Sick, but Funny

OK, folks, the video below is definitely for mature audiences and the not easily offended, but it is hilarious.



Thanks to Pharyngula for posting this.

Arrest this Bastard!

Steven L. Anderson (I refuse to call him Reverend) of the Faithful Word Baptist Church seems to be one of the more dangerous rising fanatics in the Republican fold. Not only has he prayed for the death of President Obama, with one of his congregation, Chris Broughton, turning up at an Obama rally with a gun, but he also considers homosexuals to be predators who should be stoned to death, as is documented by the RightWingWatch blog of People for the American Way.

My Gut Reaction: Something tells me the Founding Fathers did not have this nitwit in mind when they wrote the First Amendment.

Analysis: I'm all for free speech, as anyone who reads this blog can attest, but that doesn't mean I think people should be allowed to advocate for the death of the President. There are many public figures whom I dislike, but if I were to go out and advocate for their deaths in the way that Anderson has, I would be imprisoned, and rightly so. I do not see how Anderson's claims to spiritual authority make him immune.

To Hell with the Pope, Long Live Ted Kennedy

An article on Yahoo News documents the conspicuous lack of reaction from Pope Benedict XVI to the death of Senator Ted Kennedy, in spite of receiving a letter from the Senator via President Obama. The article implies this silence is a result of Kennedy's liberal stance on abortion, which one Vatican official commented was in defiance of the Church's Magisterium (teaching authority.)

My Gut Reaction: Senator Ted Kennedy, with all he's done for America and the working class, had more moral authority than the Church's vaunted Magisterium. Even considering Chappaquidick.

Analysis: Senator Ted Kennedy, in spite of scandal and assassinations of two of his brothers, devoted his life to public service. This does not mean he was a perfect man or a saint. However, when one considers the recent history of the Catholic Church (cough-child molestation-ahem)one could argue that Senator Kennedy held the moral high ground.

Flu Panic

The University I am currently attending has announced an aggressive policy aimed at combatting the spread of swine flu. This policy has included altering aspects of freshman orientation to limit the spread of the disease, and placing students who live in dormatories in isolation if they are suspected of having the disease. Essentially, they are treating this as the second coming of the Black Death.

My Gut Reaction: If anyone from Student Health Services attempts to place me in isolation, I will respond with the magic word: lawsuit.

Analysis: Frankly, I believe this to be a complete overreaction generated by media scare tactics. As the CDC admits, most of the infections in the United States have been relatively mild, with only four hundred some dying in a nation of three hundred million people, in which a million had already been infected as of this June. Worldwide, the death toll is estimated to be a little less than 3,000.

Not only is the University's, and the media at large's, response alarmist, but it makes it less likely in the future that people will take real disease threat seriously. They will be perceived as another case of media hysteria.

Barney Frank Lays on the Smack Down

My Gut Reaction: Right on, Barney

Analysis: The above video is an example of how liberal Democrats and the Administration should deal with the extremist opposition that has arisen to health care reform. There is no point in attempting to debate someone who believes that President Obama is like Hitler, or who argues in spite of all evidence that there will be death panels included in health care reform. The only legitimate response is to point them out for the morons they are.

Like many liberals, I am deeply angry with the reports that the public option may be shelved due to fanatic opposition. This could be a lost opportunity which America may regret for decades in the future. However, I do not blame President Obama for this failure, as the fault lies largely with the American people. If they refuse to engage in critical thinking and stand up to the lies put up by people like Sarah Palin, they have only themselves to blame when they get led down a disastrous path.

We should not let this failure divide our party. Rather, we should see it as a call to strengthen our efforts against a fanatical opposition that will stoop to any depth to thwart us.

Christians Don't Get Much Stupider than This

One Indian, One Normal - Watch more Funny Videos

This has to be one of the most humorously disturbing videos I have ever looked at. I am not totally certain whether it is real or a put on. Long story made short: Two girls invite a new Indian friend to their house, insult her race, then try to convert her to born again Christianity when they find out she's a Hindu.

Thanks to Christian Pwnage for posting this video.

Orly Taitz: Not Just a Nutty Birther

Orly Taitz, the Russian immigrant who believes that President Obama was born in Kenya, turns out to have a very diverse selection of conspiracy theories that she is promoting. Esquire writer Jonathan Richardson, excerpted on Ben Smith's Politico blog, reveals that she believes in conspiracies including a killer bird flu vaccine, a plan to set up labor camps in the United States, and a conspiracy involving voting machines that includes Hugo Chavez and Saudi Arabia.

My Gut Reaction: I told you she was nuts.

Analysis: See above.

Spoke Too Soon

This afternoon, while I was in my local drug store, I noticed that in the P.M. edition of the local conservative paper, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review had a headline on its front page claiming that former President Bill Clinton was "begging" in North Korea for the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, two journalists jailed in North Korea on in all likelihood trumped up charges of violating their borders. The implication of the headline was that he was engaging in ineffective appeasement.

Unfortunately for the Tribune-Review, less than an hour after I saw their headline, I saw another headline that made them look slightly stupid.