Pope believes in evolution & Big Bang theory, also that the earth is not flat or the center of the universe

The first 2 (his beliefs regarding evolution and the Big Bang theory) this current Pope just let us know about as reported by Salon.com.  The last 2 (that the earth isn't flat or the center of the universe) one of his predecessors let us know about, I think in the 1950's.

Jedi Listed as Religion in Census

The Czech Republic's recent census revealed that many more people than you'd think listed Jedi as their religion.  And there's even an official website for them and their religion.

SNL re Tebow and Jesus

Just in case you missed it late on SNL this weekend they took a shot at Tebow and of course it was funny:

Palin Still Receives A LOT of Media Coverage. Why?

Again, let me get this straight, she quit her job as chief executive of her state in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression right? So again, why do people care what she has to say or "write"("write" is in parentheses because, come on, she, like any politician, had a ghost writer)? I know she has a new book out but, who cares and why? If someone could answer that I'd appreciate it and then maybe my head would stop hurting.

And check out Palin's rules for media at her book signing appearances. Apparently Palin doesn't like those non-English speaking media types.

Fake chapter titles from Palin's book (updated):

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Universe, 6,000 Years Ago, When People Walked with Dinosaurs

Chapter 2: How NOT to Teach Abstinence to Your Teen

Chapter 3: The Differences and Similarities In Answering Questions in a Beauty Contest Versus a Presidential Campaign (Miss California, I Feel Your Pain)

Chapter 4: "How to Read ALL the Periodicals Released in Alaska

Chapter 5: A Guide to Shopping on the GOP Credit Card"

Chapter 7: I Hate Katie Couric and Tina Fey

Chapter 8: How to Tell the Difference Between a Phone Call From the Real President of France and a Prank Call From a Montreal DJ

Chapter 9: All My Terrible Interviews and Awful Decisions During the Campaign Were Actually the John McCain Campaign's Fault, Seriously, I Swear

Chapter 10: It was OK For Me to Exploit Levi Johnston During the Republican National Convention By Parading Him Onstage in Front of the Media with My Daughter Who Was Pregnant with His Child at the Time.

Chapter 11: I Don't Understand Where Levi Got the Idea to Try to Get Media Attention

Chapter 12: Why Quitting as Governor of Alaska Made Sense

Chapter 13: Palin/Beck 2012, Now That's a Maverick Ticket for Real America
Some past thoughts on Ms. Palin include but, are not limited to...

- Palin on Health Insurance Reform

- Palin's farewell speech (that I'm pretty sure she wrote all by her mavericky self)

- Shatner's spoken word version of Palin's farewell speech

- Cartoon about Palin's resignation speech (again, I'm pretty sure she also wrote this one all by her mavericky self)

- Letterman vs. Palin regarding the joke about her daughter

- Chapter titles in Palin's memoir (older and a little different than the above)

(Fyi, some/most of the above is from past posts and has been added to/updated with some new thoughts given recent events. What can I tell you, I've been busy.)

What Type of Person/Politican Is Palin?

Palin doesn't do interviews with the non-Fox-news-media, at least not since some not-so-great interviews she did during the campaign. Nevertheless, in a fascinating article about Palin from Vanity Fair, Todd S. Purdum takes a shot at giving us some insight into the Palin political playbook. To paraphrase from the article in part: she is polarizing, she takes things personally and can be vindictive, she seems to take pride in her own lack of experience and her own ignorance on certain topics and lastly, you are either with her or against her.

The article made me think of her this way: to some voters out there I'm sure she's the type of lady they'd want to have a beer with, maybe even go hunting with. Remind you of anyone, maybe a recent, former governor of Texas?

Some Deity's Grumpy...

(*this is a redo of a previous cartoon updated with word ballons, enjoy.)

God 2 guys two guys achoo sneeze

FAILBLOG.ORG STRIKES AGAIN!

failblog.org is greatness. Here's an example why, "Pizza Delivery Fail":


And church procession fail with a Star Wars twist:

Would Alex P. Keaton Be for Obama?

Republican Nerds (Goldwater Republicans) for Obama?

Why are prominent Republicans turning their backs on McCain? For the individual reasons given by each, look at the links below. If I can generalize, and I will, why, en masse, have they abandoned McCain? It may be because McCain has had and still has a very weird, strained relationship with his party. In the past he has butted heads with both big wings of the Republican party. He's been crosswise with both the economic-conservative Republican "Intelligentsia," that I'll call Barry Goldwater Republicans (BGR's) and the newer religious-conservative Republicans that I'll call Pat Robertson Republicans (PRR's). (I think Alex P. Keaton would be considered BGR). There are a few self-proclaimed hybrids, proclaiming that they are equally BGR's and PRR's. But, usually they are really one or the other, just espousing the views of the other wing of the party in order to appeal to the Republican party as a whole. And when push comes to shove and the BGR's and PRR's policy goals conflict or need to be prioritized, the hybrid will act and react according to the policies of wing that the hybrid puts first.

2000 McCain seemed to be more aligned with the BGR's when he ran against W. W. was and is a good example of a hybrid, but arguably won the 2000 nomination because of his relative strength with the PRR's as compared to McCain. McCain talks fondly at times of being a Goldwater Republican and part of the Reagan revolution. Also, it is interesting to note that H.W. coined the phrase "voodoo economics" describing Reagan's trickle down tax policy when he ran against him the 1980 Republican primaries. "Voodoo economics" is the hallmark and cornerstone of the BGR's. So what happened to the BGR's support for McCain?

McCain bridged the gap with the PRR's by picking Palin. But that pick coupled with his handling or mishandling of the economic crisis and McCain's terribly run, negative campaign disillusioned and alienated the BGR's. Plus, McCain doesn't hold, "Georgetown cocktail party," Republicans (BGR's?) in very high regard, at least partially because they were not enamoured with the Palin pick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHcPXfgD4jM

McCain courted and won the support of the PRR's by picking Palin. At least some of the BGR's saw and see the Palin pick as pandering to the PRR's. Also, the BGR's apparently see the Palin pick as irresponsible given her relative obscurity and inexperience in politics and on the national stage. Strangely though, 2008 McCain still supports the tax cuts and general economic policies the BGR's hold dear yet, some of BGR's have abandoned him.

McCain is trying to be a hybrid and appeal to both BGR's and PRR's. Perhaps, the BGR's see the Palin pick as McCain, when push came to shove, putting his lot with the PRR's instead of sticking with them and their Goldwater/Reagan roots. Some of the BGR's may see McCain as switching allegiances within the Republican party. McCain was once alligned with the BGR's but, now has committed to the PRR wing of the party. And now the BGR's see McCain as putting them second to the PRR's, and they don't like it. And neither would Alex P. Keaton.

Peggy Noonan

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/3/161925/2509/510/579198

Kathleen Parker

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/06/kathleen-parker-palin-not_n_132316.html

David Frum

http://www.nationalpost.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=756704

David Brooks

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/08/david-brooks-sarah-palin_n_133001.html

Christopher Buckley

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-10/the-conservative-case-for-obama

Adelman
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/davidcorn/2008/10/a-onetime-hatespewing-redbaiti.html

George Will
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092202583_pf.html

Powell
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27265369/

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/17/obama-wins-backing-from-three-major-metropolitan-newspapers/

Again, What Are McCain & Palin "Sowing"?

someone outside of Obama's economic policy speech in Toledo. Oct. 13



image from http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/10/religulous.html



Civil Rights leader and U.S. House of Representative John Lewis recently said that McCain/Palin are, "sowing the seeds of division and hate." Rep. Lewis went on to describe the atmosphere of hate created by segregationist Governor George Wallace during the civil rights era. McCain called Rep. Lewis remarks unfair. McCain/Palin rallies have had people say that Obama is an "Arab", and yell, "terrorist", "kill him", and "off with his head". And of course there's this gentlemen above.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/13/mccain.interview/?iref=mpstoryview



Biden has warned about fringe elements that could latch onto the McCain/Palin rhetoric.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=6021550&page=1



At how many more rallies are people going to have to yell such hateful words before McCain realizes and/or acknowledges what his campaigns rhetoric is inciting? How many more people need to show up with signs like, or worse than, the one pictured above before McCain gets it? Maybe not too much longer since, apparently, Palin toned down her rhetoric.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/10/sarah-palin-ton.html



If McCain and Palin are going to stop their divisive rhetoric, good, finally. But do you really think we've heard the last from the McCain campaign regarding Obama being, "pals with terrorist" or asking rhetorical questions like, "who is the real Barack Obama"? I hope so. But, somehow I doubt it.

Postscript:

Well, I doubted it for a reason. Surrogates of McCain continue the rhetoric of divisiveness.

Take for example this person giving a blessing before a McCain rally:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws_MhRovj5E

His prayer said:

"I would also pray Lord that your reputation is involved in all that happens between now and November, because there are millions of people around this world praying to their God -- whether it's Hindu, Buddha, Allah -- that his [McCain’s] opponent wins for a variety of reasons.And Lord I pray that you would guard your own reputation, because they’re going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you would step forward and honor your own name in all that happens between now and Election Day.Oh Lord, we just commit this time to you, move among us, make your presence very well felt as we are gathered here today in Jesus's name I pray."

This is so out there, where should I start? Apparently, according to this guy, all the other gods' followers are praying Obama wins. He must have some type of dialouge with those other deities to know something like that. And so God should back John McCain so God can show up the other gods or he'll look bad at the next deity card game. Maybe he never considered that God might be in agreement with his fellow deities. Of course I would think someone like this guy would believe in only one true God, and wouldn't think the Christian God is in competition with other "lesser" gods, but I digress.

Then there's this Virginia Republican chairman who said that Obama and bin Laden both have friends that bombed the Pentagon. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dot.comments/2008/10/obama_polls_ahead.html

A New York Times article explored Obama's relationship to Ayers in detail and found that there really isn't that much there, they merely "crossed paths". http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/politics/04ayers.html

Where is McCain correcting these surrogates? Maybe McCain will only correct his surrogates and supporters when they make wild allegations in front of his own eyes and within earshot. Maybe he's flip flopped again about what is true about Obama and what is not. Remember, this the 2008 McCain that defended every political ad and talking point from his campaign as 100% true to journalists not so long ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhb41Z-Znkg

And lastly, if McCain and his surrogates think this rhetoric is going to help McCain win they must not be looking at the same polls everyone else is.

Side Note: Obama when someone boos McCain

Notice how differently Obama responds when someone just boos at the mention of McCain's name. http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/10/13/obama-urges-his-supporters-to-vote-not-boo-mccain/

Side Side Note: McCain and Glass Houses

If McCain wants to play guilt by association, and the closer and more recent the association the more guilty then, what is to be made of this? McCain's transition chief was essentially a lobbyist for Saddam Hussein. How many lobbyists does McCain have in his campaign anyway? Answer: lots.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/09/mccain.lobbying/

Now of course McCain himself wasn't a lobbyist for Saddam. But he's employing someone who was. Someone who served as an advocate for a genocidal dictator. So to be clear, McCain would hire, for his campaign, a former advocate for a genocidal dictator. Obama didn't decide whether or not Ayers would be on the board they served on. Shouldn't McCain be careful of throwing stones from his 5+ glass houses with associates and associations like this? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/14/mccain-transition-chief-a_n_134595.html

Opening Thoughts Regarding This 2008 Presidential Election

I've been talking to and emailing numerous folks about different aspects of this presidential campaign for awhile. I've been sharing links to articles or websites generally and talking about issues/opinions with friends quite a bit. I decided to centralize all that here.

For example this first post is essentially a message I sent to an old friend fleshed out some.

Why does John McCain come across as "The Penguin" played by Danny DeVito in the second "Batman" (Tim Burton's) movie?

Bottom line, these debates don't matter to Democrats. Democrats are puzzled why there are still undecided voters because if any of the following had been revealed to be true about Senator Obama or his running mate Senator Biden the campaign would be over:

1) the candidate has a teen, unwed daughter.

2) the candidate had not been out of the country or held a passport until two years ago - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/30veep.html

3) the candidate had been personally blessed against witches and witchcraft by some type of priest on camera - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwkb9_zB2Pg&feature=related

4) the candidate's spouse had been a member of an organization that at one time advocated that their home state secede from the United States of America. - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26524024/

5) the candidate allegedly believes that the earth is literally six thousand years old and people like you and me walked alongside dinosaurs. - http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-palinreligion28-2008sep28,0,3643718.story?track=rss

6) the candidate had attended a sermon, again on camera, where a guest preacher, preached that those that follow the Jewish faith need to be converted to Christianity. - http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13098.html

7) the candidate had not been able to name one newspaper or magazine the candidate reads on a daily or regular basis, and bailed out on the answer by saying “all of them”. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9go38MgZ4w8

One has to wonder what the Republican reaction would have been had any of the above been true of Senator Obama or Senator Biden.

But of course all the above is supposedly true, as reported by various media outlets, about Vice Presidential candidate Governor Palin, picked by Republican Presidential nominee Senator McCain.

Church's Billboard

Easter 2007 in Texas?