1. God hates Mars

Comment #199449 by Nentuaby on June 25, 2008 at 7:18 pm

Damn straight you can deep fry a Snickers. It is GLORIOUS.

2. Lawsuit filed over 'I Believe' plates in S.C.

Comment #196705 by Nentuaby on June 20, 2008 at 10:58 am

((Edit: I see the original comment was deleted while I wrote... I'll leave this here for anyone else who might be puzzled. ;) ))

It would be one among many, Paula. The issuee would pay an extra amount along with his license fee to get one of the "special" ones instead of the default design showing a solid color or simple state iconography. There are usually on the order of a few dozen special plates to choose from.

The main issue, aside from the fact that it's a government issued item with religious iconography on it, is where that extra fee goes. Special plates are (in most states at least, including Florida where this has already gone through) a form of fund raising. The extra fee to get the special plate goes to a non-profit organization championing whatever the design on the plate supports. So, for instance, a plate with whales sends money to a marine conservation group; a plate with finger painting funds a children's issues charity.

Here, the money goes to a "faith based charity," which is generally understood by opponents of this sort of thing to mean that the state government is collecting money for religious proselytizing.

3. Trailer for Religulous

Comment #190571 by Nentuaby on June 9, 2008 at 9:01 am

I'd feel much better about having Bill Maher on my side if he wasn't a certified lunatic in the domain of health care. He's strongly anti-vaccination and advocates that particular theory of "medicine" that sees vaguely defined "toxins" behind every ill.

4. The Stupidity of Dignity

Comment #178975 by Nentuaby on May 12, 2008 at 10:27 am

Holy crap... I literally goggled at that bit about the ice cream cones. The inmates really are running the asylum these days, aren't they.

5. $271 Million for Research on Stem Cells in California

Comment #177527 by Nentuaby on May 9, 2008 at 8:41 am

Every once in a while, we Californians are reminded of just why we put up with our outsize state and local governments. Our officious a*holes at least approach life from a reality-based perspective instead of the religious claptrap the ones in Washington are all so fond of.

6. Gunk in T. Rex Fossil Confirms Dino-Bird Lineage

Comment #169209 by Nentuaby on April 25, 2008 at 4:00 pm

Uhhhmmm... No, Moderndaythomas, we are descended from apes... We aren't descended from any *living* apes, but our common ancestor with the other extant apes was also an ancient, extinct ape.

7. Judge orders La. school district to stop Bible giveaways

Comment #166664 by Nentuaby on April 23, 2008 at 11:22 am

Avzen:

Barring an elective Comparative Religion course at the secondary level (which would be rare), you're absolutely correct. US public schools do not have classes on religion; at most, there would be a unit in a general Social Studies course. Actually giving out copies of any one religion's scripture would never be a part of that unit (barring a rogue principle) as, even in the context of a view-point-neutral course, it would just skirt too close to the prohibition against Establishment.