Just when I think I'll be OK not smoking a cigarette, I read shit like this

Listening to: Sterfish's most excellent first mixmania! disk

A couple of things before I start ripping shit up:

If I give you grief for not posting your list, the ribbing is in the spirit of fun. I realize some of you have had a bad month, things are tough, and my intention is not to minimize your pain. And if you need to take it out on me, cool... I get paid for that.

If you're still up for mailing spare disks for the troops in Iraq, you have plenty of time. Considering delays and everything (and my own tight budget), I figured I'd wait until towards the end of the month (at least past mid-month) to get the package mailed off. Just send your disks to me at the return address I sent to everyone to use as your return address to retain your anonymity.

That's it for my civility. Now it's time to howl.

My nightly cruise over to Daily Kos brought my attention to a diary provocatively titled "I love Jesus Christ.. so FUCK YOU!" which reported,

These ridiculously ironic words were just screamed, no SCREAMED at me by a young man just before he floored the gas and cut me off, causing me to slam on the brakes to avoid a crash.

Go read the story, it's a revelation (so to speak). GO... I'll be here and then I have a tale of my own to tell.

One rainy night, a couple months back, I was heading home from my parent's house with the kids in my minivan. My folks had been watching the kids while I was at work and we were making the long trip back to Manitou Springs. Some of you might remember that although my little town is cooler than sticky green bud, Colorado Springs is a conservative Christian shithole (much like the town described in the DKos diary).

We were heading towards the interstate when I noticed a Mercedes-Benz buzzing in and out of traffic, jockeying for a better spot in the line. Close to ten at night, with my little darlings safe and warm in the back, I'm not inclined to play games on the road, so I tried to steer clear of the asshole in the Benz, thinking, "You go ahead, jerk." It was then that I noticed the rear dashboard of the Benz; it was lined with kitschy, knuckleheaded, holier-than-thou license plates. You know the type, "Warning: in case of rapture, this vehicle will be without a driver," "You're going to hell and I'm not, nyah, nyah, nyah," and, I kid you not, "Save a baby - shoot an abortion doctor."

Mr. Christian Benz was also pissing off other drivers. Watching the Mercedes swerving in and out of traffic, watching the brake lights of other cars, hearing the honks, it was obvious that whatever was taught in Benz boy's church, it didn't include respect for other humans.

Merging onto the interstate, I was only about 100 yards behind the Mercedes-Benz. Obviously, all his effort at getting ahead resulted in no significant advantage. Now, one would think the moron would have considered his karma at that point and rethought his course. Nope. Adding another kink in his karmic flow, he tossed a big - BIG - McDonald's bag out his window, wrappers and napkins and crap strewn all over the highway.

Where do these shitheads come from?

I blame the Falwells and the Ralph Reeds and the James Dobsons and the Tony Perkins and all the charlatans who follow that... that... Theology of Hate and Ignorance.

Somewhere along the line, churches of the ilk served by the scum mentioned above perverted a perfectly good message of social justice, universal love, and compassion into a philosophy of entitlement, militancy, and "me-first" swinish behavior. Rather than turning the other cheek and answering violence by example, conservative Christians have taken on the bull-necked and bellicose stupidity of the Klan (if you think I'm reaching too far and indulging in hyperbole, check and see who Perkins is in bed with).

As we await W's announcement for a replacement for Sandra O'Conner on the Supreme Court, we ought to consider the thuggish behavior that's becoming more and more common (yes - "common") among these so-called Christians. The big prize they await is a spot on the bench of the Supreme Court that will take away a woman's right to make decisions regarding her body, will marginalize gays in this country, will continue to appropriate rights from citizens for the benefit of corporations, will continue to shit on the environment, and continue to move this country towards an "official religion".

If you think I'm alarmist, I'll take your bets.

And if you're not convinced that these evangelistic twits aren't invested in making our country a meaner and more stupid place, check out this story:

(T)he 2003 IMAX film ''Volcanoes of the Deep Sea,'' whose producer consulted with scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and used its Alvin submersible to film the underwater volcanoes, has been banned by some theater owners and managers in the Bible Belt because it briefly mentions the theory of evolution.

Keep your fairy-tale view of how life started on Earth in your church, please. While the rest of the planet decides to evolve and accept science, our country appears to be heading into the next Dark Age, burning witches and lynching fags and calling on the gods to smite our enemies instead of relying on science and technolgy to do the work. And I'm reminded of this quote... a chilling portent...

When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross -- Sinclair Lewis