Don't Tell My Mom ...

... about Mistral Air - she'd buy a ticket in a heartbeat [emphasis mine, of course]:

A slogan by a new, Vatican-approved charter service leaves little doubt about what its clients are doing at 30,000 feet: "I'm Searching for Your Face, Lord."

Mistral Air plans to shuttle Catholic pilgrims around the globe to holy sites, including the shrine of Fatima in Portugal and the shrine of the Madonna of Guadalupe in Mexico.

"The spirit of this new initiative is to meet the growing demand by pilgrims to visit the most important sites for the faith," Father Cesare Atuire at the Vatican pilgrimage office, the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, told La Repubblica daily.

Repubblica said Mistral Air's slogan will be emblazoned on material throughout the aircraft, which will be operated by Italy's postal service.

The debut charter flight late this month will be to the shrine of Lourdes in France, and will lure pilgrims with one added bonus -- the guide will be Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the former head of the Italian Bishops Conference, Repubblica said.

Props to Bellamomo for the link.

Jerry Falwell Dead at 73

Falwell has found himself at the center of several controversies, such as the one sparked by his comments two days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in which he seemed to blame "abortionists," gays, lesbians, the ACLU and People for American Way for causing the attacks, saying they "helped this happen."

On September 14, 2001, he told CNN that he would "never blame any human being except the terrorists, and if I left that impression with gays or lesbians or anyone else, I apologize."

Let the eulogizing begin.

The Carpetbagger compiled a list of Falwell's career accomplishments, so you don't have to.

(source)

"Look Ma, no tan lines!"

I'm all for supporting religious freedom and stuff, but seriously, can a beach-lovin' Muslim sista please just get her suntan on?

Alas, no. But now, at least, she does have some options. Here's one: It's called a "burqini," and it has the potential to become all the rage among the beach-going, ultra-conservative Muslim set:

The Burkini is made from ultraviolet- and water-protected polyester. Unlike the bikini, it covers the whole body except for the feet, hands and face, allowing Muslim women to swim in public.

You gotta admit though, it does take a bit of pressure off of the whole working-out-for-summer thing. They may be on to something here.

All I'm saying is, does it come in a batik pattern? Because that would be super cute.

Oh yeah, and P.S.? These things sell for up to $160.

P.P.S.: Technically, shouldn't her face be covered, too?

P.P.P.S.: Want one? Order here.

Ratzinger Denies Affair with Paula Abdul Got Him Pope Vote

I love Don Asmussen.

http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/asmussen/

Buddy Jesus

Apparently there is some niche to be filled by this talking Jesus action figure. They're going on sale in May - along with the Virgin Mary, Moses, and David versions - and are expected to be priced at about $25 a pop. I'm expecting this to be on every Neocon kid's Christmas list - whether they want the dolls or not.

I can't wait for the Noah action figure, complete with the ark and pairs of animals. That would be badass.

A shout goes out to my friend Paco for the link.

Oy vey.

I read a few things last week that got me thinking about politics in our country and how screwed up things have gotten since Bush took office. Mark Morford’s article, and Bill Moyer’s essay on political religion and its effects on the environment brought upon me this impending sense of doom, and I don't quite know what to do about it.

In a nutshell, the evangelicals believe in this idea of “The Rapture,” in which Israel will again occupy the rest of its biblical lands, unconverted Jews will burn, and the Messiah will return to earth. Supposedly the evangelicals – and those of their ilk – will be saved, and will be seated at the right hand of God. Now mind you, the plot of “The Rapture” per se doesn’t appear in the bible, but some believe that it is a hidden code in the Book of Revelation.

These are the same people that take a wholly literal approach to the bible. God forbid he/she made us in his/her own image, yet endowed us with brains incapable of interpreting allegory and metaphor. These are the same people that think that man truly has “dominion over ... every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

What keeps me up at night is the notion – nay, the reality – that these people have the current administration by the nut sack. It makes me nostalgic for the days when the GOP was all about Big Business.

Everything we’ve seen in the news lately has been motivated by these interests: The battle against gay marriage; the war in Iraq; impending drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge; the Schiavo drama; the FCC fight against Janet Jackson’s nipple.

Maybe it’s because of things going on in my personal life, but I’ve been thinking a lot about religion lately. For me, my religion is a very private thing, and I wouldn’t dream of pushing my beliefs on anyone else. However, that’s exactly what these people are doing. Everything they touch becomes perverted. Dirty. Twisted. And they use religion to further this hate-filled agenda of theirs into the very fiber of our government. I’m Catholic, and through all my years of catechism, I learned that God = Love. What god do these people believe in? I refuse to believe we’re talking about the same one.

And I don’t know what to do anymore. Things just look so bleak to me. And we have three more years with this guy. Will we, as a nation, survive The Bush Years, or will we go out in a blaze of unfettered, self-righteous, hate-filled glory?