Good ol’ Jonesville Church of God. It looks like Pastor Roger Byrd realized that just maybe people might take some offense to linking a presidential candidates last name to that of a terrorist’s first name. Especially as a religiously endorsed effort to “stir people’s minds,” which sounds more like a scene in a bad horror flick.

The WYFF4.com story about the sign was viewed more than a quarter million times by users across the country. Hundreds of negative comments regarding the sign were posted online. On Tuesday, Byrd apparently decided the wording on the sign should be replaced.

The sign is now back to the very typical threatening you with eternal damnation, but in a lighthearted way slogan you’d normally expect from the Southern church. Nice decision, dumb-ass.

Shrimp and Grits made a good point that never even occurred to me. I wonder how many people saw this story and thought that it was made with an online church sign generator, since many people most likely saw it on other blogs and not the original NBC affiliate site. I admit I didn’t watch the video since I still prefer to read the news, not watch it, during my work day.

When I tell people where my parents live, I am quick to tell them, “That’s not where we’re from.” My parents live just outside Greenville, SC, not an area known for its progressiveness. They’re about 50 miles from Jonesville, SC where just last Thursday Pastor Roger Byrd put up the following message on the sign at the Jonesville Church of God: “Obama   Osama, Humm, Are They Brothers”

I am still stretching my brain to figure out just how that could have been interpreted in a positive manner, or what he thought he was doing. I’m used to church signs having messages that instill a little hope or a little guilt into the passerby, nothing that gives rise to these types of thoughts.

From the article:

Byrd said that the message wasn’t meant to be racial or political.

“It’s simply to cause people to realize and to see what possibly could happen if we were to get someone in there that does not believe in Jesus Christ,” he said.

When asked if he believes that Barack Obama is Muslim, Byrd said, “I don’t know. See it asks a question: Are they brothers? In other words, is he Muslim? I don’t know. He says he’s not. I hope he’s not. But I don’t know. And it’s just something to try to stir people’s minds. It was never intended to hurt feelings or to offend anybody.”

–NBC, WYFF: Small Church’s Obama Sign Causes Big Controversy

Some news station should send a mole into this Sunday’s service to see what his sermon discusses. I’m pretty sure that it would only take a few minutes online to determine not only the senator’s religion and home church, but also to see just how many idiotic rumors and stories are flying around all stemming from the name similarity. This isn’t a political endorsement, I just hate ignorance and frankly this is the kind of thing you’d examine closer and expect to see Karl Rove’s hand in, or more lately just an overzealous member of the other Democratic camp.

I would love to know the meaning behind this post-it note I saw on metro last Friday night. Oddly enough it touched on a conversation a friend and I have been having this week, but still is it viral? art? a hastily scribbled threat to someone riding the train? I haven’t seen any other notes on the train or around so it must be a one-off, but definitely a little weird.

When I was riding back home that night, a woman did come onto the train, just had an odd look to her. A little heavy, sort of hastily nicely dressed: nice hat and dress, black stockings ending in socks and black sneakers, nice coat and scarf. She was heavily made up, so much so that I thought she might have been a drag queen. I couldn’t tell if she was asian or latina, but she had an odd fidget to her, she kept looking around and breathing heavily. I was into my headphones, so I kinda jumped when she turned across the aisle, leaned over and thrust an open folder into my face. Inside was a sheet of paper with writing and all I really caught was “Avon Breast Cancer Walk” before I smiled and shook my head no. She got up in a huff and walked a little further down the car, repeating the folder-in-your-face move with a group of chattering teenagers and then another guy seated near them. After the guy said no, she got very huffy, opened the folder in front of her face and said something very sharply and very loud. I couldn’t make it out since I’d turned up my music a bit to offset the teens. Whatever it was she said caused the guy to get up and move to another part of the car, well away from her.

After that there were no further incidents and I got off at my station and headed home. Perhaps that post-it note was just an advanced warning.

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That could very well be the title of a new show on BET. It can’t be any worse a title than Hot Ghetto Mess. The Starbucks Red Eye is currently coursing through my veins and giving me amazing caffeine-related superpowers. If I squint, I think I can see through time. Unfortunately the only thing I can see is a vision of myself on my next visit to Starbucks… I’ve also got a sore throat which I’m told isn’t the flu but a cold that’s going around. When you feel sick, who cares which bug it is?

So, crazy sistas in the news. It really isn’t any surprise when Sherri Shepherd says or does something that brands her a moron, but this one takes the cake: I Couldn’t [Beat] My Kid In A ‘Rich White Folks’ Store. I’m not sure why it’s so funny to me. My parents weren’t too fond of sparing the rod, but when the time came it didn’t matter where we were or who was around. They were gonna tear up my little behind for acting out. Though from the things I hear about The View through the people I follow on twitter, this is nothing new. You have to wonder if this is just what comes of a show that is loosely formatted and the people just talk and talk and speak their minds without first pausing to actually think about what’s on their minds.

Former Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney is running for president as a member of the Green Party, which she says shares her views on ending the Iraq war, protecting the environment and other issues.

– SF Gate: Former U.S. Rep. McKinney enters presidential race as Green

I dunno where to even start, even my coffee isn’t enough to give me energy and words to ramble on about this one. I’ll just be interested to see how far she gets with this one, and how many staffers and security guards she smacks around when they fail to recognize her and see what the rest of the world does, a crazy black woman.

Also, listening to Graduation and The Cool today and shame on you all for not telling me to pick them up and listen sooner. Admittedly considering my usual friend/blog reading demographic, most of you are off the hook… except for you Kris. Yeah that’s right, I went there.

A poll released yesterday by the Associated Press made it official: Americans are more likely to believe in ghosts (34 percent) than to believe that President Bush is doing a good job with the war in Iraq (29 percent).

– Democrats, the War and Shays’s Rebellion

I really got nothing more to add to that.