Sic Semper Tyrannis

I just wanted to say that. It's actually Virginia's motto. Wikipedia says it is often mistranslated as "death to tyrants" but actually means "thus always to tyrants". At any rate I prefer the mistranslation personally, and the state's seal seems to favor it as well. Who needs latin anyway? Screw it. DEATH TO TYRANTS!

Well John Stossel did a pretty good interview of Glenn Beck on 20/20 Friday night. It's nice to see self proclaimed libertarians starting to infiltrate the mainstream media. It was a nice piece. I'm glad there are people like Beck and Stossel out there who can put a smiley face on liberty, because I'm a tad bit more rough around the edges. Personally I think Beck needs a bit of polishing on his philosophy and debate skills, (and I'm available, btw, for a small fee), but all in all he's the best man we've got in the media today. I continue to look for men with backbone who are willing to be in the limelight (as I have done). They are few and far between. Even that joker Ken Lewis is licking the feds' boots. I could not believe I was watching it... He actually testified before congress that yes he was pressured to take the tarp money and push the deal through with merril, but sugar coated it by immediately following up like a puppy dog who got caught crapping on the carpet with some drivel along the lines of "but it was for our own good". Please. If you're making that kind of jack you need to go buy yourself a set of balls buddy.

Tomorrow the free thought society of Northwest Arkansas (which I am of course proud to be a member of) is hosting a presentation and book signing by Dr. Darrel Ray. I did the press release for it but I don't think we got any play (I listed the founder as the contact so I don't know if he got any airtime or press). Ray is a psychologist with a degree in religion as well. He will discuss and sign his book, "The God Virus", which as I understand it puts religion in its place as a short circuit in the human mind. I of course will have a full analysis after meeting Dr. Ray and reading his book. Hopefully we'll draw in a few hecklers to liven it up a bit.

Slavery, racism, women as property (and sex slaves), and God

How do all these things fit together you ask?

Well I didn't know they did myself, until I actually read the bible cover to cover. It's been years since I cracked open the "good book", but I have actually read it through more than once (unlike most of the faithful I know and debate, who usually don't know much about it at all).

Reading the bible, I learned that:

Slavery is righteous. This is a solid principle of the bible, new testament and old. In fact, there is an entire book devoted to it named Philemon. You see when a runaway slave who was owned by Philemon came to the apostle Paul for assistance, Paul urged him to be a good slave and return straight back to his owner.

Homosexuals should be put to death. So should anyone of a different religion, anyone who has sex outside of marriage, any child who disobeys his parents, adulterers, fortune tellers, having sex with animals, disobeying a priest, and many other offenses. The good news? Having sex with your wife while she's menstruating is NOT a capitol offense. Nope, for that you just are "cut off from your people". So if you catch your neighbor having sex and you see evidence in his bathroom that his wife may be "unclean", you'd better call the neighborhood watch.

God is racist. Yep, that's just the cold reality. The Jews are his chosen people you see. In fact it wasn't until only recently that non-Jews could avoid hellfire. Now "gentiles" like me have a chance at redemption only because God's favorite race rejected him.

God is only good, but everything came from God. That includes evil. Wait a minute, how did something come from him that he is not? OK I admit, I just threw that one in. It really is never dealt with in any depth in the "good book". I don't suppose there is any reason to open a Q&A session when any dissent is met with punishments such as turning a person into a pillar of salt, "smiting" him with hemorrhoids, drowning him, or just striking him dead.

If God asks you to murder your own children, you should do it. Now today we'd call someone nasty names, like "insane" and "just nuts". But back then things were different. It was in fact expected of you to kill your son if you heard voices claiming to be god who told you to do so. Good ol' father Abraham... he'd a done it, I swear!

If evil men show up at your door and want to have sex with your buddies, offer them your virgin daughters instead. That's what Lot did, and he was considered a righteous man. Righteous enough in fact for God to save him from fire and brimstone!

Jesus did not in fact come to bring peace on Earth. I'm not sure why we see this at Christmas every year, when He himself states, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I come not to send peace, but a sword". Huh. Better get to work explaining that one away!

Well I think that's enough for now, you get the picture. If this book (collection of 66 books actually, chosen over time by who knows who for who knows why to be "cannonized", were written in modern English and released on the shelves tomorrow, the same people who like to thump it on podiums would be picketing the book stores for selling it.

When I mention the above passages (and others) to my faithful friends, I'm constantly amazed at the mental gymnastics they perform to explain it all away.

Wouldn't it just be easier to see it for what it is?