Jesus' Tomb Found

Or at least a tomb has been discovered, that if it is not some sort of archaeological prank, may have, at one time, been the final resting place for a group of people that included A Jesus and a Mary (or two).

This means that:

Another artifacts counterfeiter will soon be facing justice;

or

Some of the mythology that is the basis for portions of Christianity has been shattered;

or

There was actually some other persons who lived in this area durring a period covering over two hundred years, who were also named Jesus etc.

Since some of the names involved in this story are as common as Smith and Jones now, my bet would be on a case of mistaken identity.

At least this story has pushed Anna Nicole Smith to second or third in the ranking of news items for the day.

Just How Stupid Is Americia's Right Wing?

Being to busy to see straight, I will just link to Vanity Press, where you can be introduced to Stupidpedia, the rights attempt at fact gathering.

Via CC, here's the Conservapedia, which is supposed to be Wikipedia for the ideologically fragile. Not surprisingly, it's actually just for the dumb. PZ Myers has already noted its mistakes on Darwin (big surprise there), but I thought I'd list a few more:


They think that in The Divine Comedy, Dante's guide through Hell was Aristotle. Actually, it was Virgil.

They think that the Christian undertones in Tolkien are "altogether unintentional." Actually, we know from many of Tolkien's letters that they were deliberate.

They think that Chaucer's Middle English is "so different from modern English that [his writings] are usually read in modern English translation." Actually, every college student who's studied even a little Chaucer reads him in Middle English.

They think that Chaucer's poem The Parliament of Fowles is called "The Assembly of Fowles."

They think that Beowulf is an epic (it isn't), and that it is "the oldest surviving literature in the English Language." It almost certainly isn't.

And that's not even mentioning the spelling, grammatical, and stylistic mistakes. This project is a really bad idea. It's just another example of epistemological relativism, of the kind that's too common on the modern right to begin with.

Both Ed Brayton and PZ Myers have been having fun with the rights latest public display of gross stupidity.

Saw Something Interesting In Downtown Columbia

A train, 50-60 maybe even more cars heading southeast. Each car a flat bed, and each flatbed holding 5 armored Hummers.

Just another indication that there is every intention of staying in Iraq for quite a while longer.

I Wonder If They Will Just Follow The Brits Home

Dick Cheney has again displayed why he will be considered one of the worst VPs to ever hold the office. He has again returned to spouting the discredited and incredibility stupid idea that the fighters in Iraq will follow us home.

It is really not worth spending much time rebutting, but I would like to point out that the overwhelming majority of those involved in fighting in Iraq are fighting to evict us from their country so they can get busy killing each other without outside interference. When we leave, they will be consumed with their own issues, not concerned with finding access to the US.

But, even if you are dim enough to accept his position as valid

Since the British announced a 25% force reduction in Iraq are we not now safe? Since the Brits are leaving first, will not the Iraqis just follow them to England?

Good News From Iraq, al-Qaida Leader Injured

At least the Iraqi government is claiming they injured him.

Security forces have wounded the head of al-Qaida in Iraq in a clash north of Baghdad, Iraqi government authorities said today.

I am a little concerned that this will not make much difference. Abu Ayyub Al-Masri appears to have remarkable recuperative powers. At one point last fall he was reported Killed in a US bombing action. If this report is true, he has gotten a lot better much more quickly than one might expect.

One other detail to remember, Abu Ayyub Al-Masri was the replacement for al-Zarqawi, who we killed last spring. When Al-Masri is caught or killed there will be someone Else who will step up. The media facination with beheading the enemy is ather silly in the end.

Kansas Gets Smart, For A While

And has decided to teach science in science classrooms.

The Kansas state Board of Education on Tuesday repealed science guidelines questioning evolution that had made the state an object of ridicule.

The new guidelines reflect mainstream scientific views of evolution and represent a political defeat for advocates of “intelligent design,” who had helped write the standards that are being jettisoned.

At least until the stupid brigade gets another batch of anti science cretins elected to the school board.

The Big News This Week

What the mainstream media decided to focus on tells us a lot about the population they serve.

This week started with wall to wall coverage of a deranged, diaper wearing, hammer wielding, NASA astronaut in love. They rode this story for at least 48 hours, until the untimely death of a celebrity, famous for marrying well, and posing nude (and little else).

And we wonder why our nation is screwed up.

Thank god we don't have real news to worry about, like national debt, or a two wars, or national health issues, or our educational system or our retirement systems or climate changes.

Because it is vital that we understand what would drive a NASA astronaut to drive nonstop from Houston, to Orlando, and it is urgent that we learn how Anna N. Smith (who greatest contribution to society may be her death, which did get the anoying NASA love triangle story off the air) died.

All Better Now

It appears homosexual mega-pastor, Rev. Ted Haggard, after only 3 weeks of 'treatment' is all better now.

The Rev. Ted Haggard emerged from three weeks of intensive counseling convinced he is "completely heterosexual" and told an oversight board that his sexual contact with men was limited to his accuser.

To quote a very old line, de-nile is not just a river in Egypt. Deciding to run back into the closet is not a new sexual orientation, but just old fashioned sexual repression

The Timing Is Interesting

It's Sunday, Superbowl Sunday. A day where an overwhelming number of Americans will not be watching the news, but watching commercials with friends.

So what did the US Military decide to confirm today?

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - All four U.S. helicopters that have crashed in Iraq since Jan. 20 appear to have been brought down by ``some kind'' of ground fire but it is unclear whether this represents any new threat to U.S. aviation, the chief U.S. military spokesman said Sunday.

It was the first time that the U.S. command has publicly acknowledged that the three Army helicopters and one private helicopter were probably shot down.

The Military has fallen back into Vietnam era habits. When they can not lie, they try to hide they truth by obscuring it.

1000 Civilians

In just one week.

And that is from a semi official source.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi Interior Ministry estimates that about 1,000 people have been killed throughout Iraq in the past week due to gunbattles, drive-by shootings and bomb attacks, a ministry official said Sunday.

I wonder how long it will be until the US gets someone else in the Iraqi to announce a downward revision of this.

Just A Stray Thought

On poetic justice.

in an effort to man this escalation of combat in Iraq; Every member of the executive branch that promoted the invasion, as well as their spouse and children who are of age, should go over to serve as a member of the infantry. Every talking head, op ed writer, lazy reporter, and think tank member who worked so hard to sell the war to the American public should get the same treatment.

They can all come home when when the war is over, or when they admit to their errors, apologise to the American public for their stupidity, return all pay they received while they were busy selling this war, and promise that, in the future, they will keep their militaristic fantasies to themselves.


Just a thought.


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Iraq