Posted on January 21 at 2:34 p.m.Suggest removal

"Connecting himself with the convoluted political liberalism of Obama is, I would assert, below Rick Warren’s pay grade."

It is exactly this type of evangelical arrogance and overbearing religious ego that is relegating neocons to the margins of government influence. If you want to live your life in constant protest of everything you disagree with, so be it, but don't be surprised when nobody wants to be around you.

I would assert that Malone is in no position to pass judgement on either the President or on Warren. Of course these two do not see eye-to-eye on all issues, but the point of Warren being there was to demonstrate that in spite of the differences, we can have a common dialogue and fellowship as Americans.

But, I suppose in Malone's world, we shouldn't even associate with each other (or rather, Christians are too good to associate with those they disagree with).

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Posted on December 17 at 9:43 a.m.Suggest removal

Not a bad list. But to include Brazil and not Mircale on 34th... wierd. I also think that the modern Grinch with Jim Carey is worthy to be on the list.

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Posted on December 12 at 4:07 p.m.Suggest removal

Sure, they could give a lot more. But, they could give less or nothing like most companies do. No corporation is required to do anything charitable, so when they do, in any amount, it is good.

Did you ever stop to think that perhaps if more people spent money at starbucks, their company value would increase, and they could in turn donate more? Nope.. you were too busy complaining about what they are already giving. Do tell, how many on the Editorial Board have donated cash to this cause?

What you are doing would be the same as a bell-ringer in front of a store scolding you for only putting a quarter in the bucket.

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Posted on December 11 at 9:53 a.m.Suggest removal

So, shall we also hold students' hands while they are writing their papers? What about a writing nanny that can be assigned to each student to make sure they don't cheat?

Give me a break. A university classroom is not elementary school. The students at OU are adults. They demand to be treated as such so they should also be held accountable for their actions as adults.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that "accidental" plagiarism is common. When I taught undergrad courses at OU I never saw a single example of it. Of all the plagiarism I saw, every bit of it was intentional cheating. I personally think that OU's policies towards academic misconduct are far too lenient. I think that if you are caught cheating you should be given the boot, period. When you cheat you show that you are absolutely lazy and untrustworthy, and your presence in the classroom is an insult to the honest students there.

If you are not intelligent enough to know whether you are cheating or not, then you are not intelligent enough to obtain higher education.

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Posted on December 4 at 4:53 p.m.Suggest removal

Burt2198 - think about this. The crimes you listed, rape, murder, stealing, etc, are crimes because they wrongfully deny another person of something (their property, their life, their choice of sexual activity). These laws are obvious because they involve victims, and they need no specific religious regulation to make them so. As far as gay marriage goes, it really has no tangible effect on another person, so yes, it is a good question why it is not recognized (and a good question why the religious right fights so hard about it, given that it doesn't really effect them).

Your logic would be well-applied to laws regarding recreational drug use, as it is well-debated whether it impacts unwilling victims.

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Posted on December 4 at 1:23 p.m.Suggest removal

What a thought-provoking article! But be careful, Carradini. You may not be as much of a minority as you think you are. The strongest elements of the religious right that have taken up the anti-gay crusade may not be as much of a majority as you think, even though they are yelling the loudest.

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Posted on November 14 at 3:41 p.m.Suggest removal

What Rogers fails to recognize is that porn is not new, nor is it some horrible plague that has recently sprung up in our society. Erotic depictions date back to ancient civilizations, including Egyptian, Roman, and Greek societies. It has been around a very, very long time, and it is doubtful that it will dissapear anytime soon.

He refers to the porn industry as being the most loathed, but I would beg to differ. The porn industry is as big as it is because so many people enjoy it. While many self-righteous people like to publicly condemn pornography, they usually, in private, share in its tittilation.

He also states that pornography destroys marriages. This is hogwash. What destroys marraiges is not the porn itself, rather, it is the lack of communication between partners. What usually happens is that the husband enjoys porn, but doesn't let his wife know that. She is usually far more hurt by the hiding and deception than the thought that her husband is looking at "naughty magazines". What couples need to do is be more open and honest with each other, talking about what they like and what their boundaries and expectations are.

But, of course, we can't talk about sex in our holier-than-thou puritan utopia, right Rogers?

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Posted on October 24 at 7:56 a.m.Suggest removal

Ugh. Here we go again.

Swimsuit "poise" = near nude hotness
Swimsuit "confidence" = her awareness of how hot she looks in that bikini

I have nothing against pagents, but let's call a spade a spade and not try to bs what they really are. They are, and always have been, "beauty pagents" and little more. Not to say that the contestants are uneducated or air-heads.. but what they are doing has nothing to do with the betterment of society or for the improvement of equality.

If these pagents aren't about beauty, then tell me why we never see any woman on there who doesn't have a flawless body and a perfect smile. If you think that the swimsuit competition isn't about looks, put an overweight woman in a bikini up there... then you'll see "poise" and "confidence" in action.

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