Spaghetti Strainer Helmet Driver's License Photo Approved On Religious Grounds (immortal.org)
PolygamousRanchKid writes with the news (widely reported, here an excerpt from the story as carried by Immortal News) that [i]n the Massachusetts city of Lowell, a woman identifying herself as a follower of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM), otherwise known as Pastafarianism, has been approved by the state's Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) to wear a spaghetti strainer on top of her head in her state issued driver's ID. The approval to wear the helmet was initially denied. However, citing religious grounds, Lowell resident Lindsay Miller filed an appeal. Following intervention by the American Humanist Association's Appignani Humanist Legal Center, the RMV reversed their decision and allowed her to put on her colander and get her driver's license picture taken. According to the church's website, while there are those who perceive the religion to be satirical in nature, it "doesn't change the fact that by any standard one can come up with" the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is "as legitimate as any other" religion.
Asks PolygamousRanchKid: "Now what about my tinfoil hat . . . ?"
Sometimes I beat off
Hands on mouse and dick, click click
Mom knocks, fuck off bitch!
Reforge the Fourth International! America stinks ans Slashdort stinks really bad!
UNITE with the Campaign for a Free Internet because today, our future begins with tomorrow!
But its okay, they have never felt the manifold love of pasta.
The pasta strainer is obviously an atheist symbol.
If my Muslim wife went to the DMV wearing a burka would she be afforded the same rights? I doubt it.
A similar case happened recently in Canada. The courts denied a man's right to wear a colander in a government ID photo.
Why?
The official verdict stated that nowhere in Pastafarian dogma does it say that adherents must wear a colander at all times. Seems pretty reasonable to me.
If a tax evation group makes a billion and a half dollars on the idea that depression is caused by the souls of aliens tormenting the world than some crap like the spaghetti monster is not really surprising.
If the religion is sincerely held, accommodation should be made. However a DMV cannot possible evaluate the sincerity. It seems that the correct approach is to allow the photo. Later if the person gets stopped for a traffic violation and isn't wearing their spaghetti strainer, that should be grounds to investigate and charge them with fraud if it were a sham.
I don't know if making fun of a delusion is worth looking like a dork on your driver's license.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Now she'll have *no chance* at talking herself out of a ticket when a cop pulls her over and looks at her drivers license.
A guy in British Columbia went through that "ordeal" a little while back.
Great interview here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ajGaIUdboA
And another I found of him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-HlcqQK8Oc
What if a woman walked into the DMV wearing a burkah, with only her eyes showing through two very thin slits?
as long as she is required to wear the colander at all times. Otherwise this would just be silly.
The rule to allow head wear for religious reasons is stupid, and I can appreciate this stunt as an attempt to protest against it. If your religion doesn't allow you to have your picture taken without head wear, then you can't drive. Tough titties. The "no head wear" rule has a purpose, and just because you believe in imaginary things doesn't mean you get to work around that purpose. Alternatively we could agree that forbidding head wear really serves no purpose as long as the person is clearly identifiable from the picture, but then everybody should be allowed to wear a hat, not just religious people.
. . .Somebody's off their meds!!!
so devote panty-raiders can wear silk lace panties on their head for picture?
As some religions..
In fact, taking the whole FSM idea seriously, and trying to espouse it as if it were a real religion completely undermines the point that Bobby Henderson was trying to make about teaching intelligent design in classrooms in the first place, using the idea of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as a vehicle to achieve his ends.
Wanting to make fun of other people's religions and laugh at them for being superstitious is one thing, and not wanting to have intelligent design taught in schools is fine, but then turning around and calling that whole idea a religion of its own that deserves to be taken seriously by society seems nothing less than self-defeating.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Just stupid atheists that think their smug ham-fisted take on religion qualifies as satire. The Westboro Baptist Church is more caustically satirical than these spaghetti strainer wearing idiots.
Plus, you never know when you're going to need to strain some spaghetti.
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
What if they were arrested and needed to be photographed, would the law require to wait until a strainer is available else face religious backlashes? Would the culprits be required to have strainers available at all time? And if there are non available, would the culprits get away with the crime?
Later if the person gets stopped for a traffic violation and isn't wearing their spaghetti strainer, that should be grounds to investigate and charge them with fraud if it were a sham.
And why is this? Why should the DMV care, why should the police be on the lookout for this, and why should society embroil someone's life in the legal system over something that has no effect on anyone, whatsoever?
People seem to think that we need to uphold some sort of justice against the *intent* of some rule or another(*).
Why bother? Can't we just let little things go?
(*) The one that comes to mind first is the "If you can't be bothered to vote, you can't comment on the voting proceedings", but there are others. People seem caught up in enforcing some sort of "just universe", and take it to absurd extremes.
This is just another thinly veiled attack on Christianity and other religions. As a Christian I find this offensive, but I expect no one cares since I'm also a white male.
The Church of the Flying Spaghetti monster is for children. The Church of the Sub-genius is where it's at.
Not of the religious kind.
Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
There are two reasons. Because if you commit fraud, you should be prosecuted for fraud. That's pretty easy to understand.
And here I thought we prosecuted fraud because of the damage it does to others.
You can't sue someone unless you can show damages. Shouldn't the legal system work the same way?
Are we to completely circumscribe behaviour now, prosecuting things that have no effect on others whatsoever, based on a petty definition?
really, this sadly tired old joke is still making the rounds? At least folks claiming to be a jedi are FUNNY ... ... ... its at least relevant as an elder gawd!
FSM wasn't ever particularly funny and now its just like unimaginative people have snapped it up by the pound
go back to chthulu
"while there are those who perceive the religion to be satirical in nature, it "doesn't change the fact that by any standard one can come up with" the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is "as legitimate as any other" religion"
It is not the same, it doesn't have 2000+ years of tradition behind it, which should be what the definition is. At least then we can get rid of mormons, JWs, and other modern wackiness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
more cowbell
"If you or your religion cannot withstand parody, then you and/or your religion is weak."
So, I guess the atheists who cannot tolerate Christianity or Judaism have a weak belief system. Furthermore, by your reasoning, the Christians who've allowed their fish symbol to be abused by Darwinists, one of their most-famous paintings to be endlessly mocked and converted into a spaghetti god, and their rainbow flag to be stolen and desecrated by homosexual activists must have the strongest belief system...
Muslim political manipulations of weak-minded liberals aside, when talking about all these things we are not discussing race/ethnicity but rather voluntarily-chosen belief systems.
Islam is not a race. Christianity is not a race. Hinduism and Pastafarianism are not about race. These things are all about the beliefs people choose to hold.... and, yes, that applies to atheism as well, unless somebody has absolute proof of the non-existence of any/all gods, godesses, demigods, demons, angels etc claimed or postulated by any belief system. Agnosticism gets off the hook here because it's really more of a claim of skepticism rather than positive belief in something unseen or unproven. The atheist (or "A-Theist" for those less-educated and in need of a clue) is standing on the claim of NO God which is an unprovable, and therefore by-definition unproven, position every bit as unproven as the wackiest claim by the craziest religious nut or UFO-alien-hugger.
Former porn star Asia Lemon (aka Asia Carrera) did this in Utah back in 2014.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
Out in Utah, former porn star Asia Carerra-Lemmon did it LAST YEAR!!
http://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/local/2014/11/16/church-flying-spaghetti-monster-pastafarian-makes-statement/19123337/
Oh wait, it's news because it's is Mass-a-fuckin-chusets, not some backwards state out west...
"And a great many people find Christianity and other religions offensive, and consider them to be a thinly veiled attack on rationality.
Only a completely ignorant-of-history moron would believe that, which unfortunately includes many people in college these days. Most of the giants of science were Christians and many were Jews.
Example #1: the Earth-centered universe was NOT a Biblical teaching (it's not in the Bible). The Earth-centered universe model was an ancient Greek, and as close to secular science as one could get back then. This bad idea was later embraced by one foolish Pope who was probably trying to convince people he was hip to secular ideas (like the current Pope on global warming) but NEVER by the rest of Christianity and it was a Christian you might have heard of named Copernicus who destroyed it. Had the geocentric model been created by a Pope, it would have been named for him like the Gregorian Calendar (named for Pope Gregory) which we all still use today. As it is, the geocentric model is invalid and we all accept the heliocentric model also known as the "Copernican model" named after that Christian guy Copernicus.
Example #2: Calculus and the Laws of gravity - brought to you by that world-famous CHRISTIAN named Sir Isaac Newton, without whom we might all still think things fall down "because down is where they belong".
I find that most people who think themselves rational and wise as they pontificate on the ignorance of Christians, are remarkably ignorant about what's actually in the Bible, what the actual beliefs of Christianity are, and the history of modern science. You might want to learn a bit more before further embarrassing yourself.
This is just another thinly veiled attack on Christianity and other religions. As a Christian I find this offensive, but I expect no one cares since I'm also a white male.
I care very much and I say; FUCK YOU! You have no right to not be offended.
Your position indicates that you regard Christianity and the only allowable or acceptable religion. That it should be some right that no one else offend you and your selfish beliefs. Fuck you!
No one mentioned Christianity, God, Jesus or you. You have no justification for being offended and you have no right to not be offended. This is a suit about a driver's license picture and a completely other religion. It had nothing at all to do with Christianity, until you chose to make it about your own self-centeredness.
Pastafarian is about mocking all religions in general. It is a belief system, and therefore a religion, whose central tenet is that the belief in omnipotent magical beings is illogical and absurd. Your resentment of Pastafarianism is as unacceptable as Muslims and their insistence that no one create images of the prophet Mohammed.
Do you think that American Indians smoking peyote, taking spirit journeys and worshiping a Great Spirit and totems is ridiculous? To the Pastafarian and atheists and agnostics, worshiping God and the totem(Jesus on the cross) is exactly the same. Exactly the same.
But, what you completely fail to understand is that you would have Pastafarianism outlawed, banned, negated, stifled while they are making absolutely no such attempts on your own bizarre primitive rituals. They are simply saying that they feel that if you get special treatment, then they should too, because your system is as absurd to them as theirs is to you.
This is my issue with all religions except possibly Buddism and Sikhism. They all try to convert or persecute non-believers, especially Christianity and Islam. It's their way or eternal damnation. Meanwhile the atheists are very reasonably saying, that's not for me and I don't think that your sky fairy should entitle you to any more than I am entitled to.
It's not part of Islam. It's a SOCIAL or CULTURAL garb, NOT a religious one.
Funny how "your missus" is a Muslim, but you don't appear to know what the hell her religion actually says. And she seems equally clueless, or deliberately misleading you.
But go check yourself.
Where is the Islamic text that says she has to wear it? And why do so many not?
Furthermore...what percentage of Christians (or practicing members of other faiths) do you assume find this offensive. Do you presume to speak for all of them? Because otherwise you might be right to assume that no on cares regardless of your religion or the color of your skin. An important part of a modern society is the ability to peacefully coexist within a group with dissimilar beliefs. If your outlook is so threatened by a person wearing a colander, or a cartoon, or a editorial, or a different religion, perhaps you should more closely examine your own beliefs.
Quack, quack.
Stupid people should not be driving anyway!!!!
Anyone can pray to a god they believe in, but praying to a god you DON'T believe in is true devotion.
All Pastafarians are just smug atheists that think their ham-fisted take on religion qualifies as satire. The Westboro Baptist Church is more caustically satirical than these spaghetti strainer wearing idiots.
See the comment subject. Lindsay, girl, this is really ill-advised. Not only to you make yourself look like a f*ucking idiot, but you are insulting religion. Which is a dumb thing to do considering how many -millions- of people take this stuff seriously. Like maybe the cop who pulls you over for a busted tail-light and decides to throw in an extra $300 speeding ticket (37 in a 35 zone) just because she goes to Mass every week and doesn't get the joke that you're a Pastafarian.
Plus this driver's license is a legal document. It's not the proper place for this shit.
Grow up, girl, Get a cute boyfriend to hump your brains out on a regular basis and you won't feel the need to go around with a fucking pot on your head.
You're not getting it. This case (the colander on the head) is pointing out the absurdity of "god makes me wear this" headware generally.
Dude, if no one thought "god wants me to cut off the end of my dick" was absurd, this one won't even get noticed.
'it "doesn't change the fact that by any standard one can come up with" the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is "as legitimate as any other" religion.'
Challenge accepted.
Was your religion invented in living memory such that it's un-authenticity can be verified?
I believe Scientology and Pastafarianism both meet this criteria. Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism don't.
Of course it doesn't make the latter mentioned religions "true", only non-verifiable, whereas recent religions are verifiably "false" - making them not "as legitimate".
(they did say "any standard"...)
R'Amen!
My first one looked like I had a beard - I didn't back then, it's was just really bad lighting at the DMV. (And one of my recent DLs said I needed to be wearing glasses - I don't need them for distance, and didn't use them for the eye test, but I put them back on to read the forms.)
What you really need as a driver's license photo is one that shows you looking like you're extremely tired and someone's shining a flashlight in your face, because that's how a cop will really see you. If that includes wearing a colander on your head, then go for it.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Maybe you're smiling because you got through the line at the driver's license bureau in less than two hours. But they want a photo that looks like you do when a cop pulls you over and shines a flashlight in your face.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
The reason people think they're crazy is that aluminum foil hats don't work - they need to be Real Tin.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
I'm a Christian, and Pastafarianism is mocking aspects of people who share my general corner of the religious world, and I'm just fine with that. Not only do some of my fellow believers sometimes act in ways that deserve mocking, we often do it ourselves (at least friendly mocking.) And more importantly, by doing things like this, Pastafarians are protecting other minority religious beliefs and practices. The US Army still hasn't quite figured out how to cope with Sikhs wearing turbans (and sometimes they even have trouble with Orthodox Jews, even army chaplains, because they violate critical military doctrines about gentlemen not wearing hats indoors), the TSA harassed them because they're different even before they decided to start harassing other hat-wearers, schools don't let students wear head-scarves (or mini-skirts) because that's Not How Proper American Girls Dress, Muslim-hating idiots beat up Sikhs, the list goes on.
I attended Quaker meetings for a few years, and we'd occasionally get the question about those hats the oatmeal-box guy wears. Quakerism came from England, where it's beastly cold and rainy and Anglos are prone to male pattern baldness, and moved to Pennsylvania and New England where it's also beastly cold and rainy much of the year, and many of them believed in wearing plain durable clothing instead of wearing flashy stuff to draw attention to themselves. But English social custom and legal practice was big on forcing lower-class people to acknowledge the importance of higher-class people, and taking off hats to your betters (especially government officials and nobility) was a big part of that, and Quakerism believes very radically in equality, so Quakers would often get thrown in jail for not taking off their hats around their betters. I wear hats to keep my head warm (as an Anglo who went bald early), and when my beard was longer I could pass for Orthodox if I was wearing a dark suit and a hat.
Back when the TSA were new, they didn't make people take off hats or coats in security lines, but out here at San Jose airport, the main people who wore them were Mexicans wearing cowboy hats heading down to Mexico, and the TSA were the white guys who'd replaced the previous mostly-immigrant screeners, and they decided to make a local rule telling the Mexicans to take their hats off. My first reaction was "if they tried this at LaGuardia the Hasidim would been in the mayor's office in an hour telling him to fire the bigot who thought up that nonsense", but as a Quaker I felt I ought to argue with them because they're clearly just doing it to bully people, and I was successful at making it difficult for them to avoid the bigotry issue for a while.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
You're clueless. Try reading the Bible some time, dumb ass.
Don't care about demanding a single standard, reasonable enough on the surface claims, boondoggle away.
More concerned about legal aid going where it's needed. Particularly in today's world of arbitrary enforcement and arbitrary judgement. Particularly when those who aren't Our Betters have shit support and shit access.
"NOD32 detects a trojan in APK's HOSTS bullshit." - by Khyber (864651) on Saturday August 22, 2015 @01:02PM (#50370415)
VirusTotal & NOD32 SHOW CLEAN IN ITS EXES
https://www.virustotal.com/en/...
&
https://www.virustotal.com/en/...
There's only 2 exe's & 5 text files in it - The exe's are proven clean above in 2 links from VirusTotal & installer's a SFX rar (keeps it 2mb smaller) - that's NO virus per VIRSCAN http://f.virscan.org/APKHostsF...
(Unless YOU know way that .txt files are "viruses")
---
"he's tying to get your fucking information." - by Khyber (864651) on Saturday August 22, 2015 @01:02PM (#50370415)
My program doesn't transmit outward ONLY intake of data from 10 reputable security community sources!
---
"APK is apparently too fucking stupid to do this at the ROUTER level where it's most effective" - by Khyber (864651) on Saturday August 22, 2015 @01:02PM (#50370415)
You believe in "eggshell security" which fails-> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2...
COMPETENT NETWORK ADMINS DO MORE THAN PERIMETER SECURITY @ ROUTER LEVEL - they get bushwhacked ALL THE TIME in DNS hijacks!
(Right down to endpoints level in PC workstations also using tools you already have in hosts + firewalls (vs. "piling on 'MOAR'" that's inefficient & not as effective in slower usermode browser addons)).
APK
P.S.=> "EAT YOUR WORDS"... apk
since i don't like stray hair in my food, often problematic when using my sacred coliander
...we can't have nice things. There's always someone out there that just has to be an idiot. *Facepalm*
Just so you can look like a jackass on your driver's License.
And here I thought this was just some idiot thinking she was clever and ever-so-quirky by using defense of religion to get around the rules for having a goofy picture taken for her driver's license.
I'm not quick to call someone an idiot, but if you're going to make a legal case for trying to get a government-issued ID photo done by wearing a colander on your head, it's because you're a bored idiot who can't come up with better things to do with your time besides clogging up the legal system with your petty need to be special.
Now, I'm no religious expert, since I don't follow any one of them, and I don't know the reasons that evolved for wearing a hat for religious purposes, but, much like the Quaker example posted elsewhere on this page, I'm willing to extend the notion that there's a practical reason built from thousands of years of tradition for it. Not that I agree with wearing the hat for the specific purpose of the photo (law >>>>> religion), BUT, if you're going to go around wearing a colander on your head, it doesn't matter what the reason is, I'm going to call you an attention-seeking drama-whoring idiot, no matter what pseduo-intellectual and/or obscurel logical reason you might give.
This woman should not have even been given a driver's license at all.
Some people don't believe in fairies. I don't believe in The Patriarchy.
As Robert A. Heinlein said "“Look, Ben, a roller skating rink is a church—as long as some sect claims that roller skating is essential to their faith and a part of their worship. You wouldn’t even have to go that far—simply claim that roller skating served a desirable though not essential function parallel to that which religious music serves in most churches. If you can sing to the glory of God, you can skate to the same end. Believe me, this has all been threshed out. There are temples in Malaya which are nothing—to an outsider—but boarding houses for snakes . . . but the same High Court rules them to be ‘churches’ as protects our own sects.”
how could i be the first to realize this?
This is such bullshit. If they do like my state, NO headwear is allowed on your license photo! Somebody always has to be a dick....
As long as the picture is still useful as identification, I don't care. It is when you have a mask or covering over your face, so you cannot be identified, that it should be a problem. If the strainer went over the face, that should not be allowed.
Just how exactly is a spaghetti strainer on your head rational? If anything it's a symbol of intolerance.
Believing in Pastafarianismis is not worse or better than any other religion. Are not all religions based in a nutshell on word of mouth or stories written down by numerous people with different end goals over hundreds of years?
Asia Carrera, who used to be fairly known in the Unreal Tournament and Quakecon communities (not to mention porn), did this over a year ago. http://www.usatoday.com/story/...
you had no rational response.
got it.
the real thing is.... I would expect people to think my ID is fake if I have a picture with a strainer on my head.
But don't try to make me wear it, I'm not interested in following your beliefs.
If I need to as part of my official position identify you, I will respectfully ask that you allow me to do that. That may require you removing a piece of clothing (burka, niqab, etc) so that I can see your face. If you object to doing this in public, then I would respectfully ask if you would allow it to be done in private, again only to confirm your identity. All efforts will be made to accomodate your beliefs, as long as everyone is treated with respect.
Long live the IPU!
"NOD32 detects a trojan in APK's HOSTS bullshit." - by Khyber (864651) on Saturday August 22, 2015 @01:02PM (#50370415)
VirusTotal & NOD32 SHOW CLEAN IN ITS EXES
https://www.virustotal.com/en/...
&
https://www.virustotal.com/en/...
There's only 2 exe's & 5 text files in it - The exe's are proven clean above in 2 links from VirusTotal & installer's a SFX rar (keeps it 2mb smaller) - that's NO virus per VIRSCAN http://f.virscan.org/APKHostsF...
(Unless YOU know way that .txt files are "viruses")
---
"he's tying to get your fucking information." - by Khyber (864651) on Saturday August 22, 2015 @01:02PM (#50370415)
My program doesn't transmit outward ONLY intake of data from 10 reputable security community sources!
---
"APK is apparently too fucking stupid to do this at the ROUTER level where it's most effective" - by Khyber (864651) on Saturday August 22, 2015 @01:02PM (#50370415)
You believe in "eggshell security" which fails-> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2...
COMPETENT NETWORK ADMINS DO MORE THAN PERIMETER SECURITY @ ROUTER LEVEL - they get bushwhacked ALL THE TIME in DNS hijacks!
(Right down to endpoints level in PC workstations also using tools you already have in hosts + firewalls (vs. "piling on 'MOAR'" that's inefficient & not as effective in slower usermode browser addons)).
APK
P.S.=> "EAT YOUR WORDS"... apk
"I know HOSTs is fucking useless in the first place" - by Khyber (864651) on Thursday October 29, 2015 @10:13AM (#50824745)
See subject: Aryeh Goretsky NOD32/ESET says hosts = good security-> http://it.slashdot.org/comment...
Oliver Day (Symantec) does-> http://www.securityfocus.com/c...
MalwareBytes' hpHosts hosts & recommends my APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-2 32/64-bit-> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl...
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"his hosts program is actually pretty good" - by xenotransplant (4179011) on Monday August 10, 2015 @03:34PM (#50287195)
"I like your host file system." - by Karmashock (2415832) on Wednesday September 09, 2015 @03:57PM (#50489401)
"APK is kinda right... I've given up on JS based adblocking and gone to blackholing in /etc/hosts, just like it was back in the 90s. The computational load has gotten intolerable for any ad-blocking using JS. I've tried his hosts file generating software. It works." - by bmo (77928) on Thursday October 15, 2015 @11:30AM (#50736071)
"Actually, APK is totally right on this count. Adblock Plus on Firefox mobile is a dog on older, or lower end, phones. A hostfile based adblocker makes for a much better experience in this context. Of course, your phone has to be rooted, which isn't the case with Firefox + adblock." - by chihowa (366380) on Saturday May 16, 2015 @11:40AM (#49705641)
"his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources" by alexgieg (948359) on Friday September 25, 2015 @09:57AM (#50596461)
---
Plus you're outnumbered by your peers on /. as shown as to my program + hosts efficacy as well as noted security pros above also... YOU FAIL as always.
APK
P.S.=> Khyber - you fail again, lol!
...apk
How are they doing with 'not paying taxes' like all the other religious groups?