"Someone clue me in here ... what exactly does the 'milking the male horse joke' say about Bush's 'cynical use of the religious right?'"

A true, dedicated Christian would not have made that joke. The point the author is trying to make is that the Bushies aren't "true christians" but use the passion and zeal of religious followers for political gain. I don't agree with that assesment, but that is what the author is thinking.

"And not to compound the evening's transgressions against Leviticus, but I'm fairly certain that the C-SPAN cameras also caught Laura Bush nibbling on some cocktail shrimp. Chew on that."

The restriction on eating shrimp is part of the Old Covenant "Ceremonial Law" that was abolished when Jesus came.

Holy honking sheep dip.

How many sticks can we collectively shove up our Republican butts? This is beyond stupid. Im embarrased . Don't these people have a freaking sense of humor? sense? Im giving Michelle a pass because she's smoking, but frankly everyone else needs to be smacked around.

Bill Bennet? yah, there's credibility there. Next time you're at Foxwoods, lay five down on Black thirteen for me.

Tomo Report? If its satire, you're trying waaaay to hard, bub.

There are others that are equally ready to jump off a building because Mrs. Bush intimated that she watched a network television program. I just have this advice for those that were shocked, shocked I say:

Shut the hell up. You're making us look like fools. Pat Robertson looks like a freaking Weatherman (terrorist,not anchor) compared to you nutjobs.

Again, exepting Michelle. ggrrowll...

The problem with that particular joke is that its two parts -- punchline and topper, are incorrectly sequenced for maximum effect. Still funny as presented, but would have been funnier, and perhaps avoided the controversy if it went something like,

"... seeing George running around with a pail when he couldn't even tell nannies from billies, bulls from cows -- and George, you CERTAINLY can't get milk from your stallion."

This flips it a bit from a sexual deviance joke to one of naivete. It sort of builds W up to a Lone Ranger macho cowboy stallion-riding image in the same moment it tears him down to a Stan Laurel clueless clown. And as such, enhancing the contrasts: it's funnier.

But the image was pretty funny even as told.

The restriction on eating shrimp is part of the Old Covenant "Ceremonial Law" that was abolished when Jesus came.

There weren't any revisions on horse-tugging statutes, were there?

what about the horse's feelings? NO means NO! (or, this case, NEIGH means NAY!)
---
And could someone please provide me a citation to the Shrimp Prohibition Repeal Act of 30 A.D., please?

NEIGH means NAY!

HA!

"And will I ever stop asking questions?"

You talkin' to me? Huh? You talkin' to me?

I can authoritatively speak on this issue, and farm humor is kosher for Christians, even devout ones and even if it deals with their tallywhackers and poop and stuff. Just no profanity if you don't mind.

"There weren't any revisions on horse-tugging statutes, were there?"

Nope. Most definitely not! *grin*

milowent: Here's youre reference: Acts 10:10-16

I understand that the kosher diet was also quite practical in addition to ceremonial. It forbade eating vultures for obvious sanitary reasons. It also forbade eating pigs, which back then ate *other things* besides grain, which I understand would have made them a quite risky meal. Disclaimer: I am not sure about the accuracy of this paragraph. It's all been word of mouth and conjecture. I don't really have time to put any research into it... This disclaimer applies to this paragraph only.

Link for above (Acts 10:10-16) scripture reference: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2010:10-16;&version=9;

spongeworthy: I wasn't agreeing with the author, just trying to explain what hey (not a typo; for an explanation: http://atthecrux.com/blogs/index.php?title=hum_or_hey ) was getting at.

thanks for the reference, hans mast. i can see how it is interpreted that way.

milowent: Wouldn't you agree with that interpertation? Why not?

Bill,
You ask whether blogging has jumped the shark then you come up with this. Horsosexual?
Quite obviously the shark is still some way off.
Probably May 9 th actually, jusdging by that piece from the Nation. HuffBlog arrives!

Re the jokes....there isn’t a single person who’s spent more than 15 minutes on a farm that hasn’t either been told or told those jokes, Christian, Muslim or Jew.
Damn, these people need to lighten up, thought the Republicans were supposed to be in contact with the real America...what’s that if it isn’t small towns, yeomen farmers and their sturdy independence (in the caricature, of course. I know it’s not really like that)?

As I believe the Bible would have said in this situation, "let he who is without sin milk the first horse."

Get over yourselves, people.

If you have any doubts about the Biblical laws, er, covering human-animal relationships, you might want to check through this informative source
http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/beastiality/lv18_23a.html

Shoot. See if this works.

http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/beastiality/lv18_23a.html

milowent: If you need further assurance that the kosher diet is not meant to be kept in the new dispensation, check out 1 Timothy 4:1-4: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits...They...order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,"

I used some ellipsis, but took nothing out of context. See for yourself: Link for 1 Timothy 4:1-4: http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20timothy%204:1-4;&version=31;

Above scripture is in New International Version (NIV).

Yes these people most definitely need to get hit upside the head with a lighten-up bat. Do they even know that Laura said George was pulling the horse's pud? No, because she didn't say that. Maybe she was implying that he was trying to twist the horse's nipple. Her jokes were fairly clean, it's those folks' imagination that's dirty.
Besides, this was a semi-private affair, not meant for hoi polloi.

Yeah, delicate, fragile, easily affronted Michelle Malkin was the one who said the words "horse m....tion," not Laura Bush. And she said it in print, in black and white, while Laura made a clever reference to it.

And now she's going to be on O'Reilly tonight talking about it. And everyone's going to think that Conservatives are just as faint-hearted and uptight as she is.

It's ridiculous.

I'm with you on this one, Bill. The joke was old when Hee-Haw was new, and nobody back then thought it was about whacking off a horse.

God you, guys are such pansy-ass city boys. Animals are messy. You want to know how messy? Read this: http://www.opinionatedbastard.com/archives/000372.html

I'm with you on this one, Bill. The joke was old when Hee-Haw was new, and nobody back then thought it was about whacking off a horse.

I'm not sure the extra entendre is a new addition to the culture. What's new is the lack of contact with family farming culture. Livestock reproduction is hardly "all natural".

I know someone who works at the White House. Mrs. Bush's joke about the horse was an inside joke to Vladimir Putin just as a friendly hello. It had no sexual innuendos whatsoever.

Centuries back, Russian soldiers ate horse meat. In order to preserve it, they would take thin slices of horse meat and put it under the saddle of their horse. The salt from the horse preserved the meat, added flavor, and is now called, in English, "Horse Jerkie". I'm quite serious.

Putin was said to have rolled over in laughter as we watched via satellite from Russia.