StumbleUpon | yobaba's comments & reviews

Have Fun With English: Are you ready for children?

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:19:06 -0800

Oh how terribly ~~troll~~ droll. I assume you are trying to be funny.

Hopefully you don't have any real children of your own.

What is 'defamation of religion'?

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:06:10 -0800

"United Nations resolutions on the `defamation of religions' are incompatible with the fundamental freedoms of individuals to freely exercise and peacefully express their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs.

Unlike traditional defamation laws, which punish false statements of fact that harm individual persons, measures prohibiting the `defamation of religions' punish the peaceful criticism of ideas. Additionally, the concept of `defamation of religions' is fundamentally inconsistent with the universal principles outlined in the United Nations' founding documents, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms the protection of the rights of individuals, rather than ideas."

ME: This is a particularly heinous "resolution". This, in essence, promotes RELIGION in human society. Just because the intention is to 'protect' stupid religious zealots from each other does not mean that it is an intelligent resolution in and of itself. I don't want to participate in ANY religion - so, if this sort of thing is fostered and expanded, where does that leave people like me? At the mercy of the fundamentalists who will eventually take over the world's cultures? I think not.

What bullshit. I don't see that the UN does a very "good" job of what it is supposed to do anyway; add this crap into the mix and it definitely is time to look around for a new boys' club.

http://files.sharenator.com/funny_ugly_cat_Worlds_strangest_looking_animals-s516x600-2310-580.jpg

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:32:01 -0800

And a Happy New Year ...

Daily Kos: Senator Tom Coburns Terrible Prayer

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:24:52 -0800

At 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon (12-21-09) -- nine hours before the 1 a.m. vote that would effectively clinch the legislation's passage -- Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) went to the Senate floor to propose a prayer. "What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can't make the vote tonight," he said. "That's what they ought to pray." (link to video)

There was absolutely no mystery concerning which senator was being referenced by Coburn.

It was difficult to escape the conclusion that Coburn was referring to the 92-year-old, wheelchair-bound Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.) who has been in and out of hospitals and lay at home ailing. It would not be easy for Byrd to get out of bed in the wee hours with deep snow on the ground and ice on the roads -- but without his vote, Democrats wouldn't have the 60 they needed.

Senator Dick Durbin spoke expressed outrage at the behavior of Sen. Coburn. But the best revenge came from 92-year-old Senator Byrd himself:

Coburn was wearing blue jeans, an argyle sweater and a tweed jacket with elbow patches when he walked back into the chamber a few minutes before 1 a.m. He watched without expression when Byrd was wheeled in, dabbing his eyes and nose with tissues, his complexion pale. When his name was called, Byrd shot his right index finger into the air as he shouted "aye," then pumped his left fist in defiance.

From the Daily KOS - "Here is my prayer: I pray for the people of Oklahoma that they will someday come to their senses and elect principled men and women to office."

ME: I am not sure that KOS "got it right" here - no names were mentioned, not even Sen. Byrd's. It might have been obvious who Coburn was referring to "if you had been there", but for me it just sounds like Sen. Coburn has shit-for-brains in general.

Al Frankens Anti-Rape Amendment Passes, Infuriating Several (Male) Republicans | PEEK | AlterNet

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:18:54 -0800

Motivated by the harrowing violence Jamie Leigh Jones suffered in 2005 while working for Halliburton/KBR in Iraq, Franken pushed a measure to withhold defense contracts from companies that "restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court." Franken's measure passed, 68 to 30. The 30 opponents -- representing 75% of the entire GOP Senate caucus -- were Republican men.

There were some implantation questions from the Pentagon, but after some additional efforts, and overcoming a Republican filibuster, Franken's measure became law after President Obama signed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act over the weekend.

More whining here.

Furor Erupts Over Atheist Display At Illinois State Capitol - cbs2chicago.com

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:11:27 -0800

Oh Beware The Hate-Speech:

"At the time of the winter solstice, let reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is just myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds."

The Christian Goose And The Atheist Gander | Unscrewing The Inscrutable

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Tim Tebow usually has stickers that say John 3:16 beneath his eyes. But what would happen if he wore these instead?

What do you think, Christians? Make your head want to explode? Do you think that the college football uniform rules would be changed? When? The same day? Two days?

And here's the biggie - why is it OK in your opinion for Tebow to write John 3:16 under his eyes (and usually back it up with "personal opinion" and "freedom of speech and religion"), but it's NOT OK for him - or someone else - to write "There is no God"?

What's good for the Christian goose, is certainly also good for the atheist gander, yes?

If not, why not?

Live Pulse: Breaking news on the health care fight - POLITICO.com

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:54:23 -0800

Must Have Public Option

Dailymotion - Nanu &Isis - un vídeo de Creación

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:52:19 -0800

This is lovely. Thank you, Carl.

Op-Ed Columnist - Is There a Real McCain? - NYTimes.com

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:40:54 -0800

"Watching (McCain), one can only wonder: Is he betraying his best self? Who is the real McCain?

Even some of McCain's former aides are disturbed by the 73-year-old's hostile, vindictive, sarcastic persona - a far cry from "The Honorable Man" portrait so lovingly pumped up in books by his former aide and co-writer Mark Salter. After he lost to W. in a nasty primary battle in 2000, McCain delighted in poking at the new Republican president. But he was a trenchant critic of W.'s budget-busting tax cuts and other policies because his objections were consistent and honestly felt. (Or so we thought.)

Now he delights in attacking another man he ran against and lost to: a new Democratic president who had once hoped, based on McCain's past positions, that his former Republican rival might be of help in such areas as the economy, national security, immigration and climate change.

With President Obama, McCain's objections seem motivated more by vendetta than principle."

????? Excuse me ?????

What is the Big Question here? John McCain is the same snotball who delighted in BFF Joe-the-Traitor Lieberman's loving presidential endorsement. John McCain is the same ____ [fill in the blank] who gave us Joe-the-~~Plumber~~ Dipshit and Sarah-the-~~Rogue~~ Moron. How can Maureen Dowd ask who the Real McCain is when anyone who has been paying the least bit of attention over the past couple of years knows that this Over-the-Hill Career Politician is merely a delusional, perhaps even demented, hypocrite. Which does nothing to differentiate him from the rest of the republican trolls.