The Making of a Messiah

Left bows down to false WikiLeaks prophet | The Australian:

A contributor to the Huffington Post in the US says, 'For our sake, he's being crucified to satisfy right-wingers' bloodlust.'

The liberal worship of Assange is speedily becoming embarrassing and creepy. The respectable New Yorker looks on him as an otherworldly, spiritual force come to save us -'with his spectral white hair, pallid skin, cool eyes and expansive forehead, like a rail-thin being who has rocketed to earth to deliver humanity some hidden truth'.

This idea that Assange is the great revealer of 'hidden truths', like Moses descending the mountain with the commandments or Jesus offering pearls of wisdom on a hilltop, is widespread in the liberal media.

I never believed that delusion is a sickness that exclusively affects the followers of theistic religions.

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Sinday Levitycus

Just in time for Christmas cheer — from Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), directed by Terry Jones:

...
FOLLOWERS: Master! The Master! Master! Master!...
SHOE FOLLOWER: The Master! Aha. He is here!
FRANK: Master!
ELSIE: The Gourd has led us...
ARTHUR: The shoe has led us to Him!
FOLLOWERS: The shoe!...
ARTHUR: The shoe has brought us!
ARTHUR and HARRY: Speak!
FOLLOWERS: Shhhhh!
ARTHUR and HARRY: Speak to us, Master! Speak to us!
BRIAN: Go away!
FOLLOWERS: A blessing! A blessing!
ARTHUR: How shall we go away, Master?!
BRIAN: Oh, just go away! Leave me alone!
SHOE FOLLOWER: Give us a sign!
ARTHUR: He has given us a sign! He has brought us to this place!
BRIAN: I didn't bring you here! You just followed me!
SHOE FOLLOWER: Oh, it's still a good sign by any standard.
ARTHUR: Master! Your people have walked many miles to be with You! They are weary and have not eaten.
BRIAN: It's not my fault they haven't eaten!
ARTHUR: There is no food in this high mountain!
BRIAN: Well, what about the juniper bushes over there?
ELSIE: Hhhh!
FOLLOWERS: Heh! A miracle! A miracle! Ohh!...
SHOE FOLLOWER: He has made the bush fruitful by His words.
YOUTH: They have brought forth juniper berries.
BRIAN: Of course they've brought forth juniper berries! They're juniper bushes! What do you expect?!
ELSIE: Show us another miracle!
ARTHUR: Do not tempt Him, shallow ones! Is not the miracle of the juniper bushes enough?!
SIMON: I say, those are my juniper bushes.
ARTHUR: They are a gift from God!
SIMON: They're all I've bloody got to eat. Uhm. I say, get off those bushes! Go on! Clear off, the lot of you. Go on.
HARRY: Lord! I am affected by a bald patch.
BLIND MAN: I am healed! The Master has healed me!
BRIAN: I didn't touch him!
BLIND MAN: I was blind, and now I can see! Aargh!

whump

FOLLOWERS: A miracle! A miracle! A miracle!
SIMON: Tell them to stop it. I hadn't said a word for eighteen years till he came along.
ELSIE: Hhh!
FOLLOWERS: A miracle! He is the Messiah!
SIMON: Well, he hurt my foot!
FOLLOWERS: Hurt my foot, Lord! Hurt my foot. Hurt mine...
ARTHUR: Hail Messiah!
BRIAN: I'm not the Messiah!
ARTHUR: I say You are, Lord, and I should know. I've followed a few.
FOLLOWERS: Hail Messiah!
BRIAN: I'm not the Messiah! Will you please listen? I am not the Messiah, do you understand?! Honestly!
GIRL: Only the true Messiah denies His divinity.
BRIAN: What?! Well, what sort of chance does that give me? All right! I am the Messiah!
FOLLOWERS: He is! He is the Messiah!
BRIAN: Now, fuck off!

silence

ARTHUR: How shall we fuck off, O Lord?
BRIAN: Oh, just go away! Leave me alone.
SIMON: You told these people to eat my juniper berries. You break my bloody foot. You break my vow of silence, and then you try and clean up on my juniper bushes!
BRIAN: Oh, lay off!
ARTHUR: This is the Messiah, the Chosen One!
SIMON: No, he's not.
BRIAN: Aaaagh!
ARTHUR: An unbeliever!
FOLLOWERS: An unbeliever!
ARTHUR: Persecute! Kill the heretic!
FOLLOWERS: Kill the heretic! Kill him! Persecute! Kill!...

Come this Saturday, celebrate reason with Life of Brian on DVD or video on demand!

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Empowered Woman in Burqa

This is what you get when you mix a "merciful" god, a "compassionate" prophet, and his religion of "peace", with a totalitarian state:

Now, I am waiting to hear from the left that this empowered woman in burqa must have chosen freely to be whipped, too!

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Your Life Under Shariah

The Associated Press: Pakistan doctor arrested on suspicion of blasphemy:

Naushad Valiyani, a Muslim doctor in the southern city of Hyderabad, was arrested Friday after a complaint was lodged with police alleging his actions had insulted the Prophet Muhammad, said regional police chief Mushtaq Shah.

The case began Friday when Muhammad Faizan, a pharmaceutical company representative, visited Valiyani's clinic and handed out his business card. He said when the doctor threw the card away, Faizan went to police and filed a complaint that noted his name was the same as the prophet's.

Shah said police were investigating whether Valiyani should be charged with blasphemy.

If the doctor had been named Muhammad, would it be blasphemy to arrest him for blasphemy under Pakistan's blasphemy laws?

---

N.B. When Shariah violations, especially the blasphemy variety, is occurring at the rate of Leonid Meteor Shower in Pakistan and the rest of the so called "Muslim World", I don't see any point in keeping score in the title.

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Sinday Levitycus

A thermodynamics professor had written a take-home exam for his graduate students. It had one question:

"Is hell exothermic or endothermic? Support your answer with a proof."

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law or some variant. One student however wrote the following:

First, we postulate that if souls exist, then they must have some mass. If they do, then a mole of souls can also have a mass. So, at what rate are souls moving into hell and at what rate are souls leaving? I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for souls entering hell, lets look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to hell. Since, there are more than one of these religions and people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all people and all souls go to hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in hell to increase exponentially.

Now, we look at the rate of change in volume in hell. Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in hell to stay the same, the ratio of the mass of souls an volume needs to stay constant.

So, if hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter hell, then the temperature and pressure in hell will increase until all hell breaks loose.

Of course, if hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in hell, than the temperature and pressure will drop until hell freezes over.

It was not revealed what grade the student got.

---

Source: The Temperature of Hell

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Proud to be a Person of Indian Origin

The final statement from Liu Xiaobo before being sentenced to 11 years in prison by the unelected Government of China, was read at his Nobel Peace Prize presentation ceremony. Here are some excerpts:

... I firmly believe that China's political progress will not stop, and I, filled with optimism, look forward to the advent of a future free China. For there is no force that can put an end to the human quest for freedom, and China will in the end become a nation ruled by law, where human rights reign supreme...

If I may be permitted to say so, the most fortunate experience of these past twenty years has been the selfless love I have received from my wife, Liu Xia. She could not be present as an observer in court today, but I still want to say to you, my dear, that I firmly believe your love for me will remain the same as it has always been. Throughout all these years that I have lived without freedom, our love was full of bitterness imposed by outside circumstances, but as I savor its aftertaste, it remains boundless. I am serving my sentence in a tangible prison, while you wait in the intangible prison of the heart. Your love is the sunlight that leaps over high walls and penetrates the iron bars of my prison window, stroking every inch of my skin, warming every cell of my body, allowing me to always keep peace, openness, and brightness in my heart, and filling every minute of my time in prison with meaning...

My dear, with your love I can calmly face my impending trial, having no regrets about the choices I've made and optimistically awaiting tomorrow. I look forward to [the day] when my country is a land with freedom of expression, where the speech of every citizen will be treated equally well; where different values, ideas, beliefs, and political views . . . can both compete with each other and peacefully coexist; where both majority and minority views will be equally guaranteed, and where the political views that differ from those currently in power, in particular, will be fully respected and protected; where all political views will spread out under the sun for people to choose from, where every citizen can state political views without fear, and where no one can under any circumstances suffer political persecution for voicing divergent political views. I hope that I will be the last victim of China's endless literary inquisitions and that from now on no one will be incriminated because of speech.

Freedom of expression is the foundation of human rights, the source of humanity, and the mother of truth. To strangle freedom of speech is to trample on human rights, stifle humanity, and suppress truth.

I would like to know from the critics of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee for awarding the prize to Liu Xiaobo, what precisely in this statement, and other writings by Liu Xiaobo, that they find subversive of the will and aspirations of the Chinese people. All I can say after reading this is that I am proud to have known this man through his writings and struggles.

And, may I add, with its support for Liu Xiaobo highlighted by the presence of India's Ambassador at the Nobel award ceremony, I am also proud today to call myself a person of Indian origin.

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The Stranger

I decided to take a break, and headed to the cafeteria. As I sat down with my cup of coffee, I thought about the pressure that my boyfriend had been putting on me lately to take the next step in our relationship. I wasn't sure if I was ready for that.

From the corner of my eye I saw this guy approaching my table. "May I join you?" he asked, grinning widely. Well, why not, I thought. A casual chat may help me take this load off my mind, even if only for a short while. Without waiting for my answer, he sat down in front of me.

"Would you like to talk about it? It look likes sharing your problem with someone could help."

I was taken aback. How did he know? Was it that obvious from my face?

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am John Carpenter. I used to work here as the public relations manager."

"Really? Sheila in PR is a good friend of mine. Does she know you?"

"Everyone knew me when I was working here, but no one will recognize me now."

"When did you leave the company?"

"A long time ago. Tell me, what's worrying you?"

Well, it's unlikely that I'll meet this guy ever again. "You see, my boyfriend..." I began hesitantly.

"He wants you to take the next step, right?"

I was taken aback. "How did you..."

"They all do, it's a common story. But, it's wrong, you know."

"What is wrong..."

"You must not yield to the pressure. Sex before marriage is a terrible mistake," he deadpanned.

I was annoyed. "Look here, John, whoever you are," I said with an unmistakable edge in my voice, "you seem to have some outlandish views about relationships. I am not sure if I want to talk to you anymore."

"But, you must. Your parents have sent me here to talk to you."

I was aghast.

"What? My parents sent you? They don't even know that I have a boyfriend!"

"Yes, but they think that you may have one. Sex before marriage is a definite no, and your parents agree. Your grand parents, too."

"My grandparents are dead, and my parents have no business dictating my sex life. Much less, you."

"Does your boyfriend have a mustache?"

"Uh... What if he does? Why do you care? "

"You should not date men with mustaches. They are bad guys. Didn't your parents ever tell you that?

"I wouldn't have given a damn if they had."

"Does he like pop music, too?"

"Of course, he does. And, so do I."

"I knew it! You should shun pop music, at once. Say you are sorry, and promise me that you'll only listen to classical music hereafter. Besides, you cannot take anyone who listens to other kinds of music as you husband."

My annoyance with the guy was turning into amusement. "You are being ridiculous. My dad loves punk rock, my mom is into heavy metal, and they are both doing fine, thank you."

"What's your boy friend's shoe size?"

"Nine, why?"

"What ever you do, don't marry a size 9. Size 8.5 is the most suitable one for you."

"Says who? Look, I am getting tired of this conversation. I am sorry that I allowed myself to be drawn into this," I said angrily, and got up to leave.

"Please, just a couple of more minutes. You see this book, it's all written down here. You must not have sex before marriage, a man should not sport a mustache, you must listen only to classical music... and a lot more. Please read the book, and do as it says."

"And, what if I don't?"

"Terrible things will happen to you and your family. You'll die in an earthquake, your husband will become HIV positive, your children will be born schizophrenic, and your parents' home in New Orleans will be destroyed by another Katrina," John thundered. "It's all written in the book. Here, take it, it's free."

"Yeah, right. Next, you'll ask me to believe that Santa Claus brings gifts from the North Pole in a flying reindeer cart, and a stork left me at the doorsteps of my parents' home! What kind of a fool wrote this book?"

"I wrote the book."

"Of course, you did. Stupid me!" I started to walk away.

"Wait! You may think of me as a fool, and I forgive you for that, but a wise man I met several years ago dictated the entire book to me. You must believe every word of his."

"Wise man, eh? What's his name? Where did you meet him?"

"Wise man is his name. I met him on the top of Mount Everest."

"Was there anyone else?"

"No. Only the wise man and I."

"Just as I thought. Goodbye, stranger. Next time, find someone with the same IQ as yours, OK? And, hey, thanks for the book, it'll come in handy for starting a fire."

---

Inspired by a real life incident in which a Hindu god-man ruined the life of a girl I knew, and the timeless classic, " John and Mary Pay a Visit (Hank's ass)"

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Tributaries of Imperial China

The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Liu Xiaobo, is in the illustrious company of the rare few Nobel Laureates who could not receive the prize in person for political reasons:

ALBERT EINSTEIN PHYSICS 1921	CARL VON OSSIETZKY PEACE 1935	BORIS PASTERNAK LITERATURE 1958
ANDREI SAKHAROV PEACE 1975	AUNG SAN SUU KYI PEACE 1991	LIU XIAOBO PEACE 2010

After Nazi Germany had successfully prevented the German journalist and pacifist, Carl von Ossietzky, and his immediate family, from accepting the prize in person in 1936, China is the first country to repeat the performance. The communist state has demonstrated to the world what winning the Nobel Peace Prize for advocacy of democracy and freedom for the people could mean in the dictionary of totalitarian regimes: "treason" and "blasphemy".

Bowing to China's will are 18 other countries that have declined the Nobel Committee's invitation to attend the Peace Prize presentation this year:

COLUMBIA CUBA KAZAKHSTAN PHILIPPINES RUSSIA SERBIA VENEZUELA VIETNAM UKRAINE

AFGHANISTAN EGYPT IRAN IRAQ MOROCCO PAKISTAN SAUDI ARABIA SUDAN TUNISIA

There, you have now the who's who of Imperial China's tributaries!

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Hate Speech, the Blowback

Bullying and Censorship - NYTimes.com:

In an appalling act of political cowardice, the Smithsonian Institution last week removed “A Fire in My Belly,” a four-minute video clip, from an exhibit called “Hide/Seek” at the National Portrait Gallery. The privately financed show explores identity, gender and homosexuality in American portraiture.

The video, by David Wojnarowicz, is a moving, anguished reflection on the artist’s impending death from AIDS. It shows very quick glimpses of challenging and, at times, disturbing images...

One of those images, 11 seconds of ants crawling on a crucifix, drew an outraged denunciation from the Catholic League, a lay civil rights organization that receives no church financing. It called the video “hate speech” and said it was designed to “assault the sensibilities of Christians.” A spokesman for Representative John Boehner, the incoming House speaker, called for the Smithsonian to shut down the exhibition or “be prepared to face tough scrutiny” under the new Republican majority.

This "hurting the sensibilities" stuff is getting to be out of control. Despicable as the censorship by the conservatives is, I hope the liberals will learn from this blowback, and desist from conflating every criticism of the UN, Islam, and President Obama's policies into "hate speech".

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Writer's Block Saves Trees

Two concise and must read articles on the diagnosis and treatment of writer's block:

• Dennis Upper. The Unsuccessful Self-Treatment of a Case of "Writer's Block". Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences, 7:497, Fall 1974.
• Robert Didden, Jjeff Sigafoos, Mark F. O'reilly, Giulio E. Lancioni, and Peter Sturmey. A Multisite Cross-cultural Replication of Upper's (1974) Unsuccessful Self-treatment of Writer's Block. 40:773, Winter 2007.

If only all social "science" articles were this concise and to the point, we could save so many trees!

---

Hat tip to Volokh Conspiracy and GeekPress.

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Unfunded Tax Cuts for the Wealthy

I was mugged last night. In Beverley Hills, believe it or not, one of the richest neighborhoods in Los Angeles! I had parked my car, and was walking towards a restaurant, when this fellow appeared from nowhere. He cleaned me out, all of the $110 that I was carrying in my wallet.

I pleaded with him to give me back $10, so I could fill up gas to drive back to Anaheim. With a straight face, the robber replied,

"Sorry, man! I am already in deficit. My budget for tomorrow is $150. I would like very much to give you back your $10, but unfortunately, it's completely unfunded."

The fellow was polite, unlike Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO):

"I'm trying to figure out how anyone can keep a straight face and say they are for deficit reduction when they insist on a permanent tax cut for the wealthiest Americans, completely unpaid for," McCaskill said. "If they think it is OK to raise taxes for the embattled middle class because they are going to pout if we don't give more money to millionaires, it really is time for the people of America to take up pitchforks." [emphasis mine]

Well, at least, I didn't get attacked with a pitchfork for asking for a small change from my own money!

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Sinday Levitycus

My top ten of the seventy-two virgins speak out to the lucky suicide bomber [overheard by Steve Martin on his ham radio, it's rumored]:

10

Virgin No. 48: No, you've got it wrong. We're in the Paradise Casino.

9

Virgin No. 40: I’m Jewish. Why do you ask?

8

Virgin No. 63: Dang. George Clooney was being reckless on a motorcycle, but instead I got you.

7

Virgin No. 46: I'm almost there. Just another couple of hours.

6

Virgin No. 66: We could do it here for free, or on a stage in Düsseldorf for money.

5

Virgin No. 38: I'm Zania, from the planet Xeron. My vagina is on my foot.

4

Virgin No. 44: You like my breasts? They were my graduation gift.

3

Virgin No. 64: Tonight, I become a woman. But until then you can call me Bob.

2

Virgin No. 30: You are in?

1

Virgin No. 70: My name is Mother Teresa.

Don't miss out on the rest of the 62 from Steve Martin's Seventy-Two Virgins.

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How to be a Liberal, and Still Love Islam

Aisha Sakineh Ashtiani Asia Bibi	female genital mutilation school poisoning acid attacks child marriage rape according to hudood women in hell	9/11 Beslan London
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Salman Rushdie Taslima Nasreen		Bali Fort Hood Mumbai
Kurt Westergaard South Park Theo Van Gogh	marital rape wife beating stoning for adultery death for apostasy death for blasphemy death for homosexuals	Qahtaniya Madrid Netanya

If you'd rather read a verbal censure of the left-liberals for their shameful apologia on human rights violation in Islam, here is a good one: Nick Cohen — Political Correctness (Not Nearly Mad Enough) | The Spectator.

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Republican? No Joint Custody with a Democrat!

Well, not really, but close.

Craig Scarberry is a recent convert from Christianity to Agnosticism. He had joint custody of his three children with his ex-wife, still a Christian, until she filed for sole legal and physical custody. In a ruling in favor of the mother by Madison County Superior Court 2 Commissioner, George G. Pancol, and affirmed by Judge Thomas Newman Jr, Mr. Scarberry was stripped of joint custody, and would have only visitation rights in accordance with the state guidelines. Mr. Scarberry is expected to appeal the ruling.

In an interview given to "the Young Turks" on MSNBC, Mr. Scarberry has complained that the ruling was discriminatory, and motivated by his agnostic beliefs:

Criticizing J.Pancol’s order, Indiana University law professor, Jennifer Drobac, commented:

I have read the order and am really concerned about why (Pancol) twice mentioned (Scarberry’s) religious beliefs,” Drobac wrote in an e-mail. Such discretion would be clearly unconstitutional unless the parent’s religious practices were actually harming or posed a substantial threat of harm to the children.

Defending his ruling, J.Pancol, said:

When considering joint legal custody, the Indiana statute requires the court to determine if the divorced parents can agree on matters such as education and religious upbringing. The case law requires me to make a decision whether or not the parties can communicate effectively about these matters and others concerning their children...

Apart from the fact that Mr. Scarberry is an agnostic, evidence cited in the ruling indicated that he had problems controlling his anger, and used profanity in the presence of the children. Weighing against this, there was evidence that the mother had left the children at home alone, did not feed them properly, and allowed them to ride in her car without buckling them down.

As for responsible parenting, it looks like a wash to me, perhaps in the father's favor. I don't understand why the risk of emotional affects of occasional angry outbursts of the father not specifically targeted at the children, should be any worse than the risk of physical endangerment due to occasional reckless behavior of the mother.

This leaves us with communication and coordination problems between Mr. Scarberry and his ex-wife regarding "matters such as education and religious upbringing", as the only plausible reasoning behind J.Pancol's order. The father denies that there has been any such problem. It is also interesting to note in this context, J.Pancol's observation that "the Mother and Father following the Dissolution of Marriage [in April, 2007?] did have intimate relationship up to and including February 2010"!

I quote here what I think are the relevant portions of Indiana Code [presumably, these are the ones that J.Pancol is referring to]:

IC 31-17-2-15
(2) whether the persons awarded joint custody are willing and able to communicate and cooperate in advancing the child's welfare;

IC 31-17-2-17
(2) as provided in subsection (b);
the custodian may determine the child's upbringing, including the child's education, health care, and religious training.

(b) If the court finds after motion by a noncustodial parent that, in the absence of a specific limitation of the custodian's authority, the child's:
(1) physical health would be endangered; or
(2) emotional development would be significantly impaired;
the court may specifically limit the custodian's authority.

I am not a lawyer, but judging from this code, it does appear that J.Pancol has made these determinations, solely on the basis that the father and mother in this case differ in their religious beliefs:

• they are not "willing and able to communicate and cooperate in advancing the child's welfare"
• the child's welfare generally is advanced by the mother's Christian beliefs, but impaired by the father's agnosticism in regard to the existence of a god, and everything else that goes with it
• the child's physical health and/or emotional development will be specifically impaired by the father's agnostic methods of upbringing that exclude Christian indoctrination, but not the mother's methods of upbringing that include Christian indoctrination.

I must say, it does make me wonder if the judge's order would have been different, if the custodial dispute had been between, say, a Republican father and a Democratic mother. Considering what's going on in the U.S. Congress these days, communication and coordination between the two would be almost non-existent!

What is being protected here, the interest of the children or the interest of the religion? If it is the former, then, in light of recent advances in child development research, as well as several reported cases of child abuse by religious parents as well as clergy, and IC 31-17-2-17 (2b), there is a plausible argument for a specific limitation on the mother to exclude religious training from the child's upbringing!

Barring any new evidence to the contrary, I think that there is a reasonable cause for an appeal against J.Pancol's ruling as in violation of the father's right to equal protection and due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. On a broader note, I'd argue that the privilege accorded to a custodial parent to determine the religious training for the child, in itself violates the child's First Amendment right to freedom of thought and expression. If it is claimed that the First Amendment doesn't extend to children, then it should!

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What does Genesis say about GFAJ-1?

Jesus, could this be the holy grail for the new — and the old — atheists? NASA-Funded Research Discovers Life Built With Toxic Chemical:

Researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of Mono Lake in California have discovered the first known microorganism on Earth able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. The microorganism substitutes arsenic for phosphorus in its cell components.

"The definition of life has just expanded," said Ed Weiler, NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. "As we pursue our efforts to seek signs of life in the solar system, we have to think more broadly, more diversely and consider life as we do not know it."

This finding of an alternative biochemistry makeup will alter biology textbooks and expand the scope of the search for life beyond Earth...

Hell, do we need to alter our books of revelation as well? Has anyone alerted our most blessed father, yet? Get me the Discovery Institute online, please. Is this good news or bad news for creationism? Does this mean that gods are still fine-tuning intelligently designed life?

Okay, let's not panic here. Get me a copy of the Book of Genesis, now!

1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

That seems okay, doesn't it? He simply asked the earth to bring forth grass, and voilà, it did. Nothing about arsenic or phosphorous!

1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Ah, ain't he clever? He hasn't saideth what every living creature that moveth is madeth of. In any case, bacteria can't really move, can they? It doesn't look like they have any legs, fins, or wings. I think we are safe here.

1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

"Everything that creepeth upon the earth..."? What about Mars, Jupiter, and beyond? What if these NASA fellows showed that this new microorganism they found was from Gliese 581g? Ask Cardinal Dean to tell the spin doctors from the Discovery Institute get off their asses and say something, willya? What are we paying them for, warming their seats?

1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

What about this creepy, creeping thing, that creepeth upon Mono Lake? Arsenic, which is substituting phosphorus in this creeper they call GFAJ-1, is poisonous for most life on earth, they say. GFAJ-1, eh? These devil worshiping, atheist, scientists have little or no imagination, don't they? So, it's poisonous to man... hm...

Here's an idea... what if we said that the snake, the original one, the Beast incarnate, must have evolved from... er... been created from this Mono Lake creeper? Excellent! Call the Templeton Foundation and ask them to institute a prize of $1,000,000 for anyone who could prove that! No one can do a better job of reconciling science and theology than they can.

Good, that does it for now. Issue a Press Release immediately from the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, stating this as our firm, theologically grounded, position on this matter. We can always recant after a few centuries.

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Religious Profiling

In a hard-hitting column in the Daily Beast, Airport Security: Let’s Profile Muslims, Asra Q. Nomani wrote:

We have to talk about the taboo topic of profiling because terrorism experts are increasingly recognizing that religious ideology makes terrorist organizations and terrorists more likely to commit heinous crimes against civilians, such as blowing an airliner out of the sky. Certainly, it’s not an easy or comfortable conversation but it’s one, I believe, we must have.

Ms. Nomani's column echoes my views expressed on this subject in an article that I wrote in the immediate aftermath of the failed terror attack on Glasgow airport.

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Price of Vote: Orgasm

I confess: I invented the one-liner, "Life is cheap, vote is priceless". I was wrong. It seems that there is a price for vote. In Spain that is, and for a vote for the Socialist Party:

Of course, we all know that the socialists are for distributive justice, inclusive growth, "spread[ing] the wealth around", and all that balderdash.

Spreading orgasms around, too?

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