Thursday’s Asshats of the Day
Today’s award goes to the pastor and members of Dove World Outreach Center, a “church” in Gainesville, FL. These “christians” (and I use that term extremely loosely) are planning on holding a public Koran burning ceremony on September 11. This is the same “church” that printed up and handed out t-shirts that read “Islam is the Devil,” last year. I wonder if Alfalfa and Curly from WGOP will be there with live play-by-play.
See Curly’s latest diatribe on Islam here – http://www.wgmd.com/?p=8198.
h/t to CBS News for reporting this story.
MJ,
Why do I get the feeling that your “Asshat of the Day” daily blog is inspired by the “2 minutes of hate” …..straight from Orwell’s 1984?
But your’s is new and improved. Every day you’ve got a new Emmanuel Goldstein, Everyday you’ve a new “cancer growing, spreading in our midst” .
But hey. It’s your life. Enjoy.
Gee, delecrap, I guess we can’t all be as perfect as you. If you don’t like what you read here, go away, far, far away, and troll amongst your own echo chamber.
Could you explain what your objection is here?
Who was that directed at, Observer?
You, MJ.
They are burning their own books on their own property to express their religious and political views. Seems to me that this would be something that anyone who believes in freedom could not really object to.
And as far as the shirts, isn’t that just free speech about one’s religious beliefs?
Um, you’re not serious, are you O? C’mon, book burning – kind of reminds me of what my family experienced almost 80 years ago in a European country called Germany. By Nazis. Before the Holocaust.
If you’re OK with this, then you’re as much of an asshole as these folks in Gainesville.
Someone wants to go out and SPEND THEIR OWN MONEY to purchase something to burn, more power to them. That is distinctly different from going into public libraries and private homes and dragging out the property of others, or government mandates that certain works be burned. Heck, this is no different than flag burning.
I’ll take the classical position of the enlightenment — I may (or may not) object to their message, but I’ll defend to the death their right to communicate it, provided the rights of no others are violated. And given that such is the case here, how can you offer a sincere objection. After all, how is your Quran threatened by their burning their Qurans (sort of like a certain argument you folks make in regard to gay marriage).
I think the news today that Pope Bendadick refused to accept the resignation of two priests who admitted enabling pedophile priests in Ireland is much more egregious than this story.
@anonone, one should be deafened by the cries for justice.
Alas & alack, another priest dressed in black, does damage to children never suffering blow back but now we take a figure, a god praising n@gg^r wanting to burn books wasn’t that the holocaust trigger? yeah that’s right and all of this is wrong there’s nothing going on here close your eyes and move along it all boils down to the insidious position they would rather stay blind and keep paying for religion
Observer – your argument FAILS! What you’re saying is that these wingnuts who want to ban and burn books from schools are alright in your book as long as they purchase the books themselves? If you cannot see what is wrong with having this public ceremonial burning of the Koran, then you’re either a book burner yourself or just a complete imbecile. There is no justification for burning books.
I have a nominee for tomorrow – Dr. Laura
OOOOH. Dr. Laura.
Actually. MJ, I respectfully disagree with you. Obviously, governments should not be burning or banning books, but there really is nothing inherently wrong about burning one’s own books (or the flag for that matter) as a political statement.
The alternative is to make such political statements illegal, and I don’t think that is what you are advocating, is it?
This is not a political statement – it is being done to incite hatred (and possibly to make themselves martyrs if someone decides to take a shot at them). This “church” is just as bad as the Westboro schmucks.
Actually, it is a political statement, as well as a religious one. You just object to their method.
Or is the problem that you are just pissin’ your pants scared that the Muslims will go on a head-chopping riot through your neighborhood because someone failed to show proper deference to their book?
By the way, would your position be different if it was atheists (or gays) burning Bibles? How about if it was an artist with a government grant submerging a Quran in urine?
Would you make a group of American Muslims the “asshat of the day” if they were burning American flags? Or flying planes into buildings? My point is, this is one, small group of Christians that in no way represents the majority. Are they even worth the press time?
MJ, what is your point here? Are you advocating that this should be against the law?
O – you’re an asshole and you’re boring. Your asinine comments are no longer worth responding to.
A1 – I didn’t say that I was advocating legislation against this. What I am saying is that the actions of this “church” are repulsive and should be condemned, much like the Taliban when they destroyed the giant Buddhas in 2001. I equate this book burning to cross burning – it’s hateful and should be condemned.
Gee, MJ — you have officially pussied out. You just don’t like finding yourself backed into an indefensible corner.
And there is a serious difference between this and the Giant Buddhas — they were an irreplaceable part of the heritage of humanity, while this church is burning simply a few of billions of copies the Quran.
Well, I wouldn’t compare it to the destruction of the Buddhas, but don’t let this get to you too much. Christians, Muslims, and Jews have been going after each other for centuries. In fact, burning books is an improvement over burning each other, something that was all to commonplace not too long ago.
Thanks for the clarification.
Come on, MJ — you would be talking about this being “understandable” if it were Muslims or atheists or gays burning Bibles (or the Book of Mormon, in the case of gays). And would you consider “Piss Christ” to be repulsive and worthy of condemnation — the equivalent of a cross burning? Or does your solicitude extend only so far as Muslims?
Pussied out? What? Are you in elementary school? Give me a break. You’re making nonsense comments that aren’t worth replying to. Go troll over at the wingnut blogs where you belong. Don’t you have a cross to burn somewhere, or did the 9-12 “Patriots” cancel it because of the rain?
And explain to all of us what gays have to do with any of this.
Piss Christ and burning the Koran to incite hate of an entire religion. Hmmm. Explain how these compare to each other.
I offered some comparable situations in which I believe you would approve of those burning a faith’s scriptures to protest something about a religion.
And there were plenty of folks who found Piss Christ — paid for by their tax dollars, no less — to be a mighty hateful thing.
But you fall back on the lass refuge of the liberal without a valid argument — start accusing your opponent of racism to put them on the defensive. Bullcrap, MJ — what you are is an anti-Christian bigot who won’t hold others to the same standard you hold Christians.
Fail, Observer, FAIL! I’m an anti-Christian bigot? How so? Because I disapprove of a church inciting hatred of another religion? Because I condemn pedophile priests? Show us where (provide evidence) where gays have burned bibles or the Book of Mormon. You can’t. You’re simply trying to defend an indefensible group of thugs who clothe themselves in the “Word of G-D.”
If this were a group of Muslims burning King James Bibles to commemorate 9/11, I would be condemning them. So get off your self-awarded high horse, because you ain’t got game.
Actually, in reading your comments, it’s safe to assume that you are RWR – if it talks like a Texas wingnut, and smells like a Texas wingnut, then it’s a Texas wingnut.
BTW – my partner is Christian, Presbyterian to be exact.
Hey, Observer, MJ is angry at these people. These people want other people to notice them and be angry with them. MJ’s reaction is mission accomplished for these religious whack jobs. It is okay for MJ to be angry if he wants. Really, it is. You don’t need to talk him out of it. You can even go off and burn whatever books you want, too! Personally, I am going to go soak a rosary in the toilet.
whoa whoa whoa! Back the truck UP! Now, I am an anti-christian bigot. I just jacked off on the shroud of turin.
And for my old buddy slObservient, I’m gonna steal a bible from a church. Visualize what happens next.
Answer my question, MJ — was Piss Christ an act of hatred and bigotry? Especially since the money for it came, in part, out of the pockets of those whose religious sensitivities were offended.
Personally, anonone, I don’t burn books — I find it to be a rather useless exercise. But I note that MJ doesn’t see the comparison to burning a flag, and suspect that MJ would even defend that act (provided the flag was not stolen).
And CR — what comes next? Hopefully your arrest and prosecution for a hate crime after having stolen some church’s property in order to destroy it because of anti-Christian animus. That was precisely the point I tried to make above — provided the Qurans being burned were legitimately the property of the church and they were being burned on church property, who is harmed?
Technically, if the Quran was an english translation, it doesn’t really count anyhow. Muslims only recognize the Arabic as being accurate and literal. These moronic book burners probably didn’t even know that. LOL.
Ah Piss Christ. Thank God for Piss Christ.
was Piss Christ an act of hatred and bigotry?
No. Making someone kneel in the creek and pray to AquaBuddha is an act of hatred and bigotry.
Since Piss Christ Came Into My Heart
What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought
Since Piss Christ came into my heart;
I have light in my soul for which long I have sought,
Since Piss Christ came into my heart.
Since Piss Christ came into my heart,
Since Piss Christ came into my heart;
Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,
Since Piss Christ came into my heart
Since I stole your asshat MJ, I nominate a new one – Cal Thomas. This one’s a doozy. I like the part where Thomas accuses Judge Walker of being a false God.