Christian pop culture through the eyes of a radical housewife and part time atheist, Miss Poppy Hussein Dixon. Online since 1995. Stop by every day for the latest in Christian crime, intimidation, fraud, and foolishness.

For the finest Jesus junk, visit MissPoppy.com

shop misspoppy.com

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Victoria Jackson, "Obama bears traits that resemble the anti-Christ"

victoria jacksonRemember Victoria Jackson, the adorable ditzy blonde from Saturday Night Live? Well she's a bornagain pro-unbornbaby Christian and has some advice for Obama on her webite.
Obama, call me. I'll explain Christianity to you.

Maybe you'll get saved and start loving unborn babies.
She has Biblically correct advice for voters, too.
I don't want a political label, but Obama bears traits that resemble the anti-Christ and I'm scared to death that un-educated people will ignorantly vote him into office.
Really, Victoria? YOU decide who is Christian and who is not? Heaven help us.

Thanks, Cynical-C.

Don't Elect an Old Dude for President



Drunk history. LOVED it!

Monday, September 29, 2008

7 Reason Why Barack Obama Is Not A Christian

Let's Let a White Man Speak for Once
obama not a christian

The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission has released seven signs that Obama is not a Christian. (Note that being against abortion and homosexuality is now officially required as a prerequisite for being a Christian.)

7 Reason (sic) Why Barack Obama Is Not A Christian
"By declaring he is a Christian, yet denying Christianities (sic) most essential truths and traditional morality, Obama is associating Christ with some of the most wicked practices imaginable, all of which are condemned in the Bible."
  1. Obama Believes There Are Many Paths to Heaven.

  2. Obama Denies the Authority of the Bible.

  3. Obama Supports Homosexuality.

  4. Obama Supports Abortion.

  5. Obama Affirms Muslim Prayer.

  6. Obama is Associated with Black Liberation Theology.

  7. Obama Has No Bona Fide Christian Tesitimony (sic).
Gary Cass is the Founder, President and C.E.O. of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission. He previously served as an executive at the Center for Reclaiming American for Christ (defunct?), under the auspices of Coral Ridge Ministries. Cass chose Lou Sheldon and Donald Wildmon, among others, to serve on the CADC Advisory Board.

Cass is a pretty accessible guy. On his home page he writes,
Know someone in the market to buy or lease our home?
Check with Sarah Palin, Gary. She might want to start keeping an eye on Cuba.

McCain Campaign Tightens Palin's Ponytail

sarah palin ponytail

In a last ditch attempt to prepare Governor Sarah Palin for Friday's Vice Presidential debate with Senator Joe Biden, the McCain campaign has begun gradually tightening Palin's ponytail.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Paul Newman and Plastic Jesus



Thanks, J-Walk Blog

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Palin Withdrawal from Race Predicted

mccain/cheneyMy predictions:
The Republicans are floating the idea of Palin bowing out, which she'll do before the VP debate. Her reason will be to care for her infant child. The Republicans will say she was hounded out of the race by leftist elites, which will inflame the base. "Christian persecution!!!!!"

For the "sake of continuity during these perilous (thanks for helping, john) times," or some horseshit like that, Cheney will take Palin's place as McCain's VP. Ehh..., maybe Lieberman.

Palin has served her purpose and will now disappear. She proved the Republicans are feminists and made McCain look lifelike.



Conservatives lining up against Palin:
- National Review Online | Palin Problem, By Kathleen Parker
- Washington Post | Impulse, Meet Experience, By George Will
- The Atlantic Monthly | Sarah The Unready, By Ross Douthat
- Washington Post | The Ugly New McCain, By Richard Cohen

Friday, September 26, 2008

Kenyan Witchburnings Sanctioned by Catholic League's Bill Donohue

kenyan witchburnings
Reuters Eight women and three men, accused of witchcraft, burned to death in their homes in west Kenya.

A video of Thomas Muthee laying hands on Sarah Palin, asking God to protect her from witchcraft, has been making the rounds, to the chagrin of most on the right. That "most" does not include Bill Donohue.

Now I knew Bill Donohue of the Catholic League was crazy, but I didn't realize until now that he is batshit crazy. His comments this week on the airing of the Palin/Muthee video.
Witchcraft is a sad reality in many parts of Africa, resulting in scores of deaths in Kenya over the past two decades.
The deaths were of the "witches" themselves, not of anyone they cursed, a point obviously lost on Donohue.
Bishop Muthee's blessing, then, was simply a reflection of his cultural understanding of evil. While others are not obliged to accept his interpretation, all can be expected to respect it.
Oh, yeah? Fuck that!

I don't respect an ignorant belief that leads to violence against innocent men and women any more than I respect the ignoramuses that hold those beliefs. Donohue continues,
More than that - Muthee should be hailed for asking God to shield Palin from harmful forces, however they may be manifested. And for this he is mocked and Palin ridiculed?
Yes, mocked and ridiculed, and rightly so.


Sources
- Bill Donohue - Catholic League | Pundits Slam Palin On Witchcraft
- Reuters | May 21, 2008: Mob Burns 11 Kenyans for 'Witchcraft'

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Kenyan Pastor Muthee Prays Against Witchcraft



Scary shit!

An All-You-Can-Eat Anti-Abortion Lecture

heavy hors d'oervres

If you're not doing anything tonight, drop on over to the Family Research Council at 801 G Street, NW, in Washington, D.C., for an anti-abortion lecture, a book signing, and a feedbag.
For more on the tragic impact of abortion, we encourage you to join us Thursday at FRC headquarters for a life-changing lecture on the book Changed: Making Sense of Your Own or a Loved One's Abortion Experience with author Michaelene Fredenburg. A reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres and a book signing will follow.
Heavy hors d'oervres? I'd never heard of heavy hors d'oervres before.

What in the hell is a heavy hors d'oervre? A pineapple? One wafer-thin mint?

The religious right must be losing support if they have to lard their invitations with free food.

Down With a Nasty Flu

nasty fluMan. Oh, man. That was nasty, but quick.

I couldn't blog the last couple of days as I succumbed to the flu. It only lasted about four days and I'm feeling much, MUCH better now.

If only I'd known I could have blamed it all on the economy. I could have seemed less vulnerable and much more necessary.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Christian Representative Claims Sarah Palin Sent by God to Defeat the Antichrist Barack Obama

thus speaketh the crackerLet's Let a White Man Speak for Once

James Bramlett, a former employee of CBN and Campus Crusade for Christ, has posted an essay suggesting that God chose Sarah Palin to defeat Barack Obama. The essay has been making the rounds on email.
Barack Hussein Obama has taken the nation by storm. From obscurity, with zero executive experience, or much of any kind, he has vaulted into the position of Presidential frontrunner. It is stunning. On the surface, it appears attributable only to his eloquent oratory and his race. But an invisible factor may be a strong spiritual force behind him, causing some people to actually swoon in his presence. [my emphases]
Obama is popular because he's a black man who speaks well. His tolerance toward others is interpreted as anti-Christian.
Therefore, there is, indeed, another spirit involved. And this spirit has come into our national life like a flood. Last week at Obama's acceptance speech, that spirit exalted itself in front of a Greek temple-like stage, and to a huge audience like in a Roman arena. Omama was portrayed as god-like. His voice thundered as a god's voice.

At the end, Democratic sympathizer Pastor Joel Hunter gave the benediction and shockingly invited everyone to close the prayer to their own (false) gods. This was surely an abomination, but it was compatible with Obama's expressed theology, and Hunter's leftist leanings.
If only we had a white woman to run against this uppity candidate.
Enter Governor Sarah Palin. With incredible timing, the very next day, Sarah Palin also appeared out of nowhere. Her shocking selection as John McCain's running mate stunned the world and suddenly took all the wind out of Obama's sails.

We quickly learned that Sarah is a born-again, Spirit-filled Christian, attends church, and has been a ministry worker.

Sarah is that standard God has raised up to stop the flood. She has the anointing. You can tell by how the dogs are already viciously attacking her. But they will not be successful. She knows the One she serves and will not be intimidated.
The ugly American has come home.

Monday, September 22, 2008

The Subprime Loan Crisis Built On a Foundation of Sexism And Racism

old woman lived in a shoe
According to a Consumer Federation of America paper at AmericaSaves.org, women and people of color with the same income and credit scores as white men were more likely to receive subprime loans that made it more difficult to build equity and wealth.

Main points
  • Women are more likely to receive subprime and high-cost subprime mortgages.

  • Women are significantly over-represented in the pool of subprime mortgages.

  • Women are more likely to receive subprime mortgages of all types regardless of income, and
    disparity between men and women increases as incomes rise.

  • Women of color are the most likely to receive subprime loans and white men are the least likely
    to receive subprime loans at every income level and the gap grows with income.
The study examined 4.4 million mortgage originations throughout the country where borrowers identified their gender.
CFA examined borrower incomes based on the Area Median Income where they lived to analyze comparable borrowers across the country. The CFA analysis found that the subprime disparity between women and men increased for women with higher incomes relative to men with similar earnings. Although women earning below the area median income were 8 percent more likely to receive subprime loans than similarly earning men, women earning more than double the area median income were 50 more likely to receive subprime loans than men with similar earnings.
The Center for Responsible Lending found a similar effect.
When we compare the borrowers with the same risk characteristics, African Americans and Latinos were still more likely to get higher-rate loans.

"Christian" = "White"

obama buttons

Dr. Albert Mohler [PhD in systematic and historical theology], a shill for Focus on the Family, dismissed Obama's faith-based outreach as "...completely out of touch with what evangelicals were concerned about." In particular he said Obama is
...out of touch with evangelicals on issues of human life and marriage.
Because that's what Christianity boils down to these days: the rights of straight white men to tell not-men (women and gays) what they can and cannot do.

Let me one up the evangelicals here. Let pass a Constitutional amendment that requires Christian churches to post both the ten commandments and the commandments of Jesus on the doors of ALL their churches. That way, EVERYONE can see that neither God nor Jesus thought that abortion or gay marriage was important enough to mention.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

American Taxpayer Held Hostage

proof of life

Proof of Life

$700,000,000,000 Bailout for the Rich



Let's see. That looks like 11 reasons to vote for 0bama to me.

Naomi Klein:
The disaster is far from over. They’ve actually just relocated. The disaster was on Wall Street and they have moved the disaster to Main Street by accepting those debts and you said they didn't have to bomb, the bomb has yet to detonate. The bomb is the debt that has now been transferred to the taxpayers so it detonates when, if John McCain becomes president in the midst of an economic crisis and says look we're in trouble, we have a disaster on our hands, we have to privatize social security, we can't afford health care, we can't afford food stamps, we need more deregulation, more privatization. The thesis of the Shock Doctrine is you need a disaster to rationalize these very unpopular policies so the real disaster has yet to come. The real disaster is the debt that is going to explode on the American taxpayers. And then they do economic shock therapy.
Welcome to economic austerity plans, tested and perfected in the third world for our use here.

More Jesus Sightings in the Heartland

jesus sightings
"Cletus, git off'n me. Jesus is a'watchin'!"

In Arkansas City, Kansas
Jesus showed up at the One Stop Body Shoppe, a weight loss clinic for women. The manager of the clinic told reporters,
A client was laying here looking up and told me, Michelle, you have Jesus on your ceiling. I just kind of looked at her, and she said you do, Jesus on the ceiling.
A staff member added,
I think its the silhouette and kind of a partial beard. She said if it had leaked a little more it would be a beard on the other side too.
Out of the mouths of babes.

In Gulf Shores, Alabama
Two contractors found God in a drywall repair. Said Omar Craddock,
We were in here doing some work. I happened to be looking around and I seen something going on that I normally wouldn't see.
To his brother-in-law John Gissendanner,
Hey come look at this.
Omar told the crack news team at WKRG,
I'm not a religious man by any means, I mean, I believe in God and stuff like that but when I seen that, that's the first thing to come to my mind.
Stuff like that, indeed.


- KTLA.com | Jesus Appears on Ceiling
- WKRG.com | Jesus in the Drywall
- ArkCity.net | Health center for women fills visible location in downtown Arkansas City
Because "Ye Olde One Stop Body Shoppe" just would have been too snooty.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Gifts of the Holy Spirit | Elbow Licking



Oh, if they were all this harmless...

Friday, September 19, 2008

Katherine Heigl = Sinner

heigl sinnerCelebrity Katherine Heigl, raised a Mormon, confessed to slips in her behavior.
I'm not as disciplined about it as I once, but I hope to find my way back as I get older and a little less selfish. If I start going back to church I'd have to stop the smoking and drinking, and I wouldn't be able to curse any more. I'm ashamed to say that I've got very lazy about it all.
Katherine Heigl shown here dragging hard on a cigarette while flipping off photographers.


Thursday, September 18, 2008

Search Results for "Gordon Ramsay" and "Jesus" Not Really About Jesus

puffin sushi
Puffin Carpaccio

While searching through sleazy celebrity websites for mentions of Jesus, a piece on Gordon Ramsay came up. The post was not really about Jesus, however. The foul-mouthed celebrity chef had been bitten on the nose by a puffin and told The Sun,
They put make-up on my nose and Jesus Christ it looks bad. I keep saying one of my kids punched me. I'm too embarrassed to say it was a puffin. We had a licence to cull 1,000. I didn't realise how difficult they are to cook, but they're very tasty!
The incident resulted in three stitches for Ramsay.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Mariah Carey Bible Buddy

mariah carey

Mariah "Touch My Body" Carey told reporters at Now magazine,
The only book I make time to read is the Bible.
She admitted that she doesn't find much time to read, but when she does, it's the Bible.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Jeez. Don't Mess With Colorado

tough coloradans

Drunken Colorado resident and self-proclaimed atheist, Russell Bowman, expected little resistance when he threatened to behead two women because they were Christians. That is, until a nearby resident struck Bowman in the face with the butt of his shotgun. Bowman is expected to lose an eye and will probably be charged with felony menacing.

Don't mess with the gays, either!
According to the Denver Post, Nima Daivari was wearing "tight, white jeans, snakeskin shoes," and a fairy on a chain around his neck when a man called him a faggot and attacked him. Daivari, trained in boxing, grabbed his assailant and held him in a headlock until police arrived. The police let the assailant go.

Daivari sued but lost his case because, according to the Denver Post, "a gay man, has no constitutional right to require an arrest."

Monday, September 15, 2008

Christian Music Superstar Comes Out

ray boltz

Ray Boltz, Christian music superstar, has come out to the Washington Blade. Ray Boltz told reporters,
I'd denied it ever since I was a kid. I became a Christian, I thought that was the way to deal with this and I prayed hard and tried for 30-some years and then at the end, I was just going, 'I'm still gay. I know I am.' And I just got to the place where I couldn't take it anymore... when I was going through all this darkness, I thought, 'Just end this.'
Boltz was married for 33 years and has four grown children.

In researching this piece I had to listen to a couple of his best hits: "Watch the Lamb," "The Anchor Holds" and "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb."

Yag. I hope he made a lot of money, because gay or straight, his music is abyssmal.


- RayBoltz.com
- Washington Blade | Key changes
Gospel singer Ray Boltz shares coming out journey in this Blade exclusive
- OneNewsNow.com| Pastor warns against taking homosexuality lightly

Sunday, September 14, 2008

First They Came For Our "N" Word...

obama waffles
...Then they came for our waffles.

It took the Family Research Council a day and a half to realize that the Obama Waffles being peddled by two fellows from Tennessee, Bob DeMoss and Mark Whitlock, might be considered by some as racist. According to World Magazine,
DeMoss and Whitlock said traffic to their booth was heavy, they got no complaints, and they sold more than 400 boxes of the waffle mix.
After atheist Eric Herman alerted reporters the FRC asked Bob DeMoss and Mark Whitlock to dismantle their booth and leave their Values Voter Summit.

Bob DeMoss, Christian writer and Obama waffle co-creator, admits others have pointed out his product is racist, but whined,
They don't get it. It's unfortunate; they have their freedom of speech and it'd be nice if we had ours.
Though the Family Research Council condemned the product and its presence at the Summit, their apology seems disingenuous. Bob DeMoss served as a youth culture specialist for Focus on the Family for seven years. Bob's partner, Mark Whitlock also worked for Focus on the Family, as an engineer/producer for their radio show "Family Life Today." The Family Research Council is a division of Focus on the Family so the two good old boys were likely not strangers to the staff of the Values Voter Summit.

Bob DeMoss is a writer from Franklin, TN and has coauthored at least six books with Tim LaHaye. Tim LaHaye is the founder of the Council for National Policy, the stealth evangelical organization thought to be responsible for picking Sarah Palin as McCain's VP.

A Cavalcade Of Racism
The Obama Waffle Mix is a veritable cavalcade of racism, and illustrates the length to which white people will go when they cannot use the word "nigger." From Christianity Today, the box is imprinted with

- an image on the flap depicting Obama in a Muslim headdress with the copy "Point box toward Mecca for tastier waffles."

- a caricature of Rev. Jeremiah Wright as a missing person on the side of the box, with copy, "Popular sayings: 'God d*** America' and Made in the US of KKA."

- the recipe for "Barack Belgium Beauties" reads, "Environmentally conscious consumers should pay two ozone-offset carbon credits to Al Gore's GreenWorld fund."

- a caricature of Michelle Obama saying, "For the first time in my adult life I'm proud of an American waffle."

- an attempt at a rap song, "Barry's Bling Bling Waffle Ring recipe rap"
"Yo, B-rock here droppin' waffle knowledge
Spellin' it out, 'cause I graduated college
Some say I waffle so fast, Barry's causin' whiplash
Just doin' my part, made wafflin' a fine art
For a waffle wit style, like Chicago's Magnificent Mile
Spray whipped cream around the edge
Shake it first like Sister Sledge
Then say wit me, I can be as waffly as I wanna be!
(That goes out to my Ludacris posse)"
And in an attempt to offend everyone,

- a caricature of Obama in a sombrero promoting "Open Border Fiesta Waffles," saying, "The greatest danger of all is to allow walls to divide us. It's time we opened our borders and our wallets to all who desire a taste of freedom. So put out the welcome mat and enjoy this multicultural celebration." And, "While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language? Recommended serving: 4 or more illegal aliens."

Bob DeMoss told a reporter, "I understand that it's not for everyone. But we don't have a racist bone in our bodies. This is humor, not hate."

Sorry, Bob. It's not humor.


- Mark Whitlock's Blog | Give Me a Lion's Heart
[just hit "cancel" when the password protection comes up]
- Pam's House Blend | Lou Dobbs photo/story scrubbed from Obama Waffles site
Lou Dobbs, a featured speaker at the Values Voter Summit had his picture taken with DeMoss and said, "My wife will love this!"

Saturday, September 13, 2008

In Other News

jesus jesus jesus- Chicago Tribune | Priest at Univ. of Illinois charged with dealing cocaine from church office and rectory

- New York Post | Hasid Lust Cause Culture Clash Over Sexy Cyclists

- MSNBC | Central Fla. Neighborhoods Jumping With Frogs
"I told them we should get on our knees and pray, because I think it is a plague. I do," one resident said.

- GuardianUK | Teachers should tackle creationism, says science education expert
"Just because something lacks scientific support doesn't seem to me a sufficient reason to omit it from the science lesson," said Rev Prof Michael Reiss. [Rev Prof?]

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Prayer Changes Things

prayer changes things

On 9/11/2001 the prayers of Islamic terrorists were answered, presumably by god. The thought is father to the act and the prayers of the terrorists culminated in the violence of this day, seven years ago.

What are our American culture war jihadis praying for? What kind of violence will their prayers father?

[img]"http://www.jesus21.com/img/news/praying_hands.jpg" width="75" height="101" alt="pray, pray, pray" border="0" align="left" style="margin-right:10px;"[/img]GOP Praying Points
Gov. Palin, "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that."

Gov. Palin, "Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

What could possibly go wrong?

Here's another fervent prayer.

Forerunner.com: "Pray for John McCain's salvation and speedy death."

Jesus said,
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Matthew 23:14 KJV
Yet the Republican Party Platform seeks to allow public prayer at state sponsored events. Sorry, Jesus, you were wrong on that one.

Jesus also said,
27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Matthew 23:27-28
Sorry, Jesus, wrong again. Our current day prophets - the Dobsons, Perkins, Haggards, Robertsons, Falwells, Bakkers, Swaggarts - they're not perfect (or hypocrites), just forgiven.

We need to get Karl Rove on this Jesus thing. Jesus either needs to be rehabilitated, or replaced. He just doesn't work anymore.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Sarah Palin Classes Up the National Enquirer

sarah palin broke

Thanks, National Enquirer

Jesus Christ Dead Again

world's biggest ten commandments
"Lookee, Ma! The world's biggest Ten Commandments!"


From The 2008 Republican Platform, page 53,
Our Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion and forbids any religious test for public office, and it likewise prohibits the establishment of a state-sponsored creed. The balance between those two ideals has been distorted by judicial rulings which attempt to drive faith out of the public arena. The public display of the Ten Commandments does not violate the U.S. Constitution and accurately reflects the Judeo-Christian heritage of our country.
My favorite Bible verse is in Paul's Letter to the Galatians, chapter 2, verse 21, KJV.
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
In other words, legislate morality and you're driving the fucking nails into Christ's hands and feet yourself! Worse yet, he cannot rise again. You're killing him.

The love of Jesus is supposed to be IRRESISTABLE, not repugnant. Religious posturing, public prayer, castigation of others may be appealing to born again Christians but it's repulsive to the people they say they wish to save.

When Christians say "culture war," they really mean jihad. It's not a war against the culture, but a war against Americans - Americans who disagree with them, and within this culture war are the same seeds of violence that infect the religion of Islam.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that in our fear of Islam the United States has managed quite capably to mirror what we've sought to destroy.

And the Christers lap it all up like warm mother's milk.

John McCain a Sinks to New Low



John McCain must be losing confidence.

The Obama campaign responds.
It is shameful and downright perverse for the McCain campaign to use a bill that was written to protect young children from sexual predators as a recycled and discredited political attack against a father of two young girls - a position that his friend Mitt Romney also holds. Last week, John McCain told Time magazine he couldn't define what honor was. Now we know why.

C'mon, Obama. Everyone knows that sex education should be left to priests and ministers.


- TPM Election Central |

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

God Hates Fangs

god hates fangs

From DNA Magazine:
Alan Ball's new show (he was the creator of Six Feet Under) has just premiered in the US. It's called True Blood and follows a race of vampires, who have made their existence public after years of living covertly.

The Vampires then face the same struggles of all marginalised populations such as inequality in law, public disapproval and hatred, and so the comparisons between the plight of the Vampires and gay life are not too hard to spot.

They're made even easier by very witty gay-references such as the "God Hates Fangs" sign that appears in the show's opening sequence or "coming out of the coffin", a line uttered by Anna Paquin, the show's lead star, in reference to the wooden door each Vampire must crash through to be an out-and-proud bloodsucker.
Great opening credits, compelling story, a little soap-operish.


- DNA Magazone | God Hates Fangs
- HBO | True Blood

Monday, September 8, 2008

Katy Perry-phrased by Bible Banger

katy perry rewrite

we like katy perryThe Havens Corners Church, in Blacklick, Ohio, dedicated to "Finding and Feeding His Sheep," rewrote a Katy Perry song for their marquee,
I kissed a girl and I like it, then I went to Hell.
The original song does not include the line, "then I went to Hell."

A sermon titled A Loving Warning Explained can be heard on the church's website. It gets interesting at about 37 minutes, I'm told.

Scientology Sued for Fraud in France



France, the home of the Age of Reason, has struck another blow for mankind by suing a church for fraud.
The Church of Scientology will be tried in a French court for "organised fraud," legal sources said Monday.

Founded in the United States in 1954 by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, the church was officially recognised as a religion there nearly 20 years later.

But it is often accused in France and other European countries, including Belgium, Germany and Greece, of exploiting its members financially.
It's a start.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Christians Pray For McCain's Death

bad seed palin

Wow! They haven't pulled it yet. Over at Forerunner.com, a Christian website, they're praying for the imminent death of John McCain so they can bring on the right wing goodness of President Sarah Palin all the sooner.
Pray for John McCain's salvation and speedy death.
See for yourself. There's not much context to take it out of.

If the page gets removed, you can get to a cached copy here, thanks to The Stranger.


- Forerunn.com | The Sarah Palin "sigh" factor
- The Stranger | Saturday Election Stuff
- IMDB.com | The Bad Seed

Saturday, September 6, 2008

I Love the U.S. Constitution, It's So Decorative

senator robert byrd
Senator Robert Byrd, my favorite Democratic defender of the Constitution
The Republican party platform calls for four constitutional amendments: a balanced budget amendment (p. 23), constitutional amendment to protect the rights of crime victims (p. 49), human life amendment (p. 59), and a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman (p. 60).

Here are partial details of the last two. The marriage amendment calls for the dissolution of all "marriage equivalents," which I assume means civil unions and domestic partnerships.


The 2008 Republican Party Platform
Preserving Traditional Marriage, page 60
Because our children's future is best preserved within the traditional understanding of marriage, we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it. In the absence of a national amendment, we support the right of the people of the various states to affirm traditional marriage through state initiatives.

Maintaining The Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life, page 59
We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life.
Does anyone really think McCain can truthfully take the Oath of Office?
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
The 2008 Democratic Party Platform containes no proposed amendments. It seems the Democrats lack the hubris to treat the U.S. Constitution as a screenplay. When the Republicans finish with it, they'll have to put the name "Alan Smithee" at the top.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Friday Cat Blogging

cindy mccain
Cindy McCain overaccessorized
Tim Gunn on Cindy McCain.

Cindy McCain looks like someone has twisted her ponytail into a knot and tried to give her a face-lift.

There is no contest!! I mean, Michelle really epitomizes American style, and she's not afraid to show her shape, she's not afraid to show her sexiness without being the least bit inappropriate," Tim said. "She's just an alluring woman. And Cindy with her suits and she's all buttoned up, she's just soooo - she just looks like she's duct-taped! There is just something about her, and in a way it's a metaphor about who she is!

I just don't think she's capable of improving the look. It's an inaccessibility in the way [Cindy] presents herself to the world, whereas Michelle has an accessibility. You would feel comfortable just going up to her and saying something like, 'How are you?' And with Cindy you have to be careful you're not speared!

The Republican National Convention

republican national convention

I watched most of the Republican National Convention. I wish it had preceded the Democratic Convention. Now I'll have to live with those images, at least until I go shopping and find some healing.

The worst for me was Wednesday night when Giuliani spoke. He scared me. Not what he said. Giuliani scared me. And the crowd scared me. So many white people in cowboy hats with angry looks on their faces chanting slogans. I swear to God, their teeth looked pointy. Maybe it was because they were older, or the lighting, or maybe a lack of dental insurance. And Giuliani was steeped in sarcasm and snarkiness. On my worst days I could never aspire to his level of smallness.

Huckabee was next. There was a long, rambling, "better look that up in Snopes.com" story about "earning your desk. And then in one breath he said,
He doesn't want to change the very definition of marriage from what it has always meant throughout recorded human history. It is not above John McCain's pay grade to grasp the simple fact that human life begins at conception, and he is committed to protecting it.
Do not be mistaken. This party is gunning for everyone who isn't white, male, and straight.

Then there was Sarah Palin, a self-described pitbull in lipstick. Again, it was not so much what she said as how she said it, and the crowd's response. You can read the contempt in her speech, especially when she's speaking of Obama's "community organizing" but you can't hear the clipped northern twang that she exploits, not can you hear the condescension.

The crowd went wild for Palin and their "Drill, baby, drill" chanting, at one point, brought her speech to a standstill.

Then she turned her sites on Obama,
This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed ... when the roar of the crowd fades away ... when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot - what exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger ... take more of your money ... give you more orders from Washington ... and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. America needs more energy ... our opponent is against producing it.
And later, Palin played off the rhetorical reversal in Biden's speech,
History will judge them harshly not for the mistakes made - we all make mistakes - but for the opportunities squandered. Today, we are rightly confident in the example of our power. But we have forgotten the power of our example.
with one of her own,
In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.
There was a lot of that at the Republican Convention - reversing what the Democrats said at their convention, in an "I know you are, but what am I?" sort of way.

After listening to these three I went to bed, but awakened to troubled dreams. I had to sleep with the TV on, as I had after I watched the movie "Alien" for the first time in the 1980s.

My antidote came from BoingBoing.net the next day. Douglas Rushkoff wrote a thoughtful commentary on the previous night's speeches.
I usually don’t feel uneasy when I put those filters on, but last night - during the Guiliani speech - I realized I was no longer filtering a speechwriter’s intentional manipulation; I was trying to look beyond real hate. These folks were gritting their teeth, shaking their fists, and smiling the way gladiators do when going into combat against barbarians. And this is the incumbent party. The ones currently in power.

What is it they hate? Guiliani and Palin both made it pretty clear: community organizing. Community organizing is energized from below. From the periphery. It is the direction and facilitation of mass energy towards productive and cooperative ends. It is about replacing conflict with collaboration. It is the opposite of war; it is peace.
And later,
As I explained in Coercion, having a parent figure on whom to transfer authority allows people to regress to a more childlike state. This not only allows them to feel safe; if gives them the freedom to express their rage. Make no mistake - that's what we're witnessing. And this rage - not America - is the greatest threat to humanity's long-term chances for survival.
What can I say about Cindy and John McCain's speeches on Thursday night? They were decidedly uninspired. McCain's timing was off, as was the crowd, chanting at the wrong moments. McCain would lose his place, start over, stutter, and smile, relieved, at the end of long paragraphs when he got it right.

After hearing McCain I couldn't help but feel hopeful that Obama might win afterall. Still, I'm working on my contigency plan and it doesn't include shopping, or alcohol, or a move to France.


- BoingBoing.net | Douglas Rushkoff on the RNC

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Who Must Sarah Palin Serve First?



Sarah Palin is a conservative Christian. I have to ask, does she submit to the will of her husband? Will she be conferring with Todd on issues of government and if there is a disagreement, whose will prevails?

Is it possible for Sarah Palin to uphold the U.S. Constitution or if she will have to defer to the wishes of her husband, as the Bible commands.

If you accuse me of being sexist then you're saying that the Bible is sexist. If you give Sarah Palin a pass, then you're admitting that your Bible is a Chinese buffet.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Palin Family Tree Diagrammed

palin family tree
Sarah Palin, pictured above, keeps her girlish figure chasing her sister's trooper ex-husband around the double wide with a two by four.

Listen, I have no problem with Mary, the Mother of God, having a "virgin" birth. Whatever. Obama's mother was an unwed teenager. So what? Bristol Palin is five months pregnant at 17? She deserves all the support she can get.

But that trailer trash mother of hers - now that's another story all together.

Hey, Governor Sarah Palin, how's that teen abstinence thing working out for you?

The nut doesn't fall far from the tree. Sarah's first son, Track, was born a scant eight months after Sarah and her husband Todd eloped. She's chosen not to elaborate on these circumstances.

Christians will be the first to say that they're not perfect - just forgiven. Their sins aren't forgiven - they're just forgotten. That's why they keep happening.

Governor Sarah Palin - keep your Bible banging crackpot policies off my kids. And while you're at it, keep your cracker-ass-cracker ass our of our white house.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Where's Your Jesus Now, Michael Vick?

michael vick - dick

About a year ago I posted on Michael Vick, the Washington Redskins running back who was facing federal charges on dog fighting. At that time he was making a big deal about finding Jesus.

Jesus might not want much to do with Vick, but twenty-two of his dogs have been saved, taken to Utah's Best Friends Animal Sanctuary where they are being rehabilitated. Four of his tortured dogs, Meryl, Georgia, Denzel, and Cherry, will be featured on National Geographic's show Dogtown.

From National Geographic,
In April 2007, the nation was shocked when dozens of traumatized pit bulls were discovered on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vicks property. Follow the journey of four of the most challenging Vick dogs as DogTown helps rehabilitate them.
Watch the National Geographic Channel Friday, September 5, at 9:00pm.

Vick is currently serving a 23-month sentence in Leavenworth, Kansas, and is facing bankruptcy. He was suspended from the NFL. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Monday, September 1, 2008

McCain/Palin Antidote

lobbyists for mccain

And boy, after Friday's shenanigans, did I need an antidote!

From the fine people who brought us Billionaires for Bush, we now have Lobbyists for McCain.

There's a great photo montage of McCain on the home page and as you mouse over each photo a different lobbyist appears with the details of his or her relationship with McCain. For instance,
Vicki Iseman
Clients:CSC, Paxson Communications, CACI, BearingPoint, Telemundo, Univision, International Council of Cruise Lines
Bio: She's cute. She's "close" with McCain. She's nearly a body double for Cindy McCain. But this doesn't prevent Vicki Iseman from doing her job. Specifically, getting the Senator to write several letters to the FEC asking for swift consideration of a television deal for her client Paxson Communications.
Other highlights include The Drillington Project which promises to bring us 10 cents of savings at the pump by the year 2030, and a very funny video called "No, you can't" which suggests that "we are not as divided as our portfolios suggest.

Enjoy.