Place Yer Bets…

My little search deally thingie (particularly attentive readers might remember that I use a search deally thingie to find stuff for me, so I don’t fall into the rut of looking at the same places all the time) found me a site called “Christian Activist Pro-Life News”. It seems they cut and pasted an essay (labeled “just for catholics.org”, so it’s quite possible they stole it) titled “The Cruelty of Atheism“. Don’t feel you have to visit–unless you are the very odd reader here, you have seen every bit of their argument before–but I had to place a bet with myself, whether they even had comments allowed.

I lost. They have comments.

I couldn’t help but comment.

Alas, comments are moderated. So you, too, get to place yer bets. Will my comment get through? Just in case, here it is in its entirety: [Read more…]

Appeals Court: DOMA Unconstitutional (Next Up, SCOTUS?)

Three judges–two Republican appointees and one Democrat appointee–have issued a narrowly defined ruling, saying that the Defense Of Marriage Act unconstitutionally deprives gay men and lesbians of the rights afforded to heterosexuals. It does not address the legality of same sex marriage at a national level, but it is a start.

In celebration, a verse I wrote for New Hampshire, the first day its Civil Union law came into effect. Since that verse, NH has legalized same sex marriage; with any luck, the Supremes will put the cherry on top with federal recognition as well…

[Read more…]

Headline Muse, 5/29

He’s a tool, he’s a fool, he’s a chump
He’s the hairpiece with feet, Donald Trump.
The Donald’s a birther—
A modern flat-earther
And clearly as dumb as a stump

Headline: Blitzer and Trump go at it over Trumps ‘birther’ claims

On CNN’s “The Situation Room” Tuesday, Trump maintained that Obama’s birthplace is a matter of opinion, rather than fact.

“Everybody’s entitled to your opinion,” he said. “You know my opinion and you know his opinion and that’s fine. We’re entitled – as he said yesterday in the airplane – we’re all entitled to our opinions and he’s entitled to have his opinion. I don’t happen to share that opinion, it’s wonderful.”

Blitzer presented Trump with newspaper announcements of Obama’s birth from 1961.

Trump interrupted, “Can you stop defending Obama?”

“Donald, you’re beginning to sound a little ridiculous, I have to tell you,” Blitzer replied.

I’m crushing on Wolf just a little right now.

If I Didn’t Have God

If I didn’t have God as my guide to what’s right,
I would probably hold up a drugstore tonight—
I’d rob it at gunpoint, and then shoot the clerk,
Kill all the customers; just go berserk—
I’d take out my rage on whoever’s in sight,
All the innocent people, just getting off work…
And I’d torture a puppy, with taser or prod
Because that’s what I’d do… if I didn’t have God. [Read more…]

Great-Grand-Dad In The News

A comment yesterday points to this story, of the discovery of fossilized squid ink, which they say is essentially identical in composition to the ink of modern cuttlefish.

“The whole machinery apparently has been locked in time and passed down through succeeding generations of cuttlefish. It’s a very optimized system for this animal and has been optimized for a long time.”

This may or may not be the same story I wrote about before–if it isn’t, it’s close enough. The hook last time, though, was that they actually reconstituted some of the ink, and used it to draw an illustration of the squid itself.


I have a small bottle of sepia ink
Which I use for particular writing.
The feel of a quill-pen is special, I think,
And I find the whole process exciting.

I read in the news, of an interesting find,
Of a well-preserved cephalo-fossil
(The paleontologists gladly remind,
What we learn may be truly colossal!

See, soft-tissue fossils are rare, as a rule,
So an ink-sac was quite unexpected—
This cephalofind was the coolest of cool,
As a rock that can still be dissected!)

The scientists ground up the fossilized sac
To make ink for its own illustration—
Some see this as fitting, while others attack
It as cruel (in unique presentation!*)

Myself, as his great-great-great-great-great-great-great
Great-great-grandson, I want his return.
His repatriation to Cuttle-Estate,
To his burial inkwell—er, urn.

*Anyone who does not follow this link and read the whole thing is a complete gooberhead. Just sayin’.

Cuttlecap tip to Karen–Thanks!

Jesus Christ On A Popsicle Stick! (No, Really!)

There is nothing so distressing
As an “inadvertent blessing”
Which can leave an artist messing
With the sacramental wine
But Sebastian Errazuriz
Made a Christcicle, which sure is
Bound to piss off any purist
Who considers Christ “divine”

Is it art, or bad behavior,
Making light of our dear Savior
Though his crucifixion gave your
Life its meaning, don’t you know?—
Jesus loves you—this he shows in
How his sacrifice was chosen,
Now a popsicle, that’s frozen,
As a treat, at ten below. [Read more…]

Annular Eclipse Sunday, Western US

If you live within driving distance (this link has a map of the range of the eclipse), and aren’t already planning on seeing the eclipse, allow me to urge you to do so. An annular eclipse is so much more beautiful than a full eclipse; the quality of the light is such that the entire world seems dipped in silver, shimmering and dancing.

Unless you have the proper equipment (welder’s goggles, eclipse glasses, or a properly filtered scope of some sort), you can’t (or rather, shouldn’t) look directly at the sun. With an annular eclipse, you really don’t want to, in my opinion. Instead, find a spot in the woods, where the leaves are sparse enough to let light through, but thick enough that the light comes through in patches. This is where you want to be for the eclipse.

It will get dim, but not really dark, almost as if the sun had been blocked by a cloud. But while a cloud will diffuse the light, the eclipse transforms it. There are not beams of light; there are circlets, shining rings. As the wind moves the leaves, the circlets dance, coming together, drawing apart, larger and smaller depending on how high the leaves are. It is stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful.

And then it is gone. And won’t be back for over a decade. The last one in the US was in 1994, on May 10th–I remember it well. It was a big day. Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president of South Africa. John Wayne Gacy was executed. I remember both, but I remember them because of the eclipse.

What I’m saying is, this is a memorable and worthwhile event. Go see it if you possibly can.