Rev. Lowery Responds to Criticism

Thanks to John Amato's Crooks & Liars the web world can watch the interview between Keith Olbermann and the Rev. Joseph Lowery where Rev. Lowery addresses the accusations of improper funeral etiquette from the rightwingnut faction.

Darwin Award Meritorious Live Act Award

OREM, Utah - An man who called police to report the theft of a quarter-pound of marijuana was arrested when police recovered the bag of pot and then invited him to come to the Public Safety Building to identify it.

"You!! Out of the gene pool now!!"

Oy vey. Thanks to The Tao of Cheese for posting this story - Hellena would have missed it otherwise.

Holy Totally Uncomfortable Situations, Batman!!

Hope the Preznit had his 12 hour deodorant on.....

Delusional Fucktard Fundies

(AP Photo/David Kohl)

Being a huge supporter of Freedom of Speech, Hellena finds herself having to temper her temper for this particularly foul group of fundaMENTALists. For years, Fred Phelps & his "church," Westover Baptist, has been picketing the funerals of gay men & women carrying signs with slogans like "God Hates Fags." More recently they have started picketing the funerals of servicemen and women killed in Iraq & Afghanistan because as Phelps attorney daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper says, "the soldiers were struck down by God because they were fighting for a country that harbors homosexuals and adulterers."

Several states are now rushing to enact legislation to ban protests at funerals so loved ones may bury their dead in peace.

In response to that, Phelps-Roper states that lawmakers are "trying to introduce something that will make them feel better about the holes we're punching in the facade they live under. If they pass a law that gets in our way, they will be violating the Constitution, and we will sue them for that."

Um, okay.

Hey you unholy cunt, if there IS a Heaven, Hellena is pretty fucking sure you and your congregation won't ever get close to it.

Let's hope the legislation gets passed, and that other states follow suit before some bereaved friend or relative takes matters into their own hands.

Natural Selection at Work...

SHERIDAN, Colorado (AP) -- A couple planning to set off their own Super Bowl pyrotechnics accidentally blew up their own car while transporting a balloon filled with an explosive gas.

Norman Frey, 46, and his companion suffered busted eardrums in the explosion Sunday as they drove to a party for Super Bowl XL, according to the Arapahoe County sheriff.

The balloon had been filled with acetylene, a flammable gas used in welding, and it had rolled across the back seat, possibly causing static electricity that ignited the gas.

The explosion broke windows, bent doors outwards and pushed up the roof about a foot.

"Looking at the car closely, it's amazing that these people weren't killed," Sheriff Grayson Robinson said.

Please, oh please, let these 2 people be too old to breed.......

An Open Letter to Bubba

And now for something completely serious: An editorial from Iraq Veterans Against the War's Southeastern representative, Charlie Anderson:

I’ve seen you around. I’ve seen you driving your gas guzzling SUV with the “Support Our Troops” ribbon on the back. I’ve seen you wearing your pro-war/pro-bush t-shirts as you walk right past me in my Iraq Veterans Against the War t-shirt as if I don’t exist. And I’ve seen you at anti-war rallies and meetings where I often speak, as you wave your American flag and call me a traitor. In this country we have freedom of speech. But you owe me and every other veteran of this war the respect of listening to our experience.

Your magnet says “support our troops,” but what have you done for us? Not a penny of the proceeds go to us, instead they go to sweatshops in . You say that I am not supporting the troops when I say that they should come home. But I am, because I know that there was no threat to our nation from Saddam Hussein, I know that had no weapons of mass destruction, and I know that we were not welcomed in as liberators. I know that the war was not worth fighting. I know, because I fought there. You say I’m confused. But what do you know about ? You’ve never been there. more....

A Little Late, but Worth Bookmarking

Hellena says, "Why reserve this fun game for just the State of the Union addresses? Keep this handy for ALL of Preznit Shrub's speeches!"

Thank you, Sir, may I have another?

"We all know how Satan hates to be disturbed..."

Whooboy, Keith Olbermann has Hellena laughing like a giddy schoolgirl this morning. Do click on the link for a response to Bill O'Reilly's allegations that MSNBC is journalistically bankrupt.

My Bush Doesn't Declare War

Alright, soldier, listen up; War is silly, whack your willy, and that's an order!!

Here's a cause Hellena can certainly get behind. And goodness knows, this is just another reason to love the internet.

From the "Stupid, Dangerous Criminal" Files....

Here we have a person who obviously did not think his alleged crime all the way through..... now in all appearances, this little angry fella has committed a crime against gay men, but let's give him at least the shadow as a doubt as to his motives since we haven't had a chance to hear his side of the story...... However, IF it was a crime committed against gays because he has an issue with homosexuality as it appears, Hellena would like to point out where this Robida fella failed to assess the consequences of his actions. When he is caught, and identified by the eye witnesses, and then is sent to trial for the alleged crime, chances are very good that he is going to end up in a jail cell for a very long time. It does not take a great stretch of the imagination to see where Hellena is going with this...... little Jacob is probably going to find himself on the receiving end of an amorous relationship while serving his sentence.... should he be convicted, of course.

That is what Hellena refers to a "poetic justice."

Just Another Story that Proves....

Fundies have no freakin' sense of humor.

According to NBC's initial synopsis of the episode, Jack's fictional TV network, Out TV, is taken over by a Christian broadcaster, leading Spears' character to do a cooking segment on his show called "Cruci-fixin's."

The American Family Association immediately raised objections to the planned episode, saying it "mocks the crucifixion of Christ" and will "further denigrate Christianity" by airing the night before Good Friday.

On its Web site, the Mississippi-based advocacy group called on its supporters to urge network affiliates to refuse to run the episode and to write letters of protest to NBC.

Hellena has a suggestion for the American Family Association: Turn the channel if you are offended. Also, if you have time to write letters of protest for this, please think about writing letters for some things that REALLY stand for family values, like tell President Bush that going to war on a LIE is not family values. Write Fred Phelps and tell him that as Christians, you don't think hate speech reflects family values. And while you're at it, write Pat Robertson a letter to tell him to keep his mouth shut as every time he opens it, he spews something other than family values.

I'm sure there's more, but that's enough for now.

Whew, Hellena feels better.....

House Passes Bill to Cut Spending for the Poor and Elderly.

Well, looks like Granny will have to start taking in wash to pay for her meds; a bill just passed through the House, that will now go to Bush to be signed into law, is trimming $39 billion to cut health care for the poor and elderly and other programs. Now don't get Hellena wrong, we support trimming the budget where necessary, but cuts to Medicaid spending would affect 13 million poor people, 20 percent of the program's participants, with many of those being children.

The spending cuts are a high priority of conservative Republicans who want to continue cutting taxes amid huge budget deficits, which could top $400 billion this year.

"Today we can begin the process of controlling out-of-control government spending," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, a conservative Republican.

OK, so the Republicans, who also want everyone to be pro-life, anti-abortion, anti-sex ed in schools, and anti-birth control distributing now are cutting programs that benefit children? WTF?

Hey, Hellena has an idea - if the U.S. needs to cut our spending back so sharply, how about we stop spending billions of dollars a day in Iraq?? Maybe can the Billion Dollar Bunker we have planned?

Well, so a Vacation Makes One Lazy....

So much news to cover, so little time.

Look for Hellena to come back in spades after this weekend.....

Merry Christmas!!!

What a Jackhole....

NEW BEDFORD -- The UMass Dartmouth student who claimed to have been visited by Homeland Security agents over his request for "The Little Red Book" by Mao Zedong has admitted to making up the entire story.
The 22-year-old student tearfully admitted he made the story up to his history professor, Dr. Brian Glyn Williams, and his parents, after being confronted with the inconsistencies in his account.
Had the student stuck to his original story, it might never have been proved false.

Here's to the investigative reporter not doing his job well. Research your story before you get it published, dipwad.

As for the 22 yr. old, is there nothing he can be charged with for making up such BS?

You Just can't Make This Shit Up...

The Pope realizing that Dubya is even dumber than he thought...

"The GO Zone Act ... increases funding for Hope scholarships and lifetime learning credits for students attending colleges and graduate students in the -- and graduate schools in the Gulf Opportunity Zone. It's going to make continuing education for workers more accessible and help support high school training that these Gulf Coast residents are going to need to fill the jobs which are actually going to be existing."

Aw-righty. Hellena's no grammarian, but she's pretty darned sure that sentence would make any of her past English teachers cringe. This is the stuff they pick to put on the front page of the White House web site.

When Bush ran the first time, I realized something: I want my president to be smarter than I am. I don't ask much, but I want him to be smarter than me. - Mike Mills, R.E.M.

Hellena couldn't agree more, Mr. Mills.

Warning: Evil Kitten Content

Oh-so-sweet-and-cuddly..... or so you think. My Cat Hates You is a web site with "cute" appeal. Cat lovers every where share pictures of their dearest companions to either humiliate them or to share the atrocities of cat association.

OK, sharing adorable pics of your evil kitty isn't really ground-breaking news, but enjoy the diversion from the usual politics anyway as Hellena's Solstice present to you.

Aw, Isn't That Cute?

See the 2nd post below.

More "Christian" Quotes...

Hellena uses the quotes around the word Christian because it seems highly unlikely that anyone who understood the real tenets of Christianity would utter such statements. After all, isn't Christianity all about loving your fellow man? And if you couple that with the American ideal that all citizens are free to exercise freedom of religion..... anyway..... read 'em for yourself.....

From Christian conservative writer, Gary North:

The long-term goal of Christians in politics should be to gain exclusive control over the franchise. Those who refuse to submit publicly to the eternal sanctions of God by submitting to His Church's public marks of the covenant–baptism and holy communion–must be denied citizenship.

Here's one that demonstrates the old Southern axiom that, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Apparently Bush, Sr. was absent from school the day(s) his instructor(s) spoke about freedom of religion. That certainly might explain why Bush, Jr. seems not to have grasped the principal either. Anyway, on to the spotlighted exchange:

When George Bush was campaigning for the presidency, as incumbent vice president, one of his stops was in Chicago, Illinois, on August 27, 1987. At O'Hare Airport he held a formal outdoor news conference. There Robert I. Sherman, a reporter for the American Atheist news journal, fully accredited by the state of Illinois and by invitation a participating member of the press corps covering the national candidates had the following exchange with then Vice President Bush.

Sherman: What will you do to win the votes of the Americans who are Atheists?

Bush: I guess I'm pretty weak in the Atheist community. Faith in god is important to me.

Sherman: Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are Atheists?

Bush: No, I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.

Sherman (somewhat taken aback): Do you support as a sound constitutional principle the separation of state and church?

Bush: Yes, I support the separation of church and state. I'm just not very high on Atheists.

Well, he may not have been "high on Athiests," but Hellena thinks it is safe to believe he was high on something.

Evidence That Bush Smokes Crack....

Bush called 2005 "a good year for the American people." Well, Hellena guesses when Bush visited the Mississippi Coast, he never got far from the runway. If he had, he would be aware that people are still living in tents FOUR MONTHS after Katrina wiped out the entire coastline there. Hellena also assumes he hasn't really had to face any of the parents who have lost children in his war based on lies.

Hellena has met meth addicts with more scruples and ethics.....