Media Moment : So, You Want To Be A Cult Leader?

   With Paul Haggis' announcement of his leaving Scientology to its investigation, the term cult has certainly been in the news lately. Whilst folks who don't adhere to Scientology call it a cult, believers say it is not. However, Scientology certainly is a cult, but it's only one of tens of thousands active today.

  Cults can seem benign or particularly vicious, inclusive or exclusive, religious or not. Whether an Atheistic personality cult like Kim Jong-il's, for example; or literature-based one, like Mormonism, cults require absolute submission to a grand leader. Adherents are taught that the object of their service is omnipotent and omniscient. Often times believers are told that their past behaviours were inappropriate and that they too can become powerful either in this life or the hereafter if they do anything for their object of worship. For a species as insecure and social as ours, the call to arms, be they literal or literary, may be too great to resist.

And so the seed is planted in the convert and eventually their children, and in their grandchildren, and subsequent generations until the cult dies off, a kingdom is crushed, or someone dares to become apostate. If you live in North America, you live in a place where a minimum of 70% of your peers are members of a cult. It's also highly possible that you yourself is a slave to the desires of those who sell salvation for the low, low price of 10% of your earnings and your moral compass.

Whether or not there is a grand creator of the universe is certainly open for discussion. However, I'm certain that if there is something out there, be it another worldly being, an ethereal spirit, or a man in the clouds, it has no want for money, power, or blind submission. The self-appointed prophets and charlatans crave power and possessions, and find or invent scripture to suit.
No god would create a being with enough reason to ask for it to prove itself and then demand its finest work to remain in a state of confusion, ignorance,  and terror. I am entirely convinced that no supernatural being could manifest characteristics as cruel as the ones exhibited in all of the gods that man has imagined and continues to invent.

In this interesting video, the invention of the cult mindset is broken down as cleverly as anything I've ever written. Plus, there are pictures.

Enjoy!

Capitalism Is A Funny Thing

Do you feel like living it up like a future king without wanting an heir or a spare?

Well, lucky for you there are Crown Jewels Royal Wedding Edition condoms.

The copy invites users to "lie back and think of England" . Yeah, because England is what I'm thinking about when I'm getting my groove on. I can hear a pasty damsel screaming "oh Lord Snaggletooth! I require you betwixt my chalky loins!" in my head right now.

Also, the Heritage Love Sheaths are "lavishly lubed" and "regally ribbed", you know because Royals have barberpolesque penises. (I mean, it would explain all of the left-handedness)


In addition the copy claims "Like a Royal wedding, intercourse with your loved one is an unforgettable occasion." , and just as rare if your mate has the fine visage of Camilla Bowled-Over.

Seriously, can you imagine the stress of having to live up to the princely legend when hooking up with a fine lass? Who am I kidding- the Royal rubbers will probably make your genitals crooked and bald. 

In The Name Of The Father

  I have fielded some rather controversial comments in replies to postings of late. Whilst some have been so graphic I haven't published them, others published have displayed serious intolerance. And many by a specific individual whom I won't name have struck me.

This fellow wrote several posts stating that atheism is a result of moral decline and that salvation is only there if I return to Christ. (These Christ references confuse me as the person has known me my entire life and should know that I have never been Christian.) Anywho, back to the Jesus stuff. This dude was really upset at me for not being a Christian so we decided to leave it there. And then he made a bunch of comments about Islam being of the devil and wanting to kill as many of the "worthless fucks" as he could. Etcetera.

I have brought you stories about Christian extremism before. Racism, sexism, and even murder in the name of God are not new concepts; with the promulgation of Christianity in Africa has come acts of hatred in the name of God. Western media has focused on Uganda's Kill The Gays bill, which originated with a white preacher in Massachusetts, but the fact remains that in every African nation that is predominantly Christian, evangelicals have used disgusting imagery to institute laws mandating incarceration of gays. And this is just the beginning.

Evangelicals have done a fantastic job at spreading their most divisive and literal Biblical ridiculousness across a fair chunk of Africa. Don't think for a second that you really thought all those Ethiopian kids were going to get your food and medicine donations without giving something up. What they gave up were their religions. When Jews were airlifted out of there (yes bigots, there are black African Jews) they told tales of religious conversions for food. And we have Pat Robertson, who made billions off of preaching that good old Christians should give, using donations to make more money off of using slave labour at his African diamond mines and lend financial support to terrorists.

But even if forced religious conversions, bullying, enslavement, support of Islamofascists, promoting executions of gays, and embezzling billions of dollars in aid weren't bad enough, there is this.

What you are about to see is real. It is happening all over the nation my doctor hails from (Nigeria) and other African countries. This is a nation that is wired in and even agricultural towns are peppered with cafes linking folks to the outside world. You'd think they'd know better, but they are afraid of the preachers because the Bible calls for the death of anyone who questions what is going on. These people are the victims of Evangelical Christians, and many are children.

Doing this to people in the name of a god is evil regardless of the name you call that god.

Deut 17:12 - Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the judge  or of the priest who represents the Lord your God shall be put to death. 

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Matt 10:34- Jesus said" Do not think that I came to bring peace upon the Earth.; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's enemies will be the members of his household.

The Song In My Head That Turned Into A Long And Winding Blog About Kurt Cobain

Today a song crept into my cranium that seems very fitting. You see, the guy who wrote it would be 44 today if he hadn't eaten lead in 1994. I remember hearing about this guy's death. I was sitting in some Toronto group home for wayward young adults I'd been dumped on, probably smoking a cigarette. I was more than likely bitching about how shitty MuchMusic had gotten when Lance Chilton got on and announced that Kurt Cobain was found dead.

The initial reaction was shock, mainly because he wasn't that much older than I was. At the time I wasn't too pissed off at him because I was a self-loathing idiot too. But there were angry people- fangurls and record company jackasses who thought they were robbed of something they deserved. And in Kurt's last angry insult, he took that thing away. Parents bitched that a corpse was corrupting their children while they were off screwing their secretaries; unappreciative teenage twats bitched that the corpse stole a future of art away from unappreciative suburban schoolgirls; boo-hoo and self-servitude at the expense of the corpse and his family  ad infinitum.

While we may have loved the art his tormented mind produced, he didn't live for us. Kurt Cobain was an autonomous human being, one like you and me. Kurt lived and loved, certainly hated and seldom bathed. He was a male feminist and queerpositive straight dude long before it was trendy and without apologies. He was a mentally and physically ill man who lived out his life and illnesses in the public spectre when these things should have been a private matter.

Kurt Cobain was a self-conscious man like many skinny men are, and a meek self-pitying soul like so many addicts. He was a famous man who hated famous people; a modern-day Picasso-like abstract artist who couldn't keep up with the demand and loathed many of his customers. Kurt Cobain was an immensely adored man who couldn't figure out to love himself. He was a son and a father and a husband, a very sentient creature in a world that saw him as a product; one who liked expensive booze and drugs but derided the fans that paid for it all.  Everybody wanted something from Kurt Cobain, but when he truly asked for help as a human being,  nobody answered.

People who don't remember Kurt Cobain romanticize his death- the legend that he went down quickly and relatively painlessly. But those who were adults remember it differently. From overdose after overdose to suicide attempts to admissions at hospitals, Kurt Cobain and everyone around him knew he needed help in living. And like so many men before and since, he got sick of asking for directions. He was a dude whose life and death were as contradictory as the lyrics to the songs he wrote.

Adults don't blow their heads off because of momentary impulse. It's not a cry for attention. It's not a request for assistance. It's a final solution to unbearable pain. As selfish and weak as it is, I understand it because we're all selfish and weak from time-to-time. But even if the only afterlife is in the memories of your family, know this: suicide is not a victimless crime. By killing yourself, you are murdering somebody else's loved one. If you wouldn't kill a stranger's mother, father, son or daughter, why would you do it to your own family?



. Put 3 guys' kids through college by buying shit here. 

Hate By Any Other Name : Nir Rosen

  My activity of late has been sparse, but I have been asked my opinion on something, and I shall try my best to answer fully.
  The question asked is whether or not I have an opinion on Nir Rosen. And even though I haven't accessed media much recently, I most certainly have an opinion, or rather several on Mr. Rosen.

  Nir Rosen's comments on Lara Logan were sickening. He launched a blatantly cruel and sexist attack to further his bizarre ideas.Throw in his homophobia sneak on Anderson Cooper and you have oodles of fun for everyone. It's almost to be expected from the left's version of Glenn Beck.

  Nir Rosen has spent his adult life opposing everything about Western governmental systems yet cries about the lack of democracy in other nations. He claims to advocate for peace yet supports Hizbullah and  the Taliban. He is an Israeli Jew that hates himself and the place his mother was born so much that he thinks Tel Aviv and Jerusalem should be bombed. When he resigned from NYU, he also stated that the Ancient Greeks missed a few Maccabees, whilst seeming to forget they were his direct ancestors.

All in all, Nir Rosen's cowardly comments are typical of a man who thinks himself a legend, a man who admits that it's only his definition of enemies and friends that truly matters. He's more than happy to use his Jewishness to score an article or other advantage, but assaults his background when it becomes a detriment. Nir Rosen is a self-absorbed man who is only happy making money off of other people's wars whilst claiming to be a peace advocate.

It's folks like him that cast a very dark stain  on the left; for he won't be happy if Egypt transitions peacefully to democracy- they've gotta blow the shit out of Israel and American military installations too. Nir Rosen is just as bad as the people he preaches against, and maybe worse, for there are still people out there who listen to his words.

Extremism and hatred are the same regardless of the political stripes of the individual preaching them. If Debbie Schlussel is a most self-loathing neo-Conservative woman, then Nir Rosen is a most self-loathing Israeli-American Jew. Nir Rosen accuses people of being misogynists, homophobes,racists,  and war-mongers when he is all of those things and more.

His mother must be proud.

Coat Check

Should House Bill One in in Georgia (Currently on 2nd reading) go into law unamended, abortion will be classed as murder.

  Republican Bobby Franklin has sponsored proposed life begins at conception legislation, stating that it can use the Tenth Amendment to override Roe v. Wade and make abortion or miscarrying in an unauthorized fashion a felony. The lengthy legislation will make women apply for birth and death certificates each time they miscarry, and should they do it outside of the hospital or if one of the womb police suspect she has induced it, she can be investigated as a murderess.

A report of spontaneous fetal death for each spontaneous fetal death which occurs in
200 this state shall be filed with the local registrar of the county in which the delivery occurred
201 within 72 hours after such delivery in accordance with this Code section unless the place
202 of fetal death is unknown, in which case a fetal death certificate shall be filed in the county
203 in which the dead fetus was found within 72 hours after such occurrence. All induced
204 terminations of pregnancy shall be reported in the manner prescribed in Code Section
205 31-10-19. Preparation and filing of reports of spontaneous fetal death shall be as follows:
206 (1) When a dead fetus is delivered in an institution, the person in charge of the institution
207 or that person's designated representative shall prepare and file the report;
208 (2) When a dead fetus is delivered outside an institution, the physician in attendance at
209 or immediately after delivery shall prepare and file the report;
210 (3) When a spontaneous fetal death required to be reported by this Code section occurs
211 without medical attendance at or immediately after the delivery or when inquiry is
212 required by Article 2 of Chapter 16 of Title 45, the 'Georgia Death Investigation Act,' the
213 proper investigating official shall investigate the cause of fetal death and shall prepare
214 and file the report within 30 days; and
215 (4) When a spontaneous fetal death occurs in a moving conveyance and the fetus is first
216 removed from the conveyance in this state or when a dead fetus is found in this state and
217 the place of fetal death is unknown, the fetal death shall be reported in this state. The
218 place where the fetus was first removed from the conveyance or the dead fetus was found
219 shall be considered the place of fetal death

You may be wondering about circumstances; exceptions to the thou shalt not abort rules.  Well, there are none. Every fertilized ova is considered a person with the same rights as any other citizen. It doesn't matter if you were raped or molested. It also doesn't matter if you have cancer and will die without treatment because cancer treatment will cause a miscarriage and what's the point of living if you'll be doing life for murdering something the size of a lentil. You are expected to carry the little bean to term or until you die.

  There's also talk about birth defects. Well, if God wants a baby to be born without a brain or with all of its organs fused together, so be it. Yes, it will die within 5 minutes of birth and further traumatize a family that knew they were going to have a dead baby, but that's God's will. It's also God's will if a mentally disabled woman dies from an ectopic pregnancy that resulted from being raped by a relative because you can't kill that little zygote, but it can kill you.

Yes, it's Georgia, the State that has tried numerous times to establish religion, but if they have their way, every state will have no legal abortions and no contraception. Women will have no reproductive freedom, no sexual rights, and diminished privacy rights. Her liberty will no longer be hers, for if she aborts her rapist's baby, she'll serve 4 times as long as he will. Hell, if it's twins, she could get the death penalty. Her life and liberty matter less in the State of Georgia than something that weights less than a matchstick and she's most certainly less valuable than her male peers. She's a womb with a view on a world that is a mirror.

Geez, those Muslims you bitch about might just end up envying you. I mean they stole stoning rape victims from Deuteronomy 22, so maybe you can come up with even more innovative additions to the law to shut those bitches up. The Ayatollah will be sending you gift baskets full of oil and sweets and sweets made from oil.

The fact of the matter is that women have always sought termination of pregnancy, and Biblical preaching won't stop it. But banning abortion will kill women, I can assure you of that. Illegal abortions account for 25% of maternal deaths in Latin America, in Christian Uganda, it's at over 50%. Over 80 000 women, many with young children, die annually due to unsafe abortions.

Yes, I know Bobby Franklin has a degree in religion, but America was not founded as a Christian nation. Booby Franklin wants America to turn into something which it never was, and in doing so will tarnish the democracy that made America exceptional in the first place. He also wants to go back to a day when young girls were forced into loveless marriages due to unplanned pregnancy and then make it harder to leave an abusive bastard. If Bobby Franklin wants to belong to a patriarchal Pentecostal cult, that's his choice; but his freedom of religion does not give him the right to deny liberty to an entire gender.

"In no instance have the churches been guardians of the liberties  of the people" - James Madison

The Song In My Head

I'm sure than someone will read something into this that isn't true. I had this song in my brain earlier today despite not having heard it for years.

Now go on and call me a hippie pothead marxo-fascist or whatever insult you've invented today and enjoy...

A Long And Winding Blog : The Glenn Beck Edition

Naturally, since Debbie Schlussel and all of the other extreme folks out there had their fun with Lara Logan's trauma, Glenn Beck had to make sure he wasn't left out.  Today he got on Fox to declare Egypt as part of his weird world conspiracy with Ms. Logan as a representative.



Normally, one would think the gent has genuine concern for women, but this is Glenn Beck. He's a man who said he wouldn't run for office with Sarah Palin because he wouldn't "play second fiddle to a chick". He's publicly mocked a woman who had a recent miscarriage. He's an atomic douchenozzle.

The thing about Glenn Beck is I know he's not an accurate representation of those on the right, but a lot of people don't. They take the likes of Beck and Schlussel at their word and don't go searching for a conservative alternative- it's extremism or becoming an evil libertard. In reality, Beck is as much of a representation of conservatives and Mormons; Schlussel an example of Jews and women as those men in the incident in question are representatives of Egyptians. In all instances, the aberrant has become the type du jour; the one who inflames the most makes the most noise.

And it's sad really, true journalism and intelligent op-ed becoming replaced by schadenfreude and inverted facts. The newsmaker of most regard has become the one who is most divisive and least inventive. We have propaganda under different titles, from left and right, conservative and liberal. And then we have what is real.

Never be afraid to investigate, process, and opine. If you expect everyone to adore you for speaking the truth, you may become dispondent. Criticism is part of the game and if everyone blindly agrees with you, you are absolutely doing something wrong. If you don't seek out alternate views, you are seeing the world through a voluntarily myopic eye. To be right, you have to be unafraid of being wrong; for the chance never taken is a 100% failure.

Be Well.

I Wasn't Going To Give Debbie Schlussel Any More Airtime...

...but I had to make a few things clear.

After Debbie was called to account for a most disturbing blog entry in which she dismissed the sexual assault of a peer and referred to all Muslims as savages and animals, she hopped back on her literary soapbox. In the most backhanded assault on common sense I've witnessed, Debbie Schlussel claims that she didn't mean to promote rape but Muslims are dirty bastards and goes on to play the victim.

"*** UPDATE, 02/16/11: The reaction of the left to this article is funny in its predictability.Sooo damn predictable. Of course I don’t support “sexual assault” or violence against Lara Logan, and I said that nowhere here. RIF–Reading Is Fundamental. Your premature articulation is a problem. I did say that it warms my heart when reporters who openly deny that Islam is violent and constantly promote it get the same kinds of threats of violence I get every day from Muslims. Because now they know how it feels. They aren’t so dismissive of the threats when those threats are directed at them, instead of at us little people. And yet they still won’t admit that THIS. IS. ISLAM. Lara Logan was among the chief cheerleaders of this “revolution” by animals. Now she knows what Islamic revolution is really all about."


Now I don't have a law degree like Ms. Schlussel, but from what I know Sooo sounds like a noise a pig makes, and my mother always told me pork wasn't kosher. I digress. 


The attacks made by Debbie Schlussel on Muslims are not new- in fact if you replace Indian or Negro (words I would never use myself) for Muslim they sound exactly the same as arguments made by Nathan Bedford and Strom Thurmond when they argued against giving minorities the same civil rights. She outright refers to other human beings as savages and animals, not based on their actions, but based on their perceived religion. 


As far as this being a left versus right issue, I assure you that it is not. Debbie Schlussel offended nearly all of my readers, regardless of party affiliation. From granola-eating hippies to raging Tea Partiers, she repelled nearly every person who read her divisive diatribe. 


And this is not the first time Debbie Schlussel has taken joy in the pain of another. When aid worker Marla Ruzicka was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq, Ms. Schlussel celebrated it, calling it "poetic justice". In Debbie Schlussel's myopic view of the world, anyone who opposes her hatred; anyone that tries to make the world a better place is deserving of not only verbal derision, but violence. 


Let's be clear here- Lara Logan is the victim, not Debbie Schlussel.  Ms. Logan was attacked by a nasty group of people with sinister intentions. And just as those men do not speak for the majority of Egyptians, Debbie Schlussel does not speak for most Jews or Americans. Debbie Schlussel revictimized a woman in an attempt to further her hateful ambitions. And now she's pissed off because she was seen for the bigot she is and is being called to account. 


"I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain."  ~James Baldwin

Debbie Schlussel : Hate By Any Other Name

  When one writes for a living, there is a responsibility to provide the facts. even in op-ed pieces, there must be at least an attempt at keeping one's emotions in check in order to convey a message to a more mature audience. I understand the attraction of calling an opponent a dickweed, but at the end of the day there is little good done when you outright insult someone without providing a basis for it.

It was reported that CBS reporter Lara Logan was the victim of a vicious attack whilst reporting on the scene in Cairo. Whilst mainstream media offered condolences, the bowels of the web offered up a variety of opinions. And one person with an opinion is prominent Jewish blogger Debbie Schlussel.  I am familiar with Ms. Schlussel's work, I've even agreed with her before. But today she released this account of Egypt and Lara Logan that offends every sensibility that even a pro-Israel person such as myself possesses.

Warning: These are the exact words of Debbie Schlussel and not the opinions of myself or anyone else associated with Roofer On Fire.

As I’ve noted before, it bothers me not a lick when mainstream media reporters who keep telling us Muslims and Islam are peaceful get a taste of just how “peaceful” Muslims and Islam really are. In fact, it kinda warms my heart.  Still, it’s also a great reminder of just how “civilized” these “people” (or, as I like to call them in Arabic, “Bahai’im” [Animals]) are:

On Friday February 11, the day Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stepped down, CBS correspondent Lara Logan was covering the jubilation in Tahrir Square for a “60 Minutes” story when she and her team and their security were surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration. It was a mob of more than 200 people whipped into frenzy.

In the crush of the mob, she was separated from her crew. She was surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers. She reconnected with the CBS team, returned to her hotel and returned to the United States on the first flight the next morning. She is currently in the hospital recovering.

Hey, sounds like the threats I get from American Muslims on a regular basis. Now you know what it’s like, Lara.

There will be no further comment from CBS News and Correspondent Logan and her family respectfully request privacy at this time.

I just love it when the people of the profession of “the public’s right to know” suddenly want “privacy.” Tell it to your next interview subject, Lara. Of course CBS has no further comment. Wouldn’t wanna impugn the “peacefulness” of “Religion of Peace” animals, would we? Now, if they were Christians or Jews, well, then there would be comments galore.

So sad, too bad, Lara. No one told her to go there. She knew the risks. And she should have known what Islam is all about. Now she knows. Or so we’d hope. But in the case of the media vis-a-vis Islam, that’s a hope that’s generally unanswered.

This never happened to her or any other mainstream media reporter when Mubarak was allowed to treat his country of savages in the only way they can be controlled.

Now that’s all gone. How fitting that Lara Logan was “liberated” by Muslims in Liberation Square while she was gushing over the other part of the “liberation.”

Hope you’re enjoying the revolution, Lara! Alhamdilllullah [praise allah].

As you may have read, Ms. Schlussel says it warms her heart that a peer has been sexually assaulted. Moreover, she calls Egyptians animals and savages, words used by whites to demonize other ethnic groups in the past. She makes an assertion that this attack was an Islamic evil, when it is known that Egypt is a multiethnic, multireligious society. Evil deeds can be done by anyone and Lara did know the risks and trusted a security group that was ill-equipped. Interestingly, Ms. Schlussel fails to honour the group of Egyptians that rescued the CBS reporter.

One could dismiss Debbie Schlussel as a far-right birther nutjob, but there are a lot of mainstream outlets who consider her an expert on terrorism.  Ms. Schlussel is the new face of hatred; a well-educated, well-spoken, attractive para-politician. She adds a facade of credibility to a racist, homophobic, and misogynistic agenda, which is why folks like Bill O'Reilly adore her. 

Columnists have the freedom to write about what they wish and ally with those of like minds. And I will state once and for all that Debbie Schlussel does not represent the views of at least one pro-Israel blogger. Her vicious attacks on all those not her have finally come full circle in a celebration of an attack on a peer. By celebrating rape, Debbie Schlussel has launched an attack on every woman who has ever been a victim of this most malicious of all hate crimes. If women are their own worst enemies, Ms. Schlussel is the Commandant of the army. 

There is never a justification for rape, nor racism. Hate in the name of patriotism is still the same. I sincerely hope that Magen David Adom pulls their ads from a website that promotes the types of crimes they stand against.

Ed. - I will no longer purchase the Vancouver Province until they stop using Debbie Schlussel as a columnist and apologize for featuring a writer whose morals are contrary to Canadian ideals. 

Running Scared

  Former U.S. President George W. Bush was set to make an appearance in Switzerland on Saturday at an event honouring the United Israel Appeal. However, Bush never showed up for his first European gig since leaving office, and there's a good possibility that he'll be staying home from now on.

147 nations have ratified the U.N. Convention Against Torture. The Center For Constitutional Rights has compiled a legal complaint of over 2,500 pages detailing waterboarding and other methods of torture approved by George W. Bush during his tenure. The CCR wanted to pursue a case against Bush for the torture of 2 men at Guantanamo Bay. Neither of these men are alleged 9/11 conspirator Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, whom Bush proudly admits approving the torture of in his new book, which he really wants you to buy. This and more are the basis for the CCR and the European Center For Constitutional and Human Rights releasing Monday what amounts to a preliminary indictment against George Walker Bush for war crimes.

Human beings have human rights; liberties that Mr. Bush became acutely aware of as part of the course of assuming office. In civilized societies, everyone is entitled to a fair trial which includes presumption of innocence. George W. Bush was so out for vengeance that he stopped viewing others as human beings and became just as vile as those he saw as enemies. You cannot torture people nor authorize the use of it, regardless of your opinion of the accused. Had George Bush gone to Switzerland there is a very good chance that he would have been arrested. He's also slated to come to Canada this year and could very well be apprehended. If he's not caught, the only safe place may be his ranch in Texas.

Stay tuned.

Rich Scumbag Of The Weak

This is Mike Gilliand, who was CEO of Sunflower Farmers Markets until he resigned after being arrested last Thursday for felony child prostitution. The wealthy founder of Wild Oats markets was one of 8 men caught in Phoenix as part of a child prostitution sting.
According to the charges, the 52 year old man arranged to meet a 13 year old girl at a hotel for paid sex. The meeting had been setup via the internet, where the girl had clearly identified herself as being a minor child. Nonetheless, Mr. Gilliand believed he will be exonerated, crying innocence.

Child trafficking is not a victimless crime. Millions of children are forced into slavery and prostitution annually by evil men who see humans as products for use and abuse. The majority of adult prostitutes began as children, often forced through drug use or sold by parents. And the victims keep getting younger because that's what the sinister souls who purchase child abuse want. If the men who purchase women and children for sex wanted grannies, that's what they would get. But they don't because they have perverse fantasies of wee children chasing them for sex.

As much as Mr. Gilliand wants people to believe that he was entrapped, don't answer his cries. The fact remains that most sexual abusers of children have had hundreds of victims by the time they are arrested. Chances are very unlikely that Mike Gilliand was caught the very first time he tried to hook up with a child. Further proof can be found in the fact that he tried to lure a girl off of the internet. These weirdos have their own chat sites and lingo and anyone who doesn't fit in with the rest of the perverts wouldn't get very far. Michael Gilliand set out to have sex with a young girl, made payment arrangements, and drove to a hotel where he thought a child was waiting for him. If that does not fit the legal standard for a felony, I have no idea what does.

Watch your children. You have no idea who may be watching them.

Your Weekly Beck

  Glenn Beck was on his soapbox today warning people about the evil groups behind a youth summit when he almost let his real motives slip.


 
See, Glenn here is all freaked out that he doesn't know everything about groups that include a couple that rescue former child soldiers. And because he doesn't know what they're about, you are to be afraid of them. Then the rant gets creepier than usual. Beck incessantly attacks other media outlets and Google as fronts for the typical New World Order. He blabs his conspiracy theory about media control, which is naturally a borrowed theory. Who was is borrowed from? The Nazis. Names like George Soros and Google represent what Mr. Beck sees as evil, that being the Jews.

Since Beck likes predictions, I give him 2 months before he utters something about The Jews on-air and has a nervous breakdown.

This dude is the idiot no village wants.

Day Of Love?

Today is Valentine's Day; a day for love and chocolate, flowers and silliness. And, if you're a kid in America, you may have heard of the Day of Purity counter-protest.

Popularized by singing stars and lauded by parents' groups the Day of Purity seeks pledges of sexual abstinence from students, hoping that all sexual activity will occur within the confines of a heterosexual Christ-centred marriage. And with kids getting in all sorts of trouble, it would certainly be good if they concentrated more on school and less on chasing tail, but all is not what it seems. You see, the Day of Purity is a pet project of hate group the Liberty Council.

The Liberty Council is a group that espouses the most radical tenets of the far right. The lobbying group is powerful and well-funded, stepping in to fund legal challenges to gay rights legislation, union-busting, and a ton of other things. You may not know the Liberty Council by name, but if you've been alive in North America in the last 20 years, you have seen their work. They are the minds behind the scenes in the battles to force schools to teach creationism as a science and laws banning same-sex marriage.

 The Liberty Council is behind many anti-choice demonstrations and tea parties, the lawyer-fronted group being the socially-acceptable version of the Phelps clan. Like so many others, the group has a deck of Pray for a Liberal trading cards and runs Jesus camps and promotes the idea that one can pray away the gay. The Liberty University School of Law is designed to train future attorneys to challenge anything that interferes with Christianity and patriarchy.

Hundreds of schools are participating in something that financially benefits a divisive hate group. Instead of offering kids hope, it teaches them to be sanctimonious and hurtful. If your kid's school is among the many promoting this Liberty Council front group, I encourage you to tell others about the most inappropriately-named group and why your kids will not be participating.

Be well.

Quick Thought

Today, the topic "GoodluckChrisBrown" was trending all over the interwebs today in reference to tonight's Grammy Awards. Naturally, this reminded me of another year where Rihanna couldn't show up for a live performance because her face got bashed in. 

And time you're tempted to blabber on about how awesome Chris Brown is, put this image in your mind.

Chris Brown is the Ben Roethlisberger of music. 

Head On

 I'm not rich, and I'm not famous. I never made it to the pros or even college as an athlete. But through a combination of playing sports, gaybashings, and sheer freak accidents I have had concussions. A lot of them. I've been knocked unconscious numerous times and had my bell rung tons more.

And people are starting to talk about brain injuries and how they can affect your daily life.  Eric Lindros was a different guy the three times I met him. And that's what concussions do- they change a rambunctious kid into a driven but paranoid man into a lost child again. They take talent and squash it and as much as Eric will never be on the ice again, he's still a smart guy who can't get out of his skull. Eric Lindros was and is a nice guy who found the brunt end of the game he loved so much.

It's a bizarre feeling to have a brain full of thoughts and unable to verbalize them, to become frustrated with speech. Luckily, I have my blog and spellcheck and time to make the inside spark become outward genius, because without it, I am that awkward person with a light that isn't fully on.

I am absolutely indebted to the fine folks who have decided that their brains should be donated to science after they die. With research, people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries in the future will know a better life. And if you've had a traumatic brain injury, please consider adding your name to the brain and spinal cord database after you die. You can't take your tissues with you and you might save a future kid's life. Go here to do so or for more information 

The Eric Lindros concussion video is not available at lindros.com anymore, but can be seen here at nanonline

Quick Check In

  What you, my readers want dictates the manner that this blog goes forward. I do post my thoughts and info you need to be sure, but how I do it is entirely up to you guys.

  And one thing that has been brought up is advertising. I posted ads because companies wanted them there to plant a seed. But the thing is, they mess with the way the blog looks and most of the time I make like $7 a month. And I figure that messing with a good thing isn't worth that. So I'm suspending use of advertising from outside networks like ExpoMax and Google. I'll continue to post those for TorahForAll and BlogPRWire, because I host them for free anyways.

  In the mean time I'll try to keep this up and running and keep firing suggestions. But as for ads, I'll only do them on an up-close and personal basis, so if you're part of a rapid ad network, it's a no-go. My readers are too important to compromise the integrity of the blog.

  If you have any queries or comments on how I can improve this blog, comment below or email me (the address is in the legal mumojumbo at the bottom)


Cheers

What's Your Take?

 When L. Ron Hubbard created Scientology, he set out to make money, and make money he did. The founder of Scientology was worth hundreds of millions of dollars when he died of a stroke. Scientology has had casualties, people who have perished or suffered because the organization prohibits use of many common drugs. A class of drugs demonized by the church is psychiatric drugs, which Mr. Hubbard himself was taking at the time of his death. The self-styled intellectual flunked out of George Washington University yet claimed Scientology could cure everything from epilepsy to radiation burns. (See: Dianetics)

  One of the great appeals of Scientology is a sense of community, and offer a cure for psychological and social ills. Scientologists count amongst my readers and I have family members involved with the organization. One most peculiar trait of Scientology is its active courting of celebrities, one of whom director and screenwriter Paul Haggis. 

  Mr. Haggis joined the group over 30 years ago and left only recently due to the Church's support of Prop 8. It should be noted that Hubbard claimed to be able to cure homosexuality through Scientology, but efforts to do so are no longer politically correct.The movie man stated many of the same things that many others had about Scientology, including human trafficking and slavery in the Sea Orgs.

 Mr. Haggis' brave departure from the group has sparked a sea of other former members coming forward with tales of everything from forced isolation to outright torture. Exposes of being forced to work for little to no pay to serve famous adherents are coming out, like this one, where Scientologists worked for Tom Cruise for $50.00 a week. The church is currently being sued by numerous former members and is now under FBI investigation for illegal practices including slavery, money laundering, and human trafficking. Naturally, the Church has shot back, denying any wrongdoing.

  In his own words, L. Ron Hubbard founded the Church of Scientology as a money-making operation ( "MAKE MONEY. MAKE MORE MONEY. MAKE OTHER PEOPLE PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MORE MONEY." - L. Ron Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 9 March 1972) and then started believing the legends he produced. In Germany, the Church of Scientology is considered a cult whose goals are counter-constitutional. However, on our side of the pond, the Church enjoys the same privileged tax status as any other religion.

  So my question to you is: is the Church of Scientology any more or less dangerous than any other belief system? And should it deserve tax-favourable status? And if not, is it because it is a newer belief system or the content of the system? And also, do any religious institutions that demand submission deserve tax-protected status?

Letting Go Of God Part Four

  I'm in a small place with not a lot of folks, and most of them believe in a god of some extraction. Before I began my journey, I hadn't heard of Dawkins or Hitchens. Heck, I still don't know much about him, or Sam Harris or the others that anti-theist die-hards hold dear. But I do know that I'm a dandy good person and certainly more peaceful than when I wasted my time praying to the nonexistent.

And when you've discovered something to improve your life, you want to share it with others which can be problematic when what you are telling people is that there is no big guy in the sky watching over them; that we humans are just parts of the animal kingdom; that there's nothing after death. Some folks really seem to need to believe the absurd in order to feel whole as human beings. Nobody wants to be alone and the comfort of an omniscient father can bring a sense of serenity. Besides, the followers of whatever cult is nearby seem really happy- they're dancing and singing and there are cookies. And it seems better than being a lone wolf. But is it really better to believe just in case or just because you're lonely? I dare say no, because you are not alone in being a rational thinker.

  With the advent of the internet, you can find those who were lost in blind faith and found themselves in science. We're not new in thought, for Epicurius posed the questions that the sun worshipers of old simply could not answer. Mark Twain and Thomas Jefferson and Richard Burton came long before you along with minds like Einstein and Freud. We are simply a newer generation of people who may not know all of the answers, but will never be satisfied with the status quo. If man was simply satisfied with prayer there would be no neuroscience, nor quantum physics, nor genetic mapping. We are on the verge of understanding the exact manner in which the universe exists because we have never stopped searching for answers. 

  Science brings us closer to the world and further away from it than was imagined when man invented god. We have come to a place where we can stand account for our successes and failures without having to blame a misinterpretation of Pisces or the man in the Moon. We have freedom and maybe believers are envious.

  There are a lot of terms used as it relates to man's relationship with god. A believer is expected to be humbled by, to serve, obey, etcetera. The relationship between man in this god is similar to that of a child or spouse and an overbearing, if not outright abusive, parent or partner. In both instances, the object of fear is seen as all-seeing and all-powerful. There is an obsessive fear of failure, constant apologies, fear of punishment, and eventual depression. It comes as no surprise that religious obsession and post-traumatic stress disorder hold many of the very same characteristics. And it's a scary thing to leave a comfortable abuse situation, whether it be familial or biblical. 

  Luckily, there is hope. When I began writing this series, I never thought that there would be as many people who were struggling with family members or vindictive pastors, but you are quite a number indeed. We have become a fellowship of the rational; great human beings who offer kind actions or words instead of silly prayers. And next time someone asserts that their god is all-wonderful and that they're a chosen people, ask why there is a lightning rod on the church. 

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime; give a man religion and he will die praying for a fish."

  

Does Mississippi Need This Ghost?

  Mississippi governor Haley Barbour is no stranger to racial controversies. Recently, the man romanticized a segregationist town council from his childhood, yet he's still thinking of running for president in 2012.Now the NAACP is hoping the governor will stop the production of a license plate commemorating General Nathan Bedford.

  The Sons of Confederate Veterans would like a series of plates commemorating the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Civil War, one lost by the South. General Bedford was known for leading a massacre of a black Union Army unit and was one of the founders of the Ku Klux Klan. Needless to say, black groups as well as others are fuming at the suggestion. The Sons don't see what the big deal is, saying they think Bedford disavowed the KKK at some point in time.

  I've been looking at message boards related to this and noticed a disturbing amount of people defending the idea of this plate. And I say go for it. If you want to drive around with a license plate showing your loyalty to a man who founded a terrorist organization, so be it. Yes, it's absolutely offensive that anyone would want to have this plate, but you're essentially telling the whole world once and for all that you're a bigot. Just don't bitch when you come out of KFC to find your F-150 incinerated.

Ask The Roofer Feb 10

Out Of Left Field

   American Family Association director Bryan Fischer is known for making blatantly bigoted statements, and this week's shocker is just that.

  Everyone who pays attention to human rights knows that Bryan Fischer is one of the most vicious homophobes who grace the airwaves and print. The Moral Liberal editor's rants against the gay have become somewhat legendary, but this week's hate-filled diatribe takes the manure cake. In this article, Mr. Fischer asserts the idea that Native Americans deserved to have their land stolen because their superstitions are not in line with Christian teachings.

Here's an excerpt:

In all the discussions about the European settlement of the New World, one feature has been conspicuously absent: the role that the superstition, savagery and sexual immorality of native Americans played in making them morally disqualified from sovereign control of American soil.

He continues to draw parallels between Aboriginal spirituality and barbarism throughout the article, stating that America is rightfully Christian because of the immorality of Indigenous peoples. According to Mr. Fischer, First Nations peoples are suffering today because of their respect for the Earth and refusal to convert to Christianity.

Many of the tribal reservations today remain mired in poverty and alcoholism because many native Americans continue to cling to the darkness of indigenous superstition instead of coming into the light of Christianity and assimilating into Christian culture.

In addition, Mr. Fischer states discontent with a Chief  conducting memorial services for victims of the Tucson shooter because he doesn't understand the Mother Earth philosophy. And naturally, if you don't understand something, it is inherently evil.

  Arguments such as those posed by Mr. Fischer are certainly not new.  Assimilation was the very reason for the abuses conducted in residential schools and the theft of land. The genocide of entire tribes occurred because traders gave smallpox-tainted blankets to locals. Wives and children were stolen from tribes and indoctrinated into a culture that sees them as moral inferiors. The refusal to accept a man-made god over respect for the Earth was and is the reason for the poverty of reserves today, but it's only because Christian conquistadors refused to truly love their neighbours and let them be.

  Bryan Fischer has laid his card on the table, proving once and for all that the Christian left can be just as dangerous as the right. Racism is at the heart of Mr. Fischer's views on the world; he is a modern spiritual warrior that will stop at nothing until everyone shares his narrow view of the world and her diverse population.  What was once dismissed as antiquated racism is alive and well in America today, and it is very well funded. As a member of the Algonquin First Nation, I am thoroughly appalled at the extent of racism and misunderstanding in Bryan Fischer's reprehensible thesis. As a member of the human community, I truly fear for us because people like Mr. Fischer count themselves members of our tribe.

  "They came with a Bible and their religion, stole our land, crushed our spirit, and now they tell us we should be thankful to the Lord for being saved." - Chief Pontiac (1718-1769)

Absolute Power

  

While we watch  the fine folks in Egypt fight for their civil rights, there is still politicking occurring in the rest of the world. One great nation is Italy, home to fine cheeses and wines, but also home to a familiar type of democracy in which the person with the most money often wins the race.

  One man with wealth is their prime minister, media tycoon Silivio Berlusconi. The conservative leader, with policies that have permanently abolished certain taxes and given the human embryo personhood, has been elected 3 times in rather strong majorities. His party was of his design, with focus on maintaining Christian values and of enterprise freedom. But he is not without critics, and today he lashed out after prosecutors recommended he be charged after an incident of hiring an underaged prostitute and lying to get her out of jail. 

  In the incident in question, Berlusconi hired an underaged girl and paid her for sex. In Italy, it is illegal to pay for the sexual services of a girl under 18. It is also alleged that when the Moroccan nightclub dancer was arrested on theft allegations, Mr. Berlusconi pressured police for her release by claiming she was a relative of Egyptian honcho Hosni Mubarak.  Charges could go forward later this week and Silvio Berlusconi has vowed revenge to those prying into his personal life.

  This is certainly not the first scandal of Silvio Berlusconi's tenure. He has been tried for corruption and false accounding before, even hiring Nicolas Sarkozy as a lawyer at one point. After acquittals, he decriminalized false accounting, making it only punishable by fine. He also enacted a law granting the prime minister and cabinet members immunity from trial, which was constitutionally challenged.

  And he's been accused of paying for underaged girls before, in fact his wife divorced him complaining of his perversions quite publicly. Berlusconi has been accused of coming on to political opponents and of having affairs with underaged girls, simply replying that it is better to like pretty girls than be gay. He's also publicly joked about rape and Jews. And each time he's been questioned about his actions, he's foisted blame onto others instead of apologizing. 

  Silvio Berlusconi is an example of what can happen when people are able to buy their way into power. He's also an example of the kind of politician who refuses to stand account for his behaviours, a man who preaches  religion and behaves in terribly debauched ways. Silvio Berlusconi is a megalomaniac whose time has come, but there's no way he is going away quietly. 

...Meanwhile In Jordan

  The protest tide of the Middle East and North Africa is becoming fierce, with Tunisia's Ben Ali sent dashing for Saudi Arabia and Hosni Mubarak hanging on to his post by a thread. Millions of minds in many nations are looking to their leaders and demanding policy and personnel changes. And one nation that made large-scale layoffs of politicians was Jordan. 

King Abdullah II  dismissed his entire cabinet after recent protests in Tunisia and Egypt made him more than a little nervous about what locals say is widespread corruption. And this past weekend, over 30 tribal leaders  issued a joint statement warning of a popular uprising due to "suppression of freedoms and looting of public funds" . Among their charges are that Queen Rania is engaging in political power broking and that Jordan is fast becoming a kleptocracy. 

Included demands are for fair parliamentary elections and expanded freedoms. And like their Egyptian brethren, Jordanians have also suffered years of high commodity prices and a widening gap between the rich and the poor. And despite royal claims to the contrary, Jordanians still fear speaking their mind for fear of arrest under numerous clauses that make it a crime to criticize the government. What's more, average Jordanians are becoming resentful of their cosmopolitan monarchy parading about in fashions worth more than a year's wage while many go hungry. 

 The King ascended in 1999, promising progressive changes started by his late father would continue. However, he has maintained the status quo and when he has spoken, he hasn't really been taken seriously. This protest comes on the back of a Wikileaks cable that stated that the U.S. was becoming annoyed with Abdallah's inaction, so maybe these tribesmen are being opportunistic. Maybe they're misogynists and xenophobes who are looking for an excuse to hate on the Queen. Or maybe they're voicing the discontent of a nation that is being robbed blind by a caste of elites who call anyone who complains a terrorist. And maybe both cases are true.

Stay tuned.

Putting The Nut In Nutella

 Nutella has been around for a long time. Very popular in Europe and Canada, Ferrero's iconic bread spread has been marketed recently in the United States. But, according to a lawsuit, their tactics are sneaky. 

  Lawyers for Athena Hohenberg filed suit in California claiming that Nutella's advertising is misleading because it shows Nutella to be a part of a balanced breakfast, along with multigrain bread and fresh fruit. In addition, the lawyers find it disturbing that the children in the ads were healthy and happy. The mother believes Ferrero is deliberately misleading people by calling their product nutritious, when it contains refined sugar and fat. Naturally, the demand is for restitution of all monies made by Ferrero USA from Nutella. 

  Now, I have a few issues with this lawsuit, and hear me out. I have a jar of Nutella sitting on my desk because I have very active nephews who can burn off the immense amount of calories the spread contains, which are listed on an enormous Nutrition Facts label. The nutrient profile covers over a third of the total label area, you aren't going to miss it. 

  In addition to stating that 19 grams of the spread contains 6 grams of fat and 11 grams of sugar, it also states that Nutella is a source of vitamin E. And what is below? The ingredients panel- the first three listed being sugar, palm oil, and hazelnuts. 

  So, I don't see what's evasive about Ferrero marketing an energy spread to athletic children. The reason why the kids in the ads are usually playing some sport is because it was originally sold to soccer-playing kids in Southern Europe. It doesn't have a fantastic nutritional profile, but it's better than some products directly marketed to athletes. It's also marketed as part of a balanced breakfast, much like that sugar-sweetened cereal. Not instead of a balanced meal, part of it. 

  Next thing you know, parents are going to sue Kellogg's because a bird doesn't fly out of the Fruit Loops box when opened. 

Quick Thought

 

 This gentleman was born with female anatomy. In order to be permitted the operation to remove his breasts, he had to undergo quite an ordeal. He had to change his name, live publicly as a man for several years, and consult with several physicians and psychiatric personnel before granted license to become legally male. And he's happy with the results.

  The woman below had 10 cosmetic procedures in one day and over a dozen in total. She almost died the day she had 10 unneeded operations due to incompetence. She was not questioned as to why she wanted to do this to herself. 

We live in a twisted society.