To Saudi, with love.

Not that we, as Americans, have the right to tell anyone else what to do with their lives (but we will anyway, dammit), but this goes just too far. A Saudi woman, after accepting a ride from a man, was taken to his home; gang raped, and became pregnant. Her sentence? (Of course, she must have a punishment; she wasn’t smart enough to grow a dick) One year in prison, plus 100 lashes once the child is born. Just to be clear, this woman will go through childbirth in prison, then will have her hands tied above her while a guard whips her 100 times. For comparisons sake, a man caught smoking on a commercial flight was given 30 lashes for his crime, and an army officer that used his cell phone on a plane on an airplane was given 70 lashes. So, for the record, that’s

Smoking on plane...... 30 lashes

Cell phone on plane....... 70lashes

Getting gang raped and becoming pregnant............. One year in prison and 100 lashes

Oh, and.......Priceless

While we often categorize the terrorists as extremists, and therefore not indicative of the Muslim people as whole, the examples above are not of this group. These were judicial rulings handed down in a court of law; not by the same groups that flew planes into the towers or attack ships. There were no protests outside the courthouse, no ACLU to argue the case, no petitions signed, and no politician standing up for a change. This is the norm; and if there are those with reservations, they are certainly not going to put their lives on the line for the cause. It is simply a matter of social laws being dictated by religion.

And the issue of religious involvement came to the fore this week with the introduction of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. With the announcement, the Obama administration has gone to great lengths to be clear that this organization will work with all groups, “no matter their religious or political beliefs,” despite the fact that the majority of the council members are deeply rooted in religion. These include Rabbi David N. Saperstein, Director & Counsel for the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Dr. Frank S. Page, President emeritus, Southern Baptist Convention; Rev. Otis Moss, Jr., Pastor emeritus, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church; Eboo S. Patel, Founder & Executive Director, Interfaith Youth Corps; and Dr. William J. Shaw, President, National Baptist Convention, among others. This seems odd.

Certainly, one can understand the political reasons to maintain at least the illusion that one is working in the best interests of religion. Many have been the presidential candidates that have suddenly found god just prior to a run for higher office. However, this is a blatant disregard for separation of church and state. Ignoring the enormous cost of setting up this new “office” and the 11 actual offices and staff needed, this “office” the first step in the Obama re-election campaign for 2012. The 40 million evangelicals that could always be counted on by the Republican Party as guaranteed votes might think twice now that a Democrat has set up a religious office. If you thought he scored a mandate last November, you haven’t seen a thing yet.

The last thing we need is more religious influence in our government. However, we have gone a step further now by actively funding faith-based activities, using tax-payer dollars in the name of Christ. No matter how honorable the cause, it is just the next step on the road to abortion warranting jail time and homosexuality resulting in a death sentence. Seem far-fetched? Just how long do you think it will take for those 40 million votes to become 60 million? Or 80?

Come to think of it, maybe the fact that “faith-based” is in the title really doesn’t mean anything. I am sure there would be no issue getting the “White House Office of Atheist Affairs” started.

Just felt like posting this...

I received this joke a while back, and since am working on 2 new postings, I decided to post this in the interim. Let me know what you think..

Why did the chicken cross the road?

SARAH PALIN: I'll find ya a reason and bring it to ya.

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

JOE BIDEN: I'm tired of walking on egg shells because of this chicken.

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he is acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Did he cross it with a hare? Did he cross it with a bear? Did he check if the road was hot? I kinda doubt it, I think not! Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed, I've not been told. Just one more thing I have to say, it's been bugging me to this very day. If the chicken is a she, why do we keep saying HE?

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like "the other side". That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heartwarming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2009, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2009 This new platform is much more stable and will never cras##$%###.......reboot

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

SARAH PALIN: Because it could see Russia from there.

For all the panties in India

A few weeks back, a radical group called the Sri Ram Sena (Lord Ram’s Army), took responsibility for an assault on several young women last month in a pub in Mangalore, a college town in the southern state of Karnataka. The group (think right wing Jerry Falwell conservatives) has fought against everything from couples kissing in Bollywood films to cheerleaders at sporting matches. An article in TimesOnline details the story, and I urge you all to read and support the cause. In just over a week, the Facebook page that was started in response to the attack has over 12,000 members, and is growing rapidly. A campaign for all members to send pink panties to the leader of the group on Valentines Day is simply brilliant. I will keep this blog updated with any new news on the story, and I applaud what may be one of the more effective non-violent social statements in recent memory.