[Quote:]

It began as a peaceful morning, with a religious woman boarding a bus just after daybreak to take her to the Old City to pray.

But Miriam Shear’s day quickly turned ugly when she was ordered by a religious man to move to the back of the bus, a common practice on many routes serving the religious population.

Ms. Shear, a 50-year-old Toronto-area resident who was in Israel that November day for religious study, refused politely when he demanded her seat, pointing to several others nearby. He yelled and spat on her. Incensed, she spat back. In the 20-minute scuffle that followed, which was joined by four other men, she was slapped, pushed out of her seat and onto the floor, beaten and kicked; her hair covering fell off, a great shame for a married religious woman, and she suffered bruising to her cheek.

Now, Ms. Shear’s case, which has gained notoriety here as a kind of religious Rosa Parks incident, is cited in a petition to the Supreme Court to review the segregated bus policy, in what is seen as a test case in balancing the rights of a minority’s freedom of religion against the basic human rights of all.

[Quote:]

The RIAA Says CD’s Should Have Cost $33.86 in 1996
however, this news article says and shows how their math (and logic) is more than a little skewed.

(Also, that means they think a CD should have cost $41 in 2005.)

Say, what is a typical retail CD price these days? (It’s been quite a number of years since I needed to find out. And no, I didn’t go deaf.)

[Quote:]

I kill … I wound … I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh. — Deuteronomy 32:39-42

In a previous post, I’ve listed and counted God’s killings in the Bible. But I only included those that said exactly how many were killed by God. I came up with 2,270,365.

But that didn’t include some of God’s most impressive slaughters. How many did God drown in the flood or burn to death in Sodom and Gomorrah? How many first-born Egyptians did he kill? The Bible doesn’t say, so there’s no way to know for sure. But it’s possible to provide rough estimates in order to get a grand total, and that’s what I’m attempting here. (New total: 32.9 million.)

	SAB, Brick Testament	Number Killed	Cummulative Total
God drowns everyone on earth (except Noah and his family)	Genesis 7:23, BT	30,000,000?	30,000,000
God rains fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, killing everyone.	Gen.19:24, BT	1000?	30,001,000
Lot’s wife for looking back	Gen.19:26, BT	1	30,001,001
Er who was “wicked in the sight of the Lord”	Gen.38:7, BT	1	30,001,002
Onan for spilling his seed	Gen.38:10, BT	1	30,001,003
7th Egyptian Plague: Hail	Exodus 9:25, BT	30,000?	30,031,003
God kills every Egyptian firstborn child.	Ex.12:29-30, BT	500,000?	30,531,003
God drowns Egyptian army	Ex.14:28, BT	1000?	30,532,003
God and Moses help Joshua kill the Amalekites	Ex.17:13, BT	1000?	30,533,003
For dancing naked around Aaron’s golden calf	Ex.32:27-28, 35, BT	3000	30,536,003
Aaron’s sons for offering strange fire before the Lord	Lev.10:1-3,Num.3:4, 26:61, BT	2	30,536,005
A blasphemer	Lev.24:10-23, BT	1	30,536,006
God burned to death an unknown number for complaining	Numbers 11:1, BT	100?	30,536,106
God sent “a very great plague” for complaining about the food.	Num.11:33, BT	10,000?	30,546,106
God killed those who murmured with a plague.	Num.14:35-36, BT	100?	30,546,206
A man who picked up sticks on the Sabbath	Num.15:32-36, BT	1	30,546,207
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (and their families)	Num.16:27, BT	12+	30,546,219
Burned to death for offering incense	Num.16:35,26:10, BT	250	30,546,469
For complaining	Num.16:49, BT	14,700	30,561,169
Massacre of the Aradites	Num.21:1-3, BT	3000?	30,564,169
For complaining about the lack of food and water, God sent fiery serpents to bite the people, and many of them died.	Num.21:6, BT	100?	30,564,269
God delivers the Bashanites into Moses’ hands and Moses kills everyone “until there was none left alive.”	Num.21:34-35, BT	1000?	30,565,269
For “committing whoredom with the daughters of Moab”	Num.25:9, BT	24,000	30,589,269
Midianite massacre (32,000 virgins were kept alive)	Num.31:1-35, BT	90,000+	30,679,269
The slaughter of the Anakim, the childen of Esau, and the Horim	Deuteronomy 2:21-22	5000?	30,684,269
God hardened the king of Heshbon’s heart so that the Israelites could massacre his people. (included several cities)	Dt.2:33-34, BT	3000?	30,687,269
God delievered the king of Bashan so that the Israelites could massacre his people.	Dt.3:3-6	60,000?	30,747,269
Massacre of Jericho	Joshua 6:21, BT	1000?	30,748,269
God tells Joshua to stoned to death Achan (and his family) for taking the accursed thing.	Joshua 7:10-12, 24-26, BT	5+	30,748,274
God tells Joshua to attack Ai and do what he did to Jericho (kill everyone).	Joshua 8:1-25, BT	12,000	30,760,274
God slaughters the Amorites and even chases them “along the way” as they try to escape.	Joshua 10:10-11, BT	1000?	30,761,274
Joshua kills 5 kings and hangs their dead bodies on trees	Joshua 10:24-26, BT	5	30,761,279
Massacre of 7 cities	Joshua 10:28-42, BT	7000?	30,768,279
God delivers the Hazorites.	Joshua 11:8-12, BT	1000?	30,769,279
Massacre of the Anakim	Joshua 11:20-21, BT	1000?	30,770,279
God delivered Canaanites and Perizzites	Judges 1:4, BT	10,000	30,780,279
Ehud delivers a message from God: a knife into the king’s belly	Jg.3:15-22, BT	1	30,780,280
God delivered Moabites	Jg.3:28-29, BT	10,000	30,790,280
Massacre of the Canaanites	Jg.4:15, BT	1000?	30,791,280
God forces Midianite soldiers to kill each other.	Jg.7:2-22, 8:10, BT	120,000	30,911,280
God delivered the Ammonites to Jephthah to slaughter.	Jg.11:32-33, BT	1000?	30,912,280
The Spirit of the Lord comes on Samson	Jg.14:19, BT	30	30,912,310
The Spirit of the Lord comes mightily on Samson	Jg.15:14-15, BT	1000	30,913,310
Samson’s God-assisted act of terrorism	Jg.16:27-30, BT	3000	30,916,310
“The Lord smote Benjamin”	Jg.20:35-37, BT	25,100	30,941,410
More Benjamites	Jg.20:44-46	25,000	30,966,410
For looking into the ark of the Lord	1 Sam.6:19, BT	50,070	31,016,480
God delivered Philistines	1 Sam.14:12, BT	20	31,016,500
God forces the Philistine soldiers to kill each other.	1 Sam.14:20, BT	1000?	31,017,500
God orders Saul to kill every Amalekite man, women, and child.	1 Sam.15:2-3, BT	1000?	31,018,500
Samuel (at God’s command) hacks Agag to death	1 Sam.15:32-33, BT	1	31,018,501
God delivers the Philistines.	1 Sam.23:2-5	1000?	31,019,501
“The Lord smote Nabal.”	1 Sam.25:38	1	31,019,502
God delivers the Philistines to David (again).	2 Sam.5:19, 25	1000?	31,020,502
Uzzah for trying to keep the ark from falling	2 Sam.6:6-7, 1 Chr.13:9-10	1	31,020,503
David and Bathsheba’s baby boy	2 Samuel 12:14-18	1	31,020,504
God sent a three-year famine because of something Saul did.	2 Sam.21:1	5000?	31,025,504
Seven sons of Saul hung up before the Lord	2 Sam.21:6-9	7	31,025,511
From plague as punishment for David’s census (men only; probably 200,000 if including women and children)	2 Sam.24:13, 1 Chr.21:7	70,000+	31,095,511
A prophet for believing another prophet’s lie	1 Kg.13:1-24	1	31,095,512
Baasha killed everyone in the house of Jeroboam “according to the saying of the Lord.”	1 Kings 15:29	1000?	31,096,512
Zimri killed everyone in the house of Baasha “according to the word of the Lord.”	1 Kg.16:11-12	1000?	31,097,512
God delivers the Syrians into the Israelites’ hands	1 Kg.20:28-29	100,000	31,197,512
God makes a wall fall on Syrian soldiers	1 Kg.20:30	27,000	31,224,512
God sent a lion to eat a man for not killing a prophet	1 Kg.20:35-36	1	31,224,513
Ahaziah is killed for talking to the wrong god.	2 Kings 1:2-4, 17, 2 Chr.22:7-9	1	31,224,514
Burned to death by God	2 Kg.1:9-12	102	31,224,616
God sends two bears to kill children for making fun of Elisha’s bald head	2 Kg.2:23-24	42	31,224,658
Trampled to death for disbelieving Elijah	2 Kg.7:17-20	1	31,224,659
God calls for a seven year famine.	2 Kg.8:1	10,000?	31,234,659
Jezebel	2 Kg.9:33-37	1	31,234,660
God sent lions to kill “some” foreigners	2 Kg.17:25-26	3+	31,234,663
Sleeping Assyrian soldiers	2 Kg.19:35, 2 Chr.32:21, Is.37:36	185,000	31,419,663
Saul	1 Chronicles 10:14	1	31,419,664
God delivers Israel into the hands of Judah	2 Chronicles 13:15-17	500,000	31,919,664
Jeroboam	2 Chr.13:20	1	31,919,665
“The Lord smote the Ethiopians.”	2 Chr.14:9-14	1,000,000	32,919,665
God kills Jehoram by making his bowels fall out	2 Chr.21:14-19	1	32,919,666
God delivered the Israelites into the hand of the Chaldeans.	2 Chr.36:16-17	1000?	32,920,666
Ezekiel’s wife	Ezekiel 24:15-18	1	32,920,667
Ananias and Sapphira	Acts 5:1-10	2	32,920,669
Herod	Acts 12:23, BT	1	32,920,670

But how does this compare with Satan? How many did he kill in the Bible?

Well I can only find ten, and even these he shares with God, since God allowed him to do it as a part of a bet. I’m talking about the seven sons and three daughters of Job.

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job … And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
…
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD … put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
…
And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house…And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. — Job 1:1-19

So it seems that both Satan and God share the blame (or the credit) for these killings.

[Quote:]

I’m not sure why Allah feels this way, but according to Muhammad, he does. Here’s what the prophet supposedly said about it.

Five practices are characteristics of the fitrah: circumcision, shaving the pubic hairs, cutting the mustaches short, clipping the nails and plucking the hair of the armpits. (Reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

And although the Quran is silent on pubic hairs, it does say that everyone must do whatever Muhammad says.

And whatsoever the messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever he forbiddeth, abstain (from it). And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is stern in reprisal. Quran 59:7

So Muhammad says you must shave your pubic hair, and the Quran says you must do whatever Muhammad tells you to do. Now that you know, you have no excuse.

Here are detailed instructions on just how to do it.

It’s a bit complicated (“…start shaving the pubic hair from beneath the navel, and to start on the right hand side…”), so be sure to read the instructions before starting.

[Quote:]

A senior Pentagon official resigned Friday over controversial remarks in which he criticized lawyers who represent terrorism suspects, the Defense Department said.

Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said Charles ”Cully” Stimson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs, told him on Friday that he had made his own decision to resign and was not asked to leave by Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Stimson said he was leaving because of the controversy over a radio interview in which he said he found it shocking that lawyers at many of the nation’s top law firms represent detainees held at the U.S. military prison in Cuba.

”He believed it hampered his ability to be effective in this position,” Whitman said of the backlash to Stimson’s comments.

Gee, you think?

[Quote:]

The former chief of the CIA’s Europe division, Tyler Drumheller, discusses the United States foreign intelligence service’s cooperation with Germany, the covert kidnapping of suspected terrorists and a Bush adminstration that ignored CIA advice and used whatever information it could find to justify an invasion of Iraq.

[..]

Drumheller: Every responsible chief in the CIA knows that the more covert the action, the greater the need for a clear policy and a defined target. I once had to brief Condoleezza Rice on a rendition operation, and her chief concern was not whether it was the right thing to do, but what the president would think about it. I would have expected a big meeting, a debate about whether to proceed with the plan, a couple of hours of consideration of the pros and cons. We should have been talking about the value of the target, whether the threat he presented warranted such a potentially controversial intervention. This is no way to run a covert policy. If the White House wants to take extraordinary measures to win, it can’t just let things go through without any discussion about their value and morality.

SPIEGEL: Perhaps the White House wanted to gloss over its own responsibility.

Drumheller: Let me give you a general thought: From the perspective of the White House, it was smart to blur the lines about what was acceptable and what was not in the war on terrorism. It meant that whenever someone was overzealous in some dark interrogation cell, President (George W.) Bush and his entourage could blame someone else. The rendition teams are drawn from paramilitary officers who are brave and colorful. They are the men who went into Baghdad before the bombs and into Afghanistan before the army. If they didn’t do paramilitary actions for a living, they would probably be robbing banks. Perhaps the Bush Administration deliberately created a gray area on renditions.

[Quote:]

Murders in Baltimore City/Washington D.C., displayed on Google’s map of the area: 2005, 2006, 2007

Apparently, red is shooting, yellow is “other” strangled, shaken baby, etc. Blue is police killing, and white is self-defense. The one lone white bubble in 2006 sure makes the self-defense pro-handgun arguments seem a bit vapid.