Well, time for me to blow off some steam that has been building up at the increasing tide of ridiculous religiously-motivated tomfoolery.
I’m not going to write anything about Terri Schiavo and Bush’s religio-pandering, except to note the potentially pleasing fact that apparently the Administration has actually pissed the people off. (Well, maybe one thing–if you really believe in an afterlife, then isn’t perserving someone in a coma for 15 years tantamount to imprisoning them in Limbo, and denying them their chance to move on to Heaven, or whatever? At least have some internal consistency in your mythology for Christ’s sake.)
I’m not going to write anything about Stephen Harper and the Conservatives making “marriage==one man, one woman” part of the official party platform–except to mock the CBC for spinning the story as Conservatives moving to the centre(!)–since I have already made my feelings on both Harper and gay marriage quite clear. (By the way, I’m still looking for anyone who can present a reason to be opposed to gay marriage that doesn’t resolve to either “God says no” or “Gays are icky”–of all arguments presented by all the people I’ve argued with so far, every argument has boiled down to one or the other.)
I am going to pull one of the readings out of the current (or possibly one-back, but it’s current at my house) Harpers. The lovely state of Texas has apparently decided to remove all mention of gay marriage from their school textbooks as part of the “Onward Christian Soldiers” lurch to the right. (Those poor people trapped in Austin, surrounded by the rest of Texas, sigh.) It seems that the writers have gone a little further than their original mandate changing the whole piece from informative to plain offensive:
(I’m putting the old version in subscript and the new version in bold. Unchanged text between the versions is normal.)
quote:
The sex hormones your body produces may make you interested in romantic relationships with othersthe opposite sex. Friendships and dating relationships help you prepare for adult relationshipsstable marital commitment.
“If you discuss the issue of homosexuality in class, discuss it respectfully. Be aware that someone in your class may be homosexual or related to someone who is homosexual, or have a friend who is homosexual. Texas law rejects homosexual marriage. Students can therefore maintain that homosexuality and heterosexuality are not moral equivalents, without being charged with “hate speech.”
Surveys indicate that 3 to 10 percent of the population is gay. Opinions vary on why some people are straight, some are bisexual, and others are gay
No one knows for sure why homosexuals, lesbians and bisexuals as a group are more prone to self-destructive behaviors like depression, illegal drug use, and suicide.
Nice change of focus in the last paragraph and the “it’s not hate speech if it’s pointed at gay people” part is just charming.
I am also going to write about the IMAX theatre wimp-out. It’s not textbook alteration, so it affects a lot fewer kids–basically only the science geeks who would go to see IMAX science movies; the exact kids who need science the most–but it’s just as bad:
Several Imax theaters, including some in science museums, are refusing to show movies that mention the subject – or the Big Bang or the geology of the earth – fearing protests from people who object to films that contradict biblical descriptions of the origin of Earth and its creatures.
Sigh.
I am also going to write about the Mormons doing their bit to spread hate and intolerance in the name of a loving God. See, they are having trouble finding psychology textbooks that only talk about negative consequences of homosexuality:
“Most publishers have now included small amounts – a paragraph or couple of pages – in texts about homosexuality,” Leek said. “I don’t teach homosexuality. But if it appears in a textbook, there’s nothing I can do to keep students from reading it.”
…
State law bans teachers or texts from advocating homosexuality, but Nebo District’s policy is more restrictive.
“Our policy is that it will not be taught unless it is teaching the negative consequences thereof,” said Nedra Call, Nebo’s director of curriculum.
I am also going to vent spleen at the Texas Alliance for Life, who apparently have made a breakthrough for Texas science, discovering that women who are raped cannot get pregnant. Unless, of course, they enjoyed it. At least that seems to be their point in an article at the Daily Texan about their opposition to making emergency contraception (i.e. morning after pills) available to women who have been raped:
Pojman explained that there are several reasons why the Texas Alliance for Life refuses to support HB 676.
“Well, one thing I point out is that pregnancy after assault rape is extremely rare,” said Pojman. “For one thing, the woman may already be on contraceptives. Very seldom does an assailant ejaculate; it’s all about power and control.”
I’m just so God-damned tired of all these God people using their little mythology as an excuse to exclude, punish, dehumanize, and so on.
I’m going to have to commit some small act of retribution. Maybe I’ll print out a page of Darwin has a posse stickers and paste them on the flyleafs of every Bible I can find. That might make me feel better.
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