I get e-mails every morning from YouTube. Not sure why – I don’t recall signing up for them – but maybe they send them to everybody. Anyhow, they make suggestions about what videos you might want to check out, and this morning one of the ones they suggested was Jonathan Winters and Dean Martin. From there I went to Jonathan Winters on Johnny Carson. Then Jonathan Winters and Robin Williams on Johnny Carson, then Robin Williams on Johnny Carson. I basically spent 35 minutes or so laughing. Then it was time to go to work.
Well, now here I am, and I aint laughing anymore. Plus I’m stuck in this shithole until 5:00 tonight. Sucks.
Speaking of things that suck: Bill Donohue. You perhaps heard that Guinness, Sam Adams, and Heineken decided to boycott this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in NYC because they (the parade people) don’t allow LGBTQMO people to march. Or at least not under their own banner. Or something.
Well now, self-appointed Head Prick of the American Catholic Church – Bill “Don’t Call Me Phil” Donohue has decided to counter that boycott with his own boycott, and is telling anybody that will listen to boycott those beers.
So if you’re a good little American Catholic, you better start chasing your Jameson (pronounced “gem-son”) with a pint of Smithwick’s (pronounced “smiddicks”).
Oh well, back to work, I guess.
A nice series of quotes from Dailykos on religion and Christianity from the founding fathers:
“If I could conceive that the general government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded, that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution.”
– George Washington, letter to the United Baptist Chamber of Virginia (1789)
“Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, then that of blindfolded fear.”
– Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr (1787)
“In regard to religion, mutual toleration in the different professions thereof is what all good and candid minds in all ages have ever practiced, and both by precept and example inculcated on mankind.”
– Samuel Adams, The Rights of the Colonists (1771)
“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law. Take away the law-establishment, and every religion re-assumes its original benignity.”
– Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man (1791)
“Congress has no power to make any religious establishments.”
– Roger Sherman, Congress (1789)
“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.”
– Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack (1758)
“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people build a wall of separation between Church & State.”
– Thomas Jefferson, letter to the Danbury Baptists (1802)
“To argue with a man who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.”
– Thomas Paine, The American Crisis No. V (1776)
Note: You can read Paine’s whole pamphlet, where he expresses his atheistic beliefs, here.
“Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry.”
– Thomas Jefferson, A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom (1779)
“Christian establishments tend to great ignorance and corruption, all of which facilitate the execution of mischievous projects.”
– James Madison, letter to William Bradford, Jr. (1774)
“There is nothing which can better deserve our patronage than the promotion of science and literature. Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.”
– George Washington, address to Congress (1790)
“During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution.”
– James Madison, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia (1785)
https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/s720x720/1796494_10152048810291275_570859093_n.png
Fuggit. I’m tapped out. I tried.
While we’re on the subject:
Science Deniers Are Freaking Out About “Cosmos”
If you think the first episode of the new Fox Cosmos series was controversial (with its relatively minor mentions of climate change, evolution, and the Big Bang), Sunday night’s show threw down the gauntlet. Pretty much the entire episode was devoted to the topic of evolution, and the vast profusion of evidence (especially genetic evidence) showing that it is indeed the explanation behind all life on Earth. At one point, host Neil deGrasse Tyson stated it as plainly as you possibly can: “The theory of evolution, like the theory of gravity, is a scientific fact.” (You can watch the full episode here.)
Not surprisingly, those who deny the theory of evolution were not happy with this. Indeed, the science denial crowd hasn’t been happy with Cosmos in general. Here are some principal lines of attack:
[MORE]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KfACTAOPa0&w=560&h=315%5D
:omg:
That is an awesome friggin’ commercial! I thought it was a political attack ad at first.
AP removes distinction between ‘over’ and ‘more than’
I will be APing their style.
It always interests me when language changes. Some of those common uses are still jarring to me. I.e., I don’t understand why one now changes out a light bulb when simply changing that light bulb would be sufficient. I have come to accept that I can babysit my granddaughter even though I grew up having to babysit for her. And, I especially find it hard to hear that something is so fun when it used to be so much fun.
The change I really hate is that I now care about this stuff.
Never knew he did this song. I like it. Hey, next time y’all try embedding a YouTube video, try clicking the “use old embed code” box and see if that helps.
Sorry. Sometimes on the weekend I have a beer or two and I like to listen to music.