Chile rojas with a side of despair

I eat breakfast on Sundays at a little Mexican restaurant near my house. Sometime I eat alone, like today, but more often I eat with my wife. I ordered chile rojas and eggs, which is spicy enough to make sweat, and settled in with a book. I was after some high-quality me time. I did not get it. 

Facing me across the table was a party of four. One old fat man in a wheel chair and his robust wife. A bald old man of 70 or so sat across from him along with his fat wife. The talked about everything; all of it loud. 

They got my attention when the bald man stuck a foot up to show his friend the deal he got on 99 cent diabetic socks. His foot, encased in a shoe with the sock showing just above the ankle, rose to within a foot of my table and food. He did it again with his second foot to show that he was wearing a tall sock on that foot. I thought they were idiots. What they talked about next proved it. 

Gender neutral bathrooms... They did not believe school children could identify as different gender. They had never met a transgender child, so transgender kids did not exist. The bald man, said, "There are no school children who need a gender neutral bathroom. If they are gender confused, direct them to the principal!"

Most people in the restaurant looked away, embarrassed. I stared at the man, but he would not look my way. 

Gender talk went on for a few minutes and included digs at President Obama and Target. The man was working himself up to some point, but then he switched gears and started in on welfare cheats. His solutions to a crisis that did not exist were Fox News talking points. I hope he does not vote. 

I did not interrupt these old fools. I wanted to, but this in my neighborhood place, so I did not want to make a scene. Plus, I am a big scary man and I tend to make people uneasy when I insert myself into their conversations. Instead, I did my best to ignore these idiots, just like everyone else in the restaurant. 

They left before I finished my breakfast. the place quieted down. My server apologized for the old idiots. She said that they were regulars. I smiled and waved it off. After a few minutes, I took another bite of chile rojas along with an unordered side of despair. The world is full of idiots. 

Hold that bible high

All I see is crazy.

Does Anne Graham Lotz speak for you?

Anne Graham Lotz thinks that God allowed 911 to happen because gay rights. 

...What happens then is God abandons us and backs away, he he takes his favor and blessing away from us.

[If we repent] I think he would begin to reveal the plots of terrorists before they are carried out, even the weather patterns he can control and protect us from violent storms.

Lotz whats us to think that she can read divine tea leaves. That she can interpret the mind of God. That she knows what is right and that the rest of us are inviting disaster by doing the right thing. She switches accountability for the actions of terrorists to the victims. By  her logic, a rape victim is responsible for her own rape because she wore a halter top that displeased God. Or, that New Orleans brought on its own destruction because of jazz. God could have redirected Hurricane Katrina if only the citizens had repented and sang gospel instead. This type of thinking is absurd and childish. Is this Christianity?

LYFT, Uber or cab?

I took my first LYFT ride in Chicago a few days ago. I had used Uber before and enjoyed the convenience and the experience. While in Chicago, I had also used cabs. My trips were short, a mile or two at most. While waiting for a LYFT, I turned down several cabs. Chicago is a saturated environment. 

Cities like Chicago regulate cab rides. Each cab I used had the cab number posted on a placard inside the passenger compartment. It read, "This is ca no. 1234. All compliments or complaints should be directed to the Dept. of Consumer Services 14-hour hotline. Call 311." I don't see anything like this in Lyft. My only options are a one star rating or emails to corporate headquarters. Are my rights protected? It makes me wonder.

I don't notice much incentive from a cost perspective. Both times I used LYFT, I paid a 75% surcharge. The rides, with tips, cost about the same be it taxi or LYFT. 

My first ride’s fare was for $13,51. It broke down like this:

• Ride (1.02 m, 5m 14s), $3.66
  
• Prime Time + 75%, $2.25
  
• Trust & Service Fee, $1.60
  
• Surcharge, $.50
  
• Tip, $5.00 (I gave the driver a big tip because he spent a few minutes explaining how LYFT worked from his perspective.)

Without the large tip, my fair would have cost about $9.56. A cab fair would have cost $8.91 plus tip. Why is LYFT better? Because I save $.50?

The wisdom of cabbies

I flew to Chicago last week and upon arrival, took a taxi from O'Hare to downtown. During the 30-minute ride, my cabbie, a Kufi-wearing African immigrant, listened to the radio. I recognized NPR's All Things Considered and fell into a practiced listening rhythm. 

Politics and Donald Trump dominated the stories. Each time Trump spoke, the cabbie lowered the volume so that we could not make out Trump’s words. After doing this a few times, I asked, "Why do you lower the volume when Trump speaks?"

His reply, in a deep Ghanaian accent, was beautiful,  "It is best to deny evil a chance to whisper in my ears."

On writing again

I was prompted to write again after listening to two young women talking in line for dinner this evening. One woman said to the other, “Did you listen to pastor Phillips’ sermon Sunday?” The other replied, “Yes.”

There was a moment of silence and a few giggles. One woman said to the other, “I’d really like to fuck him.” The other said, “Me too.”

A three-year old girl stood between them.

I thought to myself… I really need to tell this story.

Facts… Pastor Phillips is a fictitious name. The city was Rancho Cucamonga in California. The restaurant was (don’t hate) Chick-fil-a. I really wanted to take a photo, but did not do so because of the creep factor involved.

Pastor dumbass

Pastor Alvin Weasel was arrested for brining a loaded gun to the airport. It was his second arrest for the same offense.

Weasel said that he has asked God why he made this mistake a second time. 

“Perhaps he’s trying to use this so others can learn from my mistake and then perhaps he’s using this to teach me, so that something worse wouldn’t happen,” he said.  

Source: Nebraska pastor arrested for bringing a loaded gun to the airport - twice.

Really? Did God do this to you or did you do this to yourself? Does God really control your life to the extent that he makes you forget about a loaded gun that you apparently carry with you everyplace you go? Does that even make sense? Here is a solution. Set an iPhone reminder to check your gun each time you arrive at destination airport.

Dumbass…

oh yes… I’m back.

Goodbye John Boehner

Goodbye John Boehner. Your failures as a leader cement your troubled legacy. Be proud. Embrace the suck.

"Last night I started thinking about this and this morning I woke up and I said my prayers -- as I always do -- and I decided today's the day I'm going to do this. As simple as that,” Boehner said during an emotional Capitol Hill press conference a day after he had a moving encounter with Pope Francis. - CNN

I wonder if his tear-fill moment with the Pope Francis had anything to do with it?

Hypocrites come in uniform too

Florida police officer Michael Harding, once named “Officer of the Year,” was arrested for distribution of child porn. He faces like a million year in prison if convicted…

Port St. Lucie Officer Michael Harding was charged Wednesday with sending and receiving child porn after undercover Homeland Security investigators discovered his filth-ridden account on the app Kik messenger, authorities said.

The 27-year-old married father of three posted explicit material to the Kik chatroom #toddlerf**k while stationed in his police vehicle on patrol on the overnight shift beginning on July 23, according to an affidavit.
- via NY Daily News

Cops, teachers and pastors… who can we trust?

The Spiritual Beacon

Hey… a new blog joined the now defunct Atheist Blogroll. It’s called The Spiritual Beacon. Check it out!

Last three posts:

The Book of Mormon (9/23/2015)

The Sermon that got me defrocked (9/19/2015)

Proselytizing to the Pagans (9/16/2015)

Follow this new author on Twitter at @spiritualbeacon It’s humor. Enjoy.

Does Fiorina’s lie count?

Does Caroly Fiorina’s lie count? I say lie, but lies is more accurate. During the GOP primary debate on September 16, 2015, Fiorina slams Palnned Parenthood by describing a video she watched where an aborted fetus was kept alive for the harvest of its brain. The video she describes does not exist. She is lying. She went on to repeat the lie in subsequent interviews, and finally, a super-PAC backing her candidacy, created a video to backfill her story. Does her lie matter? I say yes.

Her lies pander to the worst in American politics; those who will do anything to further an agenda. Those who will fabricate false videos, plant misleading stories, harass patients, bomb clinics and kill doctors. Fiorina enables hate with her words and disqualifies herself from any chance at leading our country. She is poison. Her words venom. He mission corrupt.

Pastor pays for sex

Pastor pays for sex… I don’t care.

Pastor pays for sex with teen. I care.

This story is from Florida (of course). Baptist pastor Aramis Bettis was arrested for sexual assault, obscene communication, traveling to meet a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. His victim was a 17 male who Bettis alleged paid for sex. Or more accurately, Bettis paid $100 to see the boy’s junk and another $500 to perform oral sex.

This guy… this baptist pedophile pastor… this creep… He worked at St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church in Milton.

The 10 commandments mean nothing to Kim Davis

It is simple really. Though shall not lie. God does not allow an exception to stop gay marriage. It is black and white. Yet Kim Davis appears to have a special dispensation.

Lawyers for couples suing Davis have said that since her return to work, the Rowan County clerk has interfered with the issuance of marriage licenses in violation of orders by U.S. District Judge David Bunning’s in Louisville.

An attorney for Davis has said she has made a good-faith effort to comply with Bunning’s orders. She has said licenses granted by her staff are invalid because she has not given them that authority.
- via www.rawstory.com

We judge a person by what they do and not by what they say. Is Kim Davis a good representation of Christianity? I find her version of Christianity horrifying.

Speaking of Alabama

Alabama, your pastors are freaks, Florida may be worse statistically, but your pastors are just horrible.

Pastor Mack Charles Andrews allegedly raped a girl on her fathers grave. She was nine. He used tools to open her up so she could take a man.

"He told me if I didn't say anything, he would come back and put flowers on the grave," Jane said. "If I did, he said demons would come and get me from my bed."
- via AL.com

The church was so ashamed of Andrews that they changed their name to hide any affiliation. Victims stayed on though. That’s what happens in a cult.

* updated 9/26/2015 to correct name.

Note to self, hire no one from Alabama

If your state puts stickers in your textbooks telling you to ignore scientific fact, don’t complain when you end up working for Taco Bell.

This week, Alabama made headlines for revising its state science education standards. For the first time, teachers in the state will be required to teach evolution and the fact that humans contribute to climate change. But buried in that news was acknowledgement of a “sticker” that the state requires be placed on its biology textbooks, telling students that evolution is a “controversial theory,” not a fact. - Rawstory

The original article is worth a read, unless you are from Alabama. I’d just skip it and read a pop up book.