Satanists Launch “Devil’s Advocate” Scholarship For People Who Hated School | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Jul 23, 2020:

Can I use it for "independent study" (I sit on the couch reading things and learning, the money pays for a new couch)?

Tucker Carlson Had No Clue How to Respond to This Satanist | Hemant Mehta | Friendly Atheist | ...

Paul4747 comments on Jul 21, 2020:

Hail Satan, baby. The Devil has all the best tunes, anyway.

Tuesday, ‎July ‎07, ‎2020 GOD - as - ENERGY - being One Self - thru U - an – animal ...

Paul4747 comments on Jul 15, 2020:

Holy crap, get a spellchecker. That's not how you spell "minute", or for that matter, "you", "are", "one's", "thereof", or "therein". You're writing, not texting. Save the U and R stuff for your phone. Proper writing would help you get your point across, should you have one. Hail Eris!

Not my research or authorship, but good details.

Paul4747 comments on Jul 12, 2020:

It's not the 1% mortality but the 20% hospitalization that will destroy us, if these figures are correct.

I regard myself as a militant atheist

Paul4747 comments on Jul 12, 2020:

Meaning you're going to go out and fight for atheism?

TED Talk: Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality | Anil Seth

Paul4747 comments on Jul 12, 2020:

I don't know about all that, but most of what we "remember" isn't factual memory. There's no such thing. Memories, from the moment we encode them, are flavored by our perceptions, our biases, our preconceptions, our emotions. And what we recall is further flavored by how we're asked to recount it. For example, Elizabeth Loftus and John Palmer conducted the 1974 Car Crash Experiment (they didn't really crash any cars, don't worry) to evaluate whether wording questions a certain way could influence a participant’s recall by twisting their memories of a specific event. The participants watched slides of a car accident and were asked to describe what had happened as if they were eyewitnesses to the scene. The participants were put into two groups and each group was questioned using different wording such as “how fast was the car driving *at the time of impact*?” versus “how fast was the car going *when it smashed into the other car*?” The experimenters found that the use of different verbs affected the participants’ memories of the accident, showing that memory can be easily distorted. Memory can be easily manipulated by the questioning technique, meaning that information gathered after the event can merge with original memory causing the addition of false details or "confabulation". It's even documented that suspects have confessed to, and worse, *believed they were guilty of, crimes they never committed,* in some cases *Satanic ritual abuse*, because repeated questioning made them doubt their own memories.

Right-Wing Pastor: I Once Went to a Hospital and Healed a Kid’s Broken Pelvis | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Jul 12, 2020:

So... he's a surgeon?

I'm curious, what useful thing have you learned about yourself during this difficult time?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 12, 2020:

That nobody, with one or two exceptions, really wants to know how I'm doing.

Texas Pastor Apologizes For Allowing Hugging At Church After Dozens Contract COVID-19 | HuffPost

Paul4747 comments on Jul 7, 2020:

> Arbaugh appeared to paint the rise in cases in his congregation as inevitable, saying that there was “really nothing that we could do to keep this from happening.” So, nothing at all? Not social distancing, not mandatory masks, not even staying home and having your services remotely- nothing at all? It was like gravity, the virus was something that was going to fall fom the sky and land on you, you* could not* avoid it? That means he didn't really accept any blame at all, doesn't it?

Washington businesses now required to turn away customers without face masks.

Paul4747 comments on Jul 7, 2020:

> "We cannot ask people if they have a disability," a manager said What disability prevents people from wearing a face mask? It's absolutely startling how many 20-something year old prisoners I supervise that have developed asthma within the last 3 months, or at least claim to have, and therefore say they can't wear a piece of cloth over their face. But they can somehow play basketball. The courage they have, for not letting their asthma slow them down from participating in an active, healthy lifestyle. <sarcasm mode>

Eight Big Reasons Critical Race Theory Is Terrible for Dealing with Racism - New Discourses

Paul4747 comments on Jul 7, 2020:

Having only this one article to go by, I would be disturbed if this is the philosophy behind CRT; that absolutely every interaction I have has to be addressed from the perspective that I, everyone else, and all of society, am inherently racist, and that there is no such thing as objective knowledge. I plan to research further into this. Right now, I don't take any side in the debate because I don't accept a single source (and a non-primary source, at that) as good enough basis for an opinion.

FOURTEEN failed rapture predictions in 3 MONTHS (1 of 3: Predictions 1-4)

Paul4747 comments on Jul 4, 2020:

On the other hand, Trump is about as far away from Jesus as I can think of in terms of world leaders, so,... we do have the Anti-Christ on the scene.... Too bad all the Evangelicals are excited about him for the wrong reasons, then.

FOURTEEN failed rapture predictions in 3 MONTHS (1 of 3: Predictions 1-4)

Paul4747 comments on Jul 4, 2020:

Where can I get a face mask like that?

Happy Fourth of July?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 4, 2020:

It was fair for its time. Judging the language by our standards is missing the point; their ideas truly were revolutionary.

"Religion is a practice that counterbalances our animal instincts for the purpose of accommodating ...

Paul4747 comments on Jul 1, 2020:

Let me work on that for a minute: "*Civilization* is a set of practices that counterbalance our animal instincts for the purpose of accommodating *our fellow human beings*." I prefer this version, since religion in general (and especially in its earliest forms) merely codifies tribal taboos and boundaries, declares all outside the tribe/religion anathema, designates them enemies in this life and consigns them all to the circles of Hell in the afterlife. Religion is an artifact of mankind's childhood, and now it has as much use in maintaining our civilization as Lego blocks have for building a skyscraper. (Some readers may get the sense that I'm totally dismissive of religion. To any who feel that I think of religion as a collection of childhood myths with no relevance whatsoever to our modern, multicultural, scientific world, indeed, who may think I find religions a positive hindrance to those who believe in its fairy tales from millenia ago as they seek to navigate the technological landscape of the 21st century; I can only say that this is a vile accuracy, and I apologize if this impression has come across.)

The following is part 1 of a 3 part series: "Understanding Donald Trump, Part I" I do not know...

Paul4747 comments on Jul 1, 2020:

"Malignant narcissist" pretty much sums it up. What Trump cares about, indeed, is winning. More importantly, he perceives the world in strictly economic terms. Everything is a zero-sum transaction. It's impossible for both parties to win. For one side to win, the other has to lose. There's nothing else to it. Therefore, it's impossible to negotiate a compromise where both sides give a little and get a little; because then, everybody would win something. That's not the way Trump's world works. He sees the world in monetary terms. If America is spending money to base troops in other nations, those nations should be paying us protection money. He can't or won't understand that by assisting friendly nations, we maintain world peace and defend ourselves. Finally, Trump's view of reality precludes the possibility that he might ever be wrong. When the facts prove him wrong, he doubles down on the errors. Not a "slip of the tongue", as in Biden saying "millions" instead of "thousands" which he then corrected right away, but huge factual errors, like the idea that imposing tariffs makes foreign nations pay the US. (It doesn't- it makes Americans pay extra to import goods, something any middle school student should know.) Or the idea that our NATO allies are somehow "in arrears" to us because they spend a lower portion of their GDP on their military. And he repeats these ideas over and over, even after being corrected by professionals. As a former aide said: "It's not in his DNA to apologize or admit he's wrong."

Everyone in the pool, now!!

Paul4747 comments on Jul 1, 2020:

okie dokie

How many times a day do you receive a comment from someone that starts with "I know you don't ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 30, 2020:

I have to admit, just about never. Am I running with the wrong crowd?

Catholic Bishop Will Spray Holy Water from Helicopter Over City to Defeat Devil | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 29, 2020:

Definitely not a new idea, Sny, the article is from 2019.

Wet clothing

Paul4747 comments on Jun 29, 2020:

Stretching the definition of "clothing" a bit, aren't we?

Someday, hopefully sooner than later.

Paul4747 comments on Jun 29, 2020:

Needs a toilet paper roller too.

Did someone say anal?....

Paul4747 comments on Jun 29, 2020:

There's your problem, it's a "Nerf" gun.

America is drunk on a warped idea of freedom, and now it's killing people.

Paul4747 comments on Jun 28, 2020:

What the.... “Who made you perpetrators over my life?” What does that even mean? Sounds like she caught the Covfefe virus.

Very grateful to have had agnostic.

Paul4747 comments on Jun 28, 2020:

Terrific for you!! (Don't tell anybody, but I had my second date last weekend with someone that I met on another site, after virtual dating for 4 months. It's going very very well.) (Oops... just told everybody....)

'Window is closing' for US to get coronavirus under control, Trump's HHS secretary warns

Paul4747 comments on Jun 28, 2020:

"Azar denied that reopening too quickly was tied to the rise in cases, but instead "inappropriate individual behavior" that has enabled the spread of the virus. "That's not so much about what the law says on the reopening as what our behaviors are within that," he told Tapper." Thus winning the 2020 "Fine Line Award". Look. If you reopen bars after a 4 month hiatus, *people are going to crowd into those bars*. Anyone who understands human behavior could see this coming. If you reopen the beaches in Miami Dade County, what the hell did you think was going to happen? Preaching "individual responsibility" in this situation means you get millions of irresponsible individuals all saying, "I'm doing the right thing, it's those *other* 500 idiots coming to the bar tonight! They're the ones to blame!"

I don't know if all Christians are Karens but it seems all Karens are Christian.

Paul4747 comments on Jun 28, 2020:

Aren't most Karen Buddhist? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_people#Religion

What to Do When You Need to Use a Public Bathroom During a Pandemic

Paul4747 comments on Jun 26, 2020:

Good luck finding an open one in a store. (Has someone said this already?)

So what do you think would be the best way to wake her up?

Paul4747 comments on Jun 26, 2020:

A kiss, naturally.

Answer to Why don’t atheists have the guts to mock Islam?

Paul4747 comments on Jun 21, 2020:

It takes more "guts" to be polite to everyone equally. Pointing out the inhumanity practiced by all religions is quite sufficient.

I’m struggling with the statement people make when they say they are Free Thinkers, Critical ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 21, 2020:

I think I'm quoting W. C. Fields here: "The only remedy for a spirited woman is spirited drink."

The Ominous Threat to a Post-Trump America: White Supremacy

Paul4747 comments on Jun 18, 2020:

Perhaps the most incisive part of the essay (emphasis in the original): "Let us assume that political scientists and pundits are correct when they claim that the majority of Americans vote on economics — primarily “pocketbook issues” like jobs and taxes. Since Jimmy Carter was elected President in 1976 — that’s 44 years, folks — the Democratic Party has been advocating major spending on infrastructure, almost along the lines of FDR-style “New Deal” programs. In the 12 years since the financial crisis — a period when the country desperately needed to create millions of jobs (on top of what emerged through the too small stimulus program) — the Republican Party had first obstructed Obama’s desire for more spending on infrastructure, preventing a jobs boom in the industries where most middle- and working-class folks ply their trades. Then in 2017 they gave corporations and American oligarchs a $1.5 trillion tax cut. **Where is the frustrated Trump supporter’s outrage about that?** When George W. Bush was President, massive tax cuts for the wealthy and tax loopholes for corporations became law, increasing income disparity and causing more shrinkage of the middle class. **Where is the frustrated Trump supporter’s outrage about that?** When the Neo-Cons and mainstream Republicans in the Bush administration pushed America into a devastating war in Iraq based on lies and deceit (that many Democrats like Clinton went along with, lest they be branded “traitors” ), the cost was losing the lives of thousands of young people — mainly from working class families — and trillions of dollars that could have been spent on infrastructure, education, health care, and the social safety net. **Where is the frustrated Trump’s supporters outrage about that?** When it was clear that a pandemic was upon us this past January and February, Donald Trump played golf and claimed the disease would all go away like magic. The upshot at this point? Almost 125,000 dead Americans and climbing, and the worst financial crisis since The Great Depression. **Where is the frustrated Trump’s supporters’ outrage about that?**" So, clearly, the pundits are *wrong* in thinking the majority vote in their own economic self-interest, as I've come to realize over the last several decades. People follow a political party for the same reason they follow a religion or a sports team; for emotional and cultural reasons, because their family or friends follow it, because it appeals to them on a gut level. Complicated explanations of the changing world economic picture don't reach people's guts. Giving them *someone to blame* does.

Franklin Graham on Supreme Court’s LGBTQ Ruling: “My Rights Should Be Protected” | Beth ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 18, 2020:

Right wing Xians, like ultra-Orthodox Jews, see themselves in tribal terms. Whatever anyone else gets, takes away from their tribe. Hence, no two-state solution in the Middle East, because it takes somethng away from the Hebrew tribe, and no equal rights for anyone who's not a right-wing Xian, because it takes away from their supposed cultural dominance. In Graham's mental world, it still looks like an episode of *Leave it To Beaver.* Stay-at-home mothers, happy white kids, and definitely no minorities or LGBTQ people in sight.

Today's hike: Searching for Lady Slippers, we found a couple having sex.

Paul4747 comments on Jun 18, 2020:

Good for them. Although, aren't we all supposed to be maintaining social distance, still? (I'm a fine one to talk. I made out in the park the other weekend and we have a second date coming up.)

‘Defund the Police’ Is a Bad Slogan, but Some Aspects Are Worth Considering | Cato Institute

Paul4747 comments on Jun 17, 2020:

If, by "defund the police", you mean get rid of the paramilitary equipment that everyone accumulated after 9-11 when they were expecting Al Qaeda to show up and attack the grade school, then yes. But I get the sense that some of those waving the placards actually believe that there should be *no* police department, *period*; that the police are *actively evil*, and without them, crime would also magically disappear.

MAGA Cultist Bill Mitchell: Systemic Racism is a “Fantasy Created by the Media” | Hemant Mehta |...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 17, 2020:

Oh, *yeah*, I mean, it's so great having double the poverty rate, 1/10 the median wealth, not to mention making up 33% of the prison population (according to the latest Pew Research Center study), even though blacks are only 12% of the population overall (and tend to get longer sentences for the same crimes!). Where can I get me some of that? (On a related topic, can we get a "satire" font around here? Because I clearly don't agree that any of those things are great, nor do I want any of that for anybody. I'm satirizing Bill Mitchell's views that "if anything, minorities have it so much better than white people".) (We return you now to your regularly scheduled reading.)

Gravity here guys

Paul4747 comments on Jun 16, 2020:

Reminds me of that old Darwin Awards story... "I am writing in response to your request for additional information, for block number 3 of the accident reporting form. I put 'poor planning' as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust the following detail will be sufficient. I am an amateur radio operator and on the day of the accident, I was working alone on the top section of my new 80-foot tower. When I had completed my work, I discovered that I had, over the course of several trips up the tower, brought up about 300 pounds of tools and spare hardware. Rather than carry the now unneeded tools and material down by hand, I decided to lower the items down in a small barrel by using the pulley attached to the gin pole at the top of the tower. Securing the rope at ground level, I went to the top of the tower and loaded the tools and material into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the 300 pounds of tools." "You will note in block number 11 of the accident reporting form that I weigh only 155 pounds." "Due to my surprise of being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate of speed up the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming down. This explains my fractured skull and broken collarbone. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold onto the rope in spite of my pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of tools hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel." "Devoid of the weight of the tools, the barrel now weighed approximately 20 pounds. I refer you again to my weight in block number 11. As you might imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the tower. In the vicinity of the 40-foot level, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, and the lacerations of my legs and lower body. The encounter with the barrel slowed me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell onto the pile of tools and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked." "I am sorry to report, however, that as I lay there on the tools, in pain, unable to stand and watching the empty barrel 80 feet above me, I again lost my presence of mind, and let go of the rope..."

Trump Says He Gave Out 1 Million Tickets To His Tulsa Rally. That Means 980,801 Fans Won’t Fit.

Paul4747 comments on Jun 16, 2020:

More of his long history of boasting about his rally attendance. The Post Fact Checker and others have thoroughly debunked his claims about "tens of thousands" left standing outside, trying futilely to get in, when pictures taken by reporters and Twitter users during his rallies show maybe a few thousand people and sometimes nobody outside. He also routinely lies about the audience sizes, claiming to have packed an arena with thousands more than it can hold. This is also something easily checked by asking the venue owners, the police, and the fire marshals who are actually in charge of attendance and public safety. Then again, public safety is something we know takes a back seat to the Donald's ego.

I will bring a cake. Just in case !

Paul4747 comments on Jun 16, 2020:

I've long proposed a holiday on June 25, for those who don't enjoy all that sappy music and reindeer and so forth. The Anti-Christmas, if you like.

Are you a music lover?

Paul4747 comments on Jun 16, 2020:

Prefer Pat Benatar, though... :D

Even conservative SCJ Gorsuch voted against Trump's attempt to further discriminate against LGBTQ ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 15, 2020:

Text of the ruling here https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/supreme-court-ruling-on-lgbtq-worker-protections/397f6a41-fa68-420f-bf5e-e80401595ed7/?itid=lk_interstitial_manual_4=lk_interstitial_manual_8

Even conservative SCJ Gorsuch voted against Trump's attempt to further discriminate against LGBTQ ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 15, 2020:

Another article at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-says-gay-transgender-workers-are-protected-by-federal-law-forbidding-discrimination-on-the-basis-of-sex/2020/06/15/2211d5a4-655b-11ea-acca-80c22bbee96f_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_post_most=email=newsletter=nl_most

Pastor: Go to Church, As It’s “a Foretaste of Heaven” and We’ll Convert Atheists | Terry ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 10, 2020:

I seem to recall church was an hour or so of dozing gently on an uncomfortable bench, with my ex nudging me when it was time to stand up and sing. I don't know as I would want to go to heaven if that were what it was like. Usually had a chicken dinner afterwards, though. I would be down for visiting the Heaven of Chicken Dinners now and then.

Stolen from my friend on Facebook Blaming all cops for the thuggish and murderous behavior of a ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 9, 2020:

Thinking of anyone as a fungible group, where all the members are identical and indistinguishable, leads to prejudiced thinking. There's a street or gang code "1312", which stands for "ACAB"; "All Cops Are Bastards". Certainly *some* cops are bastards. Others, I believe the great majority, are decent and hard-working. Those who say "the good cops are complicit if they don't report the bad cops", well, for one thing, this is why we have body cams and dash cams; to protect everyone. And even these recordings aren't always clear as to what an officer experiences in the heat of the moment. Second, it takes a lot to stand up and call someone out for internal discipline. I've done it; I've felt ostracized for it, even though the officers involved were a hazard not only to the prisoners but to fellow staff. And there has to be something tangible to report. Anyone can report an incident of excessive force, but there has to be evidence. Attitudes can't be reported for internal discipline. You can report discriminatory harassment and language, but it will be simply hearsay unless so many people report that there's a clear pattern. You can't really report "This officer is a racist". Summing up my point: Anyone who's been in this situation knows it's extremely hard to be the first to speak up, but very easy to chime in after the fact and say "Someone should have done something."

1. Been there, done that 2. Cool bug 3. Probability is there.

Paul4747 comments on Jun 9, 2020:

#2: the 17th Generation Batmobile

Oh, that generation!

Paul4747 comments on Jun 9, 2020:

I don't care what *anybody* says; life was better before everybody had a damn cell phone.

I live in a very conservative Christian southern state and if I happen to be going through a ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 7, 2020:

It won't help, I know, but I recall Mayor Daley's old quote: "'Together we must rise to ever higher and higher platitudes…"

If I ask "Do god(s)s exist?

Paul4747 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

I think I speak for most when I say: ***YOU DON'T GET TO LABEL OTHER PEOPLE.*** (Corrected.)

Let's give religion a break just for a moment.

Paul4747 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

I got a lot of laughs from the religious people who tried to convince me that evolution and science were all fables concocted by those liberal scientists...

What would it be like if the whole world became an atheist?

Paul4747 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

We would have to fight wars over resources and territory only, politicians wouldn't have "God's will" to invoke. It would be a more honest world in that respect.

something a bit perplexing about the christian god.

Paul4747 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

The funny thing is, early Judaism had no concept of Hell. They borrowed it later from the Greeks. It wasn't until around the book of Daniel that an afterlife is mentioned. And the Hebrew hells (there were between 7 and 13) were more like purgatories or waiting rooms, where you could get right with God and then still end up in heaven. It was the Christians (after Augustine) who devised the idea of Hell as a lake of fire and so on, where eternal punishment is dished out for minor flaws. Frikkin Christians.

😌 White girls are pretty too 😘😘

Paul4747 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

Well... aren't all girls?

😱 Holy niplets Batman! Aint she perfectly wonderful?!

Paul4747 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

Very uplifting

How many of you found the christian straight jacket view of sex turned you off and enticed you away ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

I had a 9 year, on & off affair with my neighbor's wife in my long-ago youth. They were Jehovah's Witnesses both. She certainly didn't let religion get in the way of her sex life. Lady was a *freak*, in the best possible way. (As for me, at the time I was just a more or less Gnostic Christian, I didn't believe any of it literally but I read it for mythological or mystical meaning, like Joseph Campbell wrote about.)

Texas GOP Leader: George Floyd’s Murder Was “Staged” to Create “Racial Tensions” | Hemant...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 6, 2020:

Where to start? "This supposed officer is now missing from his home, nowhere to be found"- maybe if someone checked the county jail, since he's under arrest for murder? "The smell of MK Ultra activation..." so a long-dead CIA program was not, as we thought, intended to program people to spy and assassinate in other nations, but instead to commit felony murder of random people on camera? "... with the purpose of... driving a wedge in the growing group of anti deep state sentiment"- how was that supposed to work, exactly, since racial tensions tend to drive the "anti-'deep state'" crowd closer together anyway? Does she think there was some sudden, sweeping movement nationwide to get rid of the "deep state"? (Which isn't a thing anyway, it's just a far-right name for "professional bureaucrats who know how to run the government") "Something is just not adding up" in this woman's mind. 2+2 is coming out as 17.

So - for those of you, like myself, who wouldn't mind finding a partner, it seems yet more ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 5, 2020:

I don't have a list of qualifications for a partner. I just know when someone clicks. As Justice Potter Stewart said when talking about how he knew obscenity, "I know it when I see it."

I’ve been studying the Tao Te ching for over a year now.

Paul4747 comments on Jun 5, 2020:

The Tao which can be perceived is not the true Tao.

Yale Epidemiologist: Hydroxychloroquine Should Be 'Widely Available And Promoted Immediately' As ...

Paul4747 comments on Jun 3, 2020:

Then he disagrees with the studies I've read about (but don't have time to dig up the links to right now), which were actually discontinued because of patients dying from side effects. And this was in a medical setting.

MINNEAPOLIS on fire [powerlineblog.

Paul4747 comments on May 29, 2020:

It was clear-cut and the officer primarily at fault has been charged with 3rd degree murder as of today. Investigation is still underway on charges for the other three, but I would expect some type of involuntary manslaughter/ contributory negligence at the very least. All were out of a job almost immediately. I approve fully.

Angry Young Preacher: The Bible Says Gay People Should Be Executed (Humanely) | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on May 29, 2020:

It also says you shouldn't use crop rotation. Or pick up a stick on the Sabbath. Or come near a woman during her period (so, do you go around asking every woman, just so you can know who to avoid? Awkward.....). That book says a lot of damnfool stuff, with just an occasional pearl. That's why I regard it as classic literature and mythology, not a guide to living.

John Pavlovitz argues that "Prolific Racism Needs Complicit White People.

Paul4747 comments on May 29, 2020:

Know what? "Ism" doesn't kill people. "Ists" do. It's not about color, it's about power. Those who feel threatened that they're going to lose power act out of fear. People hate what they fear. And the flip side is that those who want power hate those who have it. I've read the most sickening rants from both sides of the line, and they're identical: "we" are the natural-born rulers and "we" are entitled to do anything to get what we want, because "they" are robbing "us" (or did rob us) of what we're entitled to. Don't kid yourself that racism is the exclusive property of white people. It's neo-Nazis and the Nation of Islam, the KKK and the MSTA. There's plenty to go around. And all of them are about who has the power, and who wants the power, and how can we get the power. I am fully prepared for the flaming I know I'm going to get now. But it's the truth.

How did you, or do you react to these 2 photos, and the stories behind them?

Paul4747 comments on May 27, 2020:

I'm devoted to an orderly justice system. I don't know who trained these yabos but it wasn't the same people who trained me. I would be on stop order from my department if I came close to putting a knee anywhere near anyone's neck. First, of course, the tragedy of someone losing their life; then the fact that it was lost to reckless stupidity and apparently untrained police officers who don't know what any 6-month Academy graduate should know. If you take someone to the ground to put them in restraints (number one, you need a good reason to do so, like being physically resisted), the only acceptable way to apply leverage is a knee on the shoulder or the back. Then you stand said individual up. You do NOT, repeat **do not** leave them pinned to the ground or floor. There are multiple officers in these pictures. They have police vehicles. You stand the person up and put him in the back seat. **PERIOD.** That's it. Even if you don't have a car, you stand them up and wait. You're the police. You're automatically in charge of the situation. You don't assert that with a knee in the neck, for fuck sake. I saw this last night and was beyond words. I'm still into "tranquil fury" over it. They don't deserve their uniforms. The fact of this incident tells me they've been conducting themselves like this for a long time now and it just chose this week to go south on them. These guys give a black eye to actual law enforcement professionals everywhere, including me. I and my partners will be second-guessed and Monday-morning-quarterbacked even more than we are now, in the very rare event of having to use force. This is the last thing we need in a prison where 1/4 of the population is positive for COVID. We have enough problems, and now this news.

With or without religion

Paul4747 comments on May 27, 2020:

If I suddenly had this running in my head, it's your thread question's fault: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujNeHIo7oTE

On a serious note .

Paul4747 comments on May 27, 2020:

Well I'll just fuck off, then. :D

Another Christian bites the dust! Frontman of Christian rock band reveals he no longer believes ...

Paul4747 comments on May 27, 2020:

On the one hand,.... I mean, it's good when someone frees themselves of an illusion. I'm glad he seems at peace with it. On the other, I'm sorry he went through such an obviously difficult road to get there. Having been so prominent in Xian circles clearly only made it harder for him. Good thing he had friends and family supporting him on the way. I don't see this as an occasion for doing high-fives, just a quiet reflection and hope that it will help others in the same situation.

What phrases do you only hear in the Midwest?

Paul4747 comments on May 26, 2020:

Greetings from Michigan! Let me buy you a pop! (Everywhere else, I believe, it's called "soda")

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

Paul4747 comments on May 23, 2020:

I smell Discovery Channel documentary. "JESUS: The Man, The Minister, The Myth"

The Rise of the American Idiot

Paul4747 comments on May 23, 2020:

Which Democrats are voting against health care, retirement, and education? Yes, anyone can pick apart the voting records of any person on Capitol Hill and find some bill they've voted against, and say "A-HA!!! You voted against health care!" etc... because it's a favorite strategy to load a bill with so many unfavorable provisions that one can't vote for it without betraying one's own side. Example- it was Democrats who originally proposed a Department of Homeland Security after 9/11, and who were then maneuvered into voting against it by the withdrawing of Civil Service protections for its employees; so they faced a choice between being "unpatriotic" or betraying one of their core constituencies, career civil servants. Second- if any school, *anywhere, *is conducting drills by having "masked men burst in, pretend to shoot little kids, and they have to pretend to die", *they're doing it wrong.* So, so wrong. I'm not sure where Umair Haque gets this from, but the school drills in my state consist of locking the building down and having everyone shelter in place, very reminiscent of the 1950s bomb drills. And we're hearing that these are going to be discontinued because they create so much disruption and stress for children, and really serve less purpose than just training the staff in how to respond. Nobody thinks school shootings are "normal". They aren't "daily", or even "weekly" or "monthly". And they may be less frequent than you think. In a CNN article on school shootings, their definition included accidental discharge of a firearm and even injuries sustained from BB guns. Even one is far too many. But let's not imagine that there's a daily rampage of shootings in American schools. It is far more- *vastly* more- the exception than the norm. And it's certainly no reason to characterize America as "ultraviolent". The fact that we're still shocked by these incidents speaks for itself. But we're founded on a Constitution of individual rights as well as responsibilities, and these must be balanced. We're not there yet. The responsibility side needs one or two weights dropped on it. I would be happy to see more stringent background checks, harsher penalties for violating the regulations around selling and buying guns, and stricter enforcement of the laws we already have, along with something mentioned about "open carry of long guns". But I would also be happy to remind everyone that *by far the vast majority* of gun owners never commit a crime, not even speeding, and are aware of the awesome burden that goes with ownership. Please don't lump us in with those militia idiots who go around with M-4geries on their shoulders "because it's their right". They give us all a bad name.

COVID-19 pandemic myths are spreading faster than the virus. But Why?

Paul4747 comments on May 22, 2020:

Never underestimate raw, undiluted gullibility and its close cousin, stupidity. I've often thought that if we could harness these as a power source, we could do away with fossil fuels for all time.

Christian TV Host Rick Wiles: “We Are Going to Impose Christian Rule in this Country”

Paul4747 comments on May 22, 2020:

Your history teacher taught you a very biased view. The Pilgrims, etc., came for *their own* religious freedom, but also rigidly imposed their own sectarian practices as the only ones allowed. In Plymouth colony, "freedom of religion" was merely freedom from the Church of England.

Texas Mayor Claims His Religious Beliefs Bar Women From Leading Public Prayer

Paul4747 comments on May 22, 2020:

Is it just me who thinks he looks a lot like Attorney General William Barr?

Ga.

Paul4747 comments on May 19, 2020:

They could have seen this coming....

Guns - such an inflamatory subject for Americans and when I read the events that @literatehiker ...

Paul4747 comments on May 18, 2020:

Gun owners in America are also extremely law abiding. Please realize that gun crime in America is a fraction of a percent of gun ownership in America. However, there is a *substantially* greater number of gun owners in America than (I venture to say) any other Western nation, and most Eastern/Pacific nations as well. Your quote: "We have almost zero crime from registered gun owners, although there is some from criminals who have obtained illegal guns and the penalties for owning an unregistered gun are extremely severe. Similar conditions on gun ownership exist in many other countries;" can apply to my country as well. Penalties vary from state to state, but in Michigan, anyone who has a felony record can't own a gun, period, and will go to prison for 2 years if they're convicted of possession. Automatically, no parole. But with the greater number of legal firearms comes a higher possibility of criminals stealing guns. It's a fact of life. And it's a tired cliche that if you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns, but it's true. Criminals don't obey the law *by definition*. So I'm troubled when laws change and make law-abiding gun owners choose between giving up what was legal yesterday, or becoming criminals. I'm also troubled when I read, for instance, "Self defence is NOT considered a reason." So, a battered wife is expected to use a frying pan against her estranged spouse? There are legitimate instances when a gun is the only thing that stands between life and death for someone. Your conclusion, " Gun owners in countries other than America are necessarily more law abiding," is unwarranted, to say the least. You're labouring under the stereotype that American gun owners think they're in the Wild West (or possibly Miami Vice), and have a high-cap 9mm strapped to their hip, just looking for an excuse to throw down with someone. This is far from the case. Thanks for reading (I hope).

If Eric Trump really believed this, he wouldn't have done the interview from the safety of his home.

Paul4747 comments on May 18, 2020:

This is basically *THE ONLY* way the Republicans can win; lie about real life, smear the opposition, lie about the opposition, and try to distract from their own record. One of the Trump sons posted a meme accusing Biden of being a pedophile. Then there's "Obamagate", where the FBI somehow entrapped Flynn into lying about his Russian contacts by cunningly asking him some questions. All Obama's fault, of course- I mean, people are *expected* to lie to the FBI, right? And it was Obama's administration when the intelligence services monitored some suspicious, off the books contacts between an American general and a Russian diplomat; obviously all a setup.

Slut-shamed by a woman because I don't like Bernie Sanders. Your thoughts?

Paul4747 comments on May 18, 2020:

I was taken aback and confused when I read this, and I had to go back through some recent threads until I found the quote in question, which I just debated a long long time about noting here, only so others would know what the hell was going on. I won the debate and since I don't want to cause you any more offense, even at third hand, it remains unquoted. I also won't link the thread since that would probably be considered "naming & shaming", which in itself would violate the standards on my part (I think). Suffice it to say the quote was an utter non sequitur and had nothing to do with the topic at hand; it was an explicit threat to open up the conversation to your personal life, which has no bearing on your political opinions. Nor does anyone's. I don't blame you for not wanting to hear any more from this person for a while. She wearies me too, from time to time. ("Morally superior" people have that effect on me.)

Does being an agnostic mean that you’re on the wall or you lack acceptance?

Paul4747 comments on May 16, 2020:

There's no way to *know* god (or gods, or goddess- whatever) exists. Likewise, there's no way to *know* it doesn't exist. Hence, agnosticism ("no knowledge") is the only logical choice. It's not a refusal to decide, it's acceptance that neither side has made a case. However, pending any rational proof of the existence of god (etc.), I don't believe in one, hence, I'm an atheist. If evidence came to light, and withstood objective testing by unbiased outside observers (better yet, by a biased observer- someone who wants to prove it wrong), then I would be forced to become a theist and believe that whatever had been proven to exist, is God. But it wouldn't mean a damn thing to me from day to day. It hasn't up to now.

"Naked and Afraid in the Supermarket." Hilarious!

Paul4747 comments on May 16, 2020:

I've been living on takeout, but it's because I'm lazy. COVID has enabled my lazy ass to stay home. Until I run out of coffee filters.

What are you doing during isolation?

Paul4747 comments on May 14, 2020:

There's no level on which this is not deeply, deeply wrong.

What are your thoughts about the "God of Gaps"?

Paul4747 comments on May 13, 2020:

In addition to the comments below, I'll mention that this is an argument of moving goalposts. Every time science explains something in one of the so-called "gaps", religionists will then point to the newly created margins on each side of the explanation and say, "A-ha! There are now TWO gaps which science can't explain!" Rather than see that knowledge has been increased, they focus on what we don't know.

"All you have to do is look around you and see the beauty of god's creation!" It's like you've ...

Paul4747 comments on May 11, 2020:

How about having a centipede charge across the floor at you around 3 a.m. when you're trying to enjoy a little peace and quiet on the toilet? It's enough to make you wonder if you're having a nightmare.

In Search of God’s Perfect Proofs

Paul4747 comments on May 11, 2020:

I believe Ryan Reynolds is God's Perfect Idiot, if that's any help.

Believers advise me that if I require evidence for God, I must first trust in God by accepting his ...

Paul4747 comments on May 11, 2020:

From one Paul to another, I agree with you completely on this point.

Oregon Churches Sue Governor, Claiming Social Distancing “Trampled” Their Rights | Val Wilde | ...

Paul4747 comments on May 9, 2020:

Yes, Christians, being the majority, are often persecuted. (By their definition anyway.)

What is your favorite Native legend?

Paul4747 comments on May 8, 2020:

Not a legend per se, but I recall Joseph Campbell telling the story of a Navajo sand painter who was showing some of his work for a group of anthropologists. One of them realized that he wasn't finishing the paintings and asked him if he would complete just one, for instance, the one he was doing at that moment. Now, sand paintings are magic. So he laughed and replied, "If I finish this painting, in the morning half the women in the county will be pregnant when they wake up."

What is the DUMBEST Thing Trump has Said?

Paul4747 comments on May 8, 2020:

You left out his nomination speech at the RNC convention, when he declared, “No one knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-i-alone-can-fix-it_b_11128366 It became almost immediately clear that he knew nothing whatsoever about the system, and it was all empty boasting, like everything else in his life. Otherwise, it's such a tough choice. Maybe (H ) all of the above?

"What are we doing this for?": Doctors are fed-up with conspiracies ravinging ERs

Paul4747 comments on May 7, 2020:

I realize some people have reasons to be on FB, but this is a perfect example of why I'm not. One of my best friends is an ICU nurse in Alabama, and she knows damn well this is happening. The contract nurses I work with in the DOC know damn well. Every health care professional knows. Are people disappointed by the lack of bodies in the streets? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU0d8kpybVg

φ Isn't she sweet...

Paul4747 comments on May 6, 2020:

Peekaboo

Fine looking woman, and the tattoo work is excellent (except for the script - hate that) - Alt-Sexy

Paul4747 comments on May 6, 2020:

I normally wouldn't comment, but just for the record; one tattoo: great; a few tattoos: it depends; tattoos all over the place: just my opinion, but it's a ridiculous way to hide a beautiful skin. I now return to my policy of keeping my opinion to myself on this subject.

Foster's Wisdom is Wise

Paul4747 comments on May 6, 2020:

Let me know how that works for you.

First it was Aussie fires, then COVID shutdown, then Murder Hornets and now just as you are getting ...

Paul4747 comments on May 6, 2020:

Ah yes, the dreaded Sharktabird

New report finds nonreligious people face stigma and discrimination

Paul4747 comments on May 6, 2020:

Meh. When people start throwing out religious talk, I let them know I don't believe in it. If they don't feel obligated to keep their religion private, I don't feel obligated to keep atheism private. Maybe they'll shut up around me once they know.

Safety versus freedom. Make of that what you will. Any thoughts?

Paul4747 comments on May 6, 2020:

That's a nice strawman you've set up. Before you go invoking the ghost of Thomas Paine again: Everyone trades off freedom for safety, every day of their lives. Why do you stop at a stop sign? That's an inhibition on your freedom. Why only drive on one side of the road? But without those agreed-upon restrictions that we call "laws", the number of traffic deaths might go from 40,000 a year to 400,000. Or 4 million. Now, if you want to live in the world of *The Road Warrior*, that may sound okay to you, but I prefer not to. There is no absolute freedom. We balance our freedom against everyone else's. Right now, everyone else's freedom* from* the risk of infection outweighs your freedom* to *walk around a store without a mask, breathe on people, go to the beach, or... whatever your gripe is. I'm a libertarian, but right now, I support social distancing, because I'm not a damn fool.

Opening America now is ludicrous.

Paul4747 comments on May 5, 2020:

I'm sorry, I overlooked the word "Opening" when I saw this post in my feed. I read, "Just posted 'America now is ludicrous'". 🤔

Tuesday Morning fire!

Paul4747 comments on May 5, 2020:

A little cosplay anyone? I'll be Bruce Banner....

Natalie Dormer!

Paul4747 comments on May 5, 2020:

Game of Nudes, no, wait, that's not it.....

Ok so I'm not sure how many parts of the country are getting it but the My Pillow guy is hawking ...

Paul4747 comments on May 5, 2020:

I'm reasonably sure Dawkins addressed this line of argument much more comprehensively than ever I could. It's in *The God Delusion*. I won't try to replicate the elegance of his explanations here, my clumsiness would tarnish them utterly.

Republican group rolls out a brutal anti-Trump ad. Love it!

Paul4747 comments on May 5, 2020:

And he's apparently already had a meltdown over it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/05/trumps-unhinged-rant-about-new-attack-ad-shows-his-weakness/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most=email=newsletter=nl_most

Σ Here's a cutie

Paul4747 comments on May 3, 2020:

Not a cutie beauty, though...

😊😍 Good morning, you sexy beast...

Paul4747 comments on May 2, 2020:

Are you talkin to me? Are you talkin to *me?* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GhVsLGOWX0

Why Religion Is Not Going Away and Science Will Not Destroy It

Paul4747 comments on May 2, 2020:

Unfortunately, since the time of Galileo, both 1) and 2) are true. If religion is the revealed and infallible word of a god, and science then contradicts that word, then one or the other must be false. Since science is testable and subject to repeated experiment and peer review, we can determine whether its conclusions are truth or not. Religion depends on the blind belief of its followers. And so, religious authorities are put in the position of ordering their followers to believe only in what religion teaches, not in what science discovers; and when religion was able to enforce its wishes, they ordered scientists to desist from discovering things that contradicted religion, as well. Galileo was put under house arrest and ordered not even to *think* of the Copernican theory any more. If the fundamentalist churches had the power, scientists would be banned from testing DNA and conducting other experiments that further *prove* evolution is true (not "just a theory" as they love to repeat, which might turn out to be falsified any day now, but a theory in the sense of gravitational theory, part of the way the universe works). Why? Because it contradicts the story that God created the Universe, the Earth, and all the animals and humans in 6 days. Science isn't in conflict with religion, it just contradicts it. And religion *can't tolerate that*. That's why it's religion that is in conflict with science, and is in a continuing conflict with *it.* Religion constantly tries to control science, just as it tries to control every field of human endeavor (art, sex, work, even food). Because that's the nature of religion. And when science introduces doubt- when the stories are proven wrong- people naturally question what *is* true about religion, and if there's even anything up there giving these priests their authority. It's not a deliberate campaign by scientists to destroy religion, just a natural side-effect of people thinking for themselves. And that's something religion absolutely, positively, unquestionably can't tolerate. That's why religion is in an eternal conflict with science, unless the day comes when religion gives up and admits that all the stories are.... just stories.

Religion can heal and harm. We've seen both during the pandemic - CNN

Paul4747 comments on May 2, 2020:

There are decent people who are believers (and if there weren't, the world would never have got this far, considering) and decent people who don't believe. There are also crap people who believe and crap people who don't believe. Your qualities as a person are not connected to your religious beliefs or lack of same, but what you do in life. A generous person will be moved to give, whether or not because of their belief. A selfish person will be selfish, believer or not. It's that simple. For those who need it right now... well, good for them, and I hope they don't fall into any scams.