LOVED your description, and there is nothing over the top about it. This is exactly who these people are and what they are doing. They are the political manifestation of what I was subjected to twenty years ago by even decent folks bemoaning the evil effects of secular humanists on the community college at which I taught. When you add in the unmatched corruption and indifference to competence in governance, these are pus-filled mentally deficient maggots - you just left out how utterly greed driven they are. Pat Robertson might as well be President. They are indistinguishable politically, theologically, or fiscally. Self-righteous Olympic venality is their only setting. Every contrary pronouncement they issue is bullshit.

The good news : he’s tipped their hand, hopefully much too soon for them.
The bad news: it’s the tip of the iceberg. Remember, that melodramatic moron, George Bush, and his Republican fundamentalist hatemongers have been busy burrowing around beneath the skin of the scientific and humanist communities (like the pus-filled mentally deficient maggots that they are) for years now. So there must be more, much more, that even free-thinking humanists (like most of youse) can’t even begin to imagine in our worst nightmare.

Ooops, that was a bit strong, even for me… They probably aren’t pus-filled.

What I’m worried about is that as long as free thinking (notice how I did not say or imply “right thinking”) folks keep making themselves heard, we’ll keep these religious fundamentalists under cover. And Lobster knows, they’ll use any cover they can.

Pity there isn’t a way for these fundies to be forced to admit their stance on evolution (note again, I did not say “evolutionary theory“), the Big Bang (ditto on the “theory”), the right to choose, etc, etc, etc.

The only restriction that I want to see is a 0.1 cent fee for emails. So if I send 1000 emails a month it costs me $1.00. I can handle this. If on the other hand I’m an email spammer and send 50,000,000 emails a day, (now at no charge), it will then cost $50,000 a day. This would change how I do business. I often send mass emailing to my customer base and I’m willing to pay the $0.35 for the ability.

This would cure spam overnight. I would gladly pay an extra dollar or so a month to not have to bother with the spam filters that protect me from garbage and letters from my friends (and not such friends).

George C. Deutsch, the young Bush campaign flack who was telling NASA personnel that they shouldn’t discuss the Big Bang without considering the topic from its religious perspective, has been forced to resign. As reported first earlier today by the Scientific Activist blog, Deutsch claimed on his resume on file at NASA that he was a graduate of Texas A&M.

Only he never graduated.

So he lied on his resume, and presumably his job application too. Always a bad move if you’re planning to become embroiled in a major media firestorm.

With Roe v. Wade, namely whether or not the fetus is viable apart from the womb. In my case, I support the idea of the state offering the option of premature delivery of the viable fetus of a woman who, for whatever reason, especially reasons of health, chooses not to continue the pregnancy. It would then be the state’s obligation to ensure the health, if such is medically possible, and adoption of the child.

Within the constraints set out by Roe v. Wade, which the majority of Americans continue to support, I support a woman’s right to choose, because the alternative is state-imposed mandatory continuation of a pregnancy.

I respect all efforts at moral persuasion on the anti-abortion side of the debate. I oppose the heavy hand of the state regarding pregnancy, either here or in China, and I truly cannot accept the idea of decreeing to a woman that she must continue a pregnancy.

“Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority.” –TH Huxley.

Lobster love ya, TH, wherever you be.

Not even close, my man, not even close, if you’re trying to offer some meaningful description of the ACLU. As a member, I’ve had to weather our defense of the civil liberties of some genuinely despicable people, especially the right of neofascist hatemongers to march and to have their say, but that’s what civil liberties means. The ACLU’s only agenda is the Constitution, including the core amendments, the Bill of Rights, and the protection of the basic civil liberties of all people, even fools.

I’ll let it go at that, because at this point your perspective is clear enough to me.