The Child Killing "Prophet" & The Burqini Incident

Convicted Child-Killer Says He's a Prophet
In Palm Springs, California, a convicted child killer now accused of abducting and killing a 10-year-old boy denies he's mentally ill and believes he's a prophet. Joseph Edward Duncan III said he received a divine communication as he was about to strangle an 8-year-old girl. According to Duncan, she looked up and said, "I forgive you", which he naturally assumed "must be a message from God". Fortunately, Duncan spared her life. Since that revelation, Duncan no longer wants to hurt anybody. However, he now also believes that his version of the truth is the same truth that was told by Ghandi, Jesus and John Lennon (!?). Duncan has already been sentenced to death for the kidnapping, torture and murder of a 9-year-old boy (which he also videotaped). He was also sentenced to life for kidnapping and molesting the boy's 8-year-old sister and for killing the children's 13-year-old brother, their mother and her finance at the family's home.


Angry Guy Threatens Arlen Specter with God's Wrath
In Lebanon, Pennsylvania, a town hall meeting got heated yesterday when a disgruntled attendee started screaming and hollering at Democratic Senator Arlen Specter, implying he is puppeteered by rich lobbyists. Halfway through his diatribe, the shouting man (and possible FOX News viewer) suddenly threatened Specter with divine retribution: "One day, God's gonna stand before you," he said. "And he's gonna judge you and the rest of your damn cronies up on the Hill -- and then you will get your just desserts." The invocation of an angry God provoked a smattering of applause. I'm sure we'll hear more from this guy on upcoming installments of Hannity.


Mormon Was on Mission From God to Save Aung San Suu Kyi
In Myanmar, a Mormon man from Missouri has been sentenced to seven years of hard labor for sneaking onto the lakeside compound of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Believing he was on a mission from God, John William Yettaw, 53, swam across a lake using homemade flippers to reach Suu Kyi's residence back in May. His explanation? He had a "vision" that she would be assassinated. Additionally, Yettaw wanted Suu Kyi "to know about God, to read the Bible, and to listen to sermons," according to a woman who knew him. The way-too-gracious (and very much alive) Suu Kyi allowed the wacko to stay for two nights.


Teen Threatened with Honor Killing For Converting to Christianity
An Ohio teen who secretly converted from Islam to Christianity has fled to Flora because she claims her father threatened her with an "honor killing" for her apostasy. Fathima Rifqa Bary, 17, secretly converted to Christianity four years ago after sneaking out to an area church (I guess there wasn't much to do in her neighborhood) and having an "incredible encounter with Jesus". After posting the spiritual meeting on her Facebook page, her father found out and allegedly threatened to kill her. Scared for her life, she ran off to Florida to seek refuge with a husband and wife pastor team she met on Facebook. Bary's father has made several futile attempts to get his daughter back while a Florida court has decided to place her in foster care until her claims can be investigated. In all fairness, I don't know how serious the father's threats are but this girl's conversion and the events that followed reeks of a classic cult-conversion. However, I'm not surprised that it's spun in such a fashion that it sounds like a story of courage, inspiration and evil Muslims. Meanwhile, I also continue to be baffled at how a person can one day decide their current religion is a load of crap but the other one down the street --which is equally preposterious-- is the real deal.


And finally...The Burqini!?!?
No, the woman on the left isn't a Navy Seal or trying to look like Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe. Instead, she is dressed in a "burqini", a burqa-inspired garb designed for Muslim women who want to swim without revealing their bodies -- which, as we all know, inevitably leads to enticing men and getting a well-deserved rape. Anyhow, the burqini is causing quite a stir in Paris right now as a swimming pool there has refused entry to a young Muslim woman dressed in one. The ban came as French officials are in the midst of conducting hearings on whether or not to ban the burqa. Nevertheless, the unhappy swimmer, a French convert to Islam, is incensed and she is taking her case to court. "Quite simply, this is segregation," a paper quoted her as saying. "I will fight to try to change things. And if I see that the battle is lost, I cannot rule out leaving France."