A group of atheists, the Tri-State Freethinkers, are calling Ken Ham’s “Ark Encounter” amusement park in Williamstown, Kentucky, the “Genocide and Incest Park.” The atheists hail from Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.

The park features a massive ark (currently under construction) that the creators say is accurate according to measurement descriptions in the Christian bible. The company responsible is Answers in Genesis, helmed by Ken Ham.

The Freethinkers are attempting to purchase billboard space for an image of humans drowning outside the Ark, below the words, “Genocide and Incest Park: Celebrating 2,000 Years of Myths.” In the bible, the Judeo-Christian God causes a flood that wipes out all of sinful humanity and the world’s other lifeforms, minus Noah and his family, who build an ark large enough to save themselves and pairs of land-dwelling creatures (according to the Ark Encounter website, Noah cared for 7,000 animals). When the flood is over, Noah’s family repopulates the earth, presumably through in-family sex.

To Christians, this was part of God’s plan and therefore tolerable, similar to other divine actions in the bible non-Christians find horrific. The atheist group believes all this to be pure myth, but are having a difficult time finding billboard owners receptive to their rebranding of the theme park.

Lamar, a national billboard name, rejected the advertisement, the local office head calling it “not appropriate” and “inflammatory.” Two years ago, Lamar advertised for the Ark Encounter, with one billboard reading: “To all of our intolerant liberal friends: Thank God you can’t sink this ship.”

Another billboard company rejected the atheists’ ad as well.

Beyond their criticism of genocide and incest inherent in the bible story and the theme park, the Freethinkers further condemned the $18 million in state tax credits granted to the project, calling it a violation of church-state separation, and the park policy of only hiring born-again Christians, pointing out this violates equal opportunity in employment laws.

Regarding the billboards, Ken Ham declared of the atheists, “They don’t want people to be exposed to the truth of God’s Word.”

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The Republican state convention in Texas, taking place the second week of May 2016, will have more on its plate than selecting delegates to represent Texas voters at the national convention later this summer. The G.O.P. will also vote on a resolution that would put the issue of Texas secession before the people in a state-wide vote.

This will be the first time in state history that the possibility of a state-wide vote will be decided. The secessionist movement has long been led by the Texas Nationalist Movement, which states on its website that

The reasons for Texas independence are clear and simple. The people of Texas believe that Texans are best governed by Texans. We are no longer willing to be subjected to policies that we don’t want by people that we don’t elect.

They call for “an end to the failed Federal policy of unrestricted spending and limitless debt” and “a secure border and a sane immigration policy,” among other things. The TNM website has a petition for independence that some 259,000 people have signed (the Texas population is nearly 27 million) and some 22 local GOP chapters will be going to the state convention supporting independence (there are 270 chapters).

Texas was its own nation from 1836 to 1845, rebelling against Mexico in part to protect the right to own black slaves.

In 2009, a poll showed one-third of Texans believed Texas had the right to seceded, but 75% said they would vote against it. The Supreme Court ruled after the Civil War that states could not secede.

The measure is not expected to pass at the state convention.

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George Zimmerman, the former neighborhood watch coordinator who shot and killed unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in 2012, is having a difficult time auctioning off the gun he used that night. After Zimmerman started the bid at $5,000, Internet trolls like “Racist McShootface” upped the bid to some $60 million. Other trolls named themselves “Tamir Rice” and “Donald Trump” and likewise raised the price.

Zimmerman’s auction announcement sparked a firestorm of controversy. Martin was a young black male temporarily living in the Sanford, Florida, neighborhood Zimmerman helped watch. Zimmerman, suspicious of Martin, followed him, and during a confrontation shot and killed the teenager. Zimmerman claimed Martin attacked him and that he only used his gun in self-defense. Zimmerman was acquitted of murder in 2013.

Critics were quick to declare the auction insensitive and an ugly way of profiting off a tragedy.

Shawn Leigh Alexander called it

…another link in the long chain of America’s historical obsession with selling and owning memorabilia connected with the murder of African Americans.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries spectators used to hoard pieces of rope, body parts, embers and charred remains of lynching victims.  During the twentieth century pictures of the horrific murders were sold on the streets and some individuals would send the images as postcards to friends and loved ones proudly proclaiming participation, spectatorship or just some fiendish connection with the event… The selling of a gun used to kill an unarmed African American as a trophy, or “an opportunity to own a piece of American history” is unacceptable.  As a nation we should demand more.

Zimmerman, on the online auction site, wrote:

I am honored and humbled to announce the sale of an American Firearm Icon.

The firearm for sale is the firearm that was used to defend my life and end the brutal attack from Trayvon Martin on 2/26/2012… Many have expressed interest in owning and displaying the firearm including The Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. This is a piece of American History. It has been featured in several publications and in current University text books. Offers to purchase the Firearm have been received; however, the offers were to use the gun in a fashion I did not feel comfortable with. The firearm is fully functional as the attempts by the Department of Justice on behalf of B. Hussein Obama to render the firearm inoperable were thwarted by my phenomenal Defense Attorney…

…I am proud to announce that a portion of the proceeds will be used to: fight BLM violence against Law Enforcement officers, ensure the demise of Angela Correy’s persecution career and Hillary Clinton’s anti-firearm rhetoric. Now is your opportunity to own a piece of American History.

The Smithsonian promptly said, “The Smithsonian has never expressed an interest in collecting this firearm and has no intention of collecting or displaying this firearm.”

Zimmerman has also been condemned by many for posting a photo of Martin’s body on social media, and engaging in further domestic violence and revenge porn.

The first online auction site Zimmerman used deleted the sale post, saying, “We want no part in the listing on our web site.”

The current auction site is deleting Racist McShootface and other troll names, but that apparently doesn’t undo the bids. The current bid is still over $65 million.

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Edward Nero, one of six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, was found not guilty of all charges Monday morning, May 23, 2016.

Nero, 30, was charged with second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and misconduct after Freddie Gray was chased and detained by police on April 12, 2015 and found to be in possession of an illegal switchblade, then put in a police van in handcuffs without being secured in a seat belt, which resulted in spinal cord injuries that put Gray in a coma. He died a week later.

Prosecutors argued Nero helped arrest Gray without probable cause (Gray allegedly saw the police and began running, unprovoked; Nero and others gave chase, then discovered the switchblade) and that his negligence contributed to Gray’s death. Nero’s attorneys argued Nero and the other officers followed proper procedures.

Gray’s death sparked riots and looting in Baltimore. Like Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri, it also renewed fierce debate over how African Americans, particularly young black men, are treated by the police — white and black officers alike (three of the officers charged are white, three are black). Research shows blacks are more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, or killed by police than whites exhibiting identical behaviors.

Nero is the second officer brought to trial for Gray’s death. The trial of William Porter resulted in a hung jury.

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Burt Kwouk, the actor best known for his role in the classic Pink Panther films, died on Tuesday at age 85.

Kwouk first played Cato Fong in the 1964 Pink Panther movie A Shot in the Dark. Cato was manservant to Peter Seller’s imbecilic Inspector Clouseau, who instructed Cato to attack him whenever possible — to help the inspector keep his reflexes sharp. Cato was a martial arts master, and his surprise assaults on Clouseau were usually the most hilarious parts of the movies.

Kwouk was born in Cheshire, England in 1930, but grew up in Shanghai, China. He began his acting career in 1957. His first major film role was in the 1958 classic Inn of the Sixth Happiness, opposite Ingrid Bergman. His last role was in 2010.

He was awarded the OBE, the Officer of the Order of the British Empire, by the Queen of England in 2011 for his work in drama. Prince Charles told Kwouk he was a fan. “He told me that when he gets depressed, he puts on a Pink Panther film and that makes him feel better,” said Kwouk years ago.

Kwouk’s agent says the actor “passed peacefully.”

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