Mad Cow

A Boy in the Balance

2010-03-24T09:59:00.010-04:00

His name is not important, his life is. He just turned fifteen this month. He is a typical boy doing all the typical stuff that boys his age do, awhile back he started to have difficulties in school. He began to act out, being disruptive and talking back to his teachers. We were made aware of this through disciplinary reports from school. His grades had been slipping and he was falling behind. I thought that he would get extra help and instruction. I thought the behavior problems would stop when he was keeping up again. It can be very traumatic for a child to admit they are having a problem when all the other kids seem to “get it” right away. Instead of coming out and saying “hey wait a minute, I don’t understand” they tend to “act out” instead because a thirteen year old does not have the coping skills of an adult. Some kids will shut down and just stop trying. It’s the only way they know how to cope. I guess the logic is that if it looks like they just decided to stop doing the work then nobody can pick on them for being “slow or stupid”. Well he just seemed to upset the teachers way too much and started to make a name for himself as a “trouble maker”. He still never got the help he really needed. He started to hang out with other kids who also found themselves in the “trouble maker” category. His best friends were all having some sort of difficulty so, at this point most of the influences he felt were coming from other “troubled children”.

I got a call from the school one day, telling me to come and get my son because he was caught with a joint of marijuana. He was summarily expelled from school for the remainder of the year. He is allowed to go to a “special” class (well away from any good kids) where they study very little and watch movies and play video games! The nearest I can figure out is that it is more or less a GED preparation class! It seems to me that they are encouraging him to drop out and get out of their school. My wife and I decided that we needed some help and took him to the county social services department to get him the help he needed. We went to drug and alcohol counseling as well, he tested positive for marijuana and nothing else. I was actually pleased that there were no dangerous drugs in his system. I remember doing my very best to overdose on marijuana as a teenager myself! I smoked a really big baggie with my best friend and laughed till my ribs hurt then ate everything in the fridge! I’ve never witness any reefer madness and I don’t know anyone who has. I’ve never seen or heard of anyone ever dying as a direct result of using pot in the fifty years I’ve been around. The same cannot be said for aspirin just to put things in perspective. ( "Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone." (Singh Gurkirpal, MD, “Recent Considerations in Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Gastropathy”, The American Journal of Medicine, July 27, 1998, p. 31S))

My son has had about 8 hours of drug and alcohol treatments (sessions) and has had four clean urine tests. He failed the first two and then, he tested clean twice (one month) then, failed one (two weeks) then, two more clean (another month), he failed the last one. We have restricted his life a lot and he doesn’t get to go anywhere but some days he gets an hour or two to himself because of our scheduling. On his last visit to the drug councilor he tested positive for pot. Although his councilor has said that she does not think that he has a drug problem she is still going to recommend that he be removed from his home and sent to an inpatient drug rehab because “he was not being honest with her”. After eight hours of counseling they were unable to turn my child into the perfect young republican so, they have decided to throw in the towel and lock him away in a drug rehab. I wonder if anyone other than I can see how ridiculous this seems! We have segregated him and labeled him embarrassed and humiliated him. We’ve shown him by example that he is not worthy of our school system or our time and effort. We have forced him into ever smaller groups of struggling kids who also need our help, love and understanding. It reminds me of a drying up puddle of gasping pollywogs. What happens to my child next? What happens when the drug rehab center can’t seem to get him goose stepping to their drum beat? What’s next prison? It’s very likely! Because we have cut him off from all the good influences and pigeon holed him in with other “troubled” teens and destroy any hope in his young mind of ever returning to school with his head held high. He now has no intention of ever going back thanks to the efforts of the school officials. That’s ok; at least they won’t have to deal with him!

My son is not a marijuana addict he is the victim of over reactive officials, teachers and councilors who think they know what’s best. It doesn’t even sound right! Say it to yourself “Marijuana Addict” I’m not sure there is even such a thing. If you are an adult that used to smoke a lot of pot and now you don’t, please tell me about your experience. Was it hard to quit? Were there any withdrawal symptoms? Did you need to seek help? I don’t recall having any difficulty whatsoever! Maybe that is why we never hear the words “marijuana addict”. This drug councilor told me that she didn’t think he had a drug problem yet she wants to send him to a drug rehab. No drug problem, then why rehab? Oh yeah! That’s right she did say “he wasn’t being honest” so yeah send his lying ass to rehab! He was forced to go and talk to somebody he does not know and has no reason for trusting and the PHD can’t figure out why she hasn’t been able to win his confidence, after all she did use her best doctor talk on the boy for grand total of 8 whole one hour sessions!

It just seems to me that if a child has a problem then it is up to the adults to find out what it is. Acting out, cussing, backtalk, drugs, sex and alcohol are all symptoms not the cause. That seems to be all we do in this country is treat symptoms. Why is my child doing these things in the first place? Who the hell cares? Just get him away from the good kids and force him to behave! This is the answer I get from the teachers, school officials and councilors. This is the best they can come up with? A little common sense goes along way. If a child suddenly starts cutting himself at the age of fourteen we take him to the doctor to find out why but, if a child suddenly starts experimenting with drugs, we punish him and throw him out of school? What is wrong with this picture? I am truly at the end of my rope hanging by a thread. I love my son and wish I could make it all go away, but he is now at the mercy of a bunch of bureaucratic number crunchers that see my son as a statistic. They need to keep their jobs and justify their paychecks by showing the numbers of their successes but, their failures are little human beings who slipped through the cracks. There is no such thing as a bad kid, only bad parents, bad teachers, bad councilors, bad cops and bad judges.

Rules of Engagement

2010-02-02T20:04:00.000-05:00

This is a re-post from my new friend, Bud at Dead-Logic.com

I think it's brilliant and well thought out advice for all. Feel free to pass it around (just leave a link back giving credit to Dead-logic) there are a lot of people out there who could benefit from a few simple rules, including myself!

Rules of Engagement

I have certain "rules of engagement" I do my best to follow when I am having a conversation, particularly with people who believe something I don't. Keep in mind these are my own personal guidelines, and while I think they are good guidelines, I offer them here only as a suggestion:

1. "Bracket" your judgment. In other words, suspend making judgments about another person's beliefs until you understand it completely.

2. Work hard to understand other people's beliefs completely before offering any criticism.

3. Be able to say their beliefs back to them in their own words. Then you will know you have a complete understanding of their perspective. Furthermore, they will see that you respect them because you've taken the time to learn about them and what they think.

4. Learn the questions they are asking. People are different. The concerns you have, and the issues you feel are important will not always be the same as the concerns others have and the issues others feel are important. We must work to understand other people in order to have a meaningful and productive dialogue with them.

5. Ask yourself those questions they are asking. Everyone exists in a particular context, which means one person's concerns may differ from another's. Addressing such questions can help you see "through their eyes" and strip away the erroneous preconceived notions you might have about them.

6. Be suspicious of labels. Any label a person decides to give herself can cause as much confusion as clarity. Labels, such as "Christian," "atheist," "conservative," "liberal," et al., are meant to help people understand what the person believes, but these labels come with baggage that might not necessarily apply to the individual who has donned the label. Whenever we hear one of these labels, each of us get a different image in our minds of what that label represents, which may or may not represent the person with whom we are speaking. Regardless of what label a person uses, the only way to really understand what she believes is to talk to the person.

7. Question their beliefs. The first six rules of engagement are meant to help a person avoid attacking straw men. At this point critical thinking should be applied to the person's beliefs, swinging the axe of radical criticism through the forest of ideas, to see which will remain standing and which will fall to the force of reason.

8. Let them question your beliefs. This is important. Trust is earned when you are open with them and you make yourself vulnerable by exposing your beliefs for criticism. Also, never forget that you could be wrong, and thinking through your beliefs by having them challenged is both healthy and beneficial.

9. Find common ground. In other words, find areas where you and the other person(s) agree, and build from those points of commonality. Also, when you find common ground, you will see the points of disagreement more distinctly, and thus you will be able to address those concerns more directly.

These rules of engagement are meant to encourage people to become better listeners. As I have said before, to listen is to interpret what is being said; to analyze and critique the material; to interact with the what is being said as one allows the ideas and arguments to ruminate in her head; to allow these ideas to clash with the ideas and arguments to which the listener currently adheres; to put oneself inside the speaker's frame of reference to see the world the way the speaker sees the world and comprehend her paradigm. In short, to listen is to think. Critical thinking implies empathic listening. How is discussion or debate even possible unless both parties understand that about which they are actually in disagreement?

Empathic listening is listening with intent to project oneself into the other person's context (sometimes this is called "projective listening"). The empathic listener tries to "put himself in the speaker’s shoes." This does not mean the listener must agree with what is being said; it means the listener works to place herself within the speaker's frame of reference, so that she may understand the speaker's feelings, her (implicit) reasons for believing what she believes, what led the speaker to adopt her ideas and conclusions, how her culture and background affects the way she perceives the world, how she uses language, et cetera. Empathic listening is the attempt to break out of one's own thought paradigm and enter into another's.

So shut up and listen.

Dead-Logic.com

Ran-dumb Thoughts

2010-01-24T01:06:00.005-05:00

Disclaimer:
The following are just stupid thoughts I have written down, some are supposed to be funny and some are just supposed to invoke thought. If you are easily offended, I suggest you stop reading this now. If you have absolutely no sense of humor stop reading this now and stick your head in the oven, but don't turn on the gas that would just be stupid.

Money is like a bowl of hot soup; if you don’t blow it, you can’t enjoy it right away.

Some get old and die while looking for the deeper meaning.

If you are not part of the solution, your kinda’ like most everybody really.

If I could do it all over, knowing what I know now, I would have never tried to light a fart!

Belief is like a hospital where people go when they are sick of thinking.

I got half a mind to …uh …umm to …uh what?

Cows have special powers; they can turn a bale of hay into a steaming pile of fertilizer and make milk while warming the planet! What the hell have you dung lately?

If it really takes one to know one, then you could only really know one, and that one is you!

It’s a good thing I got married, I would have never known what a fuck up I am.

Sometimes when I think real hard, I get a sharp pain in my head, so I don't do that much.

I have only one real complaint in life and that is; that some people are way too fragile!

Looking for an honest politician is like diving for chipmunks.

Believing in god makes you moral like; eating bologna sandwiches makes you left handed.

Dogs know how fucked up you are, cats know too, but they are not amused!

If I had a penny for every time I heard someone say “if I had a penny” ...well I guess I'd have a bunch of pennies then wouldn't I?

Income tax is proof that you can enslave a nation, without their consent, and they will be only too happy to let you do it!

If “whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” how would we even know that?

If the religious are good for god, does that means the rest of us are good for nothing?

What does a “crock of shit” sound like? ...and why am I the only one who doesn't know?

If you try to keep an open mind, don't be surprised by what pops in!

If at first you don't succeed, buy her another drink (make it a double).

I’ve been hoping someone would steal my identity, so I can have all my bills forwarded.

If your problem solving skills include “killin' sump'n”, you might be a dumb ass!

My life is like a high speed chase, I know it’s going to end in a horrific crash, but I’m afraid to pull over!

It may take a village to raise a child, but it only takes one child to raise a ruckus.

God had himself tortured and crucified to stop himself from sending me to hell! I don’t want to sound ungrateful but, what the fuck man? It just seems like there may have been an easier way!

I never judge people on the way they look. I may cringe and look away, but that's more of a gut reaction than a judgment.

I think my goldfish is depressed, I have to check the water levels every day to make sure he hasn't been crying.

When I was younger, I barely stood for anything, now I can barely stand anybody and some days, I can barely stand at all.

I wonder if anyone who died in the electric chair ever dreamed of being a great conductor.

If people think that they will be punished for all eternity for being evil, that’s a good thing. If they think they can be forgiven at the 11th hour, that’s a bad thing.

If you let someone treat you like they own you, they do.

According to the most recent surveys; most people don’t read the most recent surveys.

I was sad when I had no shoes until; I meet a man with no clue.

If I could only read one book; it would have to be a book about blankets, because that would pretty much cover everything.

Sometimes I wonder if man has I higher purpose, then I order pizza.

People should be proud of their bodies, unless they have more than one.

I know I’m not contagious, because most people don’t get me.

If people are in such a hurry, why do they waste so much time blowing their horns at me?

You should always try not to be too cavalier about fighting on horseback.

If we could just let our children come up with their own imaginary friends, the world would be a better place to live.

LawsThat Suck

2009-12-30T21:22:00.008-05:00

I wonder if a lot of atheists have lost their faith in their government as well. I find that since I started to question the notion of religion and the ludicrous powers it holds over the people of the world, I also find myself questioning what freedom really is. It upsets me to no end that even though I have no religion, I am still subject to the “laws of the religious” If all of the laws were there to protect our rights to our minds and bodies and our rights to own property legally acquired using our minds and or bodies. Then I would say that these are good laws. Laws that protect us from killing, cheating, lying and stealing. Of course cheating and lying are usually done in the name of stealing but, I digress.

The laws that bother me are the laws based on popular opinion or laws that prohibit something because it is thought to be crude, immoral “bad for you “or distasteful. Laws like these have no place in a free society! You have no rights to my body, the government has no rights to my body, only I have rights to my own body. No one including the government should be able to tell me what I can or cannot do with my person. They may regulate some of the circumstances involving the choices I make that may put others in physical danger, but they should not be able to say that I am prohibited from doing something to myself, that physically harms no other.

Let's talk about sex! Lots of people like sex! Sex has been around for as long as anybody can remember, and folks have been buying and selling it for just as long! Why can't I buy some sex? Well let's take a look at it from the freedom angle shall we?

The first questions we ask are :

Q: Would I be causing anyone any physical harm?
A: Nope, never have when it was free sex, so I'm guessing that there will be no casualties.

Q: Will the prostitute be causing any harm?
A: Only if I pay extra! ...but she may be spreading diseases! ...but I know the risks and she has a valid up to date sex workers STD health voucher, Issued by the county health department.

No harm no fowl! No laws prohibiting the free exchange of sex for money should be passed. Laws that protect our children and the general public while preserving the rights of a citizen to do what they damn well please with their own bodies for whatever reason they wish would be justifiable. For instance youth protection laws that require proof of age and up to date heath STD health vouchers for anyone wishing to work in the sex industry.

What about taking drugs like marijuana, LSD, cocaine and opium.

The first questions we ask are :

Q: Would I be causing anyone any physical harm?
A: No, as long as I obey the laws against operating dangerous equipment while under the influence of a mind altering substance.

A: No, as long as I obey the laws that prohibit me from being the sole care giver to a minor child while under the influence of a specific class of mind altering substances.

I could go on but it would get redundant The point is that anything that someone wants to do with their own bodies should be legal. If a situation comes up wherein “the public” (anyone not engage in the activity) is put in danger by a specific action then, laws should be passed, not to prohibit people from said activity but to insure public safety while accommodating the right to do what you wish with your own body.

The laws that really piss me off are the ones that don't even try to hide the fact that they were created from religious belief or hysteria. The religious belief laws are like when you can't buy beer on Sunday or you can't open your store before noon on the Sunday. There is no reason for this law other than to discourage drinking and working on the Sabbath day of rest and worship! hysterical laws are just plain stupid! Let's just say that you are a security agent in an airport and you ask to look inside a persons carry-on. She smiles and says "yeah sure just put the bombs back where you found them", followed by a wink of her eye. Would you laugh and tell her that you never heard that one before and roll your eyes or would you call for backup and have her whisked away for interrogation? If you answered yes to the second part then you will make a fine TSA employee! It is against the law to make a joke about having a bomb in an airport, even if it is an obvious joke and the meaning cannot possibly be misconstrued as an actual threat. Your sense of humor is not appreciated and you will be arrested!

2009-11-16T22:12:00.000-05:00

5(FIVE) companies own all the media in the USA.

Fear and Love

2009-10-19T09:59:00.001-04:00

Love God:

Deuteronomy 6:5 (King James Version)

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Matthew 22:37 (King James Version)

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Fear God:

Deuteronomy 6:13 (King James Version)

Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

Psalm 33:8 (King James Version)

Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

There is no fear in love:

1 John 4:18 (King James Version)

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2009-10-12T20:40:00.006-04:00

The Harvest festival has been held in Hancock NY for the last 15 years and provides the visitor with a taste of real freedom. I [highly] recommend going if you get the chance. I still enjoyed it even at 50 years old.

I awoke to the smell of grilled cheese sandwiches. A new tent had popped up over night. A cute but some what grungy young woman was happily flipping the hot golden brown answers to my breakfast dilemma.
Dodging the peddlers along Shakedown ally, I made my way to the foot of a tree, just off the path, where I could see over the lake and down into the the business center of the new community. I ate the still warm sandwiches and drifted back to simpler times when the government had no say in the business of the people and no say over our bodies and minds. If you wanted to sell grilled cheese sandwiches from your front porch you just hung a sign and started cooking. Today you would have to apply for a vending license and have your food preparation equipment inspected and approved. Then you need to get the proper zoning to be allowed to run a business out of your home and you would be forced to carry a certain amount of Insurance (in cases you get some bad cheese and someone sues you for making them sick!) You would have to file a DBA form to register your business with the government, who will want there cut of your hard earned money!
All for a fucking grilled cheese sandwich!

Makes Perfect Sense

2009-10-08T17:20:00.003-04:00

We are all full of sin and need forgiveness from God.
God died as a sacrificial scapegoat to appease God.
God excepts the sacrifice of God as an atonement.
God declares; that if you except this sacrifice, he will not torture you for all of eternity.
Yeah OK what ever. I except!

Religion the Hypothesis that Wouldn't Die

2009-10-07T16:49:00.008-04:00

If religion is simply a hypothesis that's so full of holes it's absorbent! Why does it persist?
I think it's because people naturally think they are special. The instinct for self preservation is the mother of self importance without the feeling of self importance, there would be no self preservation. Being in possession of a rather large brain and evolving into the number one apex predator can make you a little smug too, but that large brain had only begun to scratch the surface when the big questions came up; what makes the sun hot, why is the sky blue in the day? and black with white dots at night?,why am I here?, where did I come from? and where do I go when I die? The large brain didn't even know that it was alone. None of the other brains could think the way it did. That big brain was special and it slowly began to wonder why; why was it at the top of the food chain, using tools that no others could fashion? The big brain went on to do wonderful things and archived greatness as it took over and claimed the world as it's own. It found nothing to explain where it came from in the natural world but, there was another world. The world of dreams, while the brain was at rest it seemed to enter a different realm, a spirit world not governed by any earthly limitations. The brain hypothesized that some unseen spirits were at work and started to use this catch-all to explain everything that it had no explanation for. The spirits got more and more sophisticated as time went on and evolved into gods. Great and powerful gods who watch over us and punish us when we are bad.
Old gods were abandoned as needed as the brains started to figure out how thing really worked and new gods took there places. New gods that better fit the times. New gods that better fit the new world views. But now we only have a few unanswered questions and they are the big ones; why am I here, where did I come from and where do I go when I die? In our egos we are the most important species on the planet. We seem to have been put in charge. We must be special! The brain thinks it is special and cannot fathom death to nothingness simply because it is alive and thinking. Therefore it clings to an the hope of an afterlife. There is no proof of an afterlife but, the brain needs to feel that it will go on because, it can never know any other condition.
All is not hopeless though; the brain is evolving and so are the gods. I think the gods will go extinct first.

Goverment documented proof, that the USA was not founded as a Christian nation

2009-09-25T11:51:00.002-04:00

I'm sure many people have heard of this document but, I decided to through up a link anyway just to be sure. If you click on this excerpt you can see this document in it's entirety, on a Government web site.

Intelligents of The Gods

2009-09-24T21:38:00.003-04:00

My question is; why do omnipotent beings always choose to speak to one or two people at a time? They pass the most vital “rules and regulations” off to a single person who must disseminate this high priority information to the best of their ability! This makes absolutely no sense. If a lowly creature such as humans can invent “mass media” why do all the gods seem to lack the ability? We all know that a story will change from teller to teller. This has been proven time and time again, if we do not agree on this simple fact, (get an education, start here: Google search "stories change from teller to teller"). Given that an all knowing being would know that stories change from person to person and that the message would change, why do they not speak to us all at one time? Imagine the impact that would have! “Wow dude did you hear that?” “Yeah man! My sister called from California, she heard it too!” “I must have asked a hundred people, they all heard it! The news channels are saying its worldwide! Everybody on the planet heard it!” “GOD IS REAL!” sadly this is not to be.

What assumptions can be made from this?

· Humans are smarter than the gods.

· The gods are Idiots.

· The messages are not really important.

· The gods do not care if everyone gets the message (or even the right message)

· The messages are not really from an all-powerful, all-knowing deity

· Gods are not all-powerful.

· Gods like to pick people out and give them impossible tasks.

· The people that say they have heard from gods are lying (or delusional).

· Gods do not exist.

I’m not saying any point is right or wrong. I’m just saying that if I was one of the thousands of gods who have been competing for the adoration of the lovely little humans, I would make myself stand out by talking to them all at once! Then I alone would be their one true GOD! muuuwaahahaha! “Cuz that’s how I roll!” Imagine “me” the smartest god of all! <;P

I Breath Alone

2009-09-17T16:52:00.002-04:00

Under bright lights I breath alone, and naked. The future is about me. I begin to acquire intangible bits of make believe. I cling to the draperies of my own existence, in denial of my pending doom. I am for for now in the course of a blink, a wisp in passing. Shh! If I hide under the covers, no one can see me.

Brain Washed from Birth

2009-09-14T11:32:00.009-04:00

I was watching a debate on atheism and heard Professor Peter Atkins say “Religion is a self delusion” I was thinking about it and it occurs to me that he may be right but the underlying cause of the delusion was never discussed. I believe It comes down to psychological conditioning; brain washing pure and simple. It starts at an early age. When you are brought up in a religious society, you are bombarded with references to religion on a daily basis. Try this experiment: go throughout your day and count how many references of the super natural you hear or see in the course of your day. When I say super natural; I mean anything that you can find reference to in a holy book; things like god, Jesus, angels, ghost, devil, demons, and any reference to religion of any kind, even if it is something as simple as saying "God bless you" when someone sneezes. I think you may be amazed.

Your own parents are a part of your brain washing; they tell you about god, Santa, the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny, It doesn't take long for this “house of cards” to tumble down and your parents “cave in” and confess to lying about all but god! This is because they believe; because they went through the brainwashing process. Every God question had some sort of explanation, supernaturally incredulous explanations but, explanations none the less. Being naturally curious, we question the existence of God and never get a clear understanding but, we are told that “it's part of Gods plan that we cannot prove his existence because he wants us to believe in him” if he gave us proof it would no longer take faith and faith is what it takes to get to heaven. Heaven is the preferred place to go. Yeah...and buy the way there is this place called HELL were all the non-believers go!
Placing all these pressures on the minds of small children, still learning their own language is tantamount to brainwashing. They inevitably wind up on their knees praying to god not to send them to hell! I know I did.

Me Own Mum!

2009-09-12T17:54:00.008-04:00

This is the tail end of a email I received from my mom!
The email shows a group of photos depicting various government buildings with the ten commandments built into the architecture and ends with this statement:
It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God.
Therefore, it is very hard to understand why there is such a mess about having the Ten Commandments on display or 'In God We Trust' on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don't we just tell the other 14% to Sit Down and SHUT UP!!!

If you agree, pass this on and keep it going!

If you wish to see the whole thing it can be found here; http://www.pearlharborsurvivorsonline.org/html/GOD%20BLESS%20AMERICA.htm

Of course my dutiful mother passed it on to everyone in her address book!
This was my reply:

NOTE:CLICK IMAGE FOR EASE OF READING CHART.

This poll suggest that Christians comprise 77 % of the population. That leaves 23%. The current population of the US as of Jul 2008 is 304,059,724
that means that 69,933,736 (Almost 70 million) people should "just sit down and shut up" when you Christians think you have the right to introduce your religion onto our government.
I guess we'll just sit down and shut up! NOT!

PS. your numbers seem to be dropping off a tad.

Was I to hard on mom? should I just ignore her Christian chain letters?

New Old Sayings?

2009-09-07T17:58:00.002-04:00

“A coward dies a thousand deaths; a brave man gets himself blown away.”

“A friend in need is a pain in the butt. “

“A place for everything and everything in it's ……………..place “

“A stitch in time saves embarrassment. “

“Actions speak louder than writing whinny assed letters.”

“All work and no play makes Jack a tired some'bitch .”

“Always look on the bright side, 'cause you can't see in the freakin' dark!”

“Appearances are deceiving 'cept ugly. Ugly aint foolin' no one.”

“Apples don't fall far from the tree…. less it's a pine tree.”

“Beauty is only skin deep, unless you're into blood-n-guts”

“Better a big fish in a little pond than a little fish in a big frying pan”

“A bird in the hand is better than a sharp stick in the eye.”

“Children should be seen and not beaten to death.”

“Cleanliness is next to smelling good. “

“Dead men tell no tales. Their damn good listeners though”

“Discretion is the better part of velour.”

“Do as I say,not as I mumble incoharently.”

“Don't criticize a man 'till you've walked a mile away.”

“Don't put all of your eggs in one omelet. “

“Fear can hold you prisoner, hope can set you free, lsd can make you see stuff.”

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent something something.”

“Finders keepers losers!”

“Find a penny, pick it up - all the day you'll have a back ache.”

“Hear no evil-see no evil-speak no evil. Die of boredom.”

“If life gives you lemons, make like you don't give a fat rats ass!”

“If you are not part of the solution, you suck.”

“If you can't say anything nice don't say anything nice.”

“Never beat a dead horse, less you're tenderizing.”

“Perseverance moves mountains, impatience blows them to hell.”

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions and fairy dust!”

“Too many cooks spoil the broth, unless you boil the hell out of them.”

“Two heads are better than one, unless you actually have two heads!”

“Variety is the spice of life 'till you get caught.”

“Early to bed early to rise makes a man f*cking predictable.”

“Don't put off until tomorrow what you can put off indefinitely.”

“Looking for an honest politician is like diving for squirrels. “

Tangled Web

2009-08-30T12:03:00.003-04:00

Anytime you put words in the mouth of god you have to defend them forever. You cannot simply rewrite the words your god has spoken every time there is a new discovery. It has been impossible for the church to keep up with the modern educated view of the world, without going back and admitting that they just made it up and nobody actually heard god say: Slugs and/or snails melt as they move, The mustard seed is the smallest seed in the world or that a house or clothing can have leprosy which can be cured buy chanting a few words while flinging birds blood about the place! The church would like nothing more than to embrace Darwin and rewrite the bible to include the fossil record, fill it with actual science but, they can’t! They are simply stuck in the quagmire of dogma and deceit “ oh what a tangled web we weave”

Christianity Test

2009-08-26T01:58:00.007-04:00

Christianity Test

1. Do you believe in leprechauns?

2. Do you believe in ghosts?

3. Do you believe abortion is OK?

4. Do you believe unicorns exist?

5. Do you believe in demons?

6. Do you believe in witches?

7. Do you believe in Dragons?

8. Do you believe in wizards?

9. Would you be ok with someone being executed for crimes you committed?

If you scored more than one (1) NO answer; There may be hope for you yet!

Apparently god believes in witches

Samuel 15:23 (King James Version) For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Apparently god believes in Dragons

Isaiah 27:1 (King James Version)
In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

Apparently god believes in Unicorns

Job 39:9-12 (King James Version)
      Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?

      Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?

      Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?

      Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?

Apparently god believes in abortions

Hosea 13:16 (King James Version)
Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces and their women with child shall be ripped up.

Apparently God/Jesus believes in ghost

Luke 24:39 (New Living Translation)
Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.”

If you are a true believer; someone was already executed for the crimes you’ve committed, and you’re ok with it! you rejoice in it!

Hebrews 9:12-14 (New Living Translation)
With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Of course God believes in demons, silly!

Off Topic

2009-08-22T22:52:00.006-04:00

This is way off my usual topic but this guy rocks people!

Tell me you don't love it.

Christian Death Camps?

2009-08-21T13:46:00.019-04:00

Despite what the media has been spewing lately; this country was not founded as a Christian nation! In fact it is quite the opposite. We have to fight for the separation of church and state. It needs to remain an essential component of our government. Without it we will slowly lose our right do worship or not any god we choose. If a law is passed that favors Christianity; we are one step closer to becoming a "Christian Nation". A Christian might ask; why would I care if this nation becomes a Christian nation, made up of entirely Christian laws? This could only be a good thing right? Well it sounds great but the churches already had their shot at running everything. We were given the Dark Ages (a period in which the churches were in power and suppressed anything that threatened that power buy any means necessary) The inquisitions and the witch trials just a few examples of Christian rule. Many Christians would love to see the laws of the bible strictly enforced. Still sounds great huh? Well let’s have a look shall we?

A father would have the right to sell his daughters into slavery. [Exodus 21:7] I have two, their college educated. I should be able to net a tidy little profit!
That's right slavery would be legal [Exodus 21 Slavery Rules] Good, you can't buy good help these days!
Wearing a poly cotton blend of fabric would be against the law [Lev. 19:19] WTF
Women would not be allowed to speak in church.[Corinthians 14:34] HooYa! Finally; a place I can go to get away from her constant yakking!
Unruly children would be stoned to death [Lev. 20:9] Do your home work or I'll kill you with a rock, ya little prick!
Anyone caught working on the Sabbath would be put to death.[Exodus 31:15] Fuck yeah' at least I'll get one day off!
Men could have more than one wife[Genesis 4:19] Woot!
Wives have to be submissive [Colossians 3:18] Stay home raise my kids and clean the fucking house; now gimme' some sugar baby!
Rape victims would be required by law to marry their attackers.[Deut. 22:28-29 ] Serves the bitch right!
The death penalty for: striking a parent [Exodus 21:15] Yeah, I punched that fucker for beating my mom so many times!
The death penalty for: Witchcraft [Ex. 22:18] ding dong!
The death penalty for: Idolatry [Lev. 20:2] Vote For Your Favorite Idol Now! Dial L-E-V-202 on your cell phone!
The death penalty for: Premarital sex [Deut. 22:20-21] There goes 90% of the population
The death penalty for: Adultery [Deut. 22:22]There goes the other 10%
The death penalty for: Incest [Lev. 20:11-12[ Yeah, you know who you are!
The death penalty for: Homosexuality [Lev. 20:13] Shut Up Girl!
The death penalty for: Bestiality [Lev. 20:15] These fuckers need help man!
The death penalty for: Blaspheming God (being an atheist or believing in other gods) [Lev. 24:16] KILL! KILL! KILL THEM ALL!
The death penalty for: False prophecy [Deut. 13:1-5 ]Hello, psychic hotline? ...Die Bitches!

These are just a few things you could be murdered for under the laws of the bible. The death houses would have to run nonstop. We would put Hitler to shame and when there was one man left alive in America, he would have to kill himself!We are all guilty of at least one of these and if you say you're not, you're a liar. Lying is a sin; the penalty for sin is death [Prov. 19:9]

You might say to yourself; this could never happen in the US, and you would be wrong. There are a lot of fundamentalist Christians in America. They are pushing their agenda and winning small victories all the time. They push trough laws on city, county, state and federal levels. If you sit silent and do not raise your voice in opposition, you are giving your consent. By not speaking up and doing your part to keep the separation of church and state, you have already giving in to Christian rule. Even a moderate Christian knows that living by bible law would be bad. That’s why we fight on all the seemingly small issues like printing “In God We Trust” on our currency. It is not representative of all Americans and must be stopped!

The War Rages On

2009-08-13T19:57:00.000-04:00

(click to enlarge)
I made a graph for people that just don’t get it.
“The War Rages On”

The Holy Sabbath

2009-08-13T13:51:00.000-04:00

Why would an omnipotent being need a day of rest? It defeats the whole omnipotent claim; if you have to “sit a spell”. The need for rest of any sort would surely indicate some sort of limit to ones capacity for non-restfulness. If something as mundane as creating a universe gets you all tuckered out, you are obviously not all powerful. A real omnificent thingy could create an infinite number of universes each with its own set of laws as easily as I pass gas, with no need for rest (although passin’ gas gets me winded!). I know the “good folk” would say; “Well…GOD said that He rested on the seventh day. He never said that He was tired. Maybe He just felt like it!” Then I’d say what would cause him to “feel like it” in the first place? Then we’re off to the races!

I've had my moments

2009-08-12T20:01:00.004-04:00

I have had a couple of moments in my life when I was very open to the idea of god and at the time I remember placing a great deal of concern over coincidental happenings and seeing this as a sign from god. Once I was thinking about a particular aspect of my life when a song was played on the radio that fit the exact subject and actually offered a solution but, of course the solution was god and “giving my life over to Jesus”. I should be happy with the simple things in life and rejoice in the glory of god (country music, gosh who’da thunkit?). Shortly after getting the inappropriate number of goose bump I freaked out for a while thinking god was watching and was trying to tell me something! I had not been following the rules! I better do as the song says; straighten up and fly right, before it’s too late!

A few days passed and I dismissed it for what it was; a conditioned response to coincident events, involving thoughts of a divine presents. After all I had been conditioned to believe in god, buy my mother and the church. My mother took me to a Baptist church for a while; I got the full on fire, brimstone damnation and eternal purgatory sermons shouted in the “top -o- the lung” style that some Baptist
churches are well known for. Imagine my horror when it was revealed to me; that the all merciful god had a special place reserved for the sole propose of torturing me for the rest of eternity! There didn’t seem to be any doubt in anyone’s mind that the son of a bitch would do it either! So I had to profess my undying love for this god that I’ve never seen, but was assured of his existence by all the people I trusted. I was still not certain that god was real. My sense of loyalty to the people around me was strong and I wanted to believe because they did. I later became convinced that the possibility of god was great. I even spoke to god in silence of course, to say I was sorry for some transgression or other (he never spoke back). I always wondered in the back of my head if god was really there. I remember getting into dialogue with myself, thinking things like; If god’s really there and can hear my thoughts, he will know that I have my doubts and I’m going to hell for not believing. It was enough to drive me nuts! I would get angry at god. If he would just make himself known, show himself in some substantial way. If he would just set himself apart from all the other deities’ people have believed in; I wouldn’t be having these insane conversations with myself. He gave me the brain that doubts him. He must know that I’m going to use it. It should be easy for him to make his presents known, why does he give me the power of reason and then demand that I abandon it and rely on blind faith? I got quite angry.

I later learn more about religions and their origins, psychology, philosophy, and science. I spoke to myself less often in regards to things that cannot be proven. I’ve come to the conclusion that I may never shed the effects of my childhood indoctrination. Although I was unable to shed my intellect and reason enough to make room for god and the promise of eternal life; I can’t help but feel better off. I still have those conversations with myself. They are mostly unapologetic and usually about new confirmations of an already atheistic view. It only just occurred to me that, I am a Bi-theist of sorts. I claim atheism yet have lingering doubts, as I have never been able to prove a negative.

There may always be a portion of my psyche that firmly refuses to let go of my childhood conditioning. My only hope is that it doesn’t take over at the moment of my death. I would hate for my final moments to be filled with hallucinations of hell and torment. I would not have gone though all this had my mother been an atheist. Had I been spared the brainwashing attempts until I was an adult I would have just laughed at those silly people and their invisible “stalker” in the sky. Love me or I’ll hurt you? Somebody get a net!

I don’t blame my mother though; she was doing what she saw as normal and, she is a believer. She is a good person at heart and I hope her passing brings her great feelings of peace and heaven with the angles by her side when her time comes. It all sounds nice and I wish it were true but, everything I have ever learned and experienced has convinced me that it just isn’t.

Our only hope

2009-08-10T11:09:00.000-04:00

Many people are getting discouraged with the world and the politics, some are upset with organized religion and some are upset with the laws that control vice .i.e.; drugs, prostitution and, gambling. They’ve realized that trying to be your brother’s keeper is very costly. I will not preach to the choir and, write about the thinly disguised holy war we find ourselves in. I won’t go on in any detail about how the war on drugs is a war on US citizens, or how consensual sex between two adults is nobody’s business, even if money does change hands.

Our government has not evolved along the same lines as its people. This is because “we the people” learn from our mistakes and, as new knowledge and experiences come to light, we sometimes find that some old laws can cause more damage than good. Our Government is very good at making laws. It’s how they make their living. They really suck at changing laws though and they really hate to overturn laws. Many laws create new opportunities for graft and corruption. To change or eliminate these laws would force some very wealthy people to make an honest living.

Change is up to us and we are making a difference. You can’t see the difference and that frustrates the hell out of you, I know the feeling. You are out here on the internet looking for answers and sharing your opinions. You found out that there are many who think the same thing you do. As long as you continue doing what you are doing and the internet remains uncensored, then change will happen. It may not come as soon as you would like but, it will come.

My biggest fear is that the people with the most to lose will target the internet. They will edit, censor, slash and burn until they have complete control over it. Sound impossible? They did it with television. The most honest news programs are on the comedy channel and, even they are biased. You may be too young to remember but, there was a time when the news was reported without any opinions or comments. It was a matter of pride among journalists and reporters to be good at telling the news without showing any emotion. They actually would apologize to the audience if they happen to let slip an emotional response to what they were reporting!

Each new generation from here forward will be exposed to the internet, exposed to new ideas and different points of view. The narrow views of their parents will no longer be their only guide in life. Everyone under the age of 26 has grown up with the internet. Their children will be the second generation to grow up being exposed to freethinking and, sharing new ideas; the internet celebrates our differences and insists on our tolerance. The internet has given us a way to argue our points of view without the threat of violence. 30 years ago, you didn’t even hear discussions between Atheists and Christians, because it might lead to violence. 30 years ago I wouldn’t even admit to being an atheist.

It has already begun [ http://www.voltairenet.org/article161124.html ] let you voice of opposition be heard! Get angry! you have the right!

If you don’t voice your objections; you are giving your consent.

A FREE WORLD

2009-08-08T14:15:00.000-04:00

I would love to live in a world free of religion, free from judgment, free from damnation, free from fear, free from war, free from terrorism, free to think, free to learn, and free to love anyone I choose. Oh! And free to buy beer on Sunday! Religions are the great “dividers” of man. We will never resolve our differences as long as our gods are in the way. Religions cause more suffering than any disease known to man. If mankind can get past the superstition and fear there is no telling what could be accomplished.

The funny thing is it all comes down to our fear of death. It’s the price we pay for brains. Brains that store events in short term memory and then if that memory is called upon enough, it becomes a long term memory. Long term memory is why we perceive the passage of time. Long term memory is how we know the people we know, but some of the people we know died. Then we find out everybody dies. Where did they go? The simple answer is; they do not exist. The wonderful chemical electric wet works we call a brain has ceased to function. That’s not good enough for the conscious mind, because as hard as we try we can never envision our own nonexistence, and the unknown is scary for us. It’s supposed to be. We learned a long time ago to fear the unknown, to be cautious when in unfamiliar situations. Those brains and fears have served us well, made us the most successful organism on the planet!

People fill every niche in life, if there is a way to survive a human can find it. We are at this very moment coming up with new ways to thrive. From the first division of hunter from gatherer came new occupations and ways to get the things you need to survive. Unfortunately deceit and treachery were also a lucrative way to get what you need. If you could convince people that that the volcano was alive and angry, and that the volcano speaks to you in your dreams, you might be able to get them to cook a goat and leave it at the base of the volcano.” Yummy, yummy free goat tastes best! Gee I wonder what else I could get these stupid people to do in the name of the volcano.”

I’m sure it didn’t take long before someone figured out that everyone was afraid to die. “Yes I swear my elephant god will give you a new life after you die, better than the first one because you do the things he asks of you. Those other people, well elephant god has a place for them too! Oh you don’t believe, well I guess you’ll just have to be the next sacrifice. Get him!” The con gets bigger and bigger and is actually passed down from generation to generation. Eventually most of the perpetrators are no longer aware that it’s a con, they believe! That’s the beauty of it. You can use the mark to help you carry out the con. Back in the early days of religion it was hard to be the voice of reason. I too would tithe half my earnings and bow in prayer to god if it meant not getting stoned to death. Many of the early religions declare that all non believers should be put to death, Christianity and Islam to name two.

In today’s world there are still pockets of society’s that are governed by the prevailing religion. A society in which anyone who does not believe would be too afraid to admit it. But in places like the USA you can speak your mind and live the way you choose. You do not even have to pretend to believe, or is it just easier to go along. Why? Because they are everywhere and they control a lot of the things you count on. They have more power than the rational people that see religion for what it is. Religious people hold the highest positions of authority in the land. They even tout their religious affiliations as a badge of honor that somehow qualifies them to make laws that we all must live by.

I just wish People would realize There will never be a truly “free world’ as long as we continue to hang on to our superstitions. You only get one life, there is no god and you don’t get to live forever in a better place. After you’re dead you’re not coming back to say: “Hey you lied to me!” and death is nothing to be afraid of (I didn’t mind being dead from the beginning of time until the day I was born, and the time between my death and the rest of time won’t be much bother either) ...Oh and there isn’t any leprechauns, unicorns, ghost or little green men either!

The Golden Rule

2009-08-08T13:14:00.000-04:00

Where does evil or sin come from? Let’s take a look at “The golden Rule”. Why is it common to all religion? It seems to me, that humans all seem to know “good” from “bad”. They know “good” because; when other people treat them the way they would like to be treated this is good. They know “bad” because; when they are treated in a way that makes them uncomfortable i.e. pain, fear and loss, this is bad. The problem comes from the fact that people are all different and are uncomfortable for different reasons so the golden rule was created with the mistaken belief that everyone felt the same way about how they wished to be treated. Your first thought would logically be; to treat people the way “you” wish to be treated and that works fine most of the time, as long as you don’t go anywhere. If you stay at home you are more likely to be around people with the same likes and dislikes, the same fears and apprehensions. The further humans spread out the more diverse we became. The separation of the early tribes of man gave rise to many new and diverse cultures; Cultures with different traditions, different taboos, different ceremonies and customs. This eventually leads to different interpretations of the golden rule. All sin and evil comes from your interpretation of the golden rule. I guess if I had to sum up a conclusion I’d have to say that all “morality” comes from our emotional responses to outside stimuli. Things that cause people to feel bad are labeled as sin or evil. Things that make us feel good are Labeled; charity, grace and compassion. It appears that both good and evil come from us, big friggin’ surprise there! No real need to point our fingers at make-believe deity's, demons and devils when a mirror would do quite nicely.

Christain Judges and Juries

2009-07-26T18:18:00.000-04:00

Sister Marie Marot is found not guilty of running a red light and killing a 16 year old boy. This verdict was handed down despite eyewitness testimony to the contrary. Of course there was the usual statement from the Vatican: This order is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.This is an older story but, I could not help but notice the resemblance to someone I'd seen before!

Imagine

2009-07-25T19:41:00.000-04:00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Imagine if you will; you have the knowledge of the future. Nothing that will happen can possibly happen, without your prior knowledge. You cannot be surprised. This would be my definition of hell. Where would the excitement in your existence be? Now imagine once again; you can never die, the boredom goes on forever. This would =Hell²;you have to live forever knowing everything you are going to do. Every outcome of every decision, every toss of the coin, every book and movie are already in your head as if it just happened. Let’s just imagine one more thing; suppose you where omnipotent and all knowing. You can do anything and, you know everything. There is nothing you can’t do and nothing you don’t know. That would =Hell^∞, you have the power to do anything you want but, what’s the use? You know how everything will turn out. Holy shit, what a miserable fucking hell that would be! Just fucking kill me please! No wonder god is such a miserable prick!

Cleanliness is next to

2009-07-25T19:38:00.000-04:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Cleanliness is next to smelling good."[T L Ray]

“Belief is like a hospital where people go when they are sick of thinking. “[T L Ray]

“You were a good person before you came to believe what you believe, and you will be a good person no matter what you believe; unless you come to believe that some people do not matter.” [T L Ray]

“Living your life using a favorite book as your guide, is a little like eating only chocolate, it may feel good for awhile but it’s obviously not a balanced diet.” [T L Ray]

The only holy trinity is logic, reason and compassion.” [T L Ray]

“If the religious are good for god, that means the rest of us are good for nothing. “ [T L Ray]

“If we could just let our children come up with their own imaginary friends, the world would be a better place to live.” [T L Ray]

“Non-theistic people do not fly airplanes onto buildings or murder doctors in church.” [I read something like this somewhere]

"If people think that they will be punished for all eternity for being evil, that’s a good thing. If they think they can be forgiven at the 11^thhour, that’s a bad thing." [T L Ray]

Dear God

2009-07-25T19:33:00.000-04:00

Dear God,

It has recently come to my attention, that you would like me to kill all the non-believers. I have given this matter much consideration; however I have noticed that none of the 2000 year old memos that you sent, seem to be in your hand writing. I’m not questioning your motives as I am aware that you “work in mysterious ways”. I am only looking to clarify a few of the finer point’s i.e.; should I stone them or what? I know this has been your preferred mode of execution in the past but, since your last communiqué, there have been many advancements in the field of death and destruction. We have been very busy down here you know. There were also some questions as to what you want done with the gays. Do you want me to kill all the gay people or just the ones who don’t believe in you? It’s all kind of confusing, and there are so many unanswered questions that I’m afraid we’ll have to set up a meeting to go over your plan in detail. I would be quite embarrassed if I got this wrong. The thought has occurred to me, that I may have been completely misinformed. Please have you secretary call me at your earliest convenience to set up an appointment. I look forward to our meeting and may the force be with you…Just kidding!

Sincerely

[You’re Name Here]

Devoted Worshiper

Love me [Lyrics]

2009-07-25T19:32:00.002-04:00

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Do the things I tell you, or I will make you pay.