The conservatives are arguing that if we were to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, then the religious freedom of military chaplains will be “muzzled.”
If the chaplains are preaching about hatred of gays, then I want them muzzled. Here’s the deal, gay people are already serving in the military. I should know. What the chaplain corps is wanting is for the gays to stay closeted so that they can continue openly discriminating against a group of people.
If that still sounds good to you, substitute the word “gays” with “blacks” and see what it sounds like. If you can’t apply a rule or a law to any group of people without it sounding like some sort of phobia, then it should not be applied to anyone.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Lord Cometh... All Over Your Face
An Israeli man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of rape, sodomy, indecent acts, and fraudulent acquisition. You wanna know why? Brace yourself.
Nissim Aharon, who was employed by the Defense Ministry, was being paid a lot of money by women for his healing services. His healing services: he claimed that his semen was holy and could heal people. Let that sink in for a bit.
He said he could “cleanse” their bodies. Oh yeah. That’s about all that needs to be said.
Nissim Aharon, who was employed by the Defense Ministry, was being paid a lot of money by women for his healing services. His healing services: he claimed that his semen was holy and could heal people. Let that sink in for a bit.
He said he could “cleanse” their bodies. Oh yeah. That’s about all that needs to be said.
Asteroids Are Awesome!
1. There was a very interesting article in the journal Nature that talks about water and organic material being found on a asteroid. A research team at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University found that the asteroid contains water ice and organic materials (in the form of hydrogen-carbon bonds).
This is a fantastic find and will help us better understand how life got its start. It also proves that not all asteroids are dry, rocky pieces from the early solar system. Some of the asteroids out there still contain ice and organic materials. It also blurs the lines between what is a comet and what is an asteroid. I love blurry science!
2. Remember the announcement that life had been found from Mars back in 1996? I remember it and how exciting it was to think that we had proof of life other than on earth. Well, the researchers kept studying the material and are sticking by their original findings all these years later.
The problem that I see with this is that the central problem in 1996 was that the researchers didn't prove that the fossilized bacteria was not a product of contamination from bacteria that was already on earth. The researchers say that they have found other Mars asteroids with the same bacterial fossils on them which supports their case. I think the key word there is “on”, not “in”. Since this was found on igneous rock instead of in sedimentary rock, the evidence would seem to point to a post-collision contamination scenario.
This is a genuine conflict that will be fun to watch over the next few years.
The National Day Of Prayer Marches On
The president, working against the ruling by a judge in WI, has details decided to go ahead and proclaim a national day of prayer.
In a proclamation from the White House, the president stated that in the past, when the going got tough, Americans prayed. Just because people hit their knees to pray when things got bad doesn't mean you have to proclaim a national day in which to chant at the sky. Here are some other things Americans do that don't get a proclamation: when we get horny, we have sex; when we get mad, we fight; when we get hungry, we eat. Who cares?
Just because Americans do something stupid when events go south doesn't mean you celebrate it. The wall between church and state is beginning to look a lot like wall between the US and Mexico: just move 20 miles away where the fence has a giant hole in it.
In a proclamation from the White House, the president stated that in the past, when the going got tough, Americans prayed. Just because people hit their knees to pray when things got bad doesn't mean you have to proclaim a national day in which to chant at the sky. Here are some other things Americans do that don't get a proclamation: when we get horny, we have sex; when we get mad, we fight; when we get hungry, we eat. Who cares?
Just because Americans do something stupid when events go south doesn't mean you celebrate it. The wall between church and state is beginning to look a lot like wall between the US and Mexico: just move 20 miles away where the fence has a giant hole in it.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Skepticism and the Religious Brain
An interesting study at a university in Denmark has new light to shed on the brain of the religious believer and how it evaluates information. This was the gist:
"Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Schjødt and his colleagues scanned the brains of 20 Pentecostalists and 20 non-believers while playing them recorded prayers. The volunteers were told that six of the prayers were read by a non-Christian, six by an ordinary Christian and six by a healer. In fact, all were read by ordinary Christians."
Not surprisingly, the brains of the "Pentacostalists" (?) responded differently than the rest: when they heard the prayers read by what they were told was a healer---someone with power and authority in their world---parts of the brain that help them figure out what is good and bad information literally turned off.
"Parts of the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices, which play key roles in vigilance and scepticism when judging the truth and importance of what people say, were deactivated when the subjects listened to a supposed healer. Activity diminished to a lesser extent when the speaker was supposedly a normal Christian."
I'm always fascinated by these brain studies. It makes me think back to when I was a Christian, and all the crazy tricks the mind can play. It is interesting how, in modern Christianity especially, most of the communication is oral (no snickering); what I mean is everything happens in ideas and things spoken between people. Their beliefs are based on a 2000-year-old collection of letters that have been re-and-mis-translated a zillion times, there's no one of real authority to interview, there's nothing to test or measure or base facts upon, it's all this nebulous, invisible thing that exists solely in the realm of people. So obviously our brains have a lot to do with it.
I don't think there's really anything good you could say about a supposedly productive activity that causes parts of your brain to shut off (unless you're talking about trying to lessen pain, etc.). That's kind of a no-brainer. Ha! A pun too!
"Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Schjødt and his colleagues scanned the brains of 20 Pentecostalists and 20 non-believers while playing them recorded prayers. The volunteers were told that six of the prayers were read by a non-Christian, six by an ordinary Christian and six by a healer. In fact, all were read by ordinary Christians."
Not surprisingly, the brains of the "Pentacostalists" (?) responded differently than the rest: when they heard the prayers read by what they were told was a healer---someone with power and authority in their world---parts of the brain that help them figure out what is good and bad information literally turned off.
"Parts of the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices, which play key roles in vigilance and scepticism when judging the truth and importance of what people say, were deactivated when the subjects listened to a supposed healer. Activity diminished to a lesser extent when the speaker was supposedly a normal Christian."
I'm always fascinated by these brain studies. It makes me think back to when I was a Christian, and all the crazy tricks the mind can play. It is interesting how, in modern Christianity especially, most of the communication is oral (no snickering); what I mean is everything happens in ideas and things spoken between people. Their beliefs are based on a 2000-year-old collection of letters that have been re-and-mis-translated a zillion times, there's no one of real authority to interview, there's nothing to test or measure or base facts upon, it's all this nebulous, invisible thing that exists solely in the realm of people. So obviously our brains have a lot to do with it.
I don't think there's really anything good you could say about a supposedly productive activity that causes parts of your brain to shut off (unless you're talking about trying to lessen pain, etc.). That's kind of a no-brainer. Ha! A pun too!
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Tea Party Defined
I often wonder what goes through the mind of a Tea-Partier. Do they actually have any viewpoints; are they a one-issue group; do they ever think anything through before they speak? These are all valid questions that many other than myself ask ever day. I got the answers to my questions recently.
This past Thursday on NPR, there was a story titled “The Tea Party: A Modern Movement.” I was hoping to hear something worthwhile and was not disappointed. The problem is that it didn’t make me see the Tea Party in a better light. The first caller really summed up the whole movement and left little to the imagination of what the Tea Party is all about. I thought a few parts were telling.
As soon as this question was asked, I knew what the answer was going to be. The Tea Parties are quick to dismiss charges of racism as offensive. But what proof do they give to the contrary? I think the point that the caller Maggie said “his race or his religion play absolutely no part in [our] disagreement”, which is demonstrably false and a backhanded comment, showed the exact position of the Tea Party.
The host asked nothing about religion, but she still felt the need to stick the issue in there anyway. This goes to show you that these people still think he is a Muslim. He has professed to be a Christian and I see no reason to question him on that. It is a little disturbing to me that he goes to such a great length to show that he is a superstitious as most of the country. I, personally, expect more out of the leader of a country, especially in a time in which religion is becoming more extreme. I would rather have a president who is smart and doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator.
No one has said that if you disagree with the president then you are a racist, contrary to what you may hear on Fox News, who seems to be the largest purveyor of this myth. I disagree with the president’s policies almost every day. Does that make me a racist? Not at all. What does make you a racist is when you challenge the legitimacy of the president because you think he was born in Kenya, or when you have pictures of the president in some kind of tribal garb. When you use code words or just come out and say (ala Rush Limbaugh) that the president is going to give reparations to black people, trying to work the honky crowd into a lather.
Of course! Remember back in 04’ when we started the “Kill Bush” party? I don’t remember that either. The movie that she is speaking of, “Death Of A President” was made by a British filmmaker, not a Democratic Party TV host. The film was also roundly criticized by both sides of the political spectrum in the US, with Hillary Clinton calling it “despicable”. How much of an outcry has there been from the right when Beck, Hannity, O’Reilly, and Limbaugh routinely call the president a communist, socialist, fascist, racist, and a Nazi? I am still waiting.
I love how Maggie compares the anti-war rallies to the Tea Party movement. To think that these two groups share anything in common would require mental gymnastics that would break part of your brain. The anti-war rallies were speaking out against the US sending our troops into a country for no reason at all. Good people died in Iraq and Afghanistan that should have never been near a warzone. We were sent into a war with no plan, no armor, and no reason. That is why there were anti-war rallies. The administration was demonized with good reason. The Tea Party, on the other hand, is speaking out against issues and problems that don’t exist. The difference between the two groups is that one was protesting against a war and the other is protesting against a lie. The anti-war protestors weren’t bringing guns to rallies and talking about seceding from the union.
If the Tea Party really cared about the country and the “out of control spending”, then why aren’t they protesting on Wall Street? If they think that the stimulus was a bad idea, go protest the people that took the money and paid themselves with taxpayer funds. This is where the base problem with the Tea Party comes to light. The Tea Party is a group of people who are being manipulated by the Republican Party to work in the interests of the corporations that they shill for. They look like a bunch of fools when they stage protests against the Inheritance Tax when there is no way in hell that 95% of them will ever fall under that portion of the tax code.
Just another day in the Republican Party, getting the poor to do your bidding.
This past Thursday on NPR, there was a story titled “The Tea Party: A Modern Movement.” I was hoping to hear something worthwhile and was not disappointed. The problem is that it didn’t make me see the Tea Party in a better light. The first caller really summed up the whole movement and left little to the imagination of what the Tea Party is all about. I thought a few parts were telling.
CONAN: What is the mischaracterization that you hear about Tea Partiers on media or from other people that bothers you the most?
MAGGIE: That bothers me the most? Well, that's hard because we're called rednecks. We're called uneducated. We're called stupid. We're called racist. And it's probably the racist label that really, really bothers me the most, because it is simply not true.
You can disagree with the president because of his policy, and his race or his religion play absolutely no part in your disagreement. And it seems, starting last summer, if - to disagree with President Obama was to not want a person of color as president.
As soon as this question was asked, I knew what the answer was going to be. The Tea Parties are quick to dismiss charges of racism as offensive. But what proof do they give to the contrary? I think the point that the caller Maggie said “his race or his religion play absolutely no part in [our] disagreement”, which is demonstrably false and a backhanded comment, showed the exact position of the Tea Party.
The host asked nothing about religion, but she still felt the need to stick the issue in there anyway. This goes to show you that these people still think he is a Muslim. He has professed to be a Christian and I see no reason to question him on that. It is a little disturbing to me that he goes to such a great length to show that he is a superstitious as most of the country. I, personally, expect more out of the leader of a country, especially in a time in which religion is becoming more extreme. I would rather have a president who is smart and doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator.
No one has said that if you disagree with the president then you are a racist, contrary to what you may hear on Fox News, who seems to be the largest purveyor of this myth. I disagree with the president’s policies almost every day. Does that make me a racist? Not at all. What does make you a racist is when you challenge the legitimacy of the president because you think he was born in Kenya, or when you have pictures of the president in some kind of tribal garb. When you use code words or just come out and say (ala Rush Limbaugh) that the president is going to give reparations to black people, trying to work the honky crowd into a lather.
CONAN: There are, there have been at least some signs at some Tea Party rallies that some people say, wait a minute, that's over the line.
MAGGIE: Well, I've seen that, I've seen that - you saw it with Bush. I mean there were movies - there was at least one movie about, you know, fantasizing about Bush being assassinated. There were numerous anti-war rallies where both Bush and Cheney and other members of the administration were demonized, literally and figuratively. But there wasn't this (technical difficulties) that's so over the top, we can't allow that. You know, that's dangerous talk, but when it comes from the conservative side of the political spectrum, then it becomes (technical difficulties) then we can't allow it. And I think it's a complete - I think it's complete hypocrisy.
Of course! Remember back in 04’ when we started the “Kill Bush” party? I don’t remember that either. The movie that she is speaking of, “Death Of A President” was made by a British filmmaker, not a Democratic Party TV host. The film was also roundly criticized by both sides of the political spectrum in the US, with Hillary Clinton calling it “despicable”. How much of an outcry has there been from the right when Beck, Hannity, O’Reilly, and Limbaugh routinely call the president a communist, socialist, fascist, racist, and a Nazi? I am still waiting.
I love how Maggie compares the anti-war rallies to the Tea Party movement. To think that these two groups share anything in common would require mental gymnastics that would break part of your brain. The anti-war rallies were speaking out against the US sending our troops into a country for no reason at all. Good people died in Iraq and Afghanistan that should have never been near a warzone. We were sent into a war with no plan, no armor, and no reason. That is why there were anti-war rallies. The administration was demonized with good reason. The Tea Party, on the other hand, is speaking out against issues and problems that don’t exist. The difference between the two groups is that one was protesting against a war and the other is protesting against a lie. The anti-war protestors weren’t bringing guns to rallies and talking about seceding from the union.
If the Tea Party really cared about the country and the “out of control spending”, then why aren’t they protesting on Wall Street? If they think that the stimulus was a bad idea, go protest the people that took the money and paid themselves with taxpayer funds. This is where the base problem with the Tea Party comes to light. The Tea Party is a group of people who are being manipulated by the Republican Party to work in the interests of the corporations that they shill for. They look like a bunch of fools when they stage protests against the Inheritance Tax when there is no way in hell that 95% of them will ever fall under that portion of the tax code.
Just another day in the Republican Party, getting the poor to do your bidding.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
When People Don't Mind Their Own Business
Today, my wife and I took my parents to lunch for their anniversary. After dropping my wife and daughter off at the front door of the restaurant, I had to find a parking space which happened to be near the end of the parking lot. On my walk towards the restaurant, I passed a lady who said to me "a socialist t-shirt?!" I was, in fact, wear my t-shirt that says "Socialist" in big, red letters across the chest. My only reply was "yep", then I continued to walk inside. My wife was passing my at the time because she had left her jacket in the car. My wife asked the lady "what is wrong with his shirt?" to which the lady replied "if you don't know, then you don't have the time in the day!" I guess it would have taken the lady that long to explain the ills of socialism to my wife. The lady continued to her car and left.
After I talked things over with my wife and parents, it was obvious I should have confronted the lady. Not jumping down her throat, but more of a confrontation of "what's it to you?" Why is it that people can't keep their comments to themselves? I have seen many people wearing shirts or sporting bumper stickers that say horrible things against socialists, liberals, democrats, whatever isn't tea-baggish. I don't way a word to them because it is their prerogative to wear whatever they please.
This reminds me a lot of the atheist billboard campaigns of late. It is OK to post up billboards that speak of people going to hell and how god doesn't like group X for Y reason. However, as soon as a billboard is put up that says basically "Atheists exist", a reign of fire is brought down. It is clear that the groups out their like the tea-baggers and the religious (is there really any difference?) only want freedom of their speech and to hell with everyone else.
After I talked things over with my wife and parents, it was obvious I should have confronted the lady. Not jumping down her throat, but more of a confrontation of "what's it to you?" Why is it that people can't keep their comments to themselves? I have seen many people wearing shirts or sporting bumper stickers that say horrible things against socialists, liberals, democrats, whatever isn't tea-baggish. I don't way a word to them because it is their prerogative to wear whatever they please.
This reminds me a lot of the atheist billboard campaigns of late. It is OK to post up billboards that speak of people going to hell and how god doesn't like group X for Y reason. However, as soon as a billboard is put up that says basically "Atheists exist", a reign of fire is brought down. It is clear that the groups out their like the tea-baggers and the religious (is there really any difference?) only want freedom of their speech and to hell with everyone else.
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