanations of the sexual life-choices/preferences that could result in this outcome;

1) she is a heterosexual woman who is still a virgin. Frightening concept, but considering the tone of her past love-letters to Bush, it could always be a remote possibility.

2) she is a heterosexual woman who has had sexual relationships with a man (or men) outside of wedlock. Heaven forbid! That would mean she's merely an old slut to many Christians prudes.

3) she is a lesbian. This only deserves one listing because, in the minds of a fundamentalist, if she swings this way then it really doesn't matter if she's ever consummated it or not…she's just as damned either way.

4) she is asexual or only has sex with herself. Bible-thumpers would find this an even worse transgression than having guilt-free sex with men…women, if they aren't 'funny', are supposed to lay down and submit to males, hopefully with a baby popping out eventually. Not sharing it has got to be a sin somehow.

5) she is (in the exact words of Mr. Mahr) a chick-with-a-dick. No summary of the GOP's problems with this potential twist needs added by me.

So, in a nutshell, there you have it. Christians are upset because they can't figure out which way she swings, or if she even swings at all (again, no innuendo to possibility #5 above is intended). I still can't believe that I didn't figure this out on my own. As I said a minute ago, it's almost always about the genitals when it comes to the outcries of the sexually repressed. Of course, these people that can't decide if she's got God up her skirt or not are generally the same ones belonging to the segment of our society with the highest rates of divorce, infidelity, pedophilia and infanticide. Go figure... Jage

Where's My Invitation?

2005-10-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Guess it got lost in the mail... Jage

'God Bloggers' Gather at Calif. Conference

LA MIRADA, Calif. - What would Jesus blog? That and other pressing questions drew 135 Christians to Southern California this weekend for a national conference billed as the first-ever for "God bloggers," a growing community of online writers who exchange information and analyze current events from a Christian perspective.

The three-day conference at Biola University marked an important benchmark for Christian bloggers, who have worked behind the scenes for years to spread the Gospel and infuse politics with religion.

Topics included God bloggers' relationship with the traditional church, their growing influence on mainstream politics and how to manage outsiders' perceptions.

Some predicted bloggers could play a role in reforming the modern church by keeping televangelists and other high-profile Christian leaders honest. ('honest', really, no snickering please - Jage)

Sadly, Lots of People Believe This Nonsense...

2005-10-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

Unabashedly stolen from Mirth, Musings & More

"One man's theology is another man's belly laugh."
- Robert A. Heinlein

From God's Lips to Your...Huh?

2005-10-13T01:43:00.000-07:00

I just don't know what I could add without reverting to pure juvenile humor. Guess this is just another not-so-suppressed sign of abstinence tension, huh? Regardless, I couldn't stand not sharing... Jage

Courtesy of Adult Christianity -

The cover art of the new Christian release, aptly titled After You've Blown It: Reconnecting with God and Others, by Erwin Lutzer, appears to feature an erect penis headed for pursed lips. Score one for the return of the repressed.

The publishers, Multnomah Books, have since replaced the cover, transforming the penis into a precipice.

Jage - If you want a hoot, click on the book's title to be taken to its page on Amazon.com and read the customer reviews. Some are utterly priceless...you can also see the replacement cover there...

Narrowing My Niche and More Updated Links

2005-10-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

After giving the matter a bit of thought, I've decided to quit trying to keep up with the enormity of political news stories, as so many bloggers are already doing such a good job at such, and refine my future efforts to matters pertaining to the current governmental and religious assault on secularism, science and rational thought. I consider this re-emerging movement of theocratic pressures to be one of the greatest threats to our national construct and to the potential progress of our populace. I have several good sources for discovering such stories to relay, but if you ever run across an article I've missed, please feel free to e-mail me at 'thejage@gmail.com'.

In relation to this paradigm shift in my proceeding posts, I've added another round of really good links to my sidebar that I wanted to briefly mention... Jage

The Wall of Separation - The blog site for the organization 'Americans United for Separation of Church and State'. Good news stories and more...

Secular Coalition for America - Lots of related links, stories and other attempts at keeping the minds of Americans rational.

American Humanist Association - Good focal site for national and local programs as well as news and publications.

M*A*A*F - The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. Did you know there are over 100,000 soldiers currently in service with no religious affiliation? These are the men and women who are fighting so Americans can really believe the way they want...

Adult Christianity - Hilarious site that keeps up with the sexual misconduct of men of the cloth along with a host of other fanatical news. Might offend some, but there's much mirth here...

Dissent Magazine - Some very thought-provoking articles dating back years can be found in their online archive. 'Independent thought since 1954' is their motto and it kinda says it all...

Jesus' General - Gotta have a link to Gen. JC Christian, Patriot, if I'm going to focus on fanatical fundamentalism!

World O'Crap - Excellent and funny all-around blog site covering politics, religion, entertainment and all things anti-Ann Coulter.

The Air Force: Keeping the Crusades Alive

2005-10-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting little ditty that many people may have not noticed (full story here). In short, an Air Force Academy graduate brought suit against the service to make Air Force Chaplains stop proselytizing personnel who didn't believe in good old Yahweh. Unfortunately, most people don't really understand the scope of this obscure word and practice. Basically, it means that Chaplains had the official authority to induce or coerce Air Force personnel into their religious sect if they didn't convert willingly. The Air Force has tried to semantically back away from 'proselytize' by using 'evangelize' in recent documents, but the case shows their tactics more matched the definition of the original term. Yep, that's what we're talking about here...required religion as part of volunteer service to the federal government. Yet another step towards the Government of God to one day come... Jage

As The Washington Post reported, “The document was circulated at the Air Force Chaplain School until eight weeks ago. It was a ‘code of ethics' for chaplains that included the statement ‘I will not proselytize from other religious bodies, but I retain the right to evangelize those who are not affiliated.'”

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In July, Brig. Gen. Cecil R. Richardson, the Air Force's deputy chief of chaplains, echoed the language in the directive, telling The New York Times, “We will not proselytize, but we reserve the right to evangelize the unchurched.”

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Weinstein, whose son Curtis currently attends the Academy, hailed the move. “They say the bad guys we're fighting, the jihadists, represent a theocratic, fascistic movement,” Weinstein told The Post. “If the United States Air Force, probably the most technologically lethal organization ever assembled by man, has a policy of evangelizing ‘the unchurched,' you tell me how that makes us look.”

The End of Days of Sanity...Zeus Help Us All

2005-10-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I should listen to my own words, but I haven't gotten to that sardonic and reflective stage of looking at this newest absurdity. First, a bit of the story -

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Prominent US preacher Pat Robertson said that recent natural disasters around the world point to the end of the world and the imminent return of Jesus Christ.

"These things are starting to hit with amazing regularity," Robertson told CNN, remarking on the coincidence of a major earthquake that killed thousands in Asia Saturday and recent killer hurricanes slamming the United States.

Those disasters come less than a year after a massive tsunami levels huge portions of South Asia, killing more than 31,000 people and leaving some a million left homeless.

Devout Christians believe that the "last days" will be marked by political and geological upheaval, and Roberts said recent events show that those days might have arrived.

Asked if the world was reaching this moment, Robertson said: "It's possible. I don't have any special revelation to say it is but the Bible does indicate such a time will happen in the end of time. And could this be it? It might be."

"Unhhh, I'm squeezing out another, unhhh...prophecy..."

Okay, I'll admit, it's really nothing new, especially considering the source. I mean, how many times have we heard this coming from him already. I vividly recall a few similar rapture-around-the-corner revelries fall from those same lips in my scant forty years of existence. But, once again, this predictable prattle has resulted in getting me puffed up about a couple of other related matters...

First, I have now officially thrown out any hope that CNN's coverage during Katrina may have instilled in me for the actual revival of journalistic integrity on the boob tube. Beyond advertising every wacko-religious theory on the cause of the last hurricanes to strike our coasts, now they have given Pat Robertson (who's recent 'assassinate' Chavez comments pretty much underlined his self-reinforcing delusional state) a national platform in which to speculate that the newest disaster in Southern Asia has possibly tipped the balance in revealing the ultimate Biblical wet-dream. You have got to be fucking kidding me. And CNN gets no softening points for airing the skit on a Sunday either...

Let's just skip the obvious demeaning of human death and suffering such remarks infer from a supposed Jesus-loyalist and go to my first ancillary rant. I'm flat-out tired of extreme fundamentalist fanatics getting a free-pass when determining what's newsworthy. What is the ethical difference between helping to proliferate this particularly zealous interpretation of disasters from that of any other fringe group in our country? There are uncountable militant/race-oriented/fill-in-the-blank hate groups in this nation who, I'm sure, also have plenty to say on these matters with comparable zany explanations. Naturally, they don't get the air-time because they are generally on the opposite end of the spectrum from rational discussion of news events. But solely because Pat Robertson and his ilk wrap their perverted world-views around established religious organizations, these guys are continually allowed to skip the 'crazy-gauge' test with our news organizations. And it's done solely for the ratings that such controversial, yet condoned, guests end up bringing them. On Monday I noticed that CNN was having Jerry Falwell in to discuss Robertson's hopes for our future. I would have watched it, but when they splashed the title 'End of Days?' across the screen to promote the coming segment, I just couldn't stand it anymore. Of course, both interviews were conducted by Wolf 'The Sky is Always Falling' Blitzer…what an alarmist asshole…

Finally, does anyone remember when Pat Robertson was one of the group of American Christian icons who regularly gave 'spiritual advice' to former President Ronald Reagan? And we all know how religious our current leader is - so much so that one of the primarily 'selling' features for his newest Supreme Court nominee is that she is an 'evangelical' Christian (I still can't believe that's supposed to be a good trait). Personally, the knowledge that, whether spoken or not, we allow the number one position in our country's government to be held by people who fundamentally agree with Robertson's denouement of life scares the absolute shit out of me. Do people not understand the underlying ramifications of having a President who literally believes that a day will come when an invisible ethereal being will wipe out a bulk of the world's population? (Not to mention that such wide-scale extinction is to be targeted on those with differing religious philosophies) Can anyone honestly say that such beliefs don't influence the daily decisions our leaders make? I've said in the past that it always worries me that these people might sub-consciously (if not consciously) help bring about such 'apocalyptic' times through their actions, or inactions, to world events. And, in all honesty, can we ever truly believe that a President who describes himself as a born-again evangelical Christian and who believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible can really put such thoughts of a coming Rapture aside while waging a war against nations of predominately opposing faiths? Worse, does anyone but us small minority of realists hidden here and there across the country even care about this potential fatal flaw in our President's psychology? I'm almost afraid to hear the answer to that question… Jage

The Cosmic Dice Keep a'Rolling

2005-10-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Wow, how life can turn on a dime...

I won't be posting for a day or two (at least) due to the fact that my wife got in a very severe car accident yesterday. Considering how bad it was, it's amazing that she's alive today. Got hit directly in the driver's door by another car going between 35-40 m.p.h. Hit so hard that her eyeglasses flew off her head, out the shattered window and to the ground 4 feet away from the car. The engine from the other car was halfway in her seat, squeezing her between it and the still-restrained seatbelt.

We spent almost 8 hours in the emergency room yesterday before she was released. Amazingly, she had no broken bones, internal injuries or other serious problems. She did get hurt (impact bruises, glass cuts, etc.) and will be getting around on crutches for a while to come but to say that she was lucky is an extreme understatement. I've seen many a fatal accident scene with far less vehicular damage than was involved in this one. No one was killed in the other car either, but there were injuries all around.

So, my focus will be on the wifey-on-the-mend for a good while, as it should be. And a reminder to everyone reading this, forget all the small problems and worries in life...they really don't matter in the long run...be happy...love those around you and make sure they know it...today could literally be their, or your, last day alive... Jage

'Hippocratic Oath' for Educators

2005-10-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on a reality-based primer/post regarding the newest creationistic, parasitic assault on knowledge named 'Intelligent Design' (which hopefully will have some unique perspectives on the issue), but in the interim I thought I'd post a related funny (or I guess you could call it that...I'm somewhat torn in seeing the humor in this matter anymore)... Jage

The Sky is Falling...Again...and Again...and Again...

2005-10-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Worry about the Avian Flu...worry a lot...until we tell you what the next world-ending event could be...then forget this and worry about that...

Sorry, guys, I'm not buying it. First, let's talk about a couple of facts involving this newest, greatest threat. In the past decade, there have been less than 70 human deaths worldwide from 'avian flu'. Less than 70 out of a population of 6 billion. Hmmm...then how about this? Since the first documented occurrence of avian flu, there has not been one single case of human-to-human transmission of the virus. Not one single case. Do the math...it doesn't equal out to any need for fear.

Bah, you may say, what about potential mutation and migration of the disease? There's always the chance of that happening and millions upon millions upon millions of people dying as a result. Okay, yeah and sure, there's always the chance for such an evolution of the virus...such is our biological, bacteria-filled existence on this planet. But I don't believe that's the real organism at work here...

Those that have read my past posts already know of my utter disdain of the TV news networks. Journalism in that medium, and under the pressures of ratings and advertising monies, has turned into a shallow whorey shell of its former self. Sensationalism and hype have become paramount in their current construct because, sadly, that's what sells. And selling the news, instead of reporting it, has unfortunately become the fact of the matter. I used to not watch any cable news at all but I eventually decided that occasional viewing is important, if only as a social litmus of our increasingly predetermined and preprogrammed national psychology.

Anyway, and back to the point of this quibble, I watched a bit of CNN today where Candy Crowley (who I used to really respect) went on and on about the pending danger of the avian flu. To paraphrase, her message was that the media are the heroes of this issue as they have brought the message of this potential 'red flag' of doom and gloom to the American public when it may have been a matter 'that wasn't even on their radar'. And she went on to express how interesting it will be to watch how our government handles this coming problem in light of how they failed with Hurricane Katrina. Then Candy said one thing that stuck in my head, "Here's the problem, it (avian flu) isn't here yet". Granted, that may be taken a bit out of context, but I think it addresses the deeper issue here...always be afraid, death is coming to get us. Of course, once Andrea Koppel started introducing CNN's new 'Faith and Values Correspondent', I had to change the channel before I had a bad case of philosophical reflux across my desk.

In short, yes, there very well may be another pandemic in the next half-century and I'll admit there's always the possibility that the avian flu could play a part in it (though I'm suspect of that). But is this justification for the creation of vaccines to protect against a flu that doesn't really yet exist? And, someone please tell me, how preparing for a disease which may or may not occur is in any way is more important or practical than trying to cure current and real medical problems (like AIDS, perhaps). I've seen and read more coverage on the bird virus in the past month than I have on cancer (which kills over 500,000 Americans each year) in the past year. But Heaven forbid that such realities should ever matter to our Fear News Networks, n'est pas? That's just frankly not what pulls in the money...

Yet, as with most issues facing our culture, it's always easier to fret tomorrow than it is to understand yesterday, much less try and correct today. When we fear the boogeymen around the corners, whether it's terrorists or pandemics, we oft discard facing the real problems walking alongside us all...and so it goes...we have nothing to fear except for the news of fear itself... Jage

“The more you can increase fear of drugs and crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you can control the people.” – Noam Chomsky

Updated Links

2005-10-09T00:49:00.000-07:00

Made a few recent additions to the sidebar links that I wanted to draw attention to... Jage

Big Fat Liberal / GREATSCAT! - Two fantastic blogs of fellow progressive thinkers...

The Ross Institute - Great database/clearinghouse/forum of information on current cults and similarly destructive sects.

The Onion - Only the best online fake news available.

CSICOP - Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. Founded by a score of scientific and academic scholars including one of my heroes, Carl Sagan. And the truth shall set you free...

Halloween Links from a Heathen

2005-10-08T23:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a round of some unique halloween/horror/gothy links to help set an early mood for the pending Pagan holiday. Have fun!...Muaahahahaha... Jage

Haunted Memories - Where the pictures of sweet little Thomas above originated.

The Story of Deacon Brodie - Some background data on the dichotomous deeds of the real source for the 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' story. Always intrigued me...

Ultimate Jack the Ripper Site - The end-all site for all things Jack the Ripper. They have scans of everything from the original police reports and sketches of the murder scenes to the most extensive collection of photographs of the victims. Might sound morbid, but it's still the pinnacle of serial-killer murder mysteries of the last two centuries. If you just don't understand how truly awful this guy was, click on the photo at the bottom of this post for a detailed picture of his last, and absolutely worst, victim - Mary Kelly. Be warned though, it's very gruesome...

Custom Creature Taxidermy - She may call it art, I call it disturbing. At least they use road kills and similarly deceased carcasses for their work

Bloody Disgusting - Up-to-date horror movie/TV entertainment news and more macabre than you can shake a stick at...

The Devil, I Mean, GOD Made Me Do It…

2005-10-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

"You see, heh-heh, I've got a special porpoise in life, heh-heh."

Does anyone really doubt this happened (other than Scott McClellan, I mean)? Or, more importantly, is anyone really surprised? Others still say I’m a pessimist in my concerns of a looming theocracy in the next few decades, but little red flags like these keep reminding me that the possibility for such a political potential is still ever-present… Jage

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House has denied that US President George W. Bush said God told him to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, as a new BBC documentary is expected to reveal.

The documentary series set to be broadcast later this month in Britain claims Bush made the claim when he met Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas and then-foreign minister Nabil Shaath in June 2003.

He also told them he had been ordered by God to create a Palestinian state, the ministers said.

Shaath, now the Palestinian information minister, said: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God'".

"'God would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan'.

"'And I did. And then God would tell me, 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq... ' And I did'.

"'And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, 'Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East'. And by God I'm gonna do it'," said Shaath.

Abbas, who was also at the meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, recalled how the president told him: "'I have a moral and religious obligation'".

"'So, I will get you a Palestinian state.'"

In the Event of Rapture...

2005-10-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

This is too good of a gem to pass up...thanks to Delish from Matilda's gang for the heads-up... Jage

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Last Days Bible Church has taken a novel step to prepare people for the Rapture: under each seat in the sanctuary is an airline-style safety card giving instructions for what to do when the Rapture takes place.

"It's a way of getting people's attention," says pastor Mark Eckers, who preaches often about the end times. "We are concerned about people's Rapture preparedness."

Ushers hold up the Rapture Safety cards and give a complete safety demonstration before each service, even pointing out exit routes for people who are not taken by the Rapture.

For believers, the cards depict various Rapture poses they may strike when the trumpet sounds: the flange pose, with both arms pointed down like a badminton birdie. Or the more popular Superman pose: one knee up, both arms held skyward.

"When the Rapture happens we want saved and unsaved people alike to get through the experience safely," says Eckers. "We're especially concerned that no one get trampled, because, of course, the ushers will be gone."

(I guess I need one of these guides, I was under the impression that the intended pose was bending over and grabbing your sides from laughter - Jage)

'Serenity' Aims to Misbehave

2005-09-30T23:30:00.000-07:00

This is the one and only time I'll make a post of this nature, but I just got back from watching 'Serenity' at the theatre with my wife and Delish from Matilda's gang and, well, I'm a very satisfied person right now. For those who don't know the back story on the movie, it's the end-product of the ever so short-lived TV series 'FireFly' by Joss Whedon. The series was a true sci-fi\western, complete with spaceships, horses, six-shooters, settlers and train-robberies. But beyond the unique mythos created for the show was something that is rarely seen in either television or the big screen these days...truly three-dimensional characters with superbly crafted dialogue. Fictional characters that, if you weren't careful, you'd start caring about as if it really mattered. And it doesn't matter if you hate sci-fi, this was a series that transcended genres with unequaled skill and grace.

It was canceled on television because the executives at Fox weren't happy with what they had received from Joss Whedon. They wanted your typical formulaic show aimed at teenie-boppers and they got an eclectic, very adult drama where characters cursed in Mandarin Chinese and the stories didn't always have happy endings. In retribution, they never showed the 2-hour pilot for the series until the end of its run, they aired most of the shows out of order (and they were extremely sequentially-dependent) and basically gave the creator and cast complete Hell. To make a growing story short, Universal saw the jewel 'FireFly' was and bought the rights to the show from Fox, the DVD set of the 13 episodes was released and sold like wildfire and the green-light was quickly given for a film.

So, that brings me back to the film. I won't review it as there's a jillion commentaries already out there, but I will again say that's the most satisfied I've been from a movie in quite a while. It was the perfect conclusion to the series and wasn't the typical 'everything ends in roses' crap as with most American flicks. As with the series, the dialogue was fantastic and the increased budget really showed in every single facet. The theatre was almost packed and the audience was really into the story, though I suspect more than a few were FireFly fans as was the case with our clan. Fans of the series will be both elated and bummed upon reaching the end credits, but none of us can honestly say it wasn't true to form for the world of FireFly.

I don't know if I'd recommend it to someone who hasn't seen the series. It's an excellent movie, but I truly can't imagine seeing it through uninitiated eyes. My wife said she thought there were a lot of 'normal' viewers in the audience tonight along with us fans and, if so, that's a good sign since all were very vocally engaged with the story. I admit I did hear a lot of good comments from people in the lobby after the movie and they didn't all sound like familar fans of the show. Though on a side note, I surprised myself by going into the movie hoping it might be the start of a series of movies with the cast but coming out almost decided that it should end here. The closure was just that fulfilling.

Anyway, if you haven't seen the show yet, do yourself a favor and go buy or rent the 'FireFly' TV series (only $30US) and watch those until the movie comes out on DVD later this fall. However, if you're a fellow Browncoat, don't hesitate, just go…you might not leave the theatre with a big smile on your face, but you'll be happy nonetheless... Jage

Only Christians Need Apply

2005-09-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

This almost got buried in the past week of all-hurricane news, which is an extremely sad note. On the 23rd of September, an update to the Head Start program was passed in the House of Representatives which now allows preschool employers of the program to hire employees based upon their religious affiliation. Yep, that's right...'based upon their religion'. So much for the EEOC when federal grant monies are involved, eh? Boy, I tell you, it's a good thing all those crazy rumors about our country slowly becoming a theocracy are just the stuff of wacko minds... Jage

Full story here...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Churches and other religious groups are allowed to receive federal money to provide preschool to poor children. Now, the House says, they should be allowed to hire based on religion.

In a broad update of the Head Start program, the House voted Thursday to let preschool providers consider a person's faith when hiring workers — and still be eligible for federal grants. The Republican-led House said the move protects the rights of religious groups, but Democrats blasted it as discriminatory.

Only 23 Democrats supported the House bill, which was approved 231-184. The vote on the amendment allowing the religion-based hiring was even tighter. It passed 220-196, with support from 10 Democrats.

"This is about our children, and denying them exemplary services just because the organization happens to be a religious one is just cruel," said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.

Rep. George Miller of California, the ranking Democrat on the Education Committee, said the religion provision marred an otherwise strong bill. "That is wrong," Miller said. "It is a violation of our civil rights laws and it has sunk the chances of making this important bill a truly bipartisan bill."

"Congress should not be in the business of supporting state-sponsored discrimination," said Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla.

The new Head Start logo?

God Storms: A Historical Perspective

2005-09-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

As is generally the case in the wake of devastating weather events such as Hurricane Katrina, we’ve all heard from one religious group or the other in regards to the supernatural implications of such a violent storm. Whether it be related to homosexuality, sexual promiscuity or the availability of abortions (the linkage and significance of which I will discuss later in this post), there’s never a shortage of explanations about natural disasters serving as deserved punishment sent forth from their designated higher power. As most sane and rational people, I tend to have an initial volatile mental reaction when these claims start spewing until logic slowly kicks in and reminds me of the reasons behind such flights of fantasy. Actually, after a bit of reflection, I, at times, even feel my disdain turned more towards pity for these people. After all, many of them will go throughout their entire lives without any basic understanding of the commonalities they shared with our primitive ancestors who started the ball rolling on what has become their modern-day faith…

First, let’s travel back a few hundred thousand years and view the world from the perspective of an early Homo sapiens man who we’ll call ‘Grog’ for this purpose. Grog is quickly finding himself at the top of his world. He has conquered the competing Neanderthal species into extinction. There is no wild beast that he and his fellow hunters working in a team cannot eventually ensnare or kill. Life is a struggle for Grog (though not as much as it had been in previous generations) but he has reached a balance and understanding of the natural world around him with only a few nagging exceptions: the weather and geological events, death and the galaxy shining above. These were forces beyond the ability of Grog’s ‘cave man’ aptitude to explain in the terms of his existence. Of these annoyances, none had the daily impact on his very survival as did the weather. It could provide the best of hunting days or turn and hold the entire tribe at its mercy. And when it turned savage, it often brought death in its path. Being unable to define such natural occurrences in the compacted view of the food chain he operated within (and with zero understanding of the science behind it), the only path left for Grog was to assign control of the weather to powerful, and unseen, forces or beings. Hence, the earliest forms of religions were born to man…

Weather also played a crucial role in the transition of religion from an individual belief system to that of an organized construct. The most primitive sects known in our history were founded when one individual claimed to have a special relationship above all others with such natural forces and soon had a following of 'believers'. It may have been a claim to actually control the weather or simply playing the role of explaining to the group why weather events had occurred. Regardless, and aside from the mysteries of death, weather was probably the most influential ingredient to the recipe of our spiritual perception of the world around us. As maintaining a managerial handle on the skies above proved problematic for early shamans, assignment of the weather reigns were slowly transferred over to non-visible Gods in nearly every archaic faith. Of these (and there are hundreds of examples), Zeus has always remained personal my favorite as few Gods played such a direct and active role as he and his angry bolts of lightening.

Even in modern Christianity, it’s not hard to find examples of the direct guidance weather had in that faith’s formation and development. I won’t begin to cite the innumerable stories in the Bible of weather being directly controlled by Yahweh, but rather will briefly touch just on how weather and geological disturbances served as the foundations upon which the Christian version of the afterlife is based. Back from the days of Grog, the activities of daily life were strictly governed by the pending weather on the horizon. Blue skies and white puffy clouds were good stuff; skies clear enough to see all the shining lights in the night sky were even better. Peace in the sky meant a less harsh life on the ground. In essence, there’s your starting point for the ‘fluffy’ contemporary view of Heaven. As for the heated descriptions of Hell, I’ll just take it for granted that everyone reading this is aware that the modern interpretations of that domain heavily lay in the hands of the Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, and the first book in his Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy), namely ‘The Inferno’. Considering the history of Italy and volcanic eruptions (today it’s labeled the ‘Cradle of Volcanology’ by the scientific community), it’s a sociological given that the denizens of that region had not only a great respect for unpredictable geological occurrences, but a deep-rooted cultural apprehension and fear of the burning death it regularly brought. In a nutshell, this is where the visions of flame and lava as eternal punishment in the Christian mythos were first committed to print to endure to this very day almost 800 years later. Though, in all anthropological honesty, I guess we can’t solely blame Dante and his geographical location for this aversion to flame. Even Grog suspected a mystical property to flames since there were only two natural reasons for the occurrence of fire: lightning and volcanic eruption. Fires in the primitive nature were powerful and dangerous mojo that left a lasting impression for millennia of generations.

Fine and dandy, you may say, so that’s how weather played a role in forming our religions, but why is still described as a tool for Godly vindication for society’s sins? Well, to address that issue, let’s bring back up the three main reasons I listed above that were associated with the recent destruction of Hurricane Katrina (homosexuality, promiscuity and abortions). It takes far less than a rocket scientist to see the common denominator in these areas of blame; sexually-related activities that deviate from the more puritanical views on the subject. But before going forward, let’s understand why major religions have such adversarial attitudes towards active intercourse and, more importantly, why that view actually stands in contradiction to the continuing attribution of God controlling the weather.

A key component of the principles of most monotheistic religions has always been the separation, or better said, ‘elevation’, of man from the natural world around him. I have been in debates with Christian friends on many occasions in the past where they would literally turn blue in the face before admitting man was, at his biological core, an ‘animal’. As one of several approaches to delineating man from the animal kingdom (along with a propensity to demean women as sexual miscreants, which I’ll save for another article), the self-control of sexual impulses has long been regarded as the integral cornerstone in setting us aside from the other beasts fornicating openly in nature for all to see. In more ancient and unabashed times, punishment for sexual activity outside the dictates of the religious authorities didn’t need to wait for such ethereal judgments as storms…those in charge of our older faiths often took matters of punishment into their own hands. But as legal systems formed over the course of advancing societies, protections eventually fell in place to protect the common citizen’s non-criminal sexual adventures from the wraith of the zealots. So, the torch for administering ‘moral dues’ for such non-approved sexual behaviors fell to the guardians of the afterlife and to disasters, whether natural or man-made, that were beyond the faith’s ability to physically control.

So, how does this connection of God-controlled weather by religious fanatics stand in contrast to their other views of ‘God in Nature’? Well, that’s easier to illustrate than you might realize. Some of the earliest religions held the natural world as a crucially-important component of their faith. As societies evolved and man became master of the animal kingdom, God’s direct influence over the beasts of our world faded. They became relegated to soulless creatures put here by the Creator for either our consumption or amusement. With the onset of the Industrial Age and man’s rapid ability to raze the lands around him for energy, agriculture and expansion, God slowly filtered out of the environmental picture as well. The woods, soils and waters of our planet became mere resources, again provided by the Almighty solely for our mastery and unbridled use. Hopefully, you can see the obvious pattern emerging here - once we can control it, God no longer does. Hmm, the involvement of our modern Gods in the natural world seems little more than selective at best from that perspective, doesn’t it? We exclude his opinion on cutting down a rain forest, but we pat him on the back for swirling up storm clouds to rid us of fellow sinners. Though it may seem science-fiction to most, there will come a day far in the future when we are able to moderate, if not directly control, weather systems and their impact on our civilizations. And when that point of meteorological mastery arrives, God will finally fall out of the equation in this regard as well.

I also could spend a good amount of discussion on the logical fallacies of a belief system that purports the Creator of the entire universe becomes personally involved in one single planet and its inhabitants. By claiming that Gods still directly control natural aspects of our world, these so-called ‘religious’ persons only show how little they understand the vast immensity of the universe. It’s the philosophical equivalent of a human traveling to the other side of our planet for the sole purpose of moving one grain of sand into (or out of) the path of a traveling ant. But then again, most man-made ‘Higher Beings’ have rarely exhibited intelligence suitable to their designated position of omnipotence. Generally, their behavior is confined within the emotional constraints of our own psyches. As the author Robert A. Heinlein best put it, “Men rarely (if ever) manage to dream up a god superior to themselves. Most gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child.”

Anyway, and back to the original focus of this post, the next time our world is hit by the destructive effects of uncontrollable weather and the religious pundits and freaks again come out of the woodwork to tag it as Godly retribution for this or that, keep in mind that they are the inevitable, though extreme, end-products of hundreds of thousands of years of groveling to dark skies. Grog and Pat Robertson could probably sit side by side and nod in agreement at the forces behind the storm clouds above them, even with millennia of years separating their worlds…if only Grog was intelligent enough to speak and voice his shared mentality… Jage

Puppy Dogs and Blue Skies...

2005-09-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the title, but that's the warm fuzzy feeling this news has given me...Tom Delay has just been indicted on one count of criminal conspiracy resulting from the Texas grand jury investigation of ethical violations regarding campaign finances!! Me rubs my eyes and reads the story again. Not that this will amount to anything in the long run, but, according to GOP House rules, Delay must now step aside and let someone else take over his role as Majority Leader (though such an action is only 'temporary' as Delay just said). Full story is here...

Actually, the more I ponder this, it doesn't really matter if he's convicted or not in the final analysis (though that would be a grand finale to this scumbag's public life). We all know how long trials of this sort drag on in our court system. I personally doubt there's any possibility that this matter will be resolved before 2-3 months into 2006. That means, when he's up for re-election next year, he'll be campaigning with a conspiracy indictment hanging over his head...hence, the death of a political career. That's right, starting today, the Delay era has pretty much come to its end... Jage

Onward Christian Meth-Head

2005-09-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

I am literally laughing my ass off about this one. I just utterly love it when the religious-right designates a new poster-child for their cause and then the curtains are pulled back to reveal the truth. You may not remember this, as our collective societal consciousness only seems to recall events going back a month or two, but in March of this year a young Caucasian woman was taken hostage by, egads, a colored man and the story splashed across every news network for weeks afterwards. Now she's released her book, which may prove to be a tad too real to continue her appeal to the Thumpers backing her. Full story is here... Jage

Ashley Smith, the woman held hostage for hours after the March 11 Fulton County Courthouse shootings, reveals in a book released today that she gave alleged gunman Brian Nichols drugs on the night he held her captive.

Smith, 27, was thrust into a national media spotlight after talking her way out of Nichols' captivity and then calling police. In "Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero," Smith shares details of her seven-hour ordeal as a hostage in her Duluth apartment, and for the first time tells of giving Nichols drugs.
Nichols asked her for marijuana, she writes, but she had only a small amount of crystal methamphetamine. She thought offering him the drug might curry favor, but she says she refused to take the drug with him.

"I was not going to die tonight and stand before God, having done a bunch of ice up my nose," she writes. (Jage is again ROTFLMAO!!)

A Big Sociological Duh...

2005-09-28T08:20:00.001-07:00

A recent study of democratic societies around the world has determined that the more religious the populace of a country is, the more prone they are to violence and sexual deviance. What!? You mean to tell me that people basing their faith on an institution founded on murder, incest and rape have a greater propensity to exhibit such base behaviors? Who would've thunk it?

What's most surprising about this is that, well, that anyone has to read a study on the topic to realize this simple correlation. It's been a fact throughout our history, even though few want to accept or understand it....not that seeing it in black and white will have any impact on the true believers of our society...truths very rarely do...

For the full story, click here. Highlights of the article are below... Jage

RELIGIOUS belief can cause damage to a society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide, according to research published today.

According to the study, belief in and worship of God are not only unnecessary for a healthy society but may actually contribute to social problems.

“In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy and abortion in the prosperous democracies."

The Right Approach...

2005-09-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

The lyrics from a little ditty by John Cougar Mellencamp about our trying times... Jage

"Another Sunny Day"

We see it on TV...we get calls on the phone.
By the prophets of doom...they won't leave us alone.
The planet is dying and there's no time to spare,
Yet we spend all our days sowing seeds of despair.

We get enough bad news to harden our hearts,
This fear that we feed on is what's keeping us apart.
To say that we're doomed is just an obvious remark,
And it don't make you right, it just keeps you in the dark.

I don't want to live angry,
I don't want to live scared,
I don't need no more prophets crying, "Brother Beware".
Just put some work in my hand,
And give me a dollar to spare...
And don't let me sow those seeds of despair.

Well, this earth is a graveyard...it'll swallow our bones.
It was here long before us...it'll be here when we're gone.
And it's a vain generation that looks for a sign,
Don't you think we could make better use of our time?

Yeah, the air could be cleaner and the water could be too,
But what we do to each other are the worst things that we do.
And we can treasure our freedoms...behind our locked doors,
But God speed the day when we're lonely no more.

I don't want to live angry,
I don't want to live scared,
I don't need no more prophets crying, "Brother Beware".
Just put some work in my hand,
And give me a dollar to spare...
And don't let me sow those seeds of despair...

When Federal Agencies Work Together...

2005-09-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

Worldometers

2005-09-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

Got this link from a family member in CA. Great collection of tickers showing a plethora of interesting world data... Jage

www.worldometers.info

GreyHair on the D.C. Scene

2005-09-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, lack of extra finances and prior work commitments kept the wife and me from attending the march in D.C. last weekend. If all the struggling and angry citizens of this country had the resources to travel and express their sentiments about the perversion of our country by the neocons in charge, there would have been millions there instead of 100,000. Regardless, it was a monumental event and, as expected, one that was pretty much ignored by the major media networks in America. Guess they believed Karl Rove when he said the anti-war movement was "non-existent". Oh, well, what'd you expect? There was rain and wind elsewhere for the reporters to stand in and described in detail...

Anyway, I tip my hat to the two individuals I personally know who went to the March...namely, fellow Blogger and friend, GreyHair, and my wife's mother, Moma Sue. Not only did they physically stand behind their philosophical convictions, they literally traveled from one end of the country to the other to do so.

And unlike the 'established' liberal bloggers (i.e., the ones who make money at it), GreyHair was literally on-the-scene with photos and commentaries of not only the March itself but of the arrest of Cindy Sheehan and other protesters on Monday. I highly recommend you visit his blog and read all his posts on the march, but some highlights can be found by clicking here, here, here and here. This guy backs his bitches up and continually gains my enduring respect.

I have to admit after following his exploits over the weekend, I've been getting a sour taste in my mind while making my normal rounds of the 'accepted' blogosphere (e.g. DailyKos, Atrios and others)…they might rant, but they weren't there…and their reasons weren't financial, just ineffectual indifference… Jage

Absence

2005-09-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have went AWOL for a bit...been working hard for the man to, er, pay all the other 'mans' in life. And once again, meeting repeated deadlines is giving me that 'rat in the cage' feeling, so I feel some venting coming on in the days ahead.

Oh, well, I wish I had more time for this blog and about a jillion other personal projects...more to the point, I wish it felt as if I was progressing in life and not just spinning my wheels aimlessly...but, then again, you know what they say about wishes... Jage

'Wishes'
When you wish upon a falling star, you dreams can come true. Unless it's really a meteorite hurtling to the Earth which will destroy all life. Then you're pretty much hosed no matter what you wished for. Unless it's death by meteor.

No Delay in Tackiness

2005-09-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

If only people would remember these revelations of the real people behind the masks in the months to come... Jage

Delay: Whole lotta fun going on!

U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's visit to Reliant Park this morning offered him a glimpse of what it's like to be living in shelter.The congressman likened their stay to being at camp and asked, "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" Other fun activities Tom Delay should try. *starving, *freezing, *drowning, *crying, *toxic burning, *sexually assualted, *being homeless, * looking for lost family members...

"I've got my heart in my hand...can't you feel it?"

Now With Lyrics

2005-09-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

If it had only had audio...a lot in the last few days would have made more sense... Jage

We go wherever we want to,
Do what we like to do.
We don't have time to get restless,
There's always something new.

Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
And people say we monkey around,
But we're too busy singing
To put ~~anybody~~ 'our buddies' down...

Public Exhibitionism

2005-09-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

Something about this just seemed really pertinent in reflecting upon these days of late; then again, maybe that's just me... Jage

The emperor marched in the procession under the beautiful canopy, and all who saw him in the street and out of the windows exclaimed: “Indeed, the emperor’s new suit is incomparable! What a long train he has! How well it fits him!” Nobody wished to let others know he saw nothing, for then he would have been unfit for his office or too stupid. Never emperor’s clothes were more admired.

“But he has nothing on at all,” said a little child at last. “Good heavens! Listen to the voice of an innocent child,” said the father, and one whispered to the other what the child had said. “But he has nothing on at all,” cried at last the whole people. That made a deep impression upon the emperor, for it seemed to him that they were right; but he thought to himself, “Now I must bear up to the end.” And the chamberlains walked with still greater dignity, as if they carried the train which did not exist.

From 'The Emperor's New Suit' by Hans Christian Anderson

Another Past Life Revealed

2005-09-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

We've heard much of FEMA Director "Brownie" Brown's past career, be it as it may, in the Arabian show horse industry. Why then, haven't we heard anything about DoHS Director Chertoff's previous history? Because the truth was too scary to face... Jage

Reverend Jim didn't fade away...
(youngster footnote: this is a reference to 'Taxi' the TV series - rent it, understand it)

(UPDATE - Extra Proof)

"If you find yourself in a confusing situation, simply laugh knowingly and walk away."- 'Reverend Jim' Ignatowski

"You know the really great thing about television? If something important happens, anywhere in the world, night or day ... you can always change the channel." - 'Reverend Jim' Ignatowski

- Louie De Palma: "Ignatowski! Where have you been all week?
- 'Reverend' Jim: "I don't work weekends."
- Louie De Palma: "You been gone nine days!"
- 'Reverend' Jim: "Yeah ...?"
- Tony Banta: "Jim, weekends are only two days."
- 'Reverend' Jim: "Oh, I thought we'd switched to the metric system."

Iraq or New Orleans?

2005-09-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Disaster imagery...varying locations...

Pour On That Compassion

2005-09-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

Wow. It’s a good thing our leaders have decided to be compassionate about this whole situation. The following is from 'The Raw Story', with video from 'Crooks and Liars'. Basically, during VP Cheney's long overdue visit to the disaster area, a victim shouted out some obscenities at the VP while he was giving a speech about rebuilding the area. Granted, it might be considered by some to be rude to interrupt in such a way, but what's enlightening here is how Mr. Cheney, instead of acting as if he empathized with such frustration and grief, turned the situation into a partisan political joke. How petty...how typical... Jage

Cheney told to 'go fuck yourself' in Gulfport, Mississippi

Vice President Dick Cheney, in Gulfport, Mississippi on a tour of the Katrina hurricane zone, was told to "go fuck yourself" twice on live television, RAW STORY has learned.

During a discussion on hurricane relief efforts, an off camera protester shouts, "Go fuck yourself, Mr. Cheney. Go fuck yourself."

The camera remains on Cheney while we hear scuffling in the background. Cheney continues speaking.

Video Here

"If I close my eyes, he'll go away, he'll go away...Grrr..."

Jon Stewart Cuts To It

2005-09-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

On last night’s ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’:

Jon Stewart - “What is the childish phrase this administration demeans accountability as?”

(Scenes of Scott McClellan, George Bush Jr., George Bush Sr. and Michael Brown all referring to the ‘Blame Game’)

Jon Stewart - “Just as a quick observation…when people don’t want to play the ‘blame game’; they’re to blame.”

Click Here for Video Excerpt from Show

Timeline of a Response

2005-09-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

This timeline of governmental response (both local and federal) to Hurricane Katrina is floating all over the Web and it’s an important enough of a read that I’ll jump on the bandwagon and post a link to it as well. It begins on Friday, August 26^th, and continues through Saturday, September 3^rd. Granted, it could be said to be ‘left-leaning’ in its presentation…except for the fact that every event listed is verifiably true. Sad… Jage

Click Here For Timeline

At Least Someone In The Administration Cares

2005-09-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

There is absolutely no commentary needed from me regarding this story. It, unfortunately, speaks volumes all on its own. Just read…(thanks to AmericaBlog for helping spread the word)... Jage

BREAKING: Cheney Was Shopping For A Mansion While Disaster Struck
by Michael in New York - 9/07/2005 12:33:00 PM

Apparently, Condi Rice wasn't the only one who decided that the worst natural disaster in our country's history was the perfect time to go shopping. Rice, of course, was spotted on Fifth Avenue paying reportedly thousands of dollars on a pair of Ferragamo shoes. Cheney stayed on vacation while Hurricane Katrina struck. He stayed on vacation on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday and he was finally spotted back in Washington on Saturday. This was such a gross dereliction of duty that even liberal bloggers struggled for a reasonable explanation. Surely Cheney was deathly ill and simply incapable of doing what any decent human being would do during such a terrible disaster? Nope. Maureen Dowd says Cheney was house-hunting:

The vice president has at long last lumbered back from a Wyoming vacation, and, reportedly, from shopping for a $2.9 million waterfront estate in St. Michael's, a retreat in the Chesapeake Bay where Rummy has a weekend home, where "Wedding Crashers" was filmed and where rich lobbyists hunt.

Dick Cheney was SHOPPING FOR A MANSION DURING THE WORST NATURAL DISASTER IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY. Unbelievable.

"F' Off, I've been busy...Grrr..."

Pounding Square Beliefs Into Round Lives

2005-09-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Even after the non-ending bashing in the media, these guys just still can’t truly wrap their heads around the concept of being poor. At least, in his obligatory clarification, he was able to turn it into a finger-pointing jab back at the local government. I honestly know children who have a better grasp of propriety… Jage

Santorum: Penalize Those Who Don't Evacuate

By SEAN D. HAMILL, Associated Press Writer

PITTSBURGH - Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record) said in a weekend interview that people who don't heed future evacuation warnings may need to be penalized, but said Tuesday he did not mean people who lack cars or other resources.

In a weekend interview with WTAE-TV about the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Santorum said: "You have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving."

On Tuesday night on WTAE, Santorum clarified his comments.

"Obviously most of the people here in this case, an overwhelming majority of people just literally couldn't have gotten out on their own," he said. "Many didn't have cars ... and that really was a failure on the part of local officials in not making transportation available to get people out."

"Huh? Whaddaya mean I said something wrong?"

Olbermann Doesn’t Obfuscate

2005-09-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

Links to this video are already popping up everywhere but I wanted to be sure to add yet one more. What else can one say? Even if there were something to add, it would be hard to match this degree of eloquence. Thanks to AmericaBlog for providing the video link… Jage

"OMG - that is one PISSED OFF Keith Olbermann"
by John in DC - 9/05/2005 09:18:00 PM

Oh, I so wish I'd written what he just said on the air. That man needs to do a lot more commentary.

Watch it here.

You can read the text of what he said here

Still, The Red Tape (Update)

2005-09-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

I wanted to drop in a follow-up to my post about MED-1, the state-of-the-art 113 bed mobile hospital developed by the DoHS, being stranded in bureaucratic limbo for the past few days…

On Monday it was finally authorized to start fulfilling its designated purpose of providing medical care to disaster victims. The units were set up in the parking lot of an abandoned K-Mart in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, treating a puppy as its first patient. It didn’t take long for other injured victims to find the help, though, as the doctors staffing the mobile hospital treated over 100 people in the first 16 hours (story here). I still can’t help but wonder how many others it might have helped (or saved) had it not spent three days waiting on clearance for starting operations from the very department that funded its creation… Jage

A 3-year old hurricane victim receives treatment
from a member of the MED-1 mobile hospital team.

Don't Worry...Christ Is Coming

2005-09-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to ‘The WB42 5:30 Report With Doug Krile’ Blog for catching this story.

Utterly amazing that the church members stayed in the pews after this hearing this nonsense. Or, more frighteningly, is this yet another telling ‘piece’ of the puzzle in why our current administration failed to respond to the Katrina aftermath as miserably as they did? It's not totally inconceivable that when a person (or a group of people) believes in approaching Apocalypses with too much fervor, there’s always a chance that they subconsciously help bring on such conditions in and by their actions or inactions to foreign and domestic events. Regardless, this is disturbing in many, many ways. (though I wish we had known days back that we were waiting on spiritual intervention in the rescue and relief efforts, for I wouldn't have raised nearly the ruckus I have)... Jage

Condoleezza Rice took a break today (Sunday) from her round of Broadway shows and a shoe-buying spree that would do Imelda Marcos proud. Why? To tell the hurricane victims dying hourly in their homes that their prolonged suffering is God's will, not the government's fault, and to lecture them on the virtue of patience:

Asked to say a few words from the pulpit, Rice, a preacher's daughter, said: "The Lord Jesus Christ is going to come on time." She added: "If we just wait."

Earlier at the same church service "Rice nodded in agreement as the Rev. Malone Smith Jr. advised the congregation, "Wait for the Lord." Rev. Smith and Secretary Rice were playing on the words of a beloved gospel hymn that says, "He may not be there when you want him but he's right on time."

"BACK OFF! I'm praying for your safety..."

A Finger in the Dike?

2005-09-05T21:14:00.001-07:00

There have been many stories today on the successful ‘plugging’ of the largest breech in the Canal Street levee. While I commend the effort in achieving this level of shoring, I personally can’t see the mound of sandbags shown today as actually holding in the weight of the lake once water is pumped from the flooded areas of the city. I saw a Corps of Engineers spokesman asked that very same concern today on MSNBC and he responded by saying that, “We have to start somewhere.” All in all, the interview was not very confidence-instilling. Naturally, I’m sure there will be a tremendous energy applied to the structural integrity of the repairs in the levee before they are depended upon to hold back the full force of Lake Toxitrain. I do, however, worry that there may be a propensity to promote good news a bit early in an attempt to bolster the spirits of those devastated by the disaster. The last thing anyone in the area needs right now is a premature “Mission Accomplished”… Jage

A Barrel-Full of Compassion

2005-09-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know, the ‘stragglers’, as they’re called, would be better off by leaving such unsanitary conditions, but this is going just a tad far. Then again, with how the situation has gone so far, it’s not too surprising. It might take a few days, but I forecast calls to “shoot the ~~looters~~ stragglers on sight” from the Ann Coulters of the world in the near future… Jage

By DOUG SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer Mon Sep 5, 7:47 PM ET

In another effort of "encouragement," a Louisiana State Police SWAT team, armed with rifles, confronted two brothers at their home in the Uptown section of New Orleans, leaving one sobbing.

"I thought they were going to shoot me," said 23-year-old Leonard Thomas, weeping on his front porch. "That dude came and stuck the gun dead at my head."

One officer, who did not give his name, said his team tried to make sure that the two men understood that food and water is becoming scarce and that disease could begin spreading.

A Good Honest Summary

2005-09-04T17:42:00.000-07:00

From Crooks and Liars...Bob Schieffer's not happy, you shouldn't be either... Jage

Bob wrapped up Face the Nation today with this:

SCHIEFFER: "Finally, a personal thought. We have come through what may have been one of the worst weeks in America's history, a week in which government at every level failed the people it was created to serve. There is no purpose for government except to improve the lives of its citizens. Yet as scenes of horror that seemed to be coming from some Third World country flashed before us, official Washington was like a dog watching television. It saw the lights and images, but did not seem to comprehend their meaning or see any link to reality."

"As the floodwaters rose, local officials in New Orleans ordered the city evacuated. They might as well have told their citizens to fly to the moon. How do you evacuate when you don't have a car? No hint of intelligent design in any of this. This was just survival of the richest."

Video - (WMP Video Link)

Still, the Red Tape is Costing Lives

2005-09-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable. Even if one were to wipe out of their mind the botched and bungled rescue and aid efforts of the past few days, there is absolutely no excuse for this particular situation to be allowed at this stage in the game.

In summary, this is the tale of MED-1: an extremely well-equipped and expensive mobile hospital paid for by the Department of Homeland Security (DoHS) with a 113 bed capacity and designed for exactly this sort of emergency. After the disaster, the doctors and staff manned the mobile hospital convey and drove 30 hours from their base in North Carolina to New Orleans, where they were stopped by federal officials who would not allow them to enter the city and fulfill their sole purpose of supplying medical aid. Why? Because they couldn’t get clearance from FEMA or the DoHS. (Story here)

After being stranded for several days on a gravel lot 70 miles north of New Orleans and becoming frustrated with the continuing bureaucratic tangles preventing them from doing their job, they left the area, en route to Mississippi where they could finally be of some good. Guess what, that’s where they sit now, tied up from helping due to, yep, red tape. Seems the incredible new emergency aid machine from the DoHS can’t get approval from, once again, the DoHS to aid the sick and dying. Unbelievable… Jage

Dr. Jeffrey Guy, a trauma surgeon at Vanderbilt University who has been in contact with the mobile hospital doctors, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview, "There are entire hospitals that are contacting me, saying, 'We need to take on patients,'" but they can't get through the bureaucracy.

"The crime of this story is, you've got millions of dollars in assets and it's not deployed," he said. "We mount a better response in a Third World country."

And On The 6th Day...Food and Water (Finally)

2005-09-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Let's just hope they don't rest on the 7th day, as all is far from well and good... Jage

Living in a Fantasy Realm

2005-09-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Umm, someone in charge of PR for the adminstration really needs to re-consider using Michael Chertoff (Head of the Department of Homeland Security) to give these sort of speeches. This is what he said Thursday morning, yes, Thursday, at a press conference. Glad he thinks they've done such a good job... Jage

"I think the genius of the people who are working here (DHS), the genius of the people of FEMA, the people in the National Guard, the people in the Coast Guard is, they have been marvelously adaptable...And so I think it is a source of tremendous pride to me to work with people who have pulled off this really exceptional response." (Jage - Notice of the four agencies he named, only the DHS and FEMA are in the 'genius' category. Maybe he means as in the 'idiot savant' vein of genius?)

"Hello, my name is Michael and I'm a recovering hobo..."

Don't You Dare Try To Help Us (Update)

2005-09-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

Though Condi Rice just said in her live news briefing that she "was grateful" for the offers of aid from other countries in the growing tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, when it comes down to it, we're still telling them, "Thanks, but no thanks". Relationships, whether interpersonal or of the nation-state variety, rarely strengthen when one party continually shuns an extended hand from the other... Jage

US refuses Jamaica's offer to help with disaster
by John in DC - 9/01/2005 03:40:00 PM

Why?

Bush has also refused a specific offer of help from Canada, with specific equipment we apparently need. Because Condi has matters under control while she's currently on vacation in NYC buying $3000 Prada shoes on Fifth Avenue today (true story, see below)

WITH each passing hour, news of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina grows more horrific, but the US embassy in Kingston said the world's most powerful nation was not now accepting help from outside, even as the offers mount....

The US acknowledges the crisis as its "worst natural disaster" in its history.

The United Nations went further to characterise it as one of the worst disasters internationally, outstripping even the damage caused by the December 26 Asian tsunami which killed 180,000.

While the destruction from the tsunami was estimated at about US$10 billion (euro8.2 billion), insurance experts estimate that Katrina will result in up to US$25 billion (euro20.5 billion) in insured losses....

Jamaica was among the nations offering what help they could. But the Kingston embassy, while stating its appreciation for the support, politely declined the offers, saying in a statement: "The United States Government is not yet requesting international assistance at this time."

A Picture Says A Thousand Nightmares

2005-09-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Wow. How many of us can really comprehend our lives being reduced to this sort of daily fear in our own country. And the fear of terroism doesn't compare...these are Americans under constant fear of being attacked by other Americans. I thought Apocalyptic scenes like this were only supposed to be at the movies...you know, make-believe stuff that we could sleep tight at night knowing would never really happen... Jage

Give It To 'Em, Jack!

2005-09-02T00:15:00.000-07:00

I had given up watching all cable news television stations a few months back as they continually obsessed over the missing white woman of the week or the latest celebrity’s tribulations, but like most other Americans, I’ve had the channels back on this week watching the disaster caused by Katrina.

And believe it or not, it looks like journalists have finally got a fire under their feet again. It might be late in the coming, but the floodgates to real reporting seem like they're opening once again. Watch the Jack Cafferty clip below…if you aren’t feeling the same way, then I don’t know what to say to you… Jage

Video-WMP

Video-QT (Fastest)

What The Hell Is Going On?

2005-09-01T22:52:00.000-07:00

Really, what the HELL IS GOING ON? I’m stunned, amazed and hopping mad. Hopefully, everyone else is also paying attention to the complete and utter failure of the billion-dollar industries named FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in initiating rescue and aid to the victims along our Southern coastline. Then again, how could you miss it?

But let’s cut to the bone here, does anyone actually think if this disaster took place in another town with a higher socio-economic population that the last few days would have unfolded in the same way? From the President down to those in ‘charge’ of the above named agencies, we have heard several times this week how they have no comprehension of what poverty truly means.

This morning, Michael Jerkoff, excuse me, Chertoff (Head of DHS) said on NBC's Today Show that, "The critical thing was to get people out of there before the disaster. Some people chose not to obey that order. That was a mistake on their part." Wow…what a dickhead. People like him have insulated their lives so much from the reality of what poverty really means that they are just at a loss to even sound caring.

I saw a report today showing that there were well over 100,000 residences in New Orleans that didn’t own cars. And even if they did, statistically speaking those that grow up in impoverished homes generally don’t move more than 20 miles away from their core families. So, a majority of these victims had no outside families to serve as a safe escape…they’re in the thick of it with them as well. And even if they had someplace to go, when you live paycheck-to-paycheck you frankly just don't have the spare cash to uproot like that. You're lucky just to pay the bills and put food on the table. Traveling to someplace else is more of a daydream than a luxury. But these are concepts upper-echelon individuals like Chertoff can’t seem to wrap his head around.

Before I leave the subject of Mr. Chertoff, I’ve must say if someone put a ratty jacket on him, along with a stick over his shoulder holding a bandana of bundled goods, he’d look like a fucking hobo from the ‘50s. Really, it’s embarrassing to see someone in charge of an agency that eats as many tax dollars as it does look like that in front of the cameras. I understand that as the head of the DHS he has a natural aversion to exacto-blades, razors and other pointy-things, but this is the 21^st Century; he can use an electric device for shaving now. Chertoff might not be able to act respectable, but he can at least look the part…

All that now said, I’ll just go ahead and verbalize it as I don’t see many others stepping up to the plate…our government is dragging its ass here simply because the majority of those in need are African-American and poor. That’s also why we haven’t helped the millions of victims of violent African dictatorships over the past few decades (beside the fact that there are few resources for us to plunder in African nations). I’m Caucasian, but I’m not stupid. If this had happened anywhere that the majority of victims were Caucasian, particularly if they were of the middle-income to wealthy brackets, the full-blown rescue efforts and aid would already be in place. If you don’t want to believe that, then you need to study our country’s history a bit more carefully…it’s a process that's been repeated over and over again throughout the centuries.

I guess the only good thing that will come out of this (and that’s a difficult thing to see at this stage) is that members of our society, regardless of their political affinity, will realize that we have an administration in place that’s great at serving their own needs, whether domestically or foreign, but not too swift on taking care of those who elected them when they are in need. And never before in my forty years of being a citizen have I ever seen more people in this dire of need.

Here’s a good link to get a gauge on how people from both sides of the political fence are starting to see the light, now that this tragedy is lifting the veil of bullshit from their eyes. You should read it and get mad if you’re not already.

Also, my wife and I don’t have much money to spare, but this weekend we’re buying a stack of supplies and donating them to the Clear Channel aid effort going on in our city. So what if we have to tighten our belts until our next paycheck? At this point, too many lives are in the balance for the rest of the nation to watch this horror in total comfort. If you haven’t yet donated water/food, money, blood or whatever, do so. Even just a little will help a lot. And go through a local non-governmental organization...at this point, the private sector’s efforts have got to be better than the federal agencies that are supposed to be doing this… Jage

Don't You Dare Try to Help Us...

2005-09-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

I give up…there’s just too much important news occurring to avoid making posts on the disaster in New Orleans… (thanks to Greyhair for bringing this story to my attention)

Wow. Talk about paranoia to the point of insanity. Canada’s Vancouver Urban Search and Rescue team, one of that country’s most accomplished emergency response and aid agencies, has rescue planes loaded with water and medical supplies and ready to assist victims in the New Orleans area. But guess what, the planes are still grounded in Canada because our infernal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) won’t give them clearance to enter our country. Guess they’re afraid of those Canuck terrorists that have been waiting in the wings for an opportunity like this one. Jesus Christ, FEMA and the DHS are showing more with each passing hour how unable they are to respond to this situation, even though providing such emergency aid is paramount to their inceptions as federal agencies, so why is it that they won’t allow readied assistance to step in and help the suffering? People may be dropping likes flies, gangs of criminals might be taking over the flooded parts of the Big Easy, but at least our Northern border is still secure. How pathetically sad… Jage

The Worst of Human Behavior

2005-08-31T23:18:00.000-07:00

Guess I’m going to eat a little crow as this is a post that relates to the Hurricane Katrina disaster…at least, in a way.

This evening, as I was pulling the garbage can up my 400 ft. private drive to the paved road for morning collection, my neighbor at the entrance to my drive came out to talk to me as he often did. Invariably, as most conversations this week turn, our discussion moved to the problems faced by those still trapped in New Orleans and the surrounding communities…and to the looting situation.

First, let me say that I’m an astute enough student of human behavior to realize that tens of thousands of citizens there are now operating on the basic ‘fight or flight’ principle of survival. The rules of society governing civilized behavior have completely collapsed and live-or-death chaos is quickly becoming a day to day reality. Life’s priorities get turned around a bit when something as basic as food rolls back to its origins of hunting and gathering in a dangerous environment. But that’s survival, what’s concerning is the wanton acquisition of materialistic items unessential to existence.

In fact, though it’s not something many want to discuss at this point while so many lives still hang in the balance, this growing situation of lawlessness has a strong potential of not only worsening, but of becoming a worse-case scenario. Within the next month or two, we as a country may very well be faced with the decision of having our soldiers wade through the flooded city and conduct open urban warfare on what will be by then well-organized gangs of criminals. There is an enormous amount of wealth abandoned in the submerged city which represents more opportunities for power and financial success than area thieves could have imagined in their ultimate fantasies. We may soon learn how easily ‘insurgencies’ can arise from areas of physical and psychological devastation…even in one of our own cultural playgrounds.

After covering most of those topics with my neighbor, he looked at me seriously and said, “Well, I guess there is one good thing to come out of all this…a lot of trash is getting cleaned out…either by drowning or the soldiers to come.”

I blinked a couple of times as my mouth slowly gaped. Surely, I had misheard what had just been said. Apparently, the look of utter shock must have slipped through my stony composure enough for my neighbor to notice. Unfortunately, though, in his mind I guess he thought I was looking for a clarification from him more than a retraction. Without hesitation, he explained how he had lived in that area and I just didn’t know how racial the ‘blacks’ there were against ‘whites’. I tried to interrupt to mumble out some stunned words about how I also had spent much time in that area and that, more importantly, I understood the effects of poverty and desperation regardless of the race of those affected. To my dismay, that must not have been good enough for him to get the hint, for he had to lay those final cards on the table by saying “that hurricane just washed away a lot of lazy blacks”. Yep…no kiddin’.

You know, I truly try to be a peaceable person as I find myself aging, but the first reaction that swept my body was still to walk up to my neighbor and, well, end up in jail before bedtime rolled around. Then I paused to consider the possibility that my statements to him might have actually encouraged him to feel comfortable in sharing his inner racism (of which I had no idea). Though I was speaking in objective terms of human behavior without distinction to race, all the cable news is showing at present are repeated scenes of people of color taking items from stores. Those images do tend to have an impact on the easily-impressionable. I calmed a bit more and pondered explaining to him how what is occurring is a product of under-educated and generally poverty-stricken people placed in a situation of previously inconceivable desperation and not a result of their damned skin color. Alas, something in my gut told me that an illustration of racial poverty as related to race in a region to region comparison would somehow be lost on him.

Then a light bulb went off in my head reminding me that he still had family members living south of New Orleans. Family members that may or may not be okay. From his demeanor, I assumed that still might be an open question. So, I did the only civilized thing I could come up with on short notice…I shook my head in pity and walked away.

I imagine there won’t be any ‘night-before-trash-day’ chats between us in the future either. I guess it’s true what they say about disaster bringing out both the best and the worst in people. Apparently, that applies even to those who aren’t suffering directly from the tragedy, but to those who just watch and then react… Jage

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It's All About Science...Even for Santa

Has Fear Simply Become the New God?

God Prefers Big Breasts

Avian Flu Post

The Natives are Getting Nervous...

The Beast from 134,994,000 B.I.D. (Before Intelligent Design)

Sex Sells...Even for Christian Purposes!

I've Got Religion - You've Got Sorcery

Arkansas Blog Index

Jesus Imagery of the Week

I've Become an Official Disciple!

Open Hearts - Open Minds - Open Assisted Suicide

A Lament for an Aborted Chicken-Baby

The Rapture is a Racket?

Thought for the Day

Halloween: Christianity Unmasked, Part 3

Halloween: Christianity Unmasked, Part 2

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Halloween: Christianity Unmasked, Part 1

Who\What God Hates This Week

Jesus Imagery of the Week

Evil Made Easy

Another Reason I'm Not Worried...

Some Small Science News

And I Bet He's a Pro-Lifer Too...

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Jesus Imagery of the Week

Who\What God Hates This Week

Thought for the Day

Messiah of the Month

Messiah Countdown in Israel

Sorry, No More Fishin' Allowed

Beware the Ides (x2+1) of October!

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Thought for the Day

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Who\What God Hates This Week

Halloween with Jack Handey

Jesus Imagery of the Week

God, Genitals and Harriet Miers

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Sadly, Lots of People Believe This Nonsense...

From God's Lips to Your...Huh?

Narrowing My Niche and More Updated Links

The Air Force: Keeping the Crusades Alive

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The Cosmic Dice Keep a'Rolling

'Hippocratic Oath' for Educators

The Sky is Falling...Again...and Again...and Again...

Updated Links

Halloween Links from a Heathen

The Devil, I Mean, GOD Made Me Do It…

In the Event of Rapture...

'Serenity' Aims to Misbehave

Only Christians Need Apply

God Storms: A Historical Perspective

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The Right Approach...

When Federal Agencies Work Together...

Worldometers

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Absence

No Delay in Tackiness

Now With Lyrics

Public Exhibitionism

Another Past Life Revealed

Iraq or New Orleans?

Pour On That Compassion

Jon Stewart Cuts To It

Timeline of a Response

At Least Someone In The Administration Cares

Pounding Square Beliefs Into Round Lives

Olbermann Doesn’t Obfuscate

Still, The Red Tape (Update)

Don't Worry...Christ Is Coming

A Finger in the Dike?