Lest we forget

“One of the lessons of 9/11 is that there is no greater source of terrorism, strife, bloodshed, persecution or war than religion.” ~~ Freedom from Religion Foundation

*bimbles off*

No Comments

Friday Cat Blogging: Pica Edition

Pica working on her tan.

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

*bimbles off*

1 Comment

“Indoctrinating” our students

So.

Okay.

Let me try to understand this.

Amend that. We are talking about Texas conservatives here, so “understanding” may be stretching it. I’m still trying to understand why my best friend of 17 years – also a devote Republican and conservative – decided to axe our friendship because I dared argue with her about atheism. Sometimes you gotta file it under “No place to file.”

*deeeeeeeep breath*

So. Forcing children to learn about the bible – a christian ideological text – in secular, tax-funded classrooms in not indoctrination.  Having a state board consider removing all “liberal” historical figures from textbooks and replacing them with right-wing individuals (Newt Gingrich) and organizations (The Moral Majority) would not be indoctrination. Having former President George W. Bush – a Republican – speak to students across the nation about the importance of education and urging children to write him is not indoctrination.

BUT, our current president, Barack Obama, speaking to classrooms across the nation about the importance of taking responsibility for themselves and succeeding in their education IS indoctrination? Apparently, the first steps toward brainwashing our children with such concepts as working hard and respecting people in authority. Only a few steps from another Hitler Youth and the total socialist takeover of our country by a man who is half black.

There are real, live school districts in Texas that are banning his speech from classrooms (Witchita Falls and Lewisville) and some were “debating” today over whether or not to carry the president’s speech (Hurst-Euless-Bedford). And parents – whom I suspect are proud teabaggers – are actually keeping their children home from school. All because the President Obama is going to speak to students. About the importance of education. Being responsible. And, all that other liberal propaganda.

I’m sorry, but where do I get off this crazy train?

I’ve gone from amused to angry to frightened to righteously pissed. The hypocritical bullshit that spews from Texas conservatives’ mouths in the name of “protecting” the children, the country and the good ol’ white American way of life has finally stepped on my last nerve. Remember when Bush, with the assistance of a Republican judge in Florida, stole the presidential election and we liberal folk were told to just suck it up, fer god’s sake, and be adults. We were supposed to respect the president, his Orwellian vice president and all their decisions?

Remember?

Well, right back at ya, motherfuckers. I’m sick and tired of right-wingers being allowed to act like a bunch of unruly, petulant 2-year-olds and no one is calling them on it. They have screamed and mocked and viciously attacked people at town hall meetings regarding health care. They want to indoctrinate students into christianity in taxpayer-funded school districts, yet howl when atheists insist on the separation of church and state. They want to control a woman’s medical decisions through the government, yet rant about their grandmothers being left to die if the government offers a public option in health insurance.They have unrepentantly brought guns within shouting distance of the president. They have called for his death from their pulpits and called his children whores. They have said they are the “real” Americans and they want their country back.

No. You can’t have it back. Real Americans voted in the majority last November and elected our current president.

Or, to put in terms you wingnuts will understand… “Our country. Love it or leave it.”

*bimbles off*

3 Comments

A high state of lunacy in Texas

Sweet smoking jesus and mary. My state has become a mecca for every racist, ignorant, crackpot wingnut out there. I don’t blame the rest of the country for thinking my state is fucking crazy.

I mean, we’ve got a congressman stating the federal government will randomly kill people through the proposed health care public option and tries to prove it by using an example of an private sector insurance company denying coverage. On the bright side, he was called out on this idiocy by people attending his town hall meeting.

We’ve a loony governor who has whipped the state’s secessionists into a frothing frenzy, with talk of hating the United States, the president and the American flag. (Ironic as the wingnuts accuse liberals and progressives of hating our country all the time.)  His main Republican opponent in the upcoming governor’s race wants to bring back segregation in our schools.

Meanwhile, our State Board of Education is proposing a history curriculum that would indoctrinate students with right-wing propaganda. Our schools are already forced to teach the bible in classrooms.

On the higher education front, a University of Texas professor is encouraging christians to marry right after high school in an effort to promote safe sex.

We are in dark days here in the Lone Star State and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. I’m not just angry. I’m actually frightened. Seriously. Secession, hating our country and brainwashing our students with right-wing, conservative bullshit and christian ideology.

Somebody want to give me some good news?

*bimbles off*

2 Comments

We now return to regular programming

What’s the saying… “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.”

My goal of getting this little blog back up and running was derailed this week by the death of my aunt on my Mom’s side. I’m not close to anyone in my extended family so, while sad, it didn’t hit me particularly hard. She was a lifelong smoker, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer a few weeks ago and went into the hospital with complications due to pneumonia this past Friday. She died Monday morning, after all her kids made it in. I was glad it was quick and the doctors kept her on morphine so she didn’t suffer too much pain.

I went to the funeral yesterday because I didn’t want my Mom going alone. I flew out to Lubbock on Wednesday and came back today…. a blessedly short flight. In the category of “silver linings in dark clouds,” I had a nice visit with my Mom, whom I haven’t seen in a while, and my Dad drove in to Lubbock today to have lunch with us before I left. Both plan on coming to visit once hockey season starts.

I’ve missed most of the news on the death of Sen. Kennedy due to travel. I plan on watching the public funeral tomorrow. While I appreciate his tremendous contributions to the Democratic Party and his work in the area of health care, he was of another generation. I never felt connected to him. He belonged to Camelot, not the digital age. That said, we have lost a great politician and senator.

So. I’m back home and ready to storm the Bastille. Okay, maybe drink some Gatorade first.

Who’s with me?

*bimbles off*

1 Comment

Tweaking and such

Attempting some design changes before I rededicate myself to this little blog.

Being the technical genius that I am, this may be slightly painful. Please bear with me.

*hammers*

4 Comments

RIP, John Hughes

My beloved Duckie.

*sniffles*

2 Comments

Sotomayor steps into history

Despite the dogged efforts of the collective wingnuttia, our country made another tiny, historic step in the right direction today as Judge Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed to the Supreme Court.

My thoughts and good wishes go out to Judge Sotomayor. I hope she is, indeed, a wise Latina woman.

*bimbles off*

1 Comment

Happy Birthday, Blue

*bimbles off*

1 Comment

Religious extremism and the catholic church

The hypocrisy of “ordinary” christians who seek to distance themselves from atrocities committed in their god’s name never ceases to amaze me. Mothers who drown their babies because “god told them to” or men who shoot doctors on the steps of their churches are decried as fringe elements, not representative of christianity as a whole. Funny, the same people will hold up 9-11 as an excuse to hate all muslims, but hey, let’s not get bogged down in details.

Well, here’s one you ordinary christians, you denouncers of “extreme religious behavior” can’t duck.

You may recall earlier this year, a nine-year-old Brazilian girl – raped by her stepfather and pregnant with twins – underwent an abortion to save her life. The Brazilian Roman Catholic Church first tried to get the government to intervene and stop the procedure (abortion is illegal in Brazil, but judges can make exceptions if the mother’s life is in danger or the fetus has no chance of survival). When the government refused, the church responded by excommunicating everyone involved in the procedure and the girl’s mother. Apparently, raping a nine-year-old is not a grave enough crime to merit the same “punishment” as the stepfather was exempt from the church’s wrath. According to Archbishop Don Jose Cardoso Sobrinho of Recife, “A graver act than (rape) is abortion to eliminate an innocent life.”

The ruling outraged the Brazilian community and the world. The Brazilian church was trying to force a child who had suffered the trauma of rape to carry twins to term – at risk to her own life. But, hey, those wacky Brazilians. They aren’t “real” christians. Surely, the Vatican would step in and stop this atrocity being committed against those who would seek to help a child in the direst of circumstances.

Apparently, not just no, but a heavenly “Hell, no.”  In an official pronouncement on the case, the pope has stated the girl’s mother and the doctor and medical team who performed the procedure will remain excommunicated.

“We have laws, we have a discipline, we have a doctrine of the faith,” the official says. “This is not just theory. And you can’t start backpedaling just because the real-life situation carries a certain human weight.

And, there you have it. From the Vatican itself.  A rapist remains in the church while her mother and those who helped save her life are punished. By the way, the girl was spared excommunication due to her age. Funny, that. Old enough to be a mommy, but not old enough to understand the inner workings of the catholic church.

So, the next time you catholics want to argue “fringe elements” and “acting on their own” and “true” christians don’t act that way, save your breath. Your church is not interested in caring for people, in helping those who need it, in “doing unto others” and all that warm fuzzy stuff. It’s an institution concerned with one thing – retaining power and control over the indoctrinated.

Because when “principle” trumps the well-being of a child who has been abused, raped and impregnated, I’d say that’s extreme religious behavior.

*bimbles off*

5 Comments