Surprise! Well, not really.

More hypocrisy and double standards from Wiley Drake.

You may recall that Wiley Drake is the Bible-thumping sleezebag that loves to pray for the deaths of those who have a difference of opinion, whether it's politics, health care reform, religious affiliation, or more specifically, abortion. He tried to credit himself for the death of George Tiller, and indirectly credit himself for the death of John Murtha. However, he has been kind enough to call off his imprecatory prayer hit on President Obama recently. That is, until he supposedly reveals that the president is actually Kenyan.

You may also recall that Robert Byrd died last month. Since Byrd was a known racist, pro-choice, and even supported partial-birth abortion, you would think that Drake would have called down lightning, locusts, hail, fire, brimstone, and a kitchen sink for good measure to try to send him on an express elevator to hell. Instead, Drake attempted to take credit for getting him into heaven.

You can understand my confusion, Wiley. You take credit for the deaths of other senators and congressman, and even call for a divine hit on all the Democrats in Congress for trying to give aid to Americans who otherwise can't afford it due to corporate greed. But you try to score brownie points with God by praying for someone who's a known racist to get them into heaven?

Very telling, Wiley. Very telling.

Update: Yes, Mark, you are a moron.

Well, it wasn't even more than a span of an evening before the commentary I left at Mark William's blog was deleted.

Poor Mark. I can't imagine what it must be like to be so smug in his sense of superiority, thinking everyone else is a complete numbskull, when he couldn't find his own ass with both hands.

For you teabaggers who revere this man, please observe the screen captures below:

And just today, I delivered another response and got the same result:







The truth hurts, Mark, but you might want to embrace it every once in a while.

Yes, Mark, you are a moron.

At one time, I considered myself a bit of a libertarian, and in someways I suppose I still am. Lately, I've becoming increasingly leery, even frightened, of the type of libertarian who advocates personal freedom at any cost. But I'm simply annoyed by the type of libertarian who lays the problems of all mankind at the feet of government, without even lifting a finger to do any research on any topic.

Enter Mark Williams - libertarian, teabagger, and organizer of Tea Party Express.

I was listening to the Thom Hartmann program today on the way home from work. His guest was none other than Mark Williams, who took exception to a tax on tanning beds to help pay for HR 3962. Mark took special exception because he suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and uses a tanning bed to treat his condition, and thinks that not only does it unfairly tax whites who to trying to get a tan, but those who suffer from SAD as well. But if that weren't enough, Mark goes on to say that this tax is an attack on white people by Barack Obama, who Mark calls the "Racist-in-Chief".

Mark says on his blog, "Never once have I ever seen a genetically brown or black person use an indoor tanning facility."

What?! Black people don't go to tanning facilities? Shocking!

I spent little more than five minutes researching the tax in question, and learned that people like Mark will not be subject to tanning bed tax, after all. The IRS website reveals the details of the tanning bed tax:

"A 10-percent excise tax on indoor UV tanning services goes into effect on July 1, 2010. The tax doesn't apply to phototherapy performed by a licensed medical professional on his or her premises."

Anyway, listen to Mark make an utter fool of himself as Thom hands his rear end to him. Hit play:

And yes, Mark - the Tea Party movement reeks of racism:

By the way, nice little picture you got there, Mark. A bit like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think, Mark?

No pun intended.

Swastikas and Iron Crosses

I'm a bit of a symbology buff. I'm no Robert Langdon, but I enjoy studying the topic. Symbols can be found in everything from religion to the military, from academics to corporate identity - our lives are permeated with them.

Anyway, I spent part of Independence Day weekend in Erie with my family. We stopped by Sara's on Presque Isle, when I happened to notice the woman sitting at opposite end of our table. She was a biker, and there's nothing wrong with that. But what bothered me about her was the hat she was wearing. It was covered in iron crosses.

Here's a little history on the Iron Cross.

The man pictured below also wore iron crosses:



The man pictured above loved iron crosses so much that he gave them as decorations to select members of his military and civilians who supported it. The man pictured above also had a penchant for swastikas. Swastikas were around long before the man in the picture was born. It was a solar symbol and good luck charm, and remains so in some eastern cultures today. But the one on the man's arm above was viewed by those who wore them as the Black Sun, the opposite of light.

But enough about swastikas. Back to the iron cross.

Iron crosses have become very popular in modern culture as of late. Not only can they be found in biker clothing, but they can also be found in Christian apparel and churches, too:


So, the question I have to ask is, if you wear one of these...

Would you also wear one of these...


And wear it with a clean conscience?

Just something for you hardcore Christians and bikers to think about. Shame on Germany for still using the iron cross as part of the symbol of their military.

It's just soccer, Glenn. Get over it.

Glenn Beck hates soccer. So says, Glenn:

"It doesn't matter how you sell it to us. It doesn't matter how many celebrities you get. It doesn't matter how many bars open early. It doesn't matter how many beer commercials they run. We don't want the World Cup. We don't like the World Cup. We don't like soccer. We want nothing to do with it. You can package it any way -- you can spend all kinds of money. You can force it on our television sets. We will not enjoy the World Cup."

"I don't get the baseball thing, but the soccer thing, I hate it so much -- probably because the rest of the world likes it so much, and they riot over it, and they continually try to jam it down our throat."

No one's trying to force anything down your throat, Glenn. (Insert joke here____.)

Once again, Glenn failed to look at the facts before he opened up his fat yap. Of course, soccer isn't as popular in the US as football and baseball are, but that doesn't mean that soccer has no fans here. But this really has nothing to do with sports, and Glenn knows it. It has everything to do with what Glenn views as a multi-cultural, international threat on his idea of American culture. In reality, this has much more to do with the fact that Glenn couldn't hustle his fat ass up and down a field for 90 minutes, or even 2 for that matter. Therefore, Glenn simply views it as a threat to his self-perceived manhood, so he has to make up for his tender ego by lashing out at the rest of the world and soccer fans worldwide.

So, here's a tip for Glenn Beck, his braindead clones, and everyone else who hates soccer - if you don't want to watch it, turn your television off.

If the US wins the World Cup, how much would you like to bet that Glenn won't display even the smallest ounce of more feigned patriotism?

Listen to Glenn rant below.

Okay, seriously, Gary...

By now you may have heard about Gary Faulkner, the Rambo wannabe who has his heart set on the capture and/or death of Osama bin Laden. He left the US to go to Afghanistan to find the OBL after being fed up by the failure of the US military to find and kill him. So Faulkner, being a Christian, boarded a plane with nothing more than a Bible and plastic handcuffs.

After arriving in Pakistan on June 3rd, he was escorted to a hotel where he was being detained, but he slipped out of the hotel unnoticed by authorities. Then he was summarily arrested by said authorities. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying a sword, a sidearm, and, of course, more Christian fundie writings.

Now, I can appreciate the eagerness to take on the poster boy for fundamentalist terrorism, but this is beyond laughable. Now millions of would-be patriotic Americans are hailing this clown as a hero.

Gary, if you're reading this, just what are you trying to prove? How do you think you're going to get OBL even when the most powerful military force on the planet has so far failed? How do you plan on getting through OBL's entourage with nothing more than a sidearm and a sword? Please come to your senses and go back home to your family and friends.

Personally, I think OBL is either dead or sipping a pina colada on some island right under our noses.

My new ride

I finally upgraded my bike from a 2001 Specialized Hard Rock to Redline's D440. This is a huge step up from my old ride. Lighter, easier to handle, and easier over rough terrain. That is once all the necessary adjustments were made.

Maiden voyage took place today at Rothrock State Forest. Blood was spilled and my legs have that familiar feeling - spaghetti.

Thanks to Jordyn and Justin at Freeze Thaw for taking care of me.