This would be so much better if they programmed the word 'exterminate' to be read by the Daleks
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Washington recently passed legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. Which, of course, the homophobes are already trying to reverse:

Tim Eyman filed two ballot measures Monday aimed at undoing the new legislation banning discrimination against gays and lesbians.

The effort quickly drew fire from gay-rights groups and support from a conservative Christian organization.

Gay-rights supporters announced they are already forming a coalition together to fight the effort. "We are mobilized, we are motivated and we are ready," said Fran Dunaway, executive director of Equal Rights Washington.

On the other side, the Christian Coalition of Washington said it was supporting Eyman's work. "We fully embrace the effort," said Rick Forcier, executive director of the group.

State law bans discrimination based on race, sex, religion, marital status, disability and other categories. The gay-rights measure passed by the Legislature on Friday adds sexual orientation to that list. Gov. Christine Gregoire plans to sign the legislation today.

Eyman would not discuss his motivation for filing the measures except to say that voters should have the right to decide an issue this important and that "I do not believe a majority of voters are in favor of preferential treatment based on what group they belong to."

I just really like that quote from Eyman. You'd think that if they don't favor preferential treatment based on what group you're in, that would mean that they're for the legislation, since it prevents preferential treatment of any group.

If you bothered to do any thinking at all.
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Oh, Grant Morrison, is there anything you can't give us?

I see no reason why children as young as six, seven, or even three shouldn't be allowed to produce corporate comic books to relentless monthly deadlines. And have to write several titles at once to make a decent living. That's what a proper childhood's all about isn't it? This is the 21st century after all and these unruly little bastards have been milking post-Victorian sentimentality for all it's worth for way too long. Time to get kids back where they belong - up chimneys, down mines, and tied to the printing presses! If you can pick up a brick to smash a car window, then you can build me a textile factory, son ... here's a whole half dollar for your day's labor. Now put down that Justin Timberlake bio-comic and get back on the production line!

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Best music video ever.

And it's by Alan Moore, too! What more could you want?

Well, besides to know who Alan Moore is.
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E-mailed to me by my brother:

Bush team attacks critics as .... Swiss?

Reading inside, you find out what's going on:

Senator John Kerry, Bush's rival for the White House in 2004, ... was in Davos Thursday when he urged the Senate to use a delaying tactic called a filibuster against Supreme Court nominee Sam Alito.

"It was a pretty historic day. This was the first time ever that a Senator has called for a filibuster from the slopes of Davos, Switzerland," White House spokesman Scott McClellan quipped Friday.

"I think even for a senator, it takes some pretty serious yodeling to call for a filibuster from a five-star ski resort in the Swiss Alps," added McClellan.

Right-wing shills being what they are, this insult instantly became far more popular than arguing the merits of anything a Democrat might have to say:

The Republican National Committee -- the White House's de facto political arm -- also assailed Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, saying his position on Alito "has more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese."

"After stating an unwillingness to support a filibuster, it looks as though the Davos Democrats were able to twist Reid's arm enough to switch him from 'filibuster ... not me,' to 'filibuster ... oui, oui,'" said RNC spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt.

...

Schmitt later accused Senator Dianne Feinstein of a "Flip-Flop: Davos Style" and accused the California lawmaker of having bowed the "Davos Democrats."

Now what's funny about all this is that Kerry wasn't on vacation at Davos:

He was in Davos at the World Economic Forum. Many other US officials, including several senators and senior Bush administration officials, are still there.

So they're mocking him for what? Doing his job? Engaging in a dialogue with other countries? Being well-travelled?
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Y'know, it's beyond me how Christians can claim that the New Testament is the inerrant word of God when nearly all the books are named after the people who wrote them. From my pokebible:

• The Gospel According to Saint Matthew


• The Gospel According to Saint Mark


• The Gospel According to Saint Luke


• The Gospel According to Saint John


• The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans


• The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians


• The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians


• The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians


• The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians


• The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Philippians


• The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians


• The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians


• The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians


• The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy


• The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy


• The Epistle of Paul to Titus


• The Epistle of Paul to Philemon


• The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews


• The General Epistle of James


• The First Epistle General of Peter


• The Second Epistle General of Peter


• The First Epistle of John


• The Second Epistle of John


• The Third Epistle of John


• The General Epistle of Jude


• The Revelation of Saint John the Divine

The only book in the New Testament that seems not to be named after its author is "Acts of the Apostles".
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One of the big problems about trying to defeat terrorism by "spreading democracy" is that, in the nations we'd like to democratize, terrorism is rather popular--terrorism against us, at any rate, which is the only kind we're really concerned with.

I mean, take Iraq. As of December, "Forty-five per cent of Iraqis believe attacks against British and American troops are justified - rising to 65 per cent in the British-controlled Maysan province".

Hezbollah is popular in Lebanon not only for its stance against Israel, but also as a charity that builds schools and hospitals. In 2005, Hezbollah won 23 seats in the Lebanese parliament and became part of the Lebanese government. Similarly, in the Palestinian Authority just this week, Hamas won 76 of the 132 seats in the Palestinian parliament. Fatah won 43.

Democracy doesn't magically change opinions that have been held for years and are disseminated throughout all forms of state-sponsored propoganda. Democracy just allows people to vote for what's popular--and if terrorism is popular, then that's what they'll vote for.
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So gays are apparently responsible for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

That's nothing. That's child's play.

Miscegenation was responsible not only for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but also for: the destruction of the tower of Babel and subsequent scattering of peoples; the genocide committed against the Canaanites; the genocide committed against the entire world when God flooded the earth; the fall of Egypt, Chaldee, Babylonia, Assyria, Media, Persia, Greece, Rome, Spain, and Mexico; and the crucifixion of Jesus.

We've got a long way to go to beat that.
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According to InsightMag.com, the on-line version of the right-wing magazine, "A coalition in Congress is being formed to support impeachment."

The Bush administration is bracing for impeachment hearings in Congress.

"A coalition in Congress is being formed to support impeachment," an administration source said.

Sources said a prelude to the impeachment process could begin with hearings by the Senate Judiciary Committee in February. They said the hearings would focus on the secret electronic surveillance program and whether Mr. Bush violated the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Administration sources said the charges are expected to include false reports to Congress as well as Mr. Bush's authorization of the National Security Agency to engage in electronic surveillance inside the United States without a court warrant. This included the monitoring of overseas telephone calls and e-mail traffic to and from people living in the United States without requisite permission from a secret court.

Sources said the probe to determine whether the president violated the law will include Republicans, but that they may not be aware they could be helping to lay the groundwork for a Democratic impeachment campaign against Mr. Bush.

"Our arithmetic shows that a majority of the committee could vote against the president," the source said. "If we work hard, there could be a tie."

The law limits the government surveillance to no more than 72 hours without a court warrant. The president, citing his constitutional war powers, has pledged to continue wiretaps without a warrant.

The hearings would be accompanied by several lawsuits against the administration connected to the surveillance program. At the same time, the Electronic Privacy Information Center has filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that demands information about the NSA spying.

Sen. Arlen Specter, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman and Pennsylvania Republican, has acknowledged that the hearings could conclude with a vote of whether Mr. Bush violated the law. Mr. Specter, a critic of the administration’s surveillance program, stressed that, although he would not seek it, impeachment is a possible outcome.

"Impeachment is a remedy," Mr. Specter said on Jan. 15. "After impeachment, you could have a criminal prosecution. But the principal remedy under our society is to pay a political price."

Mr. Specter and other senior members of the committee have been told by legal constitutional experts that Mr. Bush did not have the authority to authorize unlimited secret electronic surveillance. Another leading Republican who has rejected the administration's argument is Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas.

On Jan. 16, former Vice President Al Gore set the tone for impeachment hearings against Mr. Bush by accusing the president of lying to the American people. Mr. Gore, who lost the 2000 election to Mr. Bush, accused the president of "indifference" to the Constitution and urged a serious congressional investigation. He said the administration decided to break the law after Congress refused to change the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

"A president who breaks the law is a threat to the very structure of our government," Mr. Gore said.

"I call upon members of Congress in both parties to uphold your oath of office and defend the Constitution," he said. "Stop going along to get along. Start acting like the independent and co-equal branch of American government that you are supposed to be under the constitution of our country."

Impeachment proponents in Congress have been bolstered by a memorandum by the Congressional Research Service on Jan. 6. CRS, which is the research arm of Congress, asserted in a report by national security specialist Alfred Cumming that the amended 1947 law requires the president to keep all members of the House and Senate intelligence committees "fully and currently informed" of a domestic surveillance effort. It was the second CRS report in less than a month that questioned the administration's domestic surveillance program.

The latest CRS report said Mr. Bush should have briefed the intelligence committees in the House and Senate. The report said covert programs must be reported to House and Senate leaders as well as the chairs of the intelligence panels, termed the "Gang of Eight."

Administration sources said Mr. Bush would wage a vigorous defense of electronic surveillance and other controversial measures enacted after 9/11. They said the president would begin with pressure on Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mr. Bush would then point to security measures taken by the former administration of President Bill Clinton.

"The argument is that the American people will never forgive any public official who knowingly hurts national security," an administration source said. "We will tell the American people that while we have done everything we can to protect them, our policies are being endangered by a hypocritical Congress."

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Jesus Photoshop Contest!

Via Pharyngula, from Stupid Evil Bastard, I find something truly wonderful:

I never got around to writing about it, but it seems the Catholic Church in Lithuania got all bent out of shape over a beer ad
by the folks at Kalnapilio-Tauro Grupe that used an image of Jesus with
a pair of headphones on to promote a contest where you could win some
free music:

"Many believers are hurt and outraged that the Saviour's
image... was used for advertising beer," said Archbishop Sigitas
Tamkevicius in a statement.

"The use of Catholic symbols for commercial purposes and especially
for advertising alcoholic beverages is absolutely unjustifiable," added
Tamkevicius, who is chairman of the Lithuanian bishops' conference.

Yeah, yeah, boo-fucking-hoo. Anyway, today the folks over at FARK.com decided to hold a Photoshop contest of other ads that shouldn’t have Jesus in them.

So if you find sacrilege and blasphemy hilarious, go.
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According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune,

According to Bush doctrine, there are no checks and balances in American government anymore. A president can do what he pleases in the name of national security, and neither Congress nor the judiciary can stop him.

Which Alito seems to agree with. And, as I've said before, seems to me a perfectly legitimate reason to vote the bastard down.

Some people, at least, seem to agree.
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One of the principal tests of what is a "good" hypothesis is, is it falsifiable? That is, is there a test for which some set of results would result in the hypothesis being disproven? If not, then it's not good science.

Intelligent design is, of course, unfalsifiable. There is no set of results that could prove intelligent design to be false, as it relies on the intervention of a magical fairy. If we show the i.d.-creationists one set of results, they'll nod their heads and say that's how the fairy did it; if we show them a completely opposite set of results, they'll nod their heads and say that's how the fairy did it.

There are some who believe that the current "debate" going on is proof that this is nonsense; since scientists are showing i.d. ideas to be false, that shows i.d. to be falsifiable.

Here is an excellent rejoinder to that idea.
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This is an intriguing development....
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Uh. This is interesting. From the Miami Herald, we learn that Britain is going to prosecute some people for revealing something that they're still denying ever happened:

Can two men be jailed for revealing a state secret that officially does not exist?

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service seems to say so.

On Tuesday, it is launching a trial against a civil servant and a former parliamentary aide for allegedly passing on notes of a conversation between Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush that reportedly indicate Bush discussed bombing Al Jazeera television in Qatar.

The White House and Downing Street have denied the account and the notes themselves have never been published.

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Nrrg.

I knew that Orson Scott Card was against gay marriage, but only after reading the story arc in Something Positive trying to reconcile a fan's love of the author's work and his disgust with the author's opinions. I never actually looked at any of the things Card wrote on the issue.

Then he wrote a rambling, idiotic defense of intelligent design, which Professor Myers tore apart. And in the comments, someone linked to an interview with him by Salon.

He apparently doesn't think he's a homophobe ("By the way, I'd really hate it if your piece wound up focusing on the old charge that I'm a homophobe"), but precedes that by vomiting forth this:

I find the comparison between civil rights based on race and supposed new rights being granted for what amounts to deviant behavior to be really kind of ridiculous. There is no comparison. A black as a person does not by being black harm anyone. Gay rights is a collective delusion that's being attempted. And the idea of 'gay marriage' -- it's hard to find a ridiculous enough comparison.

I feel like burning my copies of Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow now....
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This could be either an awesome, or a terrible, movie
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Fuck you, Mohler! And Phelps! And Robertson! And Falwell! And Bush! ad infinitum...

Two words: Boo Yah.
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Down with those liberal elitist educators!
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Drexler discusses families without fathers:

Cornell University psychology professor Peggy Drexler discussed something that Lance Armstrong, Colin Powell, Bill Clinton, Jamie Foxx, and Drew Carey all have in common -- being raised without fathers -- at a Saybrook College Master's Tea Wednesday.

Speaking to a mostly-female crowd of 30 students and faculty, the author of "Raising Boys Without Men" discussed misconceptions Americans have about the effect of changing family structures on children, and boys in particular. In her new book Drexler studied boys being raised by two mothers, single mothers by choice, single mothers resulting from divorce or death, and intact families.

Drexler said her findings showed that there were no significant differences in the children's development, Drexler said.

...

Drexler's research showed that the boys raised without a father did not show exclusively masculine or feminine qualities, she said. These "alternative families" developed strategies to provide their children with additional adult role models and ensure open communication about feelings and problems, she said.

Not that all the evidence in the world would stop imbeciles from saying otherwise.

Also, regarding imbeciles (specifically in the creationist genre), this is how you get an unpopular theory to be supported:

According to Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, enunciated a century ago, the speed of light - the "c" in his famous equation e=mc 2 - has been a constant 299,792,458 metres a second since the universe began with the Big Bang. Dr Joao Magueijo thinks Einstein, who did have second thoughts but never pursued them, got it wrong. He believes that not long after the Big Bang light hit a "speed bump" and is, in fact, slowing down.

His theory - published first in the scientific press and then in a popular book, Faster than the Speed of Light - The Story of a Scientific Speculation, was initially greeted with derision.

"That is not so surprising," says Portuguese-born Dr Magueijo, 38, who tonight will give a public talk on his theory at the University of NSW. "This is an emotional issue. We are attacking one of the pillars of modern physics."

Whether it comes crashing down will depend largely on research now being carried out at the university by a six-member team led by Professor John Webb and Dr Michael Murphy, one of his former PhD students.

You do research and experiments to support a theory, not @#$%ing talk shows.
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Hot sex can cure the common cold
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Since Jason has begun re-watching Gargoyles, now seems a good as time as any to tell y'all.

Remember Lexington?

He's gay.

Enjoy.
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Some conservatives want to impeach Bush, too
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The only way to play hockey!

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Islamists gain ground from American push for democracy:

Call it a case of why you should be careful what you wish for.

President Bush's efforts to spread democracy to the Middle East have strengthened Islamists across the region, posing fresh challenges for the United States, according to U.S. officials, foreign diplomats and democracy experts.

Islamist parties trounced secular opponents in recent elections in Iraq and Egypt.

Hamas, the armed Islamic Palestinian group, appears set to fare well in Palestinian parliamentary elections Jan. 25, posing a quandary for how the United States and Israel pursue peace efforts. Hamas has carried out suicide bombings against Israel and calls for the country's destruction.

In Lebanon, the Shiite Muslim militia Hezbollah is part of the government for the first time.

Et cetera.
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Okay, so including Wolverine and Effie, this makes 3 good things to come out of Canada.
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New Zogby Poll Shows Majority of Americans Support Impeaching Bush for Wiretapping

Not, of course, that anyone in Congress gives a damn.
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Waitress: "So, hon, how'd'ya like your coffee?"

Man: "I like my coffee like I like my women.

Taken by force!"
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Sit-ups and a tiled floor and jeans aren't a great combination.
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Alito says presidents can violate law

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, pressed on President Bush's controversial domestic spying policy, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday that a president has the constitutional authority on "very rare" occasions to violate federal law.

I should think that would be reason enough to vote him down.

But it won't be.
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My vote is for number four.
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Remember that anti-gay pastor who wanted to have oral sex with another man?

Well, the ACLU, that band of godless Nazis dedicated to destroying all Christianity, is defending him.
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Dan Savage on being intolerant to Christians

Definition of "marriage" has always been in flux
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This will probably be used by the right-wingers as proof that liberals and democrats are misogynist pigs:

The leader of the Liberal and Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Vladimir Zhirinovsky, expressed his opinion on the matter in an exclusive interview with Pravda.Ru.

"Condoleezza Rice released a coarse anti-Russian statement. This is because she is a single woman who has no children. She loses her reason because of her late single status. Nature takes it all.

"Such women are very rough. They are all workaholics, public workaholics. They can be happy only when they are talked and written about everywhere: "Oh, Condoleezza, what a remarkable woman, what a charming Afro-American lady! How well she can play the piano and speak Russian! What a courageous, tough and strong female she is!

"This is the only way to satisfy her needs of a female. She derives pleasure from it. If she has no man by her side at her age, he will never appear. Even if she had a whole selection of men to choose from she would stay single because her soul and heart have hardened. Like Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, or Alexander the Great of Macedon Ms. Rice needs to fight and release tough public statements in global scale. She needs to be on top of the world.

...

"The civilized world needs to think about a decision when single politicians are not allowed to stay in power. This was a common practice in the Soviet political system. The matter of international relations is very subtle and exquisite. One single word or phrase may play an extremely important role in politics. This is not the place, where one can sublimate their personal sexual problems.

"Complex-prone women are especially dangerous. They are like malicious mothers-in-law, women that evoke hatred and irritation with everyone. Everybody tries to part with such women as soon as possible. A mother-in-law is better than a single and childless political persona, though.

"This is really scary. Ms. Rice's personal complexes affect the entire field of international politics. This is an irritating factor for everyone, especially for the East and the Islamic world. When they look at her, they go mad.

"Condoleezza Rice needs a company of soldiers. She needs to be taken to barracks where she would be satisfied. On the other hand, she can hardly be satisfied because of her age. This is a complex. She needs to return to her university and teach students there. She could also deal with psychological analysis.

"The true reason of Ms. Rice's attack against Russia is very simple. Condoleezza Rice is a very cruel, offended woman who lacks men's attention. Releasing such stupid remarks gives her the feeling of being fulfilled. This is the only way for her to attract men's attention," Vladimir Zhirinovsky said.

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The store where I bought my textbooks sticks promotional knick-knacks into our bags, like a solicitation for a credit card and an offer for cheap subscriptions to big-name magazines. Another one of these is a cardboard promotional the size and shape of a CD, trying to bribe us into the National Guard with three free iTunes songs.

But what really caught my eye is that these discs state on them that the promotion ended October 15, 2005. And the bookstore is still sticking them in our bags.
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Libraries Have Books Bound in Human Skin

I already knew about that, of course; my brother told me.

But near the bottom of the article comes this paragraph:

The Boston Athenaeum, a private library, has an 1837 copy of George Walton's memoirs bound in his own skin. Walton was a highwayman — a robber who specialized in ambushing travelers — and left the volume to one of his victims.

That's creepy on so many levels.
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Shit and Hellfire

Bush Advisor Says President Has Legal Power to Torture Children

John Yoo publicly argued there is no law that could prevent the President from ordering the torture of a child of a suspect in custody – including by crushing that child’s testicles.

This came out in response to a question in a December 1st debate in Chicago with Notre Dame professor and international human rights scholar Doug Cassel.

...

Cassel: If the President deems that he’s got to torture somebody, including by crushing the testicles of the person’s child, there is no law that can stop him?
Yoo: No treaty.
Cassel: Also no law by Congress. That is what you wrote in the August 2002 memo.
Yoo: I think it depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that.

The article also contains a link to an audio file of that quip, which can also be found here.
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Women warned over kiss at cricket

Same-sex kissing appears to have been added to the growing list of things banned at the cricket.

Two women in the crowd who locked lips at a one-day international in New Zealand on the weekend were surprised to receive a visit from a security guard warning them not to do it again.

The women's smooch while dancing to music between overs at the New Zealand-Sri Lanka match in Napier on Sunday had been flashed on the ground's big-screen monitor amid much cheering.

One of the kissers, Richelle Fitzgibbon, said it had been her first time at a live cricket match and she having "a bit of fun" when the pash happened.

"The security guy came up and said that we were distracting the crowd and we would get kicked out if we did it again," Fitzgibbon, 29, told the Hawkes Bay Today newspaper.

"I thought if it was a guy and a girl kissing, would they have done that?" the mother-of-three said.

"I doubt it would have distracted the players."

Her kissing partner, Kelly Holdway, 20, was also taken aback by the warning.

"When I sat down the security guy came over and said 'that'll be enough of that'," Holdway told the paper.

"My boyfriend was quite shocked. He couldn't believe it. It just got a bit overboard. It was all in fun."

Redback Security spokesman Andy Gollings said the women's amorous behaviour had "upset two of my more sensitive staff".

He admitted no one had complained about the pair.

Local cricket official Blair Furlong said he laughed when he saw the two women kissing on the big screen and described the security guard as "overzealous".

New Zealand cricket authorities last month introduced strict crowd security measures including switching to light beer and a ban on drink containers after missiles were thrown at Australian players.

So these two women kiss, the stadium puts it up on their big-screen monitor, and then they complain that the woman are distracting the crowd?

...I got nothing.
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'Nudity invalidates marriage':

An Egyptian cleric's controversial fatwa claiming that nudity during sexual intercourse invalidates a marriage has uncovered a rift among Islamic scholars.

According to the religious edict issued by Rashad Hassan Khalil, a former dean of Al-Azhar University's faculty of Sharia (or Islamic law), "being completely naked during the act of coitus annuls the marriage".

The religious decree sparked a hot debate on the private satellite network Dream's popular religious talk show and on the front page of today's Al-Masri Al-Yom, Egypt's leading independent daily newspaper.

Suad Saleh, who heads the women's department of Al-Azhar's Islamic studies faculty, pleaded for "anything that can bring spouses closer to each other" and rejected the claim that nudity during intercourse could invalidate a union.

During the live televised debate, Islamic scholar Abdel Muti dismissed the fatwa: "Nothing is prohibited during marital sex, except of course sodomy."

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Bush quietly undercuts laws with bill-signing statement

As a summary: when Congress has the gall to do their job and pass laws Bush doesn't like, he issues a "bill-signing statement" which explains his interpretation of the law, which is the only one he'll follow.

So much for "strict interpretation".
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With any luck, Mohler will be found making out with his boyfriend at Brokeback

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A pastor who has spoken out against homosexuality was arrested after propositioning a male undercover police officer outside a hotel, authorities said.

As the Rev. Lonnie Latham, 59, left jail Wednesday, he said "I was set up. I was in the area pastoring to police."

Latham, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee, was arrested Tuesday and charged with offering to engage in an act of lewdness, Capt. Jeffrey Becker said.

Calls to Latham and his South Tulsa Baptist Church were not returned for comment.

Latham has supported a convention directive urging members to befriend gays and lesbians and try to convince them that they can become heterosexual "if they accept Jesus Christ as their savior and reject their 'sinful, destructive lifestyle.'"

The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation's largest Protestant denomination. Messages left for the convention were not returned.

"Pastoring" is apparently a euphemism the good reverend uses for "inviting to fellatio":

Lonnie Latham, shown in this photo provided by the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, senior pastor at South Tulsa Baptist Church and an executive committee member of the Southern Baptist Convention, was booked into Oklahoma County Jail Tuesday night, Jan. 3, 2006, after being arrested on a lewdness charge for propositioning a plainclothes policeman outside a hotel, police said. Latham, who has spoken out against homosexuality, allegedly asked the officer to join him in his hotel room for oral sex.

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Why is it that people seem incapable of understanding the function of the judiciary?

Rep. Troy Woodruff has filed a bill to outlaw abortion in Indiana, Roe v. Wade be damned. Reminiscent of the last blatantly unconstitutional law in Indiana (which is being repeated in Virginia).

And the GOP in Washington seem completely ignorant of the purpose of a third of the government:

“We believe that the courts don’t have the right to go in and change law that the Legislature has passed,” said Rep. Mike Armstrong, R-Wenatchee.

But they do have the right to judge whether those laws are constitutional, you idiotic assholes.
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And I was right.

Gay marriage is responsible for Sharon Tendler marrying a dolphin.
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Did Jesus exist? Italian court to decide:

ROME (Reuters) - Forget the U.S. debate over intelligent design versus evolution.

An Italian court is tackling Jesus -- and whether the Roman Catholic Church may be breaking the law by teaching that he existed 2,000 years ago.

The case pits against each other two men in their 70s, who are from the same central Italian town and even went to the same seminary school in their teenage years.

The defendant, Enrico Righi, went on to become a priest writing for the parish newspaper. The plaintiff, Luigi Cascioli, became a vocal atheist who, after years of legal wrangling, is set to get his day in court later this month.

"I started this lawsuit because I wanted to deal the final blow against the Church, the bearer of obscurantism and regression," Cascioli told Reuters.

Cascioli says Righi, and by extension the whole Church, broke two Italian laws. The first is "Abuso di Credulita Popolare" (Abuse of Popular Belief) meant to protect people against being swindled or conned. The second crime, he says, is "Sostituzione di Persona", or impersonation.

"The Church constructed Christ upon the personality of John of Gamala," Cascioli claimed, referring to the 1st century Jew who fought against the Roman army.

A court in Viterbo will hear from Righi, who has yet to be indicted, at a January 27 preliminary hearing meant to determine whether the case has enough merit to go forward.

"In my book, The Fable of Christ, I present proof Jesus did not exist as a historic figure. He must now refute this by showing proof of Christ's existence," Cascioli said.

Speaking to Reuters, Righi, 76, sounded frustrated by the case and baffled as to why Cascioli -- who, like him, came from the town of Bagnoregio -- singled him out in his crusade against the Church.

"We're both from Bagnoregio, both of us. We were in seminary together. Then he took a different path and we didn't see each other anymore," Righi said.

"Since I'm a priest, and I write in the parish newspaper, he is now suing me because I 'trick' the people."

Righi claims there is plenty of evidence to support the existence of Jesus, including historical texts.

He also claims that justice is on his side. The judge presiding over the hearing has tried, repeatedly, to dismiss the case -- prompting appeals from Cascioli.

"Cascioli says he didn't exist. And I said that he did," he said. "The judge will to decide if Christ exists or not."

Even Cascioli admits that the odds are against him, especially in Roman Catholic Italy.

"It would take a miracle to win," he joked.

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I was watching the Veronica Mars episode where they have school elections. Therein one of the lower-rung kids, Wanda, runs for school council president in order to overthrow the elite, preppy '09ers. This reminds me very much of an MTV movie I saw with dad and Jason--Election, I think.

And the idea suddenly occurs to me of somebody running for some such school council seat who's not even trying to get elected. I imagine myself doing one of those commercials, wherein I rant about how much I hate all the students, and am trying to become president only so I can abuse my position, and that, if elected, I would dedicate every waking hour to making every student's life a living hell.

I'd be very interested in seeing how many votes I would get.
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Grumph.

It.

Just.

Figures.
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Given what some of my cats have done, I can't say this seems very far-fetched.
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Why can't Manual have been like this?
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Porn star arrested for raping boy

Woman marries dolphin

I'm sure this is all somehow the fags' fault.
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Looks like I may be mistaken about Brokeback Mountain being a no-show in Louisville
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So a while back--the Friday before last--parents, sibling and I went to Indianapolis to see their Lord of the Rings exhibit on loan from New Zealand. They had a bunch of the clothes, weapons, models, etc. on display, and a lot of stations where you could read placards or watch short videos (a few minutes each, sometimes less) about the making of the movies. One placard told us that Viggo Mortensen was so dedicated to filming that at one point he got a tooth knocked out, and he insisted that they just superglue it back in so they could continue filming. This was all in one room.

In the next room they had a model of a building that took days to construct and was on-screen for scant seconds. It was part of the town Edoras, which they had to build themselves to get the location just perfect--in fact, they had people in helicopters scouring the countryside to find the best area for it. They filmed in that town for eight days, if memory serves. They also had a row of mannequins sporting the various armors and clothing of the different peoples seen throughout the movie.

But on the wall just next to the doorway joining these two rooms, they had a sketch of silhouettes of the various races: hobbit, dwarf, human, elf, Uruk-hai, mountain troll. They may have also had Wizard and Ringwraith, I don't recall. These outlines were all proportioned correctly to give you a sense of the different heights of the various races. And they had set up a contraption, suspended from the roof, so that if you stood under it, it would judge your height and a recording would tell you what race you were. I believe my step-father was declared to be either human or elf, Benji was a human (I think) and mom was a tall dwarf. After they went, I stood at the marked spot, drew myself up to my full height, and raised my hand as high as I could, covering myself with the guidebook they'd provided us with. The voice then declared that I was "an Uruk-hai on steroids, or possibly a ring-wraith."

Yeah. So don't mess with me.

Oh, right, one other tidbit that Benji had to point out to me. The mountain troll in the mines of Moria? He's anatomically correct. So be grateful for the loincloth.
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I wasn't aware airlines could do that

LONDON (Reuters) - A drunken passenger on a holiday flight from England to Spain was dropped at a tiny island off the African coast after he swore at the cabin crew, a newspaper reported on Friday.

The plane's captain decided to leave the man at Porto Santo, a volcanic outcrop in the Atlantic, after he became abusive when he was refused more alcohol, the Daily Mail said.

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Now I want to see Brokeback Mountain while carrying a sign that says "Fuck you, Albert Mohler"

Unfortunately, it's not playing in Louisville.
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My first sip of alcohol since turning 21....

Fweet.
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