“You will never find a more wretched hive of villainy and scum.”*

I remember back when I was young and innocent and I could actually be surprised.  Case in point:  The United States House of Representatives passed hate-crime legislation.   The bill is called the Matthew Shepard Bill, honouring the memory of the young man killed in Wyoming because he was gay.  No, that is not the part which should surprise me.  The hate-crimes legislation makes sense and is need.  The part that really should surprise me actually makes me feel physically ill.

Specter Now A Democrat!

I have voted for exactly one Republican during my life as a voter.  That one Republican was Senator Arlen Specter (It does not mean I agree with him 100%, but, on balance, I approved of the job he was doing, so I held my nose and voted Republican (in ’92, ’98 and ’04)). Now, Specter is switching parties.  As of today, he is a member of the Democratic Party.  

Faith in Torture is Misplaced

The radical right likes torture.  They have a great deal of faith that, despite clear illegality and ineffectiveness, torture works.  I find it very difficult to stomach the idea that we, as a nation, are actually debating what torture is and whether it works.  I really cannot add a whole lot to the various discussions going on all around the blogosphere, but I can point out a couple of things.

Christianists: Please, Make Up Your Mind!

When the kids were in elementary school, the wife and I, as good parents are expected to do, got involved with the PTA.  I remember the president explaining what, exactly, the PTA did.  One of the things that they did was give all the kids a Christmas party. 

My wife, immediately, said, “What?”

Respect for the Law?

In the years immediately following the Second World War, the Allies convened war crimes tribunals in both Europe and Asia.  Some Japanese soldiers were found guilty of war crimes, specifically of torturing United States servicemen using various methods, including water-boarding. 

Poe? or Alternate Personal Universe?

Poe’s Law states:

Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won’t mistake for the real thing.

Which makes it rather difficult for me, as an atheist blogger, to deal with some of the sites which I find as I have been that someone.  Some turned out to be true Poe sites.  Others, maybe.  My problem is that I am not only an atheist, not only a blogger, but am also quite gullible.  So, I have tried to be much more careful when writing about a possible religious web site.

Why Do Authoritarians Show Up In Authority Positions?

When I was in high school, I had some odd friends.  Actually, considering how odd I was (and still am), maybe they were pretty normal compared to me.  One of my friends was a kid with whom I carpooled my senior year while taking calculus (the class started an hour before regular classes).

His family belonged to an independent Bible church (which, I guess, differentiates it from those independent “Gone With the Wind” churches).  I picked him up early one morning, and I remember walking into the kitchen (I had been there enough that I was no longer company and, according to his mother, I no longer needed to knock) and being quite surprised. 

(((Wife))) Amazes Me. Again.

(((Wife))) amazes me.  Often.  I was looking for a particular book.  I looked in our glass-front barrister bookcase where my first editions reside.  Nothing.  I looked on the short bookcase and found one of his books, but not the right one.  So I went upstairs, looked in both bookcases and in the overflow closet.  Found three more of his books, but still not the right one.  So I finally got smart andI asked (((Wife))), “Where is the book I’m looking for?  It’s a Herblock book, and I think it is Herblock’s Here and Now.”

Things That Make You Say, “Huh?”

I’ve been real busy (work (new program (includes music performance (guitar)))) (though I have been watching the comments with interest (it feels weird to feel that I have nothing to add to the comment thread under my own post)).  (((Wife))), last night, had an interesting sighting.

Proof that the American Right is Clueless

More proof (as if we need it) that the right wing of America is clueless.

(Photo from DailyKos)