Wise words from a wise owl. Too bad our President was AWOL during that lesson.That's right kids, your pal F.T.W. Bush is having his Environmental Pollution Agency buddies getting ready to spew even more toxins into our already choked atmosphere.
Remember how we like to talk about the other side of the Bush administration? You know the one that likes to take care of it's big business buddies at the expense of the American People? Well he's outdone himself this time. Forget drilling in the wildlife refuge, forget greenhouse gasses - no, let's cut straight to coal burning toxins.
Apparently there aren't enough allowed by the clean air act, so in typical Bush fashion - what do we do when we are inconvenienced by laws that we can't just ignore? That's right we just go ahead and change them.
Well thanks to some intrepid folks over at Natural Resources Defense Council who were leaked a draft of the EPA's new briliant plan, we now know what the super polluters are up to.
Under the proposed "new rules" polluters would be measured by the hour instead of by the year, this seemingly insignificant change has far reaching rammifications.
"The language could undercut dozens of pending state and federal lawsuits aimed at forcing coal-fired plants to cut back emissions of harmful pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide"
Under the new rule plants could potentially "generate legally as much as 100,000 tons a year of pollutants that would be illegal under the existing...rules"
The good news is that this increase might help with employment, social security and population since studies already show that sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide already account for 20,000 premature deaths each year. With these new rules - the sky (what's left of it anyway) is the limit!
In addition to even more dead Americans, these new rules also take care of a series of pesky state lawsuits that are currently pending against all of Bush's polluter pals. The new rules would pretty much eliminate the states ability to prosecute these plants under the clean air act.
There's no point in worrying about the environement if there is money to be made apparently.
I'm looking forward to the day when I have to smoke a cigarette to get some fresh air.
In related news, The FBI arrested The Lorax and shipped him off to Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of environmental terrorism.
So enjoy the world while you can folks, by the end of this term no only will we be unwelcome in pretty much every country in the world, but pretty soon we won't even be able to stay in our own.
Additional reporting courtesy of this article in The Washington Post.|W|P|112550099041202972|W|P|Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute!|W|P|
cath|W|P|LOL! I am just so enjoying the lorax comment. Found & bookmarked u thru BE. We couldn't have asked for a worse administration in every respect, but especially for the environment. That's the one thing that will make me a democrat til I die--they have a little more conscience when it comes to raping the land, water, etc. Under Bush, nothing's going to change until Hootie the Owl mutates into something with radioactive eyeballs that STARTS forest fires just to get the long, painful, forced extinction over with.
Glyn (Zaphod) Evans|W|P|Yeah the whole Arctic drilling thing has me a bit upset. Never mind the stark refusal to comply with nearly the rest of the planet in getting emissions and polution levels down. Sickening is what it is. I only want some of you to move to Canada though ;)Thanks for commenting on my blog. I am going to add your link :D
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I hope alot of you will participate - see you all there.|W|P|112543713950773300|W|P|Calling all Writers!|W|P|
That's right, the U.S. in it's infinite wisdom has decided to start a war with Canada - a trade war.
Canada and the U.S. have a nifty trade agreement called NAFTA. This treaty was supposed to usher in a new era of free trade and economic cooperation between American and her much cooler neighbors to the north. That is until President "F.T.W." Bush got a hold of it. At issue is Canadian lumber. For a few years now, Bushy has been charging obscene tariffs on imported Canadian lumber - a direct violation of the NAFTA agreement.
As expected Canada complained and an independent NAFTA ruling confirmed that the U.S. violated the NAFTA agreement and must immediately cease charging the tariff and return the tariff money it had already collected - about 4 billion dollars.
And in typical Bush fashion, the U.S. took the loss exceedingly well. How is that? They just ignored it. That's right folks - a great lesson for our kids, if you lose, just ignore it and keep doing what you are doing.
I'd like to see a convicted criminal pull this one. I'm sorry Mr. Jones, you have been found guilty of murder. "Forget it, I'm going home, this court is stupid - if anyone needs me, I'll be out murdering more people."
So not only does this mean that the U.S. has taken the enviable position of ignoring a treaty that it signed, but they added insult to injury by taking their complaint to the WTO, a body it controls and got them to rule in their favor, which they are now using to keep imposing their tariffs. Forget about the fact that the WTO does not have jurisdiction and that the NAFTA treaty clearly says that the NAFTA board has the final say on NAFTA disputes. But why spoil the beauty of a thing with legality.
You have to go a long way in this world to piss of Canada, but leave it to Bush to do it. I think this may be the only thing that he is gifted at - making people mad and making the U.S. the most reviled nation on the planet. Well done Mr. President, very well done.
What message does this send our citizens "when in doubt cheat?" What about the world - would you trust a nation that routinely ignores it's own laws and treaties if they decide they are inconvenient?
We should be ashamed of ourselves for letting this kind of thing happen. Canada is threatening to impose sanctions on us - which is what happened when we did the exact same thing to the EU last year. Isn't it interesting that the only other nations that routinely have sanctions enacted against them are all people that we've called evil dictatorships - hmmm very interesting.
And finally, a note to President Bush, from your pal Rudicus:
You've already won the award of worst President in history by a wide enough margin to be unchallenged - there is no need to keep running the score up.|W|P|112541025534510618|W|P|The U.S. is Going To War Again - This Week's Target....Canada|W|P|
Phoenix|W|P|But he NEEEEEEDDDDS those tarriffs to pay for the war in Iraq. My GOD how our foreign policy has been flushed. I wish Colin Powell was back, and had the authority to do what was right and not what he was told. That man knew what needed to be done, he was just never allowed to do it.
Dave|W|P|"when in doubt cheat?" . hmm let me ponder. is this what the bible teaches? how many more years do we have of this stupid man as our president brining America deeper down in the mud? (*shakes head*) Glod|W|P|I think the bible does teach it. There may be some passage about tricking a tribe into being all circumcised in order for them to be foriven, but then killing them all as they stand around in pain. thordora|W|P|And he wondered why our PM told him to go fuck himself when asked to join his little "war"....I just LOVE how the US thinks they can shit all over Canada. I want to be PM so I can pull the plug on all the water, oil, gas, electric, etc we provide. Yeah, it goes both ways, as a reciprocal relationship....
but, as the south park song goes "BLAME CANADA!
QOB|W|P|When I read the title, I thought, in usual QOB fashion, "What a RIDICULOUS title!" And this time, THIS TIME, you've just really gone too far...how will your post EVER substantiate whatever claim you've made in your title...it's IMPOSSIBLE.And then I read.
Rudicus|W|P|I was going to put a sign that read Genius At Work before each post, but I figured it was implied - sorry - will be more careful in the future. Codesuidae|W|P|Lord, that monkey at the helm is an embarrasment. Lets just hope there will be something left to salvage when he finally leaves office.Lets all join hands for a moment and give thanks for the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Ken Grandlund|W|P|my god will the idiocy never end? who actually elected these people to screw us over? whoever you are out there, you're just screwing yourselves too, so I hope you're getting the president you always hoped for. This guy "jus' don' take no shit from nobody" and in the end, we'll be the ones with shit all over our shoes.
Thanks GWB...and thanks to his parents too for raising such an empty moron.
Dave|W|P|my boyfriend was telling me that some people want to put bush's face on currency and I was like say what? we agreed on one currency he could be on, the penny because thats about what hes worth. Glyn (Zaphod) Evans|W|P|The worst is that NAFTA ruled in favor of Canada on this. I am pissed off. The BC forestry industry is in ruins because of the US foolishness. And to think, we want to send oil down cheap to help? Bah. Why the hell am I paying over $4 a gallon for gas here? Send em soem cheap oil to help...
Anyone who has spent anytime on The Rudicus Report, has certainly come across the work of this man. That's Fred Phelps founder and pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka Kansas - better known as the God Hates Fags church.Once again these bozos have done something hurtful, hateful and stupid - well two somethings actually, but that's not the heart of what I want to talk about today.
The Westboro Baptist Church has been around since 1955, but they shot to fame when they protested outside Matthew Shepard's funeral with their God Hates Fags rhetoric and their claims that Matthew was burning in hell. That alone marks these guys as crazies, but they've been preaching their anti-gay hate messages since then and getting tons of publicity thanks to their constant inflammatory speech.
Recently, the WBC decided to hunt down Swedish king Carl Gustaf for his apparent pro-gay leanings when a Swedish anti-gay preacher was jailed for inciting violence against homosexuals.
"We'll hunt down your king," Phelps told Expressen "It doesn't make any difference where he tries to hide."
That may have been the epitome of moronic a couple of weeks ago, but then we got Pat Robertson advocating the assassination of Hugo Chavez. Looks like old Pat is in good company.
Well Phelps and the WBC, may have gone a bit too far over the weekend when they turned up in Tennessee to protest at a couple more funerals, but this time it wasn't gays, it was U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.
They didn't turn up to protest the war or support the president, they came to protest the soldiers - contending that "American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays."* you can read the full story here.
So what do you think happened next? You guessed right, the locals chased them out of town screaming and yelling.
"My husband is over there, so I'm here to show my support," 41-year-old Connie Ditmore said as she waved and American flag and as tears came to her eyes. "To do this at a funeral is disrespectful of a family, no matter what your beliefs are."*
"If they were protesting the government, I might even join them," Danny Cotton, 56, said amid cries of "get out of our town" and "get out of our country." "But for them to come during the worst time for this family  it's just wrong."*
And here's where we get to the hypocrisy - which of course we always do.This church has been around since 1955 and been really active in this way since 1998 when they started getting publicity. They have brought their message of hate to communities around the country and protested at many funerals of many gay people as well as other places. But did people get up in arms then? No. Did people chase them out of town? Nope. How is it that for 7 years they were tolerated and allowed to spread their message of hate without good ole' townsfolk getting up in arms about it.
I'll tell you why. Because before they only targeted gays, but this time they went after U.S. soldiers. Well, apparently we have no problem whatsoever with homosexuals being persecuted or their family being the target of thier funeral tactics, but the minute they turn their guns on "good people" then it's fightin' time.
How typical. This is no different than the plight of blacks in this country. It wasn't that long ago that a dozen black people could get murdered and no one would care - especially not the whitesherifff, but one white person got hurt...out comes the national guard.
By getting selectively upset and not standing up for people who are being persecuted, all you do is allow it to continue and tacitly condone it. The biggest problem here is that the "good people" can't come out and defend gays because not only would they get the gun turned on them as well, but it would mean going against their church (notice I did not say faith or God, since I believe that the prohibition against homosexuality is dubious and disgustingly hypocritical at best).
It is the peak of hypocrisy to go around crying about how the WBC is acting at this funeral but not say boo to how they acted at anyoneelse'ss. In fact I think it was even more inappropriate for them to protest at a funeral for a kid who was killed just for existing rather than someone who volunteered for combat. But in reality, this is about what we've come to expect from a certain breed of Christians - selective reading, selective hearing, selective application and 100% hypocrisy.
So if you have chosen to believe in God, be an actual "good Christian" and tell these folks they don't speak for you and that this is absolutely NOT what Jesus would do. If you do not stand up for your faith then it is meaningless and if you do not stand up for those being persecuted than you are little better than those doing the persecuting.
Where's the gay Martin Luther King when you need him?
*additional reporting By BETH RUCKER, Associated Press Writer|W|P|112532784395987831|W|P|I'll have my Hate well done, with a side of Hypocrisy.|W|P|
QOB|W|P|My purpose is being revealed. I knew I happened upon your site for a reason. Phoenix|W|P|Stupid, isn't it? I read that article over the weekend, and my first thought was that that nutcase is at it again. Actually he is getting weirder. He brought his loonies to Santa Fe back in April to protest the town. Why? Because after some gay beatings the support from the community was huge. He even protested churches who allowed gays to attend.
Honestly I'm surprised that he wasn't shot on sight at those funerals. Military people aren't too keen on acts like that, and that guy is just asking for it. Begging.
|W|P|Phoenix--may be that's what he is asking for--to be made a martyr. Chrisianity seems to be one of those old-timey religions that's happiest when it's being persecuted...the best thing to do is say--"you sir are a moron." then ignore him. Making a martyr our of him would just make those who listen to him stronger.... Phoenix|W|P|Yeah, I know. We were warned before he came to SF to just ignore him. He has a rep for allowing people to get hurt on his side and then sueing the city for not protecting his right to protest. But people like him won't give up on spewing hate until they're dead either.
Please don't for a minute think that I advocate it. But how much patience does society have left for idiotic attitudes like this?
Nathan|W|P|This just saddens me anymore. Day by day I feel more inclined to turn my back on people in general and give up on them. Why must we always turn away from what really burns us inside? thordora|W|P|At the end of the day, what kind of repugnant person protests at someone's funeral?!?!? Regardless of who/what someone is/was, what they stood for, it's their fucking funeral. Have a little respect.Just another indication of the dumbing down theocracy in full effect. If I was at the funeral of a family member and this asscrap showed up, I WOULD beat the crap out of him. Although in the US, if he sued me, he'd win since your judges have issues.
I can't get over how disrespectful this guy is. How low will these people go?
Dave|W|P|All lives should be valued whether gay, straight, military or whatever the case may be. To protests a time of remembrance of that valued life by those who loved them is like throwing a big black inkblot on a paper. It ruins it. Their actions show no respect. These people can not be reasoned with. They are like possessed with this message of hate for homosexuals with the strongest intensity. Ive dealt with this group and another one like it. Phelps group protested a production of the laramie project here at UNT and they had like four year old kids out with signs spewing their message of hate. 4 years old! tragic. The other group was operation save america which protested my gay youth group,journey out. i ask myself when will these people ever learn? the answer sadly is they wont. Tracey|W|P|A couple of years ago, Phelps and his gang were protesting The Laramie Project at the University of Maryland, and it was the same b.s. Like Dave said, they have children out there spewing their hate, and it's just sad. The student newspaper even interviewed one of his granddaughters, and everybody that talked about the article that day just wanted to cry.I hope that there is a special circle of hell for people like Phelps and his gang of non-christians. Oh...you should check out this wikipedia article on Phelps...it's really damn scary!
If you ever want to find a place where Evolutionists and Creationists can get along in pure non-sensical peace, take a trip to the Museum of Earth History in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Here you can see wonderful exhibits of Dinosaurs right alongside exhibits for The Garden of Eden and The Tower of Babel.
The museum offers "high-quality, scientific exhibits displayed in a totally biblical setting."
Where "viewers will journey through three epic periods of ancient history often overlooked by modern historians: life before the fall, the post-fall world, and life after the devastating effects of the great Genesis Flood."
Take a reality bending jaunt over to their website where you can see all about these fine historical and scientific exhibits:
The Curse: a vivid pictorial rendition of the effects of the Fall of man upon the earth. (presumably taken from the fossil records and National Geographic story written at the time)
The Flood: An 8ft X 28ft foot mural depicting the Noahic Flood event from the breaking open of the Great Deep to the landing of the Ark on Mt. Ararat. (since no archaeological evidence exists)
The Garden of Eden: A large, panoramic still life display featuring a representation of how Eden might have looked. This exhibit includes a 20 foot waterfall and lush vegetation, with a full size skeleton of a Thescelosaurus and a skeletal skull replica of Stan, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. (Stan as you all know was the fouth member of the biblical Fab Four, who's identity, like Ringo and George, was lost in the shuffle along with the serpent to the bigger stars Adam and Eve. A piece of word history: "Stan" is actually a translation of the bibilical aramaeic term for "big fucking monster")
The Tower of Babel: This exhibit represents the very important time of the dividing of the nations, not too long after the Flood. Because of the sin of the people, God confounded their languages, which resulted in the dispersal of the different tribes and peoples across the world. (The exhibit doesn't contain any actual archaeological material, but it look really cool and is next to dinosaurs so it must be real.)
The Fish Aquarium: This exhibit has as its center-piece a 400 gallon salt water aquarium, featuring some of the oceans most beautiful specimens. Mounted above the aquarium is a 15 foot skeletal replica of a Platecarpus Tympaniticus. (The Fish Aquarium has nothing whatsoever to do with either creationsim or evolution per se, but fish are cool, and the thing wouldn't fit in the living room so it had to go somewhere. Oh wait, Jesus was a fisherman - there you go!)
You can also read such gems of true knowledge as:
"...dinosaurs are mentioned 25 times in the Old Testament."
"Dinosaurs were on Noah's Ark."
"The dinosaurs on Noah's ark were probably juveniles." (why? Because full size dinosaurs would have been too big to fit the dimensions of the Ark, so this must be the answer)
"There are some indications that dinosaurs lived after the flood. For example, in the Book of Job, the author discusses the behemoth in chapter 40. The animal described clearly matches the description of a Sauropod (commonly known as a Brontosaurus)."
"Evidence from fossilized footprints, ancient artwork, literature and fossils all strongly support the fact that dinosaurs and humans did co-exist."
I can see this one happening myself:
"I have found the tracks Kemosabe."
"What do they say Tonto."
"It looks like a Mexican, a White Man and a Velociraptor."
"Dammit! First those damn Stegasaurus gangs attacked Fort Sam Houston and now these Velociraptors. I think we're in big trouble Tanto."
"What do you mean "we" white man?"
Yessirreeeee. Look at all the amazing things you can accomplish when your brain has left the building. What amazes me is the idea that people not only invested thousands of dollars to put this museum together, but that they will most likely get people to pay thousands of dollars to come see it.
What kind of substantial loss in cabin pressure do you have to have to think that the Tower of Babel story was real? Or that there were Brontosaurus' roaming around the middle east 2500 years ago. They must have wreaked havoc on all the flocks of sheep, since I don't think a kid with a wooden stick is going to do much damage to a triceratops.
If you think that anyone who could believeive this kind of nonsense is functionally retarded, just remember that these same people are building your house, performing surgery on you and running your country. Have a nice weekend.|W|P|112506825323517719|W|P|On The 8th Day, God Created Morons.|W|P|
Phoenix|W|P|They want to incorporate every kids favorite exhibit. I think that's the only reason for it. Otherwise I bet we'd see a line out of good omens. The one about how the dinosaur skeletons were left by god as a joke.
What baffles me is how they have totally ignored the science yet again. The dinosaurs lived in a high ammonia atmosphere, and there is no way that they could have co-existed ith humans. The atmosphere isn't right, the vegetation isn't right, and the planet is generally cooler.
Rudicus|W|P|No, that's not correct Phoenix, the two Dinosaurs got out of the ark and had a long climb down Mt. Ararat (and since alot of them have balance problems, you can see how this would be challenging. Then by the time they got back to their own town, they realized that their condo had been squatted by some Phillistines, so they ate them and then David hit them both in the head with a rock and they died. Phoenix|W|P|LMAO Rudicus Ken Grandlund|W|P|Ahh Rudicus...you beat me to the "David" punchline!But all kidding aside...are the freaking serious? If there really is a God (of whatever denomination) you can be sure it is laughing its ephemeral ass off on a daily basis!
And where is their parting of the sea exhibit that ties the rise of modern continents to the miracle of Moses?
thordora|W|P|I'm amused, and terribly fucking frightened at the same time. Canada is too close. I think I'll try and move to Sweden... thordora|W|P|OMFG>...PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE tell me this is a parody!!!http://www.christiansagainstcartoons.com
Regarding some show called "Adult Swim"
The reason is plainly obvious. By this combination of words, Cartoon Network is likening its block of nightly programming to the Turkish bath or Roman orgy of old or the modern day gay bathhouse of San
Francisco. It is a place where men take unto men, women take unto women and outrageous acts of adultery, sodomy and bestiality are engaged in with no regard for the WORD OF GOD and Cartoon Network is putting all of this into a form with mass appeal to our children.
ummmmm........
Phoenix|W|P|OK... Adult swim is a late night cartoon block. Depending on what night it is different cartoons will be on. It is in no way marketed toward children, kind of like that GTA game wasn't marketed toward children.
Anyway, if you get cartoon network I highly recommend checking it out, it's friggin hilarious.
But there are adult themes. :-)
Codesuidae|W|P|The worst part about this is that people who view it are likely to believe it based on their preception of the credibility of the people who put it together.I'm amazed at what people will believe when it comes to them in a professional-looking format. The movie 'What the Bleep Do We Know' for example. It's a huge load of crap, but I run into lots of people who accept it as very convincing because it is well presented. Doesn't matter that its a steaming pile of donkey dung as far as the science goes.
Sometimes I wish I had the gall of people like P.T. Barnum, I could make a killing on EBay selling trinkets like cheese sandwhichs to the masses of gullible morons.
Codesuidae|W|P|Oh, and a minor nit; triceratops was herbivorous, so there probably wouldn't have been much need for herders to defend themselves from them.A friend of mine ordered a religious pamphlet from a guy on the internet. It purported to provide a childrens story explaining the creation myth. It started out pretty standard, but as it got into the flood, it started coming up with relly funky justifications. For example, we know the dinosaurs died in the flood because so many of the remains that we find are arching their necks backward, clearly evidence that they were reaching for air during the flood.
Seriously, this thing was loading with crap like that. It was worth the 10 bucks just for the laugh.
Rudicus|W|P|I knew someone was going to pick up on my triceratops gaff - thanks for catching that, it restores my faith in the idea that a few people aren't braindead. Martian Anthropologist|W|P|If you think that anyone who could believe this kind of nonsense is functionally retarded, just remember that these same people are building your house, performing surgery on you and running your country. Have a nice weekend.That's hilarious. And frightening. And you're right.
Ack|W|P|I have spectacular news. We have a new scape goat for why people are so incredibly f'ing stupid. Since its obivious that god made man.. Its All god's Fault!! Huzzah! The reason people are so incredibly stupid is cause god wanted them to be that way! horray.
Take that Monkeys. you can be as smart as you want.. but humans are just gonna get more and more stupid.
Nathan|W|P|If there really is a God (of whatever denomination) you can be sure it is laughing its ephemeral ass off on a daily basis!I'm not sure, Ken. From what I've seen, if all the claims about God are true, he's so torn up with contradictions that he probably wouldn't know how to laugh.
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We have another story on the same subject today.
In New Hampshire, a doctor is under fire and threatened with sanctions ranging from a reprimand to the revoking of his state medical license. What did this doctor do you incur this? He told a patient the truth.
He had the audacity to tell one of his patients, an obese woman, that she needed to lose weight because her health and quality of life were at risk.
"I told a fat woman she was obese," said [The Doctor]. "I tried to get her attention. I told her, 'You need to get on a program, join a group of like-minded people and peel off the weight that is going to kill you.' "
So rather than take her doctor's advice, she instead complained to the State Medical Board that the Doctor had offended her. The worst part to me? The Board took action and opened an investigation.
What the hell has gone wrong in our world when a medical professional can't even tell someone the truth about their health without being called into a hearing? And what kind of world have we created where we even allow this kind of abject stupidity to go on?
Every fat person knows they are fat. But a lot of people don't fully realize the danger that their weight and lifestyle have on their lives. Doctors are there to help people be healthy. And in a world where doctors are becoming more and more like salesmen for Big Pharma - I find it particularly offensive that one doctor who actually seems to care about his patients is now looking down the barrel of disciplinary action because some lady can't face the truth.
Anyone who has ever been overweight (and even some who only think they are) knows how emotionally challenging it is. That said, if people don't take responsibility for their own health, they have noone else to blame. And in a world where people only blame others and never themselves - that's a pretty bitter pill to swallow.
Right now in my office 85% of the employees are overweight - more than 50% are obese and several are morbidly obese. On top of that at least 25% are on diabetes medication.
This is not a small problem - this is a HUGE problem. If these folks would rather have their cake and eat it too and then keel over dead long before their time, I suppose that's their right. As we already discussed regarding the life vest issue last week, it's becoming a large problem for everyone. But with very few (and I mean very few) exceptions - weight is an individual problem. I will be the first to say that it is our culture that is making us so fat, and those who buck the trend and choose health are facing a difficult struggle, but it is still their responsibility.
But I'm sorry, when you are faced with a doctor's commentary and advice about your health and your first inclination is to complain about the doctor, then you need look no further for why this woman is the way that she is. It's a level of abdication of responsibility that is staggering, but all too common these days.
The fact that she was offended and decided to file a complaint rather than take responsibility for her own condition is deplorable. And the fact that the State board did not back the doctor and actually went ahead with the investigation is sickening. THIS is where our morals are eroded and this is why our culture is bankrupt.
When our citizens act like 1st graders and we allow them to get away with it, is it any wonder that children are in charge of our schools and we get all our marching orders from lawyers and politicians rather than ourselves.|W|P|112497898969877594|W|P|When Truth Becomes Irrelevant.|W|P|
AVA|W|P|This is unbelievable. The fault isn't really in this fat lady, who obviously knows the doctor is right but also knows americans can file complaints or sue everyone for almost anything. The problem here is the Medical Board who had the guts to open an investigation about something that is absoultely normal procedure, like a doctor telling a patient something (like being overweight) is hazardous to her health. Phoenix|W|P|There goes another good doctor. I'm sure the pharma's are already bidding on the replacement. Ken Grandlund|W|P|ridiculous. disgusting. absolutely not surprising.makes me want to bury my head in the sand and cry.
Rudicus|W|P|Well I guess if enough people feel that way it might have some sort of butterfly effect on the culture.But you know better than anyone the need for Common Sense.
thordora|W|P|Any idea how to contact the doctor? We need some up here.....A spade is a spade lady. My doctor called me fat, but my complaint was his utter lack of assistance with reducing my weight, considering I had given birth all of 1.5 months prior....But he wasn't wrong about the weight thing...
What you really need are some judges with balls who will tell these people to fuck the hell off....
I'd say stone the woman, but can you stone to death something with a head full of ballast?
The Lone Rangers|W|P|It's the system that allows her to do it. The medical board, I believe, has to investigate every complaint but I don't see the DR loosing his license over this.I do see his demeaner changing in the future because of it though.
|W|P|I cant believe that this would happen. The state board has no reason to open an investigation. This woman, along with this country needs to learn responsibility. People need to learn to hear the truth, even if it is hard for them. People say things you dont like- you can either decide to listen or not. What grounds does the state have to open an investigation? What can they do to this doctor, if he was acting out of his best intention to help her health? I dont understand why this would even make it this far- so if you have any more light to shed, please do.
Rudicus|W|P|Unfortunately as Lone Rangers said, the board is obligated to investigate any complaints (which in and of itself is a problem). I beleive that is has gotten as far as it has because A. the board doesn't want to get sued by the woman and B. the Doctor refused to do their first sanction which was to attend counseling and sensitivity training because he felt he did nothing wrong - which he didn't.This is my exact point - we go out of our way to pander to every person in such and extreme way that we end up becoming enablers of the most childish, immature and ridiculous behavior.
Nathan|W|P|The result of generally only knowing about events the mass media points us to.But mostly the result of generations of passed on fear and hate. A shame. The deepest shame. No respect for our own bodies, much less fellow people. Humanity has lost its own meaning. And it will take it aeons, apart from an apocalypse, to cleanse itself.
Smallman|W|P|Hey, I was searching blogs, and came onto yours, and I like it. I kinda landed here on accident while searching for something esle, but nice blog.. I got you bookmarked.If you got time , go visit my site, it´s about diabetes medication. It pretty much covers diabetes medication and other similar topics available.
All I can say to this is Holy Fucking Shit!
If you want any further proof that certain insane Christians are taking their anti-gay rhetoric waaaay too far - check this out from Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family.
Make sure you read all of the links on the right hand side - unfreakinbeleivable.
Here are some choice bits:
“My son couldn’t care less about sports and the great outdoors. He’s painfully shy and easily gets hurt. Other kids call him a sissy. I’ve tried everything. My boy even wimped out of Cub Scouts. What am I supposed to do?”
How about support him Dad? This does not mean your son is gay - it means he doesn't like sports, the great outdoors or the cub scouts - or maybe he just doesn't like you, you homophobic redneck..
So what are you supposed to do when you think your kid is gay?
Don’t wait until your daughter’s masculinized behavior or your son’s effeminate preferences get any worse. Remember that for many prehomosexual boys and girls, some of the characteristics may be more subtle:
- inability to bond with same-sex peers
- feeling different from and inferior to other same-sex peers
- discomfort with his or her gender
Call to make an appointment with a professional therapist who believes change is possible. Work patiently with that therapist in redirecting your child’s prehomosexual behaviors. To find a qualified therapist, contact one of these organizations:
I'd like to see who these quailified therapists are my self - lets go take a look.
What a shock! The organizations you can contact are religious based organizations specializing in "cures" for homosexuality.
Here's a great quote from one of the only actual medical practitioners they quote:
“The most important message I can offer to you is that there is no such thing as a ‘gay child’ or a ‘gay teen.’ [But] left untreated, studies show these boys have a 75 percent chance of becoming homosexual or bisexual.”
They also go on to say that Homosexuality is a psychological disorder.
Well I guess we can't argue with that. Then again this is science from the same source that brought you Intelligent Design.
And then here are Dr. Dobson's 5 ways to help prevent sexual abuse of your children:
1. Guard your children night and day when they are young.
2. Don’t send them into a public bathroom alone.
3. Be very careful whom you trust in the neighborhood, in local children’s programs, at church and at summer camp. Ask about their child safety policies. Check to see if they are consistently enforced.
4. Don’t leave your children of either sex in the care of teenage boys. Furthermore, don’t allow your teenage boy to baby-sit.
5. Know if your school is talking about homosexuality with students — and if so, what are they saying and at what age. Protect your child from any discussions or role-playing that threatens to cause gender-identity confusion.
I especially like #1, 4 & 5. Nothing like a little insane paranoia to get you through the day. I can see here that teenage boys are child molesters waiting to happen. I also like the idea of protecting children from discussing homosexuality.
For all those that constantly ask me - how people could beleive such crazy things - here's you proof - the attitude of "protecting" people from discussions basically means isolation and mind-control.(curiously both dangers listed for most cults - along with being asked for unquestioning beleif and money - hmmmm). If you are never allowed to hear anything but propaganda, then you can't question it or think for yourself - a practice curiously similar to communist reeducation camps.
And we wonder how people can end up beating their 3 year old kids to death for potentially being gay.
I encourage you to read through this site so you can see first hand how crazy these people are and what they are feeding to their flock of faithful.
I'd like to close with this little tidbit, that also clearly shows why the Canadian legislature is considering rating the Bible as hate literature:
"Homosexual activity spreads disease. Oral and anal sex are exceptionally popular in homosexual practice. This kind of physical interplay fosters all sorts of sickness, especially AIDS."
The article which appeared on a conservative news site goes to say that churches that welcome gay members or worse allow homosexuals in the clergy are openly sinning against God, but also helping to spread AIDS around the world. So I guess all the monkeys that gave humans HIV were all queer monkeys. And I guess all the heterosexual men and women who have AIDS or HIV or other STD's are all secretly gay.
WOW.
The article then goes on to list about 6 passages in the bible that condemn homosexuality - but only one actually discusses it, which is the same passage from Leviticus that says that men who lie with men as with women should be put to death.
It's nice to see we have those hard fought Christian values at work here; hatred, mind-control, avoidance, misinformation, descrimination and paranoia.
And for all you parents out there, enjoying musicals, wearing clothes that match, cooking with atypical spices, playing with dolls or insightful interior decorating do not make boys gay - being attracted to and having sex with other boys does. The same goes for girls and all the lesbian stereotypes.
I'm not going to bother askign when these people wil learn, because they won't. It's our job to stand up to them and call them on their stupid crap and tell them that they don't represent anyone other than other insane fascist hatmongering bigots. These are not Christians, nor are they rational, but they keep convincing people that they are both. Your Apathy Is Their Weapon - Don't Get Fooled Again.
|W|P|did you ever see the film "But I'm a Cheerleader"? Very funny and deals with the "theraputic" change of sexual orientation---hee-larry-ass.It has only been relatively recent that orthodox psychotherpy stopped classifing homosexualty as a disease....right up until the DSM II or DSM III (i think...) but I just finished a book by Ernest Beker from the '70's and he was still calling it a perversion and a neurosis. Aside from that it was a good book ("The Denial of Death", for those who are interested)
Glod|W|P|Do you know anything about orchestrating denial of service attacks? It's a fashionable method of campaign these days. Rudicus|W|P|Anonymouse - if you check this site - they claim that the switch in the DSM was political or worse - liberal.So they are just ignoring that.
|W|P|Yeah, I've heared that about the DSM comittee....and I say, "Whatever." Even if it was political, or heavens to murgatroid, liberal--at least there is (was?) a movement to de-pathologize (is that a word) something that is not a dissease.I think the point I was trying to make is that even scientists, those paragons of objective, thinking, are not above demonizing what they fear---'cause this is (I think) really the core issue---Homophobes (or any hate group) hate because the fear---they are cowards who are unable to face the unkown---but we are all guilty of this to some extent and the tick is to remember this and face our fear....ok somebody kick me off the soap box. ;)
thordora|W|P|"But I'm a Cheerleader!" is great. Too bad she's living on the street shooting up now....I LOVE the part about anal sex, since in some parts of the world, that's a catholic form of birth control.......
Wow. Wow Wow Wow. I wish I was as overly concerned about other people's sexual activities. And me not wanting to hang out with little girls when I was a kid had nothing to do with sexual orientation. It had LOTS to do with little girls being annoying and boring and whiny.
There aren't enough words for this....
Rudicus|W|P|Thor - All I can say is it's a good thing you didn;t have any teenage boys baby-sitting you as a kid, otherwise you'd be a gay man right now. Ken Grandlund|W|P|The type of people who spew this inane hatred, and the type of people who take their words as gospel, are all very sick and scared individuals. They can't think for themselves. They live in a small box, mentally.Can they be reasoned with? Probably not. But to give them even one inch of credibility is to further their aims of a theocratic society of their choosing.
Stand up and resist, loudly if necessary!
|W|P|"Remember the atrocities!"Voltaire
Matt|W|P|Rudicus I hope you have seen the movie Saved!. If you haven't you definitely should, it's a great critique of Christians, homosexuality, adolescence, and hypocrisy. AVA|W|P|This is sickening. Phoenix|W|P|Wow. I'm surprised that some fanatic hasn't just come out and promoted gender alteration surgery. At least then all these horrible gay people would be doing the nasty the right way. It may be the way I was raised, but I find it hard to believe that this level of fear and ignorance can still exist in today's society. We're all human beings, and we need to treat each other as such.
People like that claim to represent the moral majority. So what's a good way to tell them that things like this only serve to prove their moral incompetence.
Martian Anthropologist|W|P|These guys are wrong, wrong, wrong! Look, everyone knows that two guys having sex is sick and morally wrong. It says so right in da Bayble.But two girls? That's a beautiful thing.
I challenge these folks to find anything in the Bible condemning that.
Phoenix|W|P|LMAO martian thordora|W|P|Saved is great despite Mandy Moore"Cass "There's only one reason Christian girls come down to Planned Parenthood."
Roland "She's planting a pipe bomb?"
Cass "Okay, two reasons."
You're right Rud-thank god that my church going christian child molesting neighbour was a HETERO...I'd hate to be a gay man instead of a survivor of abuse.
WHY can't they worry about REAL PROBLEMS?!??!
Dave|W|P|well first of all these people are crazy and I love saved and but im a cheerleader. my parents love "focus on the family". they tried to do what they could to make me not gay but i was gay as a kid and Im gay now.most "ex-gays" end up being "ex-ex-gays". thanks rudicus. enjoyed the post! Nathan|W|P|Will it ever go away?I can only conclude that it may not, and whatever the case, I have myself and my friends who, thankfully, do not think this way.
But why do not people function by being true to themselves? It doesn't require high intelligence. Logic. Being honest. Basic morals we all prefer to a large degree.
About the only comfort I can draw from this is that these people will reap what they sow.
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jon|W|P|After we paid for our kids boy scout summer camp we found it tough to recover! I totally agree with you!Well nowhere is that so eloquently proven than by our pal Pat Robertson.
That's right, the leader of the Christian Coalition and the 700 Club has decided to take a stand against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Robertson's Christian Message? Take him out.
"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war. And I don't think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific danger and the United ... This is in our sphere of influence, so we can't let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, we have other doctrines that we have announced. And without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil, that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."
What the crap?!!
Is this the Christian thing to do? Is that how Jesus handled his problems? I love the fact that this guy is supposed to represent the moral majority and he's out there advocating the assassination of a world leader. Also, and this may not matter, but Chavez is not a strong-arm dictator, he's the legal democratically elected President of Venezuela. What's his crime? He's got a lot of oil, he's friends with Castro and he doesn't like America or George Bush. If that's all it takes there should be a lot more people on the hit list.
I guess the love thy neighbor as thyself and thou shalt not kill are pretty much optional in Christianity then.
He's an interesting connection - Robertson's comments appeared on his 700 Club show, broadcast on ABC. Just yesterday, the ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City, refused to air an anti-war ad featuring Cindy Sheehan, while the rest of the major networks did not. Hmmm... ABC the pro-war, anti-freedom, pro-assassination network - sounds good to me. I can't imagine why anyone would dislike America.
So is Robertson a nutcase or is he simply willing to say what other CC's are thinking? Is this the kind of foreign policy we can look forward to? Well I guess illegal wars to oust regime's we don't like, who also have a lot of oil, certainly falls in line with our existing tactics.
This of course is beyond stupid and idiotic, but it speaks to the larger issue of bad Christian marketing. So here we have a religious/political leader advocating assassination as foreign policy, add that to national leaders trying to pass of religious versions of life on earth as science as well as open discrimination toward homosexuals, bombing of abortion clinics, character assassination of anyone who disagrees with the church or the government and intentionally polarizing the nation along religious lines(terri schaivo, ten commandments etc.). This doesn't even include things like priest sex abuse.
So all told, these guys have not done a very good job of promoting the principles of life that Jesus advocated. In fact, they sound more and more like a hate group. So I guess it should surprise no one that there is a bill being presented in Canada that would list the Bible as hate literature and those who use it to discriminate or threaten homosexuals would be open to criminal prosecution. Read about it here. Frankly if you've read the Koran, you could probably throw that one in here right along with the Bible.
In Leviticus, it DOES say that men who lie with mankind as with womankind are an abomination and should be put to death - sounds pretty hateful to me. Which brings us to another point - if this is something the Christians feel they need to embrace as a policy why are they not doing as God commands and killing these people outright? Doesn't that show a supreme lack of faith and conviction? Shouldn't all Christians be willing to suffer death or life imprisonment for following the teachings of their scriptures? No? Then we're right back where we started with cherry picking your beliefs and rampant hypocrisy.
Riddle me this? If Christians are at liberty to interpret or adhere to what scriptures they choose based on the convenience of it, then where the hell do they get off claiming ANYTHING must be done because God or the Bible commands it. ?
I've got three words for you HYPOCRITE, HYPOCRITE, HYPOCRITE.
In all fairness, Christianity as a philosophy has many wonderful elements that would make the world a wonderful place if any of them were actually followed. But as it stands the only thing followed is intolerance and hate. When you have religious leaders calling for assassination we can pretty much assume the baby got thrown out with the bathwater. So the teachings of Jesus seem to be further and further away from the role that many Christians actually practice.
So it looks to me like Deke was right. Christians are their own worst advertisement. I think I'll stick with my current beliefs. Freethinkers only hate stupidity, but certainly not enough to kill anyone over.
QOB|W|P|Who Would Jesus Assasinate? Jesus would assassinate......oh, wait. That was rhetorical, right?
I like your friend Deke's saying. I visited your site early this morning, didn't see a new post, browsed the Net for awhile, saw this news on CNN.com, and immediately returned to your site, knowing full well you'd be using this one.
Can you please tell me where I can move, outside of the U.S.? Who'll take me when I say, "Yeah, I'm from the United States, but I want to change citizenship." It's funny that so many Americans have been concerned with immigrants...I think other countries will begin to concern themselves with U.S. citizens immigrating to their countries. We are so elitist here.
Rudicus, I still say we can get married and run off to Italy together. We can own a farm, with a small vineyard, and Coldplay heard faintly from the outdoor speakers on the veranda. As long as Sade's set up as #2 on the CD changer. (Scoffs. CD changer?! I'm so 20th century. Who needs a CD changer when you have ITunes!)
QOB|W|P|I just re-read my comment. I (obviously) got off-topic very quickly. I'm desperate...it comes out in my words. I'm not discussing this post or its merits because I'm preoccupied with racing thoughts of moving AS FAR AWAY AS I CAN GET FROM THIS GOD-FORSAKEN COUNTRY AND ITS "LEADERS".Somebody help me!!!
Rudicus|W|P|I hear you, Canada is calling me every week.I'm amazed that after a year of doing this site, I'm still able to be shocked and awed by people.
I wonder if I'll ever run out of things to write about.
You know, this whole liberal-conservative, republican-democrat thing may just devolve into sane-insane.
If I could legitimately get out of America and still make a living, I would - seriously.
Rudicus|W|P|I also had a meeting this morning so I couldn't get my post up right away. Glod|W|P|Christians here don't seem to be too much of a nuiscance, and do things like offer a place of niceness to people wanting to rid themselves of drug habits etc...Is this just a front or is something just seriously wrong with America?
I liked the title.
|W|P|ABC=Assasination Broadcast Corporation. All assasination. All the time.Um isn't there a christian belief that jesus brought a new covenant and that the whole old testament LAW thingy was no longer valid? So why do Christians keep turning to the Old Testment to find out what to do? And maybe they should stop being so damn selective about it---if there gona use the OT for a guide shouldn't they follow the dietery and dress codes? Now that would be fun...I luv me that old timey religion...animal And human sacrifices. ;)
QOB|W|P|Glod, I can't say whether or not it's a front, but my gut says it's not. I'd like to offer an idea: let's compare those U.S. leaders who call themselves Conservative Christians to extremist Muslims, such as al Qaeda. "Those" Christians are not representative of Christ's values or teachings, so please do not look to them for a true understanding of the doctrines of Christianity. Jesus (Christus) had/has meaning to many...those who study and attempt to embody that meaning are Christians. It's true that you can tell a Christian by "the fruit of the[ir] Spirit". Pat Robertson, at least, has been led astray.I'm not sure why there are so many extremists in the U.S. I think U.S. culture fosters an ideal foundation for this type of person: YOU should be #1, YOU deserve, YOU are right, YOU are allowed, YOU, YOU, YOU. We are very self-serving, which - in my humble opinion - heads the opposite direction of Christ and servanthood. In addition, this self-serving culture at its roots has Christian religion interwoven into its lawmaking. The "Christian" United States is simply a powderkeg with a lit fuse waiting to explode.
I think it was Intelligent Design to write into law the separation of church and state...I just think we need to actually separate church and state.
So I guess, to summarize, the answer is, "Yes, there's just something wrong with America."
Phoenix|W|P|yeah, what a crackpot. You have to wonder if the dollars will stop flowing, or if donations will increase because of this. Martian Anthropologist|W|P|That damn book contradicts itself. I mean, even in the new testament, the apostle Paul says some pretty harsh stuff. Tom Harper|W|P|Hey, don't laugh. You said "there should be a lot more people on the hit list." Don't worry, there are. This administration is so secretive, only a tiny bit of their perversity gets out to the public.If this is what gets out, just imagine what we don't know. Don't even go there.
thordora|W|P|Considering the violence inherent in most of the bible, I'm not really that shocked by this.And considering the source, I'm quite amused.
What bothers me is how the knee jerk reaction in the states when someone doesn't like them, and makes it clear is "punish the heathen". Gee, worked well with Fidel.
Chavez knows he has a card he can play, and frankly, I hope he plays it. Not quite so super when the needed resources are provided.
And send Pat down there to be the assassin. See how far he gets...
ah, I needed the laugh. Come to Canada Rud....we'll stuff you full of poutine...
Glod|W|P|There's definatly a bit in the new part of the bible about not having to follow the rules for food (like forbidden pork etc), it happened in someones dream and God told them.They probably overturned the other stuff seperartly, to spread out the shock of the revelations.
Thanks Qob for your answers.
Nathan|W|P|People are told they should believe it and are afraid to stand up for themselves. So secretly they are repulsed by it, but repeat it so many times for appearance they eventually believe it. Then they grow old and senile, and you have Pat Robertson. |W|P|affiliate gambling sports is greati found here searching for the word affiliate gambling sports and your site was listed high on the word affiliate gambling sports
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Johnjon|W|P|I discuss this topic daily myself. I also have a website that talks about affiliate affiliate marketing related things. Go check it out if you get a chance.Well since the creationism idea wasn't taking hold, despite years of politicking and sneaking like putting disclaimer stickers on textbooks and such, the creationist minded folks came up with a new cause de celebre - intelligent design.
In a nutshell, Intelligent Design postulates that aspects of life are too complex to have come about by natural selection or evolutionary science or biology and thus must have an intelligent design source. ID supporter are quick to say (in an effort to deflect creationism in sheeps clothing attacks) that ID does not specify what the intelligence is. (Let's come back to that)
So basically, these folks cannot believe that life evolved from a complex interaction between natural forces, but have no problem believing that some guy went "abracadabra" and made everything.
The concept of ID requires some form of "higher" intelligence to have designed life on earth. So who or what is the intelligence? By their own assertions, it could be God, Zeus, Hera, Klingons, pink unicorns or blue monkeys. But somewhere along the line some form of intelligence must have designed everything because we can't currently answer every minute question. Well part of that is true, but part of it isn't.
Natural Selection is a theory that has massive support and mountains of observable data that support it. ID does not - all it has is some unanswered questions that some folks have decided requires an intelligent designer vs. just questions we have as yet been unable to answer.
Remember, it wasn't all that long ago that people widely believed that illness was based on an imbalance of humors and that bleeding was the way to fix it. Of course this was before bacteria and germs were discovered so it seemed like a good idea at the time. Today of course we know differently, but only after time and science caught up enough to answer the question.
So back to the concept of ID. Do we really believe that ID supporters would be just as happy to have aliens be the intelligent designers as God? If the idea of being descended from a monkey is such a huge affront, how are they going to feel about being cooked up in a Petri dish in some alien lab on Helion Prime?
If ID we're merely proposing an intelligent designer and not leaning toward anyone in particular, why do you suppose that the vast majority of ID supporters are all Christian Conservatives that would gleefully support creationism being taught in schools if they hadn't ruled against it?
ID recently got a boost when a pillar of the science community George W. Bush came out in support of it. This is of course the same guy who doesn't believe we have a global warming problem or any environmental issues that need addressing.
What kind of message does this send to kids who look at the president who tells them to ignore science and rationality in favor of a cockamamie scheme?
Now we've got our pal Bill Frist jumping into the mix with his own support for teaching ID in schools. This is a Harvard educated medical doctor we're talking about now. Of course this same renowned physician also testified that Terri Schaivo (a blind woman with severe brain damage) interacted with people in a meaningful way and responded to visual stimuli.
Now didn't Frist just buck the president by supporting stem cell research because it was a "matter of science" guess what bro, so is this! You can't support science one day and then scoff at it the next - this is a perfect example of the hypocrisy of this entire debate. All of the these ID supporters have absolutely no trouble taking medicine, listening to weather reports, getting surgery or launching missiles all based on the exact same science that yielded evolution.
So what's the problem? The problem is that ID is simply bad science used to counter evolution, a theory which explains life without giving credit to God. So we're going to happily call the ID supporters on their claim that their idea is even worthy of the title of theory, much less be a competitive theory for natural selection worthy of being taught in schools. ID supporters themselves concede that "You can't prove intelligent design by experiment". How convenient. But here again, that very idea means that ID is not science at all, so holding it up against a real scientific theory is like comparing the bible to actual archaeological evidence...hmmm.
It's complete crap people. I'll be the first one to go on record and admit I was wrong if they ever succeed in offering a shred of proof for this hogwash. As for Frist, I'm sure this was simply a political tactic to make up for the stem cell thing - at best he's pandering to the Christian Right in the hopes of saving his 2008 presidential bid or at worst to keep Bush from sending Karl Rove after him.
So to sum up, ID is complete malarky, but I assume they will succeed in getting it into classrooms as an alternative theory, which will only succeeding making children in those states even dumber that they already are and increase our status as most hated nation as well as educational laughingstock of the first world. Nice work.|W|P|112472245446213574|W|P|Intelligent Design Evolves!|W|P|
Ken Grandlund|W|P|I agree that ID is just religion in scientific clothing, and go a step further and say that it's just Christian religion in scientific clothing. And while I have no problem with comparative religion classes in general, confusing the ideas with science seem to be quite absurd.
Teach ID alongside other religious dogma and teach science alongside other science.
I think that people will be able to draw their own conclusions about how life got here without having to teach science and religion side by side as if they were intellectual equals.
Good post.
QOB|W|P|Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but is there any scientific evidence that ID is NOT a possibility? Not arguing, just wondering. I've been raised to believe creationism is valid as a theory, so this entire post has my mind racing. I want to know more. Rudicus|W|P|Thanks, and I agree with you - I have no problem teaching this stuff as part of a philosophy sections of a class or some kind of comparitive religion elective - that way you could include stories of Osiris, Coyote and many others. Rudicus|W|P|QOB,Absolutely not - ID is an absolute possibility, but God as the intelligent designer has an equal chance as Zeus, Aliens or the Flying Spaghetti monster to be the one.
As for creationism - if you are referring to Genesis literalists who beleive that the earth was literally created in 6 days on a tuesday in October 6000 years ago, then there is plenty of evidence that that is not a possibility - UNLESS you dispute the entire validity of the field of science - in which case you are at your liberty to do so.
Also for future reference in any philosophical discussion it is widely held that you cannot prove a negative - i.e. prove that God doesn't exist or prove that the Flying spaghetti Monster didn't create California. In any argument, the burden of proof is upon the asserter.
In this case Darwin asserts naturla selection as his theory and bases it on the scientific method. And while his theory is not perfect and someday may even be proved wrong someday, it is nonetheless the most valid and accepted. With ID, there is no evidence or scientific evidence to support the theory, it merely had unanswered questions that the ID supported answer with a supreme being of some sort.
There are creationist groups that purport to have "evidence" or scientific proof that "suggests" ID, but as with the theory itself, it is based on ntohing but supposition and conjecture.
Why God couldn't come down and say "here I am" and then take credit for everything he did is beyond me - it would make everyones lives easier and would end alot of strife immediatelty.
Phoenix|W|P|Oh good, you knew about the FSM. Hilarious letter that is. But seriously... I only see this as a new tactic to advance the religious agenda. There are too many of us who are starting to shun recognized religion, and this is the new way of forcing the ideals onto younger generations in order to keep the numbers up.
Before we know it, if things keep going this way, we'll see burning of Darwin's books as it conflicts with religion just as the native americans were killed and their religious icons burned because it was different when christian settlers moved in on the new world.
Codesuidae|W|P|Bush didn't exactly come out and say that he thinks ID should be taught in science classrooms. When asked he basicly said that the option should be taught, and I have to agree. He didn't say in what class, or in what manner it should be taught, just that students ought to be given the information.I wouldn't read too much into his statements about it, his comments were the kind of answer that is intended to not piss of either side.
As for the merit of ID, well, it seems to me that it's material for a discussion in a philosophy class, but not much more than that. The reasons for its existance are obvious.
I can understand the fear that motivates those who are pushing ID into schools as an 'alternative' to evolution. They see 'science' as something that is pushing children away from their traditional belief system. They see that by taking advantage of what the children see as a credible source, they can lend their ideas equal credibility.
Some children will see this for what it is and dismiss it outright. Others will see it as an authority supporting (possibly grudgingly) the possibility of the alternative, which agrees with what they were taught in Sunday school.
The danger is that it almost necessarily supports the false idea the science and religion are at odds. The students are smart, but not experianced. They will understand that they are being told about ID in a science class because it is supported by the major religions. They might not understand that they don't have to choose, the two ideas co-exist quite peacefully.
Incidentally, historically speaking, it is unlikely that the ancient Greek gods could have been the designers in question, considering that they stole the world from the Titans.
Regarding proving a negative. This is not impossible. For example, its not difficult to prove the non-existance of a 100 megaton underground nuclear test at any given location on Earth in the last few decades. Such an event would create unmistakeable signs that many countries are set up to monitor.
Negatives that are difficult to prove are generally difficult because they involve exaustive searchs of the universe. For example, 'Faries do not exist' makes the claim that would require inspecting the entire universe to show it to be true or false. This is the sort of negative that claims of the nonexistance about gods entail.
I don't think the ideas of science are in any danger of being scrubbed out by religious zealots, its a field that provides quite a lot of answers that can be very effectively applied. Religions provide answers as well, but in different areas.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. It is my hope that some rational thinkers will agree to move ID into schools and place it firmly in the field in which it belongs, philosophy. This would require that an intro to philosophy course become part of the required course list in schools, which can only be a good thing.
thordora|W|P|ID was brought up to a degree in the catholic schools I attended, but from what I recall, it was firmly in religon class, NOT in science. Even then, everyone I knew laughed about the idea. QOB|W|P|I've given this just a day's worth of thought and here's what I came up with: science cannot evolve until the definitions - defining lines - are removed and the absolutes are stripped. I wonder if a scientist who operates fully and completely within the defined lines of our current scientific "truths" could ever begin to research or analyze or consider possibilities outside said "truths"...and when someone stops considering all possibilities, they can't expand. I feel as if I don't have the vocabulary to effectively communicate my thought, so here's an example: let's say there's a realm of good and evil that effects all things. How would we begin to research around this theory if we never consider it, and how would we ever consider it considering it's so far outside current scientific "truths"? I think it would be wise for science to become more fluid. Just as it would be wise for humanity, religion, people to become more fluid.Again, this was all just a thought. I haven't considered much past this intial thought. Just wanted to share and open it up for others' consideration.
My father, one of the wisest people I know, once said to me: As I get older, the only thing I know for certain is that I don't know anything for certain.
Rudicus|W|P|I thought Socrates said that?In any event you are correct, most likely the scientists would not go looking for God or an intelligent designer like that. My understanding is that there are faith-based scientists that are looking for things like that, so perhaps they will find something.
But as it stand, it wouldn't be a scientific study at present becuase there isn't anything to suggest a way to scientifically study the existence of a higher power - currently that idea is purely philosophical and has not been postulated how that being or what have you might exist within the confines of our universe. So until then it's pure speculation that is currently untestable, so a scientist would really be able to do much even if they wanted to.
Some day perhaps - maybe after we discover how to build fusion reactors or warp drives or teleporters, we may be in a better position to theorize.
QOB|W|P|I guess what I mean is that if you say science is "THIS", then you don't allow for scient to be "THAT". It may be "THAT". We only believe we know. You really got me Rudicus, when you spoke about absolutes. So I guess scientists, even, would be wise to remember that...that there are no absolutes. None. (And I'm sure a fluid vantage of that statement would allow you to reconcile that statement to itself. It's only seemingly contradictory.) Glod|W|P|http://www.venganza.org/ is quite funny.I like reading through ID sites and countering all the arguments. Though I doubt they'd listen if I told them. Maybe I should make another site, almost identical in design but about science.
QOB|W|P|This is one of the sites I like, Geese Aplenty. Greg does not post often about heavy issues, but I liked his take on this issue. Codesuidae|W|P|"science is what we have learned about how to keep from fooling ourselves." -Richard FeynmanThat's probably the most insightful definition I've ever read about what science is. Scientists are just people who do research, any research, using methods that, when used properly, make it harder to fool themselves. There aren't any boundaries set by 'truth' or accepted principles. There are discription of events that we see are never wrong (these discriptions of what is are called laws) and there are theories about why events occurs.
If you see boundaries in scientific research, they are either boundaries of credibility or limits on your creativity.
Editor Choice|W|P|Many Thanks for your nice blog. I will come back.I wanted just to mention an interesting site about Religions. With more than 500 pages, Religion News and Articles:Religion Universe: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism (Daoism) and many others
If you have the time and interest, please visit these guys and give them some love - and make sure to let them know where you came from.
21st Century Gonzo
An ongoing story written by TLR starring ME(well a pumped up even cooler version of me - if that's possible)! It's a good story and is just starting to pick up steam, so now's a good time to get in on it.
Blogtemps.com
A political site written by different political bloggers around the blogosphere. Always something interesting.
Endings
This is QOB's site - it's very cool and fun and easy to participate.
The Bulldog Manifesto
Bulldog raises some major political points and has some very compelling arguments about what's really going on in this country. Start with this post.
The Master Smiled
This is a great site - Dushan is the next Lao Tzu.
The Martian Anthropologist
This is also a great political site made even greater by the comments of a wild cast of characters ranging across the political spectrum.
Tragically Deep Thoughts
This is a cool site that is a personal blog but it's about a guy who has a great perspective(and interesting life) and represents a viewpoint that is different from many other blogs - go check him out, you'll probably learn something.
And finally, buy Phoenix's book so she can get some gas money.
That's all - please take some time if you have it and visit these folks.|W|P|112447292319486546|W|P|Friends of The Rudicus Report|W|P|
QOB|W|P|One day, about a month ago, I found myself reading 21st Century Gonzo. I remember thinking, "Oh my God, Rudicus is scary crazy man!"I've been looking for that site for the past couple of days. (I couldn't remember the name or how I'd gotten there the first time.) Now that I've spent more time around these here parts, I'm not so intimidated by the image being painted in that story. It's a great read. Thanks for the link.
P.S. I'm asking forgiveness for the past couple of days of comments. I have come down off the 'high' I was on. I've put my soapbox away. I've grounded myself. (I re-read some of what I'd written, and it reminded me of my children when they want attention: "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!")
Rudicus|W|P|It's what we're all here for after all - people don't post in public forums if they don't want someone to read it. We all go in cycles and I'm sure we can all put up with each other soapboxing fro time to time.That said I didn't see anything out of the ordinary in your posts.
thordora|W|P|That said I didn't see anything out of the ordinary in your posts.that a good or a bad thing? :P
Rudicus|W|P|I meant out of the ordinary for her as in nothing crazy like thordora|W|P|oh, and the Martian ROCKS! Finally caused my lazy butt to link to him.... The Lone Rangers|W|P|Thanks for the feedback Rudicus, and I couldn't possibly pump you up or make you cooler than you are.qob : he is a crazy man but only scary when he's crazy.
I've also read and linked Martian, since he keeps my Republican side balanced.
Defiant Symmetry|W|P|Thanks for the feedback and the link, that means so much to a "young" blogger like me. I continue to learn from the expertise of people like you. Phoenix|W|P|Thanks for the link Rudicus.I could really use that gas money. ;-)
Martian Anthropologist|W|P|Bitchin'. Thanks for the link, Rudicus, and the nice comments, guys. dushan|W|P|k, you rock, I rock, we all rock. let's join and start a rock band! ;-) dushan|W|P|no seriously: Thanks!!! :-) The Lone Rangers|W|P|Thought you may get a kick out of this:http://chaoscenter.blogspot.com/2005/08/coming-soon-to-bookstore-near-you.html
When we hear about the so-called "activist judges" we now know what that means - anyone who doesn't support the President, Republican controlled Government or the Moral Right.
Well now we can score another one for truth, justice and the "real" American way (which is freedom btw).
Remember this crazy story?
For those who don't recall or don't have time to re-read - this is the couple who was getting divorced and the judge told them they couldn't expose their 10 year old son to their religion of Wicca - even though both parents were in agreement on that point.
Well tough luck buddy, the law saved another person from being subject to one person's views about religion - which is why we have freedom of religion and separation of church and state in the first place - this is how it is supposed to work folks.
"In its unanimous ruling, the court declared that a Marion County judge was out of bounds in approving a divorce decree that also directed the parents to shelter their 10 year old son from non mainstream religious beliefs and rituals."*
Thanks for playing.
Not much else to say, but it's nice to see the law actually working for a change.
The only odd thing is the article ends with this line:
"Wiccan beliefs center around the balance of nature and a reverence for the earth. They do not worship Satan."*
What's that about. I agree its important to define Wicca, but do people actually think that Wiccans worship Satan? Or perhaps it's that people think anyone not Christian is a pagan and all pagans worship the Devil. Of course I'm reminded that I have people in my office who think Judaism is a pagan religion, but have no problem associating decorating Christmas trees(a pagan ceremony from a pagan religion) with Christianity.
Take the time to find out about other people, places and belief systems - it might open your eyes...oh I forgot, asking questions and being exposed to other faiths may make you question yours - never mind, stay ignorant, its safer that way.
*quotes courtesy of The Indianapolis Star by Michele McNeil|W|P|112446123750844380|W|P|Overruled!|W|P|
Martian Anthropologist|W|P|Regarding that judge: Unbelievable. The Wiccan belief system/religion is actually a very tolerant, kind belief system. thordora|W|P|Wicca was the ONLY "religon" I was ever vaguely drawn to. But I remember my father being VERY nervous about his 13 year old daughter reading into it.I found it a gentle, respectful belief system that put much emphasis on personal responsibility...While I personally had no use for it in the long run, I absolutely would support my daughters if they became witches. They'd be nice to people based on the rule of three. Good enough for me.
Phoenix|W|P|I'm glad they told that Judge where he could shove his ruling.Now if we could just get the mandatory mental screening for all children deemed unconstitutional...