Well, three Iowa Supreme Court justices have been voted out in this last election. I'd be willing to bet their stance for equal rights back when they overturned the state's gay marriage ban had a lot to do with it. I doubt they'll ever see this, but I congratulate them on making a stand for equality at the cost of their positions. I'm confident that public opinion on this issue is going to shift very soon and more Americans will support equality, just as more Americans today support the rights of women and minorities today (even though they did not 100 years ago).
Soon, Proposition 8 will go to the Supreme Court, and I'm fairly certain that they will follow Vaughn Walker's ruling and overturn the ban as well (Walker explained very clearly why the act is unconstitutional in the 136-page ruling - it's excellent reading if you're interested).
In the grand scheme of things, the bigots really shot themselves in the foot with that Prop 8 bullshit. Once the Supreme Court gets ahold of it, and it is righteously struck down, all gay marriage bans nationwide are void. So, go fuck yourselves, you dumb assholes.
Iowa SC judges voted out
Why Prop 8 will probably go down in the Supreme Court
Watch the first part of the series, too, if you have time. It's a very interesting couple of videos
Apologies for any typos. I'll fix them later.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Cold weather doesn't disprove climate change
This post is probably a bit late in the making, since winter is sadly long past, but one thing I remember a lot of my conservative Christian friends doing is making sarcastic remarks about global warming during heavy snow and cold temperatures we experienced this previous winter. I think this video here does a great job debunking their bullshit, even though many of them would likely just plug their ears, shut their eyes and go "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA! NOT LISTENING! LA LA LA!"
Saturday, May 29, 2010
So I got rid of Facebook
Well, I found out how to permanently delete a Facebook account (as opposed to merely deactivating it), and at one o'clock today, I did it. If you're interested on how to do it, log in and go here. The rest is self explanatory. DO NOT log in for two weeks after you've done this, otherwise it will undo the process. Your entire account should be gone after two weeks and your days as a slave to Facebook will finally be over.
What pushed me to do it? Well, it was simply a drain on my life. Now, I didn't use Farmville or any of that shit. I only used it for photo sharing and talking to people, but I still wasted a good chunk of time on there. I would always find myself going online to see who else was online and available to chat. Even after leaving the site, I would find myself back on Facebook. It got to where I would go to a couple of other sites, type in the address for Facebook, see the page, and think to myself, "What the fuck am I doing back here?"
It was much like my feeble attempts at online dating (yes, feel free to chuck rotten vegetables at me, I know). It would consume so much of my life, and ultimately, it was useless. Just false hope and a brief sense of satisfaction that eventually just turned into something I did simply to dull the impulse (much like an addiction to nicotine).
In the words of the great Stan Marsh from South Park, "Dude, fuck Facebook, seriously."
If you want to keep in touch with others, I recommend Skype, instant messengers, email, or the good old telephone. For sharing photos, use Flickr or some similar service. (I personally use Flickr.) Go raise crops in real life if you want to manage a farm, for Christ's sake! It would take the same amount of time you spend managing a virtual one of Facebook.
Unfortunately, I have used the site before, so I am not a Facebook virgin, but I can start my secondary Facebook virginity in stride.
Proudly free of Facebook as of the twenty-ninth of May, two thousand nine,
Matt
What pushed me to do it? Well, it was simply a drain on my life. Now, I didn't use Farmville or any of that shit. I only used it for photo sharing and talking to people, but I still wasted a good chunk of time on there. I would always find myself going online to see who else was online and available to chat. Even after leaving the site, I would find myself back on Facebook. It got to where I would go to a couple of other sites, type in the address for Facebook, see the page, and think to myself, "What the fuck am I doing back here?"
It was much like my feeble attempts at online dating (yes, feel free to chuck rotten vegetables at me, I know). It would consume so much of my life, and ultimately, it was useless. Just false hope and a brief sense of satisfaction that eventually just turned into something I did simply to dull the impulse (much like an addiction to nicotine).
In the words of the great Stan Marsh from South Park, "Dude, fuck Facebook, seriously."
If you want to keep in touch with others, I recommend Skype, instant messengers, email, or the good old telephone. For sharing photos, use Flickr or some similar service. (I personally use Flickr.) Go raise crops in real life if you want to manage a farm, for Christ's sake! It would take the same amount of time you spend managing a virtual one of Facebook.
Unfortunately, I have used the site before, so I am not a Facebook virgin, but I can start my secondary Facebook virginity in stride.
Proudly free of Facebook as of the twenty-ninth of May, two thousand nine,
Matt
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Are you a MAN OF GOD or a SATAN WORSHIPER???
This Godly test will determine how much of a TRUE Christian you are. Does not contain evolution.
Jot down the number with the answer you select for each question. You will need those at the end.
Health care is...
A human right (1)
Something only those who can afford it should have (3)
Something the elderly or children should have (2)
Abortion is...
Murder (3)
A right (1)
Sometimes necessary (2)
Homosexuality
An ABOMINATION to GOD (3)
A harmless alternative lifestyle that should be tolerated (1)
Not something I associate with (2)
How often do you display the flag?
On holidays (1)
All over my home, and I salute it and wrap myself in it daily (3)
I have one up all year around (2)
Would you like to get married?
Someday (2)
Probably not (1)
ASAP (3)
How many kids do you want?
0-1 (1)
2-4 (2)
5+ (3)
How often do you post Godly Facebook statuses?
Several times a day (3)
Never (1)
Occasionally (2)
Political party
Republican (3)
Democrat (Satan's party) (1)
Independent (2)
Denomination
Calvinist Baptist (3)
Catholic (1)
Methodist (2)
How often do you listen to Christian music?
Never (1)
Sometimes (2)
It's all I listen to (3)
Now add up the numbers you selected.
30 – You are genuine WORSHIPER OF THE LORD! Only people like you understand life and morality and AMERICA.
20-29 – You're probably not quite an enemy of God, but you DO love Satan a little bit. Try to get brainwashed a bit more. There's a chance you may not enter Heaven (even though salvation is supposedly by faith alone, but paying attention to contradictions is SATANIC)
10-19 – YOU HATE GOD AND ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL! You will BURN IN HELL FOREVER AND YOU FUCKING DESERVE IT!
Jot down the number with the answer you select for each question. You will need those at the end.
Health care is...
A human right (1)
Something only those who can afford it should have (3)
Something the elderly or children should have (2)
Abortion is...
Murder (3)
A right (1)
Sometimes necessary (2)
Homosexuality
An ABOMINATION to GOD (3)
A harmless alternative lifestyle that should be tolerated (1)
Not something I associate with (2)
How often do you display the flag?
On holidays (1)
All over my home, and I salute it and wrap myself in it daily (3)
I have one up all year around (2)
Would you like to get married?
Someday (2)
Probably not (1)
ASAP (3)
How many kids do you want?
0-1 (1)
2-4 (2)
5+ (3)
How often do you post Godly Facebook statuses?
Several times a day (3)
Never (1)
Occasionally (2)
Political party
Republican (3)
Democrat (Satan's party) (1)
Independent (2)
Denomination
Calvinist Baptist (3)
Catholic (1)
Methodist (2)
How often do you listen to Christian music?
Never (1)
Sometimes (2)
It's all I listen to (3)
Now add up the numbers you selected.
30 – You are genuine WORSHIPER OF THE LORD! Only people like you understand life and morality and AMERICA.
20-29 – You're probably not quite an enemy of God, but you DO love Satan a little bit. Try to get brainwashed a bit more. There's a chance you may not enter Heaven (even though salvation is supposedly by faith alone, but paying attention to contradictions is SATANIC)
10-19 – YOU HATE GOD AND ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL! You will BURN IN HELL FOREVER AND YOU FUCKING DESERVE IT!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
"Why don't scientists fear hell?" by Philhellenes
An excellent video by YouTube user Philhellenes that was falsely flagged and removed from his channel. As a result, it went viral and can now be found all over YouTube. It has since been reinstated to his channel.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
On Theistic Evolution
Some Christians, in light of the overwhelming evidence for evolution and an old earth, have attempted to reconcile Christianity and evolution with theistic evolution, or the belief that Genesis is actually symbolic and evolution is correct. Some justify this syncretism by saying that one day to God could mean thousands or millions of years to us. After all, He is God, isn't He? Some have attempted to say that since the big bang, time has been expanding, and when seven days is applied to this time expansion, seven days totals to around fifteen billion years, around what scientists have determined the age of the universe to be.
Atheists and creationists alike have leveled numerous attacks at this view. Unfortunately for theistic evolutionists, this view runs into several problems with Genesis and in fact undermines the entire theology behind Christianity. It directly contradicts some aspects of Genesis and some things elsewhere in the Bible.
Discrepancies with Genesis
If Genesis is just a poetic description of the beginnings of the universe and life on Earth, then it seems to have the order of events wrong. According to secular theories, stars and galaxies were formed first, followed by planets and solar systems, then DNA (and thus life) emerged on earth. Genesis, however, has the earth forming first, then the plants, then the sun (how the plants survived before the sun was formed is beyond me), followed by the surrounding cosmos.
Genesis describes the sun rising and setting between the days. This indicates a literal day, which runs into direct contradiction with the "day=era" theory. I don't know enough about modern cosmology to discuss the time expansion theory, but it runs into the problem of having the events in a different order, described earlier.
According to theistic evolution, God did not create the planet ex nihilo, or from nothing, a very important doctrine in Christianity. Genesis never states, not even in some metaphoric or symbolic way, that God created some sort of organic material to set off life's formation. It does not have earth forming from cosmic dust. It does not even state this symbolically (e.g. "God created dust to form the earth" or "God made the earth from dust"). This is very difficult for a Christian to explain away or interpret his way around (although I'm sure it can be done).
The Sabbath day Moses commanded the Jews to follow is meaningless by theistic evolution. In Exodus, the Jews are clearly instructed to work for six days and then do no work on the seventh, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day [...]" (Ex. 20.11 KJV). The Jews weren't told to work for four and a half billion years and rest for a few hundred million. They were told to work for six days and to not work on the seventh. This is explicit!
Issues with Christian Theology
As described in this video, theistic evolution runs into the problem of evil. Evolution is rampant with suffering and death. It is why the weaker members of a species die off and give way to the stronger species for reproduction. It is why child birth is so painful. If God intentionally used evolution to create life, then the blame for death and suffering can no longer be placed on man's fall.
Theistic evolution undermines the entire doctrine of salvation by Christ's death on the cross. If suffering existed before man's creation and His actions, then there really is no need for salvation since it really isn't man's fault to begin with. Think about it. Because of disease and resource scarcity (a result of evolution), people have to kill members of other species to research cures for diseases and have to kill each other in war for resources. Theistic evolution really doesn't account for this.
If man's fall is just some sort of allegorical myth, then the integrity of Christian doctrine is undermined, since salvation through Christ reduces to symbolic allegory. Salvation through Christ is the central doctrine of Christianity. You cannot call yourself a Christian if you don't believe in this doctrine!
Clearly, theistic evolution raises some grave questions about Scripture and the entire theology of Christianity.
Conclusion
I am not attempting to disprove God or Christianity here. I am merely pointing out that theistic evolution seems to create a lot of problems for Christians who hold to the view. I am not saying that evolution somehow disproves God (although it certainly doesn't help Him out), but I am saying that for the theistic evolutionist, these issues have to be addressed.
From my personal standpoint, theistic evolution is a way of bridging the (very large) gap between modern science and Christianity. All it seems to do is just throw God into the mix. In short, it's a cop out. When Genesis is conflicted with scientific evidence, theistic evolution creates an excuse that clearly generates more problems than it solves (something not uncommon in Christian apologetics).
Further Reading:
"10 Dangers of Theistic Evolution"
"Is the 'Gap Theory' an acceptable way to harmonize the Bible and the geologic record?"
Atheists and creationists alike have leveled numerous attacks at this view. Unfortunately for theistic evolutionists, this view runs into several problems with Genesis and in fact undermines the entire theology behind Christianity. It directly contradicts some aspects of Genesis and some things elsewhere in the Bible.
Discrepancies with Genesis
If Genesis is just a poetic description of the beginnings of the universe and life on Earth, then it seems to have the order of events wrong. According to secular theories, stars and galaxies were formed first, followed by planets and solar systems, then DNA (and thus life) emerged on earth. Genesis, however, has the earth forming first, then the plants, then the sun (how the plants survived before the sun was formed is beyond me), followed by the surrounding cosmos.
Genesis describes the sun rising and setting between the days. This indicates a literal day, which runs into direct contradiction with the "day=era" theory. I don't know enough about modern cosmology to discuss the time expansion theory, but it runs into the problem of having the events in a different order, described earlier.
According to theistic evolution, God did not create the planet ex nihilo, or from nothing, a very important doctrine in Christianity. Genesis never states, not even in some metaphoric or symbolic way, that God created some sort of organic material to set off life's formation. It does not have earth forming from cosmic dust. It does not even state this symbolically (e.g. "God created dust to form the earth" or "God made the earth from dust"). This is very difficult for a Christian to explain away or interpret his way around (although I'm sure it can be done).
The Sabbath day Moses commanded the Jews to follow is meaningless by theistic evolution. In Exodus, the Jews are clearly instructed to work for six days and then do no work on the seventh, "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day [...]" (Ex. 20.11 KJV). The Jews weren't told to work for four and a half billion years and rest for a few hundred million. They were told to work for six days and to not work on the seventh. This is explicit!
Issues with Christian Theology
As described in this video, theistic evolution runs into the problem of evil. Evolution is rampant with suffering and death. It is why the weaker members of a species die off and give way to the stronger species for reproduction. It is why child birth is so painful. If God intentionally used evolution to create life, then the blame for death and suffering can no longer be placed on man's fall.
Theistic evolution undermines the entire doctrine of salvation by Christ's death on the cross. If suffering existed before man's creation and His actions, then there really is no need for salvation since it really isn't man's fault to begin with. Think about it. Because of disease and resource scarcity (a result of evolution), people have to kill members of other species to research cures for diseases and have to kill each other in war for resources. Theistic evolution really doesn't account for this.
If man's fall is just some sort of allegorical myth, then the integrity of Christian doctrine is undermined, since salvation through Christ reduces to symbolic allegory. Salvation through Christ is the central doctrine of Christianity. You cannot call yourself a Christian if you don't believe in this doctrine!
Clearly, theistic evolution raises some grave questions about Scripture and the entire theology of Christianity.
Conclusion
I am not attempting to disprove God or Christianity here. I am merely pointing out that theistic evolution seems to create a lot of problems for Christians who hold to the view. I am not saying that evolution somehow disproves God (although it certainly doesn't help Him out), but I am saying that for the theistic evolutionist, these issues have to be addressed.
From my personal standpoint, theistic evolution is a way of bridging the (very large) gap between modern science and Christianity. All it seems to do is just throw God into the mix. In short, it's a cop out. When Genesis is conflicted with scientific evidence, theistic evolution creates an excuse that clearly generates more problems than it solves (something not uncommon in Christian apologetics).
Further Reading:
"10 Dangers of Theistic Evolution"
"Is the 'Gap Theory' an acceptable way to harmonize the Bible and the geologic record?"
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Contemptible, Remorseless Cunt
In the area in which I live, I am frequently reminded of the utter moral reprehensibility of Christian fundamentalists. They're almost like professional football players. Society holds them up as role models and beacons for morality, when they are both (mostly) despicable individuals. I'd even go as far as saying that theologians are worse than professional football players with respect to immorality. Even I was surprised at the Jerry Falwell-worthy comments one of my instructors (who is a pastor spewing his hate to church goers when not in a classroom) made about a rape victim.
Before I get to his vile comments about the unfortunate victim, I would like to provide some background information on this pitiful, hateful man.
This person had his upbringings in a not-so-religious home, and one day in college, he found Jesus (I still can't find that sneaky fucker - I've checked everywhere). The man became a pastor, and the rest is history.
One day, he was discussing human mortality, and his thoughts on whether or not people survive death. Nothing out of the ordinary for the snake oil merchant. Then, he told us about his father, who is long dead and gone. Apparently, his father saw no reason to believe in surviving death, frequently claiming in the nursing home, "When you die, you die, and that's it!" According to the pastor, there were some other adjectives in there, as well.
Then, with a smile on his face, he said, "I think he found out how wrong he was after he died."
Just think about that. It's one thing if you're happy about abortion doctors and homosexuals burning in hell, but this man is content at the idea of his own father spending eternity in hell!
Despicable, heartless twat.
Commenting on recent protests by so-called "pro lifers", the shameless asshole got into a diatribe about how we're "ending human lives" and all that other jazz. Well that's something I'd expect, so his little soap box speech against abortion just went in one ear and out the other with me. But this individual dug himself a deeper grave.
He informed us of a rape in the area that led to a pregnancy. The woman was a hardcore Christian, evidently. She decided to keep the tumor. The bastard stated, with a typical preacher tone, "She decided not to throw away that human life." Now, I'm actually glad that he took a stance of opposing abortion even in the case of rape, because I feel that opposing abortion but supporting exceptions for rape is a double standard. Why does that fetus, which you claim is precious, suddenly have less value if it resulted from a rape? Saying you support abortion for rape victims is a double standard. I was at least happy he had a consistent view on the issue.
But this is where this twisted man's message got toxic. Mocking women's choice rights, he said, "The only choice she was capable of making was not going to that party with a bunch of people she didn't know from Adam."
Do you see what he has done? He has put the blame of a rape on the victim! He's basically said, "Well, she went out, got raped, knocked up, and it's her own damn fault for going to that party with those strange people."
Contemptible, bitter, remorseless cunt. Pitiful, asinine, self-righteous prick.
If there is a god, this asshole is not his prophet. I cannot accept that a god as evil and maniacal as this man is behind all time, energy, and matter in the universe. I'm sorry, but Christian fundamentalism is the last place I'll derive my morality from. If anything, it shows me exactly how not to behave.
Before I get to his vile comments about the unfortunate victim, I would like to provide some background information on this pitiful, hateful man.
This person had his upbringings in a not-so-religious home, and one day in college, he found Jesus (I still can't find that sneaky fucker - I've checked everywhere). The man became a pastor, and the rest is history.
One day, he was discussing human mortality, and his thoughts on whether or not people survive death. Nothing out of the ordinary for the snake oil merchant. Then, he told us about his father, who is long dead and gone. Apparently, his father saw no reason to believe in surviving death, frequently claiming in the nursing home, "When you die, you die, and that's it!" According to the pastor, there were some other adjectives in there, as well.
Then, with a smile on his face, he said, "I think he found out how wrong he was after he died."
Just think about that. It's one thing if you're happy about abortion doctors and homosexuals burning in hell, but this man is content at the idea of his own father spending eternity in hell!
Despicable, heartless twat.
Commenting on recent protests by so-called "pro lifers", the shameless asshole got into a diatribe about how we're "ending human lives" and all that other jazz. Well that's something I'd expect, so his little soap box speech against abortion just went in one ear and out the other with me. But this individual dug himself a deeper grave.
He informed us of a rape in the area that led to a pregnancy. The woman was a hardcore Christian, evidently. She decided to keep the tumor. The bastard stated, with a typical preacher tone, "She decided not to throw away that human life." Now, I'm actually glad that he took a stance of opposing abortion even in the case of rape, because I feel that opposing abortion but supporting exceptions for rape is a double standard. Why does that fetus, which you claim is precious, suddenly have less value if it resulted from a rape? Saying you support abortion for rape victims is a double standard. I was at least happy he had a consistent view on the issue.
But this is where this twisted man's message got toxic. Mocking women's choice rights, he said, "The only choice she was capable of making was not going to that party with a bunch of people she didn't know from Adam."
Do you see what he has done? He has put the blame of a rape on the victim! He's basically said, "Well, she went out, got raped, knocked up, and it's her own damn fault for going to that party with those strange people."
Contemptible, bitter, remorseless cunt. Pitiful, asinine, self-righteous prick.
If there is a god, this asshole is not his prophet. I cannot accept that a god as evil and maniacal as this man is behind all time, energy, and matter in the universe. I'm sorry, but Christian fundamentalism is the last place I'll derive my morality from. If anything, it shows me exactly how not to behave.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Went for a short walk this morning
On this lovely fall-ish morning, I went for a walk to my favorite spot on campus, the airport. It is in a fairly secluded location in the woods, and hardly anyone ever goes there. I really like hiking there on clear, cold winter nights to see if any planes come in or leave, something I, for some reason, love watching.
Of course, the best season of the year (winter) hasn't started yet, but a recent cold front has helped dry the hot, humid August air and has made for some very cool mornings, which will probably not return until late September. I decided to take advantage of this momentary lovely weather and hike to my favorite spot on campus, the first time I'd done so since I returned here from being home for the summer.
The walk itself is quite a joy. It's a very secluded walk, and it was made better by the unusually cool weather. I could see my breath in the rising sun, my ears were actually starting to get cold, and I even saw a flock of geese that appeared to be migrating. It stirred up some winter nostalgia and exhilaration in me, emotions I hadn't felt since last winter. It put me in a very good mood, to say the least. It was like a dramatic western movie scene where the cowboy rides away in front of some dramatic vista with exciting music playing. It was just THAT epic.
I was reminded of how lazy I was during the summer, because some of the inclines on that road made me a little out of breath. The walk hadn't killed me like that before! I figured by the end of the semester I'd be in decent shape again, though. It was well worth it, though, because when I reached the end of the walk, I got to take in deep breaths of the cool morning air and enjoy the sight of the long runway, the old aircraft hangar, the seclusion, and some of the planes parked outside the hangar. Before leaving, I even got to watch a small plane come in.
Night landings are the best, really. I love those awesome blue runway lights coming on, because they let you know a plane is coming in. Just look off to either end of the runway for a faint light, just brighter than one of the stars, slowly approaching the airport. You can hear its engines idling as it makes its descent. Very awesome.
I don't know what it is about airports and aviation and things like that, but I just really like being around that stuff. I could never fly a plane myself, given my shitty perceptual ability and godawful motor skills, but I do enjoy being around them.
I suppose being an aviation mechanic would probably be my dream job, since I do enjoy working on things like that. I don't know a damn thing about aircraft engines, aside from the different kinds there are, but it would be very interesting to learn about them.
This airport I go to is geographically secluded, but the people that work there are also considered the "black sheep" of the campus. The airport used to be a workstation choice for the college before an incident happened that led to the school ending its aviation program. I heard that it was a great workstation, and the supervisors were nothing like much of the other faculty (they weren't as uptight and cussed frequently, my kind of folks). It's a shame.
But the airport still runs, and I hike there to watch the planes or simply just for the isolation. It is quite possibly one of the few things that keeps me going strong in this cruddy location in the American Bible Belt.
Of course, the best season of the year (winter) hasn't started yet, but a recent cold front has helped dry the hot, humid August air and has made for some very cool mornings, which will probably not return until late September. I decided to take advantage of this momentary lovely weather and hike to my favorite spot on campus, the first time I'd done so since I returned here from being home for the summer.
The walk itself is quite a joy. It's a very secluded walk, and it was made better by the unusually cool weather. I could see my breath in the rising sun, my ears were actually starting to get cold, and I even saw a flock of geese that appeared to be migrating. It stirred up some winter nostalgia and exhilaration in me, emotions I hadn't felt since last winter. It put me in a very good mood, to say the least. It was like a dramatic western movie scene where the cowboy rides away in front of some dramatic vista with exciting music playing. It was just THAT epic.
I was reminded of how lazy I was during the summer, because some of the inclines on that road made me a little out of breath. The walk hadn't killed me like that before! I figured by the end of the semester I'd be in decent shape again, though. It was well worth it, though, because when I reached the end of the walk, I got to take in deep breaths of the cool morning air and enjoy the sight of the long runway, the old aircraft hangar, the seclusion, and some of the planes parked outside the hangar. Before leaving, I even got to watch a small plane come in.
Night landings are the best, really. I love those awesome blue runway lights coming on, because they let you know a plane is coming in. Just look off to either end of the runway for a faint light, just brighter than one of the stars, slowly approaching the airport. You can hear its engines idling as it makes its descent. Very awesome.
I don't know what it is about airports and aviation and things like that, but I just really like being around that stuff. I could never fly a plane myself, given my shitty perceptual ability and godawful motor skills, but I do enjoy being around them.
I suppose being an aviation mechanic would probably be my dream job, since I do enjoy working on things like that. I don't know a damn thing about aircraft engines, aside from the different kinds there are, but it would be very interesting to learn about them.
This airport I go to is geographically secluded, but the people that work there are also considered the "black sheep" of the campus. The airport used to be a workstation choice for the college before an incident happened that led to the school ending its aviation program. I heard that it was a great workstation, and the supervisors were nothing like much of the other faculty (they weren't as uptight and cussed frequently, my kind of folks). It's a shame.
But the airport still runs, and I hike there to watch the planes or simply just for the isolation. It is quite possibly one of the few things that keeps me going strong in this cruddy location in the American Bible Belt.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Attacks on Health Care Reform
These conservatives making a fuss at town hall meetings are only making asses of themselves and proving how stupid they are to the country and the world. Unfortunately, they are another black eye for liberal Americans, since they continue to demonstrate how ignorant some people in this country are, and they are promoting a broken health care system that other countries have known for some time to be a cruel violation of human rights.
Seriously, where will it end?
The most recent lie propagated by these insurance company drones is that there will be "death panels" to kill off senior citizens, and this has been a recurring theme of these feeble minded people at town hall meetings.
And the Republican propaganda machine is loving every minute of it, and exploiting these underinformed Americans. Some have hinted at having Democratic Congressmen assassinated!
Conservatives are demonstrating their desperation. They're running out of lies.
Birther conspiracy theories
Socialist takeover!
Rationed health care!
Death panels
Kieth Olbermann exposes forged town hall protests
Media Matters shows who is behind the lies
Glenn Beck again shows how much of an ass he is
Get Lou Dobbs fired!
More proof that town hall meetings are intentionally sabotaged
Seriously, where will it end?
The most recent lie propagated by these insurance company drones is that there will be "death panels" to kill off senior citizens, and this has been a recurring theme of these feeble minded people at town hall meetings.
And the Republican propaganda machine is loving every minute of it, and exploiting these underinformed Americans. Some have hinted at having Democratic Congressmen assassinated!
Conservatives are demonstrating their desperation. They're running out of lies.
Death panels
Kieth Olbermann exposes forged town hall protests
Media Matters shows who is behind the lies
Glenn Beck again shows how much of an ass he is
Get Lou Dobbs fired!
More proof that town hall meetings are intentionally sabotaged
Friday, July 31, 2009
Whiny ass communist liberals
This is a list of things all of those whiny commie liberals are making us THINK they've done for America with their MIND TRICKS! See, these LIBERALS are trying to make it LOOK like they're helping America, which is untrue. Everyone (by everyone I mean the good, decent people at Focus on the Family) knows it's us good Christian conservatives that help America. Don't fall for these liberal tricks!
- No funding for abstinence-only sex education - Barack Obama
- 127 billion dollar budget surplus - Bill Clinton
- Sex education that has prevented unplanned pregnancies and abortions - Planned Parenthood, ACLU, etc.
- Clean drinking water - EPA
- Safe food and drugs - FDA
- End of McCarthy raids - ACLU
- Protection of women's health - Roe v. Wade
- Civil rights - Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, NAACP
- Retirement - Social Security
- Women's suffrage - loudmouth feminists who should make their husbands a sandwich
- End of the Depression - FDR
- 40 hour work week, child labor laws, overtime, benefits - AFL-CIO, other labor unions
- Liberation of slaves - Abraham Lincoln, abolitionists, northern (blue) states
- First woman to practice law - Iowa, 1860s (Iowa's turning into a shitty blue state)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
What do I believe in?
I've reached an interesting conclusion recently. It's that atheism is a word that should not even be used. We do not define people by what they don't believe. You wouldn't call a Christian a non-Jew. Calling them a non-Jew is logically accurate, but it's senseless to call them that. That really doesn't tell us what they DO believe. Similarly, calling someone an atheist really doesn't give us an idea of what they do believe. Sure, it tells us they don't believe in any sort of deity, but it doesn't give us any idea what they do believe.
So what sort of things do I believe in? I believe in several things. I don't blindly worship a deity, but I have beliefs. What are these beliefs?
I believe in scientific progress. This means teaching science in science classes, not fantasy like creationism. Creationism will never make it to any peer-reviewed journal because there is no evidence for it. I believe in using physical evidence to explain things. A "feeling" is not physical evidence. The fact that you believe it does not make it true.
I believe in social progress and change. I believe in the benefit of society, the collective good. This does not mean the good of a few fat cats at AIG. I believe in the good of everyone, and that everyone has rights, even criminals, even the poor, even the disabled.
I believe in families, any families. Families by blood, families by adoption, or even a network of close friends. I believe that everyone has a right to have a family, not just heterosexual couples with their kids and their dog Spot. Everyone should be able to turn to the comfort of a family, gay or straight, by blood or adoption, with relatives or close friends.
I am a believer in morality. This means understanding that values are subjective. An understanding for one another's values is morally right. I believe that morality is measured not by tradition or dogmas, but by how well we treat our fellow man. A crusty, old alcoholic with a potty mouth who shows compassion and kindness for others is more moral than a virgin teetotaler priest who hates homosexuals and non-Christians. He may adhere to stronger traditions than the alcoholic, but he is still morally bankrupt because of his irrational resentment for people who like others with similar body parts.
I don't know what sort of word would summarize those beliefs. Maybe people could consider me a "secular humanist" or something like that. Calling me a liberal is certainly accurate. I simply believe in rational logic, and goodwill to others. I reject deities, but very strongly believe in progress and morality.
So what sort of things do I believe in? I believe in several things. I don't blindly worship a deity, but I have beliefs. What are these beliefs?
I believe in scientific progress. This means teaching science in science classes, not fantasy like creationism. Creationism will never make it to any peer-reviewed journal because there is no evidence for it. I believe in using physical evidence to explain things. A "feeling" is not physical evidence. The fact that you believe it does not make it true.
I believe in social progress and change. I believe in the benefit of society, the collective good. This does not mean the good of a few fat cats at AIG. I believe in the good of everyone, and that everyone has rights, even criminals, even the poor, even the disabled.
I believe in families, any families. Families by blood, families by adoption, or even a network of close friends. I believe that everyone has a right to have a family, not just heterosexual couples with their kids and their dog Spot. Everyone should be able to turn to the comfort of a family, gay or straight, by blood or adoption, with relatives or close friends.
I am a believer in morality. This means understanding that values are subjective. An understanding for one another's values is morally right. I believe that morality is measured not by tradition or dogmas, but by how well we treat our fellow man. A crusty, old alcoholic with a potty mouth who shows compassion and kindness for others is more moral than a virgin teetotaler priest who hates homosexuals and non-Christians. He may adhere to stronger traditions than the alcoholic, but he is still morally bankrupt because of his irrational resentment for people who like others with similar body parts.
I don't know what sort of word would summarize those beliefs. Maybe people could consider me a "secular humanist" or something like that. Calling me a liberal is certainly accurate. I simply believe in rational logic, and goodwill to others. I reject deities, but very strongly believe in progress and morality.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
VICTORY - Democrats now filibuster proof
Minn. court rules for Franken in Senate fight
The Democrats now have a filibuster proof majority!
However, it's not quite time to crack open the champagne. Hopefully, now that Democrats have an overwhelming majority, they will now have the courage to lead (instead of pussyfooting around like they've been doing). They need to get the ball rolling, or they might lose Congress next year, and this could be a hollow victory.
Regardless, this is some of the best news I've heard in a while.
Now, Democrats, the time has come to put these Republican bastards in their place. You are unstoppable. They cannot filibuster you. You have the majority. Bring change to America, and topple our corporate overlords. You can do it. Enough pussyfooting and worrying about "bipartisanship". Get to work!
The Democrats now have a filibuster proof majority!
However, it's not quite time to crack open the champagne. Hopefully, now that Democrats have an overwhelming majority, they will now have the courage to lead (instead of pussyfooting around like they've been doing). They need to get the ball rolling, or they might lose Congress next year, and this could be a hollow victory.
Regardless, this is some of the best news I've heard in a while.
Now, Democrats, the time has come to put these Republican bastards in their place. You are unstoppable. They cannot filibuster you. You have the majority. Bring change to America, and topple our corporate overlords. You can do it. Enough pussyfooting and worrying about "bipartisanship". Get to work!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Choose your poison: Television and the mainstream media
Jon and Kate Plus 8 and 18 Kids and Counting are two of the DUMBEST FUCKING TELEVISION SHOWS to ever plague cable. The mainstream media has betrayed the public, much like how Democrats have betrayed liberals. TV is full of misinformation about the issues and nothing more than cultural conditioning to worship the corporations (not to mention keep us from thinking critically). I have lost faith in television and feel dirty on the rare occasion I do watch it.
So, what sort of cultural conditioning is our general public being subjected to? What are some of the lies being told to the public on a daily basis over network news? One only needs to pick a channel. Choose your poison. Pick a venue to rot your mind.
ABC Family
Category: Cultural conditioning
Mind numbing index (0-10, 10 being fucking stupid): 6
Poison: The most prominent poisoning that this network injects into the public is probably the mindless show The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a program about a teenage girl getting knocked up. With teen pregnancy experiencing an increase, that sort of mistake is not something that should be glorified on television, but lo and behold, it is. Increased breeding is something the corporations love to no end. It means more consumers. On top of that, teenage parents usually don't get a higher education, so that means less people learning the critical thinking skills they need to see how much the general population is getting raped by corporations. Teenage pregnancy opens a whole can of worms of sociological problems, and the bourgeois benefits from the decline of the poor. So, it should come as no surprise that corporate media is glorifying teenage pregnancy, making it look like something that is obviously challenging, but exciting. Of course, this is seen in films, too. Movies like Juno are into the pregnancy craze, meaning more cultural conditioning to make people think pregnancy is "cool". The teenage girl getting the abortion she needs and preventing many problems with her life would be a good ending, but it doesn't infect our minds with propaganda.
Fox News
Category: Misinformation
MNI: 10
Poison: At least there's one network out there that makes its worship of corporations nakedly apparent. I could nitpick at several of the commentators on that network that tell half-truths or just bold-faced lies to the public, but let's look at Bill O'Reilly. This man's debate style, when he debates people that disagree with him, is to usually get his ass kicked in the debate, and then claim victory when it is over. Victory is not achieved by simply claiming it, but evidently this is something that hasn't occurred to old Bill. If all they did was support dipshit commentators, I wouldn't have too much of an issue with them, but they have also shown their bias in news that is supposed to be unbiased. Fair and balanced my ass. Before the war in Iraq, the show did a great job of brainwashing the public into approving of the war, using emotional appeal from 9/11 as well as graphics and dramatic music to drum up support for the war for oil. Sadly, other networks followed suit (FoxAttacks.com for more information). Fox also did a good job of prematurely declaring a Bush victory in the rigged 2000 election, when they said Florida was for Bush even though other networks were projecting a victory for Gore. The eight year nightmare caused by Bush may not have ever happened if Fox News wasn't around.
CNN
Category: Misinformation
MNI: 7
Poison: The event that made CNN a member of this list was probably their bastardization of the excellent Michael Moore film SiCKO. Dr. Sanjay Gupta misrepresented the film in numerous ways, using outdated statistics to refute Moore's movie. He should have been fired from the network for this, even though he was not. CNN is just as worthy of the spanking I just gave Fox as it played up the drama for support of the oil war after Fox did, showing it lacks morality and integrity.
MSNBC
Category: Misinformation
MNI: 3.5
Poison: MSNBC is not safe from this list. It is not near as bad as Faux Noise, and it does in fact show some accurate information. But like all other networks, it has abandoned good journalism. It is a far cry from Walter Cronkite, who traveled to Vietnam and did a report on how much the war effort was failing. Cronkite did what was right, and drummed up anti-war sentiment nationwide. Even though liars like LBJ and Nixon continued the war, they did it with very little popular support. The public was ignored, but at least aware. MSNBC, indeed all news networks, have gotten into the craze of doing reports on fingers in chili and Michael Jackson rather than exposing our government for how truly evil and corrupt it is. MSNBC has decided not to be different, demonstrating its lack of integrity. It also continues to glorify the Democrats, in spite of how much they have caved in to lobbyists and betrayed liberals.
TLC
Category: Cultural conditioning
MNI: 9
Poison: This is a perfect example of an "educational" network that has abandoned education. The programs Jon and Kate Plus 8 and 18 Kids and Counting glorify mindless breeding to an extent that even surprises me. Now, a truly educational network would try to educate the public on how environmentally irresponsible this behavior is and how it is blatantly immoral to breed to get a television show. They could do a special on the racist cult the Quiverfull Movement that Jim Bob Duggar (the Duggar patriarch) is a part of. It could discuss how Mr. Duggar indoctrinates his children with his mindless, religious ideology through compulsory homeschooling he provides them. It blows my mind as to why Mr. Duggar doesn't let his children watch television. It contains the same shit he's brainwashing his children with. Of course, this channel doesn't stop at glorifying breeding. It contains several reality television shows with the sole purpose of turning viewers' brains into soup.
The History Channel
Category: Cultural conditioning
MNI: 7
Poison: When this channel isn't glorifying religion, it is glorifying war. Many of the documentaries it has aired about war are highly dramatized and don't show any of the lies and evil behind war, or give a perspective of American history through the eyes of the general public. This channel could alone rescue the general public from the brainwashing it has been subjected to over the past century, maybe doing a special on the reasons behind the decline in public education. One show that really disillusioned me with this channel was a special it did about the apocalypse as described in the Bible, crying wolf about how the signs are everywhere that the end draws nigh. The details in the book of Revelation are so vague, though, that any moron could make any circumstance look like the "end is coming". The fact that the History channel played a role in this chicken little nonsense is sickening. People have been crying that the end was near since the Bible was written. How much longer will they cry wolf?
Cartoon Network
Category: Cultural conditioning
MNI: 9.5
Poison: Children are not safe from mind rotting television culture, as this channel does an excellent job of demonstrating. The shows on this channel today are so mind numbing, I don't see how children get a laugh from them. It is no wonder the average IQ of our children is dropping. Channels like this, and Nickelodeon (another channel meant to brainwash children) are owned by companies like Viacom, whose greed is nakedly apparent. Viacom is one of the largest copyright bullies around, and has gone as far as stealing the work of others and then slapping their copyright on it.
Who owns the media? Companies. Companies, by design, are without morality. The one rule of capitalism is that profit is good. Concerns about the public's capacity for critical thinking as well as knowledge of issues are irrelevant, and in fact are harmful to the bourgeois elite. If the general public was capable of critical thinking, they could not maintain their grip on the working and lower classes. This is why our culture is up its ass in mindless television and pop culture. It keeps the average person naive and unaware, and therefore a perfect drone for the bourgeois. If the public were to awaken, and abandon the "drugs" that are forced on it by religion, sex, alcohol, and television, our corporate rulers would fall, and America would go back to being a democracy, NOT an oligarchy.
So, what sort of cultural conditioning is our general public being subjected to? What are some of the lies being told to the public on a daily basis over network news? One only needs to pick a channel. Choose your poison. Pick a venue to rot your mind.
ABC Family
Category: Cultural conditioning
Mind numbing index (0-10, 10 being fucking stupid): 6
Poison: The most prominent poisoning that this network injects into the public is probably the mindless show The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a program about a teenage girl getting knocked up. With teen pregnancy experiencing an increase, that sort of mistake is not something that should be glorified on television, but lo and behold, it is. Increased breeding is something the corporations love to no end. It means more consumers. On top of that, teenage parents usually don't get a higher education, so that means less people learning the critical thinking skills they need to see how much the general population is getting raped by corporations. Teenage pregnancy opens a whole can of worms of sociological problems, and the bourgeois benefits from the decline of the poor. So, it should come as no surprise that corporate media is glorifying teenage pregnancy, making it look like something that is obviously challenging, but exciting. Of course, this is seen in films, too. Movies like Juno are into the pregnancy craze, meaning more cultural conditioning to make people think pregnancy is "cool". The teenage girl getting the abortion she needs and preventing many problems with her life would be a good ending, but it doesn't infect our minds with propaganda.
Fox News
Category: Misinformation
MNI: 10
Poison: At least there's one network out there that makes its worship of corporations nakedly apparent. I could nitpick at several of the commentators on that network that tell half-truths or just bold-faced lies to the public, but let's look at Bill O'Reilly. This man's debate style, when he debates people that disagree with him, is to usually get his ass kicked in the debate, and then claim victory when it is over. Victory is not achieved by simply claiming it, but evidently this is something that hasn't occurred to old Bill. If all they did was support dipshit commentators, I wouldn't have too much of an issue with them, but they have also shown their bias in news that is supposed to be unbiased. Fair and balanced my ass. Before the war in Iraq, the show did a great job of brainwashing the public into approving of the war, using emotional appeal from 9/11 as well as graphics and dramatic music to drum up support for the war for oil. Sadly, other networks followed suit (FoxAttacks.com for more information). Fox also did a good job of prematurely declaring a Bush victory in the rigged 2000 election, when they said Florida was for Bush even though other networks were projecting a victory for Gore. The eight year nightmare caused by Bush may not have ever happened if Fox News wasn't around.
CNN
Category: Misinformation
MNI: 7
Poison: The event that made CNN a member of this list was probably their bastardization of the excellent Michael Moore film SiCKO. Dr. Sanjay Gupta misrepresented the film in numerous ways, using outdated statistics to refute Moore's movie. He should have been fired from the network for this, even though he was not. CNN is just as worthy of the spanking I just gave Fox as it played up the drama for support of the oil war after Fox did, showing it lacks morality and integrity.
MSNBC
Category: Misinformation
MNI: 3.5
Poison: MSNBC is not safe from this list. It is not near as bad as Faux Noise, and it does in fact show some accurate information. But like all other networks, it has abandoned good journalism. It is a far cry from Walter Cronkite, who traveled to Vietnam and did a report on how much the war effort was failing. Cronkite did what was right, and drummed up anti-war sentiment nationwide. Even though liars like LBJ and Nixon continued the war, they did it with very little popular support. The public was ignored, but at least aware. MSNBC, indeed all news networks, have gotten into the craze of doing reports on fingers in chili and Michael Jackson rather than exposing our government for how truly evil and corrupt it is. MSNBC has decided not to be different, demonstrating its lack of integrity. It also continues to glorify the Democrats, in spite of how much they have caved in to lobbyists and betrayed liberals.
TLC
Category: Cultural conditioning
MNI: 9
Poison: This is a perfect example of an "educational" network that has abandoned education. The programs Jon and Kate Plus 8 and 18 Kids and Counting glorify mindless breeding to an extent that even surprises me. Now, a truly educational network would try to educate the public on how environmentally irresponsible this behavior is and how it is blatantly immoral to breed to get a television show. They could do a special on the racist cult the Quiverfull Movement that Jim Bob Duggar (the Duggar patriarch) is a part of. It could discuss how Mr. Duggar indoctrinates his children with his mindless, religious ideology through compulsory homeschooling he provides them. It blows my mind as to why Mr. Duggar doesn't let his children watch television. It contains the same shit he's brainwashing his children with. Of course, this channel doesn't stop at glorifying breeding. It contains several reality television shows with the sole purpose of turning viewers' brains into soup.
The History Channel
Category: Cultural conditioning
MNI: 7
Poison: When this channel isn't glorifying religion, it is glorifying war. Many of the documentaries it has aired about war are highly dramatized and don't show any of the lies and evil behind war, or give a perspective of American history through the eyes of the general public. This channel could alone rescue the general public from the brainwashing it has been subjected to over the past century, maybe doing a special on the reasons behind the decline in public education. One show that really disillusioned me with this channel was a special it did about the apocalypse as described in the Bible, crying wolf about how the signs are everywhere that the end draws nigh. The details in the book of Revelation are so vague, though, that any moron could make any circumstance look like the "end is coming". The fact that the History channel played a role in this chicken little nonsense is sickening. People have been crying that the end was near since the Bible was written. How much longer will they cry wolf?
Cartoon Network
Category: Cultural conditioning
MNI: 9.5
Poison: Children are not safe from mind rotting television culture, as this channel does an excellent job of demonstrating. The shows on this channel today are so mind numbing, I don't see how children get a laugh from them. It is no wonder the average IQ of our children is dropping. Channels like this, and Nickelodeon (another channel meant to brainwash children) are owned by companies like Viacom, whose greed is nakedly apparent. Viacom is one of the largest copyright bullies around, and has gone as far as stealing the work of others and then slapping their copyright on it.
Who owns the media? Companies. Companies, by design, are without morality. The one rule of capitalism is that profit is good. Concerns about the public's capacity for critical thinking as well as knowledge of issues are irrelevant, and in fact are harmful to the bourgeois elite. If the general public was capable of critical thinking, they could not maintain their grip on the working and lower classes. This is why our culture is up its ass in mindless television and pop culture. It keeps the average person naive and unaware, and therefore a perfect drone for the bourgeois. If the public were to awaken, and abandon the "drugs" that are forced on it by religion, sex, alcohol, and television, our corporate rulers would fall, and America would go back to being a democracy, NOT an oligarchy.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Democrats Suck
I'm sorry to say it, but this group of Democrats has got to be the sorriest I've ever seen. These pussies are letting themselves get trampled all over in the name of "bipartisanship." The concerns of the people are irrelevant. It's all about the concerns of the Senate. They are letting progressive measures get watered down by the Republican minority, often to a severe degree (like removing the public option from Obama's plan for health care reform). Their chief concern isn't fixing this country, it's making sure the Republicans don't get too pissy.
If anyone desires real change, they are labeled a "radical leftist" or a "socialist" and are told to shut up. The Republican propaganda machine is doing a fantastic job of inhibiting progress, with the aid of their poster boys like Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich. If change is making it's way through Congress, they only have to get behind their AM studio microphone or get up on Fox News and yell about "socialist takeover" or some other nonsense like that and it'll be watered down, in spite of popular support for real progressive measures.
And what are the Democrats doing? They are bending over and taking it! Even Democrats themselves are opposing real progress and change, just to appease this bat shit insane minority called the Republican party. The general public's pleas for change fall to deaf ears among the Senate Democrats.
Obama's health care "reform" will be successfully diluted, with no public option available (if it passes at all). The worst enemy of liberals is, ironically, the Democrats. The insurance companies will get to keep their stranglehold on health care, the rich will get richer and the poor poorer thanks to bankruptcies caused by medical bills.
Republican resentment for the poor is almost naked at this stage in the game, and thanks to a shitty educational system, no one is noticing it. What's even more frightening is how Democrats seem to be oblivious to the right wing dick being shoved up their assholes.
Bipartisanship is now at higher priority than fixing America.
The rest of the world continues to laugh at us. Laughing at how far behind we are on health care. Laughing at how we are letting ourselves get controlled by this insane minority. Europeans are well aware of what happens when a religious minority takes control (the Dark Ages), and they are watching it happen to us from their homes across the Atlantic.
I feel there probably won't be any real change in this country without some sort of revolution, or on the very slim chance the Democrats wake up and use that majority power and public support they've worked so hard to achieve.
It is likely that, because they've done virtually nothing to help this country, they will lose control of Congress next year. The election in 2012 could be like that of 1994, when there was record low voter turnout due to public disillusionment with politicians in general, especially castrated Democrats who didn't do a goddamn thing to help, as much as they originally wanted to. Obama could be voted out of the White House due to his inability to bring change. Unless these Democrats get their act together, Republicans could have the government back in 2012.
After that, hold onto your hats. Another eight years of Republican control awaits.
Oh boy.
If anyone desires real change, they are labeled a "radical leftist" or a "socialist" and are told to shut up. The Republican propaganda machine is doing a fantastic job of inhibiting progress, with the aid of their poster boys like Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich. If change is making it's way through Congress, they only have to get behind their AM studio microphone or get up on Fox News and yell about "socialist takeover" or some other nonsense like that and it'll be watered down, in spite of popular support for real progressive measures.
And what are the Democrats doing? They are bending over and taking it! Even Democrats themselves are opposing real progress and change, just to appease this bat shit insane minority called the Republican party. The general public's pleas for change fall to deaf ears among the Senate Democrats.
Obama's health care "reform" will be successfully diluted, with no public option available (if it passes at all). The worst enemy of liberals is, ironically, the Democrats. The insurance companies will get to keep their stranglehold on health care, the rich will get richer and the poor poorer thanks to bankruptcies caused by medical bills.
Republican resentment for the poor is almost naked at this stage in the game, and thanks to a shitty educational system, no one is noticing it. What's even more frightening is how Democrats seem to be oblivious to the right wing dick being shoved up their assholes.
Bipartisanship is now at higher priority than fixing America.
The rest of the world continues to laugh at us. Laughing at how far behind we are on health care. Laughing at how we are letting ourselves get controlled by this insane minority. Europeans are well aware of what happens when a religious minority takes control (the Dark Ages), and they are watching it happen to us from their homes across the Atlantic.
I feel there probably won't be any real change in this country without some sort of revolution, or on the very slim chance the Democrats wake up and use that majority power and public support they've worked so hard to achieve.
It is likely that, because they've done virtually nothing to help this country, they will lose control of Congress next year. The election in 2012 could be like that of 1994, when there was record low voter turnout due to public disillusionment with politicians in general, especially castrated Democrats who didn't do a goddamn thing to help, as much as they originally wanted to. Obama could be voted out of the White House due to his inability to bring change. Unless these Democrats get their act together, Republicans could have the government back in 2012.
After that, hold onto your hats. Another eight years of Republican control awaits.
Oh boy.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Some recommended sites
Okay, it's not normally like me to spam my readers with other websites, but these are some websites that I would recommend to any free-thinking, rational person, one that despises the fascist takeover of America that's been happening for at the very least a century.
Skeptics Annotated Bible - an entire Internet Bible that won't gloss over those embarrassing verses like a preacher would (unless that preacher is Fred Phelps, of course).
Scott Bidstrup - if you would like to learn more about how evil this nation is, and the extent to which it is doomed to fascism, pay this place a visit. Under the "Patriot" Act, this man had his home illegally searched, his computer illegally stolen, and received death threats that he has traced to government IP addresses. He now lives in exile in Costa Rica.
Evil Bible - showcases just how evil the Bible is. And for those of you out there saying, "Well Jesus saved us from the stuff in the Old Testament", there is a page on there for you. The Old Testament is valid!
Bible Blunders - debunks many of the myths Christians like to spread about the Bible (such as the supposedly "fulfilled" Old Testament "prophecies").
League of Reason - a forum originally set up to combat censorship on YouTube, it is now an oasis for free thinking and reason. Share your ideas on this growing community.
Skeptical Science - takes each global warming denialist argument (noticed I didn't say "skeptic") and thoroughly destroys them. Sorry, but the science just isn't on your side, denialists.
"Lighthouses are more useful than churches."
-Benjamin Franklin (turns out it wasn't Jefferson who said that - my apologies)
Skeptics Annotated Bible - an entire Internet Bible that won't gloss over those embarrassing verses like a preacher would (unless that preacher is Fred Phelps, of course).
Scott Bidstrup - if you would like to learn more about how evil this nation is, and the extent to which it is doomed to fascism, pay this place a visit. Under the "Patriot" Act, this man had his home illegally searched, his computer illegally stolen, and received death threats that he has traced to government IP addresses. He now lives in exile in Costa Rica.
Evil Bible - showcases just how evil the Bible is. And for those of you out there saying, "Well Jesus saved us from the stuff in the Old Testament", there is a page on there for you. The Old Testament is valid!
Bible Blunders - debunks many of the myths Christians like to spread about the Bible (such as the supposedly "fulfilled" Old Testament "prophecies").
League of Reason - a forum originally set up to combat censorship on YouTube, it is now an oasis for free thinking and reason. Share your ideas on this growing community.
Skeptical Science - takes each global warming denialist argument (noticed I didn't say "skeptic") and thoroughly destroys them. Sorry, but the science just isn't on your side, denialists.
"Lighthouses are more useful than churches."
-Benjamin Franklin (turns out it wasn't Jefferson who said that - my apologies)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
It's official...
...Iowa > California
California Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Gay Marriage
It is indeed an embarrassing day for Californians. This just has to be humiliating for them, knowing that some podunk state in the Midwest is more progressive than their state. Bill Maher even said, in his New Rules segment, "The California Supreme Court better get hip before Hollywood moves out to Des Moines."
I actually spent all last weekend in Iowa. I loved every minute of it. Of course, I wasn't in total bliss since it wasn't winter, but it was still awesome. Never saw a single Arkansas license plate. Mostly Obama bumper stickers (as well as other liberal bumper stickers). It was a real paradise, "my friends" (in the words of the illustrious John McCain).
I've always thought Iowa, indeed the Midwest, was better than California. I like the weather a lot more, I even like the people a little better. Real estate is certainly more affordable (although that may change with Californians abandoning the expensive real estate out there and heading back to the heartland). But now, it's official. California flat out sucks. The weather sucks, the politics suck, their Lexus-driving Bourgeois snobs suck, it's just a shitty state altogether.
Oh well. Sucks for them.
-Matt
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Pat Robertson: Shameless asshole, douchebag, prick, etc.
I make no apology in calling Pat Robertson a shameless old dickhead. Robertson would be a field man in Satan's army, if Satan was real. Pat Robertson, and others like him, are people that bring nations down. Sinclair Lewis once said that when fascism arrives in America, it will be wrapped in a flag and holding a cross.
These dangerous individuals need to be called out on their obnoxious, anti-progressive behavior. They are a greater threat to our country than radical Islam. Indeed, Christian conservatives are the radical Muslims of the west.
I have many reasons for labeling Pat Robertson a shameless asshole, douchebag, prick, etc.
For one, he is insensitive. This old, bigoted buffoon remorselessly stated that Americans deserved what they got on 9/11, and even said that we should expect worse. Here is the video. Watch that video carefully. You can almost detect the anticipation in Falwell's (the fat dickhead) voice when he says that 9/11 could be small compared to "what's to come". These idiots want terrorist attacks in our country, and are glad 9/11 happened. Make no mistake. They want terrorist attacks on our country. They never explicitly state it, but you can tell by Falwell's comments on more "punishment" that awaits us, because it would serve this country full of filthy fags and abortion doctors right!
He is simply out of touch with reality, as are many so-called "pro-lifers". A family that is barely able to feed itself means nothing to this old windbag, but fetuses are absolutely sacred! I'd love to see this guy raise a family on minimum wage, and then discover his wife is pregnant with another one. I wouldn't be surprised if he intimidated the woman into getting the pregnancy terminated, for reasons I will explain later. Doctors that would perform this procedure, to him, deserve some of the blame for 9/11.
He is clearly homophobic. You can hear the animosity in his voice when he mentions gays in that video to which I've linked. He says "gays", but the tone of his voice says, "filthy, degenerate beasts".
He is a shameless asshole, douchebag, prick, and many other things!
Robertson is bigoted, without question. He is a homophobic bigot, but also a sexist bigot. Pro-life men want to control women. It's that simple. They're not "protecting sacred life" or anything like that. Don't buy that line of bullshit for even a second. This man's greed, combined with his clear sentiment against women, is why I believe he would intimidate his wife (with no regard for her feelings) into having an abortion if he was raising a family on minimum wage. Many sexist pro-lifers are like this. Many of them would simply not care about their wives' feelings on their pregnancy if they themselves were trying to support a family with little income. They would probably want her aborted as soon as possible!
If men could get pregnant, abortion probably would not even be a legal issue.
This shameless old asshole, douchebag, and prick has animosity toward gays, women, and nonbelievers as well. This video demonstrates very well how fundamentalism destroys relationships. Listen to this dick when he tells a caller that she should break the engagement with her fiance, because he doesn't worship the ancient bronze age god of the desert. Again, you can detect the contempt in his voice when he discusses this slimy, nonbelieving animal.
This kind of backwards thinking is very dangerous for a country. It slows scientific and social progress. Much like radical Islam, which has served as an inhibitor of progress in the Middle East, it can serve as a progress inhibitor in the States. Yes, this is a serious issue. It has inhibited progress in America, and in some ways, still does. Look at the various state abortion laws, which endanger women's health (e.g. laws requiring parental consent for out of state abortions). Look at the legislation against gays in several states (*coughs* Prop 8). I spend much of the year in an area that is ill with this kind of counterproductive thought. Spend some time in the American Jesusland and you will see firsthand how dangerous this line of thought is. Some states allow pharmacists to patronize teenage girls requesting birth control (because letting them get pregnant with a child they can't care for is so much better). Have you ever seen something so demonstrably stupid in America that it makes you facepalm and say, "How can this happen? It's the 21st century!"? That is the work of people like Pat Robertson!
We have to ensure, through any means possible, to call people like Pat Robertson out on their bullshit. This will ensure their toxic rhetoric doesn't poison American policy (at least not to a severe degree). If we sit and let these snakes slither into the political system without resistance, we can suffer the same fate as countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia, with little regard for scientific achievement and no concern for social progress.
Robertson's naked homophobia:
Pat Robertson being himself
This dipshit can't keep his foot out of his mouth!
Pat Robertson Controversies
These dangerous individuals need to be called out on their obnoxious, anti-progressive behavior. They are a greater threat to our country than radical Islam. Indeed, Christian conservatives are the radical Muslims of the west.
I have many reasons for labeling Pat Robertson a shameless asshole, douchebag, prick, etc.
For one, he is insensitive. This old, bigoted buffoon remorselessly stated that Americans deserved what they got on 9/11, and even said that we should expect worse. Here is the video. Watch that video carefully. You can almost detect the anticipation in Falwell's (the fat dickhead) voice when he says that 9/11 could be small compared to "what's to come". These idiots want terrorist attacks in our country, and are glad 9/11 happened. Make no mistake. They want terrorist attacks on our country. They never explicitly state it, but you can tell by Falwell's comments on more "punishment" that awaits us, because it would serve this country full of filthy fags and abortion doctors right!
He is simply out of touch with reality, as are many so-called "pro-lifers". A family that is barely able to feed itself means nothing to this old windbag, but fetuses are absolutely sacred! I'd love to see this guy raise a family on minimum wage, and then discover his wife is pregnant with another one. I wouldn't be surprised if he intimidated the woman into getting the pregnancy terminated, for reasons I will explain later. Doctors that would perform this procedure, to him, deserve some of the blame for 9/11.
He is clearly homophobic. You can hear the animosity in his voice when he mentions gays in that video to which I've linked. He says "gays", but the tone of his voice says, "filthy, degenerate beasts".
He is a shameless asshole, douchebag, prick, and many other things!
Robertson is bigoted, without question. He is a homophobic bigot, but also a sexist bigot. Pro-life men want to control women. It's that simple. They're not "protecting sacred life" or anything like that. Don't buy that line of bullshit for even a second. This man's greed, combined with his clear sentiment against women, is why I believe he would intimidate his wife (with no regard for her feelings) into having an abortion if he was raising a family on minimum wage. Many sexist pro-lifers are like this. Many of them would simply not care about their wives' feelings on their pregnancy if they themselves were trying to support a family with little income. They would probably want her aborted as soon as possible!
If men could get pregnant, abortion probably would not even be a legal issue.
This shameless old asshole, douchebag, and prick has animosity toward gays, women, and nonbelievers as well. This video demonstrates very well how fundamentalism destroys relationships. Listen to this dick when he tells a caller that she should break the engagement with her fiance, because he doesn't worship the ancient bronze age god of the desert. Again, you can detect the contempt in his voice when he discusses this slimy, nonbelieving animal.
This kind of backwards thinking is very dangerous for a country. It slows scientific and social progress. Much like radical Islam, which has served as an inhibitor of progress in the Middle East, it can serve as a progress inhibitor in the States. Yes, this is a serious issue. It has inhibited progress in America, and in some ways, still does. Look at the various state abortion laws, which endanger women's health (e.g. laws requiring parental consent for out of state abortions). Look at the legislation against gays in several states (*coughs* Prop 8). I spend much of the year in an area that is ill with this kind of counterproductive thought. Spend some time in the American Jesusland and you will see firsthand how dangerous this line of thought is. Some states allow pharmacists to patronize teenage girls requesting birth control (because letting them get pregnant with a child they can't care for is so much better). Have you ever seen something so demonstrably stupid in America that it makes you facepalm and say, "How can this happen? It's the 21st century!"? That is the work of people like Pat Robertson!
We have to ensure, through any means possible, to call people like Pat Robertson out on their bullshit. This will ensure their toxic rhetoric doesn't poison American policy (at least not to a severe degree). If we sit and let these snakes slither into the political system without resistance, we can suffer the same fate as countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia, with little regard for scientific achievement and no concern for social progress.
Robertson's naked homophobia:
Pat Robertson being himself
This dipshit can't keep his foot out of his mouth!
Pat Robertson Controversies
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Debunking Pascal's Wager
One thing that made me hold my beliefs for as long as I did was Pascal's Wager. This is the idea that one should believe in god just to "be safe". If you believe and it turns out there isn't a god, then the worst that happens is you simply die. But if you don't believe and there is, the result is pretty severe. Therefore, it's better to believe and be wrong than it is to not believe and be wrong.
Well, there are numerous reasons this argument fails.
It ignores other heavens and hells, for one thing. What if you kick the bucket and Muhammad is standing at the pearly gates (and you're a Christian). Then you and atheists are both going to hell, but at least the atheists got to sleep in on Sundays.
Besides, there are over 30,000 denominations of Christianity, each claiming to be the "correct" one. What if you have the wrong denomination? What if it turns out the Mormons are the ones that got it right, and you're a reformed Calvinist or something like that? Even as a Christian, you've only got one chance in about 30,000 of entering heaven.
Hell's got quite the history behind it, actually. What if I told you that it is never mentioned in the Old Testament? In an accurate Bible translation, it never appears in the Old Testament. Ever. The King James Version of the Bible actually mistranslates the word "Sheol" into hell. Sheol, in Hebrew, is simply "the grave". This essentially means you die, you stay dead, that's it. Sheol is simply the resting place of the dead, righteous or otherwise.
The ancient Hebrews had no concept of hell. Hell is never mentioned, in its current understanding, until the New Testament, and it is believed that it only appears in the NT because of Sheol's mistranslation in the OT.
Hell is never mentioned, in any translation of the Bible, in Mosaic Law (that is - the first five books of the OT). Mosaic Law only deals with curses and blessings in this lifetime, not in the life to come. Now, you'd think God would have told his covenant people about a place like Hell. You'd think it would have been mentioned to Adam and Eve, or at least to folks like Abraham and Moses, but in is never mentioned to them.
So, the question is, where did Hell come from?
Well, like many other things in Christianity, the concept of Hell is plagiarized from paganism. The Greeks, for instance, believed in the underworld, where all the dead went, righteous or otherwise, to simply rest. No eternal torture. Around Jerusalem, many pagans did child sacrifices in a trash dump called Gehenna, where these children were burned alive in a sacrifice to Baal. It was the valley where the dead burned. Sounds familiar, huh?
Hell is merely an appeal to fear. In the early Catholic church, many people were not allowed into the church unless they believed that some would be in torment forever in Hell. Hell was used, originally, as a tactic for people to give the church money. Money to be kept from Hell. Hell is a scam.
There are actually Christians that don't believe in the existence of hell, and for good reason.
I would like to address the fence sitters at this point. Those of you who are beginning to think of throwing off those chains of religion forever. I implore you, all of you, to throw those shackles down. The natural world isn't so bad, guys. You get to go to bed without having to talk to the air, you can sleep in on Sundays, you can have all the sex you want (safely, of course), the list goes on. You are good people. There are many good people out there who could be at their full potential if they didn't have the religion monkey on their backs. Let's remove ourselves from the stocks of religion and become a healthy species!
-Matt
Well, there are numerous reasons this argument fails.
It ignores other heavens and hells, for one thing. What if you kick the bucket and Muhammad is standing at the pearly gates (and you're a Christian). Then you and atheists are both going to hell, but at least the atheists got to sleep in on Sundays.
Besides, there are over 30,000 denominations of Christianity, each claiming to be the "correct" one. What if you have the wrong denomination? What if it turns out the Mormons are the ones that got it right, and you're a reformed Calvinist or something like that? Even as a Christian, you've only got one chance in about 30,000 of entering heaven.
Hell's got quite the history behind it, actually. What if I told you that it is never mentioned in the Old Testament? In an accurate Bible translation, it never appears in the Old Testament. Ever. The King James Version of the Bible actually mistranslates the word "Sheol" into hell. Sheol, in Hebrew, is simply "the grave". This essentially means you die, you stay dead, that's it. Sheol is simply the resting place of the dead, righteous or otherwise.
The ancient Hebrews had no concept of hell. Hell is never mentioned, in its current understanding, until the New Testament, and it is believed that it only appears in the NT because of Sheol's mistranslation in the OT.
Hell is never mentioned, in any translation of the Bible, in Mosaic Law (that is - the first five books of the OT). Mosaic Law only deals with curses and blessings in this lifetime, not in the life to come. Now, you'd think God would have told his covenant people about a place like Hell. You'd think it would have been mentioned to Adam and Eve, or at least to folks like Abraham and Moses, but in is never mentioned to them.
So, the question is, where did Hell come from?
Well, like many other things in Christianity, the concept of Hell is plagiarized from paganism. The Greeks, for instance, believed in the underworld, where all the dead went, righteous or otherwise, to simply rest. No eternal torture. Around Jerusalem, many pagans did child sacrifices in a trash dump called Gehenna, where these children were burned alive in a sacrifice to Baal. It was the valley where the dead burned. Sounds familiar, huh?
Hell is merely an appeal to fear. In the early Catholic church, many people were not allowed into the church unless they believed that some would be in torment forever in Hell. Hell was used, originally, as a tactic for people to give the church money. Money to be kept from Hell. Hell is a scam.
There are actually Christians that don't believe in the existence of hell, and for good reason.
I would like to address the fence sitters at this point. Those of you who are beginning to think of throwing off those chains of religion forever. I implore you, all of you, to throw those shackles down. The natural world isn't so bad, guys. You get to go to bed without having to talk to the air, you can sleep in on Sundays, you can have all the sex you want (safely, of course), the list goes on. You are good people. There are many good people out there who could be at their full potential if they didn't have the religion monkey on their backs. Let's remove ourselves from the stocks of religion and become a healthy species!
-Matt
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Climate change fucks over California
The Santa Barbara wildfire in California that has already led to more than thirty thousand being evacuated can be easily linked to climate change.
California has been experiencing a drought for three years as of 2009. LLNL scientists have stated that this drought has the fingerprints of climate change all over it. Climate change has our fingerprints all over it. To say it does not, at this point, is a denial of reality.
I've been following the issue of climate change fairly closely for about two or three years. I am very passionate about this issue, because it really hits home for me. Read my profile to understand why.
I am not really a scientist. I am merely a sophomore chemistry major. I haven't really done any sort of independent research, and I haven't written a dissertation on climate change. But I have researched this issue very heavily. I used to be a climate change denier, and I researched the hell out of it so I could prove that it wasn't happening, or if it was, that we weren't causing it. In doing so, I converted to a global warming activist.
The folks on the hill have done everything they can to put a media smokescreen over the research that has been done by scientists supporting climate change. These Bourgeois bastards will not willingly pay up for the damage they've been doing, or have duped us all with these "carbon trade" schemes to alleviate guilt.
In capitalist society, this issue cannot be solved. Period. The free market system only cares about what is profitable, not what is best for the environment or for the people. It doesn't matter how many species go extinct or how many people lose their homes, what makes money is what's best.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
A spectre is haunting midwest conservatives
Weep and wail, you back asswards ignoramuses that are tarnishing the Midwest's image! Weep and wail! Your destruction is imminent!
Homophobic conservatives just received a political BITCH SLAP recently as Iowa, yes, Iowa recently legislated protection of gay marriage (I realize this is old news). Yes, IOWA! Easily one of my favorite states. It's cold, it's rural, and I love that. But it was a blue state in the last election and it has allowed tolerance within its borders! Tolerant and progressive Iowa! Yes! I have yet another reason to be proud of one of my favorite states. Hats off to you, Iowa courts!
There seems to be a wave of blue washing across this red heartland. Non violent political revolution is in the air. I can smell it. Oh, how sweet it is.
Don't believe that it's happening in the Midwest so far? Well here's some more information. As of 2008, Rock Port, Missouri was the first town in the nation to run entirely on wind energy. Wind farms are popping up all over Iowa and Kansas, too.
Again I say, weep you Midwest conservatives. Your tears are sweet. The sound of your crying is music.
Iowa's history of awesomeness
Homophobic conservatives just received a political BITCH SLAP recently as Iowa, yes, Iowa recently legislated protection of gay marriage (I realize this is old news). Yes, IOWA! Easily one of my favorite states. It's cold, it's rural, and I love that. But it was a blue state in the last election and it has allowed tolerance within its borders! Tolerant and progressive Iowa! Yes! I have yet another reason to be proud of one of my favorite states. Hats off to you, Iowa courts!
There seems to be a wave of blue washing across this red heartland. Non violent political revolution is in the air. I can smell it. Oh, how sweet it is.
Don't believe that it's happening in the Midwest so far? Well here's some more information. As of 2008, Rock Port, Missouri was the first town in the nation to run entirely on wind energy. Wind farms are popping up all over Iowa and Kansas, too.
Again I say, weep you Midwest conservatives. Your tears are sweet. The sound of your crying is music.
Iowa's history of awesomeness
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