America Must Be Getting Smarter: Coulter(geist)'s Book Sales Are Down!

Maybe Conservatives Can't Afford To Buy Her Books!

She's always thought of herself as the arbiter of Conservative Issues, so I guess it was inevitable that with the new direction Congress is headed in, Ann Coulter's book sales would be down. Or as far down as the I.Q. of the Republican Party. But I can't see why they weren't down long before now; Bush dragged the Republican mindset down for eight years! But, I guess, better late than never.

And just in time: between Rush Limbaugh becoming the "de facto" head of the Republican Party, the hip-hop, flip-flop reasoning of RNC Chairman Michael Steele, people shooting themselves (or others) in churches, and Republican governors refusing money to help their constituents, "conservative" may become as dirty a word as "liberal" was made out to be by Coulter.

The country was warned by many people that conservatives weren't always that smart, but now people are starting to wake up: maybe "compassionate conservatism" really IS an oxymoron.

Here's the low-down on Coultergeist's latest screed:

(ThinkProgress.com)

But with it moving steadily down the best-seller list, it looks certain that Guilty will fall far short of matching her earlier results. Her 2006 polemic, Godless: The Church of Liberalism, sold 279,100 copies in hardcover...Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terror sold 396,600 hardcover copies, and 2002’s Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right sold 333,100 copies.

Poor Ann! We do hope she's got a nestegg to fall back on (it's too much to wish for a pile of manure!) Why am I being (almost) as nasty as Coulter? Maybe because books like hers (and people like her) cause a lot of pain to a lot of people: she engenders hatred and she's proud of it. She's made "liberal" a pejorative term. Bear with me - the following is an example:

Tenn. gay-friendly church shooter hoped attack would spur more

By The Associated Press
03.13.2009 7:40am EDT

(Knoxville, Tennessee) An unemployed truck driver seething over liberalism told police he opened fire in a church last year because it harbored gays and multiracial families and he hoped others would follow his example.

He railed against extending constitutional rights to terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, about the news media being “the propaganda wing of the Democrat Party,” and how he would like to kill every major Democrat in Congress. But he said they were inaccessible and decided to go after “the foot soldiers, the (expletive) liberals that vote in these traitorous people.”

[Adkisson] concluded, “I’d like to encourage other like-minded people to do what I’ve done. If life ain’t worth living anymore don’t just kill yourself. Do something for your country before you go. Go kill liberals.”

Yes, I know that she just wouldn't wish anyone like that would do something so despicable because of her books. Then again, if he did it while clutching a copy of her book or had it in his truck ... Publicity by any other name would be ... Ann Coulter.

Guns and Religion II: Waiting For The Bling?

Can you endure being a VIRGIN forever?

Abstinence may be o.k. when you KNOW you'll be married to someone and you've set the date. It's not so great when you don't know WHEN you'll be married. Because like everything else, traditional marriage, the kind "good girls" dream about, depends on MONEY. If either you or your future spouse are too young and have no money, chances are you'll be putting off the wedding but not putting off the deed.

NOTE: our economic downturn will spawn a LOT of unmarried parents. So how is "abstinence" going to be promoted?

In its infinite wisdom, Iowa's Abstinence Mission, posted billboards in 2005 that said "Wait for the Bling." To the best of my knowledge, life for teenage Iowans didn't change significantly and neither did the numbers for teen pregnancies. Abstinence is a hard enough sell without adding teenagers and poverty to the mix - then it becomes impossible. And the billboard sends another message: "...and if the guy doesn't give you a big one (diamond, that is), keep your virginity and dump him!"

Oh, the hypocrisy of Christofascists when it comes to morality: they'll teach it in any way they can and with whatever means at their disposal, but applying the teaching on themselves?! "Jesus Christ! What do you want from us?"

We're still smarting from the last big volley of "abstinence only" hypocrisy: Bristol Palin, the daughter of Mrs. Mooseburger and prime Christofascist, Sarah Palin. Not only did Bristol not believe in abstinence, she apparently didn't want Levi's baby either. The lowest cut of all, however, became common knowledge the other day:

But in a new interview with Star Magazine, Levi's sister Mercede Johnston says Bristol actually broke up with Levi more than a month ago, is not attending school and rarely lets her baby daddy see their young son. Mercede also says Bristol even told him that she hates him and, when she learned she was pregnant, wished the baby wasn't his.

Apparently, Levi is also far from being a hands-on dad. Said Mercede: "Levi tries to visit Tripp every single day, but Bristol makes it nearly impossible for him. She tells him he can't take the baby to our house because she doesn't want him around 'white trash.' She treats him so badly!"

O.K., let's step back and look at the sequence of events:

1. "Trig" Palin is born with Downs Syndrome to (supposedly) Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska. Sarah is Bristol Palin's mother.
2. Mom is picked as a running mate by Republican presidential nominee, John McCain
3. Mom garners a reputation as the darling of the Christian Right because she is staunchly pro-life and wants abstinence-only education in schools.
4. It is announced that Bristol Palin is pregnant.
5. It is also announced that Bristol Palin and boyfriend Levi Johnston, the child's father, are engaged and plan to be married. The elder Palins insist that it is not a shotgun wedding.
   
6. Bristol Palin gives birth to Tripp Palin-Johnston (sic)
   
7. Levi Johnston's sister, Mercede, tells the press that Bristol and Levi broke up last month and that Bristol hated Levi well before the birth of Tripp. Apparently, those public appearances during the campaign were just acting on the part of Bristol.
   
8. Even though this extremely dysfunctional family is not what the Christian Right terms "ideal" let alone "traditional" Sarah Palin still courts the public for a V.P. run in 2012.
   

Wait for the bling? You gotta be kidding! With life like this, you don't need a TV or computer to be entertained. Let's keep an eye out for what the Christofascists have in store for us next in the abstinence department. They'll be tackling human nature AND the economy! It ought to be priceless!

Guns And Religion III: This Crucifix Is Solid Brass!

So The Church Won't Bless It!

O.K., the churches of today look nothing like those built in the "high baroque" period or earlier. Gilt - and lots of it - was supposed to inspire as well as give homage to God. Eventually, economics forced church builders into plainer, more austere decoration. But as plasterers, painters, stonemasons and woodworkers disappeared, goldsmiths were still around, transferring the "bling" from belfry to bosom.

24 carat gold crucifixes are sold by the millions each year and they've become a staple for in-your- face Christians. So will the economy change all that?

Hardly. The church you attend might have a leaky roof and walls of solid dry-rot, but it will never ask you to change your lifestyle so much as to give up your religious jewelry. After all, what screams "I'm a Christian" than a gold crucifix, head of Christ, fish symbol or (for Catholics) Virgin Mary? In fact, sometimes, wearing jewelry is the only portable way you can tell people you're a devout Christian. Never mind that you can't recite the Ten Commandments to save your soul; never mind that you've skipped Sunday service for golf, never mind that you can't name your parish priest, jewelry is the way to tell people that you are blessed and going to heaven.

And besides jewelry, there are blessed rosaries made from olive pits from the Garden at Gethsemane, relics touched to relics that touched a piece of the True Cross, chrome symbols for your car, family Bibles so huge and ornate no one in the family can lift them much less read them, likenesses of Jesus for every ethnic group, bumper stickers, video games, blessed candlesticks, a wide variety of porcelain Nativity scenes, and more and more and more. And none of it is cheap (o.k., maybe the bumper stickers).

Your church people will tell you that Christianity is again under attack. And while lions are too expensive to keep up, heathens and Atheists will think of other ways to destroy you and the one thing that is worth having: your faith. You must show them that you will not be intimidated and that your faith is strong! You must display everything Christian - flaunt your Christianity!

Yes, Christianity is just that commercial. Churches don't just sell personal beliefs and spirituality, they sell the proof as well.

Just a thought.

I Hope Rick Warren Fails

Unequivocally

There's something sinister about Rick Warren. I can't quite nail it down, but the more I read about him, the less I feel ...safe. There are lies behind Warren waiting to be discovered and publicized, I think. His Purpose Driven framing of everything on earth is too manipulative, too formulaic, too pandering - to the masses. At the slightest bit of inquiry, of criticism, he changes positions. He's too canny about human nature to be steadfast in his philosophies: he counts on the American public's fascination with all things counterintuitive.

If we see a pastor who doesn't look like a pastor or a church that doesn't look like a church, we're hooked. We love to cheer people going against the mainstream and the norm.

We also love showmanship. Remember: in America, we've made a religion out of entertainment and an entertainment out of religion. Warren's ability to stage the two presidential candidates together for a "forum" was pure showmanship. And his timing for endorsing Prop 8 was calculated showmanship. He tries to appear apolitical and almost fearful of unduly swaying people's votes, but a vote for Prop 8 was not really a vote in a political contest; to Warrenites Prop 8 was not an ordinary proposition, but a moral mandate.

I started to distrust Warren when I saw pictures of him and his Saddleback Church "campus." Saddleback eschews spiritual inspiration supposedly because it is for the "unchurched." The main "worship center" looks like the basement of a federal building. He flaunts Hawaiian shirts (unchurched people are always put off by clerical garb of any sort) and wearing a tie is meant to shock people with the gravity of what he is about to say. I, however, only wind up recoiling from his bad taste (see photo).

Warren quotes Scripture, confident in the fact that most (unchurched) people don't read the Bible. His quotations, however, are frequently taken from as many as five different versions. His modus operandi is to be totally applicable to the story or situation regardless of any inconsistencies in style or meaning.

He presents his philosophies in the same way, confident that people are poor students of history: for example, he declares that marriage between one man and one woman has been the norm for all societies in the last 5,000 years (not true). His camouflage of "hipness" hides the fact that he is a devout Southern Baptist, adhering to dogma which is used as a weapon to defeat what the Convention considers "sin."

Then there is his Purpose Driven motto: "Whatever It Takes." He never really qualifies it nor does he refine it. To Warren, the end really does justify the means. And Warren's "end" is not Heaven, but world conversion: if you have to feed the world first, if you have to set up AIDS programs in Africa, if you have to lie, cheat and even... Conversion to Warren's precepts is paramount because Warren's precepts are God's precepts.

I'm scared.

"Whatever It Takes."

I hope Rick Warren fails.

Texas Is Sinking!

Into A Quagmire of Delusions and Stupidity

The Texas House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a resolution this week that honors former President George W. Bush. “The Bush administration met numerous foreign policy challenges, while also making constructive progress in relations with India and sustaining a solid relationship with China,” the resolution reads, according to the Austin Statesman. It adds that Bush “lived each day with the safety and prosperity of his fellow citizens foremost in his mind; he took a principled stance on a wide range of issues of great importance to every American, and his tireless efforts will not soon be forgotten.”

Texas has clearly lost its collective mind. "Met numerous foreign policy challenges." Bush didn't HAVE a foreign policy, unless you count his cowboy diplomacy of "shoot first."

Here was a man who didn't know a thing about any country he visited let alone the ones he invaded.

Here was a man who achieved the lowest approval ratings of any President in our history.

Here was a man who ignored the public right up until the ignominious end and the label of "worst president ever."

Here was a man who ran the country from behind closed doors.

Here was a man who had a sterling record for, well, God knows what.

So Texas honors him and strews rose petals in his path.

Don't expect great things to come out of Texas. A state this delusional cannot hope to produce a statesman for quite some time.

Not in our lifetime, anyway.

Just a thought.

Clinging To Guns and Religion: The Side Effects Of The Economy

What Does Jesus Want?
An Assault Rifle and Some Brand New Choir Robes!

RNC Chairman Michael Steele on Obama's reinstating the assault rifle ban:

The Obama Administration has revealed its intention to reinstate the so-called “assault” gun ban — Step One of their plan to repeal the 2nd Amendment.

Of course, Obama stated many times during his campaign how he considers the Second Amendment a fundamental right of all Americans, but Steele has to scream louder than Rush Limbow-wow these days in order to be recognized.

So much for the American public clinging to their guns, but what about their religion?

Actually there should be a lot of people rejoicing over our poor economic times: Priests, ministers and rabbis. During times like these, people turn to religion for solice. They flock (sorry) to churches to pray for fortitude (and in the case of Joel Osteen's church, that much-needed second car). And sometimes, religion turns to the people for, well, more than they can afford.

Take the controversial subject of tithing. Giving 10 percent of your gross income during good times is a bit of a stretch, but when you've lost your job and foreclosure on your house looks imminent, does the church expect you to tithe?

Glenn Latham (“Four Thoughts on Tithing,” Ensign, July 1982, 72)

1. It Takes Faith—Not Money—to Pay Tithing
2. Tithing Is Not Measured in Quantity of Dollars Paid, A tithing paid is still a tithe, no matter how many dollars a person pays.
3. Payment of Tithing Does Not Create a Hardship, No, tithing does not impoverish. Tithing enriches.
4. Tithing Money Is Not Our Money

Tithing enriches who? And just where does that tithe money go to? A church's leaky roof is one thing, new choir robes another. The pastor's wife might have to make due with last year's Cadillac or risk some very dirty looks from the congregation.

And what about those prosperity gospel churches? Will Joel Osteen or Creflo Dollar be able to sell the "seed" money concept? Will Rick Warren's church have a soup kitchen on campus next to the skateboard park?

My guess is that Osteen, Warren, Copeland, Parsley and megachurches all over the country will be bold enough to ask for blood from their turnips. They will point out that there are people much poorer than their own congregations - people who will be helped by the collection plate. And by giving as much as they can, good "Christian" believers will reap far greater rewards: the more they give, the more they suffer, the more they suffer, the greater their rewards will be in heaven. Hmmmm...

And what about the televangelists? Will their viewers act like thousands of Senator Ted Grassleys and ask/demand transparency? Exactly what will their largesse come in the form of? Will they eschew the trappings of their profession? Will some of them (gasp!) be forced to sell one of their villas? Or worse, will they be forced to fly business class? Our broken economy will put to the test churches all over the country.

It will be very interesting to see how they weather the economic storm.

Just a thought.

U.F.O. - Eyes in the Skies

U.F.O. - Eyes in the Skies
Originally uploaded by Tomitheos

In a Depression, anything's possible, I guess.