*YERK*

Yes...*gasp*...unrequited love hits me right...

*thud*

I wonder if they know what "little head" means in America?

*shakes head sadly, then gets quizzical look*

Disband...the Marines?!?! Where do they get this stuff?!?

Would they?

I woke up the cats by laughing in the dark.

Following the inauguration of Barrack Obama as President, the Middle Eastern reaction is still the same. Obama campaign supporters from Al-Qaeda, to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to Islamic Jihad, and the Muslim Brotherhood continue to dance in the streets. The Death to America Coalition spokesperson said, "We have not celebrated like this since Nine-Eleven..."

Spotted on Beliefnet.

#12, I woke up the cats by laughing in the dark. And that line should be a song lyric.

o teh hilarity, it brightens my dai!

That's what that brigade(?) assigned to homeland security duties is for!

...Obama planned to disband the Marines.

I'm sure we'll miss live performances of The Halls of Montezuma, but in the 21st century, they can probably get away with an ipod filled with marcing music and some speakers. What? Not that kind of disbandment?

The "disband the Marines" plan has also been attributed to Hillary Clinton and Eleanor Roosevelt.

On the other hand, disbanding Blackwater is something I could be enthused about.

*dissolves into giggles* Thank you. I, too, needed that. I just got an email from a (Canadian! ??!) friend, some forward conceding that Bush may have messed up a little, but at least he nominated Roberts and Alito, so yay--

On the other hand, this article made me happy. It's kind of neat to remember that Obama's white, too. Hurray for love.

*dissolves into giggles* Thank you. I, too, needed that. I just got an email from a (Canadian! ??!) friend, some forward conceding that Bush may have messed up a little, but at least he nominated Roberts and Alito, so yay--

On the other hand, this article made me happy. It's kind of neat to remember that Obama's white, too. Hurray for love.

A well-done "Hey There Delilah" parody video, actually sort of touching.

I Picked A Girl, short and funny.

Mariachis! Viva Obama!

A blogger plays the same game, in reply.

But again, if we tune out the obviously foaming-at-the-mouth crazy bits, I *love* this doomsday scenario.

Also, when they run out of arguments that at least appear relevant, they start arguing that somehow same-sex marriage will cause... rioting at Barnes and Noble! Awesome! Not just that, the evil, long-haired, young mobs would also stage "a massive nationwide computer attack on Amazon.com" with their calculation machines and their modem telephone tubes! And NATION-wide! Imagine that, computers bridging state barriers. Next thing you know, they'll let computer attackers from Europe into our Internets.

Very amusing :)

We already have that: it's called 1-Click Ordering. heh.

Libretto:

lyrics by Sandy (obtained via Youtubes message to author)

DON'T SPEAK FOR ME SARAH PALIN!
THE TRUTH IS, I DO NOT LIKE YOU.
MY KID PLAYS HOCKEY, AND I'M HIS MAMA,
BUT I AM VOTING BARACK OBAMA

DON'T SPEAK FOR ME SARAH PALIN!
THE TRUTH IS, I DO NOT LIKE YOU.
WHAT IF McCAIN WERE CHIEF
AND THEN HE DIED-A
YOU'D BE AS SCARY AS THE AL QAIDA

I CANNOT LET IT HAPPEN
THERE MUST BE CHANGE.
CAN'T LET YOU OF ALL RIDICULOUS PEOPLE
BE ONE HEART BEAT AWAY FROM THE HIGHEST POSITION OF LEADERSHIP IN THIS GREAT COUNTRY OF OURS.
SEEING AS YOU CAN'T THINK PAST YOUR OWN RELIGION OR SAY NUCLEAR CORRECTLY FOR THAT MATTER
I DON'T BELIEVE YOU RUNNING AROUND LIKE JOE McCARTHY
ACCUSING PEOPLE OF BEING TERRORISTS BY ASSOCIATION
BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOTHING MORE INTELLIGENT TO SAY THAN
YOU BETCHA, DARN RIGHT, AND DRILL HERE.

DON'T SPEAK FOR ME SARAH PALIN!
YOU DON'T GET THIS GLOBAL CRISIS.
THEY'LL WEAR BIKINIS UP IN ALASKA
AND MEXICO WILL MOVE TO NEBRASKA.

DON'T SPEAK FOR ME SARAH PALIN!
THE TRUTH IS, I DO NOT LIKE YOU.
MY KID PLAYS HOCKEY, AND I WEAR LIPSTICK,
BUT I'M A THINKER, AND YOU'RE A DIPSTICK.

HAVE I SAID TOO MUCH,
I'VE ALREADY LINKED TOGETHER MORE CONSECUTIVE COMPLETE SENTENCES
THAN YOU DID IN YOUR ENTIRE DEBATE.
ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS LOOK AT ME TO KNOW
I DEMAND MORE THAN YOU TO BE MY MAGISTRATE.

DON'T SPEAK FOR ME SARAH PALIN!
THE TRUTH IS, I DO NOT LIKE YOU.
MY KID PLAYS HOCKEY, AND I'M HIS MAMA,
BUT I AM VOTING BARACK OBAMA

That culture is sounding more & more like Mediaeval or Early Modern Europe, with almost everything centred around, based on or related back to The Church. How would you get away to do most anything in your community – maybe guzzle fast food & retail goods? – without it hovering over you? It sounds like you'd be saturated with it growing up. No wonder it still has such an influence.

I'd thought the task of growing a good strong civil secular society was in Third World/developing/less advanced countries. Looks like a big job needs doing there too. Gets very depressing.

The main difference is that in the USA, there's no such thing as The Church- there's all kinds of different churches, none of wich (except maybe for the Catholic Church and the LDS Church) can take anything about their own position for granted, or are taken for granted by their members. Some people have argued that this is what kept so many of the protestant churches so uncompromising and influential in the USA, instead of having them go through processes where either large parts of the laity modernised and started to ignore the priesthood, as among Catholics, or large parts of both the laity and the priesthood modernised, as in many extablished and formerly established Protestant churches.

I'm in Georgia too, and I look at those things and wonder if I'd let that influence whether I hired a company or not. I *shouldn't*, because that's discrimination, right? But I find it distasteful. Luckily, as an apartment-dweller, I don't have much need for the kinds of businesses that are most prone to doing it.

SARAH:
I don't really think I need
The reasons why I won't succeed
I haven't started!
Let's get this show on the road
Let's make it obvious
Palin, I mean McCain, is off and rolling

SARAH's PERSONAL SHOPPERS:
Eyes! Hair! Mouth! Figure! Dress! Voice! Style!
Movement! Hands! Magic! Rings! Glamour! Face!
Diamonds! Excitement! Diva!

SARAH:
I came from the people
They need to adore me
So Christian Dior me
From my head to my toes
I need to be dazzling
I want to be Maverick High!
They must have excitement
And so must I

SARAH's PERSONAL SHOPPERS:
Eyes! Hair! Mouth! Figure! Dress! Voice! Style! Baby clothes!

SARAH:
I'm their product
It's vital you sell me
So Machiavell-me
Make an Alaskan Rose!
I need to be thrilling
I shall be Maverick High!
They need their escape
And so do I

SARAH's PERSONAL SHOPPERS:
Eyes! Hair! Mouth! Figure! Dress! Voice! Style!
Movement! Hands! Magic! Rings! Glamour! Face!
Diamonds! Rogue! Shotgun!

SARAH:
All my Joe Kegger friends expect me to outshine the enemy - those elite folks from the non-American parts of the country, dontcha know--
I won't disappoint them, you betcha!
I'm their savior!
That's what they call me
So Lauren Bacall me
Anything goes
To make me fantastic
I have to be Maverick High
In magical colors--
You're not decorating a girl for a night on the town!
And I'm not a second-rate queen getting kicks with a crown!
Next stop will be the White House!
The Maverick's gonna tour
Dressed up, somewhere to go
We'll put on a show!
Look out, mighty D.C.!
Because you oughta know what'cha gonna get in me
Just a little touch of
Just a little touch of
Alaska's brand of
Star quality!

The gap in this reasoning is that I don't know that that's why they're displaying an ichthys. I grew up in the US as someone who is not Christian, however, and my subjective perception is that for my entire life, I've been having Christianity pushed at me not simply as the cultural default, but as The Only Way To Be A Moral Person (everybody knows that if you don't believe in a Skyfather god who will punish you for misbehaving, you're utterly without moral compass and probably like microwaving puppies in your spare time). My antibodies may be a little overactive — I recognize this.

*If the business itself is Christian or religious, having a fish in the ad feels different to me. If I see an ichthys in the yellow pages ad for (for example) Western Bible & Tract Co., I don't feel manipulated in the same way as when I see an ichthys in a yellow pages ad for (for example) a roofer, or a pizza place.

Yes. After I posted, I thought about it and realized my objection isn't to the fact that they're Christian, it's that (it seems) they think that should be an important factor in my decision-making.

We can't know their motives, and they may be including the symbol as a joyous celebration and acknowledgment of the role of Christianity in their life. Sadly, I don't trust that interpretation to be the correct one, and I'll go elsewhere so I don't have to wonder.

My partner's experience with such places is much more extensive than mine, thanks to his background in retail and auto mechanics. And he says that almost without exception, the places that used Christian iconography in their advertising had overpriced products, poor customer service, or both. It appears that this tactic has been latched onto by a lot of shady types as a sure-fire way of attracting marks who either won't know better or won't complain because they simply can't believe that a "fellow Christian" would be cheating them.

Hence our bumper sticker that says, "Remember when this (ichthys) wasn't a warning label?"

Boy Scouts.

I'm a Girl Scout leader, and we aren't nearly as doctinaire. You can earn patches in religious topics, but it isn't required. The Girl Scout Promise contains the phrase "to serve God* and my country" *The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.(Yes, the footnote is official.)

One of the things that I mention to parents at the first meeting is that we can change the promise, and do it in such a way that the girl is not made to stand out from her peers. (I have 7-9 year olds. They hate to stand out.)

In leader training, we also had a segment on how Muslim beliefs affect scouting - everything from how to have a swim party while observing Islamic modesty to how to make sure that the food is acceptable.

So, no, not all Scout troops are church based, or Christianist.

Lila, #36, here in NoVA, too, and R.M., #37, I do avoid businesses with fish. My reasoning is that they put that on their ads and such in order to draw in Christian clients. So they don't want to draw me in. Their choice.

Sounds like the oath of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. "I comma insert recruits name comma of my own free will do folemnly fwear to uphold the Laws and Ordinances..."

Checking out was rather odd, too. My husband was handling the transaction, and in the interests of not breaking our cover too badly, agreed to sign up for the discount card. This required the inscription of his name and telephone number into some database or other. Unfortunately, he shares all but his middle initial with an all-too-well-known and highly prolific inerrantist theologian and preacher of the 19th c. Much time was wasted while the clerk accused him of giving a false name.

After we got out the door, we each took a deep breath and started muttering about surrealism in action.

Barring evidence of incompetence, when my toilet acts up, I will continue to call a Catholic.

The ones I'm objecting to are doing their advertising in the phonebook or on their vehicles; that is, in public.

On the "ΙΧΘΥΣ" sign or business card issue, well... I once bought a jar of honey from a Pagan honey farm who had a booth at a Pagan food-and-craft show, and once I got it home I realized that on the attached card it said, "We charge the Xtians more, and pass the savings along to you!" It definitely made me blink.

That's terrible. If I could find my tongue in time to equip it with sufficient communication skills after a shock like that, I'd be chewing them out for being a HORRIBLE representative of my faith. A more apt example of "get off my side, you make my side look stupid!" is not coming to mind at all.

Bilking the unbeliever is not a pretty practice, and bragging about it just ups the ugly. I'm ashamed for these people.

So, how do you castrate an SUV anyway? Ah, here we go: Amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (fuel economy standards), and the Clean Air Act (emissions standards) to reclassify SUVs as passenger vehicles instead of light trucks. That should do nicely.

As opposed to everyday secular American cultural modesty. (I'm trying to word that so it doesn't sound like Moslems aren't American. Did I succeed?) In general, I wouldn't have thought about whether the girls were in any way visible to men when planning a pool party. That turns out to be the biggest issue for Islamic girls wanting to go swimming. So we can swim at a private pool where male members of the household are absent, or at an indoor public pool we have hired with the stipulation that no male employees be present. (Actually, none of my girls are Muslim so this isn't an issue for us. My larger point was the Girl Scouts insists that appropriate accommodation be made to non-Christian religious concerns in a way that doesn't single out the non-Christian girl.)

This was mentioned specifically in the context of the large number of Somali and other east African immigrants we've had recently. I know there is a significant Jewish population here, but I don't know if they don't join the Girl Scouts or if they aren't as frequently Orthodox or what. In any case, specifically Jewish concerns weren't mentioned.

Aren't you sorry you asked?

(Yes, they have those around here too. I never see them without wishing for a pair of bolt cutters.)

I only ever used a Burdizzo, to "pinch" the calves. However, for the free-ranging SUV, you might want to go with the castration knife.

Or is that all TMI?

Anyway, whenever I see those auticles, I have the same innate response. First of all, they're not big enough for the "animal" and secondly, we can't be having intact males running around like that. We'd end up with hordes of wild SUVs in no time at all. People, please remember to spay and neuter your SUVs, and drive responsibly!

No, no, I suppose I deserved that for bringing it up. I clicked all the links, so I hope my punishment is mostly complete. I should thank my lucky stars that Making Light doesn't have the tradition of "poop threads" like some other less civilized online venues do.

John @ 69: The cat? Male cats need no instrumentation other than a scalpel blade. It's the simplest surgery, except the vasectomy.

Eek.

Cat vasectomies†? No breeding capability but all the hormonal activities? No thanks.

*Note to self, avoid "close confusers" — don't use animal metaphors to refer to people in a discussion about animals.
†My Urologist has a "no-scalpel vasectomy" sign on the registration desk. I asked if the alternative was hammer-and-chisel? (I actually knew at least one of the alternative methods. Of course, what is needed (since men are wimps) is a non-invasive method).

John @ 72: Ah, no, the vasectomies are for another species. Nonhuman primates (NHP) are vasectomized as they are pair-housed and we don't need more monkeys. The human no-scalpel vasectomy technique still requires a small incision. It's not applicable to NHP since the anatomy is slightly different.

All other males are castrated species are not vasectomized because we do want to remove those hormones.