In case you (for whatever reason) thought otherwise, the SCOTUS nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, is opposed to same-sex marriage and would certainly rule against it (if there is a conservative majority on the court, it will be back and I’ll lose my rights).
While the Catholic Church was protecting and covering up the sex-crimes of some of its members, let’s all remember that it was also lecturing everyone else on the evils of:
Birth control
Abortion
Masturbation
Sex outside of marriage
Not being straight (i.e. being either “L” or “G” or “B” or “T” and so on)
Any number of other issues regarding “sexual morality”
The word you’re looking for is hypocrisy. Huge blatant hypocrisy.
No amount of contemporary apologies will change that.
Okay, onto some better and more beautiful news, there is a fake final image sent by the Cassini probe, which is beautiful (but fake because it wasn’t the last photo sent). The last photo is also breathtaking:
Alright, let’s see what we have today. First up, for those enjoying the fourth season of Arrested Development, or in case you want to get caught up, there are two great summaries of the ongoing jokes here and here, and a good article at Nerve about what you learn about love from AD.
This is very scary, ice tsunami:
Wil Wheaton explains why it’s awesome to be a nerd. Check it out here.
I will never ride this (also because it’s in Texas):
I’m not a huge fan of the Pope, or the Catholic Church, but this new pope has made some good in-grounds. Including his comments here. Fun fact though: a crazy bigoted former coworker who is on his way to seminary, is freaking out because in his own mind, you can only go to heaven via the Catholic Church. You know, ignore the pope, his boss, because he doesn’t hate the same people he does. Sigh.
In case you’ve forgotten that public transportation is important, to everyone on the round, check this out.
Google Glass from the perspective of a two year old:
And in sad equality news, a baker has denied a cake to a lesbian couple for their wedding. For those curious, just substitute, say, “African American” before couple and see if it’s still bigoted, and illegal. Hint: it is.
This has been floating around, and it’s awesome. Sad that it needs to be posted, but awesome:
I’m taking this as a sign that I would be a good parent. Because I still have my parent’s set (and it goes away after we’ve been drinking, we’re not stupid)
You can tell the haters are really reaching for straws, when they’re attacking random swaths of all kinds of people: for adopting children. And just remember, NOM is a certified hate group, hopefully this will make some other people notice.
So, my thoughts on the new pope: it’s awesome that he took the name Francis, as he’s one of my favorite saints. Also cool that he’s a Jesuit, although I think that I always heard they had the sterotype of buying lots of land and making lots of money, which is the opposite of Pope Francis, who rode the bus to work! Now, just like the other 114 cardinals, he still hates the LGBT community, women and you know, anyone who’s different, not that I expected anything different though. More importantly, the new Archbishop of Caneterbury is enthroned on Thursday!
Because adding Batman is awesome:
E. L. James, the “author” of 50 Shades of Grey, is publishing a writing guide. Excuse me as I go throw up.
Awesome note from a dad to his son. It popped up in my newsfeed at work and I teared up a little bit:
This of course, comes after Rob Portman, sitting Senator from Ohio comes out for Marriage Equality. You know, when it affects his son. Yes, we’re happy that he’s supporting equality, but you should be able to see the need for equal rights without it personally affecting your immediate family.
Sooooooo, at the big conservative political gathering last week, there was a real life, true racist walking around. Now to be fair, there are crazy people everywhere, but it’s fun to point this out.
First up, if you use Chrome, check out this really fun map of the cosmos.
Here’s what I just don’t get about those who stockpile guns. I can’t imagine living life so scared of the world. And that’s what the NRA does, convince people to be afraid. And just a reminder, the NRA represents the gun makers, and works to make them money. So making the public afraid enough to stockpile guns is their goal.
Yes, I’m excited, considering Benedict continued to hide child molesters and defend them in court (see: Australia, L.A., et. al.). But I can’t imagine the next pope is suddenly going to drop the homophobic, misogynistic, anti-sex views. I’m not holding my breath. Corporate Hallucinations covers it here.
And this happened the day it was announced:
The other big news is Orson Scott Card being tapped to write a new Superman series. Card, is a very outspoken homophobic bigot (as well as hating the Jews, you know, for being Jews). He’s entitled to his opinion, and I’m entitled to not buy his comics. That’s how it works, although you’ll probably notice that the far-right complains and claims they are being harassed and victimized when the center/left does anything they disagree with. However, when someone like Card, who has been quoted saying that it should be illegal to be gay, gives tons of money to hate groups like the FRC and NOM (and is a member of their board), it’s a bit beyond his opinion and more like a crusade on his part. So excuse me as I try to protect myself. Anyway, the Gutters covers it here.
If this was a Holocaust denier or a white supremacist, there would be no question. Hiring that writer would be an embarrassment to your company. Well, [Orson Scott] Card is an embarrassment to your company, DC. And of all the characters Card could have been hired to write, you give him Superman? The character that taught me to lead by example? To do the right thing, even when it was hard? To keep going, even when it seemed hopeless? What an insult. Kids are killing themselves. They are killing themselves in a climate of intolerance and homophobia publicly fostered by people like Orson Scott Card. You don’t have to contribute to this. You shouldn’t. You mustn’t.”
In case you missed the story, a group of parents and students in Indiana wanted a “traditional Prom,” because the idea of seeing same-sex couples walk in holding hands is so repulsive to them. The school has nothing to do with it, although one of the teachers has said on camera that gay kids “serve no purpose.” The community, a local church and the school are reaching out to all kids, and you can read about the whole ordeal here.
Remember how the republicans have been shouting from the rooftops about voter fraud? And remember how those who fight against something the most are normally committing it themselves? Yeah, republicans are committing more voter fraud.
The big Seattle newspaper is giving away free political advertising, but only to one party. They are stating it is to prove how effective their advertising is, so they can gain more business in the future. Kind of strange, and throwing objectivity out the window. Now, to be fair, they can throw it out the window, but then they can’t go back and claim to not have a bias. Anyway, a good portion of their writers have signed on to a letter, saying the policy affects their journalistic integrity.
Ben Stein went on Fox news and told them that to fix the economy we have to tax the wealthy. Also, I had no idea he didn’t believe in evolution. Guess he isn’t as smart as I thought.
This has been floating around, a great response (from a fake CEO) about maxi pad commercials:
Marriage equality is on the ballot in four states (and I have friends in each one of those states), so here’s a reminder: instead of you know, helping the poor, as Jesus said, the Knights of Columbus spent over 15 million dollars fighting equality. Guess you didn’t really need to help the sick either:
Copywranter takes on free condom ads, which, since I’m a twelve year old, made me giggle. He also looks at century old predictions from 1911.
The previously known as Colbert Super PAC, Building a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, is now the Definitely Not Coordinating with Stephen Super PAC, as he ramps up his campaign in South Carolina. Awesome. Make sure to check out their first ad.
Saw this a bit ago, on a fun note, I have the backpacking stove they feature in it. Pretty awesome:
In drug-related news, Pot smokers have healthier lungs than cigarette smokers, and some people are claiming that the drug-war is killing more than alcohol or guns. While I don’t agree with that based on the data presented, the war on drugs is still a colossal waste of time, money and resources.
Washington State is posed to have marriage equality (two votes short in their state senate), and as expected, the Catholic Church is butting into civil rights and urging citizens to oppose it. Slog has a great rebuttal technique.
Wizards of the Coast is working on the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons, and it’s being partially crowd sourced, which is kind of awesome. The New York Times writes about it here.
First off, check out The Old Spice Guy helping someone propose:
Have you seen the periodic table of meat? Bacon rightfully is in the first position, being a Noble Meat:
I really don’t have anything to add to the title of this post, except of course a couple of expletives. So, I’ll just say, Stay Classy, Catholic Church.
Speaking of The Catholic Church, for anyone following the Fr. Mark Gruber case, he is now suing.
And don’t forget, if you live in California, to vote to protect traditional marriage:
