Robert Sobel, Orlando Liberal
November 9, 2011
http://www.examiner.com/liberal-in-orlando/20-founding-father-quotes-against-america-being-a-christian-nation
The separation of church and state is an issue that those in Washington debate just like co-workers do around the water-cooler or familes around the dinner table. How much religion, if any, should be involved in government? When the 2nd "red scare" happened in the late 1940s until the late 1950s, Americans were scared that communism would overtake the country. The greatest example of this was Republican Senator, Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, who drove home the paranoia that not only would communism take over the United States, but that many Americans were communist themselves. Of course this all proved to be false and forever known as "McCarthyism." One of the ways the government wanted to show that they were somehow above communism was their love for god. "In god we trust" was added to all paper currency in 1957 as well as adding "Under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954.
Today, many conservative politicians and Christians around the country claim that the United States was founded as a "Christian Nation." These claims, however, are not based on factual information. While many of the Founding Fathers were Christians, others were not. Some believed in God, but held no religious preference and others had no belief in anything supernatural. Here are twenty quotes from the Founding Fathers and other great Americans that show that the United States was not founded as a "Christian Nation."
1. "Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man"- Thomas
Jefferson
2. "The hocus-pocus phantasm of a God like another Cerberus, with one body and three heads, had its birth and growth in the blood of thousands and thousands of martyrs." -Thomas Jefferson
3. "It is too late in the day for men of sincerity to pretend they believe in the Platonic mysticisms that three are one, and one is three; and yet the one is not three, and the three are not one- Thomas Jefferson
4. "And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter. But we may hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with all this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this the most venerated reformer of human errors."- Thomas Jefferson
5. "There is not one redeeming feature in our superstition of Christianity. It has made one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites."- Thomas Jefferson
6. "Lighthouses are more useful than churches."- Ben Franklin
.
7. "The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason."- Ben Franklin
8. "I looked around for God's judgments, but saw no signs of them."- Ben Franklin
9. "In the affairs of the world, men are saved not by faith, but by the lack of it."- Ben Franklin
10. "This would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in
it"- John Adams
11. "The New Testament, they tell us, is founded upon the prophecies of the Old; if so, it must follow the fate of its foundation.'- Thomas Paine
12. "Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst."- Thomas Paine
13. "I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any Church that I know of. My own mind is my own Church. Each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all."- Thomas Paine
14. "Take away from Genesis the belief that Moses was the author, on which only the strange belief that it is the word of God has stood, and there remains nothing of Genesis but an anonymous book of stories, fables, and traditionary or invented absurdities, or of downright lies."- Thomas Paine
15. "All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."- Thomas Paine
16. "It is the fable of Jesus Christ, as told in the New Testament, and the wild and visionary doctrine raised thereon, against which I contend. The story, taking it as it is told, is blasphemously obscene.”- Thomas Paine
17. "Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause. Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by the difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought most to be depreciated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the present age, would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination so far that we should never again see the religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society."- George Washington
18. "The Bible is not my book, nor Christianity my profession."- Abraham Lincoln
19. "It may not be easy, in every possible case, to trace the line of separation between the rights of religion and the Civil authority with such distinctness as to avoid collisions and doubts on unessential points. The tendency to unsurpastion on one side or the other, or to a corrupting coalition or alliance between them, will be best guarded agst. by an entire abstinence of the Gov't from interfence in any way whatsoever, beyond the necessity of preserving public order, and protecting each sect agst. trespasses on its legal rights by others."- James Madison
20. "Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise."- James Madison
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10 Movie Prisons That Would Scare Lindsay Lohan Straight
11/08/2011
http://www.maxim.com/amg/MOVIES/Articles/10+Movie+Prisons+That+Would+Scare+Lindsay+Lohan+Straight
Thanks to prison overcrowding and the general hesitance of the Los Angeles court system to punish anyone who’s famous, Lindsay Lohan’s 30-day jail sentence was reduced to a one-hour walking tour and free T-shirt. If anyone was truly interested in punishing her for her innumerable offenses, we’d suggest sending Lindsay for a month to any one of these fictitious big houses. Close ‘em up!
Manhattan Island (Escape from New York)
Conditions: Lots of room to walk around and collect one’s thoughts, so long as you never, ever go down Broadway or hang out in the Chock Full O’Nuts after sundown. Lilo can even continue her performing career (All together now: “Stab a priest/with a foooork/and you’ll spend your va-ca-tion in New York!”)
Inmate to watch out for: Romero. He’s the main snitch for The Duke, plus he’s bleached blond, meth-skinny, and twitchy, meaning he’s a vagina away from being just Lindsay’s type.
Chances for survival: If Adrienne Barbeau ain’t getting out, Lindsay doesn’t stand a chance.
Shawshank Prison (The Shawshank Redemption)
Conditions: Not bad, as prisons go, so long as Lindsay can keep on the good side of Warden Norton. But seeing as she’s terrible with numbers--one movie role for every seven court appearances is just bad math no matter how you slice it--we can see him getting impatient with her real quick.
Inmate to watch out for: “Red,” because he’s a guy who can “get stuff” and, well, that’s always where Lindsay’s problems start, don’t they?
Chances for survival: Good. Her chances for escape are even better, since no one would suspect she was tunneling out behind a poster of herself.
Azkaban (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Conditions: For most, Azkaban is a horrid place filled with soul-sucking creatures that literally tear the happiness right out of your body, sending you into an endless depression spiral. For Lindsay, that’s pretty much a weekend with Dad.
Inmate to watch out for: Bellatrix Lestrange, because there is only enough room for one emotionally unhinged harpy in the yard.
Chances for survival: Great. Lindsay has one magic power, and it’s the ability to make her jail sentence mysteriously disappear every single time.
Gateway Prison (Lock Up)
Conditions: Abysmal. Dank, grey, and depressing – and that’s just Rahway, New Jersey. Inside the prison itself, things are marginally better, but not much. And Warden Drumgoole, unlike, say the Los Angeles County judges, actually follows through on his threats.
Inmate to watch out for: Chink Weber. Not because he’s big and intimidating, but because he’ll spend her entire sentence pestering her about hooking him up with a role in that Gotti movie that keeps threatening to get made.
Chances for survival: OK, but this is the kind of violent, rusted hellhole Lohan deserves to be tortured in daily. Oh, sorry, our bad--we’re referring to Michael.
Erehwon prison (Face/Off)
Conditions: Look, we know that an ankle monitor is no match for Lindsay, so clearly more extreme matters have to be taken. The off-shore prison of Erehwon straps its inmate into giant metal boots that are magnetized to the floor.
Inmate to watch out for: Castor Troy, because he’s either Nic Cage acting like John Travolta or John Travolta acting like Nic Cage – in short, he is the Oreo Double Stuff of awful.
Chances for survival: Slight. How is Lindsay supposed to blithely walk away from punishment when she can’t even walk, blithely or otherwise?
Thai Prison (The Big Doll House)
Conditions: Savage. Sultry. Shower-y. Even the most mundane interactions here devolve into bathroom stall wrestling matches, and the official prison-issue clothing is apparently made of dental floss and wishes.
Inmate to watch out for: Grear. Because she’s played by Pam Grier. Do you know how badass you have to be to have a character in a women-in-prison film named after yourself?
Chances for survival: Excellent. Taking Lindsay off the streets and putting her in here is like when Michael Jordan finally gave up baseball and returned to the hardcourt. Cat fights are her comfort zone, baby.
House of Particular Individuals (Idiocracy)
Conditions: Wait, all she has to do is convince stupid people that she should be free to walk whenever she wants? No contest.
Inmate to watch out for: The big bald fat guy who sits on people, duh.
Chances for survival: Great. Lindsay would be out of there well before they ever determined her aptitude, giving her a shot at a cabinet position in President Camacho’s administration.
The Phantom Zone (Superman II)
Conditions: Cramped. Very, very cramped.
Inmate to watch out for: There’s really no need to keep your head on a swivel in the phantom zone, since all the prisoners are basically crammed into a vanity mirror from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
Chances for survival: Not great. There are no VIP rooms here, sweetheart.
Fiorina 161 (Alien 3)
Conditions: The L.A. courts keep whining about prison overcrowding, why not ship LiLo off to an outer space penal colony? In space, no one can hear you ask, “But don’t you know who I am?”
Inmate to watch out for: Well, if they’re not rapists, they’re religious zealots. If they’re not religious zealots, they’re probably seconds away from birthing a killer alien. So, um, take your pick.
Chances for survival: Very slim. Even a badass like Ellen Ripley had to off herself to escape. “Fury” 161 will be more harsh and unyielding than the reviews for I Know Who Killed Me.
Terminal Island (Death Race)
Conditions: Terminal Island is an industrial nightmare, but it does afford Lindsay a chance at the last resort for all dimming stars: Reality TV. If she can get herself into the Death Race, she’s guaranteed a few more minutes of precious, life-giving screen time.
Inmate to watch out for: Jensen Ames, aka “Frankenstein.” But only because he could potentially steal her spotlight, and she ain’t having that.
Chances for survival: Have you seen this girl’s driving record? She’s been racing in “Death Race” for years, only she’s been calling it, “Trying to get home from the Valley at 3 in the morning.”
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Kool Websites: Lemax Village Collection
http://www.lemaxcollection.com
Welcome to the World of Lemax!
The Lemax Village Collection of lighted houses, figurines, accessories and landscaping will bring a smile to your face, and the spirit of the holidays to your heart. Whether you create a quaint display to complement your holiday décor, or build an expansive holiday town, a Lemax village will captivate and delight friends and family members of all ages.
We invite you to wander through the villages in our collection, enjoying the Victorian charm of Caddington Village, the all-American appeal of Harvest Crossing, the fresh look of Vail Village, the seaside charm of Plymouth Corners, and the whimsical fun of Santa’s Wonderland.
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The 2012 People's Choice Awards Nominees
Source: EOnline.com
Favorite Movie
Bridesmaids
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The Help
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Favorite Movie Actor
Daniel Radcliffe
Hugh Jackman
Johnny Depp
Robert Pattinson
Ryan Reynolds
Favorite Movie Actress
Anne Hathaway
Emma Stone
Jennifer Aniston
Julia Roberts
Reese Witherspoon
Favorite Movie Icon
George Clooney
Harrison Ford
Morgan Freeman
Robert DeNiro
Tom Hanks
Favorite Action Movie
Fast Five
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Thor
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
X-Men: First Class
Favorite Action Movie Star
Hugh Jackman
Ryan Reynolds
Shia LaBeouf
Taylor Lautner
Vin Diesel
Favorite Drama Movie
The Adjustment Bureau
The Help
Limitless
Moneyball
Water for Elephants
Favorite Comedy Movie
Bad Teacher
Bridesmaids
Crazy Stupid Love
Friends With Benefits
The Hangover Part II
Favorite Comedic Movie Actor
Adam Sandler
Ashton Kutcher
Bradley Cooper
Ryan Reynolds
Steve Carell
Favorite Comedic Movie Actress
Cameron Diaz
Emma Stone
Jennifer Aniston
Mila Kunis
Natalie Portman
Favorite Movie Star Under 25
Chloe Moretz
Daniel Radcliffe
Emma Watson
Rupert Grint
Tom Felton
Favorite Ensemble Movie Cast
Bridesmaids
The Hangover Part II
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
X-Men: First Class
Favorite Animated Movie Voice
Anne Hathaway as Jewel (Rio)
Jack Black as Po (Kung Fu Panda 2)
Johnny Depp as Rango (Rango)
Katy Perry as Smurfette (The Smurfs)
Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen (Cars 2)
Favorite Movie Superhero
Chris Evans as Captain America
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
James McAvoy as Professor X
Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique
Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern
Favorite Book Adaptation
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The Help
I Am Number Four
Soul Surfer
Water for Elephants
Favorite Network TV Drama
The Good Wife
Grey's Anatomy
House
Supernatural
The Vampire Diaries
Favorite TV Drama Actor
David Boreanaz
Hugh Laurie
Ian Somerhalder
Nathan Fillion
Patrick Dempsey
Favorite TV Drama Actress
Blake Lively
Ellen Pompeo
Emily Deschanel
Eva Longoria
Nina Dobrev
Favorite Cable TV Drama
Dexter
Game of Thrones
Pretty Little Liars
True Blood
White Collar
Favorite Network TV Comedy
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
How I Met Your Mother
Modern Family
Two and a Half Men
Favorite TV Comedy Actor
Alec Baldwin
Chris Colfer
Cory Monteith
Jim Parsons
Neil Patrick Harris
Favorite TV Comedy Actress
Courteney Cox
Jane Lynch
Kaley Cuoco
Lea Michele
Tina Fey
Favorite Cable TV Comedy
Hot in Cleveland
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Nurse Jackie
Royal Pains
Weeds
Favorite TV Competition Show
American Idol
America's Got Talent
Dancing With the Stars
So You Think You Can Dance
The Voice
Favorite TV Crime Drama
Bones
Castle
Criminal Minds
CSI
NCIS
Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show
Fringe
Supernatural
True Blood
The Vampire Diaries
The Walking Dead
Favorite Daytime TV Host
Al Roker, Anne Curry, Matt Lauer, Natalie Morales, Savannah Guthrie (Today)
Anderson Cooper (Anderson)
Ellen DeGeneres (The Ellen DeGeneres Show)
Kelly Ripa, Regis Philbin (Live With Regis & Kelly)
Rachael Ray (Rachael Ray Show)
Favorite Late Night TV Host
Conan O'Brien (Conan)
David Letterman (Late Show With David Letterman)
Jay Leno (The Tonight Show With Jay Leno)
Jimmy Fallon (Late Night With Jimmy Fallon)
Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live)
Favorite TV Guest Star
Gwyneth Paltrow (Glee)
Jim Carrey (The Office)
Katy Perry (How I Met Your Mother)
Kristin Chenoweth (Glee)
Michael J. Fox (The Good Wife)
Favorite TV CelebReality Star
Gene Simmons
Giuliana Rancic
Kathy Griffin
Kim Kardashian
Tia and Tamera Mowry
Favorite New TV Drama
A Gifted Man
Grimm
Hart of Dixie
Once Upon a Time
Pan Am
Person of Interest
Prime Suspect
Revenge
Ringer
The Secret Circle
Terra Nova
Unforgettable
Favorite New TV Comedy
2 Broke Girls
Allen Gregory
Last Man Standing
Man Up!
New Girl
Suburgatory
Up All Night
Whitney
Favorite Male Artist
Blake Shelton
Bruno Mars
Eminem
Enrique Iglesias
Justin Bieber
Favorite Female Artist
Adele
Beyoncé
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift
Favorite Song of the Year
"The Edge of Glory," by Lady Gaga
"E.T.," by Katy Perry featuring Kanye West
"Moves Like Jagger," by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera
"Party Rock Anthem," by LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennet and GoonRock
"Rolling in the Deep," by Adele
Favorite Album of the Year
21, by Adele
4, by Beyoncé
Born This Way, by Lady Gaga
Femme Fatale, by Britney Spears
Own the Night, by Lady Antebellum
Favorite Pop Artist
Beyoncé
Demi Lovato
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Rihanna
Favorite Hip-Hop Artist
B.o.B
Eminem
Jay-Z
Nicki Minaj
Pitbull
Favorite R&B Artist
Beyoncé
Bruno Mars
Chris Brown
Ne-Yo
Rihanna
Favorite Band
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Linkin Park
Maroon 5
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Favorite Country Artist
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts
Taylor Swift
Favorite Music Video
"Judas," by Lady Gaga
"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," by Katy Perry
"Party Rock Anthem," by LMFAO featuring Goonrock and Lauren Bennett
"Rolling in the Deep," by Adele
"Run the World (Girls)," by Beyoncé
Favorite Tour Headliner
Bon Jovi
Katy Perry
Taylor Swift
U2
Usher
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2011 Country Music Award Winners
Entertainer of the Year - Taylor Swift
New Artist of the Year - The Band Perry
Female Vocalist of the Year - Miranda Lambert
Male Vocalist of the Year - Blake Shelton
Vocal Group of the Year - Lady Antebellum
Vocal Duo of the Year - Sugarland
Album of the Year - My Kinda Party, Jason Aldean
Single of the Year - "If I Die Young", The Band Perry
Song of the Year - "If I Die Young", Kimberly Perry
Musical Event of the Year - "Don’t You Wanna Stay", Jason Aldean Feat. Kelly Clarkson
Music Video of the Year - "You and Tequilla", Kenny Chesney Feat. Grace Potter
Musician of the Year - Mac McAnally – Guitar
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The Dirtiest Cities In America
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/dirtiest-cities-in-america.html
#10 Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV
Population: 2.4 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 45 (approx.)
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 9
Ozone pollution rank: 5
A little better than Bakersfield and Fresno, but Sacramento still suffers stagnant air stuck in the San Joaquin Valley.
#9 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
Population: 3 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 30 (approx.)
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 15
Ozone pollution rank: 7
There's no dirty coal plants here, and you'd think the ocean breeze would keep the air clean, but San Diego has a big port and busy highways that lead to and from Mexico.
#8 Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ
Population: 4.4 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 2
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 24
Ozone pollution rank: 19
Heat plus cars equals ozone. Epic dust storms also regularly engulf Phoenix.
#7 Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL
Population: 1.2 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 8
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 8
Ozone pollution rank: 21
Pollution levels have improved a lot, but Birmingham suffers from being located in a valley that tends to trap stagnant summer air. Two interstate highways don't help either.
#6 Modesto, CA
Population: 500,000
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 10
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 12
Ozone pollution rank: 14
Home to E&J Gallo Winery, which also operates the largest wine bottle manufacturing plant in the world.
#5 Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA
Population: 2.4 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 7
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 3
Ozone pollution rank: 24
This old steel town is a new boom town for natural gas drilling, and downwind of coal-fired power plants in Ohio and West Virigina.
#4 Fresno-Madera, CA
Population: 1.1 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 6
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 2
Ozone pollution rank: 4
San Joaquin Valley air might be getting better; last August, for the first time in recorded history, Fresno had no days with unhealthy ozone levels.
#3 Visalia-Porterville, CA
Population: 430,000
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 2
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 7
Ozone pollution rank: 3
Proximity to the giant trees of Sequoia National Park isn't enough to clean Visalia's smoggy San Joaquin Valley air.
#2 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
Population: 17.8 million
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 2
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 4
Ozone pollution rank: 1
Millions of cars, a huge port in Long Beach, busy airports -- at least L.A.'s smog is better than it used to be.
#1 Bakersfield-Delano, CA
Population: 800,000
Year-round particulate pollution rank: 1
Short-term particulate pollution rank: 1
Ozone pollution rank: 2
Hot, dusty and surrounded by California's biggest oil fields, Bakersfield has all the ingredients for the worst air in the nation.
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Awesome Quote:
“The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.”
Frank Sinatra
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Milestones
20 years ago, Magic Johnson announces he has AIDS:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/still-winning-20-years-after-historic-hiv-announcement-magic-johnson-urges-vigilance-safety/2011/11/07/gIQAjv4hwM_story.html
Lou Ferrigno turns 60:
http://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/yahoo-tv/happy-60th-brithday-lou-ferrigno-210637937.html
Happy 75th Birhday, Consumers Union:
http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/02/8599205-75-years-of-testing-products-for-your-safety
RIP:
Joe Frazier, boxing champ & Muhammad Ali opponent 3 times:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/richard_hoffer/11/07/joe.frazier/index.html
Andy Rooney, 60 Minutes commentator:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57319150/andy-rooney-dead-at-92
Bil Keane, Creator of Family Circus comic strip:
http://news.yahoo.com/family-circus-creator-bil-keane-dies-89-175700917.html
Cory Smoot, Guitarist for GWAR:
http://news.yahoo.com/gwar-guitarist-cory-smoot-found-dead-tour-bus-225018677.html
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