Texas vs. Massachusetts: Round 1

Just read this. If you can't, read the what I excerpted. From Andrew Sullivan:

So ask yourself a simple question: which state has the highest divorce rate? Marriage was a key issue in the last election, with Massachusetts' gay marriages becoming a symbol of alleged blue state decadence and moral decay. But in actual fact, Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate in the country at 2.4 divorces per 1,000 inhabitants. Texas - which until recently made private gay sex a criminal offence - has a divorce rate of 4.1. A fluke? Not at all. The states with the highest divorce rates in the U.S. are Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. And the states with the lowest divorce rates are: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Every single one of the high divorce rate states went for Bush. Every single one of the low divorce rate states went for Kerry. The Bible Belt divorce rate, in fact, is roughly 50 percent higher than the national average.

Some of this discrepancy can be accounted for by the fact that couples tend to marry younger in the Bible Belt - and many clearly don't have the maturity to know what they're getting into. There's some correlation too between rates of college education and stable marriages, with the Bible Belt lagging a highly educated state like Massachusetts. But the irony still holds. Those parts of America that most fiercely uphold what they believe are traditional values are not those parts where traditional values are healthiest. Hypocrisy? Perhaps. A more insightful explanation is that these socially troubled communities cling onto absolutes in the abstract because they cannot live up to them in practice.

But doesn't being born again help bring down divorce rates? Jesus, after all, was mum on the subject of homosexuality, but was very clear about divorce, declaring it a sin unless adultery was involved. A recent study, however, found no measurable difference in divorce rates between those who are "born again" and those who are not. 29 percent of Baptists have been divorced, compared to 21 percent of Catholics. Moreover, a staggering 23 percent of married born-agains have been divorced twice or more. Teen births? Again, the contrast is striking. In a state like Texas, where the religious right is extremely strong and the rhetoric against teenage sex is gale-force strong, the teen births as a percentage of all births is 16.1 percent. In liberal, secular, gay-friendly Massachusetts, it's 7.4, almost half. Marriage itself is less popular in Texas than in Massachusetts. In Texas, the percent of people unmarried is 32.4 percent; in Massachusetts, it's 26.8 percent. So even with a higher marriage rate, Massachusetts manages a divorce rate almost half of its "conservative" rival.

Comments?

A Heartless Bastard

From The Guardian:

An Israeli army officer who repeatedly shot a 13-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza dismissed a warning from another soldier that she was a child by saying he would have killed her even if she was three years old.

A tape recording of radio exchanges between soldiers involved in the incident, played on Israeli television, contradicts the army's account of the events and appears to show that the captain shot the girl in cold blood.

The official account claimed that Iman was shot as she walked towards an army post with her schoolbag because soldiers feared she was carrying a bomb.

But the tape recording of the radio conversation between soldiers at the scene reveals that, from the beginning, she was identified as a child and at no point was a bomb spoken about nor was she described as a threat. Iman was also at least 100 yards from any soldier.

Instead, the tape shows that the soldiers swiftly identified her as a "girl of about 10" who was "scared to death".

. . .Witnesses described how the captain shot Iman twice in the head, walked away, turned back and fired a stream of bullets into her body. Doctors at Rafah's hospital said she had been shot at least 17 times.

Over the years my views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have done a, well not a complete 180, but more like a 150. In my youth I was a real hawk when it came to Israel. I suppose I was a product of my surroundings that, looking back now, painted everything in black and white. While you would never find me carrying a Palestinian flag at a protest (or even standing near someone with one), I am certainly sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian people. Not their corrupt leaders, but the actual people who just want to live their lives without constantly fearing for their lives or the lives of their children. But I also say the same thing for the Israeli people, for they, too, live in constant fear of the next attack.

It is stories like this that turn the world against against the Israeli people. This is just ammunition for all those people looking for yet another reason to hate Israel. Israel is under the constant scrutiny of the entire world and it can't afford to make mistakes like this. And in the times when it does fuck up, the Israeli people need to come clean about it, not bury it like this:

The army's original account of the killing said that the soldiers only identified Iman as a child after she was first shot. But the tape shows that they were aware just how young the small, slight girl was before any shots were fired.

The case came to light after soldiers under the command of Captain R went to an Israeli newspaper to accuse the army of covering up the circumstances of the killing.

A subsequent investigation by the officer responsible for the Gaza strip, Major General Dan Harel, concluded that the captain had "not acted unethically".

What is it saying about the Israeli Army when it takes some brave soldiers leaking the story to the press for justice to be served?

Kerik to Head Up Homeland Security

Eh, I don't have to much response to this. He was part of the Giuliani regime in New York, though he did handle September 11th quite well in my opinion (that is, if you overlook the gross unpreparedness of the NYPD leading up to the attacks). Whatever, as far as I can tell the only job the head of Homeland Security has is to pick what color alert we are under. Sounds tough.

You can read all about Kerik's appointment here

I should point out my favorite Kerik quote in the days leading up to the election in which he all but said that if Kerry is elected there will be another terrorist attack. I guess Kerik's got a chance to put his money with his mouth is.


"If you put Sen. Kerry in the White House, I think you are going to see that happen ... and I don't want to see another Sept. 11."

I'm Seriously Under the Gun Work-Wise. . .

But I couldn't let this go by without a post. Last year a 7 year old boy in Louisiana was sent to the principal's office for explaining to another student that his mom was a lesbian. The teacher who sent the boy to the principal's office is now suing the boy's mother for defamation. Makes perfect sense to me. Here's a little more about the story:

According to his mother "the incident began when her son, Marcus McLaurin, was waiting in line to go to recess when a classmate asked him about his mother and father. He responded that he didn’t have a mother and father; instead he has two mothers. When the other child asked why, Marcus told him that it was because his mother is gay. The other child then asked what that meant, and Marcus explained, 'Gay is when a girl likes another girl.'"

Terry Bethea scolded Marcus in front of his classmates after overhearing the exchange and sent him to the principal's office instead of to recess. He had to come to school early the following week to write lines--"I will never use the word 'gay' in school again."

At the principal's office, the boy had to sign a "Student Behavorial Contract," as seen below, explaining what he did "wrong."



If it wasn't for the general social dysfunction that homeschooling usually causes, I would do it in a heartbeat. When I have kids, that is.

The Stuff You Really Want

Wow, Lindsay Lohan is looking pretty skinny. My bet is she's on a strictly-powder diet. At least she's still got the tatas, I guess.



Sorry for the bad image quality, but someone actually has the nerve to try and make money off their work, the bastard.

More pictures here

And in case you're wondering how Lohan's Lovely Latino ex is doing, look no further. From IMDb:

Friends of Lindsay Lohan expect the actress to find a high-profile boyfriend to punish her former lover Wilmer Valderrama for returning to his old flame Mandy Moore . The Mean Girls actress has always been jealous of the relationship the That '70s Show actor enjoyed with Moore, and has reportedly made a statement about her availability by hitting the town with friends and family at the weekend. A close friend says, "I don't know if she knows that Wilmer has been hanging out with Mandy. If she did, she would lose it. That was always one of the trouble spots in their relationship. It was that threatening-ex-girl friend type thing. She doesn't have her eye on anybody yet, but her new man will definitely be high profile - to get back at Wilmer."

Kerry Won Florida?

According to some math I don't have the patience to understand, Kerry may have actually won Florida. Ch-ch-check it out.

Since We're on the Topic. . .

Where's Clarence Darrow when you need him?

From the SF Chronicle:

The school board has ordered that biology teachers at Dover Area High School make students "aware of gaps/problems" in the theory of evolution. Their ninth-grade curriculum now must include the theory of "intelligent design," which posits that life is so complex and elaborate that some greater wisdom has to be behind it.

. . .The intelligent-design theory makes no reference to the Bible, and its proponents do not say who or what the greater force is behind the design. But Yingling, 46, who graduated from Dover High School in 1976, and other supporters of the new curriculum in this religiously conservative slice of rural Pennsylvania say they know exactly who the intelligent designer is.

"There's only one creator, and it has to be God," said Rebecca Cashman, 16, a sophomore at Dover High. She frowned when asked to recollect what she learned about evolution at school last year.

"Evolution -- is that the Darwin theory?" Cashman shook her head. "I don't know just what he was thinking!"

I bet that if the school actually did a good job teaching Darwin's theory instead of teaching Creationism-lite, little Miss Rebecca Cashman would know "just what he was thinking."

Evolution Shmevolution!

You know, the way things are going in this country, I'm don't know why I was so shocked to find out that

45 percent of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form.

Yep, according to a new Gallup Poll, one-third of Americans believe that Darwin's theory of evolution is supported by evidence, one-third don't know enough to say, and another third think Darwin was full of shit.

On top of that 45 percent, 38 percent of Americans believe that God guided the development of man over time, while only 13 percent said that God had nothing to do with human development.

And probably my favorite statistic of the day: 34 percent of those polled also said that the Bible is the actual word of God and should be read literally.

I wonder, does that include the part in which a man is forced to marry his brother's widow? Or how about all the contradictions that litter the Bible? Should we read both sides? Wait a second, isn't the Bible just a giant flip-flopper? And I hear that those nails in Jesus' hands were only flesh wounds, the faker! He just wanted to get off Earth and back to Heaven so he could start his religious career!

A Fag in Their Midst!

Wow. It's stories like this that bring my love-hate relationship with politics to an almost unbearable level.

Apparently, Ken Mehlman, the newly appointed head of the RNC, and recent chairman of the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign, is GAY!

Yes, gay. As in homosexual. As in one of those people that his base loves to hate. As in a man who is no different than anyone else on this planet but cannot get married in eleven states due to his party's tireless efforts. Correction, he is different from other people on this earth, though not because he is gay, but because he is a piece of shit who would sell his soul for a spot on the Bush ticket to hell.

There are just too many questions I want to ask Mehlman, the GOP, the Evangelical Christians, everybody!

Read this while I go contemplate my role in the universe.

Conservatives Must Show Their True Colors. . .

And it better be green. Today the Supreme Court heard arguments regarding California's medical marijuana policy and the federal government's anti-drug laws. Check it out. From AP (though I have a million better articles if anyone wants them):

The justices refused three years ago to protect distributors of medical marijuana from federal charges. They are confronting a more personal issue this time -- the power of federal agents to go after sick people who use homegrown cannabis with their doctors' permission and their states' approval.

The stakes are high because 11 states have passed medical marijuana laws since 1996. A defeat for the two California women might undermine those laws and discourage other states from approving their own.

A loss for the government, on the other hand, could jeopardize federal oversight of illegal drugs and raise questions in other areas such as product safety and environmental activities. A Bush administration lawyer told the justices they would be encouraging people to use potentially harmful marijuana if they were to side with the women.

I have been thinking about this over the last couple of days, and I am still unsure how exactly I want to attack the issue. I've decided to not even mention the fact that marijuana should be legal for medicinal use all across the country. Or that it should be completely decriminalized, and possibly legalized in general (I never like to support medicinal and recreational marijuana in the same paragraph, it takes away for the former's cause, but, oh well, I trust you people).

The way I see it, none of that has anything to do with this case. Nothing. Let that be decided by voters and doctors. What this is about is the rights of citizens who abide by the laws of their home states, but are arrested, harassed, abused and jailed by the federal government for failing to abide by their laws. The citizens of California long ago voted on and approved the growing, sale, and consumption of medical marijuana, and still the DC-based federal government refuses to abide.

This is an issue of state's rights, an issue that conservatives love to talk about. If they cared so much about protecting a state's sovereignty (such as in the case of segregation, and, a little more recently, abortion) then there really should be no problem here. But that's not how the GOP and conservatives think. Instead, they take their personal feelings and twist and turn the Constitution and the Bill of Rights into a defense for them.

This case is somewhat monumental in my opinion. We're finally going to see what rules this country: politics or principles.


P.S.
I just hope that Rehnquist's ongoing bout with thyroid cancer gives him a better insight into the suffering of these people.

The One-Party Government Continues to Build

When things look their bleakest, politically speaking, I always take comfort in the knowledge that at some point the pendulum will have to swing back (a la the 50's to the 60's). But what happens if the Republicans manage to stop the pendulum from ever moving again? What if they throw up enough roadblocks and barriers to make sure that they are never out of power? Well then, my friends, we and our children (barring a nuclear holocaust) are in for some real trouble. Here's just another example of the GOP throwing a wrench in the machine:

In scuttling major intelligence legislation that he, the president and most lawmakers supported, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert last week enunciated a policy in which Congress will pass bills only if most House Republicans back them, regardless of how many Democrats favor them.

Hastert's position, which is drawing fire from Democrats and some outside groups, is the latest step in a decade-long process of limiting Democrats' influence and running the House virtually as a one-party institution. Republicans earlier barred House Democrats from helping to draft major bills such as the 2003 Medicare revision and this year's intelligence package. Hastert (R-Ill.) now says such bills will reach the House floor, after negotiations with the Senate, only if "the majority of the majority" supports them.

Senators from both parties, leaders of the Sept. 11 commission and others have sharply criticized the policy. The long-debated intelligence bill would now be law, they say, if Hastert and his lieutenants had been humble enough to let a high-profile measure pass with most votes coming from the minority party.

The Republican's play politics with everything. Plain and simple. I'm not saying the Dems don't politicize things to further their agendas, because they do, but they never lose sight of the ball. If the Democratic Party were really concerned with politics and not the actual issues, well, then they would actually have been able to wage a decent campaign. But they are relatively principled, as seen here:

That is what Democrats did in 1993, when most House Democrats opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement. President Bill Clinton backed NAFTA, and leaders of the Democratic-controlled House allowed it to come to a vote. The trade pact passed because of heavy GOP support, with 102 Democrats voting for it and 156 voting against. Newt Gingrich of Georgia, the House GOP leader at the time, declared: "This is a vote for history, larger than politics . . . larger than personal ego."

Sorry (again)

So the holiday messed up my posting schedule, but I'm back and better than ever. Well, not exactly true. In fact, posting will be light this week and next because my workload is ridiculous. I will have a few more posts up by the end of the night. All I can say is keep checking back, and getting your friends to check, because the more hits I get the less I can justify not posting as much.