Apparently that’s what we have to do…we have to wait for the nuke to be launched at Israel to react to Iran:

lthough “the prospect of Iran developing nuclear weapons is unacceptable,” the U.S. government must exhaust every option before considering military action to resolve the situation, the chairman of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Committee on International Policy told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. “The use of force must always be a last resort,” Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., said in a letter to Rice made public Nov. 9. “In addition, the failure to be transparent about one’s nuclear energy program is not grounds for military intervention, nor is the possession of nuclear weapons or the issuing of bellicose statements,” he added.

No, it’s not time for military action yet, but since the UN is basically doing nothing, I have to wonder what further choice we’ll have.  Is there any way to have a conference with Ahmadinejad, and if so, will he back off on his plans to destroy Israel?

Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta underwent surgery for early-stage prostate cancer earlier this week.  The Georgia Bulletin is reporting that he is now recovering well at home.  Another source states:

His doctor, Dr. Fray Marshall said, “Archbishop Gregory tolerated the procedure well and there were no unforeseen problems.  He received a  favorable pathology report today.  It was a pleasure for me and for the caregivers at Emory University Hospital to care for Archbishop Gregory.  He is good to all the people around him.”    Archbishop Gregory is  walking around, working on the computer, and will be taking the next several  weeks to recuperate. He said, “From the heart, I am deeply grateful for the outpouring of love through prayers and good wishes for my healing.  Please be assured of my prayers for you.”

A Republican Senator (Grassley of Iowa) has begun a Finance Committee investigation of several televangelists…folks like Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar and Eddie Long ( both from right here in Georgia).  Reasons include Rolls Royces, expensive toilets, cosmetic surgery, and extravagant trips, along with, of course, ridiculously high salaries.  The key question is whether any fund have transferred from each of these peoples’ “churches” to their own personal purses, and if so, whether that has happened tax-free.  As long as these folks are paying their taxes, then what they’re doing, while terribly unethical, is legal.  If they’re not paying their taxes, then they have a problem on their hands.

Politically, one must wonder, why now?  We’re one year away from a presidential election in which the Democrats are currently favored to win (at least the MSM says so) and it’s a Republican starting this investigation.  Typically, of course, the religious types are big Republican supporters.  Interesting to consider why this is being done right now, as opposed to last year, or next year.  We’ll see if it goes anywhere…

My prediction?  It won’t go anywhere because these televangelists have the right legal counsel to keep them just as legal as they need to be.  But, they’ll ultimately answer for the lack of ethics.

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Pope Benedict XVI lauded the contributions of Christians in Saudi Arabia—a kingdom that embraces a strict version of Islam, restricts worship by other faiths and bans Bibles and crucifixes—in the first meeting ever Tuesday between a pope and reigning Saudi king.

The extreme version of Islam that is in charge in Saudi, of course, prevents diplomatic relations with any other religious entity, so there can’t be a Vatican embassy there.  Saudi is a land where Christians are persecuted, suppressed, and kicked out of the country (and probably worse) if they dare practice their faith.  I must wonder what good comes of the Holy Father meeting with such a ruler.  But, my ways are not His ways.

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For those of you who are uninitiated, the headline for this post is a reference that fans of the decade-defunct Mystery Science Theater 3000 should understand.

Background: Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3k for short) was created in 1989 by a ragtag production team in Minnesota.  The premise?  Watch b-movies (i.e., badly done, low budget, straight-to-video movies) and make fun of them.  Yes, the thing we always want to do but know we shouldn’t – sit in the theater and make fun of the movie as it plays on the screen in front of you.  And, they were very successful at it.  One season on a small independent TV station, 7 years at Comedy Central, and 3 years at Sci-fi Network.  And that was the end.  For 10 years, we have been circulating the tapes, sharing episodes via P2P, and uploading our videos to YouTube (for the last 2 years.)

Now, MST3k is undergoing a revival.  First, head writer and second host of the show Michael J. Nelson created a concept called RiffTrax.  He’s been joined in this venture by Bill Corbett (the second voice of Crow T. Robot), Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo), and Bridget Jones (another writer for the show, and Mike’s wife) as they riff on current, popular movies.  Next, we hear from creator Joel Hodgson that he, Trace Beaulieau (Clayton Forrester), Frank Conniff (TV’s Frank), Mary Jo Pehl (Pearl Forrester) and J.Elvis Weinstein (Larry Erhardt, Forrester’s first-season sidekick) are getting together for something called Cinematic Titanic.

Now, going live today, we have the new MST3k.com, featuring the work of Jim Mallon (executive producer) and Paul Chaplin (writer and various characters on MST3k) as well as some folks we’ve never heard of.  They’re setting up all kinds of stuff – a new store, new animated bits, and legacy material too.

Yes, it’s a golden age for MST3k.

Here’s a great story from across the pond this morning.

When doctors found that Gabriel was weaker than his brother, with an enlarged heart,and believed he was going to die in the womb, his mother Rebecca Jones had to make a heartbreaking decision.

Doctors told her his death could cause his twin brother to die too before they were born, and that it would be better to end Gabriel’s suffering sooner rather than later.

Ohhh, in other words, that whole “quality of life” thing.

Firstly they tried to sever his umbilical cord to cut off his blood supply, but the cord was too strong.

They then cut Mrs Jones’s placenta in half so that when Gabriel died, it would not affect his twin brother.

But after the operation which was meant to end his life, tiny Gabriel had other ideas.

Although he weighed less than a pound, he put up such a fight for survival that doctors called him Rocky.

Astonishingly, he managed to carry on living in his mother’s womb for another five weeks – until the babies were delivered by caesarean section.

Now he and Ieuan are back at home in Stoke – and are so close they are always holding each other’s hand.

You mean, doctors can be wrong?  No way.  One more tidbit:

Mrs Jones, 35, a financial adviser whose husband Mark, 36, is a car salesman, said: “It really is a miracle. Doctors carried out an operation to let Gabriel die – yet he hung on.

To “let” him die?  More like to make him die.  But, the good news is, bother survived and are healthy.  The medical establishment decided this life wasn’t worth living.  Turns out it apparently is.

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The 75-member “church” led by Fred Phelps, of GodHatesFags.com fame, has finally been called out.  A grieving father who was victimized by these protestors at his military son’s funeral, decided to sue them.  Thankfully, he won – $11 million dollars.  Of course it’ll be appealed, and the defense claims that the 3 defendants have assets equalling only about $1 million.  Interesting that they have so little money, yet they’re always travelling around the country, isn’t it?

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Sometimes I run across an oddity that is too good not to share.  This is one such case.  Behold, the YouTube Costume:
 

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