Religious Hypocrisy: Bad Rick Warren

Intolerance can get ugly.  As "Pastor" Warren makes the rounds again, for some odd reason (he must have a book coming out), he has decided to keep mum on a very important issue in Ugandan politics.  "Why", you make ask, "why is Rick Warren, the super-church wonder boy, involved in Ugandan politics?"  Well, as you may remember, his "ministry" does work in Africa, helping them to burn condoms and conduct witch hunts.  I guess it would be easier to overlook this blustering blowhard if his congregation weren't 20,000 strong in California.  And to top it all off, he made the baby Jesus cry!  It is the ultimate in hypocrisy to call abortion a "genocide" but to not condemn proposed Ugandan laws to exterminate homosexuals.  Bad Rick Warren!

Shameless Acts of Cuteness -- 11/24/09

why you leaving me out here? Huh?

Today's Object of Scrutiny: Palin Supporters

Basically, in this clip taken from a book-signing in Columbus, Ohio, they can speak for themselves.  I just want to add one point: Idiocy should NOT be considered an American value!

Bad Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin: Weekend Scorn Edition

Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin, under direction from the former Cardinal Ratzinger in 2004 (now he's a pope or something like that), has given the order to refuse Democratic Representative Patrick Kennedy the rites of holy communion.  Wow!  Without committing the "sin" of abortion himself, Rep. Kennedy has somehow now been denied the body of Christ.  Isn't it interesting though, that back in 2004, Cardinal Ratzinger was kind enough to let Catholics know, however, that "if a Catholic thinks a candidate's positions on other issues outweigh the difference on abortion, a vote for that candidate would not be considered sinful."  So Catholics, go ahead and vote for the last remaining Kennedy in politics--just know that in doing so, he cannot get into heaven because of his "obstinate persistence" to give women the rights to their own bodies!  Well, obviously, this personal vendetta violates every intention of the separation of church and state and Bishop Tobin should be ashamed of himself!  Just another reason for the Federal Government to deny churches who practice political manipulation from the pulpit tax exempt status!  Let them pay for Universal Health Care coverage!

Shameless Acts of Cuteness -- 11/20/09

Boo Boo
Ball Ball

Even Later Why-So-Serious Midday Comedy Break

Buffy the Edward Cullen Slayer

Late-In-The-Day Scorn--A Helpful Heaping

BULLIES!

  Bullies, it seems, are everywhere.  They are in the schools, sometimes even disguised as teachers.  Sometimes they are on the sport's field.  Sometimes, they are groups of holier-than-though holy men.  Sometimes the bullying just goes too far.  Unfortunately, all of these four instances of bullying happened within the last several days. 

Shameless Acts of Cuteness

Me and My BooBoo

Why-So-Serious Midday Comedy Break

Funny Movies

Facebook Friend Fave Post of the Day

have you ever noticed that after Monday and Tuesday even the calendar says WTF?

-courtesy of the lovely and talented MJ Newman

Bad Ben Nelson (D)-Nebraska

So, unfortunately, a Democrat will be the first individual I heap my scorn upon.  Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, a gentleman with much more power than he should have, given that he represents less than 1% of the people in the United States yet holds a powerful Senate seat, has been one of the holdouts in the Democratic majority fighting against health care reform. 
HMMM. . . wonder why?  Could it be that he has ties to the health insurance industry?  Could it be that he, and several other Senators are "top recipients of campaign contributions from the health insurance industry and have former staffers working for the industry"?

Well, that just makes him today's turkey!  Even though his constituents overwhelmingly support the public option, Nelson continues to hem and haw and threaten to "derail reform".  So my question for Senator Nelson is this:  whom do you represent?  Is it the less than 2 million residents of the great state of Nebraska or the three major health insurance providers with whom you have ties?  Contributions from the industry in the last campaign cycle to Senator Nelson totalled over $91,000, so it seems a bit suspicious to me that he, along with two other Democratic holdouts (Mary Landrieu (D)-Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln(D)-Arkansas) should be vocal opponents of reform while their consituents call for it overwhelmingly!  Luckily, the Senate version of health care reform includes an abortion compromise and seems to be the most viable yet, and should move through the Senate vote easily if not for the threats of one Mr. Nelson.  Get your priorities straight Mr. Nelson!  Maybe we should threaten to take away his health care plan!

Shameless Acts of Cuteness

Facebook Friend Fave Post of the Day

Revjen Miller wants a cage match against Elizabeth Hasselbeck.

--courtesy of Reverend Jen Miller

Why-So-Serious Midday Comedy Break

Stupak-Pitts -- It Really is the Pitts!

The historic health care bill recently passed in the House is a great first step toward health coverage for every American.  However, the Stupak-Pitts amendment to the bill will "produce industry-wide effects, leading to the elimination of health plan coverage for nearly all medically indicated abortions."

  Seems to deflate all the balloons at what otherwise would have been a great party, huh?  To appease those socially conservative Democrats in the South and Midwest and to acquire their votes,Stupak-Pitts was intended to prohibit ANY federal funds being used to cover the expense of abortion.  Welcome, everyone, to the Great State of Mississippi!  I want to use Mississippi as a shining example of women's rights, and come back to the implications of Stupak-Pitts.  Mississippi, where the age of legal sexual consent is 16, with a small stipulation: "If the female is over 12, the status[of 16] applies only to virgins."  Previous sexual exposure brings the age of consent down to 12!!!  Nowhere in this law does it say "consensual" sexual exposure, mind you.  Now on to the abortion laws in Mississippi.  Without BOTH parent's consent (in writing from the mother) no woman under the age of 18 may acquire an abortion.  Currently, in the state of Mississippi, there is ONE abortion clinic!  The fact that the state has the highest teen birth rate (68.4 per 1000) comes as no surprise. 

The state of Mississippi has been lauded by the nation's oldest pro-life organization, Americans United for Life (AUL) as an example for the nation, where over 10 laws limiting abortion access have been passed in the last decade.  The number of teen births in a state seems to be directly connected to the proportion of legal barriers in place in a state barring women from acquiring abortion.  In the poorest of states, such as Mississippi, health care coverage that does not allow access to abortion to poor teens and women in the state will perpetuate this trend.  As health care coverage becomes more and more realistic, federal restriction against women's rights to abortion, even if only a financial restraint, represents another tedious and treacherous hurdle for Health Care Reform.  The bill will now most likely falter in the Senate.  Day Two: Bad House of Representatives! 

Late-Nite Video

Shameless Acts of Cuteness

Wanna kiss?

Facebook Friend Fave Post of the Day

:| Oh boy, the Serkis just rolled into town (a.k.a. the guy who looks like Gollum).

-Courtesy of the lovely Deana Z.

Why-So-Serious Midday Comedy Break

Here at NAR, we (the royal 'we' as in me and the mouse in my pocket) strive to provide you with cutting-edge commentary from our lofty post high above the experience of common, everyday mendacity.
With that in mind, here is your first, daily sampling of funny:

For Starters. . .

Hmmm.  Where to begin. . .

With so many individuals and organizations to choose from, it seems a bit difficult to lock onto one deserving enough of my ridicule and scorn.  I could start with the obvious gang of regulars.  You know, your O'Reilly's, Beck's, or Limbaugh's of the world.  I even hear that Sarah Palin has a new work of fiction about to hit the bargain bins just in time for the holiday season (ahem. . . I mean X-mas for you purists).
I think, though, that I should start big.  Maybe I should go after an entire body of politicians who cannot seem to "do the right thing".  Congress.

I could single out a group of legislators, like the Blue-Dog Democrats, who just cannot seem to shake loose from the shackles of those pesky Health Industry Lobbyists, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into re-election campaigns or writing (for them) talking points about Health Care Reform, but it seems too small a target. I could go after just the Republicans who cannot seem to grasp reality at all, even when it smacks them in the face.  I could simply deride Minority Leader Bohner's orange hue, but that just seems petty and like something the politically-charged version of Perez Hilton would do (yuck!).

  Rather, I think I will take on the entire lot of them!   Why not, cause when it comes to reform, this legislative body could start at home:

 Dozens in Congress Under Ethics Inquiry.  It's a very sad state of affairs when the greatest legislative body in the United States cannot monitor its own ethics when it comes to Lobbyists.

It's a real possibility that Lobbying might just be a major deterent to progress--don't ya think (thanks Sarah!)?  To whom do our congresspeople answer?  Constituents or the groups that offer them gifts as they try to buy votes?  When members of the Ethics Committee in Congress themselves come under fire, will real Lobby Reform happen?  Bloody unlikely!

I would definitely appreciate a congressional body that did the responsible thing for once, rather than the thing that had the money backing it all the time.  (Ahem. . . health care please!)

Anyway, why would the Obama administration take issue with these Lobbyists?  Isn't it interesting that upon assuming office Obama Bars Lobbyists from His Administration.  In fact, the Obama Administration has continued its "No Lobbyist" ban through even last week as reported: White House/ Lobbyists Still At Odds

Could it be that our new president sees the ethical challenges faced in Congress presented by these Lobbyists?  Could it be that he wants to avoid exactly these types of scandals, everpresent in our current legislative system?  It may appear that I am after the Lobbyists here in my first post; however, self-interest will never die.  Companies and organizations will ALWAYS be in the business of self-preservation.  It's the way they are allowed to influence our lawmakers that is being called into question. Lawmakers, especially those elected to the offices of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate, need to understand exactly why they have been put into office.  Not because it is God's will (don't get me started), but because they have an ethical responsibility to make life better for their constituents.

As bailed-out banks are being blamed for our current 10% unemployment and as their CEOs continue to take multi-million dollar bonuses, the right thing for our lawmakers to do is start at home:   Reform Lobbying!  It's the Responsible thing to do.

What's the Freakin' Point?

Hi all.  For years, I've imagined that my superhero ability or mutant power should be the capacity to put the right people in their place.  I would fly around the world, waiting for the moment that someone deserved his or her comeuppance.  My sharp tongue and rapier-like wit would rip them to shreds before large groups of people.

Needless to say, as such a hero, I would, eventually, need my own comeuppance, but the honor of being the Put-You-In-Your-Place Man would definitely be worth it!
Every day, pundits and politicians everywhere deserve to be put in their place.  Every moment, corporations and organizations violate the planet and its inhabitants.  Vengeance, though (as they say), is Sleeping.
I say, Wake the Monster!
So, in my small way, I will try to cast a net of sanity into the sea of punditry, greed and corruption and pull out a "catch of the day" for everyone to feast upon.
Metaphor machine working--all systems go :)