LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY dunesong)

On a lighter (but still serious) note I would like to direct your attention to the following links.

One is an article by a personal fav blogger Prof. PZ Myers:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/02/biblically_correct_tours.php

It concerns biblically correct tours. This is a group that takes people on tours of natural history museums and gives them the "biblically correct" version of what they find on display. The website for the group involved is hilarious.

http://www.creationtours.com/tours.htm

One of the bits that just knocked me out of my chair was on their store page about halfway down there is a VHS for Jack Theist Meets Dr. Secular. The description is priceless.

http://www.creationtours.com/store.htm

Jack Theist Meets Dr. Secular

AUTHOR: Bill Jack FORMAT: VHS PRICE: $19.95

Many Christians cower in mindless fear at secularism's persuasive power. Yet, we are exhorted to be transformed by the renewing, not the removing, of our minds. In this video you will hear Dr. Secular's followers chant the merits of a secular worldview. You will witness firsthand its chokehold on our culture. Then watch as Jack Theist destroys Dr. Secular's arguments with Biblical Truth. Once again you will be able to step out into the culture with renewed confidence. As a Christian you have not been given a spirit of fear, but of love and discipline and a sound mind.


On a serious note, this sort of thing does concern me. It could merely be that I am becoming more aware of this sort of thing, but these people seem to be infesting avery aspect of our culture. And even though most of it is painfully pathetic and embarrassingly funny it seems that so many people are buying into it anyway. It has a sort of 1950s body snatchers horror movie aspect to it. Is it really that bad or is it a problem of perspective for me?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY tinhuviel)

It's been up for a while, but I had a chance to capture it today. This is what travellers coming from the South and going North get to see at the 290 exit near Duncan South Carolina. I'm so proud.

( here I come! )

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kalibex)

Evangelical association decides not to fight global warming after all.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Apparently, his past has caught up with him:

George C. Deutsch, the young presidential appointee at NASA who told public affairs workers to limit reporters' access to a top climate scientist and told a Web designer to add the word "theory" at every mention of the Big Bang, resigned yesterday, agency officials said.

Mr. Deutsch's resignation came on the same day that officials at Texas A&M University confirmed that he did not graduate from there, as his résumé on file at the agency asserted.

Officials at NASA headquarters declined to discuss the reason for the resignation.

"Under NASA policy, it is inappropriate to discuss personnel matters," said Dean Acosta, the deputy assistant administrator for public affairs and Mr. Deutsch's boss.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY dunesong)

Hello all. Been reading for a long time and thought I'd finally sign in and contribute (what little I might be able too anyway). You have all been a great source of some very horrifying information. Thanks for the many sleepless nights...

If this is not an appropriate topic for here I apologize.

Being an engineer/scientist he following does not sit well with me at all. It details some of the recent garbage going on at NASA:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/02/poor_superman.php

(More links in the post give further details - very good discussion at http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2006/02/04/outrage-at-attacks-on-nasa-science/)

The level to which these types have infiltrated every aspect of our lives, culture, government, and science is truly terrifying.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY squidflakes)

This may have been posted before, but I think it would warrent a repeat viewing.

This is a link to the Center for Renewal of Culture and Science's Mission Statement, called the Wedge Strategy. These are the same people who claim that Design Theory is pure science, and not dressed up creationism.

http://www.antievolution.org/features/wedge.html

Interesting how they seem to want to use ID non-sense to discriminate against homosexuals. (see Section 5, item number 4, in their 5 Year Plan)

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kittynboi)

So, I never thought of it before, but how do these two square? While theres no obvious conflict when it comes to birtch control pills and stuff, what about these ones that are so broad that, for instance, someone could refuse to treat me because I'm gay, and they would be totally immune from any consequences?

What about the hippocratic oath?

Aren't there any laws that could conflict with a clause that would allow doctors not to treat a person and put their life in danger?

What are legitimate "conscience" issues? What if its in an emergency situation? Would a person just be allowed to invoce conscience clauses with no real explanation while someone is bleeding to death?

I wonder if our pitiful mainstream press with even acknowledge these questions?




This may sound odd, but if these clauses pass, are we going to need to modify medical schools and such entirely? Perhaps medical schools should start making it clear that, if you are a health provider or doctor or whatever, then you WILL encounter situations that may conflict with your beliefs, and that if you cannot put your beliefs aside for your profession, then perhaps you should look for another career?



I think there are a LOT of things that need to be addressed in this issue, but these things are being largely ignored, and the media and everyone else are letting the theocrats make it a stupid fairness issue.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY britzkrieg)

More than a dozen states are considering new laws to protect health workers who do not want to provide care that conflicts with their personal beliefs, a surge of legislation that reflects the intensifying tension between asserting individual religious values and defending patients' rights.

About half of the proposals would shield pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control and "morning-after" pills because they believe the drugs cause abortions. But many are far broader measures that would shelter a doctor, nurse, aide, technician or other employee who objects to any therapy. That might include in-vitro fertilization, physician-assisted suicide, embryonic stem cells and perhaps even providing treatment to gays and lesbians.

[...]

The swell of propositions is raising alarm among advocates for abortion rights, family planning, AIDS prevention, the right to die, gays and lesbians, and others who see the push as the latest manifestation of the growing political power of social conservatives.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I found this very insightful Buzzflash interview with Mark Crispin Miller.

He has some very interesting insights:

This is a faith-based movement, which means that we cannot just write off everything they do as mere manipulation by cynics who secretly know better. That some of them are Machiavellian there is no doubt, but there's a pathological component, an apocalyptic drive, that we ignore at our own peril.

What often seems to be mere breath-taking cynicism is, as well, a sort of self-delusion, or self-hypnosis, common to fanatical movements of all kinds, religious and otherwise. These are people who themselves are in the very audience they're always working to arouse. On some level they believe that, if they say something repeatedly and loud enough, it will not just make everybody else believe it, but it will actually make it true. It is that faith-based self-deception that makes the movement deeply frightening - and incomprehensible - to rational observers. There is no arguing with that mentality, which poses a far greater worldly threat than all the humanistic interests on Earth combined.

They respect no worldly powers other than themselves, and so they've set about the reconstruction of our government, to operate it wholly by themselves in their own interests. If it were up to them, there would be no special prosecutors. There would be no independent authorities capable of passing any judgment on them or of enforcing any rules that they would rather not follow. If it were up to them, there would be no parties but their own. It's staggering, but surely less astonishing than the refusal of "the liberal media" to give it the attention it deserves.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY gairid)

Look! The Christian Right has an answer to Brokeback Mountain.

Here's the synopsis:

Provoked by temptation, a tumultuous affair is about to begin, and it will burn as deep as the desires that brought it to life. Michael Gooden is a God- fearing man who has been married for eighteen years. He has a wonderful wife and two teenage children. But one day he is cornered by an ultimatum that will unleash the desires pent up inside of him. Michael begins an affair that has him torn between guilt and desire and right and wrong. Michael’s wife Sarah is blindsided by his affair. Throughout her struggle to deal with the truth she must find a way to maintain her sanity and strengthen her children for the fiery events ahead. She holds on to her faith amidst the turmoil that plagues her family and her church. Michael abandons his church, family, and home for his new life with his lover Jimmy. His one choice sets off a firestorm of events that will consume everyone in its path.



http://www.sodomandgomorrahthemovie.com/home.htm

Sadly, this one does not include Kirk Cameron in the cast.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Just when you thought that people like the American Family Association have learned their lessons when dealing with Ford, they go on the attack again!

Here's a Daily Kos diary about their latest attack (including their high-handed letter to Ford), and a list of signatory people in cahoots with them which might come in handy to know.

Here's another article on the subject from Talk To Action about the Religious Right's inability to let things go. It's interesting reading.

Here's an excerpt of the AFA letter:

On November 28, Ford Motor Company and American Family Association worked out a representation concerning Ford's support of groups promoting the homosexual agenda including homosexual marriage. Ford's representations seemed to AFA a very reasonable and attainable goal.
Here is what Ford's representation included:

1. Ford would not renew current promotions or create future incentives that give cash donations to homosexual organizations based on the purchase of a vehicle.
2. Ford would stop giving cash and vehicle donations or endorsements to homosexual social activities such as Gay Pride parades.
3. Ford would not make corporate donations to homosexual organizations that, as part of their activities, engage in political or social campaigns to promote civil unions or same-sex marriage.
4. Ford would cease all advertising in homosexual websites and media outlets (magazines, television, radio) in the U.S. with the exception of a small amount to be used by Volvo. The Volvo ads would be the same ads used in the general media and not aimed at the homosexual community specifically.

When homosexual groups opposed Ford's actions, seven homosexual leaders met with Ford. At that meeting, Ford repudiated your representations and issued a public letter strongly supporting the homosexual groups.

Ford made this decision at the request of only seven homosexual leaders and without any input from your thousands of dealers who stand to be adversely affected by your decision. Why would Ford put the interests of seven homosexual groups ahead of the interests of all your dealers? Evidently you consider seven homosexual leaders more important than your thousands of dealers. Your support for these groups pushing homosexual marriage can only hurt your dealers.

We strongly suggest that Ford remove itself from involvement in the cultural war and apply its resources to building the best product possible. It ill serves the purpose of Ford to take sides in the cultural war. It is a no-win situation. When you favor one side, you alienate the other. Leave the cultural battles to the various groups pro and con and to the politicians. Apply your energy and your resources to building better automobiles. This policy would benefit not only Ford, your employees and your dealers, but society as a whole.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I found a clip of Pastor Ted Haggard giving Richard Dawkins a lecture about arrogance. Holy shit- talk about the pot calling the kettle black... Richard Dawkins, for those of you who do not know, is an eminent evolutionary biologist who is also an ardent atheist. He wrote "The Blind Watchmaker", and "The Selfish Gene", among other things. Ted Haggard is the pastor of the dominionist New Life Church in Colorado Springs.

Here's the site. And here's the show it came from. Chances are that we'll never see it in the US.

What I could not get over was the snarl on Haggard's face as he dressed Dawkins down, and the flat hate in his eyes. And you could see that Dawkins was shaking with anger. He does not play well with True Believers ™.

Here's an article about Dawkins from the Guardian.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY diala)

Barbie Accused of Being Part of the Transgender Movement

"The Concerned Women for America were … well, concerned. Outraged, even. Was Barbie becoming part of the transgender movement?

On Dec. 30, CWA, a leading Christian conservative group, noted on its Web site that on the Barbie Web site, www.Barbie.com, "there is a poll that asks children their age and sex."

...

The age choices were 4 to 8 but children "are given three options for their choice of gender": I am a Boy, I am a Girl and I Don't Know.

Bob Knight, director of CWA's Culture and Family Institute, said Barbie manufacturer Mattel was being influenced by the "transgender movement."

To pose "this transgender question at little girls, they've really crossed the line," Knight said, who added that "bisexuality gender confusion" is the Web site's agenda, which is "very dangerous."

...

"This was just an innocent oversight," says Lauren Bruksch, a spokeswoman for Mattel. As a rule of thumb, Bruksch said, the questionnaires at barbie.com always try to have a neutral answer or nonresponse option. For gender, this third option should have been "I don't want to say," rather than "I don't know." The Web site has since been fixed."

Not really a shock, but amusing as hell.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY nebris)

Jamie Wilson in Washington
Friday December 16, 2005
From The Guardian

Ford is to resume buying corporate ads in gay publications, following criticism from gay rights groups who accused the motor company of succumbing to pressure from the conservative group the American Family Association.

In an attempt to end a public relations disaster, Ford wrote to gay groups saying it would resume buying corporate ads in gay media, featuring all eight of the company's brands, reversing a decision to pull them. Previously only Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo ran ads in gay publications.

"Ford's action is a positive outcome and win for equality and fairness," said Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese. "Ford has sent a powerful signal that corporate America values its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees and consumers."

The AFA called for a boycott of Ford vehicles in May, citing what it claimed was the company's "extensive promotion of homosexuality" including making contributions to gay rights groups.

The AFA suspended the boycott in June for six months after talks with Ford dealers and then ended it altogether after a meeting with Ford executives. Afterwards Ford announced it was going to pull the ads from gay publications and the AFA claimed victory. "While we still have a few differences with Ford, we feel our concerns are being addressed in good faith and will continue to be addressed in the future," Donald Wildmon, the chairman of the Mississippi-based group, said.

Ford denied it had struck a secret deal with the AFA, claiming the decision to pull the ads was a purely commercial decision. But gay rights groups reacted furiously, accusing Ford of pandering to extremist groups. The decision to reinstate the advertising followed a meeting with gay groups on Monday.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY wyldraven)

Justice House of Prayer (JHOP)

( Excerpts direct from the JHOP site )

ABC Nightline Report on JHOP

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY gleef)

Apparently, several megachurches are canceling Christmas services this year to "allow staff members and volunteers to spend the holiday with their families." To make up for lost preaching, most of these churches are planning extra services on Christmas Eve.

The churches listed in the article are:

• Southland Christian Church; Nicholasville, KY (Near Lexington)
• Willow Creek Community Church; South Barrington, IL (Near Chicago)
• Mars Hill Bible Church; Grandville, MI (Near Grand Rapids)
• North Point Community Church; Alpharetta, GA (Near Atlanta)
• Fellowship Christian Church; Dallas, TX (and surrounding area, the church has four campuses)
• Crossroads Christian Church; Lexington, KY

Does anyone know what's up with this? Anything involving multiple megachurches is instantly suspect to me, and combined with the whole "War on Christmans" meme that the Religious Right is pushing lately, it makes me very suspicious, but I don't see what the point behind this is. I also don't know whether or not these churches normally do this (megachurches have much higher lay staff requirements than traditional ones), and this is much ado about nothing.

Also, possibly unrelated, the article mentions Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY is holding a single service (apparently with skeleton staff), and really pushing their Christmas Eve services instead.

(Snagged from chipuni)

PS: Mods, could we have a "War on Christmas" tag?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY ccroft)

Here is what the BBC News Company from the UK makes of the dominionist movement so far, in an interesting article from their Washington correspondant posted today. No facts within that we aren't aware of, but one should notice the language used by a media outlet that enjoys a global audience:

"We are having dinner at the house of some friends who are supporters of President Bush.

Their five-year-old son, a classmate of our children, takes me upstairs to see his collection of dinosaurs.

Little Meade is a passionate palaeontologist and this is a land of plenty so the room heaves with prehistoric life.

I am suitably impressed, but unknown to Meade I am not here to admire the bone structure of the mammals.

I am in this room on assignment, because in modern America Meade's dinosaurs are at the heart of the travails of a political party and I need to find out something about Meade's parents which will affect our relationship.

I need to know what they told him about when the dinosaurs existed.

Millions of Americans, most of them supporters of the Republican party, believe that the world was created only a few thousand years ago as per the account in Genesis and the dinosaurs can only date from then, so the Tyrannosaurus Rex romped around with Adam and Eve. Read More...

This time, the head of the Reform Judaism movement in the US (the most liberal of the three Jewish denominations) has sent a stinging rebuke to dominionist groups in the US:

(from http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/647755.html)

The approach of American "religious right" leaders toward gays is akin to the anti-gay policies promoted by Adolf Hitler, according to the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Eric Yoffie.

Yoffie made the comments Saturday, during the movement's national biennial conference in Houston.

"We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations," Yoffie said. "Yes, we can disagree about gay marriage but there is no excuse for hateful rhetoric that fuels the hellfires of anti-gay bigotry."

"When people talk about God and yet ignore justice, it just feels downright wrong to us," Yoffie said. "When they cloak themselves in
religion and forget mercy, it strikes us as blasphemy."

Several Jewish communal insiders based in Washington told the Forward that the Reform union's decision to oppose Alito could prompt several other major Jewish organizations to take a similar stance, including the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and Hadassah, a women's
Zionist organization that, with 300,000 members, is the largest non-synagogue membership association.

"Does it influence us? Yeah," said Shelley Klein, Hadassah's director of advocacy. But Klein said the organization would withhold judgment until Alito fills out his Senate questionnaire and testifies before the Judiciary Committee.

Like the Reform movement, Hadassah did not oppose John Roberts. The United Synagogue, the congregational arm of Conservative Judaism, endorsed Roberts as "qualified."

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY kittynboi)

One thing in that interview stood out in particular.

"" Fundamentalists aren’t the evil people, they’re the canary in the coal mine. They’re the early warning system that says, something about the liberal vision of this society has lost its center and it’s destabilizing and dangerous. And they’re correct. But fundamentalism and fascism cannot make us humane. They can provide a stable society but not a humane one. To do that you have to have a bigger vision.""

This fascinates me, and I think it's well put. I'd like a discussion on this. Is the current popularity of fundamentalism attributable, even in part, to some kind of failure, or losing-its-way, on the part of liberal society, liberal democracy?

Has out society, as a pluralistic one, failed in some measure, or is it missing something, or is there something wrong with it, that makes fundamentalism and totalitarinism and dominionism appealing?

I think this could be part of it, but there are other factors, such as the loss of power by priveleged classes, ignorance, and a huge number of economic and political factors.

What are everyones thoughts on this?

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

The Darwin exhibition frightening off corporate sponsors
By Nicholas Wapshott in New York
(Filed: 20/11/2005)

An exhibition celebrating the life of Charles Darwin has failed to find a corporate sponsor because American companies are anxious not to take sides in the heated debate between scientists and fundamentalist Christians over the theory of evolution.

The entire $3 million (£1.7 million) cost of Darwin, which opened at the American Museum of Natural History in New York yesterday, is instead being borne by wealthy individuals and private charitable donations.

The failure of American companies to back what until recently would have been considered a mainstream educational exhibition reflects the growing influence of fundamentalist Christians, who are among President George W Bush's most vocal supporters, over all walks of life in the United States.( Read more... )