Open Thread–1/14/2011

 Posted by at 11:47 am  Open Thread, Personal
Jan 142011
 

Posts are running late today, because I overslept and I had to go out to run a couple errands, but I am caught up on comments.  I plan to spend the weekend celebrating the holy days in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb: The Rite of Conference Semifinals.  I still feel like crap, but not quite as bad as yesterday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today, it took me 4:47 (average 5:20).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From BBC: David Kernell, 23, was found guilty last year of illegally accessing Mrs Palin’s e-mail during the 2008 presidential campaign.

At the time, a judge suggested he should serve his year-long sentence in a halfway house.

But after intervention from US government officials he is now in federal prison, the BBC has learned.

Although I am in no way condoning this man hacking into a private email account, had he done it to a Democrat instead of to Sarah “Blood Libel” Palin, he would be in a halfway house.

From Americans United: A Tennessee county’s preference for Christianity in its courthouse displays violates the U.S. Constitution, according to a federal lawsuit filed today by Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Americans United, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group, is challenging the Johnson County Commission’s decision to display the Ten Commandments and Christian literature in the courthouse lobby while refusing to display a local man’s posters about the historic role of church-state separation in American law.

As a Christian, I support the AU position.  There is justification for the Ten Commandments in a court house, as long as it is in the company of other historical legal documents, but allowing Christian literature while refusing literature espousing different views, violates the establishment clause.

From Think Progress: The tragic shooting in Tucson last weekend has sparked a host of proposed legislative responses, but none is as hare brained as Rep. Louie Gohmert’s (R-TX) idea to allow members of Congress to pack heat inside the Capitol Building, and even when on the House floor.

Only professional security personnel should be armed on the floor of Congress and mentally instable people should be forbidden to carry firearms.  These are ywo reasons Gohmert should not be allowed to pack heat.

Cartoon:

Steve Sack

TGIF!

Share

  6 Responses to “Open Thread–1/14/2011”

  1. 5:13 🙁 I thought I had a chance to move up. Now only 3 for 14.

  2. Tom, I have to say I am now a former Christian. After 55 years as a church organist – choir director, sitting on an organ bench every Sunday, I can simply no longer drink Christianity’s brand of Kool-Aid and now practice Buddhism. But in all fairness, if they want to post something in public places, why not the Beatitudes instead of the 10 Commandments? Quick now, don’t stop to think about it, how many Christians can actually recite all of the 10 Comandments?

    • Charles, we’re talking specifically about a courthouse.here. The reason I said the Decalogue would be appropriate in that venue is that they are the foundation of an ancient legal code. At SCOTUS they are pictured with the Code of Hammurabi.

  3. I’ve had my email account hacked and the person that did it isn’t in federal jail!

    Yeah, here’s the thing: having the 10 Commandments in any public building was deemed unconstitutional several years ago, so you don’t get to have it both ways.

    Louie Gohment not only talks like Gomer Pile but he’s just as big of an idiot as he is. Besides, the shootings didn’t take place in the halls of Congress, dumass. There’s been all kinds of crazy ideas about shooting of Congressmen/women floating around there after the shoot of Rep. Giffords, but his has to be one of the dumbest. Besides, how’s she going to shoot someone after she’s been shot point blank in the back of her head. Next guess, Goummer. 🙄

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.