In which I cynically ramble and rant in no particular order

So al-Zarqwai, or

that Jacuzzi guy

as Guy's Sweetthing so eloquently put it, blew a big one...literally. I hope all his virgins look like Quasimodo on a bad hair day. In the greater scheme of things, however, I highly doubt it'll make a difference. The terrorists are like cockroaches...stomp on one and there are 20 others, ready to take his place.

And that's the problem with Iraq. Don't get me wrong...I completely support our troops...they're doing a dirty job that they've been ordered to do. I just can't support the reason they're there. Does anyone truly believe that there'll be any kind of long-lasting change after we're gone? Call me cynical, but it just smells too much like VietNam to me. Fundamentalist Muslims and all the various factions they spawn have always existed...they always will. Like cockroaches.

And I see that the FDA has approved a vaccine for

cervical cancer

. Wonderful news. Amazing news. Except...

"Some conservative religious groups and family-values advocates believe that the best way to prevent any sexually transmitted disease is to teach young people to be abstinent until marriage. They don’t want HPV vaccine offered to young women because it will encourage, in their view, sexual promiscuity. Or they only want the vaccine discussed by parents not in schools or in the doctor’s office."

Uh huh. I knew it. Of COURSE abstinence should be taught, both at home and in the schools. Without question. But let's face it...teaching abstinence hasn't really worked, has it? It hasn't slowed the rate of teen pregnancies or STD's, has it?

As a little aside, Ziggy just mentioned something so brilliant, I hadda include it. What if...just what if they discovered that testicular cancer...or prostate cancer...was caused by HPV? And they invented a vaccine for it. How much ya wanna bet we'd not hear a peep from the religious right?

I'm sure the religious fundamentalists will use this as the flaming sword over young women's heads. "If you die from cervical cancer, it's just punishment for having SEX."
But I suppose, like the Muslim fundamentalists, dying for what you believe in guarantees you a spot in heaven, doesn't it?

Different gods. Same old story. Except for the 72 virgins.

And in other cynical news, I see where the proposed

ban on gay marriage

has fallen short of the majority. Good. Smartest thing they've done in a long time, not that it really means anything, anyway. It just means that some politicians are afraid of losing the gay vote.

I'd like someone to explain to me...in a concise, non-theological way...just exactly why gays shouldn't be able to marry. Please don't use any religious arguments...just the facts, ma'am.

I cannot, for the life of me, understand why two people who love each other and want to create a stable, committed life together, regardless of their sexual orientation, cannot legally do so. If the word "marriage" makes people so fuckin hinky, then use "civil union" or some other phrase. I'm sure it'd make no difference to them.

Us heteros don't exactly have a glowing record when it comes to successful marriages. The divorce rate is still hovering at the 50% mark. I say let the gays and lesbians give it a try...they surely couldn't do any worse than we have.

And with that, dear readers, I'll end my cynical ramble.

Let the vitriolic lambasting commence.