Versus?
It's kind of unfortunate that the title of the piece sets up a false dichotomy—since what we're expecting it to do is evaluate and compare the overall product, a kind of racialized apples and oranges game—when in fact it's what comes after the colon that matters: different approaches to niche marketing. I…

Some posts are for you and some are for me.

"A flaming pink queer apocalypse"

"Counter-protesting them, on the other hand, is one of the stupidest responses someone could have"

It is indeed wrong of them to protest at any funeral—but I think the best way to handle that is like this:

My favorite bliblical name is Nimrod.

More arguments for the assertion that people's Free Speech often undermines them.

For the record:

Edmond, you just made my day.

That's faulty reasoning. But it's not ignorant.

I think you underestimate people like this at your own peril. It's easy enough to dismiss them as ignorant hicks, because after all, anyone with the same basic amount of education or experience we have must surely come to same conclusions we have, right?

I knew a Jael in college. She was not Jewish but her family was…shall we say…rustic? Charismatic Christians know the Old Testament too.

Actually, I need to correct myself—They are not ignorant. They are not backward. That's what scares me about them. And Ape—the truth is that they probably do know their scripture well enough to select exactly those parts that suit them—As Antonio says in the Merchant of Venice:

As I hinted at elsewhere—they're not antiquated, stupid or ignorant. Just Evil.

Linda Hunt.

Among other things, I think they are certainly wrong about how to win a public relations battle.

Are there really no other pictures of Kevin Smith?
I don't care enough to look into it, but I heard somewhere—NPR most likely—that the core of the Westboro Baptist Church people are surprisingly sophisticated for backward, spite-filled, unfeeling hate mongers. Which is to say that they study First Amendment precedents…

Oh?
So the Squid has a name now?

Why So Short?
I was hoping for at least two pages of his take on everything. I mean—this is great and everything, and I certainly wouldn't want to seem ungrateful. But on my short list of celebrities I'd actually want to hang out with and talk to at length, David Johansen is pretty high up. I know he's got stories.

Not so long ago
Someone was complaining that new Criterion titles weren't showing up on Netflix streaming and I just want to say that 'Santa Sangre' did show up and not more than a few days later. So patience will be rewarded.