Teacher leaves gun in Pennsylvania Christian school bathroom, where it is found by students.

Courtesy of CBS News:

A teacher at a Pennsylvania Christian school accidently left her loaded pistol in a bathroom, where elementary school children found it, Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday. 

Beth Jean Dixon, 63, put her holstered pistol on a toilet tank when she used the unisex, one-toilet bathroom Aug. 25 at Cumberland Christian School, in Chambersburg, police said. They said she forgot about it and left. 

Four children, ages 6 to 8, used the bathroom while the gun was on the toilet. One child told his parent, who told a teacher. 

Dixon informed administrators what happened and immediately resigned from the school about 55 miles southwest of Harrisburg, police said. 

No one was injured.

We talked just yesterday about a scenario where school children might find a loaded gun.

Fortunately for everybody concerned here the students were far more responsible than the teacher and and nobody was hurt.

Once again, guns do NOT keep us safe.

They introduce a deadly force into an environment which literally anybody could wield it to take a life or cause grievous bodily injury. 

Students at an all girls Catholic School in Maryland out their substitute teacher for his alt-right views, and participation in Charlottesville riot.

Courtesy of Fox News: 

A substitute teacher and field hockey coach at an all-girls Catholic school in Maryland was fired after his "alt-right" views were discovered by students. 

Gregory Conte was fired this week from the Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington after students discovered his personal Twitter profile in which he made remarks such as “Hitler did not commit any crimes,” FOX 5 DC reported.

The Twitter account, in which Conte used the name Gregory Ritter, said he was the director of operations at the National Policy Institute, which is run by high profile white supremacist Richard Spencer. Conte's Twitter account was still active when this article was published. 

The students also found footage of Conte at the deadly August white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va. 

The school issued a statement to parents in which they claimed that Conte's views did not seem to have a negative impact on his students.

Oddly enough the school learned about Conte's troubling alter ego in October, but did not notify the parents until January.

As for Conte, he does not seem to have had his beliefs shaken in the least.

It's wonderful to see all these people coming out in support of me on Twitter. Thank you, all. Now... once the Alt-Right takes over IRL, we cannot be stopped!

— Gregory Ritter (@Real_Greg_Conte) January 6, 2018

Well that's a troubling tweet.

Christian workbook gives instruction for how to explain to homeschool students why God would allow a child to be molested.

Courtesy of the Friendly Atheist:  

The folks at Homeschoolers Anonymous recently got their hands on some old workbook pages used at the Institute of Basic Life Principles. That would be the Christian ministry founded by Bill Gothard, a man who resigned as President a couple of years ago after 34 women accused him of sexual harassment. 

In these workbook pages, which are approximately 20 years old but still aligned with the ministry’s current teachings, students are presented with a question: “Why did God let a four year old boy be molested by a fifteen year old neighbor?” 

Besides the odd phrasing that suggests the four-year-old did something to get molested instead of focusing on the teenager who committed the crime, it’s also a really weird way to talk about why God allows bad things to happen…

Well just threw up in my mouth a little. 

As somebody who has dealt with kids who have been sexually abuses and molested I am horrified that ANYBODY would use this to "educate" an impressionable child.

In fact it reads like a manual for how to prepare children to be victimized.

California Catholics upset about a bill which would no longer allow them to discriminate against gays. Oh the humanity!

Courtesy of the National Catholic Register:  

Catholic and other Christian educational institutions in California face the loss of existing protections that allow them to carry out their educational mission in line with their religious principles, due to a new bill working its way through the California Legislature. 

The Golden State’s bishops have opposed the bill as both a violation of the Church’s religious liberty and an attack on poor students. 

State Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, the author of S.B. 1146, has argued that the bill closed a “loophole” that allows religious-based institutions of higher learning to discriminate against homosexual and transgender students, thanks to existing religious exemptions from state and federal non-discrimination statutes. The bill affects all institutions of higher learning in California accepting public funding, either directly from the state or through students. 

“California has established strong protections for the LGBTQ community, and private universities should not be able to use faith as an excuse to discriminate and avoid complying with state laws,” Lara explained in an April statement to constituents about the bill, which has the backing of the LGBT lobby group Equality California. 

Apparently the bill has already passed the senate and is now headed toward the assembly. 

Gee what is this country coming to when Christian schools can no longer hate on the gays while hiding behind their holy book?

You know didn't the Pope JUST ask the Catholics to stop being such dicks to the LGBT community?

Why, yes he did.

Science VS Evolution.

From an eighth grade "science" book used in a Christian middle school:

"Since the publication of Charles Darwin's famous book 'Origin of Species' in 1859 a great controversy has raged between evolutionists and people who believe in God as the creator and Sustainer of all things. The controversy has been characterized by many as an argument between science and the Bible, but the opposite is true: the real argument is between science and evolution."

(Say what?)

"Evolution interests almost everyone because of its impact upon spiritual matters. If evolution were true, the Christian concepts of sin, eternity, the atoning work of Jesus Christ, and the truthfulness of the Bible would be open to question. (And we can't have that!) If man is nothing more than a highly developed animal then he is to be congratulated for his struggle upward and is to be excused when he acts like an animal; but if man is the divinely created being the Bible tells us he is, then man is a creature made in the image of God and a sinner in need of divine grace."

Modern Science has a Biblical foundation: Most of the early scientists--great men like Newton, Galileo, Kepler, and Boyle--believed in God. Many wrote about God's infinite wisdom and design in creation. They believed that God created an orderly universe that He governs through laws that men may discover and use. "

And that folks is how evolution is introduced to impressionable young children who are expected to live among their more educated, and less indoctrinated, brethren who have stopped gazing at the shadows on the cave wall and walked toward the truth. (H/T to Plato.) 

(Here is a link to more pages of this pseudo scientific, religiously infused, mumbo jumbo.

Sarah Palin speaks to audience in North Dakota about the impact of oil production on Christian education. I'm sorry, what? Update!

So yesterday Sarah Palin gave a speech at the Williston State College.

This is how local news outlet KQCD reported on the event: 

Religion, and her experiences with the oil and gas industry, were the focus of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's remarks in Williston tonight. 

Over a thousand people packed the Trinity Christian School to listen to the speech from the 2008 candidate for vice president. 

Palin spoke about coming to North Dakota and the importance of oil in the region. 

"(Former) Governor Palin is an oil field person as well," says Doug Black of the Trinity Christian School. "And, in fact, her husband Todd was involved in the oil field. And we wanted this to be an oil field theme. Plus, we know that she believes in Christian education, so the two were a great match for Trinity Christian School and the Bakken."

KXNews added this:  

Early in her presentation she spoke of previous time spent in North Dakota including her favorites: a UND hockey game and the Northern Lights this far 'south.' 

(Sarah Palin, Former Governor of Alaska)"Driving to and from North Dakota to see our son, I remember early, early one morning, it was very dark outside, everybody's asleep in the rig and I'm at the wheel and I am shocked to look up and see these spectacular Northern Lights in North Dakota. I had no idea.

The Daily Journal offered a bit more:

North Dakota embodies the "drill, baby, drill" mantra more than anywhere else and the state shares a kinship with Alaska, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said.  (Wait, she's still using "Drill, baby, drill?")

Palin made the remarks at a fundraising banquet for Williston, North Dakota's Trinity Christian School at Williston State College Monday night. "Drill, baby, drill" refers to the slogan Palin popularized during her 2008 run for the vice presidency and encourages the tapping of domestic oil and gas reservoirs. 

"Our states share a pioneering spirit," she told the crowd of several hundred, adding that the two states were also bonded by oil. "You feed America and you fuel America, North Dakota." 

She added: "The American dream is certainly alive and well here and we need that again, North Dakota."

The Journal also points out that Palin was joined at the event by the self educated wing nut "historian" David Barton, who is to history what Sarah Palin is to parenting. 

You know it is not often that I wish I had heard MORE of Sarah Palin speaking, but I have to confess that I have NO idea how she was able to conflate oil production with Christian education.

By the way if there is anything that Palin understands less than oil production, it is Christian education. Or really education of any kind.

Update: Palin weighed in on her North Dakota trip on Facebook.

It's mostly the same old crap as usual, but I did find this part sort of interesting: 

Special thanks to our friend Rob Port for keeping us updated over the years about North Dakota’s tremendous progress. Rob grew up in Alaska and was the little brother of my friend and basketball teammate, Katy Port. Back then “Robbie” was just a cute little kid coming with us on basketball trips, entertaining us with his toddler sense of humor. Now he's a big shot blogger in North Dakota with his "Say Anything" blog being the state's most popular political blog and one of the top conservative blogs in the nation!

Wait, so now she LIKES bloggers? When did that happen?

You know I am not positive, but I think that IM is the most popular political blog in Alaska, and we know she visits here several times a day, but did I ever get a shout out?

Not even once. Talk about discrimination.

Turning foreign exchange students into slave labor by threatening to have them deported. Just things Christian Bible School presidents do.

Courtesy of The State:

Reginald Wayne Miller, the president and founder of Cathedral Bible College, is not allowed to set foot on the college campus in Marion or communicate with any of the school's current or former foreign students as an investigation continues into allegations that Miller threatened to cancel foreign students' visas if they did not work long hours for little pay. 

Those terms are part of a $250,000 secured bond that Magistrate Judge Thomas Rogers set for Miller during a detention hearing Friday in federal court. In addition, Miller will be on home detention and will be required to wear an electronic monitoring device. 

"I don't think we've identified all of the potential victims yet," said Carrie Fisher, the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case. Fisher said some victims may have already left the country and some may be former students who have yet to come forward. "Our investigation just started this week." 

Miller, who wore shackles and orange prison garb at the hearing, did not speak except to tell Rogers that he understood and agreed to the bond requirements. His public defender, William Nettles, said Miller's friends and family will attempt to raise the money needed for bond. Miller also turned over his passport to court officials. He was still booked into the Florence County Detention Center as of Friday afternoon. 

Agents with Homeland Security Investigations filed a criminal complaint against Miller this week saying they have probable cause to charge him with forced labor, a felony that carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for each count. Investigators say Miller forced foreign students to work at the campus and his personal residence for as little as $25 per week. Miller threatened to cancel the students' visas if they complained or didn't comply with his demands, according to an affidavit filed this week. 

You know what continues to piss me off, is that people insist on believing that being an Atheist automatically makes you an immoral person, when there is so much evidence to suggest that it is Christians who seem to lack any sense of morality.

Of course if I were to suggest such a thing I would be completely unjustified in doing so, but that never stops those on the other side now does it?

And just how many young people sat it this man's feet while the preached to them about love, morality, and sin? Perhaps instead what they really learned was oppression, hypocrisy, and greed.

This is an actual passage, from an actual "science" book, for an actual high school class.

As you may imagine this is from a Christian publishing company, whose textbooks are sold to home school programs and Christian schools.

This is also the kind of textbook which are sometimes paid for with tax dollars for placement in charter and private school across the country.

And if the Republicans have their way, we will see many more just like it.

We need to stand up and fight for our children's education.

Christian colleges often advertise themselves as bastions of morality where crimes like rape could not occur. The truth is that they do, and they are even worse.

Courtesy of Reality Check:  

President Obama recently announced an initiative to curb rape on campuses across the United States. It is a well-known problem that rapes and sexual assaults that happen on campus are often handled in-house, without police interference. Often, there is little to no punishment for the rapists, and their victims are made to feel shame and guilt for reporting at all. 

Fundamentalist and evangelical Christians often hold up these kinds of stories as examples of how “the world” is corrupt. Christian colleges bank on the idea that they are safer because they are a faith-based environment—the sexual sins of rape supposedly don’t happen on their campuses. 

A number of recent revelations have proven this assertion wrong. From Bob Jones University to Pensacola to Cedarville to Patrick Henry to Hyles-Anderson College, Christian colleges are plagued by accusations at once familiar and strange: College counselors asking rape victims leading questions about their potential guilt, a lack of reporting to authorities, and failure to punish the rapist are all problems known to those who study incidences of rape at colleges and universities. 

But in the Christian environment, the fundamentalist theology surrounding sexual activity and purity creates another layer of shame and guilt. A theology that positions the colleges as better and safer than their secular counterparts also creates an environment in which a person coming forward about rape risks being seen as “impure” and “broken.” 

For example, (Samantha) Field recently reported that in 2003 another Pensacola Christian College student was attacked by her then-boyfriend, bound and gagged, and left in a construction site on campus after being raped. The student sought the help of a school counselor, but instead of receiving needed help and victim services, she was expelled for being a “fornicator.” She left campus while her injuries from the rape—a bruised face and a broken arm—were still healing. (The school’s president said in a recent statement that the school “has upheld the law, will continue to uphold the law, reports criminal acts when we are made knowledgeable of them, and fully cooperates with any investigation.” In response, Field wrote that she had heard directly from “a PCC staffer who was expressly forbidden—by three people in the administration—from reporting a child sexual assault to the police and [was] informed [by those three individuals] … that they would not make a report.” She says this “was confirmed by other staffers.” She acknowledges that it was not illegal, in 2011, for the school not to report the assault.) 

The student’s expulsion and treatment by the college is directly tied to the perceived sin of having sex outside of marriage. It was apparently considered worse that she was now “impure” than that she had been raped. To her knowledge, her rapist was never confronted or punished, and went on to graduate.

Rape is nothing new on college campuses and in fact that was what first inspired me to teach a women's self defense class while attending college in Hawaii back in the early 80's.

However in this day and age one would think that rape would be handled with much more delicacy, and that women (or men) who had been victimized could expect their school to seek to bring their assailant to justice and take great pains to make sure there would be no more sexual assaults.

Of course for that to happen they would first have to understand the nature of rape, and recognize that it was not a sexual act, but rather a criminal act based on power, not desire.

And of course for Christian schools, they need to stop thinking of their female students as the sinful descendants of Eve, and think of them instead as actual human beings deserving of at least as much respect and protection as their male counterparts.

Or perhaps more. 

Everything seemed fine until I got to questions 4 and 5.

Source

Personally on number 4 I am not sure how "b" is any more wrong than "d." They are both saturated in ignorance.

By the way after much investigation I finally discovered the list of  Scientists who became Creationists after studying the evidence.  Click here to see.

Impressive wasn't it?

The most satisfying Judge Judy episode EVER!

Locked in a closet with a broken door for hours. And this is what passes for Christian education?

"What special training do you have to deal with children who have special needs? You don't have anything. You have nothing."

"How dare you. How dare you take children who have special needs."

God I love that response!

I work with children who have special needs and behaviors problems and I can say that our training never stops. There are constant workshops and educational opportunities presented to keep us up to date and to ensure that we are providing adequate care.

I can also tell you that if I locked a child in a closet that would be my LAST day of employment, as well it should be.

And that arrogant asshole standing next to that teacher, in my opinion, represents Christian schools in nutshell. 

Nobody can explain electricity. Well nobody who is educated by this book at least.

Damn I wish this were a parody. But sadly it is not.

Here is how Science 4 for Christian schools is advertised on Amazon:

Explain God's ordered world to students through the study of the moon, light, area and volume, simple machines, digestion, animal defenses, trees, erosion, and simple classification of insects.

Somehow the fact that they do not recognize that electricity CAN be observed, and definitely be felt, does not fill me with confidence that they can explain a damn thing to children.

Fortunately for the children of the 21st Century there is a thing called Google.

This is how I view graduates of Christian Universities.

My ex-wife was the daughter of a minister who went to Christian school and used to get really angry at all of the things she did not understand about science and history.

"So wait, you're saying that Jesus did NOT write the Declaration of Independence?"

Christian school made famous when one of their 4th grade tests on dinosaurs turned up on the internet has been forced to close. Well that's one down.

Remember this test?

Well that pathetic example of "science" education was from the Blue Ridge Christian Academy. And that sorry excuse for a learning establishment is now no longer with us:

The media attention resulting from that “outing” seemed to do wonders for them. Answers in Genesis’ Ken Ham encouraged his followers to donate money to the school, and they received donations “ranging in amounts from $1 – $1000.” 

Administrator Diana Baker later said: 
“It is unmistakable that our culture greatly needs well-equipped warriors for Christ. Even though the attack on the school was meant to be harmful, God has used it to provide affirmation regarding the importance of our work. We are hopeful that the recent unexpected interest in our school and in Christian Education will provide support for a future for BRCA.“ 

Turns out God isn’t a big fan of their school. While they ended up raising about $15,000, it was a long way from the $200,000 or so that they needed to keep the place open. 

This month, Blue Ridge Christian Academy announced that they would be closed for the school year.

 I have said before that I believe that parents who send their children to "schools" which teach them this superstitious claptrap are guilty of child abuse.

Once again if you want to teach your children allegorical stories to help them to grow up to be moral adults, that is one thing. But if you pass off the Bible as a source to help explain science or history, well then you are not using it for the purpose for which it was created.

I would like to see the day when there are NO religious based schools in this country, and where every child is afforded access to a proper, and rational, education.

P.S. Before anybody challenges me, NO I don not think that the Bible is a very good source for the teaching of morals either, but I do think it fits better in that category then it does as a textbook.

Bald Eagle released at Oral Roberts University to crazed chants of "USA" from crowd. Immediately tries to flee the patriotic hysteria, slamming into window in the process.

Courtesy of Christian Post:  

Students at Oral Roberts University went from hooting and hollering and chanting "USA!" to screaming in horror as a Bald Eagle let loose during a special chapel service crashed into a glass window and crumpled to the ground. 

Instead of flying directly from its trainer who had let it loose from the back of the chapel to another handler standing on stage, the 13-year-old, seven-pound eagle named Lewis veered off course and made a crash landing. 

You know some metaphors are so perfect they do not even need to be explained.

P.S. I should probably add that it was reported that the bird was unhurt. I know I have a lot of animal lovers visiting here and I want to put your mind at ease.

However the fact that this magnificent animal will continue to be subjected to screaming crowds of religious lunatics in the future is also, sadly, a fact.

The next time you are feeling frisky, but are pretty sure premarital sex is a sin, this Christian school in Australia has some suggestions for you. Mate.

Courtesy of Stuff:  

Christian Schools Australia CEO Steve O'Doherty says horse riding, eating something new, blowing bubbles and playing ball without the ball are all better options than doing the deed. 

They were among a "101 things to do instead of doing it" pamphlet which was recently given to out to students at Caloundra Christian College in Queensland. 

Mr O'Doherty is surprised by the media coverage the pamphlet has received. "Christian schools teach that the safest way of protecting yourself medically and emotionally is to wait until a stable, married relationship," he told AAP. 

"It's hardly front-page news that Christians have that perspective." 

Mr O'Doherty said that while abstinence was the preferred option for children and teenagers, Christian schools taught a healthy message about sex. 

"We teach kids about safe sex, we teach them about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases and what you need to do protect yourself against them," he said. 

"But we tell the full story too - there are emotional dangers in committing yourself to a sexual relationship and the best way to protect yourself medically and emotionally is abstinence." 

SOME SUGGESTIONS A QUEENSLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOL GAVE STUDENTS TO DO INSTEAD OF SEX: 

*Blow bubbles in the park 
*Pretend you're six again 
*Look at clouds and see what you can make them into 
*Surprise your parents by cleaning the house 
*Have a water fight 
*Go fruit picking *Go to Macca's in formals 
*Make lunch for the elderly 
*Share a drink with two straws 
*Visit the RSPCA 
*Have a burping contest

First let me just go on record as agreeing with the Christian school guy that yes abstinence is the MOST effective way to prevent pregnancy and STD's. Much like leaving your car parked in the garage and never taking it out for a drive is the MOST effective way in which to prevent having a traffic accident. 

Second I would like to also agree that waiting until you are married would probably be great, if in fact that were conceivable in most cases.

Like my dear old mum used to say, "Sex without love is an empty unfulfilling experience. But as far as empty unfulfilling experiences go it is without a doubt the very best one."

However, and I don't want to be overly judgmental here, if in fact blowing bubbles in the park or cleaning your parent's house is a reasonable alternative to having hot monkey sex, you might be doing sex wrong.

Do you know what Alaskans consider a reasonable alternative to having sex? Having more sex!

Hey what do I know? Perhaps the Australians do it backwards. You know like how the water in your "dunny" swirls the wrong way, maybe they have sex backwards as well.

We don't judge here!

I guess I just assumed that a place referred to as "down under" would have some rather inventive methods for getting their ashes hauled. You know something that making lunch for the elderly could not touch with a ten foot Stobie Pole.

"Have a burping contest." Yeah right! Sounds like a great way to distract a bloke while you are off having a naughty with his Sheila.

Even the possibility you MIGHT be gay can cost you a job with the Catholic church.

Courtesy of Leader-Telegram:  

A day after Regis Catholic Schools announced Tim Nelson would not become its next president, he charged that Regis officials pulled the job offer based on speculation he may be gay. 

Nelson, 48, who was announced April 4 as the choice to lead the local private school system, said Friday he was "flabbergasted" when system officials informed him nearly three weeks later they intended to revoke his contract because of concerns about his sexual orientation. 

"The whole thing is based on assumptions, innuendo and speculation," an obviously upset Nelson said by telephone from New Mexico, where he has worked as supervising principal of a group of American Indian community schools for the past eight years. 

Regis denied the allegations Friday in a statement. 

"Regis Catholic Schools denies that any assumptions, insinuations or speculation played a part in its decision to not hire Mr. Nelson," the statement said. "Furthermore, Regis Catholic Schools categorically denies that sexual orientation was a part in its decision. Mr. Nelson's speculation is unfounded and untrue."

But Nelson, who was excited about the prospect of leading the parochial school system he attended through his junior year of high school, claimed Regis officials made it clear in several conversations they were concerned about the perception he may be gay and what impact that might have on the system.

As it turned out this decision to change their mind on hiring Mr. Nelson, happened to take place AFTER his father's obituary appeared in the paper. (what is with obituaries outing gay people these days?) 

The Rev. Brian Konopa, pastoral dean of Regis schools, broke the news about "serious issues that have come to the forefront" in a telephone call on April 17, or 13 days after Nelson had been introduced as the next Regis president, Nelson said. 

Regis officials indicated someone had given them information showing that a man's name was listed in parentheses behind Nelson's in the survivor list of his father's obituary 2½ years ago, and they told him that is typically the way a gay partner is listed in an obituary, Nelson said. 

Nelson said he explained to Konopa that he considered the man his best friend and that the man was close to Nelson's family. 

"I said, ‘If you think we are intimate or sexually active, you've got another think coming.' We are not like that at all," Nelson recalled telling Konopa.

Okay here's the thing, I actually think that MR. Nelson  MIGHT be gay, but so damn what? The fact that he feels he must deny who he is in order to work at a school that he so clearly loves is shameful.

And if i am wrong and Mr. Nelson is straight, then their rejection of him is just that much more egregious.

I mean let's face it if your religion of love and acceptance dictates that you mistreat a fellow human being based on their biology, than your may have to market your religion as one of hatred and intolerance instead.

Try putting asses in church pews with THOSE labels.

If he was good enough for the job as a straight man, why is he not good enough as a gay man?

Actual 4th grade "science" test in South Carolina private school.

This is the kind of thing that absolutely drives me nuts!

Purposefully teaching children bullshit is absolutely child abuse in my opinion.

Take a look at this model of Noah's Ark featured at a Creationist Museum.

This may seem like a small thing, but when you consider how drastically you impair a child's ability to pursue a higher education while saddled with this religious misinformation you can imagine how negatively that impacts their future.

I can remember sitting in a Philosophy class once where the subject matter literally sent a girl educated in a Christian high school fleeing the room in tears.

(Source.)

Christian academy student shoots both of his parents in the head after one of them tells him that he was "meeting the definition of insanity." Gee, ya think?

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

A 14-year-old student at a Christian academy in Washington state has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting both of his parents in the head after they restricted him from playing violent video games. 

Grant County prosecutors on Monday said that they were asking that 14-year-old Nathan Brooks be tried as an adult for the attempted murder of his parents. 

According to a Moses Lake police report obtained by iFIBER One News, Nathon Brooks had considered killing his parents, 38-year-old Jonathan Brooks and 39-year-old Elizabeth Brooks, since the age of 8. He had recently been been grounded for two weeks from using “electronic devices” — including playing video games — and had been punished with detention for being late to class. 

Nathon Brooks had admitted to police that he had been obsessed with video games. 

“He said he quit playing violent video games because he thought they were making him more violent,” Moses Lake police Sgt. Mike Williams noted in the document. “I asked him how much he played video games, and he told me ‘24/7,’ up until he got his electronics taken away.” 

Nathon Brooks indicated that he had decided to shoot his parents after his mother told his he was “meeting the definition of insanity” by disobeying over and over again. He said that his parents had been angry after he recently took one of their credit cards. 

On Friday, Police believe the boy pried open a gun safe to retrieve a .22 caliber pistol. After listening to music for about 90 minutes, he decided to kill his parents.

First thing I would point out concerning this story, and as somebody who has worked with the mentally ill for years, is that if you are living with somebody who is "meeting the definition of insanity" the LAST thing you do is tell them that.

You get them help.

Another thing, While it may be a knee jerk reaction in this case to blame this on the video games, if this young man has been considering murdering his parents since age 8, that he has a deep seated mental illness that may have been exacerbated by the games, it may also have served as a pressure relief valve which provided an outlet for this young man's extreme emotions.

After all he did not act on his fantasies of killing his parents, until he no longer had access to the games,

All in all it sounds like these parents did EVERYTHING wrong in this scenario. I am sure that putting him in the Christian Academy was because they believed that this young man needed some Jesus in his life to correct his behaviors, when in fact he needed a psychological evaluation and access to mental health supports.

It appears that the ONLY saving grace here was that the caliber of weapon used spared the life of his parents. If he had an assault weapon or a higher caliber handgun he would have successfully murdered his parents, and likely be locked away for the rest of his life.

It looks like there are any number of handy places to lay the blame in this scenario. There is mental illness, violent video games, poor parenting, and access to guns. And it seems like all of them could share equal blame here.

However I must point out that the boy did not bash his parents in the head with a shovel, or stab them in their sleep. Instead he went through all of the trouble of prying open the, clearly poorly constructed, safe to get the gun, because the gun represented power, and he needed to feel powerful in order to kill his parents.

Essentially this was a catastrophe waiting to happen, but the trigger that made it a reality was access to a weapon whose sole function is to end human lives.

Speaking of the Palin curse, look what these poor idiots had to endure.

Courtesy of NewsChief:  

The 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate visited the Sunshine State at the request of the organizers of the school's seventh annual leadership forum. She was quite a presence on the stage, in a lipstick-red suit and fierce high heels. 

Her passionate talk was peppered with such vibrant cries as "Cling to your God, your guns, your Constitution!" and pleas for the next generation to change the country's moral fiber. "That will make our foundation crumble if we choose to ignore it," she said. 

Not one to tiptoe around sensitive topics, Palin got right to the point on reasons she said the country is in crisis. 

"Today, look around, and don't you wonder sometimes if, as a nation, we have forgotten God altogether? This is a crucial question," she said. 

Palin said the school asked her to talk about hope and resilience. She said she would but "not that Washington, D.C., ‘hopey-changey' blah, blah, blah stuff, but real hope." 

Mostly, the 49-year-old hammered such topics as the corruption of Washington, D.C. — "It's a hotbed of cronyism" — and federal spending — "The federal government is bloated, corrupt and out-of-control."

"Fierce high heels?" THAT was the takeaway from her appearance?

Of course it was because this is the same regurgitated word salad that Palin has been spewing for the last four years.

I have NO idea where all of that SarahPAC money earmarked for speech writing goes because the woman has been giving different versions of the same speech for virtually her entire time on the national stage, peppered occasionally with some bizarre, ear torturing phrase just to spice things up and get some media attention.

However it is very hard to feel sorry for this audience since they HAD to know what they were getting. Palin has learned that all she has to do is pepper her speech with religious references and these Christian organizations will gladly hire her.  (For a bargain basement rate I am sure.) If they would only do a little research, say read Dunn, McGinniss, or Frank Bailey's book, I think they would quickly recognize the complete lack of Christian morality that permeates Palin's life choices and attitude toward others.

But hey, if she is willing to dress up in "fierce high heels" perhaps they simply don't care.

You know being so "Christ centered"and everything.