I too would like to know what is under Snape's cape.

And a bigot. I had no idea...

One thing is certain: one cannot serve two masters. And when one's life is given over to one community that demands utter allegiance, it cannot be given to another. The LDS church is one such community. The homosexual community seems to be another. And when I read the statements of those who claim to be both LDS and homosexual, trying to persuade the former community to cease making their membership contingent upon abandoning the latter, I wonder if they realize that the price of such "tolerance" would be, in the long run, the destruction of the Church.

The argument by the hypocrites of homosexuality that homosexual tendencies are genetically ingrained in some individuals is almost laughably irrelevant. We are all genetically predisposed toward some sin or another; we are all expected to control those genetic predispositions when it is possible. It is for God to judge which individuals are tempted beyond their ability to bear or beyond their ability to resist. But it is the responsibility of the Church and the Saints never to lose sight of the goal of perfect obedience to laws designed for our happiness.

The average fifteen-year-old teenage boy is genetically predisposed to copulate with anything that moves. We are compassionate and forgiving of those who cannot resist this temptation, but we do not regard as adult anyone who has not overcome it; and we can only help others overcome those "genetic predispositions" by teaching them that we expect them to meet a higher standard of behavior than the one their own body teaches them. Are we somehow cruel and overdomineering when we teach young men and young women that their lives will be better and happier if they have no memory of sexual intercourse with others to deal with when they finally are married? On the contrary, we would be heartless and cruel if we did not.

  You can read the rest yourself here, if you can stomach it: www.nauvoo.com/library/card-hypocrites.html

  And for a very interesting interview in which Card explodes over the temerity of gay people seeking equal rights, go here: archive.salon.com/books/feature/2000/02/03/card/print.html

  "As the ancient mythmakers knew
We’re children equally of the earth and the sky
In our tenure on this planet, we’ve accumulated
Dangerous evolutionary baggage

We’ve also acquired compassion for others,
Love for our children,
And a great soaring passionate intelligence
The clear tools for our continued survival..."

  Some things are just so profound and resonate with me. This is one of them--that humans have the ability to survive the future and that we MUST make that happen.  It is deeply optimistic and yet acknowledges our duty as humans, "our obligation to survive and flourish is owned, not just to ourselves, but to that cosmos, ancient and vast, from which we sprang." This is why I love Sagan and it's why I love Dawkins and why I still love Star Trek--this admission of the daunting task we have ahead of us and the wild hope that humanity will rise to the challenge. Some days I believe that we can. This is one of those days.

 

  Ridiculous old senators trying to foist their prejudice on us. John McCain can't even get his act together enough to be consistent with things he said while running for president LAST YEAR. Fuck you, John McCain. As if it wasn't bad enough that you fobbed off Palin on us...now you reverse yourself on 'Don't ask, don't tell'? Fuck you.

  So, the series finale of Dollhouse was poignant and awesome and I wish to god it haddn't been canceled. But yeah, Alan Tudyk appeared in the last epi. I heart him so much! I mean, take a look at this hotness...REOW, "I am a leaf on the wind..."

  Looks like the murderer of abortion doctor George Tiller was found guilty of 1st degree murder today.

www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/28/kansas.abortion.roeder.verdict/index.html

  I hope they lock this guy up for life.

  You guys, the Supreme Court decision to treat corporations like individuals, with the same rights to speech during political campaigns, is plain scary.  What check do we have on their $$$ and power now? It was bad enough before but with this decision, there is absolutely no limit to how much a corporation can spend to secure a Senate seat or even the White House. Welcome to the Oligarchy of America, folks. Because, if this case isn't fixed (and how could it be--it would have to go back to a reformed Court) then that's what we are looking out.

Sarah Palin's Got Glenn Beck Worried

Sources tell me that Sarah Palin has got all the good old boys at Fox News in a tizzy, particularly the ever-frightened Glenn Beck.

"Sarah is the new flavor of the month at Fox. All the bosses love her. She's an incredibly strong woman who finds a way of getting what she wants," an insider tells me. "And Glenn has convinced himself that it's his 5 p.m. slot that Sarah has her eye on." Ooooh, catty paranoia!

And according to my source, there's only room for one diva at 5 o'clock. "Glenn thinks of himself as the King and isn't going to be replaced by a Queen without a fight."

 Aw, gossipy goodness. LOL!

'Avatar' wins a Golden Globe for best drama and best director. Really??? Did they even watch the shitpile of a movie?

  I'm sure you've all hear by now about Pat Robertson's horrifying comments on the Haiti disaster. Well, what better way to strike back then to use his own religious malarkey against him? So, I went to the 700 Club website and submitted the following prayer request:

"I would like you to pray that Jesus heals Pat Robertson from his hateful, vindictive spirit. What he said about Haiti shows a spiteful, unChristian soul. I sincerely hope he gets his heart right with Jesus soon."

  If you want to submit a prayer request of your own, you can do it here: www.cbn.com/spirituallife/PrayerAndCounseling/index.aspx

  xposted to atheism  and antitheism 

  I know a lot of people might want to give but don't know how. Well, here's how. Simply text 'Haiti' to 90999 on your phone. This sends a message to the Red Cross, which will add $10 to your next phone bill. I did it today and it's easy and secure (they even sent a message back asking, "Do you really want to give us money? Reply 'yes' if you do"). And ten dollars is basically two lattes, which I am sure I can miss.

  If you can afford it, DO IT.

    I was listening to my old original cast recording of Phantom of the Opera a few days ago on the long drive home and it occurred to me how very silly the whole thing is. Not just the music but the story. I mean, I love love love PotO but it's with a kind of nostalgia, like I'm looking fondly back at something I wanted so much as a teenager, only to realize in later life how ridiculous my dream was. Which is true. I remember as a teen being SO IN LOVE with the Phantom, Ah Erik *swoon*. "How romantic, a man who lives underground!" In his dungeon. Of black despair.

    I was going through some things two nights ago and found a series of letters I wrote to my future husband, whom I monikered 'Julian'. It's so strange to read them again and see how silly and naive I was. Not just about men but about what I wanted. About what a relationship was all about. When I was young, I just wanted someone to come and save me from my dad. By 21 I realized that no one was going to do that and so I had to save myself. But the desire persisted, long after the need faded. It took a long long time for me to recognize that I didn't *want* a man to save me. That I was complete unto myself. That I really didn't want that romance-novel-sweep-me-off-my-feet love. That I wanted to do the sweeping. Or at least be in a relationship where we took turns doing it.

    I fantasize a lot about going back in time to those dark teen years, when I was kept a virtual prisoner in my dad's house and indoctrinated with guilt and pain. I dream of telling myself that it will get better, that I will someday be free and happy. I don't know that I would have believed it then (especially if I had told myself I would do it without God). Sometimes, I hardly do now.

  How lucky I am!
 

Xposted to atheism  and antitheism 

  I have really really tried to avoid all this Tiger Woods crap. He's a celebrity, he cheated. End of story. But this is just beyond the pale. Fox News' Brit Hume urged Tiger to convert to Christianity in order to find 'redemption':

"The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith. He is said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So, my message to Tiger is, 'Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.'




Source: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_01/021737.php

WTF Brit Hume?!?!


Xposted to atheism and cyranothe2nd 

Probably the best known of the Danish anti-Islam cartoons is the one with Mohammad wearing a bomb in his turban. That was the work of Kurt Westergaard. Mr. Westergaard was attacked a yesterday in his home by a Somali Islamofanatic with a knife and an axe. He managed to shoot and wound his attacker, then get him and his 5 year old grand daughter to a safe room he has installed in his house and wait for the police to come.

A Somali man believed to have ties to terrorist groups was shot as he allegedly tried to enter the home of Danish political cartoonist Kurt Westergaard -- known for his controversial depictions of the Muslim prophet Mohammed -- on Friday, police said.

The 27-year-old man, who was not identified, wielded an ax and a knife and cracked a window at Westergaard's home in Aarhus, said police spokesman Morten Jensen. A home alarm alerted police to the scene at 10 p.m., and they were attacked by the man, he said. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe....in/index.html


*Shakes head* If this guy was trying to prove Westergaard wrong in his cartoonish assertion that Islam is a violent religion, I'd say he failed.


Cross posted to my journal.


Edit: Looks like the police, not Westergaard, shot the attacker after he tried to attack them. My bad!

Yes. Yes, I do.

  Hi, would someone on my f-list volunteer to read an essay that I am preparing to submit to grad school? It doesn't need a line edit--just a fresh set of eyes. I really just need to know if it sounds good or if it's a bunch of crap (I'm at that point where everything I write sounds horrible to me). If you can do it, reply in this thread or send me a PM and I will email it to you.

  I don't know if you guys remember me talking about this story last year or not. Basically, two women, Miller and Jenkins, were joined in a civil union and had a child together. Miller is the birth mother but they both adopted the child. Well, they broke up in 2002 and shared joint custody.  But a few months after the break up, Miller became an evangelical xian and refused to let Jenkins see her child because she's gay and a "sinful influence". After years of court battles, on Nov 20th a Vermont judge awarded full custody to Jenkins. So yay for the justice system.

  However, it appears that Miller has disappeared with the child, to 'save' her from the evil gay influence. You know, the one that conceived her...  *shakes head* It's sad when a family is torn apart by divorce but it's even worse when it's torn apart by bigotry. What does Miller think, that Jenkins is going to make her kid gay or something? She should know first hand that that's not how it works. It just goes to show you how religious brainwashing can override even previous life experiences...so so sad for this little girl.

Source: news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091229/ap_on_re_us/us_lesbian_custody

  The year is almost over and I have only one last thing to do before I am completely free. One of my professors gave me some feedback on my grad school essay, so I need to work on that and get it back to him by next weekend. Also, my landlord is coming to lay new flooring in the kitchen tomorrow, as the floor has some low spots and several of the VCT tiles have come loose. He's talking about carpeting the whole house but I hope he's not serious because I *really* don't want to move all the furniture around.
 
  Gill is here but sick with a cough, so I stayed home from work yesterday and we watched old movies and I made her chicken soup. I have a lot of fond memories of my mom pampering me when I was sick :)

  One of my FB friends posted this completely bullshit thing about Obama being sued in the Supreme Court for not being a legal US citizen. When I pointed out that Snopes had debunked it as a lie, he said, "Well, there's a lot of evidence on either side." And I'm like--no, no there's not. There's a rumor and then there is the truth and the truth is on my side, actually. And then one of his other friends is like, "Well, usually rumors start because of some grain of truth." *facepalm* 

  I am really hoping to wake up and find out that this decade has just been a horrible dream.

NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report) - Just days after tying the knot after years of abstinence, Kevin Jonas of the pop sensation the Jonas Brothers stunned his teenaged fans by announcing that "to be honest about it, sex was not worth the wait."

"After we did it, I was kind of like, that's it?" Mr. Jonas told reporters at a New York press conference.

As to whether Mr. Jonas' bride agreed with his "that's it?" assessment, Mr. Jonas remarked, "That's what she said."


ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  I am so tired of this stupid Tiger Woods saga. Yes, people cheat. You don't say??? Color me shocked!

  What this story is really about is the ridiculous expectations our society has for the monogamous. And no, I'm not saying that Tiger is in the right. He lied to his wife. He is a lying sack of shit.

  But I am saying that monogamy isn't natural for human beings and it's time we as a society admitted that and created some common sense ways to deal with it. Like actually talking to our spouses openly about our desires and maybe not being so goddamn insecure that we feel threatened by our mate wanting some outside pussy from time to time (and, of course, our own desire for outside dick). I see no reason that a marriage can't be open and loving, with the understanding that sexual fidelity is not necessary as long as emotional fidelity is. Some honesty could have actually saved Tiger's marriage. Instead, all parties feel betrayed and cheated.

  So maybe this should be a lesson to us all. We ought to talk to our partners-openly and honestly-about our sexual desires. And maybe, just maybe, we will be surprised to learn that we aren't the only one that fantasizes about that threesome/gang bang/sex on the side.