Due to an El Nino current, southern California gets more moisture during the year, especially in the winter. This makes for a very good poppy year.
Author Archive for Anna Lemma
A few weeks ago we made a drive along the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve and took a few pictures. I'm finally getting around to posting them.
Due to an El Nino current, southern California gets more moisture during the year, especially in the winter. This makes for a very good poppy year.
Due to an El Nino current, southern California gets more moisture during the year, especially in the winter. This makes for a very good poppy year.
Click on the above images to get a larger image.
Once again the local paper in Lancaster, California grabbed my eye as I was waiting in the drive through last week. Lancaster's city elections start at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning. It has been a very strange election season here in Antelope Valley. We have the current mayor, Rex Parris the wannabe theocrat, versus a handful of clueless competitors.
Mayor Parris has a very creepy ad campaign going on for this election. His placards all over over town state "Rex Paris, Our Mayor". Our Mayor who art in Lancaster? And his radio ads are even worse. He is portrayed as Lancaster's benevolent father figure who will take care of everyone. For their own good of course.
The above ads were not paid for by the local Democratic Party, but independently by one of its members. Here is a cached version of another Antelope Valley Press story of the incident a couple of days after the story above ran. I've reprinted the entire story as it no longer resides at the AV Press website.
Wow, just wow. Lancaster is just in its own bizarre little universe. You have a Republican, Rex Parris, who is an authority worshiper courting Chinese business opportunities (probably for personal gain), and his opponents, the local Democrats, who are starting up their own little Red Scare.Ex-candidate: 'Red' ads all my own doing
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press
Friday, April 2, 2010.By BOB WILSON
Valley Press Staff WriterLANCASTER - Former Democratic candidate Robert Davenport came forward Wednesday to claim sole responsibility for local TV commercials that criticize Mayor R. Rex Parris and his attempts to bring Chinese- or Taiwanese-funded jobs to the Antelope Valley.
The commercials, which encourage voters to cast ballots for mayoral challenger Arnold Rodio Jr., were created without Rodio's knowledge, said Davenport, who said he stands by the messages he funded himself. The ads were created by his media company.
Rodio also has denied any involvement with the ads, saying this past week he neither funded nor endorsed them, nor even knew they existed until questioned about them.
Parris disputed Rodio's statements, saying his election opponent could have repudiated the attack ads as soon as he learned about them.
Davenport's commercial messages assert that an influx of Communists from China into Lancaster could jeopardize the military projects and jobs at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 and Edwards Air Force Base.
Parris said Davenport's ads are "moronic" and "racist" because their creator doesn't understand the reality of what would happen if the city is successful in getting commerce from China to settle in Lancaster.
According to Davenport, "Bringing a few hundred Communist Chinese to live in Lancaster represents both a tremendous threat to national security as well as the potential impetus to lose several thousand good-paying local defense industry jobs that play a significant role in our national security.
"The high-tech, high-security-clearance jobs as well as the assembly, fabrication, engineering, and design jobs at and around Plant 42 and the Skunk Works could disappear as fast as the shuttle maintenance jobs that went to Florida a few years back" if potential spies are brought to Lancaster, Davenport said.
Parris said the goal of his recent trip to Asia was to attract funding for Lancaster business opportunities by Chinese and Taiwan investors.
In return for an investment of at least $1 million into a venture that creates at least 10 new jobs for American workers, an investor would be granted a permanent residency card by federal immigration officials, Parris said.
"It's EB-5 program, which means that if a person from a foreign country passes all the background checks, including, I presume, Homeland Security background checks, they are issued a green card," he said. "The foreign national who is putting the $1 million into the job creation doesn't even have to live in the EB-5 (jobs) area and usually does not.
"With the people we're talking to, the anticipated investment is in excess of $200 million, and so Arnie Rodio and Robert Davenport got together and figured out that meant 200 people were moving to the Antelope Valley, and it's the typical … thought process we see from these people," Parris said.
"They can talk until they're blue in the face about this having nothing to do with Arnie Rodio, but I'm telling you I do not believe it," Parris said.
In discussing his ads, Davenport said: "Here is a news flash for Mayor Parris and all other China appeasers out there: According to the current version of the Central Intelligence Agency's 'The World Factbook,' the government in China is a 'Communist state.'
"That Communist regime has robust espionage efforts aimed at our areas of strategic superiority, and they currently have nukes targeting the United States of America and our military units overseas," Davenport said.
"That Communist state is developing an anti-ship missile that will potentially render our surface Navy - which includes all the sailors and Marines who serve therein as well as our multi-billion-dollar, nuclear-powered super carriers - an endangered species," he said.
Parris said allowing foreign money to create jobs for Lancaster residents would do nothing to jeopardize the future of America's armed forces.
"If there was any danger to our country, (American investor) Warren Buffet would not have bought 10% of BYD," a firm with which the city is doing business, Parris said.
"I will rely on Warren Buffet before I rely on Mr. Davenport," he said.
"It is absolutely racist, derogatory and demeaning to the entire Antelope Valley for him and Arnie Rodio to be saying this," the mayor said. "This is saying anybody who is from China is a Communist, and that's racism.
"The entire time I was over there, I never met anybody who said they were a Communist. It's like saying everybody from the United States is a Democrat." Parris said.
"Make no mistake: What (Davenport) is doing is absolutely anti-Chinese, regardless of whether they are from Taiwan or from the mainland, " he said.
Davenport said the characterization of his ads as racist was "laughably immature."
Having Parris label them as such "almost defies both reason and logic," Davenport said. "I say 'almost' because it is an old, overused, ineffective trial-lawyer tactic to try and discredit the messenger when the facts enumerated by the messenger are airtight.
"The images used (in the ads) came from actual footage shot by the Chinese at political celebrations sponsored by the totalitarian Communist regime that controls the ironically named 'People's Republic' of China with an iron fist," Davenport noted.
"If Mayor Parris and the Communists he pals around with and wants to have as business partners thought everyone here was going to welcome them with open arms and blank minds into a region of America that plays a vital role in our national defense, they were absolutely wrong," he said. "I believe most Americans are like me: Proud, hard-working capitalists that are strongly anti-Communist.
"I would dare say that Communism is the modern-day moral equivalent of slavery," he said.
"Communists are not good employers or responsible business partners. They do not follow environmental or work place safety standards. They do not take care of their employees or produce superior products," Davenport continued, referencing reports about 153 Chinese workers now trapped in a mine in Shanxi province.
In addition, the Chinese business owners "have flooded the international market with cheap products that have caused the loss of 2.4 million American manufacturing jobs," Davenport said. "The fact that China has been able to control a significant portion of the world economy by currency manipulation and using what is in effect slave labor is why we should resist further enrichment of their totalitarian Communist regime.
"We certainly should not try to reason with them and make them economic partners in (a city near) the heart of America's high-tech aviation arsenal," he said.
Parris said none of Davenport's arguments have anything to do with reality.
"This is such incredible nonsense. It has nothing to do with bringing jobs to Lancaster," the mayor said. "We're talking about creating jobs in Lancaster with Chinese companies. If Arnie Rodio was wearing underwear made in China, does that make him a Communist?"
As for Davenport's remark about his profession, Parris said, "I am more proud of becoming a trial lawyer than anything else I've ever accomplished.
"I've protected injured people from powerful insurance companies for more than 30 years, and it's not something I'm ashamed of," he said.
In explaining his commercials, Davenport challenged Parris to reveal prior to the city's April 13 election any measures "he has already implemented in his proposed deals with the Communists to protect America's national security interests.
"If he has none and cannot immediately produce concrete, tangible, agreed-upon language approved by the federal government, which is responsible for U.S. foreign policy, I would suggest that it definitively demonstrates the lack of ability, lack of foresight and poor judgment of the leadership team in Lancaster that is pursuing this dangerous misadventure," Davenport said.
Parris again noted that the EB-5 program is administered by federal officials, and the city is pursuing its new investments under that program.
All of Davenport's reasons have been posted on Internet chat sites by supporters of Rodio's candidacy, Parris continued.
"Word for word, what he's told you has been on the blogs written by Denise Latanzi supporting Arnie Rodio three weeks ago. Let's just recognize this political mud-slinging for what it is," Parris said.
Latanzi, who ran for office on a slate with Rodio in 2008, said Parris "is absolutely, unequivocally wrong."
"I'll go one step further: I do not know Robert Davenport. I do not have cable. I had not seen the commercials against Parris until they were posted on the blog, and I have not seen Robert Davenport's response," Latanzi said.
"This is particularly irritating to me because I would not know Robert Davenport if he was standing right next to me," she said.
This has been one of the strangest elections I've seen in awhile. Unfortunately the Get Rex Parris Out of Lancaster Facebook page is gone (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Get-Parris-Out-of-Lancaster/342591791075?ref=nf). It was a great source of inside gossip about city business. The page covered the following topics and much more:
- Rex Parris's dealings with local developers.
- Rex Parris deciding that he did not want a motorcycle gang to stay at a local motel, so he used a very cozy relationship with the LA county sheriff's dept to close the motel down for being late on its taxes.
- Since Rex Parris doesn't like pitbulls he pushed an ordinance through banning the ownership of pitbulls in Lancaster.
- Rex Parris routinely cuts off and derides Lancaster citizens when they disagree with him at City Council meetings.
- Involving his church, Lancaster Baptist Church, in daily city business, especially the Community Houses planned for poor neighborhoods.
- Paying for religious meetings with city money and personnel until he was caught red handed.
- Sponsoring the "Prayer Initiative" up for vote tomorrow, regardless of the advice of the city's attorney, who advised that the measure would make the city open to lawsuits.
- Having the LA County Sheriff's Department pick up and dump homeless people in neighboring communities, so he could claim the homeless population is down in Lancaster.
- Personal vendettas against city personnel who don't agree with him.
- Speculation about his son's flirtation with white supremacy.
The Antelope Valley Press March 29th edition discussed the mayoral candidate's views on the Prayer Measure that will be decided on the April 13 election. Here are the candidate's views:
Q: How do you plan to vote on the "Prayer Initiative" (officially known as Measure I) allowing clergy to chose whether or not to mention Jesus Christ in their invocations before council meetings?
GENE GAYNOR: I have no problem since the measure allows for any clergy to offer themselves for the initial prayer.But what are the odds that a god other that Abraham's god would be allowed? After all, this is the town where sheriff's deputies openly supported people who harassed a Pagan store that tried to open several years ago.
ARNOLD RODIO: I strongly support a person's right to pray as they see fit. However, the City attorney has stated in a City council meeting that the current policy is illegal. I believe that this could have been resolved without the political posturing.Parris's opponent doesn't seem to say much here.
R. REX PARRIS: As most people know by now, I not only plan on voting yes, I have campaigned for passage of this initiative and consider it critical that our community overwhelmingly show that we believe in freedom of speech and freedom of religion. The question as phrased above, is inaccurate. The initiative actually protects prayer to any deity, including Jesus Christ, as dictated by the prayer giver's faith. The threat delivered to the city by the Americal Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) specifically sought to exclude any mention of Jesus Christ in prayer, hence the actual wording of the initiative.And again, what are the odds that other gods would be allowed? This is the mayor who only asks evangelical Christian ministers to pray at city council meetings. And put the tab for the Christian state of the city address on the city's tab. When this was found out, he quickly paid for it himself.
DAVID TALBOT: No city ballot initiative can overturn the Constitution of the United States, so it doesn't matter how anyone votes, only that we will be sued with no insurance to cover the cost for sure if it passes and likely anyway if it doesn't.I certainly agree with this candidate.
LYLE TALBOT: "I" don't attend religious services, so I'll leave it to those who do.I suppose he could be one of us, but wouldn't he have to sit though some Jesus meetings himself?
Lancaster is a moderately sized city located north of Los Angeles, CA. Lancaster has been recently in the news due to remarks made by its mayor, Rex Parris. Parris told a gathering of Christian ministers that he was transforming Lancaster into a "Christian community". Parris has been in the news a lot recently, especially with how he handled having to apologize publicly about the "Christian community" comments. Of course this is conveniently in time for the April 13th city elections.
On February 9th, the Antelope Valley Press ran with a large headline, "Mayor Parris: I Sincerely Apologize". Parris then made a complete spectacle of himself by having a press conference and inviting all of the local religious leaders (but of course no nonreligious persons or groups were invited) and the press. According to the AV Press:
There was a very interesting article in the March 15th AV Press, "Not-so-secret contractor exits sky-spy project". According to the paper, L-3 Communications was developing the sensors for the Sky Sentinel project. This project would have an unmanned aircraft flying over Lancaster, observing everything in sight. L-3 Communications routinely conduct business with secret contracts. While this may be required for secret US government 3 letter agencies, it's hardly appropriate for a California city to do so in violation of California law.
L-3 abruptly pulled out of Lancaster's Sky Sentinel project, probably because their lawyer advised them to do so to avoid being in violation of California state law. And this raises the questions, "Why does Lancaster need sophisticated, highly classified sensors for routine police business? Who does Rex Parris want to watch?
The saga continues here.
On February 9th, the Antelope Valley Press ran with a large headline, "Mayor Parris: I Sincerely Apologize". Parris then made a complete spectacle of himself by having a press conference and inviting all of the local religious leaders (but of course no nonreligious persons or groups were invited) and the press. According to the AV Press:
Mayor R. Rex Parris issued an unequivocal apology to groups of any faith and all faiths who he said might have felt excluded by his remarks 12 days earlier to Christian ministers about "growing a Christian community."I don't know the mayor and his "friends" personally, but if he were friends with a lot of non-Christians for a lot of years, wouldn't he be a little more sensitive and try not to push Christian supremacy and privilege so much?
"It was a week and a half ago that I spoke to the Christian ministerial association and said that I wanted to grow a Christian community", he said during a city hall news conference. "But in talking to my friends of 30 years, it was clear that a lot of people felt excluded."
The Antelope Valley Human Rights task Force voted unanimously Monday night to send strong letters of condemnation to Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris and Councilwoman Sherry Marquez over their recent comments about the Christian and Muslim religions.According to the same article, Rex Parris did not attend this meeting, perhaps because the people who attended were not so willing to climb so far up his ass?
There was a very interesting article in the March 15th AV Press, "Not-so-secret contractor exits sky-spy project". According to the paper, L-3 Communications was developing the sensors for the Sky Sentinel project. This project would have an unmanned aircraft flying over Lancaster, observing everything in sight. L-3 Communications routinely conduct business with secret contracts. While this may be required for secret US government 3 letter agencies, it's hardly appropriate for a California city to do so in violation of California law.
L-3 abruptly pulled out of Lancaster's Sky Sentinel project, probably because their lawyer advised them to do so to avoid being in violation of California state law. And this raises the questions, "Why does Lancaster need sophisticated, highly classified sensors for routine police business? Who does Rex Parris want to watch?
The saga continues here.
This is my last installment in this series. My last post continued the story about the Jesus rifle scopes in use by the US Army and the US Marines. Since then, there have been many stories about this incident in the press. But despite the coverage of the Bible verses on the rifle scopes, almost nothing has been done by the US military to fix the problem.
According to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, they have received many complaints from soldiers and marines about the scopes remaining unchanged. The few modification kits made by the maker of the scopes were applied to scopes that are not being used in the field. The military commanding officers seem to be completely missing the point of the soldier's complaints. The soldiers were complaining that having a "Jesus" scope needlessly put their lives in even more danger.
Chris Rodda from the blog, Talk2Action, has posted one of the letters MRFF has received from a soldier describing how the Bible verses on the scope are causing some friction with the local Afghan population. Here is the letter:
According to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, they have received many complaints from soldiers and marines about the scopes remaining unchanged. The few modification kits made by the maker of the scopes were applied to scopes that are not being used in the field. The military commanding officers seem to be completely missing the point of the soldier's complaints. The soldiers were complaining that having a "Jesus" scope needlessly put their lives in even more danger.
Chris Rodda from the blog, Talk2Action, has posted one of the letters MRFF has received from a soldier describing how the Bible verses on the scope are causing some friction with the local Afghan population. Here is the letter:
I am a United States soldier currently deployed to Afghanistan. I am a practicing Baptist and my wife is too. My cobat [sic] unit is currently engaged in major combat operations in the southern provinces of Afghanistan. I am of junior enlisted rank and my fellow soldiers (most of them to my knowledge being Christians, too) and I are at the bottom of the chain of command. Many, many native Afghan civilians and especially the Afghan military members here are well aware of the "Jesus rifles" controversy which was covered aall over the place by the news services back in the middle of January of this year. It makes them very, very mad at America and our military. They constantly ask us if we are still using these "Jesus rifles". They ask us to see for themselves what is written on our gunsights. Wherever we go these same questions come up almost immediately. Not all the native Afghans ask them but enough of them do that my fellow soldiers in my company and even my battalion have asked our military chain of command about what we're supposed to say to them when asked. This has been a mess. We've been told to "shut the fuck up" and to "tell them that it's none of their damn business 'cause we're there to save them from Islam (yes, ISLAM!)". We've even been told to explain Christianity to them and use it as "an opening to enlighten them." Yes, those exact words! We all heard that there were supposed to be "100 kits" which the company that put the bible references on our gunsights were going to be sending to the military right away to "fix" the "problem". When my fellow soldiers and I have asked our chain of command about this fact, we've been told that "that was just to shut up the traitors in the media and the bleeding heart groups". Our chain of command really hates the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and blames it for all of this mess in the first place. If any of them knew that any of us were talking to the Military Religious Foundation about this problem here, it would be over for us and our families immediately. It's not just embarrassing to have these "Jesus rifles" with us but it's also a serious security threat to all of us. When we walk into an Afghan village trying to determine whether it's "friend or foe" regarding the Taliban etc. and they ask us right off the bat if we are using the "Jesus rifles" it is a VERY BAD way to start out considering our combat mission. We want the bible stuff off of our gunsights. We feel it makes us targets. We want them off now! When are we EVER going to see one of those "100 fix kits" which were supposed to be sent out? None of us here feel we can even raise the subject again with our chain of command because we risk being identified as a "problem child" and when you're fighting a war like this one here that can get you in alot of trouble; it can get you killed.So it's business as usual for the Pentagon, just ignore the problem and let more soldiers die needlessly. For more information about this situation, MRFF's February newsletter and March Archives cover this situation as well as the large cross left at the Air Force Academy's Pagan area.
Click on the above images to see a readable size.
I was on my way to work this morning and saw the above story in paper in the newspaper rack at the drive-thru window. Needless to say, I was intrigued by the title and bought a paper. I read the story and I'm sure my mouth fell open several times as Lancaster, CA mayor Rex Parris was revealed to be a complete nut job. Later, in the morning I shared the story with my cube-mate who lives in Lancaster. She was horrified as she read the story and said "I voted for the man, but didn't realize he was such a nutcase." Another coworker, who is pretty religious, said her pastor attended the meeting and was shocked by the mayor's statements.
I'll post the complete story from the Antelope Valley Press, along with my comments from each section. I don't usually post a complete story, but in this case I'm commenting on all sections of the story. Here is the story on their website.
Parris Touts City as a "Christian" CommunityHow can this possible be anything but divisive? The mayor wants a "Christian city". What does this even mean? Does he want a higher percentage of Christians living in the city? Or does he want a town run by Christians for Christians? And if this is supposed to be a city run meeting, why is the audience mainly Christian pastors and their wives? What about switching the word "Christian" to "White", then the bigotry is instantly obvious.
Mayor's address focuses on crime, culture, green energy
By Gerry Price
Valley Press City Editor/Assignments
LANCASTER - Mayor R. Parris sees his city as strongly Christian, and he's proud of that.
"We're growing a Christian community, and don't let anybody shy away from that," he told an audience of 160 people, mainly pastors and their spouses, during his State of the City address Tuesday at the John P. Eliopulos Hellenic Center.
He said he wants the community's electorate to validate a Christian stance in the April municipal election, in which a ballot measure endorses prayers at city meetings, specifically with permission to invoke a specific deity, including Jesus.
While Parris, who is running a second term as mayor in April, sail he didn't care which candidates the voters favored. "I do want them voting for that prayer amendment," referring to a measure asking voters whether or not the City Council should seek religious guidance before its meetings.Currently the ACLU is suing the city of Lancaster for the use of sectarian prayers before city council meetings. But even worse in addition to the sectarian prayers, Mayor Parris has also limited the denomination as well. Only a couple of pastors are allowed give the prayer.
The council put the measure on the ballot after the American Civil Liberties Union sent the city a letter of warning that said allowing "sectarian" prayers, such as those that mention Jesus Christ, at governmental meetings is divisive and unconstitutional.
"I need them standing up and saying we're a Christian community, and we're proud of that", he said, speaking of his multimedia Powerpoint presentation flashed a big-screen picture with a large Christian cross and and the phrase "Growing a Christian Community."
[Correction - Currently the ACLU has not sued the city of Lancaster yet. They are waiting to see if the ballot measure allowing sectarian prayers passes.]
If the measure passes, hundreds of residents should petition petition the city to allow them to pray in the name of various deities. That would be hilarious. How can they possibly turn someone down without making it obvious the city prefers only Christian prayers? Personally I prefer the goddess Bastet, since I love cats.
Asked afterward whether his talk of being a "Christian community" tends to leave out or anger residents who are not Christians, the mayor said he doesn't mean to exclude anyone.The mayor says he wants a Christian community and says he can't see how that is divisive. What a crock of shit. How can stating a Christian community is better than a community that is not exclusively Christian not be insulting and divisive? It's like when Christians advertise they would like to talk to the "lost". How can this be anything but insulting?
Noting that he had a meeting scheduled that evening with members of a local gay and lesbian organization, Parris said "My vision of it is not a vision of exclusion. It’s a vision of attraction. I understand for so long it had an exclusionary feet to it. That doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. We should remove the exclusionary aspect to it."
Parris maintained in post speech remarks that a Christian city had a better sense of community that an "atheistic city", and said that the progress Lancaster has made over the past several years came about because of the sensor of cooperation between the various elements in the city.What the hell is an "atheistic" city? Some place in North Korea or China? Or the former Soviet Union? Certainly no place here in the United States that I know of. Or perhaps he is talking about some city that is not expressively Christian? It's like when some Christians refer to anything non-Christian as "atheistic". Or perhaps he is confusing a neutral stance of not mixing government and religion as "atheistic"?
As a prime example, he referred to the recently announced 31% drop in the Lancaster crime rate in the last two years, commenting, "That 31% is the difference between a city that is dangerous to live in vs. a city that is safe to live in."What's with all of the statistics? References please, Mayor. I've spent time in places where the crime rate was low, a lone woman could walk around freely at midnight and never be disturbed. But these are places I would never live in. For in those places, there is little to no freedom to speak and write as one pleases.
Despite the best efforts of the Sheriff's Department, that drop wouldn't have occurred without the cooperation of all the city's departments and its citizenry, Parris said.
"It was all of us coming together," he said.
Parris praised the jump from 118 active Neighborhood Watch groups in 2008 to 192 in 2009, and an even greater hike in involvement in Business Watch.I'm almost beyond words at this. All I can think of is the quote by Benjamin Franklin, "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security." The mayor has strayed far, far from the American vision of our founders.
Other city-led actions took a large step to reduce what he called "hyper vigilance" of youth, which led them to become vulnerable to gang involvement.
Specifically, by allowing graffiti, truancy, roving pit bulls, and gangs to proliferate, we were putting our children in harm's way, Parris said.
To that end, the city:Paris also touted the planned Voyager Sky Sentinel project, which will allow a Sheriff's Department official to keep an eye on crime from above the city from some 8,000 feet above the ground.
- Cleaned up graffiti in 18,114 locations in 2009.
- Removed 1,034 pit bulls from city streets during that same time frame.
He noted that, during one demonstration of the aircraft, the brainchild of aviation pioneer Dick Rutan, he was able to see every detail of an accident or crime in real time.
He discounted any idea of the plane infringing on the privacy of law abiding individuals, noting, "This device will not do anything a current (Sheriff's Department) helicopter can't do.
At the same time, by using the aircraft "we'll be able to utilize services like we've never done before."
I honestly believe we're on the way to becoming the safest city in America," Parris said, despite the many reasons that shouldn't happen, including the city's proximity to a state prison and the high number of parolees in the community.
The mayor also praised the introduction of Community Impact Homes in the community.I would like to see how these houses are financed. Are the churches renting them? Can only Christian groups rent them? Here is a video of the dedication of the Trend Community House.
The first two, one near Piute Middle School and the other in the Trend tract, are run by personnel from Grace Chapel and Central Christian Church.
Parris said, "We're not putting churches (running neighborhood houses) in every impoverished neighborhood. I'd like to put them up in every neighborhood.
The mayor also said he would like to have health workers operate out of the community houses.
The video starts off with the mayor, Rex Parris telling of his vision of overworked parents being helped (or preyed upon) by a house in every neighborhood run by an evangelical Christian church. If the Evangelical Churches are renting these houses, can't other groups rent as well. The Satanist Community House would be one happening place, with large pentagrams in the windows, and heavy metal blasting the neighborhood. Or a Rastafarian house, with mighty clouds of pot smoke drifting over the neighborhood. HehHehHeh. Perhaps the AV Freethinkers can get a house as well.
Then the mayor hands the podium over to a Pastor Dave Prather from the Central Christian Church, with the remark "Now he is responsible for an entire neighborhood." WTF? If I lived in that neighborhood, I would be insulted at the patronizing tone. No one is responsible for me but myself.
Pay attention at 4:15 in the video where Concepcion Harris says "We're here to transform the neighborhood for Christ. That's what we're here to do." And the mayor wants one of these in every neighborhood? Holy Church-State entanglement, Batman. Talk about preying upon those too poor to afford decent daycare.
Also notice the cross symbol. Apparently, this is the new city symbol for Lancaster CA. Lancaster's previous symbol was a California Poppy, representing the California Poppy Reserve west of the town. I've noticed the new symbol the last year or two. I liked the poppy better. It was much nicer and more representative of the city. Interesting note, the video is no longer hosted at the city's website. I found it on Youtube and downloaded a copy for myself.
He also said that on Sundays, church buses should be stopping at homes in all the neighborhoods to take children to church.You mean these buses? The mayor is probably a member of Lancaster Baptist Church. I've done some searching, but he never comes out and says which church he is a member of. But the Lancaster Baptist Church always seems to be involved in city business. (I've heard this from some friends.) I also have a vision of surveillance drones busily flying over the city on Sunday morning, searching for those children not going to Sunday school.
Another area the mayor praised was the city's support for the arts, especially in the development of Lancaster Boulevard as a mecca for artists and patrons of the arts, and as a place for fine dining.The above sounds like the city has neglected large problems for a long time, then suddenly realized how bad things were. The mayor sure seems to like bragging about himself a lot. How exactly did the city reduce the number of fatal collisions?
Noting the opening of the Brooklyn Deli and Giannini Bistro and the upcoming opening of BeX, the mayor bragged, "Pretty soon, when you go out to eat, you'll be going to Lancaster Boulevard. They'll have better restaurants than the (Antelope Valley) Mall, and more fun, too."
Upon revealing a slide titles "Alternative Energy Capital of the World," Parris said a Monday meeting between a foreign company and a "major home builder" will lead to the construction of 10 of the most energy efficient homes in the world within the next year.
Touting the "best sun in the world" and the Valley's nearly constant winds as wonderful sources of green energy, Parris said a planned trip to China will allow him to meet with representatives of a major company that builds batteries designed to store green energy.
The mayor also said the city hopes to be announcing that 6,000 to 10,000 new jobs will be coming in the near future.
Other statistics cited by Parris were a 36% drop in fatal collisions from 2008 to 2009, the elimination of 5,421 illegal dump sites during 2009, and the repair of 24,129 pot holes in that time frame.
Managing Editor Charles F. Bostwick contributed to this report.
This photo was taken the day before at a city council meeting where city council woman Sherry Marquez had to defend statements she made about Muslims on her Facebook page.
Do a search for Mayor Rex Parris on Google and check out the craziness. He seems to have the jobs of mayor and theocratic dictator confused.Story continues here.
Part 1 of this story consists of the ruckus that was raised when ABC "discovered" the Bible references on Trijicom's rifle sights that were sold to the US Army and US Marine Corps. The decision by Trijicom to place bible references on scopes used in a predominantly Muslim country was a bad decision. But what was even worse were the decisions by the US Army and the US Marine Corps to allow these verses on the scopes and purchase them anyway. It seems the upper brass consists mainly of blinkered Christians unaware that not everyone follows Christianity.
Chris Rodda posts a letter sent to MRFF from a Muslim soldier about what happened in his unit when they received these weapons. I'm reposting the letter in it's entirety here as well.
This letter shows the harm of mixing religion with government, especially the military. Even something so small emboldens the theocrats, who then claim they are vindicated by the verse on the equipment.
Part 3 will discuss the furious backpeddling by the military and Trijicom once the story hit the national news.
Chris Rodda posts a letter sent to MRFF from a Muslim soldier about what happened in his unit when they received these weapons. I'm reposting the letter in it's entirety here as well.
I've highlighted the parts that especially convey how the average soldier realizes the dangers that Christianizing the military puts on individual soldiers. Not only "In harms way" but now "Stupidly put in even more harm's way for no reason."To: Mikey Wenstein [sic] and MRFF:
I am a U.S. Army infantry soldier with the rank of (rank withheld). I am married with children. I am stationed at Fort (installation name withheld). I have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times. I have been awarded medals for direct combat engagement as well as for injuries and wounds received in hand-to-hand combat. I am a Muslim American. My family converted when I was very young. I am caucasian and have a last name that does not sound ethnic. Therefore, few of my fellow soldiers know that I am a Muslim. My wife comes from a Christian tradition but rarely practices or attends church. I have witnessed terrible religious persecution in the my (number withheld) years in the Army. Most of it comes from "angry" conservative Christians in my unit chains of command and occasionally from my fellow infantry soldiers. I am very familiar with the Trijicon ACOG gunsights and have often had them as part of my personal weapons; both my M-4 and my M-16. In my first 2 deployments I saw and experienced no incidents regarding the New Testament bible quotes that are written on the metal casing of the gun sights. Many soldiers know of them and are very confused as to why they are there and what it is supposed to mean. Everyone is worried that if they were captured in combat that the enemy would use the bible quotes against them in captivity or some other form of propaganda. As an American soldier I am ashamed that those bible quotes are on our primary weapons. As a Muslim American I am horrified. As one who swore his oath to the Constitution, I am driven to fight this Christian insanity but I know if I try to do so in a visible way that I will suffer at the hands of my military superiors. I am of low enlisted rank and can be crushed easily. I am prepared to suffer, but I am not prepared for my wife and children to suffer. So I have reached out to MRFF because there is nowhere else safe to go to try to fight this thing of disgrace. There are many other soldiers who feel as I do. Many are Protestant and Catholic and they fear reprisal just as much as I do for trying to stand up to the Christian bullies in uniform who outrank us. But if you try to fight back, you are not "asking" for trouble, YOU ARE IN TROUBLE from the start. And if you are a Muslim American, the hatred is always just below the surface and ready to explode at a moment's notice. After the Fort Hood shootings, it was so bad, even for a low profile Muslim like me, that I had to ask MRFF for help.
Nothing in my first 2 deployments prepared me for what happened with the Trijicon ACOG gun sights during my 3rd deployment to Afghanistan. I will never forget the day it occurred. It was morning and there was a mandatory formation of several companies. A very senior NCO was yelling at us which is not that unusual. He asked a private what it was that he (the private) was holding in his hand and the private said it was his "weapon" several times to which the senior NCO replied "and what ELSE is it"? FInally, the senior NCO said that the private's rifle was also something else; that because of the biblical quote on the ACOG gunsight it had been "spiritually transformed into the Fire Arm of Jesus Christ" and that we would be expected to kill every "haji" we could find with it. He said that if we were to run out of ammo, then the rifle would become the "spiritually transformed club of Jesus Christ" and that we should "bust open the head of every haji we find with it." He said that Uncle Sam had seen fit not to give us a "pussy `Jewzzi' (combination of the word `Jew' and Israeli made weapon `Uzi') but the "fire arm of Jesus Christ" and made specific mention of the biblical quotes on our gun sights. He said that the enemy no doubt had quotes from the Koran on their guns but that "our Lord is bigger than theirs because theirs is a fraud and an idol". As a Muslim and an American soldier I was fit to be tied but I kept it in. There were many Afghans, both civilian and military, on base within earshot of what was being yelled at us and I can only wonder in shock what they must have thought. This senior NCO was apparently also the head person of a conservative, crazy Christian group called the "Christian Military Fellowship" and made a big deal about the importance of joining to everyone. He told us all that we MUST read a book called "Under Orders" in order to make it through this combat deployment and said he had many copies for everyone. Some of my friends went and got their copies. I refused. Finally, this senior NCO ended his yelling by warning us that if we did not "get right with Jesus" then our rifles would not provide spiritual strength despite the bible quotes on our ACOG gunsights and that we would be considered "spiritual cripples" to our fellow units and soldiers. He didn't say it in so many words, but the message was clear; if anything bad happened in a combat situation, it would be the fault of anyone who had not accepted Jesus Christ in the "right way". I have never felt so ashamed and scared in my life. I have never hated myself so much for not speaking out. So I thought of my wife and children and endured. Every time I looked at my rifle with that Trijicon ACOG gunsight/scope with the biblical quote from the book of John (8:12), it would make me sick. If I had tried to protest, it would have made me dead. And if I'm dead I'm of no use to my wife and children.
This letter shows the harm of mixing religion with government, especially the military. Even something so small emboldens the theocrats, who then claim they are vindicated by the verse on the equipment.
Part 3 will discuss the furious backpeddling by the military and Trijicom once the story hit the national news.
This past week ABC News presented a story, U.S. Military Weapons Inscribed With Secret "Jesus" Bible Codes. It turns out on further reading the title was not very accurate. The Bible reference was not very secret and was not a code. The US Military contracted with Trijicon to supply them with sights for various rifles. The founder of Trijicon, Glyn Bindon, was a very devout Christian who was killed in a plane crash in 2003.Trijicon makes the ACOG sight which is considered by many soldiers to be one of the best sights purchasedby the government. They have been putting serial numbers on them consisting of standard biblical reference numbers. This has been known for years by soldiers out in the field, even though the US Army and Marine Corps have said they were unaware of this.
Looking at Trijicon's website, there is this curious statement "• Morality - We believe that America is great when its people are good. This goodness has been based on biblical standards throughout our history and we will strive to follow those morals." They don't seem to realize that the founding document for the United States, the Constitution, has no references to God or the Bible in it.
Go here for the ABC Niteline news report on the story.
Here are a few examples of the serial numbers on the scopes, more images are located here:
Trijicon's Reflex scope, which according to the company, is "the fastest, most user-friendly gunsight in the field." According to Trijicon, "the U.S. Special Operations Command has designated the Trijicon Reflex as a vital part of the…Accessory Kit fielded by all Special Operations Forces. This scope is imprinted with the marking "2COR4:6", a reference to the second book of Corinthians in the New Testament, Chapter 4, Verse 6. The verse reads: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (King James Version) (ABC News)
At the end of the scope's model number, you can read "JN8:12", which is a reference to the New Testament book of John, Chapter 8, Verse 12, which reads: "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (King James Version) (ABC News)In addition to the above images ABC News also shows Iraqi soldiers training with the scopes. What do they think of this? And wouldn't this further inflame tensions in the area and give AlQaeda more ammunition for claims that the US is on some sort of religious crusade? It seems that religion has blinded the company management of Trijicom to common sense. Since these scopes have been in use for sometime, how can the US military not know this has been going on? And what about reports of Christian commanders in the US Army bragging that the weapons are "spiritually transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ"?
Trijicon confirmed to ABCNews.com that it adds the biblical codes to the sights sold to the U.S. military. Tom Munson, director of sales and marketing for Trijicon, which is based in Wixom, Michigan, said the inscriptions "have always been there" and said there was nothing wrong or illegal with adding them. Munson said the issue was being raised by a group that is "not Christian." The company has said the practice began under its founder, Glyn Bindon, a devout Christian from South Africa who was killed in a 2003 plane crash.Why should it matter that the group, MRFF, that has been raising this issue along with a host of other more egregious problems is "not Christian"? Don't non-Christians have the same rights to speak and raise complaints as Christians" Are Christians some how more human or superior than non-Christians? What a bigoted jerk. According to Rob Boston of Americans United, it depends upon who is doing the speaking for the US military if there is a problem or not.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. These Christians at Trijicom are so blinded by evangelical fervor, they cannot see the harm they are doing to the soldiers they claim they are interested in protecting.I was shocked, however, to read the military's response to the matter. Air Force Maj. John Redfield, the spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, told the News, "This situation is not unlike the situation with U.S. currency. Are we going to stop using money because the bills have `In God We Trust' on them? As long as the sights meet the combat needs of troops, they'll continue to be used."
Let's be clear: This situation is not like "In God We Trust" on the money. That "civil religion" affirmation - problematic as it may be from a church-state perspective -- is not the same as a symbolic military embrace of one particular faith. When U.S. troops use weapons inscribed with passages from the New Testament, it's an endorsement of Christianity, and it sends the false message to the world that the United States is a Christian country.
Thankfully, some military officials seem to understand that there is a problem. Capt. Geraldine Carey, a Marine Corps spokeswoman, told the Associated Press, "We are aware of the issue and are concerned with how this may be perceived." Carey said Marine Corps officials will meet with Trijicon to discuss the matter.
Part 2 continues the discussion and shows an example of the harm these "harmless" references can cause.
Well I though I was through posting for the year, but this story by Chris Rodda grabbed my attention. Wheel of Fortune was hosting a Heroes's Week and one of the contestants decided to take the opportunity to announce to the world that he was a "Undersea Nuclear Christian Warrior". My jaw drops in amazement that such a clown is commanding a US Navy nuclear submarine.
I heard that in the late 1970's, some SAC officers were attending some extremely fundamentalist churches. On one occasion it was rumored that one of these officers mentioned that he would follow "God's Word" instead of his orders. The person who told me this story had the opinion that "God's Word" was really "Fundy Pastor's Word". Afterward some of these officers were quietly removed from the silos and stationed elsewhere. After all, the control of this nation's nuclear response should not be in the hands of someone who is convinced he personally is at the right hand of God.
It looks like the Dominionists would love to have their hands on the nuclear trigger. This should be ringing some alarm bells in the Pentagon if they have any sense at all anymore.
Posts on message boards and Twitter confirm that the writer of this email heard correctly. As unbelievable as it sounds, Cmdr. Steve Cincotta, a submarine commander stationed at Navy Mine Anti-Submarine Warfare Command in San Diego, did, in fact, embarrass himself and the entire U.S. Navy by identifying himself on national TV as an "undersea nuclear Christian warrior," and MRFF certainly will be responding swiftly!I'd hate to be stationed on this pious asshole's ship. But I have a similar tale of Dominionist attempts to hijack this nation's nuclear capability. When I was a young Lieutenant in the US Air Force, stationed at Peterson AFB, I heard stories from some older enlisted members about earlier attempts to take over the nation's nuclear forces.
I heard that in the late 1970's, some SAC officers were attending some extremely fundamentalist churches. On one occasion it was rumored that one of these officers mentioned that he would follow "God's Word" instead of his orders. The person who told me this story had the opinion that "God's Word" was really "Fundy Pastor's Word". Afterward some of these officers were quietly removed from the silos and stationed elsewhere. After all, the control of this nation's nuclear response should not be in the hands of someone who is convinced he personally is at the right hand of God.
It looks like the Dominionists would love to have their hands on the nuclear trigger. This should be ringing some alarm bells in the Pentagon if they have any sense at all anymore.
Happy Monkey Everyone. This is my last post for 2009. It has been an very hectic and wonderful year. May everyone have a great holiday and a wonderful New Year.
What is it with people who attend Southern Baptist churches? Can't they have a simple conversation without trying to sell their church the entire time? We were eating at a local Chinese buffet and a woman and man came over to our table to ask us if we planned to enroll our daughter in a Chinese language class. We adopted our daughter in China a few months ago. The man was white and the woman was Asian.
At first the woman started asking about adopting from China and asking us about adoption agencies. We are always happy to discuss this topic and told her which agency we used. They asked if we were going to put our daughter in a class to continue to keep her familiar with Mandarin Chinese. Then the couple mentioned that they knew about a Chinese class for free. I asked them if it was a local language institute. Then it came out that the "class" was a church daycare while we would be attending a sermon at their Southern Baptist church. Yuck!
I quickly said that we were interested in a more formal class and were already looking some where else. I did not express any interest at all in attending their church. As soon as they realized that we were not interested in their church, they just dropped all interest in acquiring information about our adoption agency.
So to me at least, it appears that the expressed interest in adoption agencies was merely a ploy to try and sell their church. But if not, they will find that our adoption agency is a very liberal Catholic agency. HehHehHeh.
But why all the pretense? Why do some Christians find the need to be so deceptive about their churches? All it does is simply piss people off at being lied to. Why the need to use such deceptive tactics to get people to attend their churches? If what you have is true and good, it will sell itself. They don't seem to have much confidence in their "Truth".
At first the woman started asking about adopting from China and asking us about adoption agencies. We are always happy to discuss this topic and told her which agency we used. They asked if we were going to put our daughter in a class to continue to keep her familiar with Mandarin Chinese. Then the couple mentioned that they knew about a Chinese class for free. I asked them if it was a local language institute. Then it came out that the "class" was a church daycare while we would be attending a sermon at their Southern Baptist church. Yuck!
I quickly said that we were interested in a more formal class and were already looking some where else. I did not express any interest at all in attending their church. As soon as they realized that we were not interested in their church, they just dropped all interest in acquiring information about our adoption agency.
So to me at least, it appears that the expressed interest in adoption agencies was merely a ploy to try and sell their church. But if not, they will find that our adoption agency is a very liberal Catholic agency. HehHehHeh.
But why all the pretense? Why do some Christians find the need to be so deceptive about their churches? All it does is simply piss people off at being lied to. Why the need to use such deceptive tactics to get people to attend their churches? If what you have is true and good, it will sell itself. They don't seem to have much confidence in their "Truth".
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Darwin's On the Origin of the Species, the Antelope Valley Freethinkers had Dr. Matthew Rainbow present an overview of evolution for our members. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend due to an unforeseen family issue. The Antelope Valley Press covered the meeting and wrote an article about our group. I don't normally post an entire article, but the paper usually removes the web version after a week, so I'm posting it before it is removed.
Other than this nit, an excellent article about the Antelope Valley Freethinkers. Way to go Dave, Kelly, Eric, Johann and everyone.
I bolded part of the story above where there port quotes Dr. Rainbow saying "said that even he believes the first cells may have been intelligently designed by what could be called a creator." I hope the reporter is misquoting Dr.Rainbow because I can't see how someone who describes himself as an agnostic atheist believes in intelligent design. Perhaps Dr. Rainbow was describing Darwin's views rather than his own and the reporter misunderstood.Locals look at Darwin's book 150 years on
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press
Monday, November 23, 2009. By JULIE DRAKE
Valley Press Staff Writer
LANCASTER - This year marks the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth. November also marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's "On the Origin of the Species." The book introduced the theory that organisms evolve over the course of generations through the process of natural selection.To celebrate, the Antelope Valley Freethinkers group scheduled a Darwin discussion and luncheon on Sunday for their monthly get-together. Club president David Dionne said they chose to celebrate the anniversary because Darwin's book is one of the most important and influential scientific works in history.
Club member Matthew Rainbow, an AVC biology professor with a Ph.D. in molecular biology and biochemistry, was the featured speaker. Rainbow said that in the history of science, Darwin is even more dangerous than Nicolaus Copernicus and the even more dangerous Sir Isaac Newton. He noted that Copernicus removed man's home - Earth - from the center of the universe.
"Darwin ratcheted it up a little, he did an even more serious thing," Rainbow said. "What did he remove from the center? Man himself."
Rainbow said that Newton, who believed in God, reduced astrophysics to a series of laws, whereby God works through laws.
"What did Darwin do?" Rainbow said. "Darwin basically took the most important question in biology - how did living things get here - and reduced that to laws … Darwin explained how the origin of species themselves can occur through laws."
Rainbow said the origin of life itself is misunderstood. The professor, who described himself as a card-carrying, flag-waving evolutionist who is an agnostic half the time and an atheist the other half, said that even he believes the first cells may have been intelligently designed by what could be called a creator.
"I think that if this creator exists, he or she or whatever it is, obviously wants to remain unknown, if he exists at all," Rainbow said. "The evidence now tends to suggest that they were intelligently designed."
But Rainbow said that everything else in evolution, such as fish into amphibians, amphibians into reptiles and ape-like creatures into humans, is all well explained by evolution. There are three steps to evolution: mutation to DNA of organisms; altered embryological development; and natural selection.
"Darwin knew almost nothing about the first step … much less what DNA was," Rainbow said. However, Darwin figured out the third step, that organisms constantly change. They pass on their traits to offspring and organisms exploded in growth."
Dionne said the Antelope Valley Freethinkers is a diverse group comprising agnostics, atheists, secular humanists and other religious nonbelievers. The club began as an affiliate of the Los Angeles-based Atheists United and became a local, independent nonprofit organization this spring.
There are currently about 60 members.
Dionne said the group's diverse membership includes independent thinkers from all different backgrounds and occupations.
"I really like finding interesting stuff for us to do and to talk about," he said. "To connect and build friendships with people with the same world view I have."
Dionne said the evolution of the club has been organic in the sense that it grows based on what members want. For the Antelope Valley Freethinkers, Dionne defined a freethinker as someone who bases their world view on reason, objective evidence and compassion, and who tends to be skeptical about supernatural things such as the existence of Gods, angels and demons, and the afterlife.
Dionne said that they strive to make their meetings interesting and entertaining. Past events include barbecues, picnics, movie viewing, board games, karaoke, and presentations on science and history. Members also volunteer in the community by participating in events such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. They also raised more than $300 for multiple sclerosis.
Antelope Valley native Erik Gunderson, the group's secretary, said he became involved with a similar group when he lived in Knoxville, Tenn., a few years ago. He joined the Antelope Valley Freethinkers when he returned to the Valley about three years ago.
Gunderson said that he enjoys the social aspects of the club in that he looks for a combination of fellowship and something interesting to think about.
"You get out of your brain what you put into your brain," he said. "We have a group where you have interesting, educated, smart people to talk with, sharing their knowledge, sharing their ideas, (it) makes you more interesting, smart and educated yourself."
Johann Olivier, the group's treasurer, said that he enjoys the intellectual stimulation you get as a member of the group.
"People are not constricted by dogmatic ideas of how the world should operate," he said.
For details, e-mail the group at avfreethinkers@yahoo.com.
Other than this nit, an excellent article about the Antelope Valley Freethinkers. Way to go Dave, Kelly, Eric, Johann and everyone.
I bought a box of Christmas cards at Target with the following on the front :
The 12 Steps of ChristmasMy personal favorite is #3. If I ever find myself looking towards a higher power, it will be Santa. Unlike other gods, Santa actually delivers. I actually find gifts under my tree every year.
- Admit you are powerless over Christmas, and that your life has become unmanageable.
- Believe that a power greater than consumer credit can restore you to sanity.
- Decide to turn your will and life over to Santa as you understand him.
- Make a searching and fearless inventory of your material desires.
- Admit to Santa, to yourself, and to another human being the exact nature of your size, color preferences, and taste in furniture.
- Allow Santa to remedy all defects of your bank account.
- Humbly ask Santa to payoff your mortgage.
- Make a list of everything you want, and be willing to read the instruction manuals.
- Cite model numbers and retail locations wherever possible, except when doing so would require an internet search.
- Continue to take personal inventory, and when you think of something else you need, add it to the list.
- Seek through prayer and meditation to improve your conscious contact with Santa as you understand him, praying only for knowledge of his gifts for you and the power to open them quickly.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, carry Santa's message to friends and family every Christmas.
Pastor Steve seems to be really obsessed by Obama's death, gays, and pissing against a wall. Well, girls can piss standing up too, Pastor Steve. So there.
And PZ Myers really nails this guy's likely motivation.
Somehow, I get the idea that Steven L. Anderson, the flaming anti-gay pastor, has these dreams in which he stands shoulder to shoulder with a long line of men, and they all unzip and flip out their penises and spray a mighty stream forth, together, with pride and joy…and he feels good about these dreams. Glory!Pastor Steve, you really need to get out of that closet. It's not healthy.
And here's more of Pastor Steve's antics.
I get sale catalogs in the mail. HarrietCarter.com has this amazingly tacky Christian ornament. The ornament claims that spending the holidays with Jesus is better than with family. This brings up a few questions I have. How do they know that the holidays are better in heaven? How do they even know there is a heaven at all? How do they know Jesus is in heaven? How do they know Granny is in heaven? After all, perhaps she was a crack whore in her younger days. Or even worse, perhaps she mixed linen and cotton while knitting. Maybe she's burning in the fiery pits of hell, being sodomized by demons. Perhaps HarrietCarter.com needs to sell an ornament for that.
Merry Chistmas from Hell ... I love you dearly, Now don't shed a tear, I'm spending my Christmas being sodomized by demons this year.
We had an enjoyable Veteran's day to day. Appleby's had free entrees for veterans. Both me and the hubby enjoyed our free lunches. We had to pay for the rugrats however. It was a very enjoyable meal. The restaurant was packed with both veterans and active duty military.
And of course the original.
Now, this is the way you frame science.
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