Huh?

Why does Florida offer a decapitated Jesus as a license plate option?

And the beat goes on...

Turns out the Texas State Board of Education is headed by an out-n-proud "Young Earth Creationist" who wants to put Creationism into the textbooks used by public schools in the state. News blurb here.

What is a "Young Earth Creationist" you ask? Well, it's someone who, despite ample scientific evidence to the contrary, believes that the Earth was created in a literal 6 (six) days and that the planet is a mere 10,000 years old because the Bible says so. Now, what I want to know is, who put this guy in charge of what the children of this state will learn? Why does he think it's okay to put his religious and political beliefs ahead of scientific facts?

Scary stuff. Next thing you know, the fire department will hire an arsonist to run their operation.

UPDATE: How to argue with a Creationist.

Another "WTF?!" Brought to you by the AFA

Those wacky folks at the AFA are selling "Christmas Crosses" for front yard display this holiday season.

Some thoughts:

1. Um, Christmas is about the birth of Christ, not his death. That's Easter.

2. If someone in my neighborhood (or any neighborhood for that matter) put such a display up, I'd think they were part of the Klan. I mean look at it! It looks like a burning cross! Yikes!

Those wacky Duggars are at it again...

Yep, they're expecting kid number 18. I found it funny how annoyed the other kids looked when mom announced she was pregnant AGAIN...

Honestly, they can have all the kids they want, but I have to take issue with all the energy and food consumed by just one family.

FLDS Children and their Brainwashed Mothers

This is video (the sync is off, so just listen, don't look at their mouths) of three of the mothers whose children were removed from their home (a.k.a. "The Ranch") and their lawyer. It saddens me so much, not only to know the abuse those kids suffered, but the blatant brainwashing these women have undergone. Their eyes are vacant, their voices meek, and their thoughts are not their own. They don't answer questions, they merely repeat over and over how they are "free" and their children are "free" and so on. It's disgusting on multiple levels. This other video reports that there is much evidence that many young girls were "spiritually married" to older men and then had children by them. There is speculation that no one is legally married to anyone so that wives and kids can be moved around, young girls are sexually available to men, and welfare checks can be received for the dozens of kids each technically single mother has. This is beyond fucked up.

Bored of Stupidity

I'm really surprised that I even bothered to blog about this, as one of the issues I've claimed to be really bored of is the whole creationism vs. evolution thing. Basically I, along with I think many other rational people, are just really tired of responding to people who are clearly trying to pass off religious belief as science. The Institute for Creation Research was trying to get the State of Texas to approve their master's degree in science education. Luckily, commissioners in our state have better sense than to approve something like that.

I used to have the patience to discuss this issue with people, and with the intent of being "tolerant," hold off on calling creationists "stupid." Please don't get me wrong--I am certainly not saying religion and faith are stupid, anymore than any other kind of philosophical inquiry is stupid. I feel that those are very valid pursuits for humankind, just as much as science is; and as much as one field may inspire and influence the other, most people understand that faith and the scientific method are not the same thing. Even those that dip their feet into both pools, such as myself, understand that they are two different kinds of pursuits. Including creationism in science education would be about as productive for humanity as trying to convince porpoises that they should really stop all that silly swimming around already, since they're mammals with lungs and all, so they should be on land.

Eww.

Okay, now I've heard everything. Check out this article on a Yale senior art student:

"Art major Aliza Shvarts '08 wants to make a statement. Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself "as often as possible" while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process."

I can't wait for the weekend to begin

• Michael Gray's "The Weekend" is still in heavy rotation here. It's so damned catchy! Yes, it's a Monday-wish-it-was-Friday kinda week. (I leave for a campout Friday...)
• Check out this silkscreening tutorial from no media kings.
• Stef is blogging again, hence her move from "dead and neglected blogs" to "the others." Check her out! (And we'll very slyly mention here we'd love to see a reciprocal link to HN on her site...)
• The FLDS wackiness is still playing out. The children of the group have been separated from their mothers due to the investigation into physical and sexual abuse. I feel really bad for those kids, born into that bizzaro world of sequestered life, especially all the young girls that were forced to marry much older men (WTF?!). Look, I'm all for religious freedom, okay? Wear your hair in a funny way, dress your kids like little farmers, have multiple wives/husbands, whatever---just don't abuse kids or women or animals! When your religion gets into centralized patriarchal power mode, with male power, pleasure, and dominance at the core of all things, then you've got a big mess on your hands. That shit never ends well. Hello...Davidian Branch or Jim Jones, etc, anyone?

Scientologists striking back?

This kid joined a pro-"Anonymous" group on facebook, went to a couple protests, and shared some food with like-minded folk. Then he got a knock on his front door...

Hmmmm....

I know I promised to never post about Tom Cruise again but...

...he just keeps giving material! Check out this vid of him "singing" at his Xenu-sponsored birthday party. Wow.

You think McCain isn't in bed with crazy Fundies? Think again

John McCain is "in bed" with John Hagee. If you don't know about him, check this video out.

Loves Jesus AND Lying!

A recent study shows Dubya made 935 false statements before the Iraq invasion. Big surprise.

You can thank Booklahver for alerting me to these

Apparently it's trendy to get very unique bridal portraits done these days (see Jesus pose, left).

But did you know brides can also get themselves, their gown, and their cellulite photographed for their husbands-to-be (and the viewing public it seems). Oh, and yes, that link is NSFW. They're called "bridal boudoir" shots -- and they give me the heebeegeebees.

Yes, Seriously.

Tom Cruise is a nutjob.

WTF?

We've all heard of bridezillas --- but this lady's special day went a touch too far in this humble robot's opinion.

Ignorance is bliss?

Wow --- the Iranian prez got an earful while visiting Columbia last night. An earful of laughter, that is. What a boob! Read some of his whacked-out statements:

• "For hundreds of years, we've lived in friendship and brotherhood with the people of Iraq. ... Our people are the freest people in the world. ... The freest women in the world are women in Iran."
• "In Iran, every family who is given a girl -- is given -- in every Iranian family who has a girl, they are 10 times happier than having a son. Women are respected more than men are. They are exempt from many responsibilities. Many of the legal responsibilities rest on the shoulders of men in our society because of the respect, culturally given, to women, to the future mothers." [Ed. note: Who apparently exist only to have babies, nothing more.]
• Oh, and my personal fave --- "In Iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country." Check out this link for evidence against his statement.

What the hell is going on?

Baby G and I got up at 6am and went walking for 20 minutes. Yes, we got up early when we didn't have to and we engaged in exercise. For our health. Because we wanted to. Crazy, right?

Now before you call the guys in the white coats, know this: I actually decided to do this at 9:45 last night. I went to bed at 10 (early for me) and woke around 5:30. I couldn't believe I was up, either. Daxie didn't know what was going on. He didn't care, especially after I turned on the sink for him.

I got a delightful hit of endorphins about 18 mins in, so I am feelin' good! We'll see how awake I am in a couple hours...

Giant Eye-roll of the Day

Michael Vick, dog fighter and dog murderer, has, in his own words, found Jesus. Well, that just makes everything all better, doesn't it?

Karl go bye-bye

Karl Rove is resigning* at the end of the month. He says he wants to "spend more time with his family." I guess now that the world is so completely fuct, he can retire in peace and quiet to his own personal underground bunker and do just that.

Goodbye, Karl, old boy. We hope you choke on a stick of butter.

*Does anyone else feel the revelation of another sex scandal or shoplifting spree coming on? Or perhaps the name of another CIA agent?

An entire museum dedicated to crap

No, I'm not talking about the Museum of Poop. I'm talking about the brand spankin' new Creation Museum in Kentucky. Now you too can pay $19.95 a pop to be told that the Earth was created in 7 short days and that dinosaurs are a myth, their "bones" having been planted by Satan. Salon has a review.