Welcome Liberal Christians. (Fundamentalist False Christians) not welcome, go away.

You know I love you, my chocolate bunny

2011-10-14T22:10:00.003-05:00

You know I love you, my chocolate bunny - Lane Price

Colored law school graduates

2011-08-24T12:14:00.001-05:00

Graduates of the Saint Louis Zoo's first colored law school class proudly pose for a photographer prior to enjoying a celebration dinner of Kentucky Fried Chicken and watermelon.

Fun colored fact #16

2011-08-24T12:08:00.002-05:00

Forensic scientists can determine the race of an individual by examining the skull. The skull of colored people most closely resembles that of an ape.

Nafissatou Diallo's new attorney

2011-08-24T12:03:00.000-05:00

Coon to return to Africa

2011-08-24T11:17:00.000-05:00

Nafissatou Diallo will likely face deportation hearings after prosecutors said she admitted lying on her application for asylum, immigration lawyers said.Our Sandoval and McShane report:"Lying on sworn statements is almost a guarantee the case will be reopened," said lawyer Jason Dzubow. "She's going to have a hard time."Diallo, 32, was exposed during the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case as a habitual liar who slipped into the U.S. behind a curtain of untruths -- not unheard of in asylum cases.She concocted a story about harassment from the dictatorship in Guinea, and used a bogus visa to enter the country in January 2004. Diallo fabricated the tale of a gang rape in Guinea to gain sympathy and asylum in New York, prosecutors said."With all the press attention, my educated guess is that they are going to look at her case again," said immigration lawyer Zachary Sanders. "I wouldn't be surprised if they did."Diallo's fellow West African immigrants in the Bronx were rallying to her defense."It doesn't matter if she wasn't honest about some things," said Emmanuel Donkor, 26. "If she was raped, that's all that counts."Boubacar Barry, 26, who followed the case intently, felt Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. did Diallo an injustice: "He should have let a jury decide," Barry said. "I thought this was America. I'm more than disappointed."

What woud you do if your mother was a black hooker?

2011-08-10T16:36:00.002-05:00

Highly intelligent negro brain surgeon

2011-08-10T03:55:00.001-05:00

Preparing to operate at a prestigious university teaching hospital.

Colored maid Nafissatou Diallo jealous of white women.

2011-08-10T02:21:00.004-05:00

Born ugly, colored Nafissatou Diallo, a bad black girl, thinks she was raped

Mammy.

Would you rape this colored woman? I think not.

2011-08-10T01:22:00.004-05:00

Uppity colored maid Nafissatou Diallo, accuses her social
superior DSK of rape. She should know her place. Tut tut.

Nafissatou Diallo proves beyond a shadows of a doubt that most colored women are ugly which is why black men are attracted to beautiful young liberal Christian white women.

2011-08-08T21:51:00.008-05:00

Nafissatou Diallo

Monkey prostitutes - I wonder if you have to pay extra for the prehensile tail.

" No rational man cognisant of facts, believes that the average negro is the equal ...when his disabilities are removed ...he will be able to compete with his bigger brained and smaller jawed rival in a contest to be carried on by thoughts and not by bites - Huxley."

" blacks are intermediate between the whites and the ourang-outang."

In the eighteenth century, the increasing involvement of European nations with colonies in the tropics brought Europeans into contact not only with tropical human populations but also with tropical nonhuman animals. A major attempt to classify the creatures of the world on the basis of assumed relationships was one of the consequences of this expanded European consciousness, and the major system of classification drawn up by the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus (1707–1778) was one of the results. His Systema Naturae was first published in 1735, with a definitive tenth edition appearing in 1758. Linnaeus assigned human beings, whom he defined in binomial fashion as Homo sapiens , to the order he called “Primates,”which also includes monkeys and apes.
Later in the eighteenth century, the Dutch anatomist Petrus Camper (1722–1789), suggested a quantitative way to assess the relationships of some of the members of the order Primates. Camper developed his method in 1760 and presented it for public discussion in 1770, but it was not formally published until 1791, two years after his death. Camper took as his horizontal orientation a line on the face drawn from the ear opening to the base of the nose. Then, to generate his “facial line,”he drew a line from the forehead to the junction between the upper and the lower lips. The angle made by the horizontal line with the facial line was his “facial angle.”As he viewed it, the normal human condition was represented by facial angles between 70 and 80 degrees. Everything above 80 degrees he declared belonged to the realm of art, and everything below 70 degrees belonged to the animal kingdom.
With monkeys and apes included in the same zoological order as humans, Camper constructed a diagram displaying the facial angle of a monkey, an ape, and a number of human examples. The monkey has not been identified as to species, but the ape is a young orangutan. The orangutans, of course, were native to those parts of Indonesia and Borneo under Dutch control, so a Dutch anatomist would have had access to such specimens. The orang he depicted was a very immature individual, prior to the eruption of any of its permanent dentition. The first human shown was a young Negro bordering on adolescence, and the next was someone from Central Asia, although a number of observers have noted that the individual depicted is markedly different from other examples from this region. The other individuals are Europeans who display nearly vertical faces, for they lack the forward projecting dentitions that contribute to a reduction in the facial angle.
This points up the problem with the facial angle. The size of the brain case and the size of the teeth are under separate and completely unrelated selective force constraints. A single figure, then, cannot reveal anything of much biological significance concerning these two separate features. An increase in the facial angle can be produced by an increase in brain and skull size while face and tooth size remain constant, or by a decrease in tooth and face size while brain and skull size remain constant. The single figure of the facial angle cannot indicate which of these processes has produced that change in the facial angle. The difference in Camper’s illustration between monkey and ape and human being is almost certainly due solely to a relative increase in brain size, while the difference between recent human groups is almost certainly because of the relative differences in tooth size between populations.

Welcome, Gay Baby!

2011-07-15T23:54:00.002-05:00

The Alnegua children react enthusiastically to the news they are getting a gay baby brother.

Morganton NC — Unable to conceive their own homosexual child, a straight married couple is seeking to adopt a gay baby, according to state authorities.

The Alneguas had been trying for years to give birth to a gay child. “We had almost given up hope,” explained Cynthia Alnegua, “of ever having a little gay or lesbian to call our own.”

“I figured it just wasn’t in the cards for us,” lamented Dan Alnegua. “I told my wife, ‘There are worse things; at least we still have our health’ –”

“– and the love of 13 beautiful straight children we’ve conceived over the course of trying,” added his wife, who paused momentarily to wipe the tears from her eyes. ”Of course, if God saw fit to bless us with a little twink who liked to go shoe shopping with his mommy, we wouldn’t complain.”

The Alneguas were just about to throw in the towel, when a friend suggested they seek the advice of a gay fertility specialist. After months of searching, they discovered Dr. Emil Gostitch, Director of “Two Fertile Doves,” a clinic located in the town of Fort Gay, West Virginia, almost five- hundred miles from their home.

“We didn’t care about the distance,” stated Mr. Alnegua. “We were prepared to do anything to have a little queer in our family — even travel to the ends of the Earth.”

After putting them through a series of blood tests and DNA analyses, Dr. Gostitch was at a loss to explain why the Alneguas’ attempts at homosexual reproduction had proven unfruitful. “This is a young, healthy couple with a great sense of fashion,” said Gostitch. “By all accounts, they should have no problems conceiving a gay child or, at the very least, an over-the-top drag queen.”

Gostitch prescribed several homeopathic approaches for the couple, including having sex during a broadcast of the Tony Awards and using bedsheets with a floral print, but nothing seemed to work.

Then, according to Mr. Alguena, “our doctor told us about the gay baby adoption program run by the state. It was like God opened up a whole new door for us.”

A spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Families and Children said the Alneguas are no different from thousands of other young couples unable to conceive a homosexual child. “To people like Mr. and Mrs. Alguena,” said a DFC spokesperson, “we want to say, ‘There is hope.’”

The agency said it gets thousands of requests for gay and lesbian babies every year, and the waiting list is long.

Fortunately for the Aguenas, their timing was perfect.

After getting pre-screened by an adoption counselor, the enthusiastic couple was introduced to an unwed pregnant teenager, who was due to give birth to a gay baby boy in three weeks. The young girl, whose name has been withheld because of her age, was thrilled to have found a couple willing to adopt her child.

“I know they’ll give it a good home,” she said, “with plenty of color coordination and walk-in closets with cushiony hangers.”

The Alneguas eagerly await the arrival of little Shannon Frances. “I can’t wait to display that bumper sticker,” said the father-to-be. “You know, that one that says, ‘Proud Parents of a Gay Baby.’”

Their friends have planned a ‘bright and showy’ baby shower to celebrate the new arrival. “We don’t expect any gifts,” said Mrs. Alneguas. “Although I did register for him at Merle Norman.”

“Hint, hint!” she added.

Former Southern Baptist young women from the south who became liberal Christians when they attended college and were taken by the black man.

2011-07-11T16:13:00.000-05:00

In U.S., 3 in 10 Say They Take the Bible Literally

2011-07-09T20:04:00.002-05:00

July 8, 2011

In U.S., 3 in 10 Say They Take the Bible Literally

Plurality view Bible as inspired word of God but say not everything in it should be taken literally

by Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ -- Three in 10 Americans interpret the Bible literally, saying it is the actual word of God. That is similar to what Gallup has measured over the last two decades, but down from the 1970s and 1980s. A 49% plurality of Americans say the Bible is the inspired word of God but that it should not be taken literally, consistently the most common view in Gallup's nearly 40-year history of this question. Another 17% consider the Bible an ancient book of stories recorded by man.

These results are based on a May 5-8 Gallup poll. The high point in the percentage of Americans favoring a literal interpretation of the Bible was 40%, recorded in 1980 and 1984. The low point was 27% in 2001.

Among most major U.S. subgroups, a plurality or majority holds the view that the Bible is the inspired word of God, rather than the actual word of God or a book of fables, legends, history, and moral precepts. Highly religious Americans and those who have less formal education are exceptions to this general pattern. A majority, 54%, of those who attend religious services on a weekly basis believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, more than twice the percentage of those who attend church less often.

Belief in a literal interpretation of a Bible declines as educational attainment increases. Forty-six percent of Americans with a high school education or less take the Bible literally, compared with no more than 22% of Americans with at least some college education. The majority of Americans with at least some college education believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God.

Gallup has consistently found strong differences in views of the Bible as the "actual word of God" by religiosity and education. The current poll also finds significant income differences, with 50% of lower-income respondents believing the Bible is the actual word of God, compared with 27% of middle-income and 15% of high-income respondents. These income differences are larger than what Gallup has measured in the past, with a higher percentage of low-income Americans believing the Bible is literally true.

Protestants Most Divided in Interpretation of Bible

Protestants (including those who identify themselves as "Christian" but not Catholic or Mormon) are the most likely religious group to believe the Bible is literally true. Forty-one percent of Protestants hold this view, while a slightly larger 46% take the Bible to be the inspired word of God.

Two-thirds of Catholics believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God, while 63% of those without a religious affiliation think the Bible is not the word of God at all. Other U.S. religious groups are too small in number to reliably estimate from a single poll.

Belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible is especially pronounced among churchgoing Protestants, as two-thirds of Protestants who attend church weekly hold this view.

Conservatives, Republicans More Likely to Take Bible Literally

Given the strong link between religion and politics in the U.S., it is not surprising that views of the Bible vary by party identification and ideology. The poll finds 42% of Republicans, compared with 23% of independents and 27% of Democrats, saying the Bible is literally true.

Conservatives are much more likely than moderates and liberals to believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. In fact, conservatives are as likely to believe the Bible is the actual word of God as to believe it is the inspired word of God.

Implications

The percentage of Americans taking a literal view of the Bible has declined over time, from an average of 38% from 1976-1984 to an average of 31% since. However, highly religious Americans -- particularly those of Protestant faiths -- still commonly believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible.

In general, the dominant view of Americans is that the Bible is the word of God, be it inspired or actual, as opposed to a collection of stories recorded by man. That is consistent with the findings that the United States is a predominantly Christian nation and that Americans overwhelmingly believe in God.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted May 5-8, 2011, with a random sample of 1,018 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

Interviews are conducted with respondents on landline telephones and cellular phones, with interviews conducted in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking. Each sample includes a minimum quota of 400 cell phone respondents and 600 landline respondents per 1,000 national adults, with additional minimum quotas among landline respondents for gender within region. Landline telephone numbers are chosen at random among listed telephone numbers. Cell phone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods. Landline respondents are chosen at random within each household on the basis of which member had the most recent birthday.

Samples are weighted by gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, region, adults in the household, and phone status (cell phone only/landline only/both, cell phone mostly, and having an unlisted landline number). Demographic weighting targets are based on the March 2010 Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older non-institutionalized population living in U.S. telephone households. All reported margins of sampling error include the computed design effects for weighting and sample design.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

View methodology, full question results, and trend data.

For more details on Gallup's polling methodology, visit www.gallup.com

There's probably no God.

2011-07-08T17:37:00.000-05:00

The Frat Walk of Shame

2011-06-12T17:42:00.002-05:00

What did George W. Bush know and when did he know it?

2011-05-06T16:02:00.001-05:00

It is obvious to Dr. Mr. Liberal Christian WASP that former president George W. Bush knew where Osama bin Laden was hiding. The question becomes when did he know it? That question will be answered shortly since the wheels of justice turn slowly but the gears mesh fine.

Men in the south are becoming grandfathers to black babies as their daughters live with various black men.

2010-12-28T01:14:00.001-06:00

Liberal Christian white women no longer marry. Instead they have sex with many different black men throughout their life and produce many black children.

Under the Obama doctrine white girls across America are giving it up to the black man.

2010-12-28T01:12:00.001-06:00

Young white liberal Christian girl who loves black men.

2010-12-28T00:58:00.002-06:00

It is Black Friday!

2010-11-27T17:44:00.002-06:00

Plato's Retreat, its for you.

2010-11-27T17:30:00.002-06:00

Young Love & Safe Sex

2010-08-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

Upskirt Panty Shots

2010-08-29T21:33:00.002-05:00

What Can "Mad Men" Teach Parents About Childhood Masturbation?

2010-08-29T16:43:00.000-05:00

(CBS) Have "Mad Men" gone completely crazy?

This week's episode of the hit show took on the issue of pre-teen masturbation.

While it might shock some, doctors have long known that children masturbate.

"Little children start to masturbate very early," says Angela Wilder, a Los Angeles-based clinical psychologist and the mother of two daughters. "As young as two or three, parents can see their children massaging their genitals."

Wilder says it's important thing to avoid shaming the child for natural behavior. .

"If we teach our children early on that their bodies are their own to touch, it enables them to better distinguish a 'good touch' from an unwanted 'bad touch,'" she says. "That ability to distinguish comes from being comfortable with one's body."

Of course not all parents agree with that. And many are flustered when confronted with the situation.

On "Mad Men," young Sally Draper (played by 11-year-old Kiernan Shipka) is caught masturbating on the sofa at a friend's house.

The friend's mother drives her home and informs Sally's mother that under no circumstances would she allow Sally to pollute her household. Sally's mother later asks her daughter, "What's wrong with you?"

Wilder says the better way to confront the situation is to be calm and direct.

"You might say, 'this is kind of awkward for me, but I feel like we need to talk about what happened.'" she says.

And though some religions believe masturbation is wrong, Wilder says it's important to let your child know that masturbation is natural, but not acceptable to do it in public.

That doesn't sound mad at all.

Aliens free from original sin?

2010-08-17T23:35:00.001-05:00

In an interview entitled "Aliens Are My Brother", granted to L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, Father Gabriel Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, stated: "In my opinion this possibility (of life on other planets) exists"; "intelligent beings, created by God may exist in outer space" and "some aliens could even be free from original sin" concluding "there could be (other beings) who remained in full friendship with their creator". And on 5 March 2009, Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, another astronomer working at the Vatican Observatory, told the BBC, in relation to the search for Earth-like worlds about to be embarked upon by the Kepler Space telescope, that "we Jesuits are actively involved in the search for Earth-like planets. The idea that there could be other intelligent creatures made by God in a relationship with God is not contrary to traditional Judeo-Christian thought. The Bible has many references to, or descriptions of, non-human intelligent beings; after all, that's what angels are. Our cousins on other planets may even have their own salvation story – including other examples of the incarnation of the second person of the Trinity. We are open to whatever the Universe has for us."

Dr. Mr. Liberal Christian WASP's School Sex Ed Curriculum

2010-08-17T13:33:00.000-05:00

As my long-time readers know, one of my passions is sex education. In fact, this fall, I intend to begin work on my doctoral degree in sex education and eventually I’d like to end up teaching in a collegiate environment. I’d also like to teach young people about sex, but I don’t think that is going to be possible, at least not in a classroom environment. You’ll see why over the course of this post.

On this blog, and in many other places, I’ve invested a huge number of hours arguing in favor of a more robust sex education program for everyone, but especially for young people. I am a firm believer in the fact that the things young people learn about sex in their developmental years (childhood through adolescence) will set the stage for how they view sex throughout the balance of their lives. If we don’t teach a healthy understanding and respect for sex and sexuality in their formative years, they’re much more likely to experience problems with sex and, consequently, their interpersonal lives as they grow through adulthood.

Conversely, a rich comprehension of sexuality will lead to much better interactions with future partners, thereby fomenting more solid relationships in the long run. This would, in my view, likely lead to less personal angst and depression, less domestic violence, lower divorce rates, etc., and would have several other positive side effects upon the human condition.

Sex education as it is currently practiced in this country is, in a word, execrable. America’s prudish approach to the entire subject of sex prevents schools from teaching just about anything but the most hard-coded scientific information about concepts associated with sex. I’m not going to delve into the asinine “abstinence only” movement and how much damage they’ve done to our society with the clueless “Just say no” shit. That’s been discussed ad infinitum here and in other places. I continue to be amazed at the lack of intestinal fortitude of our nation’s politicians when it comes to removing funding for this fucked up garbage. Thank goodness many states have elected to forgo the use of the federal funds that support that shit.

I personally advocate for what is commonly referred to as “comprehensive” sex education – that which teaches the use of contraceptives, includes affirmative information on alternative sexual orientations and gender expression, and recognizes that the overwhelming majority of people aren’t going wait until they get married to have sex.

atching pornography to find out about how sex works is like watching a James Bond movie to find out how spies do their job.”

But even the “comprehensive” sex education programs in this country, as they are currently structured, aren’t trulycomprehensive. They just happen to not advocate that “Just say no” is the only way to go. So calling non-abstinence only sex ed programs “comprehensive” is a bit of a misnomer in my opinion. A truly comprehensive program would teach people what they need to know about how to have sex correctly in addition to the basic facts of condom use, what STIs are and how to prevent them, why it’s not a good idea to get pregnant as a teenager, and so forth. “Watching pornography to find out about how sex works is like watching a James Bond movie to find out how spies do their job.”

Now I’ll admit that’s a pretty radical concept in the eyes of a lot of folks. Most people – most parents- are not going to be in favor of schools teaching their children how to masturbate, how to give head, how to fuck, how to have butt sex safely, and so forth. But that’s exactly what we need. Teaching people how to have sex correctly would go a long way towards empowering them to lead healthy sexual lives, and would have, I’d argue, the added benefit of preserving some relationships, both in adolescence and in those entered into in the future. The middle and late teens is when the vast majority of people in this country begin being sexually active, so that’s the time to reach them! We don’t let teenagers drive for a few years, then teach them the correct way to do it or allow them to figure it out on their own. Why should we do that with sex, something that could be just as dangerous and deadly?

I know many people will argue that “learning how to do X is half the fun” of exploring relationships and sex and all of that. Well, I’ve lost count of the number of times guys have told me their wives/girlfriends just have no clue how to give head, or women who’ve said their husbands/boyfriends just have no clue how to get me off, etc. Some people do learn, yes. The majority, I assert, do not. At least, not to the point where their partner’s are sufficiently happy with the results. Relying on the possibility that someone might accidentally happen across the information and/or skill set to perform adroitly is not an appropriate approach to something so critical to personal happiness.

With that in mind, I thought I’d articulate my vision of what primary and secondary sex education would look like if I got to design it and didn’t have to worry about the fucking politicians and school board lackies tossing parts of it out because of the whining of a handful of prudish or anti-sex parents.

I’d start out with a foundation built upon a couple of currently used sex education curricula. I happen to have a personal affinity for a combination of two programs, the FLASH (Family Life and Sexual Health) curriculum used by the King County School Board (Seattle, Washington), and the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program used by the Unitarian Church. I am terribly impressed with the fact that there’s a church out there with a decent, legitimate sex education program (that includes all phases of life, by the way, not just material targeted at children and adolescents). Unlike the Baptists and many other religions that almost adamantly refuse to discuss the subject of sex, even within the context of a married couple in some instances, the Unitarians recognize the important, central role sexuality plays in human life and have developed a very good education program.

I’d take those two programs and accentuate them with some additional material because, even with as good as they are, they still don’t cover the mechanics of sex, masturbation techniques, the appropriate use of pornography, etc. My sex education program would do just that.

So, with that as background, here’s what my sex education program for school age children would look like.

First, some ground rules:

Parents would NOT be allowed to opt their children out of any of the classes, but individual children could elect to opt out on their own for specific classes or topics if they had a legitimate reason (a child who’d been raped, for example, might wish to opt out of classes covering that subject).
There’d be provisions for anonymous question asking in all classes.
Everyone would have to treat everyone else with respect- no making fun of anyone, no put downs, etc.
Classes would be “free speech” zones where they use of slang and non-medical terminology would be allowed to the extent possible. This would be done to allow students to discuss the subject matter in language comfortable to them.
There’d be counselors available to talk with the children in private if they so chose. The counselors would not work at the school so the students could remain anonymous.
Likewise, there’d be a medical professional available to discuss sexual health matters with students confidentially. This individual would be able to prescribe/distribute contraception upon request without parental consent (in the vast majority of states, this is already done for those 12 and older under the requirements of Title X, by the way, so don’t freak out!)
Each semester, the classes would be preceded by a discussion regarding the fact that these classes do not teach morality, ideological or religious points of view on sexuality, except within the context of historical discussions. Those topics are for discussion at home and within your church. Regardless of your views on whether sex at any given point in time or of any particular typology is “moral” or “right,” you still need to know the philosophy, mechanics, and factual information related to sex and reproduction for the future to allow you to interact with potential partners and society at large. We teach facts; you learn values from your parents and church and decide for yourself how you wish to apply them.
Discussion of sexuality with parents, doctors, and trusted counselors is to be encouraged.
The school would have a gay-straight alliance, and diversity/anti-homophobia/anti-bullying training would be required of all students independent of sex education classes.
Classes would be taught by young people – trained people who are close in age to those in the classes, and not by regular teachers in the school (unless they volunteered to do so and were qualified).
Even though courses cover topics such as porn and mechanics of sex acts, they will be structured to avoid violating state/federal laws on exposing children to porn.

Given those ground rules, here’s what the curriculum would include for each grade level:

Grades K-3

Good Touch/Bad Touch
Sexual abuse – recognizing & reporting
Families & Family Configurations
Basic anatomical & reproductive terminology
Puberty – discussion of changes that will be taking place in the child’s body and interpersonal relationships over the next few years.
Basic sexual health concepts

Grades 4-6

Family Construction, incl marriage (incl same sex marriage)
Self Esteem
Decision-making skills
Relationship Development
Attraction (incl same sex)
Puberty
Masturbation, Basic Concepts
Basic Concepts of Gender, Biological Sex, etc.
Sexual Abuse/Exploitation – R&R
Basic Reproductive & Sexual Health
Pregnancy & Basic Contraception
Sex & Sexuality Terms
Computer & online safety

Grades 7-8

Puberty
Sexual Health & Hygiene
STIs & prevention/treatment measures
Gender, Gender Roles/Expression
Reproductive System – A&P
Pregnancy & Teen Parenthood
Pregnancy Alternatives (Surrogacy, Adoption, Abortion, etc.)
Contraception, including training on the use of condoms, dams, etc.
Self Esteem
The Sexual Response Cycle
The Sexual Activity Continuum
Communication & Negotiation
The decision to become sexually active
Consent vs. non-consent
Abstinence
Basic mechanics of sex
Masturbation, incl discussion of basic techniques
Television & media presentation of sexuality & gender roles
Pornography
Computer and online safety
Sexual bullying and “slut shaming” & prevention
Rape & Sexual Assault/Prevention
Your sexual rights

Grades 9-10
In addition to a review of the concepts introduced in Grades 7-8

Sexual relationship constructs (monogamy, FWBs, open relationships, etc.)
Alternative sexualities & sexual expression
Sexual ethics
Parenting
Role of Foreplay
Sexual exploration and basic techniques (manual stimulation, oral sex, PIV, PIA, etc.)
Sex Esteem
Owning your sexuality
The physics of sex
Sexual dysfunction
Domestic & Relationship Violence/Prevention
Rape & Sexual Assault/Prevention
Understanding the influence of alcohol & drugs on decision-making and sex
Breaking up; dealing with damaging or destructive relationships
Communication & Negotiating Skills Lab I

Grades 11-12
In addition to a review of the relevant concepts introduced in Grades 7-10

Developing your own personal sexual philosophy & values
Advanced techniques, including selection and use of sex toys, G-spot/A-spot, female ejaculation, Kegel Exercises (w/ a lab!)
Sex work – Stripping, Porn, Prostitution, Etc.
Sexual Exploitation – Human Trafficking, Sexual Slavery, Etc.
Owning your sexuality
Sexual Activism
Domestic & Relationship Violence/Prevention
Communication & Negotiation Skills Lab II
Your sexual rights; Sexual ethics
History of Human Sexuality
Tantric Sex, Kama Sutra & other manuals
Lifelong sexuality
Resources for Additional Learning
Research paper or presentation

I didn’t flesh out any specific topic in the lists above, largely to avoid having this post go on forever. I think most of the topics are fairly self-explanatory, and you may assume that I mean them to be as broadly-based and inclusive of as much subject matter as possible, consistent with the age group.

If you want me to explain what I’d like covered under any specific topic, feel free to ask. I’ll be happy to expand on anything up there, to include explaining why I believe something is appropriate for a specific age group. It is quite possible that I may have forgotten a particular subject as well, so if you can think of something that I didn’t list (that can’t be included within the construct of one of the listed topics), by all means, point that out as well.

Let me state that I’m not arguing necessarily that this is the way it should be (though I’d feel perfectly competent in doing exactly that), just that this is the way I would configure it if I were allowed to do so absent any constraints. So I’m not going to argue with anyone who doesn’t believe that we should be teaching mechanics of sex to 16 year olds (the overwhelming majority of whom have seen more than enough porn to understand that Tab A goes into Slot B).

You should grasp that point, however. Very few children have not seen porn by the time they reach their mid teens. And you’ve watched enough porn to know that, if you see anal sex in the video, there’s little visible preparation other than sticking the cock in someone’s ass and pounding away (almost invariably followed by an ATM scene). Would you rather have your child believe that’s the way you do it, possibly hurting or injuring themselves or their partner, or would you prefer to have someone instruct them on the appropriate way to prepare for anal sex? As one person once said, “Watching pornography to find out about how sex works is like watching a James Bond movie to find out how spies do their job.” If you think it’s not appropriate for that to be taught to older teenagers, explain to me why you believe it’s perfectly acceptable to allow them to learn it from watching porn.

As I indicated in the ground rules, I would not allow parents to opt their children out of any part of a sex education curriculum. I don’t believe in keeping kids in the dark about sex, and that’s what the vast majority of parents who opt their children out of such classes are intent on doing. You should be having discussions with your child about sex – absolutely, and if you believe the school or the teacher are injecting opinion or other non-factual information into the education, it’s your job to talk to your child and impart your values on top of what the child has learned at school. The school teaches facts; you teach values. Sex is not an inappropriate topic for children or teenagers. Period.

Finally, I will also argue against parents who insist that they can “teach this better at home” than the school can. Perhaps you can, but you’d be in the very small minority of those who A) actually would and B) who know the correct terminology, anatomy, physiology, psychology, and sociology to teach much of what should be covered in even a basic sex education curriculum (very few parents know all of the STIs, their signs and symptoms, prevention methods, treatment and prognosis parameters, etc., for example). Just telling a child that some people have two mommies and that’s fine, for example, is not “teaching” them. They need to know why some families are constructed like that, how they’re treated by society, why it isn’t appropriate to make fun of another child who lives in such a family and so forth. Many parents who opted to teach their children at home do so for ideological reasons and would likely teach the diametric opposite of that. So, yes, I do indeed believe that school is an appropriate place to teach anything having to do with sex, short of morality and value systems. And note that withholding information about sex from someone is not a “value.”

Anyway, those are my thoughts and ideas on this subject. I welcome your input and comments on this as well. If you’re a parent or planning to be a parent, what would you think of having this curriculum in your child’s school?

Sperm Wars: The Science of Sex reviewed by Dr. Mr. Liberal Christian WASP

2010-08-14T18:21:00.001-05:00

What would you say if I told you that women influence their fertility through masturbation? That men adjust the number of sperm in each ejaculate according to the relative likelihood that their female partner may have been unfaithful recently? That women are most likely to have sex with an extradyadic partner near the peak of their monthly fertility and are most likely to have sex with their regular sex partner during the infertile phase? Or that the timing of a woman's orgasm within a given sexual episode of coitus influences whether she will become pregnant from that act of intercourse? These are a just a few of the basic biological phenomena upon which the extremely fascinating and revolutionary book, Sperm Wars, is based.
Many readers of JSR may be unfamiliar with the author, Robin Baker, a biologist working in England, whose primary publication outlet for the unique work conducted with colleague Mark Bellis has been the journal, Animal Behavior (Baker & Bellis, 1993a, b; Bellis & Baker, 1990). These earlier empirical articles were based on questionnaire data as well as analyses
of hundreds of human ejaculates collected during masturbation and coitus, including many samples of the "flowback" from women's vaginas. Sperm Wars is also based on more recent work in which Baker and Bellis documented what occurs inside the woman's body at the moments of ejaculation and female orgasm using a fiber-optic endoscope attached to the underside of a man's penis. As Baker commented, those images "completely changed my scientific understanding of what happens at the most critical moments during sex" (p. xvii). Sperm Wars has that effect on its readers as well.
The descriptions of what occurs biologically during sexual activity directly challenge many notions we were taught, and may continue to teach to our students, regarding male and female bodily response during and after sexual activity. Even such sacred notions as sperm existing with the "goal" of seeking and fertilizing the prized egg are turned on their head. Baker describes at least three types of distinctly different sperm, each with an apparently different mission. The "egg-getters," those who match our usual characterization of the typical sperm, in actuality comprise only 1% or less of the sperm in a man's ejaculate. Other sperm appear to function as "blockers" of women's cervical crypts or "egg-killers"
who attack foreign sperm. Baker also discusses the discovery of specialized sperm that may kill a man's own egg-getters under certain prescribed circumstances. Lest you think that all of this talk of biology results in a "dry" reading experience, realize that Sperm Wars was written for public consumption, and as such does not contain one formal reference, no mention of other researchers, and no subject index. Instead, the author has taken his insights into the biology of sexual behavior, mixed in a fair amount of speculation, and presents the results through 37 narrative "scenes."
Baker notes that he did not intend for the scenes through which various phenomena are characterized to be pornographic or inherently arousing, yet many of them are very explicit and detailed depictions of both typical and atypical sexual behavior. Immediately following each scene, Baker describes what occurred from the perspective of an evolutionary biologist. That is, from an evolutionary and biological view, why did each actor in the scene behave the way he or she did? Why did each actor's body respond the way it did? And what are the reproductive and interpersonal implications of each? Although the underpinnings of the book include evolutionary theory and natural selection, the reader
is not sedated with a lengthy treatise of either.
The insights, observations, and speculations are too numerous to catalogue here, but I will present a couple of them, especially those having to do with sexual phenomena that have been problematic for previous authors to explain from a functional or an evolutionary perspective. The nature of the "sperm wars" around which the book is based have to do with both competition among two or more men's sperm within the same woman, as well as a sort of evolutionary "war" that may occur between the male and female within a given sexual dyad. That is, in the latter type of sperm war, a woman's body may be "trying" to avoid conception from a particular insemination, whereas a man's body might be "trying" to achieve fertilization of her egg (in an evolutionary sense of reproductive fitness). Both types of "wars" are highlighted throughout the book, particularly as various sexual behaviors and experiences fit with the goals and outcomes of each type of battle.
For example, why do so many humans find oral sex arousing and a desirable activity? Of course, the simple answer is "it feels good." But beyond the sheer physical stimulation it provides, why is it arousing?
Why is oral sex more desirable to many than manual manipulation of the genitals? Baker posits that, in an ultimate sense, providing oral sex offers a unique opportunity to gather (perhaps subconsciously) information about a partner's reproductive health and (possible) recent infidelity. The first type of sperm war mentioned previously had to do with sperm competition among men. Baker admits this sperm competition is relatively rare (he estimates that approximately 20% of conceptions involve such sperm competition), yet the reproductive implications are strong enough to have shaped dramatically men's and women's sexuality, both biological and psychological. Offering a mate the opportunity to perform oral sex at least communicates recent fidelity (or at least nothing to hide in that regard). That is, performing oral sex offers the possibility to detect, through visual, olfactory, and gustatory cues, secretions left behind by a recent interloper (especially relevant data during our evolutionary history in which douches and baths were nonexistent or infrequent). These hypotheses fit well with another recent book that included consideration of the ultimate functions of oral sex (Kohl & Francoeur, 1995). Baker explains how oral sex, both giving and receiving, evolved to become more or less inherently pleasurable because of the
ultimate functions it may have served.

Other writers have attempted to explain the function and evolutionary value of female orgasm, and typically concluded that female orgasm is antypically concluded that female orgasm is an
unintended evolutionary byproduct or evolved to strengthen pairbonds, (e.g., Fisher, 1992; Symons, 1979). Armed with more recent and relevant data, Baker describes how women's orgasms, although certainly not required for fertilization, can profoundly affect likelihood of conception. After describing at length the vaginal and cervical environments, Baker introduces the concept of a "cervical filter," referring to the type and amount of cervical mucus, cellular debris, ejected sperm, and other organic material. The strength of a woman's cervical filter fluctuates depending on various conditions, one of which is length of time since last orgasm. Orgasm (from masturbation, for example) results in a stronger cervical filter if performed 24 hours after intercourse than orgasm experienced 48 hours after intercourse. The strength of the cervical filter affects the relative ease with which sperm can reach the fallopian tubes, where fertilization typically takes place.
The story does not stop there. Through experiments conducted in his lab, Baker found that timing of female orgasm during or around the occurrence of vaginal intercourse further affects the likelihood of fertilization. During female orgasm the woman's cervix dips and the opening to the cervix gapes open,
much like an elephant's trunk while taking in water. If a seminal pool is present in the vagina at that point, a significant number of sperm will be helped along by this "up-suck" phenomenon. So, to maximize conception, a woman should experience an orgasm immediately after a man ejaculates. If the woman experiences orgasm when a seminal pool is not present, vaginal secretions are likely to be "sucked up," thereby increasing the acidity of the cervical environment. Accordingly, female orgasm prior to male ejaculation strengthens the cervical filter and reduces the likelihood of fertilization. In this context, Baker also discusses the role of nocturnal orgasms in women's sexuality.
I was fascinated by this and other material in Sperm Wars, yet as I try to convey some of it here I am struck by how sterile the bare information seems. One strength of the book is Baker's ability to weave didactic coverage of material with his narrative scenes in which realistic sexual scenarios are used to provide a context for what the biological phenomena "look like," or actually how they play out, in real life. Accordingly, I encourage the reader of this review not to judge the book by my meager description.
Despite the praise I lavish on Baker and Sperm Wars,
the book is not without its flaws and shortcomings. On a very minor note, there are several places where the reader encounters a British use of a word or phrase that an American is not likely to understand fully. On a conceptual level, those involved in the social sciences may feel as though something is missing. Baker's background is biology, so it should not be surprising that the book is weaker in providing psychological links between biological function and overt behavior. As just one example, Baker describes how men adjust the number of sperm in their ejaculate according to the proportion of time since last intercourse during which the man's partner was out of his sight (and hence potentially available for rival insemination). What is missing is an attempted answer to the fascinating questions of what psychological mechanisms are involved in performing such a "calculation" and what other relationship characteristics might affect the adjustment of sperm in ejaculate.

Ultimately, in discussing most phenomena, Baker relies on a sort of anthropomorphic presentation of men's and women's bodies. That is, he translates anmen's and women's bodies. That is, he translates an
ultimate reproductive advantage associated with certain sexual behaviors into a kind of hidden agenda on the part of men's and women's bodies. At times, human bodies are presented as sort of having minds of their own, which frequently result in a "conflict between the conscious brain and the subconscious body" (p. 109). Baker starts with the assumption that "whenever the body is intent upon a particular course of action, it generates an urge to perform that action" (pp. 166-167) and concludes that
most of the strategies shown by men and women in relation to ejaculation and orgasm are subconscious--orchestrated by the body via sequences of mood, libido, and sensitivity to stimulation. Indeed, most of the behavior described
in this book is similarly subconscious, the product of genetic
programming rather than cerebral rationalization. (p. 199)
Social scientists more concerned with conscious processes and social forces may be somewhat uncomfortable with these basic assumptions upon which Sperm Wars is based. In a general sense, there is a problem of teleology as Baker frequently seems to jump from the existence of a sexual behavior to its ultimate reproductive function (consequence) to an inherent motivation on the part of the individual engaging in the behavior.
Also, even though Baker explained that it was not his intention nor belief that Sperm Wars contains sexist views (p. xxiv), some very controversial ideas are sure to offend some and anger others. One primary example involves Baker's position on sexual aggression within relationships, from "rough-and- tumble sex play" to forced intercourse. Baker makes few distinctions between these two types of aggression and attributes both to female testing of male partners' strength and ability to overcome her resistance. "To test this [ability], she has to resist first verbally, then physically. The stronger and more realistic her resistance, the better the test" (p. 223). Baker notes that "[i]n species such as humans that
form long-term relationships, rough-and-tumble sexual behavior is most important during early stages of courtship. Once a woman has tested a man's ability to force himself on her, she need not do it often thereafter" (pp. 223-224). I do not even have to elaborate on the ideological problem many readers would have with this perspective. Empirically, data are needed to support such an interpretation of the reproductive "function" of sexual aggression (playful or otherwise) within couples.
Despite a lack of psychological underpinning and some politically incorrect views, Sperm Wars truly is a revolutionary look at human sexual behavior. Rather than attempting to explain only certain aspects of sexual behavior, or isolated sexual phenomena, Baker bites off large pieces in his attempt to explain human sexuality. From routine sexual functioning, to extradyadic sex, to fantasies and erotica, to masturbation and wet dreams, Baker weaves empirical findings, evolutionary theory, speculation, and narrative illustration into a very readable account. The academic who reads Sperm Wars will not likely swallow everything whole, but I can guarantee that the experience will forever alter how the reader views human sexual behavior.

Dr. Mr. Liberal Christian WASP welcomes you to the Liberal Christian Lifestyle

2010-08-14T15:15:00.000-05:00

Welcome Bedbugs!

2010-08-14T00:26:00.000-05:00

Dr. Mr. Liberal Christian WASP presents, The Official Preppy Reboot. Tut tut.

2010-08-13T17:17:00.002-05:00

SOCIETY

The Official Preppy Reboot

Thirty years ago, The Official Preppy Handbook cracked the Wasp code-and went on to become a huge best-seller. In an excerpt from the update, True Prep, the author, along with designer Chip Kidd, covers the inevitable changes that are piercing blissful bubbles from Deer Isle to Jackson Hole.

By Lisa Birnbach•

Illustration by Jean-Philippe DelHomme

WEB EXCLUSIVE August 9, 2010

Wake up, Muffy, we're back.

O.K., now where were we?

Oh yes. It was 1980, and Ronald Reagan was heading to his improbable victory over Jimmy Carter. We wondered whether joining a club before your 30th birthday made you into a young fuddy-duddy, we considered the importance of owning a dress watch—one thing led to another, and before the year was over, our project became … The Official Preppy Handbook. Yes. That was us. We enjoyed every minute that we still remember, but we seemed to have misplaced a number of brain cells in the process.

Though we maintained that this world has changed little since 1635, when the Boston Latin School was founded, you knew we were exaggerating slightly. And as our world spins faster and faster and we use up more natural resources, and scientists keep finding more sugar substitutes, we have to think about how life in the 21st century affects our safe and lovely bubble.

And as we have gotten a bit older and a teensy bit wiser, the world has become much smaller. We are all interconnected, intermarried, inter-everything'd. The great-looking couple in the matching tweed blazers and wide-wale orange corduroy trousers are speaking … Italian. On Melrose Avenue! Whereas once upon a time it was unlikely Europeans would be attracted to our aesthetic, now they've adapted it and made it their own. (They're the women with no hips, in case you were wondering.)Muffy van Winkle, you've napped long enough. It's been 30 years! It doesn't seem possible, does it? Despite changes and crises, the maid quitting, running out of vodka, your NetJets account being yanked, and the Internet, it's still nice to be prep.

Let's begin at the beginning of the year. Here are our resolutions. You'll catch on.

No drinking at lunch.

Call Grandmother once a week.

Get Belgian shoes re-soled (thinnest Cat's Paw rubber).

Actually go to team practices.

Have gravy boat re-engraved.

Find Animal House and return to Netflix.

Send in donation for class gift this year.

And send in write-up for class notes.

Finally use Scully & Scully credit—maybe Pierpont's next wedding?

Drive mother to cemetery at least once this year.

Order new stationery before supply runs out. (Find die!)

Luggage tags!

Download phone numbers into the thingy.

New Facebook picture?

Work on goals.

Work on topspin.

Get Katharine to do community service somehow.

Clean gutters or get someone to do them.

Repair hinge on broken shutter. Or else!

Finally hire portrait artist for Whimsy. (She's 84 in dog years; not much time left.)

Who We Are Now

Formerly Wasp. Failing that, white and heterosexual. One day we became curious or bored and wanted to branch out, and before you knew it, we were all mixed up.

Well, that's the way we like it, even if Grandmother did disapprove and didn't go to the wedding ceremony. (Did she ever stop talking about the “barefoot and pregnant bride”? Ever?) And now one of our nieces, MacKenzie, is a researcher at the C.D.C. in Atlanta and is engaged to marry the loveliest man … Rajeem, a pediatrician who went to Duke. And Kelly is at Smith, and you know what that means. And our son Cal is married to Rachel, and her father the cantor married them in a lovely ceremony. Katie, our daughter, is a decorative artist living in Philadelphia with Otis, who is a professor of African-American studies at Swarthmore. And then there's Bailey, our handsome little nephew. Somehow, all he wants to do is ski, meet girls, and drink beer.

Well, there's one out of five.

Fashion Rules

We know that many of you understand the principles of preppy style. But just to be sure, let's review them again.

We wear sportswear. This makes it easier to go from sporting events to social events (not that there is much difference) without changing.

We generally underdress. We prefer it to overdressing.

Your underwear must not show. Wear a nude-colored strapless bra. Pull up your pants. Wear a belt. Do something. Use a tie!

We do not display our wit through T-shirt slogans.

Every single one of us—no matter the age or gender or sexual preference—owns a blue blazer.

We take care of our clothes, but we're not obsessive. A tiny hole in a sweater, a teensy stain on the knee of our trousers, doesn't throw us. (We are the people who brought you duct-taped Blucher moccasins.)

We do, however, wear a lot of white in the summer, and it must be spotless.

Don't knock seersucker till you've tried it. (Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, unless you live in Palm Beach or Southern California, or the southern Mediterranean, please.)

Bags and shoes need not match.

Jewelry should not match, though metals should.

On the other hand, your watch doesn't have to be the same metal as your jewelry.

And you can wear gold with a platinum wedding band and/or engagement ring.

Men's jewelry should be restricted to a handsome watch, a wedding band if he is American and married, and nothing else. If he has a family-crest ring, it may be worn as well. For black-tie, of course, shirt studs and matching cuff links are de rigueur.

Nose rings are never preppy.

Neither (shudder) are belly-button piercings.

Nor are (two shudders) tongue studs.

And that goes for ankle bracelets.

Tattoos: Men who have been in a war have them, and that's one thing. (Gang wars don't count.) Anyone else looks like she is trying hard to be cool. Since the body ages, if youmust tattoo, find a spot that won't stretch too much. One day you will want to wear a halter-necked backless gown. Will you want everyone at the party to know you once loved John Krasinski?

Sneakers (a.k.a. tennis shoes, running shoes, trainers) are not worn with skirts.

Men may wear sneakers with linen or cotton trousers to casual summer parties.

Women over the age of 15 may wear a simple black dress. Women over the age of 21 must have several in rotation.

High-heel rule: You must be able to run in them—on cobblestones, on a dock, in case of a spontaneous foot race.

Clothes can cost any amount, but they must fit. Many a preppy has an item from a vintage shop or a lost-and-found bin at the club that was tailored and looks incredibly chic.

Do not fret if cashmere is too pricey. Preppies love cotton and merino-wool sweaters.

We do not wear our cell phones or BlackBerrys suspended from our belts. (That includes you, President Obama.)

Real suspenders are attached with buttons. We do not wear the clip versions.

Learn how to tie your bow tie. Do not invest in clip-ons.

Preppies are considerate about dressing our age. It is for you, not for us.

Men, if you made the mistake of buying Tevas or leather sandals, please give them to Goodwill.

You may, however, wear flip-flops to the beach if your toes are presentable. Be vigilant!

Pareos (sarongs) are for the beach, not for the mall. (Even if it's near the beach.)

Riding boots may be worn by non-riders; cowboy boots may be worn by those who have never been on a horse. However, cowboy hats may not be worn by anyone who isn't technically a cowboy or a cowgirl.

You may wear a Harvard sweatshirt if: you attended Harvard, your spouse attended Harvard, or your children attend Harvard. Otherwise, you are inviting an uncomfortable question.

If your best friend is a designer (clothes, accessories, jewelry), you should wear a piece from his or her collection. If his or her taste and yours don't coincide, buy a piece or two to show your loyal support—but don't wear them.

Every preppy woman has a friend who is a jewelry designer.

No man bags.

Preppies don't perm their hair.

Preppy men do not believe that comb-overs disguise anything.

You can never go wrong with a trench coat.

Sweat suits are for sweating. You can try to get away with wearing sweats to carpool, to pick up the newspaper, or to drive to the dump, but last time you were at the dump, the drop-dead-attractive widower from Maple Lane was there, too.

And finally:

The best fashion statement is no fashion statement.

Logology

Sometime in the 1980s the cart began leading the horse. Don't look at us; preppies were certainly not to blame. Fashion followers mistakenly thought the logo was the point. (This is the place at which we would write “LOL,” except we loathe “LOL.”)

But wearing a logo-laden outfit or accessory points to the wearer's painful insecurity. If you think you are being ironic, think again.

Here's the rule of thumb: The first logo that preppies loved was the Lacoste crocodile. It belonged to the French tennis star René Lacoste, whose nickname was Le Crocodile. It was an authentic, since he himself wore la chemise in 1927, after having been the top tennis player in the world in 1926 and 1927. (He won seven grand-slam singles titles in France, Britain, and the U.S. In 1961 he also invented the first metal tennis racket, which was sold in this country as the Wilson T2000.)

The shirts, made by La Société Chemise Lacoste, became an international sensation in 1933. Initially they had long tails, crocodiles of 2.8 centimeters in width, and embroidered labels with the size in French: Patron, Grand Patron, etc. There was no need (not then nor now) to change the size of the beast.

The Anne Rice defection: It's the tip of the religious iceberg

2010-08-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

The Anne Rice defection: It's the tip of the religious iceberg

American Christianity is not well, and there's evidence to indicate that its condition is more critical than most realize — or at least want to admit.

By William Lobdell
August 8, 2010

Novelist Anne Rice's surprise post last week on Facebook — she announced she had quit Christianity "in the name of Christ" because she'd seen too much hypocrisy — brought cheers and smug smiles from critics of institutional faith, and criticism and soul-searching among believers.

But there's something more at play here than one of America's most famous Catholics — Rice re-embraced the faith of her youth in 1998 and published a memoir just two years ago, "Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession" — walking away from the church.

Rice is merely one of millions of Americans who have opted out of organized religion in recent years, making the unaffiliated category of faith the fastest-growing "religion" in America, according to a 2008 study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

The Pew report found that 1 in 6 American adults were not affiliated with any particular faith. That number jumped to 25% for people ages 18 to 29. Moreover, most mainline Protestant denominations have for years experienced a net loss in members, and about 25% of cradle Catholics have left their childhood faith, the study showed.

And in a 2008 study by Trinity College researchers, 27% of Americans said they do not expect a religious funeral.

American Christianity is not well, and there's evidence to indicate that its condition is more critical than most realize — or at least want to admit.

Pollsters — most notably evangelical George Barna — have reported repeatedly that they can find little measurable difference between the moral behavior of churchgoers and the rest of American society. Barna has found that born-again Christians are more likely to divorce (an act strongly condemned by Jesus) than atheists and agnostics, and are more likely to be racist than other Americans.

And while evangelical adolescents overwhelmingly say they believe in abstaining from premarital sex, they are more likely to be sexually active — and at an earlier age — than peers who are mainline Protestants, Mormons or Jews, according to University of Texas researcher Mark Regnerus.

On the bright side, Barna's surveys show evangelicals (defined by Barna as a subset of born-again Christians, which he sees as a broader group with more flexible beliefs) do pledge far more money to charity, though 76% of them fail to give 10% of their income to the church as prescribed by their faith. Various studies show American Christians as a whole give away a miserly 3% or so of their income to the church or charity.

"Every day, the church is becoming more like the world it allegedly seeks to change," Barna has said.

Barna isn't the only worried evangelical. Christian activist Ronald J. Sider writes in his book, "The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience": "By their daily activity, most 'Christians' regularly commit treason. With their mouths they claim that Jesus is their Lord, but with their actions they demonstrate their allegiance to money, sex, and personal self-fulfillment."

How to explain the Grand Canyon-sized gap between principles outlined in the Gospels and the behavior of believers? Christians typically, and rather lamely, respond that shortcomings of the followers of Jesus are simply evidence of man's inherent sinfulness.

But if one adheres to the principle of Occam's razor — that the simplest explanation is the most likely — there is another, more unsettling conclusion: that many people who call themselves Christian don't really believe, deep down, in the tenets of their faith. In other words, their actions reveal their true beliefs.

That might explain why Roman Catholic bishops leave predator priests in ministry to prey on more unsuspecting children. Or why churches on Sunday mornings are said to be the most segregated places in America. It also would explain why most Catholic women use birth control even though the practice is considered a mortal sin.

Culturally, America is still a Christian nation. The majority of us still attend church at least occasionally, celebrate Christmas and Easter, and pepper our conversations with "God bless you" and "I'll be praying for you."

But judging by the behavior of most Christians, they've become secularists. And the sea of hypocrisy between Christian beliefs and actions is driving Americans away from the institutional church in record numbers.

Some, such as Anne Rice, are continuing their spiritual journey on their own, unable to reconcile the Gospel message with religious institutions covered with man's dirty fingerprints. Others have stopped believing in God. Those with awareness who remain Christians are scrambling to find ways, like St. Francis of Assisi, to rebuild God's church.

But remember, St. Francis offered a radical example during a time when the institutional church had grown corrupt and flabby. He was a wealthy young man who took a vow of poverty and devoted himself to the poor. His motto: "Preach the Gospel at all times — and when necessary use words."

A well-informed hunch says American Christians aren't ready for the kind of reformation that will realign their actions with biblical mandates. And in the meantime, the exodus from the church will continue.

William Lobdell, a former Times staff writer, is the author of "Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America — and Found Unexpected Peace."

Philosophy, Physics, Mathematics - “Dangerous Knowledge”

2010-07-25T18:48:00.000-05:00

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

WAS JESUS GAY?

2010-02-19T01:33:00.003-06:00

BY HANK HYENA

"Behold how he loved him!" (John 11:36)

"It's fabulous," exulted Brian, my bearded gay friend. "I get to be Jesus at the Easter Fetish performance party. First I'm laid out on a pink marble slab, with only a wisp of loincloth about me. Then -- hallelujah! Resurrection!"

"You're too short," I muttered. "I'd be better." (The best part I ever got in six Catholic pageants was Bartholomew, the geeky apostle.)

"Oh stop," Brian continued. "Listen -- slowly, I rise, for my very favorite part: 12 handsome men -- the apostles -- march in and kiss me all over my body."

"Why do you have to make everyone queer?" I blurted. "Last week you said Hillary was a dyke. This week you're homo Jesus."

"Tsk-tsk. You're acting so straight."

"I am straight."

"I'm sorry, but ... Jesus was gay. He's been in the closet for 2,000 years. But now he's out and he's glorious. My performance is historically valid."

"Brian, you didn't learn anything about Jesus at synagogue. I studied Biblical texts in grad school."

"Jesus was a fag. Case closed. Get used to it." A pause. "I read it on the Web."

"History isn't a computer-game fantasy, Brian. It's real."

I stomped home. As a classics nerd -- I adore ancient alphabets, mysterious cuneiform, fragments of shriveled papyrus -- Brian's invert revisionism pissed me off. I'll destroy his queer notion, I decided -- I'll prove that he's wrong! I can translate the Bible from the original tongues, but --

I don't own a computer.

"Hey, honey? Can you help me?" I begged my modem wife. "I need to research something on You-Hoo."

"Yahoo!" She winced. "What is it?"

"Brian says there's some dribble on his computer about Jesus being gay."

My wife brachiated through files; she tapped in keywords. Her Mac box spewed horrible sounds, like a robot grinding its teeth ...

Three entries fizzed into view. Two listings were irrelevant, and Mormon -- they've invaded cyberspace like it's the new Utah, have you noticed?

"Click, click." I pointed at choice No. 3.

My wife snapped open a posting, titled, "Was Jesus Gay? Missing Fragments from St. Mark's Gospel."

We bumped heads, leaning forward together. Our eyes bulged. The text claimed that a scholar from Columbia University named Morton Smith found manuscript fragments in a monastery near Jerusalem in 1958 that were allegedly excised from the original Mark. The lost and found passage says:

"The youth, looking upon him (Jesus), loved him and beseeched that he might remain with him ... they went into the house of the youth ... And after six days, Jesus instructed him and, in the evening, the youth came to him wearing a linen cloth over his naked body. And he remained with him that night, for Jesus taught him the mystery of the Kingdom of God."

"They did it!" giggled my wife.

"It's not explicit," I said. "But it doesn't sound like my Confirmation."

My wife's an ex-lesbian with the same "outing" fervor as Brian. She shrieked, "2,000 years of oppression! What hypocrites!"

"Quiet!" I bellowed, clutching my throbbing skull. "Civilization is crashing in front of me -- I need to concentrate!"

I pedaled my Schwinn to the library; I flung myself into the stacks. I know Dewey's decimal system like I know my own name -- I found Smith's thesis, "Secret Mark," in less than two minutes.

The "evidence," I discovered, was less concrete than the Web site insinuated. Indeed, the path meandering from Morton's fragment to the original Gospel is so labyrinthine it would give Borges a wet dream.

Follow this, if you dare: The "Secret Mark" passages are scribbles penned in the endpapers of a 17th century book. They're enclosed in a text that identifies itself as a copy of a letter sent from Clement of Alexandria (circa A.D. 185) to "Theodore." In the letter, Clement identifies "false passages" in the heretical Carpocratian Gospel of Mark. The all-nighter with the eager almost naked youth episode is authentic, claims Clement, because it's included in an expanded Markan Gospel that was revealed to advanced parishioners of the Alexandrine Church.

As you untie this Gordian knot, you realize its plausibility has more holes than Peter's fishing net. Errors, rumor, innuendo and forgery have had 1,600 years to chew on the manuscript's veracity. Adding to the murk is the fact that only Morton Smith has seen the manuscript -- the monastery archives have been mysteriously closed ever since.

I bicycled home, eager to telephone some theology wonks. I knew they'd be happy to leap into the bully pulpit in this New Testamental debate.

First, Columbia University: the lair of the antichrist himself.

"I'm sorry," said the secretary. "Morton Smith died in 1993."

"Drat," I muttered. "The gadfly is gone."

Next call: University of California-Berkeley's director of religious studies --

"This is Birger Pearson."

His voice was lugubrious, weighed down by eons of knowledge. A bottomless, philosopher's groan, buried in the solitary search for Truth.

"Is the Morton Smith discovery authentic?" I asked.

"His position regarding the letter fragments has been entirely discredited in scholastic circles. And ... he had a vested interest in maintaining ... that position."

"You mean ... Morton Smith was gay?"

"Yes."

"What about Jesus' sex life?"

"That is something that cannot be absolutely known. It is a conundrum that will never be solved."

"Yeah, but ... what's your guess?"

"In Matthew 19:12, Jesus says, 'There will be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.'"

"Yikes! You think Jesus was celibate?"

"Yes."

The next scholar I interviewed was Dr. Walter Wink, a member of the esteemed research contingent "The Jesus Seminar." His 11 books express his political concerns. For example, in "The Powers" trilogy he examines social institutions and the evil and good they perform.

Wink also discredited Morton Smith's fragment, describing him as "a closeted gay -- due to his time period -- who became a bitter atheist. There's speculation that 'Secret Mark' was his way of getting revenge on the church."

When queried about Christ's passion and lust, Wink proposed that "Jesus might have been like Ralph Nader, an individual with relentless drive who sublimated all his sexual desires because he was totally preoccupied with the Kingdom of Heaven."

It began to dawn on me: Closeted Morton sees Jesus sleeping with youths, activist Walter regards him as Naderesque, contemplative Birgen embraces a celibate Messiah -- is Jesus just a mirror where we glimpse our idealized self?

I ate lunch hurriedly -- two sardine sandwiches. Like other ex-mackerel snappers, I always eat fish when I feel sinful. A guilty return to the no-meat-on-Friday penance.

Fortified, I returned to my examination of Jesus' libido. I telephoned William Hagan, my advisor in grad school. He's a former Jesuit who is now happily married (to a woman).

"Hi, Bill. I never asked you -- do you think Jesus had sex?"

"Absolutely. The Gospels indicate that Jesus was intimate with Mary Magdalene. She anoints him after his death -- then, Jesus appears to her first, after the Resurrection. Jesus says, 'Mary, don't touch me now!' This implies a physical relationship. I believe they had children, too. There's a sect that still claims blood lineage from Jesus and Magdalene."

"Wow, Bill, thanks. But ... uh ... do you think Jesus was gay, too?"

"Never heard of that theory."

The queer Jesus notion felt lonely and limp; no straight male scholar was willing to touch it. It took a woman, Mary A. Tolbert from the Pacific School of Religion, to stir vital life back into the proposition.

Dr. Tolbert maintained, "There are problems regarding the authenticity of Morton Smith's letter, but ... it sounds like Clement, stylistically."

"You mean ... Jesus did it? He performed a gay act?"

"Homosexuality's a concept that didn't exist in Biblical culture."

"Elucidate, please," I sniffed, pretentiously.

"Sexual relations," she explained patiently, "weren't based on gender preference. Sex only happened between 'dominants' and 'submissives.'"

"You're saying -- 'tops and bottoms' preceded hets and gays?"

"A free man could have sex with a woman, a slave, or a boy. That would be natural."

"So ... You're saying -- Jesus was a 'dominant' stud?"

"No, Jesus reversed the traditional behavior. He did things that are termed passive or womanly, dishonorable in male society. He washed his apostles' feet. He preached, 'Blessed are the meek.' Jesus urged men to give up power. He presented a radical model of being a man."

"So ... was he gay or not?"

"I told you -- the concept didn't exist."

When I hung up the phone, my eavesdropping wife asked, "She's a feminist, right? What'd she say?"

"She thinks Jesus can't be gay and he can't be straight, but his behavior indicates he's a 'bottom.'"

"Oh!" My wife laughed. "Is that what he meant when he said, 'Turn the other cheek'?"

"Pig," I snorted. "I'm going back to the library."

Last time I was there, I forgot to comb the shelves in the "Gay and Lesbian" section. This time, I scanned those tidy rows for the early 200s -- Philosophy & Religion.

A bold title snagged my glance: "Jesus Acted Up" by Robert Goss. This manifesto lists scholars who subscribe to the gay Jesus theory. Hugh Montefiore, for example, an Anglican trailblazer who shocked Oxford in 1967 when he informed a conference of his opinion. And, Robert Williams, author of "Just As I Am: A Practical Guide to Being Out, Proud, and Christian," with its spicy chapters like "Jesus Had a Penis," "Jesus the Sissy" and "God Likes to Party."

I telephoned Dr. "Bob" Goss the next morning; he's assistant professor of comparative religion at Webster University in St. Louis.

"Why," I asked, "are all the U.S. scholars who claim Jesus is gay also gay themselves? Why can't I find a straight academic who agrees with you?"

He snorted. "There's a tremendous amount of homophobia in U.S. religious departments. Scholars fear our position will lead to professional suicide."

"OK," I continued. "You think Jesus was gay, so -- who's the boyfriend? Is it John, the 'beloved' apostle?"

"The Gospel never defines John as the 'beloved' -- that's just a theory. I believe the 'beloved' disciple was Lazarus."

"The guy Jesus raised from the dead?"

"Yes. Lazarus also receives the 'sexual baptism' in Morton Smith's document."

"Wait a minute, Bob. That Morton thing is vague."

"Oh, come on. A man who loves you comes into your bedroom and spends all night naked with you? That's a clear indication, I think."

"OK, OK. But what about the accepted Gospels? Anything there?"

"John 19:26-28. Jesus is dying on the cross, and it says, 'When Jesus saw his mother, and the beloved disciple standing by, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold thy son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold thy mother!" After this, Jesus knew all things were accomplished.' When my own lover died of AIDS, the identical thing happened. He said, 'Take care of my lover. Take care of my mother.' Gay men who've been through this, we intuit the intimacy between Jesus and 'the beloved.'"

"Gosh. Sorry. Anything else?"

"At the Last Supper, the 'beloved' lies on the inner tunic of Jesus -- that's the undergarment. They eat together, side by side. What's being portrayed here is a pederastic relationship between an older man and a younger man. A Greek reader would understand."

"Oh my. Like Plato's 'Symposium' -- Socrates and Alcibiades?"

"Exactly. Jesus lived in a Hellenistic society. Men entered a mentoring relationship with older men, in the pederastic model of learning."

I can't tell Brian he's wrong, because maybe he's not. Jesus has the flexible strength of all great heroes in literature; he represents myriad things to innumerable people. Wannabe-celibates can bind their restraint to the eunuch passage in Matthew. Heteros can enjoy suggestions that Magdalene and Messiah were frisky. Gays get two choices: Jesus, the radical bottom or the penetrating mentor. There's enough innuendo to satisfy everyone.

A sexually ambiguous Jesus is perfect, really. Everybody can claim him; no one is excluded. He's the ideal leader, ironically, for a sexually tolerant religion. Unfortunately, few of his followers see him as anything other than their own libidos writ large.
SALON | April 10, 1998

Hank Hyena is a columnist for the Gate and a frequent contributor to Salon.

WAS JESUS GAY?

2010-02-19T01:14:00.000-06:00

PETER TATCHELL questions the sexuality of Jesus Christ

Was Jesus queer? We don't know. But it is a possibility that cannot be ruled out. One version of St. Mark's gospel - which is still the subject of academic dispute - alludes to Jesus having a homosexual relationship with a youth he raised from the dead.

According to the US Biblical scholar, Morton Smith, of Columbia University, a fragment of manuscript he found at the Mar Saba monastery near Jerusalem in 1958, showed that the full text of St. Mark chapter 10 (between verses 34 and 35 in the standard version of the Bible) includes the passage:

"And the youth, looking upon him (Jesus), loved him and beseeched that he might remain with him. And going out of the tomb, they went into the house of the youth, for he was rich. And after six days, Jesus instructed him and, at evening, the youth came to him wearing a linen cloth over his naked body. And he remained with him that night, for Jesus taught him the mystery of the Kingdom of God".

The veracity of this manuscript is hotly contested by other Biblical scholars. This comes as no surprise. The revelation of a gay Jesus would undermine some of the most fundamental tenets of orthodox Christianity, including its rampant homophobia.

But even if the text is genuine, does this ambiguous, elliptical passage offer evidence of Jesus's homosexuality? It is hard to say. The precise nature of the relationship between Christ and the youth is not spelled out. Sexual relations are suggested but not explicitly stated.

The Morton Smith document is, in fact, irrelevant to the vexed issue of Christ's sexual orientation. What we can say for certain is that the standard, accepted Biblical narrative gives us no information at all about Jesus's sexuality.

This absence of firm information does not, of course, mean that we can take it for granted that Christ was heterosexual. Far from it! The lack of information about his erotic inclinations begs more questions than it answers.

The truth is that we simply don't know whether Jesus was straight, gay, bisexual or celibate. There is certainly no evidence for the Church's unspoken presumption that he was either heterosexual or devoid of carnal desires. Since nothing in the Bible points to Christ having erotic feelings for women, or relationships with the female sex, the possibility of him being gay cannot be discounted.

In the absence of any evidence - let alone proof - that Jesus was heterosexual, the theological basis of Church homophobia is all the more shaky and indefensible. How can established religion dare denounce homosexuality when the founder of its faith was himself a man of mysterious, unknown sexuality who could, for all we know, have been homosexual?

The Bible tells us that Jesus was born a man and therefore presumably had male sexual feelings. It would have been more or less impossible, biologically, for him not to have an element of erotic arousal - even if only having the normal male response of waking with an erection.

If you live in America

2009-10-20T23:01:00.000-05:00

"If you live in America, the chances are good that your next door neighbours believe the following: the Inventor of the laws of physics and Programmer of the DNA code decided to enter the uterus of a Jewish virgin, got himself born, then deliberately had himself tortured and executed because he couldn't think of a better way to forgive the theft of an apple, committed at the instigation of a talking snake. As Creator of the majestically expanding universe, he not only understands relativistic gravity and quantum mechanics but actually designed them. Yet what he really cares about is "sin," abortion, how often you go to church, and whether gay people should marry."

-- Richard Dawkins

Man vs.. God

2009-09-12T18:08:00.001-05:00

Wall Street Journal
SEPTEMBER 12, 2009, 2:08 P.M. ET

ESSAYS

Man vs. God

Karen Armstrong says we need God to grasp the wonder of our existence
Richard Dawkins has been right all along, of course—at least in one important respect. Evolution has indeed dealt a blow to the idea of a benign creator, literally conceived. It tells us that there is no Intelligence controlling the cosmos, and that life itself is the result of a blind process of natural selection, in which innumerable species failed to survive. The fossil record reveals a natural history of pain, death and racial extinction, so if there was a divine plan, it was cruel, callously prodigal and wasteful. Human beings were not the pinnacle of a purposeful creation; like everything else, they evolved by trial and error and God had no direct hand in their making. No wonder so many fundamentalist Christians find their faith shaken to the core.
But Darwin may have done religion—and God—a favor by revealing a flaw in modern Western faith. Despite our scientific and technological brilliance, our understanding of God is often remarkably undeveloped—even primitive. In the past, many of the most influential Jewish, Christian and Muslim thinkers understood that what we call "God" is merely a symbol that points beyond itself to an indescribable transcendence, whose existence cannot be proved but is only intuited by means of spiritual exercises and a compassionate lifestyle that enable us to cultivate new capacities of mind and heart.
But by the end of the 17th century, instead of looking through the symbol to "the God beyond God," Christians were transforming it into hard fact. Sir Isaac Newton had claimed that his cosmic system proved beyond doubt the existence of an intelligent, omniscient and omnipotent creator, who was obviously "very well skilled in Mechanicks and Geometry." Enthralled by the prospect of such cast-iron certainty, churchmen started to develop a scientifically-based theology that eventually made Newton's Mechanick and, later, William Paley's Intelligent Designer essential to Western Christianity.
But the Great Mechanick was little more than an idol, the kind of human projection that theology, at its best, was supposed to avoid. God had been essential to Newtonian physics but it was not long before other scientists were able to dispense with the God-hypothesis and, finally, Darwin showed that there could be no proof for God's existence. This would not have been a disaster had not Christians become so dependent upon their scientific religion that they had lost the older habits of thought and were left without other resource.
Symbolism was essential to premodern religion, because it was only possible to speak about the ultimate reality—God, Tao, Brahman or Nirvana—analogically, since it lay beyond the reach of words. Jews and Christians both developed audaciously innovative and figurative methods of reading the Bible, and every statement of the Quran is called an ayah ("parable"). St Augustine (354-430), a major authority for both Catholics and Protestants, insisted that if a biblical text contradicted reputable science, it must be interpreted allegorically. This remained standard practice in the West until the 17th century, when in an effort to emulate the exact scientific method, Christians began to read scripture with a literalness that is without parallel in religious history.
Most cultures believed that there were two recognized ways of arriving at truth. The Greeks called them mythos and logos. Both were essential and neither was superior to the other; they were not in conflict but complementary, each with its own sphere of competence. Logos ("reason") was the pragmatic mode of thought that enabled us to function effectively in the world and had, therefore, to correspond accurately to external reality. But it could not assuage human grief or find ultimate meaning in life's struggle. For that people turned to mythos, stories that made no pretensions to historical accuracy but should rather be seen as an early form of psychology; if translated into ritual or ethical action, a good myth showed you how to cope with mortality, discover an inner source of strength, and endure pain and sorrow with serenity.
In the ancient world, a cosmology was not regarded as factual but was primarily therapeutic; it was recited when people needed an infusion of that mysterious power that had—somehow—brought something out of primal nothingness: at a sickbed, a coronation or during a political crisis. Some cosmologies taught people how to unlock their own creativity, others made them aware of the struggle required to maintain social and political order. The Genesis creation hymn, written during the Israelites' exile in Babylonia in the 6th century BC, was a gentle polemic against Babylonian religion. Its vision of an ordered universe where everything had its place was probably consoling to a displaced people, though—as we can see in the Bible—some of the exiles preferred a more aggressive cosmology.
There can never be a definitive version of a myth, because it refers to the more imponderable aspects of life. To remain effective, it must respond to contemporary circumstance. In the 16th century, when Jews were being expelled from one region of Europe after another, the mystic Isaac Luria constructed an entirely new creation myth that bore no resemblance to the Genesis story. But instead of being reviled for contradicting the Bible, it inspired a mass-movement among Jews, because it was such a telling description of the arbitrary world they now lived in; backed up with special rituals, it also helped them face up to their pain and discover a source of strength.
Religion was not supposed to provide explanations that lay within the competence of reason but to help us live creatively with realities for which there are no easy solutions and find an interior haven of peace; today, however, many have opted for unsustainable certainty instead. But can we respond religiously to evolutionary theory? Can we use it to recover a more authentic notion of God?
Darwin made it clear once again that—as Maimonides, Avicenna, Aquinas and Eckhart had already pointed out—we cannot regard God simply as a divine personality, who single-handedly created the world. This could direct our attention away from the idols of certainty and back to the "God beyond God." The best theology is a spiritual exercise, akin to poetry. Religion is not an exact science but a kind of art form that, like music or painting, introduces us to a mode of knowledge that is different from the purely rational and which cannot easily be put into words. At its best, it holds us in an attitude of wonder, which is, perhaps, not unlike the awe that Mr. Dawkins experiences—and has helped me to appreciate —when he contemplates the marvels of natural selection.
But what of the pain and waste that Darwin unveiled? All the major traditions insist that the faithful meditate on the ubiquitous suffering that is an inescapable part of life; because, if we do not acknowledge this uncomfortable fact, the compassion that lies at the heart of faith is impossible. The almost unbearable spectacle of the myriad species passing painfully into oblivion is not unlike some classic Buddhist meditations on the First Noble Truth ("Existence is suffering"), the indispensable prerequisite for the transcendent enlightenment that some call Nirvana—and others call God.
—Ms. Armstrong is the author of numerous books on theology and religious affairs. Th e latest, "The Case for God," will be published by Knopf later this month.

Richard Dawkins argues that evolution leaves God with nothing to do
Before 1859 it would have seemed natural to agree with the Reverend William Paley, in "Natural Theology," that the creation of life was God's greatest work. Especially (vanity might add) human life. Today we'd amend the statement: Evolution is the universe's greatest work. Evolution is the creator of life, and life is arguably the most surprising and most beautiful production that the laws of physics have ever generated. Evolution, to quote a
T-shirt sent me by an anonymous well-wisher, is the greatest show on earth, the only game in town.
Indeed, evolution is probably the greatest show in the entire universe. Most scientists' hunch is that there are independently evolved life forms dotted around planetary islands throughout the universe—though sadly too thinly scattered to encounter one another. And if there is life elsewhere, it is something stronger than a hunch to say that it will turn out to be Darwinian life. The argument in favor of alien life's existing at all is weaker than the argument that—if it exists at all—it will be Darwinian life. But it is also possible that we really are alone in the universe, in which case Earth, with its greatest show, is the most remarkable planet in the universe.
What is so special about life? It never violates the laws of physics. Nothing does (if anything did, physicists would just have to formulate new laws—it's happened often enough in the history of science). But although life never violates the laws of physics, it pushes them into unexpected avenues that stagger the imagination. If we didn't know about life we wouldn't believe it was possible—except, of course, that there'd then be nobody around to do the disbelieving!
The laws of physics, before Darwinian evolution bursts out from their midst, can make rocks and sand, gas clouds and stars, whirlpools and waves, whirlpool-shaped galaxies and light that travels as waves while behaving like particles. It is an interesting, fascinating and, in many ways, deeply mysterious universe. But now, enter life. Look, through the eyes of a physicist, at a bounding kangaroo, a swooping bat, a leaping dolphin, a soaring Coast Redwood. There never was a rock that bounded like a kangaroo, never a pebble that crawled like a beetle seeking a mate, never a sand grain that swam like a water flea. Not once do any of these creatures disobey one jot or tittle of the laws of physics. Far from violating the laws of thermodynamics (as is often ignorantly alleged) they are relentlessly driven by them. Far from violating the laws of motion, animals exploit them to their advantage as they walk, run, dodge and jink, leap and fly, pounce on prey or spring to safety.
Never once are the laws of physics violated, yet life emerges into uncharted territory. And how is the trick done? The answer is a process that, although variable in its wondrous detail, is sufficiently uniform to deserve one single name: Darwinian evolution, the nonrandom survival of randomly varying coded information. We know, as certainly as we know anything in science, that this is the process that has generated life on our own planet. And my bet, as I said, is that the same process is in operation wherever life may be found, anywhere in the universe.
What if the greatest show on earth is not the greatest show in the universe? What if there are life forms on other planets that have evolved so far beyond our level of intelligence and creativity that we should regard them as gods, were we ever so fortunate (or unfortunate?) as to meet them? Would they indeed be gods? Wouldn't we be tempted to fall on our knees and worship them, as a medieval peasant might if suddenly confronted with such miracles as a Boeing 747, a mobile telephone or Google Earth? But, however god-like the aliens might seem, they would not be gods, and for one very important reason. They did not create the universe; it created them, just as it created us. Making the universe is the one thing no intelligence, however superhuman, could do, because an intelligence is complex—statistically improbable —and therefore had to emerge, by gradual degrees, from simpler beginnings: from a lifeless universe—the miracle-free zone that is physics.
To midwife such emergence is the singular achievement of Darwinian evolution. It starts with primeval simplicity and fosters, by slow, explicable degrees, the emergence of complexity: seemingly limitless complexity —certainly up to our human level of complexity and very probably way beyond. There may be worlds on which superhuman life thrives, superhuman to a level that our imaginations cannot grasp. But superhuman does not mean supernatural. Darwinian evolution is the only process we know that is ultimately capable of generating anything as complicated as creative intelligences. Once it has done so, of course, those intelligences can create other complex things: works of art and music, advanced technology, computers, the Internet and who knows what in the future? Darwinian evolution may not be the only such generative process in the universe. There may be other "cranes" (Daniel Dennett's term, which he opposes to "skyhooks") that we have not yet discovered or imagined. But, however wonderful and however different from Darwinian evolution those putative cranes may be, they cannot be magic. They will share with Darwinian evolution the facility to raise up complexity, as an emergent property, out of simplicity, while never violating natural law.
Where does that leave God? The kindest thing to say is that it leaves him with nothing to do, and no achievements that might attract our praise, our worship or our fear. Evolution is God's redundancy notice, his pink slip. But we have to go further. A complex creative intelligence with nothing to do is not just redundant. A divine designer is all but ruled out by the consideration that he must at least as complex as the entities he was wheeled out to explain. God is not dead. He was never alive in the first place.
Now, there is a certain class of sophisticated modern theologian who will say something like this: "Good heavens, of course we are not so naive or simplistic as to care whether God exists. Existence is such a 19th-century preoccupation! It doesn't matter whether God exists in a scientific sense. What matters is whether he exists for you or for me. If God is real for you, who cares whether science has made him redundant? Such arrogance! Such elitism."
Well, if that's what floats your canoe, you'll be paddling it up a very lonely creek. The mainstream belief of the world's peoples is very clear. They believe in God, and that means they believe he exists in objective reality, just as surely as the Rock of Gibraltar exists. If sophisticated theologians or postmodern relativists think they are rescuing God from the redundancy scrap-heap by downplaying the importance of existence, they should think again. Tell the congregation of a church or mosque that existence is too vulgar an attribute to fasten onto their God, and they will brand you an atheist. They'll be right.
—Mr. Dawkins is the author of "The Selfish Gene," "The Ancestor's Tale," "The God Delusion." His latest book, "The Greatest Show on Earth," will be published by Free Press on Sept. 22.

DDT is good for me-e-e Rachel Carson was wrong.

2009-09-05T17:40:00.000-05:00

Video lecture by Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky on schizotypal personality and "metamagical thinking"

2009-09-04T21:09:00.000-05:00

Constantine's Sword

2009-08-18T17:07:00.002-05:00

CONSTANTINE’S SWORD

Texas is turning Muslim.

2009-08-18T12:06:00.000-05:00

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Levi Johnston Slams Bristol Palin's Crusade Against Teen Sex: "It's All A Show"

2009-08-12T23:16:00.001-05:00

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Levi Johnston Slams Bristol Palin's Crusade Against Teen Sex: "It's All A Show"

Bristol Palin's baby daddy, Levi Johnston, is spilling the beans on what he feels is really behind her campaign for abstinence.

"Her mother has a big influence on her," Johnston, 19, told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview. "I don't buy it. The first time it [the subject of abstinence] came around, she said it wasn't realistic. Now she says it is. So I think she caught herself in a little thing there. I don't buy it. It's all a show."

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Sarah Palin Resigned Due To Marital Troubles, Says Levi Johnston

Strong words from Johnston, who despite revealing that his relationship with Sarah Palin's daughter is back on good terms for the sake of their young son Tripp, is planning to have a procedure done to remove a tattoo from his left ring finger which spells Bristol's name.

"It was a big mistake," He said of getting Bristol's name tattooed on his finger. "But you live, you learn, it's all good."

But don't expect Levi to turn his tattoo into something cool and creative. "I'm just going to have it lasered off," he said, before adding, "But I've actually heard bad things about that so, I'll maybe I'll cover it up, figure something out."

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW: Sarah Palin Resigned Due To Marital Troubles, Says Levi Johnston

2009-08-12T23:12:00.001-05:00

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW: Sarah Palin Resigned Due To Marital Troubles, Says Levi Johnston

Sarah Palin's marriage has been in trouble from the beginning, says Levi Johnston, the father of their grandson Tripp and ex-fiance of daughter Bristol.

What's more Levi told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive video interview that he believes marital problems were behind Palin's decision to resign as governor of Alaska.

When we asked if the couple had marital problems, Levi responded: "Oh yeah. There have been from day one."

RadarOnline.com then asked if Levi thought marital problems were the reason she stepped down from political office. Levi answered, "Oh yeah I do."

He didn’t stop there. He also told RadarOnline.com that he thinks Palin will be chasing an even bigger paycheck now that she’s out of public office and on the speaker circuit. “She took the money,” he said. “That’s what she’s talked about, that’s what I’m gathering and I think that’s what she’s doing.”

He did add that he did not believe cheating was a factor in Sarah and Todd's marriage.

Gore Vidal On Sarah Palin

2009-04-13T12:11:00.001-05:00

Palin's Churches and the New Apostolic Reformation

2009-04-13T11:10:00.001-05:00

Series of Documentary Videos and Supporting Articles in Palin's Churches and the Third Wave Series

The following are links to articles and videos that have been posted on Talk2action.org in an ongoing series, documenting the massive and radical shift in global Christianity propelled by the closely related New Apostolic Reformation and Third Wave movements. Some of the articles below focus on the relationship of Sarah Palin's Churches to those movements. Others features a broader treatment of the New Apostolic Reformation and the Third Wave [ for an overview, see, especially, the special report below ] : New Report Documents Activities of Spiritual Warfare Network Tied to Palin http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/29/23723/734/

Links to PDF of 36 page report:
Spiritual Mapping and Spiritual Warfare – Muthee and the “Transformations” Franchise http://www.talk2action.org.nyud.net/pages/docs/Transformation.pdf http://www.talk2action.org/pages/docs/Transformation.pdf

Stories are listed in chronological order with the latest articles first.

The Palin Scandal in the Living Room http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/11/5/13585/8320

Katherine Harris, Sarah Palin Linked to Same Prayer Warfare Network http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/11/2/115526/519

Palin’s Movement Urges Godly to Plunder Wealth of Godless http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/11/1/14522/8804/

Palin’s Spiritual Warfare Network Partners With Homeland Security http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/31/115724/94/

Palin Linked to Second Witch Hunter http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/24/125017/31

Killing Mother Theresa with their Prayers http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/20/195730/89/

Palin Anointer Muthee Fights Catholics, Witches and “Python Spirits”
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/20/13042/410/

Palin Put Religious War Advocate on Alaska Suicide Prevention Council
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/13/171018/17/

Seven Questions That US Media Have Neglected to Ask About Sarah Palin
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/10/19356/295/

Palin and the Apostles
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/7/54010/1830/

Fishers and Hunters - The Continuing Saga of Christian Zionism
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/2/115153/281/

A Heartbeat Away or Why Palin’s Churches Matter
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/25/93553/3296/

Buzzflash Interview with the Palin Churches Research Team
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/24/173435/219/

In Video, Pastor Annoints Palin, Urges “Infiltration” of Schools, Government, Business
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/24/13112/0816/

The “Lions in the Pews”
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/24/82239/9750/

Palin, Muthee, and the Witch- Journalists Miss the Major Story
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/20/171755/145/

YouTube Censors Viral Video Documentary on Palin's Churches
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/13/1538/09770/

Palin’s Churches and the Holy Laughter Anointing, Video, Documentation, and Article
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/11/113733/968/

Sarah Palin’s Demon Haunted Churches, Complete Edition With videos, documentation , and article
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/8/114332/7479/

Sarah Palin’s Churches and the Third Wave, Part Two
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/5/03830/11602/

Sarah Palin’s Churches and the Third Wave, Part One
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/5/0244/84583/

Direct video links:

Sarah Palin’s Churches and the Third Wave, also titled Palin’s Demon Haunted Churches
http://www.vimeo.com/1679097?pg=embed&sec=1679097

Sarah Palin, the Seven Mountains and retaking the Mountain of Business
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xges7mFi6iY

In the Land of Queen Esther: The Unauthorized Sarah Palin Video
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/10/18/211616/13 ( By Max Blumenthal, produced by Michael W. Wilson, also producer of Silhouette City )

Palin's Churches and the Holy Laughter Anointing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_CkZWTvKBc

Palin, Muthee and Killing Mother Theresa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eruPRS4V0SA

Palin Anointer Thomas Muthee Fights Catholics, Witches and Python Spirits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grrsRKP8L0s

topic: All Topics

The New Apostolic Reformation/Third Wave

The New Apostolic Reformation is a recently institutionalized Protestant sect that emerged from specific Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, sometimes referred to collectively as the Third Wave. These are revivals of a 1940s and 1950s movement named as a heresy by the Assemblies of God at that time. The New Apostolic Reformation can now be defined as a distinct movement with a unique theology. The central figure in the movement, C. Peter Wagner has organized the sect structure and defined its primary theology. He declared 2001 as the beginning of the new Apostolic Age. Wagner’s extensive Apostolic network includes 500 Apostles from the U.S. and 42 other countries, each with their own network of churches and ministries, some with hundreds or even thousands. This network is interconnected with other Apostolic networks around the world who share media, conferences, schools, and training, and revivals.

The major tenets of the adherents of this sect include the belief that we are living in the final years before the return of Christ. However, they differ from other Fundamentalist Protestants in their belief that they must defeat evil on the earth and purify the existing churches before Jesus can return. Furthermore, the building of this “Kingdom of God” is not to be delayed until after the Rapture, or to be built in a heavenly sphere. They believe that they have a mandate to build the Kingdom in the present and in the physical realm. In preparation for this task, this final generation is being “imparted” with special supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit that will allow them to wage spiritual warfare and take control of the earth from the devil and an array of demons. The mandate for building the Kingdom includes their current Seven Mountains strategy for the taking control over government, arts and entertainment, media, education, family, religion, and business.

This effort includes extensive mission work around the globe featuring their well developed spiritual warfare strategies which have been published in books and videos. The goal of these spiritual warfare tactics is to take cities and communities from the territorial demons that control theses geographic areas and that they believe prevent their efforts in planting their own Apostolic churches. Spiritual warfare around the globe includes the goal of taking control of cities through the expulsion of witches and demons, and the conversion of Roman Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and all other religions. They also believe that there must be a civil war in the Protestant church during this “Third Reformation” in order for them to purify that institution before Jesus can return. The movement has an extensive focus on youth, with several leaders specifically prophesying that those born after 1973 are to be the trainers and warriors for God’s army.

Link here to chronological list of the over 50 stories on Sarah Palin published at Talk To Action

Madonna Dating Levi Johnston

2009-04-08T19:22:00.001-05:00

Written by Abel Rodriguez

WASILLA, Alaska - Madonna, fresh from dumping baseball superstar A-Rod and Brazilian super model Jesus Luz has reportedly been seen having dinner with none other than Levi Johnston, 18, the ex-future son-in-law of Gov. Sarah Palin.

Johnston uncaringly dumped his fiancee Bristol Palin, 18, after she had their baby back in December. He told a neighbor that he does not think that he is ready to settle down with just one girl just yet.

An aide to Gov. Palin stated off the record that the governor had commented to Levi that he had better not dare set foot on her property because as far as she is concerned he looks a hell of a lot like a moose.

Levi replied that he has seen "Snowflake" Sarah shoot and she is not at all as good a shot as she thinks she is. He told of a hunting trip that just he and her took up around Prudhoe Bay.

He said that they both snuck up on a caribou and Palin took careful aim, fired, and missed causing the caribou to scamper off into the frozen woods.

Johnston said that when Palin fired her high-powered telescopic rifle that the end of the rifle was practically touching the caribou's butt.

Levi was asked if he in fact has been seeing Madonna. And he asked "Who?"

When told that there were reports circulating throughout Wasilla that he and the famous singer had both been seen at the local Jack-In-The-Box where he works he remarked, "Where?"

When Levi was asked if he was born stupid, is stupid, or just acts stupid he answered, "What?"

A reporter for The Wasilla Snowdrift Sentinel managed to talk to Madonna and she asked her point blank if she was dating the ex-boyfriend of Governor Sarah Palin's heartbroken daughter Bristol.

Madonna replied that Bristol was not heartbroken because the little spoiled brat unfairly kept the entire $300,000 that the couple was paid for the first photos of their little baby Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, who grandma Sarah has nicknamed "Huntin' Tripp."

Madonna then admitted that since the government of Malawi had denied her adoption request, she had decided to fly to Alaska and see about the possibility of adopting an Eskimo baby where all a prospective parent has to do is fill out a two question questionaire, pay a $3 adoption fee, and show at least one valid credit card.

She said that she had stopped in at the local Jack-In-The-Box and that Levi had gone up to her as she was eating her Ultimate Cheeseburger and asked her for her autograph.

Madonna said that she happened to know that he loved hockey and she offered to have him meet her in her Holiday Inn room so that he could tell her all about hockey related terms such as body checking, penalty box, biscuit in the basket, pole checking, and dangler.

Madonna and Johnston were later seen together at the Greater Wasilla Unified Airport and Madonna confessed that her and Levi are in fact dating.

She disclosed that they were both flying back to New York City and that she had hired him to be her personal ice hockey consultant and instructor on her new movie.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: In May, Madonna will begin filming Puck Bunny - The Misadventures of An Ice Hockey Groupie. The motion picture will also star Brad Pitt, Carrie Underwood, Roger Clemens, Nadya Suleman, Miley Cyrus, Tony Bennett, and Pucky the Puck, mascot of The Saskatoon Snowplowers).

2009-04-08T19:00:00.003-05:00

Levi

Your request is being processed...

Levi Johnston's Sister Mercede Tattoos His Name On Her Wrist...What Would You Do?

White trash hick Sarah Palin from Mat-Su thinks that Levi Johnston is white trash. Sarah Palin lies again. Levi Johnston calls Sarah Palin a liar.

2009-04-08T14:20:00.004-05:00

WASHINGTON — The father of Bristol Palin's baby boy says he's been treated like an outcast since the end of Gov. Sarah Palin's run for vice president.

Appearing in an interview broadcast Wednesday on CBS's "The Early Show," Levi Johnston said he felt a need to "get my side of the story out there."

A worsening feud has developed between the 19-year-old Johnston and the governor's family in the wake of Johnston's complaints about not being able see his young son Tripp, often enough. Now there is a dispute about whether Johnston had actually lived with the Palins. Palin denies that he did; Johnston's family says the Palins are lying.

Johnston says that the biggest misconception about him is that his family is "probably that my family's white trash." He called the Palins "snobby."

Bristol Palin is Sarah Palin's daughter, and at one point she had agree to marry Johnston, but that is now off. Johnston said he was heartbroken by the split.

Johnston said he "wouldn't call any baby a mistake. I love him more than anything. I wouldn't trade him for the world." Tripp was born Dec. 27.

Lower class hick, Sarah Palin from Mat-Su fails again

2009-04-08T12:40:00.003-05:00

Forget “Drill, baby, drill.” Sarah Palin says she’s building a $40 billion gas pipeline, which even President Obama wants. The only problem: It isn’t there. And it’s her fault.

Lower class hick, Sarah Palin from Mat-Su fails again.

Sarah Palin allowed Bristol to have sex in her home. Todd Palin's sister arrested for breaking into a house while her 4 year old kept a look out .

2009-04-06T17:00:00.001-05:00

Bristol Palin’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her baby, Levi Johnston, 18, told Tyra Banks in a segment to air today that he was “pretty sure” Bristol’s mother knew that he and Bristol, 18, were having sex before she got pregnant. Alaskan governor and former Vice Presidental candidate Sarah Palin is an advocate of abstinence-only sex education and didn’t take kindly to Johnston blabbing to the media. She issued a scathing statement to People Magazine that said in no uncertain terms how she felt about Johnston’s claims:

After taking about sex on The Tyra Banks Show, Johnston – the 18-year-old father of Bristol Palin’s baby – was hit with a blistering response from Bristol’s family.

“Bristol did not even know Levi was going on the show. We’re disappointed that Levi and his family, in a quest for fame, attention, and fortune, are engaging in flat-out lies, gross exaggeration, and even distortion of their relationship,” says the statement from the Palin family rep, Meghan Stapleton.

“Bristol’s focus will remain on raising Tripp, completing her education, and advocating abstinence,” the statement continues. “It is unfortunate that Levi finds it more appealing to exploit his previous relationship with Bristol than to contribute to the well being of the child.”

The statement ends, saying, “Bristol realizes now that she made a mistake in her relationship and is the one taking responsibility for their actions.”

[From People.com]

Not only does Sarah Palin have this embarrassing incident to deal with, she may have another black sheep in her family. Palin’s sister-in-law, Diana Palin, was arrested on burglary charges in Wasilla, Alaska on Thursday and charged with two counts of felony burglary after she was caught breaking into a home for an alleged second time. Diana Palin’s four year old daughter is said to have been waiting in the car outside while her mom robbed the house, taking a reported $2,200 in her first attempt and $400 the next time. Her excuse was that she thought she was at a friend’s place.

Levi Johnston On Tyra Show: Bristol Palin is a whore.

2009-04-06T16:23:00.000-05:00

Bristol Palin's baby, Tripp

2009-04-05T16:59:00.001-05:00

First photo of Bristol Palin's baby, Tripp.

Sarah Palin angry that Levi took advantage of Bristol and impregnated her

2009-04-05T13:20:00.001-05:00

Bristol was absent from school Jan-May 2008, because she had an extreme case of mono. The Palins and the school confirms this fact. So she was sick in bed, at her family's home, when she got pregnant in March. Governor Palin says that she is extremely angry that Levi took advantage of Bristol under the Governor's roof when Bristol was too sick to leave the house.

Sarah Palin allowed Bristol to have sex in her home

2009-04-05T13:12:00.000-05:00

Sarah Palin blasts Levi Johnston for talking about relationship with her daughter Bristol

Levi Johnston -- Bristol Palin's former boyfriend and the father of her baby -- has made her lipstick-wearing pit bull mother biting mad.

Johnston tells Tyra Banks on her show (that airs on April 6) that he believes Gov. Sarah Palin knew darn well he and her daughter were having sex when they lived in her house. "I'm pretty sure she probably knew. Moms are pretty smart," Johnston says.

News of his sex chat with Tyra has hit the ears of the Alaska governor.

And you betcha her camp has released an angry hornet’s nest of a statement.

"Bristol did not even know Levi was going on the show. We're disappointed that Levi and his family, in a quest for fame, attention, and fortune, are engaging in flat-out lies, gross exaggeration and even distortion of their relationship," says the statement from the Palin family rep.

"It is unfortunate that Levi finds it more appealing to exploit his previous relationship with Bristol than to contribute to the well-being of the child."

The statement ends: "Bristol realizes now that she made a mistake in her relationship and is the one taking responsibility for their actions."

It's kinda funny that she's mad at him for talking about having sex with her daughter. We would have been madder about the actual act of impregnation.

As if poor Sarah doesn’t have enough family problems. Now comes word this week from the Associated Press that her husband Todd Palin’s half-sister was accused of breaking into the same Wasilla, Alaska, house twice to steal money.

Yes, you read that right. The same house. Twice.

Diana Palin, 35, was charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor criminal trespass and theft stemming from two break-ins this week. And don't forget that Levi's mom, Sarah, was arrested in December on drug-related charges.

What is going on with these people? They make The Osbournes seem positively sane and normal.

We know. Let's move out the "Desperate Housewives" and have the Osbournes, the Palins and Nadya Suleman all live on Wisteria Lane and just let the cameras roll. The writers could all take a break because these folks come up with such wacky stuff all on their own.

Now that would be a TV show to watch. Would you tune in? Or are you over these people?

Texas hicks against evolution

2009-03-28T22:08:00.000-05:00

Texas Opens Classroom Door for Evolution Doubts

By STEPHANIE SIMON

The Texas Board of Education approved a science curriculum that opens the door for teachers and textbooks to raise doubts about evolution.

Critics of evolution said they were thrilled with Friday's move. "Texas has sent a clear message that evolution should be taught as a scientific theory open to critical scrutiny, not as a sacred dogma that can't be questioned," said Dr. John West, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, a Seattle think tank that argues an intelligent designer created life.

Kathy Miller, president of the pro-evolution Texas Freedom Network, said, "The board crafted a road map that creationists will use to pressure publishers into putting phony arguments attacking established science into textbooks."

Science standards in Texas resonate across the U.S., since it approves one set of books for the entire state. That makes Texas the nation's single largest market for high-school textbooks.

In the past, publishers often have written texts to its curriculum and marketed them nationally rather than spend time and money reworking them for different states and districts.

That influence has diminished, said Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers' school division, as districts and statewide boards of education have become more likely to scrutinize texts approved in other states. Desktop publishing also has made it easier for companies to amend textbooks to suit different markets.

"It's not necessarily the case" that the Texas curriculum will pop up in other states, Mr. Diskey said. But within Texas, what the board says, goes. Several years ago, the board expressed concern that a description of the Ice Age occurring "millions of years ago" conflicted with biblical timelines. The publisher changed it to "in the distant past." Another publisher sought to satisfy the board by inserting a heading about "strengths and weaknesses of evolution" in a biology text, drawing condemnation from science organizations.

The board will use the new standards to choose new textbooks in 2011.

Friday's meeting started with a victory for backers of evolution. The board voted to remove a longstanding requirement that students analyze the "strengths and weaknesses" of the theory. Mainstream scientists resoundingly reject that language, saying there are no weak links in the theory of evolution, which has been corroborated by discoveries in fields ranging from genetics to geology.

Through the afternoon, board members offered up a series of amendments and counter-amendments designed to shape presentations in biology classes across the state. The board voted down curriculum standards questioning the evolutionary principle that all life on Earth is descended from common ancestry.

Yet the board approved standards that require students to analyze and evaluate the fossil record and the complexity of the cell. Social conservatives on the board, led by chairman Don McLeroy, have made clear they expect books to address those topics by raising questions about the validity of evolutionary theory.

For instance, they want textbooks to suggest the theory of evolution is undercut by fossils that show some organisms -- such as ferns -- haven't changed much over millions of years. They also want texts to discuss the explosion of life forms during the Cambrian Era as inconsistent with the incremental march of evolution.

Scientists respond that the fossil record clearly traces the roots of Cambrian Era creatures back as far as 100 million years.

It isn't just evolution at issue: The board also approved an earth-science curriculum that challenges the widely accepted Big Bang Theory. Students are expected to learn that there are "differing theories" on the "origin and history of the universe."

Board members also deleted a reference to the scientific consensus that the universe is nearly 14 billion years old. The board's chairman has said he believes God created the universe fewer than 10,000 years ago.

Bristo Palin to sell baby on eBay

2009-03-12T00:45:00.001-05:00

We have just learned that Bristol Palin plans to auction off her baby on eBay and attend Harvard in the fall.

White trash whore Bristol Palin breaks up with Levi Johnston. Plans to open a whore house in Alaska

2009-03-12T00:20:00.003-05:00

Bristol Palin & Levi Johnston Break Off Engagement

(Photo: ZUMA Press)

Sarah Palin's 18-year-old daughter Bristol has reportedly broken off her engagement with Levi Johnston, the father of her 2-month-old son Tripp. It's surprising because in an interview just last month with FOX's Gretta Van Susteren, Bristol said the 19-year-old Levi is a hands-on dad and that they planned on marrying after finishing their education.

But in a new interview with Star Magazine, Levi's sister Mercede Johnston says Bristol actually broke up with Levi more than a month ago, is not attending school and rarely lets her baby daddy see their young son. Mercede also says Bristol even told him that she hates him and, when she learned she was pregnant, wished the baby wasn't his.

Mercede told Star: "Bristol's just crazy. That's the nicest way I can put it. She and Levi actually broke up a while ago!"

Apparently, Levi is also far from being a hands-on dad. Said Mercede: "Levi tries to visit Tripp every single day, but Bristol makes it nearly impossible for him. She tells him he can't take the baby to our house because she doesn't want him around 'white trash.' She treats him so badly!"

Bristol Palin's Bitter Split! Levi is white trash.

2009-03-11T18:01:00.001-05:00

The teen love affair that rocked last year's presidential race is over.

Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, has ditched her baby daddy, Levi Johnston!

Now's Levi's sister, Mercede is telling all exclusively to Star and the picture she paints of life in Wasilla, Alaska is not a pretty one. Bristol, 18, has virtually cut Levi out of the life of their two-month-old son Tripp.

"Levi tries to visit Tripp every single day, but Bristol makes it nearly impossible. She tells him he can't take the baby to our house because she doesn't want him around 'white trash'!" Bristol won't even allow him to watch the baby for a few hours -- unless he's babysitting!

The worst part, Mercede continues, is that the former vice presidential candidate supports Bristol's treatment of Levi, 19. "I used to love Sarah," Mercede says sadly. "But I've lost lots of respect for her."

Aldous Huxley: Warning to America (1958)

2009-02-02T13:30:00.000-06:00

Bristol Palin's little black baby Tripp

2009-01-22T00:33:00.001-06:00

Goodbye you narrow eyed fundamentalist Christian Texas hick.

2009-01-15T13:27:00.001-06:00

Bristol Palin names bundle of joy after Monicagate figure, Linda Tripp

2009-01-03T20:21:00.001-06:00

The poor kid is named Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston and is doomed to a lifetime of torment. Just hope baby Tripp doesn't look anything like his namesake. The child is the spawn of Satan. His real name is Damien.

Bristol Palin faked birth of son

2009-01-03T20:05:00.003-06:00

It has come to my attention that Bristol Palin faked the birth of her "son" Tripp. There was no birth and the truth will astonish you.

Stay tuned, I have my people in Alaska reporting to this blog and I will bring you an update as soon as possible.

Creationists Pollute Young Minds at Museum on Nightline

2009-01-02T22:11:00.000-06:00

Hellbound: Palin Bastard Born

2008-12-30T14:37:00.001-06:00

Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, gave birth to a 7 pound, 4 oz baby boy on Sunday. So, why is he on a guaranteed one-way Tripp to Hell?

Unwed.

Born out of wedlock.

Bastard is defined as: a child begotten and born out of wedlock; an illegitimate child; one born of an illicit union.

So?

Deuteronomy 23:2

A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

So . . . if the bastard (that is, newborn Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston) shall not enter the congregation of the Lord (nor any of his descendants to the 10th generation), then he must be damned to eternal Hellfire as a punishment for being born a bastard.

Poor child. If only Governor Palin had forced Bristle and Levi Johnston to marry before the child was born!

Bristol Palin's baby enjoying a beer with his mother

2008-12-30T00:54:00.000-06:00

Bristol Palin gives birth to baby purchased on the black market

2008-12-29T22:23:00.004-06:00

The Palins thought that everyone would just sort of forget about Bristol’s pregnancy. That’s why they never bothered to announce a miscarriage. Finally in a last minute act of desperation they purchased a baby on the black market. They actually found a girl who was pregnant, who wanted the money and said OK, but she was due in January. They were hoping she’d accept induced labor, but then she balked at it until the Palin's raised the price. Bristol then delivered her baby, a black little girl named Black Spruce on Sunday. Now Bristol is in hiding, since she is ashamed that people will think that she had sex with a black man. Sarah herself is very calm about it. She has a long history of living with a wide separation between her purported situation and reality.

Bristol Palin gives birth to girl

2008-12-29T20:37:00.002-06:00

BY Jerome Calhoun
Mississippi News Service

Monday, December 29th 2008, 7:34 PM

Kevin Spruce father of Bristol Palin’s baby girl, Black Spruce.

Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of Alaska Gov. and former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, gave birth over the weekend to a 9-pound, 2-ounce girl. Both mom and baby were said to be doing well.

"We think it's wonderful," Colleen Jones, the sister of Bristol's grandmother Sally Heath, told People Magazine. "The baby is fine and Bristol is doing well. Everyone is excited."
Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston - the first grandchild for the governor - was born Sunday in Palmer, Alaska.

It's unclear if the baby's father – Kevin Spruce - was present.

The first announcement of Bristol's pregnancy came during the Republican party convention in September when Gov. Palin shocked the nation with the news and announced the teens would eventually marry. In a statement, the governor and her husband said their daughter "came to us with news that we as parents knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned." They added, Bristol "has our unconditional love and support."

The formerly suspected babydaddy, Levi Johnston, is an apprentice electrician and former Wasilla High School hockey player. He has been dating Bristol for three years. He told the Associated Press in October that the two would wed in 2009 and raise the child together. There is not word if he will follow through on his pledge.

Last week, Johnston's mother, Sherry Johnston, was charged with six felony counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance, described by an Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman as being Oxycontin.

Now-Granny Johnston's arraignment is set for Jan. 6.

Bernie Madoff escapes to Israel

2008-12-29T19:40:00.001-06:00

Bernie Madoff escaped New York yesterday and is said to be in hiding in Jerusalem where he is hoping to trade 80 billion dollars for protected citizenship. Police will find that his wife's lap dog is wearing his leg transponder when they go to find him. Bernie took the old dumb waiter in the apartment down to the basement to make his escape though the garbage collector's door. Separately Bernie pledged 80 billion dollar to rebuild the Third temple in Jerusalem to be called the Madoff's Temple. A red calf is being imported from Iowa and construction will begin on January 1st after the sacrifice. An additional 80 billion dollars was paid to have the mosque on the temple mount moved to an artificial mountain to be built near by. Jack Black will be flying to Jerusalem for the sacrifice of the red calf playing the role of Jesus. Defrauded investors are furious but many say they might be willing to forgive Bernie for rebuilding the temple. Everyone had thought that Obama was the messiah but who knew it was really Bernie.

Palin’s Black Grandbaby! Obama calls from Hawaii to offer congratulations to Bristol and Kevin

2008-12-28T01:44:00.003-06:00

President elect Barack Obama called Bristol Palin as well as Kevin Spruce today so as to offer congratulations on the birth of their child, Black Spruce. Sarah Palin reportedly would not take president elect Obama's call.

Father of Bristol Palin's black baby daughter to change name to Palin and undergo a vasectomey

2008-12-28T01:30:00.004-06:00

It has been announced that Kevin Spruce, the father of Bristol Palin's interracial black baby has been asked by the Palin family to change his last name to Palin and undergo a vasectomy as a precondition before Todd Palin will give his permission for Bristol to marry Kevin.

Bristol Palin to marry black father of her newborn child

2008-12-28T01:11:00.003-06:00

Levi out, Kevin Spruce is in as Bristol Palin's future husband after Bristol gave birth to Kevin's child, a daughter named, Black Spruce in honor of both Kevin and the famous Black Spruce which is native to the state of Alaska.

Levi Johnston is said to be embarrassed and furious that his ex girlfriend Bristol apparently had sexual relations with Kevin who is black.

At Kevin's request, the Rev. Jessie Jackson will marry the young couple in February. Kevin and Bristol plan to move to Beverly Hills so as to be close to Black Spruce whom they have arranged to be adopted by Brittany Spears in exchange for an adoption fee of 2 million dollars as reported by the New York Times.

Bristol Palin gives birth to black baby, Levi Johnston odd man out.

2008-12-27T15:10:00.002-06:00

Levi Johnston apparently lost the sperm contest when his girl friend, Bristol Palin gave birth to a black baby girl, named Black Spruce late Friday evening. Levi was said by friends to be very confused and furious with Bristol for putting him through 9 months of hell.

Levi plans to quit his job on an Alaskan oil rig, return to high school after which he will attend college and law school, according to sources. He was willing to give up his dreams to support Bristol and her baby but now that it is obvious that he is not the father he is free to return to school.

The real father of the baby girl, Black Spruce, has not been identified as of this afternoon and calls to Bristol Palin's cell phone have not been returned.

Bristol Palin's new baby adopted by Brittany Spears

2008-12-27T15:00:00.002-06:00

Brittany Spears announced today that she has made arrangements to adopt Bristol Palin's new baby, Black Spruce. Brittany paid Bristol over 2 million dollars for the baby according to the adoption agreement which was published in the New York Times.

Bristol Palin's gives birth to black baby

2008-12-26T22:57:00.005-06:00

Bristol Palin, the unwed daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave birth this evening to a baby girl named Black Spruce in honor the Black Spruce tree which is native to Alaska. The baby girl weighted 9 pounds 2 oz at birth.

Levi Johnston the formerly presumed father of Bristol's yet unborn baby reportably was furious and claimed that he had been tricked by the entire Palin family as a campgaign stunt.

The real father has not been disclosed.

"P" An Oliver Stone Production

2008-12-02T18:58:00.000-06:00

CNN Reports on President Bush - Where's the Love?

2008-11-20T16:17:00.001-06:00

Natural selection produces the Alpha male

2008-11-14T19:50:00.001-06:00

In some species, males engage in complex competitive behaviors, which in many cases necessitate growth of elaborate ornamental horns. Although such competitions are rarely fatal, injuries and death can occur. What is the evolutionary advantage for a species to have potentially-lethal fighting among its members, not to mention spending so many calories growing awkward horns? Simply this: because females must expend a tremendous amount of energy and time in bearing and raising young, any selection among males that helps eliminate weaker, less-fit potential mates ensures a better genetic pool for the species.

Superior vs Inferior people

2008-11-13T19:23:00.001-06:00

Reference Table

Country	IQ	Neighbours IQ if Based on^[1]
Hong Kong	107
Korea, South	106
Japan	105
Korea, North	105	South Korea 106,Japan 105
Taiwan	104
Austria	102
Netherlands	102
Germany	102
Italy	102
Sweden	101
Luxembourg	101	Netherlands 102, Belgium 100
Switzerland	101
Singapore	100
United Kingdom	100
China	100
New Zealand	100
Belgium	100
Poland	99
Spain	99
Hungary	99
United States	98
Mongolia	98	Russia 96, China 100
France	98
Denmark	98
Australia	98
Iceland	98	Norway 98
Norway	98
Latvia	97	Russia 96, Finland 97
Estonia	97	Finland 97, Russia 96
Finland	97
Czech Republic	97
Lithuania	97	Russia 96, Finland 97
Canada	97
Slovakia	96
Russia	96
Uruguay	96
Argentina	96
Belarus	96	Russia 96
Ukraine	96	Russia 96
Vietnam	96	China 100, Thailand 91
Malta	95	Italy 102, Spain 99, Morocco 85
Moldova	95	Romania 94, Russia 96
Portugal	95
Slovenia	95
Israel	94
Romania	94
Yugoslavia	93	Croatia 90, Slovenia 95
Georgia	93	Russia 96, Turkey 90
Macedonia	93	Bulgaria 93, Greece 92
Kazakhstan	93	Russia 96, Turkey 90
Ireland	93
Chile	93	Argentina 96, Peru 90
Bulgaria	93
Armenia	93	Turkey 90, Russia 96
Greece	92
Malaysia	92
Cyprus	92	Greece 92
Brunei	92	Malaysia 92
Costa Rica	91	Argentina 96, Uruguay 96, Colombia 88, Puerto Rico 84
Thailand	91
Turkey	90
Albania	90	Croatia 90, Turkey 90
Croatia	90
Peru	90
Laos	89	Thailand 91, Philippines 86
Suriname	89
Cambodia	89	Thailand 91, Philippines 86
Indonesia	89
Venezuela	88	Colombia 88
Colombia	88
Tajikistan	87	Turkey 90, Iran 84
Turkmenistan	87	Turkey 90, Iran 84
Azerbaijan	87	Turkey 90, Iran 84
Iraq	87
Tonga	87
Kyrgyzstan	87	Turkey 90, Iran 84
Jordan	87	Iraq 87, Lebanon 86
Samoa (Western)	87
Uzbekistan	87	Turkey 90, Iran 84
Mexico	87
Brazil	87
Syria	87	Iraq 87, Lebanon 86
Burma (Myanmar)	86	India 81, Thailand 91
Lebanon	86
Philippines	86
Paraguay	85	Ecuador 80, Peru 90
Morocco	85
Bolivia	85	Ecuador 80, Peru 90
Cuba	85
Marshall Islands	84
Honduras	84	Guatemala 79, Colombia 88
Micronesia	84	Marshall Islands 84
Papua New Guinea	84	Marshall Islands 84, Fiji 84
Dominican Republic	84	Mixed population, Puerto Rico 84
Vanuatu	84	Marshall Islands 84, Fiji 84
Nicaragua	84	Guatemala 79, Colombia 88
Fiji	84
Panama	84	Colombia 88, Ecuador 80
Solomon Islands	84	Marshall Islands 84, Fiji 84
El Salvador	84	Guatemala 79, Colombia 88
Guyana	84	Suriname 89, Barbados 78
Iran	84
Libya	84	Morocco 85, Egypt 83
Puerto Rico	84
Kiribati	84	Marshall Islands 84, Fiji 84
Tunisia	84	Morocco 85, Egypt 83
Algeria	84	Morocco 85, Egypt 83
Afghanistan	83	Iran 84, India 81
Saudi Arabia	83	Iraq 87, Qatar 78
Belize	83	Guatemala 79, Mexico 87
Egypt	83
Oman	83	Iraq 87, Qatar 78
Yemen	83	Iraq 87, Qatar 78
Kuwait	83	Iraq 87, Qatar 78
United Arab Emirates	83	Iraq 87, Qatar 78
Bahrain	83	Iraq 87, Qatar 78
Mauritius	81	Mixed population-see notes
Maldives	81	India 81
Seychelles	81	Mixed population, India 81
Sri Lanka	81	India 81
Pakistan	81	India 81
Bangladesh	81	India 81
India	81
Trinidad & Tobago	80	78, Jamaica 72 Suriname 89, Barbados
Ecuador	80
Madagascar	79	Mixed Malay-Negroid population - see notes
Comoros	79	Mixed Negroid-Arab-Malay population - see notes
Guatemala	79
Qatar	78
Bhutan	78	Nepal 78
Bahamas	78	Barbados 78
Cape Verde	78	Mixed population-see notes
Nepal	78
Barbados	78
Zambia	77
St.Vincent/Grenadines	75	Barbados 78, Jamaica 72
St. Lucia	75	Barbados 78, Jamaica 72
St. Kitts & Nevis	75	Barbados 78, Jamaica 72
Grenada	75	Barbados 78, Jamaica 72
Dominica	75	Barbados 78, Jamaica 72
Antigua & Barbuda	75	Barbados 78, Jamaica 72
Uganda	73
Congo (Braz)	73
Mauritania	73	Guinea 63, Morocco 85, Sudan 72
Swaziland	72	Zambia 77, Zimbabwe 66
Chad	72	Sudan 72
Kenya	72
Lesotho	72	Zambia 77, Zimbabwe 66
Sudan	72
Tanzania	72
Haiti	72	Jamaica 72
Mosambique	72	Tanzania 72, Zimbabwe 66, Zambia 77
Namibia	72	Zambia 77, Zimbabwe 66
Botswana	72	Zambia 77, Zimbabwe 66
South Africa	72	See notes
Jamaica	72
Ghana	71
Côte d'Ivoire	71	Ghana 71
Malawi	71	Congo (Z) 65, Tanzania 72, Zambia 77
Cameroon	70	Nigeria 67, Congo (Braz) 73
Rwanda	70	Congo (Z) 65, Tanzania 72, Uganda 73
Burundi	70	Congo (Z) 65, Tanzania 72, Uganda 73
Togo	69	Ghana 71, Nigeria 67
Angola	69	Zambia 77, Zimbabwe 66, Congo (Z) 65
Benin	69	Ghana 71, Nigeria 67
Eritrea	68	Sudan 72, Ethiopia 63
Djibouti	68	Sudan 72, Ethiopia 63
Central African Rep.	68	Congo (B) 73, Congo (Z) 65, Nigeria 67
Mali	68	Guinea 63, Sudan 72
Somalia	68	Ethiopia 63, Kenya 72
Niger	67	Nigeria 67
Nigeria	67
Gabon	66	Congo (B) 73, Equatorial Guinea 59
Zimbabwe	66
Burkina Faso	66	Guinea 63, Sierra Leone 64, Ghana 71
Congo (Zaire)	65
Sierra Leone	64
Senegal	64	Sierra Leone 64, Guinea 63
Liberia	64	Sierra Leone 64, Guinea 63
Gambia	64	Sierra Leone 64, Guinea 63
Ethiopia	63
Guinea-Bissau	63	Guinea 63
Guinea	63
Equatorial Guinea	59
Sao Tome/Principe	59	Equatorial Guinea 59

A Bush voter speaks

2008-11-12T17:55:00.001-06:00

Martin Eisenstadt - Sarah Palin did not know that Africa was a Continent.

2008-11-11T14:17:00.000-06:00

The end for the filthy Christin Zionists

2008-11-10T22:23:00.000-06:00

Olmert: We must cede parts of J'lem

Nov. 10, 2008
GREER FAY CASHMAN, Shelly Paz, and Jpost staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday used a Jerusalem memorial ceremony for former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin to reiterate that Israel must be willing to cede parts of the capital.

"If we want to keep Israel Jewish and democratic, we need to give up parts of the homeland we have dreamed about for generations and [mentioned] in our prayers, even Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, and to return to a 1967 Israel with certain amendments," he said, at the state ceremony on Mount Herzl, where Rabin is buried.

"The decision must be made now. The moment of truth has arrived. There is no escaping it, but [the opportunity] can be missed. If, God forbid, we dither, we will lose the support for the idea of two states. There is no need to expand on the alternative… Rabin will win," he continued.

"The moment of truth has arrived," he repeated. "We can push if off for many years in which blood will be spilled. But we must look at it honestly, proudly and responsibly. The bullets that killed Rabin could not stop the historic path that he led. Even after his death, Rabin will be victorious."

At the ceremony, President Shimon Peres emphasized that even today, there were those who were inciting and causing harm and he said that the state must "utilize the law to its fullest, without fear."

He said that like then, there was now a small minority of extremists that had "the audacity" to undermine the state's authority. "They hurt Palestinians, just because they are Palestinians, and challenge the law enforcement authorities, police and soldiers, who are protecting the country and also protecting them," he said. "The violent and dangerous minority must be condemned and isolated and we must silence their abusive and inciting words. Their damaging and destructive acts must not be tolerated as if they are a state within a state.

"Israel's honor, the power of democracy and rule of law, obligate this. The extremists have no future because they don't act justly. The majority of the electorate won't be frightened by this threatening minority. The people will defend their land, peace and democracy with all their might. They will overcome those struck by blindness, like just one candle can dissolve darkness."

"Yitzhak underwent a difficult metamorphosis," continued the president. "It didn't develop overnight and wasn't devoid of misgivings and deep concerns. As 'Mr. Security,' who for most of his years dealt with strengthening Israel military might and in ensuring its capability to win wars, and also as 'Mr. Peace,' Yitzhak suffered misgivings. But when Yitzhak made the moral and diplomatic decision, he never looked back. He reached forward with a determined and energetic heart."

"The bullets that were fired into Yitzhak's back didn't kill his way, because ideas and visions cannot be killed," stressed Peres. "But they were aimed at delaying, ruining and damaging a huge process, which had enormous regional and international support, for creating a new political and economic reality in this land and on its borders for the nations living here and the surrounding neighbors. The despicable murderer who showed contempt for Israel's democracy, and who assassinated its elected leader, hurt the nation's soul. It is not fitting for his voice to be heard.

"A killer is a killer and there is no need for his fictitious philosophy."

Most of the faces in the crowd had been there when Rabin was buried 13 years ago.

"It's the same autumn, it's the same place, it's the same people. Only time has passed," said his son Yuval, who warned that another political assassination was in the offing.

The gun is loaded, the bullets are in place, the weapon is cocked, the target is marked, "we're just waiting for the sound of the shot," he said, referring to a recent report by Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Yuval Diskin.

"If Yitzhak was with us today," said Peres, he would say: 'You have no right to despair. Stop your tears. Don't give way to emotion. Don't panic. Don't be afraid of extremists. Don't refrain from yearning.'"

Alluding to recently taped interviews with Rabin assassin Yigal Amir, Peres said: "He doesn't deserve to have his voice heard. Murder is murder and there is no need to philosophize about it."

Olmert also spoke later Tuesday at a Knesset memorial session for Rabin.

"I'm not trying to retroactively justify the Oslo accords that I opposed. But they defined a direction - a direction that was unavoidable," he told MKs. "After we learned to live with feelings of guilt and pain over the price of Oslo, a continuation of terror and disappointment over frozen processes, we returned to the heart of the conflict. But now, moments of reckoning are getting closer," he said.

"Every government must tell the truth and this truth will unfortunately make us divide many parts of the homeland, in Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and the Golan Heights," he told the Knesset. "Whoever thinks that it's possible to duck out of a decision and also to continue to build ties with Arab and Muslim counties, like we are doing today, is living in a dream."

Olmert said that 13 years after Rabin's death, incitement and hate had still not subsided.

"Israeli citizens repeatedly hit with violent cruelty Palestinians who want to harvest olives, as they have done for hundreds of years, in places where their personal and family homes have stood," he said.

"Young Israelis, smitten by messianic dreams, which have no basis in the reality of our lives, hit our soldiers, break their bones and threaten their lives. There is no end to it."

Opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu hailed Rabin at the Knesset session, saying that that he was a leader who had no ulterior motives.

Referring to plans that were withdrawn at the last minute two weeks ago to air the interviews with Amir on Channels 2 and 10, Netanyahu went on to say that said that children born in the last 13 years and who have lived in a world without Rabin "do not need to hear the thoughts and visions of a killer."

"We must not tolerate calls we are hearing today to harm a prime minister or IDF soldiers," he continued. "The lesson we have all learned is that a responsible leadership must act in time against incitement. We must not allow wild opposition and violence against law enforcement authorities."

Speaking later at the Knesset, Olmert was sharply censured by politicians from Shas and from Likud.

"I will not be deterred from using my authority to handle violence," Olmert responded.

"Rabin was murdered 13 years ago as a result of a crusade of hatred and incitement that many factions took part in until someone despicable and dark pulled the gun and murdered," Olmert said. "Unfortunately, the incitement hasn't calmed down and hatred hasn't waned," he added.

"Any government will have eventually to tell the public the truth and this truth will force us to give up parts of the homeland in Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem and in the Golan Heights," Olmert added.

"I have to turn to all of you, builders and settlers, and to tell you - with great respect and appreciation - that you, too, will have to search your souls and reach an agreement," Olmert added.

Labor chairman Ehud Barak said that the sorrow over the murder of a man who had done great things for the State of Israel and for its security, touched all sectors in Israel.

"Rabin's murder was an act of one man who had the backing of an atmosphere of incitement and ideological justification," Barak said.

St. John the Revelator saw disaster in a Palin Presidency

2008-11-06T20:58:00.000-06:00

Revelation Chapter 17 warns of the female leader of a great nation.

1. God tells us that in the last days he will judge a "great whore that sitteth on many waters" (Rev. 17:1). Sarah Palin--a beauty queen who makes herself up like a harlot and slept around on her husband--is the governor of a land of many waters that is surrounded by water!!!

2. Recently Sarah Palin met with the great leaders of the nations earth. Revelation tells us that "the kings of the earth" will commit fornication with the harlot (Rev. 17:2). Many of these leaders lusted after Sarah, and we have no idea what else happened.

3. Upon the forehead of this harlot is written "The Mother of Harlots" (Rev. 17:5)--a clear reference to her loose daughter who got pregnant with her boyfriend out of wedlock. It is also rumored that Trig is really Bristol's child!!!

4. The harlot sits on seven mountains (Rev. 17:9). It is a little known fact that Wasilla is surrounded by seven mountains.

5. The harlot will come to power after a beast (another great leader of the nation) will arrive on the scene only to be wounded on the head and healed (Rev. 13:3). This beast must refer to JOHN MCCAIN, whose wound (melanoma) on his face is visible to all and it has healed.

6. Just like the harlot rides upon the beast (Rev. 17:3), so too Palin will come to power by riding on the success and reputation of John McCain!!!

7. Revelation predicts that this woman will be a great city (Rev. 17:18), which means that Palin will become president in Washington, DC. Palin has made a big deal about us being a city on the hill! Not for long if she is put in charge!!!

8. After Palin becomes president, the deceased John McCain's former advisors, ten of them, will stage in McCain's name a coup to destroy president Palin (Rev. 17:16), taking the entire country down with her........"And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, is become the habitation of devils...."

Be warned!!!!

Sarah Palin is the Whore of Babylon.

2008-11-06T19:08:00.010-06:00

From Revelation:

17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,

and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls,

having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS

AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus:

and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth

Anchorage, Alaska

17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen,

and one is, and the other is not yet come;

and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 17:12 And the ten horns which thou saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

Also (Rev 17:1) "the great whore that sitteth upon many waters"
Palin received the nomination in Minnesota which is Dakota Indian for "sky tinted water." The state motto of Minnesota is "Land of 10,000 Lakes."

The area Wasilla is located was called "Benteh" by the Dena'ina Indians, meaning 'among the lakes'.

(Rev 17:2) "and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

Oil (which is plentiful in Alaska) can be called the WINE that has made the inhabitants of the earth drunk.

(Rev 17:3) "and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."

Wasilla is derived from the Russian Vasili, from Basil, which is also where the word Basilisk comes from. A basilisk is the mythological King Serpent beast. Wasilla has seven letters and Sarah Palin has ten letters.

(Rev 17:5) "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

The mentally challenged and physically deformed (indcluding Down's Syndrome) were called "Abominations of the Earth."

(Rev 17:6) "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus"

Palin addresses with gusto the troops who are going to war as well as those who have died in Iraq and Afganistan.

(Rev 17:15) The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

The United States of America is a country of many peoples, multitudes, nations (ethnic groups), and tongues.

Sarah Palin IS the foretold WHORE OF BABYLON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Sarah" means Princess of Multitudes (Rev 17:15- The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.)

And the BIBLICAL Sarah was from Ur in BABYLON!

Sarah Palin the whore and her stolen clothes. Lawyers sent to Alaska to strip her naked and retreive stolen property, her clothes.

2008-11-06T18:52:00.013-06:00

Bristol Palin's fetus grants an interview

2008-11-06T17:36:00.000-06:00

Posted by Free Bristol Palin on September 10th, 2008

September 9, 2008: Bristol Palin’s fetus has granted our interview request. We are the ONLY media outlet to be granted an interview. We are SPECIAL. Earlier this morning, we sat down with Bristol Palin’s fetus and were able to ask some tough questions. We bring you the EXCLUSIVE transcript of the ONLY interview with Fetus Palin.

Free Bristol Palin: I think the question we’d all love to ask is: Who would you vote for, if you were able, on Nov. 4?

Fetus Palin: Ron Paul. Throw-away protest vote all the way.

FBP: Really?

Fetus: Or I’d write in Matthew Shepard. Not to put too fine a point on it or anything.

FBP: Were you anticipating your grandmother’s nomination?

Fetus: No way. I had no idea. I mean, why her? She’s a mess. Everything she touches turns to scandal. She can’t even fire people without fucking up. She’s a worse choice than Lieberman was. She lies so fast even she can’t keep track of all her BS. It could work out for me, though. It probably means I won’t have to mess with her during my most formative years of cognitive and emotional development.

FBP: So what is it like to surpass all other celebrity fetuses in terms of media coverage?

Fetus: It’s been tough, I’m not going to lie. It’s not really my choice, you know, but at this stage, nothing really is. I’m gestating and that’s about all I can handle.

FBP: There’s been a lot of talk during this campaign, and certainly after the discovery of your existence, about choice. Reproductive choice, marriage choice, family choice. What’s your take on choice?

Fetus: ‘Choice’ is nothing but a fucking cliché. In this family? Are you kidding? Let me clear some shit up here, okay? Everybody makes a big deal out of the fetus. Like we’re some magical Jesusy icon of purity and blessing instead of a half-baked bag of zygotal accident. I’ll be straight with you: I want nothing to do with being born. You start asking a fetus whether it wants to get born, and I’m telling you half of us will tell you we want nothing to do with our parents’ clusterfucks. This is no exception. Seriously. Has anyone come up with a teleabortion? Zap that my way, please! But like I said, I get no choice. I’m talking to Suri Cruise about working on a memoir together. She got a pretty raw deal too, so hey, maybe we can make something out of this.

FBP: What do you think of Bristol and Levi’s wedding?

Fetus: Well, it’s sort of a lose-lose situation. Either they throw together something undignified in a hurry with a cake decorated with hockey sticks, and Mom’s gotta wear some huge preggo dress, or they wait until I’m born and then they dress me up in some stupid angely flower costume. I’d prefer to be well hidden in the amniotic sac when that circus goes down, but then again, Mom’s life already sucks so much she ought to be able to have one princessy day where she doesn’t feel like a humpback whale among child brides.

FBP: Any speculation about what your name might be?

Fetus: No, they’re keeping all that secret even from me. If they follow family tradition and name me something stupid like “Adapter” or “Trenchcoat” or “Permanent Press” I’m going to be fucking pissed. Give me at least a chance at later anonymity, you know?

FBP: As we’ve all seen, Levi stated on his MySpace page that he didn’t want kids. How does that affect you?

Fetus: I don’t want him to be my father either. I mean, what kind of jerk slips one past the goalie with a girl who doesn’t even know what sex is? Did he tell her the baby grows in your stomach so you can only get pregnant from oral? They all think science comes from the devil so I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s unaware that I don’t actually reside within her digestive track. He’s an ass. And took one too many pucks to the head, I’d guess.

FBP: What did you think about the initial rumors that Sarah’s baby, Trig, your uncle, was actually Bristol’s?

Fetus: Well, I figured if anyone was going to bend the laws of science to out-breed the Duggars, it’d be the Palins, but obviously I was at least a little skeptical. Frankly, I was just happy Dick Cheney had nothing to do with my conception. I’m a little unclear on Trig’s paternity, though, to be honest.

FBP: We promised we’d keep this short so we’ll let you go back to, um, gestating.

Fetus: Yeah, I appreciate that, thanks. Keep up the good work.

FBP: We’ll do that. Thank you for your time.