Today's Cultural Warfare Update

Trinity Broadcasting Network is going to be showing Justice Sunday III, but on delay, starting at 10PM Pacific. The Family Research Council is going to webcast the thing live, and there'll be audio broadcasts on fundamentalist radio stations; given the tightness of the schedule - it goes over the air just a day before the hearings start - I might listen in to the live airing rather than just waiting for the transcribable showing my TiVo will grab.

This'll be fun like dental work is fun. Dental work without anesthetic.

And now, today's news:

Indiana lawmaker Troy Woodruff has drafted and filed a bill to make abortion a Class C felony specifically to challenge Roe v. Wade under the new Supreme Court makeup;

Planned Parenthood action item on Indiana H.B. 1096, the abovementioned bill;

Fundamentalist evangelicals snuck into the hearing room where the Alito confirmation process will start and blessed the chair he'll be sitting on, along with several others, saying "God... is interested" in the hearings (but it's not really about religion, it's about "judicial philosophy");

Focus on the Family's viewer's guide to the Alito hearings - includes ACTION ITEM to call Senators to support his confirmation;

Jerry Falwell, who blamed gay and lesbian people and the ACLU for the September 11th attacks, to address Justice Sunday on "religious freedom" issues; also endorses nominee Alito; includes ACTION ITEM to get involved in Justice Sunday;

Focus on the Family article on so-called "partial birth" abortion ban;

Florida billboard company declines anti-abortion billboard as too controversial; church threatens to sue; the previous board up, also by them, was also anti-abortion-rights, but was accepted; I don't know why they're changing it;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to thank Troy Woodruff for introducing bill to make abortion a felony in Indiana;

Two Cherokee Nation lesbians married during a brief window of legal same-sex marriage under tribal law in Oklahoma; the local tribal council sued in Cherokee court to get it voided, even though it was legal; Judicial Appeals Tribunal (their Supreme Court) refused, and allowed the marriage to stand;

Concerned Women for America's Mark Landsbaum - are there any women working for CWFA's Culture and Family Institute? - takes TownHall.com columist to task for not being hard enough on Brokeback Mountain, calls same-sex relationships "evil" and "wrong";

Concerned Women for America's Robert Knight (..apparently not...) talks about Mattel's Barbie poll which had "I don't know"; Mattel said it was a mistake and changed it to "I don't want to say"; they whine about how they "aren't allowed to say" things without getting criticised;

Focus on the Family reports on CWA's Alito-supporting press conference;

Family Research Council announces more Justice Sunday III participants: Alan Sears, Alliance Defense Fund; Bill Donohue, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights; Brian Bosma, Speaker, Indiana House of Representatives; Dr. D. James Kennedy, Center for Reclaiming America; David Barton, Wallbuilders; Don Feder, Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation; Edwin Meese III, Former U.S. Attorney General;

Two NBC affiliates drop The Book of Daniel in response to protests;

Focus on the Family Canada repeats the "Netherlands plural marriage" lie;

FotF Canada denounces Supreme Court legalisation of private "swingers" clubs;

FotF rails against group of pediatricians opposing anti-marriage Federal Marriage Amendment.

( Articles, transcripts, and excerpts below )

and the greatest of these is hop

If I'm going to be doing any winter biking, I decided I needed blinkies and lights for my bike, which I've now gotten. PH33R MY L3D P0W3RZ. Of course, yesterday was rain continuous, and I do mean continuous, which didn't stop me from taking down the outside lights around doing a lot of other house-and-office catch-up. I also grabbed a standalone iPod charger while I was down at the shops. Yay, after-Christmas overstock sale.

I wonder when I'll hear anything from the grad school? Nervous, nervous, nervous, hop hop hop. Which reminds me that risu set up her Dance Dance Revolution game and pad last night, and lo, it was fun. ^_^

Thursday's miles: 2.8 (walking)
Miles out of Hobbiton: 564
Miles out of Rivendell: 104.2
Miles to Lothlórien: 362.2

I think I took this shot down by the lake, but I'm not sure. It must have been near water (and therefore warmer) for it to have been a November shot; otherwise, it would have turned farther already. I'd think.


Pastel Fountain Leaves

I also had an idea about what to do with one of those "bands of mountain" super-wide photos. Here, have a desktop! I took this shot on the corner, at 182^nd street. It's of the Cascades, of course, facing mostly east on an exceptionally clear day.


Mountain Range Desktop
(C) 2005 Dawnstar Graphics - no commercial use allowed

As always, no commercial use or redistribution; if someone wants a copy, redirect them here rather than just handing off yourself. Thanks.

zomg

After seeing Battlestar Galactica 2x11 ("Resurrection Ship") and Doctor Who 28(BOO-YA!)x01 ("The Christmas Invasion"), I have exactly this thing to say:

We are living in a fucking golden age of television science fiction.

I mean god dammit that's how it's supposed to be done.