Comments by steveroot

Comment #121393 by steveroot on February 3, 2008 at 11:00 am

Another classic from the Condell library.
Well done!
Steve

452. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #121381 by steveroot on February 3, 2008 at 10:32 am

1566. Comment #121035 by Kardashovel on February 2, 2008 at 9:55 pm

...I believe that we will meet again in the afterlife.

I keep seeing statements like this and wonder if they have been thought out. How will these people appear to each other, I asks myself? Do they get to chose their form of apparition? When we see those children who died of cancer ("called home"!), do we see them without their hair or do we see them grown up. If my wife and I saw the three children we started but who were never born, would they seem to be the adults they were meant to be, or would we need a microscope to see the ball of cells they had become when they were aborted (by god, of course)? The logistics are just impossible.

On the "evidence" discussion that was going on several hundred posts ago in response to K-shovel's statement that testimony is evidence...
Many good responses there, but here's mine. I was reminded of a time when I was doing jury duty. The judge instructed us that we were to consider, among other things, the "quality" of the testimony. In other words, its credibility. Not all testimony is equally believable. In my profession, I base decisions on evidence, mainly in the form of journal articles. A prospective, randomized clinical study is better than a retrospective clinical study, which is better than an "in-vitro" study. "Case reports" are of little use in justifying clinical decisions, though they may serve as stimuli for better quality studies. If I tried to explain why I used sterilized bird droppings for root canal treatment by saying "it works for me", I would expect to be criticized pretty severely. Of course, if I said I had received instructions from god, what do you think? ;-)

Either Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens (or both) has said that if a religious person were told that his/her spouse was committing adultery, he would require convincing evidence.

Like many others here, I am waiting for convincing evidence of god's existence. The warm fuzzies don't cut it.
Steve

453. Belief in Belief

Comment #120400 by steveroot on February 1, 2008 at 3:13 pm

105. Comment #120371 by Titan on February 1, 2008 at 2:27 pm

WARNING: THIS IS A STORY BEST TOLD TO ALREADY BELIEVING CHRISTIANS!

... Or anyone else who won't think critically about it.

...I called one of my friends from Church. He reminded me that God isn't only interested in the big transitional moments of our lives. He's also interested in the minutia. Just the way we find our children's little moments so interesting even if other's don't find them the same.

It's good to have friends who share the knowledge of god's mind. The analogy to children helps make you feel better because someone else is in control. I wonder why god is interested in the minutia of *your* life when thousands of people around the world are suffering... the minutia of a starving child's life, let's say, just doesn't compare with helping someone bag a deer.

...You know, I don't know if God helped my aim or not. But it doesn't even seem important. All that does seem important as that I have him there to go to, and that moment will forever be remembered by me as a time when I was in his presence.

I would have felt that way when my children were born. Nice that you get that experience while taking another creature's life. Nothing against you hunters, but I think feeling god's presence while pulling the trigger is a bit strange.
Steve

454. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #119699 by steveroot on January 31, 2008 at 6:39 pm

1176. Comment #119697 by Radesq on January 31, 2008 at 6:37 pm Perhaps instead of thinking of the big bang model of the expanding universe we could think of it as a big stretch? In which case the religious could think of God as an immense taffy puller.

That's not going to play well in Cardiff! Steve

455. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #119693 by steveroot on January 31, 2008 at 6:35 pm

1134. Comment #119630 by Richard Morgan on January 31, 2008 at 5:45 pm According to some earlier posts, apparently it's somewhere in Yorkshire.

Richard, I've been lurking around reading this fascinating exchange, and I'm enjoying your comments immensely. However, I must point out that the C.O.U. is located in Missouri. We know this because there is a book that says so. ;-) Cheers! Steve PS: Steve, how'd that endodontic experience go?

456. Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights

Comment #119679 by steveroot on January 31, 2008 at 6:23 pm

75. Comment #119140 by agn on January 31, 2008 at 10:43 am No, I don't. I press "submit" once, then wait, and those 3 darned messages have appeared.

Can you delete 2/3 of your posts? There is a "delete" button. Steve

457. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #119383 by steveroot on January 31, 2008 at 2:49 pm

951. Comment #119321 by Kardashovel on January 31, 2008 at 1:30 pm

And so I proceeded to take a walk around the neighborhood, talking out loud with God.

And to answer an earlier question, the accent and the voice are my own, the one that I think with. But this definitely was not me.

I think we know whose voice it was... maybe you were channeling Edgar Bergen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Bergen
http://www.radiohof.org/comedy/edgarbergen.html
Steve

458. Happy Birthday Josh Timonen!

Comment #118952 by steveroot on January 31, 2008 at 7:59 am

I can't add much here (as usual), but my thanks are sincere and my wishes for many, many more happy birthdays for you are heartfelt.
Best regards,
Steve

459. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118294 by steveroot on January 30, 2008 at 3:13 pm

250. Comment #118223 by Pretty Lady on January 30, 2008 at 1:43 pm

Er, no, dear. You really need to read Vox's book. Ta-ta!

Ahem... *You* really need to stop sucking on lemons*. It's most unbecoming such a "pretty lady" (sic), and it's bad for your teeth as well.
Steve

*It is lemons, yes?

460. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118282 by steveroot on January 30, 2008 at 2:47 pm

246. Comment #118217 by Steve Zara on January 30, 2008 at 1:37 pm

As I am soon to have a root canal filling, I am not entirely convinced of my perfection.

I will be praying for a favorable outcome. ;-)
Make sure the doc uses a rubber dam!
Steve ("root", as in "root canal"!)

461. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #117698 by steveroot on January 29, 2008 at 12:02 pm

99. Comment #117639 by irate_atheist on January 29, 2008 at 9:27 am

Serious fucktard territory. I mean, not even wrong. What twisted cretin can create this shit-bag of nonsense?

What more is there to say?

I want to see Irate Atheist mano a mano with Irrational Atheist- Irate wipes the floor (maybe even the *back door*) with him!
Chihuahua Steve ;-)

462. Fish out of water: Your Inner Fish

Comment #117108 by steveroot on January 28, 2008 at 9:21 am

72. Comment #117099 by irate_atheist on January 28, 2008 at 9:04 am
My inner fish feels battered at present.

...and all this time I've been eating them raw! ;-)

You like fish puns? Remember this song by Kip Addotta?
(NOTE: Josh, feel free to delete this if it takes up too much room.)

It was April the 41st, being a quadruple leap year
I was driving in downtown Atlantis
My Barracuda was in the shop, so I was in a rented Stingray, and it was
overheating
So I pulled into a Shell station
They said I'd blown a seal
I said, "Fix the damn thing and leave my private life out of it, okay
pal?"

While they were doing that I walked over to a place called the oyster
bar -- a real dive
But I knew the owner, he used to play for the Dolphins
I said, "Hi, Gil!!!"
You hafta yell, he's hard of herring

CHORUS:
Think I had a wet dream
Cruisin' through the Gulf Stream
Oooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Wet dream...

Gil was also down on his luck
Fact is, he was barely keeping his head below water
I gullied up to the sandbar
He poured the usual
Rusty snail, hold the grunion, shaken, not stirred
With a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich on the side -- heavy on the
mako
I slipped him a fin -- on porpoise
I was feeling good
I even dropped a sand dollar in the box for Jerry's Squids -- for the
halibut

Well, the place was crowded
We were packed in like sardines
They were all there to listen to the big band sounds of Tommy Dorsal --
what sole
Tommy was rockin' the place with a very popular tuna -- "Salmon Chanted
Evening"
And the stage was surrounded by screaming groupers
Probably there to see the bass player

One of them was this cute little yellowtail
And she's giving ME the eye
So I figure, this is my chance for a little fun
You know -- a piece of Pisces

But she said things I just couldn't fathom
She was too deep, and seemed to be under a lot of pressure
Boy, could she drink
She drank like a... she drank A LOT...
I said, "What's your sign?"
She said, "Aquarium"
I said, "GREAT!!! Let's get tanked!"

CHORUS

I invited her up to my place for a little midnight bait
I said, "C'mon baby, it'll only take a few minnows"
She threw me that same old line
"Not tonight -- I got a haddock"

And she wasn't kiddin' either, 'cuz in came the biggest, meanest looking
haddock I'd ever seen come down the pike
He was covered with mussels
He came over to me, he said, "Listen shrimp -- don't you come trolling
around here"
What a crab
This guy was steamed -- I could see the anchor in his eyes

I turned to him, I said, "Abalone -- You're just being shellfish"
Well, I knew it was going to be trouble, and so did Gil, 'cuz he was
already on the phone to the cods
The haddock hits me with a sucker punch
I catch him with a left hook
He eels over
It was a fluke, but there he was, lying on the deck, flat as a mackerel
Kelpless

I said, "Forget the cods, Gil, this guy's gonna need a sturgeon"
Well, the yellowtail was impressed with the way I landed her boyfriend
She came over to me, she said, "Hey big boy, you're really a game fish"
"What's your name?"
I said, "Marlin"

CHORUS

Well from then on, we had a whale of a time
I took her to dinner
I took her to dance
I bought her a bouquet of flounders
And then I went home with her
And what did I get for my trouble?
A case of the clams

CHORUS
Steve

463. Fish out of water: Your Inner Fish

Comment #117091 by steveroot on January 28, 2008 at 8:42 am

69. Comment #116946 by Radesq on January 27, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Not bad at all, was it published in the USA?

Yes, it was. My copy was printed in the 1960s in paperback form. It's probably out of print, but can be seen at the link I gave previously. I think Shubin's book is more worthwhile, as plenty has changed and/or been discovered since the 1920s in paleontology (to say nothing of genetics and other areas). I gave a copy of the new book to my old professor who taught me anatomy and gave me Gregory's book... left it in his mailbox this morning and waiting to see his response.
Steve

464. Fish out of water: Your Inner Fish

Comment #116945 by steveroot on January 27, 2008 at 9:06 pm

I picked the book up a couple days ago and have finished the first chapter. It is extremely readable. Can't wait for my next free time slot!

This book reminded me of another book I read in dental school:
"Our Face from Fish to Man", by William K. Gregory. It was published in 1929 four years after the Scopes trial.

It seems to be available (free!) on-line here:
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=4920692

This is a bit from the Foreword by William Beebe:

I advise no Fundamentalist or Anti-Evolutionist
to read it, for if he have no sense of humor he will
not understand it, and if he have, his belief will be
like Dunsany's King who "was as though he never
had been." If with Bergson we believe that the
origin of laughter was cruelty, then an S. P. C. to
something should be formed to prevent the spec
tacle of a Fundamentalist's face functioning with
the third eyelid of a bird, the ear-point of a deer,
the honorable scars of most ancient gills, and with
his lip-lifting muscles in full action as he sneers
at truth. A moment's thought of these few char
acters presents a new viewpoint on what we are
wont to call the "lower" animals, for if our third
eyelid were more than a degenerate flap we, like
an eagle, could look straight at the sun; if our ears
could straighten and turn as once, the lives of
pedestrians would be safer; if the ghosts of gills
were still functional, drowning would be impos
sible, and if the fang-revealing sneer showed less
degenerate canines, we might have a more physi
cally wholesome fear of cavilers against the doc
trine of Evolution.

Not bad for 80 years ago!
Steve

465. A Letter From Hell

Comment #116890 by steveroot on January 27, 2008 at 5:52 pm

327. Comment #116878 by al-rawandi on January 27, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Double Bass Atheist,

No Italian? Damn. If I could order hits, there are several evangelicals that would be in the bottom of the river right now.

If you told them it was the river of the blood of Jesus, you wouldn't need the cement shoes!
Steve

466. Ore. Court: Boy Has Say in Circumcision

Comment #116888 by steveroot on January 27, 2008 at 5:49 pm

15. Comment #116351 by Mango on January 26, 2008 at 9:45 am
Is getting your child's otherwise healthy teeth clamped down by metal to align them not also a kind of mutilation?

FTR: Straightening misaligned teeth is not always a purely "esthetic" procedure. Depending on the severity of the malocclusion, orthodontic treatment can improve speech, prevent gum disease, improve chewing function, prevent jaw joint problems and avoid the need for jaw surgery. This has the potential to go *way* beyond esthetics. Of course, the emphasis is mainly on "esthetics", because most lay people are more aware of the appearance of their teeth (sadly exacerbated by the dental profession these days, at least so it seems in the U.S.) than their proper function and health.

On the issue of male circumcision, I agree that it is largely a cultural (originally religious) tradition that could (and probably should) fade away. I am circumcised, and so is my son (16 yo); had I to do it over, I probably would argue against it. But I won't lose any sleep over it now that it's done.

It is a dilemma with respect to informed consent. Obviously, a newborn cannot consent to such an irreversible procedure. However, I would not be surprised to find that it is less harmful when it is done in the perinatal period than years later (I'm not aware of studies of this). When the tissue in question has had the opportunity to grow to adult size, and the sensory nerve network has matured and there have been relevant developmental changes in the brain centers associated with the perception and appreciation of pleasure (among other sensations), I do not doubt that its removal is more likely to have complications.

I don't particularly miss my foreskin; neither do I hold a grudge against my parents for doing what in 1950 was fairly "mainstream". I expect my son will be fine with his situation, but should he one day ask what *he* should do, I will steer him towards leaving nature be. I wouldn't be surprised to see a gentle cultural "shift" away from male circumcision.

As far as I'm concerned, there is little comparison between male and female circumcision. The former is an anachronism; the latter is criminal.
Steve

467. The New Theology

Comment #116131 by steveroot on January 25, 2008 at 3:15 pm

147. Comment #116126 by Steve Zara on January 25, 2008 at 3:01 pm

By the way - is that a Border Collie?

{Digression Alert}
No. He's a stray we adopted about 5 years ago. We think he's mostly long-coat chihuahua with something else mixed in. He's all of 10 pounds, very smart and very companionable.
Chihuahua Steve

468. The New Theology

Comment #116123 by steveroot on January 25, 2008 at 2:50 pm

134. Comment #115612 by Steve Zara on January 24, 2008 at 12:05 pm
What's wrong with my face?

Nothing. But.. there are some faces that there are nothing wrong with, and some faces it is positively nice to see. I would rank cartomancer in the latter category.

OK; I won't take it personally! And, though it's nice to see both your faces, I probably learn more from your posts. Thanks!
Steve

469. A Letter From Hell

Comment #116109 by steveroot on January 25, 2008 at 1:54 pm

149. Comment #116058 by andyB on January 25, 2008 at 12:32 pm
"I can smell the sulfur and brimstone"

ok so i had to wiki brimstone... it's sulfur!

i mean, if you already knew what the heck brimstone was, then why would you say both -- like they are 2 different things? hee hee

Haven't you heard of the "Department of Redundancy Department"?
Steve

470. The real danger in Darwin is not evolution, but racism

Comment #116104 by steveroot on January 25, 2008 at 1:48 pm

271. Comment #115632 by Mitchell Gilks on January 24, 2008 at 12:44 pm

They are not the same word. I forget who but I remember awhile ago that someone got fired for using the word "negardly" in a speach. Which may sound a little bit like nigger, but it is a completely different word, that has nothing in common. He was still fired because it kinda rhymed I guess.

"On January 15, 1999, David Howard, a white aide to Anthony A. Williams, the black mayor of Washington, D.C., United States, used the word in reference to a budget. This apparently upset one of his black colleagues (identified by Howard as Marshall Brown), who incorrectly interpreted it as a racial slur and lodged a complaint. As a result, on January 25 Howard tendered his resignation, and Williams accepted it."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_about_the_word_%22niggardly%22
Steve

471. A Letter From Hell

Comment #116096 by steveroot on January 25, 2008 at 1:33 pm

162. Comment #116093 by Noodly on January 25, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Therefore the effectively ungoverned nature of the Internet is an anachronism to them.

I believe you mean anathema. :-)
Steve

472. A Letter From Hell

Comment #115990 by steveroot on January 25, 2008 at 8:00 am

106. Comment #115981 by al-rawandi on January 25, 2008 at 7:38 am

Spotgeburt aus dreck und feur!

Best translation I could get:
Spot birth from dirt and feur!
WTF??
Steve

473. A Letter From Hell

Comment #115976 by steveroot on January 25, 2008 at 7:20 am

73. Comment #115934 by angelsegg on January 25, 2008 at 4:38 am
A teacher was suspended and ordered to take sensitivity training after showing this video to an eighth-grade health class.

Thank goodness! Some evidence of sanity.

Regarding the issue of energy resources in hell, here is something that's been going around for years but might be amusing:
http://www.pinetree.net/humor/thermodynamics.html
http://www.snopes.com/college/exam/hell.asp
Steve "Exothermic Chihuahua"

474. Heath Ledger Death: Baptist Group To Protest At Memorial

Comment #115808 by steveroot on January 24, 2008 at 8:29 pm

23. Comment #115573 by righton on January 24, 2008 at 10:56 am
I hope these picketers ROT IN HELL

I'm sorry to have to break this news to you...
Steve ;-)

475. Secrets of bird flight revealed

Comment #115778 by steveroot on January 24, 2008 at 6:52 pm

13. Comment #115645 by Deepthought on January 24, 2008 at 1:15 pm

What would they say in reply to the question of "Could a human have written the Bible and then said that it was the word of God just to benefit himself?"

"Joseph Smith did it"(?).
Steve

476. Heath Ledger Death: Baptist Group To Protest At Memorial

Comment #115747 by steveroot on January 24, 2008 at 3:37 pm

114. Comment #115717 by SharonMcT on January 24, 2008 at 2:55 pm

Flushing the toilet aspirates the water in the bowl and it can fly out around the bathroom.

This is a scientifically testable hypothesis. To my present knowledge, there is no evidence to support it. The water in a toilet goes down because of gravity or by Bernoulli effects, depending on its design. There is certainly turbulence in the bowl, but let's look for evidence of it ejecting water. BTW, I am a dentist and the toilet in my home is often flushed with the lid open; of course that doesn't reject the hypothesis. I doubt it, though.
Steve

477. Islam in Europe

Comment #115740 by steveroot on January 24, 2008 at 3:20 pm

115. Comment #115538 by al-rawandi on January 24, 2008 at 9:53 am

If someone in a free country said "Kill al-Rawandi because he criticizes the Qur'an" that should be taken seriously and the cleric should be jailed. It is the equivalent of taking out a hit on someone.

I'm confused about something here. There is supposed to be an omnipotent being. I insult or otherwise disparage that being. According to some scripture, this warrants severe punishment (death). Why does the punishment always involve human agency? I would think it would dawn on the fatwa-makers that they were doing the dirty work for their imaginary friend. Of course, I realize that won't happen in spite of its being so obviously devoid of supernatural influence.
Chihuahua Steve

478. Heath Ledger Death: Baptist Group To Protest At Memorial

Comment #115558 by steveroot on January 24, 2008 at 10:18 am

3. Comment #115543 by Ian Bamlett on January 24, 2008 at 10:00 am
Can we all just agree the WBC is beneath contempt and move on?

Not only beneath, but lying supine sucking the privates. It boggles my mind that human beings can be this fucktarded.
Steve

479. Secrets of bird flight revealed

Comment #115551 by steveroot on January 24, 2008 at 10:07 am

You mean god has his eye on the sparrow, but isn't giving him levitation? :-(
Steve

480. Banned From Church

Comment #115548 by steveroot on January 24, 2008 at 10:05 am

Pastor Jason Burrick doesn't hold a candle to Pastor Deacon Fred for running a tight ship.
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/60second/
Steve

481. Islam in Europe

Comment #114991 by steveroot on January 23, 2008 at 11:44 am

87. Comment #114932 by al-rawandi on January 23, 2008 at 7:46 am

Steve R.
Do you want me to delete the post, and you can be spared the nickname?

Thanks, but that won't be necessary. Even if I didn't get a chuckle out of it (I did), WWCHT (What Would Christopher Hitchens Think) of censoring what some dipwad dentist might be offended by? ;-)
Steve ("CS")

482. Islam in Europe

Comment #114921 by steveroot on January 23, 2008 at 7:28 am

84. Comment #114917 by al-rawandi on January 23, 2008 at 7:23 am
Steve (Chihuahua Steve)

Well, I probably won't shake that off for a good long while. Thanks!
C.S.
{slaps self} Of course! C.S. Lewis outed as another Chihuahua lover!

483. Islam in Europe

Comment #114914 by steveroot on January 23, 2008 at 7:15 am

81. Comment #114907 by al-rawandi on January 23, 2008 at 6:54 am
I thought he went overboard from time to time. Perhaps Steve may agree.

Comments like "A man's testimony is worth twice that of a woman, unless the man is gay. Then who do they stone first." That was a non-sequiter, it doesn't really serve his purpose and it sounds hysterical.

Different Steve here. You have probably noticed that Pat Condell waxes hyperbolic at times. I think this is an example. He is trying to make religion (generally) and islam (in particular) look ridiculous. Since his pieces are not represented to be serious, scholarly works, I find his approach acceptable. The other Steve may disagree :-)
Steve

484. This Week's Flea

Comment #114476 by steveroot on January 22, 2008 at 9:24 am

189. Comment #114317 by ADH on January 21, 2008 at 11:44 pm

By the way any time you want to get into discussing LOTR I'm more than willing. One of the greatest works of fiction every written.

Amen, Brother! I'm reading the Trilogy for about the 8th time, interspersed with selections more relevant to this forum. BTW, I also enjoy C. S. Lewis's fiction works; particularly the "Out of the Silent Planet" trilogy.
Steve

485. This Week's Flea

Comment #114282 by steveroot on January 21, 2008 at 6:19 pm

177. Comment #114218 by SRWB on January 21, 2008 at 3:07 pm

Of course God was being merciful - what he was really trying to do was to teach everyone alive how to swim and tread water!

Doesn't every good parent want to make his precious little ones "water safe"?

Remember Bill Cosby's "Noah" routine?
"Noah, how long can you tread water?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyc1315KawQ
Steve

486. Huckabee Wants A 'Faith-based' Constitution

Comment #114225 by steveroot on January 21, 2008 at 3:22 pm

203. Comment #113971 by Tyler Durden on January 21, 2008 at 5:32 am

"Marriage has historically, as long as there's been human history, meant a man and a woman in a relationship for life."

For life? Really?

Number of marriages in US during 2005: 2,230,000

Marriage rate: 7.5 per 1,000 total population
Divorce rate: 3.6 per 1,000 population

And that's why the bumper sticker says
"4 out of 5 baptist divorcees want gays to stop undermining the sanctity of marriage"
Steve

487. Violence fear over Islam film

Comment #114222 by steveroot on January 21, 2008 at 3:17 pm

67. Comment #114212 by MelM on January 21, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Pat Condell has something relevant to say in a new video added Jan 19, 2008: "O Dhimmi Canada"

"On the other hand...and there's always another hand, unless you're a Saudi Arabian shoplifter..."
LOL
Steve

488. This Week's Flea

Comment #114208 by steveroot on January 21, 2008 at 2:41 pm

170. Comment #114191 by ADH on January 21, 2008 at 2:03 pm
The OT God is not a vengeful God. He is a God of justice, and also a God of mercy.

{Ahem} "The Flood"
It don't get much more merciful than that! ;-)
Steve

489. Gay Jesus play blasted by bishop

Comment #114065 by steveroot on January 21, 2008 at 9:57 am

13. Comment #114056 by Cartomancer on January 21, 2008 at 9:28 am
For millennia now the christians have been...trying to challenge our monopoly on liberal lefty politics and destroy the sanctity of gay marriage.

Well, four out of five baptist divorcees want you gays to stop undermining the sanctity of marriage!
LOL!
Steve

490. The New Theology

Comment #114057 by steveroot on January 21, 2008 at 9:31 am

74. Comment #113362 by Steve Zara on January 19, 2008 at 11:35 am

There seems to be a trend for showing one's face as against some anonymous icon. Tis a good thing, I feel. No pressure on those who don't want to, but nice to put a face to a "name".

What's wrong with my face? Come close to my avatar, but watch out: I bite! :-)

While I'm here, Brother John's planned conversation with Marie Curie reminded me of a question I've always had about the after-life. How will we see these people? Will I see my dead mother as she was when I was a child or when she was on her deathbed? What if I'm with my father, who is seeing my mother as his young bride but as I wasn't born yet I can't use that image? How will I see the three children that my wife and I conceived but which were aborted ("sponaneously", ie, according to god's plan) at the 8th week? Can I have a conversation with them, and how would that go, pray tell? "Hey, Dad! Over here! It's me, Billy. Don't you recognize me?"
Give me a break. I have two great kids I can relate to *now*, thanks.

Steve

491. Honour Killings

Comment #113940 by steveroot on January 21, 2008 at 3:52 am

12. Comment #113688 by Ian on January 20, 2008 at 10:38 am

Dear Mr Ahmad,
...
You are an ignorant, loathsome, bigotted fool and I'm afraid Steveroot, quite real.

Ian, sadly, I realize it was not the Onion.
Steve

492. Honour Killings

Comment #113665 by steveroot on January 20, 2008 at 10:12 am

Whoever wrote this has his head firmly up his rectum. I didn't get much further than robotaholic.

Wait... durn it, I was fooled again. It's the Onion, isn't it? Those folks are so clever!
Steve

493. Two Ex-Jehovah Witnesses to Tell Why They Became Atheists

Comment #113187 by steveroot on January 18, 2008 at 8:14 pm

91. Comment #113179 by Homo economicus on January 18, 2008 at 7:25 pm

By the way, related to this, would anyone care to do the blood challenge?

http://thebloodchallenge.wordpress.com/

I'm pleased to say that I'm a 7+ gallon blood donor and have been a platelet and plasma donor over 20 times. I never really thought of this as a stick in the eye of the Jojoba's Witlessness, but if it is I'm glad. Years ago, when I worked in a hospital laboratory, I had the opportunity to see some of the recipients of my "spare" tissue- it was most gratifying. BTW, H.E., I'm glad you got that transfusion.
Steve (O+)

494. Gigantic fossil rodent discovered

Comment #113014 by steveroot on January 18, 2008 at 12:48 pm

27. Comment #112827 by epeeist on January 18, 2008 at 6:38 am

Perhaps the reason god didn't allow A&E to eat the apple was because they had no intestinal fauna to digest it.

Minor correction, please! That would be "flora"; there are sometimes "fauna" in the GI tract, but they are generally there as parasites, and have little to do with digestion. An example would be Giardia lamblia (aka "the little old man"); see
http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dpd/parasites/giardiasis/factsht_giardia.htm
Steve

495. Ben Stein Bribing Schools to See His Anti-Evolution Movie 'Expelled'

Comment #112971 by steveroot on January 18, 2008 at 10:50 am

104. Comment #112961 by MaxD on January 18, 2008 at 10:41 am
Now I'll be branded as a flip-flopper.
Damnit.

Better that than a "dog-doer"!
Steve

FWIW, I accept your apology on behalf of my diminutive dyslexic god.

496. Ben Stein Bribing Schools to See His Anti-Evolution Movie 'Expelled'

Comment #112942 by steveroot on January 18, 2008 at 10:03 am

88. Comment #112919 by MaxD on January 18, 2008 at 9:26 am

"...the disgusting form that so captivates Paris Hilton."

Hey, MaxD, be careful! My avatar is a Chihuahua! Watch where you step, my friend! ;-)

BTW, you can delete that extra copy of your post. See the little [x] to the left of the [edit] button.
Steve

497. Dinesh D'Souza: Winner of the 2007 Bad Faith Award

Comment #112488 by steveroot on January 17, 2008 at 9:27 am

57. Comment #112383 by Peacebeuponme on January 17, 2008 at 2:41 am

I don't think "bombers" makes them sound more cuddly.

Well, some of us *are* of the "baby bomber generation".
:-)
Steve

498. Dinesh D'Souza: Winner of the 2007 Bad Faith Award

Comment #112323 by steveroot on January 16, 2008 at 8:31 pm

26. Comment #112178 by Double Bass Atheist on January 16, 2008 at 1:56 pm

"A man without a god is like a fish without a bicycle." – Gloria Steinem

In the pedantic interests of accuracy, I must point out that this comparison was made by Irina Dunn in a slightly different form:

Gloria Steinem had this to say in a letter she wrote to Time magazine in autumn 2000:

"In your note on my new and happy marital partnership with David Bale, you credit me with the witticism 'A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.' In fact, Irina Dunn, a distinguished Australian educator, journalist and politician, coined the phrase back in 1970 when she was a student at the University of Sydney. She paraphrased the philosopher who said, 'Man needs God like fish needs a bicycle.' Dunn deserves credit for creating such a popular and durable spoof of the old idea that women need men more than vice versa."

Reference:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/414150.html
Steve

499. The Group Delusion

Comment #112289 by steveroot on January 16, 2008 at 6:37 pm

@ The Reverend Dark:

This is abuse.

Wooter you are an utter ignoramus. You would be described as thick as pig shite, but even after we fed a pig a steady diet of toffee and eggs, it was still not able to pony up a turd whose fecal density approached your particular level of tragic stupidity. You would be hard pressed to find your own arse without the assistance of both hands, a flashlight, a highly trained arse sniffing dog and a team of dedicated spelunkers. I would call you an arsehole, but the Royal Order of the Puckered Starfish rejected the application. They have standards and would be mortified to admit a creature so contemptuous to their company.
See the difference?

I could not see my keyboard for a full two minutes after reading this. My hat is off to you, Sir! That is the best abuse I've seen in years.
Pity it's wasted...
Steve

500. Why Christopher Hitchens is not Great

Comment #111691 by steveroot on January 15, 2008 at 12:59 pm

72. Comment #111689 by al-rawandi on January 15, 2008 at 12:55 pm
God damn it.
I meant breasts.

What the fuck are breats?

Breatwurst. Great with sauerkraut!

BTW, you *can* edit your errors away... or should I say, "redact"? :-)
Just like the scribes did with the bible!
Steve