That queasy feeling

I don't know, maybe it's just me. But I found it odd that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave Pope Francis a book about the Inquisition, written by Netanyahu's father.

Isn't this kind of like the hypothetical notion of Obama visiting Germany and giving Chancellor Merkel a book about the Holocaust? Is either gift expected to go over well with the recipient?

(I wonder if Francis was aware that he was in the presence of great evil, when with Netanyahu. The pope is a perceptive man so I assume that he was. In fact, I'll bet he shuddered before walking into the room to greet the foul creature.)

Latest religious insanity: Apple can't use logo

Via Ed Brayton:

A group of Christians in Russia says the ubiquitous bitten apple is too symbolic of the idea of original sin and should be replaced with the symbol of Jesus Christ. And they may have the law on their side.

Technology website xbitlabs.com says Apple “may run into problems” if Russian parliament passes a set of laws designed to protect citizens’ religious and spiritual values from “blasphemy and insult.”

Blasphemy laws are a huge problem. They always signal the end of democracy and freedom. Haven't these people ever heard of the Inquisition?