Obama, Osama and Matt Lauer

I think he does it on purpose.  This morning on the Today Show they ran a report on the newest search for Osama Bin Laden.  When it was thrown back to Matt after the piece he immediately said 'Obama.......excuse me...........Osama........'  and went on to talk about bin Laden. No stumbling on it, just out with it.  As if there weren't enough folks already confused about Obama's name, Matt Lauer again pairs the next President of the United States with our greatest terror enemy.   Do the Republicans pay him to do that or is he just a true believer?

BTW, thanks to D for catching this alleged 'slip'.  If she hadn't noticed it as well, I might well think I need to make myself a tinfoil hat.......

Also, BTW, or BTW Part Deux, if you haven't already, RUN to the theater to see Wall-E.  It is amazingly good.  I wouldn't recommend it for really little kids; they may be bored or scared during the first half.

AWWWWWWW

Is this the cutest thing you've ever seen, or what?

Larry Craig Moments

Before Larry Craig took his wide stance into the men's room I, as a woman, would think nothing of reaching under the stall partition to give or receive that most precious gift a women's room can bestow, toilet paper.  Women do this all the time.  Women's rooms are notoriously short on paper and if you sit before you check, as I often do, you can be in trouble.  But will this activity become suspect?  I now think twice about asking for t.p.  I am less nervous giving it when someone asks.  I can plead innocence that the question, 'Could I have some toilet paper' also means 'Can we do the sexy times' especially if I am caught with wad in hand.

Today I had my mini-Larry Craig moment.  Only it wasn't in a airport bathroom.  It was in a department store fitting room.  In taking off the shirt I was wearing, I inadvertently shot my Bluetooth ear thingie under the partition and into the fitting room next door.  Not even thinking about it I reached under to get it.  Only then did I notice that the room was occupied and the feet and the girlish giggle that occupied it were no more than 12-years-old.  Shit! I grabbed the Bluetooth, lamely apologized and, had I not been half-undressed, would probably have just nonchalantly strolled out of the fitting room area.  My thoughts were racing; what if the fitting room attendant or the security cameras saw that?  What if they think I'm perverted instead of clumsy and call the police?  One has to think about these things.

Alas, nothing happened.  I finished my business, the girl finished hers and returned to her grandmother. (Oddly the grandmother was dressed totally in black with her hair arranged in white, Pippi Longstocking pony tails; but that, while an amusing image, has no relevance to the story).  I have not been branded as the local Lorrie Craig and all is right with the world.  Makes ya' think though.....

See No Evil

I was in the checkout line at the supermarket yesterday and noticed that in addition to a couple of candy-free checkstands there was now a couple of 'Child Friendly Checkouts'.  Apparently some parents don't want their precious little snowflakes seeing the moral decay represented by magazine covers.  The store (as far as I know this is an individual store thing and not chain-wide) has printed up and laminated green signs that cover all of the magazines and state that this is, indeed, a child-friendly checkout.  Now, okay, I can live with that if the magazines they are covering up are Maxim or Playgirl but we are talking about my faves, People, OK, Star, Us Weekly!!!!

I mean, the stories are trashy and morally decayed and if I had a six-year-old I probably wouldn't want her to read them.  But the cover pictures are not really racy.  I think this is a case of too much coddling of the precious snowflakes.

On the other hand, covering up Oprah, More and AARP may not be such a bad idea. (And I know they don't sell the AARP magazine in stores.  Don't ask me how I know.)  But Oprah and Goldie and Jamie Lee, all of these women with whom I share a decade.  All looking fabulous.  Maybe some young - er - ish - middle-aged women don't want to see these beautiful women.  Maybe it makes them feel bad about themselves.  If I do say so myself I look damn good for my age but I also know when the wrinkling and sagging does set in, I don't have the money to get it repaired. So here's to the 'Young - er - ish - Middle Aged Women Friendly Checkout.'  Do you think they could fit that on a sign?

Those Good Old God Fearing Atheists

An interesting survey was published today (recently?? I just read about it today) concerning religious belief.  Seventy-five percent of people surveyed believe that heaven is a real place where good people are rewarded when they die.  Sixty percent of people surveyed believe that hell is a real place where bad people are punished when they die.  Nothing surprising here. However one out of five atheists believe in God.  Excuse me, did you just say that twenty percent of ATHEISTS believe in GOD?

This is just impossible.  Atheos, the root of atheist means 'a' = 'less' + 'theos' = God equals GOD-LESS.  How does one who identifies him- or herself as 'godless' believe in God?

Are they confused?  'Agnostic' might be a better self-designator.  Do they believe in God and just don't care?  Maybe they should try on 'apathetic' for size. What is this?

I sometimes wonder if a presidential candidate, instead of pandering to the superstitious masses, came out and said they were an atheist?  I don't believe the candidacy would last long.  Who would the candidate pray to for guidance in difficult times?  Who would the candidate thank for good times?  Why is a candidate required to express belief of some sort in God?

Here are thoughts to ponder?  Do we as Americans think that the person who we elect to office is so incompetent that only God can bail him out?  No wait, we have that now and God doesn't seem to be doing any bailing.  What about the concept of the founding fathers envisioning a christian nation?

Can we please stop conflating the Pilgrims and the Founding Fathers please......

The Pilgrims came here in 1620 looking for religious freedom, which roughly translated means to find a place where they could practice their version of religion without having to mess with folks who didn't agree with them.  They sought to escape the official state religion and to practice their religion in their own way.  So they came to America, almost died off and were saved by friendly natives who invented Thanksgiving.  End of story.

Not end of story.  Once they figured out they could survive here they immediately made their version religion the official state religion and everybody who lived in whatever village or town where the Puritans had plunked down a meetinghouse had to support said religion and said meetinghouse whether they shared the faith or not.  Dissenters like Roger Williams had to go find somewhere else to live.

Roughly 150 years, give or take a few, after the pilgrims landed along came the Founding Fathers.  The Founding Fathers were not the Pilgrims.  The Founding Fathers were wealthy, male landowners, many educated in law and other professions.  They didn't want to pay taxes to England and not have a say in what happened to them - no taxation without representation.

Long story short, they were aware of what was happening with the official church.  They were aware that people of faith were in an analogous position vis a vis the church as they were with England.  So they enshrined in the constitution the freedom of religion.  Their intent was to allow people who dissented from the official church to dissent without threat of punishment.

R.I.P.

R.I.P. George Carlin - you were one of the great ones.