Praying 4 You On A Mac

I went googling in an attempt to locate a Mac utility to help me grab and format urls (for uploading to my blog) and I ended up at Apple.com. While there I accidentally stumbled onto this disturbing little gem. It's a piece of freeware called I am Praying 4 You 1.5.

My first thought was, "Jezus H. Krist on a log!! Can’t they leave anything alone? Must the Goders try to spoil everything? Argghh!!!"

Evidently, the answer is yes, they must.

Theists (or their enablers) have come up with new software to aid in promoting their delusional life choices. Even worse, they're giving it away for free on the Internet!! (Watch out kids!)

Here’s the description from the Apple download directory. This is not a joke. Seriously.

I am Praying 4 You 1.5

About I am Praying 4 You Allows you to participate in a praying community. Once you have it installed in your computer, you will be able to post, retrieve and pray for prayer requests. You will also be notified when somebody prays for you. In the same way that you keep in contact with your friends using Instant Message software, the I am Praying 4 You community uses internet technology to connect members with their prayer requests and prayers. This software will provide you with the options to send prayer requests, retrieve prayer requests, and be notified when somebody from the community has prayed for you. I am Praying 4 You holds a community of praying Christians with the only purpose of praying for each others’ prayer requests. What’s New in this Version - You can pray at any time for anyone in your contact list. - You can put a prayer request in a Diary to pray repeatedly for it later. - Access to your request history. - You can now say “Thank you” to the ones who pray for you. - While seeing a prayer request you can now choose between praying for, skipping, or ignoring it. I am Praying 4 You

System Requirements * Mac OS X 10.3 or later * Internet Connection Download Details Company: OopsClick Version: 1. Post Date: December 13, 2007 License: Freeware File Size: 4MB

And as if this wasn’t bad/sad/crappy enough, there's others. I did a search for the word “pray” on the Apple site and got additional hits. Behold....

(note: this widget is listed under the “just for fun” section. wheeee!)

Rosary Widget

About Rosary Widget

Start praying the rosary everyday and your life will never be the same again. I was challenged to pray the rosary everyday for a week and if that was the best week I have had in a long time then I would pray it for a month straight. By the end of that month I was convinced that I never had to worry again just as long as I said my daily rosary. I could not calculate how much I have been converted, but I know taking that challenge was the best move of my life.

Download 636K

Download Details

* Company: Chi Rho's Playing Cards
* Version: 1.0
* Post Date: November 12, 2007
* License: Freeware
* File Size: 636K
* URL Type: Download
* Download ID: 16118
* Mac OS X 10.4 or later

And for the Muslims here’s this utility...lest they lose track of the squat hour. (Btw, what is the hello is the "Athan" sound?)

Prayer Times

About Prayer Times

List of your city prayer times in your Dashboard make you informed any time about any prayer time. For the first time you need to download your city information from the Internet, after that your location information will be stored in your widget. Athan sound is supported and it is optional, even if you enable it you can stop the Athan sound while it is playing with a “Stop Sound” button appear at the bellow of the widget. Note: this button will appear only if the sound is playing.

Umm Al-Qura Committee, University Of Islamic Sciences, Karachi, North America, Muslim World League, and Egyptian General Authority of Survey are supported for “Fajr” and “Isha” prayer times. Shaffi and others (like Hanafii) is supported also for “Asr” player time.

And Finally “Daylight Savings Time” is optional to choose but it is not automatically selected in beta version. Note: if your country use “daylight save time” you have to selected it in the daylight saving sessions.

— Mohammed S. Al-Rokayan
(alrokayan.com)

And if praying, chanting and counting beads won't completely satisfy your primitive urges then maybe what you really want is to BE a god. If so, here’s the game for you!

Black & White / Creature Isle 1.1.9

About Black & White

A god game. Packed with strategy, it gives you control of the destiny of an entire world. You must use your godly powers to rule over and look after your people. As you do so they pray to you and worship you more and more, and you use this power, this belief to carry out miracles and to extend your influence over the world. Black & White and/or Creature Isle expansion pack Features: - Black & White: A Devine Mac OS X Experience - May the Best Monster Win: Black & White: Creature Isle

Genre: Simulation

*sigh*

ps. I never did find the utility I was looking for so if anyone can suggest a Mac utility or site, please share.

~~~~*~~~~

My Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature

"Mercedes Benz"

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town?
I’m counting on you, Lord, please don’t let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town?

Everybody!
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends,
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
Lyrics by Janis Joplin

So, as I mentioned on a previous blog, I was watching tv the other night and ran across an infomercial by the Reverend Don Stewart. He was offering his Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature free to the public. All I had to do was call into his 800 number and say my name and address S-L-O-W-L-Y and repeatedly, spelling it over and over, to an automated system which sounded like it was geared for "special" people. And by special I mean retarded.

Still, I wanted that Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature from God, so I persisted.

Three days later my BGHSTPMHF arrived in the mail. I was thrilled.

I ripped open the envelope with glee and discovered a lovely 7” x 7” square of Bible green poly/cotton cloth folded neatly into thirds. Just to show that it was meant for me personally, it had a white label attached. The label was neatly typed and had my name, home address and a command to -- “Write the amount of money you need here $_______.” There was another line below that and beneath this line, another command to “Sign your name here, claiming Matthew 18:19.” Wow, miracles AND interactive mail. Oh joy!

The two page letter on (legal sized paper, I might add) that came with my Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature gave further and more detailed instructions. It said I was to “write your name....and the amount of money you need to pay all your bills or other needs” on the Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature.

I was a little confused by these instructions since my name (err, alias) was clearly printed on the label already. Even worse, I wasn’t sure how much all my bills totaled, since the last time I added them all up was a couple years ago when I applied for food stamps. (Which I got btw! A whole $10 worth. Thanks Texas!) So, just to be safe, I wrote in $1,000,000,000.

Next, the instructions said I was to “touch your forehead with the Hanky.” (Yes, it really said “Hanky.”) According to the letter, this was the "touch point for healing.” Excited, I slapped it to my forehead, anxious for the fixin’ to begin. (I’m still waiting, fingers crossed.)

The third step said I was to put the Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature in my billfold or check book or something that “represents your finances” and leave it there for “TONIGHT ONLY!” And because the Apostle Don Stewart must think my need for healing may involve reading comprehension or short-term memory loss or at the least, eye problems, the instructions also said in bold all caps “ONE NIGHT ONLY!” This (among other things) was repeated several times in the letter, often circled in green ink. Sheesh, I gets it already!

The fourth step in receiving “God’s Abundance and Healing in my life” was to, “first thing in the morning,” put the Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature in the self-addressed envelope and return it to Apostle Don so he could “anoint it with oil” and send it back to me with The Prophecy. He likewise stressed over and over that, under no condition, was I to keep the Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature. No, I was to return it ASAP, so as not to break the flowing of “God’s Spirit” from Apostle Don Stewart’s “Secret Place of Prayer” to me. Only one word came to mind when I envisioned Apostle Don’s “Secret Place” and the word was “ICKY!” Well, maybe two words, “ICKY” and “NOOOO!”

The last step to receiving Healing and big Miracle bucks from heaven was for me to give to a donation to God via Apostle Don. He called on me to “sacrifice” by sending God my “best”--best $30, $50, $100 or $500 that is. I was to give my best, even if my best, was my last penny. Ouch!

The final enticement to heavenly sacrifice and the resultant blessings, was the addition of a Green Prosperity Prayer Page form. It had 6 lines I was supposed to fill in with what I wanted Apostle Don to pray for me to receive. I was bedazzled by the possibilities. Oh gosh, where to start? An accessible minivan? More money? Fame? A new spine? Equal length legs? For the snickering and pointing to stop? Or maybe something big, like World Peace? or the end of Spam? Hmmm. Choices, choices.

On the flip side of the Prayer Page were numerous testimonials by people who had received miracles from God after sending in their Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature (and sacrifice of $$, of course). My favorite one was from Elizabeth who said --


“I received $113,000.00 and a brand-new Mercedes Benz when I made a Vow.”

Oh my Gawd! Now I see that miracles really do happen, if you only believe...and call Don Stewart’s 800 number to receive your Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature!

Praise Bee!

OR click here for your very own free Bible Green Prosperity Handkerchief with special Touch Point Miracle Healing feature OR you go to www.donstewarttv.com


Hint: All aliases accepted on online form. (ie. DON'T USE YOUR REAL NAME FOR CRAPS SAKE!!)

OR you can write to the Apostle Don Stewart at the address below.

God's Master Plan

What is God’s master plan? This is a question hotly debated by millions of people for thousands of years. It has caused religions to splinter and nations to war because each thought only they had the right answer to the question. On a personal note, it is the question which ultimately cracked the wall of my own mental imprisonment and set me free from my slavery to theism.

Now, no longer does humanity (or at least North American humanity) have to ponder the question of God’s master plan, because The Apostle Don Stewart will reveal the answer for a mere $19.99 a month!

Quoted text clipped from
https://www.donstewarttv.com/GodsMasterPlan/WhatisGodsMasterPlan/tabid/4458/Default.aspx

“This program contains many truths God has given to me in over 40 years of ministry. I have worked personally with thousands of people with needs and problems in their lives. God has used me to help many of them find the answers they were looking for.

So I understand your situation. I have walked where you walk. I know the problems, hardships, worries and burdens you have to deal with, and I believe God has shown me a way to be victorious and live a full and happy life.

That’s what this program is all about.

When you subscribe to the God’s Master Plan program for a suggested monthly donation of $19.99, you will gain access to portions of my web site that are available to God’s Master Plan members only.

Each week there will be a different devotional that I have personally written to help you receive your miracle.

Every month, you will be e-mailed a special unlocking key to another part of my book, God’s Master Plan for a Better Life. You can download that section to print, read on your computer or if you prefer, listen to it as an MP3 download.

I have worked harder on this Program than almost anything else I have ever done. The truths I am including in these pages are very precious to me. I want to share them with you because I know they will help you. In just twelve months this program can revolutionize your life and change your world…for the better. I believe your life will be different from this day forward, as you experience God’s Master Plan.

Don Stewart

* A password to view the God’s Master Plan only parts of the Don Stewart website.


* A weekly devotional message directly from Don Stewart exclusively for God’s Master Plan members.


* A special unlocking key sent each month for twelve months, which will unlock another portion of Don Stewart’s book God’s Master Plan for a Better Life, which you can print, read on your computer or even download in an audio version to listen to as an MP3. Read by Don Stewart!

* Receive special messages and e-mails from Don Stewart.

* Receive a personalized membership card in the mail that proves you are following God’s Master Plan.


Create a member account. Step 1 of 2

Email:
Username:
Password:*

Unlike some of the other sites I have blogged about in the past, this one is NOT a joke, satire or parody of religion. It is teeth gnashingly FOR REAL. I shit you not.

I saw this guy, Don Stewart, on a late night infomercial...Not a Sunday morning prayer show, not a tear-jearker-healing-4-bucks religion TV channel show. No, the Apostle Don show was airing on BET in a Paid Advertising slot as an infomercial. I repeat, I am NOT kidding. This is an example of theism at it’s best (worst) -- preying on the poor, the disabled, the ignorant, the desperate FOR MONEY.

Rack it up as one more reason to be an atheist. Or at least distance yourself from religion(s) as far as possible.

ps. Step 2 of 2 on Don’s master plan sign up page requires you to provide a credit card number. Evidently, God accepts mastercard, visa and discover card. How swell.

~

"But for the grace of God....”

How many times have you been watching TV news and they interview someone who almost died -- in a car wreck or bus crash or gun shot or fall or some “act of God” like a flood, tornado, etc., -- and the person gives thanks to God or Jesus? Some times the person has lost a limb or an eye or a loved one but survived, just barely. Yet no matter how horrific the event, still the survivor will inevitably utter those famous 6 words; “But for the grace of God...” and then go on to say how if the bullet had just been 1 worm’s hair to the right or the rescuer a teeny-tiny bit slower to pull him/her out of the rubble of the double-wide, they would have died. And this means God or Jesus was “there” for them. Whenever I hear somebody say this phrase or the other one about how God must have a “reason” and a purpose for them and that’s why He saved his/her life, I just laugh. I can’t help it. I giggle. And no matter how many times I hear some one say it, it’s just as funny as the first time I heard it.

I just love that joke.

I mean, it’s got to be joke, right? Who would actually be crazy enough or dumb enough to say thank you to a person who just stood by and watched them get their legs ripped off or their best friend carried away in a flood or worse? Hell, in Texas they not only don't think it's funny. They think sitting and watching a crime go down is just as bad as doing it. In fact, they send you to Death Row for that kind of thing. But I digress.

Back to the God-spared-me joke. I think it is especially funny when people praise God after a calamity, when you stop to consider the fact these same people think God is all powerful and thus could have prevented the whole thing from happening at all. Yet they are grateful. Loony. It’s like that guy who said “I’m sorry” to Cheney for getting shot in the face by Cheney. Hilarious but loony.

I mean, if God was really looking out for the person wouldn’t ol’ Yahweh have just made that pickup truck swerve instead of plowing into the car head-on and taking out half the family, thereby leaving only one survivor to say, “thanks, God”? Seems like averting the accident entirely would have been a whole lot more miraculous, not to mention better for the family. Makes no sense. But then, I think well, maybe the speaker thinks God is like a redneck Nascar fan -- he just likes watching a good car wreck now and then. And who can blame God for that? Ha.

Oh, God you DO have a sense of humor. Don’t you?

And just to show you how funny He is, look at all these web sites He has allowed to be created:

http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/Humor.html
http://www.yo-god.com/
http://www.yo-god.com/faq.htm
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/
http://jesusoftheweek.com/jesii/458/index.html
http://www.freethunk.net/freethought.htm
http://groups.msn.com/AtheistVSGod/_homepage.msnw?pgmarket=en-us

Praise Jesus!

History Train

Here's something I’ve been thinking about lately --

People, regular people -- in day to day life -- don’t seem to want to talk about Iraq. The news doesn’t give it much play. Flip on the TV now and what will you see? Probably some crap about OJ or Brittany Spears or the Move On ad about General Betray Us but little about Iraq. If you’re lucky, Jon Stewart will make a joke about it.

In the papers, maybe there is something about Iraq or Afghanistan, buried beneath the same type of bullshit stories as on the TV except with local car wrecks and small crimes thrown in for good measure and spice.

Even stranger, is the almost total silence about Afghanistan. Remember the US sent a few thousand soldiers over there BEFORE they invaded Iraq. Now what? Not a peep.

Anyway, I was thinking about how I try to engage people around me in conversations about Iraq and what is going on there and usually I don’t get too far before I hit a wall of utter disinterest.

The “war” in Iraq isn’t fun. It isn’t titillating. There are no movie stars getting drunk or divorced or adopting kids there. There is no one to vote for to win best singer or dancer awards. Humans are getting killed in Iraq and that’s not nice. So people don’t want to talk about it. They’re just not interested. It’s not their problem. It’s boring. It’s negative. It’s “over there.” Who cares?

So I was thinking about this apathy. And then it dawned on me that it is these people -- the people who avoid the issue of Iraq, who are losing out.

There is a big event, an epic, happening right here and right now. We are lucky (or perhaps unlucky) enough to be alive to witness it. People--US citizens and Iraqi’s, are dying, losing limbs and brain matter. They are having their lives and personalities changed forever. There are major occurrences connected to this “war” (invasion) unfolding everywhere. Our country is undergoing something momentous. If life were a text book, here is where you would use your highlighter. Now. Today.

And so this brings me to my thought. I suddenly realized that these people, the Avoiders, are doing themselves a great disservice.

Instead of ignoring the Iraq war, they should be turning over every rock, scrambling for details. They ought to be seeing it while it's fresh, while it's going on. They should be taking notes for their grandchildren. History is roaring past them like a locomotive and these people stand next to the tracks with their eyes closed. Mute.

What a waste.

Nukes on a Plane, part 2

I am still very interested in the incident involving the “lost” nuclear warheads which traveled from North Dakota’s Minot AFB to Louisiana’s Barksdale AFB on August 30th. I have been following the incident in the news and on the net ever since.

While I was researching some reports that several Air Force people at Minot and Barksdale AFB’s, who had some connection to the incident, have (coincidentally) died in accidents over the past week or so, I happened upon an article which took a whole different slant on the event.

The author, Chuck Simpson, did such a good job of laying out his argument that I’m not going to rehash all the details here in my blog. However, I strongly encourage you to read his article for yourself. It is intelligent and very well written. You can read it at: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread302187/pg1

The article is titled:
Barksdale Missile Number Six: The Stolen Nuclear Weapon

In the article Simpson offers some very educational insights about how nuclear weapons are customarily handled by the US military. The facts, once presented, make it very easy to see that the reported scenario of how the incident allegedly went down--the official explanation which is being offered to the public, is highly unusual and even suspect. Simpson is lead to a very disturbing hypothesis about the so-called “B-52 bomber and nukes mistake.” In his summation he states:

“Six nuclear weapons disappeared from Minot AFB in North Dakota.
Five nuclear weapons were discovered at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana.
Which leads to my chilling conclusion:
Someone, operating under a special chain of command within the United States Air Force, just stole a nuclear weapon.”

At first glance, the number discrepancy (5 vs 6 warheads) seems a casual, even minor detail -- the error could be attributed to media misreporting or any number of mundane reasons. But when this discrepancy is viewed in context, when it is added to the large list of other discrepancies related to the incident, then it becomes significant. Further, it becomes more than just another small thread woven in a bigger cloak of misinformation and misdirection, it becomes sinister.

Fugitive Safe Surrender and the Taliban

The Taliban -- Coming to Your Town Soon

Remember the Taliban? Here's a little refresher just in case you forgot some of the details.

Information about Taliban gleaned from InfoPlease.com

The Taliban: Who are they and where did they come from?

In Afghanistan, groups of Taliban ("religious students") were loosely organized on a regional basis during the Soviet occupation (1979-89). During the occupation a civil war which broke out. The Taliban grew in power, especially after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan. And although the Taliban represented a potentially huge force, the group didn't emerge as a united entity until 1994. At that time, they went on to take over the city of Kandahar, beginning a surprising advance that ended with the capture of Kabul in September 1996.

Thus the Taliban, aka the "Students of Islamic Knowledge Movement," fully took over Afghanistan in 1996. The Taliban remained in power until it was ousted in December 2001 by the U.S. military and Afghan opposition forces in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the U.S.. The group was not eradicated, however, it simply moved underground, where it continues to wage war on it’s enemies -- the Shite Muslims and the US to this day.

What was life like under the Taliban regime?

Afghans, weary of conflict and anarchy, were relieved to see corrupt and often brutal warlords replaced by the devout Taliban, who had some initial success in eliminating corruption, restoring peace, and allowing commerce to resume.

Under the direction of Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban brought about order through the institution of a very strict interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law. Public executions and punishments (such as floggings) became regular events at Afghan soccer stadiums. Frivolous activities, like kite-flying, were outlawed. In order to root out "non-Islamic" influence, television, music, and the Internet were banned. Men were required to wear beards, and subjected to beatings if they didn't.

Most shocking was the Taliban's treatment of women. When the Taliban took Kabul, they immediately forbade girls to go to school. Moreover, women were barred from working outside the home, precipitating a crisis in health care and education. Women were also prohibited from leaving their home without a male relative—those that did so risked being beaten, even shot, by officers of the "ministry for the protection of virtue and prevention of vice." A woman caught wearing fingernail polish may have had her fingertips chopped off. All this, according to the Taliban, was to safeguard women and their honor.

On the Internet and in history books, much more information can be found about the horrific life the Taliban imposed on the people of Afghanistan. It was a nightmare, a too real nightmare which Afghans will not soon forget.

What is the warning in this story?

It is the example of what can happen when there is a meshing of Church and State. This is exactly the type of situation the original signers of our constitution were trying to protect our country from when they wrote the first amendment to the US Constitution:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

This amendment established the separation of Church from State.

Today, in the US, we have the Church and State joining forces to administer a Federal program, titled Fugitive Safe Surrender. This program is ran by the US Marshall's Office. It has been implemented in several states. They are now trying to bring it to Austin, Texas as well as many other cities and states.

You can read about this program on:

US Marshall's Safe Surrender Program

Austin American Statesman Newspaper

In the Safe Surrender program, the Church works with and for the police and courts to set up pseudo court rooms and booking stations. These Federal and State run operations are set up AT THE CHURCH. Citizens with outstanding warrants are instructed to come to these sites, these churches, to surrender themselves. Church members actually meet the “offenders” at the door and walk them into the mock court room or booking station where they receive resolution to their pending case or are arrested. The article on the US Marshall’s website paints a glowing picture of this program. Many people will think it is a wonderful idea also. But let’s not forget, initially the Afghans thought the Taliban was the solution to their problems too.

The Fugitive Safe Surrender program is the melding of church and state. It is an undoing of our the First Amendment and a danger to our constitution and our country.

If we allow this program to continue, what is next? What other functions will our government let the Church take over? Will we have church members riding in police cars, punishing, arresting and castigating sinners as the Taliban did to Afghan citizens? Will the Church BE the police?

Nukes on a Plane

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
Albert Einstein

"For want of a nail, the shoe is lost; for want of a shoe the horse is lost; and for want of a horse the rider is lost."
George Herbert

So, the US government had these really cool nuclear warheads, bombs really, in North Dakota. They loved them but the little bombies were getting old and needed some sprucing up. The problem was, to do the sprucing, the g-men needed to get their lovely babies down to Louisiana by Thursday. How to do it? Hmmm. Put them on a high-tech, ultra safe, specially designed cargo plane and fly them via a secret route which has been mapped out and planned perfectly? Or maybe, a safety equipped and highly monitored train? Or how about wrapped in bubble wrap, slapped in a box and UPS’d? (At least you can track them via UPS.)

No, they decided to strap them to the wings of a B52 bomber and just send them on their way cross country; sans monitoring, authorization, tracking, etc. (They kept their fingers crossed for safety measures, I’m sure.)

Unfortunately, believe it or not, this method may have a few tiny flaws. The main booboo being the warheads (which the military assures us are TOTALLY safe, gosh) were missing...oh, just say it..LOST, for over three hours! Yes, these toys of Armageddon were absent, unaccounted for, awol as it were, during a flight which crossed from the top to the bottom of our country. Ooops!

FYI, each of the bombs which were “strapped to pylons on the wings” of the planes equaled between 5 to 150 kilotons of TNT. The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945 was approximately 15 kilotons.

I don’t know about you, but bombs, especially nuclear ones scare the crappola out of me. Ever since I saw the movie,The Day After, in the early 80’s I’ve been jumpy about the whole issue. Something about the vision of the world being hit with a searing blast which dissolves us all into one big mass of ultimate destruction and pain (ie. Hell) that bothers me. I guess I’m just a crybaby like that.

But I feel, the real point of this story, like those bombs, is missing. The really scary thing here is not that our government just lost a few potentially world destroying pieces of equipment. It’s that our government...many governments...have at their finger tips the ability to lay waste to the planet. Nukes, that’s what’s scary.

I say, lets not just get a better system or better workers to handle the nukes. Let’s get rid of the nukes, ALL nukes, including nuclear power plants.

Bumper stickers I’ve come up with:
Thank you very much, but I’ll pass on the nukes today.
Nuke free for me.
Go nature, not nukes.
Nukes suck.


Read `em and weep....

New York Times: Loose Nukes: Warheads in the Sky, By Mike Nizza

AP:'Military Times' Scoop: U.S. Plane Carried Nuclear Warheads to Louisiana

Aljazeera News: B-52 in US 'nuclear error' flight

Strategic Security Blog: A project of the Federation of American Scientists--
Flying Nuclear Bombs

Britain drops nuclear bomb. Fortunately it doesn’t go off

Article: U.S. Nuclear Stockpile Today and Tomorrow

How I Came To Be An Atheist

Sometimes people ask me how I came to be an atheist. This is the story I tell them. It's all true.

Like lots of other people, I was drafted into religion as a little kid. My mom got involved with Jehovah's Witnesses because my aunt, or neighbor, or someone else of influence, convinced her it would help her deal with her crappy life choices (IE. my dad) if she went to the Kingdom Hall and got "right" with God. She didn't have the guts to kill my drunken insane father so, she went. I guess she hoped God would help her put up with his shit, or maybe she just hoped God would kill him for her, if she played her cards right. Who knows?

Since I was just a kid, with no say-so in the matter, several times a week I was shamed into donning a little itchy dress with a fru-fru slip and roll down socks. I was told to act "ladylike" and sit quietly on a cold metal folding chair which cut into the back of my knees. Both evening and day, I sat and listened to adults drone on about things I didn't understand, while glaring florescent lights beat down on me. The meeting rooms were decorated in 60's ultra-bleak -- joyless wood paneling and carpet the color of depression. Dentist waiting rooms were more animated and cheerful than the inside of the Kingdom Hall.

Still, I was a good little girl, a compliant little girl. So I patiently sat through the meetings, pretending I was happy to be there.

Unlike some religions which only expect you to show up once a week and sing or chant or act devout, the Truth (what the JW's call their religion) became a lifestyle, a full-time-24/7-no-vacations-or-days-off job. It was the Blob of religions--sucking me in, absorbing my time and my life, removing all traces of individuality and free thought, as it rolled along looking for other victims to eat.

Years passed, and I trudged on in the Christian way. As a teenager, I got baptized. I adopted the attitudes and "facts" of the Truth as my own. I educated myself in the Christian rules and regulations by reading the Bible beginning to end and going to "bible study" sessions three times a week. I tried to do "good works" on a regular basis. I became one with the Blob.

Being physically disabled, the good works part was particularly hard on me. As a JW, it was expected by the congregation (and evidently, Jehovah himself) that each of us log a minimum of 20 hours of ministry a month. While ministering or "Witnessing" to the "Worldly" (non-JW's) was supposed to be joyful and voluntary, there was a lot of peer pressure involved. In the literature and in the talks (sermons) of the Elders, I was repeatedly reminded that good works were important in order to score God points, which could eventually be cashed in for the grand prize -- "eternal life in an earthly paradise." IE. If I wanted to live, I had to "Witness."

Witnessing consisted of walking door-to-door, hawking 10 cent magazines to complete strangers in order to entice them into the "Truth." Although it sounds like a load o' fun, it wasn't. Because, despite my pert little nose, my sweet young smile and my shiny, full-length crutches, many of those unexpectedly called upon strangers had no problem slamming their doors in my face.

Summer was the worst. Hobbling door-to-door in a polyester pantsuit, lugging a book bag of Watchtowers and Awakes, I trudged for blocks at a time. Almost as soon as I climbed out of the car and began my route (sometimes alone, sometimes with a partner) I started to get red-faced, sweat rolling down my back. Panting like a dog on the outside, on the inside I was nervously rehearsing my spiel I had to say at the next door. I had to remind myself to smile and be nice, no matter what. With each step (or hop), my book bag bounced, hitting the side of my crutch and threatened to throw me off balance. And as I crutched along in my uncomfortable dress shoes and sweaty pantsuit, bag bouncing, the pressure and friction of the wooden handles of my crutches eventually wore calluses on the palms of my hands. Later, the calluses would blister and then burst open to leak watery stuff, leaving raw spots -- a sure reminder of (and reward for) all my "good works" if ever there was one. If I had believed in hell (the JW's rejected the Hell concept), it would have been an eternal repetition of those hot summer days spent pimping for Jehovah.

Anyway, it was somewhere around my eighteenth birthday when my golden chimera of religious certainty started to fissure. From the beginning, I had been indoctrinated about "God's Plan" for humanity, for the planet, for the universe. Over and over, it was preached and praised. There were FAQ's and charts. Every answer was covered by JW literature but if there was one which could not be molded to fit the "Truth," then the old God-works-in-mysterious-ways rule was pulled out and slapped on like a faith bandaid. It had all worked . . . for awhile.

But it wasn't long until I began to feel very dissatisfied with the no answer answer. One thought took hold of me and wouldn't let go. I thought, if God is so smart and good, why is there so much misery in the world?

I studied this question. The answer was in the FAQ. According to the "Truth," two jerks had screwed things up for everybody way back when things first got started in "The Garden." So, because of this incident and a few others, God had devised this great plan for the future of humanity. And in that plan, well, we had to wait for stuff to happen and as a by-product people were slated to suffer. It was not God's fault, it was those other two assholes. Really, what could He do? It just wasn't in His plan to get "involved" yet. His hands were tied.

It didn't make sense to me. I was thinking, well, if it's His plan--why doesn't he just CHANGE it? I was confused but a seed of doubt had been planted.

Then another thought bubbled up and refused to leave. I thought--So, it's His plan. He could change it. He just didn't WANT to!

This last bit of reasoning started to piss me off. I began to think God was an egotistical asshole. I was mad that his plan was more important to Him than any amount of suffering of anyone else. To me, nothing seemed able to justify God's apparent apathy and cruelty toward His "creations." Once sprouted, my anger at Yehweh began to grow.

Still, I was (at that time) a good girl and I never vocalized my negative thoughts about God out loud. And then came an epiphany.

I was sitting in the Kingdom Hall one day, like hundreds of times before, surrounded by dreary furnishings and listening to tedious "talks" about Jehovah, the Truth, how to avoid sins or even thinking about sins and it came -- my awakening. Something clicked. A light switched on inside my head and I suddenly could see what was in front of me all along. And more importantly, I knew what I had to do. I looked up from the book in my lap and gazed around the room at the bowed heads of my "brothers" and "sisters."

"I would rather die than live forever with these people and their God," I thought. I felt instant relief.

It was not long after that, I left the Jehovah's Witnesses and all religion, for good.

Though I had separated myself from religion, I still had a belief in, and thus anger toward, God. For years I held on to this anger and I called myself an agnostic. Then, several years ago I was watching Austin cable access TV and a local atheist group broadcast their show. It was called the The Atheist Experience. It was a new experience for me--to see and hear atheists. I thought it was great that these people were loud and proud of their no-god stance. Everything they said on the show made perfect sense. It was stuff that was so obvious and rational, that I wondered why I didn't see it myself. I decided I was an atheist too.

It was a little scary at first, to decide to be and to out myself as an atheist, but a weird thing happened when I did. The anger toward God evaporated. It was a burden removed.

Now, I just say to people who accuse me of "hating" god and thus rejecting him -- How can you hate a Unicorn? Or a Frankenstein? Or Zeus? Or the Toothfairy? You just can't.

So, I don't.

Birthday present suggestion #1

My birthday is in a few days and usually I struggle to come up with an answer when people ask me what I want for a present. Well, not this year. I know just what I want.

I want a kevlar lined stab-resistant t-shirt, in black. sigh. Heavenly.

And for those of you looking for a present for your kids/grand kids, how about a Kevlar lined Hooded Top (aka hoodie) in their school colors? As the description says on the manufacturer's (Bladerunner) website:

“Bladerunner Kevlar lined Hooded Top
PRICE INCLUDES POSTAGE !”

“Bladerunner Kevlar lined hooded top gives extra protection to the upper body and arms from cuts and slashes from knives, broken glass and sharp metal etc”.

The description goes on to say, ”With zip up front and two front pockets these hooded tops are perfect for the modern urban environment.”

Of course. Gosh, who doesn't drool over such "perfection?" And best of all, now they come in kid sizes.

According to the Austin American Statesman news and The Guardian, this company, Bladerunner, is selling “anti-stab” and “anti-bullet” clothing to parents for their kids to wear to school. They even design them to look like school uniforms.

Bad idea or good idea? Or just an idea who’s time has come? hmmm.

Either way. Who cares, I WANT one! Safety first, ya know.

How much would you pay to get rid of Bush?

How much would you pay to get rid of Bush? $100? $200? A whole weeks pay? Any amount?

Or more importantly and to the point, would you give up your paycheck for a day or two if it would get rid of Bush/Cheney? Would you stay home from work if it would force Congress to act, to impeach Bush/Cheney? Easy--but hard at the same time. Change the world by sitting home, safe in your house but lose your wages for a day...or two...or three. Do you have the will to do what it takes? Can you make such a sacrifice to help turn things around, to make Congress do what it should--to get rid of Bush!?

I just saw an awesome segment on Free Speech TV about this guy named Anthony St. Martin. He has a brilliant idea about how to make Congress impeach Bush and Cheney. His plan is pretty simple, straight forward and accessible: Everyone in America signs a petition which says that unless impeachment is pursued, then each signer will stay home and a national strike will ensue. The economy will come to a halt.

I'm no political science major but it seems like a valid concept.

And St. Martin's idea seems like something the average person could do. And even if someone can't take part in the action for whatever reason, they can still help by just spreading the word and encouraging others to take part.

His plan is different than other drives, pledges and actions I heard of -- past and present. It is radical. But I think it is necessary. It is obvious what we have been doing so far is not working -- voting, marching, protesting, writing government representatives, talking to the media, blogging and yelling about Bush/Cheney and the war in Iraq. This has been going on for over 5 years. AND WE ARE JUST IGNORED! The people who run our government don't care what we think or want.

We need to take a different approach. Anthony St. Martin thinks he may have the answer. It's worth a try. What have we got to lose by trying? Just money. But if it works, we gain back a whole lot-- namely our country.

This is not a request for your money. This is not a scam. It is a sincere request for a promise from you--a promise to take action. Help get rid of Bush/Cheney. Sign the pledge. Stay home.

Check out Pledge To Impeach