The body lay sprawled under the high school bleachers on a Sunday morning. Time of death, roughly midnight. A teenaged boy. Just some idiot kid. Cause of death? The coroner would have to do some tests, but I was pretty sure I already knew. I could see ashes on his upper lip, and around his nose. Nearby was an upended oil drum, and on the surface some bits of paper and ashes. The kid was a Bible snorter. … [Read more...]
The Enemy
September 26, 2011 By 5 Comments
Do you know the really great thing about being a sociopath? The really great thing is that you can knock down a 6-year-old and take his ice cream. And then you have ice cream! Man, what could be better than that? Free ice cream! Wow! Oh, uh ... you think there's something wrong with that? Ah, I see your problem: You’re normal. You have the disadvantage that you think it's wrong to take some kid's ice cream and leave him crying, just because you can. You probably get all bent when you see … [Read more...]
Thank You, Mr. Darwin. Again.
September 25, 2011 By 15 Comments
I grew up in Texas in the 50s and 60s. Spent part of my childhood in Alabama. Which means I grew up among racists. So I was a racist. When you grow up when and where I did, you can’t not be. But then the Civil Rights movement came along. For a lot of people, of course it made no difference. They held on to racism like it was a precious human right. (Woe to any black man who walked into our little white neighborhood church; the chill would have frozen him down to his bones.) For most of us, … [Read more...]
Things I Learned from My Horses
September 25, 2011 By 10 Comments
Kick up your heels occasionally. Take each day as it comes. Watch for gopher holes along the way. Don’t eat too much rich food. Everybody farts. Sometimes you have to take the bit in your teeth. Graze whenever possible. Friends can come in any color. There’s no shame in natural functions. … [Read more...]
Who’s Up for Burning Some Bibles?
September 24, 2011 By 39 Comments
Mulling several recent stories about burning or defacing "holy" books: So why aren't we atheists burning more Bibles? I mean, really, it would make the point that these books are non-holy, and the second point that we (and others) certainly have the freedom to do it. . … [Read more...]
The Fate of Broken People – Part 4
September 22, 2011 By 8 Comments
So here we are in a world where we COULD find a dividing line between those two types of people, and a fairly clear one ... if we ever really thought about it. Yes, there are some nasty, cold, heartless ones, and they exist in the same world with these others who are big-hearted, compassionate and loving. Who would fit into each category? … [Read more...]
Jaysus. And I Thought Coming Out as an Atheist Was Hard.
September 22, 2011 By 8 Comments
Maybe you've already seen this. A young man in the military, stationed in Germany, calls his Alabama father. Can I tell you something? Will you love me, period? Dad, I'm gay. Kudos to his father, too: Dad, you totally rock! Makes me kind of ashamed I occasionally conceal the fact of being an atheist. . http://youtu.be/DVAgz6iyK6A … [Read more...]
First!
September 22, 2011 By 1 Comment
Hmm. Late September, huh? Let's see ... pre-Halloween, pre-fall-colors. Still, not too early, is it? Yeah, baby! Let me fire the first volley in this year's Evil Atheist War on Christmas™. http://youtu.be/Jjcq5yBk5Gk … [Read more...]
Making Language
September 22, 2011 By 11 Comments
I make up words all the time. Silly things like “farfoculation” – which I KNOW is original, because Google doesn’t have it (but then again, I guess it will now; wish I knew what it was supposed to mean) – but also useful words I continue to privately use. … [Read more...]
The Fate of Broken People – Part 3
September 21, 2011 By 2 Comments
Okay, now picture this broken lady I described earlier. Imagine ALL the broken people — all the sick, injured and suffering — throughout all of human history. All the kids who died of diphtheria and cholera. All the kids today with cystic fibrosis, or cerebral palsy. All the adults with heart disease or lung cancer or crippling arthritis. Imagine more: Your best friend from school, your close buddy at work, the families of dear friends, all those you know and like, beset by cancer, or … [Read more...]
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