http://reason.com/blog/2012/02/03/iranian-court-upholds-death-sentence-for

A little bit of perspective for you all, in preparation for the shitstorm of criticism likely to rain down this summer if this happens.

Daily Hate V: Special GOP Edition

Today's Daily Hate is dedicated to recent concerted efforts by the Grand Old Party to undermine scientific thinking, destroy the economy, and undermine the quality of life for disabled citizens.

• A Tennessee bill to protect teachers who question established scientific facts - the bill specifically mentions global warming and evolutionary theory - has passed the Tennessee House Education Committee and will now go before the House itself. Although the bill, as worded, sounds like a good idea (who wouldn't want to promote critical thinking?), it's pretty clear how it would be used - to protect individual teachers pushing dangerous agendas. Otherwise, it wouldn't be necessary.
• A proposed Constitutional amendment, limiting government spending to 18% of the GDP, seems too irresponsible to be true.
• Florida Governor Rick Scott (you know, the one who defrauded the government out of millions as CEO of a chain of for-profit hospitals) has cut the spending power of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities by 15%. The agency helps some 30,000 Floridians survive with such debilitating conditions as cerebral palsy.

Another reason to hate the TSA

Read this story about a woman fired by the TSA for her religious beliefs. Carole Smith was terminated at the end of a long chain of events set off by coworker Mary Bagnoli's report that "she was afraid of Smith because she was a witch who practiced witchcraft. She accused Smith of following her on the highway one snowy evening after work and casting a spell on the heater of her car, causing it not to work"

Which employee would you sack?

My favorite quotation, from the Wiccan (former) security agent herself: "We don't cast spells. That's not witchcraft. That's Black Magic or Voodoo or something else. to put a spell on the heater of a car, if I had that kind of power, I wouldn't be working for TSA. I would go buy lottery tickets and put a spell on the balls".

Daily Hate IV

J-'s Witnesses

Daily Hate III

Speed bumps, people driving slow in the left lane, empty carbs, that feeling you get when you realize you've been staring at a computer screen for three hours and are suddenly aware that your retinas are MELTING, pistachios, steak gristle, carrots, hit and run perps, abuse of power

Daily Hate II

Kings of Leon, the sound a violin makes when a beginner plays it, Yankee-hate, anti-Americanism, anti-Israelism, peas, dishonesty, Rihanna, condoms, gray days, waking up 20 minutes before you have to and realizing there's no point in going back to sleep, C# Major, papercuts, mosquitos, strip malls that are surrounded by other strip malls, courtroom TV

Daily Hate I

Black Eyed Peas, Glee, thuggish athletes, Georgia's Sunday liquor law, hangovers