Other Work has kept me from posting over the weekend, but I thought I'd just toss a few kernels of corn to all you lovely pigeons!
- The latest entry in the "Dumbass Utterances from Texas SBOE Members" Sweepstakes: An article at the Texas Tribune informs us that not only is the SBOE incompetent at determining curricula and separating their personal political and religious agendas from the educational needs of children, but they're also ineptly managing the Permanent School Fund, a $23 billion endowment that basically pays for the state's schools. Hardly anyone on the SBOE has experience with this level of financial management, and among their idiotic decisions was to hire consultants, against the advice of the Texas Education Agency, who were not only poorly ranked but actually being sued by the town of Fairfield, CT, for losing the town's entire pension fund to Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme! Responding to criticisms that the SBOE didn't know their asses from their elbows, the board's dimwit du jour David Bradley actually tried to argue...well, I'm not sure what the fuck he's arguing. Either he's arguing that it's perfectly okay for unqualified people to do jobs better suited to qualified people, or the exact opposite. Either way, it's Argument Fail By Bad Analogy for $1000, Alex: “If you sit on the mental health commission, do you have to be retarded? If you sit on the [Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission], do you have to be a drunk?” No no, David, the SBOE has a lock on the "drunk retard" quota, don't worry.
- Oh dearie dearie me! Some unscrupulous soul has either planted malware on the computers over at the Christian Worldview Network, or just spoofed their email. You remember them, Brannon Howse's House of Lunacy, where they never met a persecution complex or conspiracy theory they didn't like — especially both in combination. Well, I haven't been getting their newsletters for a while, and I figured they'd learned I was a godless baby-eating hellbound librul socialist communist Marxist whatever who simply subscribed so he'd have all manner of material for blog snarkage, and deleted me. It's a fair cop. But imagine my glee to see an email from them today, only to discover, when I opened it, this:
Aww, boo! Boring! When I checked the link (out of curiosity, mind you), it was really nothing but the most mundane spam. I mean, it really should have been gay hentai! That would have been the most delicious cosmic justice for old Brannon!
- In the wake of Scott Roeder's murder conviction, news is making the rounds that some people aren't too happy about it. I imagine you can guess who. Thing is, I'm puzzled by the who-cares obviousness of the headline "Roeder conviction angers anti-abortion militants." So basically, a bunch of domestic terrorists are angry that a domestic terrorist is going to prison for an act of domestic terrorism. Yeah, so? I'm quite sure al Qaeda gets a little peeved whenever we blow up one of their top guys too. Does that warrant its own news coverage? How about "Crackheads angry over crack dealer conviction"? Not anyone's problem but their own, you know? I'm just sayin'.
"If you sit on the mental health commission, do you have to be retarded? If you sit on the [Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission], do you have to be a drunk?"
ReplyDeleteIt took me a while to understand how that could be a statement in favor of the SBOE. It's because drunks and retards have direct experience with the subjects. But damn, you'd think the fucking COMPTROLLER could be given some authority with regard to finances.
As for the email, are you implying that cartoon porn is somehow more offensive than regular porn? Are you judging me for liking the completely implausible hair colors and the slightly absurd amount of effort put into the plot of Hentai flicks? :)
The Rev. Donald Spitz, of Chesapeake, Va., who runs the Army of God Web site supporting violence against abortion providers...
ReplyDeleteWhat can I even say to this. I mean honestly.....I can do no more than just shake my head in incredulity and despair.
Does the irony of The Rev. Donald Spitz followed by supporting violence not strike these people as problematic?
The very man who, if he existed (not saying he did not), would have been against this, is the person who's name makes up the first half of their religion.
Unbelieveable.
How about "Crackheads angry over crack dealer conviction"? Not anyone's problem but their own, you know? I'm just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteLack of consumer choice affects us all, Martin. ;)
"The very man who, if he existed (not saying he did not), would have been against this, is the person who's name makes up the first half of their religion. "
ReplyDeleteOh please, can we get over the good PR campaign Jesus has had? This is the guy who beat a bunch of chachka peddlers with a scourge, promised divine torture against the affluent and lawyers and promised most people would wind up in hell. Yet's not pretend he was Mr. Miyagi.
"ut "Crackheads angry over crack dealer conviction"? Not anyone's problem but their own, you know? "
ReplyDeleteNAMBLA members shocked and outraged over arrest of local pedophile
"Bill Thompson was one of our main recruiters in the 7th district! He was our front line, our go to man! Whose going to take up his post at the elementary school now? Why won't someone think of the children!?"
In all seriousness, I think it's good the papers are reminding people "HEY HE'S NOT A LONE NUT, THiS IS HIS RELIGION WHICH NOT ONLY TOLD HIM ITS OK BUT STILL THINKS ITS OK WAKE UP!"
Hell, I think the state should investigate what support the guy had. DId someone in his church sell him the weapon? provide the shells? Help with the layout? Can they be brought in on Rico?
Oh please, can we get over the good PR campaign Jesus has had? This is the guy who beat a bunch of chachka peddlers with a scourge, promised divine torture against the affluent and lawyers and promised most people would wind up in hell. Yet's not pretend he was Mr. Miyagi.
ReplyDeleteQuoted for truth.
"Some fear Scott Roeder’s guilty verdict will embolden others to violence "
ReplyDeleteHow about that logic. Extremists are so outraged that a murderer would be sent to prison, that it may drive them to extremist acts.
If we would just show them leniency*, they would do less of it. I wonder if these same people would support application of the same policies toward Al-Qaeda conspirators...
It is very difficult for me to avoid making the straw man "if we let them get away with it, they won't do it" characterization, right now.
"No no, David, the SBOE has a lock on the "drunk retard" quota, don't worry."
ReplyDeleteLOL
"Oh please, can we get over the good PR campaign Jesus has had?"
ReplyDelete+1
If he existed, Jesus was an apocalyptic crackpot raving that the end of the world was nigh and that Yahweh was going to destroy the Romans. If he had been a peaceful Dalai Lama type there would not have been a crucifixion. He was probably a dangerous radical, the kind which modern so-called Christians would have no problem imprisoning or executing.
How about that logic. Extremists are so outraged that a murderer would be sent to prison, that it may drive them to extremist acts.
ReplyDeleteIf we would just show them leniency*, they would do less of it.
Thomas, that right there is the definition of terrorism: Don't do what we want, and we'll hurt people. Punish us for our crimes, and we'll hurt even more people, and then go on hurting people till you do what we want. So just do what we want already.
Difference between Scott Roeder and Osama bin Laden? Roeder is too bald to need a turban. That's about it.
I am happy to have the people still backing up Roeder or excusing his crime called by their name : terrorists. People seem to think terrorism is exclusively Muslim. Sadly, like fundamentalism they don't have the monopoly on that.
ReplyDeleteI contest your statement's Martian. As a willingly bald man I assure you those without the added insulation need head coverings even more.
ReplyDeleteWell, Roeder sure needed a lot more tinfoil.
ReplyDeleteJust got this today:
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that you received an e-mail from Worldview Weekend on the evening of Monday night, February 1st with a link to an inappropriate site. We were hacked and an e-mail was sent to our list. It only went to 18,000 of our list of nearly 200,000. We stopped it as soon as we found out about it and we have changed all our passwords and implemented even more security to an already advanced system. No data was stolen nor was it even able to be viewed. The hackers were only able to send this e-mail. They were not able to get to any of our data.
Please do not unsubscribe from our list. We have fixed this issue and we are constantly updating our security. This is the first time this has ever happened in our 17 years. Please pray for us at Worldview Weekend. As we take more stands for truth, this is to be expected. Thank you again for your partnership with us and trust in us.
Sincerely,
Brannon Howse
President & Founder
Worldview Weekend
Worldviewtimes.com
Christian Worldview Network
"Crackheads angry over crack dealer conviction"
ReplyDeleteBWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
PS You're meant to pray that they don't get hacked again!?!?!? SERIOUSLY?!?! Come ON! I can't believe some of the mundane shit they think "god" should worry about!!! Holy balls!! That is so ridiculous!!
I also love that it's their stance on "truth" that caused them to be hacked. Like only people who do that get spam hacked. ::sigh::
@ Jennifer Jupiter
ReplyDeleteHow do you know they weren't specifically targeted? Maybe the hackers, or "l33t h@x0rz" were flipping through the farmer's almanac and they saw the entry:
it is, (Telling it like) - See "Worldview Weekend"
"
ReplyDeletePS You're meant to pray that they don't get hacked again!?!?!? SERIOUSLY?!?! Come ON! I can't believe some of the mundane shit they think "god" should worry about!!! Holy balls!! That is so ridiculous!!"
Bender: God huh, Wow people must ask you for stuff all the time
God: yes but there are so many asking for so much...after a while you learn to just tune it out.
Yes, the analogy would apply if someone recommended a convicted embezzler be in charge of the funds. The idea that you'd have someone truly competent handle the funds would be more analogous to saying, "If you sit on the mental health commission, do you have to be a credentialed psychologist? If you sit on the TABC, do you have to be an Addiction Medicine Specialist?"
ReplyDeleteSaying that people doing X job should have demonstrated _competence_ with X job is not the same as saying they should have experience in mishandling X job.
I have to agree with Martin--it's an epic fail for analogies.
Also, just to add to what I commented at the other post on this issue: Groups that advocate and encourage terrorism and social violence need to share some of the responsibility and be held to account for this as well. It's one thing to be against X--but to tell people that it's OK or good to go out and get violence about it? Egging on an unstable person to harm others, is, in itself, something I'd be willing to hear arguments for on behalf of criminalization. I know that there are some situations where you can be held to account for that. I wonder what protects people in the case of Roeder's actions?
ReplyDeleteI think lumping the crackheads in with homicidal lunatics is a bit harsh. After all, most just want to make an exchange with their dealer, not kill other people. :)
ReplyDelete