David1955's Profile

New ad from Lincoln project

David1955 comments on Jun 24, 2020:

Trump can't keep his polls up, the ad said. I guess that's all they meant. :-)

David1955 replies on Jun 24, 2020:

@Fred_Snerd yes, no one should be under any illusions that once they've removed Trump, they'll turn on Biden, if he wins, and get their type elected as Republican President next time. The enemy of your enemy is only your friend while your enemy is around. After that they're your enemy again.

I see Apple is changing the processors in its Mac range for the third time since they came out in ...

David1955 comments on Jun 22, 2020:

As an ex-Apple enthusiast (1985-2018 ) who now has nothing to do with Apple products, I don't care if they buy chips from the planet Romulus. Goodbye Apple.

David1955 replies on Jun 23, 2020:

@Petter well, macs were expensive but well made until Jobs died, then the rot set in then. Now they are not well made and are not intended to last while very expensive. I do not like Apple management now. I blame the iPhone. Hordes pay thousands every year for a new one, stupidly making billions for Apple. So, their iMacs now don't last due to built in failure components, to force replacement after a couple of years. I bought a 2012 27' iMac. The graphics card failed in 2 years, just after warranty. Due to widespread complaint from many, they replaced the graphics card. It failed after 2 years, again. Oh, cannot be repaired, of course. Buy a new one. Go to hell, I said. The same story is told by huge numbers of iMac buyers. YouTube has videos from lots of them. Dead iMacs, white screens of death, bricked devices. That's Apple. The vision I believed in from the 80s is dead. Now I'm Chrome OS, Linux, and Android. Apple has it coming. I hope.

In examining the dynamic in the current presidential race, it is necessary to understand that ...

David1955 comments on Jun 22, 2020:

Actually, the Obama Administration was the third term of the Clinton Administration, with a young impressive African-American guy at the helm, and Hillary's Administration was supposed to be the fourth or is that the fifth administration of the Clinton administration, but since millions and millions...

David1955 replies on Jun 22, 2020:

@WilliamCharles I see it as the inevitable result of faux mass centre right political parties, devoid of ideology, corrupted and controlled by corporate interests, selling the same dead product, dressed up to look alive, which has been the death of progressive politics in the West, leading to gross social and economic inequality and the rise of right wing populism and authoritarian politics and ultimately the death of democracy, if not stopped. In the 1970s when I studied political science left wing writers warned that this would happen if parties on the left betrayed core values. They were right.

How teenagers dealt a savage blow to trumps rally

David1955 comments on Jun 21, 2020:

I think that is so cool. I would not like to be in the shoes of that campaign manager guy of Trump's, the one who went from website designer to driving a Ferrari. Trump will do him for sure. Good.

David1955 replies on Jun 21, 2020:

@MissKathleen work for someone, much needed I'm sure right now.

Does President Trump wish to be known as responsible for more deaths than any other President?

David1955 comments on Jun 19, 2020:

At this stage he's hoping the US will descend into such calamity that he can cancel the election and appoint himself an emergency unlimited-time President. Too bad how many people will die, he's a psycho who has no empathy at all. Might have to call Brutus, Casius, and the boys, and that dagger in ...

David1955 replies on Jun 20, 2020:

@seenoevil9620 I'm sure your service was not a complete waste of time at all, so always remember that, and I haven't given up on the US just yet, but the situation is approaching critical and that's just a fact. What I know is that the US is in need of major reform and I don't see the structures to do that.

Does President Trump wish to be known as responsible for more deaths than any other President?

David1955 comments on Jun 19, 2020:

At this stage he's hoping the US will descend into such calamity that he can cancel the election and appoint himself an emergency unlimited-time President. Too bad how many people will die, he's a psycho who has no empathy at all. Might have to call Brutus, Casius, and the boys, and that dagger in ...

David1955 replies on Jun 20, 2020:

@seenoevil9620 for 4 years the international audience has been waiting for US institutions and checks and balances to stand up to Trump, and with a few exceptions, like the odd judge or two of conviction, they have failed. The weaknesses of the US system, a lot of which seems to depend on accepted norms and conventions, have been revealed globally. These norms and conventions mean nothing to a criminal authoritarian leaning President with a like minded party behind him. So, should the worst happen and Trump and his US Nazi-like allies attempt to complete their slow motion coup, I hope you are right and your country would not allow it, but based on the past 4 years you cannot blame those of us who remain skeptical.

You get only one choice... which will it be?

David1955 comments on Jun 19, 2020:

Are you feeling ok Middle? Everything ok in Middle World? I mean I know we have had our run ins, but I wish you well and this post has me worried about you. Also it took me a long time to choose to comment, if that helps. :-)

David1955 replies on Jun 20, 2020:

@VeronikaAnnJ No, the comment was for Middle. I added you to the reply since his comment was to you and I wanted you to see my reply. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

You get only one choice... which will it be?

David1955 comments on Jun 19, 2020:

Are you feeling ok Middle? Everything ok in Middle World? I mean I know we have had our run ins, but I wish you well and this post has me worried about you. Also it took me a long time to choose to comment, if that helps. :-)

David1955 replies on Jun 20, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay that's extremely unfair. I've commented favourably on your posts often, and engaged with you on issues, agreed, and yes sometimes disagreed with you, and your comment is untrue and unwarranted. Someone commented on you recently that you are a natural contrarian and while I did not comment on that I thought it a fair observation. You are also increasing humorless, and failed to understand that my original comment here was tongue in cheek and nothing more. @VeronikaAnnJ

You get only one choice... which will it be?

David1955 comments on Jun 19, 2020:

Are you feeling ok Middle? Everything ok in Middle World? I mean I know we have had our run ins, but I wish you well and this post has me worried about you. Also it took me a long time to choose to comment, if that helps. :-)

David1955 replies on Jun 19, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay "Irony (from Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία eirōneía, meaning 'dissimulation, feigned ignorance', in its broadest sense, is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or event in which what appears, on the surface, to be the case or to be expected differs radically from what is actually the case." I guess it's true. Americans don't do irony. Shame. :-)

God damn f'n climate-change denying catholics!!!

David1955 comments on Jun 18, 2020:

That's an awful lot of doe from chicks who live lives of modesty in worship of their deity, don't you think?

David1955 replies on Jun 19, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay let me end your confusion. No one believed them. Their wealth was not due to their modesty of living. Hope that's clear now. Oh hec, let me just come out and say it: religious clerics and and alike accumulating millions are high on my 'not sure I trust them' list.

God damn f'n climate-change denying catholics!!!

David1955 comments on Jun 18, 2020:

That's an awful lot of doe from chicks who live lives of modesty in worship of their deity, don't you think?

David1955 replies on Jun 19, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay I don't know any, do you?

God damn f'n climate-change denying catholics!!!

David1955 comments on Jun 18, 2020:

That's an awful lot of doe from chicks who live lives of modesty in worship of their deity, don't you think?

David1955 replies on Jun 18, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay no. Reminds me of when I lived in Thailand and stories would break of monks and government officials etc who earned very modest salaries but lived in palatial mansions and BMWs and their wives would fly to Paris for shopping and so on, and when pressed about this they would say that they were very frugal with the household budget and Buddha had been kind to them. Ok, if you say so guys.

How can atheists be optimistic or pessimistic?

David1955 comments on Jun 18, 2020:

What the hell are you talking about?

David1955 replies on Jun 18, 2020:

@Fred_Snerd I guess by 'there' you mean lost in hyperbole.

God damn f'n climate-change denying catholics!!!

VeronicaAnn comments on Jun 18, 2020:

Modern day Catholics are actually fairly liberal. My mom has a friend who is a Catholic and she's very liberal with many of her beliefs

David1955 replies on Jun 18, 2020:

Yes I know them too, but they live as Catholics indifferent to the teachings of the church on such things as birth control, family planning, recognising sexual diversity and other regressive church policies on the modern world, while still proclaiming their Catholicism, usually with the delusional justification that "the Holy Father is going to change the church" though he hasn't and clearly will not.

Was Jesus a man who became mythicized or a myth that became historicized or something else?

David1955 comments on May 23, 2020:

Well, you can read secular real historians (not theologians) like Bart Erhmann and other historicists like him who believe a real person lived and died and became mythologized, or you can read mythicists like Richard Carrier who consider that the case for an historical Jesus, when applied to a ...

David1955 replies on Jun 10, 2020:

@Atheist3 History is a social science, based on primary, contemporaneous, secondary and later sources, applying the historical method, so I don't agree it is probability. The September 2001 terrorist attacks in the US didn't just probably happen; they certainly happened because the evidence is overwhelming. Ancient or modern history, it is a matter of evidence. Just like the study of the historical Jesus.

Was Jesus a man who became mythicized or a myth that became historicized or something else?

David1955 comments on May 23, 2020:

Well, you can read secular real historians (not theologians) like Bart Erhmann and other historicists like him who believe a real person lived and died and became mythologized, or you can read mythicists like Richard Carrier who consider that the case for an historical Jesus, when applied to a ...

David1955 replies on Jun 9, 2020:

@Atheist3 Not at all tedious. The debate is about history, and what was true or can be proven, about an alleged historical figure. What Christians believe is their fantasy, yes based on faith, but they throw around a lot of bad history. This debate is a constant reminder that they do that.

Well, it's Sunday morning here my aussie sceptics friends and we welcome yet another new chum to our...

David1955 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

So, what's your referral fee for these? A nice little earner? :-)

David1955 replies on Jun 7, 2020:

@Triphid just pulling your chain, mate. You do it well.

Researchers report that more than two-thirds of self-identified atheists shed that label after their...

David1955 comments on Jun 4, 2020:

Heard Joni Mitchell say in an underwhelming documentary this week about Laurel Canyon LA and all those hangers-on in the late 60s, that she took acid and saw quantum mechanics, the universe, and the meaning of everything and lots more. Okay, so drugs addle the brain. Guess I always knew that. Guess ...

David1955 replies on Jun 4, 2020:

@TheMiddleWay ok.

Did you get the over 65 flu vaccination or the under 65 version?

David1955 comments on May 29, 2020:

I'm 65 in JULY. Should I rush out and get the pre 65er, or wait and risk it to JULY?

David1955 replies on May 29, 2020:

@FrayedBear well, between you and me I'm not taking it all that seriously.

Did you get the over 65 flu vaccination or the under 65 version?

David1955 comments on May 29, 2020:

I'm 65 in JULY. Should I rush out and get the pre 65er, or wait and risk it to JULY?

David1955 replies on May 29, 2020:

@Triphid asked and answered. Thanks.

Henry Cavill's Superman to Return in Multiple DC Movies

David1955 comments on May 28, 2020:

I think it's time they retired superman. I remember the first 1978 movie, indeed I saw it again last year. It was fun, had a feisty Lois Lane at a time when feisty women were appearing in movies (Princess Leia etc). I know Hollywood just keep remaking movies because they have long since run out of ...

David1955 replies on May 28, 2020:

@MissKathleen yes, I meant from the 70s big budget era,.

My Operation and the pain --the pain of watching PM Scumbo on TV.

FrayedBear comments on May 27, 2020:

A month after my hospitalizations I received a bill from ambulace Victoria for about $6133 for them returning me from Melbourne having been sent there on a wild goose chase by my local hospital. "The joys of C19 lockdown - being unnecessarily sent by one hospital to another 300 klms away with no..."

David1955 replies on May 27, 2020:

Wow!

I wonder if Aussie Sceptics would be interested in a get together.

David1955 comments on May 25, 2020:

Interesting idea. If I'm still around...(sympathy grab) I'm heading off to surgery on Wednesday. Ok, it's only hernia repair, but stuff happens in surgery, right? So, if I make it back count me in, if possible. And if I don't make it.....Well, it's been a pleasure... remember me when you'all ...

David1955 replies on May 25, 2020:

@MsDemeanour thanks. Good question. Pity I can't set a post with a future delivery date, like one week. Figure I'm not back by then, I 'ain't comin' back. :-)

[msn.

MsDemeanour comments on May 24, 2020:

Australia and the bully boys. Between a rock and a hard place.

David1955 replies on May 25, 2020:

@MsDemeanour where indeed. Nothing gets past that old NSW right faction of Hawke and Keating, or whatever they call it now who really run the ALP show, all the way to the ground.

[youtu.

David1955 comments on May 23, 2020:

The left have been warning and warning... Every time he talks from now on... he'll open his mouth to change feet.

David1955 replies on May 24, 2020:

@Varn oh, the whole world and blind Freddy and his hearing impaired dog can see what's happened with your Democratic Party muscling in and giving Biden the nomination, seemingly oblivious to the fact that, phoney opinion polls aside, he most likely will not win. If by some miracle he does it would be by default, probably due as much to Republicans mobilization against Trump, and they are no friends of progressive Americans or their causes.

[youtu.

David1955 comments on May 23, 2020:

The left have been warning and warning... Every time he talks from now on... he'll open his mouth to change feet.

David1955 replies on May 23, 2020:

@AnneWimsey odd conclusion, since the point is Biden should never have been given and did not deserve the position he is in. As a result I fear Trump will win. Biden's mental incapacity cannot be camouflaged and Trump will take advantage of it, despite the situation he is in at the moment. I would not take any notice of those polls. I read this week that many people will vote for Trump, and won't even admit it.

A very serious question here.

David1955 comments on May 23, 2020:

He's looking for a virgin in her fifties? Really? What's your concern, that she might fleece him? Well, he's not a kid, is he? On 'tother hand the world is full of couples that defy convention but work out. Like Woody Allen pointed out in that movie of his, whatever works. So, I'd keep out of it, ...

David1955 replies on May 23, 2020:

@SanDiegoAirport the police investigated the matter and said there was no evidence on which to proceed with the case. They also considered Mia Farrow of poor credibility, even going so far as to suggest that she gave false information to the police. Now, unless the police reconsider the case and charge him, I'm old fashioned enough to believe that people are innocent until proved guilty, even in sex crimes.

Where are all the obese people on the sixties, what has changed!

David1955 comments on May 19, 2020:

I've been watching a lot of archival street and city footage on YouTube, some of it going back to the early 20th century. Speed corrected, digitally enhanced, and stabilized. Much of it is amazing; as close to a time machine as we are likely to see. Two things always strike me. First, people are ...

David1955 replies on May 19, 2020:

@DavidLaDeau well I agree but linking rock and roll and mega churches to poor diets? Surely you jest, sir? The 60s and beyond mobile lifestyle, more working mothers due to Capitalism's demands and women role change, less home cooked food, a Macdonalds on every corner, and marketing proclaiming quick plastic nutritionless food as the cool thing to eat... These are some of the reasons.

Is it just me or do other find it kind of strange/odd that we have heard very little from the ...

David1955 comments on May 18, 2020:

They are too busy being locked down with their boyfriends. I did read that it is causing havoc with their finances. They are down on their dough. Poor dears. They will have to tap into the billions they have locked away. Alternatively, Frank might bring back his Enforcer -- Cardinal George ...

David1955 replies on May 19, 2020:

@Triphid well, it good be multi-skilled in the service of the Lord.

Many people accuse Atheists as being “Devil worshipers or evil doers.

David1955 comments on May 18, 2020:

I have never heard atheists called devil worshipers. It's theists who also believe in the Devil and other nonsense. Atheists are called terrible people, immoral, untrustworthy, and host of other names, but anyone who thinks a rejection of deities involves a belief in Satanism or alike is too stupid...

David1955 replies on May 18, 2020:

@DavidLaDeau strange country indeed! Most peculiar Mama. (With apologies to John Lennon's song).

Definitely need to get that Australian "Eduction" fixed!

David1955 comments on May 18, 2020:

Australians are notoriously rigid in rejecting change, if it is from the left. I am wondering if this crisis might lift the Australian consciousness a bit on some of these issues. Probably not. They have been conditioning by the Murdoch media and the Right to regard Green policies as loopy.

David1955 replies on May 18, 2020:

@FrayedBear Stupid people do.

How should Australia run from now on? Has globalisation & so called free trade gone too far?

David1955 comments on May 17, 2020:

Funny, they call it globalization, but it's really 'Chinaization' of the world. I know Europe is rethinking of lot of its reliance on and outsourcing to China. (I teach a lot of business people in Europe, online). Australia should do the same. If one good thing comes out of this catastrophe, let it...

David1955 replies on May 18, 2020:

@FrayedBear Oh I don't know. I think you and old Karl might have really hit it off -- especially on Capitalism. Still has influence on me, perhaps now more than in the past. When I studied political philosophy in the 1970s it seemed like Capitalism had been ameliorated in the post WW2 era. The rancid feral toxic Capitalism that has emerged since that time proved that assumption wrong. Class and power -- the dirty words that polite society ignores but governs everything, including "classless" Australia.

How should Australia run from now on? Has globalisation & so called free trade gone too far?

David1955 comments on May 17, 2020:

Funny, they call it globalization, but it's really 'Chinaization' of the world. I know Europe is rethinking of lot of its reliance on and outsourcing to China. (I teach a lot of business people in Europe, online). Australia should do the same. If one good thing comes out of this catastrophe, let it...

David1955 replies on May 18, 2020:

@FrayedBear you've been reading your Karl Marx again I see. Good. :-)

How should Australia run from now on? Has globalisation & so called free trade gone too far?

David1955 comments on May 17, 2020:

Funny, they call it globalization, but it's really 'Chinaization' of the world. I know Europe is rethinking of lot of its reliance on and outsourcing to China. (I teach a lot of business people in Europe, online). Australia should do the same. If one good thing comes out of this catastrophe, let it...

David1955 replies on May 18, 2020:

@FrayedBear It's called Capitalism -- as we all know.

The Australian Broadcasting commission is Australia's version of the BBC eg mainstream media/ ...

David1955 comments on May 16, 2020:

One thing is sure. Whatever the Yanks say, PM Scumblo will go along with it. The faint echo behind him will be the worthless ALP.

David1955 replies on May 16, 2020:

@FrayedBear Iraq Afghanistan, Chile..... etc etc....too numerous to mention. I left out shooting down Iranian Flight 655, 1988.

Australian misgovernment

David1955 comments on May 16, 2020:

Don't worry, the gallant ALP will be there to hold them to account! (It is April 1st, isn't it?) :-)

David1955 replies on May 16, 2020:

@Triphid I don't think it's the Westminster system that's at issue. I'd take it over the awful US binary system of two conservative parties controlled by the country's ruling class. What our system needs is a genuine left - right multi party spectrum, something that the Hawke Keating years destroyed, not that the ALP was ever that left, but now it's farce, with the ALP lost forever, incapable of genuine reform, clinging to a failed past, unable to embrace a left platform.

I wonder how much death and mayhem Trump voters are willing to accept before they admit a mistake.

David1955 comments on May 13, 2020:

I will tell you one thing. Back when this site began, and I was around then or not long after, there were a lot of people on this site claiming their non religious credentials but justifying voting for Trump and supporting him. A lot of scuffles back then. Not now. 'Where have all the flowers gone?'...

David1955 replies on May 13, 2020:

@RavenCT Well, that's maybe my point. They won't engage any more. Says a lot.

Thoughts?

Geoffrey51 comments on May 8, 2020:

For the post to be relevant it is necessary to determine what god is and what god is not. This is a philosophical question. If you want a determinate answer, you must define what is to be agreed to and what is not. It is not sufficient to ask what appears to be a question with a religious ...

David1955 replies on May 9, 2020:

@MarkWD I merely point out that God can mean anything you want it be. So criticising someone for not defining this abstract word before pointing out that there is no evidence for any kind of God, no matter how it is defined, seems pointless.

Thoughts?

Geoffrey51 comments on May 8, 2020:

For the post to be relevant it is necessary to determine what god is and what god is not. This is a philosophical question. If you want a determinate answer, you must define what is to be agreed to and what is not. It is not sufficient to ask what appears to be a question with a religious ...

David1955 replies on May 9, 2020:

First, it's not a philosophical question but a theological one. Second, why should the poster be obliged to define what god means when no one else has, in my view? That's the point. God or gods can be a big ogre in the sky, through to a vague energy thingy, and all things in between. His point, I think, is the basis of belief in god or gods, not how it is defined, and there is no basis to any belief, and atheism nails this point.

Kellyanne Conway's Husband Writes Brilliant Op-Ed Explaining Why Trump Went "Ballistic" On Him: "The...

David1955 comments on May 6, 2020:

Good one. Those guys, and Rick Wilson is another one, know exactly how to push Trump's buttons, and being Republicans they do so ruthlessly. I understand they haven't even started on him yet, and they have a ton of dough to do it. He deserves it.

David1955 replies on May 8, 2020:

@AnneWimsey yeah, one battle at a time, I guess.

"In a certain sense, postmodernism seems to be the last step of secularization.

David1955 comments on May 5, 2020:

"Nature, Humanity, Reason, History, Progress, and so on..." are majestic new names for God?! Brother, you need to go back to the basics of secularism. You're a little lost.

David1955 replies on May 7, 2020:

@Matias I think we should not confuse colloquial language with serious contemplation. I myself have sarcastically criticised economic rationalists for their 'worship' of 'The Market' like some kind of God. The market will punish me... The market will reward me.. etc. But that's the stupidity of lesser minds who have no appreciation in life of the difference between wheat and chaff, and have a predisposition towards elevating nonsense into false belief. Those of us here should keep clear in our minds the definitions of words like god and secularism.

Kellyanne Conway's Husband Writes Brilliant Op-Ed Explaining Why Trump Went "Ballistic" On Him: "The...

David1955 comments on May 6, 2020:

Good one. Those guys, and Rick Wilson is another one, know exactly how to push Trump's buttons, and being Republicans they do so ruthlessly. I understand they haven't even started on him yet, and they have a ton of dough to do it. He deserves it.

David1955 replies on May 7, 2020:

@AnneWimsey wow! Friend until becoming an enemy again. They remain Republicans though, no friends of progressive values.

Hello, I am Muhammad.

David1955 comments on May 4, 2020:

The more diverse and global this community becomes the better, from my point of view. I wonder how many other 'closet' atheists there might be where you are.

David1955 replies on May 4, 2020:

@dtruseeker understood.

The Virus Crisis in Australia and Welfare.

Triphid comments on Apr 29, 2020:

A truly livable 'Universal Income' would be a very good move for all and sundry lmo. Especially considering that before the Covid-19 Pandemic the Unemployment Payment, aka, Jobseeker where there were jobs so few and far between, was miles below anything that a recipient could manage to survive ...

David1955 replies on Apr 30, 2020:

@Triphid interesting. You were well placed and informed. I have long suspected a great deal more went on behind the scenes. I get accused of not being "patriotic" enough, for not singing along with the 'Australia, greatest country in the world' chant. I say, I'm a patriot of the country Australia *could* be -- a model of a progressive and socially and economically just and independent country-- rather than the sycophantic self-congratulating self-absorbed country we are. Half a century later, Whitlam's vision still burns brightly for me.

The Virus Crisis in Australia and Welfare.

Triphid comments on Apr 29, 2020:

A truly livable 'Universal Income' would be a very good move for all and sundry lmo. Especially considering that before the Covid-19 Pandemic the Unemployment Payment, aka, Jobseeker where there were jobs so few and far between, was miles below anything that a recipient could manage to survive ...

David1955 replies on Apr 29, 2020:

@Triphid plotted with a little help from their friends in the UK and the US. Makes me laugh when I hear yanks go on about 'interference' in their democratic elections. (As if they actually had such things). Interference? They perfected it, as part of their post WW2 international policy.

The Virus Crisis in Australia and Welfare.

Triphid comments on Apr 29, 2020:

A truly livable 'Universal Income' would be a very good move for all and sundry lmo. Especially considering that before the Covid-19 Pandemic the Unemployment Payment, aka, Jobseeker where there were jobs so few and far between, was miles below anything that a recipient could manage to survive ...

David1955 replies on Apr 29, 2020:

No disagreement from me. As I said, the conservatives will not embrace anything willingly to the benefit of working people. They are only splashing money now because they have to. They will gut working people the first chance they get. As for the ALP, worthless I wrote and worthless I meant.

Did God know that sin would still exist and continue on Earth after he drowned everyone on Earth ...

Seminarian comments on Apr 28, 2020:

Sin is a by-product of free will. With out it virtue would be meaningless. By the way sin is a product of the mind and is exclusive to humans, as far as we know. Can a horny dolphin commit adultery? So, if you believe both sin and virtue exist and that they are both products of the human mind, ...

David1955 replies on Apr 29, 2020:

@Seminarian spoiler alert. Jesus never existed, or certainly the religious Jesus never did, so isn't this all talk about fables, or at best historical fiction, as we call it now: invented story over a historical setting?

Did God know that sin would still exist and continue on Earth after he drowned everyone on Earth ...

Seminarian comments on Apr 28, 2020:

Sin is a by-product of free will. With out it virtue would be meaningless. By the way sin is a product of the mind and is exclusive to humans, as far as we know. Can a horny dolphin commit adultery? So, if you believe both sin and virtue exist and that they are both products of the human mind, ...

David1955 replies on Apr 28, 2020:

@Seminarian himself, Brad, he was praying to himself. Apparently.

Did God know that sin would still exist and continue on Earth after he drowned everyone on Earth ...

Seminarian comments on Apr 28, 2020:

Sin is a by-product of free will. With out it virtue would be meaningless. By the way sin is a product of the mind and is exclusive to humans, as far as we know. Can a horny dolphin commit adultery? So, if you believe both sin and virtue exist and that they are both products of the human mind, ...

David1955 replies on Apr 28, 2020:

God created everything in heaven and earth, supposedly. So, sin is part of everything. God therefore created sin. He then created imperfect beings, but was somehow astonished that his imperfect beings and sin might be attracted to each other. I'm no god, I think I would have seen that coming. So, knowing all this and being omniscient, god punishes us for the sins he created in the first place and knew we were going to commit. Still scratching my head, I then wonder why he sacrificed himself (though he didn't actually, because he came back) for the sins he created and we committed, that he knew were going to happen. And he does this to atone for our sins, which he created, though you can't atone for anyone else's sins, even if you created the sins in the first place and knew they were going to happen. Have I got this lunacy about right?

Did God know that sin would still exist and continue on Earth after he drowned everyone on Earth ...

David1955 comments on Apr 28, 2020:

If theists were ever remotely thoughtful about what an omnipotent and omniscient God really is, they might understand that their god would know, even before the universe was created, everything that was going to happen, up until the end of the universe, including every thought, action, good and bad ...

David1955 replies on Apr 28, 2020:

@DavidLaDeau, @p-nullifidian yes. All it takes is a little applied logic. I saw these contradictions as a teenager.

Did God know that sin would still exist and continue on Earth after he drowned everyone on Earth ...

David1955 comments on Apr 28, 2020:

If theists were ever remotely thoughtful about what an omnipotent and omniscient God really is, they might understand that their god would know, even before the universe was created, everything that was going to happen, up until the end of the universe, including every thought, action, good and bad ...

David1955 replies on Apr 28, 2020:

@DavidLaDeau yes, we are as always on the same page. I left out 'free will' which they think, falsely, gets them out of trouble. It doesn't. They then fall into a non interventionist god by implication, which means prayer, churches, faith etc is utterly irrelevant. As a final act of desperation they try to argue that God intervenes sometimes but it's all a big mystery. Laughable and absurd, which they know as I walk away chuckling. Another notch on my belt. Time for lunch.

Australian journalist gives insight into the systemic faults in Australian Corporate Law, the ...

David1955 comments on Apr 26, 2020:

Don't forget to download that Govt COVID App, FB. Old Scumbo is lookin' out for you baby!

David1955 replies on Apr 26, 2020:

@FrayedBear I'll take that as a lack of enthusiasm for this initiative. :-) There's nothing to worry about. Should ASIO illegally hack into the data, you know, as they're inclined to do, they'll be hit with a $500 fine! That'll learn them fuckers!

Anyone else sick of seeing Bill Gates on this virus?

PondartIncbendog comments on Apr 25, 2020:

His wife's foundation has been saving lives in Africa for decades. Try shitting on someone who deserves it. He has started and built hospitals and research on cancer. What is your problem again?

David1955 replies on Apr 25, 2020:

I look behind the headlines. You should try it. And,by the way, billionaire largesse, fueled by tax breaks, deductions, and linked Foundation financial reciprocity, is no substitute for for fair taxation and real social justice.

Anyone else sick of seeing Bill Gates on this virus?

FearlessFly comments on Apr 25, 2020:

I have been a Linux user since the 90's, but I give lots of credit to the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation for what they are doing now. . . . just how many billions did Warren Buffet give to it ? Where are your reliable sources for : "has come under scrutiny for unscrupulous practices" ?

David1955 replies on Apr 25, 2020:

@FearlessFly What world are you living in where there are repercussions for rich elites and their schemes and foundations? Really?

Anyone else sick of seeing Bill Gates on this virus?

FearlessFly comments on Apr 25, 2020:

I have been a Linux user since the 90's, but I give lots of credit to the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation for what they are doing now. . . . just how many billions did Warren Buffet give to it ? Where are your reliable sources for : "has come under scrutiny for unscrupulous practices" ?

David1955 replies on Apr 25, 2020:

https://www.vox.com/2015/6/10/8760199/gates-foundation-criticism https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/gates-foundation-accused-of-dangerously-skewing-aid-priorities-by-promoting-big-business-a6822036.html https://apnews.com/b1279711ee234b3ab3916d292d262643 https://www.nonprofitpro.com/article/report-slams-gates-foundation-for-self-serving-agenda-corporate-ties/

Read a comment that said being "atheist" was claiming there is no god.

David1955 comments on Apr 24, 2020:

Some theists and even agnostics claim this. It is false. You don't have to prove a negative. And anyway, there are literally thousands of gods in human culture. Ought atheists prove each one does not exist? Stupid. In response I usually say, "Do you believe in dragons? No? Then prove they don't ...

David1955 replies on Apr 24, 2020:

@Word how many of them breathe fire? :-)

Bill had a great interview with a very astute Conservative from Texas.

Bigwavedave comments on Apr 18, 2020:

Bill rolled over in deference to the man's service? It was very odd imo.

David1955 replies on Apr 21, 2020:

It's called emotional blackmail. But in truth, Bill wasn't prepared, that's all.

The presumptive nominee.

David1955 comments on Apr 19, 2020:

Another disastrous Biden interview again today, on CNN I see. It is going to be tortuous watching this Biden Train Wreck when he actually has to stand next to Trump and try to get a sentence out. After the catastrophe, all the corporate media and the corrupt Democratic Party will stand there saying,...

David1955 replies on Apr 19, 2020:

@RoboGraham 100%

I would love to see how they make this app compulsory, and what would they do with me?

David1955 comments on Apr 17, 2020:

It's so stupid. It assumes people won't leave them behind or off. But, on the other hand it's curious that people are happy to have their lives tracked by big brother both corporate and government, as long as they don't think about it. (Ever listened to Edward Snowden? We know so much about this ...

David1955 replies on Apr 18, 2020:

@powder the longer I live the more I admire Orwell and 1984. Though the details of the book weren't very accurate, Orwell got what no one else did long before we caught up -- namely that technology would be irresistible to power, not just government, as would be the urge to manipulate and control. It is the most prophetic novel in English from the 20th Century, in my view.

I'd like to see Joe Biden challenge trump to a fistfight.

David1955 comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Trump would KO Biden in 5 seconds. Don't be fooled. Trump is a street fighter. Coward, yes, but he'd drop Biden standing there playing by Queensberry rules. I fear the same will happen figuratively in any debate they have. Biden is fast on his feet like a dinosaur in quicksand.

David1955 replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@Techpriest I wasn't talking about him being physical but doing Biden over figuratively. Biden people are being delusional about him.

I'd like to see Joe Biden challenge trump to a fistfight.

David1955 comments on Apr 15, 2020:

Trump would KO Biden in 5 seconds. Don't be fooled. Trump is a street fighter. Coward, yes, but he'd drop Biden standing there playing by Queensberry rules. I fear the same will happen figuratively in any debate they have. Biden is fast on his feet like a dinosaur in quicksand.

David1955 replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@Techpriest loathsome he is, but he walked all over his rivals and Hillary in 2016 and everyone stood there in amazement. Underestimating this coward bully is a big mistake. If you don't think he is already practising how to get at all Biden's weaknesses, and they are huge, then just wait. Trump strikes at his opponent's weaknesses just as effectively as he strikes America's weaknesses.

I have just started reading Bertrand Russell's essay "Why I am not a Christian".

David1955 comments on Apr 17, 2020:

If you haven't read his essay about why he was an atheist instead of an agnostic, I recommend it. His thinking on the subject is unsurpassed in my view, and I've yet to encounter serious challenge to his argument that agnosticism is a problematic position.

David1955 replies on Apr 17, 2020:

@Word Honestly, I don't think N DeG T is a good role model. He specialises in not commiting himself to anything, never taking a clear position on anything, except motherhood science statements, usually because he doesn't like to offend anyone, lest his popularity might take a dive. Can't be an atheist! Might offend someone. He's alright, but he's a classic fence sitter, on everything.

"Starting" to think?

Killtheskyfairy comments on Apr 14, 2020:

Starting to think?!?😳

David1955 replies on Apr 14, 2020:

Saved me writing that. I suspect he's being sarcastic. He's a good guy is Mr Reich.

To the Biden Supporters.

St-Sinner comments on Apr 13, 2020:

Get behind the candidate? After all this stupidity?? The damage is done. It now cannot be undone. The extreme polarization by Sanders in the Democratic Party in the last 6 years cannot be undone. It is widely written about since the last 2016 election how Sanders supporters sat 2016 out. It is ...

David1955 replies on Apr 13, 2020:

Still blaming Bernie. Why don't you give it up. Psst ....here's a tip. Your political and economic nonsense has been discredited. Only you don't know it. Your prediction on Bernie was worthless. Anyone who follows US politics knew the US Establishment would pay any price to stop Bernie. And they have. They chose Biden. He will lose. 4 more years of Trump, from which the US will never recover. Feeling proud, are you?

Biggest COVID 19 threat to the world - USA [independentaustralia.net].

David1955 comments on Apr 13, 2020:

I've had to stop watching TV cable news. Just too terrible. I feel very sorry for our American cousins. And still millions or moronic Trump Cultists follow him, many to their deaths. An American Tragedy, indeed. A failure of US systems, political, legal, administrative, and medical, all leading to ...

David1955 replies on Apr 13, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 @FrayedBear Let's not forget the utter ruthlessness of capitalism, guided only by profit and nothing else. I think this virus will be hugely impactful, but reversing the thrust of globalization is unlikely. There may be some positive changes, though, hopefully.

Biggest COVID 19 threat to the world - USA [independentaustralia.net].

David1955 comments on Apr 13, 2020:

I've had to stop watching TV cable news. Just too terrible. I feel very sorry for our American cousins. And still millions or moronic Trump Cultists follow him, many to their deaths. An American Tragedy, indeed. A failure of US systems, political, legal, administrative, and medical, all leading to ...

David1955 replies on Apr 13, 2020:

@FrayedBear What I don't understand is, it's fine if we get control of this virus in Australia, stop the spread etc. That's great, but then what? We open the airports and other arrivals while the rest of the world is still trying to gain control in their countries. All it would take is a few infected arrivals and the thing could break out again. Yes, we can quarantine arrivals, but that's hardly business as usual. I don't see how we can get back to normal while its raging globally. Unless something happens to tame this thing abroad it all looks pretty bleak to me. The world is so interconnected now.

One might say that there is an air of intellectual superiority about enthusiastic libertarians, ...

t1nick comments on Apr 12, 2020:

Libertarians have nothing to feel superior about. Their entire premise is based on flawed and specious grounds. And the type of people who are drawn to Libertarisnism have hidden agendas that have nothing to do with an economic philosophy.

David1955 replies on Apr 13, 2020:

@t1nick yes, look at my humorous comment earlier below to David Le Deau about Libertarians getting a high from smoking Ayn Rand books. She's philosophical drivel.

One might say that there is an air of intellectual superiority about enthusiastic libertarians, ...

t1nick comments on Apr 12, 2020:

Libertarians have nothing to feel superior about. Their entire premise is based on flawed and specious grounds. And the type of people who are drawn to Libertarisnism have hidden agendas that have nothing to do with an economic philosophy.

David1955 replies on Apr 12, 2020:

@t1nick I still don't know what Libertarianism is, because they never *define* it as a political philosophy, but I think your characterization is about right -- a kind of self- righteous individualism. It's not like progressive politics is not compatible with individual freedom; it certainly is.

One might say that there is an air of intellectual superiority about enthusiastic libertarians, ...

DavidLaDeau comments on Apr 12, 2020:

The answer is in the party platform. I have been a card holding member of the Libertarian party. What you have written does not jive. The Libertarians are normally considered socially liberal and fiscially conservative. This means many do want the best of both worlds. It is a mistake to see them ...

David1955 replies on Apr 12, 2020:

@DavidLaDeau a wit once described libertarians as people who buy Ayn Rand books, smoke them and get a high. But that would be unkind, perhaps. :-)

One might say that there is an air of intellectual superiority about enthusiastic libertarians, ...

DavidLaDeau comments on Apr 12, 2020:

The answer is in the party platform. I have been a card holding member of the Libertarian party. What you have written does not jive. The Libertarians are normally considered socially liberal and fiscially conservative. This means many do want the best of both worlds. It is a mistake to see them ...

David1955 replies on Apr 12, 2020:

@Jetty good question.

One might say that there is an air of intellectual superiority about enthusiastic libertarians, ...

Marionville comments on Apr 12, 2020:

There are already successful models of the the combining of Socialist ideals with Capitalist economics. In the happiest and wealthiest countries in the world, in Scandinavia, that is already their model...it’s called Social Democracy. Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden all practice it, and that is...

David1955 replies on Apr 12, 2020:

@Jetty the struggle against right wing dismantlers of the mixed economy goes on here, like elsewhere. Stupid people vote for them, contrary to their interests, for some inexplicable reasons.

One might say that there is an air of intellectual superiority about enthusiastic libertarians, ...

DavidLaDeau comments on Apr 12, 2020:

The answer is in the party platform. I have been a card holding member of the Libertarian party. What you have written does not jive. The Libertarians are normally considered socially liberal and fiscially conservative. This means many do want the best of both worlds. It is a mistake to see them ...

David1955 replies on Apr 12, 2020:

You know I like your contribution on this site very much David, but reading your comment I have absolutely no idea what you meant, or indeed what libertarianism is. Socially liberal but fiscally conservative describes more Conservatives that I've heard than I could possibly count. That's the truth.

One might say that there is an air of intellectual superiority about enthusiastic libertarians, ...

Marionville comments on Apr 12, 2020:

There are already successful models of the the combining of Socialist ideals with Capitalist economics. In the happiest and wealthiest countries in the world, in Scandinavia, that is already their model...it’s called Social Democracy. Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden all practice it, and that is...

David1955 replies on Apr 12, 2020:

Yes, there is no new wheel to invent here.

Perhaps this is a bad joke under the circumstances, but I would like to practice social-distancing ...

Larry-new comments on Apr 9, 2020:

We're trying, but people keep bringing up that ridiculous delusion as if it had some value....have you noticed?

David1955 replies on Apr 9, 2020:

Yep.

Perhaps this is a bad joke under the circumstances, but I would like to practice social-distancing ...

fishline79 comments on Apr 9, 2020:

I don't think closing ones mind to alternate philosophies is very productive. The problem is not religion, or religious people, but the type of theology or religious practitioners that close their minds all other beliefs and insist that all others are wrong. Much good has been done, even ...

David1955 replies on Apr 9, 2020:

@fishline79 there are notionally religious people -- it's all show and little more -- and there are the profoundly religious. The former may have something to offer, intellectually. But the latter have corrupted brain processes and have little to offer, from my experience. It is these people who are vocal and, frankly, loopy and dangerous during this pandemic.

Perhaps this is a bad joke under the circumstances, but I would like to practice social-distancing ...

fishline79 comments on Apr 9, 2020:

I don't think closing ones mind to alternate philosophies is very productive. The problem is not religion, or religious people, but the type of theology or religious practitioners that close their minds all other beliefs and insist that all others are wrong. Much good has been done, even ...

David1955 replies on Apr 9, 2020:

Well, I'm not going to get into the agnostic-atheist debate again. It has been done to death here on this site, and I'm sick of that. But on one point you said, don't confuse philosophy with religion or theology. Interest in philosophies is one thing, but religions are based on mysticism, supernaturalism and non rational beliefs. It's not a matter of closing the mind, but rejecting these things, and on good grounds.

Out in time for Easter ... Unreal!

David1955 comments on Apr 9, 2020:

He doesn't seem to be Cardinalling, I see, I mean in Cardinal garb.. He hasn't had his frock taken away, has he? Pope Frank-the-Wanker will probably want him back in the 'Holy City' to start looking for more billions of money, like last time. He's good at that, apparently. What a farce! Still, I ...

David1955 replies on Apr 9, 2020:

@PontifexMarximus yes, it would.

Where have all the Conservatives gone on this site?

AnneWimsey comments on Apr 8, 2020:

St-Sinner is still here, and Jacar, and etc....... I actually prefer them to the "holier than thou: crowd we have had lately, that tell us how we should feel....... Do you know you are a bad person if you express fear/rage?

David1955 replies on Apr 8, 2020:

@St-Sinner utterly unresponsive reply to my post and its theme, but then it's you isn't it. Conservatives don't bother you? I'm not surprised. If the shoe fits... Right wingers spend trillions on business and the military, and that's fine with you. Bernie wants to spend far far less on working people, and he's dangerous you think. The absurdity of modern conservatism, right there.

Where have all the Conservatives gone on this site?

AnneWimsey comments on Apr 8, 2020:

St-Sinner is still here, and Jacar, and etc....... I actually prefer them to the "holier than thou: crowd we have had lately, that tell us how we should feel....... Do you know you are a bad person if you express fear/rage?

David1955 replies on Apr 8, 2020:

@St-Sinner is one I had in mind. After months of railing against government and the Left. What does he have to say now? They'll be some justification, just like back during the GFC.

What a bloody travesty of Justice in Australia and a Judicial "Up Yours" to ALL Victims and ...

Cyklone comments on Apr 6, 2020:

It wouldn't have anything to do with our god bothering wanker of a pm would it.

David1955 replies on Apr 7, 2020:

@Triphid you know, that's true, but I like to think the judges try to rule above politics, but maybe that's a blindspot of naivete I hang on to.

What a bloody travesty of Justice in Australia and a Judicial "Up Yours" to ALL Victims and ...

Cyklone comments on Apr 6, 2020:

It wouldn't have anything to do with our god bothering wanker of a pm would it.

David1955 replies on Apr 6, 2020:

I like to think our SC is not corrupted, unlike the US joke of a SC. But who knows these days.

spread agnosticism

Storm1752 comments on Mar 31, 2020:

Agnosticism is just being honest with oneself and, unlike atheism, it allows one to freely speculate because although one cannot claim knowledge, one cannot rule OUT a lot of things, either.

David1955 replies on Apr 3, 2020:

@Storm1752 my views are very open, very clear, and open to review based on EVIDENCE. I believe I outed you as a pseudo religionist, that's all. I've been debating religionists and agnostics for a very long time, and pick up on the signals and euthymistic language. I'm afraid your attempt to take the high moral ground here cannot succeed. Agnostics are like other people: some are insightful and have arguable positions, though I have a problem with the agnostic position. Others, less so. They cannot be generalized as "gentle people with inquiring minds". What could such a generalization be based on. (Statement, not question)

spread agnosticism

Storm1752 comments on Mar 31, 2020:

Agnosticism is just being honest with oneself and, unlike atheism, it allows one to freely speculate because although one cannot claim knowledge, one cannot rule OUT a lot of things, either.