OVO blog
Trevor Blake
P. O. Box 2321
Portland OR 97208-2321 USA
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OVO blog
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Trevor Blake: Islam in Australia
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Natalie O'Brien: Hilali tells Christian women to wear veils. "Outspoken Muslim cleric Taj al-Din al-Hilali says the Bible 'mandates' the wearing of the veil by Christian women. Writing in a new book, Sheik Hilali, who lost his job as mufti of Australia after comparing scantily clad women to uncovered meat, argues that the Bible and the Koran make similar demands of a woman's modesty."
Sian Powell: Honour killing's Aussie link. "Mortally wounded and bleeding profusely, Pela Atroshi covered her head with her hands, pleading 'please don't shoot me, please don't shoot me'. As her sister and her mother screamed, her uncle Rezkar Atroshi raised his gun and killed her. The family's honour had been cleansed. Rezkar had already shot Pela twice in the back in the upstairs room. Helped downstairs by her mother and her younger sister, the 19-year-old Kurdish Swede was confronted by four resolute men - her father and his three brothers. The men pulled the women apart. Her youngest uncle then finished the job, shooting Pela in the head. The bullet went through one of her fingers and into her brain. The decision to kill her was made by a council of male relatives, led by Pela's grandfather, Abdulmajid Atroshi - a Kurd who lived in Australia." [Articles continue at link. Credit to Dhimmi Watch for links. Islam could be a welcome neighbor to the West, should it secularize as Christianity has. Until such time, I find it a bully and a bore. Individual Muslims are always to be judged as individuals. The religion as a whole is loathesome. - Trevor Blake] Labels: islam
AP: Divorce, unwed parenting costs billions
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Divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing cost U.S. taxpayers more than $112 billion a year, according to a study commissioned by four groups advocating more government action to bolster marriages. Sponsors say the study is the first of its kind and hope it will prompt lawmakers to invest more money in programs aimed at strengthening marriages.
[Article continues at link. Full state and federal recognition of same-sex marriages would increase the number of families. Full state and federal support for same-sex couples to adopt would increase the number of families. Science-based sex education would decrease the number of unwanted pregnancies. Increased access to contraception and abortion and sterilization would decrease the number of unwanted pregnancies. I'm not all that smart or educated, but I'm quite sure the above four-point plan would work very well and cost very little. - Trevor Blake]
Gemma O'Doherty: "Why I'd let my daughter die before allowing her to have a blood transfusion"
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 Rebecca Whelan adores her 13-month-old baby daughter Reese - but she would let her die before giving permission for her to have a blood transfusion. "One day when she's older she might look at me and ask 'would you have done that to me?' I would have to tell her yes. If she chooses not to take up my beliefs and is upset with me for that, it would be very sad - but I have to stand by my faith." [...] "In our religion, we have very clear standards about blood, which God asks us to abstain from using. In Scripture, blood is described as a very sacred thing that should not be shared. Even if I was told by doctors that my refusal to take it would result in death, it would still not be an option for me. I would stick to that belief even if they told me Reese's life was in jeopardy." [...] "To us, it is about nothing more than being loyal to God. It is not an emotional decision. If the crunch came and my child ended up dying because she needed a blood transfusion, at least I would feel I had done everything according to my faith. I am also reassured that I would see her again." [Article continues at link. If I were to have a child, then give an interview in the newspaper that I was willing to cause them to die through neglect as part of my service to Battlecat, I am quite sure that the law and society would be against me. Battlecat is an imaginary being. Only religion makes child sacrifice socially acceptable. But not just any religion. I couldn't get away with causing my child to die through neglect as part of my service to Geb the Great Cackler. Geb is a real God, just like all the other real Gods. But no one worships Geb any more. To get away with child sacrifice I would have to cause them to die through neglect as part of my service to a contemporary superstition. That gods aren't real doesn't matter. That today's gods are just as imaginary as the thousands and thousands of yesterday's gods doesn't matter. But heavens above, if I cause a child to die through neglect as part of my service to a contemporary imaginary invisible monster that lives in the sky - that's a private affair. It just barely matters that the lovely young mother shown above doesn't even have her own superstition right. Sometimes the Jehovah's Witnesses forbid blood transfusions (Watchtower 1961 Sept 15; 1964 Feb 15) and sometimes they don't (Watchtower 1964 Nov 15; 2000 June 15). Why would this woman pick the superstition that kills her child over the superstition that lets her child live? Maybe because her religion demands child sacrifice (Genesis 22:2; Exodus 22:29-30; Leviticus 27:28-29; Numbers 31:25-29; Deuteronomy 28:53-62; Judges 11:29-40; 2 Samuel 21:1,8-9, 14; 1 Kings 13:2; 2 Kings 23:20; Ezekiel 20:25-26; Mark 5:18-19; Luke 16:17). Maybe because religion softens minds and hardens hearts. As always, I advocate a reasoned critique of religion seasoned with scorn and contempt as the most peaceful and effective means to help children survive their religious parents. - Trevor Blake] Labels: christianity, watchtower
Joe Bavier: Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital
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Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft. Reports of so-called penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, where belief in traditional religions and witchcraft remains widespread, and where ritual killings to obtain blood or body parts still occur. [...] Police arrested the accused sorcerers and their victims in an effort to avoid the sort of bloodshed seen in Ghana a decade ago, when 12 suspected penis snatchers were beaten to death by angry mobs. The 27 men have since been released.
[Article continues at link. I don't have any respect for such murderous nonsense. - Trevor Blake] Labels: magick Trevor Blake: Thinking of the Children
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The recent impoundment of illegal children in Texas (they had too many mommies) is like the Waco siege, except this time conducted with social workers instead of tanks.
BBC: Saudi women 'kept in childhood'
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Saudi women are being kept in perpetual childhood so male relatives can exercise "guardianship" over them, the Human Rights Watch group has said. The New York-based group says Saudi women have to obtain permission from male relatives to work, travel, study, marry or even receive health care. Their access to justice is also severely constrained, it says.
The group says the Saudi establishment sacrifices basic human rights to maintain male control over women. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive. Saudi clerics see the guardianship of women's honour as a key to the country's social and moral order. [Article continues at link. When the author(s) of this article mention 'Saudi clerics' they of course are referring to Seventh Day Adventists. Or perhaps Theravada Buddhists. Maybe they are Asatru Free Assembly. Well, whatever sort of clerics they are, the BBC doesn't say. Maybe because they don't say what sort of clerics run a country such that women are kept as perpetual children then that sort of cleric won't feel victimized and targeted and disrespected. Because they are the real victims, oh yes, those poor clerics need our understanding. - Trevor Blake]
Laurie Goodstein: Vatican Hints at Changes in Church Laws on Abuse
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The New York Times reports: "After three days in which Pope Benedict XVI has persistently addressed the scandal of child sexual abuse by priests, a top Vatican official said on Friday that the church was considering changes to the canon laws that govern how it handles such cases. The official, Cardinal William J. Levada, would not specify which canons were under reconsideration."
Perhaps the canon law under consideration here is the Crimine Solicitaciones [google] [BBC] [OVO]. The Crimine Solicitaciones was initiated by Pope John XXIII in 1962 and confirmed as canon law by Pope Benedict (then Cardinal Ratzinger) in 2001. The Crimine Solicitaciones orders children abused by clergy to be quiet about it under threat of excommunication. The Crimine Solicitaciones also orders abusive clergy to be moved to a new parish. The Crimine Solicitaciones is why it appears that the Roman Catholic Church has operated a child abuse ring. At times, when abusive clergy have been caught, they have escaped prosecution due to diplomatic immunity (as representatives of Holy See of Vatican City, a sovereign nation). The reason it appears as such is because it is true. Perhaps it is the Crimine Solicitaciones that is under consideration for review. If so, that would be beneficial to exposing and breaking this child abuse ring. And it would call into question the moral infallibility of the Pope. I support both of these possibilities. Labels: christianity, theocracy
Yemen Times Staff: Yemen's MPs debate female circumcision, pre-marriage tests
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Preventing female circumcision and pre-marriage medical tests evoked turmoil and disagreement among Parliament members (MPs) in last week's session. The session ended with a unanimous agreement to cancel the term 3, which would prevent female circumcision, and delay the discussion of pre-marriage tests. [...]
"I suggested canceling term number three, about preventing female circumcision, for many reasons. First, the term, which was written in the draft, included inappropriate and shameful sentences. Second, female circumcision exists in few regions in Yemen, like in Hodeidah and Hadramout, so it not common practice. And finally, there is still religious debate regarding the issue, so as we have no directives by the heads of religion to forbid female circumcision, we do not have the right to ban it," [MP Zid Al-Shami] explained. [Article continues at link. Emphasis added. The next time you read that female genital mutilation is not an Islamic practice, remember that Yemen had the chance to outlaw fgm, and did not do so, and why they did not do so. Remember that tens of thousands of Muslims have rioted in the streets all over the world for years (these riots have included many deaths) to protest a few cartoons, and compare that to how many Muslims are having peaceful demonstrations anywhere at any time against fgm. These are the priorities of Islam. This is what the West is expected to 'respect.' NON SERVIAM! LAN ASTASLEM! - Trevor Blake]
Trevor Blake: OVO 18 Money
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 OVO 18 Money has been published. Featuring the work of Anonymous, Dmitry Babenko, Johnny Brainwash, Klint Finley, Witta Kelssling-Jensen, Vincent Al Ken, Ruggero Maggi, Mail Art Paul, Willi Melnikov, Thom Metzger, Emilio Morandi, No Institute, Wes Unruh, Carlos Valdez and Edward Wilson. Download as PDF here. Using OVO (public domain since 1987) in your own projects is encouraged, thus each page of each issue is available as a separate downloadable free image file here. Labels: art, money, ovo, periodical, trevorblake, zine
Victor L. Simpson: Pope says he is 'deeply ashamed' of clergy abuse scandal
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Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday he was "deeply ashamed" of the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church and will work to keep pedophiles out of the priesthood, addressing the toughest issue facing the American church as he began his first papal trip to the United States. Benedict spoke in English on a special Alitalia flight from Rome to Washington, answering questions submitted by reporters in advance.
"It is a great suffering for the Church in the United States and for the church in general and for me personally that this could happen," Benedict said. "It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission ... to these children. I am deeply ashamed and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future," the pope said. Benedict pledged that pedophiles would not be priests in the Catholic Church. "We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry," Benedict said. "It is more important to have good priests than many priests. We will do everything possible to heal this wound." [Article continues at link. As recently as 2001, Pope Benedict (then Cardinal Ratzinger) said that the Crimine Solicitaciones was still in effect. What is the Crimine Solicitaciones? It is a document ordered by Pope John XXIII in 1961 and sent to every Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. On direct orders of the Pope, clergy who abused children were to be moved to a new parish and the crime was to be kept secret. Should any victim speak out against clergy, they were to be threatened with excommunication. And when victims have spoken out against clergy, clergy have been excused from prosecution due to diplomatic immunity (as representatives of the Vatican Holy See, a sovereign nation). If you want to know why abusive clergy were protected from prosecution for decades, you have no further to look. Pope Benedict has the means to start healing this wound. Healing won't come only through blaming the individual abusive clergy, as damnable as they are. Healing will come through admitting that The Most Holy Father has actively been sheltering abusive clergy from prosecution. - Trevor Blake] Labels: christianity, theocracy Trevor Blake: Two Ways of Funding the Taliban
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I can think of two ways to fund the Taliban. First, you can do it by accident. The Evening Echo reported on 13 April 2008: "Afghanistan's intelligence chief said today a coalition helicopter accidentally dropped food and weapons in a remote area of southern Afghanistan where Taliban fighters recovered the supplies. Amrullah Saleh, the head of Afghanistan's intelligence service, told members of parliament the supplies were intended for police at a checkpoint in the southern province of Zabul." That's one way to fund the Taliban, by accident.
The other way to fund the Taliban is to do so deliberately. The Los Angeles Times reported on 22 May 2001: "Enslave your girls and women, harbor anti-U.S. terrorists, destroy every vestige of civilization in your homeland, and the Bush administration will embrace you. All that matters is that you line up as an ally in the drug war, the only international cause that this nation still takes seriously. That's the message sent with the recent gift of $43 million to the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, the most virulent anti-American violators of human rights in the world today. [...] Never mind that Osama bin Laden still operates the leading anti-American terror operation from his base in Afghanistan, from which, among other crimes, he launched two bloody attacks on American embassies in Africa in 1998." Say now, didn't something happen involving Osama bin Laden a few months after the Bush administration gave the Taliban $43 million? I can't remember. Anyway, there are at least two ways to fund the Taliban. The Bush administration has been involved in both. Labels: 9/11, fascism, islam, prohibition
Malcolm Moore: Pope will pray for terrorists at Ground Zero
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The Pope will pray for the redemption of Islamic terrorists when he visits the site of the September 11 attacks in New York next week. The pontiff will call for terrorists to convert to Christianity, saying: "Turn to Your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred. God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance".
The prayer is likely to further incense the Muslim world, which has already attacked the Pope for publicly converting Magdi Allam, a journalist and one of Italy's most high-profile Muslims, at Easter. [Article continues at link. I don't whisper magic spells to an invisible monster that lives in the sky. But for lack of a better word, my prayer at the site of the World Trade Center would be for all of humanity to abandon religion. And as pointed out at JihadWatch, Muslim apologists will have to juggle the contradictory claims that the Pope has insulted Muslims yet the 9/11 hijackers weren't really Muslims because Islam is the Religion of Peace. - Trevor Blake] Labels: 9/11, christianity, islam
Tony Grew: Nigerian Sharia court punishes lesbian couple
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Two women in Kaduna, Nigeria have been sentenced to six months in prison and 20 lashes each for having a lesbian relationship. [...] Nigeria, like many African countries, is notoriously conservative on issues such as homosexuality. It is currently banned in the Nigerian penal code and in Muslim law. Predominantly Muslim states in Nigeria introduced Sharia law, a legal system based on Islamic theory and philosophy of justice, in 2000. [...] In reality the re-introduction of harsh punishments apart from the death penalty has been the main feature of Islamic courts. In Bauchi state alone there are 40 people awaiting amputation of one or both hands for theft.
[Article continues at link. When thousands of Muslims around the world can riot for months on end about cartoons in a newspaper but remain utterly silent about hateful nonsense like the above, Islam becomes a religion that I find difficult to accomodate or respect.] Trevor Blake: The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in the News
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The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, better known as the Jehovah's Witnesses, are in the news...
Labels: christianity, watchtower Trevor Blake: Paper
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One of the many fortunate experiences I've had in my life was learning a little origami when I was very young. Making things out of paper has been a favorite hobby ever since. Here are some interesting paper projects and products I've noted lately...
Build your own Cardiac computer. Print your own temporary tattoos. Fold a functional pinhole camera. Paper made from soldier's uniforms. Room dividers made from cardboard here and here. Watch some movies here and here made from paper props.
CNN: Army does about-face on soldier couples in Iraq
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In a historic but little-noticed change in policy, the Army is allowing scores of husband-and-wife soldiers to live and sleep together in the war zone -- a move aimed at preserving marriages, boosting morale and perhaps bolstering re-enlistment rates at a time when the military is struggling to fill its ranks five years into the fighting.
[Article continues at link. Keeping soldiers from having sex in a war zone is exactly and specifically why some have said the military needs to not have openly homosexual soldiers. So... what's the next excuse? - Trevor Blake] Trevor Blake: Pretend Stories About Children
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Muhammad wrote about his wives in the Qu'ran. He wrote that his wives must never go outside his house and only speak to men besides him through a curtain (if at all). If his wives criticise him, they should know that they can be replaced. But perhaps most at odds with modern values is the age of Aisha, one of Muhammad's wives. Sources vary, but Aisha was no more than 16 and perhaps as young as 6 when Muhammad started having sex with her. That Muhammad had sex with children is a known part of the Islamic religion and Muslims expect their claim to be met with respect and tolerance and understanding and a cross-cultural perspective and the like.
But when a non-Muslim makes a film that makes the same claim, that Muhammad had sex with children, he is advised to not release the film because Muslims will kill him and the police will not protect him. Who here is deserving of respect? What does respect mean?
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