You know the movement must be good when the KKK comes out in support of it. That's right, the KKK in Austin, Texas (Texas scores another point) is planning a rally as they put it...
"... to come and encourage people to vote for Christian Family Values and against legalized homosexual marriage in the state of Texas."
Christian Family Values...That says it all right there.
If the group, made world famous for hatemongering and intolerance, is supporting you, then you must be sharing a lot of the same beliefs.
They say you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. Christians and the KKK - they make a good team don't they?
If the KKK represents Christian Family Values then I guess we can close the book on this discussion and call it what it is. So does this make Christians a hate group too?
Maybe the KKK is simply jumping on the Gay-hating bandwagon. After all, people used to get upset when they plied their hate against blacks, latinos and jews, but in this day and age, we seem to be perfectly comfortable discriminating against Gays and no one but Gays seems to be upset about it, but who cares what they think anyway, they're Gay.
After spending a week in Massachusetts and then another in Montreal where Gays are protected and allowed to marry, it's nice to know that backwards-ass redneck faux-Christian stupidity is still going strong in Texas.
What's it going to take to get people to realize that hating gays is no different than hating anyone else? How can we continue to live in a country that not only condones this kind of behavior, but openly supports it and advocates for it?
You cannot continue to call yourself a free country or a free society if you are oppressing a segment of your population. Especially if all they want to do is live in peace and love whom they wish (sounds like a great threat to national security to me.)
I continue to love the fact that we are so ok with hate and discrimination, but don't seem to be getting at all outraged by the fact that significant members of our senate, house and executive branch are all under investigation or idictment.
Boy are our Christian Family Values out of whack.
|W|P|113025654218982602|W|P|All The Proof You Need.|W|P|
Phoenix|W|P|wonder if the hardline CC's will even acknowledge the support Codesuidae|W|P|I think Ridicus is playing this on over the top. Most Christians oppose same-sex marrage because it is consistant with their texts and their social views. Most are not haters, they just, IMO, have misguided opinions about what ethical system the nations laws should represent.
JollyRoger|W|P|I see a difference between a Christian (the person who actually follows the Christian edicts of staying low-profile, helping the poor, worrying primarily about one's own salvation and morality, and having a personal relationship with God) and the Jesusistani (Fascistic, racist hater of the poor and insisting everyone live to a moral code that they feel themselves exempt from.) What worries me is that I know more Jesusistanis than I do Christians.
Ken Grandlund|W|P|Why the surprise? KKK has always cloaked themselves in a banner of Godliness, though false in all ways. Now they are just finding a way to get back in the fray.That actual Christians (or purported followers) aren't denouncing them and the whole anti-gay agenda is just evidence that they don't know or don't care about the teachings of their spiritual deity.
AVA|W|P|Hey Rudi :) I just wanted to say hi. I was hoping you were less angry about the Christian Conservatives. Maybe if you'd dedicate less time of your everyday life to them, they'd bother you less. Besides, you're very smart and can write about all sorts of other interesting things.Anyway, take care!!
thordora|W|P|have you been smoted for this post or something? |W|P|Excellent, love it! Allegra flooring laminate design free frontpage page web Miarroba teen voyeur pictures Free asian celebity upskirts Honda v-twin cross section upskirt amatoriali celexa dr reddy27s Nude lesbians in showers Ksika renault megane soccer Cheap excess insurance no travel Weight loss from paxil Free thongs voyeur Personal care appliances industry rankings teen upskirts Penis foreskin fun voyeur
OK we're back sort of. As expected the move is not smooth, but I'm back enough to get back to reporting. Thanks for waiting.
In this time before everyone gets indicted and we report on all sorts of government and church hijinks - I thought it would be interesting to take a look at our experiences in Montreal, Quebec.
Priceline Rocks!: Say what you like about it, and I would never use it for plane tickets, but for hotel rooms - it can't be beat. I stayed here for $75 a night - rooms during the peak season can go as high as $300 a night. This was the most comfortable room I've ever been in and was right in the middle of everything.
Canadians hate George Bush as much as I do(hate in a political way, not in a secret service way, fellas): There was anti-bush graffiti everywhere. People were wearing anti-bush buttons, sported anti-bush stickers and were very happy to express their dislike about him the minute I mentioned I was American.
Canadian Burgers are better: Maybe it's the mad cows, maybe it's what they feed them, but every burger I had in Canada, was WAAAAY better than any I had in the states.
Schwartz's - DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE: Everyone I spoke to about Montreal mentioned Schwartz's deli for their apparently world famous smoked meat. Not worth the hassle. It's OK and that's about all I'll give it. Supposedly famous people flock there and if you are Jewish, it's considered a must see. If you happen to be there, you can grab a quick bite for posterity, but if you are not, go get a burger at Boccacinos, you'll be much happier.
You Absolutely Can Get Lost In a City Park: Our trip to Mount Royal Park was awesome - great leaves, a nice hike up to the Chalet for a great view of the City, but on the way back down, the big staircase was closed for construction so we had to go around on the trails - which ultimately put us on the other side of the park - and continuing to go up instead of coming back down. It took almost another hour to find a trail that could get us off the mountain and back onto the street. Damn were my legs sore!
Women in Montreal Seemed to be bigger on the bottom: I will freely admit that this was not scientific, but I've walked around a lot of cities and my observation was that Women in Montreal had much thicker legs and back ends than I've seen before. They weren't fat by any means, they just looked stronger and a but wider - it might be from all the walking uphill in the snow.
If you don't speak fluent French, be careful when you use it: My French is mediocre at best, but I must be able to say Bon Jour without much of an accent because everytime we went into places and I started with this opening, I found myself reading the French menu or engaging in a French conversation that was out of my league. I heard and saw other people with bad French accents, but the people immediately switched to English for them. Damn you Rosetta Stone! However it did come in handy in the Belgian French fry place in the Latin Quarter where they were from Belgium and only spoke French.
Canada is fucking freezing! Especially if you are from Atlanta: I think this is the one thing that keeps Montreal from becoming a world class international metropolis - it's just too damn cold. I'll be honest, I liked this city so much that I would consider moving there despite the cold, so imagine if it was a little more reasonable?
You can be yourself in Montreal: More than any other city I've been in so far, I think you can truly be yourself in Montreal. If you want to be a n uptight business person, a punk skate kid, an annoying brat, a grandmother in a miniskirt and pink hair, a hip-hop Arab - you name it! I saw all sorts of people in this wildly diverse city and never saw anyone with a judgmental look on their face or treating anyone differently because of how they looked.
I'm sure I have skewed image of Montreal and there are probably a lot of things about the city that are not positive - but I have to say that I enjoyed that city far more than any other I've been in in the U.S.. I highly recommend going. In January they are enacting a smoking ban, so it will be even more enjoyable then. I'll be going back this summer when it's warmer!|W|P|113015259364469898|W|P|Observations du Montreal.|W|P|
Phoenix|W|P|welcome back, and I'm glad that you had fun up there. May the rest of your move go smoothly thordora|W|P|Sissy! It's only October, and it hasn't even been that cold!!!You have not mentioned that delicious fatty dinner POUTINE!
Rudicus|W|P|We didn't have a chance to go to Poutine - but we did enjoy the choice of lean meat, medium fat or full fat smoked meat at Schwartz's - we also went to Nickel which was super Celine Dionish. AVA|W|P|Awesome Rudi!!! I'm glad you took some time off, it seems like you had a great time. I'd absolutely LOVE to go to Canada one of this days... I hope I get to go next year. Thanks for the review!!
The Rudicus Report is moving. We are leaving Atlanta and moving to Massachusetts.
The move will take about two weeks and during that time we may have an interrupted publishing schedule.
We will be on the road the rest of this week and visiting Canada the week after that. I will try to get some Canadian stories up while I'm there, but in the meantime - it you have a story about the abuse of power or hypocrisy in government or religion and would like to contribute a piece to The Rudicus Report - please email me at rudicusreport@gmail.com and I will be happy to post it with all requisite links and fanfare.
See you all soon.|W|P|112904867091737642|W|P|The Rudicus Report Is Relocating!|W|P|
Ailyn|W|P|can't wait to have you back in New England Ruddicus! jayne|W|P|Ooo, be careful! We'll miss you! thordora|W|P|You only going to Montreal?Try and speak french-they'll be nicer...
Phoenix|W|P|have a safe and easy move The Bulldog Manifesto|W|P|Hurry on back, bro. The Lone Rangers|W|P|Hurry up and get here already, there are some gentlemen in black suits who are ummm waiting to ask you a few questions. Ken Grandlund|W|P|enjoy the move and the vacation- we'll see you when you return! |W|P|REPUBLICANS UNITE! Dave|W|P|anonymous, I think ur posting on the wrong blog. were not too happy with republicans right now. not at all! Lisa|W|P|Good luck with your move!We all have friends, and if we can do so, we'd love to give them a nice job. Bush has certainly ascribed to this philosophy as he has gleefully appointed unqualified friends to various high level positions throughout the administration - often with disastrous results.
So it really came as no surprise when Bush aka "Captain Cronyism" appointed his own lawyer to the highest court, despite the fact that she had no judicial experience. But the more this appointment is discussed, the stranger it seems.
No one was really surprised with the appointment of John Roberts to the court, although his subsequent appointment as Chief Justice was a bit surprising. And while he could very well be a wolf in sheep's clothing - most people seem to think he'll be reasonable and fair, even if he does lean to the right - but that remains to be seem. However he doesn't appear to be a staunch ultra conservative like the right wing masses were promised, so they were expecting O'Conner's replacement to be the very hardline conservative freak they were hoping for, someone who could get this country back on the road to being a nice, wholesome Christian police state.
So it was with much dismay when Harriet Miers was appointed, since not only did she not have the conservative street cred that were hoping for, but some liberals actually thought the pick was OK, which certainly led to untold levels of bally-hooing by the right.
Did Bush dis his constituency? Did he suddenly grow a brain along with a pair of balls?
It seems very uncharacteristic for Bushy to think inclusively and moderately. As we speak, ultra conservatives are screaming bloody murder and calling for Bush to withdraw his pick. On the surface it looks like Bush has lost his conservative marbles. It could be, or he could be crazy like a fox.
It may not be John Roberts who is the double agent - it might just be Miers. What if she is the perfect pick? Not someone from the system, but Bush's personal friend and attorney - i.e. someone who will give him what he wants and will do what he says.
What if he made a deal with her to put her on the supreme court in exchange for her dismantling and eliminating all those pesky laws and rights that have prevented him from completely destroying the very fabric of our country?
Sound crazy? Maybe not. Apparently Focus on the Family founder James Dobson isn't concerned(and he's ALWAYS concerned). Rumor has it that he has had personal assurances from the White House, assuring him that Miers would oppose abortion.
And then Sen Arlen Specter (The Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman) expressed concern that Miers may have cut a back room deal with President Bush to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
Certainly the GOP and President Bush have a long history of secret deals and ethical violations to their credit, so this would come as no surprise.
Regardless of your position on abortion, do we really want to live in a country where we feel free to "fix" votes and stack a court with lifetime appointees for political and religious reasons? Are we now a nation run by people who will stop at nothing to shove their ideology down everyone's throat no matter how much they have to lie, cheat and steal to do it? Is that what we've become? Is that truth, justice and the American way? No, I'm afraid that something else.
It's called fascism. So bend over, here it comes again.
|W|P|112895297350235166|W|P|Another Quag"Miers" for Bush.|W|P|
Martian Anthropologist|W|P|Quag "Mier". Heh. I love it. Conservative Patriot|W|P|El Shrubbo del Estupido intends to replace the Constitution with the Ten commandments, and change the United States to the Holy Republic of Jesusistan.I am convinced Miers shares his intent. She is a lifelong follower, a trained lapdog, and her most fervent worshipful lapdoggery has been her time with the Chimperor. El Shrubbo aims to strip us of our rights, property, and dignity, and leave us with Jesus and poverty. Harriett, no doubt, will help his plans along whereever she can.
"The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.
The Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland are warning their five million worshippers, as well as any others drawn to the study of scripture, that they should not expect total accuracy from the Bible."
Get out!
If you want to know how far to the right we've slipped as a nation - this document was published in response to the rise ofundamentalismsm in the U.S.
They go on to condemn fundamentalism for its "intransigent intolerance" and to warn of "significant dangers" involved in a fundamentalist approach. "Such an approach is dangerous, for example, when people of one nation or group see in the Bible a mandate for their own superiority, and even consider themselves permitted by the Bible to use violence against others." Wow. I'm really shocked and awed by the concept of an organized religion thinking rationally. And while I still disagree with their belief system, at least they are drawing a line in the sand when it comes to science and religion and the inherent conflicts therein. I think this is a great day for critical thinking. In this publication the church admits that some parts of the Genesis story and Revelations as well as some other passages are either untrue (in terms of literal or historical accuracy) or need to be re-examined for a modern society. "Such symbolic language must be respected for what it is, and is not to be interpreted literally. We should not expect to discover in this book[The Bible] details about the end of the world, about how many will be saved and about when the end will come." "We should not expect total accuracy from the Bible in other, secular matters." Well this is nothing short of remarkable from where I'm sitting and shows that given enough time and rational thought, dogma and rampant idiocy can be replaced by understanding and reality and hopefully someday convert thfundamentalistsdementalists into critical thinkers following a life philosophy instead of robots on their self-created mission from God. This is exactly the reason why The Rudicus Report exists - it's nice to see some good happening - even if it is in other countries. I DO wonder what will happen to Pope Eggs Benedict and his homosexual witch hunt in light of this, since it would be hard to rationalize why they are saying thSemiticanti-semetic curse from Matthew 27:25 which has been used to justify mistreatment and persecutions of Jews is no longer appropriate, but the anti-gay language from Leviticus, which has been used the same way, is still valid. I suspect that this publiinitiallyill intially cause a lot more trouble - but it is a great first step - Bravo Catholic Bishops of England, Scotland and Wales. You can read the full article here.
Ken Grandlund|W|P|Holy Smokes- pun intended- this is a great step from the catholic church- let's see how much condemnation they get from protestant america on this- probably it will be seen and used as justification for the whole reformation- "See- those Catholics are a bunch of heretics- they don't believe and interpret the bible like we do!"
thanks for bringing this to light for those of us who missed the original.
Rudicus|W|P|Well we are already seeing the anglican church factionalizing between the U.S. and the UK over homosexuality - I've no doubt this will probably do the same.It's still so odd to me that the U.S. has become so religiously hardlined.
RolandSmoke|W|P|Rock on. I'm going to link this one on my blog. Organized religion is low and deceptive, while spirituality is truth. Tracey|W|P|Actually, the Catholic Church has always believed that parts of the bible were "sin stories" (i.e. the creation story and the story of the flood) and allegories (such as all of Revelations. It's just that they've just re-expressed these beliefs in writing for current times. It's nice that they did that though.As for condemnation from Protestant America...that's been around for a long, LONG time. To a lot of fundamentalists, Catholics are the devil. Nothing new here. :)
|W|P|You are a beacon of light for us all!! Glod|W|P|I wonder who my local Bishop is. Chris|W|P|I went to Catholic school for six years including high school, and my teachers always taught that the Creation story was more symbolic than anything else.I hope that the Church will rethink its stance on homosexuality. I cannot understand how the Pope reconciles this with "judge not, lest ye be judged" and "love your neighbor as yourself."
I guess those would just be included in parts of the Bible that's not true. lol
Peace,
Chris
"I wish the world was run by love, and absolutely nothing more."
genetic lorax|W|P|You mean they are actually saying that parts of the Bible are not literally, factually, 100% gospel? That's a nice first baby step away from an old, antiquated religion. Nice to hear some good news once in awhile. Thanks, Rudicus.
The Bulldog Manifesto|W|P|Rudicus,Thanks for bringing this to our attention. It's wonderful news. It's funny because it now makes the Vatican seem more progressive than America.
The daily parallels between America under the Bush Administration and Nazi Germany should come as no surprise to anyone. With ever increasing regularity the lines between freedom and fascism blur until they are only discernible by a few ignored rights and civil liberties.
Here we go with another story of Nazi America.
In North Carolina a High School civics teacher assigned her students the project "to take photographs to illustrate their rights in the Bill of Rights,"
One student "had taken a photo of George Bush out of a magazine and tacked the picture to a wall with a red thumb tack through his head. Then he made a thumb's down sign with his own hand next to the President's picture, and he had a photo taken of that, and he pasted it on a poster."
Sounds like a statement of disapproval and a great example of free speech and dissent under the bill of rights. That is until the Secret Service (whose initials are also SS, not surprisingly) showed up. The SS came in while the teacher was out and confiscated the poster and sent it to Attorney General Alberto "Tortureman" Gonzales to determine if the student could be indicted.
While I'm not in any way clear how this constitutes a threat to the President, and further more is a clear violation of the students free speech rights. But how did the SS even get involved?
A employee in the photo developing department at Wal-Mart called them.
So not only do we have the SS confiscating and threatening a student who is exercising his constitutionally protected rights, but we even have citizens informing on other citizens. Does that sound familiar to anyone. Just substitute liberal for Jew and you've got it.
What the fuck has happened to this country when we have people calling the secret police on kids, just because they disagree with their opinions. And why was this even an SS investigation? Would it have made a difference if the student had tacked up the photo with Scotch tape?
If an innocuous high school civics project can trigger a Secret Service investigation, you can pretty much kiss whatever semblance of civil rights you used to have goodbye. Seig Heil!
And now it's time for our theme song:
Deutschland, Deutschland uber Alles...|W|P|112861082698551754|W|P|American Gestapo.|W|P|
QOB|W|P|Now you're attacking my German roots!Why do you have it in for me, Rudicus? WHY???
Do you know any outcome in this situation? What happened to the child?
Rudicus|W|P|It just happened the other day - so as far as I know it's still "under investigation" Dave|W|P|Um Yes,Is this Canada? Yea, Id like to reserve a room! I swear the years of the bush administration should be titled "The dark ages of America"( children turn to chapter 21 and we will read about.....). Im gonna click my ruby slippers three times and its gonna be the year 2008. damn its still 2005! watch out rudicus someone might call the SS on you! what is our country coming to? *shakes head* thordora|W|P|That scares me. Here, my biggest worry is, hmm, public or catholic for my kids since I've done both and for me, my education in GASP catholic school was far superior. If I had done something like this, my teachers might have quizzed me regarding my message and motivation, and made sure I could defend my position, but no one would ever call accusing me of being a terrorist or some such bullcrap.The writing is on the wall. just don't develop it at walmart.
Rudicus|W|P|All we can hope for is that all the people currently under idictment and those on the way - will help splinter the fascists and they'll lose ground in the congressional elections next year and then again in 2008.People need to pay attention.
Orikinla Osinachi.|W|P|I don't know if it is the same story.But here is a similar story.
Anti-Bush artwork banned from campus
GREEN BAY, Wis. (UPI) -- A decision to ban a controversial artwork
showing a gun pointed at President Bush's head is fueling debate at
the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
UW-Green Bay Chancellor Bruce Shepard stands by his opinion that the
work titled "Patriot Act" -- oversized stamps that show a revolver
leveled at the president's head -- endorses assassination, the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said.
Artist Al Brandtner, a Chicago graphic designer, says the work
expressed a desire to vote Bush out of office. Brandtner's attorney
was questioned by U.S. Secret Service agents in April when the piece
was included in a traveling exhibit of 127 mock postage stamps called
"Axis of Evil: The Secret History of Sin" at Columbia College.
The ban sparked protests in Wisconsin and a panel discussion on what
free speech, academic freedom and censorship mean on a college campus.
Rudicus|W|P|It's a different story, but the same basic thing. The Lone Rangers|W|P|Basically the way I see it:Walmart has now been infiltrated by the US Government. The Blue Vested employee turned the kid in to his superiors as was his Walmart duty.
Next they'll start arming Post Office personel.
The Bulldog Manifesto|W|P|Rudicus,Just catching up with my favorite blogs today. Your site looks great. Nice work!
Enigma America|W|P|Or the Stasi? (do a wiki search)It seems these days that the government is bigger than ever and is seeking to control every aspect of your life. We have already seen them get involved in how you treat your illnesses, how and when you choose to die if you are terminally ill and even whom you can love and marry. Well if Republican Sen. Patricia Miller has her way, the government will be able to tell you if you are allowed to have children.
You heard that right. In an compelling argument to prove that Republican = Nazi, Sen. Miller has put forth a bill in the Indiana Senate that would prohibit gays, lesbians and single people in Indiana from using medical science to assist them in having a child.
According to this bill the only acceptable parents for a child in Indiana are a married male and female couple. The married male/female couples are free to use assisted reproduction methods, but nobody else is.
Presumably gays, lesbians and single people CAN still be parents as long as they engage in traditional intercourse to do so, but would not be allowed to conceive through any other means.
While this woman is obviously a crazed lunatic, the part that scares me is that this bill is even being put forth. When do you get to in your head where you think this kind of tactic would be appropriate. And I guarantee you there are a vast number of people who also think this is a good idea.
Forget the fact that this is yet another form of government sponsored discrimination against homosexuals and now single parents, when did we become a nation so intolerant that we resort to the most medieval of laws to force our population to live only as one very small segment of the population sees fit.
I am curious as to how they would plan to enforce this. If they catch someone, wouldn't they then have to abort the baby? Or would they take it away? And then would you get a fine or go to jail? I don't see any way this would actually work.
I would sincerely hope that this bill will get shot down with extreme prejudice, but considering the fact that it will even be given a vote, should show how far we have fallen and how far some folks will go to control others. Viva la Revolucion!|W|P|112852267917915531|W|P|The Daily Discrimination.|W|P|
Ken Grandlund|W|P|What a strange bill to advance. I'm all for children having two parents, but don't much care if they are the same sex. And single parents can also make good parents, it's just that their row to hoe is so much harder due to the economy of today's world.And, as you mention, how do you enforce this? Jail all doctors who help gays/singles conceive? Make prospective parents who need help conveiving get a state approved license?
(shaking head left to right)
Glyn (Zaphod) Evans|W|P|I don't understand. There is so many conflicting messages here. Problems with allowing the use of contraception, but yet, only married people can have children...Next, you will have to be married, straight, white christian people (with blonde hair and blue eyes) to have children...
Rudicus|W|P|What do you mean next? That's pretty much where we are. I'm waiting for them them to start dictating whom you marry - specifically and then genetically engineering your kids. Kellog|W|P|How can they try to forbid someone from having a child just because they are gay/lesbian or single. that is ridiculous Codesuidae|W|P|IMO, that this idea has gotten far enough to even be considered is a big, bright flashing indicator that the representatives in that government are not doing their job.The US government is configured they way that it is in an attempt to give common people the impression that they are in control, while actually keeping people who (in theory) know how to govern in control. This is necessary because the vast majority of the population is stupid and cannot be allowed to govern themselves.
Even lots of smart people are stupid in this respect. I'm smarter than the average bear, but I'd be a terrible governor, because I overestimate the capacity of the average person to act in their own best interest.
So it looks like what has happened is that we have gotten to the point where our government is so huge that pockets of corruption can no longer be squashed by the occasional real leader that comes along, so they continue to grow and we end up with stupid people making stupid rules.
Its very difficult to get out of that kind of situation, it really takes some good powerful leaders, and they are few and far between.
Defiant Symmetry|W|P|Umm, are we in Nazi Germany? Alas, it seems we are. People have just lost it, I swear. I guess I won't be moving any time soon. thordora|W|P|So what happens if a lesbian is raped? Does she have to have an abortion, or give the kid up to heteros?Why do MEN seem to always have the majority of these brilliant ideas?
It's been a little quiet in the ongoing battle between Texas and Florida for which state has the title of most intolerant and stupid population. Florida, who was already winning the homophobia category, put the final nail in Texas to win the 2005 top honors with this gem:
In an elementary school in Orange Park, FL, two 6th graders we're mouthing words to each other while the teacher was lecturing. Not an uncommon occurrence, about on par with passing notes and whispering, something each of us has done at one time or another. While it is often considered rude by teachers, usually students face admonishment, detention or in rare circumstances, a trip to the Prinicipal's office.
But not in Florida. No, teacher Larry Eager decided to really teach these kids a lesson, by making them get up in front of the class and tell everyone they were gay. That's right, this brilliant genius, who up until a couple of days ago was teaching children, thought it would be a good idea to get these kids up and make them sit closely next to each other with their knees touching and holding hands and announcing to the class that they were gay.
It goes without saying that this kind of humiliation technique is completely inappropriate for a teacher to engage in, as well as it being a little overboard for kids, who were probably not paying close attention, but also not disrupting class in anyway.
But the larger issue is the idea that being gay is some sort of punishment and should be considered a thing that was a threat or humiliation. It just goes to show how deep this kind of bigotry runs in this country.
Remember that guy(from Florida) who beat his 3 year old kid to death because he thought he was gay? Remember those other kids(in Florida) who burned down the home of two gay men? Where do you think that kind of mentality comes from? Right here in this school. This teacher was obviously way out of bounds, but for someone who is obviously educated enough to be a teacher to think that this kind of thing was OK, is wrong on so many levels.
This kind of thing maintains the idea that being gay is so horrible that you should be traumatized for life or killed because of it. It's absolutely outrageous that this teacher did this, but I also think it is even more outrageous and contemptible that the teacher resigned. Good riddance you say? You bet, but that means he wasn't fired immediately. He was put on 97-day probation. To me that says that the teacher was only disciplined because the students and their parents complained.
And that's at the heart of it. When the school, the community and the church do not openly condemn this kind of thing but conversely give it tacit approval by not responding with definite action and also turn around and preach discrimination and hated of gays in the houses of god and seats of government - where are people supposed to learn that this is wrong?
Can we really blame this teacher for taking his hatred of gays, just a step further than the church, government and community are comfortable with? Actually yes, because it's his non-thinking, prejudiced action that is at fault, but equal blame must reside with the society that not only allows it t happen, but clandestinely condones it.
This is not the kind of country I'd be proud to call home.|W|P|112843576736128191|W|P|Forget Detention, Just Tell Everyone You're Gay.|W|P|
Dave|W|P|Oh thats just horrible that things like this happen in America. Why people get so hung up on who you love is beyond me. It is so sad the direction that our country is going. You should not be judged on who you love but on how much you love! I hope that the leader we elect in 2008 can help turn this country around and back into the right direction and help unify america again. Rudicus|W|P|Wouldn't that be nice - especially given how successful the current people have been in splitting us apart. thordora|W|P|Standards aren't set for teachers in some places, and even if set, not followed. School boards are full of people, for the most part, looking for some power, instead of looking to maximize the potential of children.Sad.
Glyn (Zaphod) Evans|W|P|That's unbelievable. Kellog|W|P|that is the worst thing that i have ever heardYou are being led to believe that living a Christian life in a Christian society would be heaven on earth with a blissful and morally righteous existence free of the evils caused by the aforementioned Godless relativists.
well speaking for the Godless Relativists, it turns out the Christians are wrong again.
The Journal of Religion and Society a US-based academic journal has recently come out with a study that shows that:
RELIGIOUS belief can cause damage to a society, contributing towards high murder rates, abortion, sexual promiscuity and suicide.
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.
But the delusions run deep in America
"Many Americans agree that their churchgoing nation is an exceptional, God-blessed, shining city on the hill that stands as an impressive example for an increasinglyskepticall world.
"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."
I know none of our regular readers will be surprised by this because we've been talking about this for sometime now, but it's always nice to be validated. I especially liked this part:
"The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developing democracies, sometimes spectacularly so."
The study concluded that the US was the worldÂs only prosperous democracy where murder rates were still high, and that the least devout nations were the least dysfunctional. [The Study's Author] said that rates of gonorrhoea in adolescents in the US were up to 300 times higher than in less devout democratic countries. The US also suffered from 'uniquely high' adolescent and adult syphilis infection rates, and adolescent abortion rates.
Ouch.
"The study shows that England, despite the social ills it has, is actually performing a good deal better than the USA in most indicators, even though it is now a much less religious nation than America."
We suspected as much, but check this out:
"...the disparity was even greater when the US was compared with other countries, including France, Japan and the Scandinavian countries. These nations had been the most successful in reducing murder rates, early mortality, sexually transmitted diseases and abortion." [They also happen to be among the least religious of the developed nations]
Well now. I realize that the fact that this comes from a scientific study will pretty much invalidate it in the eyes of Christians in this country, because as we all know, this is just another theory based on documented evidence anevangelicallygelically inspired with absolutely no support in reality, thus rendering it invalid.
But let's look a bit deeper at this. If we take in account all the social ills that religion seems to foster rather than hinder - religion is not looking so good. But lets take it a bit further and see if Religion has helped in any other ways to cure societies challenges.
Nope.
In fact religion seems to be at the heart of almost every divisive issue currently facing the planet. Evolution & science, abortion, homosexuality, general sexuality and sex education,
law & society (ten commandments, pledge etc.), art & erotica, entertainment & humor, marriage & family, government, language, drugs, gender roles and a host of other issues.
Not to mention all the hot spots of unrest like Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Bosnia, Sudan, Israel & Palestine, Syria and all the associated war and terrorism - ALL stem from religion and religious dispute. You can even look at the Communists - what was our biggest complaint about them? They were Godless Atheists.
When you look at the facts and the true effect on society and the global community, I would say that Religion was public enemy #1. Unfortunately we can not separate religion from society without a revolution. The study that we were originally talking about also established this fact.
"... most Western nations would become more religious only if the theory of evolution could be overturned and the existence of God scientifically proven. Likewise, the theory of evolution would not enjoy majority support in the US unless there was a marked decline in religious belief."
And as we have already talked about, religious people will never give up their religion - even if it kills them. Thus, we are left with a conundrum. How do you get people to stop doing something that is bad for them? We have already seen that prohibition doesn't work, and laws only have minimal effectiveness - especially if you don't get public support from 85% of the afflicted people. What about education and awareness? Not going to work either - 2000 years of history have not changed any beliefs one iota regardless of how many things are disproven or shown to be harmful, contradictory or just plain wrong. You can't oppress it because we all know that leads right to civil war.
So how do you get people to change - especially when so many programs are designed to indoctrinate children at a very young age (just like advertisers and tobacco companies)? I don't think we can. We may simply have to wait for these folks to either kill each other or their societies collapse and just stay out of the way.
QOB|W|P|I have a question: can you find a document or study that concludes both sides of almost every issue? It seems, these days, you can, whether the study or document proves valid or authentic would be another argument.Here's the one thing I can count on, when I feel inundated by data coming in from all sides: ME. I have a soul, a being. And at the core of my soul or being I have a "knowledge" of something that connects, something larger than me, something divine. That's my reality, regardless of your study.
That being said, I am inclined to agree that trying to organize people's beliefs into one standard causes damage to societies and individuals. That would be my personal conclusion. And I come to that conclusion after spending time here, on TRR, and in talking with intelligent non-believers and recognizing my part in humanity. Tolerance, acceptance, giving, caring, sharing, honestly, compassion, and above all else, love.
Rudicus|W|P|Yay!As I've said all along - spirituality and belief can be fine things if they help you get through your day to day life and help you love others etc.
When you organize, then you have to market and make it bigger and that takes money and when you combine that with self-righteousness, absolutism and evangelism - that's a recipe for disaster.
When we made an omni-everything god, that's when things started going dowhill.
|W|P|Damn you're getting wordy Phoenix|W|P|Hey rudicus, some of the quoted text from today's post had some funny characters in it. At least in my browser (Netscape 7.2). Anyhow this is yet another of your recent posts where all I can really do is ponder.
...
Gilbert Koh|W|P|" ... spirituality and belief can be fine things if they help you get through your day to day life and help you love others etc.When you organize, then you have to market and make it bigger and that takes money and when you combine that with self-righteousness, absolutism and evangelism - that's a recipe for disaster ......"
Heheh. I am almost certain that it was I who originally planted the seeds of those ideas in your head.
thordora|W|P|It's not even necessarily the religon that turns so sour...it's the lust for power tied in with the religon that causes the issues. Look at anything regarding women's rights when tied in with religon-it comes down to "lordship and dominion". Simple belief and faith is a wonderful thing. Too bad it becomes corrupted.
Codesuidae|W|P|Faith and religion is only dangerous when believers start believing that they are Right.People who are Right cannot back down, and cannot compromise, and they end up being a pain to live around.