Christian Persecution? Yeah. Right.

I just got back from my annual vacation down to Florida.  My in laws are good people.  And the drive down and back is, well, interesting.

This morning found us cruising up the beautiful Cumberland Valley in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.  That valley is my vote for one of the most beautiful valleys in the country.  The mountains to the northwest and southeast.  The non-existent mountain down the center of the valley (Massanutten Mountain (think about it for a moment)).  Of course, we were driving it in the dark, so the sheer beauty of the valley was not visible. Unfortunately, it is infested with fundogelicals -- and they have discovered electricity (not in the Bible, but they are willing to make exceptions I guess) so all the crosses are illuminated.

Megacat Redux

I realized after posting the picture of our large cat that, without something to compare him to, it is difficult to get a sense of scale (actually, my wife pointed that out).  So, here is Dust, our large cat, next to KC, our normal sized cat (Dust is the one on the left.  With his face stuck in the food bowl):

Civil War-Themed Propaganda Chapel Burns

This morning, I caught a headline in the local paper: "Fire guts Gettysburg Civil War chapel".  Which worried me.  After all, there are some historically significant churches associated with Civil War battlefields -- the Dunker Church at Antietam National Battlefield comes to mind.  I didn't remember one associated with Gettysburg, but the Civil War is not really my forte when it comes to military history. 

Then I read the article.  A "Civil-War themed wooden chapel" founded to "tell the story of Christianity during the Civil War."  

And, for those of you asking for a picture of the giant cat, here it is:

This is Dust, our 32 pound very loveable cat.

The Southern Poverty Law Center recognizes and old truth: Some 'Mainstream' religious groups are hate groups

When it comes to recognizing hate groups, the damage they do, and a willingness to call out these groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center is damn near the top of the heap (and is one of the groups to which I donate).  Whether white supremacist groups, neo-nazis, or the Klan, the SPLC's fight to expose the reality behind the milque-toast facades created by racists and homophobes has shed the light of day on the truth of my country and just how far we have to go.

Hello, World

Ladies, gentlemen and others:

Just what the world needs.  Yet another blog.

If my style (or lack thereof) looks familiar, I used to blog as (((Billy))) the Atheist.