The Seattle Times cover story today is about FFRF’s billboard located in Capitol Hill. However, I don’t think this photo is doing them any favors. I call that pose “Full Contempt”, although Zoolander would come up with a better name for it.

With apologies to Mike Christensen, I am guessing it was just bad timing.

Boldtext Pew Bible: King James Version

This book should never be left where it could fall into the hands of children. Recurrent themes of bloody violence, murder, racism, incest and rape are dealt with extremely irresponsibly. Horrific events are presented as justified by circumstances and as solutions to petty wrongs.

I thought the anti-DRM reviews about Spore were a problem because it was clear that most of the people posting had never played the game, or at least never planned to publicly admit they’ve purchased it, and therefore they were being at least somewhat dishonest. However, this reviewer has clearly closely studied the Bible prior to making the post.

There was an article in the PI today about a pastor, Rev. Ken Hutcherson of the Antioch Bible Church, trying to get the church members to buy 3 shares of Microsoft, one of which is to be given to a new company, he/the church founded: “AGN Financial Network”. This isn’t the first time he’s tried to have followers buy MSFT stock, but it may be the first time he’s suggested buying shares for the church.

The purported goal is to collect enough shares that AGN (and thus Ken Hutcherson personally) will be able to influence Microsoft company management to stop providing benefits for same-sex domestic partners. Additionally, they will try to have Microsoft cease its efforts to have a law passed that bars discrimination against GLBT people.

The PI did the math. To get even 1% of Microsoft, Hutcherson would have to convince 31,000,000 people that his plan is a good one. Microsoft says in the article that “97% of [their] shareholders” support the existing policy, so that might go as low as 96% in this highly improbable scenario.

Even Hutcherson must be aware that he will not achieve the stated goal. So what “good” will come of this? If he is successful in convincing some to follow the plan, he will have leveraged the anti-gay hatred relished by much (most?) of the Christian community to further increase the church’s wealth. What will all of that additional wealth buy the church? Perhaps some more overseas trips for the White House envoy that never was.

I’d add more, but it would just be a rant about religion and intolerance and how I am intolerant of intolerance.

Edited: I just noticed that my post basically followed the same idea and form as Eli Sander’s earlier post over at SLOG. It’s a coincidence; I didn’t even see the PI article until about an hour prior to my post.