Religious Nuts Nail Themselves to Crosses

Allow me to provide some choice quotes from this article:

"A 15-year-old boy has been crucified in the Philipines today in a gory ritual to mark the death of Jesus Christ."

"Dozens of Filipinos, including the boy and an 18-year-old girl, were nailed to crosses and scores more whipped their backs into a bloody pulp as the country's devout Roman Catholics marked Good Friday."

"In the small village of Cutud...men cried out as nails the size of pencils were driven into their hands and feet before they were hoisted up in the scorching heat."

"For hours before the crucifixions lines of men, hooded and half naked, flayed their backs with bamboo whips and paddles tipped with broken glass. Blood splattered over the road."

"The atmosphere was festive, with hawkers selling beer, ice-cream and souvenir whips."

"Some foreigners have previously been crucified including a Belgian nun and a Japanese man, who later allowed footage of his ordeal to be used in a pornographic film."

As entertaining as this spectacle must be, I'd recommend this alternative, safe and proven method for those wishing to celebrate Easter:

Iran's Anti-Gay Jihad

"On July 19, 2005...two teenage boys, Mahmoud Asgari, 14, and Ayaz Marhoni, 16, were hanged in a particularly brutal manner in Iran for the crime of homosexual activity."

This occurred despite the contention by "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who famously declared at Columbia University last year: 'We don’t have homosexuals like in your country. We don’t have that in our country. We don’t have this phenomenon; I don’t know who’s told you we have it.'"

What a deranged son-of-a-bitch.

These quotes come from this article, which discusses Iran's executions of homosexuals in the context of an asylum issue in Britain, which almost exported an Iranian gay man towards the same fate as the boys pictured above.

Yet again, Iran shows itself to be unworthy of membership in the community of nations. That it takes its legal code from the Koran and Hadith should demonstrate - as does jurisprudence in Saudi Arabia and Taliban-era Afghanistan - that any society that institutionalizes Islam in its legal code is at odds with our civilization.

The de-Islamification of these governments - as opposed to its population - is the first and most critical step towards peaceful coexistence. Until that happens - and it will only be successful when undertaken from within by their own populations - these countries should be isolated and detached from the world community. Unfortunately, the power they've been granted by the oil under their soil makes this isolation exceedingly difficult... another argument for investing in alternative energy resources.

Boyfriend Might Be Charged in Toilet Case

An update in the disturbing toilet case.

Hostages' Severed Fingers Sent to U.S. Military in Iraq

"Severed fingers of five Western contractors were sent to the U.S. military in Iraq, giving the men's relatives hope that they are still alive...The men were abducted in two separate incidents that occurred a month and a half apart more than two years ago."

Is there any better example of the inhumanity of whom we're fighting? These are the same animals that brought you the tragic Nick Berg beheading, among others.

Whether or not you believe we should remain in Iraq or not, there should be no doubt that our enemy - there, in Afghanistan and in Islamist jihadist enclaves across the Middle East - is barbaric and incapable of living peacibly with its neighbors. No matter how it is accomplished, our end goal should be nothing short of disempowering and isolating these monsters until they are ready to join the human race. I doubt this will happen in the lifetime of anyone currently alive today.

Woman Sat on Toilet for 2 Years

You've got to read it to believe it.

Arabic Debate About Islam

Below is a debate between Wafa Sultan, the Syrian-born American critic of Islam, and an Egyptian Islamist on an Arabic television program. This is yet another example of the complete and utter disconnect between the "realities" of the Western and Islamic worlds. There are two totally different world histories presented (despite historical evidence) and two totally different perceptions of current world events.

Until Islam is reformed from within, including the elimination of the fantasy world in which many of its inherents live, peace with the West is so unlikely that it is practically impossible.

An Insider's View of Scientology

Below you can hear an interview of Tory Christman, a 30-year member of the Church of Scientology, from the podcast Point of Inquiry. Most interesting is her perspective on the aggressive anti-free speech activities of the church.

One needs only listen to Tom Cruise to get an idea of how nonsensical this oddball church is (not to mention its having been founded by a science fiction author). But to understand the most bizarre aspects of its theology/cosmology, read this article on Xenu, an alien through whom science fiction meets religious cult fact.

Moms Allegedly Brawl at Chuck E. Cheese

From the Associated Press:

NATICK, Mass. (AP) -- A child's birthday party at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant was cut short after a fight broke out between two mothers. Natick police said the mom of the 9-year-old birthday boy apparently became enraged because the other woman's son was "hogging" an arcade game.

Sgt. Paul Thompson said Catherine Aliaga, 38, and Tarsha Williams, 33, both of Boston, would be summoned into court to answer charges of simple assault and battery stemming from the scuffle.

Thompson told the MetroWest Daily News that police received a number of 911 calls about the fight Saturday night.

He said what started as a birthday celebration turned into a "birthday melee."