You know, it's weird...

I'm a confirmed agnostic. I really don't believe there is an answer we can get to the question of "is there a deity of any sort", much less how many, how to worship, and what they actually DO. Even if God came down to me, I still wouldn't know if my experience was correct!

And yet, it's weird, but I love stories from all belief systems, even the ones I really disagree with, I love the poetry found in many different religious books, and I have a real fondness for hymns and holidays. Even the holidays that are all depressing, like Yom Kippur or Ash Wednesday. None of these things changes my mind, and I certainly can't pretend to have religion just to see the things I love, that would be a breach of conscience (the only thing to which we're bound), and yet... I still love them.


All this comes up because I was reading John Bellairs, and in one of the books, the Childermass books, they mention a hymn called St. Patrick's Breastplate, and I went and googled it. It's actually very lovely.

9th quiz!

You're a Wraith. You do not belong to Darkness in
fact, but rather to Grey Side. You like to
frighten people and feel their fear and pain,
but you random hurt them badly. You have a some
sense of Good and Wrong.


What creature of the Night are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

This is insane...

Muslim girl suspended for head scarf

Are these people on drugs? I'm not sure what the stupidest part of all this is:

"As I see it right now, I don't think we can make a special accommodation for religious wear," said school attorney D.D. Hayes. "You treat religious items the same as you would as any other item, no better, no worse. Our dress code prohibits headgear, period."

Yeah, right, that's not against the law....

Then there's the fact that, although these rules are supposed to be 5 years old, they only got around to telling her about them on September 11th of this year. Like that date is oh-so-coincidental.

_________

Then there's this one:

The first complaint to police was made September 11. All five 6-year-olds said their ankles were taped together, their arms taped to their lap or their heads taped to the blackboard. One girl said her mouth was taped shut.

It was not immediately clear what type of tape was used.


Does it MATTER what sort of tape was used? Tape HURTS when you pull it off! These people were taping together kids in a first grade classroom!

More hatemail fun!

From here. Some interesting quotes:

i personally am offended by the statement that people "desecrate the american flag" because they put flows on their vehicles. on the contrary, they are embracing america and the freedoms it grants them. and what a joke that the exhausts are ruining children's hearing! there is no way they can have that kind of negative effect.

1. No, on the contrary, they are too stupid to read the Flag Code and realize that they are damaging what they profess to love.
2. Um, right, nobody ever lost their hearing because of loud noises. Uh huh.


Please realize that YOU SUCK!!!!
When you buy a Flowmaster Muffler you will learn that it is made in the USA. That means you buy an American product made by American citizens. If you are so hard for getting rid of noise, then try shutting down the factory and putting all those hard working Americans out of work you stupid piece of SHIT!!!!!

Yes, and the company can't *possibly* make any quieter muffler. That would be WRONG.


I mean america has a history, and by protesting against loud muscle cars, you are in fact protesting against the history of america.

Yes, and by protesting against slavery, I am protesting against the history of America.



And there's all the comments about their sexuality. Not that I care, but even if I did, I don't think you can tell whether or not someone is gay by the amount of noise they tolerate.

And comments that they must be communist. Please. I thought that insult died with the Cold War. They're not trying to redistribute the wealth, so they're not communists. Find a better insult. I hear "terrorist" is all the rage nowadays....

And then there's the people saying that this site should be more tolerant OR should get a life OR should stop being stupid. As for the last two, if you're sending long, poorly spelled mails, you can't talk. For the first, well, since those comments are often followed by "I'll have to go by your house with the radio playing really loud at 3 in the morning".... again, you can't talk.


Now, I'll agree, they're more than a little unreasonable in asking for (say) cars to have to be inaudible from more than 10 feet away, among other things. But that's not the point. The point is, these people just made the site look eminantly more reasonable by sending shit in to them.

And anyway, all the ones talking about freedom, yeah, you have the right to make noise, but not where it is really infringing on everyone else's right to sleep, or to enjoy themselves. I'm not a good judge, I hear too well, but I'd say that if other people can feel whatever's making the sound, it's too loud.