The Manic Mechanic

This is the perfect antidote for those nauseating Mormon ads, the heinous Scientology spots and those creepy "Foundation For A Better Life" commercials that are increasingly plastered all over television and starting to invade movie theaters quite often these days. Would that the Fairness Doctrine still be in place, these should be required:

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

Opps... heh... *wipes off screen*

Okay, I finally worked my way through most of my fuming over the inevitable re: Prop 8. I was relieved to learn that the 18,000 or so existing marriages will remain intact. My married friendsfolk over in Cali will be at the forefront of a renewed push for true equality for all. And I think it just might be a winnable cause in a couple years. I am holing onto hope, for I, too, want to be able to tie the knot eventually.

People who know my well enough know I believe the single most destructive force in the path for marriage equality is organized religion. It is also the prime mover in preventing the advancement of the human race. More often than not it's a sinister, anti-intellectual mindset bent on keeping people stupid and under control. History is proof enough. Since religious groups think nothing of shaping public policy along it's own set of rules, even across state line, I think it's time that any such group doing so shall be put under intense public scrutiny. Much the same as public corporations must file various documents to this effect, the same should hold true for each and every religious group, sect, organization (face it, they are corporations) will have to essentially open it's doors to every aspect of their operations. This act alone will force many of the more secretive and bizarre groups and cults to shrink back into the shadows and get out of the public policy business. Those that continue will risk having their tax exemption withdrawn. Holding their feet to the fire in this way will make many of them think twice and instead go back to the private organizations they were originally supposed to be. Maybe if enough of the details of their inner workings become public, they will be found out to be the scams they actually are.

Nothing is feared more by a bigoted sort than having their inner workings dragged out into the light for all to see.

Anyway, that's my take on things. The tide is turning, and nothing truly worth having was not had without some sort of fight. The fight is in a lot of us, let's keep using it.

Uh oh.

While quietly tinkering in the Workshop of Mayhem I sensed a disturbance in the LJ Force. Actually, I was just hungry, but during my break for lunch, I discovered this:



Of course, this is to be expected around teh intarwebs these days. But that's not the whole issue. This ad has been popping up in ad-supported LJs and is being hosted by SUP, the outfit that owns Livejournal.

I think it's time that Teh Gays pwn Livejournal. Again.

More info can be found here.

(snugglebitch via nebris)

EDIT: It seems that LJ itself was blindsided by this about as much as those journal owners who were affected by it. The comments following this post include one by the LJ staff apologizing and referencing in greater detail what happened and what they are doing to prevent it from happening again. It seems this issues was pretty promptly dealt with before it became huge. Kudos.

It's no secret that camouflage goes beyond a mere functional role and is very popular among certain segments of the U.S. population. Hunters would be far more frustrated without it, of course, and it's role in the armed forces can be traced throughout history. Anyone who has ever thumbed through a Cabela's catalog knows that camo has escaped it's traditional role in the woods and has practically become the next Red, White 'n' Blue when it comes to showing patriotic pride or just plain macho posturing. And nothing says rugged outdoorsman like camo baby diapers. Well, it's only been a matter of time until someone melded camo with something else very popular with a large portion of the camo-crowd. Yep, Jesus.

An online shop called Christian Outdoorsman has come up with camo-covered New International Version Pocket-sized Holy Bibles. Just the thing for the devout hunter to pass the time in the tree stand waiting for that perfect 12-point buck to come into range. Perhaps this version has the passage that says it's a divine right to have the firepower of a small nation simply to take down a whitetail deer.

I cannot help but wonder what would happen if said hunter accidentally dropped his Bible on the forest floor. I imagine a scene of him and a couple of camo'd hunting buddies slowly circling the area scouring the ground and being unable to find the book for a while. To the casual observer, this scene would undoubtedly appear as a group of circling, floating mullets accompanied by hushed cursing.

Now, before any of you gig me for bashing hunters, I have nothing against hunting for sport and food. It's only when the enthusiasm overshadows the sport that makes me cock an eyebrow. And, of course, any form of 'extreme jesusification'.

Not too long ago I received a really nasty anonymous comment to a post from last month where I took part in a 'bible test' meme that was going around:

You know what! There's nothing wrong with beliving in a higher power. So FUCK OFF, you pretentious, fake buster, faggot ass pussies. There's nothing wrong with being gay and being christian. DOUCHEBAGS!

The IP addy of the post (71.85.6.110) puts this individual in or around Greenville, SC. Having been around various religious and atheist forums for a long time now, the above response fits into so many of the typical, almost stereotypical sorts of behavior found when a 'believer' posts a reply from his position:

1: Poor spelling and/or grammar
2: Usage of capital letters
3: Wholesale usage of slurs and epithets to describe their opponents
4: Posting from deep in the Bible Belt
5: Lots of cursing
6: Ad hominem attacks

The obvious departure from boilerplate fire-and-brimstone screed is There's nothing wrong with being gay and being christian. Browsing through my friends list will turn up a good bit of gay Christians. Some are even priests or hold other positions in the church. I know lots of gay Christians, Jews, Pagans, etc, and, of course, atheists. So, I needn't be reminded by the above quote.

If you cannot state your position (or opposition) using sane, intelligent, engaging conversation and instead must resort to harsh language, personal attacks and cursing, you will do nothing in the way of seeing your point of view. In fact, this type of improper debate only cements my opinion and positions, both on a personal level, and as a matter of discourse.

The dude is probably pissed because he scored lower than me on that meme quiz.

dencoartist better get his narrow ass back here in Livejournal Land before I find him toss him over my shoulder and drag him back here kicking and screaming. Though, I think he'd like that too much.

I've noticed the 18 volt battery packs for my ridiculous collection of DeWalt cordless tools are not lasting very long. I have older tools with batteries going on over ten years old that are still hanging in there. Methinks there is some profiteering at play here. It does not help that I really put the tools through their paces when I use them at times. Still, that has always been the case, and a battery should last more than a couple years.

Plumbing project Phase One is a complete success. Phase Two happens this winter. Relocating/replacing the water heater and a reverse osmosis filter for drinking water and ice making. In the meantime, the sunroom gets finished once and for all.

Tuesday is Talk Like A Pirate Day. I have my bit torrent client working overtime in honor of the special day.

I need to get working on existing and new PCs. The only reasonably useful, 'shared' PC here has strange issues regarding the optical drives. Wont load drivers, saying the files are missing/corrupt. Nothing, and I mean nothing I do to rectify the situation helps. I either have a hardware failure or a rootkit thanks to the music industry. I cant install my needed software on this thing until I get it figured out.

Religious extremism might not have killed off the human race just yet, but is sure did a number on common sense as of late. Herr Popezinger has been backpedaling faster and faster, his ultimate speed being held back by aerodynamic drag from that Titan missle-class mitre. In the meantime the number of Muslims calling for bloody jihad against the West keep growing, upset at at anyone who feels Islam is not a peaceable, loving faith. You know, just like Christianity.

I have a lot more meaningful posts to make, maybe one day I will start making them.