A first-person account of the horrific shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church by bekitty, a regular at Shakesville. Bring tissues.

(hat tip to Mustang Bobby)

*bimbles off*

I miss “RETH! RETH! RETH!”

I may miss “Owie!” more. Not sure, tho.

*bimbles off slowly*

One of the biggest myths the wingnuts love to perpetuate about us left-leaning folk is that we are a bunch of latte-drinking, BMW-driving, elitist college professors hopelessly out of touch with the real world. We are perfectly willing to let the working class starve and immigrants take their jobs because we have cushy jobs, no bills, no problems and no morals.

Well, nutters, meet one of your work-class Repug heros – who is set to cut the salaries of 200,000 state employees in a budget standoff in California.

Sacramento Bee (7/25/08) – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to sign an executive order next week that will temporarily reduce pay for more than 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 per hour to preserve cash in the midst of a month-long budget standoff, according to a draft copy of the order obtained by The Bee.

……..

The Republican governor, in the executive order, argues that the late state budget means there is “a real and substantial risk” that the state will not have enough cash to pay its bills.

He says that his action complies with a 2003 ruling by the California Supreme Court that made clear that without a state budget in place, federal labor laws require the state to pay most workers “either federal minimum wage or, for those employees that work overtime, their full salaries.” The order would require state agencies to stop authorizing overtime for most employees.

The governor also plans to issue a hard hiring freeze except for state jobs “directly related to the preservation and protection of human life and safety.” He also will suspend work for all retired annuitants, permanent intermittent employees, seasonal employees, temporary help workers, student assistants and some contractors.

The order, which would take effect for the August pay period, envisions that state workers would be paid their full back salaries once a budget is signed.

The comptroller for the state has a different view.

[Deputy Controller Hallye] Jordan, [Democratic state Controller John] Chiang’s spokeswoman, said the state will have sufficient cash to pay its bills through September and then, if a budget is still not in place, will go to the private credit market.

Nice. The governor has decided to engage in a political battle to fix the state’s deficit at the expense of the state’s own employees. While issuing the cry that the state is at risk of not being able to pay off debt, he is comfortable with causing hundreds of thousands of individuals into the risk of not being able to pay their bills to prove his point?

How very Republican of him.

*bimbles off*

Dude. S’up?

(My Dad found these cute feral kitties in his front yard a few days ago.)

For more cat-bloggy goodness, visit the Friday Ark today and the Carnival of the Cats on Sunday.

*bimbles off*

Via Atheist Nexus – where I have made six new friends just today and learned all kinds of fun facts about Guild Wars – I found Fundies Say the Darndest Things, which will make you laugh or cry hysterically, depending on your mood.

My favorite so far is a comment left on imdb.com regarding “The Dark Knight”:

the idea that a human can turn into a bat is clearly a subliminal message from the satanists who want to convert this once wholesome and christian nation into a cesspool of sin and secularism. accept jesus now or burn in hell. your choice.

*coughs*

Perhaps I missed something in the whole Batman mythology, but I wasn’t aware he could actually turn into a bat. You know, a little rabies-infested flying mammal? I thought it was all metaphorical, in the sense he was conquering his fear by enbracing it.

This reminds me of a conversation I overheard at a previous job between three women who were about six steps to the right of Hitler in nuttia thinking. They insisted, without having actually seen the movie themselves, that there was an actual *whisper* penis *whisper* shown in “Brokeback Mountain.” Because their preacher told them so.

All I can say is I got fucking screwed on that deal. The showing I saw had no penises whatsoever.

*bimbles off*

Sometimes life just sucks the big one. And, not in a good way.

*bimbles off*

You know who must be hating life right now?

Christian Bale.

I mean, seriously. The guy helped save the Batman franchise from forever being associated with rubber nipple suits and Arnold Schwarzenegger… the guy in the bat suit… Bruce Wayne… the lead character… woohah. And, instead of basking in the glow of yet another mega-hit, now his life consists of respectfully answering questions about his very talented yet very dead co-star.

You know he wants to bite his tie in half.

*bimbles off*

EDITOR’S NOTE: As dutifully noted by Bryan, I got so frothy at the mouth over this, I confused my Carolinas. Dreadfully sorry. I would still like to point out that Jesse Helms was from this general area.

Apparently, in South Carolina, the separation of church and state is more of a suggestion, really.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) — Unless a federal court intervenes, South Carolina drivers may soon be able to profess their Christian faith with a state-issued license plate.

South Carolina’s plate is based on a design by Florida, which was rejected by the state.
The state plans to issue plates featuring a Christian cross and the words “I Believe,” but a group advocating the separation of church and state says that goes too far.

A similar design had been considered by Florida’s lawmakers, but it was rejected there because of concerns over separation of church and state.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which includes Christian, Jewish and Hindu clergy, filed a federal lawsuit last month. The group contends that the plates violate the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition against government favoring one religion over another religion or non-religion.
…….

I think it allows people of faith to profess that they believe in a higher calling, they believe in God,” said Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer.

Bauer has offered to personally pay a $4,000 deposit required for the Department of Motor Vehicles to begin producing the plates. The fee would be returned to him later.
……

South Carolina’s legislature has not made a similar specialty plate available for any other faith, he said.

While individuals can ask the DMV to print plates for other faiths — for a $4,000 fee — the request would be subject to significant limits and rules not imposed for the Christian plate. Other tags could feature a religious symbol — such as the Star of David — but
no words would be allowed.
……

Bauer said allowing Christians to have a specialty license plate is freedom of speech. He said those who oppose are prejudiced against Christians.

“We’re not going to back down,” Bauer said. “We’re going to fight for a change. I’m tired of seeing Christians back down in fear of a lawsuit.”

So, anyone who is against a state-sponsored license plate professing one’s christianity is prejudiced against christians? Excuse me? Anyone besides me getting really tired of these christians screaming “Prejudice!” anytime their fairy tale is questioned with regard to imposing it on the rest of us? Or that they don’t have to follow the rules of this country because of a “higher calling”?

*bimbles off*

“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.” ~~ Mark Twain

“I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” ~~ James Baldwin

” ‘My country, right or wrong,’ is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, ‘My mother, drunk or sober.’ ” ~~ G.K. Chesterton

“You’re not to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.” ~~ Malcolm X

“He is a poor patriot whose patriotism does not enable him to understand how all men everywhere feel about their altars and their hearthstones, their flag and their fatherland.” ~~ Harry Emerson Fosdick

*bimbles off*