Facepalm. Hard.

Dear Atheists,

Please stop existing.  This just defies comprehension. 

Creativity

Hey!  I am really excited about this.  I am going to coin a new word!  Well, a quick Google search reveals some other instances, so perhaps it will just be a new definition for a word that is already in use.  Regardless, it is going to rock!  Ready for it?  Here we go: Nazidiot.  Pronounced "not-sid-iot".  Bam!  Definition: a person who cannot tell the difference between someone who is a Nazi and someone who is not.  Now please take my fun quiz to see if you are a Nazidiot.

Questions:

1.  Is this a Nazi?

2.  Is this a Nazi?

3.  Is this a Nazi?

4.  Is this a Nazi?

5.  Is this a Nazi?

6.  Is this a Nazi?

If you answered "yes" to any of questions 1-5, I am sorry, you are a Nazidiot.  Please seek professional help.  I know what you may be thinking: "Hey, I thought you didn't like Glenn Beck."  True, I don't, I really, really don't; but, guy's not a Nazi.  Crazy?  Arguably.  Annoying?  Definitely.  Nazi?  Nope.  Please enjoy this new addition to (or new addition to a new addition to) the English language!

All your uterus are belong to us

I wanted to write a blog entry about how invasive these "small government" conservative types are.  But Stephen Andrew at Freethoughtblogs.com preempted and outdid me with this wonderful piece.  Well said, sir.  Well said.

My two cents 2/17/2012

This isn't going to be a long entry, but a panel on contraception with no female members is complete bullshit.

I recently read this heartbreaking article from Rolling Stone magazine when my friend posted it on Facebook.  I am not going to discuss it really, I don't think there is much that I can add, it is really gut wrenching stuff.  After reading it, I posted on my friends Facebook link that, "Focus on the Family is pure fucking evil".  I stand by that statement, but I realized that other than attacking to civil rights of homosexuals, I didn't know what Focus on the Family was all about.  So, I popped over to their website.

It truly is an impressive monument to face-palmistry.  Naturally, the first place I went was to the marriage section, hoping for some nice red meat.  I was not disappointed.  Looking over the list I immediately spotted the "sex and intimacy" section.  If you mouse over that link it will bring up a list of topics ranging from "understanding your husbands sexual needs" to "God's design for sex."  The latter goes on to explain that, "For Christians, sex is a big thing because it's a big thing to God."  I am sure that the creator of the universe, the Alpha and Omega, gives a crap about your sex life.  Not only does he give a crap, he probably disapproves.  Notably missing from the sex and intimacy section was anything on understanding your wife's sexual needs. 

Anyhow, like I said, there is a lot to kvetch about over at Focus on the Family.  I could go on, but why spoil your fun.  Check it out.  Warning: you might want to have a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster on hand.

A good decision

Thank you to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for swallowing its pride and making the right decision. 

Angry

Atheists have a bad reputation for being angry.  Just the other day I was talking to a friend and the subject of religious fundamentalism came up.  About ten seconds in, my friend brings up that he can't stand atheists, they are so angry and always trying to force their views on other people.  I listened patiently for a while before revealing that I was an atheist.  That was fun to watch.

Truthfully, I have not met any "angry" atheists.  I am sure there are some people out there who are angry most of the time and also happen to be atheists, but the great majority of atheists I have met have been fun and genuinely caring people.

All that aside, today I am an atheist who is angry (correlation only).  The source of my anger is Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  The pink ribbon people.

Before I go further, I would like to say that I have nothing but respect for the foundations efforts in the battle against breast cancer.  What I can't respect is there decision to cut their funding for breast exams to Planned Parenthood, an organization that always seems to be at the forefront of women's health issues.

I also don't buy their reasoning.  According to a statement on Komen's website in response to the furious reaction of so many to this decision:

To support this new granting strategy, Komen has also implemented more stringent eligibility standards to safeguard donor dollars.  Consequently, some organizations are no longer eligible to receive Komen grants.

...

We regret that these new policies have impacted some longstanding grantees, such as Planned Parenthood, but want to be absolutely clear that our grant-making decisions are not about politics.

So why is it that Planned Parenthood no longer meets Komen's eligibility standards?  Apparently, Komen's board decided last year that they wouldn't support any organization that was under official investigation.  As it would happen, Planned Parenthood is under investigation by Representative Cliff Stearns of Florida.  He is an anti-choice Republican, and as you know, Republicans hate Planned Parenthood (my irony meter flipped out when I read that he is also trying to increase privacy protection for Americans).  According to this article, the president of Komen, Elizabeth Thompson, didn't know of any organizations other than Planned Parenthood that would be affected.  So it seems that to act surprised and say that they are just following their standards that they hold everyone to is a load of crap.  It seems far more likely that this restriction was put in place specifically to distance themselves from Planned Parenthood.

The faux-surprise expressed in that statement is also irritating in that if it were genuine it would mean that Komen, a $400 million charity, lacked any sort of PR savvy.  How could they not expect a backlash to cutting funding for breast cancer screenings from someplace like Planned Parenthood that is constantly under attack from forces that are virulently (and inexplicably) against proper women's healthcare.  How are people to believe that this was not Komen caving to bullying from these anti-choice groups.


Anyhow, that is my little rant for today.  Planned Parenthood is accepting donations directly for breast cancer screening.  There are also some nice petitions to sign.