Transgendered Political Appointment By Obama; Predictable Reaction By Christianists

President Obama has appointed a male-to-female transgender, Amanda Simpson, to senior technical adviser for the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security. She's got 30 years in the field and is well-respected for her abilities. Of course the Christian 'tards have congratulated her in their own, inimitable fashion:

"Is there going to be a transgender quota now in the Obama administration?" asked Peter LaBarbera, president of the anti-gay group Americans for Truth. "How far does this politics of gay and transgender activism go? Clearly this is an administration that is pandering to the gay lobby."

"Simpson's nomination was forwarded through to President Obama by a gay activist group, making it appear that this appointment of a male-to-female 'transgender' activist to a high level Commerce Department position to be payback to his far-left base for their political support," a spokeswoman for Focus on the Family said in statement.

Yeah, because knowing a woman was born with male reproductive parts (despite the perfection of Gosh's intelligent design), and yet had the audacity to take advantage of modern medical practices to correct mother nature's screw-up will make people lose Jesus.

Good. If you're his representatives on Earth, we don't want him.

(Aside, am I going to Hell for not capitalizing a pronoun pertaining to the bearded guy with doe-eyes?)

The only appropriate response is, of course, Carlin:

"Don't these professional Christians have anything to do during the day?"

Via RichardDawkins.net.

Shroud Of Turin Recreated

An Italian scientist has allowed himself to be crucified, died, was buried for a weekend, and rose from the dead. In doing so, the divine aura surrounding him transformed his burial shroud into a near-exact replica of the Shroud of Tourin®.

Or maybe not.

You know, we have everything else, why not a Shroud of the FSM?

Via Pharyngula, AtAT.

Ray Comfort Comes Cheap

I can think of any of a number of ways I'd rather spend $5. This, however, is not one of them.

"To be an atheist is to play Russian roulette with all the chambers loaded," explains best-selling author Ray Comfort, and in his latest book, he proves it. And today only, WND readers can get "You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, But You Can't Make Him Think" – autographed – for just $4.95, a $21 discount from the normal $25.95 price!"

Translation: We'll shine your shoes if you'll take one of these stupid books off our hands...we need the space in the warehouse. It makes me think of Abbie "ERV" Smith's comment about Michael Behe giving out $6.99 blowjobs on Amazon.com.

For those of you who don't know Ray Comfort, here's all you need to know about this Creationist twit...



A suitable parody, ala MST3K:



And the science. Pay attention, kiddos, there will be a quiz:



Chowderhead.

Via Friendly Atheist.

Quote of the Day

"I will show you President Obama's birth certificate when you show me Sarah Palin's high school diploma. "
--Bill Maher

Bicycles, Women, Wine...Censorship???

So a wine maker puts out a vintage with a naked babe on a bicycle. How could I not blog about this?

Seriously, will these people never learn? If you ban something, you're putting more money in the pockets of the people making it. From AP:

"Alabama's ban on a wine that features a nude nymph on the label became a business opportunity for a California vintner who is preparing a marketing campaign to capitalize on being "Banned in Bama."

"The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board recently told stores and restaurants to quit serving Cycles Gladiator wine because of the label. Board attorney Bob Martin said the stylized, art-nouveau rendition of a nude female with a flying bicycle violated Alabama rules against displaying 'a person posed in an immoral or sensuous manner.'"

Uh-huh. I'm sure they ban all those beer commercials on tv, too. Not to mention the beer sales at the Alabama-Auburn football game before sending thousands of people out to drive home.

And frankly, this seems awfully tasteful.

You can get it on a bike jersey, too. I think I'm going to buy a case of this stuff.

Via NPR.

The Birth Certificate

Shut up, already, birthers.

Oh, and just in case you fucktards still think it's bogus, you can be a U.S. citizen if you are "a person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has had a residence in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person..."

US Code Title 8, Chapter 12, Subchapter III, Part I, Section 1401, Para (c).

Quote of the Day

"Many of the questioners announced themselves as either students or faculty from Liberty, rather than from Randolph Macon which was my host institution. One by one they tried to trip me up, and one by one their failure to do so was applauded by the audience. Finally, I said that my advice to all Liberty students was to resign immediately and apply to a proper university instead. That received thunderous applause, so that I almost began to feel slightly sorry for the Liberty people. Only almost and only slightly, however."
--Richard Dawkins, on a reading of The God Delusion

Posthumous Mormon Baptism of Barack Obama's Mother?

[commence rant]

Ben Smith comments on a report from Americablog that the Mormon Church posthumously baptized Barack Obama's mother this past June:

""The offering of baptism to our deceased ancestors is a sacred practice to us and it is counter to Church policy for a Church member to submit names for baptism for persons to whom they are not related," said spokeswoman Kim Farah in an emailed statement. "The Church is looking into the circumstances of how this happened and does not yet have all the facts. However, this is a serious matter and we are treating it as such."

Mormons believe that souls cannot enter heaven without undergoing baptism and other sacraments, and that those sacraments can be given by proxy after death. The practice of posthumous baptism by proxy has caused controversy in the past, as when Jewish groups raised objections to the baptism of victims of the Holocaust."

Did you notice the qualifier, "...to whom they are not related"? I have little doubt that if kinship could be proven between Obama's mother and a real Mormon, everything about this would be just fine and dandy with them.

Seriously, these people scrounge through genealogical records to find the flimsiest of relationships to haul these hapless victims into their slimy membership ranks. Do they demand a tithe from the family's estate for the privilege?

It's in my will that these fruit bats shall not baptize me posthumously. I was baptized a Catholic without my consent, and that's enough for one lifetime.

I find it amusing the lengths to which some faiths will go to look legitimate. Look, Mormons, your faith was founded less than 200 years ago by a guy who claimed he found ancient Egyptian gold tablets buried next to his farm near Palmyra, New York, which said Jesus came to America for a little R&R after the Resurrection and in doing so told some schmuck that the Native Americans were the embodiment of evil (later translated to blacks and now gays), and that they should have as many wives and children as possible. And you think swelling your roster with people after they die is going to make you look less batshitcrazy? At best, it makes you look craven.

Oh, and BTW, your conduct regarding Prop 8 in California should merit your removal from tax-exempt status for a religion or church. You want to overtly meddle in politics? You should be made to pay for it.

[conclude rant]

Via Sullivan.
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Later: PZ Myers unloads.
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Update 2: My response to the comment of Anonymous below.

Dr. Phil--America's Doofus!

When is this fraud going to learn to stay the hell out of other people's business?

Staff members of the talk show helped one of eight teens facing charges in the case post bond this weekend, "Dr. Phil" McGraw's spokeswoman Terri Corigliano said in an e-mail.

"We have helped guests and potential guests in the past when they need financial assistance to come on the show — assisting with clothing allowance, lost wages, accommodations, travel and necessities," Corigliano wrote. "In this case, certain staff members went beyond our guidelines (re the bail being paid)."

Of course, now they're trying to blame it on a peon:

The show issued a statement saying certain staff members "went beyond their guidelines," but according to TMZ, the word at Paramount is that it would be impossible for the producer to pay the $3,300 for the bail and put up $33,000 in collateral without the full knowledge and approval of higher-ups on the show.

No kidding. They don't let the run-of-the-mill flunkies get their hands on the purse strings--and good for TMZ for pointing it out.

So, Phil, got any plans for your next gig? I get the feeling you'll need it soon.