I for one am not the festive type come the holiday season. Don't get me wrong, I will not turn down a glass of eggnog with my favorite drink of choice in it, but the modern day Christmas is anything but religious, it is all commercialized. If your argument is that "we make the holiday what it is" then we've made it commercialized. Look at all the frantic fanatic shoppers that hit the stores one month before that "sacred day" of December 25th; they are giving in to the ideology of the mighty dollar rather than the mighty myth.
That being said, tonight I attended the winter festival at my 9 year old's elementary school. She is in the choir and had a performance. I did the good parent thing and showed my support, and she did a great job. There were a number of seasonal numbers that were performed ranging from Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to Deck the Halls. There is a line in Deck the Halls "Don we now our gay apparel" that was altered to "Don we now our bright apparel" all for one law; the "don't say gay" law in Tennessee. This law essentially states that Tennessee public schools are not allowed to discuss homosexuality in grades K-8. The backwards thinking of homophobic Bible thumpers that are making the laws for the land have now started censoring Christmas carols; the jingles that are to praise the joyous season, the birth of their savior Jesus Christ.
Keep in mind, this is the same General Assembly that passed a law that allows concealed firearms into bars (because we all know that mixing alcohol with guns is perfectly safe and the intoxicated individual is in a clear state of mind to make sound decisions) that also passed the "don't say gay" bill. This Assembly has their priorities bass ackwards. They are more concerned with the wrong 3 letter word that starts with the letter G. This is the approach the homophobic Right Wing of our society has, still possessing the thought that you can choose to be gay. I will close this with a tribute to Christopher Hitchens; "If you gave Jerry Falwell an enema he could be buried in a matchbox" for it is the Christian extremists that are tending their flock and have control in our society that is driving it into the ground.
R.I.P Hitch
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Who are the Real Threats?
I've been sitting on this for a few days now. As many of you already know the Senate passed S. 1867, also known as The National Defense Authorization Act. This has been getting a lot of attention because there is a section of this bill that some feel obliterates the Bill of Rights. The section in question states that the battleground for the "War on Terror" is now on U.S. soil and the U.S. military now has the right to detain citizens indefinitely.
The 43rd President of these United States once said that "Any government that supports, protects or harbours terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and equally guilty of terrorist crimes." and the definition of terrorism is the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. So, our elected officials are homegrown terrorists just like Timothy McVeigh & Terry Nichols. 93 senators took the Bill of Rights and used it to clean themselves after their morning constitutions. I urge President Obama to sign this bill into law in hopes that the already irritated masses will rise and arrest the individuals on grounds of terror threats, for it is these individuals that are threatening our way of life. We are the ones that keep electing the same people and this is what we get, more and more of our rights taken away. Now is the time to take a stand, not when the you are forced to house and quarter soldiers. We are in the 21st century and we are having a debate regarding laws that obliterate the cornerstone of our democracy, our inalienable rights.
Now is the time to open your eyes, remove your blinders and look at the world objectively. For the masses that say that the United States is a Christian Nation, I pity you all. It is your fundamental teachings that say through Christ you gain eternal life. I personally do not follow this belief, there is so much unknown in this realm and the next. We cannot stand for a police state to dissolve the foundation of a society in the guise of protection. I would much rather die with my freedom rather than to be oppressed by mindless followers. This is beyond socialism, this is fascism at its finest. I call on Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine and John Locke and their philosophical beliefs to be restored. My fellow countrymen, we cannot stand to be drowned in fear any longer. We are stronger 330,000,000 strong that have given control of our laws to a total of 535 individuals in a city on the east coast. Government is a necessary evil of any successful society but when that government becomes truly evil with its intentions it becomes a burden on society. When an elephant gets too old to stay with the herd, it is left behind. When a donkey is no longer useful to the farmer, it is disposed of. November 6, 2012 is less than eleven months away, that is the time for our voices to be heard.
The 43rd President of these United States once said that "Any government that supports, protects or harbours terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and equally guilty of terrorist crimes." and the definition of terrorism is the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. So, our elected officials are homegrown terrorists just like Timothy McVeigh & Terry Nichols. 93 senators took the Bill of Rights and used it to clean themselves after their morning constitutions. I urge President Obama to sign this bill into law in hopes that the already irritated masses will rise and arrest the individuals on grounds of terror threats, for it is these individuals that are threatening our way of life. We are the ones that keep electing the same people and this is what we get, more and more of our rights taken away. Now is the time to take a stand, not when the you are forced to house and quarter soldiers. We are in the 21st century and we are having a debate regarding laws that obliterate the cornerstone of our democracy, our inalienable rights.
Now is the time to open your eyes, remove your blinders and look at the world objectively. For the masses that say that the United States is a Christian Nation, I pity you all. It is your fundamental teachings that say through Christ you gain eternal life. I personally do not follow this belief, there is so much unknown in this realm and the next. We cannot stand for a police state to dissolve the foundation of a society in the guise of protection. I would much rather die with my freedom rather than to be oppressed by mindless followers. This is beyond socialism, this is fascism at its finest. I call on Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine and John Locke and their philosophical beliefs to be restored. My fellow countrymen, we cannot stand to be drowned in fear any longer. We are stronger 330,000,000 strong that have given control of our laws to a total of 535 individuals in a city on the east coast. Government is a necessary evil of any successful society but when that government becomes truly evil with its intentions it becomes a burden on society. When an elephant gets too old to stay with the herd, it is left behind. When a donkey is no longer useful to the farmer, it is disposed of. November 6, 2012 is less than eleven months away, that is the time for our voices to be heard.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
The Right Answer
Here in the next few days the world population is going to reach the 7,000,000,000 mark, and the majority of that population being in under-developed nations gaining aid from developed nations such as the United States of America and those in Western Europe. I have come up with a solution motivated by the concepts of the Tea Party movement. This solution will 100% cut down on government spending, protect the Second Amendment rights to bear arms and could ultimately allow them to create a Christian World Order.
Hunters hunt wild animals for sport on the reason to control population and to prevent disease outbreaks to avoid suffering. In 2009 781,000 people died of malaria, most of them children in Africa. This is a disease that causes suffering in many populations that are not properly funded. Every year 15,000,000 children die from not having access to basic sustenance for nutrition. As one of the most powerful nations in the world we have the capability to resolve these situations to avoid suffering. I'm not talking about government handouts because that is too liberal, and plus, the majority of these cases are overseas, we don't even care about the starving children we have in our own country.
My proposal is to allow every Tea Partier, card carrying member of the NRA and any U.S. citizen that owns a registered firearm to travel overseas and have an open season on the human population of the world. This will alleviate suffering while protecting the Second Amendment rights of those that matter the most, the job creators. This will also cut back on federal spending because there will be less funding going overseas for development. Anglo-Americans have a history of imposing their will on others, ask any Native American who's ancestors were fortunate enough not to contract small pox from blankets. The Tea Party can even pitch this as a continuation on the War on Terror saying that these people threaten the American way of life, the "right" way of life. Stocks of Smith & Wesson will sky rocket along with Capitol One because of all the frequent flyer miles that will be cashed in for these travels, so it is a win/win scenario for everybody that matters.
I urge you to get creative with these. Bring back the safari style hunt in Africa. Drive around in your gas-guzzling Land Rovers that get 2 miles to the gallon. Rent an elephant to roam the streets in Bombay as you bring on the wrath of Jesus on the heathenish Hindus of India. Hire a rickshaw driver to run through the streets of Bangkok as you play your own real-life Grand Theft Auto. Remember, you're doing the world a favor, the world that matters. You're actions will be for the (I can't say greater good because that will seem socialist) the benefit of all. It will eliminate suffering and control population, especially for those that do not abstain from sexual intercourse that continue to add to the world population putting more of a burden on society. You don't deserve for your hard earned money going into medical research to develop a cure for malaria and have it obliterated from the Earth once and for all. Once you build your summer home on the coast of Sierra Leone, there won't be anymore disease. We will categorize any ailment into one general listing called "Perry", because if Jesus wanted us to have a remedy for malaria he would have made it for us in the Garden of Eden just like he did for polio, and Perry's answer is to pray everything away.
Now that all the non-believers and leaches of society have been cleared out, you will have plenty of land to claim in the name of the Christian United States of America, or CUSA (not to be mistaken for the collegiate Conference USA). Now you will be able to have your own child born in what was once known as Kenya and one day become president. We will be able to transgress our progress as a species back to the times of neanderthals, but this time living in isolation where it is every citizen for themselves. You can setup alarms at the edges of your million acre plot to ensure that you do not get any invasions from rivals or freeloaders that survived the rapture trying to get a nibble to eat, because everyone has the equal right to thrive as long as they are already thriving. Happy hunting and don't let them take that gun from your cold dead hands.
Hunters hunt wild animals for sport on the reason to control population and to prevent disease outbreaks to avoid suffering. In 2009 781,000 people died of malaria, most of them children in Africa. This is a disease that causes suffering in many populations that are not properly funded. Every year 15,000,000 children die from not having access to basic sustenance for nutrition. As one of the most powerful nations in the world we have the capability to resolve these situations to avoid suffering. I'm not talking about government handouts because that is too liberal, and plus, the majority of these cases are overseas, we don't even care about the starving children we have in our own country.
My proposal is to allow every Tea Partier, card carrying member of the NRA and any U.S. citizen that owns a registered firearm to travel overseas and have an open season on the human population of the world. This will alleviate suffering while protecting the Second Amendment rights of those that matter the most, the job creators. This will also cut back on federal spending because there will be less funding going overseas for development. Anglo-Americans have a history of imposing their will on others, ask any Native American who's ancestors were fortunate enough not to contract small pox from blankets. The Tea Party can even pitch this as a continuation on the War on Terror saying that these people threaten the American way of life, the "right" way of life. Stocks of Smith & Wesson will sky rocket along with Capitol One because of all the frequent flyer miles that will be cashed in for these travels, so it is a win/win scenario for everybody that matters.
I urge you to get creative with these. Bring back the safari style hunt in Africa. Drive around in your gas-guzzling Land Rovers that get 2 miles to the gallon. Rent an elephant to roam the streets in Bombay as you bring on the wrath of Jesus on the heathenish Hindus of India. Hire a rickshaw driver to run through the streets of Bangkok as you play your own real-life Grand Theft Auto. Remember, you're doing the world a favor, the world that matters. You're actions will be for the (I can't say greater good because that will seem socialist) the benefit of all. It will eliminate suffering and control population, especially for those that do not abstain from sexual intercourse that continue to add to the world population putting more of a burden on society. You don't deserve for your hard earned money going into medical research to develop a cure for malaria and have it obliterated from the Earth once and for all. Once you build your summer home on the coast of Sierra Leone, there won't be anymore disease. We will categorize any ailment into one general listing called "Perry", because if Jesus wanted us to have a remedy for malaria he would have made it for us in the Garden of Eden just like he did for polio, and Perry's answer is to pray everything away.
Now that all the non-believers and leaches of society have been cleared out, you will have plenty of land to claim in the name of the Christian United States of America, or CUSA (not to be mistaken for the collegiate Conference USA). Now you will be able to have your own child born in what was once known as Kenya and one day become president. We will be able to transgress our progress as a species back to the times of neanderthals, but this time living in isolation where it is every citizen for themselves. You can setup alarms at the edges of your million acre plot to ensure that you do not get any invasions from rivals or freeloaders that survived the rapture trying to get a nibble to eat, because everyone has the equal right to thrive as long as they are already thriving. Happy hunting and don't let them take that gun from your cold dead hands.
Monday, October 10, 2011
The End...an Alcohol Influenced Post
The End is undefined, and at times unexpected. The End can come with a flash of lightening or after a long journey down the winding path. There are times where we cannot hold our breaths long enough waiting for the end to come and other times where we are not able to breathe in fast enough before that final instant passes by.
We are all passengers in this journey we call life. It is anything but a smooth ride down the straight path. We encounter many pot holes, speed bumps, twists and turns along the way gaining experience the same way a permitted driver does on the eve of their sixteenth birthday. We are driving at night with poor lighting from our outdated headlights; we are not able to see around the bend. This is what makes life worth living. This is what makes us human not knowing what the next day brings. We live in each and every moment not knowing what to expect. We think that life is planned but it is anything beyond that. Life is an adventure and an unmapped journey through the hurdling collection of multi-verses. The choices we make cannot be recanted in any way, shape or form and we must live with the outcomes, positive or negative.
In this journey of life there is only one thing that is guaranteed, The End. The End has graced countless pages in literature and silver screen cinema through the generations. It can keep the audience intrigued to the point where a sudden turn of events derails the predicted outcome or that same audience cannot hope beyond hope for the end to come soon enough. Life is played out on this very same stage. Collectively as a society we have deemed it immoral to voluntarily end the life of a law abiding citizen (unless wrongly convicted of a crime and the courts choose not to listen) but feel that capital punishment and abortion is acceptable. Either way you cut it, forcing death on any living organism is wrong. On the other hand if that living specimen has the peace of mind to be able to say “I don’t wish to suffer anymore” do we not owe that member of society the honor to pass peacefully? The moral question should not be life or death but should be is the individual suffering?
Life is a label we put on consciousness to explain our existence. As a society we rely heavily on nomenclature; Christian and Muslim, insect and mammal, black and white, etc. What it all boils down to, and what too many people ignore, is that no matter what your beliefs are we are all from the same source. Judeo-Christians hold the Book of Genesis close to heart as the origin of life, and many other religions put life in the hands of a supreme being. Biology has proven that we all come from a common ancestor. I’m not starting the argument of evolution vs. creation but pointing out the fact that which ever way you cut the concept, it always goes back to the same beginning, that there was a beginning. Stop the hate mongering against different views and philosophical beliefs that others have. We are all cousins either descending from an ape like creature, Adam & Eve, or an ape like creature named Adam and another named Eve (it’s possible that there was an Adam and Steve in there somewhere too). We need to let go of the hate and indifference's that are fueling our society and see people for who they really are, our cousins, or The End of our society will come far sooner than we all care for.
We are all passengers in this journey we call life. It is anything but a smooth ride down the straight path. We encounter many pot holes, speed bumps, twists and turns along the way gaining experience the same way a permitted driver does on the eve of their sixteenth birthday. We are driving at night with poor lighting from our outdated headlights; we are not able to see around the bend. This is what makes life worth living. This is what makes us human not knowing what the next day brings. We live in each and every moment not knowing what to expect. We think that life is planned but it is anything beyond that. Life is an adventure and an unmapped journey through the hurdling collection of multi-verses. The choices we make cannot be recanted in any way, shape or form and we must live with the outcomes, positive or negative.
In this journey of life there is only one thing that is guaranteed, The End. The End has graced countless pages in literature and silver screen cinema through the generations. It can keep the audience intrigued to the point where a sudden turn of events derails the predicted outcome or that same audience cannot hope beyond hope for the end to come soon enough. Life is played out on this very same stage. Collectively as a society we have deemed it immoral to voluntarily end the life of a law abiding citizen (unless wrongly convicted of a crime and the courts choose not to listen) but feel that capital punishment and abortion is acceptable. Either way you cut it, forcing death on any living organism is wrong. On the other hand if that living specimen has the peace of mind to be able to say “I don’t wish to suffer anymore” do we not owe that member of society the honor to pass peacefully? The moral question should not be life or death but should be is the individual suffering?
Life is a label we put on consciousness to explain our existence. As a society we rely heavily on nomenclature; Christian and Muslim, insect and mammal, black and white, etc. What it all boils down to, and what too many people ignore, is that no matter what your beliefs are we are all from the same source. Judeo-Christians hold the Book of Genesis close to heart as the origin of life, and many other religions put life in the hands of a supreme being. Biology has proven that we all come from a common ancestor. I’m not starting the argument of evolution vs. creation but pointing out the fact that which ever way you cut the concept, it always goes back to the same beginning, that there was a beginning. Stop the hate mongering against different views and philosophical beliefs that others have. We are all cousins either descending from an ape like creature, Adam & Eve, or an ape like creature named Adam and another named Eve (it’s possible that there was an Adam and Steve in there somewhere too). We need to let go of the hate and indifference's that are fueling our society and see people for who they really are, our cousins, or The End of our society will come far sooner than we all care for.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Proof is in the Pudding
I would like to lead off with saying that Patriot Day is a ridiculous name for the remembrance of the terror attacks that happened on September 11, 2001. I'm sure that we can come up with a better name than Patriot Day, until then I refuse to call it Patriot Day. That being said I will go into the blog.
As most people in the United States were doing today, I too was recounting the tragic events that occurred this day 10 years ago. My wife was pregnant with our first child and we were wondering what kind of world she would have to grow up in. I, like most people, felt for the first time a sense of uncertainty. The United States has always had a natural protection in both the east and west with the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans respectfully. During World War II the Japanese had so few attacks on the west coast we can count them on one hand. The closest the Germans got to the east coast was sinking a few ships by submarine attacks in a few harbors up and down the coast, no real onslaught on the general population. Our sense of security was shattered in a matter of moments that September morning when 19 Muslim extremists high jacked 4 jetliners and turn these massive flying objects and transform them into the true weapons of mass destruction. We all know this story so I won't dwell too much on this part.
What I want to reflect on is the extremists that performed the act. ANY individual that can take a "sacred text" as being literal instruction rather than just a simple guide or historical reference (not that it would be reliable for that either) is no more than a sheep and that is exactly what the religious leaders want. Please take note that in the opening of this paragraph I did not say Muslim extremists because there are extremists of all shapes, sizes and religious convictions. We are quick to forget the tragedy that shook Oklahoma City in 1995, the number of abortion clinics that have been bombed or the doctors that have been murdered because they perform abortions. We are no strangers to home grown terror being performed in the name of God. This is the same thing that happened September 11, 2001. Whether you refer to your god as Yahweh or Allah, it is the same "God". The difference comes down to which prophet you follow. Jews believe that their messiah has not yet come to Earth while Christians believe that Jesus was the messiah. Muslims branch off a bit following the teachings of Mohammad who, like Jesus, assented into Heaven in an extravagant light show. The point here is that these three major religions that are at odds with one another all come from the same founder in Abraham. It is safe to say that the majority of Christians would find it absurd if I came running out of the woods saying I found evidence of a lost tribe from Israel, also finding golden tablets containing stories of Jesus coming to America and that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri. Despite how ridiculous Christians see this, there are two people vying for the Republican nomination for president in the 2012 election, but heaven forbid that a Muslim attempt to run for president, we are a Christian nation. Another example, if I run around saying that I am the second coming of Christ one of three things could happen; 1) most likely I will be locked in a padded room 2) I will gain followers like the apostles and have an entourage go around to spread my lunacy to others or 3) I get shot by an extremist for offending their religious belief.
I have met many Christians and Muslims in my time on this planet and I can say that they are both considerably polite and pleasant individuals. They chose to be good people. I would like to think that goodness is an innate human trait that we give more credit than what is due to religion. Religion is a man made concept to help explain the inexplicable. That was fine and dandy 3000 years ago when science wasn't developed, but now that we do have a scientific process to question and a method to test to come to a conclusion, do we really need religion? There has been more harm done in the name of religion throughout history than any other cause. The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition covered three centuries and spanned to the New World, Hitler (a baptized Catholic) wanted to rid the world of the problematic Jews, Milosevic followed the genocide plan in trying to rid Bosnia of the Muslims, nearly a million innocent people in Rwanada killed for being from a certain tribe and the Catholic priests and nuns helped, the Taliban and Ayatollah have set the Middle East region back centuries by taking literal translations of the Qur'an to heart, and finally the tragic events of 9/11.
I am far from the praying type. I am a humanist and hope for the best for everyone. I never wish harm to come to anybody because I feel that nobody should endure any agony. John Lennon said it best in "Imagine";
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for Today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
This was the dream of one man. I too imagine a world without religion. We are not a mass amount of heathens running a muck creating chaos, we go about with our ordinary lives, living for the day. I leave you with this. We are cousins killing cousins. We are all humans no matter what our beliefs are. We put too much value into religion and yet have no evidence of any deity existing. We are brainwashed from the time we are baptized to believe everything our elders say about religion and never to question it. It is this indoctrination, in ANY belief system that hurts society and causes tragedies that we remember on this day. Here is an alternate view of what our world would be like without religion.
As most people in the United States were doing today, I too was recounting the tragic events that occurred this day 10 years ago. My wife was pregnant with our first child and we were wondering what kind of world she would have to grow up in. I, like most people, felt for the first time a sense of uncertainty. The United States has always had a natural protection in both the east and west with the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans respectfully. During World War II the Japanese had so few attacks on the west coast we can count them on one hand. The closest the Germans got to the east coast was sinking a few ships by submarine attacks in a few harbors up and down the coast, no real onslaught on the general population. Our sense of security was shattered in a matter of moments that September morning when 19 Muslim extremists high jacked 4 jetliners and turn these massive flying objects and transform them into the true weapons of mass destruction. We all know this story so I won't dwell too much on this part.
What I want to reflect on is the extremists that performed the act. ANY individual that can take a "sacred text" as being literal instruction rather than just a simple guide or historical reference (not that it would be reliable for that either) is no more than a sheep and that is exactly what the religious leaders want. Please take note that in the opening of this paragraph I did not say Muslim extremists because there are extremists of all shapes, sizes and religious convictions. We are quick to forget the tragedy that shook Oklahoma City in 1995, the number of abortion clinics that have been bombed or the doctors that have been murdered because they perform abortions. We are no strangers to home grown terror being performed in the name of God. This is the same thing that happened September 11, 2001. Whether you refer to your god as Yahweh or Allah, it is the same "God". The difference comes down to which prophet you follow. Jews believe that their messiah has not yet come to Earth while Christians believe that Jesus was the messiah. Muslims branch off a bit following the teachings of Mohammad who, like Jesus, assented into Heaven in an extravagant light show. The point here is that these three major religions that are at odds with one another all come from the same founder in Abraham. It is safe to say that the majority of Christians would find it absurd if I came running out of the woods saying I found evidence of a lost tribe from Israel, also finding golden tablets containing stories of Jesus coming to America and that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri. Despite how ridiculous Christians see this, there are two people vying for the Republican nomination for president in the 2012 election, but heaven forbid that a Muslim attempt to run for president, we are a Christian nation. Another example, if I run around saying that I am the second coming of Christ one of three things could happen; 1) most likely I will be locked in a padded room 2) I will gain followers like the apostles and have an entourage go around to spread my lunacy to others or 3) I get shot by an extremist for offending their religious belief.
I have met many Christians and Muslims in my time on this planet and I can say that they are both considerably polite and pleasant individuals. They chose to be good people. I would like to think that goodness is an innate human trait that we give more credit than what is due to religion. Religion is a man made concept to help explain the inexplicable. That was fine and dandy 3000 years ago when science wasn't developed, but now that we do have a scientific process to question and a method to test to come to a conclusion, do we really need religion? There has been more harm done in the name of religion throughout history than any other cause. The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition covered three centuries and spanned to the New World, Hitler (a baptized Catholic) wanted to rid the world of the problematic Jews, Milosevic followed the genocide plan in trying to rid Bosnia of the Muslims, nearly a million innocent people in Rwanada killed for being from a certain tribe and the Catholic priests and nuns helped, the Taliban and Ayatollah have set the Middle East region back centuries by taking literal translations of the Qur'an to heart, and finally the tragic events of 9/11.
I am far from the praying type. I am a humanist and hope for the best for everyone. I never wish harm to come to anybody because I feel that nobody should endure any agony. John Lennon said it best in "Imagine";
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for Today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
This was the dream of one man. I too imagine a world without religion. We are not a mass amount of heathens running a muck creating chaos, we go about with our ordinary lives, living for the day. I leave you with this. We are cousins killing cousins. We are all humans no matter what our beliefs are. We put too much value into religion and yet have no evidence of any deity existing. We are brainwashed from the time we are baptized to believe everything our elders say about religion and never to question it. It is this indoctrination, in ANY belief system that hurts society and causes tragedies that we remember on this day. Here is an alternate view of what our world would be like without religion.
Monday, August 29, 2011
The Truth is in the Numbers
Omnipotent - Having unlimited power; able to do anything
Omniscient - Knowing everything
These definitions are from the Oxford English Dictionary online. These are two adjectives often used to describe Yahweh. Richard Dawkins in "The God Delusion" makes a great point that a god that is both Omnipotent and Omniscient is contradictory. If that god is Omniscient, he knows of EVERYTHING that is bound to happen, yet billions blindly pray to him seeking personal gratification (which is rather selfish) and hope that the Omnipotent god will answer their prayer. If the Omnipotent god does answer this selfish request, this action ultimately cancels out the validity of the Omniscient god; one cannot be both.
The second point I wish to touch on tonight is the idea that this Omnipotent god created a vast universe, so vast we're still searching and finding new items that boggle our minds, and that we're the only life that he created. Let's talk this through; we reside in the outer edges of a swirling arm of the Milky Way galaxy. Our eye in the sky, known as Hubble, has opened up the celestial doorway to a vast number of galaxies that were all unfathomable a mere century ago. We know that there are billions upon billions of stars in the billions of galaxies that are now estimated to populate this universe. Our solar system requires just one star, a single celestial body at the center of it all and we are fortunate enough to be at a favorable distance from it so we are not cooked like Mercury or Venus and also have the advantage of massive gas giants of Jupiter and Saturn to thwart impending asteroids from coming too close. We have an ideal setup in our little nook of the universe, but to think that we are the only life in this chemistry lab known as the universe is very primitive, and to think that God is the creator of it all is a very lazy answer. The odds of someone winning the Powerball Jackpot is 1 in 195,249,054. Everyday new planets are being discovered just by gauging the wobble of distant stars from the gravitational force that planet has on the star. It is highly unlikely that we as a species will map every star system in the universe in any of our lifetimes, but I would say that the odds of winning the lottery are right in line with life being elsewhere in the galaxy.
As a nation, we need to revitalize our sciences once again. After World War II, we smuggled in some of the great minds from Nazi Germany and thrust America into the Superpower status we now enjoy. Sadly, conservative Christian fundamentalists see science as an attack on religion and are doing everything they can to prevent science from being taught to its fullest in schools. Science is there to ask a question, and through testing, experimentation, gathering evidence develop an answer. Religion is the lazy way out (why is the sky blue? Because God made it blue. It has nothing to do with the light being scattered by the atmosphere). Religion and faith, if we let it, will impair this once great nation. Yes, we have the freedom of religion, but that does not entitle for the Conservative Christian Core to force their beliefs on the rest of society. Religion and faith are personal beliefs and should be kept as such; I want my children to learn of evolution, not idiot design. I want my children to be able to ask why and be able to go into a library to find an answer in a science journal, not rely on a book with contributors who had their own personal agendas in writing stories from other stories of the time and then a group of men gather to select which ones will be best to be the Word of God.
Omniscient - Knowing everything
These definitions are from the Oxford English Dictionary online. These are two adjectives often used to describe Yahweh. Richard Dawkins in "The God Delusion" makes a great point that a god that is both Omnipotent and Omniscient is contradictory. If that god is Omniscient, he knows of EVERYTHING that is bound to happen, yet billions blindly pray to him seeking personal gratification (which is rather selfish) and hope that the Omnipotent god will answer their prayer. If the Omnipotent god does answer this selfish request, this action ultimately cancels out the validity of the Omniscient god; one cannot be both.
The second point I wish to touch on tonight is the idea that this Omnipotent god created a vast universe, so vast we're still searching and finding new items that boggle our minds, and that we're the only life that he created. Let's talk this through; we reside in the outer edges of a swirling arm of the Milky Way galaxy. Our eye in the sky, known as Hubble, has opened up the celestial doorway to a vast number of galaxies that were all unfathomable a mere century ago. We know that there are billions upon billions of stars in the billions of galaxies that are now estimated to populate this universe. Our solar system requires just one star, a single celestial body at the center of it all and we are fortunate enough to be at a favorable distance from it so we are not cooked like Mercury or Venus and also have the advantage of massive gas giants of Jupiter and Saturn to thwart impending asteroids from coming too close. We have an ideal setup in our little nook of the universe, but to think that we are the only life in this chemistry lab known as the universe is very primitive, and to think that God is the creator of it all is a very lazy answer. The odds of someone winning the Powerball Jackpot is 1 in 195,249,054. Everyday new planets are being discovered just by gauging the wobble of distant stars from the gravitational force that planet has on the star. It is highly unlikely that we as a species will map every star system in the universe in any of our lifetimes, but I would say that the odds of winning the lottery are right in line with life being elsewhere in the galaxy.
As a nation, we need to revitalize our sciences once again. After World War II, we smuggled in some of the great minds from Nazi Germany and thrust America into the Superpower status we now enjoy. Sadly, conservative Christian fundamentalists see science as an attack on religion and are doing everything they can to prevent science from being taught to its fullest in schools. Science is there to ask a question, and through testing, experimentation, gathering evidence develop an answer. Religion is the lazy way out (why is the sky blue? Because God made it blue. It has nothing to do with the light being scattered by the atmosphere). Religion and faith, if we let it, will impair this once great nation. Yes, we have the freedom of religion, but that does not entitle for the Conservative Christian Core to force their beliefs on the rest of society. Religion and faith are personal beliefs and should be kept as such; I want my children to learn of evolution, not idiot design. I want my children to be able to ask why and be able to go into a library to find an answer in a science journal, not rely on a book with contributors who had their own personal agendas in writing stories from other stories of the time and then a group of men gather to select which ones will be best to be the Word of God.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
In the Defense of Marriage
Today the U.S. Census Bureau released the statistics of marriage and divorce from the year of 2009. It turns out that married couples in the South, often referred to as the Bible Belt, have a higher tendency to divorce than those married couples in other regions of this vast nation. This coming from the same region of the country that is overflowing with Bible thumpers that lobby on family values and fund politicians to represent their conservative ideology putting up the largest opposition to the support of gay marriage.
I can say that I have been happily married for more than 10 years now and I do reside in the South, Tennessee to be exact. I can proudly say that the actions I take are what is best for my family and myself. Any decision I make I take into consideration any outcomes not asking "What Would Jesus Do?" but more along the lines of what implications will this have? I live by the Laws of Nature not by silly text that has been mistranslated over centuries upon centuries to be accepted as the Word of God. The point I make with this is best summed up with a quote from my brother; "No one is more miserable than a southern white middle-class Christian conservative". I am proud not to be bound by the dogmatic theocracy that burden many of "souls" traveling this land. I truly feel that the dogmatic stigmata we are drowning in today is poisoning our society. Avid believers try to find every justification in their Holy Book to denounce what their neighbor does and fail to look themselves in the mirror and denounce the hair cut the got which is strictly forbidden in the same Holy Book.
Now, onto the defense of marriage. This is what we need to do to fix our divorce rates in the South. allow homosexual marriage. Follow me on this; if we allow homosexual marriage, by default there will be more women (aside from the homosexual women) for the newly divorced men to pick from, allowing procreation to take place giving these new love birds another chance at happiness. With fewer opponents on the mating scene trying to hide their true homosexual beings, the pickings will be ripe for the heterosexuals. Just like in nature, the top ram gets first dibs on their mate, the same can be true for the South (just leave the head butting to the beer cans).
Another way to look at this news is that the South is so deep in the closet that we're finding next year's Christmas presents. Deep down inside the cockles of their souls, white Christian conservative men have discovered they cannot beat the gay agenda, so rather than beating why not join them? Okay, I guess I shouldn't have said beating them, maybe defeat them. White Christian conservative men cannot find satisfaction, no matter how many women they marry (i.e. Newt Gingrich) so they keep defying the tenth commandment about coveting they neighbors wife.
What I propose is that we allow gay marriage. This will increase the number of marriages we have to tally next go around offsetting the increasing number of divorces that miserable white christian conservative middle class men are revolving through the courts with. Massachusetts and Vermont, just to name two states, already allow gay marriage and have lower divorce rates than us in the South. They realize that the more marriages there are, the more balanced the divorce rate will seem. It's simple law of averages...wait, most southerns wouldn't even get that, sorry.
http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acs-13.pdf
http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/08/25/divorce.bible.belt/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1
I can say that I have been happily married for more than 10 years now and I do reside in the South, Tennessee to be exact. I can proudly say that the actions I take are what is best for my family and myself. Any decision I make I take into consideration any outcomes not asking "What Would Jesus Do?" but more along the lines of what implications will this have? I live by the Laws of Nature not by silly text that has been mistranslated over centuries upon centuries to be accepted as the Word of God. The point I make with this is best summed up with a quote from my brother; "No one is more miserable than a southern white middle-class Christian conservative". I am proud not to be bound by the dogmatic theocracy that burden many of "souls" traveling this land. I truly feel that the dogmatic stigmata we are drowning in today is poisoning our society. Avid believers try to find every justification in their Holy Book to denounce what their neighbor does and fail to look themselves in the mirror and denounce the hair cut the got which is strictly forbidden in the same Holy Book.
Now, onto the defense of marriage. This is what we need to do to fix our divorce rates in the South. allow homosexual marriage. Follow me on this; if we allow homosexual marriage, by default there will be more women (aside from the homosexual women) for the newly divorced men to pick from, allowing procreation to take place giving these new love birds another chance at happiness. With fewer opponents on the mating scene trying to hide their true homosexual beings, the pickings will be ripe for the heterosexuals. Just like in nature, the top ram gets first dibs on their mate, the same can be true for the South (just leave the head butting to the beer cans).
Another way to look at this news is that the South is so deep in the closet that we're finding next year's Christmas presents. Deep down inside the cockles of their souls, white Christian conservative men have discovered they cannot beat the gay agenda, so rather than beating why not join them? Okay, I guess I shouldn't have said beating them, maybe defeat them. White Christian conservative men cannot find satisfaction, no matter how many women they marry (i.e. Newt Gingrich) so they keep defying the tenth commandment about coveting they neighbors wife.
What I propose is that we allow gay marriage. This will increase the number of marriages we have to tally next go around offsetting the increasing number of divorces that miserable white christian conservative middle class men are revolving through the courts with. Massachusetts and Vermont, just to name two states, already allow gay marriage and have lower divorce rates than us in the South. They realize that the more marriages there are, the more balanced the divorce rate will seem. It's simple law of averages...wait, most southerns wouldn't even get that, sorry.
http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acs-13.pdf
http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/08/25/divorce.bible.belt/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Acceptance
For countless centuries, human inhabitants of this planet called Earth had a geocentric state of mind. They believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and everything, including the sun, orbited around this small spherical body. There were a few observers through the years that started to truly study the sky and began to lay the pieces of the puzzle out to construct. Copernicus was the first to put the puzzle together by coming out and saying that the Earth orbited the Sun. Later, Galileo invented the telescope to observe far off celestial bodies, and with this was able to examine the paths of orbiting planets and moons and confirmed what Copernicus had stated.
This concept went against everything that the church believed. As a matter of fact, Galileo was excommunicated from the Catholic Church, but kept his strong faith in God. Over time, with insurmountable evidence, the church finally adopted the heliocentric construction to our solar system. Now, almost five centuries after Galileo left this planet, science is in an ever heated battle with religion yet again. This time it is dealing with how life came to be on this planet. Science shows steady changes to species over time so those species can adapt to their environment and ensure their thriving through time (barring any major catastrophe). These small, steady mutations are the basis of evolution, or the survival of the fittest. There are countless species of birds on this planet all with different designs beaks, wings and feet. Some have webbed feet to allow them to tread through water easier, others have talons to grasp their prey while they fly. Pelicans have an expandable pouch to scoop up water with fish so they don't have to land to eat where as the seagull does not. These are variable traits over time to allow these different species to survive and thrive.
Yes, it took the church many of years to accept the fact that we are not the center of the universe, eventually they will come to the conclusion showing that evolution is a fact and not a belief. Galileo never gave up his faith, but stood by the scientific evidence of the heliocentric concept. Why is accepting what Darwin observed blasphemous? We see changes in our own species over time. We as a species have gotten taller over time. George Washington was 6 feet 2 inches at the time of his death, that was considered tall for his time, today that is average. We are adapting, height is a favorable trait to have, it shows dominance. Accept the fact that evolution is out there, we all evolve, we're just waiting for you.
This concept went against everything that the church believed. As a matter of fact, Galileo was excommunicated from the Catholic Church, but kept his strong faith in God. Over time, with insurmountable evidence, the church finally adopted the heliocentric construction to our solar system. Now, almost five centuries after Galileo left this planet, science is in an ever heated battle with religion yet again. This time it is dealing with how life came to be on this planet. Science shows steady changes to species over time so those species can adapt to their environment and ensure their thriving through time (barring any major catastrophe). These small, steady mutations are the basis of evolution, or the survival of the fittest. There are countless species of birds on this planet all with different designs beaks, wings and feet. Some have webbed feet to allow them to tread through water easier, others have talons to grasp their prey while they fly. Pelicans have an expandable pouch to scoop up water with fish so they don't have to land to eat where as the seagull does not. These are variable traits over time to allow these different species to survive and thrive.
Yes, it took the church many of years to accept the fact that we are not the center of the universe, eventually they will come to the conclusion showing that evolution is a fact and not a belief. Galileo never gave up his faith, but stood by the scientific evidence of the heliocentric concept. Why is accepting what Darwin observed blasphemous? We see changes in our own species over time. We as a species have gotten taller over time. George Washington was 6 feet 2 inches at the time of his death, that was considered tall for his time, today that is average. We are adapting, height is a favorable trait to have, it shows dominance. Accept the fact that evolution is out there, we all evolve, we're just waiting for you.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
A Choice...
We encounter scores of choices on a daily basis; what shoes to wear, what to get to eat on lunch, should I pass the cop on the interstate if they're going below the speed limit? A lot of these are minimal and seem like they won't impact our everyday life (unless you read up on Quantum Theory, but that's well beyond what this is going into). We have choices galore here in the United States, most people choose to believe that science is absolutely wrong when discussing the fact of evolution. I don't mind one bit having an intelligent conversation in regards to creation vs. evolution, the validity of The Bible or how hypocritical many practitioners of religion appear to be, but there are places that are appropriate for these discussions, and I'd say that ninety percent of the time work is not a good place to have a discussion on topics such as these, a better choice could have been made.
Homosexuality is not a choice. It is a biological anomaly that has changed the face of the modern world. In 1993, President Clinton initiated an Executive Order banning gays serving openly in the military with Don't Ask, Don't Tell. One may argue that this would not infringe on any civil rights, but I wonder how many conversations were held between troops about how much they enjoyed the dancers at one of the many exotic bars in a military town, or the hot piece of ass they got from the club over the weekend. This is flaunting heterosexuality in the open and this is perfectly acceptable, despite the fact that these were the same practices in Sodom and Gomorrah before the Lord rained down fire and brimstone. It took nearly 20 years for our society to realize just how wrong Don't Ask Don't Tell was and urge the government to take action.
Now to say there is a "Gay Gene" or not is a bit ridiculous at this point in time. Yes, we have decoded the human genome, but not one gene stood out, what we did find upon further research is that 60% of the sample did share similar genes on 3 different chromosomes (read here), simply put homosexuality is no more a choice than how tall you are. Homosexuals have pheromones and hormones just like heterosexuals that stimulate their physical attraction to others, it's nothing that can just be prayed away, no more than crabs, lobsters and swine can be prayed away (more of God's abominations).
Another thing, if you're going to say that your ancestors are Adam & Eve, not monkeys and then an hour later agree with someone saying that human species started in Africa millions of years ago, either you believe the Bible is open to interpretation and flawed by man or are blindly following what you are being taught. You are free to choose what your beliefs are, but there are irrefutable evidence that life on Earth is far greater in age than six thousand years old like the Bible teaches; we don't find human, let alone chimp, remains with dinosaur remains in the fossil record. Evolution is not an attack on faith; faith and worship falls into a societal belief system (often examined in Social Studies classes) while fossils, rocks, carbon and everything surrounding us down to the molecular level can be physically examined (often studied in a science class). This is why evolution is taught in science compared to creation, or it's new cool nickname Intelligent Design. With the scientific method, you work to the answer, not give the answer and work from it. Intelligent Design, Creationism and sadly Flying Spaghetti Monsterism have no place in science books. Evolution may be a trick from the Flying Spaghetti Monster to test our faith, but since there has been a great decrease in pirates as global warming increases, there are fewer prophets out there to spread his noodly word to the masses.
The bottom line is that we are all brothers and sisters on this floating rock ideally placed far enough away not to be scorched by the sun but still close enough to benefit from the heat it puts off. No matter what you study, we all come from a common ancestor whether it be Adam & Eve or rely on scientific proof showing our decent from chimpanzees. There are millions upon millions of genes that can be activated and deactivated over time. Whales have the gene to grow legs, we as humans still have the gene to grow a tail. We don't see whales walking with legs or humans wagging their tails out of excitement because these genes have been turned off biologically to benefit the survival of the species. So whether you are black, white, yellow, brown, heterosexual, homosexual, transgender, intergender or just have questions, stop the hate and ignorance. We are all citizens of this planet, not by choice but by chance and we're all here for the same reason, to make the best of what we're given and survive.
Homosexuality is not a choice. It is a biological anomaly that has changed the face of the modern world. In 1993, President Clinton initiated an Executive Order banning gays serving openly in the military with Don't Ask, Don't Tell. One may argue that this would not infringe on any civil rights, but I wonder how many conversations were held between troops about how much they enjoyed the dancers at one of the many exotic bars in a military town, or the hot piece of ass they got from the club over the weekend. This is flaunting heterosexuality in the open and this is perfectly acceptable, despite the fact that these were the same practices in Sodom and Gomorrah before the Lord rained down fire and brimstone. It took nearly 20 years for our society to realize just how wrong Don't Ask Don't Tell was and urge the government to take action.
Now to say there is a "Gay Gene" or not is a bit ridiculous at this point in time. Yes, we have decoded the human genome, but not one gene stood out, what we did find upon further research is that 60% of the sample did share similar genes on 3 different chromosomes (read here), simply put homosexuality is no more a choice than how tall you are. Homosexuals have pheromones and hormones just like heterosexuals that stimulate their physical attraction to others, it's nothing that can just be prayed away, no more than crabs, lobsters and swine can be prayed away (more of God's abominations).
Another thing, if you're going to say that your ancestors are Adam & Eve, not monkeys and then an hour later agree with someone saying that human species started in Africa millions of years ago, either you believe the Bible is open to interpretation and flawed by man or are blindly following what you are being taught. You are free to choose what your beliefs are, but there are irrefutable evidence that life on Earth is far greater in age than six thousand years old like the Bible teaches; we don't find human, let alone chimp, remains with dinosaur remains in the fossil record. Evolution is not an attack on faith; faith and worship falls into a societal belief system (often examined in Social Studies classes) while fossils, rocks, carbon and everything surrounding us down to the molecular level can be physically examined (often studied in a science class). This is why evolution is taught in science compared to creation, or it's new cool nickname Intelligent Design. With the scientific method, you work to the answer, not give the answer and work from it. Intelligent Design, Creationism and sadly Flying Spaghetti Monsterism have no place in science books. Evolution may be a trick from the Flying Spaghetti Monster to test our faith, but since there has been a great decrease in pirates as global warming increases, there are fewer prophets out there to spread his noodly word to the masses.
The bottom line is that we are all brothers and sisters on this floating rock ideally placed far enough away not to be scorched by the sun but still close enough to benefit from the heat it puts off. No matter what you study, we all come from a common ancestor whether it be Adam & Eve or rely on scientific proof showing our decent from chimpanzees. There are millions upon millions of genes that can be activated and deactivated over time. Whales have the gene to grow legs, we as humans still have the gene to grow a tail. We don't see whales walking with legs or humans wagging their tails out of excitement because these genes have been turned off biologically to benefit the survival of the species. So whether you are black, white, yellow, brown, heterosexual, homosexual, transgender, intergender or just have questions, stop the hate and ignorance. We are all citizens of this planet, not by choice but by chance and we're all here for the same reason, to make the best of what we're given and survive.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
The Sanctity of Life
Last week in Orlando, FL a jury acquitted Casey Anthony for the murder of her daughter. The majority of Americans cried foul at the verdict. Granted there was a lot of suspicion in this case, first and foremost the month that Caylee was missing before the authorities were notified. Every individual brought to trial in the United States has the right to a quick and speedy trial granted to us by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the Untied States. The defendant is also innocent until proven guilty. This last section is the most important detail in this case as the prosecution failed to provide reliable physical evidence tying Casey to the death of her daughter. We can blame the jury all we want, but they executed their civic duty as instructed by the court. It was the prosecution that dropped the ball on this, not the jury.
Where the real crime lies in this is after the verdict was read. The family of Casey Anthony, Caylee's grandparents, embraced Casey jubilantly. This little girl left this Earth three years ago, she would be getting ready for kindergarten this summer, but there has been no mention of the family asking for the authorities to continue the search for the real killer. We can debate all we want now whether Casey killed her child or not but we will be wasting breath because Double Jeopardy prevents her from being tried for the same murder again. Nobody saw it suspicious that Casey's father attempted suicide not long after Caylee was reported missing and found on his property? Now Casey is off scott-free and is being made offers for her story. She is going to become rich off the blood of her child who is still seeking justice as she lies in state in the ground rather than growing up playing with Barbie dolls and Legos.
A few days later there was a baseball game in Arlington, TX. Josh Hamilton caught a routine foul ball and being the final out of the inning, he tossed the ball into the stands to give a fan the opportunity to get a ball at a game. Those not familiar with the layout of the field in Arlington, the wall in right field, where Josh Hamilton was playing that day, is about 18 feet high and there is a gap between the wall and the stands, so the stands are about 20 feet up from the ground. As the ball was making its way to the stands, a father at the game with his 6 year old son was trying to make the day all the more special for his son by catching the ball. He lost his balance and tumbled head first over the railing between the bleachers and the wall hitting the concrete below. Tragically Shannon Stone died in this fall.
In this incident media outlets kept airing video of this one man falling to his death as his poor son looked on. Rather than being respectful to the family of the departed, media outlets were only looking for ratings with the shock factor. Today is 7/11/11 and this video is sadly still on YouTube for the world to see. When American prisoners were being decapitated by terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq, the media did not show this out of respect to the families, but this video is still available online to be viewed. There is no doubt that this child will be scared for life from witnessing the death of his father and yet media outlets showed this video and made money off of it.
The crime in these two incidents is the potential for profiting off of the loss of life. If Casey was truly innocent why hasn't she urged the police to find the true killer rather than trying to strike a book deal with the diary she kept in prison or advice book? Ratings numbers are not as important as the well being of a child and family that tragically lost their father in a freak accident. Profiting off another's loss is the true crime people and this is what needs to stop. I hope one day we'll be able to see this.
Where the real crime lies in this is after the verdict was read. The family of Casey Anthony, Caylee's grandparents, embraced Casey jubilantly. This little girl left this Earth three years ago, she would be getting ready for kindergarten this summer, but there has been no mention of the family asking for the authorities to continue the search for the real killer. We can debate all we want now whether Casey killed her child or not but we will be wasting breath because Double Jeopardy prevents her from being tried for the same murder again. Nobody saw it suspicious that Casey's father attempted suicide not long after Caylee was reported missing and found on his property? Now Casey is off scott-free and is being made offers for her story. She is going to become rich off the blood of her child who is still seeking justice as she lies in state in the ground rather than growing up playing with Barbie dolls and Legos.
A few days later there was a baseball game in Arlington, TX. Josh Hamilton caught a routine foul ball and being the final out of the inning, he tossed the ball into the stands to give a fan the opportunity to get a ball at a game. Those not familiar with the layout of the field in Arlington, the wall in right field, where Josh Hamilton was playing that day, is about 18 feet high and there is a gap between the wall and the stands, so the stands are about 20 feet up from the ground. As the ball was making its way to the stands, a father at the game with his 6 year old son was trying to make the day all the more special for his son by catching the ball. He lost his balance and tumbled head first over the railing between the bleachers and the wall hitting the concrete below. Tragically Shannon Stone died in this fall.
In this incident media outlets kept airing video of this one man falling to his death as his poor son looked on. Rather than being respectful to the family of the departed, media outlets were only looking for ratings with the shock factor. Today is 7/11/11 and this video is sadly still on YouTube for the world to see. When American prisoners were being decapitated by terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq, the media did not show this out of respect to the families, but this video is still available online to be viewed. There is no doubt that this child will be scared for life from witnessing the death of his father and yet media outlets showed this video and made money off of it.
The crime in these two incidents is the potential for profiting off of the loss of life. If Casey was truly innocent why hasn't she urged the police to find the true killer rather than trying to strike a book deal with the diary she kept in prison or advice book? Ratings numbers are not as important as the well being of a child and family that tragically lost their father in a freak accident. Profiting off another's loss is the true crime people and this is what needs to stop. I hope one day we'll be able to see this.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Your Days are Numbered
Okay, Genesis explains to us that it took seven days for God to create everything from the spiraling galaxies in the sky to the grass in my back yard. We can also find later on in this collection of fables that Jesus went into the desert for forty days and was tempted by the devil with food but did not eat (Luke 4:1-2). When presenting the question on creationism versus evolution creationists tend to use the arguement that a day for God could be different for us, but is Jesus not God? How can forty days be measured significantly different than seven days? Either the time keeping of the time was inaccurate because Rolex and Bulova were not around in Switzerland yet or we can take it for what these are, myths.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
A State in Denial
It is difficult to turn on any "news source" today and hear radicals screaming that our Founding Fathers intended that we be a Christian Nation and that we should follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. In this posting, I am going to debunk the ideas that our Founding Fathers intended this land to be governed under a cross. These men were free thinkers and were above the brainwashing that is known as organized religion. The reason for the First Amendment stating that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." These men understood what brainwashed religious fanatics were capable of, Europe had endured hundreds of years of witch hunts ending the lives of countless innocent individuals. The Spanish Inquisition sought to rid the Spanish territory of any religions that were not Catholic. Both of these practices made their ways across the Atlantic Ocean, most famously depicted in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. We can go back even farther to the Crusades that were lead into the Holy Land. All of these deplorable actions done in the Name of God.
Thomas Jefferson is one of the most revered individuals in the history of these United States. He was the young politician from Virginia that the Continental Congress called upon to draft the Declaration of Independence. He was not a federalist and believed firmly in states' rights. He would fit right in with the GOP today; he had sexual affairs with his assistants (slaves), denounced "big government" supporting states' rights, but also denounced Christianity, that maybe a problem for today's politicians. Thomas Jefferson, our third president, the architect of the Declaration of Independence, the second face on Mount Rushmore and the one who is embossed on our nickle said "I do not find in orthodox Christianity on redeeming feature". This is not a very supporting fact for calling the United States a Christian Nation. Jefferson actually saw organized religion as a threat to society; he wrote the following in a letter to Horatio Spafford on March 17, 1814 "In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot...they have perverted the purest religion ever preached to man into mystery and jargon, unintelligible to all mankind, and therefor the safer engine for their purpose." Jefferson understood that religion was poison to a free society because of the fear that the based their practices on. If the United States was truly to be free, the government could not establish a national religion. "It has been fifty or sixty years since I read the Apocalypse, and then I considered it the ravings of a maniac." He understood that the Bible was written by man to induce fear among the followers of Christ so that they would not stray from the path. "I have recently been examining all the superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology". "We discover in the gospels a groundwork for vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstition, fanaticism and fabrication". These words do not provide evidence of this Nation intending to be a Christian Nation.
"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches". This rant came from one of two men found on American currency that were never elected president, Benjamin Franklin. The great thinker was against established religion as well. Not necessarily denouncing a supreme being, but saw many flaws in the establishment as it was. In an 1728 publication Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion, Franklin stated "I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it". Franklin also pointed out the lack of evidence of God's judgement "I looked around for God's judgment and saw no signs of them" for he thought that "The way to see by faith is to shut the eye to reason" and Franklin was not about to close of reason in any way, shape or form.
John Adams was a friend of Thomas Jefferson during the founding of our nation and later on as they both retired from politics. Adams was our second president succeeding George Washington after he stepped down after two terms. In a letter to Jefferson, Adams shares a feeling about Christianity with his dear friend; "I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!" Adams saw religion as a hindrance on advancing a society; "The question before the human race is, whether the God of Nature shall govern the world by his own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles?" and "God is an essence that we know nothing of. Until this awful blasphemy is got rid of, there will never be any liberal science in the world." finally "The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find a precept for Creeds, Confessions, Oaths, Doctrines, and whole cartloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in Christianity."
These are the traits that I want in my elected leaders. I do not want my leaders to be blinded by faith as put by Mr. Franklin. I want leaders like Abraham Lincoln who Supreme Court Justice David Davis said "He had no faith, in the Christian sense of the term-- he had faith in laws, principles, causes and effects". I want a leader that can look objectively at everyday life and look for a real answer rather than saying "It's God's Will". Just because Christianity happens to be the majority religion on this continent does not mean that our Founding Fathers intended to have Christianity as a national religion. We separated ourselves from the British Crown which had an established state religion and saw the persecution endured by non-followers. The Pilgrims came to America in refuge of the Crown. Why would we go from one bad situation to another? I will leave you this evening with one final quote from Mr. Jefferson from a letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper in 1814. "Christianity neither is, nor ever was, part of the Common Law."
Thomas Jefferson is one of the most revered individuals in the history of these United States. He was the young politician from Virginia that the Continental Congress called upon to draft the Declaration of Independence. He was not a federalist and believed firmly in states' rights. He would fit right in with the GOP today; he had sexual affairs with his assistants (slaves), denounced "big government" supporting states' rights, but also denounced Christianity, that maybe a problem for today's politicians. Thomas Jefferson, our third president, the architect of the Declaration of Independence, the second face on Mount Rushmore and the one who is embossed on our nickle said "I do not find in orthodox Christianity on redeeming feature". This is not a very supporting fact for calling the United States a Christian Nation. Jefferson actually saw organized religion as a threat to society; he wrote the following in a letter to Horatio Spafford on March 17, 1814 "In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot...they have perverted the purest religion ever preached to man into mystery and jargon, unintelligible to all mankind, and therefor the safer engine for their purpose." Jefferson understood that religion was poison to a free society because of the fear that the based their practices on. If the United States was truly to be free, the government could not establish a national religion. "It has been fifty or sixty years since I read the Apocalypse, and then I considered it the ravings of a maniac." He understood that the Bible was written by man to induce fear among the followers of Christ so that they would not stray from the path. "I have recently been examining all the superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology". "We discover in the gospels a groundwork for vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstition, fanaticism and fabrication". These words do not provide evidence of this Nation intending to be a Christian Nation.
"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches". This rant came from one of two men found on American currency that were never elected president, Benjamin Franklin. The great thinker was against established religion as well. Not necessarily denouncing a supreme being, but saw many flaws in the establishment as it was. In an 1728 publication Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion, Franklin stated "I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it". Franklin also pointed out the lack of evidence of God's judgement "I looked around for God's judgment and saw no signs of them" for he thought that "The way to see by faith is to shut the eye to reason" and Franklin was not about to close of reason in any way, shape or form.
John Adams was a friend of Thomas Jefferson during the founding of our nation and later on as they both retired from politics. Adams was our second president succeeding George Washington after he stepped down after two terms. In a letter to Jefferson, Adams shares a feeling about Christianity with his dear friend; "I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced!" Adams saw religion as a hindrance on advancing a society; "The question before the human race is, whether the God of Nature shall govern the world by his own laws, or whether priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles?" and "God is an essence that we know nothing of. Until this awful blasphemy is got rid of, there will never be any liberal science in the world." finally "The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find a precept for Creeds, Confessions, Oaths, Doctrines, and whole cartloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in Christianity."
These are the traits that I want in my elected leaders. I do not want my leaders to be blinded by faith as put by Mr. Franklin. I want leaders like Abraham Lincoln who Supreme Court Justice David Davis said "He had no faith, in the Christian sense of the term-- he had faith in laws, principles, causes and effects". I want a leader that can look objectively at everyday life and look for a real answer rather than saying "It's God's Will". Just because Christianity happens to be the majority religion on this continent does not mean that our Founding Fathers intended to have Christianity as a national religion. We separated ourselves from the British Crown which had an established state religion and saw the persecution endured by non-followers. The Pilgrims came to America in refuge of the Crown. Why would we go from one bad situation to another? I will leave you this evening with one final quote from Mr. Jefferson from a letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper in 1814. "Christianity neither is, nor ever was, part of the Common Law."
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Who needs a Secret Decoder Ring?
Let's take a look at the contradictions posed to us by the GOP. The GOP majority in the Tennessee General Assembly passed a bill prohibiting the transmission of offensive images and the governor, a member of the GOP, signed the bill into law. The question underlying this is who is the one that deems an image offensive. The highest court in these great United States have time and time again ruled that expression and art are protected under the First Amendment with the freedom of speech. Essentially this law is in direct violation of our rights that have been in place for nearly two and a half centuries.
Now, let's look at the Second Amendment, a favorite of the GOP, the right to bear arms. The amendment reads as follows; "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The same high court, the third branch of this experiment we call a republic, uses this to give people right to own firearms. The militias of yesteryear have now been transformed into the National Guard. I'm for certain that everybody that owns a gun is not a serving member, or a veteran, of the armed forces. This amendment clearly states that "a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State" this does not mean EVERYBODY.
With the availability to a massive amount of firearms in the United States, guns are bound, and have, fallen into the wrong hands causing harm, even death, to people in unnecessary fashions. While the GOP fully supports everyone to have a gun in their hands, they adamantly oppose abortion. A woman has every right to choose what they want to do with their body. GOPers believe that a fetus is a living creature and abortion is death. Yes, abortion ends a pregnancy, but guns also lead to death. Why the double edged sword? Is it because you believe that once a fetus is born and is developed into a voting citizen that they will vote for you so you want to protect every right that they have? Why is it that Scott Peterson is charged with double homicide when he killed his pregnant wife? The fetus was still in the womb. Or do you protect the right to bear arms to allow for Christian extremists to reign terror on the ones who perform abortions? Who is man to say that they can wield the sword of God to do God's Will? We are but man, we are the highest intelligence that we know of in this corner of the universe and yet so, so, sooo dumb. God does not have everything written down in a book saying that this will happen at such and such time, no. We are all made of atoms on the molecular level and orbiting the nucleus of those atoms are electrons. Their orbits are unpredictable and their unpredictability leads to countless outcomes of scenarios. As a man is laying in a field outside the house of an abortion doctor with his rifle in hand taking aim through the scope, countless electrons are traveling through the neurons of that man's brain. Countless thoughts are triggering; "Do I shoot? What becomes of my family if I'm caught? What becomes of this killer's family when he's dead? Who else will avenge the countless lives he's taken? I am justifying God with this action..." and he pulls the trigger, he could have easily thought more along the lines of the reality of jail and not being able to support his family, but the blindness of faith and religion overwhelmed reality.
The Bible states that God is the ultimate judge, but what happens when individuals play God on Earth? The most ridiculous statement in any language is "I killed in the name of God". The Crusades were launched in the name of God, the Spanish Inquisition was in the name of God, even the one who assassinated Yitzhak Rabin said he killed in the name of God. God is taught to be a loving individual. People today that say they hear God need to see a doctor because their brainwashing from years of indoctrination in organized religion has blinded them from understanding what true schizophrenia is and endangers society.
The bottom line is that morality is separate from religion. Our politicians SHOULD NOT mix religion and politics. Our Founding Fathers knew this and that is why they state in the First Amendment that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. They understood that organized religion makes people crazy and societies unstable. Religion is the one thing that a society will hold onto dearly with no evidence of a deity, only the idea of punishment in the afterlife. It is a similar practice that we do with children; if children don't behave they are punished. We are all individuals and each have the right to think for ourselves. We all need to take responsible for the actions we cause in this realm for this realm is true, it is real. I have tangible evidence everyday when I hug my kids and kiss my wife. I can hear the thunder outside and feel the rain fall on my head. This is real, this is chemistry, biology and physics all working simultaneously. We need to take what we have for what it is, we don't need to bend the rules to make them say what we want, this is what causes polarization in society.
Now, let's look at the Second Amendment, a favorite of the GOP, the right to bear arms. The amendment reads as follows; "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The same high court, the third branch of this experiment we call a republic, uses this to give people right to own firearms. The militias of yesteryear have now been transformed into the National Guard. I'm for certain that everybody that owns a gun is not a serving member, or a veteran, of the armed forces. This amendment clearly states that "a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State" this does not mean EVERYBODY.
With the availability to a massive amount of firearms in the United States, guns are bound, and have, fallen into the wrong hands causing harm, even death, to people in unnecessary fashions. While the GOP fully supports everyone to have a gun in their hands, they adamantly oppose abortion. A woman has every right to choose what they want to do with their body. GOPers believe that a fetus is a living creature and abortion is death. Yes, abortion ends a pregnancy, but guns also lead to death. Why the double edged sword? Is it because you believe that once a fetus is born and is developed into a voting citizen that they will vote for you so you want to protect every right that they have? Why is it that Scott Peterson is charged with double homicide when he killed his pregnant wife? The fetus was still in the womb. Or do you protect the right to bear arms to allow for Christian extremists to reign terror on the ones who perform abortions? Who is man to say that they can wield the sword of God to do God's Will? We are but man, we are the highest intelligence that we know of in this corner of the universe and yet so, so, sooo dumb. God does not have everything written down in a book saying that this will happen at such and such time, no. We are all made of atoms on the molecular level and orbiting the nucleus of those atoms are electrons. Their orbits are unpredictable and their unpredictability leads to countless outcomes of scenarios. As a man is laying in a field outside the house of an abortion doctor with his rifle in hand taking aim through the scope, countless electrons are traveling through the neurons of that man's brain. Countless thoughts are triggering; "Do I shoot? What becomes of my family if I'm caught? What becomes of this killer's family when he's dead? Who else will avenge the countless lives he's taken? I am justifying God with this action..." and he pulls the trigger, he could have easily thought more along the lines of the reality of jail and not being able to support his family, but the blindness of faith and religion overwhelmed reality.
The Bible states that God is the ultimate judge, but what happens when individuals play God on Earth? The most ridiculous statement in any language is "I killed in the name of God". The Crusades were launched in the name of God, the Spanish Inquisition was in the name of God, even the one who assassinated Yitzhak Rabin said he killed in the name of God. God is taught to be a loving individual. People today that say they hear God need to see a doctor because their brainwashing from years of indoctrination in organized religion has blinded them from understanding what true schizophrenia is and endangers society.
The bottom line is that morality is separate from religion. Our politicians SHOULD NOT mix religion and politics. Our Founding Fathers knew this and that is why they state in the First Amendment that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. They understood that organized religion makes people crazy and societies unstable. Religion is the one thing that a society will hold onto dearly with no evidence of a deity, only the idea of punishment in the afterlife. It is a similar practice that we do with children; if children don't behave they are punished. We are all individuals and each have the right to think for ourselves. We all need to take responsible for the actions we cause in this realm for this realm is true, it is real. I have tangible evidence everyday when I hug my kids and kiss my wife. I can hear the thunder outside and feel the rain fall on my head. This is real, this is chemistry, biology and physics all working simultaneously. We need to take what we have for what it is, we don't need to bend the rules to make them say what we want, this is what causes polarization in society.
A picture is worth a 1000 words...
Saturday, June 4, 2011
One Soldier vs. an Army
Yesterday, the world lost a true visionary. Dr. Jack Kevorkian passed away at the age of 83. Dr. Kevorkian ruffled a lot of feathers with his work of assisting terminally ill patients that elected in their own free will that it was their time to go. They did not want to endure anymore suffering and did not want to put their families through anymore hardships. Dr. Kevorkian was a pioneer in the world of medicine, and yet, more than two decades later only a few states now allow assisted suicide.
Yes, there is a moral dilemma about this topic. Doctor's take an oath to treat patients and prevent disease. Part of the Hippocratic Oath states that "I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick." Prolonging the life of someone that is terminally ill opens the flood gates to extreme medical costs with doctor visits, hospital stays, even surgeries just to try and make the patient comfortable and prolonging the inevitable. If someone, of sound state of mind, elects to end their suffering, we as a society owe that to the individual. Why just let them wither away in a hospital bed (increasing medical bills) and give them a button to dose them with morphine (that is only limited to so much and does not always take away the pain)? Is this the humane thing to do, is this the ethical thing to do or is this the capitalistic thing to do?
When we have pets that have gotten to a certain age where they become riddled with cancerous tumors, start going blind, or cannot control their bowels or bladder, we as the pet owners have to take that long drive to the veterinary office and make that call for euthanasia because it is the humane thing to do. We don't prolong the suffering of our fellow living creatures (created by God if you believe that). One argument is that God has the final say on when we die. If that is the case, aren't we playing god when we make the decision to put our beloved pets down? It's nothing easy to witness if you're truly attached to your pet, I can only imagine what it would be like for someone doing this to their kin. Genesis 1:26 states that "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
This is not a topic to split hairs on. This is my body, I own my body. Nature gave the this body to do as I will with it. There are healthy and non-healthy things I can consume. There are helpful drugs and harmful drugs that I can partake in, but all of them are my choices. Assisted suicide is not a matter of vanity, ethics or morality. It is up to the individual that is enduring the suffering and to have them discuss it with their loved ones who are enduring the suffering by proxy. The closest we have today, in most areas, to assisted suicide is "pulling the plug". This is where all life support measures are turned off and the patient is drugged to "provide comfort". I recently saw this first hand with my mother in law passing at the end of March this year. When they turned off the respirator, the doctor said "if she appears to be struggling for air, let us know so we can give her more drugs". The tone he said this with was cold and unwelcomed. I'm not saying that my mother in law would have wanted to use assisted suicide, she loved life and loved seeing her grandchildren grow up to become their own personalities. But there are countless others out there that are struggling, suffering through the pain of terminal illness that have no medical hope to get better and yet, they are forced to suffer until "God" chooses to take them from this Earth. God gave dominion to man over the entire earth, over every creature on the earth. Man is a god created creature, we should have the same end of life privileges that we grant our family pets. Thank you Dr. Kevorkian for your outlook on life and how to help loved ones pass on peacefully. You will be missed.
Yes, there is a moral dilemma about this topic. Doctor's take an oath to treat patients and prevent disease. Part of the Hippocratic Oath states that "I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick." Prolonging the life of someone that is terminally ill opens the flood gates to extreme medical costs with doctor visits, hospital stays, even surgeries just to try and make the patient comfortable and prolonging the inevitable. If someone, of sound state of mind, elects to end their suffering, we as a society owe that to the individual. Why just let them wither away in a hospital bed (increasing medical bills) and give them a button to dose them with morphine (that is only limited to so much and does not always take away the pain)? Is this the humane thing to do, is this the ethical thing to do or is this the capitalistic thing to do?
When we have pets that have gotten to a certain age where they become riddled with cancerous tumors, start going blind, or cannot control their bowels or bladder, we as the pet owners have to take that long drive to the veterinary office and make that call for euthanasia because it is the humane thing to do. We don't prolong the suffering of our fellow living creatures (created by God if you believe that). One argument is that God has the final say on when we die. If that is the case, aren't we playing god when we make the decision to put our beloved pets down? It's nothing easy to witness if you're truly attached to your pet, I can only imagine what it would be like for someone doing this to their kin. Genesis 1:26 states that "God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
This is not a topic to split hairs on. This is my body, I own my body. Nature gave the this body to do as I will with it. There are healthy and non-healthy things I can consume. There are helpful drugs and harmful drugs that I can partake in, but all of them are my choices. Assisted suicide is not a matter of vanity, ethics or morality. It is up to the individual that is enduring the suffering and to have them discuss it with their loved ones who are enduring the suffering by proxy. The closest we have today, in most areas, to assisted suicide is "pulling the plug". This is where all life support measures are turned off and the patient is drugged to "provide comfort". I recently saw this first hand with my mother in law passing at the end of March this year. When they turned off the respirator, the doctor said "if she appears to be struggling for air, let us know so we can give her more drugs". The tone he said this with was cold and unwelcomed. I'm not saying that my mother in law would have wanted to use assisted suicide, she loved life and loved seeing her grandchildren grow up to become their own personalities. But there are countless others out there that are struggling, suffering through the pain of terminal illness that have no medical hope to get better and yet, they are forced to suffer until "God" chooses to take them from this Earth. God gave dominion to man over the entire earth, over every creature on the earth. Man is a god created creature, we should have the same end of life privileges that we grant our family pets. Thank you Dr. Kevorkian for your outlook on life and how to help loved ones pass on peacefully. You will be missed.
Deep Fried Dung
So here's the scene. After winding down from work on Friday night, I get to bed about 3:30 - 4:00 in the morning. Once the sun comes up I'm waking up about every hour or so, not the greatest of sleep. My wife and kids decide to start attacking me around 10:30 or so to get up for the day. We decide to go out and enjoy the afternoon as a family and grab lunch at a family friendly establishment. We start driving around town throwing out ideas for lunch to go to, nothing sounded good, so we cross state lines into Kentucky. We drive miles down a two lane state highway, highway 79, heading into Guthrie then into Russellville. The few houses along the route are outnumbered by the silos there storing the grain from the countless acres of wheat and corn fields along the route. We pass the sign "Welcome to Russellville, Kentucky. est. 1798" and we are in a quaint little town riddled with houses that have either reached, or are getting ready to pass, the century mark. To the right is a large, elegant cemetery with old headstones hidden by the newer, larger headstones. To the left is Adelle's Southern Gourmet Food. We'd been driving now for about 40 minutes or so and figured it was time to stop and grab some lunch. Enter family stage left.
The building appears to have been a lodge of some sort before with the setup on the inside. The inside was recently modeled with large 3x3 granite tiles on the floor and cherry wooden tables and chairs. There was one other table occupied as we entered, so not too busy at all. We go in and place our orders, everybody enjoying themselves. Fried dill pickles were great, steak was tender and catfish was not dry. A great place to eat with nice and friendly service. It is at this time that the dining experience becomes a bit more interesting. As we are finishing up our meals and debating if we want to get puddin' pie, another couple in their late 30s or early 40s walk in and sit a couple tables away from us. The woman sits facing us and the gentleman sits with his back. After they order their drinks, he seems uncomfortable and moves to the chair next to him, seeming to position himself farther away from us. We then hear the woman say "stop it, she's here with her family trying to have a good time. Let it go." Before their drinks are brought out, they get up and leave.
For those of you who do not know, my wife is a Pagan. She has been practicing Paganism for most of her life. Just like most Christians, she is proud of her religion and her beliefs and is not afraid to express herself. Some Christians have a cross hanging from a chain around their neck or some other form of apparel advertising their beliefs. My wife proudly wears a pentagram (a five pointed star enclosed in a circle) to express her religion. It is a common misconception that this is a sign of the Devil. On the contrary, Pagans don't believe in the Devil so they don't have a symbol for him. Christians link the idea of Devil worship with pentagram and Paganism because of true misunderstanding. Paganism was practiced millenia before Christianity was a twinkle in God's eye. Satanists are more Christian than Pagans; without Christ there is no Satan. So to invoke fear into the Christians, Satanists take what is old and not quite understood and incorporate them in their "rituals".
It's sad to see intolerance still thriving in our society. I don't know if this guy thought that since we were so close to a graveyard that my wife was going to invoke the spirits of the dead to come haunt him. I can see his great grand pappy turning in his grave because if this had been 1963, it would have been my wife and family that would have been rejected service and the ignorant Cracker would have been able to stay and feel safe in his little closed box. So John Boy, if you ever come across this blog (I don't know if Russellville, KY has internet or not) try to keep an open mind about people, they can surprise you at times. We can only come out of the dark ages of ignorance and become enlightened with the truth of knowledge.
The building appears to have been a lodge of some sort before with the setup on the inside. The inside was recently modeled with large 3x3 granite tiles on the floor and cherry wooden tables and chairs. There was one other table occupied as we entered, so not too busy at all. We go in and place our orders, everybody enjoying themselves. Fried dill pickles were great, steak was tender and catfish was not dry. A great place to eat with nice and friendly service. It is at this time that the dining experience becomes a bit more interesting. As we are finishing up our meals and debating if we want to get puddin' pie, another couple in their late 30s or early 40s walk in and sit a couple tables away from us. The woman sits facing us and the gentleman sits with his back. After they order their drinks, he seems uncomfortable and moves to the chair next to him, seeming to position himself farther away from us. We then hear the woman say "stop it, she's here with her family trying to have a good time. Let it go." Before their drinks are brought out, they get up and leave.
For those of you who do not know, my wife is a Pagan. She has been practicing Paganism for most of her life. Just like most Christians, she is proud of her religion and her beliefs and is not afraid to express herself. Some Christians have a cross hanging from a chain around their neck or some other form of apparel advertising their beliefs. My wife proudly wears a pentagram (a five pointed star enclosed in a circle) to express her religion. It is a common misconception that this is a sign of the Devil. On the contrary, Pagans don't believe in the Devil so they don't have a symbol for him. Christians link the idea of Devil worship with pentagram and Paganism because of true misunderstanding. Paganism was practiced millenia before Christianity was a twinkle in God's eye. Satanists are more Christian than Pagans; without Christ there is no Satan. So to invoke fear into the Christians, Satanists take what is old and not quite understood and incorporate them in their "rituals".
It's sad to see intolerance still thriving in our society. I don't know if this guy thought that since we were so close to a graveyard that my wife was going to invoke the spirits of the dead to come haunt him. I can see his great grand pappy turning in his grave because if this had been 1963, it would have been my wife and family that would have been rejected service and the ignorant Cracker would have been able to stay and feel safe in his little closed box. So John Boy, if you ever come across this blog (I don't know if Russellville, KY has internet or not) try to keep an open mind about people, they can surprise you at times. We can only come out of the dark ages of ignorance and become enlightened with the truth of knowledge.
Monday, May 30, 2011
You have the right to remain silent so please use it...
So Memorial Day came and went today here in the United States of America. Many events and ceremonies for our veterans, wreathes were laid at headstones and children waived flags in parades. Even our Muslim president born in Kenya got in on the action. He kept the tradition of laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. There to protest were the loonies from Kansas' one and only Westboro Baptist Church. They won their case held at the Supreme Court and have every right to protest, but if you believe in any divine power you should see this as a sign. While the loonies of Westboro were protesting in Washington, D.C. today, another group that has a long history of their own bat-shit crazy antics were counter protesting Westboro. What group you ask aside from other right minded Americans were counter protesting? Wait for it...the Ku Klux Klan. Yes, the white supremacist group that is socially guilty for holding society back from development for over a century even think that these people from Kansas are crazier than they are. So I say again, if you believe in anything divine, take this as a sign Westboro and stop your unneeded protesting. Hate organizations don't get much worse than that of the Ku Klux Klan and if they're saying you're wrong, I think it's time you take a long look in the mirror at what you've become. The money you spend on travel has such a minimal impact on our economy that it would not be missed, that I am for certain.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Leave it to good ol' Texas
Ok, so a local branch of the Veterans Association holds a ceremony on each Memorial Day at the Houston National Cemetery, just like many other communities around the country do. For the past two years, a preacher has been giving the invocation during the ceremony, explicitly mentioning Jesus Christ. This year, the VA asked for the prayer in advance and the opening reads as follows; "While respecting people of every faith today, it is in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, that I pray. Amen." The VA asked the preacher to remove Jesus Christ from the prayer as it could be disrespectful to other faiths represented in the United States Armed Forces. Preacher takes case to court and Federal Judge Lynn Hughes ruled in favor of the preacher stating that the government cannot "gag citizens when it says it is in the interest of national security, and it cannot do it in some bureaucrat's notion of cultural homogeneity."
This is wrong on so many levels. First, ALL people that served should be respected no matter what their faith is. It is their sacrifice that allows us to freely speak and debate these issues openly without fear and persecution. Second, how is a VA Memorial Day Ceremony any different from a high school graduation commencement? They are both a gathering of citizens representing institutions that receive funds from our federal government and the highest court in the land states that there will not be any religious bias at events such as this. Third, this is not an issue relating to the freedom of speech, this is freedom of religion. Yes, both are protected in the First Amendment, but two completely different topics to uphold.
How much money would our country save by avoiding frivolous law suits dealing with religion? If people were to stop trying to force religion into every aspect of our lives, people would stop being offended and our court systems could do some actual good. Here in Tennessee, the Gideons had the gall to actually start handing out bibles in a public high school. The principle allowed it and the administration would not stop it. Now the ACLU is suing the county. Hey Moral Majority, Christian Coalition, Conservative Right Wing or whatever you wish to be called; we are not all alike. We do not hold the same views as you, so stop forcing it on us as we do not force our beliefs on you (Evolution is a fact compared to the story of creation which you have to have faith in to believe).
I've attached a link to the story for y'all to review. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend and be sure to thank a vet.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Organized Religion is Organized Crime
Let's take a look at what these two seemingly polar opposite groups have in common.
1) The community pays dues. if dues aren't paid, Guido comes for your thumbs
2) Each provide a false sense of security
3) You don't ask questions; both prefer ignorance or a blind eye
4) Both endorse the eradication of any threat to their organization
Every Sunday, ushers in the church pass around collection plates to allow parishioners to give their tidings. This money is given to the church for them to do as they wish without paying a single penny in taxes to any level of government. This money pays the salary of the preacher up in the pulpit delivering the "Word of God" making people feel safe and secure in this vast universe, it goes towards charitable organizations that the church endorses, and helps out families in need. Sounds pretty good, now look at organized crime. Kingpins in crime organizations look out for their community. Despite usually having dealings with illegal acts, they provide funds into the community helping families in need. As we've seen in many of gangster movies, small shop owners pay dues to the ringleaders for security. Now, if you don't play by the rules in organized religion, you have damnation to answer to, if you don't play by the rules in organized crime, you have henchmen to answer to; either scenario can be psychologically unwelcome. Both sides collect money, provide false sense of security and give back to the community.
Now, to avoid any unwanted attention, it is best not to ask any questions. You're not going to stand up during the sermon and ask "If God loves us so much, why did he kill everybody except Noah and his family in a flood?" or "If God created Adam and Eve and they were the first people on Earth in the Garden of Eden, where did the people from the Land of Nod come from?" for the scripture is holy and thou shall not question God's word (disclaimer: the Bible was written, compiled and agreed upon by Man on what stories would be included). Also, if you see the kingpin's henchmen "taking care of business" on your way home, you're not going to stop and ask "what's going on?" because you don't want the same to happen to you. Both organizations rely on ignorance, blind faith and a blind eye to thrive. Both organizations frown upon freethinkers and move hastily to quiet them. Look at what the Catholic Church did to the great minds of the Scientific Revolution when it was proven that we do not reside in a Geocentric universe by Galileo. He kept his devout faith to Christ because he knew no better, but the church turned their backs on him excommunicating him from their organization.
Threats of any kind on the basis of their movement is frowned upon greatly. Look at what the Catholic Church did with the multiple Crusades to the Holy Lands, endorsing the Spanish Inquisition, and the countless centuries of brainwashing their followers into believing that they were the true religion, despite many of their practices came from Ancient Rome where they practiced polytheism. Thousands of "heretics" lost their lives in the 300 plus year Inquisition under Spanish rule. Thousands, if not millions, of people died in battle during the crusades. All of these actions are endorsed in biblical teaching, going to war for God. With organized crime, if an up and coming leader tries to take over already claimed territory, this is a threat. Said invader either is "dealt with" by the henchmen or is the dealer that claims the territory and runs the town his way as we saw in "The Godfather part II" and "American Gangster".
I can say that I am happy with what I have in my life with God, and organized crime, being absent. I have a loving wife, two awesome kids, my own plot of land and a house to call my own. It was my doing that got me what I have today, there was no divine, or illegal, intervention. If society as a whole will stop relying solely on "God's will" and take action individually we will be a greater society.
1) The community pays dues. if dues aren't paid, Guido comes for your thumbs
2) Each provide a false sense of security
3) You don't ask questions; both prefer ignorance or a blind eye
4) Both endorse the eradication of any threat to their organization
Every Sunday, ushers in the church pass around collection plates to allow parishioners to give their tidings. This money is given to the church for them to do as they wish without paying a single penny in taxes to any level of government. This money pays the salary of the preacher up in the pulpit delivering the "Word of God" making people feel safe and secure in this vast universe, it goes towards charitable organizations that the church endorses, and helps out families in need. Sounds pretty good, now look at organized crime. Kingpins in crime organizations look out for their community. Despite usually having dealings with illegal acts, they provide funds into the community helping families in need. As we've seen in many of gangster movies, small shop owners pay dues to the ringleaders for security. Now, if you don't play by the rules in organized religion, you have damnation to answer to, if you don't play by the rules in organized crime, you have henchmen to answer to; either scenario can be psychologically unwelcome. Both sides collect money, provide false sense of security and give back to the community.
Now, to avoid any unwanted attention, it is best not to ask any questions. You're not going to stand up during the sermon and ask "If God loves us so much, why did he kill everybody except Noah and his family in a flood?" or "If God created Adam and Eve and they were the first people on Earth in the Garden of Eden, where did the people from the Land of Nod come from?" for the scripture is holy and thou shall not question God's word (disclaimer: the Bible was written, compiled and agreed upon by Man on what stories would be included). Also, if you see the kingpin's henchmen "taking care of business" on your way home, you're not going to stop and ask "what's going on?" because you don't want the same to happen to you. Both organizations rely on ignorance, blind faith and a blind eye to thrive. Both organizations frown upon freethinkers and move hastily to quiet them. Look at what the Catholic Church did to the great minds of the Scientific Revolution when it was proven that we do not reside in a Geocentric universe by Galileo. He kept his devout faith to Christ because he knew no better, but the church turned their backs on him excommunicating him from their organization.
Threats of any kind on the basis of their movement is frowned upon greatly. Look at what the Catholic Church did with the multiple Crusades to the Holy Lands, endorsing the Spanish Inquisition, and the countless centuries of brainwashing their followers into believing that they were the true religion, despite many of their practices came from Ancient Rome where they practiced polytheism. Thousands of "heretics" lost their lives in the 300 plus year Inquisition under Spanish rule. Thousands, if not millions, of people died in battle during the crusades. All of these actions are endorsed in biblical teaching, going to war for God. With organized crime, if an up and coming leader tries to take over already claimed territory, this is a threat. Said invader either is "dealt with" by the henchmen or is the dealer that claims the territory and runs the town his way as we saw in "The Godfather part II" and "American Gangster".
I can say that I am happy with what I have in my life with God, and organized crime, being absent. I have a loving wife, two awesome kids, my own plot of land and a house to call my own. It was my doing that got me what I have today, there was no divine, or illegal, intervention. If society as a whole will stop relying solely on "God's will" and take action individually we will be a greater society.
HELP WANTED: Bigots Needed!!!
URGENT: Are you a Bible toting, God fearing, white supremacist, minority hating American? Do you think that the 1950s was the "Golden Age" of American as portrayed in the movies and classic sit-com television? If so, we have a job for you. It is now legal in the state of Tennessee to discriminate. Governor Bill Haslam signed into law SB632 which makes it illegal for any local government to impose any anti-discrimination laws on individuals. That's right, local governments cannot tell you that you cannot discriminate anymore.
This post has minimal pay ($0 annually), has no health benefits (TennCare is going bankrupt, may want to have other options), no 401k but you get the self gratification of making your great grand-pappy happy for maintaining the cracker family business, I mean the family cracker business.
No need to apply. You can start right away. There are plenty of minorities in the larger cities of Tennessee. If you're crossing the Mississippi into Tennessee, be sure to start your discrimination in Memphis. If you can successfully discriminate there and live to tell about it, you can make it anywhere.
We are an equal opportunity employer, equal opportunity meaning that you are of Anglo decent, fear the wrath and embrace the love of God all at the same time, carry a Bible with you (not the app, the actual book), your great grand-pappy endorsed segregation and you don't pray to the Pope. If you are of any other decent other than Anglo, please issue complaints to the address below:
Office of Governor Bill Haslam
1st Floor, State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243
If you prefer to voice your complaints, Gov. Haslam can be reached at 615-741-2001
This post has minimal pay ($0 annually), has no health benefits (TennCare is going bankrupt, may want to have other options), no 401k but you get the self gratification of making your great grand-pappy happy for maintaining the cracker family business, I mean the family cracker business.
No need to apply. You can start right away. There are plenty of minorities in the larger cities of Tennessee. If you're crossing the Mississippi into Tennessee, be sure to start your discrimination in Memphis. If you can successfully discriminate there and live to tell about it, you can make it anywhere.
We are an equal opportunity employer, equal opportunity meaning that you are of Anglo decent, fear the wrath and embrace the love of God all at the same time, carry a Bible with you (not the app, the actual book), your great grand-pappy endorsed segregation and you don't pray to the Pope. If you are of any other decent other than Anglo, please issue complaints to the address below:
Office of Governor Bill Haslam
1st Floor, State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243
If you prefer to voice your complaints, Gov. Haslam can be reached at 615-741-2001
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Real Quick...
If you view my profile, you can scan the QR code on there with your smartphone to get the URL to my feed.
Praise Jesus I was Left Behind
So 6:00 PM came and passed on the International Date Line without the pomp and circumstance that was promised, yet again. Harold Camping predicted the ominous Doomsday, yet again, and to no avail we are still present and accounted for. So here's my twist on this repeat episode of the Blind Leading the Blind.
First, and probably the most offensive of my conclusions, is that Christianity is a farce. It is no more legit than the religions of Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome yet no more comedic than that of Scientology. Forcing it's followers into fear to worship an omnipotent supreme God that does not provide a single shred of evidence of existence as a test of faith has blinded pure thought and the impeded the drive for knowledge for 2000 years (6000 years if you take into account the Old Testament). Faith is an individual want, need and desire that most people rely on to answer the unanswerable. We cannot definitively answer how everything came to be so people put their faith into the paramount philosophy of the supreme creator.
Second, the end of the world is unavoidable. Mankind is set on a path of destruction with advancements in weaponry and the decline of society as a whole. In the United States we have constitutional rights protecting every individual regardless race, religion, creed or gender and yet we have fear based movements preventing mosques being built in communities, we have states passing laws targeting minorities saying they're really trying to control immigration, and states passing hate bills banning homosexuality being taught in public schools. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects every citizen of the country from states enforcing laws that would take away any rights granted by the federal law. Jim Crow has been legally gone for years, but his descendants are coming of age and are rearing their ugly faces in different shapes and forms. If we allow our states to take away rights away from one group of society, that group of society is having their constitutional rights impeded on by the state. We cannot stand by idly while this happens. This is the downfall of society, now to the destruction of the world. We will get bombarded by something, whether it is a 100 mile large asteroid or thousands upon thousands nuclear explosions, just another self inflicted wound on mankind.
Third, and final, Harold Camping is a con artist and should be held accountable. He got it wrong, plain and simple, yet he collected handsomely from his followers. I wonder how many of those that contributed to the Harold Camping initiative will receive compensation or reimbursement. Camping wrongly predicted the end days in 1994, and yet people still listened to his rants. Camping argued that he interpreted the Bible to come to the conclusion he did and it was irrefutable. This further proves that the Bible is not the divine word of God, that it is stories created by man. If Camping was a true prophet of God and the Bible was the word of God, we would have chaos reigning the streets of our wonderful "Christian Nation", but no. Thousands of blind followers who put their faith into what this man was selling altered their everyday lives, quit their jobs, gave up their "Earthly possessions" to spread the word of end times. What will come of these people that cannot get their irreplaceable time back?
My cry to society this morning is to step back. Look closely at the picture because it is not the "Last Supper" that you are viewing, it is a connect-the-dot a first grader did in a Texas elementary school. Don't rely solely on faith to make each and every decision in your life. That feel of a "Holy Presence" is a psychological effect taking place in your brain. I'm happy to say that I do not reside in a Christian Nation and that was proven tonight. Secularize this nation. Keep religion out of my government and allow progress.
First, and probably the most offensive of my conclusions, is that Christianity is a farce. It is no more legit than the religions of Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome yet no more comedic than that of Scientology. Forcing it's followers into fear to worship an omnipotent supreme God that does not provide a single shred of evidence of existence as a test of faith has blinded pure thought and the impeded the drive for knowledge for 2000 years (6000 years if you take into account the Old Testament). Faith is an individual want, need and desire that most people rely on to answer the unanswerable. We cannot definitively answer how everything came to be so people put their faith into the paramount philosophy of the supreme creator.
Second, the end of the world is unavoidable. Mankind is set on a path of destruction with advancements in weaponry and the decline of society as a whole. In the United States we have constitutional rights protecting every individual regardless race, religion, creed or gender and yet we have fear based movements preventing mosques being built in communities, we have states passing laws targeting minorities saying they're really trying to control immigration, and states passing hate bills banning homosexuality being taught in public schools. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects every citizen of the country from states enforcing laws that would take away any rights granted by the federal law. Jim Crow has been legally gone for years, but his descendants are coming of age and are rearing their ugly faces in different shapes and forms. If we allow our states to take away rights away from one group of society, that group of society is having their constitutional rights impeded on by the state. We cannot stand by idly while this happens. This is the downfall of society, now to the destruction of the world. We will get bombarded by something, whether it is a 100 mile large asteroid or thousands upon thousands nuclear explosions, just another self inflicted wound on mankind.
Third, and final, Harold Camping is a con artist and should be held accountable. He got it wrong, plain and simple, yet he collected handsomely from his followers. I wonder how many of those that contributed to the Harold Camping initiative will receive compensation or reimbursement. Camping wrongly predicted the end days in 1994, and yet people still listened to his rants. Camping argued that he interpreted the Bible to come to the conclusion he did and it was irrefutable. This further proves that the Bible is not the divine word of God, that it is stories created by man. If Camping was a true prophet of God and the Bible was the word of God, we would have chaos reigning the streets of our wonderful "Christian Nation", but no. Thousands of blind followers who put their faith into what this man was selling altered their everyday lives, quit their jobs, gave up their "Earthly possessions" to spread the word of end times. What will come of these people that cannot get their irreplaceable time back?
My cry to society this morning is to step back. Look closely at the picture because it is not the "Last Supper" that you are viewing, it is a connect-the-dot a first grader did in a Texas elementary school. Don't rely solely on faith to make each and every decision in your life. That feel of a "Holy Presence" is a psychological effect taking place in your brain. I'm happy to say that I do not reside in a Christian Nation and that was proven tonight. Secularize this nation. Keep religion out of my government and allow progress.
Ignorance is Far From Bliss
Today, the Tennessee State Senate passed a bill banning the teaching of homosexuality to students in grades K-8 on the reasoning that "homosexuals don't naturally reproduce" (Sen. Campfield - R Knoxville). Here is a letter I compiled to my senator after reading the decision.
Esteemed Senator,
--
The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life. - Albert Einstein
Esteemed Senator,
I was appalled when I read that my state senate passed legislation banning the education of homosexuality. This is pure hatred and discrimination. If we are to ban the teaching of homosexuality on the basis of "natural reproduction" as your colleague Sen. Campfield states is a minuscule loophole. If we are to keep sexuality of the classroom, both homosexuality and heterosexuality should be banned from elementary and middle school classrooms. Let us continue to blindfold the children that we are relying to be our future leaders and taking away their education. Unlike many people in our state and region, I understand that homosexuality is not a choice or a disease; it is a matter of biological chemistry inside one's individual body. Singling out a single demo-graph with this legislation allows our society to continue to spread it's hatred. When I look around today, I see religious intolerance against Muslims, societal intolerance against homosexuals from a scared conservative population and ignorance against non-English speaking individuals that reside in our borders (legal or not). We may no longer recognize Jim Crow but his descendants are coming of age raining hate and intolerance to anything and anybody that is not a white Christian. The Tea Party movement is truly poisoning progression of our state, country and society. This legislation, I feel, was a complete waste of state funds. Sexual reproduction is only mentioned once in the Tennessee State Science Standards in grades K-8 and that is in the 7th grade under hereditary. In the Health Education Standards, Sexual Transmitted Diseases are mentioned in the standards for 3-5 and 6-8. If we are to properly educate our future, both sexual preferences, because as we know in State Health Education Standard 7.3 for grades 6-8 abstinence is not always the answer, even though it is the preferred choice of the state. These children have questions and limiting teachers to not being able to discuss what can and cannot be discussed in the classroom in a controlled environment is a discourteous act to the students as a whole.
Thank you for your time
Michael Dunton
--
The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life. - Albert Einstein
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Godhatescrazyfolkfromkansas.com
I ventured onto the website of Westboro Baptist Church tonight and they have an actual tracker titled "people whom God has cast into Hell since you loaded this page". Their URL is www.godhatesfags.com and this is a rather presumptuous notion expressing that they know the exact amount of people damned to burn in Hell, I thought the Bible taught that God was the ultimate judge. With this I see three scenarios; 1) Westboro Baptist has a court reporter in God's court 2) they operate the gates into Hell or 3) they're just plain wrong. Let's play connect the dots here; most protestants, if not all, go by the King James Version of the Bible. King James was King of England from 1603 - 1625. In 1604 he ordered a committee to weed out any unacceptable books from the Bible, this committee was known as the Hampton Court Conference. Seven years later in 1611, the final works of this committee was delivered to King James and has since become known as the King James Version of the Bible. One of the books included in the King James Version of holy scripture is Leviticus. Leviticus is the book that lays down God's law beyond the Ten Commandments given to Moses in Exodus. Leviticus is the scripture that these nut jobs from Kansas use in referencing God's disdain towards the homosexual community because in Leviticus 18:22 it says that "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination". Now, the man that commissioned the new version of the Bible in 1604, King James, was believed to be a homosexual himself. There were sayings in the day that "Elizabeth was King and now James is Queen" based on his actions in court and the relationships he had with dukes of the realm that historians concluded he had relationships with. So, I ask you this; if time travel were possible and these radicals from Kansas traveled back to 1625 England, would they have picketed King James funeral procession? On one hand, he was a homosexual, yet on the other, he reformed the holiest of scriptures that is widely used and misinterpreted everyday. I would much like to see them picket his funeral only for the reason that they would be overrun by the people of the time, brought into custody, not for the protest but for witchcraft due to the fact of their devilish coloring on their signs and attire, and then imprisoned in the Tower of London. And we all live happily ever after. Also, Leviticus 19:27-28 states "Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord." Mr. Phelps, I see no beard on your face and your head is neatly cut. Do any of your followers have earrings? I don't think that God would hate fags, good sir, I think he shudders at ignorance more than homosexuals, for he created us in his own image and to think that a God is ignorant is truly frightening.
By the way; 3,910 people were cast to Hell in the time I wrote the blog.
By the way; 3,910 people were cast to Hell in the time I wrote the blog.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Free and Open Market
I'm going to stray away from my typical religious intolerance theme today but keep the topic here in the United States. Since 2008, maybe even a bit before that, the United States and other countries have been in a recession, the worst since the Depression of the 1920s and 1930s. I saw a mind boggling statistic the other day at the end of the documentary "Waiting for Superman". This statistic stated that the salary of a CEO is 317 times greater than that of a regular employee. Think about this; according to the US Census, the average household income in the United States for 2009 was $49,777 with married households having the largest average income at $71,830. Now, if we take just an employee with a salary of $30,000, the average CEO would have a salary of $9.5 million a year. If you look at the larger picture, not just at Everyday Joe getting screwed, the larger salaries of executives correlates with the globalization of these corporations, also known as outsourcing. Corporations tell the public that they cannot afford to pay American workers salaries, that is because they are busy padding the pockets of their executives who sit in their ivory towers lighting their cigars with $100 bills. If just the CEO were to take a pay cut to $3 million a year, that would put $6.5 million back into the company allowing the company to pay for 217 employees with a salary of $30,000 annually (granted it would not be an even trade because some money would need to be used for benefits, still it is a significant amount of employees). This would stimulate the global economy. More Americans would be off of unemployment, less tax money would be needed to support welfare along with public health care, there would be fewer foreclosures because people would have income. Ask yourself, do executives truly deserve the outrageous salaries they are getting? What is it that they do that warrants such a high pay out? Is it the fact that they outsource jobs to India, China, Indonesia and other parts of the world saving their stockholders money? Look at the home front; there will come a point where so many Americans are unemployed due to outsourcing that they will not be able to buy the product your corporation produces, and with the $5 a week salary you pay outsources, they won't be able to purchase your products either. So, executives, are you looking for short term or long term gain with the strategy you're implementing. We know you're looking out for #1, but are you looking out for the well being of the American, and global, economy?
I know what I'm about to say is against the free market. We don't need anymore government bailout funding to stimulate the economy. If Republicans are looking at cutting spending and wanting to cut spending on public projects such as Medicare, Medicade and unemployment benefits, put the pressure on companies to hire American workers. I know it is these same people the contributed to your campaigns, but if you truly want to help America with the deficit that it has created, don't just cut the program spending without giving people another option to make up for what is being lost. Some people have been unemployed for more than 2 years simply because there are very few jobs out there to be had. States are running out of money providing unemployment benefits. The true stimulation is job creation and Republicans are against government projects to create jobs, so the only other option is the private sector. This is your time to step up and do what's right for your country.
I know what I'm about to say is against the free market. We don't need anymore government bailout funding to stimulate the economy. If Republicans are looking at cutting spending and wanting to cut spending on public projects such as Medicare, Medicade and unemployment benefits, put the pressure on companies to hire American workers. I know it is these same people the contributed to your campaigns, but if you truly want to help America with the deficit that it has created, don't just cut the program spending without giving people another option to make up for what is being lost. Some people have been unemployed for more than 2 years simply because there are very few jobs out there to be had. States are running out of money providing unemployment benefits. The true stimulation is job creation and Republicans are against government projects to create jobs, so the only other option is the private sector. This is your time to step up and do what's right for your country.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Intelligence, or lack there of
Today on a flight departing Memphis, TN heading to Charlotte, NC there were two gentlemen that were removed from the plane because the passengers of the plane did not feel comfortable flying with them. These two men were highly respected in their religious community that passed the same security screening that all the other passengers had passed. TSA agents rescreened these two men after taking them off the plane, but the pilot refused to have these two men allowed back onto the plane and would eventually depart Memphis without these two paying customers in the free market we live in. The first response from the airline was "we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused". These two men had made all the preparations for their trip heading to Charlotte for a conference of other religious leaders, so this I can imagine was highly inconvenient. You realize what is sad about this situation? If these men had refused to leave the plane for additional screening, they would have been detained until proven innocent. How is this situation any different from the Jim Crow Era of the United States South? The fearful white community would dictate where any minorities could sit on mass transportation vehicles, often times leaving them to sit on the roofs of trains or the back of the bus, but today, the descendants of those who enforced Jim Crow are now systematically targeting people that follow a religion that they don't understand, and don't care to understand because they believe that their Bible is the truth, they rely on Fox News to fill in the blanks just like a Mad Lib. Yes, these two men were Muslim. How would we be reacting as a society if these two men were nuns boarding this plane in their attire? There's plenty of room underneath their robs to hide explosives. I propose to you that ANY organized religion is dangerous. People being led like sheep by their preachers just like their called in the gospel, oblivious to the actual going ons surrounding them. One day, people are going to express concern over a person in Muslim attire on a plane or a train and this individual is going to do the same thing that Rosa Parks did in 1955 in Birmingham, Alabama and refuse to get up. These two men should sue this airline bankrupt for allowing discrimination to thrive. The pilot should have his licensed revoked and the passengers should go through ten times the screenings each flight they take. When will we as a society get beyond this creation of bigotry and prejudice? These are concepts that humans created to create a superiority complex for the ones in power. Continuing to allow prejudices and bigotry to thrive is no better than being a Nazi. Stop drinking the Kool-Aid or you will have a can of whoop-ass opened up on you one day.
Friday, May 6, 2011
To All the Card-Carrying Gay Bashers Out There
If we go based off the traditional story of Creation given to us in Genesis, God created everything; the heavens, Earth, light, dark, animals and humans. This story gives credit of creation to one supreme being. Today, almost 1700 years after the Council of Nicaea was held, we have "Christians" being hypocritical of their fellow brethren, particularly to the LGBT community. Today in Minnesota, State Representative Steve Simon asked "How many gay people must God create before we accept that he wants them around?" Representative Simon, this is a simple, yet profound question to be asking. Conservatives argue that homosexuality is an abomination to God, but if God is the ultimate creator of everything here past, present and future, how would this supreme being allow an abomination to go on? Leviticus, the same book that homophobes use to bash the LGBT community, also states that shellfish are an abomination to God. Here is the argument that I propose to end this ridiculous debate over gay marriage. Being that God is the ultimate creator of everything and we must live by his laws, we must ban gay marriage, but we also must ban everything in Leviticus. We must close establishments in this free market such as Red Lobster, Long John Silvers, Captain D's, Olive Garden and Joe's Crab Shack (not to mention all the small businesses that profit off of the shellfish market along the coasts). We must boycott "Deadliest Catch" on Discovery Channel and instead watch Ice Road Truckers on History Channel. Artificial crab meat is too risky, that must be taken off the grocery shelves, for it is spoken in the Bible, it is God's word and God is infallible. The alternate to this is that God is the creator, as we previously established, but not an ultimate creator. We have evolved into the complex species that we are today. I would argue that a homosexual is more complex than a homosexual based on the chemical attraction they have to the same sex because of the hormones, or lack there of, they possess. Homosexuality is not a choice, it is not a disease. If you truly live by the Bible, it states that God loves all of his creations. If we are to follow in his footsteps, we should extend the hand of human kindness to one another, no matter what their sexual preference is. We are not the ones to place judgment on ourselves when it comes to matters of "Gods' Laws", only the true supreme being is in a place to pass judgment. I for one do not believe in Hell, but if there is a Hell, I sure would pay to have a seat there to watch the pricks from Westboro Baptist Church get sodomized with their picket signs.
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