THE ATHEIST JEW

Study: Atheists Aren't Trusted That Much

2012-01-19T12:04:00.000-05:00

Lets face, atheists are not trusted as much as theists are. Not only that, there are quite a few people out there who wouldn't vote for an atheist politician, especially a President. Not to say that some Presidents in the past may have been agnostic or even atheist (they feigned belief in Zombie Jesus to get the vote), but that is another story.

In a new study, a researcher concludes that atheists are disliked mainly because of trustworthiness.

Not to take anything away from the studies, but I'm pretty sure that atheists are disliked because we throw away the crutch that believers hold near and dear to them, and have no problems surviving our lives without belief in a higher power. I don't think there is much of a difference between why atheists are disliked today versus how Jews were disliked at many times during the past 2000 years (in the case of the Jew, it was not accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior that was the root cause).

I do think that atheists hit believers square in the eye though, because based on the same information we conclude it is highly unlikely God or Gods exist. In other words, atheists create more doubt than the theist really wants to deal with.

OK, back to the study. I do think, intuitively, it makes sense that an atheist would be more likely to commit a crime or do something ethically wrong than a theist. However, unless atheists are that much better at outsmarting the law, empirically, this belief is wrong, as atheists are underrepresented in prisons.

Although atheists go through life under the guise that no one is watching or making judgment, it is also realized that we only have one life, and the last thing most of us want is to be Bubba's boy in 3 by 4 cell.

A theist on the other hand, might be more inclined to break the law or throw away ethics. Why? Because most believe they are dealing with a forgiving God. Catholics just have to spill their guts to their Priest, Baptists just have to accept Jesus prior to the Big Sleep (and though they can't do it on purpose, they are allowed to turn their back on God as many times as they like, just as long as they believe in the end), and Muslims just have to bang their head on the ground 6 times a day just before they meet Allah. Jews are a bit different. Jews sort of believe that if there really is a heaven, it is a bonus, but don't piss God off too much while you are living, because it could get bad for you either while you or on earth, or in the thereafter.

Back to reality, even I would concede that there are certain positions where I would rather deal with an everyday church goer if I had a choice over an atheist. For instance, a car mechanic and a home renovator comes to mind. However, when it comes to leading a country, I don't want belief in a deity to even enter the equation. No country should be run by someone who even considers Armageddon to be a realistic scenario. I can't trust that they won't try to help it come along.

Finally, I would really like to see a study that asks the question: If your 10 year old boy had to be locked in a room with an adult for an hour, would you prefer the adult to be an atheist or a Priest?

The Unelectables

2012-01-02T16:53:00.000-05:00

Why is the GOP bothering with certain individuals that have no chance of ever becoming President?

Note to the Religious Right: Whatever you want when it comes to social issues is not what the majority wants, and as days go by, and then years, and then decades, the more marginalized you will become.

Gay marriage, abortion, and creation in public school are not national political issues, except in third world cesspools and/or Muslim nations. No matter how badly the Religious Right wants to turn the USA into a theocracy, it aint gonna happen. Those days are gone, gone, gone.

Yet, one can't deny the amount of influence the RR seems to have on the GOP Party today. It is the ruination of the Party. As long as the Palins, Bachmanns, etc. matter politically, America is basically a one party system...The Democrats.

The internet, awareness of science mainly, has marginalized the Religious Right. Thank you Darwin, Hitchens, Dawkins, etc.

So who is completely unelectable?

Rick Santorum.

Rick Perry.

Michelle Bachmann.

Ron Paul.

The first three are obvious. They are gay hating, pro choice jailing Scienceaphobes. Ron Paul could take away some Obama support: the Far Left Anti-Semite and non Anti-Semite, the conspiracy theorists, and the pot smoking hippie type. But there is a big but:

The thing is that even though Ron Paul was a medical doctor, he also denies evolution (this is completely scary considering his education). If someone denies mounds and mounds of evidence because of either peer pressure or religious beliefs, that person is not qualified to make major decisions on the behalf of a powerful nation. This is why Paul will get chewed up and spat out if his campaign gains any more steam. The internet is Ron Paul's best friend (attracting his whacko support) but it is also his biggest enemy because most sane intelligent human beings also know how to turn on a computer.

"Well, first i thought it was a very inappropriate question, you know, for the presidency to be decided on a scientific matter," he said. "I think it's a theory...the theory of evolution and I don't accept it as a theory. But I think the creator that i know, you know created us, every one of us and created the universe and the precise time and manner and all. I just don't think we're at the point where anybody has absolute proof on either side."

To the best of my knowledge, Romney, Gingrich and Huntsman all accept evolution. Something that makes the Religious Right cringe. I love it when they cringe.

Obnoxious Arrogant Militant Atheist Professor Murdered By A Serial Killer

2011-11-29T10:24:00.000-05:00

OK relax, Pharyngula is alive and well. However, fictional South Miami biology professor Dr. Trent Casey met a gruesome death on the show Dexter. The Doomsday Killer did him in.

He was murdered and chopped up for only one reason, he was an atheist, and the psycho who killed him was a religious freak acting on behalf of God.

Unfortunately, the premise for the murder is not far fetched at all. And another thing, I have to wonder how many theists who watch the show perceive the killing of an atheist as something less tragic than the death of a non atheist....or if they perceive the death of an atheist to be tragic at all.

Anyway, Dexter is my favorite show these days. I really look forward to the episode each week.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a clip of the show. Specifically, the professor's lecture about the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and the how creationists misuse it in order to try to disprove evolution.

While searching for the video, I came across this funny short "How To Destroy An Atheist In An Argument:"

9/11 Truthers Are An Easy Bunch Of Nitwits To Fool

2011-11-19T17:42:00.000-05:00

Edward Current, the hysterical atheist who usually pretends to be a Christian Fundamentalist did a series of videos close to the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. In one, he admits to have been a 9/11 Truther himself until all evidence and logical inferences led him away from the nonsensical belief.

Now this video is pretty short, and very funny. He photo shopped some special effects and stated that it was a new video from a new angle:

Again, there is a special list of nut jobs out there:

Flat Earthers
9/11 Truthers
Moon Landing Doubters
Holocaust Deniers
Young Earthers

There are of course the willfully ignorant evolution and climate change deniers too.

There are probably very special people on this planet who fall into each of those seven categories. Are they among us (not in an insane asylum)? I would say, yes.

Are You A Useful Idiot For The Palestinians? Or Just A Regular Jew Hater?

2011-11-06T06:40:00.000-05:00

Pat Condell nails it:

Before any Moonbats or Jihadists leave any comments on my blog, check out the Wall of Truth that Pat linked to his video.

Pat is an atheist who gets it. Like me:)

Herman Cain and Why The GOP Makes Me Sick

2011-10-23T09:01:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week Herman Cain was on the Piers Morgan Show on CNN. Piers asked him a question regarding rape and incest pregnancies and what should happen (who should make the decision on abortion is how Cain supposedly interpreted it):

"No, it comes down to is, it’s not the government’s role — or anybody else’s role — to make that decision. Secondly, if you look at the statistical incidents, you’re not talking about that big a number. So what I’m saying is, it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president. Not some politician. Not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldn’t try to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive decision."

When asked if abortion issues should become a directive to the nation?:

"No, they don’t. I can have an opinion on an issue without it being a directive on the nation. The government shouldn’t be trying to tell people everything to do, especially when it comes to a social decision that they need to make."

So Cain seems to respect separation of church and state, and he is also pro-choice though he has stated on numerous times he is anti-abortion personally (this is not a big problem, as many people who are pro-choice would either never consider abortion themselves or would only consider it under extreme circumstances...I believe I am that way too).

He was consistent recently when it came to gay marriage:

“I wouldn’t seek a constitutional ban for same-sex marriage, but I am pro-traditional marriage.”

Cain still believes homosexuality is a choice, which of course means that heterosexuality is a choice too by default. Why can't or won't Cain read a few studies. Almost all scientific literature points to homosexuality being formed in the uterus. How come fetus experts like Cain won't go there?

I watched the interview, and I knew that Cain would be in trouble with the nearly insignificant and mostly marginalized Religious Right. So now Cain has backtracked completely.

Yesterday, Cain kissed Religious Right ass in Iowa:

“In terms of preventing abortion on demand, I would not sign any legislation for government-funded abortion.

I would not sign any legislation that in any way allowed the government to be involved in it,” he said. “I would strengthen all of our current laws that prevent abortion. I believe that abortion should be clearly stated and illegal across this country and I would work to defund Planned Parenthood.”

Cain had a shot to be a mainstream candidate, but has now thrown it out the door to try to appease anti-science Religious bigots. Pathetic. But this is why the GOP is the anti-science Party as well.

Cain is now unelectable. Kissing Religious Right Butt will do that to a politician who wants to go national. That is a great thing.

The Religious Right Are A Bunch of Nitwits

2011-10-08T15:18:00.000-04:00

Did you know that separation of church and state is a myth? Did you know that if a President accepts evolution it leads to mass executions?

How come God is needed as a source of rights in the US and not Canada? How come there separation of church and state isn't a myth in Canada? And why aren't secular government like in Canada, Sweden, Norway, etc. chopping heads off random people?

The evolution thing really gets me. Accepting reality causes genocidal behavior and threatens the rights of the masses???
By the way, Hitler believed in God and special creation, and had a bunch of Catholics doing his dirty work.

Bryan Fischer is a jerk off.

HT: LGF

I Love Sunday Night TV This Time Of Year

2011-10-03T09:35:00.002-04:00

I don't make excuses. I'm a fifty year old who can't get enough of Family Guy and American Dad. I watch The Simpsons, but I could actually cut the strings if I had something better to. I can't put my finger on it, but that show has become a bit cliquish and it sort of tries to talk down to its audience in a way I just can't explain. The Cleveland Show is good, but why wouldn't it be as it is the creation of Seth MacFarlane (who is responsible for both Family Guy and American Dad for those living under a rock).

I'm not just into cartoons on Sunday nights. I discovered Boardwalk Empire over the summer, a series that is loosely based on actual happenings on the East Coast of the USA in the 1920's. It is a good replacement for The Sopranos.

And of course, my favorite non cartoon show is Dexter. Its new season kicked off last night. No disappointments.

Six shows, 4 straight hours of being in a TV zone. I'm kind of like a shark in a feeding frenzy by the time Family Guy begins at 9.

What was really neat about last night is that 3 or the 6 shows brought up atheism.

The Simpsons was first. Bart was at a National Park with Superintendent Chalmers. Chalmers told him that Teddy Roosevelt built the park. Bart replied that he alway thought God did it, and then acknowledged that Chalmers gave him a lesson in atheism, much to Chalmers embarrassment.

Next, was the most cringing reference. It came on The Cleveland Show. During a hurricane, Cleveland Jr. came out and told his family he didn't believe in God. However, when Cleveland "accused" him of being an atheism, Jr. quickly denounced that by calling atheism a religion, referring to Brian (the atheist dog on Family Guy) as preachy.

OK, so whoever wrote that part of the script yesterday is basically making a distinction that a non believer is just a non believer, but an atheist is someone who doesn't believe and makes a big deal about it. Wrong. Someone who doesn't believe in God is an atheist. End of story. The degree of militancy matters not. And atheism is not a religion unless one wants to argue that baseball is a religion too.

Bottom line: Cleveland Jr. is an atheist.

A case was made for faith by Cleveland's wife. It was sort of a why not have the crutch?

The third atheism theme appeared in Dexter. It appears that the idea of faith will be a big issue for the entire season. (Spoiler Alert)

Dexter's child is now ready for preschool. He has heard good things about a Catholic school. During the interview process, when the head nun (no her knees were not dirty) asked what faith Dexter was, she received a no for everything rattled off on her list. Dexter admitted he is a non believer. The word atheist was not mentioned. Dexter basically stated he lives his life as if there is no higher power.

Dexter has to deal with the dilemma of having to give his child the option to believe or not, so he winds up selling himself on going out of is way to get his kid into the school. Throughout the series, Dexter believes he is a monster, and now being a single parent, he wants to avoid having his kid turn into one too, though he believes the writing is already on the wall.

This years serial killers are a couple of weirdos who are looking to speed up the Apocalypse (something that could be a worry if someone like Rick Perry ever wins Presidency).

Finally, Dexter's kill of the week was a cross wearing wife killer who had a tattoo of Jesus on his chest. Dexter asked him how he could rationalize killing his wife while being a Christian, and was told that Jesus forgives, to which Dexter said that is way too easy (or something like that).

Dexter didn't buy into any of it but I think he might have his faithlessness tested this year in coming episodes.

By the way, the best laughs in the evening came during American Dad. All three Seth shows took place during a hurricane. Seth was probably hoping for some hurricane news going into this week. Unfortunately for him, not too many people care about whether Newfoundland exists or not.

Real History Of The Israeli Palestine Conflict

2011-09-20T16:04:00.000-04:00

H/T Elder of Ziyon.

I'm sort of tired of the anti-Israel stance taken by many free thinkers. I really don't think half of them know much of the history of the conflict, nor do they give Israel any room when it comes to the fact that almost every country on this planet began through might and/or negotiations. Thus, I put up this video, though admittedly one sided, it is full of real history, not rhetoric.

Also, the false idea about Palestinian land is a non starter to me. Land has no DNA, and the land between where two Arabs live is not Arab land by default. Especially when we are talking about non sovereign land, which was the case in Israel prior to 1948 and still is the case in the West Bank and even Gaza today.

I don't get the shot at Obama at the end of the video. Using the 1967 borders (which really never existed) as a starting point isn't a new idea. George Bush Jr. used the same line of thinking when he wanted to come to a solution.

I still believe the settlements were a mistake. But the Palestinians have never shown a desire for a lasting peace either. The settlements are pretty much a diversion, as the ethnic cleansing of Jews in Gaza showed.

However, with the world getting smaller, this perpetual conflict cannot last very much longer, at least when it comes to definable borders. Something is going to have to give, and very soon.

Finally, I really think the support coming from the GOP (which is blaming Obama for the upcoming UN vote...somehow) is not helping when it comes to overall support of Israel by the West, right now.

The GOP is despised at this time by the majority, while Obama is someone who squandered his ability to lead the way he wanted to. The GOP is doing a great job of alienating the middle and lower class by emphatically stating that they won't cut taxes on the rich, while they are for doing away with the payroll tax credit (thus taxing the lower classes more). They are also viewed as the anti-science/anti-progress party.

Today, both Romney and Perry brought up their undying support for Israel. This could lead to a lot more Americans rethinking their support for Israel. The cognitive dissonance that goes on when someone you disagree with on very important issues (the government and the economy) makes any statement regardless of whether they are bringing in good points or not, can cause people to change their minds about what were lesser issues (like supporting Israel to the average American). This could even spill over to Europe and Canada as well.

Dominionism: The Christian Taliban (Perry and Bachmann Are Members)

2011-09-04T10:06:00.000-04:00

I just learned about a new movement today: The Dominionists. Sounds benign enough, but the goals are not, and with Perry leading Obama in some polls right now, it is downright scary.

Here are a few snippets:

Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry aren't just devout—both have deep ties to a fringe fundamentalist movement known as Dominionism, which says Christians should rule the world. Ed Note: Sounds like what I believe Islam wants to, except it wants Muslims to rule the world.

....Rick Perry examined his relationship with the New Apostolic Reformation, a Dominionist variant of Pentecostalism that coalesced about a decade ago. “[W]hat makes the New Apostolic Reformation movement so potent is its growing fascination with infiltrating politics and government,” wrote Forrest Wilder. Its members “believe Christians—certain Christians—are destined to not just take ‘dominion’ over government, but stealthily climb to the commanding heights of what they term the ‘Seven Mountains’ of society, including the media and the arts and entertainment world.”

In many ways, Dominionism is more a political phenomenon than a theological one. It cuts across Christian denominations, from stern, austere sects to the signs-and-wonders culture of modern megachurches. Think of it like political Islamism, which shapes the activism of a number of antagonistic fundamentalist movements, from Sunni Wahabis in the Arab world to Shiite fundamentalists in Iran.

Dominionism derives from a small fringe sect called Christian Reconstructionism, founded by a Calvinist theologian named R. J. Rushdoony in the 1960s. Christian Reconstructionism openly advocates replacing American law with the strictures of the Old Testament, replete with the death penalty for homosexuality, abortion, and even apostasy. The appeal of Christian Reconstructionism is, obviously, limited, and mainstream Christian right figures like Ralph Reed have denounced it.

"Dominionism is simply that Christians of this belief system must take control over the various institutions of society and government. Some things that make this group unique is that they have some unusual concepts of what they call spiritual warfare that have not been seen before in other groups. Spiritual warfare is a common term in evangelicalism and in Christianity but they have some unique approaches and some unique spins on this that distinguish them from other groups."

On the topics at Rick Perry's rally

"The major topics at these events [are] anti-abortion, anti-gay rights and the conversion of Jews in order to advance the end times," she says. "And this was very visible at Perry's events as these Apostles led all of these different prayers and repentance ceremonies at [his rally].'"

Have a listen here. Rachel Tabachnick is an expert on the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which is the Dominionist Movement. Tabachnick was raised a Christian Fundy but converted to Judaism because of marriage.

I still strongly believe that the Religious Right is a marginalized group, so once an actual GOP candidate is announced, and if the ticket includes either Bachmann or Perry or Palin, I believe that Obama will win be a landslide. What bothers me is that I could be wrong.

No matter what, it seems Perry and Bachmann are on a mission. The idea of converting Jews to fast track the second coming is really disturbing.

Rick Perry, Typical Anti-Science GOP Candidate

2011-08-18T18:05:00.002-04:00

Here is goes with the evolution is just a theory crapola:

No one really knows how old the earth is....it is really old though. 10,000 years is pretty old to Perry most likely.

On evolution and creationism:
"I figure out you are smart enough to figure out which one is right"
Obviously Perry isn't smart enough.

He doesn't even know that creationism isn't taught in his own state of Texas...but he said it is. Wow. And this guy is one of the GOP faves?

Not only the age of the earth and evolution, when it comes to global warming, he believes it is a scientific conspiracy as scientists are out to make a fortune from it:

He seems to be patting himself a lot on the back regarding job creation. Seems that in the past 4 years 47% of new government jobs in the USA were created...in Texas. I thought the GOP's platform is there is too much government.

One more thing. He might be another one of those GOP anti-gay closet homosexuals:

Is Rick Perry a hypocritical homosexual? I report, you decide:

If I Openly Vandalized A Business, I'd Expect To Be Shot

2011-08-10T10:52:00.000-04:00

What is going on in Britain right now is ridiculous. If rioters were raping or murdering in the open, they would be warned and then shot at. To me, there is no difference when it comes to vandalizing and looting a business.

Warn and shoot. It might take a couple of dead youths, but the riots would stop very quickly.

I'm a major proponent of deterrents. I especially believe they work well on the "devil made me do it crowd," but I'm also sure that it keeps the odd atheist from doing stupid things too.

Muslim Prayer In Ontario Public Schools

2011-07-23T11:44:00.000-04:00

When I first read about the Muslim prayer controversy at the Valley Park Middle School in Toronto the first thing that struck me was "wow, a public school in Toronto that has a Muslim population of at least 80%."
Of course, most probably most of these kids and their families believe that Jews coming to Israel and becoming a majority there was something that had no business happening. And of course, they don't see the hypocrisy.

Now here are my major problems with this. It is a public school, when I grew up at least 80% of the kids in the school were Christian. It would have been terrible for me or any non Christian kid to have to have gone to a school with the knowledge that there was a special time set aside for most of the school's population to go to so that they can pray to Christ. It was hard enough at Christmas to be sort of an outcast because my family didn't celebrate the mythological Christ's mythological birthday.

Secondly, again, since it is a public school, tax dollars are involved. And tax dollars should not be spent on any religion (yeah I know that Ontario has a deal with the devil: The Catholic Church, that seems very binding). The fact that this prayer is organized and also happens during class time, is at best a misuse of funding.

Third, I don't buy the excuse that kids come back late from the Mosque, if they come back to the school at all. If they can't get the lunch prayers done on time, and come back late, they should be penalized in the same way any kid who is consistently tardy or truant is. Religion is no excuse for this. If you are taking advantage of the public system, play by the rules.

Fourth, because it is held in the cafeteria, anyone who wants to be there should be allowed. Apparently they ban non Muslims from entering the cafeteria during prayer.
This is too organized. Empty classrooms should be used, and the amount of kids in a room should be reduced to what is allowable by the fire code. If you can't get enough volunteer Imams to show up....too bad.
I have no problem with Christian groups, Jewish groups, atheist groups, etc. to have their own clubs after school....yes, after school. But the meetings need to be held in class rooms that are not going to be used or needed by anyone else in the school.

Fifth, to the people upset about menstruating girls having to be at the back of the prayer room....Get over it. Islam is a misogynist religion. This complaint is meaningless in the scheme of things, and has nothing to do with the fact that this type of organized prayer should not be allowed to happen during school hours.

Finally, there are two solutions. Turn Valley Park into a private school, and let the families pay for their kids education, or, ban religious prayer during class hours. If Muslims need to pray on Fridays, keep it to themselves, find unused classrooms at lunch or after school, or forget about it.

Does It Ever Dawn On High Profile Trial Jurors That They Are Morons

2011-07-06T10:06:00.000-04:00

After watching the verdict in the Casey Anthony trial yesterday, a case of deja vu hit me. The same feeling I had after the OJ trial.

The defense selects the most dimwitted jurors in order to give themselves the best chance to win.

When watching a high profile trial, that fact is quickly forgotten.

But when the verdict comes in, it is clear that the most important job of the defense is to finding barely functioning idiots. Those who have major problems making inferences based on evidence. In other words, those who can't put two and two together. Possibly willfully ignorant individuals, the same who deny evolution because they've never seen a human come out of a monkey's vagina.

In fact, with the death penalty looming, the defense is best to look for Creationists, because they ignore science when it is convenient for them, and more importantly, they can be liberal when it comes to the evidence because if they are wrong in voting not guilty, God will ultimately right the wrong. If they sentence the wrong person to death, the juror might wind up in hell......I think I'm onto something, The Dumb Juror's Wager.

I just wonder when it finally hits the selected juror, that the main reason the person was selected, was because they just aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

I guess that is like asking if Creationists realize they are reality deniers.

Maybe the answer is never.

Atheists For Michele Bachmann 2012

2011-06-28T19:18:00.000-04:00

Is it possible that an atheist can support Michele Bachmann's run for President? Uh, I guess. Since all that is required to be an atheist is to have no belief in God, or to answer the question "do you believe in God" with a "no."

An atheist is free to be a homophobe. Free to hate blacks so much that they will vote for anyone but Obama. Heck, an atheist doesn't even have to have an opinion about evolution. For instance, they can believe in intelligent design. You know, a super intelligent one celled being may have come to earth from another galaxy and created man as man less than 10,000 years ago.

Generally though, atheists support gay equality, don't care about the President's skin color (only their religious beliefs), and laugh at intelligent design.

I as a Canadian can see what is going on. There are some leading atheist blogs out there like Pharyngula who are writing pieces about Bachmann being an actual threat. Don't believe it for a second.

This is just a ploy to trick the GOP Party in making the Dingbat their Presidential Candidate.

Barack Obama would love to go head to head with Bachmann. It would be the biggest cakewalk in the history of Presidential races.

I feel kind of guilty I let the cat out of the bag now. So after this post, I won't mention what is really happening with the conspiracy in the atheist community right now. Mum's the word from now on.

But please feel free to use the Atheists For Bachmann 2012 button if you feel the desire to do so. But then again, it might help the GOP hone in on a candidate with more of a shot. Those bible literalists might back away from Bachmann if they even thought for a second that she has atheist support.

Now for something very related. Check out Ronald Reagan Jr (atheist) mock Bachmann. Great points throughout this Hardball segment:

Miss America 2011: Beauty And Brains

2011-06-20T18:49:00.000-04:00

Those who wrote the questions for the Miss America contest are very cruel. To ask these girls from all over the USA if evolution should be taught in school was something a sadist had to come up with.

This reminds of why homosexuals invented high heel shoes for women (it is to make more women more angry more often, angry enough that they may turn a few men off women altogether to the point that these men might experiment with men)....ok just kidding.....maybe.

The following is the short version of the answers to the evolution question, it might be painful to watch, but there are a couple of bright spots:

Allysa Campanella, Miss California, born in Joisey, won the competition. She was the science Geek in the Youtube video.

I thought evolution is taught in American schools. But I guess that science isn't mandatory past grade 3??????

Another tragedy is that bright women like Miss California and Miss Virginia aren't running for office in the USA, instead we have to view mind numbing imbeciles like Bachmann and Palin (Miss Kentucky must love em both).

The Probability That God Did It

2011-06-17T08:10:00.000-04:00

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This might be a tad on the high side if anything. One thing is for certain though, the probability God Did It is equal to the probability a Pink Unicorn or a Leprechaun Did It too.

Now enjoy Mr. Deity's newest video:

Pat Condell: Let's Blame The Jews

2011-06-01T08:52:00.001-04:00

The best point made is that a Jewish State needs to exist. And like me, Pat realizes the need isn't based on religious fantasy, but actual and potential anti-semitism which will only get worse as Islam continues to grow in the West.

Recently, a sociology professor wrote a paper which concluded that over 50% of Muslims pretty much hate Jews. A Muslim advocacy group, Vigilance Musulmane wants to shut up the professor though.

I'll mention it again, many Muslims are complete hypocrites. Muslims coming to the West is A.O.K. but Jews going to the middle east is a no no. Perfect example is Dearborn, Michigan. In the late 1800's there were approximately 0% Muslims there, but now they represent over 50% of the population. If you don't think things changed for the original inhabitants of Dearborn (I'm not talking Native Americans), you are in denial. The annoying sounds coming from Mosques at prayer time is just one example.

Now lets look at Israel. It wasn't even a sovereign country when Jews started to go there in the late 1800's and first half of the 20th Century. They had a majority in place where the Jewish part of the partition existed in 1947, and the Arabs rejected this idea. They didn't reject the formation of the Muslim state of Pakistan in 1947 though.

In a related note, I find the bashing of Obama's speech by the mostly Far Right, and mostly Right Wing Jews to be completely farcical. Obama stated that the 1967 borders should be used as a starting point for negotiations. This is nothing different than what Bush Jr. stated when he was President (he actually stated they use the 1949 lines). But Obama is perceived by yo yo's as pro Islam and anti-Israel, while Bush was perceived as being the opposite. So even though the message is the same, all that matters to these nuts is the messenger.

Harold Camping Revises Rapture Date: Where Did I See That Before?

2011-05-24T10:40:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah, it was on The Simpsons. In the episode he predicts the date for the Rapture, but it doesn't come through. He finds he made a mathematical error (there were 13 "people" at the Last Supper, not 12) and revises the date. Here is his first calculation:

October 21st is the new date (Homer was correct the second time around so watch out everyone).

Don't forget to void your bowels for Jesus on October 20th. It is disrespectful to have full bowels when Jesus comes back (actually it would be his first time on earth).

I still can't get over the fact that if man is made in God's image, that would mean that God has a butt, and it also means that God takes a dump once or twice a day.

It Is Easier To Admit To Many Things, But Atheism Is A Hard One

2011-05-18T14:51:00.001-04:00

I live in a town where you just don't walk around with "There Aint No God" T-shirts. I think it is more a matter of not offending others than caring what others would think of me as an atheist. Though that comes into play too.

Of course, there are some things I can say out loud that can draw attention to my atheism, but to out and out state I'm an atheist, or there is no God, well that is where I feel uneasy.

Here is a partial list of things I feel less stress in admitting to than my atheism in my little town, and I wouldn't have a problem wearing T-shirts for any of these things or mentioning these things with quasi strangers or casual acquaintances:

1. I sometimes surf internet porn.
2. I avoid manual labor whenever possible.
3. Pepperoni sticks go right through me.
4. My wife never initiates sex anymore.
5. I currently have a pimple on one of my ass cheeks.
6. Religious schools should not receive government funding.
7. Black guys in pairs, or more, make me nervous when I'm walking down the street.
8. I watch Two and a Half Men and it makes me laugh.

Speaking of Two and a Half Men, it was just announced that Ashton Kutcher is joining the show. It is highly doubtful that he will be Charlie, so I figured out the best way for the show to morph him in.

The new season begins at a funeral. Charlie was on a yacht with 3 gorgeous women when he slipped off. His body was not recovered (this leaves the door open to his unlikely return in the future).

Kutcher is at the funeral, and nobody knows who he is, but his presence makes Evelyn (the mother of Charlie and Alan) very nervous.

It turns out that Kutcher was given away at birth. His father was a well known actor or politician (a Schwarzenegger type) who never knew about the pregnancy.

It turns out that Kutcher recently found out about his half siblings, and when he read of Charlie's funeral, he had to be there.

Kutcher is a professional surfer bum, who never had a real job, and is currently living in a tent on a beach.

Kutcher tells Alan and Evelyn who he is. This causes Alan indifference at first, and Evelyn of course is embarrassed with a trace of guilt.

At the reading of the will it is found out that Charlie's entire estate is left to his brother Alan, as long as the house is not sold. The thing is that Ashton's middle name is Alan.

After some humming and hawing, Alan decides to avoid further court costs by splitting the estate with Kutcher.

They now have the responsibility of making enough money to keep the house's upkeep (property taxes are pretty high). This means that Kutcher has to try to buckle down and get serious about a real job.

And the fun begins.

I know, too much time on my hands. Wasted a lot of valuable porn surfing time writing this post too.

Dear Creationist

2011-05-13T16:26:00.000-04:00

Dear Creationist: It has come to my attention that you do not accept evolution. Could you please tell me what animal life on this planet would look like if evolution were true? Would it be the same as it is now? How would it be different? What would we expect genetic and fossil evidence to show?

Since I accept evolution, let me tell you what I think life on this planet and genetic and fossil evidence would be like if evolution was false and God created every animal as is.

There would only be one type of cat, dog, horse, etc. All humans would look exactly like Adam and Eve. All fossils would not trace back farther than 10,000 years. Genetic evidence that prove common ancestry would not exist either. There would be no evidence that a whale's ancestor once walked on earth. I could go on, but I won't.

Sincerely,

The Atheist Jew

Am I A Family Guy Geek?

2011-05-10T07:40:00.000-04:00

I watched Family Guy's Big Bang Theory episode on Sunday, and was left bothered. ***Spoiler Alert. In this episode, it turns out that Stewie caused the Big Bang. Now, when it comes to understanding things in physics like the time space continuum, my brain usually goes numb very quickly, so the fact that he could go back in time to cause the creation of the universe, didn't cause me any frustration. I just nod my head and go OK. But the thing that is causing me some fits has to do with the sub plot, when Stewie's half brother Bertram goes back in time to murder Stewie's ancestor Leonardo Da Vinci to prevent Stewie from ever being born.

From previous episodes, it is known that Stewie and Bertram share the same dad. So in order to prevent Stewie from being born, all Bertram had to do was off one of Stewie's direct ancestors from is mother's side.

The explanation on the show by Stewie was that Bertram had to go back far enough to kill an ancestor who would prevent Stewie from being born but allow Bertram to be born. This is where I have the problem. Both Stewie and Bertram would have to be direct descendents of Da Vinci, unless there is something I'm missing. And even if Bertram has no Da Vinci genes (if that is possible), offing him would destroy the line to the point that their shared father would not have been born.

Of course, the fact that both Stewie and Bertram share a football shaped head, and Da Vinci also had a football shaped head makes it a given that Bertram still had Da Vinci genes, but that is not the point I'm trying to understand here. If any of my direct ancestors died before conceiving one of my ancestors whether I have their genes or not, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here today.

Now, am I geeky or what? Is the fact I'm so into Family Guy a curse for not having children of my own? I don't think I'm a geek when it comes to anything else, but at 50 years old, for me to write this blog piece, I'm starting to question my priorities, and who I am.

One more thing, writing this post reminds me of another Family Guy episode, where Brian the dog fathers a child who is 13 (yet Brian is only 8). Forget about the fact that the kid was 100% human, for some reason, that can be accepted, in that episode, Stewie brings up the ages causing Brian to say "if you don't like it complain about it on the internet."

Stephen Harper Has My Vote

2011-04-20T11:16:00.000-04:00

This rendition of Imagine sealed the deal:

The girl in the video is the one who got her 15 minutes of Gaga fame.

Getting back to Harper. He is supposedly a Fundy Christian, but good luck finding quotes about him and evolution or same sex marriage. He stays clear of those issues, as a good politician would do. Too bad the USA's GOP Party is so hell bent on pushing a religious agenda.

Not saying the Conservative Party isn't full of Creationists, it is. Evolution denying, nonsense believing numbskulls, who were taught a very good lesson a little while ago when their Ontario Leader ran and got his ass handed to him, mostly because he wanted to fund religious schools.

Canadians seem to take separation of church and state more seriously than one would think. But then again, over 20% of Canadians are atheists, so tread carefully politicians, and leave your whacko religious beliefs in the home or place of worship where they belong.

I'm voting Conservative this year. In fact, I allowed them to put a sign on my front lawn. Why? Because the other two main Parties are too close to Communist for my liking, not only that, but the Liberals attract Islam. Not that it is good that the Conservatives attract the whacko Christians. Right now I can live with that since they are such a fringe lunatic group here anyway.

I also like the Conservatives financial policies more than I do the Liberals, but then again, that is why I mention Communism.

But it still cracks me up when Obama is called a Commie. He is far far to the right of anything we have here in Canada, and Canada is a great country to live in right now.....as long as we get immigration back on the right track (only allowing those who are either really persecuted, and those who come here sincerely looking to work, and is capable of working here....ie knows more than 3 words of English).

Burning The Koran Leads To Murders

2011-04-02T10:29:00.001-04:00

A Koran is burned in Florida, and 9 are dead in Afghanistan because of it, reportedly two were beheaded.

The nutty pastor Terry Jones is right about one thing, there are passages in the Koran that lead its literal followers to violence.

So Terry is kind of right to feel that way about the Koran.

Isn't it something that he burns it because he feels the Koran is evil, and leads to evil and then the reaction of some of the Koran's followers turns out to be pure evil based on the writings of the Koran.

The biggest problem is that this type of reaction is expected. It makes me wonder why we are trying to help people in any Muslim majority country. Islam is by far the most dangerous religion on this planet today and unless the West is out to give them a secular education, it is a waste of time taking their oppressive leaders out.

Another thing, what would the world wide reaction of Jews be if the fairy tale Old Testament was burned in a similar manner? You might hear some say "What a schmuck," but other than that...nothing.

Even if the fairy tale New Testament was burned, there would no deaths resulting from it.

As for Terry Jones, he hates homosexuals too. I'll bet if you took his beliefs and what he wants society to look like, it wouldn't be much different than what Muslim kooks want either. Kooks are kooks.

Is Gingrich Dumber Than Palin?

2011-03-30T08:37:00.000-04:00

“I am convinced that if we do not decisively win the struggle over the nature of America, by the time they’re my age they will be in a secular atheist country, potentially one dominated by radical Islamists.”

Yeah, secularism sure does suck, and of course secularism leads to a takeover by radical Islamists, because they are so darn secular.

The Republican Party is in big trouble. I don't think the USA is full of enough morons to elect guys like this.

Matt Stone, C'Mon Man

2011-03-17T22:54:00.001-04:00

Matt Stone, one the creators of South Park was recently interviewed about their new Broadway play "The Book of Mormon." I'm sure the play will be hilarious. South Park is most of the time.

But Stone and his idea about atheists really bug me.

Here is what he said in a recent interview when asked about his religion:

"I'm an atheist. I don't think about it that much, I seem to live my life as an atheist, but it's not that I don't like religion. In fact I kind of admire it and I'm really pretty into it. But whenever I'm having a hard time I don't look for God, I just don't. So I guess I'm an atheist but I have tons of doubt about atheists.

But this question is really what our musical is about—we are fascinated by the idea that happiness and faith could be higher values than truth. What if the truthfulness of religious stories doesn't matter, but faith in them does? That's something that troubles atheists. I can't prove that those goofy Mormon stories have a positive effect, but the idea at least seems like a good thing to sing and dance about."

You guess you are an atheist? An atheist is someone who simply says no to the question of whether they believe in God. That is it. If you don't believe in God, if you don't accept deities, then you are an atheist. You don't guess you are an atheist. Either you are or your aren't.

Tons of doubts about atheists? WTF does that mean? Are you saying that atheists don't get it. Most of the atheists I am in contact with, do get it. Atheism is more or less a logical conclusion based on evidence that every phenomenon has a natural explanation, and the fact there is absolutely no evidence to support the supernatural. Most atheists also know that humans are born with an innate susceptibility to accept the supernatural. This of course, doesn't mean supernatural explanations are correct, only that sometimes rationality has a problem winning.

What if faith in stories does matter? I don't see how this fact troubles atheists. Of course, faith in these fairy tales matter. That is why many believers hate homosexuals or fly planes into buildings. That is what troubles atheists. It should trouble believers too.

I don't know if atheists are troubled by faith possibly having positive effects in keeping some people from raping or stealing if it really does. The thing that is troubling is certain believers state that it does. How many atheists are in jail in proportion to other prisoners? Stats I've seen suggest that atheists have a smaller share in the prison population that they do out of prison population.

And if scientific studies suggest that faith gives one a better chance in fighting cancer or heart disease, I don't think there is an atheist who would say that is a bad thing. Though I think most wouldn't trade their overcoming the brainwashing that God exists, to have that faith.

Pope: Finally, Jews Not Responsible For The Death Of Jesus

2011-03-03T00:07:00.001-05:00

Finally, I can let go of all the guilt I've carried all my life. The monkey is off my back. I can sleep at night now.

I have a feeling that the Pope's revelation is a disappointment to many Catholics. They might be questioning his fallibility now. Actually, I think there are enough pissed Catholics already who hate the idea that the Vatican accepts evolution.

In fact, if the Vatican/Pope goes one step further and admits there is no evidence for God, I will be close to seeing eye to eye with them...well, with the exception of them turning a blind eye to child molesting clergy.

I guess it would be too much to ask that they also admit that Jesus was most likely a myth and that there is absolutely no contemporary evidence for his historical existence. Nah, maybe in a few hundred years. Not just yet.

But getting back to the Jews killing Jesus. I think that is the message the bible writers at the time wanted to get out. If I'm correct and the bible was written during a time where the early Christians and sun worshipers were looking to merge maybe 200-300ish AD, it wasn't a good idea to piss off the Romans and make them the culprits in Fairy Tale Jesus' death.

The Jews, the ones who wouldn't convert to Christianity were the best damn scapegoat going.

So basically, the Pope is now reinterpreting the New Testament because he is a progressive.

I think the end result of this is a good thing. But it doesn't take away from all those quotes in the NT blaming the Jews collectively, and not just a few decision making Jews.

Helen Thomas Is A Typical Hypocritical Paliphile

2011-02-17T19:08:00.000-05:00

Hypocrites like Helen Thomas getting a platform really bugs me. She was just interviewed by Joy Behar, and unfortunately Behar wasn't equipped enough to put her right in her place.

Thomas was asked if she had regrets after making comments that Israelis should go back to Poland and Germany and the US. She obviously has none. She also lied about Jews being persecuted after WW2. Poland took many homes and businesses of Jews after the war ended, and many Jews were murdered after the war. Lately we've seen persecution (usually where Muslims have started to show up) in countries like France.

Another thing she did was usurp the term anti-semite when asked if she was one. Behar should have said OK I get it, you don't know that term only pertains to Jews (the term was coined around 1880 in Europe and has nothing to do with Arabs), Helen, you old shriveled up piece of crap, do you hate Jews? I wonder what her answer would have been.

But the big thing, and I've touched on this before, regardless of who used to be the majority in Israel, demographics change everywhere. Lots of times by war. There isn't a country out there that hasn't had its border historically changed without war or negotiations.

The reality of Israel is that it was mostly barren, swampy or arid land that was mostly unpopulated, and mostly unowned and this goes back to the late 1800's when the Zionist movement got some legs, because of increased anti-semitism (Jew hating for you Arabs and/or Paliphiles who want to reinvent the word's definition) in Europe.

There were only half a million people living there, where 9 million people live today. Lots of space to claim your own, lots of room for people to come and possibly start up a community and even country (the fact that the land was not sovereign is huge and often sloughed aside by Paliphiles as not being important). There were even German settlements there by the late 1800's. And it is a fact that most of the land had no owners.

Jews started migrating there, creating jobs, and Arabs started migrating there to try to keep pace with the Jews and many looking for jobs. Again, this is fact.

The ones upset over this wasn't the locals so much but the surrounding Arab nations. How dare the Jews come to Muslim lands. Even though Jews have had a presence in the land for over 2500 years (I believe Judaism was created around 500 BC, but that is another story).

Today, over 65% of all Israeli Jews were born in Israel. When you are born in a country, that is your home. Your home is not where your parents may have come from.

Lets look at Helen Thomas. Her parents were born in Lebanon (Tripoli). They came to America for a better life. In fact, there are oodles of people of Lebanese descent all over the West today, much more than the 5 million Jews in Israel. And Arabs have taken over pockets, like Dearborn which is now an Arab majority. Would Thomas think it is fair for those of Arab descent to go home to the Muslim cesspool from which their ancestors came?
There are millions of people of Lebanese descent in Brazil alone. Should they all go back too?

It is this attitude that has given the Palestinians fits over the years. The lack of acceptance of the Jews in Israel. The camps exist because of wars started by the Arabs.

As for claims of Arabs losing land to Jews. Again, Israel is not a perfect nation, but after 1948, very little OWNED land was taken by Israel.

Yes, I believe the settlements are a mistake, but it is hard to go back in time.

All I know is people who support what Thomas says should take a long look in the mirror, and if that person is of Arab descent in a Western nation, throw some cold water on your face and try using your brain and THINK.

I hope that there is peace soon in Israel. I can only envision a three state solution, Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel. The biggest Jewish settlements are going to have to remain but Israel will have to trade land and possibly cash to the Palestinians.

I believe there is true possibility for peace. The Palestinians need to accept Israel and have to realize that Jihadists are the reason for their despair, not the Jews in Israel.

Not Even Close To Being Worthy

2011-02-13T09:08:00.000-05:00

OnlineCourses.net has put together lists of "Top" blogs for various topic, I guess as a way to get traffic to their site (it is working I guess). The topics are not very mainstream: Top Insect Blogs, Top Civil War Blogs, etc. One of the topics is 50 Awesome Atheistic/Agnostic Blogs. That's cool. But I don't deserve to be anywhere close to being that list, let alone in the Top 5.

I can't argue with the description of my blog though:

#3. The Atheist Jew: The Atheist Jew chronicles the opinions and experiences of a man who denies the existence of God, but by way of definition, is still technically considered a Jew. He explores a variety of issues, including popular culture, current events, and other controversial occurrences.

* Why We Love It: The Atheist Jew is comical, candid, and entertaining. He pokes fun at religious fanatics and, assuming it doesn't offend you, it's quite likely to make you chuckle.
* Favorite Post: Expect The Religious Right To Be Riled Up Over The Simpsons

The favorite post mentioned was hardly one of my best posts, and I was wrong about the prediction I made in it too. Kind of tells me that their was some effort in putting these lists together, but it isn't close to scholarly work.

There are many great atheist blogs out there, and more importantly, many of the bloggers out there post a heck of a lot more time than I do. I've really cut back here. I think my passion to fight has diminished, mostly because I've heard and refuted pretty much all the arguments against atheism, for God, and against evolution. I find the internet warriors and religious writers who continually conjure up reasons why God exists, why atheism is silly, and why evolution isn't true to be like gnats hanging out at the tail of a gnu (I'm the gnu btw).

Early on when I started this blog, I found it almost to be a duty to refute and teach. Maybe I will get back that desire, but right now it is definitely on hold.

Turning 50: So Far So Good

2011-02-01T11:15:00.001-05:00

I turned the big 5-0 last Tuesday. It is almost unfathomable to me that I'm fifty. My favorite TV shows are Family Guy, American Dad, Two and a Half Men, and Dexter. I watch and enjoy The Simpsons at least 5 times a week too. I can't possibly be 50, yet I am.

Maybe the fact I am half of a DINK couple (double income no kids) has helped allow my mental age to stay around 25ish. There is probably some truth to that.

My main concern now is to avoid insomnia and the mortality thoughts that go with it.
Those thoughts about how time started, the rationale that I'm not immortal, and will die some day, and with that my brain and self awareness will die too. The same state I was in for at least 13.9 billion years before my parents did the nasty some time in April of 1960.

Those seem to come in spurts. I remember these thoughts preoccupying my nights when I was in my teens, early 30's, and I have a feeling as I come closer to the inevitable, soon again.

The good thing is we have the internet and lots of TV to choose from at 3 AM these days. I think that is great way to stop with the wasteful obsession of thinking about mortality. Why worry about it?

Like religion, you have plenty of time for that and worrying about mortality when you are dead.

Back to my age. 50 is just 50 times around the sun. It doesn't sound so bad when I put it that way.

Impale The Tuscon Shooter

2011-01-10T11:02:00.000-05:00

In a world that was truly just, Jared Lee Loughner, mentally ill or not would be publicly impaled.

I know it sounds harsh to some, but when I saw the picture of the 9 year old girl who was one of the victims, the punishment of impaling was the only thing that crossed my mind.

Keeping him in the system is just wrong wrong wrong.

As an atheist, I value life. It is our only opportunity to consciously exist. When someone takes it away from the innocent, an eye for an eye is the only way to go.

Plus, a good impaling, if done by the government, could help reduce the deficit. Make it a pay-for-view event. Millions of people would pay to watch. Sure, some wouldn't, even some who agree with the sentence.

Who should get impaled? First off, the person has to be 100% guilty. No doubts. Insanity is not a defense. Child molesters (hard to prove 100% guilt), those who murder innocent bystanders intentionally, and terrorists.

I have a softer stance on domestic murders and thugs knocking off thugs. Life for them.

I wonder if Palin can get sued by some of the victim's families for her Cross-Hairs map?

And guns. We don't live in the 1700's anymore. Ban them already.

I Like Most Christmassy Music

2010-12-23T21:45:00.000-05:00

Just putting it out there. The seasonal music is very comforting and enjoyable to me.
I like many of the songs about fictional characters like Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty. The stuff about the fictional character Jesus and Baby Jesus though makes me uncomfortable most of the time. I think it is partly due to me being brought up in a Jewish (non Christian actually) home, but the biggest reason is because of the emotions singers put into the fairy tale figure. That people buy into and even get so emotional over it makes my mind numb when I think about it too much.

My favorite song and version of it:

I'll say it again, MERRY CHRISTMAS. Nothing wrong with the expression. It is the same as wishing HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

Expect The Religious Right To Be Riled Up Over The Simpsons

2010-12-05T21:19:00.001-05:00

I'm in the middle of my favorite time of the week, Sunday night, when I watch The Simpsons, Cleveland Show, Family Guy (not on tonight), and American Dad, finally followed up by Dexter (a show that I watch with my wife).

But man oh man, the last scene of tonight's Simpsons is something that will be talked about tomorrow from the water cooler to cable news programs.

Spoiler Alert: A human Katy Perry was in The Simpsons house. The Simpsons were Muppets for that scene. Katy was introduced as Moe's girlfriend. The last scene had Muppet Moe trying to jump up to give Katy a kiss, but gave up and decided to kiss her bellybutton instead, except he was kissing too low. Katy said "that is not my bellybutton...I didn't tell you to stop."

Yeah, really, this is what happened.

Did a quick search and found it on Youtube (it probably won't last very long so don't be disappointed if it says video removed):

Anyway, I expect the Religious Right to go berserk over this. Should be a fun day tomorrow.

What Stevie Johnson Should Have Learned

2010-11-29T23:01:00.001-05:00

In case you haven't heard, yesterday, during the Buffalo Bills/Pittsburgh Steelers NFL football game, a Bills wide receiver, Stevie Johnson, dropped an easy to catch ball in the end zone during overtime. Pittsburgh went on to win.

He Tweeted the following after the game:

The list of what Stevie should have learned is quite large. Here are a few off the top of my head:

1. It is hard to praise the Lord and catch a ball at the same time. Cut down the praising to a maximum of 24/6. After all, Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest for the Zombie worshipers.

2. Stevie had a three touchdown day the week before, and yesterday he dropped 5 balls, catches that my border collie would have made. This is evidence that either God bet on the Bills one week, and bet against them the next, or that God, even if one were to exist, doesn't give a crap about football, or the most likely of scenarios, that God does not exist, so Stevie should stop wasting his time worshiping.

3. Stevie should have learned that you need to focus on catching the ball regardless of who is helping him or not helping him. The week prior it was Stevie who caught those balls, and yesterday it was Stevie who dropped them. Quit shifting responsibility where it doesn't belong, that is far Lefty thing to do. See, the far Left and the Religious Right have more in common than you would normally think.

In closing, Stevie, if you read this, don't give up on learning, give up on praying, it is totally unnecessary.

H/T Kris The Sexy Atheist.

Stevie Johnson's Twitter page.

What is a Tea Partier?

2010-11-09T23:44:00.000-05:00

I was asked what is the Tea Party today by my wife. She doesn't pay any attention to politics, especially US politics. I think she knows the USA has a relatively young black President and she can probably name him. But that is about it.

The question made me stumble for an answer. But I finally gave one. A Tea Partier is someone who says they want governmental change. Most of them say they want the government to stop spending and have less power over the individual. But most of them wouldn't have a problem if the government were to make it mandatory to teach creationism in schools and ban abortion.

Most of them have no idea what governments do or have a clue about Economics 101. And most of them are just looking for an excuse to get rid of a black President.

That is my answer, and I'm sticking to it.

Lets Forget Our Differences For A Minute

2010-10-15T07:45:00.002-04:00

Whether you are an atheist, a young earth creationist, an Israeli, a Palestinian, a member of the Tea Party (oh wait I might have covered that one), a Democrat, a Marxist, a member of the GOP (might have covered that one three times now), a peaceful Muslim, a radical Muslim, tall, short, thin, fat, straight, openly gay, a closeted homophobe (I might have covered this one four times), etc., etc., etc., I really believe that this will bring an awe inspired smile to everyone. Call it faith in mankind, or just call it entertainment:

Skeptics Who Try To Refute The Supernatural In The Bibles Crack Me Up

2010-09-25T00:16:00.000-04:00

The only time that supernatural events ever occurred on this planet supposedly only happened during biblical times, oh and before biblical times, just over 6,000 LOL years ago.

Anyone who has turned water into wine since then has been an obvious fake or magician just playing games with our senses.

Now of course, anyone who has read my blog regularly knows that I don't believe that much of anything written in the Old Testament or New Testament ever happened. The closest either bible comes to reality are the events outlined just prior to the OT being written (around 500 BC or so).

There is absolutely no contemporary evidence which remotely verifies a historical Jesus, a historical Abraham, and a historical Moses.

That is why I just laugh when I read stories about people who think they know how Jesus walked on water without it being a supernatural occurrence.

I just read an article speculating on how the Sea parted for Moses.

I believe it has something to do with early brainwashing most of us are exposed to. We actually assume the bible stories to be based on a majority of facts.

This is completely the farthest thing from the truth. If anything the bible stories are based on a minority of facts, and I'm being kind.

This brainwashing creates a different type of skeptic. Someone who is doubtful of supernatural events, yet "smart" enough to figure out how it really LOL happened using physical laws.

OK, I'm not trying to be condescending here. The first forty years of my life I assumed there was a historical Jesus and a historical Moses. But it only takes a teeny amount of research to find there is no credible contemporary evidence, and the only logical conclusion is that Jesus and Moses and their stories were complete fabrications. Unless you take the willfully ignorant route that is, which the majority of people do.

To me, figuring out how Moses got the Sea to part is exactly the same as trying to figure out how the Cat spoke in The Cat In The Hat.

Burning The Koran And The Ground Zero Mosque

2010-09-09T10:48:00.001-04:00

President Obama went out of his way to beg Terry Jones not to burn Korans on September 11th. Why? Because apparently this will upset Radical Muslims, and it will upset moderate Muslims too. However, upsetting the majority of Americans with the building of the Muslim community center/Mosque overlooking Ground Zero is not that big a deal.

Now the Imam behind the Mosque is saying that not building the Mosque will cause Radical Islam to get stronger.

I look at it like this, if Radical Islamists get this emotional over either of these issues, then going ahead with the Mosque and not going ahead with the Koran burnings will be looked at as a victory by these scourges of humanity.

A victory is the best tool of recruitment. It means it could be looked at a cool thing to continue threatening and carrying out terrorist acts.

I don't think there is a way to win here. No matter what happens, it turns out to be a tool for Radical Islam to get stronger. The only answer is to fight the scourge and defeat the scourge.

As for burning the Koran, or any religious book for that matter, I have no problem with it. Whether it is for fun or to prove a point. They are fictional books, and I'm convinced that without religious garbage the world would be a much nicer place.

The reality is that the same laws of the land that enable the Mosque to be built legally are in place to burn the Korans legally. I think anyone is for one and not the other is a hypocrite. If it is legal it is legal. End of story.

Less Fighting With Age

2010-09-05T08:33:00.000-04:00

I'm 49, months away from turning The Big Five 0. Anyone following this blog has noticed that my posting has become more infrequent. Part of the reason is I'm very busy building a new business, but as I'm doing this I'm finding my desire to combat the religious whackos is starting to decrease.

I think I've come to realize there is little more new that I can say. I've made my points on this blog over and over again, and the reality is that at least in Canada, I don't have religion being forced on me whatsoever. I see people coming out of churches in smaller numbers than ever before. What I'm trying to say is that people get it for the most part.

Atheist is still a dirty word, but over time, hopefully it won't be. But whether it is a dirty word or not, an atheist can be an atheist without any backlash, where I live. This might not be true of some of all towns and when it comes to the USA, some States.

I do think I've served a purpose though. I know many people land here doing Google searches and wind up at many of, what I believe to be, my relevant posts. I probably have helped quite a few people to become really skeptical about the existence of God, Jesus being more than fictional character, same with Moses and I believe I've educated many on Israel and the hypocrisy of the majority of Muslims when it comes to that topic.

I wonder if it is age that has slowed down my will to fight. It has to do with mortality. At 40 one is still fighting for the future. At 50 and beyond, I think you in the future and you know it, though at least in my case, you try to forget it.

I'm not done yet. I guess this is an apology for not posting so much.

Remembering My Father

2010-08-08T11:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday would have been my father's 82nd birthday. He died in his sleep in 2001, two day after his 73rd birthday. He had chronic health problems probably stemming from smoking 2 packs a day from age 18 to 60. He was really beginning to age the past year or so.

Ever since I moved out of the house at 22, I would speak to him on the phone at least once a day, OK five times a week. I was probably the last to speak to him, it was .

The conversation was about the fact that I saw my horse racing silks were in a Nike commercial (I owned race horses at the time, cheap ones, in partnerships). I don't remember much more about the phone call. It was short though.

There was a heat wave in Toronto at the time. I called him in the morning. No answer. Called him a couple of hours later, still no answer. I was getting concerned. I knew he could have had a doctor's appointment. Going to the store only took a half hour tops.

Another two hours later, I called my sister who was in the area. She went over to his apartment. Knocked on the door. No answer. She kicked the door. Found him dead on his couch. The fan was facing him, he was only in his underwear.

Was the heat getting too uncomfortable for him to sleep in his bed? He didn't mind sleeping on couches. Fell asleep watching TV lots of times on the couch when I was a kid. The TV wasn't on.

His building did have central air, but we were told later there was a power outage temporarily that night.

Me and my wife made it across town within a half hour of finding out. I was the obvious choice to handle all the arrangements. It kept me focused and somewhat less emotional about what happened.

My father loved sports. Always talked about his glory days in high school from basketball to baseball to footfall (not hockey). He said he was even looked at by the Philadelphia Athletics as a baseball prospect, but his mother was dying at the time and he just wouldn't leave Toronto.

I grew up watching the Cleveland Browns and Boston Celtics on TV with him each week. My other brothers didn't have the same interest. His biggest passion though, was the racetrack. Always a $2 bettor, it was his number one hobby. He would go to the track and of course bring me and my siblings along in the mid to late 60's whenever he could.

He was good at it too. Had a slight edge with his system that kept him in action while being able to support a family of 6 on an average wage.

It quit smoking in a weird way. He retired at 59 or 60 and he watched a story on CNN that stated that 95% of illiterates smoke. It was enough to move him to quit. Just like that.

He hardly ever drank. I remember him coming home drunk once. His friends took him out for his 50th birthday.

Another funny thing I remember is when watching old movies with him. He had a habit of saying "He's dead" or "He's a Jew." I can't what he said for guys like "Al Jolson" who were both.

Huge Sinatra fan. Had all his records. Played them a lot when I was growing up. Nothing else. Just Sinatra.

As for his religious beliefs. He was a non practicing believing Jew. The only time I saw the inside of a synagogue was for Bar Mitvahs or funerals.

We never really spoke about God. I do remember him saying "there has to be something else" many times. Also, when his sister died, he kept saying that the wind that came at a certain time was a sign from her.

I also remember a conversation later on in life where it gave me the impression he thought that the whole dinosaurs living millions of years ago was some sort of hoax. But I never pursued that with him. I really don't know what he thought.

He died at a time when I was just evolving from agnostic to atheist. Years before I started up this blog. I wonder what he would think about it. Especially my posts on the Exodus being a made up story.

I don't even know if he accepted evolution.

One other thing comes to mind. I remember I was somewhere between 5 to 7, watching a black and white Western on our black and white TV. I had a revelation at the time that the people the actors were portraying were most likely all dead. I asked my father what happens when we die (I was the first born, so the question caught him off guard). I remember he was visibly uncomfortable and deferred the question to my mother. I got the heaven answer soon. But I do remember I was uncomfortable over the hesitation.

And there was the time that I was taking crash course Bar Mitvah lessons. My father who would have been in his mid 40's at the time, asked my tutor if all Jews believed in the afterlife. He received a very hesitant ambiguous answer. Made me more skeptical too.

In retrospect, I'm actually really thankful I wasn't subject to brain washing that I'm sure many grow up with. What would I believe right now if those around me were certain about God and heaven?

Back to my father. There hasn't even been a moment where I thought that he is in heaven watching me or waiting for me. Not even a split second.

I'm reminded of him a lot, and often wonder how he would have reacted to some things. He died just before 9/11. I'm sure he would have a lot to say about that.

Oh The Humanity, I Didn't Realize Things Were This Bad In Gaza

2010-07-21T10:38:00.000-04:00

Elder of Ziyon has put together a pretty funny video about the new Gaza Mall. The reason I'm posting it here is because my main readership is from the atheist community, and to be blunt, there are quite a few far lefties who constantly buy into the one sided almost mindless anti-Israel propaganda that fills up the internet. Enjoy:

Worse than Developing Your Web Presence (weird name for an anti-Israel blog) is a site called Veterans Today, a completely deceptive name which maligns war veterans, America, and Israel aka Jews.

Gordon Duff is a nutter, a 9/11 Truther, who has claimed that Fort Hood terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan was part of an Israeli sleeper cell.

You can tell how this has anything to do with real veterans by looking at the comment section, and the fact that there is hardly any disagreement to the nut ball theories put out by Duff. Apparently he deletes any factual rebuttals or arguments against his lunacy.

His site actually appears that it was bought and paid for by Muslim extremists in an effort to peddle complete horse shit.

What Is It About Loving Allah That Makes One Crave Donkey Sex?

2010-07-15T10:35:00.001-04:00

Did you know that the number one searcher for online porn is a state that was created by the United Nations in 1948? Of course, I'm talking about ~~Isr~~
Pakistan.

Pakistan has a population that is around half of the United States, however unlike the U.S. (except for many pockets in Dearborn, Michigan), 96% of the population is Muslim.

Here are some of the facts regarding Pakistan and internet porn:

Now Pakistan is a country that is completely anti-porn. There aren't even any strip joints. You'd expect that porn searches would be popular, but it is the deviant stuff they search for that I can only blame on two "people:" Mohammed and Allah.

Pakistan is top dog in searches per-person for "horse sex" since 2004, "donkey sex" since 2007, "rape pictures" between 2004 and 2009, "rape sex" since 2004, "child sex" between 2004 and 2007 and since 2009, "animal sex" since 2004 and "dog sex" since 2005, according to Google Trends and Google Insights, features of Google that generate data based on popular search terms.

The country also is tops -- or has been No. 1 -- in searches for "sex," "camel sex," "rape video," "child sex video" and some other searches that can't be printed here.

These are not normal search terms even for the most sexually oppressed husband in the West.

For example, a certain male heterosexual married atheist may do a Google image search of atheist porn star Bree Olson by typing in "Bree Olson nude." The results should be adequate enough to fulfill his needs for at least an hour or two, or maybe more. Don't forget to disable "Safe Search" first.

But what makes Muslims make the leap to such deviant lengths? Does the Koran's mention of donkeys and camels get them hot and bothered? You'd figure they would be happy just looking at pictures of strippers.

Why Evolution Is True

2010-07-10T08:46:00.000-04:00

Jerry Coyne isn't the most fluent speaker, but he does get the point across in the following (long) video. I've meant to order and by his book Why Evolution Is True but I've been so busy lately that I know I wouldn't get around to reading it for a while anyway.

He covers the evidence for the five aspects of evolution theory, evidence which makes evolution true.

It is a real shame that so many people deny evolution and farcical that many feel the need to show their willful ignorance on the internet with tired comments on Youtube videos or forums. Denying evolution goes hand in hand with overall ignorance and the maintaining of religious bigots with their idiot religious based discriminatory laws.

Jerry Coyne's blog: Why Evolution Is True

Now for a rebuttal on why evolution is not true:

Why Evolution Is True
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution
Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body (Vintage)

Obama Attempts To Spread Atheism To Muslim World

2010-07-07T09:15:00.001-04:00

There is a big deal being made of Barack Obama's request to NASA "...to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science and engineering -- science, math and engineering."

At first, I thought this is kind of like trying to be nice and pacify an 8 year old kid with strong temper temper tantrum tendencies so that he might like you, and pull off less tantrums at least that might involve you. But it is much deeper (in a simple way) than that, and I give Obama lots of credit here.

Obama is actually trying to get the Muslim world to embrace science, but embracing science, I mean really embracing it, leads to the disbelief of the supernatural. It doesn't always work to the fullest extent, but it drives people close enough, and in this case, there might be a lot less Muslims in a decade or so, and for sure, a lot less Muslims who will carry out, or condone, blowing themselves up for Allah.

I could be wrong. I hope I'm not.

But if I am wrong, maybe Obama has something devious up his sleeve. It isn't a secret that many Muslims are all into conquering land and cultures. Maybe Obama is attempting to do his own knock off Twilight Zone thingy. Remember To Serve Man? Obama may have To Serve Muslims in mind. That's right, eventually make it a large goal to colonize Mars. Make a big deal about it, and maybe the Muslim world will be into conquering Mars ahead of Europe, Israel, and Dearborn, Michigan.

This Needs More Viewers

2010-07-01T18:09:00.000-04:00

And since my blog is ranked within the top 10 million blogs in the blogosphere, I figure it is my duty to share this video on what America would be like if the tables were turned and atheists were the intolerant majority:

HT: Camels With Hammer

Dear Mr. Swanson

2010-06-24T18:52:00.001-04:00

Dear Mr. Swanson, if you can't figure out how to make it so a brownie cooks the same time as the rest of a frozen dinner, don't put the brownie in the dessert slot. No self respecting man is going to microwave for four minutes, gently take the brownie out of the tray, and then cook the rest for another 2 minutes.

For one thing, where am I supposed to put the dang brownie. I'm not going to eat it first. No self respecting man eats dessert first.

Surely in today's day and age you can think of a dessert that needs six minutes to cook. I don't care what it is. Let it be apple sauce for all I care. Nobody buys a frozen dinner because of the dessert. They buy them for convenience sake. And it isn't convenient to carve out a brownie and dirty up a clean plate when you have a perfectly good disposable tray to eat the entire dinner from.

Isn't it humiliating enough for me to buy and eat a frozen dinner to begin with. Are you purposely trying to strip me of the last shred of dignity I have left?

The only thing I can conclude is that someone in your company is making royalties for every brownie sold. Maybe someone who has photographs of you in bed with someone other than Mrs. Swanson, perhaps?

The Goldilocks Zone

2010-06-22T11:04:00.001-04:00

I love the term Goldilocks (Habitable) Zone. It refers to the zone in a solar system that isn't too cold and isn't too hot, but just right when it comes to having a planet that could have life on it.

The current Kepler mission is out to find planets in such zones in different solar systems.

To me, as a layman, it only makes sense that in many solar systems that a such a zone would exist. The closer a planet is to its sun, the hotter it would be, so there has to be a point that is just right for life.

Of course, radiation may make certain solar systems uninhabitable (at least according to my understanding of how these things work), plus if a planet is gaseous it most likely can't handle life. And there are many stars that have no planets, or any planets that fall into the Goldilocks Zone.

Pretty much they are looking for rocky planets that can have water or have water.

Another thing that is fairly intuitive is that as suns get cooler, the Goldilocks Zone shifts to planets closer to their Sun. Makes sense that Mars might have been in that zone at one time, and it might still be, as scientists are now finding that some microbes can live at minus 80 degrees.

With billions of stars in the universe and billions of solar systems as well, there could be millions or billions of habitable planets out there.

This gets me thinking. Since those of us with a clue know how evolution works, you have to wonder how many of these planets have evolved humans that are very similar to us. Are there species out there that put our intellect to shame, how about the way our bodies function. Can something with a ginormous brain live on just energy from their sun; a really smart plant that walks around and has their own version of the internet.

But when you look and see the similarities of animals on this planet including man, there only seems a few ways to go. Mammals, the smartest animal here, either have two or four legs, a heart and a brain. We know how all these body parts came about.
Are worm like beings capable of being the dominant creature on a planet? With huge brains?

It also brings about some interesting speculation regarding religion. I'm pretty convinced that has man evolved, superstition was a necessary evil. It made life passable believing that lightning and other things that couldn't be explained had to be pawned off to a supernatural being or as a supernatural event. With self awareness came awareness of death, and without a supernatural belief attached to it, I could see it driving our ancestors crazy. So the invention of Gods probably paved the way for man to evolve to the point where we are now.

Was it really necessary? I think so. And if I'm right, it is probably necessary on every planet that has life forms that have equal or better brain power and self awareness that we have.

As Christianity dominates Earth right now as the number one religion, I wonder what kind of religions dominate other planets.

Another thought: How do Religious Fundamentalist Earthlings deal with the news of life on other planets.

Like most things, they probably don't really think about it. Many might think there are no other "humans" out there so God doesn't really care about life on the billions or other planets.

Some might think that Jesus has been busy visiting all kinds of planets and dying for their sins. Lots of Second Comings have to happen too. I wonder where Earth ranks on his list:)

Putting Hamas In Its Place

2010-06-17T22:03:00.000-04:00

This is funny, but full of truths:

I wonder what Israel's borders would look like if they had someone to negotiate with.

Helen Thomas and Whoopi Goldberg: Hypocrisy and Ignorance

2010-06-08T10:38:00.002-04:00

I'm not into beating up on 89 year old women, but Helen Thomas' comments have no age barrier, they are shared by a vast amount of hypocritical people (many of whom are Muslims).

In case you live under a rock and only visit atheist blog sites, here is what Helen Thomas said:

I find it mind numbing when Muslims or Arabs in the West state that Jews should go home.

Here is the hypocrisy in a nutshell: There are over 8 million people of Lebanese descent living in Brazil alone today. Why is it OK for Arabs to migrate to the West, but prior to 1948, it was wrong for Jews to migrate to a non sovereign land that was 75% swamp and/or desert, to add to an already Jewish presence there and to escape anti-semitism?

Whether it is Brazil or Dearborn, Michigan, when Arabs show up in droves, the life on the indigenous people are affected, the culture changes. But this escapes many Muslims and Arabs, because to them, it is OK for Muslims to go to Western lands and take over pocket by pocket, but it is a crime for anyone, especially Jews, to live and govern on "Muslim" land.

Demographics change everywhere, Dearborn, Brazil, Israel, etc. It seems it is OK as long as it doesn't involve Jews.

One more point. Over 65% of Jews in Israel today were born in Israel. No matter how you slice it, whether you are completely against immigrants or not, these Jews are home, they aren't from Poland or Germany.

Now for Whoopi. Yesterday on The View, she was sort of defending Helen Thomas' comments. But the stupidest thing she said was, "For many years, there were not Jews in Israel."

It was disappointing to me to see that Joy Behar actually nodded when she made that ignorant point, because I know Behar gets it most of the time.

However, it does illustrate how misinformed many people are about the history of Israel. Jews have always been present, though at times, the numbers were tiny (but so was the total population there).

When people believe that, I can see how they can lean to the Palestinian side in many cases. It would be the same argument as the white man coming to America and taking over the land from the Native Indians (who took the land over from the European Clovis, but that is another story).

But reality is that in 1880 there were approximately 450,000 people living in the region, 20,000 were Jewish. Less than half a million people living in a land that now has 5 million Jews and 4 million Arabs (including the West Bank and Gaza).

In other words, it is equal to a small city turning into a big city, where the people who migrated there were majority Jewish (but not by much, as many Arabs also migrated there once Jews established a good job market). The land was not sovereign until 1948. And to put things into total perspective, the people who were mostly affected by the original conflict in 1948 today are either dead or in their 80's.

Lastly, I received an excellent comment on my last blog piece. It is worth putting in print, because it is from someone from the Far Left who gets it:

the_last_name_left · 16 hours ago

I feel like the only leftie who sees this "humanitarian activism" as the provocation it so obviously is. Everyone is being played - and they've fallen for it.

It's quite astonishing to me see the extent of (left) anti-semitism - I have never been so aware of its scope, depth and threat before. It's really disturbing.

Every time it's "Israel attacked the boat"......and the ferocious beatings with metal bars of the soldiers was "self-defense". Yet intercepting shipping - to ensure it isn't rearming Hamas - is not legitimate self-defense. Nor is retaliation against Hamas provocation of firing rockets at Israeli civilians - war crimes according to the Goldstone report (which people only know accuses Israel of war crimes).

Under such circumstances Israel has no right of self-defense -- and anything Hamas does is always self-defense and justifiable by some historic slight, real or imagined. There is no balance - there's a massive Israeli/jewish exceptionalism - prejudice.

The (only) problem boat of the flotilla had passengers including children and elderly folk - and they took it upon themselves to disregard many warnings from the IDF whom had promised to deliver the aid, so long as it passed inspection at Ashdod. But the flotilla's priority was not attempting to deliver the aid - because the flotilla decided to ignore IDF entreaty to submit, and attempt to break the blockade - despite repeated warnings from the IDF that the ship would be placing itself - including the children and the elderly - at risk. This is the responsibility of the ship's crew - whatever the legal technicalities or the history or whatever. You listen to people with guns - especially when you have children on board - and especially when you are "peaceful humanitarians". It's utter bullshit to claim they weren't obliged to stop, on some technical argument about legality or otherwise of the blockade etc. especially when Israel had promised to deliver the aid - which amounted to one day's worth of the aid which Israel already expedites to Gaza.

A very similar event happened during the Sri Lankan/Tamil war in 2009 - except a french aid ship was boarded and prevented reaching port to deliver aid to Tamils. The Sri Lankans were far more obstructive over aid for the Tamils than the Israelis have been over this flotilla - and yet where was the worldwide condemnation? There was absolute silence - who is even aware it happened? Where were the cries that Sri Lankans were Nazis? NOWHERE.

Similarly we have the hypocrisy of Erdogan supported by the useful idiots everywhere, apparently completely ignorant of Turkey's attacks on the Kurds.....in very similar circumstances to Israel/Palestine conflict. But again - met with near absolute SILENCE.

hundred of thousands of Tamils were held in detention camps - surrounded by barbed wire - a real prison. But silence.

On the plight of Gaza and its poverty - we need be careful to distinguish the extent of poverty and suffering which is directly attributable to Israel. One way to assess that is to compare Gaza with other states whom Israel has no effect upon - for example, Yemen.

According to UN/NGO statistics, “More than 10 percent of children in Gaza are chronically malnourished,” said WHO officer Mahmoud Daher in Gaza, reporting a slight increase over 2008." Dreadful, right? But what about Yemen? "A 2006 report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Yemen had very high levels of food insecurity and that more than ****one third of its population was chronically undernourished****."

Why is every failure of Gaza and Hamas Israel's fault? Anyone can accept a degree of Israeli responsibility, surely - but the simple blind acceptance of complete Israeli responsibility at every turn - whilst the Nazi-sympathizing Protocols of Zion-publishing Hamas get a free pass, every turn. It's myopic, outrageous and dangerous. I'm appalled - especially by the supposed left. I expect it from the lunatics, but from almost the entire gamut of the left? Wow. Shocking.

Humanitarians For Gaza: What A Con Job

2010-06-03T21:44:00.000-04:00

If feel sorry for all those gullible lefties (the ones who sincerely don't hate Jews) who buy into the charade. In the meantime, everyone can enjoy this:

For the truth about the Flotilla, and the hypocrisy of different nations, including of course Islamic nations, check out The Elder of Ziyon's blog.

They actually named a boat The Rachel Corrie? I guess it will bring the Gazans some pancake mix. If you believe the con artists, the Gazans haven't had a real breakfast since the Jews were ethnically cleansed from that region.

The Teabaggers, The Texas Board Of Education and The Founding Fathers

2010-05-20T10:31:00.000-04:00

I know I'm just a Canadian so I should just go mind my own business about what is going down in the US of A today, but I won't.

First The Teabaggers. My perception on this crap is that there are two types of Teabaggers: The Libertarian Extreme and The Christian Fundamentalists.

The Christian Fundamentalists are upset because their ridiculous beliefs are being rightfully marginalized, so some even pretend to know something about Fiscal Policy, it is pretty funny actually. It is plain to see that the overwhelming majority of these protesters barely know how a credit card works let alone the benefits and negatives of things like socialized health care. What they care about is making abortions illegal, putting God in school books, getting rid of evilution as much as possible from being taught as a standalone answer to life on earth (putting it mildly), and getting prayer placed everywhere possible.

All of this is based on their hypocritical love of Jesus. I say hypocritical because, for example, there is no way Jesus (who was fictional by the way) would allow the Arizona law to go through if he was an Arizona governor.

The other half of Teabaggers are The Paulian types who believe the government should run magically without much money, without even thinking about the consequences of such a State. For instance, most human beings are too irresponsible to deal with their own health insurance. There will always be a need for welfare for the sick and the single mommies, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. No system is perfect, but human beings need help. If not, there will be lots of malnourished kids and people. And I'm sorry, but I don't buy into fixing these problems with private donations and charity. It just won't work.

I think the fact that Obama is black has made it easier for both type of Teabaggers to get this movement going. I'm not saying that the USA is full of racists, but what I'm saying is that it is maybe a quarter full of racists.

The Paulian Teabagger types have been around for ages, but the reason they are getting so much momentum is partly due to Obama's skin color, and the semi alliance with the Loony Palinites has given them numbers. A bad economy hasn't hurt either. Historically, when there is a bad economy, scapegoats are found. This time around, the Jews were left alone:) Now it is focused on the black Prez, bigger government, and the "Liberal" agenda.

The term Liberal agenda cracks me up.

Now for The Texas Board Of Education. This Don McElroy guy really pisses me off. History has no ifs.....well, apparently it does in Texas. McElroy is a creationist slimeball who is trying to put God into text books. He is also cherry picking history. It is sort of a mine quoting exercise that evolution denialists are known for.

To me, this is such a crock that in the year 2010 something like this can happen in a Westernized country. But then again, evolution acceptance is very low in the US compared to all other nations in the Western World, only beating out Turkey (Turkey is in the West?).

Now about the Founding Fathers. Yes, they were the smartest dudes around at the time. Some of their writing were exceptionally well thought out and insightful. But lets remember, they were probably amongst the very few who even knew how to read back when the USA was founded.

It is evident from their writings that they were strongly for separation of church and state, despite the mind numbing ignorance of those who state differently. The majority were not keen on the Christian God, and they fell in the Deist category.

Imagine if they had knowledge of evolution which came a century later? I'm guessing they would have been atheists. I wonder how that would have worked in 1776. British News Headline: British Army Defeated By Godless Yankees. Would the Americans back then have accepted an atheist Jefferson etc?

Here is another thing. These dudes were apparently OK with slavery. From for all except Blacky. Is that in the Constitution?

So no, they didn't have all the info. They might have been smart, but there is a vast amount of people around today at least as bright if not smarter. Times have changed. The King isn't about to send his soldiers to your home to hassle you for no good reason, so you really don't have to have a gun for that purpose.

I don't even think their intentions regarding separation of church and state or their belief in God or unbelief in God is even relevant anymore. I think the facts found since 1776 in the field of biology and just plain logic should make a case for what is right and what is just plain silliness.

It is silly to put God in the classroom. Prove God, and then he can have a seat.

Funny Cartoon from Joe's Big Blog:

Neanderthal Gene Found In Non Africans

2010-05-08T12:28:00.000-04:00

It wasn't that long ago that the layman community believed that Neanderthals were a link between humans and chimps. I found a 1990 Almanac that gives a time line that states that 35,000 years ago, Neanderthals were replaced by Homo-Sapiens (Cro Magnon Man).

I stress that I'm not a scientist, but here is my take on what happened:

The rise in DNA research has put that idea to rest that Neanderthals were the link from chimp like humans to humans. Just like man's branch diverged from the monkey branch 25 million years ago, and just like the chimp branch and human branch diverged 5-7 million years ago, modern man and Neanderthal diverged, possibly as much as 1 million years, as it appears they were the descendant of the first out of African wave of what I like to call near human ancestors.

The next significant human wave, this time, the descendants of modern humans out of Africa happened between 60,000 to 90,000 years ago.

What researchers appeared to find is that our ancestors and Neanderthals started making out with each other around 60,000 years ago. And it looks like some of the Neanderthal genes took (and were probably beneficial) and are now in everyone whose ancestors left Africa in the second wave. Must have something to do with handling colder weather and stuff like that.

Those who are descended from the line that didn't leave Africa, show no Neanderthal genes.

This could have dangerous implications for racists who, if they accept they have Neanderthal blood in them, and are OK with that, can start making analogies that Europeans (2% Neanderthal) and chimps (3% difference) are not very far off the difference between Europeans and Africans.

One thing is for sure, the Neanderthal genes seems to limit one's athletic abilities compared to those who don't have the genes. But of course, there are reasons for this, and it all has to do with what is beneficial in each ecosystem over time.

Now for some real science on the subject:

Another Fricken National Prayer Day Already

2010-04-24T11:59:00.000-04:00

Thank Darwin, I'm a Canadian.

Seriously, I have an idea. Give National Prayer Day one more chance. Have everyone in the USA pray that one, just one amputee, grow his or or her limb back. Just one.

If one person or more grows back a limb, then National Prayer Day stays, if no one grows back a limb, then National Prayer Day ceases forever more.

God has been hiding for at least 13.7 billion years. That is long enough. Give him one final chance to show his existence.

I'll even make it easier on God. By May 6th, I want the fridge door to magically open up and a beer float to my computer desk. I'll even twist the top off myself.

If you are a normal intelligent human being who thinks prayer works, watch this video:

Whenever Creationists Email Atheists, It Is Like Ground Hog Day

2010-04-22T00:45:00.001-04:00

I'm really losing patience with Christians, and sometimes religious Jews who take the time to email me. Usually it starts off all nicey nicey, but it always ends up contentious in the end. And I really don't have the time to explain evolution to a willfully ignorant reality denialist, because they've seen the answers before, and they choose not to understand them and/or ignore them.

But I do think it serves a purpose to confront Cretards in a public forum for reasons I explain below in my latest unsolicited email exchange with a Christian Fundy. If this was two or three years ago, I probably would have spent hours doing research, and providing links, and explaining myself. But like I said, it is futile.

Here is the exchange with someone with the initials EJ:

EJ: Your blog would be amusing if it wasn't so 1) angry, 2) narrow-minded, 3) militant, and 4) parochial. Your anti-god profession approaches and gains a level of devotion that clearly looks like religious fervor. I hope that you will find real happiness in your life. Take Good Care, Eric J.

Baconeater: Actually, having 100 followers is evidence that my blog is amusing. I have happiness in my life. I am not narrow minded (very few atheists are). Not angry either, just keeping it real. I'm militant only because I openly criticize religion. And since people still want to put religion in my face, it needs to be criticized.

Editors note: Expanding on the narrow minded comment. Most atheists assumed there was a God through brainwashing from family. I was no different. It takes an open mind to ask questions, and seriously look at the answers. Thinking about God, and then questioning things about God, while learning about the natural sciences was pretty much a natural progression that most today's atheists went through. Again, God was given just about every benefit of the doubt to begin with. It takes a real open mind to conclude there is no evidence for God, and no reason for a God to exist at all.

EJ: Narrow-mindedness isn't something you can dismiss by saying, "Am not!" Your blog has the predictable atheist screed of, in no particular order, There is no God, I'm right! / you're wrong!, (the entropy-defying) evolution theory is a fact, Christians are simple, Creationists are dumb, Republicans are dumb, hate any who'd dare think they're right / you're wrong, and a "liberal" dose of argumentum ad hominem sprinkled throughout. Though not clearly laid out, I'm also sure you're pro abortion and pro homosexual civil rights protection. So for narrow-mindedness, your blog is as clear a display as possible of a sociological-template for, "What one must hold to as a faithful atheist!". Like it or not.

Baconeater: Your true idiotic Christian bullshit has come out , predictably (and no, not all Christians are idiots like you, just the internet warrior ones who continue to deny reality. Evolution is fact (Watch Potholer 54's Made Easy series). A 5 year old can figure it out. And there is no evidence for God.

Narrow mindedness is to be anti-homosexual civil rights protection.

You are funny too in that you don't even know how hypocritical you are in painting my atheism as predictable, yet saying that I paint all Christians, Repubs, etc with the same brush. You cretins (internet morons for Christ) are hysterical. Thanks for the laugh.

But seriously, you are no better than a Muslim who blows himself up for Allah. Both of you want to stone gays if you could.

What a tragic waste of a life.

By the way, you anti-evolutionists are why so many Christians leave the flock. It doesn't take much to figure out you are lying or willfully ignorant, and once young people start questioning this, they question everything, and many end up on my blog via Google to see there is no evidence for Jesus or Moses as well.

You are living a lie.

Why are you so angry?

Entropy and evolution. You will willfully deny this, not try to understand it, or ignore it. Not sure how sick a cretard you are, though I believe you to be very far gone:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/11/entropy_and_evolution.php

EJ:

I am wondering what the consensus is among the anti-theism and/or scientific community on the age of the universe and age of earth? Just curious how much time is estimated for evolution by unguided natural selection to present stumble upon today's enormous variety of life.

I don't want a reference or a blog as answer to the entropy problem. Give me your personal understanding for how when everything we see in nature moves from order to chaos over time, the most complex form of life we know of is able to move against that downhill force of nature.

You're opinion, not someone else's.

"You cretins (internet morons for Christ) are hysterical"; "not all Christians are idiots like you,"; "how sick a cretard you are"

You demonstrate the accuracy of my assertion that argumentum ad hominem is among the most relied upon strategies in blogs like yours.

"Both of you want to stone gays if you could."

Civil protection is intended to protect individuals from ostracism that's due to things beyond their control (eg, race, creed, religion, and disability.) Some

hold that homosexuals are "made" that way. Others that they evolve to that status. Regardless, the answer is never stoning**. Your Judaism shines out in this bias and I choose to believe that such pronouncements are beneath you.

"how hypocritical you are in painting my atheism as predictable"

Well is it? Regarding my hypocrisy, I am one who actually believes everyone has the right to believe what they want to. I also believe that some of these people may even believe their ideas as strongly as I do my own.

"Thanks for the laugh."

Nice try.

"Why are you so angry?"

Again, nice try…

"Your true idiotic Christian bullshit has come out"

I saw that you sent two messages since my earlier response. You are clearly steamed and I regret causing that [if I did.] When I email people on ideological subjects I intend to provoke [only lightly] a correspondence. I apologize if my messages came across more mean than intended.

Take care

Baconeater:

I honestly didn't read any of your email after the first sentence this time. I'm not wasting my time on a professional cretard, except, I may blog about your emails and if you wish, you can continue your idiocy in a public setting. One on one with a cretard like you is a total waste of energy and time. I'm done laughing at you. Now my readers can have a chuckle as soon as I choose to get to it. That would mean of course, reading your latest email, which I'm sure mimics responses I've received from internet Christpunchers/evolution denialists many times over.

Do not email me again. I have no time for reality denialists on a one to one level. I'd rather respond in public so maybe some youngsters can Google the ass kicking I give you, and then they'll try to prevent themselves from being brainwashed any further by idiots like you.

*******************************************************************

Now, since I copied his last email, I guess I promised to read it and respond, so here goes:

OK, is he really asking what the scientific community believes the age of the earth and universe is? Obviously a flip the page technique is being attempted after I linked to a response that squashed his entropy objection.

Oh, he doesn't want a scientific answer or mathematical model as to why his cretard entropy argument is wrong. He wants me to explain evolution in my own words. Again, I refer to Potholer54's videos. I'm not about to write him a 3 page response that he refuses to accept.

Blah, blah, blah, my attacks? Did he read what he wrote about my blog to begin with, and does he not get that he paints atheists with the same brush from the getgo by accusing atheists of painting Christians, Repubs, etc. with the same brush. The guy has a serious mental problem.

What is the answer to dealing with homosexuals EJ, maybe you can leave it in the comment section. And now you are accusing me of having a Judaic mindset because I brought up stoning. Geez, I thought the NT was full of quotes about killing gays for being gay, never mind that the NT is the sequel to the OT for Christians....I'm open minded enough to want to see an answer here. Should be fun.

I think that people can believe what they want to as long as they don't put bullshit in everyone's face. If you want to believe the earth is a day old, or 6000 years old, go for it. But keep that crap out public schools and the government. If you want to believe that gays are sick and twisted, again, go for it, but you don't get to keep them from their basic rights as equal human beings, and that includes trying to stop them from marrying. To me, involving the government or education board in this type of bullshit, is akin to blowing yourself up on a bus for Allah. I have a big problem with it.

Again, I'm not steamed. I did laugh. I just find one on one debates with cretards to be tedious and useless. I don't go around emailing Christpunchers. Why do they need to email me?

Who Is Embarrassing America

2010-04-13T15:43:00.000-04:00

Just a partial list from the top of my head (not in any specific order except for number one):

1.   Sarah Palin....BIG TIME
2.   Any Teabagger in the crowd who gets interviewed on TV.
3.   Fox News
4.   Ken Ham
5.   Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron
6.   The Octomom
7.   Any pro athlete who gets caught carrying a gun.
8.   Right to lifers.
9.   Young Earth Creationists (this is definitely number two).
10. Israel boycotters. Especially, if they are involved with a university.
11. Bill Donohue.
12. Father Jonathan Morris.
13. Pat Robertson.
14. Pat Buchanan.
15. The Duggars.
16. The GOP.
17. Obama's ass kissing of Islam.
18. 9/11 Truthers.
19. Evolution deniers (see 9.).

There are more, but my mind just went blank.

I just want to add that I'm pissed off at Family Guy because in their latest episode, Brian (who came out as an atheist this year), was caught praying to God by Stewie, when he thought the world was about to end. And then, when it turned out to be an April Fool's day prank that the world was to end, he winds up going to a soup kitchen to keep a promise he made (to God).

Dammit Seth, way to offend to offend your atheist brethren.

Rant About Pedophile Priests And Catholic Apologists

2010-04-04T09:35:00.002-04:00

Seriously, does anyone think the Catholic Church is doing themselves a favor by hiding their pedophile problem, blaming homosexuality for pedophile Priests behavior, or calling the attack on the Catholic Church, because of the way it has dealt with pedophiles, persecution?

I have to think that any organization that requires their leaders to be celibate, is asking for people with severe mental problems. Humans are animals, with an innate urge to screw. Those who don't have that urge have a physical problem (usually only happens to the elders of our species), and those who choose to pretend they don't have the urge, are in probably most cases, fighting inner demons and in the very least, are messed up psychologically (usually by some lousy life experience(s)).

I am of the belief that those who choose to be Catholic priests, in most cases (probably not all cases) are either guilted homosexuals or guys who are attracted to young boys (pedophiles) who think that loving God and being an agent for God will divert them from their desires, and maybe even God will pitch in an take their sick thoughts away.

Since there is no God, their sick thoughts will not be taken away by joining the Priesthood.

I don't think that one becomes a Priest so they can hang with altar boys. I think the pedophiles who decide to become Priests sincerely think their urge will go away thanks to the Church and God. God does have a lot to do with it, or you would see pedophiles choose to becomes teachers instead.

I think the real predator deviant pedophile is more likely to become a Boy Scout leader. And there have been cases of pedophiles becoming hockey coaches as well, though that is rare.
The teaching profession doesn't seem to attract pedophiles, or at least they are good about fighting their urges or you the papers would be full of pedophile news. The fact is that to teach requires a career decision that has nothing to do with God helping you, and it isn't a voluntary position either.

The Pope's Preacher Compared The Accusations Against The Pope and The Catholic Church To The Collective Violence Suffered By Jews Throughout History

There is so much wrong about this, I don't know where to start. It is kind of like Hitler saying attacking him for the Holocaust is akin to the attacks on Jews throughout history.

Jews were persecuted as scapegoats, as Christ killers, and as non acceptors of Christ. None of those reasons were acceptable or justifiable reasons to inflict hardship, expulsion or death. The Catholic Church has a proven record of hiding incidents of pedophilia and even condoning it by moving predators from one jurisdiction to another.

Then you get Bill O'Donohue, the spokesman for Catholics in the USA, stating that it wasn't pedophilia but homosexuality to blame for Catholic molestation incidents. Why? Because 12 and 13 year old boys are post pubescent (they have pubic hair....and gooing in a Priest's mouth, but Bill didn't get that graphic).

Here is the exchange on Larry King:

First off, 12 and 13 year old kids, are kids, they look like kids too. If this was in fact homosexuality, why aren't we hearing about Priests molesting 20 year olds or 30 year olds? Or even 40 year olds?

Secondly, pedophiles, generally are not interested in adults, so to blur the issue by calling them homosexuals, is a slap in the face to homosexuals:

...empirical research does not show that gay or bisexual men are any more likely than heterosexual men to molest children. This is not to argue that homosexual and bisexual men never molest children. But there is no scientific basis for asserting that they are more likely than heterosexual men to do so....many child molesters cannot be characterized as having an adult sexual orientation at all; they are fixated on children....

Now For The Truth About The Catholic Church (Louis CK Does A 60 Minutes Like Investigation):

I Think This Song Is Completely Lovely

2010-03-26T21:08:00.003-04:00

Fellow atheist bloggers, spread the good word, and put this video in one of your next blog posts.

It May Be Harder Than You Think To Hide Your Lying Eyes

2010-03-23T20:27:00.003-04:00

A new study just came out, and it was both interesting and really obvious at the same time.

Right handed participants eye movements were measured as they were told to randomly pick new numbers. When the new number was higher, even before they stated the number, they looked to the right. When it was a lower number, they looked to the left.

I'm not sure if right handedness is a key here, because we naturally associate higher numbers from left to right, unless you are reading Hebrew. It would be interesting to see how left handers react and both those who read and think in Hebrew right handers and left handers react.

The article does mention poker. I wonder if that means that when a high number shows up, a person responds naturally by looking to the right, or if it only happens if the poker players hand is bettered by the card.

Maybe this is the key to what makes a good poker player. They don't move their eyes, and they pick up on other player's eye movement, even subconsciously (sometimes a gut feeling is based on real evidence, whether the player knows it or not).

As for lying about your age. I wonder if this right left movement has more to do with what is deemed better. For example, if you are 49 and say you are 39, I think you would tend to look to the right and up, but if you state you are 59, you may look to the left and down.

I was always told that looking up to the right (for a right handed person) means one is imagining (or lying), while looking up to the left has more to do with remembering or thinking.

Looking down is being submissive and could have to do with guilt. I'll never forget that image of Susan Smith doing a press conference and looking down (and even closing her eyes looking down) when lying about her kids being kidnapped and hoping they would just come back (even when she knew they were in a sunken car). Here is the video of her lying eyes (unfortunately the audio is disabled):

Fortunately, the audio isn't disabled below:

I Found A Home: The Landover Baptist Forum

2010-03-14T11:05:00.004-04:00

Finally, a place where I can let it all hang out and feel completely welcome. My name over at the Landover Baptist Forum is Brother Baconeater.

I started off by letting everyone know my views about evilution by posting the popular Youtube video I made on the subject three years ago:

I was then asked to put something up about myself in the intro section, as well as my favorite bible quote, so of course, I complied:

Hello All
My name is Brother Baconeater. I'm a bit confused, that is why I don't belong to any church right now.
I live in atheist Canada, and everyone knows it isn't a cool thing to let people know how much you love the Lord, so bonding with other strong believers like me has been pretty hard right from childhood all the way to where I am right now, pushing 50.
I know, I know, I shoulda moved to Georgia or Texas where I would be accepted, but I never had the nerve to.
The real reason I'm confused is that I like both the Christian God, and Jesus of course, but I like the Jewish God a lot too. That guy knew how to deal with people who pissed him off.
I like the Christian God because you need to believe in Him to get into heaven for ever and ever, but the turn the other cheek stuff just doesn't make sense.
I'm not crazy about the Jewish God though because he seems to be wishy washy about evilution. The Christian God has no doubt that evilution is false which it it.
Oh, and the Muslim God? Forget it. He tells people to blow themselves up in front of children for no good reason. At least the Jewish God had a reason to kill kids.
__________________
"Take your son, your only son – yes, Isaac, whom you love so much – and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will point out to you." Genesis 22:1-18

I was then asked how many children I have sired. My reply:

I haven't sired any kids. I saved myself for marriage. Got married at 32. The evilutionist doctor gave me all kinds of gibberish reasons why nobody was getting pregnant but I know the real reason why. My sperm died of old age.
I shouldn't have waited so long, but masturbation is a sin, so I was stuck between a rock and hard place.

The acceptance has been overwhelming so far. I even had the nerve to start a thread with a question I've always had:

Is There TV In Heaven
I'm worried about being bored for at least part of eternity. I hope TV is there and we get all the channels, of course with a VChip.
I wonder if it will be just a bunch of reruns or we'll get new series too.

I got a bunch of replies so far. One spurred my inquisitive mind to click on. Pastor Ezekiel wrote: "I hear that He has a non-stop barbecue going, with all the grilled steaks and chops you care to eat, and the most Heavenly beer you can imagine, served in chilled mugs, with bowls of cashew nuts."

This caused me to ask another question (I hope they don't think I'm some sort of pest):

This is another thing I wonder about. I love bacon, hence my name. I know it is a fact that animals don't go to heaven, though I'm not sure where they go, so how can there be steaks and bacon in heaven? Especially fresh meat.
It is heaven, I'd expect my meat to be fresh.
I know that if I went to church regularly I would know the answer, but as I mentioned in my intro, I live in atheist Canada, so it is almost impossible to find a church that is even half free of The Devil's influence.

So far, I love The Landover Baptist Church. I think there are some real Christians there too, but you know the way The Devil works, sometimes it is hard to tell.

Check out the Landover Baptist Map of the World:

Intelligent Children Most Likely To Become Atheists

2010-02-27T09:34:00.002-05:00

A new study suggest that atheism and liberalism are perspectives, concepts, ideals (whatever word you want to use) that are not biologically designed.

In other words, our first human ancestors were very conservative by nature, caring about their immediate family while being indifferent or non caring to others.

I kind of think that hunters can't really be the most empathetic people on this planet, whether hunting for food or sport.

All humans have an innate raw intelligence, but it seems that there are some that have an enhanced intelligence.

Let me take a stab at it. The ability to look at things from all sorts of perspectives without doing so consciously. The ability to fathom many possibilities with a worldview dependent on evidence and what is probable.

The study says that humans are naturally paranoid, and this is why religion was a natural fit.

I say that it if I saw lightning, and I couldn't explain it scientifically, as our ancestors couldn't, I too would need to believe in a supernatural entity as being the cause. It was the only thing that made sense back then. Once you have explanations for the unknown, then you can be focused enough to hunt, eat, survive, procreate, and take care of the newer generation.

Things have changed now. We have scientific explanations. Those who have special intelligence tend to get that there is really no evidence or need for a God, that homosexuality is not a choice, that other human beings have feelings regardless of whether you know them or not, and that teaching fairy tales in science class is absurd.

Post 666: How To Make Something From Nothing

2010-02-12T16:40:00.004-05:00

I see it happen every two weeks when my pay check is deposited into my bank account.
Anyway, the problem with time and something from nothing is tackled by Mr. Deity (Abbott and Costello style!):

Nothing from something is very possible. Try this argument with a Fundy: Use a pair of jeans of an active kid as an example, check the fabric on the knees out, now after time, what happens to the knees of jeans for a young kid?; You wind up with a hole where the knee fabric was once there. Nothing from something. Hah!

I think I may have jumped the shark with this post, my 666th post since I started blogging.

The Ultimate Atheist Themed Movie Doesn't Mention Atheism

2010-01-31T10:37:00.007-05:00

I'm not one to go to the movies. Never was, never will be. I'm content with waiting a year or two, and then watching it on the Movie Channel for which I pay $17 or $18 a month. I like movies, don't get me wrong, but I'm just not motivated to have to watch them in public on a big screen.

I've been married now almost 20 years. The last movie my wife and I saw was Forrest Gump around 14 years ago, no wait, it was South Park Uncut 10 years ago. Sure, I would go more if she was into it, but she isn't either. Who said we have nothing in common?

Last night I watched a movie called Whatever Works on the Movie Network. Missed the debut by around a year I guess. It isn't hard to get me to watch a Woody Allen flick, even if Woody Allen isn't in it. This one had Larry David in it...could have easily been Woody Allen maybe 10 years ago.

This movie was the ultimate in atheist themed movies that I can remember seeing. Larry David plays a divorced genius who was once considered for a Nobel Prize in Physics. Totally neurotic, and even suicidal (an atheist stereotype to an extent, because of the realization that just about everything is meaningless from an objective perspective, which is Larry David's perspective in the movie). Actually, it is relationships and love and luck that continues to keep Larry David alive (from trying to kill himself more often).

The movie is funny throughout, and I can see Fundies walking out on it. It pokes fun at the hypocrisy of Bible Belters as well. Three out of three became their own person once moving to the agnostic world of New York City.

I could be wrong, but I don't recall the word atheist being uttered once. But the movie is full of lines an atheist would say.

Here is the trailer:

Another brief review can be found at Atheist Spirituality.

Another review with another scene at Atheist Movies. This post is from yesterday, I swear to Darwin I didn't see it before I wrote this post up this morning.

Pat Robertson Said Nothing Wrong If You Are A Religidiot

2010-01-21T09:18:00.004-05:00

I'm really getting lazy lately. I wanted to post this five or six days ago, but I think I'm losing my enthusiasm to blog. Hopefully this is a just a temporary setback because I like blogging.

So Pat Robertson blames the Haiti earthquake on a deal with the devil. If you are a bible literalist or someone who believes God performs miracles, there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying God causes horrible stuff that happens all over the world. You can't just claim the good stuff, and you can't expect God to have changed.

God is the same dude who flooded the earth and killed every living land animal except two of each. Just because he didn't like the way things were going.

The guy is one cold hearted bastard. Childish vengeance is what God is all about. So why are some theists throwing Robertson under the bus? I just don't get it.

An Atheist's NFL Predictions

2010-01-09T10:37:00.003-05:00

Most who have been following my blog for a while know that I have a passion for the NFL. I play in Fantasy Football leagues, and I've been known to wager on a game or two.

One of my friends asked me for my predictions for the Wild Card Playoff games that start today.

Something weird dawned on me. After giving my picks, I found that I liked all the teams this week that had a (non human) animal as their nickname.

The Cincinnati BENGALS, the Philadelphia EAGLES, the Baltimore RAVENS, and the Arizona CARDINALS are my selections for this week.

Did the fact that my last post had to do with the absurdity of Noah's Ark subconsciously influence my picks? Or did I subconsciously make my selections before I felt compelled to post the Noah's Ark video? Since there is probably no God, the answer to this mystery will never be solved.

Now, I do have a problem not allowing human beings to be also placed under the "animal" classification. But including the New England PATRIOTS, the Dallas COWBOYS, and Green Bay PACKERS as animals would have taken out a lot of material for this particular post I'm making. So just as I am able to empathize with the animal kingdom and support animal rights causes, yet I'm also able to eat meat, I'm also able to accept the biblical definition of animal when it suits my purpose.

Another thing that made me do a double take was the nickname Packers. For my almost 49 years on this planet, I never thought about what Packers are. It would be funny if it is short for Fudge Packers, but alas it is not. So for those who care, here is the history of the Packer name straight out of Wikipedia:

Curly Lambeau, the team's founder, solicited funds for uniforms from his employer, the Indian Packing Company. He was given $500 for uniforms and equipment, on condition that the team be named for its sponsor (a similar event would occur the following year with the Decatur Staleys, who later became the Chicago Bears). An early newspaper article referred to the new Green Bay team as "the Indians" but by the time they played their first game they had adopted the name "Packers."

In the early days, the Packers also were referred to as the "Bays" and the "Blues" (and even occasionally as "the Big Bay Blues"). These never were official nicknames, although Lambeau did consider replacing "Packers" with "Blues" in the 1920s.

In 1920, the Indian Packing Company was purchased by the Acme Packing Company. Acme continued its support of Lambeau's team, and in its first season in the NFL the team wore jerseys with the words "ACME PACKERS" emblazoned on the chest.

The only team this week that is named after an object is the New York JETS. But other than the Cleveland BROWNS and Buffalo BILLS (which has an animal for a town name and uses the Buffalo as their logo), all other teams are named after either humans or animals.

I don't get why birds are so popular for football teams especially. Meat eating animals are OK though like The Bears.

OK, back to my NFL predictions. So lets say I'm right about the first round. Now here is where it gets trickier. I think Arizona will beat Minnesota and New Orleans will beat Philadelphia next week. The San Diego Chargers will kill the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens will upset the Indianapolis Colts (of course, Baltimore would have to upset the New England Patriots tomorrow first).

I like Arizona to upset the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers to take care of Baltimore.

In the Super Bowl, I predict the San Diego Chargers will be victorious.

Incidentally, the Chargers are not named after a credit card customer or an instrument that replenishes batteries. They are actually named after a charging horse (a large strong horse formerly ridden into battle). But evolution reared its ugly head, and the Chargers lost the horse, and now only have a lightning bolt associated with them.

The horse's head (never on the helmet) went extinct after the 1973 season.

So much for irreducible complexity. According to Intelligent Design Theory, one would have to think that if you took out something as functional as a horse's head, the system would cease to exist. Apparently the lightning bolt is still thriving and so are the San Diego Chargers.

Last year, I'm still upset that Jesus didn't help Arizona Cardinal's quarterback Kurt Warner win the Super Bowl. He made it close, but allowed a divine miracle to occur right near the end of the game when Santonio Holmes made an unbelievable catch:

Jesus and God, I still can't figure out if they are one and the same at times, have done a great job to make it seem that there is randomness to who they favour and who they let win NFL football games.

There could be another explanation. It has been 10 since Jesus and God bet on Kurt Warner in the Super Bowl. Why do God and Jesus need to bet? I'll let the theologians chime in and answer that one. I'm sure they'll come up with a reason.

Noah's Ark And The Great Flood LMAO

2010-01-05T10:19:00.003-05:00

This is a really good video. It deserves to be seen by as many people as possible so I am helping it get more exposure, hopefully. I'd love to see it go viral.

This video not only illustrates how the idea of Noah's Ark is scientifically impossible, but it also shuts the door to the theological argument for why God would even choose to flood the earth in the first place.

Plus it is funny as hell:

How can anyone in their right mind believe Noah's Ark and The Great Flood really happened, even in a remote way? It's a friggen fairy tale, nothing more, nothing less.

Who Is George Galloway?

2010-01-01T09:46:00.003-05:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Happy New. Moving right along...

George Galloway is a terrorist supporting hypocrite. Plain and simple. The name may or may not be familiar to readers here, but he has been in the news because he is part of a "humanitarian" group out to "help out" Gazans. Even the Egyptians frown up these "humanitarians." Egypt recognizes Hamas and Hamas supporting swine like Galloway for the thugs that they are.

The Far Left really boggles my mind. They just can't identify the victim because to them, those with the least are ALWAYS the victim, whether they are robbers, rapists, or terrorists. They can even blame the West and even Israel for the attempted underwear bombing by a very well to do Muslim.

Galloway reminds me a lot of Sid Ryan (Ontario Cupe's President.

Here is Galloway caught lying big time:

George Galloway was banned from coming to Canada earlier last year. The government could have used many reasons to ban him, but chose just one (his stance on Afghanistan).

Galloway is now comparing Israel to a mini-Mengele because of organ harvesting. If you want to put things in a real perspective, read this.

Christians Won The War On Christmas Again

2009-12-26T10:21:00.002-05:00

Dang it. What are we doing wrong? Christmas was celebrated in countless households yesterday once again.

No Christian or atheist casualties either. Some war.

Like I've stated before, I like Christmas. It is just like Halloween to me. Lots of fiction associated with it. It is the time of year when Christians celebrate a make believe birthday for a make believe Jesus.

Anything that brings families together is OK with me. Plus I always like the idea that besides being a time of year to give presents, it is a great time of year for Christians to pick and choose who they send cards to, give presents to, or even phone. They can tell a person how much they dislike them, by doing nothing. But it is really the thought that counts.

I live in a predominantly Christian area, and had no problem saying Merry Christmas to one and all.

As long as separation of Church and State is maintained, Merry Christmas to everyone.

Dexter Dexter Dexter

2009-12-17T20:11:00.002-05:00

I'm a huge fan of Dexter. It is actually the one show me and the wife watch together. She was stubborn and didn't watch the first two seasons but one day I forced it on her. She has been hooked ever since.

Lately there haven't been many shows on TV that I actually look forward to each week. I didn't think anything would replace Sopranos for me. But Dexter does the trick.

I used to be a much easier sell when it came to looking forward to TV shows each week. In the early 70's I used to look forward to watching The Partridge Family. And then there was Fernwood Tonight when I was in high school. I had to watch it.

OK, now about Dexter (PLEASE NOTE: SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT).

I think, I don't know, I think that the show has a fairly intelligent following. You know, people like me who think about all kinds of outcomes and scenarios. The writing has been very good. Sure, I've spotted some holes before, but they didn't bug me that much.

But I even blurted out to my wife three shows ago that the writing is starting to get a bit lazy. It started when Dexter returned the kidnapped boy. I'm thinking, in what state did Dexter return the boy. Was he still conked out? If he was did Dexter leave him on a porch or something? C'mon writers WTF. Obviously the kid wasn't awake or he would be able to describe Dexter to the police.

OK, so now we get to the second last episode of season 4. Dexter allows himself to be followed. Yeah, I know that Dexter's character has become more careless, but he had to think he was being set up when he got a call from Arthur from an arcade and there was no sign of Arthur. There were only two options. Arthur just kidnapped another boy or he was being set up. He had to assume that Arthur got his victim, and that would have motivated him to forget his sister's immediate need for someone to talk to and save the child once more.

I had this other thought after the second last episode. Because Dexter's family had become so important to him, why wasn't he just letting the police solve the Trinity killing, now that he knew that Arthur could point out new victims (the 10 year old children that were buried alive under asphalt). Surely, Dexter could now emphasize with the parents and family of missing children. At that point, if Dexter killed Arthur, the burial grounds of all those kids would die with him.

Now we get to the season finale. I had to watch it again, just to make sure that the holes I felt were real holes. There were way too many.

First off, Dexter and Arthur make a deal to leave one another alone. There is every indication that Arthur would have lived up to the deal. But things change when Dexter goes immediately after him, only to leave Arthur knocked out in his car when things go bad and Dexter winds up in jail.

Dexter is in jail, he doesn't know how long Arthur will be out for, and he knows Arthur is a serial killer who knows his identity. At this point he should be calling Rita (his wife) to get the kids and her butt out of the house.

Anyway, that didn't happen, and Dexter goes back to the scene where he left Arthur unconscious.

Arthur abandons his van? Why?

Next, we see Arthur break into Dexter's home? Dexter knew Arthur might have guessed that Dexter knocked him out by now. What time did Arthur break in? Where was everybody? And better yet, what mode of transportation did Arthur use to get to the house? He didn't pick up his convertible until after he broke into the house and he left the other vehicle in an underground parking lot.

What's next? The cops interview the boy that was kidnapped? Why wasn't the kid grilled after he was kidnapped period? And why didn't he mention the fact that Arthur kept calling him Arthur?

Now we get to Arthur's capture. Why wasn't there a police manhunt for Arthur's vehicles? His family knew he still had the convertible. Why assume he flew away? And how did Arthur deal with that convertible? We saw him throw Arthur's cut up remains in the bay, but what did he do with the car? You can't just leave a killer's car out on the side of the highway.

Now we come to Rita's death. It had to happen during the day. By fluke, Rita came back to the house, we know that. But again, the continuation of the show makes it appear that Arthur went on to disappearance as soon as he picked up the convertible from the body shop. So what mode of transportation did Arthur use when he went to Dexter's house the second time when the murder was committed? And why would Arthur kill Rita in front of the baby? It was totally against his pattern. And Arthur had no way of knowing that Dexter went through a similar circumstance.

Lazy sloppy writing. And many clues regarding Season 5:

When Arthur came to station where Dexter works, Batista (a detective) had to notice Arthur's face. Is that going to be part of next year's plot?

Before Dexter knocks down Quinn, he says he is investigating the Kyle Butler case. Again, Quinn is a detective. Arthur's family knows Dexter as Kyle Butler, and there is no reason why the FBI will give up looking for Arthur, so the family will still remain as witnesses.

Is Dexter going to be the main suspect in his wife's murder? He has a history of hitting the neighbor who kissed Rita. He won't have a good alibi for where is was when she died. Or an excuse for why he didn't leave with her. The fact that there were no missing boys five days ahead of time, will take Arthur off the hook. And Deborah knows how messed up Dexter might really be by now, knowing his history.

Plus it will also come out, if I'm right, that Dexter was arrested for violent behavior, right at a place where Arthur's truck was left.

And when Dexter's picture appears in the paper, Arthur's family is bound to recognize him and go to the cops.

Too many potential holes still for next year. I doubt they are will get resolved. And I know it shouldn't bug me, but it does. It bugs me more than knowing that in the Simpson's it is impossible for Springfield to be in any one particular state. That is how much it bugs me.

Those Pesky Global Warming Emails Explained

2009-12-10T14:51:00.005-05:00

Potholer54 does an excellent job informing the non willfully ignorant on the so called damning emails that the media and especially the Religious Right (in disguise) has jumped on as evidence that Global Warming is a scam:

Lots of fuss, over next to nothing. And all these people screaming scam, don't even understand what it is they are screaming about.

From another source: "You can't tell what they are talking about. Scientists say '' not just to mean deception. They mean it as a clever way of doing something - a short cut can be a ."

For those who really want to know about Climate Change, Potholer54 has a playlist of reasonably short videos which explains it all in non biased layman's terms.

Why Global Warming Denialists Exist

2009-12-03T09:03:00.004-05:00

Lets forget about the big business reasons to deny Global Warming caused by man for a moment.

One thing that doesn't seem to get a lot of attention is that most Global Warming denialists are also evolution denialists. Yes, the connection has been made, but there hasn't been lots said, and motivations aren't really being looked at.

I'm going to hypothesize about the reasons.

Bible literalists love any sort of perceived ambiguity in science (even if it doesn't really exist). Why? Because they are brainwashed thinking that if anything in their bible is wrong, the whole bible is wrong. So the fact that scientists have not come up with a consensus on Global Warming, and some believe that it is mostly man made, while others believe it is mostly a natural climate change, while others think that it is a mixture of the two, and aren't sure about the magnitude of man made causes regarding the current heating of the climate.

It is the same tactic used by creationists who quote Gould regarding his hypothesis regarding evolution happening abruptly. The fact that there were and still are debates regarding this, makes creationists state that the jury is out on evolution.

Of course, the data shows the earth is heating up and that evolution happened. But because the EXACT mechanisms are figured out yet, gives creationists the ability to say that evolution and Global Warming is not real science.

Another reason could be that creationists don't think that there is such a thing as climate change, well, except when God makes it rain for 40 straight days. 45% of Americans believe the earth is less than 10,000 years old. So using logic, most of them don't believe there have been Ice Ages, since the last one started around 20,000 years ago, at least 10,000 years before God created everything.

Personally, I don't think that these people really think about such things as the real age of the earth. The majority just drool at the mouth when they perceive they have any chance that there is a science conspiracy.

More Strong Evidence For Evolution That A Creationist Could Accept

2009-11-26T20:18:00.002-05:00

If you are a creationist, please try to follow this video. It shows how molecular biology confirms evolution:

Buckingham Palace Will Become A Mosque

2009-11-21T21:06:00.005-05:00

And the Queen will have a choice, become Muslim or leave (maybe die, but I guess they interviewed a moderate Muslim):

These people are bat shit crazy. But they are a dangerous kind of crazy.

I just needed to post the video.

Can you imagine Jews saying that Buckingham Palace will become a synagogue? Of course not. Jews don't proselytize for one thing. There is no goal for Jews to be a majority except out of necessity in Israel right now.

Besides, according to Jew haters, Jews only need to be around 1% of the population to control everything from government policy to the weather.

Another interesting tidbit I came across. Did you know that since the creation of Israel in 1948 over 11 million Muslims have died violent deaths. And over 35,000 deaths happened in and around the disputed territories in Israel. Only around 10 million of those Muslim deaths were at the hand of other Muslims.

All the Jooo paranoid imbeciles who like to blame radical Islam on Israel really need to read more.

Palestinians Finally Recognized By American Sitcoms

2009-11-16T07:59:00.007-05:00

American sitcoms have completely stayed away from Palestinians. Touchy subject matter? Taboo? Maybe, the over representation of Jewish writers have something to do with, as collectively, as they want to stay away from material that they might be too emotional about.
Well, the Palestinians were finally recognized yesterday on Family Guy.
Thank you once again Seth MacFarlane.

In the following clip, Peter Griffin is making a comparison about how useless the ham radio is that he bought from his buddy Quagmire. "Well this thing is worthless, like my Palestinian alarm clock":

If you didn't laugh, you don't belong in the West.

On a serious note, the Palestinians have behaved much better of late. So much so, no matter what their ultimate intentions are, they have swung world opinion towards them. I'm not talking the world opinion of the Far Left Moonbats or Far Right Hitlerites who already for different reasons supported the Palestinians. I'm talking about those in the center. And the demography that matter, the secular centrists (of which I am a member).

Certainly, the wall and the Gaza ass kicking has helped deter the Palestinians from major terrorist activity lately, but the reality is that since terrorism hasn't been happening, stalling tactics by Israel to make a Palestinian state happen are starting to be noticed even by the most rational of thinkers.

Up until now, the Palestinians have not deserved a state, nor have they shown desire for one that included even Israel living side by side them. And there is a good chunk of Palestinians that won't ever accept a Jewish majority state ever, including Hamas......at least on paper.

But now without violence, Israel has no choice but to do their best to let the Palestinians have a state and see what happens, at least if they want to be seen as a country that has Western ethics going for them.

A Palestinian state is problematic because of the settlements. And a real solution is going to need extreme compromising from both sides. I do know that settlements need to cease until something is agreed upon, as their growth at this time are making Israel the bad guy, and up until very recently, the Palestinians and surrounding Arab countries have been the bad guy without any doubt.

Dualies

2009-11-07T11:41:00.002-05:00

One of the biggest angles used by Joooo paranoid anti-semitic circus freaks is the concept of "dualies," or dual citizenship where Jews are supposedly more loyal to Israel than they are to mainly to their own country (mainly used in regards to American Jews).

Here is the thing, nobody born in any country signs on the dotted line that their number one concern is to be their country of origin or their current country.

The idea of being loyal to your country ahead of all else is ridiculous. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, but it doesn't happen very often with anyone.

Lets look at me for instance. I'm a Canadian, atheist, ethnic Jew, married, no kids, a dog, a cat (that really shouldn't be on this list), and I work as a consultant.

My point is that loyalties change depending on the situation. As human beings, we have evolved an innate need to survive, and usually the survival instinct isn't about the greater good, but our own selfish need to survive as individuals.

My biggest concern is myself, followed by my wife, my dog, and my extended family. My country only concerns me when it does something to affect my main concerns. I'm loyal to those who employ me, but I can be bought too (though nobody is beating the door down).

As for ethnicity, because most of my family are Jews, Israel becomes a concern for me as well. Keeping in mind that Israel exists for me as a place of final refuge if anti-semitism gets out of hand either personally or even with others who share my ethnicity anywhere on this planet. But what Canada does affects me on a day to day basis much more than what Israel does (which hardly affects me at all, except maybe emotionally).

More important to me, than my country, is the idea of separation of church and state, the treatment of atheists, and educating the world that evolution is fact, and creation has no place in science class.

Why is this so important? As humans, I think most of us evolved the idea that when we know we are right, we want others to know and understand what we are right about....this is also true when it comes to those who think they are right as well but might be wrong, and those who are wrong (creationists).

I guess the idea of loyalty really comes into play when the situation is tense. For instance, lets say that a gun man enters my home and takes a gun out and says either you take a bullet in your head, or your wife does? What would I do? This is complicated. My inclination is that I live (might have to do with me being pretty much sure there is no after life, and this is my only shot having a life), but the story would probably come out that I had a choice. Could I go on knowing that people know that I let my wife have her brains blown out so I could live? This too is evolution based. We have evolved a sense of guilt. This sense usually stops us from being the shooter, but it also leads to how we behave under pressure.

What about if I was given top secret info from the Mounties that Israel was going to be bombed by Iran tomorrow, but I was also told that Canada for whatever reason, doesn't want to warn Israel, so I can't say anything. I would in fact warn them, as I would warn the USA, Great Britain, etc. (I wouldn't warn a Muslim majority country though....just being honest).

I guess I'm loyal to Westerners not dying ahead of my country.

Note: If I was told the Israel for whatever reason was to bomb a Western country, I would warn the Western country as well.

This brings me to the Fort Hood shooting. This is sort of where the idea of dualies, and loyalties gets really muddy. This is where loyalties lie with those who follow cults that go against The Golden Rule. Islam is such a cult in my eyes.

There is not another religious ideology that allows or makes excuses for the blowing up or shooting of innocent people.

A convert or die attitude while spreading Islam around the world seems to be the Muslim thingy. Sure, not many have died.....so far, but one thing is clear, Islam is not compatible with the West (which for the most part, respects The Golden Rule).

Can we trust as Westerners trust Islam firsters? I'm having a hard time with it the more I know. It is very important that the West does not bend to Muslims anymore. And profiling when they have positions that could bring harm to others, shouldn't be out of the question either.

Sure, this was just one incident. But who would fly planes into buildings full of civilians, or praise their God while going on a shooting spree? I can't think of anyone, but Muslims.

As for the anti-semites who fail to see the distinction between Jews and Muslims, here is an interesting tidbit found regarding Hasan:

“I got the impression that he was a committed soldier,” Khan said. He spoke often with Hasan about Hasan’s desire for a wife.

On a form filled out by those seeking spouses through a program at the mosque, Hasan listed his birthplace as Arlington, Va., but his nationality as Palestinian, Khan said.

“I don’t know why he listed Palestinian,” Khan said, “He was not born in Palestine.”

You don't see Canadian or American Jews saying their nationality is Israeli or Jewish.

Muslims have a concept that there is such a thing as Muslim land or Arab land, and Israel is invading it, or stole it. Meanwhile, they have no problem "invading" Dearborn or just living on Western lands. Many Muslims have a problem with Westerners living in Muslim majority countries period. It is very hypocritical, but any culture that can accept suicide bombings of innocents isn't right in the head to begin with.

Evolution - The 'Best' Counter Arguments

2009-10-22T11:54:00.003-04:00

Some yutz named Meier left comments on my blog a month or two ago. He emailed me today, stating his newest comment was too long, and wasn't accepted. Same old mine quoting idiocy that bloggers like me see over and over again, by desperate creationists, who go to great lengths embarrassing themselves.

Instead of refuting each mine quote, I did a quick search and found this great vidoe. It cover most Meier's crapola:

Here is Meiers email:

Hi friend,

I could not post a comment on your blog because its length would not be accommodated,
so I do it here.

Moses - a fictional character? I'll have to provide you proof that it's otherwise,
just as I've collected proof against the evolutionary theory you so proudly flaunt.

I lost which thread I last wrote you so I'll take the opportunity here to show you what I've come up with to refute your arguments, since then.

Since you disregard the large gaps in the fossil record, you may be interested in some published quotes from recognized evolutionary biologists on the subject:

"Given the fact of evolution, one would expect the fossils to document a gradual steady change from ancestral forms to the descendants. But this is not what the paleontologist finds. Instead, he or she finds gaps in just about every phyletic series." (Ernst Mayr-Professor Emeritus, Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, What Evolution Is, 2001, p.14.)

"All paleontologists know that the fossil record contains precious little in the way of intermediate forms; transitions between major groups are characteristically abrupt. Gradualists usually extract themselves from this dilemma by invoking the extreme imperfection of the fossil record." (Gould, Stephen J. The Panda's Thumb, 1980, p. 189.)

"What is missing are the many intermediate forms hypothesized by Darwin, and the continual divergence of major lineages into the morphospace between distinct adaptive types." (Carroll, Robert L., "Towards a new evolutionary synthesis," in Trends in Evolution and Ecology 15(1):27-32, 2000, p. 27.)

"Given that evolution, according to Darwin, was in a continual state of motion ...it followed logically that the fossil record should be rife with examples of transitional forms leading from the less to more evolved. ...Instead of filling the gaps in the fossil record with so-called missing links, most paleontologists found themselves facing a situation in which there were only gaps in the fossil record, with no evidence of transformational evolutionary intermediates between documented fossil species." (Schwartz, Jeffrey H., Sudden Origins, 1999, p. 89.)

"He [Darwin] prophesied that future generations of paleontologists would fill in these gaps by diligent search....It has become abundantly clear that the fossil record will not confirm this part of Darwin's predictions. Nor is the problem a miserably poor record. The fossil record simply shows that this prediction was wrong." (Eldridge, Niles, The Myths of Human Evolution, 1984, pp.45-46.)

"There is no need to apologize any longer for the poverty of the fossil record. In some ways it has become almost unmanageably rich, and discovery is out-pacing integration...The fossil record nevertheless continues to be composed mainly of gaps." (George, T. Neville, "Fossils in Evolutionary Perspective," Science Progress, vol. 48 January 1960, pp. 1-3.)

"It is interesting that all the cases of gradual evolution that we know about from the fossil record seem to involve smooth changes without the appearance of novel structures and functions." (Wills, C., Genetic Variability, 1989, p. 94-96.)

"We seem to have no choice but to invoke the rapid divergence of populations too small to leave legible fossil records." (Stanley, S.M., The New Evolutionary Timetable: Fossils, Genes, and the Origin of Species, 1981, p. 99.)

"Instead of finding the gradual unfolding of life, what geologists of Darwin's time, and geologists of the present day actually find is a highly uneven or jerky record; that is, species appear in the sequence very suddenly, show little or no change during their existence in the record, then abruptly go out of the record. and it is not always clear, in fact it's rarely clear, that the descendants were actually better adapted than their predecessors. In other words, biological improvement is hard to find." (Raup, David M., "Conflicts Between Darwin and Paleontology," Bulletin, Field Museum of Natural History, vol. 50, 1979, p. 23.)

"As we shall see when we take up the creationist position, there are all sorts of gaps: absence of graduationally intermediate 'transitional' forms between species, but also between larger groups -- between say, families of carnivores, or the orders of mammals. In fact, the higher up the Linnaean hierarchy you look, the fewer transitional forms there seem to be." (Eldredge, Niles, The Monkey Business: A Scientist Looks at Creationism, 1982, p. 65-66.)

"A persistent problem in evolutionary biology has been the absence of intermediate forms in the fossil record. Long term gradual transformations of single lineages are rare and generally involve simple size increase or trivial phenotypic effects. Typically, the record consists of successive ancestor-descendant lineages, morphologically invariant through time and unconnected by intermediates." (Williamson, P.G., Palaeontological Documentation of Speciation in Cenozoic Molluscs from Turkana Basin, 1982, p. 163.)

"What one actually found was nothing but discontinuities: All species are separated from each other by bridgeless gaps; intermediates between species are not observed . . . The problem was even more serious at the level of the higher categories." (Mayr, E., Animal Species and Evolution, 1982, p. 524.)

"The known fossil record is not, and never has been, in accord with gradualism. What is remarkable is that, through a variety of historical circumstances, even the history of opposition has been obscured . . . 'The majority of paleontologists felt their evidence simply contradicted Darwin's stress on minute, slow, and cumulative changes leading to species transformation.' . . . their story has been suppressed." (Stanley, S.M., The New Evolutionary Timetable, 1981, p. 71.)

"The record jumps, and all the evidence shows that the record is real: the gaps we see reflect real events in life's history - not the artifact of a poor fossil record." (Eldredge, N. and Tattersall, I., The Myths of Human Evolution, 1982, p. 59.)

"The fossil record flatly fails to substantiate this expectation of finely graded change." (Eldredge, N. and Tattersall, I., The Myths of Human Evolution, 1982, p. 163.)

"The fossil record itself provided no documentation of continuity - of gradual transition from one animal or plant to another of quite different form." (Stanley, S.M., The New Evolutionary Timetable: Fossils, Genes and the Origin of Species, 1981, p. 40.)

"The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages between major transitions in organic design, indeed our inability, even in our imagination, to construct functional intermediates in many cases, has been a persistent and nagging problem for gradualistic accounts of evolution." (Gould, Stephen J., "Is a New and General Theory of Evolution Emerging?," 1982, p. 140.)

- wishing you well, my friend.

--
Meir
www.hezbos.blogspot.com

By default, always take the high road.
*************************************************************
My response:

Thanks Meir, but I have no use for someone who is willfully ignorant. I read the first three paragraphs, and when you mine quote scientists, that is enough. I've seen all your crapola before from others. It is useless. You evolution deniers are jokes. Mine quoting from 1980, 1971. Sheesh. Do you have any self respect?

There has not one scientific study that has refuted evolution. Not one. All finds fit into the evolution jigsaw puzzle. Not one find that goes against evolution. You are embarrassing Jews with your nonsensical crap. Seriously. The overwhelming majority of Jews accept evolution. You have big psychological problems (severe brainwashing perhaps) which has taken away your reasoning powers when it comes to this topic.

Please stop embarrassing Jews by denying evolution on the internet. You make us look bad. If you want to believe in fairy tales, fine. If you want to believe that evolution is bull, fine. But use a non Jewish name when you do it on the internet.

You really need to read Dawkins new book with an open mind.

Sincerely,

The Atheist Jew

If your religion can't accept evolution as fact, it is ridiculous from the getgo.
**********************************************

His response (so much for taking the high road hee hee):

Keep eating your bacon, nameless, it seems
to be working - making you mindless.
**************************************
My response:

It is you who has been brainwashed. Not me. Every single mine quote you made has been tackled by those who understand evolution. Some refuted, and some explained. The scientists who you mine quote, all accept evolution as fact. You are an embarrassment to Jews. But luckily and not surprisingly, you are not in the majority. A complete reality denier in order to make your version of fairy tales correct. You are sad, but it due to severe brainwashing. Snap out of it.

Roman Polanski's Story Could Have Been An Old Testament Saga

2009-10-07T21:34:00.002-04:00

OK, I had a tough time writing this at times. But my smiles overcame me.

Is it just me or has it dawned on anyone else that Roman Polanski's life to date would have made a great story in the Old Testament?

I'm no expert on the Old Testament, but I know enough of the themes of many of the stories that I see that if Polanski was born 3000 years earlier, he would either be a hero, tragic character, or villain, depending on the writer's interpretation of what Polanski did in context to what God desired him to do.

I checked a brief biography of Polanski's life on Wikipedia. His parents were agnostics, his mother born brought up Catholic (having a Catholic mother and a Jewish father), and his father was born a Jew.

Right there, God could have took a hissy fit and punish Polanski's dad for marrying a non Jew, and he could have put a pox on the family for that. In fact, that pox and hissy fit could have originated with Polanski's father, a Jew, who committed "the sin" of intermarriage. Again, it depends on what the bible writer wants to write and how he writes it.

Since most of you know the rest of the story. Let me state in with a biblical slant.
I've decided to place God's original wrath on Polanski's mother's father.

God was pissed that this Russian Jew would marry a Catholic and then raise his children Catholic. This pissed him off big time, but he waited to unleash his wrath.

One of the children Bula, was poison to God. Not only was she the product of a mixed marriage, and a doubter, she had to take it a step further, and seek out and seduce another Jew like her mother did. This made God froth at the mouth.

This intermarriage stuff was getting out of hand. God had to create the settings for the Holocaust to teach the Jews a lesson. And it was Bula's fault for putting him over the edge.

God wanted to punish Jews for marrying non Jews and non Jews for marrying Jews. Hitler was the perfect guy for the job, because Hitler didn't give a hoot about Jewish laws that state a Jew is a Jew by either religion or if the mother is a Jew. Hitler was down with what God wanted. He considered anyone who even had one Jewish grandparent to be a Jew.

The Polanski's were taken to concentration camps. God thought for a second, which Polanski should die. One needs to die, or what is the point? Bula, was the best choice. She would probably marry another Jew if she survived the camps. And women are only important to God if they are ethnic Jews. So Bula was killed, her husband allowed to live and reflect on his choice, and Roman was allowed to escape. God wasn't through with Roman yet.

Polanski was brought up Catholic from there. He was in fact, not an ethic Jew anyway, nor a religious one, God wanted to show the world what a mess the product of a mixed marriage can become.

The first thing God did was to inflict Polanski with the idea that 13 year old girls are hot, no matter how old you are. And God gave Polanski extra free will to act on his urges. Even though God gave everyone the same extra free will and the same desires during biblical times, this is now and that was then.

God saw that Polanski was unsure of his existence, and God wanted no part of Polanski believing in him even considering his existence. God just wanted to prove to the rest of the world he exists.

So God punished him some more, by sending a band of heathens who were worshiping false prophets to do his work. Polanski's wife, Sharon Tate was brutally murdered, in a way that made God smile.

So now, Polanski was faithless. But what else could God do to show the world that intermarriage is a grave sin? He did bless Roman with the urge to have sex with very young girls. So he tempted Roman with one, and Roman, who knew better, couldn't prevent the God given urge he had to booze up a 13 year and then rape her anally. God figured it would be cool to ad some Sodom and Gomorrah into Roman's story.

Even though back in biblical times, Roman wouldn't have received even a question when it came to raping a thirteen year old girl, God knew the times had changed enough and the general population developed ethics that contradicted those in the bible, and Roman had to flee.

For thirty years (why not 40?), he has been in exile. And the world now knoweth that intermarriage for Jews is a big no no.

The story continues.

Is Fox News Trying To Lose Or Confuse Viewers

2009-10-03T09:43:00.004-04:00

I've admitted here before that I watch Fox News. I'm gravitated to mostly because it is like watching a train wreck. I'm fascinated by the constant whining and spinning of the marginalized Religious Right disguising themselves as journalists and a political party. The cute on air blondes don't hurt their cause with me either.

So I put it on this morning, and two featured stories today made me ask myself "is this Fox or CNN?"

First they had a medical expert who said that half the newborns in the USA today will live to at least 104. Interesting fact, but also took it a step further and said that America has dropped to 40 something from 11th in the past decade when it comes to countries and life expectancy. And you know what he blamed it on? NOT HAVING NATIONAL HEALTH CARE. Wow, on Fox. Even the talking heads couldn't dispute what he was talking about.

Some more advice from the health guy, he said Americans need to go out and "walk."

Then, to top it off, they had their science expert discussing the recent find of Ardi.

One of the talking heads asked if this was the missing link. And the science guy gave a real answer, that this find is too young because it is only 4 million years old and that humans and chimps diverged around 6 million years ago. Although the real real answer (I can say real real if Whoopi can say rape rape) is that it is in fact a missing link. There are many, but scientists have also found many links that are no longer missing, so that they know pretty much what the missing links would look like.

But the guy on Fox this morning amazed me, before the find was discussed he called this exciting news and even blurted out "wake the kids." This was the same guy, I think, who not so long ago did a one sided interview with that Discovery Institute imbecile who reminds me a little of David Schwimmer (Casey Luskin), who was going on and on about how science books have it wrong when it comes to evolution.

I just saw the Luskin video again, and the guy who interviewed the Fox science expert was not the same dough head who interviewed Luskin.

Any way, what are the people who take Fox News seriously (evolution deniers and/or teabaggers) gonna think after watching this mornings broadcast?

Proof Teabaggers Are Bat Shit Crazy

2009-09-19T20:34:00.003-04:00

I know this was edited, but all it did was preach to the choir when it comes to my opinion of the whining marginalized Religious Right. The majority of them are absolutely clueless:

HT/Goddess Reigns Supreme (a known anti-semite), but I still have to give credit where credit is due.

If I Could Have Dinner With Anyone Living Or Dead

2009-09-15T09:18:00.002-04:00

Wouldn't it be great to get into a famous person's head for a few hours?

Who to pick? Jesus and Moses most probably never existed, but even if they did, I can always go to Toronto and go to Queen and Sherbourne and talk to just about anyone on the street to get the same out of a dinner with either of these fictional characters.

Since I'm married, and have this ridiculous notion that I must be faithful, it makes no sense to choose a sexy woman from past or present.

How about scientific discovery? Charles Darwin would be a pretty good choice, but he did have failing health much of his latter life, and it might be a turn off eating with someone who might have old puke stains in their beard (see, I'm thinking of everything).

The US Founding Fathers? It might be cool to sit with Jefferson and ask exactly what he thought about God and Christianity, and I could fill him in on Darwin and evolution, and then ask him "so what are you now? Deist? Theist? or Atheist? or are you going to cop out and say agnostic?"

But of all the people living and dead, I would choose Seth MacFarlane. Usually, I'm not one to put one person above everyone else, except for myself that is, but when it comes to Seth, I have to make an exception. Does this make me a weirdo? I don't care, we are all weirdos in some ways at least.

Oh, and apparently there really is a Peter Griffin:

H/T Joe's Big Blog (I took the picture from another site though, but check out Joe's blog, it has lots of funny stuff on it).

When Did Liberal Become Such A Dirty Word

2009-09-05T08:14:00.006-04:00

Watching Fox News this morning, I've heard the word "liberal" being tossed around like it is a disease.

Lets look at the definition of "liberal:"

a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

Why would anyone want to be anything else? Makes no sense to me.

I'm not talking about being a Far Left whack job who pushes tolerance of behavior of others to the extreme. There are limits. A rapist is a rapist is a rapist, and I don't care what drove him to become one. A suicide bomber is a suicide bomber is a suicide bomber and I don't care what drove him to blow up innocent people. Yes, the far Left has major problems because they can't identify who the perpetrator is and who the victim is many times. They are not open minded because they tend to blame the real victim or society. They are not true liberals.

The word "liberal" in its truest sense has nothing to do with political affiliation unless the government has policies that are not progressive. A liberal would be against anything that stifles progress.

What exactly is the opposite of "liberal?" Here are some examples:

I'd rather be a dirty liberal any day.

Atheists In The Arab World? You Betcha

2009-08-30T10:03:00.002-04:00

There is a group on Facebook named The Intellectuals. It is full of atheists and/or freethinkers from the Arab world. There are 950 members currently.

I think this great, and it does quash a few misconceptions that I, and many others I'm sure, have about freedom of speech and atheism in Muslim territory.

I still don't know how much backlash an atheist in Egypt or Iraq gets from being a known atheist or how courageous, if at all, it is to be an open member of this group, knowing full well that one's Muslim friends would quickly find out that one thinks belief in Allah is full of crap.

I found out about this group because my blog happens to be one of the many GREAT atheist blogs linked on their Facebook site. They do have very good taste it seems.

I'm not courageous enough to join that group yet. What would my non atheist friends and family think? Do I need to explain myself that much to them? Besides, I'm not an Arab and I don't live in a Muslim country, so I'll use that as my excuse for now.

I stay away from my atheism on my Facebook site for the most part, though I do identify myself as a non believer and I have a few atheist bloggers as my friends.

I'm curious what the description of The Intellectuals group means. Maybe one of my readers can help me out. Here it is:

جروب لأرشفة أهم المدونات والمواقع والمنتديات الإلحادية واللادينية -والمناهضة لمظاهر الظلام الديني- على شبكة الإنترنت

Evolution Is A Fact, The Theory Is How We Understand It

2009-08-23T09:52:00.001-04:00

Good job Rapid Ape:

Town Hall Nut Jobs Embarrass The United States

2009-08-16T08:48:00.003-04:00

I realize there are pros and cons when it comes to the American health care debate. The main danger that comes with socialized medicine is that potentially the quality of physicians may decrease thanks to what would amount to caps on their wages and there could be less incentive to for research to happen as costs will need to come down, and in order to cut costs, drug prices need to come down.

As for the examples being thrown about using Canada, I'm sick of it. Personally, I do not know one person who went to the USA for any treatment. I know many people obviously have gone to the USA. But the stories of saved lives from doing so are few and far between. Yes, waiting times can be a bitch here, but does it really matter when we look at what is achieved collectively?

One stat that I just can't get away from is the fact that Canadians have a life expectancy two years greater than Americans. In fact, the USA ranks 47th on the list of countries in this category. Canada ranks 8th.

I don't buy diet or geography as being the reason why Canadians tend to live longer. I think Canadians eat just as much junk food collectively as Americans. And there are plenty of cold weather modern countries that have much lower life expectancies than Canada and even the USA.

America has more poverty pockets than Canada, at least right now they do. That contributes to lower life expectancy, as does gang violence and of course, the war doesn't help America's numbers, though we have lost quite a few Canadians in Afghanistan, America has lost a bigger percentage of their population.

Blacks in America have a life expectancy of around 6 years less than the average, and this brings down the average in the USA as well.

So lets say that when you take everything into consideration, lets just say that Canadians and Americans are expected to live the same life span, and expect the same quality of life as well.

The health care debate should just boil down to economics only. What system makes more economic sense when factoring in that as many citizens as possible need to be covered for anything that endangers their life.

As for the Town Hall bs. To me, all I see are a bunch of pissed off Republicans who have no clue what the issues are (I know, that there are a few that do know something). But for the most part, they are whining babies who can't cope with things like progress, a black Democrat in the White House, the thumping they took in the last election, Palin jokes, separation of church and state, and in probably most cases, EVOLUTION.

I'm convinced that 90% plus of the conservatives, who are making the USA look like a state full of mindless idiots at these Town Halls, do not accept evolution. I don't think that is a big stretch, since 45% of Americans do not accept evolution, and most of those are Republicans (the anti-science Party).

I'd like to see a few polls to prove I'm right. I know I am, but it would be nice to confirm it.

The Mind Of The Pittsburgh Fitness Club Killer

2009-08-05T10:07:00.005-04:00

So this guy goes into a fitness club and kills 3 women and injures 9 more.

He was just a few months older than I am. He wasn't a fan of Fundies. He believed religion was a waste. No kids. But that is where are similarities end. He was no atheist, and in fact, thought that God and Jesus, etc. would forgive him for the shootings and let him live in eternal bliss.

The guy hadn't been laid in 29 years. He had a quarter of a million dollar net worth, enough to afford a hooker or two or three.

But the big question has to do with his last entry at the bottom of this post. If he didn't think that he was destined for eternal life, would he have pulled the trigger?

I feel the need to copy George Sodini's blog in case it disappears. I didn't correct his spelling errors:

George Sodini
Age 48.
DOB 9/30/1960
DOD 8/4/2009
5-10, 155 lbs.
Never married.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA
Me

Why do this?? To young girls? Just read below. I kept a running log that includes my thoughts and actions, after I saw this project was going to drag on.

November 5, 2008:
Planned to do this in the summer but figure to stick around to see the election outcome. This particular one got so much attention and I was just curious. Not like I give a flying fcuk who won, since this exit plan was already planned. Good luck to Obama! He will be successful. The liberal media LOVES him. Amerika has chosen The Black Man. Good! In light of this I got ideas outside of Obama's plans for the economy and such. Here it is: Every black man should get a young white girl hoe to hone up on. Kinda a reverse indentured servitude thing. Long ago, many a older white male landowner had a young Negro wench girl for his desires. Bout' time tables are turned on that shit. Besides, dem young white hoez dig da bruthrs! LOL. More so than they dig the white dudes! Every daddy know when he sends his little girl to college, she be bangin a bruthr real good. I saw it. "Not my little girl", daddy says! (Yeah right!!) Black dudes have thier choice of best white hoez. You do the math, there are enough young white so all the brothers can each have one for 3 or 6 months or so.

December 22, 2008:
Time is moving along. Planned to have this done already. I will just keep a running log here as time passes. Many of the young girls here look so beautiful as to not be human, very edible. After joining this gym, started lifting weights and like it. Much info about weight programs, diet etc on the web. Or anything for that matter. Instead of TV I can Google for hours to relax. TV and most movies are dull.

December 24, 2008:
Moving into Christmas again. No girlfriend since 1984, last Christmas with Pam was in 1983. Who knows why. I am not ugly or too weird. No sex since July 1990 either (I was 29). No shit! Over eighteen years ago. And did it maybe only 50-75 times in my life. Getting to think that a woman now would just, uh, get in the way of things. Isolated. I have extra money and enjoy traveling, too, wtih my 25-30 days of vacation. LA was the best! But going alone is not too fun. Invited to a party on Christmas day tomorrow. Seems about 15-25 people will actually show. I like her parties; I can meet new people and talk. Got the next 8 days off. I should have exit plan done and practiced by then. I know nothing will change, no matter how hard I try or what goals I set.

December 28, 2008:
Glad I stayed around. All these days off are great. I will shoot for Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at maybe 8:15. I have list of to-do items to make.

December 29, 2008:
Just got back from tanning, been doing this for a while. No gym today, my elbow is sore again. I actually look good. I dress good, am clean-shaven, bathe, touch of cologne - yet 30 million women rejected me - over an 18 or 25-year period. That is how I see it. Thirty million is my rough guesstimate of how many desirable single women there are. A man needs a woman for confidence. He gets a boost on the job, career, with other men, and everywhere else when he knows inside he has someone to spend the night with and who is also a friend. This type of life I see is a closed world with me specifically and totally excluded. Every other guy does this successfully to a degree. Flying solo for many years is a destroyer. Yet many people say I am easy to get along with, etc. Looking back, I owe nothing to desirable females who ask for anything, except for basic courtesy - usually. Looking back over everything, what bothers me most is the inability to work towards whatever change I choose.

December 30, 2008:
While driving I radio surfed to a talk show. The caller was a 30ish black man who was describing the despair in certain black communities. According to him, life is cheap there because you are going to die anyway when you get old. It is the quality of life that is important, he said. If you know the past 40 years were crappy, why live another 30 crappy years then die? His point was they engage in dangerous behavior which tends to shorten the lifespans, to die now and avoid the next 30 crappy years, using my example. The host got sarcastic and ended the call instead of trying understanding his point. Agreement wasn't necesary. I put music back on. But it was an interesting, and useful point for me to hear.

December 31, 2008:
My anger and rage is largely gone since I began lifting weights. Lifting drains me but I still have energy. Somebody else suggested running but that did not help me. I guess strenuous exercise is necesary for a man. So I just learned that now at 48. Maybe 30 years later than I would have liked. My dad never (not once) talked to me or asked about my life's details and tell me what he knew. He was just a useless sperm doner. Don't know why, find it fun talking to young kids when I visit someone. Brother was actually counter-productive and would try to embarase me or discourage my efferts when persuing things, esp girls early on (teen years). Useless bully. Result is I am learning basics by trial and error in my 40s, followed by discuragement. Seems odd, but thats true. Writing all this is helping me justify my plan and to see the futility of continuing. Too embarassed to tell anyone this, at almost 50 one is expected to just know these things.
I hope it doesn't snow on Tuesday. Just thought of that. The crowd will be thin so I would postpone. Shit!

Now that I am on the topic of family and people I know, I might as well make a summary of sorts to show where things stand. This is New Years Eve I have time, no date tonight of course, so:

Honorable mention:

Tetelestai Church in Pittsburgh, PA - "Be Ye Holy, even as I have been Ye holy! Thus saith the lord thy God!", as pastor Rick Knapp would proclaim. Holy shit, religion is a waste. But this guy teaches (and convinced me) you can commit mass murder then still go to heaven. Ask him. Call him at (724) 325-2655. If no answer there, he should still live at 439 9th Street, Oakmont, PA 15139. In any case, guilt and fear kept me there 13 long years until Nov 2006. I think his crap did the most damage. Their web site: http://www.tetelestai.org.

Mum - The Central Boss. 717 Highview Road, Pgh PA 15234. Don't piss her off or she will be mad and vindictive for years. She actually thinks she's normal. Very dominant. Her way and only her way with no flexibility toward everyone in the household. A power and control thing. People outside the immediate family like her. Why are people vicious with their closest ones? She is the Boss above all other Bosses.

Michael Sodini - A Boss, my brother (Mike Sodini) 216 Horseshoe Dr, Mars PA - Always the big bully, twice the size of most others. When he bullied or harassed someone, it was the other person who "deserved it". It was always about him. Way to self absorbed, too. Still is. Used to like to embarrass guys in front of their girlfriends. Lots of other shit. Kind of guy you actually loved to hate. The biggest, most self-centered jagoff I know. He took those bullying "skills" into the business world and is doing good financially. He is a big wheel only in his mind. Most people can see thru all his manipulation. He calls only when he wants something.

Sherry - sister - More of a victim than anything. Copes by exercising much control over her adult children. We used to be close until her control of L & D caused a conflict. Never the same after.

David - neph, sis's son (girlfriend Mallory Squires). Good young guy, though.

Lisa - niece, sis's daught. Attractive, smart, emotional - all good YW qualities.

Idiots:

Andy Pulkowski - I have been in barrooms and church groups. The worst people by far are the religious types. Especially a right-wing, stiff-faced fundie like Andy. A condescending, demeaning, passive-aggresive person. Frigid, rigid, linear and totally inflexible. Being a very serious person, he cannot hide his frown-lined face. He better not try to smile; lest his face might crack. I knew children of parents who grew up in strict religious homes. Religion has a certain stink to it of guilt, shame, fear, and that moral standard that always contradicts the natural tendencies and desires of a person. Therin lies the conflict. Young person cannot experiment with things to decide on their own and establish their own parameters. So they tend to cut loose and really rebel much worse than the average young person. Ma and Pa never know what goes on. They easily BS their parents because they want to believe their little one is an angel. Andy has a young daughter Bethany Pulkowski away at college, High Point University. I saw her picture on his desk. She's your basic, attractive, young girl. Please reread my entry made on Nov 5th. That's only one thing she can do. You Andy types out there need to further strengthen your strict resolve and do more of the same thing! Because those girls were great when I recall my college years! She is someone's (or many guy's) little hoe now, I am sure.

Another point about andy. How can someone be cold, vicious, sarcastic and generally nasty ALL THE TIME and then make the claim about their church life and how good they are? Total hypocritical idiots.

That's all for now. That felt good.

Let's continue...

January 5, 2009:
Was at the gym to lift. Very crowded. Tomorrow should be good. There is a woman there that gives me a certain look every time I am there. I decided to walk over and make a comment about the crowds but she left when I finished the exercise. Better that I do not get sidetracked from tomorrow's plan anyways. Life is just playing games. One or two dates with her, then the end. No matter how many changes I try to make, things stay the same. Every evening I am alone, and then go to bed alone. Young women were brutal when I was younger, now they aren't as much, probably because they just see me just as another old man.
I see twenty something couples everywhere. I see a twenty something guy with a nice twentyish young women. I think those years slipped right by for me. Why should I continue another 20+ years alone? I will just work, come home, eat, maybe do something, then go to bed (alone) for the next day of the same thing. This is the Auschwitz Syndrome, to be in serious pain so long one thinks it is normal. I cannot wait for tomorrow!

January 6, 2009:
I can do this. Leaving work today, I felt like a zombie - just going thru the motions. Get on the bus, get the car, drive home.....My mind is screwed up anymore, I can't concentrate at work or think at all.
This log is not detailed. It is only for confidence to do this. The future holds even less than what I have today.
It is 6:40pm, about hour and a half to go. God have mercy. I wish life could be better for all and the crazy world can somehow run smoother. I wish I had answers. Bye.

It is 8:45PM: I chickened out! Shit! I brought the loaded guns, everything. Hell!

April 24, 2009:
Early last month, we had our second general layoff. I survived. First one was in November. When I began 10 years ago, that used to be a nice place to work. I understand the need to reduce staff when times sour, but this is out of proportion to the economic problems at this time. The economy is shrinking by about 4-5%. They decided not to pay Christmas bonus - for staff that amounts to about 8% of yearly pay. Well, OK. Plus no yearly "merit" raise, another 3.5%. That totals to about 11% cut. Plus two layoffs of 5% staff in each case. Do the math. I know this firm is using this downturn as an excuse to take advanage of a bad situation and kill jobs UNNECESSARILY. The second layoff people who actually did work were let go. We all need to pick up the slack so the company can cut beyond what is necesary. Wasn't going to mention it, because of all this shit, it is K&L Gates, the large law firm headquartered here in Pittsburgh. Just call it K&L Gates Corporation. Most people there are OK and I would never have a shoot 'em up there. They paid me for 10 years, so far!

I predict I won't survive the next layoff. That is when there is no point to continue. RIght now, life is bearable and I can get by indefinitely. Something bad must happen. The paycheck is all I have left. The future holds nothing for me. Twenty five years of nothing fun. I never even spent one weekend with a girl in my life, even at my own place. Also unlikely to find another similar job. I guess then is when I take care of things. I don't have kids, close friends or anything. Just me here. If you have nothing, you have nothing to lose.

I enjoy writing these entries, I have no plans to go back and edit or even read most stuff already written. If you get bored, just click that "x" at the top, right corner of your browser. Bye.

May 4, 2009:
I was so eager to do this last year. The big problem on my mind now is that my job will end soon. One project is being transistioned to another. The other one I am solely responsible, but is being fast tracked to production. I estimate maybe a month. I am not ready for the job market. I am ok what I do, a .NET software developer. Not at the top of the class, but I do a good job. I survived two general layoffs and other little layoffs they are having but keeping quiet about. I hear things.

The problem is I feel too good now to do this but too bad to enjoy life. I know I will never enjoy life. This is an over 30 year trend. Some people are happy, some are miserable. It is difficult to live almost continuously feeling an undercurrent of fear, worry, discontentment and helplessness. I can talk and joke around and sound happy but under it all is something different that seems unchangable and a permanent part of my being. I need to realize the details of what I never accomplished in life and to be convinced the future is merely a continuation of the past - WHICH IT ALWAYS has been. I am making a list of items that will provide motivation to do the exit plan, it won't be published. I always had hope that maybe things will improve especially if I make big attempts to change my life. I made many big changes in the past two years but everything is still the same. Life is over. Even though I look good, dress well, well groomed - nails, teeth, hair, etc. Who knows.

What is it like to be dead? I always think I am forgetting something, that's one reason I postponed. Similar to when you leave to get in your car to go somewhere - you hesitate with a thought: "what am I forgetting?". In this case, I cannot make a return trip!

I like to write and talk. Ironic because I haven't met anybody recently (past 30 years) who I want to be close friends with OR who want to be close friends with me. I was always open to suggestions to what I am doing wrong, no brother or father (mine are useless) or close friend to nudge me and give it bluntly yet tactfully wtf I am doing wrong. A personal coach or someone who knows what he is doing would be perfect. Money is highly secondary for a solution.

May 5, 2009:
To pull the exit plan off, it popped into my mind to just use some booze. I want to do this before I get laid off, for reasons not worth mentioning but don't seem to have the balls. After the gym, I stopped at Shop N Save and got a fifth of vodka and a small bottle of Jack Daniels. I haven't had a drink since September 1, 1988, just over 20 years. It doesn't matter now, I need to use it to take the edge off of carrying out the exit plan. I will be taking some every now and then to get used to it and see if the alcohol effects will embolden me. Weed would be fun to try again. I don't know who has any. Life is over, who cares? I just need to use common sense, can't drink and drive, etc. This idea just hit me at a point in time and I immediately acted on it. Same thing happened when I decided to go back to Pitt full time, first day was Monday, May 8, 1989, and to buy the house that closed on Friday, September 30, 1996, to name two examples I remember so well.

The list idea yesterday is working. I carry it in my wallet and add to it. I am feeling to good to do carry this out, but too bad to enjoy ANYTHING. My life's dilema.

May 6, 2009:
I started the JD. About one ounce with some tea to get me started. No big deal.

May 7, 2009:
Went to the gym and did mostly cardio. My heart rate was 117 just from walking on the treadmill at 3.4. This should be done a few times a week for maybe 15 mins or so to keep the heart active. I sprinted a few times to push the limits.

May 18, 2009:
I actually had a date today. It was with a woman I met on the bus in March. We got together at Two PPG Place for lunch. The last date for me was May 1, 2008. Women just don't like me. There are 30 million desirable women in the US (my estimate) and I cannot find one. Not one of them finds me attractive. I am looking at The List I made from my May 4th idea. I forgot about that for several days. That tells me where I stand. These problems have gotten worse over a 30 year period. I need to expect nothing from me or other people. All through the years I thought we had the ability to change ourselves - I guess that is incorrect. Looking at The List makes me realize how TOTALLY ALONE, a deeper word is ISOLATED, I am from all else.
I no longer have any expectations of myself. I have no options because I cannot work toward and achieve even the smallest goals. That is, ABOVE ALL, what bothers me the most. Not to be able to work towards what I want in my life. I believe I am deserve that. I read recently it is called "self efficacy", but who knows. Is that more psychobable?

May 25, 2009:
I was invited to a picnic, and I went. An older woman there, out of the blue, asked if I liked high school. Then quickly asked if I was picked on very much. Intersting why she would ask that. But, thanks, I already know what the problem is, but a solution eludes me.

May 29, 2009:
Another lonely Friday night, I'm done. This is too much.

June 2, 2009:
Some people I was talking with believed I date a lot and get around with women. They think this because I showed an email I got from a hot woman to the department gossip, but it didn't work out. All this is funny. Actually, I haven't had sex since I was 29 years old, 19 years ago. That's true.

June 5, 2009:
I was reading several posts on different forums and it seems many teenage girls have sex frequently. One 16 year old does it usually three times a day with her boyfriend. So, err, after a month of that, this little hoe has had more sex than ME in my LIFE, and I am 48. One more reason. Thanks for nada, bitches! Bye.

July 4, 2009:
Wow, already late evening. I stayed in all day. Can't believe there was NOTHING to do today. No parties or picnics. WTF. No need to leave now.

July 20, 2009:
Been a long time since last write. Everything still sucks. But I got a promotion and a raise, even in this shitty Obama ecomomy. No more grunt programming. Go figure! New boss is great. He tactfully says when you did something wrong or complements on good things. Never confused with him. But that is NOT what I want in life. I guess some of us were simply meant to walk a lonely path. I have slept alone for over 20 years. Last time I slept all night with a girlfriend it was 1982. Proof I am a total malfunction. Girls and women don't even give me a second look ANYWHERE. There is something BLATANTLY wrong with me that NO goddam person will tell me what it is. Every person just wants to be fucking nice and say nice things to me. Flattery. Oh yeah, I am sure you can get a date anytime. You look good, etc. Pussies.
Awwww, wait. I can just start being self-righteous and say I live a good, clean life. I am holy, that's all Rick Knapp stuff. Hear that you mother fucker: I Am Just Good!

July 23, 2009:

Wow!!

I just looked out my front window and saw a beautiful college-age girl leave Bob Fox's house, across the street. I guess he got a good lay today. College girls are hoez. I masturbate. Frequently. He is about 45 years old. She was a long haired, hot little hottie with a beautiful bod. I masturbate. Frequently. Some were simply meant to walk a lonely path in life. I don't usually look out, but just happened to notice. Holy fuck. I have masturbated since age 13. Thanks, mum and brother (by blood alone). And dad, old man, for TOTALLY ignoring me through the years. All of you DEEPLY helped me be this way.

I wish I can go back to 1975 and fix things. Awe, that wont work, big BULLY BROTHER would assert his bull shit. He was twice my size. He never messed with guys bigger than 5'10, or so. He is a PUSSY at heart. Remember, Michael is my brother (we have common parents, that's all) is still a BOSS. Repetition only for emphasis: HE IS ONLY A BULLY, even at 50ish! Never forget that! Because he exudes confidence. People believe bull shit if delivered WITH CONFIDENCE. Get it??

On the same thought, things occured to me today. Michael NEVER had an attractive girlfriend. Debbie, Barb, Kim, ... then I lost track. Not to say I had any (execpt Pam, who was about a 7.25). He married a Chinese-descent, petite woman with no body, no ass, no chest and no personality. She never laughs or smiles, neither does he. But she is highly intelligent and an excellent cook. I can testify to that! She home bakes her own DELICIOUS wheat bread! But who cares about that type of small bull crap? Mike even mentioned when we were visiting dad that "she's not very attractive".

I don't know where I am going with this. I am getting tired, feels good to write and get it all out.

On still another thought, I had 20+ years of sobriety and achieved nothing about friendships, girlfriends, guys, etc. Zilch. What a waste.

Bye, for today.

August 2, 2009:
The biggest problem of all is not having relationships or friends, but not being able to achieve and acquire what I desire in those or many other areas. Everthing stays the same regardless of the effert I put in. If I had control over my life then I would be happier. But for about the past 30 years, I have not

August 3, 2009:
I took off today, Monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished. I need to work out every detail, there is only one shot. Also I need to be completely immersed into something before I can be successful. I haven't had a drink since Friday at about 2:30. Total effort needed. Tomorrow is the big day.

Unfortunately I talked to my neighbor today, who is very positive and upbeat. I need to remain focused and absorbed COMPLETELY. Last time I tried this, in January, I chickened out. Lets see how this new approach works.

Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus. At least that is what I was told. Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell. Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid. People judge but that does not matter. I was reading the Bible and The Integrity of God beginning yesterday, because soon I will see them.

I will try not to add anymore entries because this computer clicking distracts me.

Also, any of the "Practice Papers" left on my coffee table I used or the notes in my gym bag can be published freely. I will not be embarased, because, well, I will be dead. Some people like to study that stuff. Maybe all this will shed insight on why some people just cannot make things happen in their life, which can potentially benefit others.

Miscellaneous:

1. Probably 99% of the people who know me well don't even think I was this crazy. Told by at least 100 girls/women over the years I was a "nice guy". Not kidding.

2. Lee Ann Valdiserri had my baby in early 1991. Haven't seen her since she was about four months into it. I knew her sister, Chris, from high school.

3. Net worth slightly more than $250K, (after all debt) as of end of 2008.

4. Death Lives!

UPDATE: Here are a couple of home made videos by George Sodini:

I Didn't Mow The Bee

2009-07-26T08:56:00.002-04:00

I have a big backyard. It is fricken huge actually. Back when I lived in Toronto I had a semi-detached house, the lot was something like 17' by 80.' The backyard was so shady, we (me and my wife) decided to replace the grass with stone. We landscaped the front, which was pretty much a grass hill, with tiered terraces. No mowing, after we did that.

So we move to the Niagara region 8 years ago. For half of what my house in Toronto cost, I wound up buying a house on a 120' by 120' lot. Lots of trees on the perimeter, and lots and lots of grass that needs cutting. One good thing is the land is completely flat.

My wife does all the gardening. This used to include doing the lawn mowing. But as the years have gone by, I've actually started feeling sorry for her when she mows the lawn.

It got to the point that I couldn't watch her mow the lawn anymore. So I decided to shut the drapes.

This still didn't work, and those evolved innate feelings of guilt and empathy started to take over, so I wound up sharing the moving duties with her over the last few years.

I'm now up to doing pretty much two thirds of it now.

And I don't feel shamed having to do it either. In fact, in the Niagara region, apparently men do most of the lawn mowing. Believe it or not.

So now that I established that I do in fact mow the lawn, I need to add one more thing. In Ontario we have a brand new idiotic law that doesn't allow us to use pesticides and herbicides on our lawns anymore.

The Creeping Charlie's are loving the new rule. So while most of my property is grass, there are many (mostly shaded) areas full of weeds. And you just can't keep up with them. My wife hates weeds, but even she knows it is futile to fight them. I hope it doesn't get this way with Islam in the West:)

Doncha love the analogy?

OK, so a couple of days ago, I'm mowing over a patch of weeds, and there is a bumble bee hanging around one that flowered, just an inch off the ground. My mower is around six inches away from this self absorbed bee. Surely the motor and the vibrations will get the bee to take a hike. But no. So I move the mower two inches from the bee, and still no. Should I just keep on mowing? Absolutely not. Even though, this bee is obviously not evolved in a way to deal with the dangers of lawn mowers and is probably suffering from Rachel Corrie disease as well, I still couldn't do it.

You see, I have a problem killing animals in general. Spiders, ants, moles, you name it. I just know that it is there only crack at life. I'm very confident there isn't a human heaven, let alone a bee heaven.

I know I'm a walking contradiction when it comes to my eating habits. I try not to think about it, and the cognitive dissonance of eating meat has made me rationalize that it is OK to eat food that was bred to be food. I didn't feel guilty at all while enjoying the chicken parmigiana I had last night. I don't feel guilty eating bacon or cheeseburgers or steaks.

When I see a live pig though, I have a sense of guilt. But they taste so damn good. And besides, if Darwin didn't want us to eat meat, he wouldn't have given us with teeth:)

Another thing is that I'm hearing that we have had a bee shortage in North America, and apparently bees have a lot of responsibility when it comes to a lot of the food we grow and eat. Maybe I saved the earth by not mowing the bee, but probably not.

But then again, if this bee's genes are passed along, it is no wonder there are fewer of them. They have to know that they need to get the hell out of the way of lawn mowers. Did I help stupid bees by not offing this one? No, this one wasn't a breeding bee. Should I go after his mother, the Queen, so that she can't produce such stupid bees anymore?

This leads into another thing. I do make exceptions to my "I can't kill any animal" rule. That one has to do with stinking cockroaches. When I lived in an old apartment in Toronto in my single days, there were cockroaches. They deserved to die. Why? Because they carry disease that could be harmful to me. With flies, I usually give them a chance to leave the house, by opening the door, and if it doesn't leave and my wife swats one, I feel no remorse.

What about humans? Could I kill a human? If someone is a physical danger to me, yes. If someone murdered a loved one, I could see myself revenging it, though it isn't likely, I would desire that person to be dead.

For humanity? I wonder how many people would answer this question truthfully: If you could go back in time and kill Adolph Hitler in the 1920's, would you, if it means that you would not be born today (and if you have kids, your kids wouldn't be born today)?

When you think of all the suffering Hitler caused, the answer should be yes. But I selfishly admit that I wouldn't, unless my life was almost over. I value and appreciate this one crack at life I have. And I've also rationalize not killing Hitler in sort of the same way I rationalized the Hiroshima bombing: Had the US not dropped the bomb, killing many innocent people in doing so, it would have been inevitable that the bomb would have been dropped shortly thereafter by Russia or the US or both. The main reason the Cold War didn't lead to Nuclear annihilation is because both sides knew the real consequences thanks to what happened to Japan. The human suffering would have been even greater.

Had Hitler not shown us once and for all that the idea of mass geographical conquest will never work again, some other leader in Europe probably would have done something similar by now. Again, with WMD technology much lower back when WW2 started, humans may be extinct by now if conquest was coupled with nuclear capabilities.

As for the Jews and the Holocaust, it is a tough one not offing Hitler when it comes to all the suffering he created. But Jews have been scapegoats for 2000 years, and another leader in anti-semitic Europe may have popped up and did something similar. Now at least Israel exists, and Jews have a place to go if anti-semitism rears its ugly head anywhere on this planet, anytime. And Israel was fast tracked because of the Holocaust, because of Hitler's game plan.

However, if I was in my 80's and could go back in time, I would definitely take an axe and chop him into pieces.

Also, when it comes to humanity, I'm no fan of Islam. It is completely at odds with Western civilization and freedom. Do I believe that anyone who supported the Fall of Capitalism & Rise of Islam conference in Chicago recently deserves to die? Tough one. Would it be better for humanity if these people didn't exist? 100% for sure. Could I kill any of them? No. But if I had a gun to my head and had to decide who should die, the pig that my next rack of ribs came from or one of these hypocritical morons who hate the West but come and live here anyway, I would definitely say, kill the ass waver.

Getting Spammed By David Mabus

2009-07-18T09:50:00.005-04:00

Who is David Mabus? I think the best description comes from Pharyngula:

Miscreant: David Mabus

Crime: INSANITY

Sentence: Automatically Junked

Comments: Deeply deranged, disturbed individual who believes James Randi has cheated him out of a million dollars, and who vents by spamming websites and email with his angry tirades. Certifiable. Needs immediate mental health care. His real name is Dennis Markuze, and he lives in Montreal, Canada.

I've been on his spam list for quite some time, though for some reason his email's wound up in my main mail box. After reading the first his first two spews I just "marked as spam" and deleted all future emails.

I received another one recently, so I decided to engage him personally:) For your enjoyment, here is the recent exchange:

Mabus Spam Email: The termination of the James Randi Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge:

http://www.thirdeyeconcept.com/news/index.php?topic=9960.0

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=54601&page=31

"I find that the high concentration of this type of person is fairly unique to this forum. I assume it has to do with the challenge, and the fact that nearly every type of paranormal belief system is skewered here. I also post on the snopes urban legend forum, where you might expect there to be a lot of similarly deluded people, but it honestly doesn't happen much there. Perhaps the specific legends debunked don't raise as many hackles as debunking schools of thought.

I don't think there is anything that can be done about it. I think dealing with lunatics is inherent to JREFs mission. Individual posters can of course take themselves out of the discussion at any time. But I think prematurely banning people (even if you know they're going to eventually implode like this) is a bad idea, because it just gives them more ammunition to say the contest is rigged. Better to hear them out and just continue being rational until they either start making sense or implode."

Well said, LIAR! Why don't all these deluded skeptics take their own worthless advice for once...

EXPLODE!
***********************

BEAJ: Take me off your list you reality denying retard.

Thanks,

The Atheist Jew
************************

MABUS: as if YOU know what is reality, you bacon eating atheist jew...
*************************

BEAJ: Imbecile, just take me off your list. You are nothing but a lunatic. Seriously, don't email me again.
************************

MABUS: FUCK YOU!
*************************

BEAJ: Just take me off your list, imbecile. And look into getting yourself institutionalized right after that.
***************************

MABUS: you think you are safe *lying* behind your computer...you are DEADLY WRONG
**************************

BEAJ: You really need attention, don't you? Get help. You are one of the most obviously insane individuals on the internet these days. I don't care if you want to deny reality, but I have no interest in being part of your idiocy.
*****************************

MABUS: Deny reality?

YOU''RE FINISHED!
***********************

BEAJ: Are you threatening me now you bi-polar imbecile?
From Pharyngula about you:

Deeply deranged, disturbed individual who believes James Randi has cheated him out of a million dollars, and who vents by spamming websites and email with his angry tirades. Certifiable. Needs immediate mental health care. His real name is Dennis Markuze, and he lives in Montreal, Canada.

Get help.
*************************

MABUS: YOU WILL BURN IN HELL!
*************************

BEAJ: There is no hell, you bipolar freak.
****************************

Got the same spam email once again that triggered the first exchange. My reply to it:

BEAJ: I told you to take me off your list, oh insane one.
*******************************

MABUS: and I told you to FUCK OFF, you bacon eating jew boy...
**************************

BEAJ: Fine. Take me off your list, you berserk twit.
*************************

MABUS: make me...
****************************

Yep, I sure have a way when it comes to attracting freaks. I'm not talking about my regular readers, of course:)...well, most of you, that is.

How Come I Like Stories About The Supernatural So Much?

2009-07-15T15:50:00.003-04:00

I know one thing, I do not accept that any supernatural occurrence has happened anywhere in the universe, anytime. Are supernatural occurrences possible? I guess anything in possible. But anything isn't very likely.

No Gods, no ghosts, no Leprechauns, no invisible man under my bed, no streakers on Venus, etc.

But I have to ask why I so readily accept ghosts in movies, devils in movies, supernatural events in movies? Is it a form of escape into a land of wishful thinking? Or just a form of escape? Or just plain old entertainment and appreciation of creative writers?

When I was a child, I watched a lot of Twilight Zone. After watching one particular episode, I remember asking my grandmother if she would let me phone her if and when she died. In other words, there was a time that I thought the Twilight Zone was a documentary. I'm pretty sure I grew out of it when I was 8 or 9 though, but I can't remember.

For years I slept with the light on as well, scared of the unknown. I think I stopped that nonsense in my early teens. And now I like to sleep in the dark with the TV off.

Again, I went through the regular channels in becoming atheist. From assuming there was a God and supernatural occurrences, to reading existential literature in high school while at the same time realizing that science had an answer for just about everything, I gradually became agnostic, and finally atheist after rationalizing everything out. This probably didn't happen until my early 30's. And then to top it off, around 7 or 8 years ago, in my early forties, I found out that there is absolutely no contemporary evidence for the Exodus or even a historical Jesus.

Not only is there lack of evidence for the supernatural, but there is also nothing to back up the most famous biblical stories that the overwhelming majority of human beings today buy into.

The reason I'm making this post is that I recently watch Ghost Town. I found it laugh out loud funny at times, though I wish I could have been a writer on that movie (I think I could have made it a lot funnier). I've never had that thought before either. I just thought of things that would have made it more hilarious.

But back to the movie, I really got into it. It isn't the first time. The Sixth Sense for example, same thing.

But really, my favorite shows on TV are animated. Family Guy, American Dad, South Park, and supernatural or sci fi stuff happens all the time in those cartoons.

I still believe strongly that we evolved the susceptibility to buy into the supernatural as a way of defense mainly, especially when our ancestors couldn't explain lightning. So maybe there is a disconnect from my atheistic worldview when we watch these types of movies and shows, and probably when we dream too.

I wonder if I were a theist today, if I would view films like Ghost Town and The Sixth Sense the same way. Do theists think, "hey I want to be that type of ghost when I die." Or do they just enjoy the movie, and in the back of their mind, know they are watching something unrealistic, even to them?"

Just a note, for those who don't know, the star of Ghost Town, comic Ricky Gervais, is a non believer, just like me.

America Is Embarrassing In Just 40 Seconds

2009-07-08T08:13:00.002-04:00

HT The Friendly Atheist

Number one, someone who rejects science, shouldn't have a say in anything to do with science.

Number two, this is a violation of separation of church and state. Elected officials should not be allowed to spread mythological beliefs while in a government setting.

Number three, this is why the Republican Party is in big trouble now and in the future. It is viewed as a Party that is anti-science. This broad confirms it.

Number four, maybe this is why Sarah Palin quit. She realized she only has one third the intelligence of Senator Sylvia Allen of Arizona. Maybe Allen will be the next Republican Presidential nominee. The Democrats can only hope it will be her or someone very similar.

Some comments from Friendly Atheist's site:

I wish I could dish out a bit of scorn for the residents of Arizona who voted for this woman. Unfortunately, I’m from Texas, so I don’t really have any standing to criticize. Darn it.

~David D.G.

Man, if the power of stupid could be harnessed, the Arizona legislature could easily meet the world’s energy needs for, um, the next 6,000 years..

~Colm

Well, since Earth is only 6000 years old, that means the decay rate for Uranium is far faster (maybe even light years faster!) than all those scientists would have us think. In fact, that would put the half-life of U at ~5900 years.
And since it’s decaying so fast, I can certainly see her urgency to mine some ore!

~bønez_brigade

Speaking of Palin's resignation, Hip Suburban White Guy is fairly certain The Other Palin Boot Will Drop Soon.

H/T Joe's Big Blog

Banning The Burqa?

2009-07-01T09:22:00.003-04:00

I'm somewhat torn about the banning of the burqa movement that is happening in Europe right now.

I'm for freedom of religion. If some whackjob wants to dress like Jesus and drag a cross around in his backyard, more power to him. It would even be entertaining to see him drag the cross down a public street.

And what about banning the kippah or a priest's outfit? There is a fine line. Granted, the burqa represents an attack against women's rights and it glorifies a sub culture that basically treats women as secondary citizens. The kippah represents faith in a very angry (at times) God who also didn't really give women equal status. That being said, Jews are not a threat to Western ideals. Priests are not a threat to the West either...just the Catholic children of the West, but that is another story.

I'm no fan of Islam because of the way it spreads, and the demands Muslims make once it spreads. So lets cut the crap. This banning talk isn't really about women's rights, it is about bitch slapping Western Muslims who want to infest the modern world with their bullshit (ie Shariah Law), and their spreading of intolerant ideas (oh wait, that is what Fundy Christians do too, but Fundy Christians don't fly into buildings).

Anyway, Pat Condell chimes in on the subject, and let me just say, I have to agree with almost everything he says:

I love the idea of making Muslim men wearing burqas on 100 degree Fahrenheit days. Just keep them away from airports and subways on those days.

I also think, what bothers me most about Muslims is their hypocrisy regarding Israel.
The good majority view the Jews in Israel as people who shouldn't be there. It is OK for Muslims to go to the West, and even turn Dearborn, Michigan into a Muslim majority, but for some reason, Jews coming to a non sovereign land that is now Israel and having a Jewish majority, is a no-no and totally unacceptable.

Earth Is Designed For Life?

2009-06-27T11:32:00.003-04:00

I wonder if Edward Current actually makes creationists think. Thinking isn't something required in order to be a creationist, but since us humans have such well developed brains, sometimes creationists may not be able to help themselves:

HT Atheist Media Blog

It will be interesting in the future if when life is discovered on another "life hospitable planet" to see what creationists have to say about that.

Some questions to ponder though.

Is it scientifically possible to ever discover civilized life on another planet?

Do other civilizations on other planets believe in a higher power? Is it a part of the natural evolution process for anyone who develops the man like intelligence to buy into the supernatural early in the process (you know, like how early man was pretty much forced into believing supernatural explanations when it came to lightning for example).

And another question comes to mind: Will human evolution finally do away with the part of our brain that looks for and accepts supernatural explanations (I also include superstitious things like wearing a lucky shirt that even many of us atheists have in one way or another)?

Most Canadians Aren't This Stupid

2009-06-19T08:44:00.004-04:00

At least I don't think we are.

The very first part of the video is true. I don't remember ever discussing the Holocaust in school. Outside of the home or TV documentaries, the Holocaust was not brought up. We did have history classes, but generally history focused only on Canadian history.

The Angry Canuck then goes on to make a complete fool of himself. I will take it on his word that he actually tried to research the Holocaust. However, he must have either been directed or attracted to Holocaust denier material and neo-Nazi websites to get all of his information.

I did send him a message to his Youtube inbox:
You researched from anti-semitic sites, the video at the end is proof of that. That person is a known Jew hater.
Unfortunately Google links to Holocaust denial sites so if you sincerely researched it, you went down the wrong path.
You could easily fall for idiocy researching 9/11 as well.

Here are some real sites:
http://www.nizkor.org/features/qar/qar39.html

http://www.nizkor.org/

Watch this video:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2972691n&tag=related;photovideo

And watch this video too made at the end of the war:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=mozclient&oe=utf-8&q=holocaust%20hitchcock&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#

I haven't received a follow up from him. Hopefully has gone through some of the material I sent him. He also has been silent on the video site too, but to his credit, he isn't deleting any posts. And to the Youtube communities credit, his video is getting a ton of one star ratings, and many angry comments.

The disturbing part is (assuming this guy is sincere) how easy it is to erase the Holocaust from the history of the newer generations. Kind of a light at the end of the tunnel for anti-semitic Joooo obsessed internet circus freaks. In order to prevent Revisionism from getting an upper hand, it is important to fight Holocaust denial as much as possible.

To leave your own comment on his video click here.

For Those Who Need A Good Laugh

2009-06-15T10:11:00.004-04:00

Just a quickie. Found this video yesterday on Youtube. Nothing to do with religion, lack of religion. Just an attempt to put you in a good mood:

Ok, so maybe this has some implications. How can you be against pot after watching that video? You don't need religion to smile. That's all for now.

What Does It Take For A Creationist To Accept Evolution?

2009-06-10T07:31:00.004-04:00

The world is full of reality denying individuals. People who reject evolution. Who look for holes, even where there aren't any, in the theory of evolution.

What does it take to "convert" these creationists to accept evolution/reality?

Let me first state that there are two type of creationists. Creationists who accept science, but add God and supernatural acts into their reality, and then there are the pathetic creationists who deny realities that do not fit in with their religious world views. The latter of course, are the creationists I am writing about now.

To many creationists, evolution is a story made up by scientists, while the bible is a story inspired or written by God. These creationists choose the story that gives them salvation over the story that doesn't. I really think it is that simple for many.

I do think the young and brainwashed, those under 30, who have never really looked into evolution, but were taught that evolution is nonsense, are probably the easiest to educate. Of course, they need to have the actual desire to learn.

The toughest to educate are the 40 plus know-it-all creationists, who have decided not to try to really understand evolution, to the point that rational thought goes out the window. They rely on frauds like Kent Hovind and Answers In Genesis to do the thinking for them.

But I've often wondered that what if these types were individually put into a room with Dr. Ken Miller, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, or Christopher Hitchens and made to watch Potholer54's Made Easy Series, able to stop and debate any point made in the videos they want. How long, if ever, would it take for the average willfully ignorant Fundy to accept reality?

The Made Easy Series For Schools:

It takes the will to investigate to find the truth, and to find out that what was assumed through religious or cultural indoctrination (like a historical Moses or Jesus) may not be true at all.

I was 40 before I was actually curious enough to investigate the historical Jesus or Moses. And I was actually startled from what I found....or what I didn't find. I think there are many believers who are in the same boat when it comes to evolution.

Troubling: Atheist Blogosphere Silent About Obama's Egypt Speech

2009-06-05T09:32:00.005-04:00

I cringed at times listening to Barack Obama's speech yesterday. I'm sure many atheists did the same. Besides quoting/misquoting the Koran, Obama completely alienated atheists:

“Indeed, faith should bring us together. That is why we are forging service projects in America that bring together Christians, Muslims, and Jews.”

I did a blog search on Google and I found only a few atheists that seemed bothered about the speech.

Clemens' Blog is the only one I've read who tells it like it is in his post Obama's Sermon.

Lets look at other things that Obama said in the speech:

“And I believe that America holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations - to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. These things we share. This is the hope of all humanity.”

Who's God is our God? Obama is saying ALL Americans aspire to love our God. Thanks Obama, for throwing atheists under the bus.

But what is troubling is that the atheist internet community has either turned a blind eye or has put their collective heads in the sand on this speech.

Why is that? Is it that Obama, being so different than Bush in his Liberalism, and his perceived pacifier status when it comes to war and conflict, gets a free pass from atheists?, or is it that the atheist community perceives Muslims collectively as a bunch of 7 year old children, who need to be completely sucked up to if it means possible reformation and peace?

I do know that if George Bush made the exact same speech as Obama yesterday, the atheist blogosphere would have been posting about it in an enraged flurry, because the second possibility wouldn't be an option, and Bush would have been looked upon just as a religious zealot talking to other religious nuts.

Of course, Obama also completely portrayed Islam and history in a very distorted and unrealistic way, and gave Islam credit where none was due. But that is just politics.

If Obama made this speech domestically prior to the election, I wonder if he would have lost atheist votes. I hope so, but I just don't know.

I'm very disappointed in my atheist brothers and sisters right now for holding back criticism of Obama. I'm also accusing the atheist community of double standards here. Had he made this type of speech at a church, he would have been slaughtered by fellow bloggers.

Don't get me wrong, I still think Obama is going in the right direction (at least the direction he is going is worth a shot), but he could have included non believers, and he should be called out for not doing so.

C'mon Creationists You Need To Watch This

2009-05-30T11:00:00.004-04:00

Here is the hairy frogfish stalking a flounder. Just keep an eye on the fish's ~~feet~~ fins:

As Homer Simpson would say "Stupid Flounders."
Any way, I'd love to see Answers In Genesis explain their way out of this one since one of their biggest arguments is that fish are fish and don't have legs, etc.
Yes, the frogfish doesn't have legs, but those fins are darn close, that it doesn't take a genius to figure out that with a little time, fish can evolve into amphibians if water and food sources started to dry up in a certain ecosystem.

Why would God put such fish on this earth? It only makes creationists look silly and makes evolution look pretty good.

Neil Shuban, author of Your Inner Fish, explains the process of evolving from a water dweller to a land animal:

Creationists are just so fricken sad.

God Is A Weirdo Or Evolution Is Fact

2009-05-23T13:00:00.002-04:00

There is a lot of weird stuff that goes on in nature. It makes no sense that God would create animals to behave in ways like this:

The male wasp spider leaves the female a tip after mating. And I don't mean like in money. Four out of five times, the male will plug up the female's genitalia with a piece of his genitalia.

Why does he do it? To try to make sure that they will be the fathers. It isn't like they can go on the Springer Show to prove the paternity of the baby spiders, because most of the time, they wind up being killed by the female regardless.

Evolution works innately on two levels. One is the survival of the species. It is why there are species today. For example, why mother crocodiles transport their young from land to water and back in their mouths without chowing down on the youngsters. The other level is the innate need for most animals to be ones directly responsible for the next generation, especially among non social male animals.

Back to the spiders, there has been a bit of an evolutionary race going on between the spiders genitals becoming able to deal with many suitors so the best sperm wins out versus the male spiders genitals evolving to make sure the mommy isn't such a slut.

Of course, the other explanation is that God is one sick mofo with too much time on his hands.

This Is Just Sad And More Seth

2009-05-19T12:29:00.005-04:00

In the video, at least they spelled AthEIst correctly:

Isn't it maddening when cretards spew out the same stuff: The no "atheists in foxholes" garbage. The fact that some how accepting evolution and The Big Bang means that you can't believe in God. It is laughable stuff.

How many converts does God make when planes actually crash?

In the real world, we have a perfect example of how I would imagine most atheist react to close calls in the sky. None other than Seth MacFarlane. He was booked on one of the fateful flights on 9/11. Lucky for the world (I really mean that, Family Guy etc. is priceless stuff), he was a good atheist, and got drank like a heathen the night before. He woke up late with a hang over and missed the flight. His lack of faith wasn't shaken by the event. He was an atheist before, and is an atheist still:

Principal Tim England: Douchebag Of The Month

2009-05-12T12:44:00.005-04:00

I'm sure that by now many of you have heard about a student, Tyler Frost 17, who was threatened with suspension from a Christian Fundie school if he went to his girlfriend's prom at another school.

It turns out that he did go. And he has been suspended.

In case you didn't know, Christian Fundie school is located in ~~Saudi Arabia~~ Ohio, part of the Roadkill Belt.

I really find the principal's facial expressions in the following news report to be very disturbing. It is kind of looking into the eyes of a "soulless" shark:

What is really missed here is that Tyler has a GIRLFRIEND. Temptation has already beaten Tyler. I'm almost certain he has kissed her, and I'm willing to bet that he has held her hand, and even danced with her....and perhaps a lot more.

What does Principal Douchebag think of TV or the internet or beaches? Does he think that teenagers walk around beaches with boners? Ok, maybe not all the time, but would he ban a kid from the school for going to a beach or surfing the internet, or watching The Man Show?

We are human beings. We are driven through evolution (which I'm sure English doesn't accept, or for that matter, either does the brainwashed students of his school) to get aroused by others sexually. That is what motivates us mostly to keep our species going. What this Douche wants to do is prevent his students from being human.

So far in my readings, I have yet to see anyone agree with Principal English's stance. And I mean nobody. Sure, he can have school rules that violate every human right if he wants. It is the parents that choose the school, and parents are free to take their kids out of the school if they don't like the rules. But what happens outside the school, is not this principal's business, unless it has to do with BREAKING THE LAW. Sorry, but thankfully in the West, there are no laws against dancing, wearing low cut dresses, holding hands, kissing, or proms.

Principal Douchebag asks: "Should Christians place themselves at an event where young ladies will have low-cut dresses and be dancing in them?"

He is talking male Christians, right? Or is he worried about female Christians too, who might be "expected" to think about experimenting after seeing breast cracks. Or is this just about protecting male Christians from becoming potential rapists and/or heathens in general?

Hey, I might add that there are some Ultra Orthodox Jews that have this outlook. And of course, many Muslims that too have this outlook (ahem, the Burqa). Christians and the Western world in general, don't usually go out of their way when it comes to low cut dresses and such. In fact, Christians will turn a blind eye to exposed nipples as long as the beauty contestant ~~hates~~ is intolerant enough to gays.

See also Open Letter To Tyler Frost

Who Is An Atheist 101: There Really Is Just One Definition

2009-05-05T18:29:00.003-04:00

I'm so fed up with all the definitions of "atheist" that are out there. Let me give everyone the ultimate definition, and you can reword it all you want:

An atheist is someone who answers the question "DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?" with a NO!

Edit: Thanks to a comment I received, I'll ask the same question in slightly different words: Do you believe that an all knowing eternal supernatural being exists? If the answer is NO, you are an atheist.

That is it. That answer doesn't require dogma or a religion or any foundation whatsoever.

OK, so what is an agnostic?, you might ask. We are all really freakin agnostics. An agnostic is someone who isn't 100% sure that God exists. Nobody can be 100% sure that God doesn't exist, and those who say they are 100% sure God exists, are liars.

You know what, let me re-examine my last statement. There are those who are 100% sure that God exists because they are extremely brainwashed, and/or they have totally convinced themselves. If they were given a lie detector test, they would answer they are 100% sure that God exists, and the reading of the test would confirm in many cases that they were not lying.

Now I know there are atheists who say they know 100% for sure God doesn't exist (I'm only 99.99999% because I know it is impossible to know for sure). I'm not sure how a lie detector test would come out for these 100% atheists.

Now back to my main point. The question "do you believe in God?" What if you answer the question "sometimes" ? Well, that would make an atheist sometimes and a theist sometimes. What if you answer "I don't know." I think it is a fair answer, and that would put in the pure agnostic category.

Why is the answer fair? If someone asks you if your spouse has ever cheated on you (assuming they never admitted it), you might answer "I don't know." You may feel stronger about a yes or no, but you sincerely may believe "I don't know."

Atheists like myself like to explain myself as to what it means to me to be an atheist, though it is not required by my universal definition.

For instance, I will qualify my answer. I see absolutely no evidence that any God exists. To me, the world and universe makes perfect sense without a God. But I can't say God doesn't exist for sure, just like I can't say Leprechauns don't exist. The same evidence exists for both Leprechauns and God, though.

And The Winner Of Youtube's Pwnage Olympics Is...

2009-04-26T15:01:00.004-04:00

In case you didn't know, there has been a Youtube contest going on for the last month or so where contestants were to destroy the "arguments" of creationists or just plain theists. The winner is a Canadian chick (FactVsReligion). Unfortunately for Canadians, the person she went after the most, is one of the most ridiculous Canadians ever (VenomFangX). Here is the winning video: