"I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours
But I think that God has a sick sense of humour
And when I die
I expect to find him laughing"
--Depeche Mode

Incidentally, Tob, if you lived in Philadelphia, you could get that Filet o' Fish at 3am. There's a McDonald's at Cottman and the Boulevard that's open 23 hours a day. :)

Yes but the religion is not told to you by an organisation, thereby it is not organised, which is a distinction i find very important.

The following letter was written in the Letters to the Editor section of Friday's Arkansas Traveler, the school newspaper. It was regarding this comic strip. To me, it's a shining example of religious moronity. I really want to respond, but I don't think I will.

Click the second link before you read the letter.
<blockquote>
<b>Cartoon offensive, not humorous</b>

I am writing in regards to the comic strip "Life In Hell" that is being run in The Traveler. As a Christian and a UA associate, I find this comic very inappropriate for a campus newspaper and offensive to those who are trying to make a difference in someone else's daily walk with God. Not to mention it's not even funny. To mock the possibility of someone spending their life in hell is neither humorous nor does it take the matter of Salvation and living a Godly life seriously. Students today are faced with far too many issues and don't need comedy about hell to ease their worries.
These are dangerous times in the world today, and the fact is God should not be overlooked in any aspect in life, especially when our own government and leaders of this country are so quick to respond to a tragedy with God Bless America. I'm sure the support staff of The Traveler can find something to replace this comic strip with and continue to produce a paper at a level of dignity for all ethnical groups to enjoy. I hope my response to the cartoon is taken to heart and considered a great matter of concern.

A.GENE ELLISON | clerical assistant
in Human Resources
</blockquote>

Comments?

Perhaps that guy doesn't realize that he's already in hell...it's called Arkansas. :)

Lol.. good point.

Well, I just sent this reply off to the editor. Hopefully, it'll get published!
<blockquote>This letter is in response to the letter by A.Gene Ellison in last Friday's
paper regarding the comic strip "Life in Hell".

Instead of changing the world to suit your view, why not just stop viewing
the things you don't like? I really enjoy the comic. Yet, you would deprive
me of my laughter because you were offended. I am offended by your letter.
Can I tell the Editor not to post your letters? I would never ask such a
thing, because I accept diversity.

In your letter, you said, "Students today are faced with far too many issues
and don't need comedy about hell to ease their worries." In fact, we do need
comedy to ease our worries. Comedy is a prerequisite to a healthy psyche. If
we can't laugh at the serious things in life, then we may find ourselves with
no coping mechanism for disaster.

In short, I recommend that you lighten up.</blockquote>

Not bad, although I would have probably added:

"Look you holy roller, I'm tired of you trying to rape my mind with your god. We don't need your kind around here anymore, as your kind are responsible for the decay of western civilization as we know it. You are a plague. You are a virus. You and your kind must be rounded up and placed in cages for viewing and taunting."

Yeah...that'll work. :)

Liberalism - your thought for the day
 

Liberalism:

"[...] a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition [...]"

"[...] a political philosophy based on belief in progress [...] and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties [...]"

Now figure how that interacts with a system that wishes to impose its dogmatic (by definition unchangeable) values on everyone, irrespective of whether they wish to adhere to that system or not.

X.

Syc, you have no idea how much I wanted to say that. :]

Well, truth be told Juju, had you put that in your letter, you would have come across as a nut...and may have been banned from the state of Arkansas. But it's definitely okay to think it or to share it with friends and loved ones. :)

Is that a punishment?

For juju right now, I'd say it would be. As a whole though, no...I wouldn't shed a tear if they banned me from there or several other states.

Can they actually 'ban' you from a state? Just curious.

Naw. Sometimes one hears of people who "can't go to Nevada" or something similar, but that would be because they have accumulated some kind of criminal record in that state, probably something not so important that it calls for extradition. Petty theft, accumulated traffic violations, etc.

In the USA, citizenship and immigration are federal constitutional jurisdictions.

States cannot legislate in those matters. If one is legally in the USA, one cannot be banned from any state and can travel to any state without restriction.

When you hear of someone who "can't go to some state" it means he can't go there without liability for outstanding offences.

As I understand it, substantial criminal offences are all subject to inter-state cooperation, so suspects and criminals can be picked up in any state on a warrant from another and transferred to the state in which the crime was commited.

In Canada, criminal law legislation is solely a federal jurisdiction but the enforcement of that law is provincial. In Canada, there cannot be different criminal laws and penalties depending on which province the act is committed, as it is in the States.

IIRC, there is a county in Georgia under fire for banning people from the county...as in, you must leave the county and not come back.

I know that it's almost impossible to do, but Philadelphia would kick so much more ass if people could be banned...particularly in the area of people with bad driving records. In fact, New Jersey and PA should come to an agreement where PA buys the City of Camden and uses it as a penal colony. The Australia of 2002. :)