Balloon Juice reports on overt proselytizing by evangelical instructors at the United States Air Force Academy. Can you imagine for a moment what the reaction would be if it had been reported this was islamist proselytizing? What in heaven's name is wrong with us that the evangelical version of absolute religious truth should be naturalized in this context? This sort of behaviour is why many of us who have supported the fight against fascist theocracies abroad are worried about its strident counterpart at home in the democratic West. Yes, there is a difference between Islamic fundamentalism and Christian fundamentalism: the latter have not achieved their aim of taking power. And it is only sensible to believe we should do everything in our power to prevent that from happening.
I do not know how many times I have been told by otherwise sensible people that gay marriage is unimportant and that I am wrong to be worried by the populism and the pandering that is the new face of conservatism in the United States and Canada. I am sick of being chastised for drawing attention to the would be theocrats among my fellow Christians when those doing the chastising so evidently believe their own freedoms are not at risk. But I suppose it seems a small thing to trade away someone else's liberty. They are wrong and they should know better.
Not that there is any surprise in citizens of Western democracies looking the other way when someone else's rights are at stake. After all, that is what we have all been doing in our trade with mainland China and our military support for the Saudis and every other compromise of someone else's freedom in the name of national sovereignty or convenience or utter indifference. When we discount the freedom of others it is all too easy to forget to safeguard our own. Look at photos of public life in Iran or Afghanistan before the mullahs came to power and understand there is nothing natural, nothing inevitable about the freedoms we enjoy here. They can be taken away. There are people whose religious ideology is such that they think of nothing but taking our freedoms away. Most Canadians, thank God, seem to share my concerns.
Update: A comment at Balloon Juice asks a question:
"If you are secure in your own beliefs why should it matter what someone else says about religion?"
I am utterly certain of my religious beliefs. My certainty arises from being born again, saved by Grace. I know what I believe is true. It is precisely because of the certainty of my convictions that I find it so offensive that government officials should attempt to impose their erroneous beliefs upon me. Christians used to be thrown to the lions to avoid just this fate. What on earth makes you believe it is appropriate for us to endorse such an imposition in a Western democracy?
Update: The snark has started for this post. All I can say is that if it isn't your marriage the government is planning to negate then you have nothing to say. If you are gay, a resident of one of the seven Canadian provinces (plus one territory) where you currently have the hard won right to marry and think the separate-but-equal apartheid solution on offer from the Conservatives is just dandy then I will be curious to hear from you. Otherwise, it is not your right to give away. Something I have learned from publishing the Flea is that there are people who will scream bloody murder if I deny them the "right" to leave a comment at my blog but who don't blink an eye at disordering the life and dignity of their fellow citizens. What on earth can I say to a display of such staggering self-absorption? It beggars description. Are some people empathically retarded? Or do they share a sneaking satisfaction to see lives turned upside down? I have more respect for the fundamentalists because they - at least in theory - are trying to save souls.* For the rest who think this is a joke because they might miss out on a tax cut... feel free to read something else. I can only pray people care more for your fate when it is your basic rights on the line. I will still be here to write in your defense but I will not forget where you stood when you had the choice to defend people weaker than yourself. Not only that, I am going to remember where you stood once, as it will, the Conservative party belatedly comes to its senses. There are going to be plenty of revisionist personal histories on offer come that day. But I will not forget. History both ancient and contemporary offers many examples of just such indifference so I cannot say I am surprised. Only disappointed.
*And the people who think the government should not claim the right to "marry" anybody. But how much can I work into one paragraph? After all, same-sex marriage is not even gay marriage. There are plenty of folks out there who are bi or do not base their identity on their sexual orientation or who have yet to figure out what they want. Heck, there are a large majority of folks who will never want to marry someone of the same sex or who may decide never to marry at all. Their choice as free adults is still to be taken away for no good reason at all. This is not an acceptable alternative to the criminal enterprise running our country. It is not a conservative alternative but a radical, factional position that seeks to impose itself at a moment when the country is weakened by corruption and resurgent separatism. We need better but I am beginning to fear we do not deserve better.
Update: Good question (via INDC Journal)
I cannot believe I missed this Vogon poetry competition. My first attempts at creative writing were efforts to produce my own version of Vogon aesthetics. They continue to this very day.
Sadly, Paris Hilton's ad for Carl's Jr. may never be aired. I am counting on "the internet" to step into the breach. Or in this case, breeches.
The latest rumour about the long awaited Paris Hilton debut album "Paris is Burning" is a collaboration with Le Tigre. Oh yes.
Pole dancing, all the rage apparently. Well, if pole dancing is good enough for Jude Law it is good enough for the Flea. One can only imagine if Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Depp, Paris Hilton, 50 Cent, Pamela Anderson or Condoleezza Rice have included it alongside their spinning and pilate routines but I am pleased to pass on a report that Debra Messing has included pole dancing in her exercise regimen.
I have yet to see Closer but I gather Natalie Portman had a keep-fit regimen of her own judging by her thong, lingerie and pole dancing ensemble. And not to forget that Kate Moss interpretive dance routine for White Stripes. I am not certain what to make of the tune but the video does bring a healthy blush to my cheeks.
The Sister of the Flea suggests "...this Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes thing is getting even scarier (or beardier)." Katie Holmes, 26, reportedly claims to be a virgin (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Rosie O'Donnell, formerly of FormerlyRosie, had this say.
Mari Yaguchi is looking a bit woman on the verge after leaving all-girl pop group Morning Musume. One can only hope she left her friends in good hands under the new leadership of Hitomi Yoshizawa.
Some of Marlon Brando's personal effects are to be auctioned by Christie's this summer.
Features that are experimental in North American cell phones are mainstream in Japan. It is not just the specific gadgetry that is important, however, so much as its ubiquitousness (via the Neighbour of a Flea).
I cannot be the only person who would enjoy subtitled Japanese television programming. Once the web has smashed television into ten thousand narrowcasted channels I shall eat Teriyaki Nori roasted seaweed and watch Keitai Deka on my cellphone television.
The more wax you are covered with the more difficult it is to defend yourself with a small plastic umbrella. Just like life, really.
Anakin Dynamite. Sweet. Just don't use those Jedi skillz in class.
Pharyngula calls it irony overload. Though reading this makes me think I should have watched Revelations, I just wish I had thought to write the Left Behind series as I would now be blogging from a seaside mansion/compound in Mexico.
How safe is flying today? And just which seats are best in the event of an emergency?
One assumes Airbus have done their math vis a vis passenger numbers and destination airports large enough to accomodate their new aircraft. Gods, what a monster...
But for all the hype about the maiden flight of the new double-decker Airbus A380 I am forced to ask how long it would take to board or disembark and what the wisdom is in producing something whose scale paints a giant terrorist bullseye on the side.
I think Air Canada's decision to go with the new long-range Boeing 7E7 Dreamliner is a sensible one. Flea-readers who share my corporate video fetish can find plenty of Dreamliner goodness at the Boeing site. "7E7 Dreamliner Approved for Offer to Airlines" is particularly satisfying both for the crap sound quality and peculiar "raise the roof" gesture the project leader has picked up from his teenage children.

Kylie Minogue is to headline the Glastonbury music festival as part of a reported transformation into a rock star. Expect irritated noises from humourless indie scenesters everywhere.
And the Australian has some snark to offer... the cads!
Night Watch looks promising (hat tip to Bill's comments).
German Post Office is an animated short using clips from the soundtracks of two German-language pornographic films found on "the internet". This should be work-safe unless your employer speaks German.
My hand-eye coordination does not extend to jumping from platform to platform in space so I have to take the game's word for it but apparently there are ten levels of Space Dude so best not to play unless you have time to kill or are, in point of fact, the boss and can do as you please.
Lots of temptation at an on-line 80s T-shirt store. I am pretty much going to have to buy this Wembley and Red Fraggle Rock T-shirt (via That Crazy Neighbor Lady).
If I was a Fraggle I would be yearning for Red. Why does she not believe my postcards?
Or rather "science" vs Norse Creation Science... remember you can't prove a negative! (via Chapel Perilous)
"Following this is a list of different occupations. You must select at least five of them. You may add more if you like to your list before you pass it on (after you select five of the items as it was passed to you). Of the five you selected, you are to finish each phrase with what you would do as a member of that profession. Then pass it on to three other bloggers. OF COURSE you all without blogs are welcome to play along in comments!"
The complete list is in the extended entry. My choices:
If I could be a librarian I would be in the employ of the Balfour Library at my favourite museum in the world. I would take my lunch at the Bird and Baby.
If I could be a psychologist I would slide sideways into Lacanian clinical practice instead of using Lacan to write papers about Japanese horror movies.
If I could be a linguist I would design vampire languages for horror movies Japanese or otherwise.
If I could be an architect I would devote my life to building the Tyrrel Corporation pyramid in downtown Toronto.
If I could be a backup dancer I would have Kylie Minogue's number on speed-dial. Also, I would be ripped.
I was tagged by the delicious SondraK...
If I could be a scientist...
If I could be a farmer...
If I could be a musician...
If I could be a doctor...
If I could be a painter...
If I could be a gardener...
If I could be a missionary...
If I could be a chef...
If I could be an architect...
If I could be a linguist...
If I could be a psychologist...
If I could be a librarian...
If I could be an athlete...
If I could be a lawyer...
If I could be an innkeeper...
If I could be a professor...
If I could be a writer...
If I could be a backup dancer...
If I could be a llama-rider...
If I could be a bonnie pirate...
If I could be a midget stripper...
If I could be a proctologist...
IIf I could be a TV-Chat Show host...
If I could be an actor...
If I could be a judge...
If I could be a Jedi...
Curse you, Seattle, Austin, Sacramento, Boston, Altanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver and The Portland of Oregon! For Joss Whedon has a Serenity announcement to make to you:
Vexed again!
George Lucas is to appear as himself in the May 12 episode of The O.C. If we could just work in Jessica Alba wearing a Wonder Woman* costume Bill Ardolino's head would explode.

*Ok, this is not Jessica Alba either. But I think we can agree it's a good idea.
George Lucas reportedly plans two Star Wars television spin-off series, one animated and one live-action to be set in the time between Episodes "III" and IV (via Gay Orbit).
A variety of A-prop costumes from Farscape are up for sale on eBay.
I am tempted by the Aeryn Sun White Rhinestone Wedding Dress for the as yet hypothetical Bride of a Flea.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! presents an IQ Game (via Classical Values).
Promenade the Puzzle is a short-film by Michele D'Auria. The Wall meets Tim Burton by way of Ted Naifeh. Gorgeous. I believe the internet has reached a point where I could ditch television entirely and watch things people have produced for themselves. That includes blogs, of course, but it is coming more and more to include film and video (via Chapel Perilous).
...in perfect harmony? The Flea rattles its ghostly chains in welcome to readers from 150 states and territories in April 2005. My server statistics show 120,000+ unique readers so far this month and a monthly record 300,000 page views.
Affection for Kylie Minogue unites readers from Tadjikistan, Barbados, Guyana, Gambia, Albania, Saint Lucia, Mongolia, Ghana, Virgin Islands, Laos, Gabon, Palestinian Territories, Macau, Rwanda, Honduras, Niger, Moldova, Netherlands Antilles, Azerbaidjan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, San Marino, Zimbabwe, British Indian Ocean Territory, Cambodia, Liechtenstein, Kyrgyzstan, Gibraltar, Monaco, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Cameroon, Belarus, Myanmar, Bermuda, Georgia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Polynesia, Nigeria, Kenya, New Caledonia, Uganda, Cuba, Senegal, Morocco, Panama, Oman, Faroe Islands, Jamaica, Nepal, Namibia, Libya, Mauritius, Ecuador, Syria, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Greenland, Brunei Darussalam, Bolivia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Dominican Republic, Pakistan, Central African Republic, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Qatar, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico, Jordan, Sudan, Malta, Peru, Bahrain, Tunisia, Luxembourg, Egypt, Colombia, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iceland, Lithuania, Yugoslavia, Latvia, Estonia, Bangladesh, Russian Federation, Venezuala, Romania, Croatia, Slovak Republic, Philippines, Ireland, Israel, Malaysia, Chile, Algeria, Indonesia, Argentina, Guam, Slovenia, New Zealand, Czech Republic, Turkey, South Africa, Hungary, Greece, Portugal, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Taiwan, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Hong Kong, Spain, Singapore, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, China, Brazil, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, France, Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Australia, Great Britain, "European Union", Canada and the United States.
I am particulary happy to welcome readers from the Mongolia, Lebanon and Ukraine. When the people are free they will always choose the power of pop music over the dubious satisfactions of sour-pussery. This is all headed in the right direction but I shall not rest until the Flea has regular readers from a .va domain! There has to be somebody there who wants to know more about Cameron Diaz and Jessica Alba.
While I think my lectures are quite witty and no Dean has ever had cause to complain about my grading I think Thorstein Veblen was on to something with his office hours. Personally, I make certain to post my office hours in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the Leopard" to suggest an open-door policy (I make joke) (well, borrow joke actually). Heaven knows what Veblen would have made of email (via the Flea's Professional Development Manager).
Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
I suppose I should check Snopes for this one but in exam grading season I prefer to live with my illusions.
Keeping an eye on the Apple movie site for the Serenity trailer that Joss Whedon has announced is to be released today...
Update: Still waiting. So here is Jessica Alba vs Doctor Doom in an internet exclusive Fantastic Four trailer. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by contrast, offers a meditation on rhetorical structure of movie trailers and a man with a voice that makes him sound like he is seven feet tall. Also featured is a girl in a bikini.
Update: The trailer for Serenity. Oh yes.
If George Lucas brought back C3POs, or rather C-3POs, I would forgive him everything. Except Greebo shooting first. Obviously.
(hat tip to the Neighbour of the Flea)
A Klaus Nomi biopic is a pretty big deal and any opportunity to be in the virtual presence of the flawless Ann Magnuson is not to be missed. A Flea field trip is in order!
Now is the time at the Flea when we dance like it's the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest.
If Jessica Alba and Cameron Diaz choose to share a bed I can hardly see how it is news. File this Sun article with headlines like "Jessica Alba lesbian" or "Cameron Diaz nude" in cynical efforts to attract readers. I mean, it is not as if following that link will lead to pictures of Jessica Alba and Cameron diaz in bed naked.
Trippin', it turns out, is an eco-friendly MTV travel show featuring Diaz and Justin Timberlake, though USA Today suggests "fans shouldn't expect to see much of Diaz' romance" with him on screen. No word yet on whether Cameron shares a bed with Drew Barrymore as well.
Update: The Jawa Report has photos. Including the one with the llama. You know, I looked at the llama photo and I thought, no, that would be taking it too far. But does Rusty Shackleford care? No. He just publishes it for everybody to see.
Operation G.R.A.D.U.A.T.E.S. is a nicely drawn shoot'em up and I am not terribly good at it.
Update: Much easier once I worked out you can just hold down the spacebar.
Reading about the recent expulsion of Mari Yaguchi from her role as leader of J-pop stars, Morning Masume, I decided to find some of the act's music on-line. No luck yet but it turns out I had already seen Morning Musume (that one is possibly nsfw) in the context of this little Ringu themed prank. If you not seen Ringu all I can say is these ex-talent show contestants are being very good sports. Shame I cannot find samples of the music anywhere.
The "tryst" at issue was for a 22-year old woman to be "captured on camera simply getting into a car and walking alongside her boyfriend, an actor called Shun Oguri." The scandal! At least Mari Yaguchi may now pursue a solo career. Shun Oguri's career does not seem to have been called into question despite his obvious propensity for dodgy New Romantic cosmetics.
A guide to J-pop for the perplexed.
The site has lots and lots (and lots) of clips for anyone unfamiliar with the syrupy goodness that is Japanese pop music. It isn't all bubblegum and happy bunnies though. Oh, no.
Jordon Bratman asked "celebrity jeweller" Stephen Webster for a last minute change to the $114,000 engagement ring he had bought for Christina Aguilera. Because she was wearing pink nail polish.
While already familiar to SuicideGirls readers, corset piercings are still quite fashion forward.
A friend of mine commented that Brian Herbert needed to be killed before he could entirely ruin the legacy of his brilliant father, Frank Herbert. Yes, hyperbole and so forth. Now, we do not condone murder here at the Flea - even on aesthetic grounds - but I am confident my friend would offer much the same opinion about a series of "Young Bond" children's books being cranked out at the behest of Ian Fleming's family. The very idea is abomination.
"Fétish: An object to which one attributes magical and beneficial powers, leading to a safe and comfortable lifestyle."
A Venturi Fétish, the first production electric sports car, would make a fine Fleamobile. Though the choice of "safe" and "comfortable" seems an odd marketing strategy. Perhaps something is lost in translation.
Because what's the point of having dreams if you are not going to make them happen? This is is better known as the "Honda balloon ad" or "Honda balloon commercial" to all you search engines out there.
Update: And while we are on the subject of Japanese ads that rule I present this aloe jelly product. I do not know what it is but I am pretty sure I need it to fuel my jungle-gym themed summer vacation plans.
Update: Pocky... slightly unsettling.
Myrick paints a depressing picture of the Chinese auto industry. Increases in steel prices and lending rates have dealt a harsh blow.
I had somehow missed Gwen Stefani's fashion line, L.A.M.B. This cocktail dress for Spring '05 is impressive. L.A.M.B. also offers a line of accessories and, via No Doubt Web, is the news that L.A.M.B. footwear is on the way.
"'Paris Hilton Sheer' is very sophisticated and sexy and hot and it smells so good and guys love it."
Paris Hilton launches Sheer, her new fragrance, in Tokyo.
wom·an is a slide show by Esther G. This is breath-taking (via Yummy Wamkame).
Update: Here is Esther G's blog, The bell jar.
Now is the time at the Flea when we dance.*
*It might be best to right-click and save this one.
Love Letter to Condi. Time to wave a lighter back and forth over your head.
Original creations from Project Runway are to be auctioned and the proceeds donated to Dress for Success, a "not for profit organization that provides interview suits, confidence boosts and career development to job seeking low-income women." Learn how a suit can make a difference in a woman's life.
Loving the look of the new gateway to Narnia but the content has got a way to go for the wardrobe to work properly. The "about the movie" summary claims there are a thousand tales in Narnia but the "first" that is "about to be told" looks like a stripped down version of books one and five. As ever, is it too much to expect the folks writing copy to have read the books on which their films are based. We shall see how Disney does when they have finished the site.