We are idiots!

Oh, this is just priceless!!

People Are...Still Having Sex

Report suggests those who pledge abstinence try other sex

The latest study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that teens pledging virginity until marriage are more likely to have oral and anal sex than other teens who have not had intercourse.

Among virgins, boys who have pledged abstinence were four times more likely to have had anal sex than teens who have remained abstinent but not as part of a pledge, according to the study. Overall, pledgers were six times more likely to have oral sex.

Leslee Unruh, president of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, called the study "bogus," disputing that those involved had pledged true "abstinence."

Of course she would say that. By doing so, she's guaranteeing that, no matter what, her programs will have a 100% success rate. If you make the pledge but then fail to keep it, you obviously didn't really make the pledge. I don't think I've witnessed such iron-clad logic since hearing Christians claim that other Christians who carry out immoral, unethical, or illegal acts aren't really true Christians. Of course they're not.

"Kids who pledge abstinence are taught that any word that has 'sex' in it is considered a sexual activity," Unruh said. "Therefore oral sex is sex, and they are staying away."

How provincial. How about we first start off with, "No, they're not staying away, as the statistics so clearly indicate". Next, what about words (phrases, actually) that don't have the actual word 'sex' in them but that still mean sex? Like 'blow job', 'hummer', 'oral gratification', etc. Those phrases don't have 'sex' in them so, it could be argued, they aren't sexual activity. Right or wrong, most people (adults and teens) don't consider oral sex to be sex.

"If adolescents only had sex in monogamous, married relationships, by definition there would be no STDs," Brueckner said, echoing President Bush's remarks in last year's State of the Union address. "But the majority of adolescents don't live like that. They do have sex."

~gasp~ He's kidding, right? Teens are having sex? Who knew!

Last year, the same research team found that 88 percent of teens who pledge abstinence end up having sex before marriage...

What an inspiring success rate! Let's funnel MORE money into these astoundingly successful programs!

Of course, some might argue that I've left out an important part of the statistic...that 99% of those who didn't make a pledge of abstinence, ended up having sex before marriage. By comparison, it looks as though the abstinence only programs really are successfull. That is, until you stop to consider that they're ABSTINENCE programs. In order for them to work, teens have to be NOT having sex (the definition of abstinence). However, teens are having sex. In large numbers, I might add, even in spite of their pledges. Perhaps a more succussful message would be, "Don't have sex...without a condom".

Nut Jobs with Kids

Hey, did you hear about the atheist parents who took their child out to the country for a sacrifice that would put an end to the world's ills? No, of course you didn't. I can't think of a single instance of an atheist going nuts and trying to sacrifice his/her son or daughter in order to solve imaginary (or even real!) problems. But those nutty Christians seem to do it all too often.

Indiana State Police first clocked Guzik's 2002 Chevrolet Camaro about 9:45 a.m. near Rensselaer headed southbound on I-65 at 106 mph. The vehicle was clocked at 89 mph near the Indiana 25 exit in Lafayette.

Several witnesses told police the Camaro was passing vehicles in the emergency stopping lane.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed Monday in Tippecanoe Superior Court 6, Guzik told Trooper Jerrod Patty that the vehicle was driving itself and going fast because "it must be what God wanted.

"Guzik said God spoke to him by applying pressure to Guzik's temples, neck and forehead.

He told police he was led by God from his home outside Detroit into the country to sacrifice his daughter, who, Guzik told police, had been attacked by demons in her sleep.

Guzik said God told him to get his daughter out of his house to escape the demons because she was in danger.

Sacrificing his daughter, Guzik told police, would save the world.

Uhh...yeah.

To Serve and Protect??

State trooper to motorcycle accident victim: Too Bad!

A state trooper was suspended for 15 days without pay after he was recorded on a 911 tape saying "too bad" to a caller seeking help for a man injured in a motorcycle accident.

Not to mention that it took 3 calls to finally get a responsible 911 operator to respond. The trooper responded to the second call with "he shouldn't have been riding like that". Prick.

Connecticut state Trooper Robert Peasley's actions, according to state police, did not affect the response time of emergency responders.

How do they figure?? None of the articles I've read mention anything about him dispatching emergency vehicles after his "too bad!" comment, so I'd say it certainly did affect the response time of emergency responders. Compounding the problem, the rider later died of injuries received in the accident.

The Repugnant Shiavo Mess

Some in GOP Fear Shiavo Effort May Alienate Voters

"It (Republicans' efforts to save the life of Terri Schiavo) goes beyond shameless politics," said Tony Fabrizio, a Republican pollster . "It becomes a more crystallized proof point that we are no longer the party of smaller government. We have become a party of 'It doesn't matter what size government is as long as it is imposing our set of values.' "

Well, it sure is talking people long enough to realize this!

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), before voting against the bill Bush later signed, asked: "How deep is this Congress going to reach into the personal lives of each and every one of us?"

Still, some Republican analysts say the immediate poll results (that 70% of those polled believe congressional intervention is inappropriate in the case) - and the concerns raised by Shays and others - are not politically significant because the activists pushing to keep Schiavo alive care more passionately than those opposing that view.

Oh. I see. So Liberty no longer matters. The important thing is who screams the loudest. What a great system of government!

And then there's this: Bush is a hypocrite. A flip-flopper, some might say. (I know, I know...that phrase is SO November, 2004).

WASHINGTON -- As Texas governor, George W. Bush signed a law that allows hospitals to pull the plug on critically ill patients despite family objections - the kind of court-authorized move the president and fellow Republicans are challenging in the Terri Schiavo case.

Bush is such a simp. I'm sure he'd rather kill 'em all and let god sort 'em out, but with the Christian Reich writing his checks these days, he sways whichever way their breeze is blowing.

"The Texas statute that Bush signed authorized the ending of the life, even over the parents' protest. And what he's doing here is saying, 'The parents are protesting. You shouldn't stop [treatment],'" said John Paris, a noted medical ethicist at Boston College.

The White House said yesterday that Bush's position is consistent, and that the Texas bill focused on expanding the rights of the critically ill and their families to prevent hospitals and doctors from denying life-saving treatment.

The White House went on, "Black is white, up is down, wrong is right. Oh, and fuck you for daring to challenge our whimsy!".

In Texas, Bush's position also had the backing of Texas Right to Life, whose national headquarters, along with other Christian conservatives that make up a key part of the Republican base, has taken up the fight to prolong Schiavo's life.

Miserable. They forgot to say "miserable". The Christian Reich is fighting to prolong her miserable life. Oh, wait. Who am I to say that her quality of life is at a level below acceptable? I'm no one to make that claim! And neither is friggin' Congress or that idiot in the White House! It should be up to the people closest to her; in this case, her husband!

Misc. Ranting About Bonk Jobs

Evangelicals' Bid to 'Reclaim' America

"We have God-sized problems in our country, and only God can solve them," Richard Land, a prominent leader of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), told the group.

Hmm...interesting, then, that "god" has yet to step up to the plate.

In material given to conference attendees, the Rev. D. James Kennedy, Coral Ridge pastor wrote: "As the vice-regents of God, we are to bring His truth and His will to bear on every sphere of our world and our society. We are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government ... our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors - in short, over every aspect and institution of human society."

Well. Now, see, that's just about the worst promotion of tolerance, live-and-let-live speech I've ever heard! I don't believe I've seen such aspirations for global dominance since...well, the Bush maladministration. And the Crusades. And Dr. Evil's Evil Organization.

This is the 10th conference to spread this "cultural mandate" among Christians, and although the church's pastor couldn't speak due to illness...

With the Pope hanging on to life by barely a thread and this minister missing his conference, most important of events, due to illness...I'm beginning to doubt the omnipotence of "God".

This melding of religion and politics, Christianity and patriotism, makes many uneasy, particularly those on the other side of the so-called culture war, who see a threat to the healthy discourse of a pluralistic society.

And who could blame them for feeling that pluralism is being threatened when the Christian Reich is making statements about bringing their fairy tale worldview to bear on every sphere of the world and society. Not a whole lot of room for freedom or pluralism there.

Some (of the Bonk Jobs) are already involved in their communities - in antiabortion actions, in trying to prevent removal of feeding tubes from Terri Schiavo, or in efforts to oppose same-sex marriage by defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Because if there's one thing Fundamentalist Bonk Jobs are about, it's ensuring that everyone live to suffer through a long, excruciating life. Without any concern for the quality of Terri Schiavo's life, they want her kept alive. Without any concern for what kind of life a fetus will have to endure after it is born into an already over-populated world to a mother who doesn't want it, or can't afford to support it, they want that baby born, damn it! Without any concern for the quality of life or of the mental health of LGBT people, they want them stripped of any of the same rights the rest of us enjoy, and crammed back into the closet.

Several speakers emphasize the idea that America's founders were largely Christian and that their intent was to establish a biblically based nation. (No mention is made of other influences on the Founding Fathers, such as Englightenment thinkers or issues of freedom of conscience.)

Thank you! It's about time someone mentioned that the Founders weren't just a bunch of Christian Nut Jobs in their reporting. You won't find any kind of reporting the facts like that at Faux News. They Distort, You Decide. Ironic, I think, that such a mention is made in an article published by the Christian Science Monitor.

Coral Ridge's Center for Reclaiming America is building a grass-roots alliance around five issues: the sanctity of life, religious liberty, pornography, the "homosexual agenda," and creation vs. evolution.

Religious Liberty. Stupid assholes think that religious liberty means having the unfettered right to ram their bigoted, racist, homophobic fairy tale down everyone else's throat. That's not religious liberty, you stupid ass-clowns, that's religious TYRANNY!

Hey...did they say they're building a grass-roots alliance around pornography?? Cool!

"If they (judges) don't vote our way, we'll change their view one way or another," executive director Gary Cass tells the group.

Did that guy just threaten to kill judges who won't vote their way?? Get Tom Ridge on the phone! (Wait, did he jump ship with the rest of Bush's cabinet, too?)

"We're going to take back what we lost in the last half of the 20th century," he adds.

Your minds?

Keyes' Daughter Destroying America...

...or something. Tough to make much sense of a raving lunatic.

(St Augustine, Florida) The coming out of his own daughter has not softened former Ambassador Alan Keyes' position on gays and same-sex marriage.

The conservative broadcaster and failed senate candidate delivered a scathing attack gay marriage at a Christian rally in St Augustine, Florida.

"Marriage exists in order to respect, recognize and enforce obligations that arise from the fact of procreation," Keyes said in his keynote address at ProFamily Rally 2005. (It's got nothing to do with love and respect for your partner? I mean, I'm just asking).

He then declared that heterosexual couples who choose not to have children do not hurt the institution, but a gay union would annihilate it.

Hey, check it out! Right here in the dictionary next to "Raving Lunatic Homophobe"...why, it's a picture of Alan Keyes!

He told the audience that allowing a judge to rule that same-sex couples can marry is a form of tyranny.

Umm. What? ~sigh~ Poor Bonk Jobs. And poor all-of-us for having to suffer the indignity of Keyes' existence. If only he understood how the judicial system worked. It's not tyranny for a judge to make a ruling according to the laws of the state/country. On the other hand, it is tyranny for the pResident to enact laws contrary to the best interest of the People by pResidential fiat -- I mean "Executive Order".

Keyes also said he does not see that there is a separation of church and state in the U.S. Constitution, noting that laws incorporate biblical values.

Right. Like the U.S. law banning worship of any god(s) other than Yahweh? Or the one which makes it illegal to go shopping on Sunday? Based on Biblical values, indeed.

Following Tuesday's speech in St Augustine Keyes refused to discuss his relationship with his own daughter.

Keyes' daughter came out last month at a Valentines Day demonstration in support of gay marriage in Maryland. (story)

It was Maya Marcel-Keyes first public appearance as a gay activist. Marcel-Keyes said her parents have thrown her out of the house, stopped speaking to her and refuse to pay for college because she is a lesbian.

Ah, yes. Family values! Warms the cockles of your heart, doesn't it?

Jesus Scented Candles

Oh my gawd, this is too friggin' hilarious!

Jesus Scented Candles

I just gotta wonder aloud: what do they smell like? B.O.?? (Personal hygiene being what it was "back in the day"). Rotting flesh?? ("Hey, it's the scent of Jesus as 'he is risen!' "). Or, maybe, since the candle is called "His Essence", it's got a nice "protein" scent to it.

"It's a Messianic Psalm referring to when Christ returns and his garments will have the scent of myrrh, aloe and cassia," says Karen Tosterud.

Ah. I see. It's much more innocent than I had originally thought. Now...where's my box of Chocolate Jesuses? I've got me a hankerin' for some Easter candy!

Misplaced Punishment

Video of Teacher's Outburst May Lead to Cell Phone Ban

BRICK -- The Board of Education may toughen its policy on use of wireless telephones in schools, after a videotape showing a Brick Township High School teacher screaming at his students to show respect for the national anthem — and then pulling the chair from underneath one student who refused to stand — was posted on several independent Web sites.

Wait, wait, wait, hold on! A student records a teacher verbally abusing his class and violating another student's right to not stand for the National Anthem, and the proper response is...to ban camera phones??? How about repremanding the teacher!

"We as a Board of Education realize that we are ushering a new era and will be forced to review our policies and perhaps enforce a more stringent districtwide policy regarding electronic recording devices in the classroom," Seidenberger added.

Well, in this era of government-controlled media filtering out the truth when it shines a light on the government's violation of human rights, a statement like the one quoted shouldn't surprise me. I guess it's not so much surprise, as it is outrage.

According to at least one Web site, students knew Mantel "was gonna go nuts because he frequently used to" over disrespect for the anthem, and that the students brought the camera into the classroom "to expose the teacher in case he did anything again."

Go to The Joker's Linkdump or MediaPickle and check out the video. The teacher goes absolutely ape-shit. Way over the line. Especially in light of the fact that the students have a right not to stand.

Will the Mystery Woman Please Step Forward?

I love it when reporters dig. (Wish they'd do it with all things Bush related, though). From the New York Times...

The female executive whose romantic relationship with Harry C. Stonecipher led to his ouster this week as Boeing's chief executive has been identified as Debra Peabody, an employee in Washington who has been at Boeing for more than 20 years.

Ms. Peabody, whose identity was disclosed last night by BusinessWeek Online and confirmed by a company official, is a 48-year-old divorced executive who manages office operations for Boeing's chief Washington lobbyist, Rudy deLeon. She is a graduate of Ohio University and received an executive M.B.A. at the University of Washington, which featured her recently in a promotional brochure.

I guess, now that her identity has been revealed, she won't be having a career at Boeing any longer. Lew Platt said yesterday that her identity was being kept under wraps pending the outcome of the investigation into her involvement in the affair. Umm...I thought the outcome of the investigation into Harry concluded that the relationship was consensual. That would seem to indicate that she is as guilty as he. Except that, apparently, Harry wasn't fired for having an affair with an employee. He was fired for using company e-mail to send her explicit messages. So, I guess, if she didn't talk dirty back, she gets to stay? Well, probably not anymore, now that everyone knows who she is.

On a related note, I've lately been a bit irritated at the kid-glove treatment Harry's gotten. While I don't think it's anyone's business whether or not Harry was having an affair, if he (ab)used company resources in relation to that affair, he deserves what he got. The investigators say he didn't, so I'm no longer sure Harry deserved what he got, in spite of any personal feelings I may have for the guy. It's possible that Harry's ouster was a knee-jerk over reaction in an overly puritanical envorionment. However...if Boeing's board were trying to make a point, simply letting the guy walk seems a bit of a milquetoast reaction. Turns out Harry was about to be awarded a potential payout of something near $27 million in stocks for his performance in 2004 but needed to be employed by the company for a full year after the bonus was awarded. (Guess that explains why he was waiting until 2006 to retire...again). So, it turns out that he did lose something as a result of his "poor judgement". Still, I have a hard time feeling sorry for a multi-millionaire not getting another $27 million to heap on top of the tens (hundreds?) of millions he already has.

More on Harry

From the Seattle Times...

"It's not the fact he was having an affair - that is not a violation of our code of conduct," the chairman (Lew Platt) said. As the company explored the circumstances surrounding the relationship, however, it discovered "some issues of poor judgment" that impaired Stonecipher's ability to lead the company, he said.

Umm...because boffing one of your employees isn't, in and of itself, a matter of poor judgement?

By accepting Boeing's request to resign, Stonecipher became entitled to what Platt called a "standard retirement package." Details were not disclosed.

Son of a bitch!!!! Harry gets shit-canned for violating Boeing's Code of Ethical Conduct and his punishment is...a full retirement package?? WTF?! I repeat: What...the...fuck...is wrong here? If I were fired for ethical violations, you can be damn sure I wouldn't be receiving any benefits package! This good-ol-boy, protect-the-rich-white-male-criminal system of doing business is absolute bullshit! If Harry sullied the good name (and I use the term extremely loosely) of Boeing, violated ethics, embarrassed the company and tarnished its ability to do business, why is he being rewarded? I say, yank his pension, revoke the company contributions to his 401K, kick him in the ass and maybe hold the door open as he's tossed through it.

The woman involved in the affair remains with the company, although Platt said "I don't know what she will decide to do."

Wait a tick. Did she not violate company ethics by engaging in this affair the same as Harry? Oh, wait...she's an executive, too. And probably not eligible for retirement yet, so they'll let her stick around until she can collect her full retirement benefit.

The tough-talking son of a Tennessee coal miner, Stonecipher had been credited with helping Boeing to clean up its ethical behavior and with improving its sullied reputation in Washington.

Hahahahaha. Oopsie! This is just too rich. If it weren't for the board giving Harry a nice handshake and a couple of boatloads of cash as a parting gift, I'd really be enjoying this whole thing.

From MSN Money...

"Harry ... was really the staunchest supporter of the code of conduct,'' Platt said.

Meaning what, exactly? That he supported ethical behavior or that he supported forcing all of us peons to sign a silly piece of paper that was supposed to make Boeing look like a company full of ethical people. I submit it was clearly the latter. It's all about appearances.

It's been said in a UK commentary piece regarding Harry getting sacked that we're to puritanical in this country (ya think?) and that Harry's ouster was a bit extreme. Now, I'm a pretty liberal guy and I wouldn't pass judgement on Harry for doing whatever he chooses to do in his private life. I don't care if he's having extra-marital sex. That's his and his wife's business, not mine. But, what pisses me off so much is the hypocrisy. First of him touting these high ethical standards (and then not adhering to them) and then the kid-glove treatment he's been given. To ram-rod a piece of paper called the "Code of Conduct", and our mandatory signatures on it, down our throats as the savior of the company's image and then pull this crap is just...it's just the height of hypocrisy.

Boeing CEO Canned for Ethics Violation

That's right, in spite of him having signed his "Code of Conduct" which states that he understands and will adhere to Boeing's highest ethical standards, Harry was still doing a female executive. The following is from the e-mail I just received...

Over the weekend, the Board of Directors asked for and received Harry Stonecipher’s resignation as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Events that led to this action began 10 days ago, when General Counsel, Vice President of Ethics and I received anonymous information regarding a personal relationship between Harry and a female executive of the company. The board took this matter seriously and immediately instructed the General Counsel’s office to bring in outside counsel and lead a thorough inquiry into the facts. All parties cooperated fully and candidly with the inquiry, which determined that there is, in fact, such a relationship.

...the board holds the CEO to the highest of professional and personal standards. We concluded that the facts reflected poorly on Harry’s judgment and would impair his ability to lead the company forward. Finally, Harry’s actions were inconsistent with the Boeing Code of Conduct—specifically, the portion that states “Employees will not engage in conduct or activity that may raise questions as to the company’s honesty, impartiality, reputation or otherwise cause embarrassment to the company.”

The Code of Conduct system was supposed to be the be-all and end-all of Boeing's ethical violations; from the Lockheed proprietary data woes to the Mike Sears/Darleen Druyun scandal. I guess it wasn't such a great system after all. But then again, I could've told you that. In fact, I think I did. Let's see...where are the comments I submitted to my supervisor along with that Code of Conduct form I was forced into signing. Ah yes, here it is...

I would like to note that I am fully in support of adherence to ethical conduct by all employees, at every level of employment within the company. I believe it to be good not just for Boeing, but for the industry and country as well. Too many examples of unethical corporate conduct have come to light in the past several years throughout the nation for the issue to be ignored. (I was referring here to the Enron, Tyco, WorldComm, etc. scandals for which the heads responsible have yet to roll...I doubt they ever will). Having said that, I would like to point out the following:

An ethical employee will adhere to the best ethical practices of a company, which will likely coincide with their own moral guiding, regardless of any formal certification indicating so. Likewise, an unethical employee will sign the Code of Conduct but continue to engage in unethical practices just the same. There is no way to discern the ethical from the unethical based on a signature. Therefore, it proves little – aside from the fact that Boeing senior management is capable of forcing its subordinates into signing, under threat of corrective action and possible termination of employment -- to have employees sign a certification indicating their adherence to Boeing’s Code of Conduct; especially when considering the fact that policies and procedures currently exist which address issues of company ethics. It would seem to be a more genuine indicator, not to mention more “positive, caring, and personal” (I was quoting from paperwork which accompanied "the Code"), to have each employee certify their commitment to ethics voluntarily and not under threat of punishment.

The thrust of the matter is that talking the talk won’t get the job done. Stacks upon stacks of signed Code of Conduct Certification forms will not necessarily make Boeing an ethical company. Boeing will have to walk the walk, perhaps for quite a while, before customer confidence can be regained and the company can again be viewed as trustworthy and ethical. A pattern of ethical behavior is the only indicator of an
ethical company. The coming months, or years, will likely be a painful period of growth during which many may doubt, based on past performance, Boeing’s dedication to ethics. However, it will be necessary, and no amount of signed codes of conduct can change that fact.

In spite of my misgivings as to the benefit of the certification process or to the oppressive manner in which it was carried out, the following is my certification that I have read and understand the Boeing Code of Conduct, that to the best of my knowledge, I am in compliance with the Boeing Code of conduct, and that I will continue to comply with the Boeing Code of Conduct.

Turns out I was right in feeling that us being forced to sign this redundant piece of paper was a complete waste of time and money. (By accepting employment here, we default to accepting the terms of employment, which include an ethical code, the violation of which could result in termination...so what was the point of yearly renewal other than a transparent song and dance?) Harry signed the same damned form we all did...two years in a row. And still, he conducted himself in an unethical manner. Gee, who woulda thought? At the risk of sounding way full of myself, I just have to say, "Damn, it feels great to be right". Now we just need for the Bush maladministration to implode and for everyone to finally see them for the self-serving, manipulative cabal of criminals that they are.

No Warrior Left Untapped

Stricter Limits Sought on Military's Access to High Schools

The No Child Left Behind Act approved by Congress in 2001 requires school districts to provide military recruiters with the same access to high schools given to college or job recruiters.

Oh, so THAT's what "No Child Left Behind" means. (Without adequate funding, it certainly didn't mean that every child would be properly educated). Apparently, it means that when Busholini marches his army off to war, he wants to make sure that no cannon fodder -- er, "child" -- is left behind, safe and sound at home. No way you can take over the world without throwing every 18 year-old you have at the battle.

Under the current law, parents must tell school officials they don't want their child contacted by the military, at school or home. Otherwise, schools are required to turn over students' names, addresses and phone numbers to Pentagon recruiters. (San Jose Democratic Rep. Mike) Honda wants to turn that around, and allow the military to talk only to those students whose parents approve such contact.

But Thomas Donnelly, military analyst at the American Enterprise Institute (an unabashedly hawkish neo-con think tank), said Honda's proposal is "really stupid. It's going nowhere, and even if it did, it would face a tough constitutional challenge.''

Yes..."really stupid" to protect our children from these vultures. They're worse than the sleaziest used-car salesman. They're not just selling you a rusted old heap which they swear is a gem, they're selling death! And what constitutional challenge would there be? Congress is charged with raising a military, but it has no explicit right to do so in public high schools. Besides, Honda's measure wouldn't block recruiters from access to high school students, it would just block unsolicted recruiting. Think of the proposed legislation this way: telemarketing is merely a nuissance, but we got the "do not call" list enacted. These recruiters are way worse than telemarketers. We're talking about childrens' lives. They should be protected at least as well as our peaceful evenings.

"It's not like the military heavily targets San Francisco,''

(San Francisco school board President) Mar said. "They know we are wary of military recruiters,'' because of widespread anti- war sentiment in the city and because of the military's "don't ask, don't tell'' policy that has led to the dismissal of gays and lesbians from the military.I'll bet there's more to it than even that. I'd wager that the military recruiters more heavily target, areas in which the standard of living is lower than, say, San Fransisco. Economically depressed youth have less incentive to say no to the military. For many poor children, the military is the "only way out".

"Face it, war is a young person's game,'' said Donnelly.

Actually, war is an old man's game. It's just the young people's job to die. Which, I suppose, is why Republicans will be so up-in-arms over their access to potential soldiers being cut off.

Church/State Entanglements

Bush Says Religious Beliefs Should Figure in Charity Jobs

However...

Administration officials say that some religious charities have been dissuaded from applying for federal grants out of fear that they would lose their religious identities in having to comply with civil rights laws that prevent discrimination in hiring.

You see what happens when church and state aren't kept separate? It isn't just about stopping religious fantasy from influencing government policy (although that's my main concern). It has just as much to do with the government -- i.e. all of us, some of whom adhere to different religious views -- forcing churches to do things that contradict their charter. Things like hiring people to work for them who aren't devoted to the same deity.

"One of the key reasons why many faith-based groups are so effective is a commitment to serve that is grounded in the shared values and religious identity of their volunteers and employees," Bush said. "In other words, effectiveness happens because people who share a faith show up to help a particular organization based on that faith to succeed."

What about those whose commitment to serve is grounded in the shared value of humanitarian compassion? I suppose Pope Bush the Worst thinks there aren't any Atheists who care about their fellow humankind?? Nice. Real nice.

Under the initiative, the administration has encouraged federal agencies to funnel more money to religious organizations that Bush says often perform social services more effectively than the government.

According to Bush, religious organizations perform social services more effectively than the government (faith-based initiatives) and Joe America can invest his retirement funds more effectively than the government (Social Security deform…no, it's not a typo) and polluting industries can better protect the environment than the government ("Clear Skies"/"Healthy Forests" initiatives). What is the government effective at, you ask? Judging from the past 4 years, we can gather that the government is good at failing to protect us, bombing the fuck out of brown people as some sort of macho justification for failing to secure us in the first place, and emptying the government coffers into the hands of rich, white men. What an effective government we have! Sure am proud to be an American. Let's hear it for the Red, White & Blue! Give Ol' Glory a wave! ...or something.