Archive for October 8, 2009

I guess 13 isn’t 13 in Thailand either

Posted: October 8, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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Via the AP and headlines at HotAir yet another twist to the Polanski saga:

Mitterrand’s 2005 book, “La mauvaise vie” or “The Bad Life,” describes painful periods in his childhood and his homosexuality. One passage describes his “bad habit of paying for boys” in Thailand. Mitterrand later denied he was a pedophile, saying on France-3 television that he uses the term “boys” loosely.

Mitterrand was a television personality when the book came out but not in the government. President Nicolas Sarkozy named Mitterrand culture minister in June this year.

Concern about the book resurfaced in French political circles after Mitterrand’s impassioned defense of Roman Polanski last week. The director was arrested in Switzerland on U.S. charges of having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977 in Los Angeles.

Oh it’s a bad habit well that’s different, that certainly drops the Ick Factor, I’m Sure Tom Shales will think so too.

Then again if we could only get Hollywood to treat this bad habit like smoking then we might see change.

I’m with John Noltie it’s all about moving the ick goalposts:

And this is how cinematic propaganda works. Whether the filmmaker’s motivations are good or evil, the idea is to get decent and thoughtful people to start second guessing themselves as they’re enveloped in the dark and held captive by the powerful sound and fury of the moving picture. First we’re led to identify and sympathize with a particular character, then that character does something designed to challenge our belief structure. This can range from, “If John Wayne opposes racism, maybe I should,” to, “Well, if a loving mother is okay with it, maybe I need to get a little more nuanced and tolerant about this whole child-rape thing.”

On its face, that may sound laughable, and maybe it is, but that doesn’t mean our eyes are lying to us. Last year merely topped off a campaign targeted at our children that began some time ago.

It is my opinion that the culture wars in general and the war on Christianity in particular is all about legitimizing sin and removing guilt from it. Once it becomes unacceptable to call sin “sin” then everything changes. That way this case matters; it exposes in sharp relief the contradictions that this involves, and we will as a culture have a choice to make. Is this unacceptable or a bad habit?

Update: Of course some uses of the Ick factor are simply brilliant.

Update 2: Don Surber notices

Hey, maybe there is an opening in the Obama administration. Consider the safe schools czar.

If you haven’t been following the Dr. Who Forever Knight crossover…

Posted: October 8, 2009 by datechguy in doctor who, fun
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…At Rich’s comics blog shame on you, but today’s episode has a twist that bodes very well for fans of both Forever Knight and Doctor Who.

You should of course start from the begining (it’s only 53 pages to this point) and if you haven’t read his Magnum Opus the Ten Doctors you need to do that too.

Of course if you want just a taste you can always watch this:

Of if you just HAVE to have sound a group of fans are working on it.

Yeah I know the non-cyber voices are off a bit but hey they are working on it. And apparently you can be too according to this posting if you are interested in helping with the voice word adaption of the strip they want to hear from you.

Update: Welcome fellow who fans from Rich’s comic blog. Take a look around. The blog is mostly political and religious but my doctor who category is here and my review of Big Finish doctor who audios can be found here.

Update 2: You know it isn’t a good rose voice but it could pass for Lucie Miller.

And speaking of Catholic Charities adoption in Boston..

Posted: October 8, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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In the course of looking for links to this post I found an interesting document published last year at the Suffolk University Law Review on the matter The Gospel According to the State: An Analysis of Massachusetts Adoption Laws and the Closing of Catholic Charities Adoption Services:

The Massachusetts Constitution declares the equality of all people and the right of all people to practice religion as they see fit.2 In article XVIII, the Massachusetts Constitution also declares it unlawful for the state government to pass any law that prohibits an individual’s right to the free exercise of religion.

That John Adams he sure could write.

The Author Matthew Clark point out a salient fact:

Founded in 1903, Catholic Charities has placed more children in adoptive homes than any other state-licensed adoption agency.

Not any more they don’t. This document deserves a whole lot more attention that it ever got so read the whole thing but if you are not inclined to go for 18 pages here is the meat from the conclusion:

The debate over a religious exemption wrongly focuses on whether homosexuals should be able to adopt from all agencies in the state, regardless of a particular agency’s beliefs or founding principles. Safely couched in the language of antidiscrimination and equality, opponents of an exemption mask the unsettling truth that pursuing equality at any cost betrays the very purpose of adoption to serve and protect the welfare of children.

Denying a religious exemption to agencies providing services for needy children only serves to further the rights of a small group of potential adoptive parents rather than the best interests of children needing adoption… Ultimately, in the name of equality, Massachusetts has set aside the interests of needy children and contravened the very purpose of its adoption laws. (all emphasis mine)

That is called Narcissism.

How’s that Common Ground on Abortion going Notre Dame?

Posted: October 8, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, opinion/news
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…apparently not so well:

In his address at the University of Notre Dame, Obama talked a good game about respecting conscience on abortion rights. He did the same thing when he met the Pope.
But that was all it was — talk.

The Obama Administration’s attack on Belmont Abbey College proves that.

Apparently the Catholic College decided that the “Catholic” part actually matters as they were unwilling to cover contraception, abortion, and voluntary sterilization all directly opposed to the college’s faith so of course we had a lawsuit and the results were interesting…

Belmont Abbey College was not discriminating against women. Unlike many “believers in name only” the college was adhering to the principles of its faith.

At first, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found no evidence of gender discrimination by Belmont Abbey College… After a few weeks, the EEOC mysteriously reversed course and announced, in effect, that the college had better toe the Administration’s line, or else.

They are now demanding the school go against the very principles it exists to serve.

I presume they are going to fight it as far as they can, if they lose then there is only one choice that is acceptable in terms of faith and that is to simply drop all coverage divert the cost into the pay of the employees so they can purchase private insurance to cover what they wish.

But I’m over-reacting after all the state wouldn’t go after Catholics for obeying their faith would they?

So how did that work out Fr. Jenkins?

Of course, this does not mean we support all of his positions. The invitation to President Obama to be our Commencement speaker should not be taken as condoning or endorsing his positions on specific issues regarding the protection of human life, including abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Yet, we see his visit as a basis for further positive engagement.”

Maybe you should thank him.

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