Link roundup for 31 October 2009

Sadly No takes a look at that nutty "sacred sperm" article I linked to in last weekend's roundup. (I noted some other implications of Catholic doctrine here.)

Jack Jodell has a collection of new scary monsters for Halloween. Religious nutters are just pushing the same old crap.

I do not want to be sitting next to this guy on a plane.

Discover the fascinating world of bat blowjobs.

This is just too weird. What were they thinking?

Something else I never knew even existed: steampunk Star Wars fashions (found via Mendip).

Ever wonder what people in church are really singing?

I'd be nervous driving this car past pictures of female whales. Might be like having your air bag go off by accident.

Pelosi's unveiling of the House health-reform bill brought a vast throng of teabaggers to the Capitol to protest.

Colbert pwns Lieberman. Jonathan Chait looks at his possible motives.

This stayed up on the Republican Facebook page for five days.

Franken knows his country.

Wal-Mart showcases a cross-section of humanity (for the 7th pic, captioned "with the wrong guy", I'd say he's with the wrong gal).

Georgia Republicans use a fake census letter to raise money.

The ACLU really does understand freedom of expression.

Illinois prosecutors are bullying students investigating mistaken convictions of innocent people.

I hope the cops in the next foreign country I visit are not doing what the Dallas police did. Mondragon, by the way, is the step-sister of a deceased Vietnam vet.

Megan McArdle looks at the economics of newspapers (read the comment by "rab", too).

Credit card issuers are evil (I'm canceling two more cards myself this weekend).

Blue Cross takes insurance-industry arrogance and cluelessness to new heights in North Carolina, and provokes a mass response.

Americans think it's more important that health reform include a public option than that it be bipartisan.

40% of Americans self-identify as conservative, but it's debatable what that means. Support for the crackpot-infested Republican party is lower than ever.

The economy has improved dramatically since Democrats took full control in January, though job growth lags as it always does.

The right wing favors state control over the individual. Helping people, not so much.

Randall Terry, who recently called on rightists to burn Reid and Pelosi in effigy, is a case study in Christian Right moral values. More on Christian morality here.

The public understands that Fox is a propaganda instrument in a way that the other networks are not (I'm curious about the 14% who call Fox "mostly liberal", though).

Newly-declassified British government files shed light on the character of Charles de Gaulle (found via Mendip).

Where are women most oppressed? The answer is no surprise.

I guess some people don't approve of talking about sex on TV.

This seems like an obvious case of Islamic child abuse (found via ManticoreWeb).

Jihadists have brutally murdered almost 4,000 people in Thailand over the last five years.

Islamic morality facilitates degrading sexual exploitation in Iraq and Afghanistan (both links sent by Ranch Chimp).

Annette looks at the rise of wind power in the United States.

Technology works against fascist regimes' efforts to limit internet access.

Scientists are making progress on spinal nerve regeneration.