WARNING: MAJOR RANT AHEAD.







So once again I am inundated with emails and rumors (thanks Dad. *NOT BFD, my actual one) that (shock, gasp) Barnes and Noble is an EVIL, SCARY BAD company that allowed a GAY PORN book to be left on a table repeatedly and (gasp, horror) be seen by a child!

Okay, sarcasm aside, I would be irritated and be inclined NOT to frequent a store with that particular issue, but as a patron of B&N for many years....I'm suspicious already. Beware, here comes the sarcasm....skip this blog if you are scared.

The book (titled "GAY SEX" with a picture of 2 men kissing on the cover-so I guess they didn't see inside) was left on a table. Brannon Howse, the bigwig salesman, ahem, sorry, preacher of Christian Worldview Weekend was furious that his eleven year old son "lost his purity" ('cause he saw the cover) Instead of redirecting the focus elsewhere, he made a big deal of it right there and then (presumably with child in tow, thereby giving him time to contemplate what the book might be about).

He sent out emails and posted articles and called for a boycott and generally stirred up the Good People of God about this atrocity.

*Note, I probably would have confronted the management as well, but I'd have skipped the next part*

He then detailed in his tirade to the Christian Supporters of Censorship how the MANAGER of the store confessed that child predators were stalking the store, a gun was found (presumably in the commission of stalking a child) and A KID WAS SEXUALLY ASSAULTED IN THE BATHROOM!!!!!

Well, golly gee. I guess that means it's true, huh? Because if that manager knew about it, surely they (or a parent) would have reported it? Someone must have dealt with the gun at the very least, right?

Well, it was his Christian duty to spread the word and he started the rumor mill...thereby interfering with my life. (thanks Dad for being a sheep.)

Since buddy boy Brannon detailed the fact that the incident took place in Collierville, there should be a statement by B&N about how they were running a safe store and bloh blah and the police reports blah blah. This would be MY response before the rabid rightwing crusaders attacked.

Sadly, no. A search online produced nothing except references to the original claim. A quick search got me the Collierville Police Department and a LT that stated that there have been NO reports of a child being assaulted, sexually or otherwise or abandoned guns being found or child predators stalking a Barnes and Noble.

B&N has no official statement on the claims than to say the employee has denied saying anything durring the incident. They did respond to his request for action with a standard (to-be-expected) letter claiming they will avoid having that section near children and bathrooms and they don't practice censorship blah blah blah.

A few quick searches later and it seems that I'm not the only one who feels that his story is a bit contrived. It seems very unrealistic that in real life can not so subtly move from a picture of men kissing to boy-rape in the bathroom then too a a deadly weapon in the same bathroom where a child lost their innocence!!

Then when all hope for his ridiculously extravagant situation is exposed as having no shred of proof, he pulls out the mother of 3 who happened to see the entire incident....from him seeing a bad book, to tracking down the manager, to seeing them walk through the store to put it back on the freaking shelf.

WHAT? No cops, no evidence, no substance, but a few days later....a miracle occurs....a magic, (sorry, magic is bad) a heaven sent witness appears who stuck around and eavesdropped for the entire debacale? Or was he that loud and rude?

This incredulous claim with unreasonable expectations for acceptance and action are a BIG REASON WHY I CAN'T STAND THE ULTRA-SELF RIGHTOUS! I cringe to call him Christian because it lumps him in the same group as me and people I respect.....

So.....does blowing a story out of proportion and "embellishing" (LIES) parts of the story help spread the "truth"? Is it okay to lie if you are "saving" someone? Or teaching a lesson?

This is the SAME problem that many non-freak Christians have. They pass on emails with heart warming stories of children seeing angels or a Christmas miracle saving someone.

As I read them, the bullshit alarm starts to sound. Does God really want us to LIE to spread the good word? Does He want us to make up stories so we can feel self-righteous, justified, happy, or fill-in-the-blank?

Why do normally sane people buy the absurd claims of people they don't even KNOW and assume that it is truth?

PLEASE, PLEASE for the sake of my sanity and the poor starving children in Africa, don't spread falsehoods for any reason.

Look it up on Snopes.com, use Google. You are already on the freaking internet, so take a moment to check out what you are inputting and see if it makes sense. Then PROCESS the information, Think about it BEFORE you start spreading the manure.

The election is opening a host of accusations and innuendos about the candidates. Use the brain God gave you and don't believe everything you hear.
Sarah did not pretend to have a baby to protect her daughter. Yeah, she says a lot of inspiring things (people think that about O too) but THINK PEOPLE,THINK. Don't just smile and cheer for talking points...Ask the hard questions (not about her kid's baby) Ask the ones about her plan for the next 4 years. Ask HOW things are going to change and how she will fix the problems of today. Ask ALL the candidates....every last one.

Then THINK BEFORE YOU SAY or BELIEVE ANYTHING.

Whew. I may just post this as is, no spell check....that rant just poured out and I needed to let off some steam. It's been a while since I started a good flame war...maybe this will get the fires a-burnin.