[Ninong]

...Who dared to write a book questioning a central tenet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that native Americans are all decendants of Israelite patriarch Lehi, who arrived in North America only 2600 years ago. He said DNA evidence just doesn't support this deeply held religious belief.

However, according to Joseph Smith's 1830 Book of Mormon, Lehi was an ancient seafarer who came to the New World about 600 B.C. and all native Americans are his decendants. Smith translated the Book of Mormon from inscribed gold plates that he found in an upstate New York hillside.

Just another incidence of science conflicting with the teachings of a religious sect. Why would anybody want to believe the DNA evidence when they have gold plates inscribed by God himself?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...a174641D06.DTL

P.S. -- Once Pat Robertson and James Dobson get Supreme Court justices who believe in Biblical Truth, we won't have to deal with all these other unorthodox Christian sects. We will be one country, under God, with one religion for all. And anybody who doesn't like it, can move to Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, as Pat once said.

BTW, looks like Pat's prayers are working, the Chief Justice has a fever again. It could get worse. Pat's probably exhorting his followers right now to pray for a vacancy so they can get another shot at a nomination.

P.P.S. -- Obviously Pat didn't pray hard enough. Rehnquist has already been released from the hospital. He's supposed to take two aspirins and call them in the morning.

[zhenya]

And that basically he is positioned for a series of dramatic victories which I hope will hearten him and his advisers.

Especially his father and Bin Ladens of SA....even more money to be made.

They don’t have to be timid in this matter because the wind is blowing at his back, and he can move forward boldly and get results.

And they are certainly not timid. Hopefully that wind in his back will move him right out of the office soon enough.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by zhenya

And they are certainly not timid. Hopefully that wind in his back will move him right out of the office soon enough.

We don't have a parliamentary system of government. We're stuck with him until January 2009 unless he is impeached before then. That's a scary prospect, considering that Cheney would then become President.

[zhenya]

We're stuck with him until January 2009

That's OK. I can see the light at the end of the black hole we are in and that's good enough for me at this time.
Parliamentary system of government has its own drawbacks but it has some benefits as well. We sure make decisions faster here but sometimes I wish we took more time on certain things.

[schrocat]

Originally Posted by Ninong

We don't have a parliamentary system of government. We're stuck with him until January 2009 unless he is impeached before then. That's a scary prospect, considering that Cheney would then become President.

We should make up some " Dennis Hastert in '07 " bumperstickers.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by schrocat

We should make up some " Dennis Hastert in '07 " bumperstickers.

Make that Nancy Pelosi in '07. The only way any bills of impeachment could possibly clear the House of Representatives would be if the Democrats had regained control in the mid-term elections.

[schrocat]

Massachusetts and Kansas need an issue to bring them together...

Like...say...maybe

Pedophilia


"It's a line not likely to land in the state's promotional brochure: Come to Kansas, girls, where you can get hitched at age 12. Thanks to a Falls City love affair that has raised the ire of Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, however, the marriage age could land on that state's legislative to-do list. Matthew Koso rests on the pregnant belly of his 14-year-old wife, Crystal Koso. (Krista Niles)

"We probably ought to discuss it," said one Kansas lawmaker, Rep. John Faber. He represents five counties in northwest Kansas that border Nebraska. "Some laws just don't make any sense."

The one in question came to light last week when Bruning announced he filed a rape charge against a 22-year-old Falls City man who married his pregnant, 14-year-old girlfriend. They didn't tie the knot in their home state, because the law wouldn't allow it. The minimum marriage age in Nebraska, with parental consent, is 17.

Not so in Kansas, where the couple married in May. In the sunflower state, the bar is set at 12 years old, with parental consent; boys have to wait until they're 14.

"I didn't realize it was that young," said another Kansas lawmaker, Rep. Sharon Schwartz."

[Ninong]

Jerry Lee Lewis married his wife when she was only 13. She was also his cousin at the time. Another one of Jerry Lee Lewis' cousins is famous for his teary-eyed confessions. You remember Rev. Jimmy Swaggart, don't you? He has a gigantic complex of buildings in Baton Rouge called the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. He likes to pick up hookers. He said he was trying to save them.

John Derek had Bo move in when she was I believe only 15, maybe 16, but definitely no older than 16. I think he was close to 40 or thereabouts.

Elvis Presley started "dating" his wife when she was only 14 or 15.

In the particular case you linked, I don't think they should prosecute. He was 22 and she was 13 but it was consensual and they both seem happy the way things turned out. What about prosecuting Cher for picking up 17 year olds? When she was in her mid 40's she had that kid living with her for years who was only about 19 when she picked him up.

What about Mary Kay what's-her-name who got pregnant by her 8th. grade student, Vili something or other, when she was in her mid 30's and he was only 12. Then she did it again. Now they're married.

I don't know. That's a tough call to make about the 22 year old with the 13 year old. If her father's cool with it, I think they should leave them be. What do you think?

[Ninong]

The official Vatican astronomer, a Jesuit priest, has published an article attacking the Vatican's attack on evolution: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...icle303775.ece

[schrocat]

Ninong,
Re: the marriage thing.
Both States should raise the age to 15-16, then there would be no issues at all.

If it were the 1800's and our life expectancies were halved...it would be different.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by schrocat

Ninong,
Re: the marriage thing.
Both States should raise the age to 15-16, then there would be no issues at all.

If it were the 1800's and our life expectancies were halved...it would be different.

What do you do in a situation where a 14-yr-old girl is pregnant? Let's assume the boyfriend is only 14 or 15. Do you allow them to get married if they want to, or not? I'm not taking a position, just asking.

I think it's better for young people to wait until they are at least 16 to get married. It would be much better if they were at least 18 but where do you set the minimum age and why?

As you know, this is a cultural question that is looked upon quite differently in some other cultures. I don't agree that children should be forced into planned marriages but that still happens in many parts of the world.

The question we are faced with is whether it is better to allow young people to get married at the age of say 14 or 15 or 16 if they want to or not. When do their rights come into play? If Brit-Brit can get married at 3 a.m. while stone drunk and then get an annulment 55 hours later, what's the harm in letting a pregnant 14-yr-old get married if that's what she and her boyfriend both want? They can still get a divorce later if they choose, people do that all the time nowadays. Divorce rates are very high, especially among fundamentalist Christian denominations. Catholics and Jews have the lowest divorce rates and that's due to religious cultural issues. The fundies have much higher divorce rates. People who profess to be atheists or agnostics have lower divorce rates than fundamentalist Christians. So much for family values.

I think a compromise approach would be to make the minimum age for marriage 15 or 16 but have exceptions for girls who are pregnant. Telling a 14-yr-old pregnant girl that she cannot marry her boyfriend seems unfair to me. And I see no reason in the world to have different minimum ages for boys and girls. Financial responsibility shouldn't have anything to do with it. Obviously it's dumb for teenagers that young to get married but people do a lot of dumb things. You can't make something illegal just because it's not a wise choice.

[schrocat]

I see your point.

As much grey area as abortion.

...and now I'm off to make sure my daughters windows are nailed shut.

[Ninong]

Although he said that curriculum decisions should be made by school districts rather than the federal government, Bush told Texas newspaper reporters in a group interview at the White House on Monday that he believes that intelligent design should be taught alongside evolution as competing theories.

"Both sides ought to be properly taught . . . so people can understand what the debate is about," he said, according to an official transcript of the session.

Of course, there is no debate. It was one thing for Bush to make such dumb statements when he was simply the governor of Texas, but it's embarrassing when the Leader of the Free World shows his ignorance and exposes us to the scorn and ridicule of the rest of the world.

"It is, of course, further indication that a fundamentalist right has really taken over much of the Republican Party," said Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), a leading liberal lawmaker. Noting Bush's Ivy League education, Frank said, "People might cite George Bush as proof that you can be totally impervious to the effects of Harvard and Yale education."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...080201686.html

[Samper]

It's ridiculous to teach something to kids that just brings up endless why/how questions rather than something where they can be answered with proof aka science. There are some things that we may never answer and it's those questions that make me think about a possible helping hand. I don't know where we are with the rest of the world science wise but from what I just read it sounds like we're way behind.

Maybe there is a god and maybe to him this earth is a giant experiment....
Maybe he threw the experiment out/maybe he didn't
Maybe evolution was or wasn't part of the plan
Maybe there was no plan
Maybe there was no god and things just seemed to fall into place here on our little piece of the infinate

Out of all those maybes the only thing I can think of is that evolution is and has been taking place since life has been on this planet.

[schrocat]

Ladies and Gentlemen.
Children of all ages...
Step right up! Gather round!
It's my pleasure to introduce....
...The Henry Hyde of Priests
Back for the return engagement you never wanted!!!!~

Eugene Clark!!!!!

"A strong proponent of traditional morality, Clark blamed the church's sex-abuse scandal in 2002 on "the campaign of liberal America against celibacy." "

Thank you monsignor, and... here's your sign.

[Ninong]

He's the rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral and they're NOT asking him to step down because he hasn't done anything illegal??? What about canon law? Since when did the Church condone priests committing adultery with married women?

Maybe someone needs to send a copy of the video tape to Papa Ratzi? I guess they'll just transfer him to the Vatican now.

[Ninong]

I found the applicable canon on the archdiocese's own website. How convenient.


Canon 1395 - §1. Outside the case mentioned in can. 1394, a cleric who lives in concubinage or a cleric who remains in another external sin against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue which produces scandal is to be punished with a suspension; and if such a cleric persists in such an offense after having been admonished, other penalties can be added including dismissal from the clerical state. http://www.ny-archdiocese.org/Printe...age_policy.htm

The 6th. commandment in the Catholic version of the Ten Commandments is the one against coveting your neighbor's wife.

[schrocat]

Originally Posted by Ninong

He's the rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral and they're NOT asking him to step down because he hasn't done anything illegal??? What about canon law? Since when did the Church condone priests committing adultery with married women?

I find his performing the marriage ceremony for the now divorcing couple to be one of the most sickening hypocritical things I've ever heard of.

The Church is simply reflecting the values established by the current Administration.
All priests convicted of adultry will be excommunicated.

and since adultry is no longer a crime...

Ratz-in-burger is going to have a tough time with this one.
ponder, ponder, ponder...

[Ninong]

No, priests are not excommunicated for adultery; they're not even defrocked. They would have to persist in the adulterous behavior to be defrocked. All they have to do is confess their sins and move on to a new parish.

And, as far as Papa Ratzi, is concerned, all investigations are conducted in absolute secrecy, not that this particular problem would rise to the level of something to be investigated. All Vatican investigations have been conducted in absolute secrecy for well over a thousand years and anyone guilty of revealing anything from the secret investigation is subject to excommunication at the pleasure of the pope. Incidentally, excommunication is the prescribed punishment for anyone revealing what happens in a papal conclave but that didn't stop the cardinals from singing like, well, cardinals. Within hours of the election of Benedict XVI, we knew exactly how many votes each cardinal received in each round. It used to be that such things were included in their memoirs and not published until a number of years after their death, such as the recently published memoirs of John XXIII.

[schrocat]

Ok.
Reluctantly I have to agree that Catholic priests can't be excommunicated for adultry, even with people they married (as icky as that seems).

And in a fit of rage at being so damn incorrect...

I inflict this glorius link upon you.

Enjoy!

P.S. here's the wallpaper I'm going to remotely install on your machine right before I hack your registry...pick a color, you'll be looking at it for loooong time.
BWAHAHAHA!