Wednesday, October 04, 2006

In the News

There was an article in the paper this morning reporting that the Pope is going to do away with Limbo. As far as I'm concerned, he can do away with The Swim, The Watusi and Hip-Hop, while he's at it.

Okay, okay. As I umderstand it, limbo is the place where stillborn babies go, instead of going straight to heaven. That seems a bit harsh to me, but then, who am I to question someone's religious beliefs, even if they appear to be negotiable?

This move is supposed to make it easier to convert Africans and Asians to Catholicism, because their religions hold that stillborn babies go to heaven non-stop. Somehow, I don't think it's going to be that easy. There will still be a couple of big stumbling blocks, namely Muhammed and Buddha.

And, that's all I have to say about that. Don't worry,I'm not about to criticize the Pope. If my commenters can get all bent out of shape over my relatively mild comments about Calista Flockhart, I'd hate to read what they would have to say if I dissed the head of the Catholic Church.

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In another story, we see that Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro church claiming to be Baptists, in Topeka, Kansas, has decided to picket the funerals of the little girls killed in the Amish school in Pennsylvania.

The daughter of Fred Phelps said, "Those Amish people, everyone is sitting around talking about those poor little girls — blah, blah, blah — they brought the wrath upon themselves," Phelps-Roper said, adding that the Amish "don't serve God, they serve themselves."

Since 2005, this group has been picketing the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan with signs reading, "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "Thank God for IEDs (improvised explosive devices)", all the while shouting at the grieving parents. Phelps and his crowd say that the soldiers represent a nation tolerant of homosexuality and their deaths are God's punishment.

Picketing funerals of soldiers is bad enough. But,one wonders what kind of twisted minds could concieve of the notion that there's any good reason for picketing the funerals of the children of these gentle Amish people whose only wish is to be left alone to live their lives and bury their dead in peace.

And, now, they've agreed to not protest the funerals in exchange for a full hour of radio time. Phelps and his unholy bunch is proof that you don't need guns to be terrorists.

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A mother in Georgia wants to ban the Harry Potter books as an "evil" attempt to introduce children to the Wiccan religion. Sigh. Here we go, again.

I suppose the next thing you know, we'll be banning Shakespeare, because witches appear in so many of the plays.

This is the same community in which the library was talked into getting rid of all spanish language books because they might be read by illegal immigrants.

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And, mercifully last, Los Angeles County officials want to find out which septic tanks in the Malibu area are leaking human waste, and fouling a stretch of the coast. To prove they are serious, they are willing to do DNA testing to find out which stars have leaky septic systems.

A Public Works official has been quoted as saying, "This could get messy."

I'd call him a master of the understatement.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm just glad that most folks view these people as wackos. I'd hate for us all to think this nonsense was OK.

The thought of any funeral being picketed just makes me sick.

gawilli said...

I'll pass on the Pope, too.

The nuts from Kansas were in Kentucky last week for the funeral of a soldier. We lost a boy up here last spring and they showed up here also. Terrorists they are.

That Georgia community sounds like a tough place to grow up in, or not.

Jay said...

I really don't think this Polka lovin' Pope will be able to just Waltz in there and do away with Limbo. I know he thinks he can just Twist a few arms and it will be a Cakewalk. But, I'm telling ya, there will be a Conga line of protesters over this whole Fandango. And then the Jig will be up.

F&W said...

And then there'll be a Rhumba in the bronx! (okay, I'm stretching it...)

Picketing funerals? I've never even heard of such a thing. How horrible!

Annie said...

Okay, I wish I was as clever as Jay. He said everything I wanted to say.

Oh, and I agree that the Fred Phelps folks are up to no good.

Annie said...

Okay, I wish I was as clever as Jay. He said everything I wanted to say.

Oh, and I agree that the Fred Phelps folks are up to no good.

Anonymous said...

All those years I spent praying for the little babies in limbo . . . and now limbo is no longer! I think my prayers worked! I wonder if he'll declare heaven and hell gone too. It would make things a lot easier.

It's a shame that Fred Phelps still walks the earth and those little girls are gone. Where is the justice in that!

I didn't think that celebrities used toilets.

Anonymous said...

We don't get too many religious loonies here in the UK. You folks seem to be up to your necks in them. The Amish seem harmless enough, but even they say that the murder of their little girls is 'God's will'. I think that I can well do without such a God !

Kell said...

I bet even other Baptists are sickened by that Phelps group. It amazes me anyone would agree with them, let a long give them free air time to spout their hatred and ignorance.

I'm moving to New Zealand and raise sheep.

Ginnie said...

Just reading your list makes me shake my head in wonder...any one of the items is bad enough but all of them, that's a mindboggler. Where is this country heading?

Newt said...

Ok, yeah, I have to admit, I read harry potter and now I am evil, I travel by broomstick, and I tend to turn people that annoy me into toads. So what is the problem here?

And so does this whole problem in Malibu mean that some fancy pants star's shit really does stink? Uh oh, someone's 15 minutes are up.

Maya's Granny said...

I wonder if the Patriot Guard Riders offered to show up and deal with the Phelps crew? How would the Amish feel about that? Probably not good, so who could defend them? I guess we need to be glad that they were bought off.

mouse said...

That Phelps guy is a nut. If he protested a funeral of any of my family members I would shot him and just go to jail for it figuring I did the world a favor.

The crazy lady in GA doesn't represent us all, in fact as you could see she was standing alone in front of the school board fumbling all over her words. Seems she needs to do some reading, maybe Harry Potter to help her vocabulary.

mouse said...

Should have said shoot him, my finger forgot an "o".