From winterbadger comes today a comment on a disgusting little bit of grave dancing and postumous libel that really ought to make you sick: Soldiers fighting the war aren't smart enough to write their own op-eds, much less form a reasonable opinion on the war.

Support the troops, kids -- unless they disagree with your pet delusion!

Regarding the Virginia Tech Shooting:

"A White House spokesman said President Bush was horrified by the rampage and offered his prayers to the victims and the people of Virginia.

'The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed,' spokeswoman Dana Perino said."

Wow, feel the love! Feel the compassion! Feel the...pandering to campaign supporters.

I'm sure the NRA will be relieved to know that yet another public mass shooting won't affect their right to buy weapons that were designed expressly to kill human beings.

Okay, Benedict XVI was being, if nothing else, pretty stupid when he quoted a 14th century (and the relevance is...?) Emperor as saying that Mohammed brought nothing new to the world except that which was "only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." Wow. Insentive, impolitic, and really badly timed. What was he thinking?

Not surprisingly, the Islamic world jumped all over him with both feet. One can understand Muslims being angry at a description of their religion as "evil and inhuman," even if Bennie didn't express an opinion on the quote per se. Would piss me off. But doesn't anyone see the irony in this response, made by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam?

"Anyone who describes Islam[,] as a religion[,] as intolerant encourages violence."

And, of course, sadly true.

This just reaffirms my distrust of -- and exasperation with -- exclusivist monotheism, fundamentalism, and dogma, no matter what the god. GET OVER YOURSELVES, PEOPLE!!!