"He always seemed on the verge of some sort of eternal defeat," said the actor, comparing the late director to General Custer.
Daily Archives: November 21, 2006
National hallway monitor
Is there anyone more annoying than Rosie O’Donnell? Here she alleges homophobia just because some other talk show bimbette didn’t want Clay Aiken’s hands on her mouth. Would you?
It could be worse, though — imagine Rosie’s fat, grubby hands touching your extremities.
Noted and quoted, religious wisdom edition
Religion’s only real commodity, after all, is its moral authority. Lose that, and we lose our credibility. Lose credibility, and we might as well close up shop.
It’s happened to Christianity before, most famously when we dug in our heels over Galileo’s challenge to the biblical view that the Earth, rather than the sun, was at the center of our solar system. You know the story. Galileo was persecuted for what turned out to be incontrovertibly true. For many, especially in the scientific community, Christianity never recovered.
This time, Christianity is in danger of squandering its moral authority by continuing its pattern of discrimination against gays and lesbians in the face of mounting scientific evidence that sexual orientation has little or nothing to do with choice. To the contrary, whether sexual orientation arises as a result of the mother’s hormones or the child’s brain structure or DNA, it is almost certainly an accident of birth. The point is this: Without choice, there can be no moral culpability.
–Baptist minister Oliver Thomas, writing in USA Today
Not surprisingly, Thomas’ column was met with plenty of vitriol:
*”In spite of what you try to “prove” and your smear tactics against good Christian people, Bible-believing Christians will NEVER accept your lies and propaganda for a sinful lifstyle which God Himself in the Bible condemns. Homosexulality (sic) is sin and no one is born with it. Your hatred of the church only reflects your own bias. I you want to promote this perversion you have a right to do so, but don’t condemn others who choose to believe the Bible instead of your lies and distortion!”
*”Just another liberal screed trying to downplay religion and lift up their homosexual agenda. There is a reason that homosexuality has been looked down upon by almost every civilization and religion. It’s is against god’s will and nature. Homosexuals can’t reproduce so they have to coopt your children to advance their agenda and the bible is a major stumbling block in their way, so that is why the attacks on religion and the bible.”
Death of a master
One of filmdom’s greatest directors has died.
There may not have been a better celluloid satirist than Robert Altman. He rarely compromised his vision, which helped him remain relevant throughout his career, making quality movies into his 80s.
My favorite Altman flicks (in no particular order): “Short Cuts,” “The Player,” “The Long Goodbye,” “Nashville,” “Vincent & Theo,” “Images,” “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” and “Gosford Park.” For some reason, I’ve never seen “MASH” (maybe it’s because I never liked the TV show), but I plan to rectify that in the near future.
*Political junkies should check out his HBO miniseries, “Tanner ’88.”
Top five reasons for Britney Spears’ divorce
(Compliments of The Onion)
The war on holiday parties
I’m not buying the “War on Christmas,” although it’s undeniable that within certain pockets there is an absurd resentment towards harmless tradition. At the University of Colorado, employees have been warned that a “holiday party is no longer sole justification for an allowable university event.”
School spokesman Bronson Hillard, carefully avoiding the C-word, told the Rocky Mountain News, “What matters most is the reason for the party. There can be a staff appreciation party, but the motivation cannot be the holiday itself.”
A never were chastises a has been
Comic Paul Rodriguez, who was at the club, said he thought Richards’ remarks crossed the line.
“Once the word comes out of your mouth and you don’t happen to be African-American, then you have a whole lot of explaining,” he said. “Freedom of speech has its limitations and I think Michael Richards found those limitations.”
What limitations would you propose, Paul? Michael Richards has the right to say what he did. And now he’s facing the well-deserved consequences.
Meanwhile, about a half-dozen indignation activists rallied outside the Laugh Factory demanding an apology.
“These kind of comments hurt all of us,” said protester Lita Sister Herron of the Youth Advocacy Coalition.
How true — I’m still recovering.
Cartoon du jour
Gay-friendly Democrats?
Only when it suits them politically …
Anxious to chart a centrist course with Democrats’ new majority in Congress, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top deputies are busily working in private and public to rein in the liberal ambitions of some senior party heavyweights — including proposals to reinstate the military draft and end the Pentagon’s ban on gays in uniform.
Of course the latter isn’t a “liberal” or “conservative” issue; instead of triangulating Pelosi should argue that, in a time of war, we shouldn’t be turning any volunteers away. Plus, it’s immoral to institute a policy of forced deception for those who want to serve.
Once again, Democrats are proving there is a wide gap between rhetoric and action.
Noted and quoted, religious wisdom edition
Religion’s only real commodity, after all, is its moral authority. Lose that, and we lose our credibility. Lose credibility, and we might as well close up shop.
It’s happened to Christianity before, most famously when we dug in our heels over Galileo’s challenge to the biblical view that the Earth, rather than the sun, was at the center of our solar system. You know the story. Galileo was persecuted for what turned out to be incontrovertibly true. For many, especially in the scientific community, Christianity never recovered.
This time, Christianity is in danger of squandering its moral authority by continuing its pattern of discrimination against gays and lesbians in the face of mounting scientific evidence that sexual orientation has little or nothing to do with choice. To the contrary, whether sexual orientation arises as a result of the mother’s hormones or the child’s brain structure or DNA, it is almost certainly an accident of birth. The point is this: Without choice, there can be no moral culpability.
–Baptist minister Oliver Thomas, writing in USA Today
Not surprisingly, Thomas’ column was met with plenty of vitriol:
*”In spite of what you try to “prove” and your smear tactics against good Christian people, Bible-believing Christians will NEVER accept your lies and propaganda for a sinful lifstyle which God Himself in the Bible condemns. Homosexulality (sic) is sin and no one is born with it. Your hatred of the church only reflects your own bias. I you want to promote this perversion you have a right to do so, but don’t condemn others who choose to believe the Bible instead of your lies and distortion!”
*”Just another liberal screed trying to downplay religion and lift up their homosexual agenda. There is a reason that homosexuality has been looked down upon by almost every civilization and religion. It’s is against god’s will and nature. Homosexuals can’t reproduce so they have to coopt your children to advance their agenda and the bible is a major stumbling block in their way, so that is why the attacks on religion and the bible.”
Death of a master
One of filmdom’s greatest directors has died.
There may not have been a better celluloid satirist than Robert Altman. He rarely compromised his vision, which helped him remain relevant throughout his career, making quality movies into his 80s.
My favorite Altman flicks (in no particular order): “Short Cuts,” “The Player,” “The Long Goodbye,” “Nashville,” “Vincent & Theo,” “Images,” “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” and “Gosford Park.” For some reason, I’ve never seen “MASH” (maybe it’s because I never liked the TV show), but I plan to rectify that in the near future.
*Political junkies should check out his HBO miniseries, “Tanner ’88.”
Top five reasons for Britney Spears’ divorce
(Compliments of The Onion)
The war on holiday parties
I’m not buying the "War on Christmas," although it’s undeniable that within certain pockets there is an absurd resentment towards harmless tradition. At the University of Colorado, employees have been warned that a "holiday party is no longer sole justification for an allowable university event."
School spokesman Bronson Hillard, carefully avoiding the C-word, told the Rocky Mountain News, "What matters most is the reason for the party. There can be a staff appreciation party, but the motivation cannot be the holiday itself."
A never were chastises a has been
Comic Paul Rodriguez, who was at the club, said he thought Richards’ remarks crossed the line.
"Once the word comes out of your mouth and you don’t happen to be African-American, then you have a whole lot of explaining," he said. "Freedom of speech has its limitations and I think Michael Richards found those limitations."
What limitations would you propose, Paul? Michael Richards has the right to say what he did. And now he’s facing the well-deserved consequences.
Meanwhile, about a half-dozen indignation activists rallied outside the Laugh Factory demanding an apology.
"These kind of comments hurt all of us," said protester Lita Sister Herron of the Youth Advocacy Coalition.
How true — I’m still recovering.
Cartoon du jour
Compliments of the provocative — and often brilliant — AJC cartoonist Mike Luckovich …
