Six Nuns Excommunicated

From CNN.com:

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- Six Catholic nuns have been excommunicated for heresy after refusing to give up membership in a Canadian sect whose founder claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary, the Diocese of Little Rock announced.

The Rev. J. Gaston Hebert, the diocese administrator, said he notified the nuns of the decision Tuesday night after they refused to recant the teachings of the Community of the Lady of All Nations, also known as the Army of Mary.

Let's play What's Crazier:

1. The Catholic Church is still using excommunication (i.e., God said "I'm not gonna be your friend anymore.")
2. There's a cult leader who claims to be possessed by the Virgin Mary.
3. Nuns from Arkansas believe the Canadian crackpot.
4. There is any group anywhere that goes by the name "Army of Mary."

Personally, I'd like to see the Army of Mary, the Kiss Army, the Salvation Army, and Dick Armey have at it with a fierce couple rounds of Hungry Hungry Hippos. And then the cat o' nine tails comes out. Absolute madness.

The Democratic Debate: Global Warming?

I was just outside, at the end of September, at night, smoking a cigarette without a shirt on (yeah, I'm all kinds of hot) and I was wondering why I was able to be outside at the end of September, without a shirt, smoking a cigarette.

Why did the debate I just watched not touch on the issue of global warming?

I know a hot day (or days, or weeks) does not define an issue. But, hell. Why not?

(Three pages of) notes tomorrow, but the real issues weren't necessarily hit, and some of the ones that were (today's congressional vote) weren't explained to those that aren't politiphiliacs.

Certain note: Tim Russert was pwned by Hillary. When does he get the ball gag?

Goodnight.

[PREH - zuh - dent] at the UN

From USA Today's On Deadline:

Apparently, a marked-up draft of the president's speech popped up on the U.N.'s website as President Bush delivered his remarks this morning before the General Assembly, USA TODAY's David Jackson reports. The draft included phonetic spellings of some names and countries, and the cellphone numbers for Bush speechwriters.

Press secretary Dana Perino downplayed the incident, and said phonetic spellings are used to help interpreters. Asked if the president has trouble pronouncing some country's names, Perino deemed it "an offensive question."
...
Blake Hounshell at Foreign Policy says he has a copy of the speech that got the White House so worked up this morning. Here are some of the phonetic guides it included, according to the magazine's blog:

• Kyrgyzstan [KEYR-geez-stan]
• Mauritania [moor-EH-tain-ee-a]
• Harare [hah-RAR-ray]
• Mugabe [moo-GAH-bee]
• Sarkozy [sar-KO-zee]
• Caracas [kah-RAH-kus]

Hahaha. Brilliant. Classic "Bush is not a smart man" fodder. And while funny, relatively "meh." So why am I writing about it? The article also offers up the link to the UN speech that it was replaced with:



My question is whether President Bush needs the "PRESIDENT BUSH:" in front of his speech to remind him not to read the top part or to remind him who he is.

Glenn Beck + Mahmoud Ahmadinejad = 4 Evar

Glenn Beck's show yesterday placed a spotlight on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speaking at Columbia.

At two different times, the font read "Iran Rhetoric" and "Propaganda Play."

Do you think Glenn Beck realizes that in blowing up the visit he is spouting the Bush administration's own rhetoric against Iran, that in calling Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a propaganda hound that he is playing the Bush administration's propaganda meat whistle against Iran (and, really, towards war with them)?

Ah, my dear, sweet irony: not such the fickle mistress as the whore.

Kucinich Shut Out: AARP Debate

I didn't watch the AARP Democratic Debate on Health Care; I was most likely enjoying a cocktail and a reggae band.

However, I was appalled to find out that my man, Dennis Kucinich, was not included in the debate. More from Dennis:

On September 21st, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) sponsored a Presidential forum in Iowa focused on health care reform. I was conveniently left out of the debate. Why? Because I am the only candidate in this race proposing a national not-for-profit, single-payer health insurance plan. My plan would eliminate the obscene profit of 4.4 billion dollars AARP alone stands to gain over the next 7 years at the expense of the senior citizens they claim to represent.

AARP's strategic partnership with healthcare giants United Health Care and Aetna are embraced by Senators Clinton, Obama, and former Senator Edwards who are pushing plans to keep the for-profit private insurers in business and in control of your life!

This is an outrage and you should be outraged!

Hells yeah!

You can contact AARP on the AARP Issues Contact Page or You can "Share Your Story" about health care on the Divided We Fail page (I did both):

Here's a story: AARP held a presidential debate on health care reform but did not invite the only candidate that supports a not-for-profit system, Dennis Kucinich. AARP chose their partnerships with health care insurance providers over dissenting opinion, chose money over the well being of the American people, and denied the only voice that would truly help retired persons across the board. AARP states they "are committed to helping the most vulnerable members of society maintain or improve their quality of life." This is blatantly untrue. Health insurance companies have already divided you. And you have failed.

We're on the morning of the next debate, but it's never too late to let the powers that be know we're a little pissed.

Beckett for Babies