In the words of a Great American (tm)
Shut up! Just Shut UP!
AMERICAblog: Because a great nation deserves the truth has the scoop on the Pentagon's attempt to intimidate the Washington Post over a cartoon that shows Rumsfeld in a bad light.

Which movie are you?

just to show that this blog is about more than politics...

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Freedom goosestepping forward




Cindy Sheehan, attending the State of the Union address as the guest of a congresswoman, was arrested just before the speech for wearing a t-shirt with a number on it. The number just happened to be the same as the number of Americans killed in Iraq. Did those people die to ensure Americans' right to be jailed for wearing T-Shirts that might embarrass Dick Cheney? Is that what Cindy Sheehan's son died for?

Billy (Dennis Hopper): "All we represent to them is somebody who needs a haircut."

George Hansen (Jack Nicholson): "Oh, no. What you represent to them......is freedom. Freedom's what it's all about. Oh yeah, that's right. That's what it's all about. But talking about it and being it, that's two different things. lt's real hard to be free when you're bought and sold in the marketplace. Don't tell anybody that they're not free, because they'll get busy killing and maiming to prove to you that they are.

They're going to talk to you and talk to you about individual freedom. But they see a free individual, it's going to scare them."

Billy: "Well, it don't make them running scared. "

George: "No, it don't make them running scared. lt makes them dangerous."

Additional reading from the Washington Post - A night in Ostrichville, Utah. My only complaint about this article is that it doesn't include any photos of the pods these people came in.

Radio stardom beckons
My neighbour the magician and future partner in musical crimes against good taste has managed to get some of his stuff played on Dr. Demento's radio show, which for comedy songs is kind of like making the billboard charts. Check it out at Steve's Stuff: Dr. Demento

Freedom on the march - can't you hear the jackboots ringing?

George W. Bush claims the enemies of America hate his country for its "freedoms," so in an effort to make the USA universally loved again, he and his fellow Republicans are doing their best to get rid of those freedoms.

Come down from the cross
My mother chastized me the other day via telephone for harshing on former Promise Keepers president David Sweet who was just elected as MP in her riding. "There are worse people than Christians to have in office" she told me. And I suppose she's right - I guess I'd rather have someone in office who thought the bible told them that the government should control reproduction and sexual conduct between consenting adults and that children should be beaten. I suppose I'd rather have that than someone whose religious beliefs called for human sacrifice and 95% tithing or insisted that we all wear burkas, but I don't see Charlie Manson or the Taliban running for office in Canada at the moment, just the first gang of pushy, intolerant regressives who insist we all think like them.

Dave at the Galloping Beaver has been watching Stephen Harpers involvement with the Christian fundementalist right and has some good words.The Galloping Beaver says: Take strength from the Flying Spaghetti Monster in the battle against those who would infringe on our freedom from religion.

I am not opposed to Christianity, I am not opposed to any religion (well, okay maybe the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons --how would they like it if I went around to their door to explain atheism to them at 10 am on a Sunday morning? "Hi, I'm here to share the bad news! The stuff you believe is nonsense and you're wasting your life! Would you like some literature? Have a nice day!") But I don't think they have the right to tell me or anyone else what to believe or to make laws based on whatever holy scripture they think is the word of word of Yahweh, Allah, Moroni or even the Flying Spagetti Monster (may his noodly appendage be upon you). Not wanting to let any religious group run the government and insisting on an official doctrine of tolerance is NOT an attack on Christianity, it is an attack on theocracy and if you as a Christian think I am attacking you by saying you don't have the right to subject non-believers to what you think is the word of god, maybe you should be asking yourself why it so important that your beliefs be pushed in schools and by government - aren't they strong enough to stand by themselves?

Recommended viewing: Kissing Hank's Ass (see the links)

"We have met the enemy and he is us"
Jesus' General has the best post on the latest appalling revelations from Iraq. Read it and weep - in a manly way of course.