The Scriptorium

This is good news. You have to wonder about those who think the U.N. is a good thing, though. Maybe now would be a good time to stop sinking billions into an anti-American, antisemitic, debating club. I am surprised, however, that the somewhat low number of people who believe nations like France apposed the war because they were making a killing on the Oil for Food program. It could have something to do with the fact that Fox News is the only news source to really cover the scandal in depth.

Americans’ opinion of the United Nations is sinking, with just 37 percent polled saying they are favorably inclined to the global body.

According to a poll by Rassmussen Reports, the favorability rate has declined from 44 percent in a November survey.

The poll also shows 37 percent of Americans believe U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan should resign. Just 26 percent said he should not resign and another 37 percent are undecided.

Among those polled who follow news coverage of Annan’s troubles “very” or “somewhat” closely, which was 54 percent, 63 percent say Annan should call it quits. Twenty-eight percent say he should not.

Regarding the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, 39 percent polled believe some nations opposed the invasion of Iraq because they were bribed by Hussein, while 42 percent believe the ex-dictator used the program to bribe nations such as France and Russia.

Rassmussen Reports noted the current survey is not directly comparable to last November’s results, because the current poll sampled American adults, whereas November’s survey interviewed likely voters.

WND Article

Bill Maher, in an interview on MSNBC, said that Christians have a neurological disorder that stops us from thinking. We’re just a bunch of brainwashed dumb folk. I kant think less Ime told wut to beleeve. Ime just a retardud fundie.

So where’s the outrage? Where are the people demanding that Maher be fired from his job at HBO. *crickets chirping* You won’t hear any outrage, because trashing Christians is a popular past time these days. We could let it bother us, or we could just remember that Christians are the majority in this country and the Left’s intolerance and bigotry serves only to keep them out of power. I think most people will recognize that the true insanity is coming from the left. In their mental state after losing the election, they’ve completely dropped the tolerant, inclusive, “party of the people” meme, and are resorting to lashing out at the people they say they need to win over. Keep talking guys. There will be even more red states in 2008.

Television personality Bill Maher, host of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” says Christians and others who are religious suffer from a neurological disorder that “stops people from thinking.”

Appearing as a guest on MSNBC’s “Scarborough County” this week, Maher told host Joe Scarborough:

“We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder. If you look at it logically, it’s something that was drilled into your head when you were a small child. It certainly was drilled into mine at that age. And you really can’t be responsible when you are a kid for what adults put into your head.”

The former host of “Politically Incorrect” said the lack of enlightenment of so many Americans means the nation actually has more in common with its enemies than one might think.

There ya go. Equate Christians to the terrorists that murder innocent civilians around the world. You’re winning us over by the thousands as you speak.

Said Maher: “When you look at beliefs in such things as, do you go to heaven, is there a devil, we have more in common with Turkey and Iran and Syria than we do with European nations and Canada and nations that, yes, I would consider more enlightened than us.”

Maher explained that he was not singling out evangelicals, but was targeting all “religious” people.

Aren’t the “enlightened”, left-wing, peaceniks of Europe and Canada supposed to love all religions equally? Isn’t tolerance the key to enlightened, compassionate thinking? How does that fit into “targeting all religious people”?

[snip]

Said Maher: “When people say to me, ‘You hate America,’ I don’t hate America. I love America. I am just embarrassed that it has been taken over by people like evangelicals, by people who do not believe in science and rationality. It is the 21st century. And I will tell you, my friend. The future does not belong to the evangelicals. The future does not belong to religion.”

Guess what Bill. The next four years do belong to the embarrassing religious right. Keep EMBARRASSING your party and the next 20 years will belong to us as well. All your elections are belong to us!!

Later in the interview, Maher returned to the childhood-religion theme, comparing fairy tales to Bible stories:

“When you were a kid and they were telling you whatever you believe in religion, do you think if they had switched the fairy tales that they read to you in bed with the Bible, you would know the difference?

“Do you think if it was the fairy tale about a man who lived inside of a whale and it was religion that Jack built a beanstalk today, you would know the difference? Why do you believe in one fairy tale and not the other? Just because adults told you it was true and they scared you into believing it, at pain of death, at pain of burning in hell.”

Won’t he be surprised. I pity him.

WND Article

It just keeps getting worse for the Catholic church. Not only will this scandal not go away, it continues to grow.

The nation’s Roman Catholic (search) bishops said Friday that over the last year they received 1,092 new allegations of sexual abuse against at least 756 Catholic priests and deacons.

Half of the accused priests over the past year had been previously accused of abuse, said Kathleen McChesney, executive director of the bishops’ Office of Child and Youth Protection (search).

Most of the alleged incidents occurred decades ago: 72 percent of the priests were either dead, defrocked or removed from public ministry before the newest allegations were received, McChesney said. . . . .

That means 212 priests accused over the last year were still active in their roles as leaders of the church, and were likely still abusing children. When those children become adults, they will likely come forward as well.

The article goes on to say that 95% of the diocese have now done what is necessary to protect children. If 212 priests, who are now accused of child molestation, were still actively serving in the church as recently as last year, I have a hard time believing children are now protected in the Catholic church.

Fox News Article