Just reached Level 7.

David1955 comments on Oct 30, 2019:

Well, some do it by posting huge amounts of frivolous posts in order to get points, while others contribute as they wish to, not obsessed by points, allowing nature to take its course. That's what I did.

I always took Spock for an Atheist.

David1955 comments on Oct 27, 2019:

Every day is a blaspheming day for me.

Does this help?[agnostic.com]

David1955 comments on Oct 26, 2019:

These tables that plot a spectrum of agnostic - atheist - theist positions have always amused me. Some seem to really like them. Me, well i did some serious reading and thinking on the subject a long time ago and determined that I am an atheist. Now if anyone comes up with some evidence that is credible on the god question, and not just supernatural banter or waffle, then I'd happily consider it. I'm still waiting...

Anyone ever notice that the crucified Jesus is shown in pictures as being both nailed and also tied ...

David1955 comments on Oct 25, 2019:

Well, those details I'll leave for others, but what I find interesting is the story about how they took him down, wrapped him up and put him in a tomb. Yes, the Romans allowed the crucified to be taken down after death and given nice burials. Rubbish! As historian Bart Erhmann has written, the punishment of crucifixion involved having the bodies rot and disintegrate on the cross; it was a political punishment, designed to impose fear on locals. The rotting remains were then dragged into pits or dragged onto fires and burnt. So, if Jesus came back in a few days he either crawled out a pit of corpses like something in The Zombie Apocalypse or walked out of the fire like a Terminator robot. Don't tell Christians. Jesus was special, they say, and it was different for him, because the Romans knew he was son of God. What!? So, why the frig did they kill him? Hopeless cult followers.

My journey to becoming an Agnostic.

David1955 comments on Oct 25, 2019:

Well great, but i hope you follow your atheist father, eventually. Arguments along the lines of "I can't be sure.." and "science can't show me there isn't a god, so I'll be agnostic" don't cut it for me. Science explores what exists, not to prove what doesn't exist."

‪I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone!‬

David1955 comments on Oct 23, 2019:

There is an episode of TTZ when the late Denis Hopper plays a populist fascist type leader who plays on fears and becomes very powerful. The episode was set in America. It was Serling's way of saying, 'It can happen here too. Be careful of hateful leaders!". Were he still with us, he would look at Trump as say to us, "I warned you!".

Why do some atheists or agnostics still feel so unsecured and not in peace?

David1955 comments on Oct 23, 2019:

You meant "insecure" I presume. A loan can be unsecured, but not a person, I don't think. I don't see the issue. Some agnostics are more tentative in their view, but that a position view. In my experience, when people say "I am an atheist" they are usually pretty secure in themselves and their view.

Confidence in Australia’s democratic system is at an all-time low.

David1955 comments on Oct 21, 2019:

When you have no hope for any political party, and no hope that your preferred party is capable of change, then there's nothing left to hope for.

I’ve been listening to the commentary for the impeachment on CNN mostly, I decided to listen to ...

David1955 comments on Oct 20, 2019:

Ah, Christians. They love to feel persecuted, though not as much as persecuting others.

I'm BAAAAAAACK.

David1955 comments on Oct 20, 2019:

So, can someone explain why people leave and delete and then come back with a splash instead of just pausing?

Tiffany Fitzhenry Uncovers CIA's Long Involvement With Hollywood — The Political Vigilante - ...

David1955 comments on Oct 20, 2019:

Years ago I read the late Dave McGowan's work on LA, the late 60s, Hollywood, the CIA, other agencies, Laurel Canyon, Charles Manson, the murders, the phoney movie stars, rock stars, their families, the military industrial complex links, the establishment families, the lies, the murders, the cover stories, and all the rest, and at first I thought it sounded unbelievable. Years later and a lot of reading later I am not shocked any more by the contemporary revelations on this same subject, only appalled. Add to that the TV network anchors who are assets of Security Services and the network of assets that even former CIA people have revealed, and one only see these industries as the propaganda arms of the US ruling class. The lady in this video used a phrase from Noam Chomsky, that it is all about manufactured consent of the population. How true.

For those who didn't watch Bill last night.

David1955 comments on Oct 19, 2019:

I've become less and less of an admirer of NDGT over recent years, but in this show he hit some high points. I did NOT agree, however, with his assertion about the differences between objective and personal truths. Personal truths be damned. That's an opinion, which may or may not be true. Jesus is my saviour, his example, is not a truth of any kind, including personal. It's an opinion which lacks evidence. Jesus and God hate gays, likewise might be someone's bigoted opinion but it is not a personal "truth" for the same reason, no proof or evidence. He devalues the meaning of truth to say otherwise. Like many public figures he still feels the need to "respect" religious nonsense, lest he offend believers. Humbug. On the other hand I cheered when he said we should not so much consider ourselves as members of various races and instead see ourselves as all of the *human race*. Indeed, racial tribalism is hindering us as a species.

The only reason I pay $15 to comcast for HBO...

David1955 comments on Oct 19, 2019:

Save 15 dollars and watch Bill on YouTube for nothing. I do. The full shows are uploaded quite soon, and the overtime too. Easy search and find. Not the channel, though. They have only excerpts. I just finished watching the episode above, streamed to my tv.

Seeing little snippets of Trump’s rally in Texas last night: he could say he just shit his pants ...

David1955 comments on Oct 18, 2019:

It's called a Cult. We the non-religious know this well, don't we? I think of Charles Manson. He DID kill and even then his followers thought the sun shone from his ass. There are still aging old Manson droogies who still do. It's a neurological disorder. All religions and cults are. I look at Trump's rallies too. Those who are not being paid to jump around and hold placards, and some are, are truly delusional and brain impaired, possibly permanently, like some old Mansonites. Worse, I worry they will rally behind Trump 2, who ever that may be.

Our soldiers need to be made accountable for what they do and the armed forces need to stop covering...

David1955 comments on Oct 17, 2019:

All mainstream media is geared to highlighting the crimes of our enemies and ignoring the crimes of our allies and ourselves. I'm long sick of it.

Good news, Agnostics! [pewforum.

David1955 comments on Oct 17, 2019:

Good news Agnostics AND Atheists, thank you.

Good Day fellow Aussie Sceptics, yet another 'recruit' to our ranks, Please welcome AmmaRe007 aboard...

David1955 comments on Oct 15, 2019:

Speaking for myself, I can only dream of being easy-going and laid. .. Er, sorry, laid back. :-) Welcome @AmmaRE007

In this crazy, mixed up world there are women who support Trump, and African Americans and Latinos ...

David1955 comments on Oct 14, 2019:

When cult followers follow a cult, there is no connection to logic and reason. It makes them feel good, feeds their desire to get back at the ones they don't like or blame. As atheists and agnostics we shouldn't be surprised. When this site started a couple of years ago, there were quite a few nonbelievers who were Trumpsters. Lots of arguments back them. I don't read any Trumpsters now here. Maybe they are in groups cheering their beloved mop-haired dictator wanna be. I'm glad I don't read them anymore. Any freethinker - nonreligious person who favours Trump either doesn't understand embryonic fascism, or non-religious thinking, or both.

Wish me luck guys.

David1955 comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Chok dee, krap.

It’s just a matter of time before the whole Trump Train Derails.

David1955 comments on Oct 13, 2019:

And yet I look at all those bird brained Trumpsters at his rallies- young, old, in between, male, female, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, and all the rest - cheering, holding up signs, cheering him on, and full of hate for the groups they blame for all their problems, and I think that for each one of those there are many others out there, who won't even admit they will vote for him again, but they will, and I worry that the inevitable train wreck of Trump might not be so inevitable after all. It is deeply worrying. We live in an age where marginal stupid uninformed groups, who live by tweets and the ravings of tv sprukers, hold sway over elections, and right wing parties are all too happy to pander to them.

High Court Chief Justice Susan Kiefel gives Capilano Honey the green light to poison the Australian ...

David1955 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

I did so some time ago. It's not that it is cheaper anyway.

Edward Snowden is the top whistleblower of the century.

David1955 comments on Oct 11, 2019:

History will be with this guy . Like Deep Throat... Like the Pentagon Papers guy... Governments huff and puff and condemn, but history absolves.

My Agnostic shirt finally arrived! (Bonus view with smile included!) EDIT: for those who want to ...

David1955 comments on Oct 10, 2019:

I looked happier than that when my computer died.

Televangelist Jim Bakker sells $45 Trump coin, calls it ‘point of contact’ with God - AOL News

David1955 comments on Oct 9, 2019:

Love the sinner, hate the sin. ... As long as the sinner is a Republican of course.

Yoko Ono, wrote the album from which this came in six days at the age of 76.

David1955 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

Beatle fan here since early 60s. Yoko? Pass, thanks.

I thought the Senate was a member block free group. When did it revert back?

David1955 comments on Oct 4, 2019:

I've never blocked. Never will. Just keep my head held high and move on.

Just a couple of slogan suggestions for the 2020 election.

David1955 comments on Oct 1, 2019:

I would say Make America America Again, but it's more like Make America Better, more fair, just, less corrupt and more like its principles. If not now then when? Time's running out.

I've been a fan of Star Trek since the original season.

David1955 comments on Oct 1, 2019:

I think of them in different categories. Star Trek is science fiction. Star Wars is space opera fantasy. ST began as a vision of a secular science based future, a post apocalyptic better world, somewhat impaired post Roddenberry by pseudo science writers and greedy film companies. The idealism remains in fans. SW is and was swashbuckling Saturday matinee-ish space opera, with pseudo religion, half-baked philosophy, and a mish-mash of cowboys, samurai and battle of Britain-like battles in space, hardly meant to be taken seriously, except by dudes who never really grew up. T'is best not to forget, however, that both these franchises are made by greedy ruthless multi-billion dollar companies with not a hint of idealism, intent on distracting us with film fantasy while the elites who own them run rampant with greed and power. Let's not forget the bigger picture.

Love it when these republican assholes lose it

David1955 comments on Sep 30, 2019:

Creeps, the lot of them. L. Graham is such a jellyfish, 'tis amazing he can stand. Cruz is a pushover's pushover. Kavanaugh is a sniffy cry baby Catholic frat boy, and Trump is a rich brat who never grew up and elsewise wouldn't have mounted to anything in life. This is class and money and power at its worst.

Is thinking that consciousness is a product of a vibrating universe a backdoor belief in God?

David1955 comments on Sep 29, 2019:

No, the universe is a cosmic egg laid by a cosmic duck, and consciousness is the effect of the background cosmic flapping. I read that on a wall I think, or maybe it came to me during a fever. :-)

Oops trouble brewing

David1955 comments on Sep 29, 2019:

People with too much time on their hands.

Here's my problem with liberals.

David1955 comments on Sep 27, 2019:

So, the better option is ignorance and free for all dog-eat-dog economies and societies where the big dogs take everything? Left progressive thinking is not about simple pancreas but policies based on the values of fairness and achievable equity, and the debates that go on are about the degree of regulation, the balance between the public and private sectors, and between reasonable safety nets and encouraging enterprise and initiative. These are not set in concrete, but are ongoing and evolving. As they should be. Right politics is about opposing education, regulation, and everything else that might ameliorate the utter concentration of wealth and power in the elites they represent. What you are buying into is really ittle more than Right Wing talking points.

Is this the situation with the majority of Agnostics.

David1955 comments on Sep 27, 2019:

Guess I'm part of the minority here as I never have and never will post for points. I'm too old for that kind of crap. I was pleased to finally reach level 8, but it just took its course and time.

Are you guys watching Ken Burns Country Music on PBS?

David1955 comments on Sep 27, 2019:

Yes. I'm not strictly a country music fan, but i am a huge Hank Williams Sr fan, and episode 3 was mostly about him. A few historical errors, but then I have every biography of him. I like the way Burns interweaves the various musical genres and the influences between them. It's too easy for some to overlook the complex connections.(Elvis appeared on the Opry and was a flop!? Well, he didn't need them. And Elvis and Johnny Cash toured together in the early days!? Dang, didn't know that. ) On the downside I do think this documentary lacks depth and wider social and economic context which quality history gives. It's a bit of what we call scissors and paste history, but then again modern audiences often don't appreciate depth, class analysis and so on. Finally, I have no time for modern Nashville and its nonsense. Were the Great Hank to return now, I believe he'd agree.

Yesterday I said wasn't particularly hopeful about impeachment and the whole Ukraine thing, BUT, now...

David1955 comments on Sep 25, 2019:

This may just be the big one. But I've been so dissilliusioned by US political and legal processes over the past few years I dare not get my hopes up. Trump is so ruthless, the Democrats so spineless, and the systems so weak it seems he is able to walk through a shit storm again and again and walk away unsplattered. So, we'll see if these antics bite this time or not. It might very well rile up his brainless base as facts matter not at all to them. Beware though, he will become more dangerous and capable of anything. Those Republican neo-fascists won't do a thing.

I make a call to all the Australian & MeToo site members to read the following article and then ...

David1955 comments on Sep 25, 2019:

Truth is, Assange's actions, including with Russia, are highly questionable, but his treatment by the US/UK empire, of which Australia is a dupe, as is Sweden apparently (Oh how the morally high and mighty have fallen from its progressive days in the past) is appalling. Such hypocrisy. He's a scapegoat. Trump saying how he loved Wikileaks when it suited him, now he wants a kill. Australia, morally and ethically bankrupt as always, does nothing. The moral degradation of modern politics is a nauseating part of modern life.

A man I particularly admire giving an excellent interview. [youtube.com] g:405966

David1955 comments on Sep 25, 2019:

I'm old enough to remember the Pentagon Papers leaking being called "treason" and Deep Throat from Watergate days being called a traitor.... and on it goes. In time this guy will be on the right of history too, after the huffing and puffing by all politicians is past. All pollies do this, as they hope to suppress the truth when they're in power. What was it Princess Leiah said.... The more you tighten your grip, the more we'll slip through your fingers. May the force be with this guy. It's absurd he has to hide in Russia where clearly he doesn't want to be.

US Navy confirms UFO videos are the real deal - YouTube

David1955 comments on Sep 22, 2019:

I do wish all you UFO aluminium hat wearing cranks would understand that UFOs are nothing more than ball lightening, the planet Jupiter, clouds, reflections of the moon, secret military aircraft travelling at unobtainable speeds and doing gyrations that defy known physics, and shooting stars ( that change course and go up and down a lot). You would be better served by using your time by doing something useful, like watching FOX news. Honestly. :-)

Why why why do religious people think they can make a believer out of an atheist?

David1955 comments on Sep 22, 2019:

Don't tolerate it. I don't. Set them straight. From my experience there is no-one a believer will run away from faster than a commited atheist.

Australia is a secular country isn't it?

David1955 comments on Sep 21, 2019:

Make no mistake, this prick is a soft-sell evangelizer, he'll insert his religion wherever he can. I've been disappointed with the political decisions of Australians all my life, but as pathetic as the ALP is now, I don't think I will ever forgive Australians for the last election, Queensland in particular.

Let the Saudis defend themselves.

David1955 comments on Sep 20, 2019:

It's not like they were complicit in the 9/11 attacks on America, or anything like that. Oh wait, they were.

Anyone having issues with the app?

David1955 comments on Sep 19, 2019:

Ive given up on the Agnostic.com App on Android with Google Account log in. Never worked on my Galaxy Note. Now I have the latest Android Tab from Samsung running Android Pie. Same thing. Will not work. Admin seems uninterested in the problem, so I've given up on the App.

A mystery object from deep space from another solar system is coming towards our solar system, this ...

David1955 comments on Sep 19, 2019:

Don't worry. Neil Degras Tyson will be wheeled out by mainstream media to remind us that there's nothing to see here folks, none of that strange footage people take all the freaking time means anything, and you can totally believe your government, the military and NASA. What would we do without him? Lordy only knows.

It's not newsworthy until biased right wing news runs with the story?

David1955 comments on Sep 18, 2019:

When you're right, you're right. The corruption of our politics by domestic and international money is rampant. Worthless ALP is no better.

What's your favorite atheist/skeptic YouTuber?

David1955 comments on Sep 18, 2019:

Kyle Kulinski. Secular Talk. Love his atheism. Love his politics. Love his humour.

This fucking asshole Jeff Bezos would rather have you subsidize food stamps for his workers than pay...

David1955 comments on Sep 16, 2019:

If I had my way, no individual would be able to accumulate more than 500 million dollars in private wealth. Effectively I would prohibit being a billionaire. Wealth and social justice tax would return all surplus wealth to the economy and the general good. Clever dick lawyers and accountants barred from clever schemes. If any person cannot live on 500 million, then that's their problem. Should this de-incentive-ize them, they are welcome to lie on the beach on their half billion bucks.

Trump says of Kavanaugh, "He is an innocent man who has been treated HORRIBLY," He is really a ...

David1955 comments on Sep 15, 2019:

After Kavanaugh was confirmed I wrote here that history had not finished with this guy, and that enterprising journalists would dig away for some time and come back with new info about him, and indeed I read this week that this is happening now. Whatever the truth about the sexual allegations, he lied under oath about his past, his diary, and his previous work in the Bush Administration. He's got it coming.

Words.

David1955 comments on Sep 15, 2019:

I agree, and I add the use euphemisms, which I loathe. Ethnic cleansing, enhanced interrogation, extraordinary rendition, and stuff like this. The corruption of language is a reflection of corruption of discourse and power.

Sorry sorry sorry!! This arrived a while ago and I am only getting to it today.

David1955 comments on Sep 14, 2019:

Me this week too. I would like to buy a few of those pens. I like it. Congrats.

Trump is facing ‘very unpleasant’ jail sentence in New York after Michael Cohen flipped again: ...

David1955 comments on Sep 12, 2019:

I've heard too many stories over the past two years about how the law is going to catch up with Trump. It never happens. I'm sorry, I just don't believe the law applies to big fish in America. Scapegoats, yes. These things can be dragged out and appealed until nothing happens. Except for scapegoats. I said this during the Mueller Kabuki show. I got criticized, but i was right. Only scapegoats. See if I'm right again. Sorry, but this fantasy that Trump will get his legal just desserts is just that: a fantasy. Only scapegoats. Cohen, Manafort.....Roger the moron what's his face...General Treasonous...etc

At the risk of sounding unpatriotic,.

David1955 comments on Sep 12, 2019:

The big lie I am hearing today is about this foolish nonsense about Trump considering meeting with the Taliban just before the 9/11 remembrance, is the falsehood that the Taliban attacked the US on that day. Lets not forget.... the media cry. Utterly nonsense. The Taliban were and are total religious bastards, but they were not responsible for these attacks. Yes, they allowed Bin Ladin to stay there, but he might have been somewhere else, and the attackers were Saudi and Yemeni. My understanding is that Bin Laden told Mullah Omah just after the attacks and Omah's response was like 'Are you crazy? You're going to bring the Americans down on our heads!' which is exactly what happened. It was the last thing the Taliban wanted. But it was exactly what Bin Laden wanted, and the US blundered in, thoughtlessly. But in the Fake History that the Right now peddles, that war in Afghanistan is equated with preventing another 9/11 attack. And the irony is, if there were another attack, it wouldn't be from the Taliban, who are fighting a nationalist war against what they see as invaders, but from other middle eastern countries that hate the West. What point is mainstream media when all they do is peddle Establishment spin.

Is your carrier doing the right thing by you or ripping you off?

David1955 comments on Sep 9, 2019:

All big companies are bastards. Carriers are big companies. Therefore all carriers are bastards. Everytime I call mine, internode, I say, " nothing personal, you are in support, but your company charges me too much for too slow a speed and I know it and resent it, and it's only because in Australia we get ripped off for everything including this. Now having said that, here is why I'm calling..." At least I get the satisfaction of letting them know we are not all stupid in Australia, just powerless. That's why we need good government regulation and oversight of all essential services and protection of consumers against bastard companies, which is only all of them.

My understanding of the law regarding taking another life is very confused.

David1955 comments on Sep 9, 2019:

If you were at a bar and some guy made you so angry you shoved him and he tripped and hit his head and died, then the difference between manslaughter and first degree murder would feel very real very quickly I suspect.

Next Friday is Friday the 13th AND there's gonna be a full moon.

David1955 comments on Sep 9, 2019:

Dang. I wish I still had a black cat!

Since it's controversial, I'll join in. New profile picture:

David1955 comments on Sep 8, 2019:

This guy is a full-on religious bore, is he not?

Catholics to gather near Vatican next month to pray for Church in her hour of crisis | News | ...

David1955 comments on Sep 7, 2019:

Let's hope their prayers are not answered. I do wish someone would send in a criminal investigation team and some forensic accountants to investigate this church and its activities.

The Case for Sanders/Warren 2020: The Populist Dream Team Ticket to Win A Green New Deal | Common ...

David1955 comments on Sep 7, 2019:

If they can avoid serious rifts, keep to polite differences over policy, and make it genuine, then they can be a formidable team or partnership. But it has to be genuine. People and media will smell it if phoney. And Bernie on top. He led the way. He made it possible for her to be.

Who likes Bill Mahr?

David1955 comments on Sep 5, 2019:

The left have taken up against him, which is a pity. I hate to see the Left turning on each other. There is always going to be a spectrum of opinion, just like in the non religious community. I never miss his show. He's a great atheist brother.

The coming death of just about every rock legend

David1955 comments on Sep 4, 2019:

Yes, and they are not being replaced by new rock legends. Now they are all corporate computer "muzac" creations, leaving little foot print, I suspect. Hank Williams once said you had to have smelt a lot of pig shit If you wanted to sing like a real hillbilly. Well, I suspect it's the same with Rock. The age of great Rock is over, I'd say.

Stupid heartless bastard only cares about himself period!

David1955 comments on Sep 4, 2019:

Increasingly I just see Trump as pathetic and lame. If he weren't President, it wouldn't matter much, but he is. If it weren't for the Republican Party he wouldn't be President.

Community Senate The literal meaning of the word "senate" is Assembly of Elders.

David1955 comments on Sep 4, 2019:

This site is a small oasis for the non-religious, mostly, in an internet of blather. Focus on the positives here, I suggest.

While Trump enjoys golf, former president Jimmy Carter, 92, is building homes for the poor | The ...

David1955 comments on Sep 4, 2019:

While Rome burned, Nero fiddled. Dictators are all the same. :-)

Bernie Receives "Several Standing Ovations" For Powerful Appearance - YouTube

David1955 comments on Sep 4, 2019:

The rest of them pretend to be progressive, claim to present progressive policies, but Bernie is the ONLY one who has the history, the consistency, the record, and the authenticity to make this claim. He's a role model of what the Left should do and hasn't done (in any country) for decades: stake your policies and principles, stand by them, even when the mainstream laughs, keep standing until they stop laughing, and believe in what you stand for, and change the debate and the prevailing orthodoxy.

Remember this- last May MSNBC and every network was happy the judge said they had to show Trumps ...

David1955 comments on Sep 3, 2019:

Remember when they said Mueller had all that info from Cohen? Nothing. Remember when they said Trump's financial guy at Trump Corp had immunity? Nothing. Remember when the Southern District of New York were doing all these big investigations on Trump? Nothing. Remember when they said the best financial crime people were working for Mueller? Nothing Remember when they said General what's his name was singing like a bird to avoid jail? Nothing, Remember when they said there were more legal cases against Trump than most of us have had not dinners? Nothing. Remember.... oh what does it matter. It's always nothing. The US system of legal nothing, except for a few scape goats like Manafort and Cohen. Kabuki and nothing, and the US Ruling Class mainstream media reporting daily on the nothing and making millions. I don't believe any of it anymore. Enough of nothing.

[afr.

David1955 comments on Sep 1, 2019:

Not much point adding a link for which you need an subscription. I'll have to find the story elsewhere. For the record, I believe the ALP should pack up their photos of Hawke and Keating from their HQ and send them to the Liberal Party HQ to hang there. That's where they belong.

US spies say Trump's G7 performance suggests he's either a 'Russian asset' or a 'useful idiot' for ...

David1955 comments on Aug 30, 2019:

Either / or? More like both asset and idiot. I wrote here two years ago that Trump was a Russian asset . "Don't worry, Mr Mueller will get to the bottom of it" came the comments. Right. Well, he couldn't say for sure, apparently. If you don't really look then you won't find something. Now, if Mueller had investigated a Democratic President, well, that might have been different. So, Comrade Donald marches on. Cohen in the slammer. Manafort in the slammer. But Agent Orange marches on. What a Kabuki Show.

Socialism no longer scares people. Has the word lost its power to scaremonger? [twitter.com]

David1955 comments on Aug 30, 2019:

The Left, as I have long said, need to neutralize the power of the Right to wield this word as a weapon by flinging back with assertions about corporate socialism, military socialism, industry socialism, business socialism, and all the other forms of socialism that are acceptable to the Right, namely transfer of resources to things they like, whether useful or justified. People will get to see that the only socialism the Right objects to is socialism for the benefit of the majority of the population who create the damn wealth in the first place through their hard work. I think this is getting through now.

Brace for Impact. Progressives are going to win. [washingtonpost.com]

David1955 comments on Aug 29, 2019:

The question I have is: What dirty tricks, false flags, counter-intel, and /or Special Ops, will the US Ruling Class conjure up, that people will fall for, as they always do, to neutralize the rise of progressive politics in the US? Even if the US R C dislikes Trump, their first and major priority will be to maintain their hegemony, in a "Republic" that passes only slightly for a real democracy. If US people wish for a better deal, then they will have to do more than just vote: they need to mobilize and prepare for the Counter Op their Ruling Class will throw at them.

Those were the days … Once upon a time the was a real culture in Oz … [ro.uow.edu.au]

David1955 comments on Aug 28, 2019:

In these politically correct times, in a new age of political puritanism, yes, forget it. Takes me back.

You are comletely alone in the Universe.

David1955 comments on Aug 26, 2019:

"....So, always look on the bright side of death A-just before you draw your terminal breath Life's a piece of shit When you look at it Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true You'll see it's all a show Keep 'em laughing as you go Just remember that the last laugh is on you..." Mr Idle's got it about right, don't you think?

This afternoon, I was playing games on my computer while overhearing programs about serial killers ...

David1955 comments on Aug 25, 2019:

A further point here that one of the most insidious things about monotheistic religions is that they create a god with rules and commands, punishable by all kinds of terrors, but god itself is immune to its own moral and ethical laws. It can kill and punish with impunity, because god is always "good" no matter what. It has a kind of cosmic diplomatic immunity from all crimes. So then, when god "tells" its celebrants and followers to kill and do violent acts against transgressors, then the immunity flows on to them: god is always good and so are they, no matter what they do. The crimes of religions, cults, god- hearing loonies and all the rest are justified on the basis of this twisted, sick logic. And it stems from a belief in a single, true and always "good" god. Its gotta go!

No one can tell me why I am here in this mystery.

David1955 comments on Aug 25, 2019:

Beautiful fairy tales? According to Christianity god turned up and we tortured and murdered him, because it was good for us. Not much beauty there. Religions are based on violence, repression, fear, guilt and ignorance. Whatever we might make of life and reality, religions offer nothing to help. They're just in the way.

Just finished the DS9 documentary "What We Left Behind".

David1955 comments on Aug 25, 2019:

I never really connected to ST DS9. I think I like dudes in spaceships going out to the universe, not odd types turning up at space stations. One exception: when captain Frisky or whatever his name was, biffed Q in the nose in anger. "Not even Picard did that!," Q retorted. "I'm not Picard," came the reply. I love Q, but he did have it coming. :-)

This afternoon, I was playing games on my computer while overhearing programs about serial killers ...

David1955 comments on Aug 25, 2019:

I agree with you, and a particular grievance for me is the glorification of the Manson Cult and his murderous moronic followers. Between the media and Hollywood they have turned these cowards into dark celebrities, oblivious to the facts and truth about the greater crimes. That's spree killing not serial killing, but the evil is the same. As for God, if there is one, and I totally do not believe there is, it is as oblivious to criminal acts as it is to genocide. When people ask me when I became an atheist I say slightly tongue in cheek that it was in 1969 when I was 14 and God allowed Sharon Tate to be murdered. In fact I have always been non or anti religious, even before then, so not strictly true but I guess I'm making a point.

I would like to make a suggestion that when an Opening Post is made it cannot be deleted after ...

David1955 comments on Aug 24, 2019:

Yes, it's irritating. Agreed.

Just as an fyi, there is NO way 45 can actually DO anything about overturning the 14th Amendment.

David1955 comments on Aug 22, 2019:

Problem is, US institutions have proven to be so weak (and revealed to the world) over the Trump period, I don't think anything is impossible, especially with Trump's enablers, legal and political, who seem determined to bring about white nationalist rule to the US. The insipid Meuller report, after all the huffing and puffing and claims about what a great "institutionalist" he is, was the last straw for me, though I predicted it here months before and was mauled for it. What a Kabuki show your politics is, and poor Kabuki at that. Sad to say.

Well, perhaps there is s god Pell going down! [google.com.au]

David1955 comments on Aug 20, 2019:

I'm just glad that Pell has been neutralized in religion and politics, forever. I recall his debate with Dawkins on that absurd ABC Q and A show back about 5 years ago. It was an embarrassment to have this pompous arrogant ignorant man taken seriously. I cringed watching it. Pell downed is good for his victims and good for the country. Mind you, there are Catholics who believe he was set up and framed by the right-wing in Catholic Rome because he was reforming the church with Pope Frank. Seriously, I've heard them. Preposterous.

Sanders sucks and main stream media isn't biased.

David1955 comments on Aug 18, 2019:

So, corporately owned and self- interested mainstream media skew political coverage towards candidates and issues and debates that serve their agenda and corporate interests. What a shock!

There are no words horrendous

David1955 comments on Aug 15, 2019:

If the US doesn't do something soon about Trump, it will end up with concentration camps. There already are some on your southern border, by all accounts.

Well, I did it! I binge watched both seasons of Star Trek Discovery.

David1955 comments on Aug 15, 2019:

I agree with you on most of that. Anson Mount was an inspired choice. However, bitchy Anthony Rapp in engineering and babbling Tilly what's her face are SO annoying to me, and I can barely stand every scene they are in. If I were a Captain of a Star Ship, and I had a bitchy engineering officer and a babbling member of the Bridge, I'd bust their asses back to the Academy so fast their feet would hardly touch the ground. I'm hoping they will both be sucked into a black hole is season 3. Also, the actor playing Spock is quite good, but I cannot reconcile him with the Spock in the TOS. Just can't.

Jeffrey Epstein's suicide: Don't turn to conspiracy theories - The Washington Post

David1955 comments on Aug 12, 2019:

And the best part is, all those rich powerful people who partied with him, and who may have been implicated, can all sleep soundly tonight. It's all for the best I suppose. :-<

Only atheists.

David1955 comments on Aug 11, 2019:

Good for you. I hope someone comes along. I always like to read fellow atheists who say, no religion, no spiritual mumbo-jumbo, no woo woo; none of it thank you. Best of luck.

Well now, it seems that Prisoner 666, George Pell, convicted Catholic Cardinal and Paedophile is now...

David1955 comments on Aug 11, 2019:

It's alright. It'll come to him from another way of knowing. :-)

Define Cult.... Define Religion.... Describe the differences:

David1955 comments on Aug 8, 2019:

I know I loathe both equally. The Manson cult killed up to 40 people, truth be told. Early Christian cult did the same. Remember Hypatia of Alexandria? Cult: small unpopular religion. Religion: large popular cult.

Sitting minding my own business and debating how long will I put up with the cold before putting the...

David1955 comments on Aug 8, 2019:

Let all unknown calls go to message. I do. Legit callers you can always call back. That's me.

Watching former FBI and Security Specialist on MSNBC says we don't have the tools or the security to...

David1955 comments on Aug 4, 2019:

It sometimes amazes me that some do not see the rise of Trumpism, BREXIT, the resurgence of right wing nationalism in Europe, and other similar events, for being what it is: the most successful counter-intelligence operation mounted since WW2, by Vlad Putin, to undermine the West, NATO, the western liberal-democratic alliances and democracies, in pursuit of 21Century oligarchic authoritarianism. Of course, exposing the US to external and internal threats by undermining security systems is part of that. And worst of all, the enablers of this are parties on the political Right/far Right, the same parties, or fellow-travellers, who banged the drum against "lefties" and "liberals" and "commies" and "socialists" in past decades, and kept themselves in power through such fear. And now this. As a student of history I am flabbergasted.

Why should agnostics/atheists hide this about themselves?

David1955 comments on Aug 3, 2019:

Who's hiding? If I were any more open about my atheism, I'd have it printed on my head. But you're right. Atheists and those of us who have a clear, open attitude on religion, namely, totally rejecting and criticizing it, should boldly state it. That is what is happening now more and more. Sadly, there are equivocators who are half baked in their non religious view, half apologize for it, still have a yen for religion, and can't quite find the confidence to stand up clearly against religion. I'm hoping that will change.

Germany’s Catholic Church lost more than 200,000 members in 2018 - Vatican News

David1955 comments on Aug 1, 2019:

Keep -a-leavin' This way... This way........

@Admin 1.

David1955 comments on Jul 29, 2019:

Yes, this shouldn't have happened, as I noted in an earlier thread. Shoot from the hip actions like this don't enhance the site.

This announcement may bring delight or dismay.

David1955 comments on Jul 29, 2019:

Surely banning here should only occur either after deliberate and repeated inappropriate behavior, or when found out to be engaging in deception, such as creating more than one membership. I would have thought.

Dogs should be banned from stores except for certified, seeing-eye dogs.

David1955 comments on Jul 29, 2019:

Agreed and agreed and agreed and agreed. Dogs should be banned.......(period/ full stop) Yes I'm not a "dog person".

This announcement may bring delight or dismay.

David1955 comments on Jul 28, 2019:

Pity. He could be a bit snarky at times, and it wasn't necessary. Often times though, I found his comments interesting.

Tarentino's new one is a must see. Great cast and riotous ending

David1955 comments on Jul 27, 2019:

I care too much about the real history of this subject. I care too much about the real human being who was Sharon Tate. My loathing of Hollywood is all but complete. Tarrantino's revisionist film making has worn out on me.

Mad at god or don't believe?

David1955 comments on Jul 25, 2019:

I'm mad at the *concept* of god, as it is one of the most dangerous concepts ever invented by humans, responsible for such misery, especially a mono-theistic god which inevitably leads to heretics, factions, rival theologies, and war and death. That does *not* equate to being mad at a god that I somehow secretly believe in. No sir.

@Admin Please tell me the difference between humanist dot com and agnostic dot com.

David1955 comments on Jul 25, 2019:

Don't forget to go to settings and opt out of Humanist.com if you wish, but check from time to time because I have found it can become un-checked, though why I don't know why.

Mueller's Testimony Revealed the Conspiracy-Theory-Driven State of American Politics ...

David1955 comments on Jul 25, 2019:

So now we see the essence of why the Mueller investigation was such a failure: The wrong man was at the helm. Past his prime; his heart not in it; lacking the courage needed to take on a bully and a thug like Trump. The wrong man from a past time in the wrong place. I predicted this a long time ago, and on this site: a few scapegoats, no real action against Trump and his crime Inc... no action on finances. All shipped out to someone else.... nothing, I guarantee you. One can decide if it's because Mueller is such an 'institutionalist' or because Trump and the Republithugs spooked him. I know what I think. Mr. Mueller, for lack of courage or some other reason, failed what would have been the greatest service to his country -- standing up to Trump and his thugs. He most assuredly will have to live with it. The look on his face yesterday shows he already is.

I have a question for the people that are 100% certain that no gods exist. How are you THAT certain?

David1955 comments on Jul 24, 2019:

The problem is in the phrasing of the question. The question is not "why are you 100% certain that no Gods exists?" but "why are you certain that there is *no evidence whatsoever* that Gods exist?" Answer: "Because no one has presented any, ever. Believers always reply on supernatural arguments, and these are not evidence, but assertions and faith-based beliefs. That's why I don't have the same problem that agnostics have with this question. It's not a belief plucked out of the air, but rather a position based on the fact that no evidence exists, to date. Should anyone find such 'evidence' then we would look at it. I'm not holding my breath.

I am not an atheist.

David1955 comments on Jul 17, 2019:

"*Why is it that everyone thinks that agnosticism and atheism are the same thing?*" No, everyone does not think that, or say that. "*I need more information to have an opinion.*" No, you have already expressed an opinion. What you mean is you need more information to make a definitive statement that there is no God.

UK secularism on rise as more than half say they have no religion [theguardian.com]

David1955 comments on Jul 11, 2019:

I congratulate my British cousins for moving in the right direction. I have read before that the actual functional participating Christians in the UK, compared to notional census form Christians, is very low. I think this is true generally speaking in so-called Christian countries. However, Islam is on the rise. That's a worry.

Understanding Unbelief – Understanding Unbelief is a major new research programme aiming to ...

David1955 comments on Jul 11, 2019:

This reminds me how much I like the term "Unbelievers" and wish it had been the name of this site, instead of the more specific Agnostic.com. By the by, I note that the link "Unbelieve.org" to this site has been abandoned. Shame.