Lesson Learned

Well, now that the Botox convention in Minnesota is over, I think it's safe to say I learned at least one thing: the Bible belt that most people imagine running around the southern US is more like a Bible harness: it runs down and across, all the way to Alaska. Or perhaps, a Bible safety belt. A safety belt that allows the bearer to indulge in all kinds of reckless behavior: starting unprovoked wars; damaging the environment; abusing the "poor in spirit" with well-crafted, if empty slogans like "country first" and "more money in your pockets" - how are these two even compatible?; denying and ignoring scientific truths; denying and ignoring truths about human nature (abstinence only sex ed); all with the thought that ultimately the Bible safety belt will somehow, miraculously, save said bearer.