I wonder if this is how homosexuals feel

I hate labels.  I hate labeling myself, but it’s usually the easiest way for people to get pretty close to my views, so for the sake of argument, we’ll call me a liberal atheist.  This is, for all practical purposes, my current location on a long road I started down about ten years ago.  I doubt this journey is done yet.  The truth is, I’m pretty sure I’ve always been this way, I just didn’t admit it to myself for a long time.  Being liberal or atheist is somewhat of a frowned upon thing here in the middle of Jesus central. 

So it’s a little lonely out here.  My wife is a bit of an over-zealous Christian (it’s the source of most of my daily drama), all my friends, most of whom are smart people, deny the fact of evolution, worship a non-existent god, and vote Republican. 

After years of denying who I really am, I did a lot of soul searching over the past 2-3 years, and finally just admitted it. 

Now I don’t seem to have a lot of friends.  Just today, the one friend who seemed to more or less share my views told me that she found Jesus.  In fairness, she’s had some rather harsh personal problems lately, and skepticism doesn’t offer much in the way of comfort during times of emotional distress. 

I suppose if the opposite were true, if I were a Christian in a land of Atheists, I could spend this time pretending God was here with me and telling him all my problems.  I suppose I could just construct an invisible friend too.

So I started wondering, when somebody realizes they’re gay, they probably have a hard time finding someone to share this with.  Parents and friends aren’t usually very receptive to that kind of news.  It’s probably pretty lonely.  I find it hard to believe that anybody chooses to be gay.  Seriously, who would consciously choose the pain that comes along with it?  The only choice is the one to stop lying to yourself and be honest about who you are.

That’s what I did.  Yea me!  The rewards of being true to myself are a little underwhelming.  Thanks for listening, my five or so readers.  I appreciate the sympathetic ear.

War

I watched a movie the other night that had some interesting facts.  Here’s a breakdown of the percentage of casualties of war that were civilians by war:

World War I: 10%
World War II: 50%
Vietnam: 70%
Iraq: 90%

That’s right.  despite 100 years of advancement in military technology, supposedly “frighteningly” accurate weapons, and the goal of “winning the hearts and minds” of the Iraqi people, 90% of all deaths related to the war were civilians.  The Iraq war killed many many times the number of Iraqi civilians than the number of American civilians killed on September 11, 2001.  Just for reference, Iraq was not involved in 9/11, they did not harbor any 9/11 terrorists, and didn’t even turn out to have the weapons of mass destruction we “were sure” they had. 

Now we’re still in a war with Afghanistan.  The death toll is not as severe as Iraq’s, but it’s still unconscionably high.  It’s entering it’s tenth year, and has officially become America’s longest war.  By military estimate, there are less than 100 Al-Queda left in Afghanistan, and less than 25,000 Taliban.  For reference, the Taliban did not attack us on 9/11.  We are there to find Osama Bin Laden, who apparently fled the country in 2002.  He’s not there, very few terrorists are there, the people don’t trust us, and over 97% of the country is still loyal to the Taliban.  They don’t want what we’re trying to give them. 

We don’t need this war, we were never supposed to be at war with Afghanistan.  We were never supposed to be at war with Iraq.  We were supposed to catch the bad guy who blew up New York.  We failed, he’s gone, and we’re mired in a senseless war.  Credit to Obama to finally ending the other senseless war (or did he?), but it’s time to end this one too.

Perhaps it’s time to say “Let’s fight terrorism by not fucking with the middle east anymore so they stop being pissed off at us for killing their civilians wholesale”. 

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/senseless-war-begins-its-10th-year-address-nation-president-barack-obama-reported-michael-moore

It’s time for peace.

Jerry Falwell was Gay

I’ve realized something lately: there’s a lot of hatred towards homosexuals emanating from organized religion.  What usually seems to happen, based on recent events, is that some religious anti-gay crusader gets caught being gay.  Seems some anti-gay senator or another was recently caught with a rent-a-boy. 

I also remember some anti-gay comics on the same site with the racist tea-party comics.  i apologize for the lack of a link, I’m just too damn lazy to look it up.  Google “comics with problems”.  The dude that wrote it knew an awful lot about homosexual orgies, and he was quite graphic about it.  If you spend that much time thinking about gay orgies, you’re gay.

So here it is.  If you’re in a religion that teaches homosexuality is wrong, and you happen to be homosexual (sorry, it’s not a choice), you feel drawn towards homosexuality and conclude that it’s some kind of evil seductive force trying to make you “sin”.  So you go on a crusade to eradicate this evil from the world.  You have to believe that people choose to be homosexual, because if they just simply are, that sort of invalidates your whole religion. 

The truth is, we heterosexuals are not drawn to what you call the “gay lifestyle”.  I’m just simply not attracted to men.  It’s not a “sin” that’s out there tempting me.  If I was, I would say so.  I would almost certainly be a better dresser too.

In short, if you’re religious, and you hate homosexuals and crusade against the “gay lifestyle”, you’re gay.  Just admit it and save a whole lot of people a whole lot of trouble.  It’s not exactly a picnic for us heterosexuals who happen to think gay people are just simply gay and should be allowed to be so.  I imagine it pretty much sucks for them though.

I mean, really.  Jerry Falwell claimed Tinky Winky (of the Teletubbies) was gay and trying to seduce children to the “gay lifestyle”.  A) it was a magic bag, not a purse and B) gay people aren’t trying to make other people gay.  They really just want to be allowed to be gay themselves.  There’s no secret agenda to turn the nation’s children gay.  Sorry. 

Then he followed up with Spongebob.  Apparently his nose looked like a dildo to him.  Yeah, I suppose it might, if you’re obsessed with dildos.  I’m sorry, but if all you can see there is a dildo and its tempting you to have sex with other men, you’re gay. 

Then we get this guy, some district attorney who is harassing a high school class president who is gay because he’s gay.  Sorry, but so are you dude.  Get over it.

Then I saw another link from a guy claiming all the recent teen suicides over bullying was brought on by themselves.  So these kids chose to have a lifestyle that brought on that level of bullying?  Right.  Dude, you’re gay. Stop making life hell for those poor kids who, unlike you, are at least honest with themselves.

Just remember, next time you see a religious homophobe, he’s gay.

Stupid is the new smart

I'm going to say this once: Evolution is FACT.
Yes, fact.  Darwin's theory was not evolution, it was the theory of natural selection.  It's a theory about how evolution works, not whether or not it happened. 
It happened.  There's overwhelming evidence for it.  It's not a theory, it's not a myth.  It's fact.  Go to a museum.
But a frightening number of people continue to refuse scientific evidence.  We glory in being stupid.  I truly fear for the direction we're heading in when creationism is considered valid science and evolution is considered a myth.  People I work with, people whose intelligence I respect, refuse evolution.  It's the intellectual equivalent of putting your hands over your ears and going "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA".
But look at who we revere these days.  We revere stupidity.  Glenn Beck.  Sarah Palin.  Christine O'Donnell.  
Christine O'Donnell with Bill Maher from 1998

O'DONNELL: You know what, evolution is a myth. And even Darwin himself -
MAHER: Evolution is a myth? Have you ever looked at a monkey?
O'DONNELL: Well then, why they -- why aren't monkeys still evolving into humans?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/25/christine-odonnell-evolution-monkeys_n_739131.html
I really don't understand how we can be this technologically advanced and still hold on to dark ages thinking so strongly. 

Dear Idiots

You attempted to turn a day of remembrance into a day of hate, bigotry and fear. 

You failed.

You took a course of action that might have increased international hate of America. 

You failed.  Your chosen political leaders have already done that years ago.

Perhaps you wanted to bring more people to Jesus.

You failed.  Portraying Jesus as a petty hateful asswipe does not help your cause, unless you want to recruit more petty hateful asswipes.

September 11 is a day to remember what makes us American.  To remember what makes America great. 

It is not hate.  It is not fear.  It is not narrow minded religious fundamentalism.  It is not our overwhelming military might.  It is not the terrible things we do overseas.

It is our freedoms.  The very freedoms that allow me to write things like this blog post without going to Gitmo.

It is our Constitution.  Or what's left of it.  May it be restored soon.

It is our tolerance.  We began as a nation of immigrants who sought freedom from racial and religious persecution. Unless you're full Native American, you are descended from immigrants, or are one yourself. 

It is our ability to see America's faults and to work to change them. 

September 11th is a day to remember that we can be better than we are, and on that day nine years ago we were.

No political posturing today.  No religious hate speech today.  Just remember those who answered the call in our darkest hour, and strive to emulate them, for they are the very best of us.

Dear Dumbass Christian F*ckhead

Yes you, dumbass Koran burning preacher.  I'm talking to you.  Fuck you.  Burn Korans, don't burn Korans, doesn't matter now, the damage is done.  The goddamn President of the United States HIMSELF asked you to back down, but apparently God put it on your heart to act like a moron racist fuckhead redneck fuck up.  Interesting God you have there. 

Yes, the damage is already done.  The bad guys have taken your words and are using them to recruit more bad guys.  They're convincing people a half a world away that America is in a holy war against Islam.  Hm, they sound kindof like you, ya know.

So thanks.  For the increased danger to our troops abroad (including one of my oldest friends), for the deaths that will occur from the elongation of the Afghanistan conflict (already our longest war EVER), for your superior skills in portraying America as a bunch of dumbass racist bigoted religious extremists to the rest of the world, FUCKIN' THANKS, DICKHEAD. 

If there was ANY doubt in my mind prior to this about the existence of God, you've finally convinced me.  There couldn't possibly be a supreme being out there watching over us all who would allow your kind of bullshit to go on in his name.  If he did, what a piss poor lame ass excuse for a god. 

Or perhaps there is a god and you really do speak for him, which explains why he hasn't reduced you to a pile of smoldering ash. Worship a narrow minded hateful childish racist bigot of a god?  I'll pass.

I'll take my chances with Atheism, thanks.

P.S. FUCK YOU DICKHEAD!

God is on our side

People throughout history have said that.  Usually as a prelude to war. 

• George Bush said it.
• Sarah Palin said it.
• Glenn Beck said it.
• Adolf Hitler said it.
• Osama Bin Laden said it.
• The list goes on…

To those who are sure God is on your side, I quote Abraham Lincoln:

Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.

"God is on our side" is a justification for atrocities.  An easy out for the horrible crimes of war, or worse.  A way to turn wars into holy wars, alleviating the need to justify the pain, suffering, and death you're about to inflict on your fellow human beings. 

I'm sick of it.

When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag an carrying a cross.

--Sinclair Lewis

For a long time now, I've disagreed with Richard Dawkins on the dangers of religion.  Sure, I've always known that religious extremism leads to atrocities, but "normal" religion, I've always believed, can be a moral compass for those that don't inherently have one.  A guide for being a better person.  A rulebook for being decent. 

But it never works out that way, does it?  Very few of the religious use their beliefs for the betterment of mankind.  The main uses of religion in modern times seems to be 1) Condemning others, 2) Justification of irrational actions and 3) an easy explanation for anything, framed in an "us vs. them" manner.  From this we get 9/11, the Iraq War, the fight against science (Evolution), the crusades, the inquisition, witch burnings, female mutilation, oppression of women, oppression of minorities, the "Ground Zero Mosque" controversy, the burning of a Mosque in Tennessee, Church burnings, lynchings, Fred Phelps, the fight against social justice, child rape, FOR FUCK'S SAKE WHERE DOES IT END?

If this is what religion means then take your God and shove him up your ass, I want no part of it.  I would be just fine if I never heard another religious dickhead in my life. 

It's crap.  It's a fairy tale for grown ups, and they believe it.  And they fuck up everything for the rest of us in the name of God/Allah/Jehovah/Whatever the fuck else we want to wank ourselves off over. 

Religion is dangerous.  Richard Dawkins was right all along, and I should've listened.  I know a little bit about the Christian Bible, and if anybody who calls themselves a Christian actually bothered to read the fucking thing, we might not be so badly off.  But no such luck. 

Religion is a tool, and it's being leveraged by scumbags and assholes to fuck up things for the rest of us.  Glenn Beck is just the latest in a long line of assholes to fuck up America in the name of God.  Is he dangerous?  Yes.  But so were the rest. 

Some religious fuckhead is going to read this and say "He's just angry at God".  Ya think?  No, dickhead, I'm angry at YOU AND ALL THE OTHER DUMBASS RELIGIOUS FUCKNUTS you fucking moron.  I can only be angry at God if there fucking IS ONE!!!  Tell you what, you pray for God to strike me down.  If he doesn't do it in one week, go shoot yourself.  Get yourself some afterlife virgins or some stupid bullshit like that.  Leave us heathen bastards alone.

I'm sick of this crap and I'm not putting up with it anymore.

Dear Glenn Beck

Have you no shame, sir?

A Dark Lonely Path

First they came for the Mexicans
And I said something this time, but nobody listened

Then they came for the Muslims
I said something again, but nobody listened.

Then they came for the progressive thinkers.
As they took me away I thought “Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything”

The civil rights movement is so much easier without all the black people

Today Glenn Beck hijacked Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy.  Assisting him were Dr. Alveda King (it's an honorary doctorate), Dr. King's right-wing niece whose claim on Dr. King's legacy more or less begins and ends with shared DNA, and Sarah Palin, right-wing shill, dumbfuck extraordinaire and half-term governor of Alaska who was nearly our vice president. 

I haven't seen anything from it yet.  I'm sure I will, but I know Glenn Beck.  He's compared himself to Dr. King, Jesus, and Ghandi.  Anybody who buys that Beck has anything in common with any of those people needs their brain examined.  These people stood for love, understanding and unity.  Beck stands for divisive politics, fear-mongering, and bizarre conspiracy theories (much like modern Christians).

In the hopes of minimizing the right-wing usurping of the anniversary of what may have been the greatest speech of the 20th century, I would like to remind everybody of what exactly Dr. Martin Luther King stood for.  I'll let him do it himself.  Please, watch this, not Beck, when deciding what Martin Luther King's legacy is.

"Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred."

Glenn, THAT is why you don't get to claim his legacy.

And just for fun: