I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS.

While on Facebook today, I noticed one of my friend's status that said that the Westboro Church is going to be protesting HERE, in Sioux Falls, this weekend.

If you don't know who these people are, they are a "church" which consists of mainly members of one family that is horribly offensive.  They disgust me so much, that I'm not posting a picture, I already can't stand knowing the pictures I've seen thusfar.

I'd like to point out -- please don't visit this group's website (I'm not posting the link, but Google can take you almost anywhere).  The more traffic they receive, the more money they make, at the expense of the curiosity of those who do not agree with them.

Basically, if you are American, these people hate you.  (Canadians, you are not exempt from this, they hate you too.)  They hate you because the the government itself does not actively persecute gays and lesbians, and therefore, all Americans are going to hell.  In fact, they hate any country that gives basic rights to gays.  (See Canada?  They hate you too.)  They believe that our country is being punished because of this, which is why we we were attacked on 9/11/01, why we're at war, and why so many soldiers come home in caskets.  (My second military related post in two days... hmm).  They have signs that rejoice those deaths and pray for more of them.  And where do they hold up these signs?  In front of other churches, and even more disturbingly, at military funerals of soldiers killed in combat.

But they're not coming to Sioux Falls for a funeral.  They're coming here to protest at the Cathedral.  There here to protest the CATHOLIC CHURCH. (Yes, one of the strictest sects of Christianity around.  Really.)  What's baffling to me about this is that they have also this extreme hatred toward Catholics and Jewish people alike (I'm not even going to start on the disgusting things they've said about the Holocaust).  They specifically go after the Catholic church due to the string of scandals that erupted around the turn of the century.  I  can't think of anyone who isn't appalled by what happened there, point blank.  But according to this cult, the mistakes of the few apply to everyone.  In their eyes, ALL Catholics are going to hell, not because of their own actions, but because of the actions of others.  Anyone whose been to at least one church sermon in their lifetime knows that this is NOT how Christianity works.  You are responsible for your own sins, and not those of anyone else, just like no one else is responsible for the sins you commit-- thats all on you.

I'm going to get religious here. (well actually... this whole post has been and will be about religion. hah). When you claim yourself as a Christian, you claim yourself as a sinner who wants and needs the forgiveness and guidance of God.  This cult treats everyone as the opposite - that to be a Christian, you must be sin free, and once you commit a sin, you are doomed and cannot be forgiven.  It's EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE as what Christianity represents!  The point is that you can go your whole life "living in the dark", but no matter how long you were there, when you choose to "live in the light" and genuinely ask for forgiveness in your heart, He forgives you, because he loves you.  This cult lives by the belief that God hates you.  That's probably the most offensive thing to me, how can these people claim that God does not love us, that his promises to us through the death and resurrection of Christ are now null and void, and consider themselves Christians?  Their beliefs invalidate the core belief of the Christian faith - that Christ died for our sins for our salvation -- and that God allowed his only son to be sacrificed because of his love for us.

I think its clear by the fact that they are the antithesis of what Christianity is, and that they spew hatred and spread hurt and darkness through the world that they are the evil we have been warned about.  But one thing that they will never succeed in is doing the devils work-- convincing the world that God no longer loves us.  How they don't see just how absolutely blasphemous they are being is very, very sad.

 ***FYI - this was written yesterday!  not kidding, i really am busy... alot!***

I was productive today!  I finally got my shoes, scarves and belts organized and managed to sneak in a tae-bo workout as well.  Now there are just a few things left to do... finally.

I'm really excited for the most recent installment of the Harry Potter movies.  I've been an avid reader of the books since middle school, so every time a movie comes out I pretty much act like I'm thirteen again.  I hope they do a good job with the film - considering how long it took, they better!

I wanted to talk about Rihanna's new album, "Loud", but I haven't had a chance to hear the whole thing and want to be able to give it my own review.  Coming soon... I guess?

Tonight was Cutthroat - The Challenge, and for the first time the final battle (Goulag? I'm not sure how to spell this, so "final battle" it will be on this blog).  I can't help but feel bad for Camilla through the past few episodes - the girl can't seem to do any right in Tori and Brad's eyes - who, by the way, spend alot more time bitching about Camilla than they do succeeding at challenges.  So when Camilla was paired up with Laurel to fight it out in the final battle, it seemed too good to be true that maybe, just maybe, Camilla can send the raging bitch home so I don't have to listen to her say "annoying" TEN THOUSAND TIMES in the most annoying voice I've ever heard.  I can't believe they've managed to cast someone that I dislike MORE than Sarah, which is funny, because it seems like Sarah is Laurel's only friend in the house.  That's where negativity will take you, right?

Photo from MTV.com

A soldier in Iowa received the Medal of Honor today - something that hasn't been awarded to someone who was living since the Vietnam war.  Army Staff Sgt. Sal Giunta ran into a "wall of bullets" to pull another soldier who was wounded in the leg to safety, and then went BACK again and saw another one of his comrades being carried away by enemy forces.  He shot the two men carrying Sgt. Joshua C. Brennan away, killing one and injuring the other, and carried him back to cover, attempting to resuscitate him.  Unfortunately, Sgt. Brennan didn't make it.  Army Staff Sgt Guinta was shot twice, but one of the shots hit his body armor and the other his weapons.

I was so moved at the idea of what this man did for both of those men.  Had he not taken action to ensure that Sgt. Brennan was not taken by the Taliban, his family would bear the grief of not knowing what happened to him, and more than likely, he would have suffered far worse before dying.  Honor deserved.





Well, its time to get to bed, yet another day tomorrow and there's still things to be done.  Busy busy busy... as always.  Still haven't watched Gossip Girl.  Must get on that!

Until then --