Perhaps you have read (here for instance) about pharmacists not filling birth control prescriptions to single women because it goes against their (the pharmacists’) religious beliefs. Which is fine, if it doesn’t ultimately hurt the customer: The American Pharmacists Association recently reaffirmed its policy that pharmacists can refuse to fill prescriptions as long as they make sure customers can get … Read More
Schiavo’s Parents Sell Donor List — Conservatives Will Get More Spam
"The parents of Terri Schiavo have authorized a conservative direct-mailing firm to sell a list of their financial supporters, making it likely that thousands of strangers moved by her plight will receive a steady stream of solicitations from anti-abortion and conservative groups," the New York Times reports. "Privacy experts said the sale of the list was legal and even predictable, … Read More
Earthquakes – the Krazy Kristian Kook Perspective
World O’ Crap gives us the latest from Pastor Swank, who reminds us that God Speaks Through Earthquakes: God speaks through earthquakes. God made the Earth. The Earth will answer to God. This Christ ushered in the Church Age. This Christ will take out the Church Age. Remember when Christ told his apostles, "Listen, I brought you into this world, … Read More
The Old Negro Space Program
Need a pick-me-up? Watch this movie, not by Ken Burns, about NASSA, the Shocking-But-False Story of America’s Blackstronauts.
Scientific American Gives Up
The editorial at the beginning of the April issue of Scientific American is startling. You can read it here: There’s no easy way to admit this. For years, helpful letter writers told us to stick to science. They pointed out that science and politics don’t mix. They said we should be more balanced in our presentation of such issues as … Read More
How To Make A Schiavo Protester’s Head Explode
Wait until they start to complaining about all the judges out there who (supposedly) are conspiring to "kill" Terri, nod your head in strong agreement, and then pull out your Bible. Open to Deuteronomy 1:16 and read: Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, "Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his … Read More
“Why wasn’t letting Schiavo die a Christian option, too?”
It’s a damn fine question, asked by (among many others) the Rev. Frederick Schmidt, an Episcopal priest and theologian at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, according to this wonderful article in the St. Petersburg Times: "I think the religious right is captive to a medical, scientific description of life that equates merely to survival," said Schmidt, director of spiritual life … Read More
What Would Jesus Do?
Beautifully put by Heriod at The American Street Dateline Jerusalem, 29 a.d. — The ongoing controversy surrounding whether or not Jesus of Nazareth has the right to voluntarily die on the cross, took a dramatic turn yesterday. Roman Senator, Billius Fristus Felinocidicus announced that in a late night, weekend session, the Senate had passed an imperial edict, signed by Emperor … Read More
Change of Heart
A nice story out of San Diego: The head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego apologized Monday to the family of gay nightclub owner John McCusker, less than a week after decreeing that McCusker couldn’t have a Catholic burial because of his "business activities," according to a statement released by McCusker’s family. In a stunning twist to a … Read More
God Detector
Just in time for the high holy days, too. How many times have we heard it said, "Oh, Lord, give me a sign!" Alas, too often the reply is vague and ambiguous: the phone rings at an opportune time, a feather falls from out of the blue, a water stain appears that resembles a religious image. We all want to … Read More
Sexual Abstinence-Only Education Fails
In fact, it is counterproductive. As today’s L.A. Times reports: Young adults who as teenagers took pledges not to have sex until marriage were just as likely to contract a venereal disease as people who didn’t make the promise, according to a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Why? "The study found that 88% of sexually active people who … Read More
Starving to Death? The Calculated Inflammatory Rhetoric of the Christian Right
As one might expect, the American Journal of Bioethics is following the Schiavo case closely. One recent bioethicist/commentator took to task those who like to insult the hospice industry, under the false assumption that caring nurses and doctors would allow Terri Schiavo to experience pain and discomfort. She writes: One of the more disturbing aspects of the political rhetoric is … Read More
Yet Even More on Terri
Right winger Neil Boortz has the courage to see what this is is about, and he ain’t afraid to say it: At the center of the Terri Schiavo tragedy is America’s anti-abortion movement. Notice, please, the presence of Randall Terry. The fact is that the anti-abortion movement has seized Terri Schiavo … figuratively kidnapped her .. and they intend to … Read More
Isn’t It Ironic, Don’t You Think?
One of the most ironic statements about the Terri Schiavo case can be found in one of Judge Greer’s opinions: Perhaps one of the few agreements between these experts is that stem cell research is currently at the experimental stage and is years away from being accepted either medically or politically. It would not appear from the testimony that this … Read More