Adlai Stephenson was a Unitarian. I couldn't imagine a major party candidate being a UUist these days.

I could, but they better damn well know their Bible backwards and forwards, lest they end up saying silly things like Howard Dean did about the Bible.

Not saying that Dubya hasn't said some silly things about the Bible, but it really annoyed me that Dean acted like he knew the book then said some things that sounded like he'd never cracked the cover, even to a Yule-and-Eostar Wiccan.

My day is fine; just busy. Work work work. But incompetent!boss is out of the office for 4 days starting today, which is BLISS. I can get so much done without having to do an end-run around him.

Also, I say FEH to Erin's money situation, BAH to Nora's back pain/incipient insanity, and EAT IT to Hec's jackhole boss.

w/r/t churchiness -- I'm not a real joiner these days. But I still believe in God, a God who is actively aware of everything going on in everyone's lives (all 800 kerjillion of us), but who rarely intervenes b/c of the whole pesky "free will" thingamajig. I believe that God knows every one of us, and loves us -- even all the people who special-interest groups say God doesn't love. That includes gay people, Muslims, AND republicans.

And that's about it.

Christopher came home early today and he's taught Owen what a snake says. When asked, O will hiss between his teeth. It's HILARIOUS to watch.

One of the funniest thing in Al Franken's book a few years back was when he corrected someone in the Bush administration (I forget who) when the administration guy was talking about something from the New Testament that they were reading in their weekly prayer meetings.

Until 1:30, when I get to go see Neil Gaiman speak here at the Evil Empire

Now that's a corporate bennie.

I just found out that pretty much everyone on the project I was supposed to be working for from here has been removed from the project due to not providing the product on time. It takes a lot for that to happen on a government contract.

That includes gay people, Muslims, AND republicans.

God might be a little pissed off at the republicans. Still with the love like a parent, but no so much with the liking.

There’d been this article about Bush & God in Newsweek. It describes this Bible group that Don Evans [Bush’s Commerce Secretary and longtime friend] got Bush into when he stopped drinking. [Newsweek writer Howard] Fineman describes it as scriptural boot camp. Ten guys and each week they’d study a chapter of a book over two years and analyze them line by line. Over two years, they read Luke and Acts. So I was at the White House Correspondents dinner and found myself seated at the table next to Don Evans. I was all set to ask about the tax cut. And I said, “So you know what Acts is about?” And I saw sort of this blank thing go over his eyes and then sort of a quick look of panic and he said, “No.” And I was absolutely shocked. And I said, “Well your tax cut so heavily favors the rich, and Acts is so socialist almost.” And he said, “But, ah! Acts contains the Parable of the Talents.” Now just as it so happens, I knew that actually wasn’t true. I knew the parable of talents was from Matthew. And he said, “Are you sure?” And I said, “Yeah.” It was just a complete fluke that I knew that. My son the year before had been assigned some New Testament reading in high schools as part of a civilization class and talents was part of what he was assigned. But I realized that these guys didn’t read these books line by line for two years and discuss them for two years –- they couldn’t have! I know these guys aren’t the smartest guys in the world but they’re not that dumb. I remember stuff I read in high school that I didn’t really read that well but we discussed in class for a like a week—-ya know what I mean?

- Al Franken

Raq, unless it's Halliburton - then the contract gets extended into infinity with bonuses for existing.

Ooh, thanks for the quote, Gud.

Holy crap -- on the CafePress site for Jilli's new website, you can buy actual US Postal-approved stamps with Jilli's avatar on them!!!