Atheists' Billboard Falsely Attributes Quote To Thomas Jefferson

The Huffington Post reported on an atheist group, called Backyard Skeptics, who posted a billboard with a picture of Thomas Jefferson with the quote "I do not find in Christianity one redeeming feature. It is founded on fables and mythology." After research there is no solid proof that Jefferson ever said that. No correspondence can be located with those words on it by Jefferson.The Backyard Skeptics say that the purpose of the billboard was to "expunge the myth that this is a Christian nation," as well as to "share the idea that you can be good and do good without a religion or god."

I found this article a little funny.

I'm not going to express my views on religion, but in light of our recent assignments I thought this was fitting as this group will probably be considered as not having any credibility after this. Why wouldn't they research the quotes before they spent money to have them plastered all over town? The group says that they posted these to share the idea that one can be good or do good without religion or god, yet they misrepresented a quote and said it was from a former president without having any factual evidence. This group is probably going to have a hard time being taken seriously after this and I am sure they will have a long road ahead to try and rebuild their credibility as a result of this one error.

If I ever post anything on a billboard, you better believe it's going to be researched!

Mother Accused Of Keeping 2 Children In Wire Dog Kennel

AOL has posted a story that occurred in North Platte, Nebraska regarding four children that were removed from a trailer home where a 3 year old and 5 year old were kept in a wire dog kennel. When officers arrived at the trailer home there was a stench of urine and found trash and animal feces throughout the trailer. There was a small child's mattress in the dog kennel and the door to the kennel was wired shut. The mother claims she put them in there at night to sleep to keep them from climbing out of her trailer through a window in the middle of the night. All the adults living in the trailer were arrested and charged with first-degree false imprisonment, felony child abuse and misdemeanor child abuse, based on the condition of the house. The kids are now in state custody.

This story makes me very angry. I am sympathetic toward the children who didn't know any better and probably miss their mother who mistreated them.

I don't understand how anyone could treat another human being this way, let alone their own children. To make them sleep in a dog kennel is terrible, then on top of that, the mother would wire the door shut so they couldn't get out. I don't even make my dogs sleep in their kennel because I feel bad for them and I certainly don't wire the door shut if they do have to go in there. Those poor children were also subjected to live in filth. Who leaves animal feces and trash all over their house? It's sad to say but maybe they were safer in the kennel where they were running around in the animal feces.

I hope the adults involved in this case are severely punished for they irresponsible actions.

A Little Imperfection for That Smile?

The New York Times published an article about Japanese women who are paying to have their straight teeth disarranged while in the United States we are paying to straighten, whiten and repair our teeth. Japanese men apparently find snaggle teeth and fangs attractive. In Japan crooked teeth are considered endearing and show that a woman is not perfect, therefore making her more approachable by men.

When I first heard about this I laughed and thought it was silly that people are actually doing this. After reading the article I am both saddened and confused.

I think it is insane that someone with perfect teeth would pay a dentist to make them crooked. In our culture we spend thousands of dollars to do the opposite, make our teeth straight and as close to perfect as money can buy. The sad part is that just like in the United States, in Japan there are young girls who are going to start doing this. We are teaching young girls in all cultures not to accept their bodies and that they should change their appearance to be accepted. We should be teaching them to embrace their imperfections or perfections in this case, and love themselves because they are unique.

There are already many young girls with eating disorders because of how women are portrayed in magazines and on tv. Now we have women making themselves imperfect. What's next?

'Heroin for Sale' fliers lead to Portland raid

Portland's News Channel 8 covered a story about a home that was raided after fliers were found throughout the neighborhood advertising heroin with the address and phone numbers of the drug dealers printed on them. In the raid officers found 20 grams of marijuana, 10 grams of heroin and materials for a meth lab. Six of the seven adults in the home were arrested on various drug charges.

In my opinion these drug dealers are just as dumb as the kid that left the pot in his prescription bottle then dropped it off at the pharmacy.

I am curious when drug dealers started advertising. I have always been under the impression that drug dealers don't "sell" drugs, the drugs sell themselves. I don't think a drug dealer has ever said "How am I going to get rid of all this crack?" The article said that the police have been investigating this house for over a year due to numerous neighborhood complaints. I can't help but wonder if someone in the neighborhood created these fliers to set up the dealers in their neighborhood.

Regardless of who created the fliers, these dealers are guilty and behind bars where they belong.

3 Foot Tall Burger!

The Detroit News reported that a Southgate eatery created the biggest hamburger in the world. The burger weighs in at 338 pounds and does come with fries and a drink. The burger is listed on the menu as "Absolutely Ridiculous Burger" and costs $2,000. This sandwich is three feet high and is loaded with 540,000 calories. It took 22 hours to cook as has a 100 pound bun, 15 pounds of lettuce, 30 pounds of bacon, 30 pounds of tomatoes and 36 pounds of cheese.The Travel Channel was on location for the unveiling of this monster burger for an upcoming episode of "Food Paradise."

This is an absolutely ridiculous burger! There are people starving throughout the world and this place is making 300 pound hamburgers.

While it's on the menu, it has never been ordered. Why was it necessary to make a burger of this magnitude? I get that they were trying to set a record, but I think we have become way too obsessed with food and this is the result. The article doesn't mention if anyone got to eat any of it or not, hopefully it was not a total waste of food.

Perhaps this is the answer to world hunger.

Teen busted by alert pharmacist

A rock station in DC, DC 101, posted an article about a seventeen year old who tried to have a prescription filled with marijuana in the bottle. The teen dropped off a medicine bottle at a pharmacy to be refilled. When the pharmacists opened the bottle they discovered what they thought might be marijuana, and called the local authorities. The police determined that it was marijuana and the seventeen year old was charged with possession of marijuana.

My initial reaction is that this teen is an idiot and reflecting on the article only strengthens my initial reaction.

How stupid can this seventeen year old be? His stupidity led to a drug possession charge on his record. Although just having it period wasn't the smartest idea but to leave it in a prescription bottle and take it to the pharmacy is beyond stupid and he deserves to be convicted.

This is your brain on drugs...

Bra removal not grounds for dismissal, judge rules

The Toronto Sun published this article about Sang Eun Lee who was forced to remove her under-wire bra for safety reasons when she was arrested for impaired driving. Lee tried to beat the charge by alleging her rights were violated. Before her arrest, Lee was drinking at a bar where the staff helped her to a taxi. She had a dispute with the taxi driver and decided to drive herself home, so the concerned cab driver called 911. The police caught her as she pulled into her apartment complex and parked in the wrong driveway. Lee was found guilty of impaired operation of a motor vehicle and received a minimum fine of $1,000 and her licence was suspended for a year.

I am angered by Lee's attempt to get out of the ticket by falsely claiming her rights were violated.

Lee claimed that she was strip searched, upon investigation she was only asked to remove her bra for safety reasons, something that is done with all females. She was not singled out. Lee also claimed that when she was arrested that the police didn't explain her right to council in her native language and she didn't understand English. The judge pointed out that Lee attended an English university in the United states from 1993 through 1997 and that she had no trouble following the officers directions as shown in the surveillance video from the police station. Neither of her "excuses" held any weight in court. Regardless of the fact that the police allegedly performed an illegal strip search and did or didn't explain her rights in her native language doesn't negate that fact that Lee was guilty of driving drunk. Those are separate issues and the fact that she thought the charges should be thrown out because of that is absurd.

Everyone needs to start taking responsibility for their actions instead of trying to place blame elsewhere. I love the fact that in this case Lee's allegations were proved false and feel that she should have been punished for making them.

Boston Hospital Performs Double Hand Transplant

The Boston Channel a story about a man that received a double hand transplant. This is Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital's first successful double hand transplant. Richard Mangino, the recipient, is a 65 year old married father and grandfather. Mangino lost his arms at the elbow and his legs at the knee in 2002 when he developed sepsis and his limbs were amputated after a medically induced coma. Mangino says that he looks forward to shaking a friend’s hand, going swimming and riding a bike.

I am amazed what doctors are able to accomplish and also inspired by the patient in this story.

It took 40 surgeons, nurses and specialists working together to give this well deserving patient some normalcy, something we all take for granted. This patient lost four of his limbs ten years ago but didn't let that get him down. As a result of his positive attitude and strong determination to live his life normally he was still able to play the guitar, use a laptop, mow the yard, shovel snow and drive a car. He is an accomplished writer and painter. Mangino is quoted as saying “I go forward enjoying life so that those around me, those that care for me and love me, can live their lives not having to live mine.”

Mangino is a true inspiration that we can all learn something from.

Crazy!

This last month has been crazy! I was rear ended on September 8th and my vehicle was totaled. I was stopped at a red light and rear ended by another driver who told the police that she thought the turn lane had a green light because other traffic was moving too. Apparently the stopped cars in front of her didn't clue her in to the fact that maybe she should stop too. She hit my vehicle so hard that she pushed it 5 feet forward, causing me to rear end the vehicle in front of me. She called her father and he arrived at the scene of the accident and tried to get his "little girl" out of the ticket and actually told the police officer that it was absurd that his daughter get a ticket for careless driving since she's not any more careless than any other driver in Joplin. Her father also wanted to know why I didn't get a ticket and the officer told him that they usually don't give tickets to people who are innocently rear ended while sitting at a red light. 

I have 3 sons and two of them had birthdays this month. The youngest turned 5 and the middle son turned 12. My oldest is 15. I have been busy attending the older boy's sporting events. My oldest is in cross country and my middle boy plays football.

I also have 3 dogs, a 6 year old chocolate lab, one male and one female chihuahua. The female chihuahua gave birth to SIX puppies the day after my middle son's birthday. So, I guess I have 9 dogs temporarily!

Last night, my garage was broken into. Luckily nothing of importance was taken. I had about a case of beer left over from a get together that were left in a cooler in my garage. The beers had been there for almost 3 weeks, so they were warm and probably pretty skunky. That is what the thieves decided to steal, skunky beer. They were polite thieves, they did leave one beer in the cooler. For insurance purposes I had to have the police come fill out a report and it was a little embarrassing to tell them the only thing they stole was my beer. Because of all the damage they caused to my garage door it's going to have to be replaced now and the estimate of replacing it is just over one thousand dollars. That's an expensive case of beer, I hope the thieves puke their guts out from drinking that skunky beer!

Google pulls 'Is My Son Gay?' Anroid App

cnet News reported that Google pulled the "Is My Son Gay" application for Android. This application was created by Christophe de Baran, comedic author and openly gay man. The application relied on stereotypes, posing such inane questions as 'does he read the sports pages?' and 'does he care about how he dresses?' Members of allout.org launched a Twitter campaign urging people to demand that Google remove the application they claim to be offensive. A company spokesman from Google stated that "We remove apps that violate our policies." The developers of the app also provided a statement from the author who commissioned the app to promote a book he wrote, stating that "This app was conceived with a playful approach. It is not based at all on scientific research. Through humor, "Is My Son Gay?" and the forthcoming novel have the sole objective of toning down/improving the situation and helping mothers to accept their sons' homosexuality."

I don't know what I find most offensive, the fact that Google removed the app or the fact that some parents actually downloaded this app thinking it was real. After reading the article I am more offended by the parents who believed this app was real.

There are so many offensive apps on the Android Market, there are even apps similar to this one, the only difference is that they state that they are not real and are a joke. Does this mean they are going to start removing every app an organization might launch a campaign against because they find it offensive? Where does common sense factor in? If you believe this app is real, you must be an idiot, should be the disclaimer attached to this app. What is really scary is that there were some parents who actually downloaded this app thinking they would find out if their son was gay or not. These parents don't have any business being parents.

What ever happened to parents actually talking to their children? If you want to know if your son is gay, ask him! DUH!

Cell phone thief posts photo of himself on victim's Facebook page

Police in Henry County are on the hunt for a man who allegedly broke into a car and inadvertently posted a photo of himself on the victim's Facebook page. The victim was picking up her child from daycare and left her car unlocked. When the victim when inside the building to get her child the thief entered her vehicle and took her purse. The victim didn't realize until she got home that her purse was missing. The victim logged on to Facebook and noticed that a picture had been automatically updated from her cell phone, as her setting her in phone are set to automatically upload all photos to her Facebook page. The victim then recognized this as the person who was parked next to her at the daycare where her purse was stolen. The police are confident the suspect will be recognized and captured.

This should be on America's Dumbest Criminals! The victim isn't the sharpest tool in the shed either for leaving her car unlocked. After finishing the article, it was a smart move on the victim's part to have her her photos automatically uploaded to Facebook.

As if it isn't bad enough that the thief took someone's purse, they took a self photo with the victim's phone, resulting in the police having a photo of the suspected thief. The victim wasn't very smart for leaving her car unlocked with her purse inside it just because she thought it was a female sitting in the car she parked beside. Male or female, either could have taken it. What she thought was a female ended up being a male that she recognized in the Facebook photo as the person she parked beside at the daycare. If the victim would have locked her car in the first place this probably wouldn't even be an issue.

Take a lesson from the victim in this story and lock your car and if you're going to steal a cell phone don't take any photos of yourself!