Symphony of Science – We Are All Connected

The reality of our universe is so much more impressive then the false reality presented by any of its’ man-made religions, it boggles the mind.  The gods presented to us as candidates for worship are all so small and inconsequential when compared to the vast reality of what is, it is really a wonder why anyone pays any attention to them at all.  If man is searching for meaning, he need look no further then his place in the cosmos.

John McCain – Whore For Telco

Why you should care about Net Neutrality

As they usually do, the right has done a good job framing what may be a bitter fight over Internet bandwidth.  Yesterday, John McCain introduced something called “The Internet Freedom Act,” which, if passed, would give the major Telecom companies and ISPs the ability to throttle bandwidth whenever and to whom ever they choose. This legislation would forbid the FCC from preventing the Telco’s from creating a “play for pay” system where they could block or slow down content and applications.

What could this mean for you?  Well, that depends, of course, on how you use the Internet.  I like to watch live baseball games streamed in real-time from MLB.com, perhaps you like to watch streamed content, or download movies, or play on-line games, or chat with grandchildren.  Here’s what the “Freedom” act would do for you:  The Telco’s want the “freedom” to charge high-bandwidth content providers depending upon what they think the market will bear.  In other words, what if the site you like to watch streaming content from decides it’s business model cannot afford extra charges, it will simply cease.

Wake Up America!

A new clip from Pat Condell with some words about Islam and the threat to our Constitution.

Fundamental Conservatism – The Newest Religion

I have authored a couple of posts on this blog, The End of Reason, and Of Birthers, Deathers, Drunks and Creationists, where I pointed out that the conservative right was becoming most religion-like in their distain for reason, logic and evidence.  Others are now taking this position, and a new report issued Friday by the Democracy Corps (pdf) reveals the world that conservative Republicans have created for themselves and contrasts their world with reality.

“The self-identifying conservative Republicans who make up the base of the Republican Party stand a world apart from the rest of America, according to focus groups conducted by Democracy Corps. These base Republican voters dislike Barak Obama to be sure – which is not very surprising as base Democrats had few positive things to say about George Bush – but these voters identify themselves as part of a ‘mocked’ minority with a set of shared beliefs and knowledge, and commitment to oppose Obama that sets them apart from the majority in the country. They believe Obama is ruthlessly advancing a ‘secret agenda’ to bankrupt the United States and dramatically expand government control to an extent nothing short of socialism. They overwhelmingly view a successful Obama presidency as the destruction of this country’s founding principles and are committed to seeing the president fail.”

The religious aspect of the findings come when one considers the certitude with which the conservatives hold their beliefs, making them impervious to logic, evidence or reason. In place of religious fundamentalism, we have conservative fundamentalism with the latter exhibiting many of the worse traits of the former.  Both rest on immutable truths that cannot be negotiated or compromised, and there is no mechanism for falsification or moderation of their beliefs.  Another “religious” aspect is that the conservatives are absolutely convinced that they have “special knowledge,” which the rest of the country is either too lazy or too stupid to figure out for themselves.  It’s this feeling of having special knowledge that lends credence to the certitude with which they hold their beliefs.

I Know Where the REAL Jesus Lives!

Right here in Hampstead, NC!

I guess we’ll call this the Church of the Bobble head, what else?  Guess the other churches in town have the false, artificial Jeebus, they must, ’cause these guys obviously have the real deal!  Check out their web site, it’s full of inerrant scripture, hell, literal Genesis and all the rest of the delusions that endear Christians to the rest of civilization.  And, you know what you won’t find?  The slightest hint of a remote possibility that they might just be wrong!

I checked with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and it’s perfectly OK for them to contract with the Board of Education to meet in a school, but they have to have a contract, for a fair price and the payments must be up to date.  It’s all public record, so we shall see…

The Last Shrimp Cocktail

Seem far-fetched?  Alarmist?  Let me tell you a little story.  When I was a boy we sometimes spent part of the summer on a lake in upstate New York.  The lake had fish, so many of them in fact that some of them were actually dumb enough to allow themselves to be caught by even such a poor fisherperson as I was at that age.

Many years later, as an adult, I spent a few days at a friend’s cabin on the Chain Lakes, north of Utica.  Expecting a few days of glorious fishing, I brought plenty of gear along, only to have my friend tell me that there hadn’t been a fish in the Chain Lakes for at least a decade!  Acid rain had killed them all years before, all across upstate New York, by attacking the base of the food chain in the lakes.  I wonder who caught the last fish!

The fish are back now, although it took many years of aggressive enforcement of environmental laws, and people are enjoying them again.  Anyone with a brain is concerned about the effects of global warning on crops, water levels and our food supply, but how many are considering the effects of too much Carbon Dioxide on the oceans.  Think they’re too big to be effected?  Think again!  When CO2 dissolves in seawater, one of the resulting compounds is Carbonic acid, which, just like acid rain, attacks the base of the ocean food chain.  The following documentary explores the problem and suggests some mitigating possibilities.

Republicans In Congress

No matter what your need – we got a Rep for that!

Much more in the original post at wakeupnow.com.

The History Deniers

I just finished reading “The Greatest Show On Earth, the Evidence For Evolution,” the newest offering by Richard Dawkins, the author of “The God Delusion” and other works.  In the preface, Dawkins said that his reason for writing TGSOE was to lay out all of the evidence for evolution, from all the scientific disciplines, and, speaking as a non-scientist I would have to say he has done exactly that!

While reading along, I had the feeling I was observing a master puzzle-person assembling a vast jig saw puzzle, with a few clues here and a few clues there, slowly but surely building a seamless wall of evidence with fact after supporting fact, at the end leaving no doubt about the truth of evolution by natural selection.  Dawkins made it clear from the very beginning that this was not an anti-god book, for as he said, he has already done that!  Throughout the book, he refers to the anti-evolution folks as “the history deniers,” a term which I feel is stronger then merely assigning them to one of two opposing (and possibly equal) camps, and places them in the category of those who choose to disbelieve what science considers undeniable fact.

Don’t Confuse ‘Em With Reality!

The image on the left is from an issue of The Watchtower, the official magazine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.  I found it on Pharyngula, P.Z Myers’ web site.  Like him, my favorite point is the second:  “A well-intentioned teacher urges you to pursue higher education at a university.”

According to them, the “temptation” to pursue higher education is right up there with smoking and taking drugs.  It has to do, of course, with exposure to “worldly” things, and the propensity of the young to pursue pleasures of the flesh that could have the effect of eliminating them from the resurrection that will follow Armageddon.  Of course, it might also just have a little to do with keeping the young witnesses from being exposed to a healthy dose of reality, which, as many Christians have discovered to their chagrin, has a nasty habit of dispelling the hold of myth and superstition.

I went to the official Jehovah’s Witnesses web site to have a look around and see what their attitude towards education really was.  Turns out, they have a couple of problems with higher education, one is the “temptations” mentioned in the article, the other is their attitude that only a strict “biblical” education prepares one for this, and the future, life.  This from their web site:

As a result of education based on the Bible, thousands of people have learned to live better lives. By being honest and industrious, they are appreciated by their employers. They have become good neighbors and friends, taking an interest in the well-being of their fellow man. They are determined to avoid vices and fleshly tendencies, so they take better care of their own health physically, mentally, and emotionally. Instead of wasting their resources on vices, they use them for their own good and for the good of their family. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Colossians 3:18-23) Without a doubt, the results of putting into practice what Jehovah sets forth in the Bible demonstrate that living by true Christianity is the best course in life, providing the best education available. With respect to a person who lives in harmony with God’s laws, the Bible states: “Everything he does will succeed.”—Psalm 1:3.

It is encouraging to know that Almighty God, Jehovah, is willing to educate us. He says of himself: “I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit yourself, the One causing you to tread in the way in which you should walk.” (Isaiah 48:17) Yes, Jehovah has shown the way through the example and teachings of his Son, Jesus Christ. His teachings made a difference in the life of many who knew him when he was on earth, and the same is true of many others who live by his teachings today. Why not take the time to learn more about these teachings? Jehovah’s Witnesses in your neighborhood will be happy to help you to receive such valuable education.

So, everything you need to know is right there in the bible.  Look no further.  Don’t pay any attention to that man behind the curtain.  Nothing has changed in the last two thousand years anyway, so why confuse ‘em with reality?

Tale of Two Canines

For the last two thousand years or so, theists of all types have been trying to sell the absurdity that without god there is no morality or altruism.  Well, how would they explain this video from a traffic camera in Chili that clearly shows a dog rescuing a fellow canine who had been hit by a truck.  At the risk of his own life, the brave dog dragged his fallen comrade to the side of the road, out of danger.  Many animals exhibit altruistic traits, of course, and there is absolutely no reason to believe that such tendencies require the involvement of the supernatural.  I don’t know if the hero of the Chilian interstate was a member of a local church, but I’ll bet the closest he ever came was lifting his leg on the side of the building.