From recent issues . . . Responding to the criticisms Obama said he is a 'fierce advocate for
equality for gay and lesbian Americans.' But he said he will build
relationships with people of opposing views, and wants his inaugural to
reflect that goal.
Barack
Obama has chosen the fundamentalist pastor and author, the Reverend
Rick Warren, to lead the prayers at his forthcoming Inauguration in
Washington, D.C. on January 20 next.
Warren, author of the top-selling believers' success book, The Purpose-Driven Life,
is well known for his hardline views on both homosexuality and
abortion. And he also subscribes to the primitive notion of creation as
outlined in the two conflicting accounts in the book of Genesis.
Since the announcement Pastor Warren has appeared on TV talk shows
claiming he is not anti-gay. But this claim does not stand up. He is
one of those fundamentalist clerics who try to 're-educate' gays so
that they go 'straight'. He has been quoted as equating homosexuality
with incest, child abuse and polygamy. And he was an active supporter
of the notorious Proposition 8 which denied gays in California the
right to marry.
'By inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration,
you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender
Americans have a place at your table,' Joe Solmonese, president of the
Human Rights Campaign, said in a letter to the incoming president.
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Radical Baptist group rubbishes Santa . . . www.piperpost.net
- 28.12.08.
The
Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, for long a thorn in the side
of the wider American Baptist community, this Christmas mounted a
campaign denouncing Santa Claus and anything associated with him. A
group of the cult's kids produced a video, screened on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nspURdORNrg), titled Santa Claus will take you to hell.
The words of this delightful ditty:
You'd better watch out
Get ready to cry
You'd better go hide
I'm tell you why
Cuz Santa Claus will take you to hell.
He is your favorite idol
You worship at his feet
But when you stand before your God
He won't help you take the heat.
So get this fact straight
You're feelin' God's hate
Santa's to blame for the economy's fate,
Santa Claus will take you to hell.
Don't leave your kids with this red fright
Just like the priests, he'll rape them at night
Santa Claus will take you to hell.
You tell the children he is real
You know that's just a lie
To justify your own vile sins
Is the only reason why.
So get this fact straight,
You're feeling God's hate
Santa's to blame for the dead soldier's fate
Santa Claus will take you to hell. Oh
Santa Claus will take you to hell!
Westboro
is notorious for lining the roads when funerals of dead soldiers are
being conducted, with placards attacking the US Army for harbouring
homosexuals, among other complaints.
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8-year-old Saudi girl seeks divorce . . .
www.piperpost.net -
28.12.08.
An 8-year-old girl in Saudi Arabia, sold by her father into marriage to a man aged in his 50s, is seeking a divorce.
The girl's mother had left the father before he
married their daughter off. The marriage was in accordance with Saudi
law, which allows him to sell his daughter in exchange for having about
$US7,500 in debt erased.
The girl's mother took the case to court when the 'husband' refused to
divorce the girl. She is currently still living with he mother. A judge
ordered the mother and husband to find a compromise and the case will
come before the court again in February.
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Insurance giant accused of promoting Shariah law . . .
www.piperpost.net -
28.12.08.
An unexpected consequence of the US government's bail-out of insurance
giant AIG is the discovery that the company helps promote Sharia law,
effectively acknowledging Islam's belief in the conversion,
subjugation and destruction of the 'Christian' West.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of a former marine
infantryman, Kevin J. Murray, supported by the Thomas More Law Center,
a national public interest law firm, seeks to stop all bail-out funds
going the AIG.
'Use of taxpayer funds to acquire ownership of a business that
intentionally promotes, endorses, supports, and funds Shariah-based
Islamic religious practices violates the Establishment Clause of the
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,' claims the suit.
The basis of the lawsuit is that AIG intentionally promotes
Shariah-compliant businesses and insurance products, which by necessity
must comply with the 1200 year old body of Islamic cannon law based on
the Quran. AIG employs a three-person Shariah Advisory Board, with
members from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Pakistan. According to AIG, the
role of its Shariah authority 'is to review [its] operations, supervise
its development of Islamic products, and determine Shariah compliance
of these products and [its] investments.'
Of particular concern is the presence of the Pakistani Board member, Dr
Muhammed Imran Ashraf Usmani. Dr Usmani is the son and devoted disciple
of Sheik Mufti Taqi Usmani, the leading authority on Shariah financing
who, in 1999, authored a book dedicating an entire chapter on why a
Western Muslim must engage in violent jihad against his own country -
even if Muslims are given equality and freedom to practice their
religion and to proselytize.
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News in Brief . . .
www.piperpost.net -
28.12.08.
CATHOLIC PROPAGANDA ON iPHONE. An
application (known as Apps in Applespeak) called iBreviary has been
launched, with Vatican approval, by a Catholic priest working with a
web designer. iBreviary includes prayers, readings of the Mass of the
Day and other features said to be helpful to Catholics on the move. To
date there are versions in English, Latin, Italian and Spanish and
French.
POPE'S WEEKLY AUDIENCES DOWN.
According to official figures released by the Vatican the number of
people attending the Pope's weekly general audience during 2008 fell by
30 percent. The year 2007 also saw a fall in numbers from the previous
year.
CALIFORNIAN ATTORNEY-GENERAL CHANGES VIEW. The
Attorney-General of California, Jerry Brown, has changed his view on
gay marriage and now says Proposition 8, recently passed by a slender
majority, is unconstitutional as it denied gays fundamental rights. The
Attorney-General has filed a 11-page legal brief with the court,
setting out his views. Meanwhile opponents of gay marriage have
filed a lawsuit calling for the recently-sanctioned gay marriages to be
annulled.
BRITISHERS DOUBT CHRISTMAS STORY.
According to a survey conducted by the British Market Search Bureau 70
percent of those questioned doubted the truth of the Biblical story of
the birth of Jesus. Even some of those describing themselves as
Christians expressed doubt and 20 percent of Christians said they did
not believe Jesus was both God and man.
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EDITORIAL
THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMAS
www.piperpost.net -
21.12.08.
What a peculiar celebration Christmas is.
A pagan festival of gluttony and gift-giving married to a
religious ceremony marking the anniversary of the birth of
the prophet Jesus. Perhaps summed up in that figure so
familiar to children - Father Christmas. A jolly old version
of a Christian saint, his flowing beard and crimson robes
sugar-coating the ultimate message - two thousand years ago
a god came down to earth to live among us and then to die
for us.
The child tries hard to sleep but would dearly love to see
Father Christmas in person as he comes visiting, bearing
gifts. We smile indulgently and try not to spoil the fun,
however unreal the narrative. But the child's wonderment is
no more naive than those millions of adults who accept the
truly amazing story of Christmas. A god come down to
earth? It's a hoary old tale, repeated many times with other
gods but there is no more reason to believe this version
than the others.
The story goes that Jesus was a baby born into humble
surroundings, his arrival heralded by seers from the east
and angels from on high, that he had come to save mankind by
offering up himself as a sacrifice to his father in heaven.
Well, that's the narrative as we have it. If only there were
a few hard facts to back this fanciful story we might have
to treat it with more reverence.
In what month was he born? He may have been born in March,
or April or May, or perhaps January. And in what year?
Nobody knows. The great French scholar Guignebert says: 'We
do not know, within about fifteen years, or perhaps more,
the time when Jesus came into the world.'
The calendar that derives its dates from the year zero as
marking the birth of Jesus is quite an arbitrary
compilation, done by a Scythian monk, Dionysius the
Less, hundreds of years after the event. And the date
honoured as his birth date - 25 December - was chosen after
much debate among the learned theologians. It is, in fact,
the festival date celebrating Mithra, the solar deity!
And where was the prophet born? Nobody is sure of that,
either, especially the New Testament, which gives two
contradictory answers - Bethlehem and Nazareth.
Like everything else about the Christian story, a few simple
events that occurred long ago and far away gradually
evolved, under the impetus of blind belief, to the grand but
muddled event we now know as Christmas, a strange amalgam of
the secular and the sacred.
[FOOTNOTE: Pope John Paul
showed an amazing lack of knowledge of the background to the Gospel
stories concerning Jesus of Nazareth when in his Christmas speech in
1995 he referred at Midnight Mass to that being ‘the hour when the Son
of God is born in the stable in Bethlehem.’ December 25 was, he
said, ‘the night of the Lord’s birth’.]
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11-year-old girl set on
fire for wearing lipstick . . .
www.piperpost.net -
21.12.08.
An Indian Muslim in Jaipur,
northern India, has been arrested by police after he poured
kerosene over his niece's body, setting it alight, and
leaving the 11-year-old girl near death.
The girl's great uncle
took this action because his young relative, Nazmeen, was,
he claimed 'inappropriately dressed' and was wearing
lipstick. Last report from the hospital was that she had
little chance of survival, with 90 percent of her body
burnt.
It was later claimed by relatives that the uncle had
molested the girl.
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Australia's censorious madness
. . . www.piperpost.net
- 21.12.08.
Two recent legal cases in
Australia highlight the asinine nature of our laws and/or
their administration.
In one case a man has found
guilty of possessing child pornography where the images were
not of real children but drawings of Simpson-like characters
- Bart, Lisa and Maggie. This is evidently considered a
criminal offence in Australia although in the USA, a country
where officialdom is ever-ready to root out producers and
consumers of child porn, it has been determined legally that
possession of such images are not criminal in nature. In the
USA only images involving real children are considered child
porn.
Meanwhile in another amazing case a magistrate ruled that a
man who innocently uploaded to a chat room a video of a
small child being swung around violently, is now considered
a criminal child abuser for having done so. The video had
already circulated widely on the Internet and has been
screened in full on overseas pay-TV stations.
COMMENT:
Shakespeare said it all when he described the law as an ass
and it certainly is in both these cases. The judicial
officers were, we are told, only administering state laws as
they stood on the statute books, in which case these laws
are odious. The vital central fact of child porn concerns
the use of REAL children in making it. Such activities are
considered to be child abuse and rightly so. But which
children were being abused when the drawings were produced?
(Personally I have no time for the Simpsons and the idea of
porn Simpsons sounds pretty revolting.)
In the second case there is much debate about whether the
small child is being harmed or not. In my view the child
should not be swung around like that but we should bear in
mind that the act was done by someone in a circus family and
perhaps to them this is not abuse at all.
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Hindu-Muslim link sees woman
held captive . . . www.piperpost.net
- 21.12.08.
Humayra Abedin is a 33-year-old trainee doctor from
Bangladesh living in England. Humayra is a Muslim and she
has a Hindu boyfriend in Britain. On 3 August she flew home
to Bangladesh believing her mother to be seriously ill.
The mother's illness had been feigned. It was a ruse
to get the woman back to Bangladesh where she was allegedly
beaten, drugged and held captive. Her Muslim family had been
outraged at the idea she was might marry a Hindu. They were
planning to force her to marry a Muslim stranger.
A friend of Dr Abedin, who had lived with her in East Ham,
raised an alarm after receiving a text message on August 11.
'Please help me. My life is in danger. They have locked me
in house.' it said.
The doctor’s boyfriend, a 44-year-old Bangladeshi
software engineer, has alleged that Dr Abedin’s Muslim
parents had bound and gagged her, held her captive in a
house in Dhaka. He said that death threats had been issued
against his family in Bangladesh.'They told her they’d
prefer her to die than return to London,' he said.
But a court in Bangladesh intervened. Judge Syed Mahmod
Hossain ordered Dr Abedin’s parents to return her
passport, driver’s licence and credit card. 'It
perplexes me as to why the parents kept her confined and
interfered with her personal life. I am shocked,' he
said.
The High Court in Britain has issued an injunction under the
new Forced Marriage Act, demanding that Dr Abedin be allowed
to return to Britain. Though the Act is not enforceable in
Bangladesh it was hoped that it would place pressure on the
Bangladeshi authorities. (Doctor Abedin was due back in
Britain earlier this week.)
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News in Brief . . .
www.piperpost.net -
21.12.08.
'OFFENSIVE' CRUCIFIX BANNED. Public
money has been spent in providing a worship facility in a
British prison at Lewes but no crucifix will be allowed. An
Islamic imam told authorities such an object would be
offensive to Muslim prisoners. But the facility has
installed heated footbaths for Muslim worshipers to wash
their feet.
FENG SHUI IN BIG CITY. The
city of Brisbane (Australia) is reconstructing its Chinatown
precinct. City officials have assured the community that the
reconstruction will be carried out to accord with feng shui
principles. Commented
Lord Mayor
Campbell Newman: 'Rather than the current gradual slope, the
terraces will improve positive feng shui, preventing the
good luck from running out into Wickham
Street.'
[COMMENT; Superstition
reigns supreme, even in a big modern city.]
MORMON TEACHER FUGITIVE SEX
OFFENDER. A Mormon teacher, Frank LeFrandt, convicted of
sex offences against a 13-year-old boy in Hawaii, has
absconded and was last reported as crossing the Mexican
border. LeFrandt, who speaks five languages, failed to turn
himself in to begin serving a 10-year prison sentence. A
Brench Warrant for $US5 million has been
issued.
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Christian pastors lend support to beleaguered Governor . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.12.08.
It is reported that a group of Christian pastors paid a visit to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who is under a heavy cloud of suspicion because of alleged corruption.
The
Governor has been accused by the state's attorney-general of being
involved in seeking payment from potential candidates to fill the
senate office vacated following the election of Barack Obama. Other
accusations have also been levelled at him, including seeking to exert
pressure on the Chicago Tribune Company to have editorial board members
removed. Extensive wire taps reportedly back the actions taken by the
attorney-general.
The ministers of religion turned up at the Governor's residence where, we are told, he prayed with them. The Reverend Ira Acree of Greater St. John Bible Church in Chicago said he
and two other Baptist pastors initiated the visit to Blagojevich. aimed also at 'offering
comfort to the governor's wife and two children.'
The state is headed toward an extraordinary
constitutional showdown. Attorney-General Lisa Madigan asked the
Supreme Court to declare Blagojevich unfit to serve, likening his
corruption scandal to a debilitating illness as she ramped up pressure
on the governor to resign. The move seeks to hand power over to the
lieutenant governor.
[COMMENT:
I guess if Governor Blagojevich ends up in court we will see him
hugging the obligatory copy of the Bible to demonstrate what a good
fellow he is.]
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Clergyman urges congregation to have more sex . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.12.08.
The Reverend Ed Young, televangelist and pastor of the Fellowship
Church in Grapeville, Texas, last month challenged his congregations to
engage in a Seven Days of Sex campaign.
Preaching
to his congregation while pacing up and down in front of a large bed,
Pastor Young told them, 'It is time for the Church to put God back in
the bed.' After the first week he returned to the pulpit with the
message: 'Keep on doing what you have been doing this week. We should
try to double up the amount of intimacy we have in marriage. And when I
say intimacy, I don't mean holding hand sin the park or a back rub.'
The sex challenge was a bit too much for some congregation members who
reportedly sat in stony silence but others in the pastor's congregation
applauded, especially many of the men.
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Montana third state with assisted suicide . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.12.08.
A
judge in Montana has ruled that assisted suicides are legal in the
state. A man with terminal cancer has sued the state with four
physicians who treat terminally-ill patients and a non-profit patients'
rights group.
Judge
Dorothy McCarter ruled that 'the Montana constitutional rights of
individual privacy and human dignity, taken together, encompass the
right of a competent terminally (ill) patient to die with dignity.''
The ruling added: 'Those patients had the right to obtain
self-administered medications to hasten death if they find their
suffering to be unbearable, and that physicians can prescribe such
medication without fear of prosecution. The patient's right to die with
dignity includes protection of the patient's physician from liability
under the state's homicide statutes.'
State authorities are considering an appeal. The plaintiff, Robert
Baxter, said he was comforted by McCarter's ruling. 'I am glad to know
that the court respects my choice to die with dignity if my situation
becomes intolerable,' the 75-year-old retired truck driver said in a
statement.
Kathryn Tucker, the legal director of patients' right group Compassion
& Choices who helped argue the case, said the court found 'it is
the individual patients who should be entitled to make these critical
decisions for themselves and their families, and not the government.'
COMMENT:
Little by little progress is being made on this issue and sanity
beginning to enter into the end-of-life situation. It is high time for
Australia to move further to provide legal facilities for assisted
suicide.
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Students at church schools anti-Semitic? . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.12.08.
A scandal has surfaced in the revelation that an anti-Semitic Facebook group was formed by students of two of Sydney's top church schools - Kambala and The Scots College.
Discussions in the group included denial of the Holocaust and a curious activity described as 'Jew parking.' A Facebook
site was called Jew Parking Appreciation Group which describes 'Jew
parking' as an art which often occurs at 'Bellevue (Jew) Hill.'
One student was quoted as saying it was all a big 'in' joke among the
students but the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies contacted The Scots
College to lodge a complaint about the activities. The board's chief
executive officer, Vic Alhadeff, said it was not a laughing matter.
Mr Alhadeff added: 'When I saw the Facebook
group on Saturday night, it included numerous offensive comments about
Jews. It had a related group containing derogatory comments about
women. Society has to send a clear message that those who indulge in
racial hatred and other obscenities will be exposed and condemned.'
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Islamics training child martyrs . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.12.08.
Islamic terrorists in Iraq are deliberately training young children to act as suicide bombers.
Doubtless
infusing the Islamic belief that the martyr flies straight to Paradise,
these murderous plotters are using youth groups to recruit youngsters
to their cause. It is believed it is often easier for boys and girls to
bypass security checks.
A girl as young as 13 recently exploded herself in Diyala, killing five
officials, whom she had targeted in Baquba, the regional capital of
Diyala. A boy aged 10 blew himself up in September next to Sheik Imad
Jassem, the joint leader of the Sons of Iraq in Tarmiya, seriously
wounding him. The boy stalked him for three days, masquerading as a
flower seller working just across the road from the sheik's house.
COMMENT: We can expect no better than such depravity from these brave Islamic warriors who are blinded by their religion.
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News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 14.12.08.
ATHEIST STATEMENT IN WASHINGTON.
As this issue was being prepared the controversy was continuing over
the atheist statement put up in the state building in Washington. Not
unexpectedly Bill O'Reilly of Fox News has been leading the charge. Mr
O'Reilly is both a conservative and a Catholic. He is pitted against
the governor of the state who is herself a Catholic. As at the date
this issue of PiperPost was being posted on the net the sign was still there.
BABY JESUS TRACKED BY GPS.
Churches in the USA are countering the widespread theft of Baby Jesus
statues from their nativity displays by using GPS tracking devices.
Every year many of the statues go missing, sometimes also the Wise Men
and angels. One New York electronics supplier is providing the GPS
devices on loan to churches free of charge.
TURTLE DISCOVERY ADDS TO EVOLUTIONARY KNOWLEDGE.
Scientists have found for the first time the fossil of a turtle at an
intermediate stage of evolution, with only half a shell. The creature's
belly is fully covered but its back is not. The remains are
believed to be 220 millions years old, the oldest turtle remains yet
found.
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Atheists raise the banner of truth . . . www.piperpost.net - 07.12.08.
Atheists
and agnostics were once a silent minority who were howled down if they
dared question the doubtful tenets of religious belief. No
longer! In several parts of the world atheists are proclaiming
their views for all to study.
One
of the chief exercises in proclaiming atheist views is happening in the
state of Washington as I write, although the forces of the Church are
trying their darnedest to silence the witness.
A
sign, put up by members of the Freedom From Religion
Foundation, says, in part: 'Religion is but myth and superstition that
hardens hearts and enslaves minds.' It was erected in an area
where a Christian crib was set up. The fact that the latter is allowed
in a government building is evidently in defiance of the strict
Church-State separation that operates in the USA.
The Mayor allowed the sign to be erected, although she is herself a
Catholic. Since then she has come under heavy fire from Christians and
at one point the sign was stolen. It was later found and replaced, with
an additional line reading: 'Thou shalt not steal.'
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which embraces atheists agnostics
and freethinkers, has been engaged in a long struggle to inject some
reality into the American psyche, too long sunk in the mire of
religious superstition. It erects various signs in public places and
recently one of its signs was removed and destroyed by a city council.
The City of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. is being sued for taking actions
which led to the censorship of its "Imagine No Religion" billboard on
Archibald and Foothill Blvd, Route 66.
The Foundation, the nation's largest national association of
freethinkers and a state/church watchdog, said City violated the
Foundation's rights under the Establishment Clause and Free Speech
Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The
Foundation's pretty sign, which was evidently destroyed by General
Outdoor Co. after its removal on Nov. 21, had a stained-glass window
motif asking viewers to "Imagine No Religion" and advertising the
Foundation's name and website, ffrf.org.
The Foundation had prepaid for the board and contracted for a two-month
run beginning in mid-November. The Board had been up for less than a
week when it was removed at the apparent instigation of Linda Daniels,
Rancho Cucamonga Development Director.

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In other countries, but not in Australia! . . . www.piperpost.net - 07.12.08.
In Britain buses have been carrying similar messages around London. Organizers
of the campaign believe messages such as: 'There's probably no God. Now
stop worrying and enjoy your life' are needed to counter the propaganda
of religion.
One of the keen supporters of the campaign is Dr Richard Dawkins, Oxford University's Professor of the Public Understanding of
Science, who commented: 'Religion is accustomed to getting a free ride –
automatic tax breaks, unearned "respect" and the right not to be
"offended", the right to brainwash children. Even on the buses, nobody
thinks twice when they see a religious slogan plastered across the side.
'This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think – and thinking is anathema to religion.'
Meanwhile in Bolivia, in South America, once a bastion of Catholicism,
similar messages are being seen. But in Australia efforts by the
Atheist Foundation to have anti-religious signs on the sides of buses
have been knocked back. A company, APN Outdoor, refused the advertising
but would give no reasons.
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Christians and Muslims at it again www.piperpost.net - 07.12.08.
Christians and Muslims have engaged in fierce battles in the city of Jos, in Nigeria, following local elections.
It
is reported that more than 400 people have died as a result of violent
clashes between supported of rival Christian and Muslim parties.
Rumours circulated following the election that the predominantly Muslim
party had won and the Christian party had lost.
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News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 07.12.08.
MORE DARWIN ON TV. Darwin's Brave New World,
a three-part documentary featuring Charles Darwin's time in Australia,
is currently being filmed at locations around Sydney (NSW), the Blue
Mountains, west of Sydney, and Lord Howe Island. Among the actors
participating are Anthony Simcoe (Farscape), Katie Fitchett (Hating
Alison Ashley), Simon Bossell and Socratis Otto. Screen Australia and
the Australian Broadcasting Corporation are jointly producing the
series.
PRIEST ATTACKS DISNEY.
The Catholic Abbot of Worth, West Sussex, Christopher Jamison, has
attacked the Disney organization vigorously, claiming Disney is
'exploiting spituality' to sell products. Disneyland, he claims, has
been turned into a modern pilgrimage site. [COMMENT:
Isn't this precisely what the Catholic Church does, witness the
lucrative trade enjoyed by the Church's various pilgrimage sites.]
HEAVENLY MUSIC-MAKERS.
Three Irish Catholic priests, David Delargy, 44, and two brothers (in
the natural sense), Eugene O'Hagen, 48, and Martin O'Hagan, 45, have
formed a group, simply called The Priests. Their debut album is out in
time for Christmas sales. In an earlier era the 'Singing Nun' - Jeanine
Deckers - was famous for her songs, especially 'Dominique'.
SAME-SEX COUPLES AND ADOPTION.
The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby welcomes moves by the NSW state
government to examine the issue of adoptions by gay and lesbian
parents.
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EDITORIAL
Islam strikes again! . . . www.piperpost.net - 30.11.08.
Yes,
I am going to say what many refuse to say - the religion of Islam is
the reason for the latest outrage against humanity at Mumbai.
I'll repeat it - religion is to blame, the religion of Islam.
For
too long we have been told that the terrorists are only using Islam as
an excuse, a cloak to hide their own political ends. We have been told
that moderate Islamics do not approve of such evil. Of course, they
don't, and I am sorry for anyone who bears the name of 'Muslim' today.
The title is being sullied time and time again by murderous attacks on
ordinary human beings - men, women = and even children - living out
their all-too-short lives on earth.
But at the core of this evil is the religion of Islam itself. Like all religions it is evil.
However much well-meaning people try to gloss over the teachings of the
faith, in truth the path to terrorism begins with a fundamental
declaration: 'There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.'
All else flows from that. Islam is an exclusive religion, never mind
the nice things said to Christians, Jews and others who are its
neighbours, at heart Islam brooks no dissent. All must ultimately
recognize Allah and his prophet or they are labelled 'infidel' - fit
only to suffer and die. And woe betide any born into the Muslim
faith who seek to abrogate that faith. They are - in theory at least -
subject to instant death.
And there's more. Like many religions, Islam teaches that life doesn't
end at physical death, that life transcends death and continues on into
the hereafter. The faith teaches that Paradise is the ultimate state
into which the departed enter. What if one loses one's life defending
or extending the reach of the faith? No matter! Paradise awaits (with a
few added benefits for the males). Thus we see the enthusiastic martyr,
willing to lose his or her own life to further the faith, in the fond
belief they will be ushered into Paradise upon completing their
murderous mission.
(And what, you ask, about the Muslims who die in attacks like that at
Mumbai? Collateral damage would be the answer. And, in any event, as
Muslims they too will fly to Paradise.)
The whole otherworldly tenor of this religion (and it is not alone in
this regard) devalues human life as we know it, detracts from the real
glories and achievements of the human mind, the wonders arising from
scientific endeavour, and the supreme beauties of art and literature,
and lacks that central emotion of the human condition - empathy.
And all of this is a part of the massive lie mankind has perpetrated
upon itself, the lie of deity, fostered and spread by the priesthood,
whether bishop, imam or rabbi. Surely it is time for reasonable
humans to think again about whatever faith they embrace. Does it have
any basis in reality? Where is the proof of deity?
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Creationism teaching being investigated . . . www.piperpost.net - 30.11.08.
In an earlier issue we reported that creationism - sometimes masquerading under the guise of so-called 'intelligent
design' - is being taught in Christian schools in Australia with
official approval. However, the education authorities forbid the
teaching of creationism in science classes. Teachers are urged to make
it clear to pupils that the subject is not a part of the official
curriculum.
However.
allegations have surfaced that in at least one such school creationism
has reared its ugly head in the science curriculum. The Pacific Hills
Christian School in the Sydney suburb of Dural has been accused of not
following departmental guidelines and is being investigated.
However,
any such investigation is of doubtful value as the state's Board of
Studies has referred the matter to Christian Schools Australia for
investigation, hardly a disinterested body in the eyes of the original
complainant, Chris Bonnor. Mr Bonnor is a former head of the NSW
Secondary Schools Principals Council. The decision to refer the matter
to CSA has also been criticized by Greens MP, John Kaye, who has long
expressed concern about the issue.
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Celebrating Charles Darwin . . . www.piperpost.net - 30.11.08.
Major events are being planned next year to mark two important milestones in the history of the world - the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's seminal work, On the Origin of Species (24 November 1859) and the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth (12 February 1809).
Darwin's great thesis is a far more important contribution to human progress than any of the 'holy'
books peddled as truth by religion. Darwin's work was the result of
long and thoughtful study by a brilliant scientist. The writings of the
Bible, the Koran and other religious books are fanciful concoctions
derived from the nebulous 'visions' of self-appointed prophets and
seers.
The HISTORY CHANNEL will be running the series The Genius of Charles Darwin during December, 2008. In this series evolutionary biologist and popular science writer Richard Dawkins
takes viewers on a journey through the life and work of Charles Darwin.
He presents the ultimate guide to Darwin and his revolutionary theory
of evolution by natural selection, which Dawkins considers the most
important idea ever to occur to a human mind. In this powerful
three-part polemical series, Dawkins explains who Charles Darwin was,
how he developed his theory, what it is, and why it matters. He reveals
how Darwin changed forever the way we see ourselves, the world and our
place in it, and hopes to convince us that "evolution is a fact, backed
by undeniable evidence". Dawkins retraces Darwin's journey as a
scientist. He re-examines the rich evidence of the natural world -
iguanas on the Galapagos Islands, giant fossilized sloth in the
Americas and even pigeons back home in England - which opened Darwin's
eyes to the extraordinary truth that all living things must be related
and had evolved from a common ancestor.
In
AUSTRALIA the series dates are: Tuesday, 9 December at 8.30 pm
AEDT/NZDT. Repeated Wednesday, 10 December at 4.30 am AEDT/NZDT, and
Wednesday, 10 December at 12.30 pm.
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News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 30.11.08.
SAUDI GIRL BAND.
Saudi Arabia has a girl band, the Accolade, but they only perform in
secret for fear of upsetting the religious police who maintain control
of Saudi morals and manners. But they have produced their first single,
Pinocchio, and it has been an underground hit, Young Saudi's have
downloaded the song from the band's website. Change may be coming to
this gloomy nation. More than 60 percent of the Saudi population is
aged under 25 and young people are demanding more freedoms.
PILGRIMS ARRIVING IN DROVES FOR HAJJ.
Pilgrims have started arriving in al-Makkah (Mecca) for the celebration
of the annual Hajj. It is estimated than somewhere between two and
three million people will be present this year. A pilgrimage to
participate in the Hajj can be a very dangerous thing. In times past
hundreds of pilgrims have been abducted and sold into slavery,
especially children. And in January 2006 at least 345 pilgrims died in
a stampede during the annual festival.
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Dispute over dating site . . . www.piperpost.net - 23.11.08.
An American dating service, eHarmony.com, has faced legal action, accused of denying gays and lesbians access to its facilities.
In
2005 in New Jersey and in 2007 in California eHarmony was sued, the
disputants claiming the action of shutting them out violates their
civil rights. The New Jersey case is as yet unsettled while in
California a judge has referred the parties to mediation.
eHarmony has to date faced four legal actions. In 2006 John Claassen,
a married, 'straight' Californian man who had separated from his wife
sued the site for not matching him because he was still married.
Claassen dropped the charges in July 2008 – before the case went to
trial.
In 2005, Brad Becker sued eHarmony for not matching gay couples. He
cited the Unruh Civil Rights Act. The department, however, found that
the Unruh Act 'does not mandate a result whereby a business offers the
exact same services to every customer.'
eHarmony has operations in several countries, including in Australia.

eHarmony website
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NSW Government won't come clean on World Youth Day cost . . . www.piperpost.net - 23.11.08.
Various
claims were made at the time of the staging of the Catholic Church's
promotion called World Youth Day, promising great financial benefits
for Sydney and the State of NSW.
It is still almost impossible to access these claims, judging by material discussed in The Sydney Morning Herald. Neither the State Government nor the NSW Chamber of Commerce will provide information.
The Government, anxious to try to justify the massive funds it poured
into the event, predicted a mini economic boom - of between $152
million and $192 million. The Chamber of Commerce was even more
optimistic, putting the figure at $230 million.
Forecasts said there would be 125,000 overseas visitors; the final
figure was around 110,000. It was forecast there would be 200,000
domestic visitors. The actual figure was about 120,000.
Various figures have been quote for government expenditure (and not all may have been revealed). Last figure was $60 million.
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'You're going to hell' Baptist leader tells Jews . . . www.piperpost.net - 23.11.08.
Pastor Kevin Harris, like so many Evangelical Christians,
believes in hell, so, he thought, it was important to warn Jew leaders
that they were headed for perdition if they refused to 'believe in
Christ.' Their fate would be, he claimed, 'worse than the Holocaust.'
Pastor
Harris is minister of the Illawarra Community Church, south of Sydney.
His views are unsurprising considering he hails from America's
Bible-belt south - the state of Virginia. They believe such stuff down
there, along with many other simplistic notions, including that the
world was made in seven days.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald,
Pastor Harris reaffirmed his belief: 'The Bible says that all have
sinned and all are worthy of hell. That includes everyone, until we
receive Jesus as our saviour.' However, he tried to play down any
intention of upsetting Jews. Too late - Vic Alhadeff, chief of
the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, has expressed outrage at the remarks.
Mr Alhadeff had met with Pastor Harris, along with the board's
education manager, Lynda Ben-Menashe, in a tour of the Shoalhaven
region, meeting with various religious leaders, including Anglican and
Catholic clergy,
He was shocked to hear the leader of a Christian congregation speak so
bluntly. 'It was a chilling experience,' he said. 'While one is only
too aware that there are fundamentalist beliefs and extremist preachers
out there, his brazen approach and the fact that he is influencing
others on a daily basis are the issues of real concern.'
COMMENT:
I raised the issue of TOLERANCE in my last issue. This is yet another
instance of the intolerance of too many Christians. And the notion of
hell itself has a tenuous history befitting such a silly concept, a
subject to which I shall return on another occasion. Meanwhile, how's
this for obsession? . . .
There is a dreadful Hell
And everlasting pains
There sinners must with devils dwell
In darkness, fire and chains.
(Isaac Watts: Divine Songs for Children - yes, for children!)
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Tolerance Museum to be built in Jerusalem. . . www.piperpost.net - 23.11.08.
A
Museum of Tolerance is to be erected in Jerusalem, a city where all too
often tolerance is in short supply. The museum is to be constructed
under the auspices of the Los Angeles Simon Wiesenthal Centre although
it will not have the strong Holocaust remembrance theme that is evident
in the Los Angeles institution.
The
dean of the Wiesenthal Centre, Rabbi Marvin Hier, says the goal is to
create 'a great landmark promoting the principles of mutual respect and
social responsibility,'
The project has been held up since 2006, as a result of various
objections. It is sited over a former Muslim cemetery and when bones
were found there Muslims, supported by ultraorthodox Jews, objected.
However, a court found that there were no objections when in 1960 a
carpark was build over part of the site. The court rules the project
could proceed.
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News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 23.11.08.
GAY ACTIVISTS INVADE CHURCH. A group of gay activists,
estimated at about 25, earlier this month invaded the Mount Hope
Church in Delta township, Michigan, chanting slogans and handing
out leaflets to the congregation. [COMMENT: I don't think it serves the cause of gay rights well acting in this thuggish manner.]
ANTI-FEMALE POLITICIANS PROMOTED. Two
Pakistani politicians, well-known for their brutal attitudes towards
women, have been elected to cabinet posts. Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani was
implicated in 'giving away' five girls, aged between two and five, as
compensation to the family of a murdered man. This man has been made
Minister of Education. Israr Ullah Zehri defended the burying alive of
three teenage girls who dared to choose their own husbands. He
dismissed the event as merely 'a tribal matter.'
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EDITORIAL
Toleration's time has surely come. . . . www.piperpost.net - 16.11.08.
In
our modern pluralistic society there are many philosophies, many
diverse views. We pride ourselves on our freedom of thought but too
often the freedom we claim for ourselves we deny others.
Take
the aggressive reaction of crowds of protesters in San Francisco, on
receiving the news that Proposition 8 had been passed, thus effectively
denying the right of same-sex couples to marry.
The people who voted in favour of this law were only exercising their
right to have an opinion. But, and this is the big 'but' - why was the
Proposition put in the first place?
Tolerance is a two-way street. All too often religion demands tolerance
but is wholly unwilling to extend the same tolerance to others.
Most religions, and especially the Islamic, Christian and Jewish,
appear to have an inbuilt self-serving drive to demand conformity to
their particular moral view of the world.
By all means, live your lives by your moral compass but do not try to
impose your morality on others. This is what we see so often.
If you believe in preserving the life of the unborn, no matter the
circumstances, then live by your belief (as has Sarah Palin) but do not
try to impose this belief on other women by force of law.
If you believe marriage is a sacred compact between one man and one
woman, so be it - live by that belief (if only for a few years!). But
do not try to impose that belief on others. And that includes not only
same-sex couples but those who believe in plural marriages (not that
this should be taken as an excuse for forcing young girls to wed as has
happened in some circles).
If you believe that people should only die as a result of natural
effects of disease or ageing of the body, so be it, but do not deny the
right of those of us who believe we should take charge of the end of
our life, with assistance where needed.
The same principles can be extended into other areas, e.g. censorship
of art. Of course it is fair that the public should not be exposed
willy-nilly to sights some consider 'offensive' (there are people who
seem to think the naked human body is offensive, a strange notion in my
view; ugly, sometimes, yes, but offensive, no!) but, with proper
warnings, the art itself should not be censored.
We are many but we are one (to coin a phrase from advertising). We need
to live and work together so let it be in a spirit of tolerance. Agree
to differ, live and let live. Much and all as religion fondly believes,
there are no absolutes, no stone tablets handed down from above.
Morality is a human invention as are the gods themselves. Realize this
and there will be no need for protest marches.
- Mark Owen

Californian reaction to same-sex marriage move . . . www.piperpost.net - 16.11.08.
Following
the passing of the notorious Proposition 8 (albeit by a slim majority)
in California, large crowds have staged protests, especially aiming
these at the Mormon Church, chiefly blamed for the win by conservatives.
Backed by powerful support from
the Mormon Church, 52.5 percent of voters approved a gay marriage
ban. Following a recent decision by the State's Supreme Court in favour
of same-sex unions, many couples had married.
Doubts have now been raised about the legal status of the church which
may have transgressed laws regarding the separation of church and state
by pouring money into the campaign., For its part the church claims it
did not use its own funds but money was contributed by individual
members.
Meanwhile several legal challenges have been mounted by bodies including the ACLU. According to the LA Times,
lawyers for same-sex couples said they will argue that the
anti-gay-marriage measure was an illegal constitutional revision. They
contend that Proposition 8 illegally alters equal-protection
guarantees.
Elizabeth Gill, an attorney with the ACLU of Northern California
comments: 'A major purpose of the Constitution is to protect minorities
from majorities. Because changing that principle is a fundamental
change to the organizing principles of the Constitution itself, only
the Legislature can initiate such revisions to the Constitution.;
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Equality California and six same-sex
couples who did not marry before Tuesday’s election but would like to
marry now.
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Monks battle it out in Jerusalem . . . www.piperpost.net - 16.11.08.
Holy monks of rival religious orders have engaged in fist-fights in Jerusalem and had to be separated by Israeli police.
Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
the supposed site of Christ's crucifixion, traded blows and were soon
joined by dozens of worshippers in the battle. Eventually police were
called and two monks were reportedly detained.
Six rival Christian sects share control of the 'sacred site' and disputes are frequent, occasionally descending into assault.
COMMENT: Violence is not uncommon in the history of the Church. An extract from my paper MEET THE FIRST CHRISTIANS:
Corruption
had by now taken firm hold of the ranks of the clergy. Cyril, Patriarch
of Alexandria (412-444) paid over huge bribes (of the order of several
hundred thousands dollars in today's terms) to gain preferment. Bishop
George of Cappodocia entered into his see with an armed escort (a
common enough event, incidentally) as his rule was imposed by the State
on a reluctant and ungrateful people. George, however, proved to be so
perverse and cruel in his actions that he was eventually lynched by a
pagan mob.
A
predecessor in the same see, Gregory, had also arrived with an armed
retinue and instituted a persecution of incumbent bishops, priests and
'consecrated virgins' who suffered the usual floggings and imprisonment
at the hands of their fellow-churchmen.
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Teenage girl wins right to die . . . www.piperpost.net - 16.11.08.
Hannah,
an English girl, aged 13, who has a long history of illness, suffering
a hole in the heart, was facing a transplant operation she did not
want. The Hereford County Hospital wanted to force the operation on the
unwilling girl, threatening her parents with legal action to remove
Hannah from their care.
Hannah
previously suffered from leukemia and her heart has been weakened by
drugs she was required to take from the age of five.
Hannah
had been offered a transplant in July 2007 but said she did not want to
go through with it after taking advice from doctors, As a result of the
hospital's actions Hannah, with the full support of her parents, took
the matter to court where she won the right to decide for herself.
She said the operation might not work, and if it did work, it would be
followed by constant medication. She said she wanted to stop treatment
and spend the rest of her life at home and the authorities subsequently
withdrew its legal action.
Commented Hannah's father, Andrew Jones: 'The threat that somebody
could come and forcibly remove your daughter from you against her
wishes, against our wishes, was quite upsetting really.'
Mr Jones added: 'We didn't get too involved in (Hannah's) decision.
Hannah made that decision consciously on her own, a bit like a grown
up, even though she was only 12 at the time and she has maintained that
decision. How she coped with it, what her mind was thinking at the
time, I've got great admiration for her in that and, as I said, we have
to support her and her decision.'
COMMENT; And we have immense admiration for you, too, Hannah.
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News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 16.11.08.
NO SLACKERS IN VATICAN. The
Vatican is requiring workers to clock on for the first time in nearly
half a century. The practice was scrapped by Pope John. Straightened
economic times - the Vatican's finances went into the red in 2007 -
call for tougher measures to ensure all workers on the Vatican payroll
pull their weight. A statement issued by Bishop Renato Boccardo seemed
to subtly imply some workers do not work a full day.
PRIEST SUPPORTED.
When Father Peter Dwyer faced court in Bathurst, NSW, recently he was
supported by a number of well-wishers. Dwyer is facing alleged child
sex assault charges in relation to his time as a teacher at St
Stanislaus College, Bathurst. Supporters claimed the case was one of
'trial by media'.
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New President, same old religion . . . www.piperpost.net - 09.11.08.
COMMENT.
Many people both in the USA and around the world will welcome the
election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States of
America. It is a major event in so many ways and a welcome and
refreshing wind of change that will, hopefully, blow away the stale
policies of George Bush and his neocon cowboys.
We
should not be fooled, though. Barack Obama is politically a liberal but
a conservative in religion, as was his opponent John McCain and as are
most important figures in the US establishment.
The fact that religion still holds sway in the minds of so many
Americans is highlighted by the results of various referenda held at
the same times as the elections. In particular, many gays and lesbians
will be disappointed over the votes on the issue of same-sex marriages.
Most surprising, perhaps, is the result in liberal California where
Proposition 8 (opposing gay marriage) was passed, albeit with a small
majority in favour [see story below]. A vast sum of money was expended by both sides
campaigning on this issue. Why Christians are so determined - at great
expense - to bar the married state to same-sex couples is hard to
fathom. Marriage is, after all, a human invention. Why does it matter
so much to these control-freaks?
But conversely, one might ask - why is it so important for gay couples
to be formally married? The major consideration is surely the legality
of their relationship, which is important in many aspects of their
lives, e.g. decisions involving illness, death, inheritance and the
like. Surely the real need is for a legal framework that formalizes and
legitimizes a declare relationship?
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Christians impose their will on California . . . www.piperpost.net - 09.11.08.
While
the USA made a decidedly left turn in the election of Barack Obama and
the Democrats, there is disappointment in some areas where Propositions
reinstated the Christian moral position.
Most notably in San Francisco where, backed by powerful support from
the Mormon Church, 52.5 percent of voters supported a gay marriage
ban. Following a decision by the State's Supreme Court in favour
of same-sex unions, San Francisco had become a haven for gay and
lesbian couples wishing to tie the knot. The notorious Proposition 8
adds the words to the state constitution: 'Only a marriage between a
man and a woman is valid in California.'
Passing this Proposition now means the thousands of gay and lesbian
couple who married are now left in legal limbo while their status is
worked out. The result of the ballot has lead to massive turnouts
of protesters marching, especially venting their anger at the Mormons
and calling for an examination of the church's tax-free status.
American churches, beneficiaries of government largesse, are not
permitted to engage in political debate.
Ellen DeGeneres, the lesbian chat-show host who became a "face" of the
gay rights movement when she married her partner, Portia de Rossi, said
she was "saddened beyond belief" by the passage of the proposition.
Legal challenges are now being mounted against the move, gay rights
activists claiming that banning same-sex marriages is a constitutional
'revision' and not an 'amendment' in which case putting the matter to a
vote was illegal.
COMMENT:
Once again we see here the reason why I oppose religion so vigorously.
It is the intolerance shown by Christianity and other religions to
those with different moral standards. How dare people impose their
particular view of marriage on the rest of society. No harm whatever is
done to Christians if a few gay and lesbian couple marry. Leave them
alone!
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Euthanasia law sanity in Washington . . . www.piperpost.net - 09.11.08.
While
Californians suffer a setback from the Christian activists the state of
Washington has seen a win for commonsense. Initiative 1000 was approved
by about 58 percent of voters. The initiative allows for terminally-ill
people, who have been diagnosed as having six months or less to live,
to be prescribed life-ending medication, self-administered.
The law would also remove the threat of prosecution to people who may
wish to help a terminally ill person end their life. This is the
stumbling-block raised by recalcitrant governments who are able
unwilling or incapable of instituting sensible end-of-life assisted
suicide procedures.
If the Washington measure passes into law it will mean there are now
two American states and several countries - the Netherlands, Belgium,
Luxembourg and Switzerland - with right-to-die legislation in place.
The issue is also being debated currently in France, Germany. Australia
and the United Kingdom.
COMMENT:
The time has surely come when any decent society, including our own,
should provide a humane regime for assisted suicide. The only thing
standing in the way of such an outcome, I believe, is the evil
influence of religion, in other words, superstition for that is all
religion is.
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Children in art controversy . . . www.piperpost.net - 09.11.08.
Following the controversy over Bill Henson's photographs of nude children - detailed in an earlier issue of Piper Post -
The Australia Council has announced plans to develop a set of protocols
governing the depiction of children in art. The protocols, to be in
place by January 1, 2009, will cover photography, artworks, exhibitions
and publications.
The Council holds the whip hand in that it
controls the administration of Government funds handed out to artists
and art organizations. Securing funding will depend on adhering to the
protocols. Meanwhile some state governments have also been examining
the laws relating to such activities. Bill Henson had some of his
photographs seized by police but these were eventually returned to him
and references of his work and an issue of an art magazine to the Film
and Literature Classifications Board resulted in no action being taken.
No laws had been broken.
Concern has been expressed by some in Government and the community
about the effect on the subjects of such photographs. One such child
was very outspoken on the matter. Olympia Nelson, an
intelligent, well-adjusted young girl, appear with her
family on TV. Olympia, now aged 11, quite rightly expressed dismay that
Prime Minister Rudd should describe the beautiful photograph taken by
her
mother as 'offensive'.
At the time I commented: 'Watching Olympia and thinking about earlier reactions to Bill Henson's
photographs as also to the magnificent photograph of Miley Cyris taken
by Annie Lebovitz I finally realized what it really bugging the
critics. For all their talk of protecting children and not
'sexualizing' them (as they quaintly put it) the hidden core of their
objections, the one they dare not admit, is the fear of human
nakedness! Thus in such circumstances it is so often claimed,
'the model will be sorry when she gets older.' Sorry for what?
For being naked in public?'
I am not in the same league as Bill Henson nor Annie Lebovitz but I
have taken thousands of pictures of children, alas, almost none of nude
children. But here is one of mine to brighten the page . . .

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News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 09.11.08.
SCIENTISTS FIND TRANSSEXUAL GENE. Australian
scientists have discovered a DNA variation linked to male-to-female
transsexualism. It is more likely that such people have a genetic
variation in a gene that could lead to a feminisation of the brain
during early development. This discovery implies that transsexualism is not a lifestyle choice but a result of biology.
OREGON CITY ELECTS TRANSGENDER MAYOR. The city of Silverton, Oregon (USA) has elected its firsty transgender mayor, Stu Rassmussen. Quoting from The Oregonian newspaper: 'Rasmussen cuts a distinct figure among his flannel-clad neighbors, from
the wavy red mane, past the ample breast implants, along the maroon
stockinged legs, over the crimson tips of his manicured nails and down
to the size 11 black Mary Janes.' Rasmussen, 60, has been involved in local politics since the
mid-1980s, serving on the city council and twice before as mayor. But
that was before the discreet crossdresser decided it was time to stop
hiding the high heels and sexy dresses.
ISLAMIC MURDERERS EXECUTED. Three
Islamic men, who were involved in the murderous bombing of nightclubs
in Bali, which resulted in the death of over 200 people, many of them
Australians, have been executed in Indonesia. The three men, Imam
Samudra and brothers Amrozi and Mukhlas, who
grinned and posed off throughout their trials, remained unrepentant to
the end, having uttered no words of apology for the grieving loved ones
of those they murdered. [COMMENT;
I have ambivalent feeling about the death penalty but I have no regrets
about seeing these apologies for human beings despatched from the earth
they despoiled by their evil presence. It is one occasion when I would
like to believe in hell - a place awaiting such vermin.]
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Australian Government's censorship moves . . . www.piperpost.net - 02.11.08.
Debate is raging over moves being made by the Australian government to censor the Internet.
The
plan is reported to involve a two-tier system - basic blocking of
'illegal' material and an optional system to provide a filtered feed to
Internet users who wish to avoid contact by children with undesirable
material.
Critics of the move point out that, (1) It is impossible to completely
stop access to anything on the Internet by savvy users, (2) It is an
expensive and unwieldy imposition on service providers, (3) All
filtering systems are faulty and incorrectly block some material, (4)
The censorship cannot control file-sharing networks which account for a
large part of Internet traffic, and (5) Censorship in any form is
offensive to a free people.
The chairman of Electronic
Frontiers Australia, Colin Jacobs, has commented: 'I'm not exaggerating
when I say that this model involves more technical interference in the
Internet infrastructure than what is attempted in Iran, one of the most
repressive and regressive censorship regimes in the world.'
The Sydney Morning Herald
reports allegations the Government, especially Communications Minister
Stephen Conroy, is trying to bully service providers into accepting the
plan.
Family First senator Steve Fielding is urging the Government to institute heavy filtering, even of 'fetish' material.
COMMENT:
Is the Church lurking behind the scenes on this issue? Both the
previous government and the present one appear to be ready to kowtow to
the Church at the drop of the hat on many issues. And, from a
letter to The Sydney Morning Herald . . .

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Politicians unite to maintain superstitious mumbo-jumbo . . . www.piperpost.net - 02.11.08.
Further
proof that Australia's politicians are in thrall to religion comes in
the form of an agreement from both sides of the House that the daily
recital of the so-called 'Lord's Prayer' should continue.
Some
Members would like to see this relic of the past be excised from the
daily rituals. But both the Prime Minister, Mr Rudd, a practising
Christian, and the Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull, support
retention of the prayer.
'Opening the Australian Parliament each day with the Lord's Prayer is
an important reminder of our shared humanity and a reference to the
words of our constitution when humbly relying on the blessing of
almighty God we established the Commonwealth of Australia over 100
years ago,' Mr Turnbull said.
COMMENT: Prayer of any sort to any god is mumbo-jumbo, having no more effect than filling the air with pointless words. From my Encyclopedia -
Our
Father which art in heaven, be gracious to us, O Lord, our God;
hallowed by thy name, and let the remembrance of thee be glorified in
heaven above and in the earth below. Let thy kingdom reign over
us now and for ever. The holy men of old said, Remit and forgive unto
all men whatsoever they have done against us. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from the evil thing. For thine is the
kingdom, and thou shalt reign in glory for ever and for evermore.
Interestingly,
when the New Testament documents quoted this prayer as if it came from
the Nazarene, the writers couldn’t get it correct. Thus the
version in the Gospel of Matthew is longer than the versions in
Luke. But, strangest fact of all - this supposedly important
utterance of the Leader does not appear at all in the other two
Gospels! Incidentally, there are many more alleged utterances of
Jesus that are mere repetitions of original Jewish texts. So much
for the ‘divine origin’ of Christianity.
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Afghan journalist jailed for 'blasphemy' . . . www.piperpost.net - 02.11.08.
Once again the fictitious crime of 'blasphemy' raises
its false head - this time in Afghanistan, where a young journalist has
been sentenced to 20 years' jail for the alleged offence.
Sayed
Perwiz Kambakhsh, 23, a journalism student and reporter, was accused of
blaspheming against the Prophet Muhammad by publishing an article on or
from the Internet advocating rights for women. Originally the reporter
faced a death sentence when the court staged an apology for a trial in
which he was not allowed to ffer any defence. The trial took five
minutes! Later an appeals court commuted the death sentence to a
sentence of 20 years in prison.
The organization Reporters Without Borders commented: 'Afghan justice
has again failed to protect Afghan law and guarantee free expression.'
Outrage at the sentence has been expressed in many parts of the world.
COMMENT:
'Blasphemy' is one of the chief weapons in the armory of the
priesthood, designed to stifle free inquiry. And made all the more
absurd by the fact that in various parts of the world different sets of
blasphemy laws exist, each asserting that one particular deity is the
object in question - yet these deities are rivals! For example,
in the United Arab Emirates in August 1994 six Indians were put on
trial, charged with blasphemy after they staged a play in which ants
ate the bodies of the Prophet Muhammad and Jesus of Nazareth. Four
other men were jailed two years previously in connection with the same
play. But the whole notion of 'blasphemy' turns on the proposition that
there is something or someone, i.e. a deity, to be insulted. As no such
beings exist blasphemy is a fictitious crime.
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News in Brief . . . www.piperpost.net - 02.11.08.
SCIENTISTS FIND TRANSSEXUAL GENE. Australian
scientists have discovered a DNA variation linked to male-to-female
transsexualism. It is more likely that such people have a genetic
variation in a gene that could lead to feminisation of the brain during
the individual's early development. These