N.J. Okays Civil Unions

All the rights, different name. New Jersey legalises gay unions

World's tallest man saves dolphins

Wow. World's tallest man saves dolphins.

There's just something about the low-tech nature of this solution that I love. Wanna talk about ingenuity, common-sense, and making do with what you got? Talk about wrapping a towel to blunt a dolphin's teeth and then sticking your arm down his throat.

True Colors of Religious Right Showing

Christian Coalition president-elect quits over agenda qualms

The Rev. Joel Hunter, of Northland, A Church Distributed, in Longwood, Fla., said he quit as president-elect of the group founded by evangelist Pat Robertson because he realized he would be unable to broaden the organization's agenda beyond opposing abortion and same-sex marriage.

He hoped to include issues such as easing poverty and saving the environment.

"These are issues that Jesus would want us to care about," Hunter said.

The resignation took place Tuesday during an organization board meeting. Hunter said he was not asked to leave.

"They pretty much said, 'These issues are fine, but they're not our issues; that's not our base,'" Hunter said. A statement issued by the coalition said Hunter resigned because of "differences in philosophy and vision."

Doing the stuff Jesus told Christians to do? "[N]ot our issues; that's not our base."

The teachings of Christ? Not their issues.

Good Question

"So How Come We Haven't Stopped It?" John Prendergast in The Washington Post asks, when will we take real action about Darfur?

Stunning Photos

A great series of nudes from Leonard Nimoy's "Full Body Project".

[Obviously, if nudity is not safe for work for you, then these images are not safe for work.]

Truer words were never spoken

But [Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney's director of communications, Eric Fehrnstrom] said the loss also "might turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Republicans. It might take a one party system for the voters in Massachusetts to see what a healthy two-party balance means for democracy.”*

Yeah, I think so. Let's just hope that applies at the national level, and we've reclaimed some of that necessary balance across the country, in the Senate, and in the House.

*Patrick makes history: Milton lawyer is first black gov. of Mass.

Vote!

Happy Halloween

from the skeletons in the closet of Parenthetically Speaking.

New Look For Parenthetically Speaking

A new look for Halloween, the upcoming election, and life in modern America -- hell-bent, it seems some days, on returning to the Middle Ages.

Images used are Medieval Macabre, a most awesome looking site, part of Gode Cookery, whom I plan to patronize at the first opportunity.

Excellent Article on Abortion

UK-specific, and well worth reading.

Time to Speak Up

(Hat tip to Medley, for furling this one. I wouldn't have seen it otherwise.)

Tell me, my invisible audience, when you read this: do you think someone could get this article published, in America today? Riddle me that.

Report from the Pragmatism and Paramecia Dept

In flu crisis, we all can't stay home: Harvard survey raises realities of a pandemic

Ask Americans whether they would hole up at home to keep from spreading a super-strain of flu, and at first they pledge to cooperate.

But probe deeper, and here come the doubts. One in 4 adults says there is no one to care for them if they got sick, raising the specter of Grandma gasping alone in bed or a single mother passed out while her children wail.

Another 1 in 4 could not afford to miss work for even a week.

And 1 in 5 fears the boss would insist they come to work even if they were sick and contagious.

This is bizarre. It's like they're surprised that people aren't all rich, living together, and/or have nannies.

No, this is America. We all work our asses off for too little money, with an ethic that demands we work no matter how bad we feel, with little to no job protection. And yes, there's a hell of a lot of elderly living alone, single moms, and just generally a lot of people out there who live alone.

Oh, and all of us with no health insurance.

Well, duh.

A Marine came home and told the truth

This war is a mistake, it's all based on lies


"This man was broken, and there was absolutely no reason for it."

Oh. My. God.

http://www.adn.com/front/story/8286643p-8181850c.html

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/061009/481/7eb4704fdb3e425aa882e15fb15d6a51


Holy flying muskrats. That's my aunt Tammy.


http://www.ktva.com/alaska/ci_4465939

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/101006/sta_20061010008.shtml

http://www.ktva.com/topstory/ci_4465773

Fiscal Irresponsibility

Deeper and Deeper

For the first time during President Bush’s tenure, the government’s interest bill is expected to rise in 2006, from $184 billion in 2005 to $220 billion this year, up nearly 20 percent. That increase — $36 billion — makes interest the fastest-growing component of federal spending, and continued brisk growth is likely. According to projections by Congress’s budget office, the interest bill will grow to $249 billion in 2007, and $270 billion in 2008.

All of that is money the government won’t have available to spend on other needs and priorities. And much of it won’t even be recycled back into the United States economy. That’s because borrowing from foreign countries has exploded during the Bush years. In 2005, the government paid about $77 billion in interest to foreign creditors in China, Japan and elsewhere.

"It means that a growing share of America’s future collective income will flow abroad, leading to a lower standard of living in the United States than would otherwise have been achieved."


The Republican Party is not the party of fiscal responsibility.

Son of a Bitch

A man walking with his young son goes up to the Vice President at a public appearance and tells him his Iraq policy is "reprehensible." He's later arrested for "assaulting" VP Cheney. Now he's suing.

And well he should. That's not assault.

The Rocky Mountain News has some things to say about it.