19. november 2003

Where to place the wall between church and state The New York City police has placed a copy of the Koran in the lobby of its One Police Plaza offices. The decision to place the holy book on display to coincide with the Ramadan was initiated by police chaplain Imam Izak-El Mu'eed Pasha, a Muslim. American Atheists are opposing the display, arguing that this is as wrong as it was for Judge Moore in Alabama to display the Ten Commandments in a government building. An interesting question: would those Christian groups who support the monument for the Ten Commandments also support this Koran display? 9:37:10 PM    comment []  trackback []

Matrix III Naysayers can say what they want: it was a spectacular and brilliant ending of a great epic. It was also a great satisfaction to find out that what I believed would happen, essentially did. PS: I know. I am late. 9:18:05 PM    comment []  trackback []

Take two coins and call me in the morning Emanuel Fleming, a janitor in  St. Louis, at least has a funny tale to tell for years to come. He managed to get a finger stuck in the coin return slot of a payphone, and both him and the payphone had to be sent to hospital to solve the situation. Fleming's finger is reportedly fine, but no words yet on the condition of the pay phone, a species threatened with extinction by the mobile phone. 11:43:59 AM    comment []  trackback []

Are there chaplains in foxholes? U.S. Army Reserve Maj. Juan Borges has served in Iraq as a military chaplain, no doubt doing a good job caring for soldiers in Iraq. Upon returning, however, he expressed an opinion that is very commonly repeated by the religious: "There are no atheists in a foxhole," he said. "Soldiers have spiritual needs that have to be met. If there were no chaplains around, soldiers' morale would be worse off." I think he should have a look at Vietnam veteran Philip K. Paulson's article "I Was an Atheist in a Foxhole." 9:51:00 AM    comment []  trackback []

Norway home to wanted war criminals A Serbian 57-year old man who was convicted of war crimes by a Croatian court but escaped, has been living in Norway since he arrived here in 1998. He applied for asylum, and actually told that he was convicted of war crimes and that he was probably sought through Interpol. Yet, he was granted asylum. Now Croatia is seeking his extradition to have him serve his time. The latest news is that the Norwegian police has started working through the UDI (immigration authorites) archives to find out who else we have living in Norway. State attorney Arne Willy Dahl believes there are other war criminals from Rwanda and the Balkans here. Even a well-known guy from Iraq with a heavy moustache, maybe? 9:43:33 AM    comment []  trackback []

Creationist threatens science committee with eternal damnation Minnesota Creationist Bryce Gaudian lobbied hard for the inclusion of Biblical creation mythology in the state's science curriculum. He sent all 40 members of Minnesota's science standards committee a box with creationist books, videos and pamphlets, and he also sent an email to some of them, issuing veiled threats of eternal damnation if they didn't include creationism on the curriculum for the state's public schools. Gaudian wrote that if members were willing to include only evolution in the science standards, "then I must reiterate to you all once again Scripture's stern warning of grave peril for your offense: 'But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged around his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea; woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! (Matthew 18:6-7)."' Some of the committee members took exception to being threatened in this way, and it's pretty obvious that this stunt has not strengthened the fundamentalist cause in the state. Some religious fanatics consider God their personal hitman in the sky, who they can call down to get back at their opponents when they lose the war of arguments. 5:50:52 AM    comment []  trackback []

The Strong Comrade Fellow Norwegian blogger Bjørn Stærk has made a separate blog, The People's Blog ("Following dictators with facial hair since 1917") by his marxist twin brother (heh). It's very funny, but perhaps too close to the real thing. That, of course, is hardly his fault. The radical left is its own parody most of the time, like London's wacky mayor Ken Livingstone. 3:59:27 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2003 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.12.2003; 12:12:31.