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The Flying Spaghetti Monster and “Pastafarianism”

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Flying Spaghetti Monster
I put a new emblem on my car last night. It’s the image of the “Flying Spaghetti Monster.”

Wikipedia explains it best:

Flying Spaghetti Monsterism is a parody religion created to protest the decision by the Kansas State Board of Education to allow intelligent design to be taught in science classes alongside evolution.

The “religion” has since become an Internet phenomenon garnering many followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (sometimes referring to themselves as “Pastafarians”, a pun on Rastafarians) who claim to have been touched by “His Noodly Appendage” and preach the word of their “noodly master” as the one true religion. Flying Spaghetti Monsterism is primarily the invention of Bobby Henderson, a graduate of Oregon State University with a degree in physics.

In June 2005, Bobby Henderson submitted an open letter to the Kansas Board of Education in response to their decision on giving intelligent design equal time with evolution by natural selection in biology classes. He demanded that Flying Spaghetti Monsterism also be given equal time in classrooms, along with the other, more traditional religious creation stories.

I’m not sure right now whether I actually am interested in becoming a Pastafarian. I started out Catholic, of course, until the church decided it hated me. I got a degree in philosophy in college for which I had to study world religions, and I really appreciated Taoism. And for the past couple years, Hanuman the Hindu monkey God has been my very favorite imaginary friend.

On the other hand, the designated outfit for worshipers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster IS full pirate regalia, so that’s a major plus in his column.

So I don’t know if I’m ready to convert again. Maybe Hanuman and the FSM can be best pals. I’ll see what Hanuman thinks.

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Bullshit Protector – I NEED some of these!

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From the National Post: Bill Moyer, 73, wears a “Bullshit Protector” flap over his ear while President George W. Bush addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Bullshit Protector

** EDS NOTE OBSCENITY – CORRECTS MOYER’S SERVICE IN WWII AS POST-WAR OCCUPATION OF GERMANY, NOT IN THE WAR ITSELF ** Bill Moyer, 73, wears a “Bullshit Protector” flap over his ear while President George W. Bush, on screen at rear, addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars at their 106th convention Monday, Aug. 22, 2005, in Salt Lake City. Moyer served in Korea and Vietnam, and in the post- WWII occupation of Germany. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

That’s the coolest thing ever, no doubt. And kudos to the the dude wearing them, too. Although, if I were making them, I’d call them a “Bullshit Deflector.”

2022-03-15 Update:
Original news story from the AP long gone, but Snopes.com covered this story later when the same photo was deceptively circulated by right-wing nuts as “veterans against Obama.”
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Difference between civil rights and civil liberties

Author: Sheila Suess Kennedy

Quick — what’s the difference between civil liberties and civil rights?

If you aren’t quite certain, you have a lot of company. The distinction is lost on most of my students, and — far more troubling — on a good number of city and state legislators.

Civil liberties are rights that individuals have against government. Citizens of the new United States refused to ratify the Constitution unless a Bill of Rights was added, specifically protecting them against official infringements of their “inalienable rights.” Among our civil liberties are the right to free expression, the right to worship (or not) as we choose, and the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

After the civil war, the 14th Amendment added the Equal Protection Clause, prohibiting government from treating equally situated citizens unequally. The 14th Amendment also applied the provisions of the Bill of Rights to all levels of government — not just the federal government, as was originally the case, but also to state and local government agencies.

Only the government can violate your civil liberties.

Civil rights took a lot longer and were a lot more controversial.

It was 1964 before Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. Civil rights laws protect people against private acts of discrimination — discrimination in employment, in housing or education. The original Civil Rights Act applied to businesses engaged in interstate commerce — businesses that held themselves out to be “public accommodations” but were, shall we say, “selective” about which segments of the public they were willing to accommodate.

State and local civil rights acts followed. Civil rights laws generally include a list of characteristics that cannot be used to favor some people over others: race, religion, gender and so forth.

There was a lot of resistance to civil rights laws, and there is still a widespread, if covert, attitude of “What business does government have telling me I can’t discriminate?” That resentment has redoubled as new groups have lobbied for protection.
The fiercest resistance has come from people opposed to extending civil rights to gays and lesbians. Those opponents have taken advantage of the widespread confusion of civil liberties with civil rights to argue that the 14th Amendment already protects gays, so amending Indiana’s civil rights law, or Marion County’s Human Relations Ordinance is unnecessary. (After all, that’s easier than taking a public position that “those people” don’t deserve equal civil rights.)

I remember the astonishment of one of my African-American students when she realized that, in Indiana, people can be fired just because they are gay.

“There is still a lot of discrimination against black people,” she said, “but at least there are laws on the books! They may not always work, but they’re something.”

A few months ago, the Indianapolis City-County Council failed to pass a measure that would have made discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation a violation of the city’s Human Relations Ordinance. Several of those voting against it said it was “unnecessary” because the 14th Amendment already protected gays.

They knew better.

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We’re not critical to the evolution of democracy?

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In a discussion of the Iraqi attempts to write a constitution that occurred on Meet the Press, guest Reuel Marc Gerecht, former Middle Eastern specialist with the CIA and author of “The Islamic Paradox” had this to say:

MR. GERECHT: Actually, I’m not terribly worried about this. I mean, one hopes that the Iraqis protect women’s social rights as much as possible. It certainly seems clear that in protecting the political rights, there’s no discussion of women not having the right to vote. I think it’s important to remember that in the year 1900, for example, in the United States, it was a democracy then. In 1900, women did not have the right to vote. If Iraqis could develop a democracy that resembled America in the 1900s, I think we’d all be thrilled. I mean, women’s social rights are not critical to the evolution of democracy. We hope they’re there. I think they will be there. But I think we need to put this into perspective.

Sounds like Mr. Gerecht would like to be a candidate for getting his ass kicked.

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Our State Fair is a Great State Fair

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Stephanie and I went to the State Fair on Saturday: see the pictures on IndyScribe.
Also, I just recently found Godwin’s Law explained on Wikipedia, which is very cool. I thought it came into being long before 1991, though. I remember it being referred to when I was on USENET back in college, which would have been 1986-1990. And from there, I discovered another cool Wikipedia entry: adages named after people.

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Underage Marriage in Afghanistan

According the United Nations, more than 45% of all marriage in Afghanistan involve girls under the age of 16. Some girls as young as six are being married off as “property” arrangements to resolve disputes between families.
Everytime I hear a story like this, I think of living in a country like that, and being one of those girls in that situation. It makes me want to break stuff.
Tell me again, why we’re in Iraq, when we haven’t fixed Afghanistan? What the hell is my taxpayer money doing? Why is my dumbass president on vacation for 5 weeks when there are little girls being forced into marriage in a country we’re supposed to be “liberating?”

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Herron Morton Place Neighborhood Garage Sale

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My neighborhood will be having its annual garage sale next Saturday, August 27, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and I and many other people will be participating. There will be maps of the neighborhood at each participating house.
Herron-Morton Place is downtown east of Meridian; the boundaries are East 16th Street on the south, East 22nd Street on the north, Pennsylvania Street on the west, and Central Avenue on the east.
UPDATE: The sale is next weekend — August 27 — not this weekend, as I previously stated. I cannot seem to keep the calendar in my head for anything.

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