Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Dear, Sweet Irony

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld criticized the media in a speech, claiming that news is “reported and spread around the world, often with little context and little scrutiny, let alone correction or accountability after the fact.” from Harper's

And the Meek Shall Inherit?

For a good overview of the Religious Right and the Right to Die, click the link and read the Harper's article. It's several month's old but still pertinent especially with the recent execution.

Also, I will re-recommend this article, also from Harper's, about the Left-Behind series.

At the core of both of these articles (as well as this article by Jeffrey Sharlet about Ivanwald and the secret Christian society) show the destructive influence of religion when it is taken as a point of pride dressed up as humility.

I Shot a Kid in Reno

Though I don't agree with all of the commentary for this on Pandagon, I still got a slight chill up my spine at the nostalgic, 'back in the good old days' tone of the post mentioned.
Also, I too pictured a large bazooka-type potato gun - with the writer's little angel laying prone on the floor after mommy whacked her sniper-style with a high-speed spud.
One has to wonder, on reading this, if mommy would be so happy about kids bringing potato guns (or water guns) to school if her daughter was the victim of bullying. Or would she simply send her daughter 'packing', so to speak: "Take this, honey - for protection."