Tuesday, March 02, 2004

That's Still on the Slope

“Okay, I’ll give ‘em the right to designate the official state bird, but that’s it."

The above was penned by Micha Ghertner at Catallarchy after reading a post by Glen Whitman titled “Regulating Healthcare = Regulating Religion." Glen’s post looks at the state of California’s Supreme Court ruling that the Catholic Church in California must provide birth control for its employees.

Maybe the states’ shouldn’t have the right to pick the state bird.  Prime example.  The state of Michigan chose the Robin as the state bird.  Unfortunately, the bird leaves the state every Winter and only returns in the Spring.  Unlike, say, the Black Capped Chickadee which hangs around all year round.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/02 at 03:54 AM
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Monday, March 01, 2004

Right Now

A big thunderstorm is rolling in, faster all of a sudden.  Snow still on the ground.  Reading about Emily Dickinson. Have a cold beer at hand and the wind has just, just, hit, with hail.  Sweet.  Post before we lose power or something.

Dickinson link via Fred Lapides.

Big wind now too.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/01 at 04:46 PM
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Red Light, Green Light

Did you ever play the game, which is the title to this post, as a kid?  I did, on Sunday afternoons in my grandma’s backyard.  There was no yellow light in the game.

It seems the state of Maryland wants to play the game I played as a kid.  The only problem is, automobiles and actual traffic regulated by stop lights are not meant to play the game I played as a kid.  Oh, and Maryland appears to only play for money, so it isn’t actually a game.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/01 at 12:33 PM
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"Ignorance is not bliss. It is the food of slaves, and the tyrant's money."

Inflation.  Want to know more?  Read this, this, this, and this, in that order, and don’t skip the comments.

Billy Beck put together the links for this, except for the first link in this post, which was the catalyst for the other links.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/01 at 12:08 PM
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Sadism - But Not in the Movies

You want to talk about sadism?  Right here, Sullivan, Hitch, Freund and all the rest of the heralders.

Via Aaron’s Rantblog via PrestoPundit.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/01 at 08:25 AM
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Fashionable Atheism?

Interesting post by Schizmatic at Gene Expression. The post is titled “Decoupling Atheism from Intellectual Progress." A couple of quotes from the post.

"I submit that unbelief has very little to do with scientific/intellectual progress and a great deal to do with fashion. The traditional arguments against a good God’s existence did not suddenly become stronger with the Enlightenment; such arguments did, though, become more fashionable. “Reason” did not suddenly come into existence in the late eighteenth century (Will Durant to the contrary), and any medieval student whose undergraduate education began with the Posterior Analytics would take a great deal of offense if he were told such."

and

"Why, though, am I bringing all of this up? To make a bold new argument for the truth of the Christian faith? No.2 Rather, my point is that I often see it confidently asserted that a decline in religious faith is a necessary component of religious progress and that the march of this progress will eventually lead to a godless world. I think that, in light of the fact that unbelief is usually more a product of fashion than anything else, we ought not to look forward to a world in which the “God problem” seen in different parts of the world suddenly resolves itself. Indeed, the religious revival underway in a certain monotheistic religion and the fact that folks with a scientific and engineering background are often drawn to the most fundamentalist interpretation of this religion would both seem to indicate that we are in for a religious world for a long time to come."

Posted by John Venlet on 03/01 at 06:22 AM
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For the Bush = Hitler Fools

Kim DuToit, at some point in time, visited Dachau with his wife and children.  Kim briefly relates some impressions of the visit and then has a few words for individuals who pose the Bush equals Hitler nonsense.

I have never been to Europe so I have no way of knowing how I may react in response to viewing the history that is encapsulated in the concentration camps.  I can tell you this.  I become emotionally moved when I read or view what occurred in those camps.  My emotional response is the same when I read of the horrors under Socialism.  My emotional response is a profound sadness, buttressed by a righteous anger.

Kim’s post should be read.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/01 at 05:41 AM
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Thank You, Might I Have Another?

Colby Cosh would like to “...spank the academy..."

"Long gone, and little regretted, are the condescending, doltish, five-minute, Cinema-for-Dummies explanations of why exactly there is an award for Best Achievement in Editing. Now they just sort of go “Editing is pretty important: here are the nominees.” Christ, thank you for figuring out that the public has been watching movies for a hundred fucking years and now understands some of the rudiments of the form."

Posted by John Venlet on 03/01 at 04:59 AM
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Mel, You Ain't Helping Here

Gibson might be better keeping his mouth shut.

"Gibson, interviewed by the Herald Sun in Australia, was asked if Protestants are denied eternal salvation. “There is no salvation for those outside the (Catholic) church,” Gibson replied. “I believe it."

C’mon Mel, I’m losing respect for you every day.

Via Andrew Sullivan.

Posted by John Venlet on 03/01 at 04:52 AM
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