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Folks Who Won't Need "How to Talk to an Atheist"

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PZ’s cheering on Catholics for Choice, who apparently borrowed my Smack-o-Matic 3000 when I wasn’t looking and used it to belabor Bill Donahue:

  • From the beginning, the Catholic League was marked by a schizophrenic attitude that would become its hallmark: It simultaneously argued for the right of conservative Catholics to impose their values in the public sphere, while arguing against the right of others in the public sphere to offer legitimate criticism of Catholics or Catholicism.

  • The Catholic League tactics are i) manufacture controversy; ii) try to intimidate the “enemy”; iii) bully the opposition; iv) complain early and often; v) attack popular culture; and vi) silence the loyal opposition.

I haven’t had a chance to read their full takedown, but judging from what PZ quoted, it’s a thing of beauty.

I thought of my heart sister NP when I read this. She’s one of the people who kept me from looking at Catholics as a whole with a jaundiced eye, and now she’s got a whole army’s worth of backup. These folks probably won’t need to read my book, but they’re the kinds of Christians I mean when I say Christians and atheists have plenty to talk about. I don’t mind standing shoulder-to-shoulder with religious folk against stupid, intolerant fuckwits.

In fact, I think we could all have a good time of it.

Folks Who Won't Need "How to Talk to an Atheist"
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My Esteemed Co-blogger Resigns His Post

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Bloody hell.

Kaden, our Senior Teen Correspondent, has moved on to better and brighter things:

My username is jsnf. That is because my name is Jacob Steven Nicholson-Fitzgerald. I am the President and Co-Founder of Modern Magic Enterprises. I am also one of the creative writers, though that title may or may not be official. In any case, I am one of the forces behind Modern Magic’s current project, Flight 271, and the primary force behind the sequel, Survival Instinct.

This has been in the works for quite some time, and it’s thrilling to see that all of his hard work, dedication, and formidable creative power is about to pay off in the form of an outstanding set of video games. Alas, this may even force me to procure a game console.

Join me in wishing him all the luck in the world, and reminding him that there’s always an audience if he wants to join us here in the cantina for the occasional diatribe. His posts on Academia are sorely missed. I hope, despite his idea that he’s resigned, he realizes this is not the end, but merely a beginning.

Let him know that the occasional post on video games will not go amiss here.

Salud, mi amigo!

My Esteemed Co-blogger Resigns His Post

Pour That Man the Best Drink in the Cantina

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Richard from the Panda’s Thumb earned my undying affection long ago. He works his ass off keeping us up on the antics of the anti-science crowd, and he did me the great honor of agreeing to be one of my Wise Readers in the event I actually get away from political bullshit long enough to actually write a story. (Which will happen just as soon as Obama and the Dems sink this rim shot, I swear it.)

Now, he’s earned himself a lifetime of free drinks:

A Way With Words

Apropos of practically nothing normally on PT, I really like Dana Hunter’s way with words…

*blush*

Muchos gracias, mi amigo.

This goes for all of you, my darlings: I will never be able to express all of you mean to me. You’re my light in dark places. And you do outstanding work making this world a better place. You’re very much appreciated.

Never forget that.

Pour That Man the Best Drink in the Cantina

The Things I Miss by Not Checking Email – Or Keeping Up on Me Blog Reading

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NP welcomes a glorious new niece. Shall we all join her in turning into enormous piles of sappy mush?

What the fuck is it about babies that does this even to those of us who don’t even like the little buggers? Resistance… fading… must… reach… catidote…


Ahhh. Better. Wouldn’t do to damage me tough, Smack-o-Matic swinging reputation by ga-gaaing too much over a baby, but cats is allowed for us merciless political bloggers.

That said… that is a damned cute kid, innit?

Salud, Ashlie Elizabeth! Feliz cumpleaños!

The Things I Miss by Not Checking Email – Or Keeping Up on Me Blog Reading

Pimping Out My Co-Blogger

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Cam Lee, aka Chaos Lee, has hired me as his pimp. I accepted the request with alarcrity.

I’ve been reading his stories and listening to the evolution of his novel for well over a decade now, and it’s about bloody time some of his writing goes public.

He’s going to kick the collective asses of Warren Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and any other author you care to name whose books leave you gasping, “That was the most fucked-up thing I’ve ever read in my entire fucking life.”

I’ve spent the majority of my adult life wishing I could be even a fraction of the writer he is. My work seems plodding and pedestrian compared to the constant mindfuck that spills from his pen. He brutalizes words into singing for him. Setting, mood, theme, plot and character all end up twisted like a hangman’s noose in a hurricane.

Even a simple description of his day turns into something else again:

Today’s been a bit of a paranoid day. When people at work seem to actually know I’m sitting at my desk and not working and looking for ales on whiskey or making voodoo dolls that not-so-coincidentally resemble certain directors at certain corporations. But anyway, I need to find thought suppressants because they’ve become loud. People are hearing them.

The risk here is that not only will the bastards get forewarning, but they might try and steal my brain. And I like my brain. It sponges up the whiskey my liver rejects.

See what I mean?

The above excerpt comes from Cam Lee’s Chaos Hangover, his new MySpace Page, where he’s posted the short story “Halo.” Go read “Halo.” Then go read everything else. And then go demand more.

Because as good as “Halo” is, it’s only the barest tip of a fucking enormous iceberg. Trust me when I tell you it gets a lot more bizarre, dark and mindblowing.

I know. I’ve read. And I’ve never been the same.

Pimping Out My Co-Blogger

The Great Cracker Controversy of 2008: My Letter to President Bruininks

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Dear President Bruininks;

I’m writing to you in support of PZ Myers. I know I’m in excellent company in doing so. But even if mine was the only voice, I’d still be raising it.

I don’t have to tell you that PZ is a wonderful human being and a fantastic teacher. You already know that, probably better than I. If what he’s able to do in a few short blog posts about biology is any reflection of his quality as a professor, you have a gem beyond price. He makes biology accessible, he makes it fun, and he makes it wonderful. I hate snow with a passion and I have no interest in becoming an actual biologist, but I’ve been tempted more than once to give up my Pacific Northwest paradise, buy some serious winter clothes, and migrate to Morris just so I could take his classes. One day, the impulse could become irresistible.

It would be horrible if he wasn’t there because he threatened a Communion wafer.

There’s a strong argument to be made for religious toleration and respect for other peoples’ symbols, of course, but I think what’s been missed in all this uproar is the very essential point that PZ was making: those symbols are not more important than people. I fully share his outrage at those who would physically assault a student for taking the Host out of a church, send him death threats, call for his expulsion, and call his minor bit of sacrilege a hate crime. They showed little enough respect and toleration for others by their actions. Quite the contrary: they showed an appalling lack of humanity. PZ’s response, while not diplomatic, was definitely more effective than a mere scolding. And he did poor Webster Cook a great good service by pulling some of the heat away. It seems people got so distracted by the cracker that they lost sight of what PZ was actually saying in his post: that it’s wrong to treat a student this way over a symbol. PZ doesn’t lose sight of people. It’s one of the things I admire most about him.

He wasn’t out to merely cause offense and raise a furor. He was forcing people to think. That’s what a good teacher does.

Neil Gaiman once said of writers, “Being contentious is what you should be doing. You should be shaking people up.” All of my best professors did the same. They said outrageous things. They shook us up. Their contention was never gratuitous, and it caused us to learn more, think things through, go beyond the easy answer and understand why we thought and felt and knew the things we did. Sometimes they changed our minds. Sometimes they made us more confident of our initial position. What they never did was leave us untouched and unmoved.

PZ reminds me of the best of those professors. We need more, not less, like him.

But there’s one more reason why I don’t think you should bow to pressure from people who refuse to think past their initial upset to the point being made:

John Yoo, who wrote many of the memos setting forth a legal argument explaining why our government is allowed to torture human beings, is now a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley. It makes me physically ill to think that such a man is in charge of teaching future lawyers. But despite a huge outcry, he remains a professor. His views on the legality of torture haven’t disqualified him from teaching law.

I hardly need to tell you what a travesty it would be if it turns out that a lawyer can advocate torture and still be allowed to be a professor of law, but a biology teacher could be fired for the mere threat to desecrate a religious item that isn’t even equally revered by all Christians.

PZ has my full support. I’m sure he has yours, and I can’t thank you enough for it.

Sincerely,
Dana Hunter

The Great Cracker Controversy of 2008: My Letter to President Bruininks

Argh! Tagged Again!

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And it feels a little strange to be suffering a meme courtesy of Progressive Conservative by way of NP.

The idea is to write your memoir or epitaph in six words. If you can add an image to go along with it, so much the better. Then, simply sneak up behind 5 unsuspecting friends and whap them in the back of the head with it. Links need to be provided to the person who whapped you and to the originator of the meme, so they can see how far the thing goes. You can check out the place where it all began for a better explanation of the rules.

Well, the rules basically say I’m supposed to do a lot of things I never do. Such as tag people. My philosophy is that people can bloody well tag themselves, so if you want to take on this six-word meme madness, let nothing stop you.

Not even finding the right bleeding picture.

Right. Brilliant. More decisions to make. Which could have been my six-word memoir right there, but I’ve got something a little better, I think:

“Writing consumed me. So did cats.”
That really is the story of my life in six words.

All of you reading this blog who find this meme irresistible, consider yourselves tagged. I’ll shout “You’re IT!” in your comments after the fact.
Argh! Tagged Again!

A Favor to a Dear Friend

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Paul at Cafe Philos says, “I’m Feeling Insecure Because My Blog Lacks Cat Photos.”

I see all these blogs nowadays with adorable cat photos and I’ve begun to wonder if it’s still possible to be a dedicated blogger without even a single cat photo to speak of?

Maybe I should post a cat photo? For one thing, I myself can’t resist them. Cats are cute beyond words.

Of course, I’d need to find a cat first….

My darling, my joy, I’ve got your cats right here:

Misha in a Galaxy of Bedding

Cat in the Sack

Me new brudder, Spook.

Pointed catmentary.

There’s a bajillion more where these come from. Whenever you need adorable cat photos, you just let me know. I’ve actually got one of Misha sitting on a column that has just the right note of dignity and classical grace that would compliment the artistic beauty of Cafe Philos.
And yes, in answer to your question: it is possible to be a dedicated blogger without a single cat photo. You prove that every day. You’re not only a dedicated blogger, you’re one of the most beautiful bloggers I know.
The only thing you can’t be without cat photos is a dedicated catblogger… unless you filch cats from your friends. I think that’s allowed under the bylaws of blogging.
And if not, fuck it – filch anyway!

A Favor to a Dear Friend

A Teacher on the Front Lines

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Our own dear NP has gone and posted a frightening article on education on her blog, the Coffee-Stained Writer. Ever wonder what the view was like from a young, enthusiastic teacher’s perspective? It’s worse than we thought:

At the school from which I recently resigned, I was told many things about how the school curriculum is run. I was warned that Honors classes are “watered down,” and that a good portion of my time as a teacher of English would be spent helping my junior students prepare for their science standardized test in the spring. I was also told the curriculum for sophomore English students focused around taking and passing the English writing standardized test. And in the time left, teachers split their time between teaching literature and grammar and taking students to registrations, passing out report cards, and going to assemblies.


I don’t know about you, but that looks like a wasteland. Now I understand just what kind of damage Bush’s vaunted “No Child Left Behind” nonsense has caused. It must be making the fundies scream with joy – kids are so busy learning how to test well that they’re not learning to think.

Take your Zoloft and go have a read.

En Tequila Es Verdad is not responsible for the resulting deflation of your mood, and holds itself harmless from civil actions resulting from eyes stabbed out with grapefruit spoons, head injuries caused from skulls being smashed repeatedly against walls, and the complete loss of your social life as you gird your loins and jump into the battle to save education in this country.

A Teacher on the Front Lines