Local news reports are full of people complaining about the price of gasoline.

BD66 comments on Mar 31, 2022:

Maybe someday, but right now:

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 31, 2022:

Of course the fossil fuel-fired power plants have got to be replaced with wind, solar, geothermal, nuclear, fusion (maybe someday in the not-too distant future), and tidal energy. That goes without saying. When I (we) say "electric cars," I (we) mean the whole package, including the clean generating plants. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify. You see how every move you make to support the old, tired, dirty status quo only strengthens the movement for change? 🤣🤣🤣

Local news reports are full of people complaining about the price of gasoline.

of-the-mountain comments on Mar 31, 2022:

Do not forget the wealthy, their corporations taking advantage of everything not nail down to increase prices because they can!!! With almost full support of the President, the Senate, the Congress, the DOJ, and the Supreme Court!!! This political system does not work for us, it is overtly own...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 31, 2022:

You are right about the big corporations and the elites who own them: they are all about privatizing profits and leaving the liabilities to the public. The US tax structure and environmental policy is wildly unfair, benefitting mainly the rich. And history shows that higher tax rates on the rich do not harm economic growth or innovation. If anything, they help spur productivity. Yet Trump's single legislative accomplishment was to hand a big tax break to the rich. (His rollbacks of environmental protections were achieved by executive order.) And the really crazy thing is that his support base are, by and large, the people most harmed by his policies! Isn't it amazing how pushing it a few hot-button cultural issues you can get people to vote against their own interests?

I'm not too impressed with the grammar, but the basic idea is spot on:

BD66 comments on Mar 29, 2022:

Because Zuckerberg spent $419,000,000 trying to help their opponents win by infiltrating local election offices. Zuckerberg did not spend $419,000,000 trying to help the Republicans win. The Republicans won in spite of the Zuckerbucks. ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 31, 2022:

@BD66 Thank you for spurring me to make this list. I'm now going to post it to the entire site

I'm not too impressed with the grammar, but the basic idea is spot on:

BD66 comments on Mar 29, 2022:

Because Zuckerberg spent $419,000,000 trying to help their opponents win by infiltrating local election offices. Zuckerberg did not spend $419,000,000 trying to help the Republicans win. The Republicans won in spite of the Zuckerbucks. ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 31, 2022:

@BD66 Here are some costs that should be factored into the price of gasoline: 1. Loss of land and infrastructure due to rising sea levels. 2. Crop failure and famine due to heat waves. 3. War sparked by deteriorating environmental conditions (e.g. Syria, Sudan, etc.) 4. Drought killing timber industry. 5. Mega-fires destroying forests and towns. 6. Increased intensity and frequency of hurricanes & typhoons, and the wind and flood damage they cause. 7. Increased magnitude and frequency of tornados and the destruction they cause. 8. Collapse of marine ecosystems, and the resulting loss of fisheries. 9. Melting of mountain glaciers and disappearance of fresh water upon which billions of people depend. 10. Expanded range of pathogen-carrying mosquitoes and other insect pests. 11. Collapse of terrestrial ecosystems and resultant mass extinction. The price of gas at the pump does not even begin to cover these costs. So don't whine about high fuel prices. It just makes you look silly.

I'm not too impressed with the grammar, but the basic idea is spot on:

BD66 comments on Mar 29, 2022:

Because Zuckerberg spent $419,000,000 trying to help their opponents win by infiltrating local election offices. Zuckerberg did not spend $419,000,000 trying to help the Republicans win. The Republicans won in spite of the Zuckerbucks. ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 31, 2022:

@BD66 Sure, policy can affect oil prices, but a president cannot simply wave his/her hand and set them where they want them. And in this case, the American people are in favor of the policy (sanctioning Russia). Anyway, oil prices have been way too low for way too long. The fossil fuel industry profits massively while their products create conditions inhospitable to life on the planet. If oil prices reflected their true costs, then all economies would be powered almost exclusively by green energy. So don't talk to me about high oil prices; they don't exist.

I'm not too impressed with the grammar, but the basic idea is spot on:

BD66 comments on Mar 29, 2022:

Because Zuckerberg spent $419,000,000 trying to help their opponents win by infiltrating local election offices. Zuckerberg did not spend $419,000,000 trying to help the Republicans win. The Republicans won in spite of the Zuckerbucks. ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 31, 2022:

@BD66 The US only gets a small percentage of its oil from Russia. And we have lots of unused production capacity. Besides, prices have been kept artificially low for decades. It's called corporate welfare. You have probably heard of it. And prices were on their way up long before Putin invaded Ukraine. Finally, most Americans support the sanctions against Russia. In fact, they pretty much like most of Biden's policies. (Under Trump it was always "infrastructure week," but no bills got passed. But Biden got it done!) But in this climate of division, it is not fashionable to give credit where credit is due when it's the other Party in charge.

“Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly ...

racocn8 comments on Mar 30, 2022:

Four walls for a prison are three too many. I would help to build that wall...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 31, 2022:

A slab is just a horizontal wall.

“Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly ...

Garban comments on Mar 30, 2022:

He’s on tape asking the Secretary of State of Georgia to find 11,780 votes. What the hell does it take to get an indictment?😡

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 30, 2022:

Good question! What is Merrick Garland waiting for?

“Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly ...

HippieChick58 comments on Mar 30, 2022:

I hope this leads the way to nailing his ass, however I don't think that will be soon.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 30, 2022:

The slimy swamp thing has wriggled out of every tight spot so far, so nailing him is probably a long shot. But at least this will further blunt his political effectiveness.

Unbelievers. Are there any moral flaws in Jesus?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Mar 9, 2022:

Debating whether Jesus had any moral flaws is beside the point. Don't get me wrong; Jesus is alright with me. But if he ever existed, he's been dead for over two thousand years. So-called Christian's, however, continue to plague us with their militant sanctimony, their "I know better than you" ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 30, 2022:

@Greatest Education is basically it. Flogging doesn't seem to work 🤣

I'm not too impressed with the grammar, but the basic idea is spot on:

CourtJester comments on Mar 29, 2022:

That’s because there were so many ballots with only the president marked. Amazing what a drop box can create

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 30, 2022:

Trump's own Attorney General said the claims of election fraud are "bullshit." Trump's own cyber security czar said there was no evidence of electronic tampering. Trump's own legal team lost the 62 spurious election-related lawsuits that they filed in various jurisdictions around the country. Thank you for providing me a reason to repeat these important facts 🙂 The Frontline investigative report (aired last night) on the origins of Trump's Big Lie lays out exactly why the three facts mentioned above are indeed facts. You might want to check it out. 🤣

I'm not too impressed with the grammar, but the basic idea is spot on:

BD66 comments on Mar 29, 2022:

Because Zuckerberg spent $419,000,000 trying to help their opponents win by infiltrating local election offices. Zuckerberg did not spend $419,000,000 trying to help the Republicans win. The Republicans won in spite of the Zuckerbucks. ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 30, 2022:

@Trajan61 If Biden could to set fuel prices or the inflation rate, then he would be the first president to ever have that power. Please don't insult our intelligence with childish nonsense.

Atheism is inconsistent with science....

Flyingsaucesir comments on Mar 26, 2022:

I have to agree with the basic premise that pure, unadulterated atheism is unscientific. That is, if atheism is defined as belief that God does not exist, which is not the same as lack of belief in God's existence. If it is the former, then to claim that the lack of evidence of God proves his ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 28, 2022:

@Moravian Not sure, but I think you meant to say that there is more evidence for Nessie (i.e. first-hand reports of sightings) than there are of any god. At least that would be consistent with your previous tag. Well I will just point out that there have been LOTS of first-hand reports of visions of gods, angels, devils, etc. Again, the fact that these sightings are not replicable, that they are not open to scrutiny by other observers, means they cannot be accepted as evidence of the existence of supernatural beings. Nessie, Bigfoot, God, Archangel Gabriel with his golden horn, they all have the same abysmally low probability of actually existing.

Atheism is inconsistent with science....

Flyingsaucesir comments on Mar 26, 2022:

I have to agree with the basic premise that pure, unadulterated atheism is unscientific. That is, if atheism is defined as belief that God does not exist, which is not the same as lack of belief in God's existence. If it is the former, then to claim that the lack of evidence of God proves his ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 27, 2022:

@Moravian Isolated reports of sightings do not constitute evidence. Evidence must be open to all observers. So reports of Nessie are in the same category as those of Bigfoot: mere urban legend. The probability of Nessie actually existing is right down in the basement with Zeus, Yahweh, Baal, Horace, et al. That is, near zero.

Evil is not something supernatural.

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Passing the buck on evil is humanity's way of excusing itself for the evil it does. Of course, it also robs it of taking credit for the positives things it does. It seems that the evil outweighs the positives.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 25, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 You're right, lots of people have been left behind. The income disparity and wealth gap in this country are staggering. I'm glad at least your standard of living improved.

Selected quotes from "Beyond Belief," an article on cults by Zoe Heller, The New Yorker, July 12 & ...

ASTRALMAX comments on Mar 24, 2022:

I agree with Bertrand Russell who said : “Most people would rather die than think and many of them do!” Bertrand Russell, The ABC of Relativity

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 25, 2022:

Yes, thinking is hard for some people. It much easier for them to give themselves over to an ideology, a religion, a belief system not of their own fashoning.

Selected quotes from "Beyond Belief," an article on cults by Zoe Heller, The New Yorker, July 12 & ...

racocn8 comments on Mar 24, 2022:

It is now well documented that psilocybin can stop addiction, reduce depression, and reduce effects of PTSD. Perhaps it can also help those addicted to cults?

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 25, 2022:

Worth a try! 🙂

Evil is not something supernatural.

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Passing the buck on evil is humanity's way of excusing itself for the evil it does. Of course, it also robs it of taking credit for the positives things it does. It seems that the evil outweighs the positives.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 24, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 True, recent progress has not been an unqualified success.

Evil is not something supernatural.

Triphid comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Sadly there will always be those who will differ with what ever definition/s one decides to use on ANY subject/subject matter. for example, the old adages comes mind here, a) What is one mans evil ids another's good, b) What one describes as being Terrorism is another's version of being a ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 24, 2022:

@Triphid Keep the faith baby! 😎👍

Evil is not something supernatural.

bobwjr comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Monster evil not seen since Hitler or Stalin

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 24, 2022:

No shit!

Evil is not something supernatural.

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Passing the buck on evil is humanity's way of excusing itself for the evil it does. Of course, it also robs it of taking credit for the positives things it does. It seems that the evil outweighs the positives.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 24, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 All true, but it's also a fact of the present that never have so many lived so well. In fact, in the last 100 years, the average human life span has doubled!

Evil is not something supernatural.

Triphid comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Sadly there will always be those who will differ with what ever definition/s one decides to use on ANY subject/subject matter. for example, the old adages comes mind here, a) What is one mans evil ids another's good, b) What one describes as being Terrorism is another's version of being a ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 23, 2022:

@Triphid There are some good books, movies, plays, songs, and poems that accurately represent current and past events. But you're right, there are also many school districts where the history (and/or science) textbooks sadly misrepresent reality. We need to keep the pressure on them.

Evil is not something supernatural.

KKGator comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Well stated!

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 23, 2022:

Gracias amigo 🙂

Evil is not something supernatural.

Garban comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Are those your original words? Inspiring and true!

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 23, 2022:

Yes, they're my words, but I'm not the first to articulate the basic underlying ideas. Thank just the same 🙂

Evil is not something supernatural.

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Passing the buck on evil is humanity's way of excusing itself for the evil it does. Of course, it also robs it of taking credit for the positives things it does. It seems that the evil outweighs the positives.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 23, 2022:

I agree with what you say about passing the buck and wiggling out of responsibility. But I don't agree that evil outweighs good. By many measures, human culture has improved over the millennia. And for that to happen, good has to outweigh evil.

Evil is not something supernatural.

Triphid comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Sadly there will always be those who will differ with what ever definition/s one decides to use on ANY subject/subject matter. for example, the old adages comes mind here, a) What is one mans evil ids another's good, b) What one describes as being Terrorism is another's version of being a ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 23, 2022:

There is no question that the United States of America committed genocide against native Americans. And slavery was common in many states for 400+ years. And Jim Crow held sway for way too long after the Civil War. And there is is still demagoguery, racism, and corruption in this country. This country is not perfect. But we have come a long way in improving ourselves. Progress is often halting, but we are getting by better. And we should never let our dark history and imperfection prevent us from calling out and combatting evil whenever or wherever we see it.

Déjà vu all over again

BD66 comments on Mar 23, 2022:

Simple short-term solution: produce our own oil Simple long-term solution: nuclear energy

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 23, 2022:

In the area of energy storage, battery technology continues to improve, as do hydrogen fuel cells. And in the area of power generation, solar panels and wind turbines just get better and more numerous. And there has even been some progress towards atomic fusion. The handwriting is on the wall; fossil fuels will eventually go the way of the dinosaurs. 🦖🦕

Would you agree that recent events have brought the true significance of this to the fore?

OldGoat43 comments on Mar 16, 2022:

I lived in North Hollywood CA during the times of the Blacklisting of Communist suspects back in the 50s. Many of my neighbors and relatives worked at studios, and some people were acting crazy back then. They would have lynched No.45.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 18, 2022:

@LucyLoohoo The pustule,l 🤣🤣🤣 The festering carbuncle! 🤣

Would you agree that recent events have brought the true significance of this to the fore?

webspider555 comments on Mar 16, 2022:

Putin also did the same for Johnson in the UK and helped swing the vote enough to enable the madness of leaving the EU. A lot of Russian money helped fund the Conservative party

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 16, 2022:

Yes, Brexit probably would not have passed without Vlad's help

Would you agree that recent events have brought the true significance of this to the fore?

glennlab comments on Mar 16, 2022:

Both the UK and the USA have fallen prey to the Russian BS(propaganda)

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 16, 2022:

Now the scales have been removed from our eyes.

Would you agree that recent events have brought the true significance of this to the fore?

OldGoat43 comments on Mar 16, 2022:

I lived in North Hollywood CA during the times of the Blacklisting of Communist suspects back in the 50s. Many of my neighbors and relatives worked at studios, and some people were acting crazy back then. They would have lynched No.45.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 16, 2022:

@LucyLoohoo Trump channels McCarthy very well...like they both popped out of the same mold.

A few words on the role of religion in politics today.

p-nullifidian comments on Mar 14, 2022:

Well stated! And what’s even worse is what’s happening in the state houses across this country where the Republicans have a majority. Religion has cloaked itself in Trumpism and this cancer has spread to such an extent that we are now getting legislation in the states that takes us back decades,...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 14, 2022:

Gawd help us! lol

A few words on the role of religion in politics today.

Garban comments on Mar 14, 2022:

Excellent work describing our current condition. Now PLEASE do just as good of a job describing a solution and you have my vote. 😁

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 14, 2022:

In the short term, all I can suggest is to empower the Jan 6th Select Committee to get to the bottom of it, and the Justice Department to prosecute. The former seems to be happening; the latter does not look good. It appears Merrick Garland is dragging his feet, and may never indict the Cheato. In the long term, I say educate the country in civics and science. But that has not been going so well either. It's a sticky wicket.

Is there anyone little Donald admires more than his Uncle Vlad?

davknight comments on Mar 14, 2022:

Uncle Adolph!

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 14, 2022:

He doesn't admit to it publicly, but yes,...

Fake patriot vs. real patriot:

CourtJester comments on Mar 9, 2022:

Forced vaccines aren’t a sign of tyranny???

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 11, 2022:

@CourtJester If you know that a crime (such as insurance fraud) has been committed, you are obliged to report it.

Drum roll please!

CourtJester comments on Mar 9, 2022:

Better than anything the democrats have

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 11, 2022:

@CourtJester You completely missed the point. People who don't buy insurance for themselves often end up having their medical bills paid by the taxpayers. A young guy thinks he is invincible, but then he crashes his motorcycle and winds up with a broken back. He doesn't have insurance. Who pays for his care? The taxpayers. Or someone gets sick and cannot work. They lose their job, and quickly spiral down into homelessness. Now they are both sick and indigent. They don't have a personal physician. They have a long series of crises on the street. Somebody always calls an ambulance. Now the type of care they get is the most expensive, last-minute, emergency room interventions that could have been avoided if they could only see a doctor on a regular basis. This is a scenario that is played out on our streets every day. Taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars every year. Hell, the patient doesn't even have to be homeless. They may be just getting by, but not able to afford insurance. So they never see a doctor, and then one day they find a funny-looking mole, or a lump, or an unquenchable thirst, or any one of a thousand things that would have been small potatoes if it had been caught early. But now it's too late. The most expensive care is now necessary. And who pays for it? The taxpayers.

Fake patriot vs. real patriot:

CourtJester comments on Mar 9, 2022:

Forced vaccines aren’t a sign of tyranny???

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 10, 2022:

@CourtJester A lie will circle the globe while the truth is still lacing up its boots.

Isn't it amazing how a good cartoonist can capture the essence of a thing in one small panel?

DharmaBum50 comments on Mar 10, 2022:

This guy is great--do you know who he is? Another one of my favorite cartoonists is David Horsey.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 10, 2022:

Sorry, I do not know his name.

Fake patriot vs. real patriot:

CourtJester comments on Mar 9, 2022:

Forced vaccines aren’t a sign of tyranny???

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 10, 2022:

@CourtJester P.S. There you go again with the wacko conspiracy theories. Do you realize how crushingly boring you are?

Fake patriot vs. real patriot:

CourtJester comments on Mar 9, 2022:

Forced vaccines aren’t a sign of tyranny???

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 10, 2022:

@CourtJester The viral load in a person who has been vaccinated (that is, in a breakthrough infection) is way below what we find in someone who has not been vaccinated. An infected vaccinated person IS less contagious. That in itself is a good reason for vaccine mandate. However, it is not the only reason. For instance, unvaccinated people are FAR more likely to need hospitalization, including intensive care. When the hospitals are full up with COVID patients, people who need cancer treatments, heart bypasses surgeries, trauma care from accidents, kidney dialysis, etc., cannot get the care they need. Now don't get me wrong: I am a big supporter of the right to die. If you want to die from this virus, or any other, that's alright by me. Just don't get in the way of people who want to live.

Drum roll please!

CourtJester comments on Mar 9, 2022:

Better than anything the democrats have

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 10, 2022:

@CourtJester Yeah, so irresponsible dolts can go uninsured, play dangerous games, get seriously injured, become wards of the County, let the public pick up the tab. Great 😐

Drum roll please!

CourtJester comments on Mar 9, 2022:

Better than anything the democrats have

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 10, 2022:

Republicans broke their pick trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Part of the problem was that they had absolutely nothing to replace it. But the main reason Obamacare survives today is the PEOPLE LIKE IT! 🤣🤣🤣

Fake patriot vs. real patriot:

CourtJester comments on Mar 9, 2022:

Forced vaccines aren’t a sign of tyranny???

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 10, 2022:

@CourtJester I hate to be repetitive, but here it is again, since you apparently missed it the first time around: "...they [cops, soldiers, etc.] are there to serve the public, not infect them." Every job has certain requirements that must be fulfilled. So get with the program, or get out! It's not like this is anything new or extraordinary. George Washington mandated that everyone under his command during the Revolutionary War be inoculated. And inoculation was still a very new technology at that time. Finally, the objections to the COVID-19 vaccines are based on the most childish, hysterical, and credulous belief in ridiculous conspiracy theories. Really, no one stupid enough to fall for these lies should be in any position of responsibility.

Fake patriot vs. real patriot:

CourtJester comments on Mar 9, 2022:

Forced vaccines aren’t a sign of tyranny???

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 9, 2022:

Again, who has been forced? Everyone has freedom of choice. Do the choices we make have consequences? Certainly. That's life baby. If a cop, a nurse, teacher, a soldier, or a sailor really doesn't want to be vaccinated, they don't have to be. The vast majority, by the way, when it came right down to the wire, decided to get the jab rather than quit their jobs. And, no surprise, they all appear not to have been harmed; they're still be able to carry out their duties. If one absolutely refuses the jab, then one should find another line of work. After all, they are there to serve the public, not infect them. And who gets to dictate the terms of their employment anyway? Who is the cop or soldier to argue with public health officials?

Wisdom for the Trumpanzee / Trumptard…..

joeandbarb comments on Mar 7, 2022:

Way too many voters out there that have the "NFL" voting strategy. It's all about "My team" and not about the issues or where they stand on them. in 2020 the republicans didnt even have a platform it was just vote for trump

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 7, 2022:

What Trump supporters have resembles religion more than political affiliation. It's blind faith requiring no independently-verifiable evidence.

The best possible outcome:

HippieChick58 comments on Mar 3, 2022:

Looks like he is working on that.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 4, 2022:

May he trip, stumble, and fall into a deep coma!

Greta Thunberg on Twitter: "If we delay emission cuts we “will miss a brief and rapidly closing ...

CourtJester comments on Feb 28, 2022:

Come on. We’ve gone from the ozone layer being depleted from AQuanet and cow farts and everyone freezing to death, to global warming will melt the polar caps but 2000, then by 2004, then by 2008, then by 2010, then by 2012, then by 2016, then by 2018, then by 2020, then by 2022, still nothing???...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 3, 2022:

@CourtJester CNN? They are just one of many reputable news outlets reporting on the climate crisis. I listen to all their reports and find them to be consistent with what I read and hear directly from climate scientists, with my own science education, and with changes in climate and its consequences that I have observed and experienced so far in my lifetime of over 60 years. It all screams EMERGENCY! But if you can't see it...well I have already told you what you need to do: study. Oh, and one other thing: quit getting your news and information from Facebook friends.

Greta Thunberg on Twitter: "If we delay emission cuts we “will miss a brief and rapidly closing ...

Reignmond comments on Feb 28, 2022:

Greta is just a little kid who has learned to parrot 1960s enviro-rhetoric. She knows nothing. Listening to her is like getting your education from memes. Go to the actual science.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 2, 2022:

Gretta is as good a spokesperson as any that have come along recently. But her credibility does not come from her science credentials; it comes from her very appropriate moral outrage and her youth. After all, it is younger people who will suffer the fallout from this man-made environmental disaster. Gretta doesn't really need science credentials; her role is as a reporter, sharing the work and conclusions of the scientific community. Her work is to direct everyone's attention to what has been for too long either ignored or dismissed. I totally support her in her efforts to get people to take global warming seriously. There are many behavioral changes that can (and must) be made, and positive change is not happening fast enough. Take, for instance, the choice to step aboard a jet airplane for vacation on another continent. It is not necessity; it is a whim. And each passenger aboard a flight from L.A. to Paris puts more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere than the average American motorist does in more than half a year of driving. And for what? So the traveler can have their picture taken in front of this or that famous landmark? The psychological high gained from the trip my prove ephemeral, but the CO2 resulting from it will last a hundred years in the atmosphere. And every day and night it will trap heat, creating inhospitable conditions for the living things on Earth. I can repeat these facts until I'm blue in the face; no one is paying attention to me. But Gretta has grabbed peoples' attention. You go girl!

Greta Thunberg on Twitter: "If we delay emission cuts we “will miss a brief and rapidly closing ...

CourtJester comments on Feb 28, 2022:

Come on. We’ve gone from the ozone layer being depleted from AQuanet and cow farts and everyone freezing to death, to global warming will melt the polar caps but 2000, then by 2004, then by 2008, then by 2010, then by 2012, then by 2016, then by 2018, then by 2020, then by 2022, still nothing???...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Mar 2, 2022:

@CourtJester, You obviously know nothing about climate science. However much money you make, it has not made you a well-rounded person. You are deeply, tragically ignorant. Rather than wasting our time with your unenlightened opinions, why don't you take some science classes at your local junior college? Check back in a couple years.

He can't evade all of them... can he?

Sierra4 comments on Feb 26, 2022:

Yes and probably become president again

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 26, 2022:

Perish the thought! 😱

Imagine the Donald's face when he heard the news...

Killtheskyfairy comments on Feb 25, 2022:

He probably didn’t believe it..

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 26, 2022:

@Killtheskyfairy A MALIGNANT narcissist...

Imagine the Donald's face when he heard the news...

Killtheskyfairy comments on Feb 25, 2022:

He probably didn’t believe it..

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 25, 2022:

What we know for sure is that the Donald is a bully, liar, a cheat, and a deadbeat. Now what makes someone act like that? In most cases it's Insecurity. Deep down, he knows he's a loser, and he will do or say anything to keep the world from seeing just how mediocre he really is.

In my continuing effort to understand why so many people who claim to prefer science over faith are ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 23, 2022:

Gee, isn't it obvious that religious belief has caused more trouble than it is worth? Religious belief has held back human progress in science and education; it has been the cause of countless wars; it promotes and defends the kind of flabby thinking that allows justification of the most idiotic, ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 25, 2022:

@TheMiddleWay It's more than our collective ignorance and apathy that transcends color, class, and creed. It's also selfishness and greed and denial. I know people who dote on their young grandchildren. They also know that global warming is an existential threat, that it's main cause is burning fossil fuels. Yet these loving grandparents do not hesitate to book another intercontinental vacation flight, even knowing that jet planes are gross polluters, producing ten times more greenhouse gases than trains, and hundreds of times more than sailing vessels. They genuinely love the kids, yet they behave in a way that places the kids' future in grave jeopardy. I marvel at their capacity for compartmentalism.

My question is,...

yvilletom comments on Feb 24, 2022:

Look again at Dem operatives.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 24, 2022:

I just looked at them in the link provided by Lorajay. None of them look like comic book villains to me.

In my continuing effort to understand why so many people who claim to prefer science over faith are ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Feb 23, 2022:

Gee, isn't it obvious that religious belief has caused more trouble than it is worth? Religious belief has held back human progress in science and education; it has been the cause of countless wars; it promotes and defends the kind of flabby thinking that allows justification of the most idiotic, ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 23, 2022:

@TheMiddleWay In the early Catholic Church, education was not offered to the laity; it was only for the priestly class. And they said the mass in Latin so that the peons would have to always need the priests to commune with God. In modern times, both Catholic and Protestant churches have systematically denied the science of evolutionary biology, instead promoting the dangerous idea that man was placed here on Earth to dominate nature. We can argue about the degree to which religion has been the casus belli for so many wars; at the very least it has been a prime enabler in many atrocities. But all this will, I am afraid, pale in comparison to the destructive power of global warming, denial of which has been and continues to be greatest among religious believers. Some, in fact, are rubbing their hands in eager anticipation of the Apocalypse, believing that they will be spared, wafted up to Heaven in the Rapture. Here again the role of the believer is enabler, this time of the oligarchs of the fossil fuel industry, who insist on carrying on with business as usual.

Do you personally know anyone to whom this wise cowboy might well be speaking?

ChestRockfield comments on Feb 23, 2022:

I do have family members who think that way, I did try to reason with them (but they are too stupid for reasoned arguments to make a difference) so I haven't talked to them in over 5 years, and I wouldn't start now just to send them this meme. I think we'd all be better off to cut toxic morons like ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 23, 2022:

Sometimes it is better to just let sleeping dogs lie. 🤣

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ChestRockfield comments on Feb 22, 2022:

How about: Wishful Thinking?

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 23, 2022:

@JeffMurray What yo say is all true, but we have never had a president quite like Trump. No other American President has ever refused to concede losing a re-election bid, or been caught on tape trying to get an election official to falsify election results, or, on prime-time TV, incited a mob to attack the Capital and interfere with the constitutional transfer of power. New ground has been broken in many areas. Why should that not include prosecution of a former president?

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ChestRockfield comments on Feb 22, 2022:

How about: Wishful Thinking?

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 22, 2022:

Please explain

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yvilletom comments on Feb 22, 2022:

I’m hearing in the news that Republicans are gradually taking themselves from the shit they’ve been wallowing in since 2016. We who vote might yet avoid a fascist future.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 22, 2022:

Hope you are right 😎👍

I'm wondering if the biggest difference between the original/originary fascist movements of the ...

BD66 comments on Feb 20, 2022:

The fascist movements of the 1920s through the '40s were real. C21 fascism personified by Trump, Bolsonaro, Orban is fabricated.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 21, 2022:

@BD66 We recently learned that after losing the 2020 election, Trump sought to use the US military to illegally seize voting machines. I have no doubt that he would have American soldiers turn their guns on American citizens if it suited his personal interest. Don't forget this is the guy who, for the sake of a photo op in front of a church, had paramilitary forces violently disperse from the street citizens who were peacefully assembled there. Not only is Trump a sanctimonious prick, he is a sniveling coward who always has others do his dirty work, who, when cornered hides behind platoons of lawyers. What a sad excuse for a man. He is truly pathetic.

I'm wondering if the biggest difference between the original/originary fascist movements of the ...

DenoPenno comments on Feb 20, 2022:

Too many movements listed here. Keep in mind that "democracy" is an ideal that came about in our system through FDR. Democracy as we know it has little to do with other nations regardless of a desire to base everything now going on in the world as somehow connected to Dems and the GOP. This idea is ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 20, 2022:

@Wangobango3 The USA is a democratic republic, an IMPERFECT democracy, a democracy with fascist tendencies,...in sum, a work in progress. And I think it's fair to say that real progress continues to be made, though it is halting and at times gets temporarily reversed. Still, I would prefer to live here in the USA rather than under a kleptocracy like Russia, where a dangerous autocrat like Putin can get away with jailing his political opponents (and journalists) on trumped-up charges, or, in classic gangland mob style, simply have them murdered in cold blood. At least here we have the right to free speech. I only wish more speakers would respect that right by doing their homework before broadly disseminating their opinions. Get my drift Wango?

I'm wondering if the biggest difference between the original/originary fascist movements of the ...

CuddyCruiser comments on Feb 20, 2022:

IMO we are fucked, there’s no hope. I’ve been preparing myself for what may come. The 2024 election just may be what does it.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 20, 2022:

And what do your preparations consist of? Do tell!

I'm wondering if the biggest difference between the original/originary fascist movements of the ...

BD66 comments on Feb 20, 2022:

The fascist movements of the 1920s through the '40s were real. C21 fascism personified by Trump, Bolsonaro, Orban is fabricated.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Feb 20, 2022:

I strongly disagree with BD66's claim that Trump is not a fascist. Trump has employed a range of fascist tactics, including demonization of a free press, scapegoating a relatively powerless minority, asserting the HE ALONE can fix the problem de jure, packing government positions with numbskulls whose only job qualification is abject obedience to Trump, flaunting of the country's laws and asserting that they do not apply to HIM, inflammatory demagoguery, and more. To say that his Administration lacked transparency is a gross understatement; Trump and his minions did everything possible to hide what they were up to, including routine and illegal destruction of documents (by tearing them up, placing them in burn bags, or even flushing them down toilets; or as in the famous case of a call log with the President of Ukraine, mislabeling it as top secret so it could be hidden away in a safe that was accessible only to people with top security clearance). When Trump lost a free and fair election, he refused to accept the result, instead inciting a mob to attack the Capital in a brazen attempt to halt the Constitutional transfer of power. And let's not forget that the Mueller Report basically said that Trump had on at least ten occasions obstructed justice, and only escaped prosecution for those crimes because of a Justice Department opinion that a sitting President cannot be indicted. And though Mueller's investigation could not prove that Trump and his campaign staff colluded with Russia as they meddled in our election, neither did it exonerate them. There was plenty of nefarious activity going on, but the key insider Roger Stone, when put under oath, invoked his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination; and when convicted of witness tampering, was pardoned by Trump himself. Ahhh, it's good to be the King! And while in office Trump very openly embraced autocrats around the world, ESPECIALLY Vladimir Putin. And without offering any evidence to back up his position, Trump even sided with Putin against our own intelligence community! All of this is antithetical to democracy, and is right in line with the style of the Italian fascist Mussolini, who provided the fascist template used by Adolf Hitler. BD66 appears to have a very short memory. Or does (s)he have a fascist agenda of his/her own? I ask because attempting to erase or rewrite history is another fascist tactic (one employed by Trump almost daily; witness the 40,000 lies and distortions he uttered while in office).

Hinduism - billed as a non-violent religion

FvckY0u comments on Jan 13, 2022:

What happens with Hinduism and Islam meet? See border of India/Pakistan.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jan 13, 2022:

@St-Sinner Thousands of years? Islam has only been around for about 1400 years.

[cnn.

Storm1752 comments on Dec 31, 2021:

Verten comedians? You don't even bother to correct your spelling errors? Or do you even know how to spell VETERAN? Why do you persist? Nearly ONE MILLION dead because of this misguided defiance of common sense and hard, cold SCIENCE. Isn't that enough for you? I thought atheists we're supposed to ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jan 3, 2022:

@Storm1752 It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it! 🤣

[cnn.

Storm1752 comments on Dec 31, 2021:

Verten comedians? You don't even bother to correct your spelling errors? Or do you even know how to spell VETERAN? Why do you persist? Nearly ONE MILLION dead because of this misguided defiance of common sense and hard, cold SCIENCE. Isn't that enough for you? I thought atheists we're supposed to ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Dec 31, 2021:

@Beowulfsfriend, @Storm1752 Hmmm....well apparently you two are already well acquainted, and I am sadly out of the loop. I can relate (all too well) to the fatigue that comes with heating one's head against an immovable object. And I do deplore poor writing, almost as much as I do science denial and other bad politics. Maybe that's why I have been staying away lately.

[cnn.

Storm1752 comments on Dec 31, 2021:

Verten comedians? You don't even bother to correct your spelling errors? Or do you even know how to spell VETERAN? Why do you persist? Nearly ONE MILLION dead because of this misguided defiance of common sense and hard, cold SCIENCE. Isn't that enough for you? I thought atheists we're supposed to ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Dec 31, 2021:

@Beowulfsfriend Already done! I just visited his profile, realized my mistake, and made my amends.

[cnn.

Storm1752 comments on Dec 31, 2021:

Verten comedians? You don't even bother to correct your spelling errors? Or do you even know how to spell VETERAN? Why do you persist? Nearly ONE MILLION dead because of this misguided defiance of common sense and hard, cold SCIENCE. Isn't that enough for you? I thought atheists we're supposed to ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Dec 31, 2021:

Hey bra, cool your jets. There is no need for ad hominem attack here. She is obviously a second language learner. Give her a break. (By the way, how many languages do you speak? One?) Furthermore, it seems you failed to glean her meaning. She is obviously pro-vaccine, pro science. She writes, "More and more vaccines hesitate people are joining another kind of band wagon." What she is obviously trying to say is, more and more vaccine-hesitant people are jumping on the anti-science band wagon. And the CNN article she shared has this in it's introduction: "Find out more about these debunked Covid-19 vaccine myths and how to speak to someone who's hesitant to get vaccinated." Does that sound like it's anti-science? No. If I understand her last comment, I think she is expressing surprise and concern that a few comedians are not getting their shots while the vast majority are reliably sane, pro-science individuals. I will let Castlepaloma correct me if I have misinterpreted her meaning. I think you owe her an apology son. Man up.

George Washington mandated the first U.

barjoe comments on Aug 8, 2021:

I'm sure they're both vaccinated. They want to live, they don't care about their constituents, so long as enough of them survive to get them re-elected.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Aug 9, 2021:

Just like the fossil fuel barons who know global warming is a real threat to civilization but support a vigorous disinformation campaign anyway, knowing they will be dead before it can ever touch them.

George Washington mandated the first U.

Lorajay comments on Aug 8, 2021:

"Did George Washington Order Troops To Get Vaccinated Against Smallpox? | Snopes.com" https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/washington-order-troops-vaccinated/

Flyingsaucesir replies on Aug 9, 2021:

It's always nice to get confirmation, but I never doubted the veracity of the claim. My original source was the PBS NewsHour.

From time to time I hear people on talk shows call in to say that evolution is fake or simply plain ...

LucyLoohoo comments on Aug 7, 2021:

Have them read "Your Inner Fish." It's brilliant.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Aug 8, 2021:

Or watch the video series...Your Inner Fish, Your Inner Reptile, Your Inner Monkey...simply wonderful!

Kevin says it would be hard not to hit Nancy with the gavel.

RussRAB comments on Aug 4, 2021:

It was a sophomoric comment to make whether or not it was just a joke. His behavior is more infuriating (to me anyway) when he goes out of his way to protect trump, to disrespect the Capital and DC police who protected all of congress that day, and to attempt to obstruct the investigation into the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Aug 7, 2021:

@RussRAB Yeah Nunez is a total asshole.

Kevin says it would be hard not to hit Nancy with the gavel.

RussRAB comments on Aug 4, 2021:

It was a sophomoric comment to make whether or not it was just a joke. His behavior is more infuriating (to me anyway) when he goes out of his way to protect trump, to disrespect the Capital and DC police who protected all of congress that day, and to attempt to obstruct the investigation into the ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Aug 4, 2021:

His district includes the city of Bakersfield, California. It has produced some good music in the past (Merle Haggard came up there), but it's a Republican redoubt with deep ties to the fossil fuel industry.

Kevin says it would be hard not to hit Nancy with the gavel.

xenoview comments on Aug 4, 2021:

I doubt he will resign. Maybe the people will resign him when they vote.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Aug 4, 2021:

Fingers crossed! 🤞

Are Fox pundits Hannity & Carlson having a true epiphany?

KKGator comments on Jul 27, 2021:

Whaddya wanna bet that some of their bigger advertisers are behind the sudden about-face? Hannity and Carlson would never have started singing a different tune if the money train weren't threatening to pull out of faux station.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 28, 2021:

Bingo! 😂

Anti-vax Hillsong Church member Stephen Harmon, 34, dies of Covid after posting 'I got 99 problems ...

SeaGreenEyez comments on Jul 24, 2021:

I was reading some of the comments on this story earlier and it was absolutely appalling. Rightwingers were all over this and loving it. Going on about this being proof America is great because he exercised his freedom, and ignorant shit like that. (And it wasn't a few of those type comments, it ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 27, 2021:

These right-wingnuts are probably celebrating a false martyr. I doubt if the guy who died would have made the same choice if he knew with certainty that it would cost him his life. What they are actually celebrating is fatal stupidity, but they're too dumb to know it! 😳

Was Speaker Pelosi right, tactically and morally, to deny Congressmen Banks and Jordan seats on the ...

linxminx comments on Jul 22, 2021:

Honestly, I don't think it matters who is on the committee. I don't think anything will come of this investigation, just like nothing happened with both of Trump's impeachments. It's all for show.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 23, 2021:

@whiskywoman "we can't sit on our hands we have to get out in 22 and vote" Right on sister!

Was Speaker Pelosi right, tactically and morally, to deny Congressmen Banks and Jordan seats on the ...

linxminx comments on Jul 22, 2021:

Honestly, I don't think it matters who is on the committee. I don't think anything will come of this investigation, just like nothing happened with both of Trump's impeachments. It's all for show.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 23, 2021:

@linxminx Well you can call it whatever you want; it is certainly a political act. But it is also, arguably, a bipartisan or even non-partisan political act. Clearly Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger (whether or not he is seated; that remains to he seen) are motivated by patriotism more than partisanship. This committee and its investigation are needed precisely because Trump continues to spew his big lie and most Republicans are not only backing him on it, but are also refusing to pass a national voter protection bill while red state legislatures are passing dozens of voter suppression bills. This public hearing is a good way to shine a spotlight on all this, and hopefully get people fired up to vote. Mind you, it will be an uphill battle. The electorate tends to be less interested in mid-term elections, and the new voter suppression laws will already be in effect. In my estimation, we stand at the edge of a precipice. We either stand up for democracy and refute Trump's big lie, or we tumble into fascism.

Was Speaker Pelosi right, tactically and morally, to deny Congressmen Banks and Jordan seats on the ...

linxminx comments on Jul 22, 2021:

Honestly, I don't think it matters who is on the committee. I don't think anything will come of this investigation, just like nothing happened with both of Trump's impeachments. It's all for show.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 22, 2021:

You will recall that Senate Republicans blocked the calling of witnesses in Trump's second impeachment (which was all about his incitement of the January 6th insurrection). That will not be the case with this select committee. Witnesses will be subpoenaed and compelled to testify under oath (or invoke their 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination). I think there is a good chance that the public will learn new details, and come away with a clearer picture of what happened, and who was responsible. And this is as it should be. People want a full accounting, and they deserve answers. What happened in 1/6/21 was unprecedented in American history. That a sitting President would whip up a violent mob with lies of election fraud, calling for obstructing Congress from carrying out its duty under the Constitution, is unprecedented and deserves everyone's attention. Of course Trump's minions, toadies, and sycophants, just like the cockroaches they are, hate to have a bright light shone upon them. You can hear their jagged little legs scraping as they scuttle for the shadows.

Just as is the case today, in Galileo’s time there was no quarrel between science and religion.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jul 17, 2021:

I recall Steven Jay Gould proposing that there is no real conflict science and religion because they are "non-overlapping magisteria." I cannot say that I agree. If people are guided by their religions, or even their mistaken interpretations of their religions, to deny facts that science has ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 19, 2021:

@skado Heh heh! Indeed! Well said! 👍

Just as is the case today, in Galileo’s time there was no quarrel between science and religion.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jul 17, 2021:

I recall Steven Jay Gould proposing that there is no real conflict science and religion because they are "non-overlapping magisteria." I cannot say that I agree. If people are guided by their religions, or even their mistaken interpretations of their religions, to deny facts that science has ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 18, 2021:

@Fernapple Yup, the unsupported belief does not have to be in a deity. It could very well he a personality cult. Either way, anything goes once you break free of objective facts. That's what is so scary about what is going on in the Republican Party these days. A near-total break with reality! 😳

Just as is the case today, in Galileo’s time there was no quarrel between science and religion.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jul 17, 2021:

I recall Steven Jay Gould proposing that there is no real conflict science and religion because they are "non-overlapping magisteria." I cannot say that I agree. If people are guided by their religions, or even their mistaken interpretations of their religions, to deny facts that science has ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 18, 2021:

@skado, @Fernapple I must say, you have some good ideas and you write well. Keep up the good work!

Just as is the case today, in Galileo’s time there was no quarrel between science and religion.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jul 17, 2021:

I recall Steven Jay Gould proposing that there is no real conflict science and religion because they are "non-overlapping magisteria." I cannot say that I agree. If people are guided by their religions, or even their mistaken interpretations of their religions, to deny facts that science has ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 18, 2021:

@skado, @Fernapple You make some good points! However I am not so sure that belief in the supernatural is the least harmful part of religion. I think it is in fact what makes it possible to assign fake authority to persons or institutions that have not earned it. The priest says, "Do this, believe that, or you'll go straight to Hell." This only works because the peasants were not trained in science and most didn't have the temerity to say, "Oh yeah? Prove it!" The small minority that did came to a bad end, either pulled apart on the rack, nailed to a cross, drowned, disemboweled, or burned at the stake. Historically, the religious powerful have ruled by fear and intimidation (which is a sign of the inherent weakness of their intellectual stance). And so it is today in Afghanistan, where the Taliban rule by AK-47 fiat.

Just as is the case today, in Galileo’s time there was no quarrel between science and religion.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jul 17, 2021:

I recall Steven Jay Gould proposing that there is no real conflict science and religion because they are "non-overlapping magisteria." I cannot say that I agree. If people are guided by their religions, or even their mistaken interpretations of their religions, to deny facts that science has ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 18, 2021:

@skado We are not too far apart in our views. We both agree with the good professor when he says that literal interpretation of scripture that was meant to be taken metaphorically is bad theology. And obviously much of that conflicts directly with science. But here is where we apparently part ways: both you and the professor seem to maintain that individuals or institutions that embrace bad theology are not religious; that they are simply mistaken, in error. I say that they (the fundamentalists, jihadists, fanatics, extremists, what have you) are extensions and manifestations of the core religion, that they are enabled by the same flabby thinking that underpins the "true" religion, i.e. belief in the literal existence of something for which there is no independently verifiable evidence. Once on that slippery slope, anything goes, and any atrocity can be justified or rationalized. Parenthetically, I would like to note here that not all scripture was meant to be taken metaphorically. Some of it clearly was meant to be taken at face value, such as proscriptions against certain behaviours or guidelines for how to live in civil society. The texts di not come with a primer explaining which bits are poetry and which are meant to be taken literally. That is left up to the priests, church elders, or individual members. It's no wonder there is confusion.

Just as is the case today, in Galileo’s time there was no quarrel between science and religion.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jul 17, 2021:

I recall Steven Jay Gould proposing that there is no real conflict science and religion because they are "non-overlapping magisteria." I cannot say that I agree. If people are guided by their religions, or even their mistaken interpretations of their religions, to deny facts that science has ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 17, 2021:

@skado No scholarly consensus as to what exactly religion is? Well, yes. But there is consensus that religion can be a lot of things to a lot of different people. Religion's openness to interpretation is one of its defining characteristics. How do I know religion when I see it? Short answer: if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck... Longer answer: (from The Random House College Dictionary) "religion: n. 1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of superhuman agency or agencies, usually having a moral code for the conduct of human affairs. 2. a specific and institutionalized set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion. 3. the body of persons or institutions adhering to a set of religious beliefs and practices: a world council of religions. 4. a deep conviction of the validity of religious beliefs and practices: to get religion. 5. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion. 6. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith. 7. a point or matter of ethics or conscience: to make a religion of fighting prejudice. 8. religions, (Archaic). religious rites. 9. (Archaic). strict faithfulness, devotion: a religion to one's vow." Notice that these definitions make frequent reference to beliefs, without ever saying specifically what those beliefs are. In fact, they could be just about anything. And there is where the trouble starts. Since religious believers do not have to be in any way constrained by a baseline of objective facts, they are free to form religions around all kinds of wacko ideas. The result is proliferation of sects through a process of schism. Under the heading "Christian" alone there are over 40,000 different sects. They all claim to be the "true religion."

Just as is the case today, in Galileo’s time there was no quarrel between science and religion.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jul 17, 2021:

I recall Steven Jay Gould proposing that there is no real conflict science and religion because they are "non-overlapping magisteria." I cannot say that I agree. If people are guided by their religions, or even their mistaken interpretations of their religions, to deny facts that science has ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 17, 2021:

@skado When Galileo pointed to the difference between true religion and bad interpretation of scripture he was merely splitting hairs. Religion is not just one interpretation but ALL interpretations. For example, peaceful Moslems who disavow Islamic terrorists as "not true Moslems" are simply wrong. The terrorists are extremists in the same belief system.

Just as is the case today, in Galileo’s time there was no quarrel between science and religion.

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jul 17, 2021:

I recall Steven Jay Gould proposing that there is no real conflict science and religion because they are "non-overlapping magisteria." I cannot say that I agree. If people are guided by their religions, or even their mistaken interpretations of their religions, to deny facts that science has ...

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 17, 2021:

@skado Yes

Pastor Celebrates a Future Genocide, When God Will “Kill Wicked Men and Women” | Hemant Mehta | ...

CuddyCruiser comments on Jul 16, 2021:

Just a plain sicko who should be locked up in a psycho ward.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 17, 2021:

Don't hold your breath.

Pastor Celebrates a Future Genocide, When God Will “Kill Wicked Men and Women” | Hemant Mehta | ...

RussRAB comments on Jul 16, 2021:

Isn't it wicked to judge others and to not forgive them as Jesus commanded? Why is it that some people just assume their favored status?

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 17, 2021:

Hypocrisy.

Pastor Celebrates a Future Genocide, When God Will “Kill Wicked Men and Women” | Hemant Mehta | ...

abyers1970 comments on Jul 16, 2021:

My question is since god is so powerful why doesn’t he change the minds of these people instead of destroying them.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 17, 2021:

Good point!

Pastor Celebrates a Future Genocide, When God Will “Kill Wicked Men and Women” | Hemant Mehta | ...

anglophone comments on Jul 16, 2021:

Why isn't that pastor already locked up in his local loony bin?

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 17, 2021:

Because the judge, the prosecutor, the cop, they're all either in the thrall of the religion (and afraid of God's reaction) or afraid of the backlash from religious folk.

A sadly misinformed person writes, "When I was a kid, the worry was about food shortages.

snytiger6 comments on Jul 15, 2021:

I do think that climate change is altering weather patterns as well as temperatures, and that will result in crop failures and famines.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 16, 2021:

@snytiger6 It's safe to say that all of these problems would be smaller if the human population wasn't so big.

A sadly misinformed person writes, "When I was a kid, the worry was about food shortages.

xenoview comments on Jul 15, 2021:

We need to start using renewable energy now. We have wind, solar, tidal, and nuclear to use. We need the support grid for electric cars. Weather is going to get extreme every year.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 15, 2021:

Don't forget geothermal energy! 😉

A sadly misinformed person writes, "When I was a kid, the worry was about food shortages.

snytiger6 comments on Jul 15, 2021:

I do think that climate change is altering weather patterns as well as temperatures, and that will result in crop failures and famines.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 15, 2021:

California's San Joaquin Valley (aka Central Valley), one of the nation's most productive farmlands, is drying up. With record low snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, farmers are pumping water out of the aguifer that lies under the Valley. And the valley floor is subsiding. In some places it has dropped over 28 feet. Obviously this is unsustainable. The Ogalalla Aquifer just east of the Rocky Mountains is experiencing similar drawdown. In fact, aquifers all around the world are drying up. It's not a question of if they will go dry, but when. And when they do, what then? I predict famine and war.

A sadly misinformed person writes, "When I was a kid, the worry was about food shortages.

AnneWimsey comments on Jul 14, 2021:

Nice explanation, but totally wasted on Court Jester, who has claimed to be a doctor (to push Covid snake-oil "cures") and a pharmacist (to push anti-vax nonsense). Ignore him, make fun of him, but FFS do not waste common sense or time on him

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 15, 2021:

Thanks for that...you are probably right about him...he seems incredibly dense. But I really am writing for the whole community...giving ammunition to my brothers and sisters in arms so they can join the fight against not only ignorant toads but also the canny, smart, and evil big money fossil fuel interests who have been so successful at sowing disinformation and lies.

Messiah or just mess?

CourtJester comments on Jul 10, 2021:

He was a savior. Beats the hell out of the guy that can’t read a teleprompter without getting confused and the laughing hyena in the background. I’d take some mean tweets and $1.60 gas. It cost me $84.09 to fill my truck up today.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 15, 2021:

@CourtJester For most of the 20th century the USA was the world's greatest emitter of greenhouse gases. China recently edged ahead of us in that ignominious distinction. Now we are in second place. So to say that we are "the cleanest nation on earth" [sic] is grossly inaccurate. Your assertion that China, India, and South Korea are "doing nothing" to combat global warming is also patently false. China has more stringent emissions standards for its automobiles than most states in the USA, and China is making far greater investments in mass transit, including high speed rail. And Americans consumers share a lot of responsibility for greenhouse gases produced in China's manufacturing sector. We cannot simply move our production offshore and then act all innocent when our dollars are driving that pollution. South Korea is a relatively small country and most of its population us concentrated in big cities where they have state-of-the-art mass transit. This contrasts sharply with the USA, with our suburban sprawl effectively necessitating that everyone have a car and drive it everywhere. India is a developing country, and only a fraction if its citizens own cars. You can bet that as global warming bites ever harder, there will be increased effort to combat climate change. It's true that a certain amount of increased warming is already baked into the system. But to just go on with business as usual and ensure a full-blown catastrophe when it could be avoided would be an epic moral failure. Tell me, are there no young people you care about?

Messiah or just mess?

CourtJester comments on Jul 10, 2021:

He was a savior. Beats the hell out of the guy that can’t read a teleprompter without getting confused and the laughing hyena in the background. I’d take some mean tweets and $1.60 gas. It cost me $84.09 to fill my truck up today.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 14, 2021:

@CourtJester My friend, you apparently know nothing of Earth science. In fact, climate scientists NEVER said the polar caps would be melted by 2000 or even 2100. They did predict, about 20 years ago, however, that the Arctic Ocean would be ice-free in summer by the year 2100. That prediction has turned out to be inaccurate only in that it placed the time of an ice-free summer too far in the future. The way things are going, the Arctic Ocean will be ice-free in summer before 2050. We see a similar acceleration of ice melt on both the Greenland ice cap and the sea ice around Antarctica. At the height of last summer, the melt water that was pouring off Greenland was roughly equal in volume to 20,000 elefants running into the sea EVERY SECOND. In the history of our species, nothing like it has ever before been seen. This is not the world our ancestors evolved in. The extreme and rapid changes we are seeing with ice are only one aspect of a much wider spectrum of problems. Scientists predicted decades ago that global warming would lead to the expansion of diseases like West Nile virus, Zika virus, and malaria. And so it came to pass. They predicted that storms would become more powerful and more frequent, and so it has come to pass. Houston, Texas got hit by three 500-year storms in three years. The very concept of a 500-year event now needs to be revised. In fact, because things are changing so fast, and because the pace of change s accelerating, we cannot even use the term "new normal." The Beaufort scale for measuring hurricane strength needs a new category now. For the biggest storms, "category five" is no longer sufficient. And the sheer number of storms is also increasing. Last year saw the most named Atlantic storms ever recorded, requiring not just the entire English alphabet but also the Greek. This year, having already gotten to the letter E in early July, we are on track to beat last year's record. Pacific typhoons have also been bigger and deadlier than ever. And where the eastern US has has unprecedented heat and floods, water is in short supply in the western states. They are drying up in a bone-cracking drought with no end in sight. Last year, the record for acres burned in forest fires was shattered by a factor of five; the previous record had only been set the year before that. The Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington, and Canadian British Columbia just went through an unprecedented heat wave that killed thousands of people. Scientists say that whereas up to now this was the kind of event that you might only expect to see once in 500 years, we may well see it happen every decade or two from now on. Now I ask you: do you need to see that actually happen before you will act to mitigate the problem? Mind you, the longer we ...

Richard Branson (owner of Virgin Galactic) says he wants to make space accessible to "everyone.

HippieChick58 comments on Jul 11, 2021:

They need to start taxing those billionaires and putting the money to good use here on earth among the living people who need help. Going to the moon or any other planet is not helping anyone except their pipe dreams.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 12, 2021:

Self-agrandizing pipe dreams!

Messiah or just mess?

CourtJester comments on Jul 10, 2021:

He was a savior. Beats the hell out of the guy that can’t read a teleprompter without getting confused and the laughing hyena in the background. I’d take some mean tweets and $1.60 gas. It cost me $84.09 to fill my truck up today.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 11, 2021:

So you will go with the guy who denies climate science and will keep the cheap fossil fuels flowing as the planet melts down? What will you do when repeated crop failures due to heat waves, drought, and floods make food prices skyrocket? When famine sparks war and spurs billions of refugees to migrate? When sea level rise necessitates the evacuation of coastal cities around the world (setting still more migrants on their way)? When people are dropping like flies from the heat? All if this stuff is already happening. Do you really think none of it is going to touch you?

South Dakota and Vermont have a lot in common.

xenoview comments on Jul 10, 2021:

It all comes down to people getting the covid vaccine, both shots.

Flyingsaucesir replies on Jul 11, 2021:

@xenoview So religious belief is like training wheels for conspiracy theories.