Quick Laugh Over a Tragedy

It seems our good buddy who shot up the Holocaust museum was also into youngsters.

However, the part that made me laugh out loud (and actually wake up my wife) was at the bottom of the article:

"Earlier this week investigators filed papers saying among the items discovered
in von Brunn's apartment was a painting that appeared to depict Hitler and
Jesus."

It's very satisfying to be right. It's a shame an innocent man died over this guy's stereotypical white-whackiness.

Groups that Need to Go

Groups form for a reason. Sometimes, that reason disappears, either by action of the group or otherwise. However, groups don’t always disappear once their mission is gone.

Take PETA, for example. There was a time when people treated animals even worse than they do today. Of course now, even a beloved public figure like Michael Vick is instantly demonized for crimes against dogs (perhaps rightly so). So, PETA has been reduced to public campaigns against fly swatting. PETA defending annoying pests... actually sounds like self-interest to me. Of course, they have a crappy product to push on Obama: the Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher. I love how the news is often just an ad for consumer goods; talk about journalistic integrity.

A group we never needed is the NRA. Yes, I’m a big, scary, “disarm the populace” person. Our guns are being used to fuel street battles in neighboring Mexico and help propel America’s gun violence statistics to third-world, Somali levels. Guns do not make you patriotic, free, or a bad ass. They do, however, mark you as afraid and compelled by feelings of inadequacy (seriously, is it that small?).

The whole image of gun-ownership is a sales pitch by gun manufacturers because most people who own guns have absolutely no use for them (legal or illegal). The more we have floating around, the more are stolen or stockpiled. Nothing good comes from guns, and you aren’t going to challenge a modern tank/plane military with your arsenal and buried school bus. We don’t need more guns than we issue hunting licenses, and we certainly have no need for automatic weapons.

“But Ginx, blah blah blah 2nd Amendment!” Yeah, and the constitution also talks about how to counts slaves for voting, but that doesn’t sanctify slavery. The founders weren’t perfect, and they only ever saw muskets. [Does anyone support private citizens owning tanks, rockets, RPGs, fighter planes, nuclear weapons, etc.? Where’s the line?]

The AMA is a group that seems pretty harmless. Most people would need me to point out it stands for the American Medical Association. The AMA’s primary goal is to benefit doctors, which is a group of people I think have it good already... instant warning sign for obsolescence. The AMA has worked to create artificial doctor shortages by quietly limiting the number of doctors who graduate per year, ensuring fewer are allowed in than are needed. This artificial shortage increases demand, allowing doctors to be paid more. They also publicly smear non-physician care (alternative medicine, pharmacist/patient care, midwives, etc.), thereby eliminating competition in the marketplace. Who cares that Americans are getting some of the worst care in the developed world...

As liberal as I am, I hate unions. They are extra-governmental power, and I oppose that. Unions should be irrelevant, as the government ought to be working to keep conditions safe and wages fair. I would support the abolition of unions if the conditions were in place to ensure workers were better represented in government. Maybe this is impossible and unions are a natural part of the market, but I find them cumbersome and often an unnecessary barrier of entry into an occupation. The fact that they tax you with “dues” is just further evidence this is misplaced government.

The final group that has lost all meaning is the Republican Party. I know it is inevitable, and I question if a name change will even occur, but within my lifetime it will morph into the Libertarian Party (perhaps in values alone). I would love this, especially if it is dominated by atheist Libertarians (of which there are many). It would mean that even when Democrats lost, the party in power would have SOMETHING, at least ONE SINGLE THING, in common with me.

As it stands, Republicans are the most worthless people to walk the face of the Earth. They’re like society’s big, loud, annoying id. While most parties rally around ideas, Republicans have an attitude: “Gimme that, mine!” They’re a lead anchor tied to testicles of America (yes, America is a man, how do you think it fucks everyone over?). There is not a single iota of worth in the ideology of Republicans; even when they set out to do something right (invading Afghanistan, “smaller government,” cursing on the Senate floor), it’s for the wrong reasons and it fails miserably.

Why I Don’t Shop At Wal-Mart

Short and sweet: censorship.

I realize they mistreat their workers, but they aren’t slaves chained to the job. They can go out and sell meth like anyone else if they want.

I also realize they misuse overseas labor, but my jury is still out on how to handle the “sweatshops or prostitution” dilemma many of the women - and children - in third world nations are faced with. This wouldn’t be as much of a problem if our capitalist system didn’t create super-wealthy douchebags who could afford to fly out to third-world nations for sex with underaged children.

Also, I like that they destroy main-street America. I hate small towns and hope they all dry up and die so the slovenly, truck-driving drunks have to close their racism-factories and move to metropolitan areas where their kids will meet (not just be served food by) a black person before the age of 18.

In fact, I like large companies more than mom & pop places. Mom & pop don’t know shit about what I want to buy. They always have the worst selection, and I have to go to a chain store or online to get what I wanted in the first place (cheaper, too). Besides, Wal-Mart is a family run, mom & pop business; family members who run or worked for the company are just billionaire moms and pops. This might actually be another reason I don’t like them...

What’s irritating about Wal-Mart is that, by being a private company, they can circumvent the First Amendment. This is one of the many reasons I support socialism; I think companies have no right to discriminate or censor. Wal-Mart, by virtue of being the largest retailer, has pressured some artists to alter their work to meet decency standards. Others must sell edited versions. Some CD’s and books are not sold at all.

I’m not starting a campaign. I don’t care if you shop at Wal-Mart. I mostly wanted to vent about the stupid reasons most people had for not shopping there.

*Note: from a legal standpoint, I think Wal-Mart should treat its workers better. I just know that if this were the criteria by which one boycotted a company, one would be able to purchase nothing.

Religion in the News

There's lots of religion in the news today.

The first thing I noticed was former president Jimmy Carter's comments regarding his visit with the Palestinians and Israelis. I applaud Mr. Carter for his efforts, as there are times (like now) that he has been more active in the Middle East than the whole of America. I also respect him for listening to both sides. Then again, he's not taking huge campaign contributions from Israeli interest groups (AIPAC, CoP, WINEP, IPF, etc.), so he's not as tainted as active politicians.

Mr. Carter pointed out the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are "treated more like animals than human beings." He notes that items like paper, crayons, and children's toys are included among items being denied through a trade blockade. In Carter's words, "I sought an explanation of this when I met with Israeli officials and I received none, because there is no explanation."

He also remarked at the complete lack of reconstruction in the war-torn region. "Never before in history has a large community [1.5 million Palestinians] like this been savaged by bombs and missiles and then been deprived of the means to repair itself," Carter said. Another story here outlines more about his visit.

Our ally is also breaching the freedom of speech of non-Israeli reporters and making threats towards Iran. But is it really this bad?

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel (who did not receive the most votes and weaseled his way into power by technicality), has backed down from his hardline stance against a Palestinian state. While he appears to be asking the impossible, he has accepted (in theory) the formation of a completely demilitarized Palestinian state.

My final sigh of relief comes from a poll which finds that only 1 in 5 Israelis believe Iran would attack Israel with nuclear weapons. I am positive those numbers would be higher if the poll had been done in the US, so it says to me that Israeli citizens have a level head, and hopefully their government will take notice and chill out.

On a lighter note, Scientology could take a huge blow from the French. A fraud trial in Paris has escalated to the point where Scientology may be dissolved as a religion within the country. It currently is not registered as a religion, and therefore receives no tax-exemption (unlike in the US, where we fell for it). The implications are that Scientology auditing and "tech" (see also: overpriced books) will not be allowed to be sold in France. If your religion can't even stand up to the French, you should just give up.

Myself

I never write about myself, usually just about my views (which I guess is equally narcissistic). Blogs are supposed to be personal, right?

So in an effort to explain a few things about me, I thought I’d post about where I got my online nickname, Ginx, and what my user picture means.

I chose the word Ginx because Jinx13 was taken as an AOL account when I was 12. I remember I was 12, because everything required you to be 13 to participate. I figured a 13 in my name would be sufficient proof. I guess I also liked cultish stuff back then.

I changed the first letter because I saw no pronunciation dilemma, thinking, “‘g’ as in ‘George,’ not ‘g’ as in ‘gorge.’” Because I occasionally play video games that allow voice chat, I hear Ginx mispronounced a lot, but frankly I don’t care. I let a professor call me “Brad” for a whole semester once. I even thought about putting “Brad” on my papers.

Which reminds me, my name is Brett. My wife doesn’t want our names online, but I think it’d be cool to be martyred for your beliefs. It’s so much less effort to die young than to grow old. More than being lazy, I’m intrigued by the possible impact; if someone killed me because of my atheist blog, my writing would have far more of an impact than it does with a readership composed mostly of people who would read this and feel very depressed and sorry for me (rather than the appropriate response of strangers, which is to laugh at my naiveté and wish I’d move on to something funny or dramatic… not melodramatic).

The name Ginx stuck this whole time (I’m 25 now). In fact, I’ve had the moniker longer than I have not. Since adopting it, I researched it as thoroughly as I have all my other names (Brett is a demonym meaning “from Britain”). A man by the name of Edward Jenkins wrote an amazing book called “Ginx’s Baby. His Birth and other Misfortunes: A Satire.” Ginx is the last name, so the child also share’s this name. The entire book can be read online here, as the copyright expired decades ago.

In high school, I formulated the “GINX Maxim,” which states, “God Is Not X.” It is an expression of my frustration at liberal Christians whose concept of God has far transcended anything actually described in the Bible. There are some who say that God is simply the unknown, but this view is in no way supported by the Bible.

God is the One, the Prime Mover, the beginning and the end. Nowhere in the Bible can one infer that God merely occupies the gaps in human knowledge. I see no appeal in this view, from a theistic perspective, as this would mean God’s realm and influence in shrinking daily, as we learn more and more.

It’s an interesting idea, and I support their decision to start a brand new religion based on this view, but why perpetuate the lies of the Bible? The Bible should not be religious doctrine, but rather a scholarly text akin to the works of Homer. There is far more psychology within the Bible than ethics or morality.

So about my profile picture... Again, my wife doesn’t want our identities to be known (though I think she has since posted wedding photos with us in them). While I joke about it, I would prefer to live to see my children grow up and resent me, so a picture of me is not an option. Instead, I Photoshopped a picture of a Penrose triangle over a background I made.

The Penrose triangle is an interesting concept. It is an example of what is called “an impossible object.” It can be drawn, but it cannot be constructed in real life. I find this to be a metaphor for most philosophies and religions: it seems possible on paper, but it has no anchor in reality. It is a constant reminder that everything I think and write is merely mental masturbation unless it can be enacted in real life.

Why Did We Draw This Line?

It’s strange that belief and disbelief in gods is used to categorize people. I find it to be a highly biased view. For one thing, monotheists love the debate because it legitimizes their claim of a lone god. The debate has boiled down to Him or nothing, which is much easier for them than when they had to compete with various pantheons of divinities, with various cult temples scattered all about.

Theism versus Atheism is only an important distinction to monotheists who hold the Ten Commandments to be meaningful. After all, the first couple commandments are solely premised on the existence of gods. I put emphasis on the plural; how else could you have other gods before Yahweh?

I think three other concepts are more important to the human condition than the belief and worship of deities: belief in souls, belief in an afterlife, and belief in cosmic justice.

Every religion believes in some form of these three concepts. In addition, some atheists and agnostics also subscribe to one or more of these tenets. These three concepts play a direct role in our worldview; within religion, gods are usually secondary arbiters or defenders of the order associated with the immortal souls, the afterlife, and divine justice (with Buddhism being one exception).

Why are there no words for those who believe in souls, the afterlife, or cosmic justice? As far as I know, there is no individual or collective term for them, nor is there a name for the lack of such beliefs. Perhaps we bicker over the frivolous nature of the divine because we lack the vocabulary to discuss the concepts that truly matter on a personal level.

Sometimes it seems like the language of our eternal destiny eludes us beneath a sea of dogma that promises impersonal, universal salvation. Does the parlance of religion prevent us from having a logical discussion of metaphysical phenomenon without sounding like hokey mystics? Has religion hijacked spirituality, or are the absence of gods proof that our existence is anchored solely in the physical realm of matter?

Atheist Footprints In The Sand

I found myself dreaming of a beach.
I was with God, don’t ask how I recognized Him.
Footprints in the sand represented my life.
Oh God, you are so mysterious and vague.

There were mostly two sets: mine and God’s.
However, when I went through hard times,
When it seemed like my life couldn’t get worse,
I saw only one lonely set of footprints.

I asked God why this was, and he replied,
“I didn’t leave you during the rough times.
No, my dearest child, it was then that I
Jumped on your back and rode your ass!”

The Resume I Wish I Could Submit

Forgive the formatting, I have no desire to make it all line up the way it ought to. You'll get the general idea.

Bret Alan

Contact Info: [As If You’ll Ever Call or Email Me Back]

What You Want To Hear:

• Demonstrated brown-noser with exceptional knowledge of when to say nothing, when to agree, and when to shamelessly take the blame.
• Strong background in faking it, combined with fluency in several languages, including Advanced Level Bullshitting and certification in corporate double-talk.
• Like most members of my species, I am skilled at learning new concepts quickly and I possess all the necessary tools (tongue, lungs, voice box, etc) to communicate ideas clearly and effectively.
• Extensive computer training, including knowledge of how to quickly alt+tab so you won’t see me browsing the internet at work.

Education: BS in… what does it matter, the BS says it all.

Professional History:

Writing Tutor, The College At Which I Earned My Degree: 2007-present

• Worked directly under several of the top intolerable douchebags in my field, taking flack for things I had nothing to do with and assuming responsibility for even when my multiple bosses instructed me to act improperly.
• Researched thousands of news articles which had no bearing whatsoever to my job, but kept me looking busy.
• Wasted hundreds of paid hours copying, collating, and filing forms in triplicate that will never be looked at by anyone again, ever.
• Listened to ESL (and sometimes even native English speaking) students struggle to read a paper they copy-and-pasted from an essay-writing service the night before.

IT Technician, The Company My Dad Works For: hurray nepotism

• Sat dutifully for hours on end playing flash games while waiting for calls from people who can’t figure out why their computer won’t work, when in fact their monitor had been unplugged by the maintenance people the night before.
• Served as interpreter and translator for stupid corporate policies, including the pathetic attempt to prevent the morons they hire from downloading viruses by restricting everyone’s computer use to the point of not being able to even open their mail.
• Initiated multiple practical jokes using the security software that allowed us to control a person’s computer remotely.
• Designed and constructed a fully-fuctional crossbow from common, everyday office supplies.

I wonder why I'm unemployed...

Holocaust Museum Shooting

I was all set to have a bunch of Jew-critical stuff to say today, then I heard about this.

First off, white supremacy is the dumbest idea I've ever heard. Most of the people I know are white, and I know this: we aren't the best race. If we are, the human race has a lot of problems.

Second, Jewish people are white. Which brings me to my third point.

He was not a "white supremacist." Very few people, if anyone, self-identify as that. "White supremacist" is a title like "infidel" or "heathen" that is flung around as a misinformative exonym (a name used by outsiders to refer to a group, but not the name used by the group to describe itself). Most "white supremacists" are Neo-Nazis. This is not Godwin's Law, this is just the way it is.

So this Neo-Nazi rolls up to the Holocaust museum with a gun. He shoots a security guard, then is taken down by other guards. Early reports (as this is being written as it is still going on) show no other injuries.

Here's why white people are inferior. Look at the numbers: he shot one other person, and a security guard at that. They don't even count, honestly. You have to kill innocent bystanders for it to count, and double points for women and children. By this scoring system, white people score horribly. Not only did this guy barely break even in his shot/hit ratio, no white person can touch Seung-Hui Cho's high score of 32 kills, 17 wounded before turning the gun on himself (so technically, he should get the kill). Anyone who's played online shooting games can attest: Asian people can twitch, what can I say?

Now that I got the "sad" stuff out of the way, I'll just briefly mention the Jewish hilarity I read this morning. Apparently, a woman bought her mother a new mattress, replaced it, and threw out the old one. Turns out the mom was stashing a million dollars in cash within the mattress, which was taken by the garbage men before it could be retrieved. It's funny, cause she's Jewish and she stashes money in her mattress.

Now that's some anti-semitism we can all laugh at, why do Neo-Nazis have to ruin the fun? Give it up, YOU LOST! Neo-Nazis and southerners who can't get over the Civil War should start a support group for failed ideologies. Make room, Republicans will need it soon enough.

American Terrorism

Republicans, conservatives, right wingers... they have more titles than they have principles. Case in point: Scott Roeder has openly admitted there is additional violence planned against abortion providers. Mr. Roeder is a textbook terrorist. He has also presented Republicans with the Holy Grail of torture: a ticking time bomb.

Yes, the terrorist scenario every liberal in America has said would never happen HAS happened. We have a man in custody who claims to be part of an organization threatening future acts of violence. As they should, liberals have treated Mr. Roeder like any other murderer. Would Republicans have the same grace if someone shot Rush Limbaugh and claimed Karl Rove was next?

Incidents like this highlight why we need to show restraint towards other nations. Could you imagine blaming Pro-Life organizations he was a part of, or everyone in Mr. Roeder's church? Why do we blame entire nations for the actions of a few of their extremists? We expect everyone to control their people, even as America continues to slip into dissaray.

I want to point out that I agree whole-heartedly with Mr. Roeder on one thing: the conditions in prison are unacceptable. It is most unfortunate that he has been denied access to his sleep apnea machine. America has a general attitude of not only indifference, but venomous hatred for those in jail. They are human beings and should be treated as such (especially since many will be released in their lifetime and will live among us again, though probably not Mr.Roeder).

This all got me thinking about terrorism in general, and I realized: terrorism is just extreme advertising.