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« Shiny. Pretty. Slimy. | Main | A few things that amused me »

When will they learn? Another internet poll

Category:
Posted on: May 9, 2008 4:45 PM, by PZ Myers

The town of Frankenmuth, Michigan likes to flaunt their crosses — they've put them up on signs, and they've got one on the city logo. I suspect the town contains a Christian majority, so their local news probably felt safe putting up an online poll asking,

Should Frankenmuth remove its cross from the city shield?

They don't expect a horde of ravening godless atheists to descend on them and vote "YES!" — they never do. Mount up, internet warriors, and assault their poll with fire and sword and level it until they reel back crying for mercy.

Frankenmuth won't know what hit them.*


*Literally; most probably won't even notice. It's just a pointless internet poll.

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Comments

#1

Yes master. Right away.

Posted by: DaveH | May 9, 2008 4:47 PM

#2

Heh, they should change the name to Frankenchrist!

Posted by: Longtime Lurker | May 9, 2008 4:49 PM

#3

Me too

Posted by: Dersu Uzala | May 9, 2008 4:49 PM

#4

I think it's quite appropriate that PZ Myers has managed to fashion the worlds first organic vote-crashing bot-net.

Posted by: Raynfala | May 9, 2008 4:49 PM

#5

Well, I've put in my 'Yes' vote, but we're only at 14%! C'mon peeps!

Posted by: SteveN | May 9, 2008 4:50 PM

#6

Just replace the cross with a person impaled on a pike.

It's all the same, instruments of torture and death.

Glen Davidson
http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7

Posted by: Glen Davidson | May 9, 2008 4:51 PM

#7

Done.

Yes 84
No 442

Posted by: DaveH | May 9, 2008 4:51 PM

#8

As of 3:50 PM CDT, god exists 85% of the time. Or 85% exists.
So, following Pascal's Probability (TM), I will believe 85% of the time. Will update myself later. . .

Posted by: MicroZealous | May 9, 2008 4:53 PM

#9

By your Command PZ.

Still way down on the YES. Get on the stick all you poll crashers!

Posted by: Jorge666 | May 9, 2008 4:54 PM

#10

Amazing! When I checked in to Pharygula, there were no comments to this entry. In time it took me to vote and write my one line comment, four others beat me to it and the 'Yes' vote jumped from 14% to 21%. Kewl!

Posted by: SteveN | May 9, 2008 4:54 PM

#11

Sweet hell, I can literally see the numbers climbing up. That's crazy.

Posted by: mus | May 9, 2008 4:54 PM

#12

yes -- 250
no -- 400

Posted by: skyotter | May 9, 2008 4:55 PM

#13

Bloody Hell! One minute later and we're at 31%. This is fun!

Posted by: SteveN | May 9, 2008 4:56 PM

#14

In this particular case, I really don't give a toss - it's not as if I have to look at the damn thing.

Let them have their silly cross if it keeps them happy. It's not doing anyone any harm. I'm not voting.

Posted by: Elwood Herring | May 9, 2008 4:58 PM

#15

And here is the result of the Epilogue: God exists by two falls to a submission.

/Monty Python

Posted by: J | May 9, 2008 4:59 PM

#16

yes 308
no 461

40% Whoo hoo!

Posted by: judgemc | May 9, 2008 5:00 PM

#17

ROFL

The "yes" votes are increasing by about two to four per second. Just hit refresh to see it in action. :D

Posted by: aratina | May 9, 2008 5:02 PM

#18

Back in the day--in the antediluvian era before every Stop-n-shop stocked multiple microbrews--they brewed a pretty good dark beer in Frankenmuth. One of the only small, regional breweries that existed back then. So, in belated gratitude, I am abstaining from this one.

Posted by: Sven DiMilo | May 9, 2008 5:03 PM

#19

Yaaay! 50-50! and it only took a few minutes :) We are going to KILL this poll.

Posted by: mus | May 9, 2008 5:05 PM

#20

445 Yes, 467 No. Almost at 50-50!

Posted by: mona | May 9, 2008 5:05 PM

#21

I'm feeling more and more like an Igor. Noble line of work, though, and all. [/Pratchett]

Posted by: Carlie | May 9, 2008 5:05 PM

#22

Frankenmuth is an interesting place. On the one hand, family style fried chicken and buttered-noodles dinners. On the other hand, the terrifying Christmasiness that is Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland. It is a seven acre Christmas decorations store. Really.

Posted by: DiscGrace | May 9, 2008 5:06 PM

#23

I would have loved to vote no in protest against the crosses in my own stupid city.

When you enter Baton Rouge via I-10 from the east, you see 3 GIANT crosses planted on the right (north) side of the interstate; they must be at least 5 stories tall. On the left (south) side of the interstate, there is a Wal-Mart. When you go shopping there, you can see the crosses looming in the background. It's kinda creepy.

I wish I was rich enough to erect a giant pentagram, or maybe a huge Darwin fish next to the crosses (or better yet, behind them).

Here's a sample.

Posted by: davidstvz | May 9, 2008 5:06 PM

#24

50/50 at the moment. Polls cannot withstand the might of PZ Myers' whim!

Posted by: Asylum Seeker | May 9, 2008 5:06 PM

#25

Elwood Herring said:

Let them have their silly cross if it keeps them happy. It's not doing anyone any harm. I'm not voting.

What's the matter Elwood, you don't enjoy good atheist sophomoric fun?

Posted by: The Science Pundit | May 9, 2008 5:07 PM

#26

451 - YES
467 - NO

Just a bit more to eek them out on this completely meaningless poll! Let them cry discrimination! The mean atheists are skewing their online polls! Soon we'll be stealing their MySpace friends. Bwahaha!

Victory for the overlord P Zed!

Posted by: HumanisticJones | May 9, 2008 5:08 PM

#27

From 14$% to over 50% and climbing in about 10 minutes. Childish? Of course. Fun? Absolutely!

Posted by: SteveN | May 9, 2008 5:09 PM

#28

Voted Yes for lulz. The poll now stands at:
546 Yes - 54%
469 No - 46%

Posted by: Lledowyn | May 9, 2008 5:10 PM

#29

Regarding #23, Davidstvz, that picture encapsulates the true religion of the U.S. perfectly.

Posted by: Longtime Lurker | May 9, 2008 5:10 PM

#30

I love Frankenmuth. The chicken dinners are fabulous. But really, other than Bronners' onslaught, I find the crosses much less disturbing than their trend to overbavarianize everything. Cheese Haus! Chocolate Haus! Haus of Vacuum Cleaner Repair!

Posted by: Carrie | May 9, 2008 5:10 PM

#31

Good to see that the Christian folks in the community are making substance abuse victims sell pins with crosses on them for a buck apiece. Jesus would be super-pleased.

Posted by: Reginald | May 9, 2008 5:10 PM

#32

54 YES
46 NO

Reason is pulling ahead of superstition!

Posted by: Blaidd Drwg | May 9, 2008 5:11 PM

#33

Back in the day--in the antediluvian era before every Stop-n-shop stocked multiple microbrews--they brewed a pretty good dark beer in Frankenmuth. One of the only small, regional breweries that existed back then. So, in belated gratitude, I am abstaining from this one.

On the contrary, you should do your part to rescue your beloved Frankenmuth from the evil tentacles of theocracy.

Posted by: BoxerShorts | May 9, 2008 5:12 PM

#34

At the risk of being yet-another "I used to be a fan until..." poster, this pollcrashing thing is getting kind of ridiculous. It was funny-- goddamned hilarious, in fact-- when you did it to that Expelled MySpace page, but you worry maybe all these follow-up crashes might injure your credibility? You don't want the reputation of being a petty internet vandal, especially when doing the more noble work of debating and refuting whackos. Think they won't jump at this kind of behavior as an argument against your integrity?

The city shield isn't hurting anybody. Just my two cents. Otherwise, keep up the good work.

Posted by: C Murdock | May 9, 2008 5:16 PM

#35

Do I dare say it?

Of course I will!

You can vote... MORE THAN ONCE!

Have at, godless heathens!

Posted by: Chris Lackey | May 9, 2008 5:18 PM

#36

C Murdock,

The poll crashing is harmless, pointless, silly fun. Anyone who thought it reflected on PZ's integrity would have to be very petty-minded.

As for the cross on the shield "hurting" anybody, the point is not that any individual has been hurt but that the city government is endorsing one religion over others in violation of the constitution. Check out Ed Brayton's post on the topic for a good analysis of the attitudes in Frankenmuth.

Posted by: Wes | May 9, 2008 5:19 PM

#37

I think you should have an email mailing list for this sort of thing. Any excuse to waste a few more minutes at work.

Posted by: Silmarillion | May 9, 2008 5:20 PM

#38

vote early and often.

Posted by: james tiberius kirk | May 9, 2008 5:20 PM

#39

#33 Boxershorts,

But ... but ... but ... can tentacles be evil?

Posted by: Sili | May 9, 2008 5:20 PM

#40

779 (62%) Yes
474 (38%) No

Just a few more votes and we're 2 against 1.

Posted by: Gib | May 9, 2008 5:21 PM

#41

The PZombie's Prayer:

Oh PZ, who art in Morris,
Commented be thy blog.
Thy new posts come,
Thy will be done,
On the internet as it is at Morris.
Give us this day our daily poll
And forgive those who deign not to crash it, as we forgive those who vote against us.
And lead us not to uncrashable polls, but deliver us from irrationality.
For thine is the blogosphere, and the power, and the reason,

RAmen.

Posted by: Etha Williams | May 9, 2008 5:22 PM

#42

I actually like Frankenmuth, it's just a silly german stereotype with polka music playing from loud speakers on mainstreet. I never even noticed anything religious, and it never stopped the hologram store from selling holographic porn.

I did notice the Christian slant to Bonners, but there is plenty upon plenty of secular Christmas stuff there as well, and the light displays are nice.

Posted by: Jeremiah | May 9, 2008 5:22 PM

#43

Oops. In my above post I had intended to include a link to Brayton's post but forgot to hit ctrl+V. Anyways, here it is: http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/05/what_i_saw_in_frankenmuth.php

Posted by: Wes | May 9, 2008 5:24 PM

#44

As you wish!

Posted by: Hereticchick | May 9, 2008 5:24 PM

#45

PZ Myers said,

I suspect the town contains a Christian majority..

I'd say hoo-boy, oh yeah (from the article):

More than 1,200 people responded [to a telephone poll], with 98 percent saying they believe the shield should stay as it is.

Posted by: Ryan F Stello | May 9, 2008 5:25 PM

#46

My feeling is that the cross on the city shield is hurting the city of Frankenmuth and it's citizens, unless they don't want outsiders visiting their city. They'd be better off bringing back that brewery.

Posted by: SplendidMonkey | May 9, 2008 5:26 PM

#47

A YES vote from me. I love these poll raiding posts. In our town (Modesto, CA) almost every single bus bench is covered in a "He Died for You" or "Jesus is Lord" advertisement put forth by jesusislord.com. I'm curious as to how many other communities experience/allow this.

Posted by: Roy McKenzie | May 9, 2008 5:31 PM

#48

Yes 1069 69%
No 485 31%

Posted by: patrick | May 9, 2008 5:31 PM

#49

This poll-crashing business is hilarious... can't wait for the next one...

Posted by: Berto | May 9, 2008 5:32 PM

#50
, and the light displays are nice.

Like the joke "my brother thinks he's a chicken"...
We'd get help for him but, we need the eggs.

I like Christmas too for the lights and the tree. Halloween is catching up fast however, and I don't have the delusional brother issue to deal with.

Posted by: SplendidMonkey | May 9, 2008 5:36 PM

#51

I will do as you wish, master.

Posted by: Insineratehymn | May 9, 2008 5:39 PM

#52

I wonder if they'd put a dildo on their city shield? It'd be more popular. And less disgusting than a torture device.

Posted by: Marcus Ranum | May 9, 2008 5:39 PM

#53

I love crashing polls with you!

Posted by: PMP | May 9, 2008 5:43 PM

#54

Splendid Monkey - are you local to the Frankenmuth area? I'm about 45 minutes north of it (that lovely town with the big red diamond and all the dixon). We here treat Frankenmuth as a pseudo-Bavarian joke, except for the beer. Umm, beer.

There is more than a Christian slant to Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland - which is how they put the signs. The founder of the store just died and the local paper had front page news on how he had "returned to his Lord".

Posted by: Ragnor | May 9, 2008 5:45 PM

#55

Just posted a hundred times. They will never learn :)

Now 73% Yes

Posted by: AllanW | May 9, 2008 5:45 PM

#56

PZ, they're gaming you and using you to pump up their google ad words revenue.
Hey, that's a good idea. hang on I'm just going to go put up a poll suggesting we scrap the national Academy of Science, close the museums, and run all the scientists out of town in place of pastors. I'll post the URL in a bit...then it's off to the Caribbean in my new yacht..
;-)

Posted by: AlanWCan | May 9, 2008 5:48 PM

#57

The simple fact is that these decisions to incorporate religious symbols into official government art should not be up to a vote. It shows preference which is unconstitutional - no matter how small the infraction. If there was a crescent and star in that artwork one could only image the outrage. Official government art should not leave any citizen feeling disenfranchised. It pisses me off to no end how they always want to shove their ideology in everyone's face.

Posted by: Alex | May 9, 2008 5:49 PM

#58

Yes 1420 73%
No 523 27%

:D

Posted by: Muffin | May 9, 2008 5:49 PM

#59

And He said, "Go forth my minions." So we did.
1490 to 531
A few seconds later 1507 to 533.
Yes is holding at around 74%

Posted by: WRMartin | May 9, 2008 5:52 PM

#60

After my vote, the poll was 73% (1544) to remove the cross.

Posted by: Maezeppa | May 9, 2008 5:54 PM

#61

Yes: 1527 (74 %)
No: 535 (26 %)

...up from 1508 vs 533 between two voting attempts, so I can't tell if my second vote was counted.

And a bit below the poll is an ad for "GET THE FACTS -- SCIENTOLOGY VIDEO CHANNEL". <sigh> Well, at least it's not a Christian-only affair, I suppose...

I love Frankenmuth. The chicken dinners are fabulous. But really, other than Bronners' onslaught, I find the crosses much less disturbing than their trend to overbavarianize everything.

WTF? The Franks bavarianize stuff? Isn't that a sign of the end of the world or something? <shudder>

Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | May 9, 2008 5:55 PM

#62

1659 (75 %) vs 541 (25 %).

Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | May 9, 2008 5:58 PM

#63

I kinda had a hard time getting to the poll part. I was too wrapped up in the "Jenna Bush Through the Years" slideshow. I was a bit scared to click on the "Paid Death Notices". Geez, rough town.

Posted by: Eximious Jones | May 9, 2008 6:01 PM

#64
At the risk of being yet-another "I used to be a fan until..." poster, this pollcrashing thing is getting kind of ridiculous. It was funny-- goddamned hilarious, in fact-- when you did it to that Expelled MySpace page, but you worry maybe all these follow-up crashes might injure your credibility? You don't want the reputation of being a petty internet vandal, especially when doing the more noble work of debating and refuting whackos. Think they won't jump at this kind of behavior as an argument against your integrity?
I quite agree. It's obvious that people who hold polls & elections already know the answer they want and actually participating only skews the results away from the desired results.

In the upcoming presidential election, no one should vote. We don't want to damage our credibility by appearing to hold an opinion.

Posted by: Quidam | May 9, 2008 6:01 PM

#65

BRAINS!

Yes 77%
No 23%

I need more polls to crash!

Posted by: James | May 9, 2008 6:12 PM

#66

Yeah, that "Jenna Bush" slide show . . . what is it, a stagger through years of under age drinking?

Posted by: Enkidu | May 9, 2008 6:14 PM

#67

I kinda had a hard time getting to the poll part. I was too wrapped up in the "Jenna Bush Through the Years" slideshow. I was a bit scared to click on the "Paid Death Notices". Geez, rough town.

Did they have the famous bottomless shot? For better or worse, that's what Jenna will be remembered for: The first President's daughter whose beaver appeared on the internet.

Posted by: BoxerShorts | May 9, 2008 6:17 PM

#68
In this particular case, I really don't give a toss - it's not as if I have to look at the damn thing.

Let them have their silly cross if it keeps them happy. It's not doing anyone any harm. I'm not voting.


Yet there are non-Chistians in that town. That cross is as much an affront to the Constitution and the rights of all as is the Mount Soledad Cross in my home town.

Posted by: Enkidu | May 9, 2008 6:20 PM

#69

This remains too much fun.

78% remove cross.

22% keep it.


Posted by: Jaycubed | May 9, 2008 6:23 PM

#70

Remember not to pass the actual population of the town.

Pop:4800
current votes:2720

Posted by: bullet | May 9, 2008 6:27 PM

#71

Okay, okay - I admit it! I didn't actually watch the Jenna Bush slide show. I was deeply immersed in the high school yearbook scandal that has "parents seeing red". And then I had to stop off and vote for America's Best Restroom. Now THAT'S a poll I can get behind!

Posted by: Eximious Jones | May 9, 2008 6:27 PM

#72

Hmm. And here I thought Frankenmuth was a brand of Hazelnut Liqueur. I'm so clueless! :-p

Posted by: Kseniya | May 9, 2008 6:27 PM

#73

@#30 Carrie --

, I find the crosses much less disturbing than their trend to overbavarianize everything.

Overbavarianize? Really? But their shield has the Luther rose on it.

HERESY!

Posted by: Etha Williams | May 9, 2008 6:29 PM

#74

Thes type of polls are crap propaganda tools used to promote a christian agenda when it is in their favor. As if the 'will' of the majority holds weight against the rights of the few. So it sould only be natural that we voice our dissent. I know I voiced my OWN opinion, so I dont see this as unethical or vandalism. There might be a case made IF we were all told to vote regardless of concience, so I think we can keep our integrity intact with ALL of these as long as we voice our own honest opinion. Keep them coming PZ, see you in Sea-Town in June!

2138 (79% Yes) - 582 (21% No)

Posted by: Kyle Berns | May 9, 2008 6:30 PM

#75

They must have known we were coming:

SURVEY DISCLAIMER

Please keep in mind that our polls are for entertainment and are not conducted in a scientific fashion.

We make no guarantees about the accuracy of the results other than that they reflect the choices of the users who participated.

In all the polls we've crashed, that's the first one I recall with a disclaimer actually telling people not to take it seriously. Neat!

Posted by: Dana Hunter | May 9, 2008 6:30 PM

#76
Hmm. And here I thought Frankenmuth was a brand of Hazelnut Liqueur. I'm so clueless! :-p

I thought it was what the wise men gave to little baby chesses.

Posted by: Michael X | May 9, 2008 6:31 PM

#77

Nobody expects the Horde of Ravening Godless Atheists.

Posted by: Mena | May 9, 2008 6:33 PM

#78

Done!

80% Yes
20% No

Think they will figure it out? ;)

Posted by: Adam | May 9, 2008 6:42 PM

#79

Etha, nice "prayer"... LoL.

(Actually, one of the other recent polls had a similar disclaimer. Maybe it's a trend.)

Posted by: Kseniya | May 9, 2008 6:42 PM

#80

Holy crap! This is where the parent club for my breed of dogs is holding their national specialty next May. You've gotta' be freakin' kidding me! Guess I'll have to wear my scarlet A shirt when I take a trip into town from the hotel.

Posted by: Wolfhound | May 9, 2008 6:43 PM

#81

From my parent club's website:

Frankenmuth was founded in 1845, led by the Reverand August Craemer, a Lutheran minister. The small band of settlers came to the area from Neuendettelsau, Germany, for the purpose of teaching Christianity to the Chippewa Indians. "Franken" represents the province from which the settlers came and "Muth" means courage in German. The name Frankenmuth means "Courage of the Franconians."
Today, Frankenmuth is a thriving community of 4,900 residents who take great pride in preserving the German heritage. Area homes, businesses and surrounding farms remain neat and clean reflecting this German ethic. Well-tended flowers and lush greenery abound in what many visitors describe as the most authentic Bavarian architecture to be found anywhere in the United States.

Economy
Tourism drives the local economy. Frankenmuth draws over three million tourists annually to its Bavarian-themed shops and restaurants. The most well known of these are Zehnder's and Bavarian Inn restaurants, and Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland. Frankenmuth also attracts tourists with festivals and other events throughout the year. As a tourism measure, the city uses German-style signage for roads.

Architecture
The strong influence of Franconian-style architecture can be found in most areas of the city. Most
buildings in the commercial district, as well as many homes, feature stylistic interpretations of the
timber-framed buildings found in the Franconia region of Germany. This style is marked by the use of timbers in "square" and "X" patterns on the outside of buildings, as well as the use of "X" patterns on windows, doors, and other building features. The city currently requires Franconianstyle facades for the majority of new commercial construction within the main tourist areas.

The Bavarian Lodge has been host to the Scottish Deerhound National Specialty, the Newfoundland Club of America National Specialty (over 500 dog entry), the Bernese Mountain National Specialty, Great Pyrnees, and Old English Sheepdogs.

Posted by: Wolfhound | May 9, 2008 6:44 PM

#82

To second Wes, you must read Ed Brayton's account of this on Dispatches from the Culture Wars. He actually attended the town meeting at the Frankenmuth City Hall, and gives a play by play description. There are a few people speaking calmly and rationally against the cross, as a matter of separation of church and state -- and then there is the impassioned hand-wringing and whining coming from those who want to keep the cross, which is the overwhelming majority (remember, "Democracy = Majority Rules!")

"One resident angrily said, 'It's an attack on me, my family and my children" and darkly intoned, "Satan has been dressed up many times tonight right in front of our face.'"

Uh huh. Nice.

And of course, the stone-faced city council is claiming that the cross simply "reflect(s) the heritage of Frankenmuth for 46 years" and has no religious intent -- all while the people at the meeting insist that they need a cross on their city's shield in order to show that their city is "a haven for anyone who wants to come here and live in peace and believe in God." They're not contradicting each other, oh no.

Favorite wtf quote:

"Our boys fighting for your freedom right now, many of them are wearing crosses around their neck. Some of them are Jewish. Maybe they're not wearing a star of David, maybe they're wearing a cross with their star of David. Whatever religion they are, many of them have crosses."

At any rate, here is the link:

http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/05/what_i_saw_in_frankenmuth.php#more

Posted by: Sastra | May 9, 2008 6:46 PM

#83

2479 Yes 605 No Can't keep up (with the yeses)

Posted by: Jim | May 9, 2008 6:47 PM

#84

CHARGE!!!

Posted by: JimS | May 9, 2008 6:49 PM

#85

When will they learn? Another internet poll

It's starting to feel like playing whack-a-mole.

Posted by: Ichthyic | May 9, 2008 6:50 PM

#86

Yes, Enkidu (I wrote a piece of music about you, by the way), there are very probably non-Xians in that town. Therefore, it's up to them to vote, not me. I'm not even an American, I'm British. If this was about my town, it would be a totally different matter. But I'm never likely to go within a thousand miles of Frankenmuth. I wouldn't even begin to know where to look for it on a map.

C Mudock at #34 is right; when it's about upholding the integrity of science I'm marching in step with all of you, but this is getting a bit petty, and does not do our reputation any good. We need to rise above crashing unimportant polls and remember who our real enemies are. Stay focused, people. This is just dumb, and merely gives the opposition more ammo to fire back at us.

Posted by: Elwood Herring | May 9, 2008 6:55 PM

#87

Alex @55 You said it better than I could have.

PZ, they're gaming you and using you to pump up their google ad words revenue.

Ad block software and the thing you can do with your HOST file also prevent the hit counter on the visited site from registering your visit. Hence, no revenue. Just remember not to use it when you visit sites you wish to support. 2-way sword, and all.

Posted by: Blind Squirrel FCD | May 9, 2008 6:57 PM

#88

I live a half hour from Frankenmuth so it's cool seeing the city mentioned and WNEM5, my local tv station. In case you've never been there, it prides itself on being a Christmas paradise. Theres Christmas decorations in traditional German buildings and costumes. Plus it's home of Bronners, the biggest year around christmas store there is.

You guys would find it ludicrous.

Posted by: Geral | May 9, 2008 7:00 PM

#89

My family and I went to Frankenmuth years ago. My father called it Frankenbooth when we stopped at the Canada/US border.

It's very similar to the village of St. Jacobs, which is near where I live, German-based village that mainly depends on tourism.

Posted by: Corey Schlueter | May 9, 2008 7:07 PM

#90

82% :-)

Posted by: Mike | May 9, 2008 7:15 PM

#91

Yes 2891 82%
No 627 18%

Posted by: Moses | May 9, 2008 7:17 PM

#92


Should Frankenmuth remove its cross from the city shield?
Choice Votes Percentage of 3520 Votes
Yes 2893 82%
No 627 18%

Posted by: urtis | May 9, 2008 7:20 PM

#93

Yes 2963 82%
No 630 18%

Down in flames...

Posted by: SiMPel MYnd | May 9, 2008 7:24 PM

#94

Has Pharyngula really got over 2,000 readers, or are people voting multiple times?
(Or both)

Posted by: guthrie | May 9, 2008 7:25 PM

#95

HEY! They can't be all bad... Bronners carries octopus ornaments!

Posted by: Sultmhoor | May 9, 2008 7:26 PM

#96

Yes: 3011 3031 (83 %)
No: 632 633 (17 %)

(Refreshed the page after a minute or two.)

Yes, Enkidu (I wrote a piece of music about you, by the way), there are very probably non-Xians in that town. Therefore, it's up to them to vote, not me. I'm not even an American, I'm British.

This is not America, this is the Internet.

So, what do you think? Should the cross be removed, or not? You are explicitly asked to tell them, so do!

Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | May 9, 2008 7:31 PM

#97
Has Pharyngula really got over 2,000 readers

I remember reading the number of 60,000 somewhere.

Whether it's possible to vote several times is impossible to tell at present, see comment 59. Right now the votes are up to 3064 vs 634 (the percentages haven't changed... yet).

Posted by: David Marjanović, OM | May 9, 2008 7:35 PM

#98

Here's a poll I set up out of curiosity, back in Nov.

Do you believe if Abraham's God?

Even without an atheist conspiracy, the results appear more enlightened than I'd expected.

Posted by: Ben Abbott | May 9, 2008 7:38 PM

#99

WAHOO!!!!

3108 of 3742 (83%)
to
634

Now, if only we can get to 62766 and have them at 1%.
Come on people! Vote now!

Your world needs you.

Posted by: MJMD | May 9, 2008 7:48 PM

#100

Yes 3186 (83%)
No 639 (17%)

Posted by: Mac | May 9, 2008 7:48 PM

#101

Boy, if we keep this up, Christians won't be able to brazenly intimidate everybody else with reminders of their majority status anywhere.

I weep wit' horror at the thought of a world where ever'body don't remember they's only existin' 'cause good Chrischuns is lettin' 'em. All them Atheusts an' Jews an' Injuns gettin' all uppity and forgettin' they's place and such; why, it'll be a downright disgraceful shame.

Posted by: Brownian, OM | May 9, 2008 7:56 PM

#102

Wolfhound,

From the web site of some church in Middletown, CT:

"Today when we think of a dog we think of 'man's best friend'. We think of these nice household pets. In our day, dogs are looked upon favorably by most people.

This was not so in Bible times. In those days dogs were looked down upon as unclean and filthy animals. Dogs would eat garbage, dead animals and even human flesh and blood (1 Kings 14:11; 22:38). They even had the disgusting habit of eating their own vomit (Proverbs 26:11; 2 Peter 2:22). The only good thing said about dogs in the Bible is that they would sometimes watch the flock (Job 30:1).

In Revelation 22:15 the word 'dogs' is used to describe people who are not allowed to enter the holy city. This means that these people are filthy and unclean and impure. They have no concern about a holy God. There will be no 'dogs' in heaven!"

Grrr.

Posted by: SC | May 9, 2008 8:01 PM

#103

How much longer am I gonna have to put up with that "In god we trust" crap on your money?

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