catholics like torture and abortion

i know. it amazed me too.

according to the national catholic reporter and the pew research center for people and the press, catholics are more likely to approve of torture than their protestant counterparts. and way more likely to think its groovy than their secular counterparts.

bishop john h. ricard of pensacola-tallahassee, fla., member of the bishops’ committee on international policy thinks it's ``a reaction to 9/11, the horrible loss of life and the atrocities of those acting in the name of islam.''

from my friends who are recovering catholics, i'd say it's more due to their years and years of catholic schooling... or perhaps all the images of the saints self-flagellating, held up as role models...

and then there's all those opportunities to look at your savior every sunday, being tortured to death on a cross. ``if it was good enough for jesus, it's good enough for them!''

ahem.

moving on then... it would also appear that christians have just as many abortions as any other group except the catholics, who have more according to the center for reason.

The study, available as a downloadable report, reveals that Christians have just as many abortions as non-Christians. Data analyzed for all fifty states show that the rate of abortion is the same in the most-Christian segments of the population as it is in the least-Christian. The most-Catholic segments, on the other hand, showed significantly higher abortion rates.

in my mind, when all this is juxtaposed with this study, done by the national center for policy analysis which describes significantly higher divorce rates in america's ``bible belt,'' you begin to get a picture that can be interpreted in at least three ways, none of which exclude the other two:

first possibility: that people with more freedom are more compassionate and behave more responsibly.

second possibility: the irresponsible desire to be controlled and have a sadistic desire to see others punished severely for being ``out of control.''

third: that as human beings, we're outgrowing our need for religious-flavored mind control.

I tend to favor door number three, while noting cynically that cable television is rapidly replacing religion for the mind control flavor du jour...

heresy, laughter, and civil disobedience

if you want a real fifth of november call to action, i have one for you. it proves there are reasons to pay attention to a select few who live in texas. it's just that their last names aren't ``bush.''

most of you already know why americans should be enraged at the theft of their government by coporate interests and their big money. those of you who aren't so sure yet, read the text of this speech by bill moyers, one of the few truly loyal and patriotic americans left in that state. he also happens to be one of the last of the prophets, in an archetypal sense, who still have a voice clear enough to call the people to action.

once you've been fired up, i would direct your attention to a story from another true blue texan, ms. molly ivins. i regret that i do not have a reference for the text of this story, for i heard her relate it in a speech a few years ago. i remember the tale, however. i found it inspiring.

upon hearing of the impending arrival of the ku klux klan in austin for yet another rally protesting whatever, ms. ivins and some of her friends gathered in a local pub, over a pitcher of beer, to discuss what to do about it. they are all first amendment loyalists, and so defended the right of the klan to say any damned thing it wished in public all the while loathing the general lowering of the city's IQ that occurred whenenver the klan rolled into town. it was as they got to the bottom of the pitcher that the idea occurred to them.

as the ku-kluxers debarked from their buses (apparently there weren't enough of them in austin for a proper rally, so they had to be trucked in from all over the state), they were met by perhaps 3000 citizens of austin, lined up on either side of the bus terminal. just as the klan braced itself for a fight, the citizens turned around, bent over, and dropped their pants, thereby subjecting the kkk to what may have been the largest public protest mooning on record.

i didn't tell you this story just to amuse you, though i confess i laughed for some time after i first heard ms. ivins tell it.

i told you this because, as a call to action for november 5, i think it's just about perfect.

we can't reach the american public with anger -- they've heard way too many angry protesters over the years. they're numb to it. but laughter, my comrades -- laughter gets them every single time.

so what say you? do you suppose we merry few, we band of brothers (and sisters) can organize a mass mooning to equal or surpass the politically astute citizens of autin, tx? perhaps a coordinated action on the lawn of every statehouse in the country, with a special attention turned toward the nation's capitol? organized properly, it should lead to no arrests. it is an act of civil disobedience (and disrespect, i might add), but accompanied by the proper signs, slogans, and chants, it will catch media attention across the country -- especially if the media are tipped off beforehand.

``tickle their ribs as you slide in the knife...''

sex, drugs, and, altered states of consciousness

it's an academic sort of paper, removed from a book manuscript because of its subjects.

what the publisher didn't want you to know.

the overall book takes a systems theory approach to the subjects of high sexual arousal, vs. just getting high.

i find the wording of part of his summation to be telling:

Insofar as people are not sufficiently gratified within their ordinary d-SoC [discrete State of Consciousness] and consensus reality, the d-ASCs [discrete Altered State of Consciousness] can appear to offer more satisfying ways of functioning.

it's all about getting gratified...