Michele Bachmann Compares Herself to John Wayne – The Colbert Report – 6/28/11 – Video Clip | Comedy Central

ColbertNation.com video – If Michele Bachman shows weakness, her critics will circle like sharks — or psycho-sexual serial killers.

Michele Bachmann Compares Herself to John Wayne…, posted with vodpod

29 June 2011 am

Shoulder: got sore last night, but not like the “wake me up with pain” type soreness of days past. It might be from sleeping on the floor; I might try using a mattress tonight (on the floor; the springs are shot).

Swimming: I backed off today; I did one lap of kick/swim, one lap of drill/swim (3g, fist drills), one lap of breast/free and finally one lap of free. It was a bit more crowded as I got a later start; still I spent only 4 more minutes in the water.

Lifting: I got a one day pass to the South Austin Gym to lift. The gym is basic; for example there is no glute push-back nor an abductor machine; there is an adductor one though.
But I was able to do some PT, (and did some shoulder PT a the pool with a stretch band)
sit ups: 4 sets of 30
Hammer rows: 3 sets of 10 with 200
pull down: 15 x 130, 12 x 140, 12 x 140
incline bench: 10 x 115, 8 x 135, 6 x 135, 5 x 135
curls (dumbbell): 3 sets of 10 with 35
curls: 1 set of 10 with EZ curl bar
lunges: 2 sets of 10 each leg step forward, 2 sets of 10 each leg step back.
Some yoga, headstand, etc.

It wasn’t crowded (7:20 or so) and only one woman showed up. They had aerobic machines but I didn’t use them.

Posts
Leonard Pitts: has a message for President Obama and his “evolving position” on gay marriage: “evolve faster”. Overall he has been good on gay rights:

Obama has been a good president where gay issues are concerned, has supported anti-hate crimes legislation and the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” But marriage equality is the Rubicon he has not yet brought himself to cross. He should start crossing.

Not that doing the right thing should be a matter of public opinion, but support for marriage equality is climbing toward the majority. Voices of fear are being shouted down, winds of change are blowing and we approach a crossroads of possibility where the need for leadership is critical.

Two words of advice, then, for President Obama:

Evolve faster.

Religion and society
Friendly Atheist talks about a decision that a church made about a billboard that is on property that it owns:

Meredith Heagney at The Columbus Dispatch has a few extra tidbits regarding how the Christ Cathedral Church removed the following harmless billboard from its property because it featured an atheist [...]

The Rev. Waymon Malone ordered it removed, said Carolyn Kelley, his mother-in-law. Malone and his wife, Kimberlee, were out of town today and could not be reached for comment.

“It upset him because of what it said,” Kelley said. “It said we don’t need God, and we’re at church, so we do need God.”

Actually, it said you don’t need god to be good. While it’s true that you don’t need god, period, this particular billboard wasn’t a shot at Christians who believe in superstition.

Of course, the church had the right to do what it did. No argument there. I am not even saying “they shouldn’t have”. I am saying that some religious people ARE threatened by us.

Here is another example, this time from a member of Congress:

GOP Rep. Todd Akin (MO) came under fire this week after he declared, “The heart of liberalism really is a hatred of God.” Several religious leaders blasted Akin for contorting religious faith into a political attack. Rabbi Jim Bennett of Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis, Missouri scolded Akin for his “grotesque” attack and for making “a mockery of his own understanding of these liberal values and of God.” Unitarian Rev. Krista Taves of St. Louis told Akin, “You know very little about liberals, and sadly enough, you also seem to know very little about God and his son Jesus.”

Despite the blowback, Akin is flatly refusing to apologize. Akin told KMOX yesterday that, “to be a little more precise,” liberals have “a hatred for public references for God.” When asked whether he’d apologize to groups insulted by his words, Akin scoffed, stating “I’m not going to apologize for what I see liberalism doing in trying take God out”:

AKIN: No, I don’t think there’s anything to apologize for. I think I can clarify that I was talking about public references, too. I think that clarifies it a little bit. But there’s just such a historic pattern there, that I think that it probably could’ve been clarified but no, I’m not going to apologize for what I see liberalism doing in trying to take God out.

I don’t know if this guy actually believes what he says. But I’ll say this: I am for freedom of speech. If you want to talk about your deity, you can do so. Here is where the line is drawn: if you are at some public event (say a public school graduation) you have no right to hold others as a captive audience to your prayers, no matter what deity you pray to. And yes, the Pledge of Allegiance was stronger before the “under God” part was added in the 1950′s. Not everyone believes in your deity.

Again, it is the “captive audience” at an event that is being run by a government agency that should be guarded against. For example, if a public school gives space for extra-curricular activities and the Bible study group wants a room, they should be treated the same as, say, the 4-H group or the Math club. Just don’t lead the class in a sectarian prayer.

Jon Stewart To Fox News: Herman Cain Joke Wasn’t Offensive (VIDEO)

On Wednesday night’s “Daily Show,” Jon Stewart continued his “fun, light hearted and extremely productive conversation” with Fox News about “which one of us is the biggest a**hole,” as he so bluntly put it.

Jon Stewart To Fox News: Herman Cain Joke Wasn’…, posted with vodpod