And others are too thick to realize how thick they are.
This is kind of a personal rant. You might want to skip it.
Gimme gimme more more more »
The Warsaw Ghetto maybe.
The Holocaust humor from the crusading Catholic just never stops.
Too funny!
Uh, yeah, if you're an asshole.
Update: Paraphrasing from the comment I just left over at Mark's site - a while ago, Mark, in explaining to me why his humor was far superior to mine, told me that he was only flippant toward things that deserved flippancy. I apparently missed the day in "Flippancy 101" when the brutal legacy of the brownshirts was something to use for a hearty laugh (sadly, I also missed "Anti-Semitism for Idiots", although in Easter Mass I did learn about how those Jews nailed poor Jesus to the cross).
Anyway, in the spirit of high-brow humor that so succinctly defines "Catholic and Enjoying It!" I thought I'd help Mark out by proposing a new, hilarious meme that he could use to further demonstrate his sensitivity and tact. So, without further ado...
Top 10 Reasons the Gas Chamber Didn't Work TodayI leave it to you (or Mark's supporters in this case, who apparently have a gift for such nonsense) to complete the list if you so desire. Chances are, though, that you've got more decency than that. Although, if you're possessed by the spirit of goodwill and want to help Mark out, feel free. We'd hate for him to have to think up inept and insensitive comparisons on his own in the future.10. Accidentally used helium instead of Zyklon B- made Jews talk like chipmunks!
9. Forgot to ask Pope Pius XII to bless its murderous machinations.
Next week, we'll be comparing Gay Pride parades to Klan lynchings. Fun!
First up, today is the birthday of our very own Tom. You might remember Tom from when he used to post on a regular basis, or perhaps from when he used to post at all. Either way, happy birthday to him!
Second - A Small Victory just turned three. That's 392 in blog years. Congratulations! You don't look a day over 391!
If you read a story, say, about a group of homosexuals that defaced a church sign with shiny, happy stickers saying "Honor Diversity," and you were searching for the perfect metaphor for their actions, what would you choose?
Why, of course, you'd do just what Mark Shea does and call them "brownshirts."
You remember the brownshirts right? Those friendly folks from Nazi Germany, known far and wide for putting up stickers urging acceptance of others, right? Man, I wonder what those Jews were complaining about when Kristallnacht was really just a bunch of militant National Socialists putting up pretty stickers! They sure do whine, those Jews!
I mean, surely this Nazi poster and this sticker are comparable!
Of course, I'm kidding. The brownshirts were violent thugs who went about murdering Hitler's opponents and causing the Jews to live in fear (one which was, sadly, well-founded). Yet, Mark continues in his avowed tradition of insulting the memory of those who truly suffered at the hands of the brownshirts with such absurd comparisons.
As I said in the comments at Mark's site, does this have something to do with the Jews nailing Jesus up? I'm not sure what else can explain such callous disregard for history.
Yup, let's trivialize this, this, this, and this a little more, shall we?
Maybe I can write an offensive post comparing the Church's cover-up of priests playing "touch the weenie" with the German effort to hide the fact of the extermination camps from the world!
(Equally amusing is Fr. Stanely's assertion that I want to control Mark and his writing; apparently he's unaware that freedom of speech includes the freedom to criticize the speech of others - or maybe he thinks I have Evil Atheist Telekinetic Keyboard Control and can make Mark write what I like!)
Update: Janus Online expands upon what I've written.
So maybe it's really a voice from someone who claims to be related to someone who is in the grave. From this post, on the passing of the "founder" of the Prattville, Alabama cross garden comes this bit of enlightened prose (please set KrazyCapsViewingSoftware to level -10):
TOO BAD YOU DIDN'T SPEND MORE TIME REALIZING THE FACT THAT WHATEVER THE VOICE HE HEARD WAS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO CHANGE HIS LIFE.Yep, and the voices Son of Sam heard told him to go out and kill. Your grandfather had no corner on the market of "I hear voices and they tell me to do crazy shit."
I PRAY YOU HEAR GOD'S WORD AT TIME WHEN YOU STILL HAVE TIME LEFT TO LIVE.So long as that voice doesn't instruct me to build a bunch of crosses and signs, whose only purpose is to freak people out, rather than actually work to help people, I might not mind hearing it.
I FIND THIS SITE VERY DISRESPECTFUL AND IGNORNANT.That's ok. This site finds you pea-brained and nothing but a source for amusement.
IT IS QUITE APPARENT THAT YOU NEVER STOPPED AND TALKED TO MY GRANDFATHER.You're right. Crazy, old people hearing the voice of their own special God in the middle of nowhere don't often pass my "stop and hope you live to tell the tale" test.
IF YOU HAD, YOU WOULD KNOW HE WAS NOT IN THE LEAST BIT INSANE OR IGNORANT. HE WAS VERY COURAGEOUS AND BRAVE.Buy a thesaurus, my friend. Insane is not the opposite of courageous, and ignorant is not the opposite of brave. You can be brave and courageous for all the wrong, goddamn crazy reasons.
THERE ARE MANY LIKE YOU.Not nearly enough, but we're working on it!
HE IS NO LONGER HAVING TO DEFEND GOD'S WORK HEAR ON EARTH ANYMORE. I AM THANKFUL THAT HE IS IN HEAVEN, LOOKING DOWN ON THOSE OF US WHO SUPPORTED HIM.Actually, he's in the ground, decomposing as we all tend to do once we die, but you go on and believe what makes you feel good. Say, shouldn't you be out making some more crosses rather than, oh, helping others?
OH, BY THE WAY, THE ROADSIDE JUNK AS YOU CALL IT, IS GOING FOR A PRETTY GOOD RATE ON THE INTERNET.So it's not about God but about money? Hmmm, I bet that pisses Jesus off. I have always found odd how Christians look for ways to profit from their god rather than spread his word and grace freely. Were Jesus alive today, I bet he'd kick the holy living shit out of you and the rest of the moneychangers in the temple.
THANKS TO A LARGE FAMILY CONSISTING OF SEVERAL YOUNGER GRAND CHILDREN, I EXPECT HIS WORK TO CONTINUE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.Good, I can use the material.
Amen.
No, really, it's not what you think:
A dead sperm whale has exploded while being delivered to a research centre near the southwestern city of Tainan.Don't you hate it when it explodes before you're ready?Passers-by and cars were soaked in blood and body parts were sprayed over a road after the bursting of the whale, which was being carried on a trailer.
Not that I would know anything about that. Nope. Why are you looking at me?
Not that can I make you read anything, of course. At least not until such time as I usurp the authority of governments around the world and bend all of you to my will. Oh yes, someday, my sweet, someday indeed.
Uh, in the meantime, you can check out the Raving Atheist's post on the afterlife, or the lack thereof.
Madonna and her finally-broke-out-of-the-MTV-like-directing-mode husband Guy Ritchie are being sued:
Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie are to be taken to court by an actor who claims the couple stole the idea for their 2002 film Swept Away.This worried me at first, but the article goes on to say that the actor in question is not the relatively well-known Vincent D'Onofrio. No matter who the guy is, why the hell would he want to take any sort of credit for Swept Away, the globally-panned Madonna and her Guy vehicle?Vincent D'Onofrio says he pitched the idea to the pair in 1997 - but they cut him out of the credits. The couple say he has no proof of a contract.
To his credit though, it is interesting that the couple is only saying "he has no proof of a contract." That's not exactly a denial of theft. That's kind of confusing too, because if I was Madonna or Guy, I'd probably look for any opportunity to distance myself from my very own cinematic abortion.
Yes, the World Wide Rant continues on with its massive influence in the blogosphere:
The layout of my site is completely original in relation to Nick's site. I will admit though, to borrowing heavily from sites that use movable type. The site that has actually influenced my layout and content the most is The World Wide Rant .Notably, monkeys are sadly absent from his site. He'll learn, in time. We hope.
Monkeys!
No, crazy liberals, I'm not talking about George Bush. Just needed some way to segue into the maps below (if they load, which they probably won't due to excessive traffic at the sites in question). Anyway, you can see which countries I've been to in the first map, and in the second, the states I've visited and/or lived in.
How very, very exciting!
create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide
Yes, yes, they keep on coming - this time it's the "MyDoom" worm.
The worm is contained in e-mails with random senders' addresses and subject lines. While the body of the e-mail varies, it usually includes what appears to be an error message, such as: "The message cannot be represented in 7-bit ASCII encoding and has been sent as a binary attachment."I've received
The lesson is clear: people who double click attachments should be shot at sundown...
Update: Oh, and if you receive an e-mail from someone, anyone, at the World Wide Rant with that virus attached, it's not us doing the sending. It's the worm randomly slapping together e-mail addresses (for instance, there is no robert, kim, laura, or steve with an e-mail account on our mail server).
Ricky Gervais and his hilarious BBC series "The Office" just won two Golden Globe awards.
Simultaneously, the television executives responsible for the horrendous, let's-remake-it-rather-than-import-it "Coupling" (not to be confused with the actual "Coupling") on NBC were tarred, feathered, drawn, quartered, and spit upon by small children lining the road. Or, they should have been.
Hmmm, what could possibly explain the state of education of America's youth? Oh, I don't know, maybe something like this.
Marquis Harris, a 22-year old black man, wanted to give something back. Marquis Harris wanted to teach high school in Atlanta. Some facts about Marquis Harris:
Apparently not:
Recently, I interviewed with a school in one of the metro Atlanta counties, only to receive an e-mail from the principal stating, "Though your qualifications are quite impressive, I regret to inform you that we have selected another candidate. It was felt that your demeanor and therefore presence in the classroom would serve as an unrealistic expectation as to what high school students could strive to achieve or become. However, it is highly recommended that you seek employment at the collegiate level; there your intellectual comportment would be greatly appreciated. Good luck."That's right. His intelligence and accomplishments would intimidate the students. I guess we should tell kids not to aim high, to settle for what life hands them, and that hard work is all an exercise in futility. I suppose we can't risk hurting their self-esteem.*
Unbelievable.
(hat tip to D.C. Thornton)
* Or maybe it's because, at least from his photo, he looks rather - well - flamboyant. We wouldn't want him to use his evil, homersexural mind-beam powers to corrupt the youth! Oh no! Zap! Zap! All the kids like show tunes now!
One of the formerly favorite shows in the World Wide Rant Global Domination HQ Household, "Keen Eddie," is now showing on Bravo. There was much sadness and gnashing of teeth when Fox canned the show after the all-too-familiar "let's give it three weeks to find an audience while we move it to a new night every week" treatment. So, we'll get to see the original airings plus some unseen episodes - maybe they'll make some more...
Hooray.
OK, back to whatever you were doing.
Courtesy of Walter, comes a link to the Drug War Clock:
O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
- "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman
Stop beaming like that, Laurence.
You've heard of the tragedy of the commons? Well, consider this the tragedies of common sense. John Stossel reports on ten all-too-common beliefs and how wrong they are. A summary follows below.
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Kristi from Incoherent Babbling (were it a religious blog, that would translate as Evangelical Speaking in Tongues) was kind enough to contribute to meme-blog-land by sending me five questions to answer. So, here are the answers - it's my way of letting you get to know me, because I know you're dying to do just that. Although not Biblically, probably. Well, maybe a handful of you, but I'll have to run it by the wife first.
Gimme gimme more more more »
This time, it's our pals the French who are learning that there's no such thing as a free lunch, let alone a free transplant.
Thousands of French health workers have held a one-day strike to protest against government plans to cut costs in the country's health system...Let's see, the national healthcare budget is already 10 billion Euros in the hole, and the unions want more staff and better conditions. Sounds like that might cost money. I wonder where they'll get it? I also wonder if "taxes" will be the first word French children learn in the near future.But the government insists reforms are necessary to reduce an annual health budget deficit of 10 billion euros.
Unions had called for a day of stoppages and demonstrations, to demand more staff and better working conditions.
"Fixing it will be very, very difficult," said Pierre Lellouche, of the governing UMP party.It's not generosity. The government is not looking into its bureaucratic heart and saying "Awwww, here ya go, le sport." Rather it is redistributing wealth - the generosity, if it exists, lies with those who pay the most taxes."People are used to this incredible generosity. If you need an operation, you need a free operation immediately."
It is expected that the proposals suggested by experts on Friday will include an unpopular increase in income-related taxes.Told you so.
This should be a warning to Americans that proposals such as Ted Kennedy's new push for national healthcare are doomed to failure. At least once the electorate tires of being taxed out the ass for it.
Surely most of you have seen the charming and touching 1995 movie "Babe," the tale of the little piglet that could. Now, from Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat comes this web-based, Flash masterpiece:
Life of OnniThat's right, kids, a Flash animation of a pig's life, from insemination to slaughter.Each Christmas 300 000 pigs end up as hams on the Christmas table in Finland. Onni was one of the pigs that were eaten last year. Helsingin Sanomat Online followed Onni’s life all the way from insemination to the slaughterhouse.
I think I'll stick with "Babe."
Yes, I have to work to find these things for you. Your gratitude is more than enough reward.
Two heads, that is.
An international team of doctors hopes to operate in the Dominican Republic next month to remove an undeveloped second head from a baby girl born with one of the world's rarest birth defects, caused when a conjoined twin fails to develop in the womb.Just remember folks, we're obviously the product of an Intelligent Designer. Hey, even deities screw it up every now and then (apparently).The baby, Rebeca Martinez, was born in mid-December at a hospital in Santo Domingo with the head of an undeveloped twin attached to the top of her skull, facing upward.
Here's hoping the doctors are more capable than the Big Guy.
(and if you're interested in donating to the good people trying to give this little girl a normal life, you can do that here)
Just got back in, watching the PBS show "The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's." Depressing. I'm not sure what more proof we need that there is no ghost in the machine, that we are our brains, and when our brains go - we go. Thoughts later, if I remember them (hey, I've seen the impact of the disease in my own family line - I'm allowed to joke about it - I almost have to).
Gimme gimme more more more »
I paused brielfly before writing this and posting it, but someone said "Why not? You thrive on that stuff."
So, uh, ok. I can already anticipate who this will offend.
Gimme gimme more more more »
W.C. Rice, creator / maintainer / resident kook, of the Prattville, Alabama cross garden has died.
Rice was known around Prattville as the proprietor of the cross garden, an enormous collection of handmade crosses dotting the landscape around the Rices' small home. Sprinkled among the crosses are other signs, painted on boards, refrigerators, washing machines -- whatever was available when inspiration struck.They also do it with a creepily appropriate lack of proper grammar, suggesting an environment that - under the light of the moon - provokes thoughts more of the violent slaughter of promiscuous teenagers on a joyride than of the loving grace of anyone's deity. Think "The Blair Witch Project" meets "Davey and Goliath."The signs do not sugarcoat the message Rice felt he was being led to spread. Instead, they proclaim damnation and hellfire for those who don't obey God's word.
Apparently it all started back in 1976 when God told him to erect three crosses in memory of his deceased mother. His garden of crosses (and assorted platitudes and warnings and ramblings) now covers some 11 acres. While obviously a bit of a nutter, I suppose it's better than thinking a dog is ordering you to kill.
From all accounts, a harmless old man, a bit touched in the head - it's actually kind of sad that he's gone. During my college years, when I would traverse Highway 82 between Tuscaloosa (where I got my edumacation) and Montgomery (where my folks lived and my laundry got done), I would make a point of stopping off to show whomever might be with me the cross garden. After a brief period of shaking heads in disbelief, and wondering when the man with the metal claw for a hand would shatter the rear window, we'd be on our way, happy that - at least with this as our measuring stick - we were sane.
You can read and see more of the lunacy here and here.
My wife (full disclosure: big Limey) just said that she doesn't like Tom Daschle because he seems like someone right out of Pleasantville. She's right - his entire Democratic response to the SOTU address sounded like Ward telling Beaver about how babies are made.
Shudder.
A one-ton granite monument to the Ten Commandments placed in front of Winston-Salem's City Hall by a lone council member was swiftly removed Tuesday.And it also gave them a cleverly ironic way to prevent the ACLU from suing the pants off of them.The monument violated a policy that councilman Vernon Robinson -- who installed the monument Monday -- had voted for in September, said city spokeswoman Carrie Collins. The policy bans public displays or plaques on city-owned facilities without permission of the city council or manager.
"It had nothing to do with what was on the plaque," Collins said. "It was just that it was in violation of city policy."
What a maroon.
My synopsis, as I feel compelled to complete it:
Ted Kennedy - you smug, fast bastard. What, was the bar cash only tonight?
USA Patriot Act - that's right, you know it, the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act" - those tools that have since been used for more than just fighting terror. Don't think Dubya was ready for the applause on the upcoming sunset provisions - good to hear them though. Maybe we can revoke that ill-conceived piece of legal dooka dooka.
...ok, I'd rather sit back with a beer and watch the speech, all the while trying to beam the proper pronunciation of "nuclear" into George's head. I'm sure Steve or someone will have the play-by-play for your edification.
Update: OK, gotta admit, that rattling off of the names of our allies in Iraq was good. Apparently in la-la-looney-lefty land, "unilateral" means by ourselves and with all those other people.
City government after easy money gets the smackdown!
South Euclid city officials were stunned to learn that they can't collect $1.4 million in income taxes from the winning Mega Millions ticket since the city charter wasn't updated to include lottery winnings as taxable income.Yes, it's always a shame when you find out that someone else's money is not your own."It's not a good day for the city," Mayor Georgine Welo said Monday. "We were all excited until we went to go for the money and learned that we are not entitled to it. We are very saddened by the news."
Too bad, so sad.
Good lord, did you listen to Dean going nuts last night? Drudge has the audio. I damn near expected him to urge his followers to "snap into a Slim Jim!"
I'm thinking that third place showing doesn't sit too well with lil' Howie Bonaparte.
Happy bouncing bunny kudos to Michele for pointing me to the soundtrack of lunacy.
You know how sometimes you get congested? Or how sometimes you can't sleep? Or how maybe your mind is racing? And how sometimes you get a song stuck in your head?
Imagine all of that at 3:45am, and you'll know my own personal hell.
It's going to be a long day.
Wow, the rebel boy from Vermont just got his Iowa-ass handed to him:
Iowa Democrats upended the Democratic presidential race Monday night, giving Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts a strong victory and dealing an apparently fatal blow to Rep. Dick Gephardt's run for the White House.I think I have two questions to come out of this finish:"Iowa, I love you," a beaming Kerry told supporters, dubbing himself the "comeback Kerry."
Howard Dean, widely viewed as the national front-runner going into the caucuses, was in third place, a finish that drains him of momentum going into next week's New Hampshire primary.
1) How will Dean's third place finish affect the nomination and, thus, the Presidential election of 2004? On that topic, why didn't Dean do better? Is this a case of the internet-generation being all about activism so long as they don't actually have to do anything other than point and click their opinion?
and
2) How the hell did Edwards do so well? Did someone sell their soul to Satan? At least Kucinich, promised a win by his magical fairy godmother, trailed badly.
"Life will go on because this campaign was never about me," a somber Gephardt told supporters Monday night, and he promised to support the party nominee.Um, yeah, Dick, that 11% kind of indicates it wasn't about you. Thanks for noticing the obvious. Moving right along...
...next stop, New Hampshire. This is going to be fun interesting.
Is anybody else receiving obvious virus/worm e-mails that say:
Test =)Just asking - so far I've gotten it from clayisbell@earthlink.net and another address, which I've since deleted and so no longer have it available. The e-mail has an attached executable which apparently is randomly named (although it still carries the .exe which gives it away).
ntpbyjadbglgraci
--
Test, yep.
I'm not quite sure how that message is supposed to entice me to run the executable though. At least offer me porn.
Update: Here's the latest:
Computer users are being warned about a new virus which has spread at "an alarming rate".Yay.Internet security firm MessageLabs says it has detected more than 70,000 copies of the W32/Bagle-mm virus in the past 24 hours.
People, please, for the love all that is holy, unholy, or simply just kind of sitting there deciding which it should be, use some common sense when running attachments you receive. Better yet, simply don't run them!
Breaking libation news from China:
Civet dung coffee still selling - despite Sars...and despite being called "civet dung coffee."
"Kopi Luwak" or " Civet Coffee" is made with beans that have been partially digested and then excreted by civets.Oh, no doubt, but that's not all.These are gathered by plantation workers who then wash off the dung and roast the beans to produce a coffee which experts say has a unique flavour.
"Our coffee has a strong taste and an even stronger aroma," Agus Susanto, a Jakarta cafe owner told the Associated Press news agency.I guess that explains why Mrs. World Wide Rant never asks for a second cup of MY civet dung coffee. I must find a new supplier.
Apologies for the lack of posting, but having spent the bulk of the weekend asleep (courtesy of a somewhat nasty cold that refuses to let go), I'm still coming to grips with it being Monday and that I'm back in the office. I'll hopefully be up to full speed by the afternoon. Yes, you may rejoice in the news.
In the meantime, why not go tell Tim Berglund what a pretty new site he has?
As Steve Green is now the No-Vodkapundit until such time as his little swimmies manage to find sweet purchase in the fertile fields of his lovely bride, we're happy to present the following tips to ensure he's back in "liver be damned!" mode as soon as possible.
Good luck, kids!
Not the problem, during Super Bowl XXXVI:
White House Office of Drug Control Policy: The federal government will spend somewhere in the range of $3 million to air two spots with a very pointed message. Directed by Tony Kaye (American History X), they make the case that using drugs helps to fund international terrorism.Why does it help fund terrorism? Because of the black market. And why is it sold on the black market? Because of the government's war on drugs. So why is the government spending millions of dollars to convince us of a problem that their own actions have created?
Ever wonder how much anti-terrorism security $3 million could buy? It's on the order of deploying 39 additional bomb-sniffing dog teams.
Whoops: The lovely Michele points out that the story above was from 2002. Well, that doesn't make it any less wasteful, so there. :)
See, told you I was a bit out of it with this cold.
Sorry for the slower-than-usual rate of posting the last few days. In an alternate universe, perhaps my employer wouldn't expect me to actually work for my wages, but in this one, indeed they do (although hitting the ol' Paypal button to your left might inspire me - or not - you never know your luck, and isn't gambling fun?).
On top of that, I've got a rather unpleasant cold, the wife has it as well, and the World Wide Runt has a case of "contact dermatitis" - also known as hives, probably from something she ate ('twas the mango, we think - I trust this announcement will not bring down the mango futures market). Don't worry though, Fiona is still the cutest baby ever to grace a blog - unless you've put your own baby on your own blog, in which case, "Awwwww, precious!"
However, I've used the downtime to venture into various media, and have returned with a boon for all mankind.
I'm almost done with Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air," his first-person account of life and death on Mt. Everest, when everything that can go wrong does. It's a tale both exciting and moving, and one that has convinced me that if I ever want to see the world from 29,000 feet, there are easier ways.
As that book winds down, I'm also well into "Daily Life During the Holocaust." An easy-to-read, harder-to-imagine timeline of the rise of Hitler through the persecution of Jews, homosexuals, the handicapped, and others. Too many atrocities to cite here, and you're probably familiar with many of them - but reading first-hand accounts makes them even more disturbing. People really do have an apparently infinite ability to suck.
On a happier note (or at least a less distressing one), last night, we watched "Storytelling," another Todd Solondz film (you might remember my mentioning "Happiness" previously). Two unrelated, pointless, yet poignant, stories form the film's backdrop , focusing on the dysfunctional lives of messed-up people. I think Happiness was a better film, if only for its sense of structure and closure; also, the first story felt cut short, running only 20 minutes (but they're a painful, in a good way, 20 minutes). There was more to be said about the emotional and sexual turmoil wracking the lives of the aspiring writer, her handicapped lover, and the exploitative English professor. Still worth the rental though - go forth, rent, watch.
Oh, as with Happiness, if you're easily offended (which I imagine a number of my latest visitors probably are, considering they come from the land where masturbation is akin to spiritual death), you should probably avoid this one. Throw in the homoerotic undertones, the fairly graphic sex, and the disrespect of parental authority and you folks should probably stay a good 100 feet from the very DVD.
We also watched "SWAT." Mindless entertainment where things blow up, people get blown up, and other such activities the people above who are scared of sex have no problem watching. A strange culture that prefers to watch death over sex, no? I'll never understand it.
Via uberCatholic Mark Shea:
In short, it is undeniably logical (given the premises cited by the author) that cannibalism between mutually consenting individuals is where our culture is headed. Many loony libertarian think this is a mark of the superiority of our culture. Many more vaguely feel this is wrong, but cannot, for the life of them, articulate a reason why.Jesus willingly died so that His flesh might be eaten, and Catholics line up in droves every Sunday (or Saturday afternoon, depending on whether you like to wake up early or not) to partake of Him.Sane people know it is the mark that our culture is deeply deranged. Not that some nutso libertarians think mutually consenting cannibalism is Just Great, but that many if not most in our culture cannot articulate a reason why it isn't. The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.
Like the mythological and real-world examples of cannibalism, the point is to obtain some part of the "power" (whatever that may be) of the consumed individual for oneself.
What is the Eucharist if not consensual cannibalism?
(I mean, for those of us who don't realize it's just a piece of unleavened bread.)
Who knows - maybe Armin Meiwes and his friend took their WWJD bracelets a little too seriously.
Update: Mark points out that he has already provided an answer. It begins:
There are a number of paradoxes which the gospel teaches.In other words, it's ok because God says it is ok. Well, there you go - the divine equivalent of "because I said so."
Update 2: Choice quote from Mark in his own comments:
I'm flippant about things that deserve flippancy, not about things that do not deserve flippancy.Apparently any religion except Catholicism and similar mainline Protestant religions are so deserving in Markworld. Cracking jokes on Islam, and referring to Wicca as "childish" is apparently a-ok, but woe unto he that dare speak ill of the old man with the funny hat in Rome.
Sorry, but your sacred cow makes just as tasty a hamburger.
Note: I know, an old topic, but it just struck me again as rather ironic. Do as I say, not as I do, yada yada yada Pope John Paul. Protestants who don't believe in transubstantiation are, of course, off the hook, aside from their still believing in a clearly mythologically symbolic act as having some special magical powers.
or... Today Would Be a Good Day to Die-t
Twenty two years ago today, during the worst blizzard (1) in the recorded history of Alabama, my father, S.G.A. Darby, Jr., late of Locksley Hall (2), Weokahatchee, AL, died prematurely(3) of a heart attack.. Twenty-five years to the week, though not to the day, before my father’s death his own father, S.G.A. Darby, Sr., also late of Weokahatchee, AL (though not of Locksley Hall) died prematurely of a heart attack. Forty years before that, S.G.A. Darby, Sr.’s father, J.W. Darby, died prematurely of a heart attack (though at 64 he was older than the other men on this list and the prematurity wasn’t that much in 1917). Fifty-four years before that J.W.’s father (also J.W., but different names, so we'll go with J.W.1(4) died at 30 during the Siege of Vicksburg (5). J.W.1’s father drowned in a riverboat accident in 1842, aged 35.
So why am I mentioning this?
Gimme gimme more more more »
