Shit that pissed me off this week – 3/23

Pro-Life Advocates are Now Pushing a ban on Abortions if you can hear a Heartbeat

Are you fucking kidding me?

I am unapologetically Pro-choice. I don’t write about it much because it is such a useless debate. Both sides are so entrenched (myself included) that there is nothing to discuss.

But look – abortion is legal. Just barely.

Passing a law that says, in effect, “yeah, you can get an abortion right up to the point you actually know you are pregnant” is pretty shitty, isn’t it? It’s like saying “yes, you can have this ice cream cone unless you actually want the ice cream cone.”

I’ve got an idea for pro-life folks. How about a companion bill that says you can’t execute someone so long as they still have a heartbeat?

Turns out Neutrinos Can’t Travel Faster than Light

This is actually not the first report to call the discovery faster than light neutrinos into question but….DAMMIT!!!!

SCREW SCIENCE! I WANT FASTER THAN LIGHT TRAVEL!!

Scientists really know how to kill a buzz.

Obama Signs Executive Order Allowing the Government to Sieze just about Anything in the Event of War

I am not an Obama sycophant and I don’t love everything the guy does.  If there was anything the Bush administration did well, it was executive orders.

Yeah, lots of ’em were for things like announcing a national day of prayer or Mickey Rooney day or whatever but a many were messed up “don’t forget that we can do whatever the fuck we want” orders.

I’d hoped the Obama administration wouldn’t do the same thing.  Of course, they are doing the same thing. It is disheartening that the administration would feel a need to make such a sweeping order right now.

I mean, we all should know the government can seize property.  At the moment, there seems to be little need to do so.  So what is this about????

Mitt Romney says Obama Should Fire Advisors because of Rising Gas Prices

This article pissed me off so much, I wrote a whole blog entry about it earlier this week.  Just go read that if you want.

Mike Daisey Fails to Apologize for Doing Anything Wrong

If we are going to rightfully chastise Rush for his Notpology, Mike Daisey doesn’t get a miss.  The Producers of This American Life were forced to produce a massive mea culpa because they failed to do their jobs as journalists and reported fiction as fact.

Daisey, in turn, who was the source of the misinformation grandly produced the blog entry above in which he implies that he feels guilty of no wrongdoing because theatrical truth is different from journalistic truth.

He then argues that the entire situation obfuscates the real problems with working conditions in China. He’s right.  It does.

And he bears some responsibility for that because he didn’t tell them that he had made up some facts from his monologue to create an effective narrative.  If he had done so openly and made sure the producers of This American Life knew that, nobody would be angry with him right now and he wouldn’t have to be an obstinate ass who fails to recognize the damage he has done to his own cause and reputation.

The key to looking good when you screw up is to admit that you screwed up without making excuses or finding a way to blame the people who are angry with you.   Daisey’s blog entry shows he hasn’t figured that out yet.

His message is still important and that is why he needs to be a more effective messenger.

Jackass Pastor who Supports Rick Santorum Says anyone who Doesn’t agree with Him should “Get Out!” 

How very Christian of him.  There is a biblical basis for his desire to save the United States for the right kind of Christians, right?  Is it the thing about driving the money lenders out of the temple?

That can’t be right.  If he’s a free market Republican, he has to be completely behind the idea of money lenders.  He especially has to be supportive of fewer Government restrictions on money lenders.  I’m sure that I’m just getting the passage wrong.

Or maybe I’m not.  Maybe he, like most pastors at this type of church, is using the pulpit to get other people to think the way he does and using Jesus as a club with which to bludgeon them into submission.

And hey, Rick Santorum?  I get you are a politician and you have to pander.  But if you stand there and allow that introduction and you don’t mention that this is a free country that is open to all, even those with whom you disagree, you are not worthy to be President of anything.

UPDATE: I’ve just read that Santorum did actually suggest that people of other religions could stay.  Not until after he gave this dude a standing ovation for the introduction, though.

Wisconsin Lawmaker says that Women Should Stay in Abusive Marriages

In their continued effort disenfranchise 50% of the voter base, Republican legilsators once again make the mistake of listening to the voices in their heads.  This time, we have a legislator saying, basically, that if a woman is in an abusive relationship, it is her fault.  She should just figure out whatever sbe is doing wrong and then her husband will stop beating her.

He also says that fathers are the only people who provide structure and discipline.  You know, discipline like the kind they dish out when their wife won’t stop talking back.

Honestly, how can people get away with saying this stuff out loud?

Pro-Life Activist Abby Johnson Blatantly Lies about Planned Parenthood 

Here’s the thing, folks, if you are going to believe that Planned Parenhood is evil, please believe it for reasons that are real.

One thing from this blog that I noticed was Johnson’s commentary about Planned Parenthood’s sex education programs.  No matter what other lies she is telling that I can’t corroborate, I know she is lying about the education program because I’ve been in the room with one of their educators and seen what they do.

As you read what Johnson is saying at her talks, you recognize that she isn’t interested in presenting factual information about Planned Parenthood.  She is interested in presenting information that will frighten people.

And her supporters believe every word.  Worse, they would believe her even if every Planned Parenthood employee provided proof that the things Johnson claims are complete fabrications.  They would just assume it was just part of a vast liberal conspiracy.

Florida Law may Ensure that a Killer will go Free 

I commented on this tragic story a couple of weeks ago and it just keeps getting more messed up.

In this situation, it appears that a Florida law designed to make it easier for people to defend themselves by shooting someone when they feel threatened my help ensure that a 17 year old boy’s killer will be able to shoot another suspicious looking black child.  Was it so hard to prove self defense before that we needed to make it easier?

Look, people feel threatened all the time.  Often for very bad reasons.  I don’t see how making it easier for a paranoid culture to shoot someone makes any of us any safer.

And no, I’m not anti gun.  I’m anti “anyone who wants a gun should be able to have any kind of gun they want anywhere they want and we should make it legally easier for them to shoot it at other people.”

Check out what Focus on the Family is encouraging kids to hand out at School for their “Day of Dialogue.”

Basically, Focus on the Family is encouraging High Schoolers to hand these cards out to GLBT students to start a “conversation.”

Does anybody think this “conversation” will be a true dialogue where gay students can explain why they know they are gay and why they feel Focus on the Family is a hate group?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Racists Still don’t know they are Racist

The seller of an anti-Obama bumper sticker that says “Don’t re-nig in 2012” argues that her bumper stickers aren’t racist in spite of the clear reference to the word “nigger.”

She says that Obama isn’t even black, he’s mixed race.  Just like her.  She’s French, Scottish and German and she’s not offended by the term “nigger.”

Hey, I’m Irish and German so I’m mixed race too!  I’m compeltely qualfied to determine if someone with at least one black parent has a right to self identify as black!

The simple, frightening truth is this.  Racist people have such a twisted definition of what “racism” means that they can’t possibly recognize it in themselves.

The Comments on this CNN Article about the Reason Rally 

I wish I could be at the Reason Rally in Washington D.C. this weekend.  I think it is a good idea for American atheists/secularits to start shouting “we are here, we are here, we are here” until someone starts listening.   Secularism and atheism are growing in this country and most of us just want a voice in the political process – a process that currentl rejects anyone who doesn’t believe in god (or at least says it out loud).

Read the comments on this article.  They are ignorant and insulting and the same old crap atheists have been listening to for years.  Well, I’m sorry.  If only 1000 people show up at the reason rally tomorrow, that will be 1000 people who have the right to be heard – not told that Stalin is their fault.

Otters Who Look Like Benedict Cumberbatch

Everyone I know, including myself, has linked to this web page at some point in the last seven days.

That is because it is freakin’ hysterical.

It doesn’t piss me off.  I just wanted to link to it again because it features otters who look like Benedict Cumberbatch.  I will never see anything more awesome in my entire life!

OK – that pisses me off a little….