Bible-Thumper LaShawn On Tolerance

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

On the news that the California Congress has approved a bill granting equal rights and protections to married same-sex couples (a bill that Ahnold says he will veto), conservative "Christian" blogger LaShawn Barber gets all biblical and then adds a few stupid thoughts: By the way, if Christians seem obsessed with homosexuality above other sins, perhaps it’s because homosexuals are … Read More

Alright, Utah!

Ken AshfordEducation, GodstuffLeave a Comment

Thank God there’s at least one state that gets it: To borrow a line from Dorothy: We’re not in Kansas anymore. Unlike the Kansas School Board, which earlier this summer approved allowing educators to teach theories in addition to evolution that explain life on Earth, the Utah Board of Education on Friday unanimously approved a position statement supporting the continued … Read More

George Will On Intelligent Design (And Penguins)

Ken AshfordGodstuffLeave a Comment

When he’s right, he’s right: "March of the Penguins" raises this question: If an Intelligent Designer designed nature, why did it decide to make breeding so tedious for those penguins? The movie documents the 70-mile march of thousands of Antarctic penguins from the sea to an icy breeding place barren of nutrition. These perhaps intelligently but certainly oddly designed birds … Read More

Just Check The Idiot

Ken AshfordEducation, Godstuff, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

Atrios points to a Washington Post editorial, calling it "the stupidest thing I have *ever* read".  We tend to agree. The opinion piece is about Intelligent Design, and it is written by Sally Jenkins, a sports columnist for WaPo.   That probably explains the strained sports analogies. It’s called "Just Check The ID", and it goes a little something like this: … Read More

“The Da Vinci Code” Movie

Ken AshfordGodstuffLeave a Comment

Conservative Christian blogger La Shawn Barber is up in arms about the upcoming release of the movie version of Dan Brown’s best-selling book, "The Da Vinci Code". She acknowledges that the book/movie is "fiction", but that’s hardly the point. In a world hostile to the faith,… What evidence is there that the world, or even the United States, is "hostile … Read More

Scientist Observes B.S.

Ken AshfordEducation, GodstuffLeave a Comment

The Discovery Institute has a list of 400 scientists who doubt the central tenets of Darwin’s theory of evolution (or, at least the Discovery Institute says the scientists doubt evolution).  Here’s the current Discovery Institute list in PDF format. And here’s a profile on one of those scientists, Robert C. Davidson (he’s on page ten of the above list, 4th … Read More

Pat Robertson Bears False Witness

Ken AshfordForeign Affairs, GodstuffLeave a Comment

UPDATE:  Later today, Pat admitted he called for Chavez’ assassination and apologized.  It took 48 hours to get from A to Z, while taking a few lying diversions in between.  Now watch as the Christian Coalition falls all over itself to praise Pat as a stand-up guy.  And by the way, I find his excuse rather lame. Let’s look at … Read More

Nice Going, Pat!

Ken AshfordForeign Affairs, GodstuffLeave a Comment

It must be nice to have your own ministry, and own your own television channel.  You get to say whatever batshit thing pops into your head. But it porably sucks to advocate a position from the pulpit, with the result being that your mere words create the opposite result of what you seek. Death Threat May Bolster Chavez’s Popularity Before … Read More

The Faithful

Ken AshfordGodstuff, IraqLeave a Comment

This is interesting, I thought: A new poll finds that the more often Americans go to church, the more supportive they are of U.S. foreign policy, including the war in Iraq. The poll by Public Agenda finds that people who frequently attend worship services are far more likely to support the war on terror and believe that the United States … Read More

Church And State, The Wall, Etc.

Ken AshfordBlogging, Godstuff, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

Christian conservative blogger LaShawn Barber has issues with Iraq’s draft constitution.  In particular, she is troubled by the contradictions within.  One clause reads "No law may contradict Islamic standards"; the very next one says "No law may contradict democratic standards".  LaShawn asks: Aren’t Islam and democracy inherently contradictory? What kind of shell game are these people playing? She’s 100% right, … Read More

Not Angry

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Congress, Corporate Greed, Crime, Foreign Affairs, Godstuff, Iraq, Plamegate, Republicans, Right Wing Punditry/Idiocy, War on Terrorism/Torture1 Comment

In response to a comment on that his blog is "full of hatred and anger", Corrente not only denied the charge, but set out to compile a list of things he was not angry about, as well as things he doesn’t hate.  It’s not only long, but a work-in-progress, so check out  Corrente’s site for the latest revisions and updates: … Read More

Church and State

Ken AshfordCongress, Foreign Affairs, GodstuffLeave a Comment

The Los Angeles Times (subscription requied) reports that evangelical programs on Capitol Hill attempt "to mold a new generation of leaders who will answer not to voters, but to God": "Nearly every Monday for six months, as many as a dozen congressional aides — many of them aspiring politicians — have gathered over takeout dinners to mine the Bible for … Read More

Discovery Institute Exposed

Ken AshfordEducation, GodstuffLeave a Comment

The New York Times has an excellent backgrounder on the Discovery Institute, the right-wing think-tank that has propelled intelligent design to the fore: SEATTLE – When President Bush plunged into the debate over the teaching of evolution this month, saying, "both sides ought to be properly taught," he seemed to be reading from the playbook of the Discovery Institute, the … Read More