Upsetting day for gay Scouts

So the Boy Scouts are going to decide today whether to "allow" openly gay scouts to, you know, exist. No matter how things pan out, whether they're included or excluded, it's a really shitty day for gay people.

Who else has to suffer through moments when bigots get to decide if it's okay for them to exist? I really can't think of any other groups that go through this in the United States. Do we question whether Latinos, African-Americans, men or old people can join organizations? Never comes up (except in bigoted country clubs, of course). No full-fledged organization can deny the rights of any group in this country -- except gays.

That heavy weight is resting on the shoulders of every gay Scout today. Even if the vote goes the right way, they'll know they just inched inside the boundaries of this organization -- and they'll be aware that many don't agree that they should be "allowed" there.

Allowed? What kind of a screwed up world is this, that a child has to wonder if he's "acceptable" to others, simply because of who he is?

Being gay is great. Ask any adult gay or lesbian person. But getting to this point is like walking through a minefield -- with hate, rather than bombs, exploding all around you. And why is this the case? Because of Christianity, of course. It hates gay people with a passion unknown in its other endeavors. Only hating the gays gives Christians that special, holy thrill. Jesus would be so proud.

Let's hope the Scouts do the right thing today. These gay kids already know that their right to marry is on the chopping block. Let's at least let them enjoy their childhoods.

More like this, please

Arizona State Rep. Juan Mendez (D) turned a Tuesday afternoon prayer into something much more.

Indeed, he did. This is what Mendez said instead of the usual prayer:

"Most prayers in this room begin with a request to bow your heads," Mendez said, according to the Phoenix New Times. "I would like to ask that you not bow your heads. I would like to ask that you take a moment to look around the room at all of the men and women here, in this moment, sharing together this extraordinary experience of being alive and of dedicating ourselves to working toward improving the lives of the people in our state."

Is that great, or what? Mendez's words are more powerful than a tired, old prayer -- and the great thing is that this is so obvious. He may have opened some eyes. Let's hope so.

Everyone is talking about this

Yesterday, Wolf Blitzer illustrated the point I've been trying to make for the last two days. TV newspeople always think they're speaking to Christians. They're not, as a brave woman tried to tell Wolf.

(In case you can't view the video, he said this to a female tornado survivor: "We're happy you're here. You guys did a great job. You've gotta thank the Lord, right? Do you thank the Lord for that split-second decision?" The woman replied, "I -- I'm actually an atheist." For the record, Wolf did not say "Duh" after receiving this response. He should have.)

That's the whole story in a nutshell. American TV has become a Christian enterprise. This not only sickening, (drum roll) it's un-American. But you wouldn't expect Wolf to know that. The man has little understanding of the stories he "reports". He's extremely shallow and shows this all the time.

So, is Wolf embarrased by this? Of course not. After all, he's (drum roll) Wolf Blitzer!

Does the pope think Satan is real?

Pope Francis appears to have been captured on video performing an exorcism in St Peter’s Square.

I love hearing that any priest believes Satan is real. It's such an ignorant-git thing to believe. So you'd think I'd be happy when yesterday's low-hanging fruit about the Pope being an exorcist came along. 

But meh. I couldn't even blog about it. "After all," I thought, "everything the pope believes is a lie. So why get excited if he involves himself in an exorcism?"

But the more I thought about it, the more wonderful it seemed. I hope the pope does believe in the devil. It's such a colossally stupid thing to believe. In fact, I hope the pope thinks of Satan as his rival, his arch-enemy, a creature that haunts his days. Hoo boy. If that's the case, fun times lie ahead.

Also, too

I want to add something to what I said yesterday about the media's insistence on lathering disaster news with talk of god and miracles. It doesn't have to be this way.

Some people believe in god. I understand this and have no problem with the tendency of believers who survive a tragedy to say that god saved them. It's an awful, hateful message to those who weren't "saved", but hey, people can believe whatever they want. This is America.

The problem is with the media. If they took their jobs seriously, they could perform such a vital function. (I hear they used to, but this may be just a rumor.)

What I object to is the lumping together of religion and tragedy as one. It would be so much more useful if the media reported on the different ways that people respond to tragedy. Yes, some seek an outlet in faith. And by all means, report on that. But many others find solace through helping people. It should be made clear that these are two separate things.

On the one hand, there are people who talk to an imaginary creature when things get scary. But others respond by getting things done and helping people in need. The problem is that the media doesn't differentiate between the two streams: religious and secular. They just mush it all together, drape a flag over it and say "Here you go!" It would be much more helpful to report that people respond in different ways. Yes, some turn to prayer, but others don't -- they just get out there and help.

There are people that own restaurants and, upon seeing a major tragedy, shut down their place of business and bring a grill and tables to the affected area. Others rush to a Home Depot and buy many boxes of work gloves, to hand out to people picking through the rubble. Others go to half-destroyed houses and try to help the owners pull their lives back together.

Yes, at times these efforts are undertaken because a person's religion makes them feel they should help others. But much help arrives with a simple, secular message: I want to be kind to others because it's the right thing to do. The media doesn't report that second message.

It's not just a big ice cream sundae with god sprinkled over the top. The media could make this clear but they don't. This is what drives me crazy. With a little care and forethought, they could deliver an intelligent news flow -- but that never happens.

USA! USA! USA!

Terror god obliterates Oklahoma town

Tragically, Moore, Oklahoma was wiped off the map by a tornado yesterday afternoon. I can't imagine what the parents of missing kids are going through. Like most Americans, I feel tremendous sympathy for those affected by this event.

Like you, I turned to CNN to monitor the disaster. We humans have a hunger to know what happened to other people, what it was like for them, how many were injured or killed -- and in what manner. This is normal and helpful, in that it focuses attention on the community and gets donations and other aid flowing in. There's nothing wrong with any of this.

But as is the case during every national tragedy, every other word the TV reporters uttered was "god". It's sickening. The last thing people need in times of tragedy is lies. It's not helpful. I even heard reporters say that viewers should pray for the people of Moore. It's that accepted -- anyone can call for prayer at any time in our country. Americans lap it up and scream for more. God, god, god, god, god. Good, good, good, good, good. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (Which eventually resolves into USA! USA! USA! for the simple reason that all American roads lead toward jingoistic nonsense. It's the American way. USA! USA!)

Okay, back to the TV coverage. This Christian viewpoint -- and make no mistake, that's what it is: Christian, not Muslim or Jewish or Wiccan -- saturates the media in times of disaster. It's useless and dumb and it makes no sense. Seriously, who is this creature they believe in, and how vicious is he? Let's think like they do, for a moment.

Looking at this event through the eyes of believers, god destroyed a largely Christian, American town. After all, nothing happens without god's explicit approval. But why did he do this? And did he really have to kill little kids? Why?

And there's another big "why". Why, after god destroyed the town, would people pray to him? What would be the aim of these prayers? Are they meant to calm the wrath of the avenger god who just destroyed the town, a hospital and two schools? (If that's the case, maybe they should also sacrifice a pet or two, just to be on the safe side.) Seriously, god just axed your town. And now you're going to get on your knees and pray to him? Why?

But of course, there is no god. Weather caused this tornado. Hot air, cold air and wind combined in a perfectly natural way to create a deadly menace. God didn't have anything to do with this or anything else. There is no god.

I don't get religious thinking. It never makes sense. Why don't religious people ask these questions? Wingnuts of the religious variety are fond of saying that Sandy wrecked NY because it's a godless place. So why did the "all-good, loving" god destroy this little town?

Prayer. It's nonsense. It's everywhere. It's America.

Irritating, braIndead governor violates Constitution

This article lays out the story. An atheist was upset when "he discovered nine Gideon bibles in the cabin he had rented with his family at Amicalola Falls State Park in north Georgia. When he complained, park managers removed the Bibles while they sought a legal decision from the Attorney General's Office."

That was the right move: take them out. The bibles represent government sponsorship of a particular brand of religion. (And, surprise, surprise! That brand is Christianity! Who could have guessed?) Unfortunately, Georgia's braindead governor, Nathan Deal, reversed the decision and the Gideon Bibles were returned to the rooms.

Here's the fun part. When Deal did this, he said "any religious group was welcome to donate literature." Indeed. So now an atheist organization -- American Atheists -- has offered books on atheism and insisted they be placed inside the rooms, alongside the bibles. The state response is (ahem) allegedly forthcoming.

Listen, American Atheists is doing exactly the right thing. But those Gideon bibles should not be in Georgia's cabins and lodges. And nothing can make that right.

The only time a bible should be in one of these travel residences is when a dingbat religious person brings his or her own bible into the room. And then, as is the case with dog droppings, the religious person should be responsible for bagging the bible and taking it out of the room when they leave. You can't just leave filth behind for others to find.

Governor Nathan Deal is a caveman and he's violating the constitution. That should be clear to all.