god and republicans

candace at the christian agnostic has some thoughts on the subject, as well as a post showing how bush contradicts jesus.

stupidity

nick lewis is tackling the subject as it relates to history. do i agree with everything he's saying: not really. but it is worth the read. really, it is. go read it now. go.

what women should wear

do women look any hotter than when they're wearing glasses? i don't think so. i ran into an old high school friend and was taken aback. it lead me to this question, though: am i the only one from high school that let themselves go?

political puns

my dad told me one today i hadn't heard. he was very proud of it, so i'll share it here: the democratic party: so full of crap they need two johns.

5 great movies you might not have heard of

knowing that everyone is always on the lookout for a great movie, here are some of my favorites (in no particular order) that have not garnered much attention:

the minus man B+ owen wilson stars as a a serial killer who fancies himself an angel of mercy. brian cox (i love that guy!) co-stars. it has a dreamy feel to it and is hauntingly low key.

vulgar B a sick, sick movie from view askew (kevin smith's production company) this dark film tells the story of the clown from the opening of clerks. not for everyone, but interesting.

zero effect B bill pullman stars as a sherlock holmes-type trying to solve cases without interacting directly with the outside world. ben stiller plays his representative, a watson-type.

run ronnie run B this movie is based on a running sketch from "mr. show." it follows the life of a man that makes a living out of being arrested on reality cop shows.

scotland, p.a. A- it's macbeth set in a 70's fast food joint. the sound track is almost all bad company, and it works fabulously.

baseball

i am giving my friend in kazakhstan a crash course on baseball. his position is that baseball is a great medium to stay in touch with america, and maybe he'll even teach the game to his students. while he favors the rangers, i'll let that slide. it's great to see baseball acting as a banner for america.

gay marriage

Many thanks to the liberal slayer for sending me this story on the subject.

If two adults want to wed, let them. If they find a cleric to grace their nuptials, hallelujah -- although signing a contract should suffice. Clergy and laity should decide who may and may not marry in America's religious institutions.

i have to say that that about mirrors my views on the subject. another point touched on in the article that has bothered me is the notion that marriage is about having babies.

As for child-rearing, same-sex-marriage opponents should explain why couples who fail or refuse to reproduce or adopt may enjoy matrimonial benefits. If "the core purpose of marriage is to bind children to their mothers and fathers," as Stanley Kurtz argued July 1 on National Review Online, marriage licenses should expire after, say, five years if husbands and wives neither bear nor adopt children.

a fair point. you should read the whole article. let's look at this subject rationally and figure out what is right for america before we butcher the constitution.

god stuff

i have been shouted down many times of late in many places about my unwillingness to accept religion as anything other than widely accepted superstition. so i pose these to questions: what differentiates a religion (in most of these debates christianity) from a superstition? and, what proof tangible proof do you put your faith in?

worrisome

this story bothers me on two levels: first, isn't this the kind of action that shows that "the terrorists have won?" and in the extreme this seems like an attempt to justify holding power in the face of losing an election. think about it: bush is set up to lose the election, then word comes of a possible attack and the vote is postponed indefinitely.

griffey out of all-star game

you really have to feel bad for the guy. he had a chance to be the best ever, and now he get hurts every year like clockwork. while this throws a damper on the 500 hr outfield, i still hope that this all-star game will highlight what a great career this man has had. on the topic of his injuries, could it be that the reds' medical staff dropped the ball? he never had this many injuries in seattle.

rating the coen brothers

these guys rock. they are masters at weaving stories that a quirky yet magical. who wouldn't want to live in the worlds they create? here is my ranking of their films:

the big lebowski. A+ i love this movie. while it gets downright weird at times, this film has moments of pure genius, and at no point does it disappoint. while some people think there is much too much cursing in this film, it doesn't bother me.

fargo. A+ this is my favorite movie that centers around a murder plot. from the characters to the settings this film paints a funny and poignant picture of desperation and hope. a great, great film.

o brother, where art thou? A+ one of the best literary translations you're likely to see, this film is fun and timeless. it also makes light of texas politics, and that is always fun.

miller's crossing. A the hardest of the films, this is a great gangster film with solid performances by everyone. a gangster film that gets slighted when naming great gangster films.

barton fink. A- i just love the leads. goodman is always great with the coen brothers.

the man who wasn't there. A a great film noir turn for the brothers. i have a soft spot for black and white films as well. this film sticks out for being stylistically separated from other coen films.

the ladykillers. B+ while this wasn't there best work, tom hanks is great and i love j.k. simmons. this movie was fun, but isn't as good as most of their work.

raising arizona. A- i know a lot of people would put this higher. this movie is great, but doesn't work for me as well as some others. it was still a great film that really put these guys on the map with most people.

intolerable cruelty. A- i like this film. it was light and fun, but it felt a little like the brother's were mailing it in. it was good, but you get a feeling it could have been better. still better than 90% of the movie out there.

hudsucker proxy. B definitely not for everyone. this film was stylized within an inch of its life. many characters came off as a bit cartoony. despite all this, i like it. you know, for kids.

blood simple. B the only thing that hurts this film is the volume of great films that came after. a great suspense film that is all the more noteworthy considering this was their first film.