This has some people’s panties in a wad, screaming from the hills “separation of church and state!” but I ask them… would they be so offended if this was followed up by a statue of Buddha sitting adjacent to the 10 Commandments? How about adding in a Star of David or an Islamic Crescent? Bear in mind this is to be built with 100% private donations. Not a single taxpayer dime is to be spent building this monument.

To those screaming that this is a violation of Church and State… I offer you this section, written in 1802 by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.

…no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.

The Oklahoma State Legislature is not establishing a State Religion, nor are they compelling any man, woman or child in this state to assist in funding this project so I fail to see why there is so much uproar on the issue at hand.

An Atheist organization has erected a third display, in the form of a placard that reads;

“There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”

Now, our Constitution provides any and all citizens with the freedom of religion… allowing for coexistence between Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Shintoists and yes, even Atheists. If you want to erect a shrine celebrating your holiday, so be it. Where I draw the line is when you cross the line between celebration into the realm of attack. The aforementioned placard crossed that line.

I have the freedom in this country to believe or NOT believe in anything I wish… that’s what makes us great. What I don’t get is why those who don’t, feel it is their mission to make sure others can’t. (same could be said for the aggressively religious folks too)

If I want to petition the Olympia government to erect a display to the holy flying spaghetti monster, I have the freedom to do so… but I wouldn’t be doing it in a way that would degrade other religious displays or trash them for their beliefs.

I wish everyone I talk to a Merry Christmas this time of year… I don’t stop and ponder what their beliefs may be and shockingly to some, I get the greeting sent right back by my Jewish friends and the Atheist ones alike. There’s simply no reason to be an ass because someone doesn’t share your view of the world.

“It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god.” – Thomas Jefferson

This little clip is brought to you by some individual out there who decided to record what State Representative Kern had to say about all these “evil gays” we have on our soil.

Here is my transcript of her comments (I did the best I could as I couldn’t find one online, or hear EVERY word she said)…

The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation, k, it’s just a fact, not everybody’s lifestyle is equal. Just like, not all religions are equal. The very fact that I’m talking to you like this, here today, puts me in jeopardy. I’m not anti, I’m not gay-bashing, but according to God’s word, that is not the right kind of lifestyle.

It has deadly consequences for those people involved in it. They have higher suicides, they’re more discouraged, there’s more illness, their lifespans are shorter… It’s not a lifestyle that is good for this nation… as a matter of fact, studies show that NO society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than, you know, a few decades. It’s the death knell of this country.

I honestly think it is the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam. Which I think is a big threat. What’s happeningnow is they’re going after, in schools… two year olds! They want to get our children into the government schools so they can indoctrinate them. I tought school for close to 20 years and we’re not teaching facts and knowledge anymore, we’re teaching indoctrination, ok and they’re going after our young children, as young as two years of age to try and teach them that the homosexual lifestyle is an acceptable lifestyle.

Gays are infiltrating city councils, did you know, Eureka Springs… anybody been there? Have you heard that the city council is now controlled by gays? There are some others… uh, Pittsburg PA, Tacoma, MD, Kensington, MD, Vermont, Oregon, West Palm Beach, FL… a lot of other places in Florida…

What’s happening? They are winning elections. One of the things I’ve dealt with in our legislature, I tried to introduce a bill last year that would notify parents… uh, schools would have to let parents know what clubs their kids were involved in. The reason I did that bill, primarily was this. We have the Gay/Straight alliance coming into our schools. Kids are getting involved in these groups, lives are being ruined and parents don’t know about it. So I introduced a bill that said you have to notify for ALL club changes, and one of my colleagues said, “You know we don’t have a gay problem in my community so that’s why I voted against that bill.” You know what, to me that is so dumb… if you’ve got concer or something in your little toe, do you say well I’m just going to forget about it, the rest of me is fine…

It spreads, ok? This stuff is deadly, and it’s spreading and it’s destroying our young people, and it will destroy this nation.

The news media, and radio stations in the state have been polling their viewers to see what the reaction to this is in the state and NOT shockingly, she is receiving more praise for her “courage” than she is for being a bigot. Had she replaced gay with black, he head would have been on a spike for being a racist, but since she has the proper religious bigotry in line she’s hailed as a courageous, concerned woman.

Can someone please tell me what the agenda is behind being gay? Wanting to be recognized as a human being and a citizen? OH DAMN! That’s some agenda there. Now, to be fair there is a segment of the homosexual population that you could label the “fundamentalists” of the homosexual population. They’re in your face and annoying about it but by and large, homosexual people are just as normal as anyone else. I have at least a dozen gay friends and they range from masculine to diva in attitude and appearance, but why is it any of MY responsibility or problem to tell them who they’re supposed to be?

State Representative Kern went so far as to call them a threat and a cancer to our country… REALLY? Homosexuality isn’t a flu epidemic that we all need to run out and be inoculated for, and there aren’t hoards of gay men and women roaming the streets like mindless zombies bending people over park benches and turning them gay. You don’t “catch” homosexuality.

Then she has the gall to say that Islamic terror is some sort of minor nuisance that pales in comparison to these gays we’re allowing to exist in our society. I’m sorry, who one person decides to love and what they do behind closed doors is not even close to being a danger to my existence. One group would like to wipe western society from the earth for merely existing, and one loves someone of the same sex. Oh the humanity!

I’ve been to Eureka Springs, AR… I love the place. In fact I make it a goal to go several times a year and even take my children down there. Eureka Springs has a diversity weekend many times a year and I have to tell you, I have never met the nicest people in my life than on those weekends where our mini-vacations coincided with a diversity weekend. I’ve been hit on three times in my life by a gay man and while I am straight and married with 2 kids, there’s a simple reaction.. “thank you”. They’re not stupid, they get the point and move on. There’s nothing to be offended by. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a similar situation pan out and see a horrified reaction followed by a physical or verbal assault. Grow up.

I’m glad this woman doesn’t represent me in my State Congress, but I will be writing my representatives expressing my distaste for her comments and my lack of support on their behalf if they choose to support her. It’s my vote and if they want the support of Conservatives like me, they have to know where we stand.

There were 9 NO’s from the Democrats yesterday from the following representatives:

Rep. Gary Ackerman (NY)
Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY)
Rep. Diane DeGette (CO)
Rep. Alcee Hastings (FL)
Rep. Barbara Lee (CA)
Rep. Jim McDermott (WA)
Rep. Robert Scott (VA)
Rep. Pete Stark (CA)
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA)

Now, rewind a while back for a vote in another stupid “gesture” resolution by the house to recognize and honor Ramadan, a Muslim holy day.

Who voted in FAVOR of this resolution? Why everyone on the above list except for Barbara Lee (CA). Interesting that they’ll pander to Islam to show how “compassionate” they are yet can’t seem to stomach a yes vote on Christianity.

They’re asking all Jews celebrating Hanukkah to “light (at least) one less candle” during the holy time. According to the GHC a single Hanukkah candle emits around 15g of CO2 and when multiplied by millions of practicing Jews across the world could contribute to catastrophic damage to the atmosphere.

Hey! I’ve got an idea! Rather than imposing on someone’s religious beliefs… why not have those who lose sleep over burning candles, hold their breath during the holidays. I can guarantee you that your average human contributes more CO2 than a candle does so you would actually be doing EVERYONE a huge favor. Hell, a chunk of you guys are voluntarily opting out of the gene pool through self-sterilization so wouldn’t bowing out be seen as a selfless “martyresque” gesture?

Give me a break people. Reducing your impact on the Earth is a noble cause but cut the crap.

You see, a British teacher named Gillian Gibbons decided that her class needed to name a teddy bear owned by one of her students. The class decided to name the bear Muhammad and she ALLOWED it! (I know… it’s just appalling isn’t it!) The reaction by Muslims in numerous locations? Execution… they want Mrs. Gibbons DEAD for daring to name a teddy bear Muhammad.

Here’s a shot of the love birds in Sudan, who have gathered by the thousands in central Martyrs Square outside the presidential palace.

Cute huh?

Who is Toni Vernelli? Well let’s just put it this way… she’s insane.

Toni was pregnant about 10 years ago, and the very thought of giving birth to a child horrified her. Not because she didn’t like children… no, the very thought of reproduction horrifies Toni because it would have increased her CARBON FOOTPRINT. Her answer, an abortion and a followup with total sterilization to SAVE THE PLANET.

Seem odd? These are her EXACT words regarding her decision.

“Having children is selfish. It’s all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet. Every person who is born uses more food, more water, more land, more fossil fuels, more trees and produces more rubbish, more pollution, more greenhouse gases, and adds to the problem of over-population.”

You get all that? Natural Childbirth is not only selfish, but somehow wrong? Maybe we should round up every living thing on the planet and give it a stern talking to. Wouldn’t want those selfish trees pumping out saplings, or those mean spirited mountain elk pumping out babies left and right. Maybe we should just take a que from Toni and sterilize the whole planet and see how prosperous this blessed planet happens to be.

There IS a point where good intentions turn into irrational delusions and Toni Vernelli crossed that point YEARS ago.

A short while back, Burlington Township High School in New Jersey decided they needed to protect their kids from terrorism, so they ran a drill to prepare the kids “just in case”. The Superintendent for the school district, Chris Manno said, “You perform as you practice. We need to practice under conditions as real as possible in order to evaluate our procedures and plans so that they’re as effective as possible.”

Notice the key prases there? Realism and effectiveness. Sounds excellent, after all if some whack job Islamic terrorist decided to invade my childs school, I would want them to at least have a fighting chance at surviving. Oh, but wait… when Mr. Manno speaks of “realism”, he doesn’t mean ACTUAL reality… he’s speaking of PC reality. You see, the enemy in this mock drill is not Islamic terror (as it most likely would be, given the current climate of such activity in the world), it is gun-toting Christian radicals. Yes, you heard me… Christian Terrorists! (pretty real huh?)

“Investigators described them as members of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the ‘New Crusaders’ who don’t believe in separation of church and state. The mock gunmen went to the school seeking justice because the daughter of one had been expelled for praying before class.”

Well Mr. Manno, I hope you can sleep well at night, knowing full well YOUR school district is fully ready to take on the threat of right-wing fundies. It’s any wonder anyone in this country still thinks we even have a chance at facing down any REAL challenge in the future.

Welcome the new “Jesus Camp”… HBO Documentary “Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi“.

In this short clip, Pelosi focuses on the creation “science” classes and some individuals who follow its teachings.

There’s a segment where a man speaks of the “fact” that man walked with Dinosaurs and that the ONLY opinion one should ever trust is God’s because he knows all. Nevermind that they leave ZERO room for debate on the topic… it’s in the Bible and we all know it cannot be questioned.

I consider myself to be “middle ground” on religious issues, as I believe in evolution and the ‘idea’ that something or someone started everything at one point on the path it took to get where we are today. I don’t however, as illustrated by those shown in the film, believe that the earth is a few thousand years old, or that man walked the earth with Dinosaurs.

The funniest moment in the documentary clip came at the end when they interviewed some kids in their teens to see what they thought of evolution or creationism.

“I believe that there is a divine being, that created us all”

Pelosi:”What are you going to be when you grow up?”
“Um, I want to be a biochemist and work at the Institute for Creation Science in Arizona, as a research scientist”
Pelosi:”So you don’t believe in evolution?”
“No, absolutely not.”
Pelosi:”And you’re gonna prove it…”
“Yup. I wanna win a Nobel Priiiiize. [laughs]”
Pelosi:”In Creationism?”
“Yup.”

Pelosi:”What do you think of people like me that believe in evolution?”
“Well… um, I’m not sure if you’ve maybe, studied all the facts, exactly… right. An… um…”
Pelosi:”So you’re saying that I got a bad education…”
“No, I’m not saying that at all… I’m just saying that, um… the school system is pretty biased towards evolution. As most public school systems are, at least mine was. And… um they tend to just show you one side of the story.”

Now I’m not sure what that last girl knows or doesn’t know… but I’m PRETTY sure that she doesn’t have “all the facts… exactly”.

Last time I checked, public schools are funded by the government. The government is forbidden by the Constitution to establish or recognize a specific religion over another.

Creationism is not science as it is based on the lessons in a book, seen through the eyes of a specific religious division as “the word of God”.

Science is the systematic study of the physical world, using collectible data and tangible evidence.

Obviously not. Religious fundamentalism is at an all time high in America, and as such places all over our country are being censored as to not offend the sensitive beliefs of those doing the censoring. Take the Grand Canyon for example. A huge, deep scar in the face of the earth, forged by the eb and flow of the Colorado River over many hundreds of thousands of years.

Park Rangers and other staff at the Grand Canyon National Park are now required to answer questions regarding the geologic age of the canyon with ‘no comment‘.

According to documents released by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) on the 12/28/06, pressure from officials appointed by the Bush administration has made discussion of the age and creation of the canyon so “un-PC” that a simple ‘no comment’ is all that is uttered.

PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch had this to say about the religious gag order. – “In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology.”

All of this started back when a book went on sale at the Canyon Bookstore that brought forth the theory that the Grand Canyon was not carved over the course of many thousands of years by the flowing river, but in one grand surge caused by the floods and Noah’s Ark. Park officials back up their decision to sell the book, claiming they feel the Park Bookstore to be “like a library” allowing for all points and counterpoints to be expressed. While this is all well and good, laws and park policy dictate that ‘materials are only to reflect the highest quality science and are to closely support approved interpretive themes’. Even more ironic is that two years after the contradictory decision to add such a book to their sale racks, NPS put forth Director’s Order #6 in 2005 which states “The history of the Earth must be based on the best scientific evidence available, as found in scholarly sources that have stood the test of scientific peer review and criticism [and] Interpretive and educational programs must refrain from appearing to endorse religious beliefs explaining natural processes.”

Odd that such a directive would be in place, yet to this day the only “correct” answer we can give those seeking answers is nothing at all.