OVO

Remember how a few days ago I contributed Christian Views of Women to Wikipedia? Here’s what that entry says now, right at the top of the page: “This page has been listed on Wikipedia:Votes for deletion. Please see that page for justifications and discussion.” That was the first thing someone did for that entry: ask that it not exist. And here’s what it has to say on the Votes for deletion page: “Incredibly [Point of View, rather than Neutral Point of View] and anti-Christian”; ” DELETE”; “incredibly hard to justify given NPOV guidelines”; ” As it stands I say delete”; ” Yes, delete — can’t imagine this becoming NPOV, and don’t see it adding any substance to Wikipedia”; ” If it’s not fixed to something reasonably NPOV within the seven days, delete it.”

What is the original entry like that people react against it so negatively, you might ask? The original entry was a brief neutral introductory statement (“Christianity, in all its variations, relies on the Bible as a guide. Therefore, the Biblical perspective of women is the Christian perspective of women. The following quotations are from the Bible.”) followed by 100% verbatim, accurate and in-context quotations from the King James Bible.

As usual, some people don’t want you to read the Bible. Most of the time, it is Christians lead the charge against reading the Bible. It just plain has all this stuff in it you aren’t supposed to read. This atheist says read it, and insist that those who say it is a worthy moral or scientific guide need to back up their claims.

LANGUAGE REMOVAL SERVICES is pleased to announce the first-ever “language-free” political debate. Using proprietary technology, Language Removal Services has removed the language from a recent California gubernatorial debate. They say this “reveals the true positions” of the leading candidates in the race to replace Gray Davis as Governor of California. These STATIC LANGUAGE portraits consist of the breaths, body sounds and hesitations of the speakers, sounds which LRS claims are more honest expressions of self than language can ever be. “Our technology affords the listener with an opportunity to see beyond the half-truths and compromises of spoken language” says CEO DOUGLAS FLIESHUT. “Nowhere is this more important right now than in the political arena.” In a bid to help the electorate make an informed choice, Language Removal Services has made language removals of leading gubernatorial candidates, including ARNOLD SCHWARZENNEGGER and CRUZ BUSTAMANTE, available for free MP3 download from their web site. Located in Hollywood, California, Language Removal Services is the world’s premier provider of language removal services for language removal applications.

A reunion of Throbbing Gristle with supporting bands Coil, Carter/Tutti, Thee Majesty, Richard H. Kirk, Merzbow, F. M. Einheit; films by Derek Jarmon, more to be announced. Well, I guess I’d go if I was in town and didn’t have anything else to do.

If you can overlook their inclination to encourage the replacement of one malignancy for another, Answering Islam has plenty of reasons not to be a Muslim. Contradictions, falsehoods, mistreatment of women, the usual for religion. I just didn’t want you to think I only picked on Christians.

Wikipedia now has an entry titled “Christian Views of Women” which I am proud to say I wrote. View it now, and watch how it changes and grows (and shrinks) through editing.

A Historical Review of Speech Synthesis Collected by Dennis Klatt, starting with VODER (by Homer Dudley) 1939.

Have you ever made a pie, or drawn a picture, or put pen to paper? No matter what you do, if you want to do it well you have to take some of it away as part of the process. Editing, some call it. But if you would like to see what got edited out of the Star Wars movies, Star Wars Cut Scenes is for you.

Republican National Committee Press Release: Chairman Ed Gillespie has served notice that the GOP will likely defend marriage in the party’s 2004 platform. Further, Mr. Gillespie correctly pointed out in a Washington Times interview today that “religious bigotry” is being promoted by homosexual activists, who are attempting to use government to force their views on everyone.

The reason religious organizations get to skip paying taxes is that (supposedly) they do so much social good that they relieve the burden of the government in the performance of that social good. So how in the world is it appropriate that a religious organization, already being compensated for doing social good, can now get paid on top of that compensation to do social good? Isn’t that kind of almost like getting paid twice? Well, if you take away the ‘kind of’ and the ‘almost,’ then yes it is. What is more, religious organizations aren’t beholden to the same laws as secular organizations when it comes to hiring, zoning laws, etc. So they don’t pay taxes, they get paid, and they don’t have to even produce results. Because when you tell politicians you work for God they will think that means you will do good things.

When you think about the differential treatment some organizations get because they are ‘religious,’ it makes you wonder… how does a group get to be a ‘religious’ group? Since it’s all spiritual and stuff, and above mere mortal measurements, it can’t be quantified. Religious people get downright insulted if you ask them to prove their faith is based on something real; they look at you with pity in their eyes that you are so blind and simple-minded. But somehow, this magical fairy-dust called ‘religion’ is granted to some groups and not others. Those that get it can do god damn anything they want, while the rest of us are invited to shush.

The temptation is to mine the links from gmtPlus9 and never confess. Instead, go here for regular links to fine graphic arts and photography online. Claude Cahun, The Dr. Ikkaku Ochi Collection, Lee Miller, and a fabulous collection of photographs of floodgates in Japan taken by Junichi Sato. All from gmtPlus9. Top drawer stuff.

Here’s the latest on the homeland security front… The Toronto Star reports “Two gay Canadian men who are legally wed in Ontario say they were refused entry into the United States today after a U.S. customs official at the airport wouldn’t accept their customs clearance form declaring themselves a family. Kevin Bourassa and Joe Varnell say they abandoned their trip to Georgia when the customs official at Pearson International Airport rejected their family customs declaration form, insisting that they fill out separate forms as single people. After complaining to a customs supervisor, Bourassa said the couple was told that they wouldn’t be allowed into the United States as a family because the country doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages.”

You see, Canada understands that gay people are not deserving of discrimination. The only time it is legal to discriminate against gay people in Canada is in a religious context. Because religion is a force for good in the world, and we have to respect religion.

Hey Turkey! Saudi Arabia! North Korea! You want to know how democracy works? Ask Taco Bell.

If you aren’t getting enough requests to be your ‘friend’ at friendster, try pretendster. Pretendster generates new ‘friends’ who will ask to be your friend and say nice things about you to other, more ‘real‘ friends.’ And here‘s a funny picture by Jesus.

From When Clergy Commit the Sin of Silence by Gerald A. Larue… When clergy fail to share the information about the Bible and the history of the Christian religion that they have been taught in seminary they commit the sin of silence. To cover the sin of silence, they devise ways to salve their consciences while denying their congregations the right to be informed. How do educated clergy cope with the denominational need to use a source book, the Bible, that has for centuries been accepted as a divinely inspired document, but which they know is, like every other book, a human production? There are two general approaches: compartmentalizing and selective preaching. Both are devious, both commit the sin of silence, and both are linked to economic survival.

Thanks to Michael Moore for quoting from the following interview with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, from the October 2003 issue of the Ladies Home Journal.

[begin quote]

Peggy Noonan (the interviewer): You were separated on September 11th. What was it like when you saw each other again?

Laura Bush: Well, we just hugged. I think there was a certain amount of security in being with each other than being apart.

George W. Bush: But the day ended on a relatively humorous note. The agents said, “you’ll be sleeping downstairs. Washington’s still a dangerous place.” And I said no, I can’t sleep down there, the bed didn’t look comfortable. I was really tired, Laura was tired, we like our own bed. We like our own routine. You know, kind of a nester. I knew I had to deal with the issue the next day and provide strength and comfort to the country, and so I needed rest in order to be mentally prepared. So I told the agent we’re going upstairs, and he reluctantly said okay. Laura wears contacts, and she was sound asleep. Barney was there. And the agent comes running up and says, “We’re under attack. We need you downstairs,” and so there we go. I’m in my running shorts and my T-shirt, and I’m barefooted. Got the dog in one hand, Laura had a cat, I’m holding Laura –

Laura Bush: I don’t have my contacts in , and I’m in my fuzzy house slippers –

George W. Bush: And this guy’s out of breath, and we’re heading straight down to the basement because there’s an incoming unidentified airplane, which is coming toward the White House. Then the guy says it’s a friendly airplane. And we hustle all the way back up stairs and go to bed.

Mrs. Bush: [LAUGHS] And we just lay there thinking about the way we must have looked.

Peggy Noonan (interviewer): So the day starts in tragedy and ends in Marx Brothers.

George W. Bush: THAT’S RIGHT- WE GOT A LAUGH OUT OF IT!

[end quote]

God damn George W. Bush.

In recent months I have posted an article or two about parents exempt from murder charges when they kill their child in the name of religion. Hard to believe, but sanctioned child sacrifice lives on in the 21st Century. In the interest of fair and balanced reporting, here’s a more humane judgement…

Richard Wiebe, 30, and Agnes Wiebe, 31, were sentenced Friday to child abuse and involuntary manslaughter after they treated her with prayer instead of medicine. Doctors say she had a treatable form of bacterial meningitis.

Religion is a problem and it’s time we started treating it that way.

Atheists need web cams too.

I can’t tell if this person is a crazy Christian or someone wanting to make Christians sound crazy.