SCHADENFREUDE

Another Republican Senator got arrested for lewd conduct in a public restroom.

Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho pleaded guilty this month to misdemeanor disorderly conduct after being arrested at the Minneapolis airport.
[...]
“At the time of this incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions,” he said. “I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously.”

I’d be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt if this wasn’t about the 50th time I’ve heard tea room trade rumors about this guy. Oh, and this link with the officer’s description of what happened doesn’t help Craig’s case much, either.

If you’re wondering why this is schadenfreude, here’s a few reasons why:

He supports the Federal Marriage Amendment, voting for cloture on the amendment in both 2004 and 2006. He voted against cloture on a bill in 2002, which would have extended the federal definition hate crimes to cover sexual orientation. [Source]

And here’s a quote from his website:

goal three: Defend and strengthen the traditional values of the American family.

He’s also spoken against letting gays serve in the military.

This mother deserves an answer

“I want to know why I’m planning a funeral while George Bush is planning a wedding.”

– Anika Lawal

[source]

Michael Vick jury selection

The comic is by Gary Varvel, and this will hopefully be the first and last time I ever mention Michael Vick.

How not to win the lottery

Via kptv:

A local woman must turn over her lottery winnings after a judge said she won them illegally.

Prosecutors said Christina Goodenow, of White City, used a credit card that belonged to her then-boyfriend’s dead mother to buy a winning $1 million Scratch-It ticket in Oct. 2005.

Legitimate online survey sites for money

I make a little money from surveys, and people sometimes ask me about that.  I’m posting a full list of sites I’m familiar with here, so I never have to type all of this again.  There aren’t any referral links in this, so I’m not getting paid to talk about these sites.

Megachurch cancels funeral of gay veteran

Via dallasnews:

An Arlington church volunteered to host a funeral Thursday, then reneged on the invitation when it became clear the dead man’s homosexuality would be identified in the service.
[...]
Mr. Sinclair, 46, died Monday. He was a native of Fort Worth, a Navy veteran who served in Desert Storm helping rescuers find downed pilots, and a singer in the Turtle Creek Chorale, said his mother, Eva Bowers. He did not belong to a church.

His brother, Lee, is an employee and member of High Point, a nondenominational mega-congregation led by the Rev. Gary Simons. Mr. Simons is the brother-in-law of Joel Osteen, nationally known pastor of Houston’s Lakewood Church.
[...]
Family and friends discovered the church had withdrawn its invitation Wednesday evening
[...]
“Some of our people will be there at the memorial service,” Mr. Simons said. “We tried to do the very best of our ability to express the love of Christ.”

Oh really?

Dumbest cold call this week

I was at my parents’ house helping move some heavy boxes for them while they were at work. The phone rings, and it’s a guy asking for my dad. Conversation goes like this:

I don’t need yet another Bible. Feed somebody with that money you gits.

Via The Guardian:

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Everything from detergent to computer discs is packaged with the Sunday newspaper. So why not Bibles? A Christian ministry wants to deliver custom-designed New Testaments to newspaper subscribers around the country as part of an effort to find innovative ways to spread a Christian message. But even in the Bible Belt, not everyone thinks that’s a good idea.

What is it with people who assume that I must not already own a box full of these stupid things and I need another one? Is one more bible going to hit that “free Bible critical mass” and spontaneously turn me religious?

I can’t think of anything helpful for the community that could be done with half a million dollars. Nope. Nothing at all. Fire up the printing press and throw New Testiments at people, most of whom already own at least one. Nothing better to do at all.

I’ve already got 2 bibles, a pocket new testiment, and one book of apocryphal works in my house somewhere, and I’m still an atheist. One more unasked-for addition to that collection isn’t going to make me think it’s not just a historic piece of literature on the same level of truthfulness as the Epic of Gilgamesh.

One more unasked-for bible is just going to make me think the people who sent it have no concept of priorities, nor a sense of reality. They’re paying huge quantities of money to give bibles to people who probably own multiple copies already. Meanwhile kids who depend on school lunches for most of their nutrition are out of school for the summer. Elderly people who can’t afford air conditioning are getting heat exhaustion. Somebody is getting sicker and sicker because they can’t afford relatively inexpensive preventative care. Et cetera. But, yeah, give bibles to people who already have one and didn’t request a replacement. Great.