The Courage Campaign has released a moving new video called “Fidelity”, asking the California Supreme Court not to divorce the 18,000 same-sex couples who were married before the passage of Proposition 8. Leading the effort to invalidate those marriages is Pepperdine University’s Ken Starr. Yes, the same Ken Starr whose investigation eventually led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

Visit the Courage Campaign and send a message to the California Supreme Court asking them to invalidate Prop 8 and reject Ken Starr’s case.

It’s amazing the lengths some religious types will go to convert people to their flock, even calling up the employees of Circuit City who are shepherding the store through its final days.

Below is one such exchange (it’s a big long, but worth the read):

See, for some reason some folks seem to love bragging about God, being one of the folks who have to call people you’d be amazed how many voice mail boxes you get with people going “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good”, or “God loves you!”, or and I shit you not, the voice mailbox plays some Christian style music, used to drive me nuts! So, on one of my last day at the store I decide to work the front register and this one lady calls up the store and I happily pickup the phone

Me: “Thank you for calling Circuit City, how can I help you today?”
Her: “Yeah, I wanted to know what the discounts were at now on laptops?”
M: “They’re 10%”
H: “But the sign says 30% outside?”
M: “Up to 30%, laptops are still 10%”
H: “Oh, is it true you guys are going out of business?”
M: “Yes man”
H: “Wow, you guys have been around for ever
M: “Yeah, #2 consumer electronics retail store and we’re forced to close our doors because the economy failed us and now 34,000 employees are without jobs, all because people didn’t wanna go out and spend money to we could keep operating.”
H: “Wow, that’s terrible what’s your name?
M: “Ted”
H: “Well Ted, are you a Christian?”

Now, like I said above, it’s not so much a bad customer, so much as an example of policies going out the window. There I am on the phone with a lady who, while polite and all, was about to do something I did not want to deal with on my last day. She was about to preach to me about how God does things for a reason, and God has a plan, blah, blah, I have no interest in listening to this, customer like this drive me nuts. Really, God made Circuit City fail so that 34,000 other people could lose their jobs, among other companies doing lay offs and such. While I am Christian, I was not in the mood for this. I hung up on her. Wow, that was rude of me, probably one of the worst things I’ve done in retail, especially to a customer who was trying to be polite and caring and what not, I just had no interest in hearing it. So I stand at the register for a couple moments and the phone rings again, so I decide to try something slightly different, so in as thick a Russian accent as I can put on I answer the phone.

M: “Zank you for callink Zirkuit Zity, how kan I help you?”
H: “Hi, I was just talking to Ted a moment ago”
M: “Zorry ma’am but Ted valked avay, how kan I help you?
H: “I wanted to know if Toshibas were on sale?”
M: “Yez ma’am, Toshibas are all 10% off, as are all laptops”
H: “Ok, well I know it’s you Ted and I just wanted to mention that you’re an asshole”

Uh oh, the gig is up

M: “Alright, thanks ma’am buh bye!”

And hang up again. For a christian about to preach to me she sure didn’t mind calling me an asshole, while probably not the story you were expecting I want you to play that out in your head and tell me that’s not hilarious. The way she said it “I know it’s you Ted”, man it was awesome. Prime example of the rule book being tossed. I actually used the name Ted too, every person I talk to finds the story funny cause she was like “I know it’s you Ted”.

Nice zinger at the end, and how very Christian of them.

More stories from Circuit City employees at Gizmodo.

Iraqi woman Samira Jassim confessed to organizing the rape of more than 80 women, and then convinced them to be suicide bombers to escape their shame.

28 times.

People do the most horrible things because their “belief system” demands it… and this is the worst I’ve heard in a very long time. Put succinctly by PZ Meyers over at Pharyngula, “This is where a pathologically religious culture can end up: with parasites like this who exploit the fear and hatred to create more fear and hatred.”

Full story.

Need a cologne matched only by your overly dramatic acting? Spray on a little Tiberius! In need of a fragrance that ripens your sex appeal every 7 years? Try a little Pon Farr! Tired of being abandoned and left for dead after every encounter? Then give Red Shirt a try!

I kid you not.

As a part of the the promotion for the new film, GenkiWear LLC is developing three new colognes called Tiberius, Pon Farr and Red Shirt, celebrating the original Star Trek series.

And the merchandising madness doesn’t stop there.

Hopefully they aren’t planning Saurian brandy flavored lollipops. Then again, put me in for a box 🙂