Oh, I’ve been inching closer to True Belief ever since God smote Ashcroft ... bwahahaha.

Maybe I am in the minority here but I find all this gloating over her illness, a bit sick and cruel. I’m not even saying that you are the only one doing it. I have read the same sentiments elsewhere.
This is the type of shit that christians say about atheists. That we are cruel and unkind. Yes, she is a bitch and yes, some christians are just as cruel to us but honestly, do you really wish the pain and suffering of cancer on anyone at all? Sure it’s funny in that way that she should have consulted her god and all that crap but being happy about someone with cancer, in my opinion, regardless of who they are, is just sick.

It’s not I can couldn’t understand Schadenfreude even in its native language, but I wish neither Tammy Faye nor Ashcroft physical harm.

Glad to see that I am not alone in that feeling. I wish no harm on anyone.

Yeah, sorry, but I don’t get any pleasure from anyone getting sick. Tammy is a human being. I hope she does well.

In all honesty? No, I don’t wish for pain and suffering of any kind on anyone, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think some folks have earned what they’re getting.

So, yes, I am gloating a bit here. Not because I was hoping for something like this to happen to her or Ashcroft, but rather because, as I said, it strikes me as a sort of poetic justice. There are plenty of people in this world that, while I’m not waiting with bated breath hoping they’ll get sick and die anytime soon, wouldn’t bother me in the least if they were to check out tomorrow.

Les, no one deserves cancer. You and I and all of us on this planet have made mistakes in our life and to say that anyone is more deserving of a death sentence that this type of cancer brings, is just sick. What mistakes have you made in your life? Do you deserve to get a horrible, inoperable disease because of those mistakes? She does not deserve it. And what did she really do to you that makes you hate her so and be happy about her dying?
This is the one time in the little over a year that I have been reading you and agreeing with you, that I find myself disgusted at your attitude. No one deserves this Les. No one. No atheist, no christian, no one.

Les, no one deserves cancer. You and I and all of us on this planet have made mistakes in our life and to say that anyone is more deserving of a death sentence that this type of cancer brings, is just sick. What mistakes have you made in your life? Do you deserve to get a horrible, inoperable disease because of those mistakes? She does not deserve it. And what did she really do to you that makes you hate her so and be happy about her dying?

Whether or not I deserve to get cancer is likely going to be irrelevant in whether I actually do get cancer or not. Chances are, considering cancer runs in my family, I will end up dieing from it before I make it out of my 70s. If my relatives are any indication at least. Have I made mistakes in my life? Of course I have, some of which some people might feel are worthy of me getting cancer over. I’ve certainly been told as much by many people in my time.

Yes, I do feel that Tammy has earned the problems she’s about to go through, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. The simple truth is that I have absolutely no sympathy for the woman nor has she given me any reason to feel any for her. There are a lot of people out there with cancer whose eventual deaths will be a much bigger tragedy in my mind than Tammy’s. Those people I have sympathy for.

Now, is it possible than in the face of her impending mortality she may undergo a change and become a better person that I could have sympathy for? It’s certainly possible, there’s been others in the past about whom I’ve changed my mind as they themselves changed. In fact I’m willing to go as far as to say that getting cancer might be the best thing that has ever happened to her if she uses the experience to become a better person in the time she has left. Many people go through that sort of transformation, it’s just a shame it takes something like cancer to bring it about.

Right now, however, she’s no great loss in my mind. Stephen Hawking who suffers from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis which he never deserved to get and which will eventually kill him, that will be a major loss to the world in my mind.

All of that said, a better question to ask if you really want to know what kind of a person I am would be: If I had a cure for her cancer, would I provide that cure to Tammy despite the fact that I feel she deserves what she’s going through?

The answer is: I would indeed. I’d provide the cure without hesitation regardless of my personal feelings toward her as a person. I wouldn’t even expect compensation for it.

This is the one time in the little over a year that I have been reading you and agreeing with you, that I find myself disgusted at your attitude.

I’m sorry you feel that way, but I don’t think my viewpoint is unreasonable.

No one deserves this Les. No one. No atheist, no christian, no one.

I disagree. It’s not an issue of whether she’s a Christian or an atheist and I would never classify people with so broad a brush when determining their relative worth. I consider this on an individual level taking into account how I perceive they’ve contributed or detracted to the world around them. Tammy, in my view, has done more harm than good in her time and thus will garner no sympathy from me for her plight.

I’m sorry to hear that your family has cancer in it’s roots. I would consider it a loss to have you or any of your family members get it.
I understand your reasoning, your thinking, but I also see it as your acceptance of peoples unworthiness. All people are worthy and in my opinion, she has redeemed herself for the sins of her past.
I have made mistakes in my lifetime but I don’t see the health problems that I suffer, as a punishment for those mistakes.
That type of reasoning, gives way to believing in a higher power. That that power is punishing us for our sins.
I’m not saying she dserves your sympathy or anyones for that matter but she also does not deserve this type of gloating over her illness.
I agree to respectfully disagree with you.
I may be disgusted over your attitude but I respect your opinion.

I don’t spend any time wishing cancer on anyone, but in the case of someone who has been both mean and hypocritical, I allow myself to gloat at any irony that comes their way.  If Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell, who have spewed such hateful bile over the years from their self-claimed positions at God’s right hand, were struck with a calamity, you bet your sweet bippy I’d be the first one dancing a jig. 
If His Assholiness bin Laden were staked out in my backyard, I’d be right out there with the blowtorch and the salt (and the margaritas). 

No, I’m not all-forgiving.  If someone’s going to be a public hypocrite, I figure they can deal with being mocked when their self-important bubble is burst.

Well, I’m afraid that I have to aggree with Kat and the others. I enjoy this blog and admire your creation of this interesting forum but I don’t think this is your best post.

I am no fan of TFB. At her worst she is offensive and at her best she is comical but I would never wish dying of lung cancer on anyone or even dying of anything.

I thought your words and their tone were mean spirited and reminded me of something Ann Coulter would have said or written if she had heard that a member of the Clinton family (or any other prominent Liberal) had a fatal disease. I don’t particularly think Ann Coulter is a appropriate role model for prose style (or anything else)and I’m pretty sure you won’t enjoy being compared with her but that is exactly who I thought of when I read the post.

I’ll keep reading of course (we’re all entitled to our slip ups) but I was disappointed.

In reflecting back on it this morning I can admit that the tone of the post is mean-spirited. Yesterday it didn’t seem that way to me. Funny the difference a day can make in your perceptions.

Again I’d like to say that I don’t wish lung cancer on anyone and if it were within my power to cure Tammy I would, but I find it very hard to have any sympathy for her.

Would it make people feel better if I just deleted this whole entry? I’m not above doing that if enough folks have a problem with it. It is a bit mean-spirited.

Les, I don’t want you to delete this post. It stands here on it’s own. I am glad that you can see now what we, the readers saw when we read it.
I will still keep reading. I enjoy your view on so many other subjects that you post. You were the first atheist blogger that I found online and was very impressed with your outspokenness. Like I said, this was the first time I found myself shaking my head.
I wish nothing but peace to you.

Don’t remove it on my account. Even I chuckled over Ashcroft’s gall bladder. Except I thought it was interesting that he gets to stay in the hospital for a week while they made me go home in less than 24 hours when I had my gallbladder out, infection and all.

Here is something to make up for me comparing you to Ann Coulter. I just read this issue of the magazine and found the article promo online. This is just a blurb but it’s an interesting article about morality being evolutionary instead of instilled by a belief in a diety.

http://www.discover.com/issues/apr-04/features/whose-life-would-you-save/

Growing up in South Carolina, next to Jim and Tammy’s PTL, and knowing the number of people these two personally screwed financially in the name of God, I have no problem with this post.

In my mind, her death is long overdue.  But then I would put Kenneth Lay and his ilk in the electric chair if I had the chance.  Didn’t they behead Kings and Queens in France for this kind of abuse?  But I keep forgetting that it is only against the law to screw the privelaged in this country and not the poor.

Hey, from all accounts she has cleaned up her act since PayTheLady was plundered by the far-left media.  Indeed, she’s done major (major) good things for the gay community alone, giving us a str8 voice no amount of money could have purchased (and gay money is a lot-o-cash), never mind her participation in that penultimate socially progressive show The Surreal Life, trumped only by The Brady Bunch in recent TV history.

Why, when Vanilla Ice picked poor lil’ Webster up from the floor and spun him around in the air, it was Tammy Faye who stood up and said “That’s enough!” while others merely stood aside in stunned silence at the otherwise hillarious circus stunt.

Additionally, she took the aesthetically progressive choice and had mascara permanently tattooed onto her face, streaks et al.

So, lay off people.
Lay off!

.rob adams

Don’t delete it, Les.  Everyone has their Ann Coulter moments… so what?  The difference between you & Ann is that the narrow-minded traitorous bitch has made a well-paying career out of being mean-spirited, wouldn’t DREAM of taking back any of her vitriolic rantings and would be unapologetically gleeful over the misfortune of those she disagrees with or hates. 

She’s a monster and you’re a man.  There are more people lining up to praise gods and monsters as the bearers of truth than there are people who will listen to the words of their flawed fellow human beings and form their own opinions.  That’s just fucking creepy and insane.

If those who claim to hear His voice can say that God’s pissed off because America’s not religious enough, I see no reason for a human being to be overly contrite for being a little mean-spirited in pointing out a bit of irony.  At least you’re honest enough to say it might be a bit over the top, and even offered to “take it back.” Besides, you’re not a well-known public figure with thousands of followers!  Why is it that THEY get away with spewing their bullshit, but you’re supposed to feel bad for one comment on an off day?  Ridiculous!

Queen Millefiori, allow me to commend this excellent book to your attention:

The Moral Animal : Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology by Robert Wright

It’s pretty dry reading, so it’s been slow going for me, but I’ve been working my way through it and have found some really interesting revelations in there.

I’m no fan of Tammy Faye. I suspect she’s still up to her bullshitting ways and merely became a champion for gay causes because drag queens liked to dress as her for Halloween. She’s creating as much publicity as it’s worth and she’s loving it.

Nor did I think Les’ comment was too unreasonable, considering how much Jim and Tammy Faye have knowingly victimized gullible believers. They should both be in jail, but then so should many others. Then again, I’m the one who said the attackers of Nicole Townes are probably Christians. What do I know of appropriate comments?

Les, if you keep this stuff up, Geekmom might spank you. One can only hope.

Still, rob, I’ll probably get grief from some of my friends for not bowing down to Tammi Faye. But what’s she doing “for the chil-drun”? Sob, Waaaaaaaa! (Mascara running profusely)

hey gang,
seeing how you guys can see the good in those that do wrong to get inflicted with something.  how would you feel if all the evil Christians just all disappeared at once??:)

Relieved!

Who said christians were evil? They are just misguided.

How would I feel if all the EVIL Christians disappeared?  Happy happy happy.  How would I feel if all the GOOD Christians disappeared?  Sad, sad, sad.  It would be a shame to lose them; after all, we might just have been able to save them.

Yeah, my answer was predicated on usage of the words “evil Christians”. Just wanted to make that clear!

Why would all the evil Christians disappear? Did somebody figure out how to make an enema that large?

On a different note; has anyone noticed how many cool women we have on here? That hardly ever happens!

Yeah, women being cool!  What a concept!  Who’da thunk THAT could happen? 

(I think it’s about time for Les’s lovely and talented wife to come out with another penis haiku ...)