The Menifee Union School District in California recently pulled all copies of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary from their shelves and is investigating what they consider “age-inappropriate” words. The controversy began when a student thumbing through ”oralism” and “orang” in the dictionary, found the recent entry “oral sex“. A parent complained to the school district after the child read the definition: “oral stimulation of the genitals.” (And how).
The school district is now forming a committee composed of principals, teachers and parents to determine whether the 470,000 entries are suitable for children. Free speech advocates (and sane people), worry that this is “needless and harmful censorship”. Seriously, why don’t you take a look at the Bible and let me know if the stories of rape, pillage, murder and the like are suitable for children? Or for that matter, check out one of any classically gruesome Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales.
The Executive Director of the California First Amendment Coalition stated, “If a public school were to remove every book because it contains one word deemed objectionable to some parent, then there would be no books at all in our public libraries. I think common sense seems to be lacking in this school.” Obvi. The school district might settle for trading the collegiate editions for Merriam-Webster’s Children’s Dictionary. (I’m sure the pictures are lovely.)
To read the complete article, click here.
Literal Nutcase Cuts Off His Own Testicles
For one man, true love means cutting off your balls for no particular reason. One seriously disturbed farmer cut off his testicles with a razor blade and sewed up the wound with thread in order to remain faithful to his wife. Apparently the farmer and his wife haven’t had sex in some time. Fearing that he might stray, he commented that,
“I did it because I haven’t had intimate contact with my wife in six years and because of my Christian beliefs, I took a razor blade and cut off my testicle. I sewed up [the wound] with needle and thread that I use on cows and pigs, so that I wouldn’t cheat on my wife.”
He then justified his actions by quoting the Gospel of St Matthew, Chapter 18, verses 8 and 9:
“Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.”
(I’d just like to point out for the record that no where in the text does it even mention a single testicle.) The farmer was hospitalized two days later when the damaged area became infected and doctors had to remove a blood clot from the remains of the man’s testicles.
