apparently freedom of religion isn't one of the freedoms you care about. the towel heads have as much right to worship whatever the hell it is that they worship as you do to thump the bible and be sanctimonious about it.
Both religions manage to get a lot of people killed that wouldn't otherwise be dead. Heck of an accomplishment.
But i respect people's rights to believe in magical sorcery, hell, i even respect Christine O'Donnell's right to masturbate.
I don't respect the pushing of that crap onto unwilling participants.
The memory of people who died for our freedoms shouldn't be sullied by you people that think it was for a particular religion. It wasn't. Get over it.
Doug Patton is a freelance columnist and political speechwriter who has worked for conservative candidates, elected officials and public policy organizations at the federal, state and local levels. His weekly column can be read in newspapers across the country and on selected Internet web sites. Readers can e-mail him at dpatton@neonramp.com.
ever notice how some people just seem to know how to write a letter?.
The first recorded miracle of Jesus was turning water into wine. But now it seems he may be more in the mood for a beer.
After all, his most recent sighting was on the facade of an Irish pub on the southeast coast of Australia.
The image appeared several weeks ago in the stripped-away paint by the front door of the Seanchai Irish Tavern. A local first pointed out that the missing paint chips formed the shape of Jesus with outstretched arms. Since then, many of the pub's regulars have agreed.
Manager John Keohane, an Irish Catholic, likened the image to the statue of Jesus towering above Rio de Janeiro.
These types of sightings often lead people to believe the Lord is sending some sort of message of hope. In this case, according to Keohane, the only sign it may be sending is about what's served inside.
"I would like to think it was because we are an Irish pub and maybe, just maybe, he heard about the divine pints of Guinness!" he told AOL News.
With Jesus greeting passers-by at the door, business has picked up with curiosity seekers stopping in for a drink.
"We have even had school groups and Australian bus tours coming to have a look and take photos," Keohane said.
The tavern has no intention of repairing the stripped paint. Aside from enjoying the attention Jesus attracts, it's also treasuring the image at the request of a local parish.
"We had somebody ask us what steps we were taking to preserve it until it got checked out properly," Keohane said.
A Perspex screen has been installed over Jesus for his protection.
While the Lord has reportedly been witnessed in many unusual locations, this is not his first doorway. Just over a year ago, Jesus was spotted [ http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/10/jesus_likes_ikea.php ] on the entrance of an Ikea men's room in Glasgow, Scotland. The image appeared in the grain of the wood, though one shopper admitted it looked more like Gandalf from "The Lord of the Rings."
With so many appearances in unexpected places -- including toast, a Cheeto, a Kit-Kat bar, a household iron, a rotting banana and on Mars below] -- perhaps Jesus simply stopped at Seanchai Irish Tavern for the same reason as everyone else: to take a load off.
Marc Hartzman is an AOL News contributor and the author of "God Made Me Do It: True Stories of the Worst Advice the Lord Has Ever Given [ http://godmademedoitbook.com/ ]."
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