Friday, April 23, 2010

Animal Farm Friday - Flock? Herd? Pack? Pride?



A sample of the video footage I took with my GoPro Hero HD camera while swimming with some friends and some friendly sea lions off Anacapa in the Channel Islands last weekend.

So which is it, a flock of sea lions? A herd of sea lions? A pack of sea lions? A pride of sea lions?

Monday, April 19, 2010

FFRF FTW!

Freedom From Religion Foundation for the win!


Reagan’s Prayer Ritual Finally Ruled Unconstitutional

On Thursday, April 15, 2010, SR U.S. District Court Judge Barbara B. Crabb ruled that the National Day of Prayer Proclamation, instituted by Ronald Reagan in 1988, is unconstitutional. Freedom From Religion Foundation v George W. Bush was filed in Wisconsin in 2008 and has been progressing through the courts since that time. The subsequent ruling in the case was filed as Freedom From Religion Foundation v Barrack Obama & Robert Gibbs to reflect the change in administration after the 2008 elections. Judge Crabb explained her decision by stating that “…[the National Day of Prayer's] goes beyond mere ‘acknowledgement’ of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context.” She continued, “In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual’s decision whether and when to pray.”


It totally boggles my mind that it took so long for this ruling to come. There are few things so black and white in the Constitution as the separation of church and state.