Don McLeroy Doesn't Like What the Words Mean

Over at Dispatches, Ed links to an unbelievable mountain of stupid opinion piece in The Austin American-Statesman by the chairman of the Texas Board of Education, Don McLeroy. McLeroy has been smarting lately over wide-ranging condemnation of his efforts to modify the state science standards for Texas public schools in such a manner that creationists can sneak their doctrine into science classes without constitutional challenge.

I popped over to read it. It's mostly standard creo fair blowing all of the typical dog-whistles:

The controversy exists because evolutionists, led by academia's far-left, along with the secular elite opinion-makers, have decreed that questioning of evolution is not allowed, that it is only an attempt to inject religion or creationism into the classroom.

Yawn. Heard it before.

This line, however, caught my eye:

The first step is to define science in a way that is satisfactory to both sides.

Umm. OK... might I point out, hopefully without undue emphasis,

BULLSHIT!

A wise man once said "You don't have to respect both sides of an argument when one side is a load of crap." Creationists are not owed some sort of concession to their vapid theology insofar as how science is defined. Science is what is, and tough titties if that doesn't fit into your mythos. Scientists investigate and describe the natural world on its own terms, without the pesky interference of miracles and fairies and folklore. And what they do does not intrinsically have anything to do with your religion: any incompatability between the two is not the result of "left-wing secular" anything. It has to do with the fact that your belief system does not accurately describe reality.

Your religion has nothing to bring to the science table, so you have no say in how it's defined or conducted. Sorry, you lose.

Beaker for President and Pope and King of Everything

Game, set, match: Frank Oz wins human history:

And a bonus:

Comedy has been fully accomplished: every one can pack up and go home now.

The Sixth Sense: a trifle scary, but also awesome

Pattie Maes of MIT showcases a developing technology which could vastly alter the way we interact with the world around us. It has some privacy implications that raise the neck hairs a bit, but the technological capability involved is breathtaking.

The Single Gratest Meta-Thread Ever,

Just sayin'.

Let the Right One In: Watch This Movie!

OMG. This is the best movie I have seen in a looooonnnnnnng time(trailer here).

Beautifully shot, perfectly casted, brilliantly directed. This movie has no weaknesses whatsoever. There are not enough superlatives to describe it adequately.

I keep a collection of books and videos I read around Halloween, which I refer to as my "October Shelf". This movie is on it, prominently.

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Update:
I notice it's already being remade by Matt Reeves, the genius who brought us Cloverfield and Lost (I cannot fathom how Cloverfield got a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Sigh. Is there anything Hollywood won't sully?

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Upadte II:
I meant "genius" sarcastically. In case there is any uncertainty.

Breatsfeeding in Public: Why is This Even an Issue?

A local talk radio ass-hat by the name of mark belling recently drooled some amazingly stupid comments regarding public breastfeeding out into the Milwaukee airwaves. He apparently believes that breastfeeding a child is akin to public masturbation (I'm not kidding: he describes the mothers as 'getting off' on it).

Now, I understand that this man, like most of American society, is rather manically puritan. I don't like it, but I know that this is the reality I have to deal with. An inordinate number of my fellow citizens believe that there is a great caucasian sky-fairy watching our every move and taking a deep and rather disturbing interest in the disposition of our genitalia. Stupid, but unfortunately true.

WHAT THE JESUS-GODDAMNED HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH BREASTFEEDING???!!!

(pant, pant) OK. Calm down.

It's a boob, folks. In the grand scheme of things, no different from an ankle or an elbow. And breastfeeding, rather than being "crude", as this half-comatose jackass described it, is actually a very complex and elegant method for supplying energy to a young human. And no more sexual than any other child-care activity. Only a sexually repressed, emotionally stunted twit like belling would find it a subject to remark on AT ALL. Sad to say, we have a large number of sexually repressed, emotionally stunted twits in our midst.

March Matthew Stucky Award

The coveted Matthew Stucky Award for the month of March 2009 goes to archbishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho of Rio De Janero Recife, Brazil, whose callous, cruel condmenation of a 9-year old girl for being raped by her stepfather very nearly equals the insane misogyny of the Muslims who execute sexual assault victims for adultery. A condemnation which is being defended by the catholic church's chief perpetuator of pederasty, pope benedict xvi.

Jose! Why don't you pull out all of the stops, bury her up to her neck, and hit her in the head with rocks? Oh, wait: stoning is to quick and painless for her, isn't it? Much more fitting for her to be slowly torn apart by the development of twins her body is not physically capable of bearing.

Fucker.

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Update:
I'm tempted to add, mostly out of pique, the Sydney Morning Herald as co-recipients for this headline:

Vatican defends excommunication for 'raped' nine-year-old girl's abortion

Why exactly is the word raped in quotes? Is there some uncertainty about whether a 9-year old girl is capable of validly consenting to sex? WTF?!

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Update II:
The Herald has removed the quotes.

Vatican: "Of COURSE We're OK With Child Molestation! Duh!"

From the BBC Online.

I just can't get my mind around this shit. The church is blaming the mother and doctors for this, and not even mentioning the perverted bastard whose disgusting behavior set the situation up in the first place.

This is just disgusting.

Brazil Girl, Alleged Rape Victim, Aborts Twins.The procedure on the 9-year-old girl draws complaints from Catholic church.

Fuck me sideways. This poor girl is raped by her stepfather and is in danger of being slowly torn apart by the twins developing in her, and the bastard archbishop not only condemns the termination of the pregnancy, but excommunicates the girl's mother and doctors?.

And my family wonders why I am no longer a practicing catholic.

I must note, without much surprise, that the father, who raped not only this girl but her disabled older sister, is still all right with the church. But then, that's only child molestation, and we know where the church stands on that.

AND HOW IS IT 'ALLEGED' RAPE WHEN SHE'S NINE!!??

Bastards.