I’m no fan of the US military. I find it to be entirely un-American in its operation. It forces religion down your throat, makes sexual harassment a policy, desensitizes people to extreme violence, and demands obedience. The military is a factory for molding people into Republicans.
The Fort Hood shooting has drawn completely different conclusions from every corner of politics. Those on the right tend to point to all the warning signs that were ignored because of liberal tolerance. Those on the left blame guns and tension over the wars.
I think this was a case of desperation. All desperate animals will lash out when cornered.
It is my understanding that the Army paid for Hasan’s medical education, and that he worked with only minor incident for some time. Sure, there was the annoying proselytizing, but it was only noted because he chose the wrong religion to push. Those who push Christianity are completely above any kind of suspicion or criticism. I’m sure there’s thousands of Muslims in the military who are pushy about their faith who have not, and will not, attack a fellow soldier.
Hasan offered to pay back his medical bills, but the Army is pressed for people at the moment. Hasan may have even requested exemption from deployment as a conscientious objector.
I have long believed the military would be best served if it allowed those who enlisted to decline or “veto” deployment. I think it would go a long way in both increasing the morale of troops who are deployed, and in forcing politicians to carefully consider their wars. Most wars we fight are complete bullshit, and those in the military know this more than most.
Soldiers have no choice after joining, even though it is their lives at risk. There is no justice in saying, “But they signed a piece of paper saying…” There is no paper that can be signed which warrants being sent into harm for a cause you oppose. People join the military because they love their country. They want to chip in and make a difference. They don’t sign up for wars of ideological dick-measuring or economic rape.
Perhaps objector rules could be instituted which allow the military a degree of… *gasp*… democracy. Injecting a little America into our military could end the wars where our politicians have failed.
How would you describe yourself politically?
Friday, November 13
Thursday, November 12
Societal Haircut
I have been poring over economic literature for a few weeks now. I have tried to understand the ins and outs of finance, investment, markets, etc. I have come to the conclusion that the entire field of economics is a sub-field of sociology, and is less a scientific pursuit of knowledge, like chemistry, and more a pursuit of wealth, like alchemy.
Economics is also largely in the business of creating jobs for those who create nothing. Economics is the realm of the middle-man. It’s a study in how to make money by doing as little as possible. Economics has become so efficient, the middle-men rose to the top.
Investment bankers, hedge-fund operators, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, a whole slew of people whose job it is to do nothing but manipulate money or make decisions which are handed to them by advisors and summarily ignored by everyone upon being issued… these people hold all the chips even though they’re not the ones making the bets; they get most of the reward without any of the risk. While the people doing the real work are thrown scraps as they scurry about the machinery of business, those at the top convince themselves that their deified voice of power must be calling all of this wealth and success into being, as though they were the God of Genesis.
If you think rich people need more, what the fuck is wrong with you? What do they need more money for? So they can buy off government employees? So they can funnel their money into tax-free, non-profit havens that function with political agendas?
Fuck privatized tyranny! They aren’t investing their billions in more jobs or more industries or any development; money for that stuff NEVER taken from the CEO’s pay check or bank account. Instead, money for those business-building activities is leached away by the ballooning salaries of these do-nothing douchebags at the top.
If you hate government corruption, support campaign finance reform. Fight for strict limits on contributions from private companies and their owners. Government is indeed corrupt, because private industry keeps sticking its dirty fingers into it. Eliminating government is just childish and stupid, like an eight year old who wants to run away from home because mommy and daddy took his toy gun away. Boo-fucking-hoo, you whiney ass Libertarian diaper-fillers.
It’s not “the State,” with some ominous capital S, that is to blame; it’s us for continuing to elect industry shills. We’re blinded by private industry and their masters of deception down in marketing. The money buys the ads, and the ads buy the votes, and Americans are stupid, shallow, and lazy so we let our media do all the thinking. The government is our voice.
America doesn’t have cancer. America doesn’t need invasive surgery or crippling chemo to fix its economic ills. All we need is a haircut. Trim off the unruly hair that blinds us, and let it fall harmlessly to the floor. America just needs a little off the top.
I’m not even talking about killing or hurting anyone. All we need are progressive taxes. Taxing those who make millions of dollars a year (let alone billions) will do two things: increase tax revenues at a time when years of conservative neglect have left our government crippled, and give incentive for those at the top to self-limit themselves to a sensible couple million per year [fucking turd blossoms] so the rest can be spread around the company.
If you prevent companies from donating to political campaigns and limit individuals to fortunes that don’t allow for the purchase of Senators, I think you’d be surprised how much better off we’d be… all from just a haircut.
Economics is also largely in the business of creating jobs for those who create nothing. Economics is the realm of the middle-man. It’s a study in how to make money by doing as little as possible. Economics has become so efficient, the middle-men rose to the top.
Investment bankers, hedge-fund operators, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, a whole slew of people whose job it is to do nothing but manipulate money or make decisions which are handed to them by advisors and summarily ignored by everyone upon being issued… these people hold all the chips even though they’re not the ones making the bets; they get most of the reward without any of the risk. While the people doing the real work are thrown scraps as they scurry about the machinery of business, those at the top convince themselves that their deified voice of power must be calling all of this wealth and success into being, as though they were the God of Genesis.
If you think rich people need more, what the fuck is wrong with you? What do they need more money for? So they can buy off government employees? So they can funnel their money into tax-free, non-profit havens that function with political agendas?
Fuck privatized tyranny! They aren’t investing their billions in more jobs or more industries or any development; money for that stuff NEVER taken from the CEO’s pay check or bank account. Instead, money for those business-building activities is leached away by the ballooning salaries of these do-nothing douchebags at the top.
If you hate government corruption, support campaign finance reform. Fight for strict limits on contributions from private companies and their owners. Government is indeed corrupt, because private industry keeps sticking its dirty fingers into it. Eliminating government is just childish and stupid, like an eight year old who wants to run away from home because mommy and daddy took his toy gun away. Boo-fucking-hoo, you whiney ass Libertarian diaper-fillers.
It’s not “the State,” with some ominous capital S, that is to blame; it’s us for continuing to elect industry shills. We’re blinded by private industry and their masters of deception down in marketing. The money buys the ads, and the ads buy the votes, and Americans are stupid, shallow, and lazy so we let our media do all the thinking. The government is our voice.
America doesn’t have cancer. America doesn’t need invasive surgery or crippling chemo to fix its economic ills. All we need is a haircut. Trim off the unruly hair that blinds us, and let it fall harmlessly to the floor. America just needs a little off the top.
I’m not even talking about killing or hurting anyone. All we need are progressive taxes. Taxing those who make millions of dollars a year (let alone billions) will do two things: increase tax revenues at a time when years of conservative neglect have left our government crippled, and give incentive for those at the top to self-limit themselves to a sensible couple million per year [fucking turd blossoms] so the rest can be spread around the company.
If you prevent companies from donating to political campaigns and limit individuals to fortunes that don’t allow for the purchase of Senators, I think you’d be surprised how much better off we’d be… all from just a haircut.
Wednesday, November 11
Gnosticism
All religions are essentially gnostic, which means they center their ideology around knowledge. Christians take this to the extreme, with many believing that accepting the knowledge of Jesus as their savior is sufficient pre-requisite for declaring oneself Christian. Other faiths place more emphasis on ritual, and less on knowledge, but it is still important in every faith to remember certain things.
Every religion boils down to a system for transferring knowledge, like an artificial form of genetics. Religion was most important before written language, when stories and songs would need to be transmitted between generations in order to preserve knowledge. Eventually, religion was written down, and as a result, long forgotten faiths sometimes find their way back into our memory.
Christian Gnosticism was a strong movement in the early days after Jesus. While the whole of the religion is lost to us, we get bits and pieces of it through lost papyri and codices. To make matters worse, it was certainly not a monolithic movement with a standardized belief structure. However, when taken together, the Gnostic world view is strikingly interesting.
In the beginning were the Archons, beings with limitless power, floating in an endless void. The youngest was Sophia, whose name means wisdom.
Sophia decided to create a companion for herself. Being the youngest and not wanting her older siblings to take Her creation away, she went off alone where she could not be seen. She created Yaldabaoth, the demiurge. She lavished it with attention and gave it everything He desired.
Because the apple never falls far from the tree, Yaldabaoth felt compelled one day to create. He didn’t want His mother to see it, so behind His back He created the world, our physical world (the world of mass, as opposed to the spirit world or just the Earth). He populated it with all kinds of animals and even one being that resembled Him and His Mother.
Seeing that His creation was alone, and having not given His creation the power to create, He made his creation a mate. He set up the events of Genesis as a game to amuse Himself. Some Gnostics found traditionally villainous characters like Cain to be heroic, though the circumstances of the Gnostic interpretation are lost to us.
Basically, the Gnostics were maltheists. They saw the Old Testament God, YHWH, as being this evil Demiurge, Yaldabaoth. The “Creator” was only a partial creator, for He made our world, but was Himself naïve to the whole of the existence. His imperfection accounts for the imperfection of our world.
At some point, we don’t know when Gnostics think this was, Sophia found out what Yaldabaoth had done. She saw our world and wept. No, this wasn’t the flood. What do we know is that Gnostics believe she sent Jesus to try to save us.
Gnostics believe Jesus was sent by Sophia with a knowledge that would allow human spirits to escape the prison created for us by Her Son. There is even evidence that Gnostics believed in the transmigration of souls, which is the Western terminology for reincarnation. This all likely comes about from a melding of Jewish and Platonic teachings, as Plato devised a system of reincarnation in which we are prisoners (see Plato’s Cave).
Judas, Thomas, and Mary Magdalene are some of the leading “Gospel” sources on Gnosticism. Their Gospels are classified as Gnostic because of their pronounced dualism and emphasis on knowledge. The Gospel of Judas is remarkable for its claim that Judas was asked by Jesus to initiate the events that led to the crucifixion, also portraying Judas as the most trusted apostle.
It is interesting to note that the Canonical Gospels all portray Judas and Thomas with great negativity; Judas is always called “the betrayer,” while the story of “doubting Thomas” is none too flattering. And calling Mary a prostitute is a play out of every schoolyard bully’s playbook. Smear campaigns have always worked on the ignorant masses.
Now you know more.
Every religion boils down to a system for transferring knowledge, like an artificial form of genetics. Religion was most important before written language, when stories and songs would need to be transmitted between generations in order to preserve knowledge. Eventually, religion was written down, and as a result, long forgotten faiths sometimes find their way back into our memory.
Christian Gnosticism was a strong movement in the early days after Jesus. While the whole of the religion is lost to us, we get bits and pieces of it through lost papyri and codices. To make matters worse, it was certainly not a monolithic movement with a standardized belief structure. However, when taken together, the Gnostic world view is strikingly interesting.
In the beginning were the Archons, beings with limitless power, floating in an endless void. The youngest was Sophia, whose name means wisdom.
Sophia decided to create a companion for herself. Being the youngest and not wanting her older siblings to take Her creation away, she went off alone where she could not be seen. She created Yaldabaoth, the demiurge. She lavished it with attention and gave it everything He desired.
Because the apple never falls far from the tree, Yaldabaoth felt compelled one day to create. He didn’t want His mother to see it, so behind His back He created the world, our physical world (the world of mass, as opposed to the spirit world or just the Earth). He populated it with all kinds of animals and even one being that resembled Him and His Mother.
Seeing that His creation was alone, and having not given His creation the power to create, He made his creation a mate. He set up the events of Genesis as a game to amuse Himself. Some Gnostics found traditionally villainous characters like Cain to be heroic, though the circumstances of the Gnostic interpretation are lost to us.
Basically, the Gnostics were maltheists. They saw the Old Testament God, YHWH, as being this evil Demiurge, Yaldabaoth. The “Creator” was only a partial creator, for He made our world, but was Himself naïve to the whole of the existence. His imperfection accounts for the imperfection of our world.
At some point, we don’t know when Gnostics think this was, Sophia found out what Yaldabaoth had done. She saw our world and wept. No, this wasn’t the flood. What do we know is that Gnostics believe she sent Jesus to try to save us.
Gnostics believe Jesus was sent by Sophia with a knowledge that would allow human spirits to escape the prison created for us by Her Son. There is even evidence that Gnostics believed in the transmigration of souls, which is the Western terminology for reincarnation. This all likely comes about from a melding of Jewish and Platonic teachings, as Plato devised a system of reincarnation in which we are prisoners (see Plato’s Cave).
Judas, Thomas, and Mary Magdalene are some of the leading “Gospel” sources on Gnosticism. Their Gospels are classified as Gnostic because of their pronounced dualism and emphasis on knowledge. The Gospel of Judas is remarkable for its claim that Judas was asked by Jesus to initiate the events that led to the crucifixion, also portraying Judas as the most trusted apostle.
It is interesting to note that the Canonical Gospels all portray Judas and Thomas with great negativity; Judas is always called “the betrayer,” while the story of “doubting Thomas” is none too flattering. And calling Mary a prostitute is a play out of every schoolyard bully’s playbook. Smear campaigns have always worked on the ignorant masses.
Now you know more.
Tuesday, November 10
Pamphlets
While walking my dog, I noticed a bunch of religious tracts littered along my block. It seems someone put propaganda on the windshield of the cars in the area.
So, I picked up all of them that I saw and threw them away. I even took the pre-litter I saw still on people’s windshields; I think it’s safe to say the owners of these cars know all they care to about Jesus.
I kept three, the ones least wet. They’re so precious, I feel compelled to share excerpts of them.
My favorite has quite a wonderful message on the cover:
One might almost be able to accuse modern Christians of many of these… Anyway, I guess these particular Christians are against fun. Also, I love the implication that we’re living in the “last days.” The pamphlet continues:
Then there’s a paragraph about how money can’t buy things that make you happy. Then there’s a paragraph about how amusement parks, TV, movies, music, the internet, and even books (at least the “shameful” kind) are ruining society. Then there’s more stuff about how we are driven to earn more and nothing is ever enough.
Then there’s a gem:
They use the tactic of juxtaposing a completely unrelated tragic to their claim, in order to draw some sort of connection. How does the “selfish” drive of people to economically succeed cause churches to languish and welfare to be administered by a cold, uncaring government that will apparently spit in poor people’s soup? And how does any of that relate to at-risk children in broken homes?
Religious people love to do that: merely mention a problem in society and then link it to our “lack of” or “disappearing” faith. Forget trying to convince a believer that they’re in the majority. They have so much time on their hands not helping people, they divide themselves up into “true believers” and… frankly I don’t know if they have a name for it, I guess “fake Christians,” or maybe “Catholics.”So even though most of America believes, our problems clearly stem from the fact that most “Christians” are doing it wrong.
Another tract I have here is titled “Why Must I Suffer?” I have never found theodicy to be a particularly compelling argument, but I imagine it’s a popular one among neophyte atheists.
Theodicy is the question of evil; in a world created by a good and loving God, why are there bad things? The simplest formulation of non-theism stems from this dilemma, and is credited to Epicurus:
God either cannot or will not prevent evil, and is therefore unworthy of praise under Epicurus’ model.
However, these are flawed arguments because they overlook a concept central to Christian theology. The make a long discussion short, Christians explain theodicy away using the concept of “free will,” a power possessed by humans which is outside the influence of God and allows sin into the world.
This view is never explicitly stated in the Bible, but theologians point out that it does explain why God is always asking, or commanding, people to do stuff – rather than just making them do it like a puppet. You have characters like Mary and Abraham asked to do things, which they willingly choose to do (or almost do). Then you have characters like Jonah who deny the request and experience God’s wrath until they agree to obey.
Of course, none of this explains natural disasters, but I don’t even want to imagine the rhetorical gymnastics required to explain that. The whole pamphlet I have in front of me focuses instead on the suffering we inflict on each other, which I concede is greater at this point in history than the toll taken by nature. I will therefore overlook the injustice of nature’s wrath for the purposes of this discussion.
Besides blaming people for most of the ills of the world, this pamphlet exhibits the most annoying (and damaging) response to suffering: the old “well you think you have it bad…” routine.
People who are suffering don’t want to hear about someone who has it worse. If I sprain my ankle, I don’t want a friend to diminish my pain by telling me about they’re brother’s hair dresser’s cousin-in-law whose leg was blown off by a land mine while picking linden berries.
This pamphlet mentions Joseph from Genesis, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. Yeah, I guess being unemployed isn’t as bad as that… and yet I don’t feel any better. By the way… why isn’t slavery a sin? God really dropped the ethical ball on that one.
The third and final pamphlet I kept to look over is titled, “Peace of Mind in a Troubled World.” I should preface this by saying I hate peace of mind; your mind should always be at war. You should never declare an intellectual ceasefire. The minute your mind settles, you become ignorant. You will bar new ideas from challenging the established order to which you cling. Worse, you will likely bend and twist all that you perceive in order to reconcile it with your flawed outlook.
That being said, I can’t say I disagree with this pamphlet. Religion will indeed give you peace of mind. Religion rarely changes. It reiterates itself over and over, relying on repetition over rhetoric. Anything said often enough appears true.
Science, on the other hand, provides no peace of mind. Opinions are always changing. Wasn’t Pluto a planet? What happened to the Brontosaurus? What the hell is quantum entanglement? If you aren’t paying attention, your “scientific knowledge” quickly goes stale. Science has the shelf life of a loaf of bread; religion is more like a Twinkie, with a creamy salvation middle.
Science doesn’t say what we want to hear, either. We aren’t important in science. Science says we are just one of trillions of life forms on a planet circling just one of trillions of stars in the Milky Way, which is one of just trillions of galaxies. Science is the cold hard pursuit of truth, a journey with no final destination; religion is the warm and cozy fireplace back home.
Religion is indeed the gift of peace of mind. Scientists should thank religion for soaking up the ignorant like a sponge. Without religion, the scientific world would be populated with all those mentally-stunted people who would otherwise gravitate towards faith. It would be best if science did not fall prey to the intellectual laziness of religion.
Science has a responsibility to never get comfortable. But that’s science, not atheism. Atheism also carries with it a burden of responsibility. It’s our job to help clean up the mess religion makes, one pamphlet at a time.
So, I picked up all of them that I saw and threw them away. I even took the pre-litter I saw still on people’s windshields; I think it’s safe to say the owners of these cars know all they care to about Jesus.
I kept three, the ones least wet. They’re so precious, I feel compelled to share excerpts of them.
My favorite has quite a wonderful message on the cover:
Entertainment, Amusements, FunFirst of all, I love a nice, short Bible passage taken out of context almost as much as I like using ellipses to redact portions you don’t like. Here’s the full quote from the KJV, verses 1-5:
What Does God Say?
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves…,lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;” (2 Timothy 3:1,2a,4b)
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
One might almost be able to accuse modern Christians of many of these… Anyway, I guess these particular Christians are against fun. Also, I love the implication that we’re living in the “last days.” The pamphlet continues:
One of man’s principal goals in life is happiness. Happiness can be elusive. Many are seeking happiness in pleasures and entertainment [not Christians, who like pain and boredom?]. They seek to satisfy themselves by doing what “feels good.” What feels good may actually be detrimental to one’s character and inner spiritual well-being. [Kind of like how religious people follow their “feeling” on God? And atheists are just supposed to leave believers alone because their faith makes them “feel good?”]
Then there’s a paragraph about how money can’t buy things that make you happy. Then there’s a paragraph about how amusement parks, TV, movies, music, the internet, and even books (at least the “shameful” kind) are ruining society. Then there’s more stuff about how we are driven to earn more and nothing is ever enough.
Then there’s a gem:
As this selfish drive is pursued the following happens: churches languish, welfare programs are left to the governments, and the homeless may be fed but not cared for. Even more tragically, children are not finding the security of a stable home.So here we have the foundation for conservative thought when it comes to welfare: ending government welfare puts that power in the hands of churches, where they think it belongs. When people have no secular charity to turn to, they get stuck going to a church. There’s no magical reason getting aid from a church is better than getting it from the government.
They use the tactic of juxtaposing a completely unrelated tragic to their claim, in order to draw some sort of connection. How does the “selfish” drive of people to economically succeed cause churches to languish and welfare to be administered by a cold, uncaring government that will apparently spit in poor people’s soup? And how does any of that relate to at-risk children in broken homes?
Religious people love to do that: merely mention a problem in society and then link it to our “lack of” or “disappearing” faith. Forget trying to convince a believer that they’re in the majority. They have so much time on their hands not helping people, they divide themselves up into “true believers” and… frankly I don’t know if they have a name for it, I guess “fake Christians,” or maybe “Catholics.”So even though most of America believes, our problems clearly stem from the fact that most “Christians” are doing it wrong.
Another tract I have here is titled “Why Must I Suffer?” I have never found theodicy to be a particularly compelling argument, but I imagine it’s a popular one among neophyte atheists.
Theodicy is the question of evil; in a world created by a good and loving God, why are there bad things? The simplest formulation of non-theism stems from this dilemma, and is credited to Epicurus:
God is all powerful and good, but evil exists. Therefore:
1. God is good, but does not have the power to prevent evil.
OR
2. God is has the power to prevent evil, but chooses not to.
God either cannot or will not prevent evil, and is therefore unworthy of praise under Epicurus’ model.
However, these are flawed arguments because they overlook a concept central to Christian theology. The make a long discussion short, Christians explain theodicy away using the concept of “free will,” a power possessed by humans which is outside the influence of God and allows sin into the world.
This view is never explicitly stated in the Bible, but theologians point out that it does explain why God is always asking, or commanding, people to do stuff – rather than just making them do it like a puppet. You have characters like Mary and Abraham asked to do things, which they willingly choose to do (or almost do). Then you have characters like Jonah who deny the request and experience God’s wrath until they agree to obey.
Of course, none of this explains natural disasters, but I don’t even want to imagine the rhetorical gymnastics required to explain that. The whole pamphlet I have in front of me focuses instead on the suffering we inflict on each other, which I concede is greater at this point in history than the toll taken by nature. I will therefore overlook the injustice of nature’s wrath for the purposes of this discussion.
Besides blaming people for most of the ills of the world, this pamphlet exhibits the most annoying (and damaging) response to suffering: the old “well you think you have it bad…” routine.
People who are suffering don’t want to hear about someone who has it worse. If I sprain my ankle, I don’t want a friend to diminish my pain by telling me about they’re brother’s hair dresser’s cousin-in-law whose leg was blown off by a land mine while picking linden berries.
This pamphlet mentions Joseph from Genesis, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. Yeah, I guess being unemployed isn’t as bad as that… and yet I don’t feel any better. By the way… why isn’t slavery a sin? God really dropped the ethical ball on that one.
The third and final pamphlet I kept to look over is titled, “Peace of Mind in a Troubled World.” I should preface this by saying I hate peace of mind; your mind should always be at war. You should never declare an intellectual ceasefire. The minute your mind settles, you become ignorant. You will bar new ideas from challenging the established order to which you cling. Worse, you will likely bend and twist all that you perceive in order to reconcile it with your flawed outlook.
That being said, I can’t say I disagree with this pamphlet. Religion will indeed give you peace of mind. Religion rarely changes. It reiterates itself over and over, relying on repetition over rhetoric. Anything said often enough appears true.
Science, on the other hand, provides no peace of mind. Opinions are always changing. Wasn’t Pluto a planet? What happened to the Brontosaurus? What the hell is quantum entanglement? If you aren’t paying attention, your “scientific knowledge” quickly goes stale. Science has the shelf life of a loaf of bread; religion is more like a Twinkie, with a creamy salvation middle.
Science doesn’t say what we want to hear, either. We aren’t important in science. Science says we are just one of trillions of life forms on a planet circling just one of trillions of stars in the Milky Way, which is one of just trillions of galaxies. Science is the cold hard pursuit of truth, a journey with no final destination; religion is the warm and cozy fireplace back home.
Religion is indeed the gift of peace of mind. Scientists should thank religion for soaking up the ignorant like a sponge. Without religion, the scientific world would be populated with all those mentally-stunted people who would otherwise gravitate towards faith. It would be best if science did not fall prey to the intellectual laziness of religion.
Science has a responsibility to never get comfortable. But that’s science, not atheism. Atheism also carries with it a burden of responsibility. It’s our job to help clean up the mess religion makes, one pamphlet at a time.
Monday, November 9
Wipe That Stupid Smile Off Your Face
Score another one for the cynics.
In a study that compared subjects in a positive mood to subjects in a negative mood, the sad people scored better in areas such as critical thinking, awareness, judgment, persuasive argument, and memory.
It turns out that thinking positively makes you more gullible. No shock there, but what is interesting about this study is that people in a bad mood are “less likely to make snap decisions based on racial or religious prejudices.”
Rather than negativity being the cause of intelligence, I would hold that intelligence tends to breed negativity. It’s not like frowning and being negative in and of itself should make someone any smarter, or more tolerant...
However, this study was not done based on the normal mood of the subject. The moods being tested were induced through movie viewing and memory recall. The people who were induced to be sad simply scored better.
I have long felt that good perception skills tend to lead towards negative thoughts, but perhaps it works both ways. However, if you’re always positive or always negative, chances are pretty damn good that you aren’t really paying attention.
In a study that compared subjects in a positive mood to subjects in a negative mood, the sad people scored better in areas such as critical thinking, awareness, judgment, persuasive argument, and memory.
It turns out that thinking positively makes you more gullible. No shock there, but what is interesting about this study is that people in a bad mood are “less likely to make snap decisions based on racial or religious prejudices.”
Rather than negativity being the cause of intelligence, I would hold that intelligence tends to breed negativity. It’s not like frowning and being negative in and of itself should make someone any smarter, or more tolerant...
However, this study was not done based on the normal mood of the subject. The moods being tested were induced through movie viewing and memory recall. The people who were induced to be sad simply scored better.
I have long felt that good perception skills tend to lead towards negative thoughts, but perhaps it works both ways. However, if you’re always positive or always negative, chances are pretty damn good that you aren’t really paying attention.
Sunday, November 8
Islam: The Billion Member Elephant
Among atheist sites I read, Islam is the elephant in the room. We take free shots at Christianity in all its snowflake forms; unique, though basically all the same. Scientology gets it from all sides, from both believer and non-believer alike. Even Judaism gets a fair amount of shit heaped on it – usually from former followers (anyone else is usually off limits… I’m talking to you, Mr. Gibson).
There was that row over the Mohammed cartoon, but it blew over, and there hasn’t been an incident since. With the recent attacks at Fort Hood, maybe this will change. However, there’s always a pre-emptive, anti-backlash campaign after incidents like this. Don’t get me wrong, no Muslim should be persecuted in any physical way, but it’s time we engage on the intellectual battlefield.
The free transmission of ideas is one right that should never be infringed, no matter the circumstance. I emphasize “transmission of ideas,” because the common retort of yelling “Fire!” in a theatre is not about discussion. To me, even yelling “Jihad” or “Allah akbar” is free speech I defend, up to the point where they pull the trigger or flip the switch and harm people. Still, I appreciate them making their message clear; there’s nothing I hate more than unanswered questions.
Islam is not above criticism. Atheists and Christians spar quite frequently over the implications of fanatical violence, but Islam seems to be paired with Judaism as unmentionable – and even Judaism is often indirectly addressed in discussions about Israel. There seems to be a shortage of discussion about Islam that is critical.
I don’t understand why. Atheists: this is the opportunity to expose religion for what it can do to people. We always bring it back to the Crusades when talking to Christians, and they point out that was a long time ago – by the way, yeah it’s a long time ago, like 400-500 years, but you know what’s 2000 years old? That whole Jesus Christ garbage, so stop with the “That was a long time ago” stuff.
Muslim nations provide an endlessly growing list of oppressive acts in the name of religion. Maybe it’s just easier to criticize what’s close to you. It’s also not easy for us to hear someone say “Islam means peace,” and to look them in the face and say, “You lie. It means ‘submission,’ and I submit to no imaginary god, no matter how violently you disagree with me.”
There was that row over the Mohammed cartoon, but it blew over, and there hasn’t been an incident since. With the recent attacks at Fort Hood, maybe this will change. However, there’s always a pre-emptive, anti-backlash campaign after incidents like this. Don’t get me wrong, no Muslim should be persecuted in any physical way, but it’s time we engage on the intellectual battlefield.
The free transmission of ideas is one right that should never be infringed, no matter the circumstance. I emphasize “transmission of ideas,” because the common retort of yelling “Fire!” in a theatre is not about discussion. To me, even yelling “Jihad” or “Allah akbar” is free speech I defend, up to the point where they pull the trigger or flip the switch and harm people. Still, I appreciate them making their message clear; there’s nothing I hate more than unanswered questions.
Islam is not above criticism. Atheists and Christians spar quite frequently over the implications of fanatical violence, but Islam seems to be paired with Judaism as unmentionable – and even Judaism is often indirectly addressed in discussions about Israel. There seems to be a shortage of discussion about Islam that is critical.
I don’t understand why. Atheists: this is the opportunity to expose religion for what it can do to people. We always bring it back to the Crusades when talking to Christians, and they point out that was a long time ago – by the way, yeah it’s a long time ago, like 400-500 years, but you know what’s 2000 years old? That whole Jesus Christ garbage, so stop with the “That was a long time ago” stuff.
Muslim nations provide an endlessly growing list of oppressive acts in the name of religion. Maybe it’s just easier to criticize what’s close to you. It’s also not easy for us to hear someone say “Islam means peace,” and to look them in the face and say, “You lie. It means ‘submission,’ and I submit to no imaginary god, no matter how violently you disagree with me.”
Saturday, November 7
Conservatives Are Insane
The illicit drug market is almost the ideal free market. It works very efficiently and effectively, and it certainly maximizes profits for the vendors, but one can see why regulation is very important for consumables. While drugs are not healthy, the things people “cut” them with are worse.
You see, it’s not enough that dealers sell their product for 25-100% profit, tax-free. Human greed knows no bounds, and dealers are not saints (not all of them, anyway). They cut powder drugs like heroin or cocaine with all manner of substances. Baking powder, baking soda, sugar, artificial sweeteners, salt, crushed pills of all kinds… they often find their way into drugs which users snort and inject.
The government tends to control for those kind of things in a normal market. You don’t open up your Cheerios and find metal nuts and pennies with holes drilled in them (although I wouldn’t put it past the cereal companies… “Now with 200% more of the essential minerals Iron and Copper!”).
I don’t know the definition of “conservative.” I have no clue what it’s really all about. All I know is what I have observed, and I have observed that conservatives are insane.
When markets fail because private companies engage in windfall profit seeking, a conservative will say, “This never would have happened if there were less regulations.” When someone gets shot, they say, “The whole thing would have been averted if everyone had a gun.”
Look… let’s say you and your friends used heroin. If one of your friends OD’d, would the solution be to use more heroin? Of course not, but you’d probably do it anyway. Why? We build up mythological existences for ourselves. When the light of reality creeps in, we shrink deeper into the shadows.
I don’t think drugs should be illegal. I don’t think all guns should be illegal. I don’t think market economics is wrong. But when things get fucked up, I don’t recommend doing drugs, buying a gun, or granting predatory companies who screwed us over the freedom to do it again.
You cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
You see, it’s not enough that dealers sell their product for 25-100% profit, tax-free. Human greed knows no bounds, and dealers are not saints (not all of them, anyway). They cut powder drugs like heroin or cocaine with all manner of substances. Baking powder, baking soda, sugar, artificial sweeteners, salt, crushed pills of all kinds… they often find their way into drugs which users snort and inject.
The government tends to control for those kind of things in a normal market. You don’t open up your Cheerios and find metal nuts and pennies with holes drilled in them (although I wouldn’t put it past the cereal companies… “Now with 200% more of the essential minerals Iron and Copper!”).
I don’t know the definition of “conservative.” I have no clue what it’s really all about. All I know is what I have observed, and I have observed that conservatives are insane.
When markets fail because private companies engage in windfall profit seeking, a conservative will say, “This never would have happened if there were less regulations.” When someone gets shot, they say, “The whole thing would have been averted if everyone had a gun.”
Look… let’s say you and your friends used heroin. If one of your friends OD’d, would the solution be to use more heroin? Of course not, but you’d probably do it anyway. Why? We build up mythological existences for ourselves. When the light of reality creeps in, we shrink deeper into the shadows.
I don’t think drugs should be illegal. I don’t think all guns should be illegal. I don’t think market economics is wrong. But when things get fucked up, I don’t recommend doing drugs, buying a gun, or granting predatory companies who screwed us over the freedom to do it again.
You cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
Friday, November 6
Violent Eruptions
Guns aren’t to blame for America’s violence. The kinds of guns we have often make the numbers go up, but no one [in their right mind] blames guns for violence. Most people should be able to acquire a gun of some kind if they choose to, but I urge casual gun purchasers to really think about why they want a gun.
Don’t buy a gun because you think it will make you safe or because it’s patriotic. Buy a gun because you like guns and plan to use it, perhaps hunting or target shooting. And please, if you’re going to kill yourself, just do it and don’t take other people with you – even if you have a list of reasons as thick as a phone book to blame everything on others.
That being said, it has become routine in America for “tragic” shootings to grip media attention for a day, then be forgotten. I emphasize “tragic,” because these are always shootings where white people die. If you care about anyone who would get asked for proof of membership at a country club, you have to watch local news.
Apparently violence occurs in minority communities so often that it’s hardly worth mentioning. Violent crime often occurs due to external pressures. Rarely does someone kill because a wire got crossed and they just go nuts. People don’t do drugs and suddenly have the urge to kill. Even a verbal altercation leading up to a murder is rarely the root cause of the murderer’s actions.
Stress builds in each of us every day, and for some people it’s too much. When a society is stressed, more crime occurs. Worse, when our myths become exposed and we are left desperate, all kinds of horrible things become commonplace.
Americans are presented with many appealing fallacies, which we often cling to for comfort. Every time you hear about someone shooting up his former workplace, killing his family, or going to a public place to take pot shots… know that they are someone who had their comfort taken from them. Exposure to a harsh existence does strange things to even the best of us.
I believe we’re all like popcorn. Those at the bottom get exposed to more heat initially, so they pop first. The rest of us follow suit. It is a lonely few kernels at the end who keep their integrity under pressure.
Don’t buy a gun because you think it will make you safe or because it’s patriotic. Buy a gun because you like guns and plan to use it, perhaps hunting or target shooting. And please, if you’re going to kill yourself, just do it and don’t take other people with you – even if you have a list of reasons as thick as a phone book to blame everything on others.
That being said, it has become routine in America for “tragic” shootings to grip media attention for a day, then be forgotten. I emphasize “tragic,” because these are always shootings where white people die. If you care about anyone who would get asked for proof of membership at a country club, you have to watch local news.
Apparently violence occurs in minority communities so often that it’s hardly worth mentioning. Violent crime often occurs due to external pressures. Rarely does someone kill because a wire got crossed and they just go nuts. People don’t do drugs and suddenly have the urge to kill. Even a verbal altercation leading up to a murder is rarely the root cause of the murderer’s actions.
Stress builds in each of us every day, and for some people it’s too much. When a society is stressed, more crime occurs. Worse, when our myths become exposed and we are left desperate, all kinds of horrible things become commonplace.
Americans are presented with many appealing fallacies, which we often cling to for comfort. Every time you hear about someone shooting up his former workplace, killing his family, or going to a public place to take pot shots… know that they are someone who had their comfort taken from them. Exposure to a harsh existence does strange things to even the best of us.
I believe we’re all like popcorn. Those at the bottom get exposed to more heat initially, so they pop first. The rest of us follow suit. It is a lonely few kernels at the end who keep their integrity under pressure.
Thursday, November 5
Gun Magic Goes Dud
If only the world were filled with guns, and everyone had one, neigh, a dozen. Then we’d all be safe, because no one would try anything. And even if they did, surely they would be stopped before they did any real damage, right?
This ridiculous myth is perpetuated among many conservatives, from Republicans to Libertarians to Democrats who don’t know any fucking better. It’s a load of bullshit, and today’s “rampage” at Fort Hood proves it.
In a crowd of men trained for combat, where it can be assumed several people, if not everyone, was armed… a dozen people are dead after an incident involving one officer and possibly two others (one shooter was killed and two people were taken into custody, details are too early to tell if they are in any way actually linked).
The whole situation is disheartening, because the shooter is suspected of being an officer who was about to be deployed to Iraq. I think we should chalk these up as deaths resulting from the wars we have no business still being in. I see no need to blame the guns, but I do appreciate that reality continues to support my argument that guns cannot make you safer.
This ridiculous myth is perpetuated among many conservatives, from Republicans to Libertarians to Democrats who don’t know any fucking better. It’s a load of bullshit, and today’s “rampage” at Fort Hood proves it.
In a crowd of men trained for combat, where it can be assumed several people, if not everyone, was armed… a dozen people are dead after an incident involving one officer and possibly two others (one shooter was killed and two people were taken into custody, details are too early to tell if they are in any way actually linked).
The whole situation is disheartening, because the shooter is suspected of being an officer who was about to be deployed to Iraq. I think we should chalk these up as deaths resulting from the wars we have no business still being in. I see no need to blame the guns, but I do appreciate that reality continues to support my argument that guns cannot make you safer.
Why I Am Thankful For Government
What’s the difference between a banker and a mugger? Answer: a mugger will only take what you have on you. A banker will take your savings, your car, your house, your kids’ education fund, your credit rating, etc.
I find white-collar crime to be worse than violent street crime. Not only does white-collar crime impact the victim more severely, each act usually affects many people. So when I read stories about insider traders getting hauled off to jail, I smile.
These pricks had it all, and it was not enough. String them up by their ties.
I find white-collar crime to be worse than violent street crime. Not only does white-collar crime impact the victim more severely, each act usually affects many people. So when I read stories about insider traders getting hauled off to jail, I smile.
These pricks had it all, and it was not enough. String them up by their ties.
Wednesday, November 4
Top Ten: Other Gods
I haven’t been posting much because things are hectic for me lately. There’s been plenty of stuff for me to post about, and I have started about a dozen posts, but something always comes up before I can finish and I end up leaving it half done. Story of my life.
I also had some major computer problems a couple of weeks back. I backed up the important stuff and reformatted my hard drive. After getting the drivers all updated and everything transferred back, my computer is running great.
The problem is, I lost all of my music. The 33,000 or so mp3’s I had won’t be replaced overnight. I just didn’t have any practical way of backing up that much stuff. I made a playlist file of all my music, so I can open that and literally see every song I used to have, but I can’t search through it the way I could before.
Instead of Top Ten lists of songs, I figured I would branch out and do some other top ten lists. Since I haven’t being doing much about religion lately, I figure why not come up with a top ten list of gods who are better than YHWH (which is the name of the Judeo-Christian God, for the sake of all those Christians who have asked me in the past).
Also, I figured I would explain a little about each pick, rather than just list them and leave it up to you to figure out who the Hel these gods are.
10. Hel – Hel is the Norse goddess who oversees a location also called Hel. Hel is where people who die of sickness and old age go. It’s not the burning Hell of Christianity, it’s more a gloomy, boring place. It’s not as glamorous as Valhalla, which is where warriors who die in battle go to fight to the death all day, until they rise again to eat dinner and drink themselves into a stupor while recalling the battle. Hel is more like waiting at the DMV, and the number on the ticker always stays the same. Still, chances are good you’ll die of sickness or old age, so Hel is someone you might want to get to know.
9. Kronos/Saturn – An often forgotten god, his Roman name still lends itself to Saturday, the planet, and a line of cars. He dispatched his father by castrating him, so this god might be a great pick for those who fight dirty. He also ate his children, for fear they would overtake him. Maybe he should be the god of Republicans, as well.
8. Mithra – The only even quasi-Eastern god on my list, Mithra was an interesting god. The word “mithra” means “binding,” and Mithra was the god of truth and oaths. It is likely with this early god pre-dating the Greek pantheon that the practice of formerly swearing oaths to a god was popularized among early Indo-Europeans, a practice still common even in secular Western nations. Mithra was popular in Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism.
7. Odin – Just in case you are in the military, Odin is your guy. If you die in battle, his Valkyries way grab you up and swoop you off to the unending bliss of Valhalla. Odin is the god for whom Wednesday is named (Odin being an Icelandic derivative of Woden). Odin is also the prototype for Santa Claus. Norse children used to put sugar cubes in their socks at night for Odin’s horse to eat. In return, his eight-legged horse Sleipnir (the prototype of Santa’s 8 reindeer) would crap out confections and leave them in the sock. Children who were bad and forgot would be left bloody bones (the Norse were pretty dark).
6. Aphrodite/Venus– Often thought of as the goddess of love, Aphrodite is more accurately the goddess of beauty. She was born from the semen hitting the ocean waves after Kronos castrated his father and threw the testicles into the waves. Hard to believe the result of such an act would be Aphrodite, but myth doesn’t lie!
5. Hades/Pluto – Interestingly, Hades also oversaw a land which shared his name, much like Hel. The difference, however, was that Hades got everyone who wasn’t turned into a god. His Roman counterpart Pluto was further associated with wealth, for he controlled the underworld, the home of gold and gems. Words like Plutocracy (rule by the rich) originate from his name. He would be quite popular in America.
4. Hermes/Mercury – Another popular choice for Americans would be Hermes/Mercury. He is the originator of letters, the fastest of the gods, and is simultaneously the god of both merchants and thieves. Hmm… coincidence? The very name Mercury is the basis for words like merchant, mercenary, and mercurial. Mercury has a planet, line of cars, and an element on the periodic table. YHWH/Jesus has none of those.
3. Apollo/Helios/Sol – Sun worship is one of the only religions to me that makes sense. George Carlin had a great bit about it; you can see the sun, it’s real, it influences you and makes you happy when it’s around. I did a blog post about Heliolatry. There’s plenty of reasons to worship the sun, and Apollo or Helios are good choices, but Sol is another option; she is the Norse Goddess of the sun, and is the namesake of our Solar System.
2. Gaia/Terra/Urd – The earth is an excellent choice when it comes to worship. Environmentalists are already halfway there. Many cults to the Earth Mother are very popular, not only in antiquity, but also today. Gaia is often the most recognizable incarnation, while the Romanized Terra is used in words derived from Latin which pertain to the earth, like terraform. Urd or Urth is the Norse equivalent, and this is the origin of the English word Earth.
1. Eros/Cupid/Love – According to Hesiod, Eros was the first God, before even Uranus. Eros is love, the union between two people. Eros is where we get the word erotic. He is Romanized as Cupid, the winged helper of Venus. Cupid still makes appearances on Valentine’s Day. I have talked to many atheists, but few deny the existence of Love. Yet Love is no more real than any god on this list. Sure, we feel the effects of love, but everyone who has prayed to, or even cursed, a god has felt the influence of that deity. I may not see love the way I see the sun or the Earth, but I feel it, which is what religion is supposedly all about.
I also had some major computer problems a couple of weeks back. I backed up the important stuff and reformatted my hard drive. After getting the drivers all updated and everything transferred back, my computer is running great.
The problem is, I lost all of my music. The 33,000 or so mp3’s I had won’t be replaced overnight. I just didn’t have any practical way of backing up that much stuff. I made a playlist file of all my music, so I can open that and literally see every song I used to have, but I can’t search through it the way I could before.
Instead of Top Ten lists of songs, I figured I would branch out and do some other top ten lists. Since I haven’t being doing much about religion lately, I figure why not come up with a top ten list of gods who are better than YHWH (which is the name of the Judeo-Christian God, for the sake of all those Christians who have asked me in the past).
Also, I figured I would explain a little about each pick, rather than just list them and leave it up to you to figure out who the Hel these gods are.
10. Hel – Hel is the Norse goddess who oversees a location also called Hel. Hel is where people who die of sickness and old age go. It’s not the burning Hell of Christianity, it’s more a gloomy, boring place. It’s not as glamorous as Valhalla, which is where warriors who die in battle go to fight to the death all day, until they rise again to eat dinner and drink themselves into a stupor while recalling the battle. Hel is more like waiting at the DMV, and the number on the ticker always stays the same. Still, chances are good you’ll die of sickness or old age, so Hel is someone you might want to get to know.
9. Kronos/Saturn – An often forgotten god, his Roman name still lends itself to Saturday, the planet, and a line of cars. He dispatched his father by castrating him, so this god might be a great pick for those who fight dirty. He also ate his children, for fear they would overtake him. Maybe he should be the god of Republicans, as well.
8. Mithra – The only even quasi-Eastern god on my list, Mithra was an interesting god. The word “mithra” means “binding,” and Mithra was the god of truth and oaths. It is likely with this early god pre-dating the Greek pantheon that the practice of formerly swearing oaths to a god was popularized among early Indo-Europeans, a practice still common even in secular Western nations. Mithra was popular in Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism.
7. Odin – Just in case you are in the military, Odin is your guy. If you die in battle, his Valkyries way grab you up and swoop you off to the unending bliss of Valhalla. Odin is the god for whom Wednesday is named (Odin being an Icelandic derivative of Woden). Odin is also the prototype for Santa Claus. Norse children used to put sugar cubes in their socks at night for Odin’s horse to eat. In return, his eight-legged horse Sleipnir (the prototype of Santa’s 8 reindeer) would crap out confections and leave them in the sock. Children who were bad and forgot would be left bloody bones (the Norse were pretty dark).
6. Aphrodite/Venus– Often thought of as the goddess of love, Aphrodite is more accurately the goddess of beauty. She was born from the semen hitting the ocean waves after Kronos castrated his father and threw the testicles into the waves. Hard to believe the result of such an act would be Aphrodite, but myth doesn’t lie!
5. Hades/Pluto – Interestingly, Hades also oversaw a land which shared his name, much like Hel. The difference, however, was that Hades got everyone who wasn’t turned into a god. His Roman counterpart Pluto was further associated with wealth, for he controlled the underworld, the home of gold and gems. Words like Plutocracy (rule by the rich) originate from his name. He would be quite popular in America.
4. Hermes/Mercury – Another popular choice for Americans would be Hermes/Mercury. He is the originator of letters, the fastest of the gods, and is simultaneously the god of both merchants and thieves. Hmm… coincidence? The very name Mercury is the basis for words like merchant, mercenary, and mercurial. Mercury has a planet, line of cars, and an element on the periodic table. YHWH/Jesus has none of those.
3. Apollo/Helios/Sol – Sun worship is one of the only religions to me that makes sense. George Carlin had a great bit about it; you can see the sun, it’s real, it influences you and makes you happy when it’s around. I did a blog post about Heliolatry. There’s plenty of reasons to worship the sun, and Apollo or Helios are good choices, but Sol is another option; she is the Norse Goddess of the sun, and is the namesake of our Solar System.
2. Gaia/Terra/Urd – The earth is an excellent choice when it comes to worship. Environmentalists are already halfway there. Many cults to the Earth Mother are very popular, not only in antiquity, but also today. Gaia is often the most recognizable incarnation, while the Romanized Terra is used in words derived from Latin which pertain to the earth, like terraform. Urd or Urth is the Norse equivalent, and this is the origin of the English word Earth.
1. Eros/Cupid/Love – According to Hesiod, Eros was the first God, before even Uranus. Eros is love, the union between two people. Eros is where we get the word erotic. He is Romanized as Cupid, the winged helper of Venus. Cupid still makes appearances on Valentine’s Day. I have talked to many atheists, but few deny the existence of Love. Yet Love is no more real than any god on this list. Sure, we feel the effects of love, but everyone who has prayed to, or even cursed, a god has felt the influence of that deity. I may not see love the way I see the sun or the Earth, but I feel it, which is what religion is supposedly all about.
Friday, October 30
Israel, Then and Now
When it comes to the Western world, there is no more influential issue of international concern than Israel. To understand the issue, one needs to understand where Israel came from.
The greatest fallacy concerning Israel is the belief that fighting in the region is perennial. Often one hears that they’ve “been going at it for 2000 years, they’re not going to quit now.”
This is a lie perpetuated by Israeli sympathizers. Palestinians would point out they were peaceful for centuries before the British gained control after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
Those of the Judeo-Christian tradition are the only people who view the region as having been in turmoil for millennia. Palestine was a stable place under Muslim rule, which allowed Jews and Christians to live and visit on pilgrimage as early as the end of the last Crusades in the 13th century.
However, as with most places, the “outsiders” were viewed, and sometimes treated, with hostility. Jews were allowed to visit the Wailing Wall, but various ordinances at times forbade loud prayer or displaying holy books. Christians were allowed to visit various sites attributed to Jesus, but they faced similar restrictions.
By the 19th century, a movement calling itself Zionism arose in Europe. Its primary goal was to re-establish a Jewish nation, ostensibly in Israel (though other locations were discussed, including Madagascar).
The reason for Zionism was that there was rising hostility towards Jews not in Palestine, but in Europe. Jews were persecuted in all sorts of ways in every corner of Europe, from England to Austria. Hitler’s rise to power was not some fluke; it was the culmination of centuries worth of scapegoating.
The area of what is today Israel is about 10,000 square miles, about 12% larger than New Jersey. Control of Palestine (as it was then known) was given to Britain in a deal approved by the League of Nations. To my knowledge, no one consulted the people there, though to be fair it was thought of as a spoil of war from WWI.
After WWII, Zionism was no longer just an issue of Jewish interest. Europe quickly rallied around the cause. It’s not hard to see why: those who sympathize with the Jews saw no problem in forming a Jewish nation in their ancestral home… because they had no idea other people were already living there and there was no plan for them. People who hated Jews thought the idea was even better, because this might mean a Jew-free Europe.
Israel was a win-win for everyone… except Palestinians. Even after the bulk of the population was moved by force to designated areas outside the new borders, Israel fought wars of expansion. Most notably in 1967, Israel annexed the Sinai Pennisula, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the much disputed West Bank and Gaza Strip.
I wish I could say it would be best to get rid of Israel. I wish I could say that the people living there should have to find a new place, like their ancestors made the Palestinians do. But the truth is, Israel is sort of like a child of rape, and you can’t have the abortion in the 183rd trimester when the person is 61 years old.
Entire generations of blameless Israelis have been born in Israel, so it’s hard to justify their removal. However, continued policies of aggression make it easier. Israel repeatedly denies any wrong-doing during their disastrous wars. Israel is cutting off water to Palestinians and “settlers” are demolishing the homes of Palestinians in order to expand Israel’s borders.
The worst part is, if you’re an American, you’re paying for this. Israel gets billions per year in aid from the US, mostly to bolster the Israeli military and nuclear arsenal (shh, don’t tell anyone they have nukes, it’s a secret!).
Personally, I’m kind of rooting for the Palestinians. Why? I have no ulterior motive in all of this. The Palestinians have every right to bombard Israel with all the rockets they please; there’s no international laws against attacking your own land. The Israelis just keep getting in the way! Besides, I think what America did to the native tribes was atrocious, and this is no different. This is a chance for us to do the right thing... or not.
In all seriousness, one of the more pathetic reasons for the formation (and upkeep) of Israel is the strange phenomenon of Christian Zionism. To understand why Christians want Jews in control of Israel, you have to know your Bible.
Christians believe Jesus will not come until the Great Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt. While this was not a major influence during the formation of Israel, it is a major factor in America’s continued involvement.
Likewise, Jews would like nothing more than to rebuild their most sacred temple. The problem is, the site for the temple is currently occupied by al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, both very holy sites to Muslims.
America’s unwavering support of Israel is the prime reason for hostility towards America in the Middle East. America’s support for Israel is the cause which rallies terrorists against us. We were targeted on 9/11, not because terrorists “hate our freedoms,” but because America funds Israel’s continued aggression.
There’s no easy solution. Israel could be dissolved, but it would mean a tragedy on a scale even greater than their initial intrusion. Where would they go? Will a nation, where every citizen is required to perform military service, simply walk out without a fight?
Then there are the two nation or joint nation propositions. The problem with the first option is that Israel encroached the sovereignty of other nations before, they continue to, and there’s no evidence they will stop. Forming the “Nation of Palestine” will just mean that tomorrow, Israel and Palestine will be formally at war as Israel continues expanding.
The joint nation option is the most intriguing to me. I think Palestinians and Israelis could live side by side peacefully, under one stipulation: they all become atheists. Yep, that would just about solve everything. Who knew it was so simple?
The greatest fallacy concerning Israel is the belief that fighting in the region is perennial. Often one hears that they’ve “been going at it for 2000 years, they’re not going to quit now.”
This is a lie perpetuated by Israeli sympathizers. Palestinians would point out they were peaceful for centuries before the British gained control after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
Those of the Judeo-Christian tradition are the only people who view the region as having been in turmoil for millennia. Palestine was a stable place under Muslim rule, which allowed Jews and Christians to live and visit on pilgrimage as early as the end of the last Crusades in the 13th century.
However, as with most places, the “outsiders” were viewed, and sometimes treated, with hostility. Jews were allowed to visit the Wailing Wall, but various ordinances at times forbade loud prayer or displaying holy books. Christians were allowed to visit various sites attributed to Jesus, but they faced similar restrictions.
By the 19th century, a movement calling itself Zionism arose in Europe. Its primary goal was to re-establish a Jewish nation, ostensibly in Israel (though other locations were discussed, including Madagascar).
The reason for Zionism was that there was rising hostility towards Jews not in Palestine, but in Europe. Jews were persecuted in all sorts of ways in every corner of Europe, from England to Austria. Hitler’s rise to power was not some fluke; it was the culmination of centuries worth of scapegoating.
The area of what is today Israel is about 10,000 square miles, about 12% larger than New Jersey. Control of Palestine (as it was then known) was given to Britain in a deal approved by the League of Nations. To my knowledge, no one consulted the people there, though to be fair it was thought of as a spoil of war from WWI.
After WWII, Zionism was no longer just an issue of Jewish interest. Europe quickly rallied around the cause. It’s not hard to see why: those who sympathize with the Jews saw no problem in forming a Jewish nation in their ancestral home… because they had no idea other people were already living there and there was no plan for them. People who hated Jews thought the idea was even better, because this might mean a Jew-free Europe.
Israel was a win-win for everyone… except Palestinians. Even after the bulk of the population was moved by force to designated areas outside the new borders, Israel fought wars of expansion. Most notably in 1967, Israel annexed the Sinai Pennisula, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the much disputed West Bank and Gaza Strip.
I wish I could say it would be best to get rid of Israel. I wish I could say that the people living there should have to find a new place, like their ancestors made the Palestinians do. But the truth is, Israel is sort of like a child of rape, and you can’t have the abortion in the 183rd trimester when the person is 61 years old.
Entire generations of blameless Israelis have been born in Israel, so it’s hard to justify their removal. However, continued policies of aggression make it easier. Israel repeatedly denies any wrong-doing during their disastrous wars. Israel is cutting off water to Palestinians and “settlers” are demolishing the homes of Palestinians in order to expand Israel’s borders.
The worst part is, if you’re an American, you’re paying for this. Israel gets billions per year in aid from the US, mostly to bolster the Israeli military and nuclear arsenal (shh, don’t tell anyone they have nukes, it’s a secret!).
Personally, I’m kind of rooting for the Palestinians. Why? I have no ulterior motive in all of this. The Palestinians have every right to bombard Israel with all the rockets they please; there’s no international laws against attacking your own land. The Israelis just keep getting in the way! Besides, I think what America did to the native tribes was atrocious, and this is no different. This is a chance for us to do the right thing... or not.
In all seriousness, one of the more pathetic reasons for the formation (and upkeep) of Israel is the strange phenomenon of Christian Zionism. To understand why Christians want Jews in control of Israel, you have to know your Bible.
Christians believe Jesus will not come until the Great Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt. While this was not a major influence during the formation of Israel, it is a major factor in America’s continued involvement.
Likewise, Jews would like nothing more than to rebuild their most sacred temple. The problem is, the site for the temple is currently occupied by al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, both very holy sites to Muslims.
America’s unwavering support of Israel is the prime reason for hostility towards America in the Middle East. America’s support for Israel is the cause which rallies terrorists against us. We were targeted on 9/11, not because terrorists “hate our freedoms,” but because America funds Israel’s continued aggression.
There’s no easy solution. Israel could be dissolved, but it would mean a tragedy on a scale even greater than their initial intrusion. Where would they go? Will a nation, where every citizen is required to perform military service, simply walk out without a fight?
Then there are the two nation or joint nation propositions. The problem with the first option is that Israel encroached the sovereignty of other nations before, they continue to, and there’s no evidence they will stop. Forming the “Nation of Palestine” will just mean that tomorrow, Israel and Palestine will be formally at war as Israel continues expanding.
The joint nation option is the most intriguing to me. I think Palestinians and Israelis could live side by side peacefully, under one stipulation: they all become atheists. Yep, that would just about solve everything. Who knew it was so simple?
Tuesday, October 27
There Is No Nation of You
Independence is a largely overrated and even more commonly misunderstood concept. In America especially, we have an image of independence being synonymous with freedom and liberty. Indeed, becoming independent from tyranny did bring liberty. It is from this attitude, the founding spirit of America, that individuality has taken on cult status.
I support a modicum of individuality, but I think our culture takes it too far at times. It is almost as though we believe every person is a nation unto themselves, an entity apart from the whole which deserves sovereignty.
This is quite a romantic view. I agree it holds appeal, and it may hold even more appeal to those of us who see the corrupting nature of society. Government, religion, or even the very family structure itself can be seen as systems of coercion held together by nothing more than a threat of violence.
However, this is not an accurate assessment. Individual liberty is not a right; liberty is a gift. Liberty is not inherent within the natural order; liberty must be painstakingly built. None of what we have is possible through self interest alone.
We are not islands apart from each other. We are all connected. I hear you talking in the booth next to me about how you don’t want to pay for public schools because either you send your kids to private school or you don’t have kids… yet. Then, without even stopping to breathe, I’m sure you’ll launch into a tirade about how stupid service person are. Yeah, cut education… that will help.
Society operates and prospers because we cooperate, not because some jackasses think life is a competition to see who can accumulate the most stuff before they die.
I sometimes wonder how many Libertarians are parents. I am not a parent, but because I possess the emotion of empathy, I am also not a Libertarian. However, it is my understanding that something changes in people when they become a parent. The desire to support and nurture someone else supplants the drive for self-preservation.
This drive to help the weak, rather than prey on them, is the foundation of society. The more I read about Libertarianism and conservative economics, the more I see that it is anti-social garbage spewed by selfish bastards trying desperately to not only defend their intolerable misanthropy, but even to glorify it as a vaunted ideal.
People are not numbers. We cannot be computed. The tragic effects of conservative economics, the “self-corrections,” are not statistics. Millions are homeless and will be turning to crime as desperation mounts. There are real life consequences to the ridiculous nonsense not only spewed by these half-wit hoodwinks, but in the actions taken by those foregoing our future for short-term profit.
No one is born independent. When we enter this world, we are dependent. We rely upon the kindness and patience of others. We owe an incalculable debt to not only our family, but to society. Yet, society asks for very little in return… which is why it’s a pretty sweet deal.
Not many people are setting out into the wilderness to leave society behind. Nature is a cruel place. Nature doesn’t share. Nature shows no mercy. Society provides the comforts of living because people working together achieve more than people working alone, or even against each other.
Competition is another romantic idea; the notion that the best will come out on top. Of course, “best” is rarely qualified with any kind of definition. Perhaps by “best” they mean “best for profits,” because it’s certainly not “best for consumers.”
Last time I checked, plenty of financially successful companies are far from being the “best” in their industry: McDonald’s, Subway (yeah I said it, your sandwiches suck), Windows, Nike, Playboy, Starbucks.
Companies compete and some fail, but people do not dissolve into nothingness upon failure the way a company does. Society is not the marketplace for humanity. People cannot be made to sink or swim on their own ability like companies; it is the duty of swimmers to save those who are sinking, or risk getting dragged down with them.
BONUS: Song that inspired the post's title.
For some odd reason, comments may only be viewed for this piece if you click the post title.
I support a modicum of individuality, but I think our culture takes it too far at times. It is almost as though we believe every person is a nation unto themselves, an entity apart from the whole which deserves sovereignty.
This is quite a romantic view. I agree it holds appeal, and it may hold even more appeal to those of us who see the corrupting nature of society. Government, religion, or even the very family structure itself can be seen as systems of coercion held together by nothing more than a threat of violence.
However, this is not an accurate assessment. Individual liberty is not a right; liberty is a gift. Liberty is not inherent within the natural order; liberty must be painstakingly built. None of what we have is possible through self interest alone.
We are not islands apart from each other. We are all connected. I hear you talking in the booth next to me about how you don’t want to pay for public schools because either you send your kids to private school or you don’t have kids… yet. Then, without even stopping to breathe, I’m sure you’ll launch into a tirade about how stupid service person are. Yeah, cut education… that will help.
Society operates and prospers because we cooperate, not because some jackasses think life is a competition to see who can accumulate the most stuff before they die.
I sometimes wonder how many Libertarians are parents. I am not a parent, but because I possess the emotion of empathy, I am also not a Libertarian. However, it is my understanding that something changes in people when they become a parent. The desire to support and nurture someone else supplants the drive for self-preservation.
This drive to help the weak, rather than prey on them, is the foundation of society. The more I read about Libertarianism and conservative economics, the more I see that it is anti-social garbage spewed by selfish bastards trying desperately to not only defend their intolerable misanthropy, but even to glorify it as a vaunted ideal.
People are not numbers. We cannot be computed. The tragic effects of conservative economics, the “self-corrections,” are not statistics. Millions are homeless and will be turning to crime as desperation mounts. There are real life consequences to the ridiculous nonsense not only spewed by these half-wit hoodwinks, but in the actions taken by those foregoing our future for short-term profit.
No one is born independent. When we enter this world, we are dependent. We rely upon the kindness and patience of others. We owe an incalculable debt to not only our family, but to society. Yet, society asks for very little in return… which is why it’s a pretty sweet deal.
Not many people are setting out into the wilderness to leave society behind. Nature is a cruel place. Nature doesn’t share. Nature shows no mercy. Society provides the comforts of living because people working together achieve more than people working alone, or even against each other.
Competition is another romantic idea; the notion that the best will come out on top. Of course, “best” is rarely qualified with any kind of definition. Perhaps by “best” they mean “best for profits,” because it’s certainly not “best for consumers.”
Last time I checked, plenty of financially successful companies are far from being the “best” in their industry: McDonald’s, Subway (yeah I said it, your sandwiches suck), Windows, Nike, Playboy, Starbucks.
Companies compete and some fail, but people do not dissolve into nothingness upon failure the way a company does. Society is not the marketplace for humanity. People cannot be made to sink or swim on their own ability like companies; it is the duty of swimmers to save those who are sinking, or risk getting dragged down with them.
BONUS: Song that inspired the post's title.
For some odd reason, comments may only be viewed for this piece if you click the post title.
Monday, October 26
Somalia: Libertarian Paradise
Somalia is the anarchy experiment. It has been in a loose state of Civil War since 1993. There is no government, there is no regulation. There are more guns per person in Somalia than in the US. If one aims for anarchy or believes we would be safer with more guns, look to Somalia.
The first thing I notice, because I always notice these things, is that religion is big in Somalia. I’m not talking about people ringing your doorbell at 10am on a Saturday to share their love of Jesus Christ, either. Religious extremism thrives in Somalia.
Something anarchists forget, especially anarcho-atheists, is that religion is almost indistinguishable from government. Religion is borderless nationhood. It is a tie that binds, it is a support during peril. Anarchy is a perilous time, and religion takes great pains to exploit this.
Islamic groups have gun give-aways and publicity executions. They even hand out anti-tank mines. If you support governmental anarchy, you are helping the cause of religious extremism.
The Libertarian system did indeed create a population that didn’t need domestic aid -- which is good, because they can’t afford any. Half of the population (3 million) relies on foreign aid hand outs, so those people don’t have to rely upon religious fanatics. There is no great increase in self-sufficiency under this system. Those who have anything must waste time fighting to keep it, and those with nothing stand more to gain by getting a gun and taking what they want.
There are thousands of organized Somali pirates. These aren’t your wise-cracking Disney pirates, nor are they teenage computer users downloading poor-quality mp3's. These are the hostage taking kind, the ones who make the news when no one famous does anything to distract us.
One thing Somalia is lacking? A free market. Sure, you can find gun bazaars all over the place, but what they really need are... let’s say “venture capitalists.”
So what are you waiting for? No taxes, no regulations, and everyone has a gun, so it must be the safest place on Earth!
(Don’t bother packing for more than three days, you probably won’t last that long.)
The first thing I notice, because I always notice these things, is that religion is big in Somalia. I’m not talking about people ringing your doorbell at 10am on a Saturday to share their love of Jesus Christ, either. Religious extremism thrives in Somalia.
Something anarchists forget, especially anarcho-atheists, is that religion is almost indistinguishable from government. Religion is borderless nationhood. It is a tie that binds, it is a support during peril. Anarchy is a perilous time, and religion takes great pains to exploit this.
Islamic groups have gun give-aways and publicity executions. They even hand out anti-tank mines. If you support governmental anarchy, you are helping the cause of religious extremism.
The Libertarian system did indeed create a population that didn’t need domestic aid -- which is good, because they can’t afford any. Half of the population (3 million) relies on foreign aid hand outs, so those people don’t have to rely upon religious fanatics. There is no great increase in self-sufficiency under this system. Those who have anything must waste time fighting to keep it, and those with nothing stand more to gain by getting a gun and taking what they want.
There are thousands of organized Somali pirates. These aren’t your wise-cracking Disney pirates, nor are they teenage computer users downloading poor-quality mp3's. These are the hostage taking kind, the ones who make the news when no one famous does anything to distract us.
One thing Somalia is lacking? A free market. Sure, you can find gun bazaars all over the place, but what they really need are... let’s say “venture capitalists.”
So what are you waiting for? No taxes, no regulations, and everyone has a gun, so it must be the safest place on Earth!
(Don’t bother packing for more than three days, you probably won’t last that long.)
Sunday, October 25
The Conditions are Right
The Right thrives on failure. When people are unemployed, they’re more likely to hate immigrants. When people are poor, they’re more likely to be religious. When people are uneducated, they’re more likely to be Republican.
Republicans have a vested interest in running America into the shitter. By deregulating markets and allowing wealth to pile up in the hands of a few, they grow their ranks. Economic hardship is the fertilizer for Right Wing ideology. The Right Wing wants America to be shit, because that’s the only thing in which they grow.
The Right Wing can convince itself anything is true. When they’re in the minority, everything of the nebulous “establishment” is on the left and wrong. Vaccines are being questioned as a leftist conspiracy. Frankly, I hope no Republican ever gets another vaccination. Enjoy your measles.
The Right Wing wants Social Darwinism (which is ironic from a group of evolution deniers). They want everyone to sink or swim on their own power. The base believes hard work will be enough to let them rise to wealth, while the true holders of clout sleep in gated communities, locked safely away from the ensuing chaos.
The times we live in are the conditions under which right-leaning politicians often rise. I am eternally thankful that Obama is president, because he is clearly too spineless to ever become a despot. Even though the conditions are perfect for a Hitler-esque leader to rise to power in America, none showed up.
Republicans have a vested interest in running America into the shitter. By deregulating markets and allowing wealth to pile up in the hands of a few, they grow their ranks. Economic hardship is the fertilizer for Right Wing ideology. The Right Wing wants America to be shit, because that’s the only thing in which they grow.
The Right Wing can convince itself anything is true. When they’re in the minority, everything of the nebulous “establishment” is on the left and wrong. Vaccines are being questioned as a leftist conspiracy. Frankly, I hope no Republican ever gets another vaccination. Enjoy your measles.
The Right Wing wants Social Darwinism (which is ironic from a group of evolution deniers). They want everyone to sink or swim on their own power. The base believes hard work will be enough to let them rise to wealth, while the true holders of clout sleep in gated communities, locked safely away from the ensuing chaos.
The times we live in are the conditions under which right-leaning politicians often rise. I am eternally thankful that Obama is president, because he is clearly too spineless to ever become a despot. Even though the conditions are perfect for a Hitler-esque leader to rise to power in America, none showed up.
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