Shrieeekkk!?!?!?!?

Warning: Many rightwing fundamentalist religious zealots of all stripes are likely to be offended by this post.

This week I attended an evening of Xmas and secular holiday music held in a local church. The choir gave the money raised from ticket sales to local charities: a food bank and a shelter for homeless men.

One of the carols they sang was The First Noel; the lyrics repeat several times, and end with this statement:

"... Born is the King of Israel."

So I wondered: Would the CPCCA - the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism which claims to the arbiter of everything anti-semitic find these words objectionable?

And if that carol were banned from public performance, would the fundamentalist christian zealots and/or rancid haters who screech there's a War On Christmas accuse Jews of persecuting them? Just asking.

It's all so confusing. Won't someone remember the true meaning of Xmas?

Vociferous energy, ill spent.

A sane response to Sarah Palin's prevarications about the US health care reform initiative has been rabidly attacked by her zealot fans and supporters.

A lot of folks use Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family. For Sarah Palin, it's a great way to spread lies about health insurance reform. A few months back, Palin took to Facebook to declare that health reform would create "death panels," and drive private insurers out of business -- and nonpartisan factcheck sites and the independent Congressional Budget Office debunked those lies.

But that didn't stop Sarah Palin. She's back with a new Facebook note claiming that reform will raise costs on families and drive up deficits. Unfortunately for her, even the conservative "Tax Foundation" says those claims are false. So, this week, we're calling out Sarah Palin and taking to Facebook to debunk her lies on the very same pages she's using to spread them.

Watch the video and check out the comments in support of Palin - as well as those raising intelligent points.

Don't like the term Christofascism?

Go complain to David Frum, Mark Steyn, Ezra Levant, Kate MacMillan and the dredges of the rightwing neocon pundit wannabeez.

They popularized the term Islamofascism, used it feverishly and created a conceptual meme that fits the trash talk spewed by fundamentalist religious christian ideologues who use similar violent rhetoric and tactics.

A flood of comments and emails followed the publication of Antonia Zerbisias' Doctor's killing is domestic terrorism . Only 50 or so - the coherent and rational ones - have been published; the rejected ones are likely exemplars of the usual shrieeeking, vile trash talk.

Go read the column and leave a comment - a quiet, sane and well-informed counterpoint to the predictable accusations that this is more proof that christians are being perseeecuted!!!

Did we mention the persecution complex disorder?

Shrieeekkk!!! Police brutality harassment attention!!!

As JJ described it here, there was a non-event of MASSIVE portentousness that unfolded outside the Governor General's residence last Tuesday morning. The predictable and perfunctory scrutiny - to which all formal and non-formal gatherings of people for the purpose of contacting the GG are subjected - was ominous and threatening, as reported by Lifesite.

MacDonald, said, however, that the event took an odd turning at several points. Proulx, he said, informed the group while receiving the petitions that they did not have permission to take photos. But as they were on a public sidewalk, and what appeared to be a news camera was present, photos were taken. It was later discovered that the news camera was a camera-man sent by the Governor General's office to record the event, although it was unclear for what purpose.

I believe that the non-event was documented and recorded because zygote zealots and abortion-criminalizers have a history of accusing those who are neutral (or not undies-wetting supportive) of exhibiting hostility towards them. Thus, if David MacDonald (sperm donor), Frances Wilkenson (a woman holding up a sign reading 'I regret my abortion'), Faytene Kryskow (self-styled christian charismatic youth leader) or any member of the delegation claimed that the two members of the G-G's office who accepted the petition sneered at them, there would be proof that this in fact was not the case.

Is it an exaggeration to surmise that fetus fetishists are collectively or individually paranoid, hyper-reactive or suffering from persecution complex disorders? Judge for yourself - if you're in possession of a steady stomach or able to scrub down your keyboard/monitor set-up in the aftermath of an chucked-up lunch, go read SoCon Or Bust's impressions of the non-event.

I’m not sure what kind of thuggery the RCMP was engaging in, but I trust David’s account completely. ... And as for the Governor General’s big brother approach with the professional camera, I find that very eerie. ... There was no reason at all for the rough treatment these peaceful pro-lifers received from the RCMP.

"big brother" ... "rough treatment" ... There was nothing unusual about the actions that the GG's communications or security staff took. Photographic recordings, closed-circuit video equipement and verbal questioning have become the standard operating mode. This reported "odd turn" is quite disingenuous since the ideological glue that bonds abortion-criminalizers of all religious and political stripes seemingly justifies the actions of convicted terrorists and murderers.

It burned, drowned and decapitated women as witches, didn't it?

Last week fern hill blogged about the cruel inconsistencies in the Catholic Church, as its bishops pontificated over the life of a nine year-old Brazilian girl.

The Catholic Church has always been quick to pass judgement against women and girls, and yet been generously lenient with its pedophile clerics. More evidence of its centuries-old tradition of doctrinal misogyny came to the surface in Kent, England last month. From here:

The medieval remains of a teenage girl who may have been suspected of witchcraft are to be given a Christian burial and funeral. The skeleton, found by Faversham-based archaeologist Dr Paul Wilkinson, is thought to be from the 14th or 15th century.

It was found in unconsecrated ground under a holly tree, next to Hoo St Werburgh parish church, near Rochester. The remains would normally be left in archives for future archaeological reference, but the vicar of Hoo, the Rev Andy Harding, has asked for the body to be returned so she can be re-buried in the church grounds. ...

When they found the remains, the girl’s skull had been removed from the body and placed carefully beside it, meaning she may have either committed suicide or was suspected of being a witch or a criminal. He said: ..."She was buried facing east with her head very carefully placed beside her body." ... Pottery found in the area dates back to medieval times and so it is suspected the body, which is currently being held at the University of Kent, was from the same period.

It should be mentioned that this young woman's decapitation and burial took place when was Hoo St Werburgh parish was under the ecclesiastical rule of the Vatican. Yesterday her body was given the dignity of a Christian burial. From here:

Her body has now been reburied in the church's main graveyard. The girl was affectionately named Holly by church officials because her remains were found beside a holly tree used over many years to decorate the church at Christmas.

Speaking at Saturday's public funeral service, the Reverend Andy Harding, vicar of Hoo, said: "Whoever this young girl is, whatever she had done, innocent or guilty, she and everyone deserves a dignified and respectable funeral. "If she had faced a trial then her death was the human penalty and she has paid in full. If she took her own life then today's culture tells us that she deserves pity and understanding, not damnation and brutality." He added: "Holly had an horrific end and the treatment of her body was brutal."

Removing the young girl's head had been an "extra punishment meant to last an eternity". Mr Harding said that if she had come from the area, then she had now completed her journey and been given the proper burial denied to her several hundred years ago.

Hoo St Werburgh parish now belongs to the Church of England, which may explain why the clergy found it appropriate and Christian to bury her in consecrated ground.