We can all learn a lot from children,,,
Two Brothers Raising Money For Boston Marathon Amputees Will Melt Your Heart
More links of importance concerning this cause:
Mikey's Run
The Scott Rigsby Foundation
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
One High Schooler's Fight Against Abstinence Ed: 'If I Can Succeed In West Virginia, Anyone Can' | ThinkProgress
Obvious Mr Aulenbacher doesn't have a clue about Wellesley, this is exactly the type of student they want,,,
Her high school principal, George Aulenbacher, threatened to call the college where she’s been accepted to tell them about her “bad character” after she began speaking to the press.
[,,,]
Ultimately, even outside of sex ed reform, Campbell wants to help other high schoolers feel empowered to fight for the things they believe in. As she puts it, “No student should ever have to feel intimidated or threatened by an administrator simply because he or she voiced their opinion.” So far, Campbell hasn’t backed down even in the face of threats — and she hopes that will inspire other young people in other states to speak their minds, no matter what kind of odds are stacked against their favor.
One High Schooler's Fight Against Abstinence Ed: 'If I Can Succeed In West Virginia, Anyone Can' | ThinkProgress
Her high school principal, George Aulenbacher, threatened to call the college where she’s been accepted to tell them about her “bad character” after she began speaking to the press.
[,,,]
Ultimately, even outside of sex ed reform, Campbell wants to help other high schoolers feel empowered to fight for the things they believe in. As she puts it, “No student should ever have to feel intimidated or threatened by an administrator simply because he or she voiced their opinion.” So far, Campbell hasn’t backed down even in the face of threats — and she hopes that will inspire other young people in other states to speak their minds, no matter what kind of odds are stacked against their favor.
One High Schooler's Fight Against Abstinence Ed: 'If I Can Succeed In West Virginia, Anyone Can' | ThinkProgress
Sister Simone Campbell: Alive and Well and Out Causing Mischief | The Big Slice
",,,You see Congress failed ‘sandbox’ in Kindergarten." The sister has got that right,,,
Sister Simone has been fighting to secure the blessings of liberty for all kinds of people for just about her entire life. Inspired by scripture at a young age, she once sat down with a group of children at a Universalist Church to discuss the apostles and the finer points of catholic teaching. Her mother took her aside and told her that ‘Other people believe differently, and just because we believe one way, it doesn’t mean that others have to.” A young Simone, arguing that Jesus would want her to spread his word, asked how she was supposed to share his teachings if other people thought differently. “The way you do it is by how you live your life,” was the response her mother gave. Those words touched her deeply, and would guide her into a life in service to the poor and marginalized–work that continues to this very day.
[,,,]
In her current work, Sister Simone Campbell brings her faith to the political arena, which she calls “A messy place to dwell in.” She is a powerful advocate for Obamacare, and is considered one of the most important factors in getting it passed. “It’s not perfect, but it’s giving millions of people access to healthcare that they didn’t have before.” She views this, and the expansion of Medicare, as right to life issues. “Working for ACA is a pro-life issue for me,” she said.
Sister Simone Campbell: Alive and Well and Out Causing Mischief | The Big Slice
Sister Simone has been fighting to secure the blessings of liberty for all kinds of people for just about her entire life. Inspired by scripture at a young age, she once sat down with a group of children at a Universalist Church to discuss the apostles and the finer points of catholic teaching. Her mother took her aside and told her that ‘Other people believe differently, and just because we believe one way, it doesn’t mean that others have to.” A young Simone, arguing that Jesus would want her to spread his word, asked how she was supposed to share his teachings if other people thought differently. “The way you do it is by how you live your life,” was the response her mother gave. Those words touched her deeply, and would guide her into a life in service to the poor and marginalized–work that continues to this very day.
[,,,]
In her current work, Sister Simone Campbell brings her faith to the political arena, which she calls “A messy place to dwell in.” She is a powerful advocate for Obamacare, and is considered one of the most important factors in getting it passed. “It’s not perfect, but it’s giving millions of people access to healthcare that they didn’t have before.” She views this, and the expansion of Medicare, as right to life issues. “Working for ACA is a pro-life issue for me,” she said.
Sister Simone Campbell: Alive and Well and Out Causing Mischief | The Big Slice
Gold stars go to,,,,
Kudos to Alan Gendreau and Kelvin Atkinson you both get 10 gold stars (lesbians get toaster ovens , not sure what men get) for advancing "the Ten Commandments that 'Satan has thus given the homosexual lobby' in order to advance the demonic goal of 'deceiving Mankind and destroying souls,,,"
Also at the same time you have advanced our march towards Communism and the murder of the masses,,,
Alan Keyes took that argument one step further during an interview with Stan Solomon, where he maintained that if the government goes against divine law and legalizes same-sex marriage then the state will have limitless power, ultimately becoming a Communist regime that will authorize “the expropriation of all property” and “the murder of the masses.”
And of course we can't leave out the Illuminati,,,
Robertson told viewers that the French Revolution was “spurred by the writings of a group called the Illuminati,” which meant “to destroy the family, to destroy the state, to destroy capitalism and to destroy the church.” The gay community, he claimed, has similarly broad goals. “We have here a debate over same-sex marriage,”
I would be remiss in my duties to not also add Matthew Bent for supporting his son, he gets 15 gold stars,,,
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate||Spoken Word - YouTube
Another gem posted by a friend,,,
I think the real irony is being lost on us all. I have been sitting reading comments from both sides of the isle and this one line from the poem caught me,
I think the point that Suli Breaks was making was, boiling down a student's minds to single letter/number is done only because it's always been done that way (at least within the confines of modern education), we simply lack the imagination to change it,,,think Patch Adams as portrayed by Robin Williams, the scene where he is defending and defining what it is to be a doctor: what it means to practice medicine,,,totally outside the box!!
Education is important, and yes in some careers credentials are necessary, they both tell a story of who you are and where you came from; they are the back story to our life story. But in some instances they have caused us to complacent and lazy as we shove kids into our own paradigm of what it means to be successful,,,
As a sage friend recently quipped concerning a separate incident, "I dunno if that is a good thing or just really scary how easy it is to settle in life instead of reaching out and accomplishing the things we want ,,,"
I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate||Spoken Word - YouTube
I think the real irony is being lost on us all. I have been sitting reading comments from both sides of the isle and this one line from the poem caught me,
"Exams are society's methods of telling you what you're worth but you can't let society tell you what you are,,,"
I think the point that Suli Breaks was making was, boiling down a student's minds to single letter/number is done only because it's always been done that way (at least within the confines of modern education), we simply lack the imagination to change it,,,think Patch Adams as portrayed by Robin Williams, the scene where he is defending and defining what it is to be a doctor: what it means to practice medicine,,,totally outside the box!!
Education is important, and yes in some careers credentials are necessary, they both tell a story of who you are and where you came from; they are the back story to our life story. But in some instances they have caused us to complacent and lazy as we shove kids into our own paradigm of what it means to be successful,,,
As a sage friend recently quipped concerning a separate incident, "I dunno if that is a good thing or just really scary how easy it is to settle in life instead of reaching out and accomplishing the things we want ,,,"
I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate||Spoken Word - YouTube
Beck: 'The Burden of Proof Is on the Federal Government' To Refute My Conspiracy Theory | Right Wing Watch
No Mr Beck, the burden of proof lays with you as the accuser. Your own people have reported Alharbi was an innocent bystander [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/04/22/dhs-official-provides-new-details-maintains-innocence-of-saudi-national-once-considered-a-person-of-interest-in-boston-bombings] further undermining your hypothesis. Also, you do not start with a conclusion and work backwards to the premises,,,
Beck: 'The Burden of Proof Is on the Federal Government' To Refute My Conspiracy Theory | Right Wing Watch
Beck: 'The Burden of Proof Is on the Federal Government' To Refute My Conspiracy Theory | Right Wing Watch
Why Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Autopsy Should Include A Check For CTE | ThinkProgress
An interesting point to ponder,,
Why Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Autopsy Should Include A Check For CTE | ThinkProgress
Making sure that the autopsy of the older Tsarnaev includes a check for CTE would serve two valuable functions. In death, this man who caused so much harm might be a source of valuable data that could help shape our consensus about CTE and help others avoid brain injury in the future. And looking at the state of his brain as well as his YouTube playlist would serve as a critically important reminder of something we’ve forgotten in reason years: that terrorism can be inspired by many ideologies and grievances, and can spring to life in many kinds of fevered minds.
Why Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Autopsy Should Include A Check For CTE | ThinkProgress
Monday, April 22, 2013
Senator Told Shooting Victim's Mother He Supported Background Checks, Then Voted Against Them | ThinkProgress
Just days after raising Teves’ hopes that the Senate would act to prevent future mothers from experiencing the same pain inflicted upon her family, Flake voted against background checks. Flake claimed to oppose the bill because it “would expand background checks far beyond commercial sales to include almost all private transfers — including between friends and neighbors,” but this claim is false. As Mark Kelly, husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) lamented after seeing Flake’s explanation, “it appears he hasn’t read the bill.”
Senator Told Shooting Victim's Mother He Supported Background Checks, Then Voted Against Them | ThinkProgress
Senator Told Shooting Victim's Mother He Supported Background Checks, Then Voted Against Them | ThinkProgress
Second Child Death for Convicted Faith-Healing Couple | NBC 10 Philadelphia
Religion at its finest altho I am wondering why there was no follow-up after the first trial,,,
Second Child Death for Convicted Faith-Healing Couple | NBC 10 Philadelphia
In 2010, a jury convicted the Schaibles, who have seven other children, of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in the death of their 2-year-old son Kent. The Schaibles were each sentenced to 10 years of probation -- they could have faced prison time.
As part of their sentence, the Schaibles were required to arrange medical examinations for each of their children, to immediately consult with a doctor when a child became sick and to follow the doctor’s treatment recommendations.
During their trial, the Schaibles' lawyers said the parents were targeted because their fundamentalist Christian beliefs espouse faith healing.
Second Child Death for Convicted Faith-Healing Couple | NBC 10 Philadelphia
Former ‘Ex-Gay’ Superstar John Paulk Finally Renounces His ‘Ex-Gay’ Past | Truth Wins Out
Not quite sure whether to think of this as a victory or not. I have seen and experienced the damage that individuals like the Paulks have caused. Exodus International and Focus on the Family are insidious organizations that latched on to their story and milked it for all it was worth. But change can occur and as the article states hopefully this is the first step to authenticity,,,
In a piece in PQ Monthly, Paulk, who has perhaps done more to hurt LGBT families than any other single person in the “ex-gay” industry, states for the record that he no longer endorses efforts to change people’s sexuality:
Anne Paulk continues to propagate a false narrative of her own “ex-gay” life in order to stay in the spotlight and make money off of suffering LGBT people and their families.
[,,,]
Focus On The Family and others on the Religious Right have had ample opportunity to remove the Paulks from their literature and to stop using them as poster children for the lie that “ex-gay” programs work. While John expressed in the recent investigation that he no longer wanted to be associated with his “ex-gay” past, he was unwilling to publicly correct the record, and his estranged wife has continued to peddle their false story to any “ex-gay” charlatans who will listen.
In light of John Paulk’s announcement, Truth Wins Out also calls upon Anne Paulk and the rest of the Religious Right to immediately cease using the Paulks’ story to sell harmful “ex-gay” therapy to vulnerable people. “Anne Paulk and her Religious Right cohort must immediately cease lying to people about the false ‘ex-gay Paulk fairy-tale,’” said Truth Wins Out Associate Director Evan Hurst. “Indeed, both Paulks should become poster children for the very real nightmare that has been the ‘ex-gay’ experience for so many LGBT people.”
Former ‘Ex-Gay’ Superstar John Paulk Finally Renounces His ‘Ex-Gay’ Past | Truth Wins Out
In a piece in PQ Monthly, Paulk, who has perhaps done more to hurt LGBT families than any other single person in the “ex-gay” industry, states for the record that he no longer endorses efforts to change people’s sexuality:
"Until recently, I have struggled all my life in feeling unloved and unaccepted,” Paulk said. “I have been on a journey during the last few years in trying to understand God, myself, and how I can best relate to others. During this journey I have made many mistakes and I have hurt many people including people who are close to me. I have also found a large number of people who accept me for who I am regardless of my past, any labels, or what I do.”[,,,]
Paulk continued, “I no longer support the ex-gay movement or efforts to attempt to change individuals — especially teens who already feel insecure and alienated. I feel great sorrow over the pain that has been caused when my words were misconstrued. I have worked at giving generously to the gay community in Portland where I work and live. I am working hard to be authentic and genuine in all of my relationships.”
Anne Paulk continues to propagate a false narrative of her own “ex-gay” life in order to stay in the spotlight and make money off of suffering LGBT people and their families.
[,,,]
Focus On The Family and others on the Religious Right have had ample opportunity to remove the Paulks from their literature and to stop using them as poster children for the lie that “ex-gay” programs work. While John expressed in the recent investigation that he no longer wanted to be associated with his “ex-gay” past, he was unwilling to publicly correct the record, and his estranged wife has continued to peddle their false story to any “ex-gay” charlatans who will listen.
In light of John Paulk’s announcement, Truth Wins Out also calls upon Anne Paulk and the rest of the Religious Right to immediately cease using the Paulks’ story to sell harmful “ex-gay” therapy to vulnerable people. “Anne Paulk and her Religious Right cohort must immediately cease lying to people about the false ‘ex-gay Paulk fairy-tale,’” said Truth Wins Out Associate Director Evan Hurst. “Indeed, both Paulks should become poster children for the very real nightmare that has been the ‘ex-gay’ experience for so many LGBT people.”
Former ‘Ex-Gay’ Superstar John Paulk Finally Renounces His ‘Ex-Gay’ Past | Truth Wins Out
Benton County GOP Newsletter Article Suggests "Shooting" Legislators - Talk Business
Perhaps the most dramatic example is found in the April newsletter sent out today by the Benton County Republican Party – the reddest of counties in northwest Arkansas. The newsletter contained an explosive article entitled “Scathing” by committee member Chris Nogy, husband of Benton County GOP secretary Leigh Nogy.
[,,,]
The full article and newsletter can be read here. It offers very strong criticism for Republican legislators that voted for the private option. Here is perhaps the most troubling portion.
Benton County GOP Newsletter Article Suggests "Shooting" Legislators - Talk Business
[,,,]
The full article and newsletter can be read here. It offers very strong criticism for Republican legislators that voted for the private option. Here is perhaps the most troubling portion.
We need to let those who will come in the future to represent us [know] that we are serious. The 2nd amendment means nothing unless those in power believe you would have no problem simply walking up and shooting them if they got too far out of line and stopped responding as representatives. It seems that we are unable to muster that belief in any of our representatives on a state or federal level, but we have to have something, something costly, something that they will fear that we will use if they step out of line.
If we can’t shoot them, we have to at least be firm in our threat to take immediate action against them politically, socially, and civically if they screw up on something this big. Personally, I think a gun is quicker and more merciful, but hey, we can’t.
But we have to do something, we have to gain control of our representatives, if we don’t then what the hell are we doing as a party except having fundraiser dinners and meetings just to raise more money for future meetings and fundraisers, and giving money to empower and elect those who would betray us without having the control to keep them in line once we do?
Benton County GOP Newsletter Article Suggests "Shooting" Legislators - Talk Business
Chandra Levy's Parents Have Doubts That Convicted Killer Ingmar Guandique Murdered Their Daughter (VIDEO)
I must be getting old and senile. I remember the case, and vaguely remember them finding her remains. But as for a suspect, trial and conviction, I am totally blank,,,
Chandra Levy's Parents Have Doubts That Convicted Killer Ingmar Guandique Murdered Their Daughter (VIDEO)
In May 2009, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, Ingmar Guandique, was charged with Chandra's murder and later sentenced to 60 years in prison. In this clip from a new "Oprah: Where Are They Now?", Chandra's parents, Sue and Bob Levy, confess their true feelings about Ingmar's conviction. Sue recalls her experience in the courtroom during his sentencing. "I pointed my finger and asked him if he killed my daughter -- and I asked him to look at me," she recalls. "He says, 'No, I did not.'"
Chandra's mother also says that her own lingering questions about Chandra's murder make her wonder if Ingmar told her the truth that day. "I always think, 'I hope you got the right person,'" Sue says in the clip. "I have many, many… doubts about things because I have... lots of questions that remain unanswered to me."
It seems that the Levys aren't the only ones who might have unanswered questions: Recent developments in the case have sparked a re-examination of Ingmar's trial and conviction. "We can't really go into any detail about it," says Bob. "It's just, they're just checking some things out. Doesn't mean that he's not guilty. Or doesn't mean that there'll be another trial."
Chandra Levy's Parents Have Doubts That Convicted Killer Ingmar Guandique Murdered Their Daughter (VIDEO)
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Governor LePage: Maine Wind Turbine Runs On 'A Little Electric Motor That Turns The Blades' | ThinkProgress
This is why science education is so very important,,,
LePage was not joking when he made the comment to the Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, as Mike Tipping with the Bangor Daily News reports:
[,,,]
Citizens of Maine are taking steps of their own toward a clean energy future. In March, a citizen committee overturned a state decision to deny a 14-turbine project on Passadumkeag Mountain. The Commissioner had denied it because of the visual effect it would have on the area, not for any other environmental reason. Governor LePage couldn’t help but weigh in at the news: “While the initial and largely taxpayer-funded investment in wind power projects may be attractive to some, one-of-a-kind views like the ones from Saponac Pond have great value…. I am deeply disappointed in the Board of Environmental Protection’s decision.”
Governor LePage: Maine Wind Turbine Runs On 'A Little Electric Motor That Turns The Blades' | ThinkProgress
LePage was not joking when he made the comment to the Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, as Mike Tipping with the Bangor Daily News reports:
Now, to add insult to injury, The University of Maine, Presque Isle — anybody here been up there to see that damn windmill in the back yard? Guess what, if it’s not blowing wind outside and they have somebody visiting the campus, they have a little electric motor that turns the blades. I’m serious. They have an electric motor so they can show people that wind power works. Unbelievable. And that’s the government that you have here in the state of Maine.
[,,,]
Citizens of Maine are taking steps of their own toward a clean energy future. In March, a citizen committee overturned a state decision to deny a 14-turbine project on Passadumkeag Mountain. The Commissioner had denied it because of the visual effect it would have on the area, not for any other environmental reason. Governor LePage couldn’t help but weigh in at the news: “While the initial and largely taxpayer-funded investment in wind power projects may be attractive to some, one-of-a-kind views like the ones from Saponac Pond have great value…. I am deeply disappointed in the Board of Environmental Protection’s decision.”
Governor LePage: Maine Wind Turbine Runs On 'A Little Electric Motor That Turns The Blades' | ThinkProgress
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Tommy Tucker, North Carolina State Senator, Confronts Publisher At Public Hearing
Me thinks someone is letting ~all that marvelous power~ go to their head, what an arrogant SOB,,,
Tommy Tucker, North Carolina State Senator, Confronts Publisher At Public Hearing
A State and Local Government Committee of the state Senate held a meeting on legislation to allow county and municipal governments to publish public notices only on their websites became heated when a local newspaper publisher sought a recorded vote on the bill, the Raleigh News and Observer reported. Hal Tanner, publisher of the Goldsboro News-Argus, had argued that a voice vote showed the bill failing by one vote, while committee co-chairman Sen. Tommy Tucker (R-Waxhaw) said the bill had passed and the rules did not allow for a recorded vote. During the dispute with Tanner, Tucker proceeded to tell the publisher that it was not his place to comment.
"I am the senator, you are the citizen. You need to be quiet," Tucker said.
The Charlotte Observer reported that three other people in the room had confirmed Tucker's statement; but Tucker told the News and Observer that was not his remark and that Tanner had slighted the committee's integrity, and he had taken it "personally." Tucker said that he told Tanner, "I'm the senator here, let me finish."
[,,,]
The public notice legislation has been a growing issue for local governments nationwide, with local officials arguing that they can save money by posting the notices on their websites, while newspapers, which would lose a dedicated revenue stream, have argued it would reduce public information. Legislation to make the move has failed in multiple states, with other bills pending this year in several states, including Tennessee, Florida and Connecticut.
Tommy Tucker, North Carolina State Senator, Confronts Publisher At Public Hearing
Former chief of staff to break silence on Michele Bachmann | StarTribune.com
GOP operative Andy Parrish, a former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, is expected to tell an Iowa Senate ethics panel that her 2012 presidential campaign made improper payments to its state chairman.
Having maintained a public silence so far, Parrish referred questions Wednesday to his attorney, John Gilmore, who said his client will corroborate allegations from another former Bachmann aide, Peter Waldron.
Waldron, a Florida pastor, claims that the campaign hid payments to Iowa Sen. Kent Sorenson, in violation of Iowa Senate ethics rules that bar members from receiving pay from presidential campaigns.
Until now, Parrish has been identified by the committee only as “Witness A,” Gilmore said.
“The time has come to confirm that ‘Witness A’ is Andy Parrish, and he’ll be providing an affidavit with supporting material that completely supports the representations previously made by Peter Waldron,” Gilmore said.
Sorenson has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, calling the ethics charges “totally baseless, without evidence, and a waste of Iowans’ time and money.” Lawyers for the Bachmann campaign also have denied the allegations.
Waldron’s accusations are also the subject of inquiries by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. The investigations are part of a growing web of legal problems facing Bachmann, including a lawsuit by former staffer Barbara Heki alleging that Sorenson stole a proprietary e-mail list of Iowa home-school families from her personal computer. Those allegations also are the subject of an ongoing police investigation in Urbandale, Iowa.
Former chief of staff to break silence on Michele Bachmann | StarTribune.com
Having maintained a public silence so far, Parrish referred questions Wednesday to his attorney, John Gilmore, who said his client will corroborate allegations from another former Bachmann aide, Peter Waldron.
Waldron, a Florida pastor, claims that the campaign hid payments to Iowa Sen. Kent Sorenson, in violation of Iowa Senate ethics rules that bar members from receiving pay from presidential campaigns.
Until now, Parrish has been identified by the committee only as “Witness A,” Gilmore said.
“The time has come to confirm that ‘Witness A’ is Andy Parrish, and he’ll be providing an affidavit with supporting material that completely supports the representations previously made by Peter Waldron,” Gilmore said.
Sorenson has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, calling the ethics charges “totally baseless, without evidence, and a waste of Iowans’ time and money.” Lawyers for the Bachmann campaign also have denied the allegations.
Waldron’s accusations are also the subject of inquiries by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. The investigations are part of a growing web of legal problems facing Bachmann, including a lawsuit by former staffer Barbara Heki alleging that Sorenson stole a proprietary e-mail list of Iowa home-school families from her personal computer. Those allegations also are the subject of an ongoing police investigation in Urbandale, Iowa.
Former chief of staff to break silence on Michele Bachmann | StarTribune.com
Housing for those displaced by West Texas Explosion
If you have the ability to house those displaced by the recent West Texas explosion, please provide your information here.
Housing for those displaced by West Texas Explosion
Housing for those displaced by West Texas Explosion
Search For Explosion Victims Will Continue Through The Night In West
This article has a list of emergency and information numbers,,,very bad situation!!
Search For Explosion Victims Will Continue Through The Night In West
Search For Explosion Victims Will Continue Through The Night In West
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
I'm no pro BUT,,,
I do not know which is the worse evil, those that initially create and post such garbage or those that fall prey and believe. The following is yet another Facebook meme floating around (I have seen a few different ones with variants on the text some saying she was seen at the marathon other saying she was one of the victims) this being the most recent,,,
I am not a photo or tech expert, I'm lucky I can dial my cell phone, but I have learned a few things these last few years.
Pathetic people!!
Alright.. now something is up.. she died in the sandy hook school shooting.. yet she died by the bombs yesterday? I may not be the smartest motherfucker in this world but from this side of the picture this shit sound like it was setup by the gov... I'm just sayin.
I am not a photo or tech expert, I'm lucky I can dial my cell phone, but I have learned a few things these last few years.
1] It is the same picture manipulated and then shopped, left is the originalI am no pro at this, just an amateur news hound, but if I can see some obvious distortions in this picture then those with more photo experience should be able to debunk this without a passing glance,,,
2] The right side "photo" is zoomed/enlarged then cropped to eliminate the couch in the background
3] Notice the location of the banner placement, it covers her necklace that could still be seen
4] The same backdrop, same picture frame,,,if she was "seen" in Boston (as some memes claim) how could she be sitting on the same couch with the same background?? I know the most obvious answer is that this is a file photo, but why alter it then??
5] The most telling blunder, only 3 individuals lost their lives and all have been identified http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-504083_162-10016486.html
Pathetic people!!
Updated::Official: Boston Marathon bomb suspect in custody
Reports are conflicting, but hoping this is true,,,
Official: Boston Marathon bomb suspect in custody
Update:
Official: Boston Marathon bomb suspect in custody
Update:
Yo dumb-asses there is no 28th Amendment
FINALLY SOMEONE ASKED HIM THE QUESTION! ON "ABC-TV" DURING THE "NETWORK SPECIAL ON HEALTH CARE".... OBAMA WAS ASKED: "MR. PRESIDENT WILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY GIVE UP YOUR CURRENT HEALTH CARE PROGRAM AND JOIN THE NEW 'UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM' THAT THE REST OF US WILL BE ON ????" THERE WAS A STONEY SILENCE AS <>OBAMA IGNORED THE QUESTION AND CHOSE NOT TO ANSWER IT !!! IN ADDITION, A NUMBER OF SENATORS WERE ASKED THE SAME QUESTION AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS."WE WILL THINK ABOUT IT." AND THEY DID. IT WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY ON THE NEWS THAT THE "KENNEDY HEALTH CARE BILL" WAS WRITTEN INTO THE NEW HEALTH CARE REFORM INITIATIVE ENSURING THAT THAT CONGRESS WILL BE 100% EXEMPT ! SO, THIS GREAT NEW HEALTH CARE PLAN THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU AND I... IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR OBAMA, HIS FAMILY OR CONGRESS...?? WE (THE AMERICAN PUBLIC) NEED TO STOP THIS PROPOSED DEBACLE ASAP !!!! THIS IS TOTALLY WRONG !!!!! PERSONALLY, I CAN ONLY ACCEPT A UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL THAT EXTENDS TO EVERYONE... NOT JUST US LOWLY CITIZENS.... WHILE THE WASHINGTON "ELITE" KEEP RIGHT ON WITH THEIR GOLD-PLATED HEALTH CARE COVERAGES. If you don't pass this around, may you enjoy his Plan!
WHAT??? The Republic has a CONSTITUTION???
Amendment 28 Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States . Imagine what we could do if everybody passed this around. Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States . Imagine what we could do if everybody passed this around.
The clip in question,,,
Actual question that was asked,,,
If a national health plan was approved and your family participated, and, President Obama, if your wife or your daughter became seriously ill, and things were not going well, and the plan physicians told you they were doing everything that reasonably could be done, and you sought out opinions from some medical leaders and major centers, and they said there's another option that you should — should pursue, but it was not covered in the plan, would you potentially sacrifice the health of your family for the greater good of insuring millions, or would you do everything you possibly could as a father and husband to get the best health care and outcome for your family?"Question" does not equate to what is stated above (red highlight). Wondering how, "would you potentially sacrifice the health of your family for the greater good" has anything to do with,,,JOIN THE NEW 'UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE PROGRAM' THAT THE REST OF US WILL BE ON,,,there is no clear answer because it failed to connect how President Obama's sacrificing a seriously ill family member by not pursuing a non-covered medical treatment would contribute to the "greater good of insuring millions."
There was no "stoney silence" and the President did answer the question. Seriously wondering what reality the originator of this meme lives in.
Next item of contention, THERE IS NO 28TH AMENDMENT!! Sounds good but unnecessary and here's why, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. Congress has been answerable to the same civil rights and equal employment regulations that pertain to private businesses. http://www.factcheck.org/2010/01/congress-exempt-from-health-bill/
Also note that this interview took place June 24, 2009,,,
Have you fucking read the book you are criticizing??
This image and text is from a facebook meme,,,
Fareed Zakaris is an Indian-born political journalist who SPECIALIZES in world affairs, what his book discusses is the fall of America's dominance and the simultaneous rise of the rest of the world. It shows how the collapse of communism and the Soviet empire, as well as the rise of global markets, has leveled the playing field for many other countries around the world.
What Zacharia also points out is the US is also starting to lag behind other countries in education, building a competitive workforce, and fostering new energy and digital infrastructure to support those workers, all markers of long-term economic growth. He says America is now heading toward what he calls a "post-American" world, in which the United States' share of the "global pie" is much smaller as the rest of the globe begins to catch up. (The "dumbing down" of America I bitch about because of religious ideology being pushes in classrooms.)
And BTW the photo in question is from 2008 what a bunch of dumbasses!!
My question to those of you who are posting this,,HAVE YOU EVEN FUCKING READ IT?? Ignorance is not bliss people wake the fuck up
SOMEONE WAS AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME WITH A CAMERA. IT WAS REPORTED THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS FURIOUS THAT HE WAS CAUGHT ON CAMERA AND IT WAS PUBLISHED AND TRIED TO BLOCK IT.
The name of the book Obama is holding is called: The Post-American World, and it was written by a fellow Muslim.(Fareed Zakaria) "Post" America means: The World "After" America !" If each person sends this to a minimum of twenty people on their address list, In three days, all people in The United States of America could have the message. I believe this is one photo that really should be passed around.
Fareed Zakaris is an Indian-born political journalist who SPECIALIZES in world affairs, what his book discusses is the fall of America's dominance and the simultaneous rise of the rest of the world. It shows how the collapse of communism and the Soviet empire, as well as the rise of global markets, has leveled the playing field for many other countries around the world.
What Zacharia also points out is the US is also starting to lag behind other countries in education, building a competitive workforce, and fostering new energy and digital infrastructure to support those workers, all markers of long-term economic growth. He says America is now heading toward what he calls a "post-American" world, in which the United States' share of the "global pie" is much smaller as the rest of the globe begins to catch up. (The "dumbing down" of America I bitch about because of religious ideology being pushes in classrooms.)
And BTW the photo in question is from 2008 what a bunch of dumbasses!!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Daily Kos: Police said to believe Boston bombs were placed in pressure cookers
Wrote this up earlier today,,,
Not to add any fuel to the fire of ramped speculation but the headline caught my eye,,,Daily Kos: Police said to believe Boston bombs were placed in pressure cookers
and this is why,,,notice the date of this article, 2011 and the type of IED,,,
Just to be clear I'm in no way trying to connect the 2 incidents, but have read on various "news" outlets that the IED used had a distinct middle eastern signature, which this article shows is not necessarily an accurate portrayal,,,
Not to add any fuel to the fire of ramped speculation but the headline caught my eye,,,Daily Kos: Police said to believe Boston bombs were placed in pressure cookers
and this is why,,,notice the date of this article, 2011 and the type of IED,,,
The story began on Jan. 17, at the northeast corner of Washington Street and Main Avenue, on the route of the MLK Unity March in Spokane, Wash., 270 miles east of Seattle. Well before the march began, city public utilities workers found a Swiss Army brand backpack containing a remote-controlled explosive device under a bench on the route where thousands of people would soon walk past.
The backpack was sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Va. The Spokane Spokesman-Review reported that the sophisticated bomb included a mix of shrapnel — bolts, nails and random small metal — and a remote detonator. Other reports that it included a chemical commonly found in rat poison have been disputed. http://thegrio.com/2011/02/03/spokane-still-searching-for-answers-on-mlk-parade-bomb/
Just to be clear I'm in no way trying to connect the 2 incidents, but have read on various "news" outlets that the IED used had a distinct middle eastern signature, which this article shows is not necessarily an accurate portrayal,,,
New Hampshire Republican refers to women as ‘vaginas’ | The Raw Story
WTF,,, a well founded strategy in communication,,,
New Hampshire Republican refers to women as ‘vaginas’ | The Raw Story
see also: http://susanthebruce.blogspot.com/2013/04/vaginas-and-children-first.html?spref=tw&m=1
New Hampshire Republican refers to women as ‘vaginas’ | The Raw Story
see also: http://susanthebruce.blogspot.com/2013/04/vaginas-and-children-first.html?spref=tw&m=1
Pennsylvania Democrat Kicked Out of Christian Band for Supporting Marriage Equality
Bradford County Commissioner Mark Smith is a proud Christian running for Lieutenant Governor in the state of Pennsylvania. He was also the lead guitarist for an up-and-coming Christian rock band — until he publicly announced his support for marriage equality.
Pennsylvania Democrat Kicked Out of Christian Band for Supporting Marriage Equality
Pennsylvania Democrat Kicked Out of Christian Band for Supporting Marriage Equality
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Godless in America. The COMPLETE Short Film of Madalyn Murray O'Hair - YouTube
A we bit of history,,,just a warning, she is very blunt in her opinions and if you offend easily prolly not a good idea to listen,,,tho I find here gutsy, I don't necessarily agree with some of her vitriol, but still an important part of our history,,,
Godless in America. The COMPLETE Short Film of Madalyn Murray O'Hair - YouTube
Godless in America. The COMPLETE Short Film of Madalyn Murray O'Hair - YouTube
Monday, April 8, 2013
The Three Poisons of Human Suffering | The Big Slice
,,,The Buddha taught that the three poisons cause a great deal of suffering. They are: Greed, Anger and Ignorance. His goal was to get people to strive for a life of: Generosity, Compassion and Wisdom. If we could reach that goal, we could eliminate a lot of human suffering, including our own.
,,,First, greed comes from a desire to have more than we need. It’s a desire that cannot be satisfied with its object; for instance, money. When we give in to greed, the more we have, the more we want. Greed can never be satisfied. It can only be challenged with self awareness. We must determine how much we need and when we have enough, admit it. Greed is a distraction that always puts happiness out of our reach. It only produces suffering.
[,,,]
Anger is the next poison. It’s not anger that causes suffering; it’s the actions that we take when we don’t know how to handle our anger. Anger is natural. Harming others is unnatural and causes suffering for the victim and the perpetrator.
[,,,]
Ignorance is the third poison. The most vivid example today is the ignorance that prevails in certain countries that are struggling to keep modernity at bay with archaic forms of obsolete religious belief systems. I won’t argue that there certainly are some aspects of post modernity that I wish we didn’t have to tolerate. But institutionalized ignorance is not the answer. This kind of ignorance demands that terrible things happen to innocent victims.
The Three Poisons of Human Suffering | The Big Slice
,,,First, greed comes from a desire to have more than we need. It’s a desire that cannot be satisfied with its object; for instance, money. When we give in to greed, the more we have, the more we want. Greed can never be satisfied. It can only be challenged with self awareness. We must determine how much we need and when we have enough, admit it. Greed is a distraction that always puts happiness out of our reach. It only produces suffering.
[,,,]
Anger is the next poison. It’s not anger that causes suffering; it’s the actions that we take when we don’t know how to handle our anger. Anger is natural. Harming others is unnatural and causes suffering for the victim and the perpetrator.
[,,,]
Ignorance is the third poison. The most vivid example today is the ignorance that prevails in certain countries that are struggling to keep modernity at bay with archaic forms of obsolete religious belief systems. I won’t argue that there certainly are some aspects of post modernity that I wish we didn’t have to tolerate. But institutionalized ignorance is not the answer. This kind of ignorance demands that terrible things happen to innocent victims.
The Three Poisons of Human Suffering | The Big Slice
The Truth of a Religious Belief is Not Important | The Big Slice
Yet over 3.6 billion people belong to the Abrahamic religions and subscribe to all or some of these beliefs. That’s half the population on the planet; a fact I can’t simply ignore. So I’ve come to the more balanced perspective of being an instrumentalist. Now this might be a stretch but indulge me for a moment longer.
From Wikipedia, “In the philosophy of science, instrumentalism is the view that a scientific theory is a useful instrument in understanding the world. A concept or theory should be evaluated by how effectively it explains and predicts phenomena, as opposed to how accurately it describes objective reality.”
Although this definition applies to science where evidence is paramount, I’m using it on religion because it takes us out of the realm of describing objective reality and into the realm of “predicting phenomena.”
[,,,]
In this case, instrumentalism is about the practicality of a belief. I.e., its usefulness. In other words, I can forgo the need to reach a conclusion on the truth of a religious proposition and look to its capacity to predict phenomena, for instance “help believers.” And I cannot argue against the reality that religious belief does help believers.
Of course the next question that looms into view is, “what does this kind of help look like?” Or to be more precise, “help to do what.”
[,,,]
But I must admit, my argument, like many, is a hall of mirrors. If we apply the work of Jacques Derrida, the French postmodernist philosopher, when we deconstruct meaning far enough down to its origins, we find nothing there but what other human beings put there. And when we deconstruct that, we find aporia; a confusion in establishing the truth of any proposition.
[,,,]
You see, our faith in the truth of all propositions depends on how firmly we believe in the truth of supporting propositions. In the end, they’re all human propositions. Do they help or hinder the people who believe them and the people they influence? To me that’s the only question worth asking.
The Truth of a Religious Belief is Not Important | The Big Slice
From Wikipedia, “In the philosophy of science, instrumentalism is the view that a scientific theory is a useful instrument in understanding the world. A concept or theory should be evaluated by how effectively it explains and predicts phenomena, as opposed to how accurately it describes objective reality.”
Although this definition applies to science where evidence is paramount, I’m using it on religion because it takes us out of the realm of describing objective reality and into the realm of “predicting phenomena.”
[,,,]
In this case, instrumentalism is about the practicality of a belief. I.e., its usefulness. In other words, I can forgo the need to reach a conclusion on the truth of a religious proposition and look to its capacity to predict phenomena, for instance “help believers.” And I cannot argue against the reality that religious belief does help believers.
Of course the next question that looms into view is, “what does this kind of help look like?” Or to be more precise, “help to do what.”
[,,,]
But I must admit, my argument, like many, is a hall of mirrors. If we apply the work of Jacques Derrida, the French postmodernist philosopher, when we deconstruct meaning far enough down to its origins, we find nothing there but what other human beings put there. And when we deconstruct that, we find aporia; a confusion in establishing the truth of any proposition.
[,,,]
You see, our faith in the truth of all propositions depends on how firmly we believe in the truth of supporting propositions. In the end, they’re all human propositions. Do they help or hinder the people who believe them and the people they influence? To me that’s the only question worth asking.
The Truth of a Religious Belief is Not Important | The Big Slice
Friday, April 5, 2013
Paul Cameron: Gay People More Likely to Have Sex With Children and Animals | Right Wing Watch
Cameron’s bases his new report on a review of gay peoples’ obituaries, that is, those that have one; Cameron writes that “many gays are anonymous—having sex without ever exchanging names—so their obituaries are ‘missing.’ Lesbians are anomalous—seldom being given an obituary.”
Cameron goes on to say that gays and lesbians are “more frequently involved in criminality” and “are more apt to smoke, use drugs, drive recklessly and get infected by their sexual activities with a host of dangerous germs and experience various organ failures.”
He adds that a reference to pets in a gay person’s obituary is a sign of his or her “estrangement from humanity,” adding that 20% of gay men “reported having had sex with an animal.”
According to the crackpot study, it is even more likely that gay men have sex with children:
Paul Cameron: Gay People More Likely to Have Sex With Children and Animals | Right Wing Watch
Cameron goes on to say that gays and lesbians are “more frequently involved in criminality” and “are more apt to smoke, use drugs, drive recklessly and get infected by their sexual activities with a host of dangerous germs and experience various organ failures.”
He adds that a reference to pets in a gay person’s obituary is a sign of his or her “estrangement from humanity,” adding that 20% of gay men “reported having had sex with an animal.”
According to the crackpot study, it is even more likely that gay men have sex with children:
Paul Cameron: Gay People More Likely to Have Sex With Children and Animals | Right Wing Watch
Paul Cameron Rests His Case: Homosexuality a 'Mental Pathology'; 'Mental Disability or a Disorder' | Right Wing Watch
“The Supreme Court ought not to harm homosexuals by legitimating homosexual coupling,” Cameron said, “and the psychiatric community ought to pay attention to this enormous deficit of lifespan and reopen the issue of whether or not homosexuality is a mental disability or a disorder.”
Paul Cameron Rests His Case: Homosexuality a 'Mental Pathology'; 'Mental Disability or a Disorder' | Right Wing Watch
Paul Cameron Rests His Case: Homosexuality a 'Mental Pathology'; 'Mental Disability or a Disorder' | Right Wing Watch
Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party
To learn more about theocracy and the theocratic movement,,,
Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party
Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party
| PA Candidate Max Myers Advocates Theocratic Church Governance
For context, see Rachel Tabachnick's story, NAR Leader Running for Governor in Pennsylvania - As a Democrat (previous post)
| PA Candidate Max Myers Advocates Theocratic Church Governance
| PA Candidate Max Myers Advocates Theocratic Church Governance
| NAR Leader Running for Governor in Pennsylvania - As a Democrat
Do not let this man fool you, he is running as a Democrat with Theocratic/Dominionist Ideology (think Teapublicans Michelle Bachman and Sarah Palin).
Required reading for some of the ANGA programs describes homosexuality as caused by demons. GSSM requires students to confess any homosexual sex on their application forms. Nevertheless, Myers is running as a Democrat in the 2014 gubernatorial race and kicked off a two-day media campaign on Monday morning at Philadelphia's William Way LGBT Community Center.
Myers was an Assemblies of God pastor for most of his career. In 2007 he joined Clark at ANGA to lead GSSM, a school with a three-year program teaching prophecy, supernatural healing, and deliverance (casting out demons), and other coursework. During his six-year tenure, Myers expanded the school to include a branch in South Africa, and Brazil, as well as several U.S. satellites. GSSM classes included regular visits from leading apostolic and prophetic figures, including from the Revival Alliance network.
[,,,]
The NAR is a growing international movement in which churches are being organized into relational networks under the leadership of modern-day apostles and prophets. The movement is "postdenominational" in nature and is forming in the belief that Christians sharing this worldview can come together to take "dominion" over culture and government. A popular narrative used to describe this goal is called the "Seven Mountains Mandate" or the campaign to take over the seven spheres of culture - arts, business, education, family, government, media, and religion.
| NAR Leader Running for Governor in Pennsylvania - As a Democrat
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
White Wolf: Sacred ground for sale at Wounded Knee (Video)
I really hope that karma bites this dude in the ass, what a disgrace!!
White Wolf: Sacred ground for sale at Wounded Knee (Video)
White Wolf: Sacred ground for sale at Wounded Knee (Video)
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Why Do People Commit To Behavior Which Consistently Lacks Moral or Ethical Principles | MyScienceAcademy
What makes a person feel justified in taking advantage over another? Psychological scientist Gert Cornelissen of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and colleagues found that people who have an “ends justify the means” mindset are more likely to balance their good and bad deeds, while those who believe that what is right and wrong is a matter of principle are more likely to be consistent in their behavior, even if that behavior is bad.
Previous research from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, found that providing a sense of power to someone instills a black-and-white sense of right and wrong (especially wrong). Once armed with this moral clarity, powerful people then perceive wrongdoing with much less ambiguity than people lacking this power, and punish apparent wrong-doers with more severity than people without power would.
Existing research is mixed when it comes to explaining how previous behavior affects our current moral conduct.
Some researchers find evidence for moral balancing, suggesting that we hover around a moral setpoint. Going over that setpoint by doing a good deed gives us license to engage in more self-interested, immoral, or antisocial behavior. When our moral self-image falls below that setpoint, however, we feel ill at ease and try to compensate by engaging in positive behavior.
What decides whether you will sell out your personal values to the highest bidder? It can be reasonably suggested that there would be no corruption in the world if people refused to sacrifice their value systems for monetary compensation. So why does it happen?
[,,,]
The results from all three studies showed that participants’ dominant ethical mindset, in combination with their previous behavior, influenced their behavior in the lab.
When given a pot of money to divide, people with an outcome-based mindset allocated fewer coins to their partners after recalling recent ethical behavior. They were also more likely to cheat when given the opportunity to self-report the number of test items they answered correctly. These results suggest that they felt licensed to engage in “bad” behavior after thinking about their good deeds.
People who had a rule-based mindset, on the other hand, gave more coins to their partner and were less likely to cheat after recalling an ethical act, indicating that they were trying to be consistent with their previous behavior.
The relationship seems to be driven, at least in part, by the fact that people with an outcome-based mindset are attending to their moral self-image, or the discrepancy between the self they perceive and the self they aspire to be.
Why Do People Commit To Behavior Which Consistently Lacks Moral or Ethical Principles | MyScienceAcademy
Previous research from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, found that providing a sense of power to someone instills a black-and-white sense of right and wrong (especially wrong). Once armed with this moral clarity, powerful people then perceive wrongdoing with much less ambiguity than people lacking this power, and punish apparent wrong-doers with more severity than people without power would.
Existing research is mixed when it comes to explaining how previous behavior affects our current moral conduct.
Some researchers find evidence for moral balancing, suggesting that we hover around a moral setpoint. Going over that setpoint by doing a good deed gives us license to engage in more self-interested, immoral, or antisocial behavior. When our moral self-image falls below that setpoint, however, we feel ill at ease and try to compensate by engaging in positive behavior.
What decides whether you will sell out your personal values to the highest bidder? It can be reasonably suggested that there would be no corruption in the world if people refused to sacrifice their value systems for monetary compensation. So why does it happen?
[,,,]
The results from all three studies showed that participants’ dominant ethical mindset, in combination with their previous behavior, influenced their behavior in the lab.
When given a pot of money to divide, people with an outcome-based mindset allocated fewer coins to their partners after recalling recent ethical behavior. They were also more likely to cheat when given the opportunity to self-report the number of test items they answered correctly. These results suggest that they felt licensed to engage in “bad” behavior after thinking about their good deeds.
People who had a rule-based mindset, on the other hand, gave more coins to their partner and were less likely to cheat after recalling an ethical act, indicating that they were trying to be consistent with their previous behavior.
The relationship seems to be driven, at least in part, by the fact that people with an outcome-based mindset are attending to their moral self-image, or the discrepancy between the self they perceive and the self they aspire to be.
Why Do People Commit To Behavior Which Consistently Lacks Moral or Ethical Principles | MyScienceAcademy
Why Does Religion Always Get a Free Ride? | Alternet
We try to persuade people out of ideas all the time. We try to persuade people that their ideas about science, politics, philosophy, art, medicine, and more, are wrong: that they're harmful, ridiculous, repulsive, or simply mistaken. But when it comes to religion, trying to persuade people out of their ideas is somehow seen as horribly rude at best, invasive and bigoted and intolerant at worst. Why? Why should religion be the exception?
[,,,]
In a free society, in the marketplace of ideas, we try to persuade people out of ideas all the time. We criticize ideas we disagree with; we question ideas we find puzzling; we excoriate ideas we find repugnant; we make fun of ideas we think are silly. And we think this is acceptable. In fact, we think it's positively good. We think this is how good ideas rise to the surface, and bad ideas get filtered out. We might have issues with exactly how this persuasion is carried out: is it done politely or rudely, reasonably or hysterically, did you really have to bring it up at Thanksgiving dinner, etc. But the basic idea of trying to convince other people that your ideas are right and theirs are wrong... this is not controversial.
[,,,]
And religion is a very specific kind of idea about the world. Religion is a truth claim. It's not a subjective matter of personal experience or opinion, like, "I'm a one-woman man," or "Harry Potter is better than Lord of the Rings." It is a statement about what is and is not literally true in the non-subjective world.
So if we think it's a mistaken idea, why shouldn't we try to convince other people of that?
[,,,]
But religion isn't the only idea whose adherents have historically been targeted with persecution. Political ideas certainly have been. To take an obvious example: Look at Communism. People who thought Communism was a good idea had their lives utterly destroyed. Even if they weren't actually trying to overthrow the government. Even if all they were doing was writing, or creating art, or gassing on in cafes with their friends. Even if they weren't really Communists. McCarthyism and other Red scares destroyed the lives of countless people who were simply suspected of being Communists. And like religious persecution, anti-Communist fervor has often been closely tied with nationalism, ethnic hostilities, and more. Immigrants from Eastern Europe, for instance, were often feared and despised as "dirty Commies," with the political hostility becoming inextricably tangled with the xenophobic nationalism, and each form of hostility feeding the other.
[,,,]
When we criticize religion -- just as when we criticize any other kind of idea -- we do need to make sure that criticism of the idea doesn't turn into persecution of its adherents. We need to draw a careful line between criticizing ideas and marginalizing people. We need to remember that people who disagree with us are still people, deserving of basic compassion and respect.
[,,,]
But if religious differences really are more likely to lead to bigotry, tribalism, violence, etc.... doesn't that show what a bad idea it is? If the ideas of religion are so poorly rooted in reality that there's no way to resolve differences other than forming battle lines and screaming or shooting across them... doesn't that strongly suggest that this is a truly crappy idea, and humanity should let go of it? Doesn't that suggest that persuading people out of it is a really good thing to do?
Why Does Religion Always Get a Free Ride? | Alternet
[,,,]
In a free society, in the marketplace of ideas, we try to persuade people out of ideas all the time. We criticize ideas we disagree with; we question ideas we find puzzling; we excoriate ideas we find repugnant; we make fun of ideas we think are silly. And we think this is acceptable. In fact, we think it's positively good. We think this is how good ideas rise to the surface, and bad ideas get filtered out. We might have issues with exactly how this persuasion is carried out: is it done politely or rudely, reasonably or hysterically, did you really have to bring it up at Thanksgiving dinner, etc. But the basic idea of trying to convince other people that your ideas are right and theirs are wrong... this is not controversial.
[,,,]
And religion is a very specific kind of idea about the world. Religion is a truth claim. It's not a subjective matter of personal experience or opinion, like, "I'm a one-woman man," or "Harry Potter is better than Lord of the Rings." It is a statement about what is and is not literally true in the non-subjective world.
So if we think it's a mistaken idea, why shouldn't we try to convince other people of that?
[,,,]
But religion isn't the only idea whose adherents have historically been targeted with persecution. Political ideas certainly have been. To take an obvious example: Look at Communism. People who thought Communism was a good idea had their lives utterly destroyed. Even if they weren't actually trying to overthrow the government. Even if all they were doing was writing, or creating art, or gassing on in cafes with their friends. Even if they weren't really Communists. McCarthyism and other Red scares destroyed the lives of countless people who were simply suspected of being Communists. And like religious persecution, anti-Communist fervor has often been closely tied with nationalism, ethnic hostilities, and more. Immigrants from Eastern Europe, for instance, were often feared and despised as "dirty Commies," with the political hostility becoming inextricably tangled with the xenophobic nationalism, and each form of hostility feeding the other.
[,,,]
When we criticize religion -- just as when we criticize any other kind of idea -- we do need to make sure that criticism of the idea doesn't turn into persecution of its adherents. We need to draw a careful line between criticizing ideas and marginalizing people. We need to remember that people who disagree with us are still people, deserving of basic compassion and respect.
[,,,]
But if religious differences really are more likely to lead to bigotry, tribalism, violence, etc.... doesn't that show what a bad idea it is? If the ideas of religion are so poorly rooted in reality that there's no way to resolve differences other than forming battle lines and screaming or shooting across them... doesn't that strongly suggest that this is a truly crappy idea, and humanity should let go of it? Doesn't that suggest that persuading people out of it is a really good thing to do?
Why Does Religion Always Get a Free Ride? | Alternet
Unlocking the Conspiracy Mind-Set - NYTimes.com
It all started last year, when a social scientist named Stephan Lewandowsky, of the University of Western Australia, and two colleagues published a rather provocative paper. It was based on an anonymous Internet survey of the readers of climate blogs.
The title alone will give you a sense of the findings: “NASA Faked the Moon Landings – Therefore (Climate) Science is a Hoax.” The subtitle was “An Anatomy of the Motivated Rejection of Science.”
The strongest finding in the survey was that ideological belief in an unregulated free market tended to be a predictor of someone’s willingness to reject the findings of mainstream climate research. No great surprise there. It was the secondary findings that set off a brouhaha.
Dr. Lewandowsky’s survey results suggested that people who rejected climate science were more likely than other respondents to reject other scientific or official findings and buy into assorted fringe theories: that NASA faked the moon landing, that the Central Intelligence Agency killed Martin Luther King Jr., that the AIDS virus was unleashed by the government, and so forth.
This piece of research appeared in a specialized journal in psychological science, but it did not take long to find its way onto climate skeptics’ blogs, setting off howls of derision.
A theory quickly emerged: that believers in climate science had been the main people taking Dr. Lewandowsky’s survey, but instead of answering honestly, had decided en masse to impersonate climate contrarians, giving the craziest possible answers so as to make the contrarians look like whack jobs.
So, a paper about a tendency among this group to believe in conspiracy theories was met by … a conspiracy theory.
Dr. Lewandowsky and his collaborators were taken aback, but not for long. As far-fetched ideas about the survey ricocheted around the Internet, they realized that manna was falling on them from heaven.
They started collecting the relevant blog posts, attempting to trace ideas to their origin, and observing how readily new conspiracy theories were embraced by the contrarians.
Unlocking the Conspiracy Mind-Set - NYTimes.com
The title alone will give you a sense of the findings: “NASA Faked the Moon Landings – Therefore (Climate) Science is a Hoax.” The subtitle was “An Anatomy of the Motivated Rejection of Science.”
The strongest finding in the survey was that ideological belief in an unregulated free market tended to be a predictor of someone’s willingness to reject the findings of mainstream climate research. No great surprise there. It was the secondary findings that set off a brouhaha.
Dr. Lewandowsky’s survey results suggested that people who rejected climate science were more likely than other respondents to reject other scientific or official findings and buy into assorted fringe theories: that NASA faked the moon landing, that the Central Intelligence Agency killed Martin Luther King Jr., that the AIDS virus was unleashed by the government, and so forth.
This piece of research appeared in a specialized journal in psychological science, but it did not take long to find its way onto climate skeptics’ blogs, setting off howls of derision.
A theory quickly emerged: that believers in climate science had been the main people taking Dr. Lewandowsky’s survey, but instead of answering honestly, had decided en masse to impersonate climate contrarians, giving the craziest possible answers so as to make the contrarians look like whack jobs.
So, a paper about a tendency among this group to believe in conspiracy theories was met by … a conspiracy theory.
Dr. Lewandowsky and his collaborators were taken aback, but not for long. As far-fetched ideas about the survey ricocheted around the Internet, they realized that manna was falling on them from heaven.
They started collecting the relevant blog posts, attempting to trace ideas to their origin, and observing how readily new conspiracy theories were embraced by the contrarians.
Unlocking the Conspiracy Mind-Set - NYTimes.com
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