the defense would like to call jesus christ to the stand
In Italy, a judge began hearing arguments this morning based on a complaint filed by an atheist (Cascioli) who claims that the Roman Catholic Church has been tricking people for the last 2000 with claims that Jesus existed, and that priest Enrico Righi is violating two Italian laws by perpetuating the Church's claims:
Cascioli filed a criminal complaint in 2002 after Righi wrote in a parish bulletin that Jesus did indeed exist, and that he was born of a couple named Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem and lived in Nazareth. Cascioli claims that Righi's assertion constituted two crimes under Italian law: so-called "abuse of popular belief," in which someone fraudulently deceives people; and "impersonation," in which someone gains by attributing a false name to a person.
"The point is not to establish whether Jesus existed or not, but if there is a question of possible fraud," Cascioli's attorney, Mauro Fonzo, told reporters before the hearing.
Cascioli says the church has been gaining financially by "impersonating" as Christ someone by the name of John of Gamala, the son of Judas from Gamala. He has said he has little hope of the case succeeding in overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Italy, but that he is merely going through the necessary legal steps to reach the European Court of Human Rights, where he intends to accuse the church of what he calls "religious racism."
My favorite part about the whole thing is that the plaintiff's attorney's last name is Fonzo, and the whole time I was reading this, I kept wondering if his offices are in the bathroom of a diner. Or if he has a strange attachment to leather jackets and pomade.
george w. bush is a big fat idiot, and other observations
On the administration's spying program, recently coined the "Terrorist Surveillance Program", courtesy of the Associated Press:
Bush said a congressional resolution passed after Sept. 11, 2001, that authorized him to use force in the fight against terrorism, also allowed him to order the top-secret program. That operation was disclosed last month by The New York Times.
"Congress gave me the authority to use necessary force to protect the American people, but it didn't prescribe the tactics," Bush said, adding that the government needs to know why people linked to al Qaida are calling into the U.S. "One of the ways to protect the American people is to understand the intentions of the enemy."
Apparently, "force" implies that you can spy on the American people. And, apparently, the authority to use force against terrorist regimes is a blank check for GWB to do whatever his little heart desires in order to cover up for the fact that his cronies dropped the ball in the Summer of '01. Why does the current administration feel the need to set this country back 300 years? If my memories of 10th grade AP American History serve me, wasn't one of the reasons why we wanted the Brits out of Colonial America the fact that they felt the need to spy on the people to ensure that some treasonous actions were not being undertaken?*
I'd also like to point out that the NSA's normal surveillance tactics uncovered the flight school that the 9/11 hijackers were attending, the plans to target the WTC, a report entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside U.S.", and a few other key elements. Why, now, is this spying essential to our security? Why does the buck not stop with the idiots in charge themselves? We didn't need special surveillance tactics to uncover vital information that we would turn around and ignore because they were uncovered by the previous administration. Just because you avoided getting indicted doesn't mean that you're not guilty as sin. Remember: Even O.J. Simpson got acquitted of double murder.
Likewise, I'm shocked by the reports that we're considering letting the female Iraqi prisoners go just to save that poor journalist that's being held hostage. First of all, letting these prisoners go completely negates the principle that democratic states do not negotiate with terrorist organizations. It's a terrible precedent to set, and one that could only end badly. And what about people such as Daniel Pearl, a reporter executed in early 2002, for whom there was no negotiation? What are you supposed to tell his widow and child about the government's desire to save his life? Second, terrorist organizations don't exactly follow the Geneva Convention - there is nothing saying that letting these prisoners go free will result in the release of Jill Carroll. Rather, I'd be willing to bet that our release of the 9 prisoners would only expedite her execution.
The bottom line: The #1 intention of any terrorist organization is to instill fear in the hearts of their target(s). By enacting this operation, the administration is showing that not only have the terrorists won, but that they won by the slaughter rule (10 runs or more after 5 innings of Little League baseball, I believe). You know they're sitting over there laughing at what they have caused the Land of the Formerly Free to become. And the more we acquiesce, the more motivated they're going to become to continue to act and, if all goes well, completely self-destruct, as all great civilizations inevitably do.
*The plus-side to setting the country back 300 years, of course, is the fact that the Republican Party didn't come into existence until the 1850s.
the eyes of texas are upon you
So I've decided what I want for Christmas next year. Since it's $27.99 plus S+H, you won't break the bank - it's a little over 2 bucks a month. And - bonus - it'll give me something to throw against the wall in any exam-related fits of aggression!
That should probably be one of my New Year's resolutions - to find ways to let out my aggression so that I'm not so irritated all of the time. I'd resolve to be nicer to people, but (1) baby steps, and (2) being nicer entails not pointing and laughing at them so much, and where's the fun in that? I'd also resolve to wake up before 11:30, which I haven't done since I arrived in Texas, but I'll work on that when classes start again. (Would it look bad for me to stroll into my 11:00 class looking exhausted and toting Starbucks every day? No? Good.)
Oh, and I have good news for a change! As shocking as that is in and of itself, rest assured that it's not good news of an important nature - not like I got a summer job or a grade above a B- in my classes or anything really good that only the truly deserving people (i.e., the people who actually did homework instead of blowing off the library for a U2 concert*) receive. No, we here at Negligent Use are all about the "Totally Irrelevant to Anything Seemingly Intelligent or Relevant to Society"...and in that spirit, I'd like to announce that I came in first place in my dad's fantasy football league.
Yep, that's me - the Ryan Leaf Fan Club (formerly "Peyton Still Sucks", in honor of last year's team, "Peyton Manning Sucks"...my brain doesn't have many tracks here). I had to pick up about half a dozen players to do it (starting quarterback Jim Sorgi, anyone?) but I definitely feel a sense of accomplishment. Again - baby steps. I hesitate to say it, but I think things are looking up.
And on that note - back to my "Gilmore Girls" DVD sets.** (Yes, that's plural.)
*Bono. Front row. We've been over this a hundred times, people. Priorities.
**I'm also going to work on making this blog about more than what I'm watching on TV at the moment...I can't help it, though - I watch way too much TV for any regular human being, much less one trying to succeed in law school.
