Words Like Locusts Flew From Her Fingers

I Have Seen The Promised Land!And It’s In…. South Carolina?

Well, this is pretty darned entertaining! Here’s a group of “Christian Constitutionalists” for whom even George W. Bush isn’t Christian enough! They’ve got a plan, though. (And you’ve got to love it when people have a plan.) They’re going to get a bunch of people to move to South Caroline. Once there, they’ll gradually take over the local and then the state government. THEN, if they can’t change the federal government from South Carolina, they’ll probably just secede. Yes, secede. (Didn’t South Carolina try that once before? Hmmm…. seems like it didn’t work out all that well last time. Oh well. No one said it was a good plan.)

Amusingly enough, neither of the founders of Christian Exodus live in South Carolina themselves. Cory Burnell lives in California. Jimmie Taylor lives in Texas. Now maybe I’m just being overly fussy, but… If I were thinking about signing up with Christian Exodus, I would wonder about that. If it’s such a great idea to move to South Carolina, how come the guys who founded the organization haven’t done it yet?

Also amusing: In their biographical information, Mr. Burnell and Mr. Taylor proudly display their respective MBA and CPA qualifications. While being an MBA or a CPA may not confer expertise in Christian theology or constitutional law, it’s certainly good preparation for running what the founders undoubtedly hope will become a multi-million-dollar venture. All for the glory of God, of course. All for the glory of God.

I couldn’t find anything on the Christian Exodus web site saying how many people have actually moved to South Carolina so far. Most of the people who are posting to their discussion board appear to have already been living in South Carolina or “to have not signed up…yet…”

For more fun, check out Christian Exodus found Cory Burnell’s blog: Shouting From the Mountaintop. Blog contributors include “Cory Burnell (CE President and regular contributor, MBA)” and “Matt (MS Mathematics)”, and “El Cid (CE Member, MA History)”. Heh, heh, hehehe…. man, they’re really proud of those degrees, aren’t they! If you have a chance, check out the individual contributors’ web sites too, many proudly featuring the “stars and bars” (the Confederate flag) and pictures of Robert E. Lee.

[Later... I think I might have figured out why the Christian Exodus people are so fond of displaying their college degrees. It's so people will know that, despite appearances to the contrary, they're really not complete idiots.]

Help Promote Wild Land Conservation!!

“I just used World Wildlife Fund’s free Conservation Action Network to oppose the elimination of tax incentives for land conservation. I urge you to take action, too.

“Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation recently recommended ending tax benefits for Americans who donate land or provide easements for conservation. If Congress enacts this proposal, countless initiatives to conserve land throughout the United States will grind to a halt.

“The existing tax incentives are extremely important motivators for private land protection and are particularly needed because state and federal funding for conservation and land purchase has been limited for years.

“To learn more and send a letter to your members of Congress, go to the Conservation Action Network. Please ask your friends to take this action also. Thanks!”

C’mon. Do it. Do it! Do it do it do it do it do it!!!

Art

I spotted a copy of this painting on another web site and loved it so much I just had to share it with all of you! Isn’t it just….really something? Best of all, prints are for sale so you could have a copy of this painting in your own home! Perhaps hanging above the fireplace?

The Washington Post on Commerce Committee Chairman Barton’s Harassment of Scientists

The Sierra Club vs Judge John Roberts

Carl Pope is Sierra Club’s Executive Director. In this post on the Sierra Club site, he provides a helpful summary of Judge John Roberts’ legal decision and opinions as regards environmental issues. Among them:

Well…you know….when you stop to think about it, a calamitous event involving deadly chlorine gas right next to the U.S. Capitol might not be such a bad thing…

(Kidding! Kidding!)

On a more disturbing note, Roberts has pretty consistently sided with big industry and big government against protection of our natural environment.

Jeffrey Schaler Replies to My Question About Autism

Dr. Schaler was kind enough to post a reply to my question (quoted above) on The Szasz Blog. I’ll just quote a couple of bits from his reply and give my responses here. I encourage you read his entire post at The Szasz Blog and to spend a little time wandering around that site and Dr. Schaler’s personal site so you can get a full picture of where he’s coming from.

i have to presume that standard textbooks of pathology only list diseases, the mechanics of which are already fairly well understood. However, aspects of reality that are not yet fully understood are no less real because of it. As much as we know about how the human body works, there is still much to be discovered — and that’s especially true when it comes to the brain. Current research strongly supports the idea that severe mental illnesses (including severe developmental problems like autism) are due to brain abnormalities.

Truly, I find Dr. Schaler’s argument to be very much like those made by “intelligent design” enthusiasts who insist that, just because absolutely every last detail of evolution is not yet understood, it can’t be an accurate representation of how speciation occurred.

Yes, I understand that. Behavior is, by definition, chosen. Whether it is freely chosen, though, is also a matter of definition, is it not? If a person is compelled, perhaps by some brain abnormality — a tumor, for the sake of argument — to behave in a bizarre manner, is it really accurate to say his behavior is freely chosen?

I believe Dr. Schaler is presenting a straw man here. I doubt many reputable psychiatrists or psychologists would argue that behavior in and of itself is a disease. Rather, behavior can be a symptom of disease. Brain disease. Can there be any doubt that brain abnormalities can influence behavior? I’d only refer Dr. Schaler to the well-known story of Phineas Gage.

The Reality of Mental Illness

Psychologist Jeffrey Schaler promotes Szasz’s outdated ideas in this interesting interview on the Brian Lehrer radio show. (Marty Goldenson fills in for Brian Lehrer here. Sorry if I spelled your name wrong, Marty.)

A couple of things strike me in particular.

That the finer points of brain physiology aren’t yet well-understood, in no way implies that major mental illnesses aren’t literally brain diseases. Jeffrey Schaler is using the same kind of faulty reasoning that “creation science” proponants use in their arguments against evolution.

Second, regarding the issue of involuntary confinement: It’s all well and good to insist on personal freedom — but what if a person’s mental condition is such that they make choices — perhaps self-destructive or homicidal choices — that they’d never have made in the absence of that mental condition? Involuntary committment for people who are a danger to themselves or to others is like taking the car keys away from a drunk who wants to go for a ride. It’s something we do for ourselves AND for the person whose judgement has been impaired. As members of a larger society, we owe it to ourselves and to the impaired person to take these measures.

July Garden Tour Uploaded

Hello, fellow gardeners and gardener-wanna-bes. If you enjoy pictures of flowers (and a fairly nice close-up of a bee with full pollen baskets), check out my July 2005 Garden Tour. It’s also available by just going over to the right side of my site here, and clicking on Garden Tours under the “Photo Galleries” heading.

The Insidious Effects of Pornography

Eeeeeeeek! Noooooooooo!!!! Not “involuntary cellular change”!!!!!!!!!

News Flash! Looking at porn changes your brain! Oooooooo! Hey, guess what though? Looking at pictures of bunnies and kittens changes your brain, too. Pretty much every experience you have of any kind changes your brain. At its most basic level, “involuntary cellular change” is what thinking and learning are all about.

Dr. Judith Reisman has published a paper entitled “The Psychopharmacology of Pictorial Pornography Restructuring Brain, Mind & Memory & Subverting Freedom of Speech” and, amazingly enough, has presented her theories to the US Senate. Didn’t it used to be that they wouldn’t waste their time with the more obvious kooks? I guess they’ve loosened up their standards. (Heh…jeez… ‘ya think??) She’s also affiliated with The Lighted Candle Society (and do check them out).

How have I remained ignorant of Dr. Reisman’s important and very entertaining research so long?

I’ll tell you what really pisses me off about pornography. It’s when people upload pictures of naked children to Usenet newsgroups that are supposed to be all about pictures of adults…uh…doing things. How do I know about these newsgroups?, you might ask. Research, my friends, research. Anyway — that’s just sick. (Those pictures of children. At least, I assume they’re really children.) Normal people don’t want to look at pictures of naked children. Not…like that.

So, to the assholes who are uploading these pictures: Stop it. It’s sick. It’s wrong. And it’s ruining the whole pornography experience for the rest of us. These aren’t the kind of involuntary cellular changes normal people are looking for.

Wapshot… or Not

I’ve never read The Wapshot Chronicle — and I very likely never will. I’m not particularly interested in male hysteria and rage. I’ve got enough of my own to deal with, thank you very much. (Not really. While I do have occasional bouts of hysteria — I have a uterus, after all — I’m one of the least rage-filled people you’ll ever meet.)

What I do enjoy reading, though, are very well-written book reviews and this one, by Adrienne Miller, is one.

It’s crazy to tell people what a book review is about — I mean, obviously it’s about The Wapshot Chronicle, right? A well-written review is about more than the book, though. It’s also about the writer of the review.

This review is particularly enjoyable.

Read it.

I’ll say no more.