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Comments by Vaal


701. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162676 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 8:03 am

What is love? The hormone's running through your body as a teenager (nature's way of getting you to propagate your genes)? The love of your parents or children. The love of your pet? The love of looking through a telescope or listening to music, or reading a book? Love of your country?

Love is not eternal. We have all fallen out of love, nearly all murders are perpetrated by somebody they know, often a family member.

I have NO love whatsoever for the aggressive hoodies that hang around the local shop, even if they are other humans. In fact, how many people do we really care for, other then direct family members and close friends? I always get indignant at pop stars like Michael Jackson telling me he loves me. Why? I don't love you, or even particularly like you.

702. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162635 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 6:53 am

Steve

So, as a fledgling Jedi, I can hope to count on Prince Charles for support in defending my faith?

703. Yoko Ono, Filmmakers Caught in 'Expelled' Flap

Comment #162569 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 4:42 am

Ah man. That has made my morning. Can these guys get any more incompetent?

704. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162560 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 4:19 am

2057. Comment #162522 by Egomaniac

Who said anything about a harp and a cloud?


Ah, please advise us what you will be doing for eternity in the afterlife. I would be very interested to know. And what age do you go to the afterlife at, the age you died, or as a youngster. What ages will your parents be? Will you be married for eternity, or like the Muslims are you going to have non stop sex with 72 virgins for ever?

It undoubtedly keeps a lot of people in check, though. Yes, some do use this mentality to justify suicide bombings, but by and large, this way of thinking benefits the world as a whole


So, you need the threat of eternal damnation otherwise you will be out raping, looting and in the case of the insane, flying planes into buildings. What a sad indictment of humanity. It is a wonder how our species managed to survive all those tens of thousands of years before the advent of the despotic Abrahamic desert God.

what a horrible mischaracterization of the lives of people who believe in the afterlife


I would say quite an accurate characterization. as evidenced by your own post.

705. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162501 by Vaal on April 17, 2008 at 3:14 am

2022. Comment #162482 by Egomaniac

The notion of a continued existence after death, along with the idea that the manner in which one's life has been lived will influence the level of quality of said existence adds meaning to many people's lives


So, your life has no meaning, unless you are plucking a harp on a cloud for eternity and your WHOLE life is dedicated to that. What a tragedy. Also, your morality based on being good solely for the selfish reason of eternal life, rather than being good for no other reason than being good, smacks of solipsism.

What a shocking waste of life, just wishing for your afterlife. Suggest you go out and have a look at a sunset or listening to some music and having some quality time with friends and family, making the most of THIS life, rather than living in cloud cuckoo land.

706. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162250 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 12:42 pm

36. Comment #162235 by padster1976

Of course, they have Disneyland in Florida as well? I rest my case. :-)

707. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162248 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 12:38 pm

Senate Majority Leader Dan Webster, R-Winter Garden, said the theory of evolution "had flaws."


And his qualifications are .....???

I shall be waiting with interest to see the Senator's peer reviewed scientific articles showing the "flaws".

708. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162244 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 12:30 pm

Comment #162228 by flying goose

What is the source of morality?

It comes out of the hills just north of Scunthorpe (I think).


Blasphemy! It comes from the Peckham springs...

709. Richard Dawkins' secular army must be stopped. God is behind some of our greatest art

Comment #162239 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 12:27 pm

Wow. He is taking a pasting. I wonder if he will think twice before writing such twaddle again. As for The Guardian, they should be ashamed of printing such third rate articles. I would expect something more constructive from a schoolboy. Not a great reflection on the Guardian editor.

So, where do we get the army of Dawkins uniform? Can I be Colonel Mustard please?

710. Evolution fray attracts top scientist

Comment #162205 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 10:35 am

And this is from Florida, the state where Nasa has Cape Kennedy based? I thought that this would have been one of the more enlightened of the US states!

711. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162197 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 9:58 am

Comment #162167 by Sargeist

From what I have seen from this forum since I became a member, most of the theists that come on here do not have an argument. Their best shots are trying to discredit science, in particular evolution, and fill the holes with "God of the gaps" or "my personal feelings", or "voices in my head", down to "Not my God(s)".

I haven't seen a credible and plausible argument from a single theist yet, from the paranoia of David Roberston to the virtual reality world of Danielos. Most that have come on here have retreated in the face of the powerful posts of the more knowledgeable contributors, or just ignored them (DR).

What does surprise me is, as you and Epeeist have already indicated, is the poor general knowledge of most of the theists. Most of them do not understand the difference between abiogenesis and evolution. They have a poor understanding of evolution, the natural world, geology, and Cosmology. They are also so arrogant that they seem to believe that they are the sole reason and the end result of the ENTIRE Universe. Such solipsism beggars belief. If the Earth was snuffed out tomorrow, the Universe would continue in supreme indifference, regardless of wishful thinking.

Mostly their argument is from scripture, and as many contributors on RD are from a religious background, they have a sound knowledge of scripture, and just take it apart. It is also a circular argument.

The best argument is perhaps the anthropic principle, as we don't fully understand that yet, although this also has been dissected by other RD contributors. Behes irreducible complexity comes down to no more than wishful thinking and pseudo-science.

What have they left? From what I can see from the "Expelled" fiasco, there is a deliberate policy of disinformation, pseudo-science, propaganda, pure deceit, and complete absence of the scientific method. Not very impressive, is it?

712. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162162 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 8:54 am

Al, I wonder how old they were?

Maybe he was in there checking to see if any ankles were visible? :-))

713. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162148 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 8:27 am

On a slightly different note, I think that some of you may enjoy the hypocrisy in this snippet of news...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7350165.stm

714. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162064 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 5:28 am

Steve, I commend you, but you are talking to somebody who hears voices in his head. You can debate till the world turns to ice, it won't change an iota of his opinion. The thread is already deteriorating to "science smacks of faith" after a relatively promising start.

Karda doesn't seem unintelligent and seems likeable, he reminds me a little of Revcourt, who did make me laugh, and who also claimed to have had a voice in his head, but I suspect that the posts will get vaguer and vaguer until they evaporate into obscurantism. I hope to be proved incorrect, but doubt it.

715. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162052 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 4:30 am

1836. Comment #162049 by Styrer

These fuckers simply revel in the delight of recruiting someone when they're clinically depressed, vulnerable or just plain down in the dumps


Common tactic Styrer, particularly in the Evangelical community. I have seen it many times before. Grab them when they are vulnerable, unhappy, had a family tragedy, in a marriage breakdown or just seeking a community that will accept them. Like a pack of wolves waiting for the weakest member of the herd to drop out, ready to pounce on them and devour them.

I have to say though, if I ever had the need to search out a religious community, the last people in the world I would turn to are DR's loonies. I would go back to my old Methodist minister, who was probably one of the kindest people I had ever met.

716. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #162035 by Vaal on April 16, 2008 at 3:05 am

Shame about RM, but you could see it coming. Tragic that he has turned to a vulture like DR though, who is licking his lips at his propaganda coup, and has no concern whatsoever for poor RM, unlike people on this site who have shown him some compassion.

Lying is not always unethical. We all lie, every day


Particularly when we go shopping with our wives/girlfriends and telling our sisters what great dress sense they have :-)

717. Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss

Comment #161248 by Vaal on April 15, 2008 at 4:21 am

33. Comment #161243 by Tyler Durden

Steve, it's at this point that theists usually start talking about warm, fuzzy feelings, the fact that they "just know", or about their "inner voice"


The same inner voice as David Koresh and the Reverend Jim Jones?

718. Religious education as a part of literary culture

Comment #161241 by Vaal on April 15, 2008 at 4:06 am

I concur with that Steve.

What a palette of wishful thinking.I wonder why you want to live at all if you hate life so much. I am afraid the only place you will be going is exactly the same place you were the aeons before you existed, nowhere, and I suspect that deep down you know that as well. At least your body will provide nutrients for new life so you can be grateful for that.

Because a larger number of people believe in something doesn't make it true. Most people used to believe the world was flat, and the Earth was the centre of the Universe.

I also highly suspect the figures, most of my friends were bought up as Christians but don't believe, yet are still on the census as Christians. To say you don't believe in Islam will lead to death, or being ostracised from society, so they are hardly likely to shout it from the rooftops. I suspect that the real figures are much much higher, and as the Zeitgeist changes, the pernicious influence of religion will wane and end up where it belongs, in the dustbin of history, just as Zeus, Odin, Sun Gods, Cave Bear Gods...

719. The simple falsehood at the heart of Expelled

Comment #161185 by Vaal on April 15, 2008 at 2:32 am

David Robertson has heard all these arguments before, he just suffers from head in the sand syndrome.

Honestly guys, it is not worth responding. He only comes on here to wind you up.

720. Richard Dawkins' secular army must be stopped. God is behind some of our greatest art

Comment #161169 by Vaal on April 15, 2008 at 1:59 am

Kintaro_crab

Do you know I had exactly the same experience as you. I had to go to church three times a Sunday as a youngster, and hated every second of it. Vicars boring me to death, Sunday school teachers with no answers and blank looks, being told that I was going to Hell unless I believed. Praying to nobody.

It felt ridiculous from the very beginning. I never felt any divine presence in the church or anywhere and the whole concept of worshipping a God, any God, just struck me as childish, anachronistic and simplistic. Maybe I was just contrary, but, like you, I regarded it as a dreadful waste of time, when I could have been out playing with my friends or studying ANYTHING else.

As I became older, I developed a great interest in Astronomy, even building my own telescope. However, looking at the history of Astronomy it infuriated me that Religion always reared its ugly head trying to subvert the search for knowledge, as it still does now. Once I saw the scale of the Universe, and how small the Earth and humanity is, it really gives you a correct sense of perspective.

Developing an interest in human origins, geology, natural history and science in general was the final nail in the coffin for such antiquated superstitious world views.

My father was trying to do the right thing for us, and I have no resentment towards him, but if I had my time over again, I would absolutely refuse to go to Church. Unfortunately I now have as good a knowledge of the bible as the unfortunate David Robertson, so it is easier to confute the inanity spouted by the religiously indoctrinated.

721. For sale: 13-year-old virgin

Comment #160927 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 2:47 pm

46. Comment #160903 by Artful_Dodger

If there is no God we are only animals


Why are you so afraid of being called an animal? I am proud of my ancient heritage. That is exactly what you are, a bipedal hominid, a mammal, or perhaps you are just a plank of wood or a bit of plastic?

And yes, you are right. There is no God.

722. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #160862 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 1:44 pm

So Steve, did your partner start calling you "Cobber" when he came back from Oz? :-)

Suspect I may be dude as I have been a bit cross at some of the inanity today, must be a Monday thing.

723. Religious education as a part of literary culture

Comment #160797 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 11:51 am

Richard, does it not infuriate you the way you are constantly misrepresented? It is bad enough from apologists such as David Robertson, but from articles in the Guardian, and other mainstream newspapers.

I admire your restraint.

724. For sale: 13-year-old virgin

Comment #160790 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 11:48 am

Man, some people should NEVER be allowed to be parents. Have they got some mental disorder?

Al, does it really say that? How do the apologists get away with that filth?

725. For sale: 13-year-old virgin

Comment #160754 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 11:16 am

2. Comment #160693 by al-rawandi

An 8 year old in Yemen just sought a divorce from her husband, who beat her and forced her to have sex


Al, Surely he was only following the example of his prophet?

726. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #160752 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 11:10 am

1407. Comment #160679 by sschaller

The Scientific community has two options:
1. Silence Opponents -
Shut out all debate on the subject, just as Galileo was silenced when suggesting radically different ideas to the standard accepted theories


Let's see, Galileo was threatened with death and had to spend the rest of his life under house arrest, and couldn't publish his work until after his death. There was no theory behind the Church's claim, it was no more than religous dogma based on ancient text. The clergy were appalled that the Earth and humanity were toppled from the pedestal of being at the centre of the Universe, and were prepared to murder in the vilest manner possible to stifle anything that contradicted their word view, as occurred to the unfortunate Giordano Bruno, who was burnt alive at the stake. The age of ignorance had finally had a breach in the Dyke, all those millenniums wasted, particularly since the Greeks knew over 2000 years before, that the Earth revolved around the sun. What I find just as disgraceful is that it took till 1992 before the Church finally admitted it was wrong. Not exactly a hot line to God, is it?

ID is no more than Biblical Creationism reinvented. It is not science, it is religion. Where we do get upset, and quite rightly, is when this is portrayed in the invidious language of "Expelled" as anti freedom of speech. The appalling record of pseudo-science, propaganda, disinformation, snide trickery and outright lies as a policy of the ID'iots is a disgrace. Until they show evidence of Intelligent design, instead of "God did it", and "God of the gaps" then they will be accorded the contempt they deserve. To give them a level playing field to the works of Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Darwin and other great scientists, is to compare modern science to flat Earthism. They would take us from the Space shuttle back to the wooden wheel. Ludicrous.

Personally, I had no problem with people believing that they wanted, but in the light of a majority of people in the States actually believing the world is 6000 years old based on archaic plagiarized Babylonian creation myth, then yes, it has be fought tooth and nail, otherwise the age of darkness and ignorance will overtake us again, and that cannot be allowed to happen. I will fight tooth and nail to ensure my children are not taught this anachronistic nonsense as fact in school. I have no problem to it being taught in Religious education, just as all other Creation myths.

Now, when they have some facts and are able to demonstrate their views with a scientific method, then that will be when we look up and listen. However, given their current tactics, I suspect they know that that will never happen.

727. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #160662 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 9:06 am

Who's inner voice in particular? Hannibal Lector, Tony Blair, Mohamed Atta, Darth Ratzinger?

How many rantings from an "inner voice" have left people in a straitjacket in an asylum? Accrediting that inner voice to a non existent deity is particularly ingenuous and dangerous, as demonstrated tragically by the likes of the Reverend Jim Jones and David Koresh.

728. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #160640 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 8:50 am

Holy Spirit is a concept that hints at the connection between consciousness and physics


Holy Spirit is a concept that hints at the connection between bread and cheese. Adding words together like that make just as much sense, and are as completely worthless as much as "I believe yada yada yada". I am sure the Aztec's believed just as devoutly when they were cutting the heart out of some young victim of their religiously inspired stupidity.

Come on, knock us out with some evidence and an actual argument, not this inane non stop twaddle.

729. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #160611 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 8:27 am

I'm sorry, but the avalanche of "I believe this" and "I believe that" and "quit believing in evolution and it would cease to exist" is the most vacuous piffle I have heard in ages.

You guys are very patient but you might as well argue with a brick wall. I am afraid in this case, the most cogent reply is left to Irate..

730. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #160570 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 7:54 am

Ah, the red herring of morals arose from religion..

We had a good rebuttal of this and the usual straw man theist arguments some time ago..

http://richarddawkins.net/articleComments,1780,You-cant-be-moral-without-God,RichardDawkinsnet,page1#comments

No point going through it all again every time some new theist comes on line.

Josh, can we have a permanent link to these rebuttals on the front page?

732. Richard Dawkins' secular army must be stopped. God is behind some of our greatest art

Comment #160419 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 4:21 am

76. Comment #160417 by Christopher Davis

Do you know that one of the girls in my Bible class actually justified the genocide of the people who lived in these cities as they were "Heathens". She said it with a straight face as well.

Not to mention poor old Lot's wife turned to salt, because of curiosity. God really is a bast*d! The extinction of all other humans on the Earth except Noah. Always wondered how Noah got koala's and Kangaroo's on the Ark? Did they fly there?

All the first born in Egypt being killed by God. I presume that these children were God's children as well, so doesn't that also make him guilty of infanticide. What a complete git!

Yep, I am afraid I found most of the Biblical stories a disgrace.

733. Richard Dawkins' secular army must be stopped. God is behind some of our greatest art

Comment #160402 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 3:23 am

I loved biblical stories more than any other children's literature


Give me Enid Blighton any day, or JK Rowling. I found most Biblical stories quite shocking, such as the arrival of the Jews to the "promised land", which God forget to let them know actually had people already living there. They then went on a genocidal rampage, sacking cities and callously murdering all male prisoners, and women who "had known men", then taking all the rest into slavery.

I didn't find that inspirational at all. I found it perverse and disgusting, and was always astonished that people in our Bible class just turned a blind eye to such blatant genocide. As I reminded them, just how would the UN react to that today?

734. A New Flea

Comment #160385 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 2:36 am

Paula. Another one for you to review, or have you had enough?

Let me guess, ad-hominem attacks, enough straw men to make the south of England abound in crop circles, all amounting to the same tedious inane arguments, and zero evidence.

I am still waiting for the knock out blow from the theists books, but it all amounts to the same smokes and mirrors, and as Irate said not so long ago, still no evidence of the emperors clothes, or even the emperor himself?

Do you ever think these authors are just jumping on the bandwagon to make themselves some easy money, as I am sure these books will end up on the religiously infected bookshelves. Maybe I should write one myself as a spoof?

735. Richard Dawkins' secular army must be stopped. God is behind some of our greatest art

Comment #160377 by Vaal on April 14, 2008 at 2:15 am

stop the Dawkins army from denying us the possibility of drawing inspiration from faith to create the art of the future


What? Do these guys have nothing else to do on a Sunday but make up pseudo-intellectual drivel? Perhaps he should actually read Dr Dawkins views on art, before subscribing such flaccid nonsense.

Which faith is he referring to then? I am partial to Egyptian Art, yet wasn't it early Christian's who, in true Religious barbarism, chiselled off hieroglyphics from Egyptian monuments.

Wasn't it the legions of the ignorant from Islam who destroyed a 1000 year old Buddhist statue in Afghanistan, a legacy to the whole of mankind. Perhaps in his article he should address the threat of Islamic fundamentalists who would be more than happy to destroy art galleries and throw priceless art onto bonfires with glee.

There is plenty of inspiration for artists, religious or otherwise, although I see little impressive art these days reflected in the Turner prize, and certainly next to none inspired by religion.

736. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #159734 by Vaal on April 13, 2008 at 2:33 am

Quetzalcoatl

DR said it is very confused and muddled thinking which seems to be largely driven by emotion and feeling


Man! I nearly spat into my coffee reading that. You have just made my Sunday morning. :-)

Something about removing the plank from your own eye comes to mind.

737. Inadequate, private and late apology with grotesquely inadequate excuse

Comment #159209 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 4:30 pm

Comment #159206 by ebugogo

This might be slightly off topic, but did she still not achieve her original objective of throwing the heat off his asking her about misappropriating a million dollars to a church? Every one is concerned about her intolerance, not her stealing for jesus.


Do you think so? I had never heard of her till last week, now the entire world is aware of her alleged misappropriation of public funds to subside a Baptist church.

738. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #158956 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 8:32 am

That was another thing when raised in Sunday school was subject to blank looks. If it was pro-ordained that Judas was to betray Jesus, then he had no free will, so he was not responsible for his own actions. So, poor Judas was turned into a scapegoat and a hate figure for millennia, for something that was predicated before he was born. Hardly seems fair, does it?

Wasn't there a Gospel of Judas? Anyone know what he says in that to redeem himself?

739. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #158940 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 7:52 am

He was also very fond of cheesemakers..

740. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #158925 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 7:14 am

The Jesus as presented in the NT has his good moments, it's true, but he's also moody, incredibly opaque in some of his answers, petulant, unpredictable, and incredibly undiplomatic


Oh my Thor.... it's David Roberston!

741. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #158919 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 7:06 am

918. Comment #158905 by Paula Kirby

I don't see how anyone encountering the story for the first time without any prior knowledge or indoctrination whatsoever, and without someone standing over them to shape their reactions, could possibly come to the conclusion that this was a man so perfect he had to be God


On a serious note, it is self evident from the Bible that Jesus himself had no idea that he was the son of God. It took 40 days and 40 nights fasting in the desert to convince himself. I think that after 40 days and 40 nights fasting I might believe that I was a hobgoblin.

Again, if he believed that he really was the son of God himself then that would be very persuasive to his disciples, who Jesus freely admitted were simple and superstitious fishermen.

742. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #158909 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 6:55 am

Still, Paula, in his defence, he could turn water into wine, so he is welcome in my house any day.

744. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #158852 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 5:54 am

Bonzai

Veronique is arriving over here in the middle of this month. I think she still reads our threads, and chuckles. I suspect she will be changing over to tea or cocoa rather than wine when she gets to Scotland, bit colder up there than Oz!

745. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #158836 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 5:17 am

I am always telling my Christian friends when I visit them, that they should wash my feet in oil. In actual fact, the wife of a good friend went off to hunt for some cooking oil. :-))

See, some Christians do have a sense of humour, just not the ones that come here!

746. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #158831 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 5:12 am

887. Comment #158817 by Philip1978

I think that is a great starting line when confronting any future frother on the site, is to ask very politely if Jesus would be impressed with this behaviour or did He tell them to do this!


Phillip

Even though I have a great admiration for Jesus (if he existed) as he was a great philosopher, a charismatic and forgiving man way beyond his era, and, unlike Mohammed, didn't murder anyone in the establishment of his religion, he did have his moments. He did his biscuit lid when there was a market in the temple, he wasn't particularly respectful to his mother, and he did introduce the concept of everlasting hell, I believe?

I wonder how he would respond to "unbelievers". What would he say on this forum? Was there any context in the bible where he referred to atheists, or was the concept of atheism regarded in much the same way as Islam considers it now?

747. Did pre-big bang universe leave its mark on the sky?

Comment #158743 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 2:05 am

Steve, I did see an article some time ago about some Quantum physicists who claimed they were close to proving the existence of a Multiverse through Quantum mechanics. It probably died a death, as I can't seem to find it, however it would be interesting to know how they would prove it?

Still, as you say, I am looking forward to new insights from the Cern facility, providing they don't create a black hole and suck us all up. :-)

748. Did pre-big bang universe leave its mark on the sky?

Comment #158732 by Vaal on April 11, 2008 at 1:43 am

Interesting article. If physical evidence of a parent Universe can be found in our Universe, then it would indicate that there are many Universes. I have leaned toward the Multiverse theory for some time now, as logically as our Universe exists, why shouldn't there be many Universes?

Of course, this is only speculation, and I am the first to admit that quantum physics is way beyond me, even though I have tried to understand it. Perhaps somebody more qualified than myself, being only a layman, on this board can see the fallacies more clearly.

However, it is an interesting time. I wonder how much the new Cern site will show us about the early Universe, or indicate the existence of a Multiverse?

749. Rep. Davis: The Worst Person in the World

Comment #158342 by Vaal on April 10, 2008 at 11:16 am

Well, well

Strange it took so long to apologize, and the apology was a bit on the tepid side. The cynic in me might say it was ONLY because of the strong criticism she received. Concerned about her job, perchance?

Still, it just shows how effective well placed criticism and blogs can be. Hopefully, legislators in the States might think twice before unleashing a torrent of religious bigotry on a citizen who doesn't subscribe to their particular archaic belief system. Listening, Mr Bush?