The hospital clerk asked my religion before a medical procedure.

wordywalt comments on Dec 30, 2019:

The question should be "What is your religious affiliation?" The responses should include "none", not "atheist."

Review of EXPLOSIVE NYT article confirming Trump was told withholding Ukraine aid worked against US ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 30, 2019:

Several new nails in Trimp's coffin.

PA GOP Wants Death Certificate, Burial For Fertilized Eggs That Don’t Implant

wordywalt comments on Dec 29, 2019:

Absolute stupidity.

Anguish and Anger From the Navy SEALS Who Turned In Edward Gallagher

wordywalt comments on Dec 27, 2019:

This is the kind of "person" with whom Trump identifies Tells you a lot about Trump.

How do my fellow Atheists deal with depression?

wordywalt comments on Dec 27, 2019:

Anti-depressants can help some. But, two keys are (1) staying busy, or high levels of activity, and (2) strong emotions -- even anger. Something that really makes you feel something intensely. One treatment at an institutional setting was to give patents a toothbrush and instruct them to clean the floor. After a while most patients would get angry -- and it started their heling.

Corruption at its finest

wordywalt comments on Dec 27, 2019:

Thanks to McConn's bottomless levels of corruption, all too damned true.

If you think it is the right thing to "respect other's beliefs", please tell me why?

wordywalt comments on Dec 27, 2019:

There is a large difference between respecting other's beliefs and respecting others' right to believe as they choose. I focus on the latter, unless those beliefs fail to treat others and the environment with dignity and respect.

Is it possible that human beings are creatures who are simply built, so to speak, in a way that ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 26, 2019:

In my opinion, a really healthy and productive person does not generally focus on self, but on an idea, a goal, a project they are working on, an interaction in which they are engaged. As a retired educator, I am convinced that good teachers seldom focus on self.

Narcissist, Psychopath, or Sociopath: How to Spot the Differences [m.youtube.com]

wordywalt comments on Dec 26, 2019:

Good depiction.

What are your thoughts on sociopathy and psychopathy as mindsets?

wordywalt comments on Dec 26, 2019:

Several years ago a neurologist at the U. of Kansas medical center said that he is convinced that psychopaths are hard-wired to be sociopaths from birth. He said that even as infants, they do not related to others in normal ways.

In a couple of my Amazon books I mention the danger of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

wordywalt comments on Dec 26, 2019:

You should read an old book by Leon Festinger entitled WHEN PROPHESY FAILS.

Giuliani Claims He’s More of a Jew Than Holocaust Survivor Soros Jewish groups are up in ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 26, 2019:

Guilliani has become a pitiful, destructive figure.

Make them believe in something young, then they have a chance of controlling them as adults.

wordywalt comments on Dec 25, 2019:

You sound like Lenin. Like overly zealous religious fundamentalists, he believe that if one indoctrinates children early with a total system ideology, they will likely become permanent captives of that ideology.

There are individuals who believe that being spiritual and religious are not the same thing.

wordywalt comments on Dec 25, 2019:

I do not use the word "spiritual, as I do not believe that human beings have :spirits. We are moral, aesthetic, thinking, and deeply feeling beings, yes. But, I do not call that spiritual.

‘Loneliest Man In America’ Donald Trump Is ‘Malignant Narcissist’ With No Friends, Mental ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 25, 2019:

Of course he is. He has no ability to understand or relate to anyone.

‘Eight Crazy Nights’ Of Estate Planning Topics To Discuss With Your Family And Friends

wordywalt comments on Dec 25, 2019:

I've already done most of those things.

Study finds that children raised without religion show more empathy and kindness | Dan Arel

wordywalt comments on Dec 24, 2019:

And, are less judgmental.

We’re Getting Old, but We’re Not Doing Anything About It

wordywalt comments on Dec 24, 2019:

Unfortunately, with he recalcitrance of the Republican party, our political system stinks when it comes to trying to addess predictable problems before they are staring us in the face.

Rudy Giuliani Insists He’s “More of a Jew” Than a Holocaust Survivor | Beth Stoneburner | ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 24, 2019:

Giulli is a loud, sick old man!ani

Study Shows White Evangelicals Want Christian Supremacy, Not “Religious Freedom” | Hemant Mehta ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 23, 2019:

Absolutely true, and not a damned one of them is honest enough to admit it in public.

Woman faces attempted murder charge in second intentional hit-and-run

wordywalt comments on Dec 23, 2019:

Throw the book at her!

I have quite a dilemma.

wordywalt comments on Dec 23, 2019:

I am an atheist and my wife is a devout Catholic. We knew that about each other when we married. We have been married for 24 years. The key is that we accept each other's right to believe as we choose, and that we treat each other with caring, dignity, and respect.

How long would be long enough?

wordywalt comments on Dec 23, 2019:

I wish to die when my quality of life is no longer meaningful and when I believe that I have become a burden to others. At age 82, I cannot specify an age.

I haven't been here in a long time, i started here when the site was just starting up and made a few...

wordywalt comments on Dec 23, 2019:

Two years ago, this site had a wider variation in membership and a more open exchange on all topics. Most of the unnecessarily aggressive right-wingers have left, but they did their damage. Partly to avoid the sting of bitter exchanges, more narrow interest group have segregated themselves, and the open exchange is lessened -- and less rich.

Is 'god' an impersonal force of nature, a 'universal consciousness' similar in quality to other ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 23, 2019:

God isn't. It does not exist, but a false human conception.

What's a funny saying your parents said?

wordywalt comments on Dec 23, 2019:

My father loved to fish. He stated, "Not all liars fish. But, all fishermen lie."

Nailed it

wordywalt comments on Dec 22, 2019:

Hear! Hear!

Do you approve capital punishment?

wordywalt comments on Dec 22, 2019:

I favor the use of the death penalty ONLY in the case of psychopathic or sociopathic killers caught in the act or having concrete roof (like DNA evidence) that the person committed the crime(s) Such people, as long as they live, are a menace to others.

Kids Meet a Former Member of the Westboro Baptist Church | Kids Meet | HiHo Kids - YouTube

wordywalt comments on Dec 22, 2019:

It is good to see that one can escape from the brainwashing which that malevolent cult surrounds its members with.

Poll: 43% Of Evangelicals Approve Of Trump’s Removal From Office [dailycaller.com]

wordywalt comments on Dec 22, 2019:

Encouraging.

Companies Spend $340 Million Annually To Stop Workers From Organizing

wordywalt comments on Dec 22, 2019:

Should be forbidden by law.

This Is the Age Where Life Has the Most Meaning | Live Science

wordywalt comments on Dec 21, 2019:

My experience has been quite different. The time when I was most active and productive in my career was the time when I was really searching for and trying to create meaning. It was also the time when I had the most friends -- as well as opponents (I was quite outspoken). Now, as an old man I am comfortable with the meaning I have created.

Have you ever entered into a relationship with someone who is associated with some kind of religion ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 21, 2019:

I have ben an atheist for over 50 years. I also am happily married to a devout Catholic and the relationship has lasted for over 2 years. The key is that we each respect the other's right to believe as he or she chooses, and that we treat each other with dignity, respect and caring.

Al Franken mocks McConnell: 'Like listening to Jeffrey Dahmer complain about the decline of dinner ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 20, 2019:

Damned well stated!

Researchers locate what they believe are two mass graves from Tulsa race massacre of 1921 ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 20, 2019:

During the period of the late 1910s and the 1920s the resurgence of the KKK led to massacres of American Blacks occurred all across the south, southern Midwest, and in other sites. Even in many small southern towns , white gangs persecuted blacks, white chasing them out of the towns or killing them. There is little record of those small town and rural actions, but they did occur. Such an action did occur in Lee, Florida during the period chasing Black people out of the town and murdering those who refused to leave. That action was led by a man named Randall Rowe. I know that for a fact as I grew up in Lee, and was told the story by men who were there at the time. When I was growing up in Lee, there were no Blacks left in the town. The extent and severity of southern racism is and has always been much greater than today's southerners would have you believe.

It takes more than an Atheist to over throw over obiedience authority of Religion.

wordywalt comments on Dec 20, 2019:

Many of your assertions are not true. a behavioral and biological defining attribute of human beings is that we social animals. That is one of the keys as to how much humans have advanced during the course of their evolution. We learn from and teach each other, We support each other, giving the strength and courage to accomplish something. As a social animal we form cohesive groups with a commonly accepted set of beliefs, values, and norms which tend to govern our behavior. Those, along with the protections and benefits of the group are what holds such groups together. . Over time, such groups grow larger, and as they do they develop a formalized set of rules and relationships -- a governing structure and culture. But that situation can -- and too often does -- become a "cruse of culture" which limits the group and all its members or leads them in the wrong direction. Anarchism is never the answer. The answer is to fight to form new and more effective groups and relationships while, at the same time, trying to remain objective and to accept new inputs and critical feedback. You almost sound like Ayn Rand. I outgrew her over 50 years ago.

Why Doing Good Makes It Easier To Be Bad.

wordywalt comments on Dec 20, 2019:

I do not understand that illogic. Being good or being moral is simply treating others and our environment with full dignity and respect, along with the belief that we are responsible for our actions and decisions and their consequences.

I’m confused about my beliefs on afterlife.

wordywalt comments on Dec 20, 2019:

After a person has been brainwashed to believe in an afterlife, it is hard to give that up. It simply takes some time and courage to admit "that is all there is."

191 House Republicans vote against slashing costs for prescription drugs

wordywalt comments on Dec 20, 2019:

Unconscionable!

Trump only needs 7% of senators to avoid removal. Is this what America is about!?

wordywalt comments on Dec 20, 2019:

That is not what the article. What it said is that he just needs senators from enough low population states.

I'm not old enough to remember FDR but my grandmother and others in my family simply revered him.

wordywalt comments on Dec 19, 2019:

I am also that old, and I totally agree. We need bold measures like those of FDR at this time of crisis, not weak-kneed half hearted stale ideas. .

So coming up to Christmas please tell me Athiests what you think of the Holiday season since you ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 19, 2019:

Even as a child and adolescent who was a believer, I never thought of Christmas season as a religious event. It was simply a time for family and sharing. As an atheist now, I still see it as that.

The righteous indignation of the republicans yesterday was nauseating.

wordywalt comments on Dec 19, 2019:

That "indignation" was not real, simply a show. It certainly was not righteous.

what a chicken shit decision by Tulsi Gabbard and vote "present"! So maybe it is true she's a ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 18, 2019:

I agree. I will certainly not vote for Gabbard.

On impeachment day, Trump says he can't believe it's happening [yahoo.

wordywalt comments on Dec 18, 2019:

Before it is all over, Trump is going to damned well believe it!

Rick Gates, former Trump campaign aide, sentenced to 45 days in jail

wordywalt comments on Dec 17, 2019:

And, Gates is still cooperating in investigations which have not even been revealed yet!

This Is the Age Where Life Has the Most Meaning | Live Science

wordywalt comments on Dec 17, 2019:

The only meaning to life is that which we give it or which we construct from it.

"You shouldn't judge people!" I have often heard this from my Christian friends.

wordywalt comments on Dec 17, 2019:

Evangelical Christians are the most judgmental people I know.

Can someone be intellectually honest about religion without being agnostic?

wordywalt comments on Dec 17, 2019:

I consider myself an atheist, as I see absolutely no evidence of the existence of any gods and little possibility of there ever being any such evidence. No, I do not know that no god exists with absolute certainty. Zero evidence to the contrary of my stance is good enough for me.

What are your thoughts on home schooling?

wordywalt comments on Dec 17, 2019:

As a retired educator, I generally oppose home schooling. It does not work well unless the parents (1)are highly intelligent people truly dedicated to the education of their children, (2) also attend to the social development of the children. .

Is it still okay to use a mental health condition as an adjective?

wordywalt comments on Dec 16, 2019:

It is up to the person as to how they describe himself or herself and his or her family.

They're Not Stupid, and They're Not Spineless. They're Evil. Let's Keep That Straight.

wordywalt comments on Dec 15, 2019:

An accurate statement.

Adam Kay: US has been brainwashed about healthcare compared to UK - Insider

wordywalt comments on Dec 15, 2019:

Absolutely true. Americans have been brainwashed into the false belief that any form of universal healthcare is "socialism" that is expensive and of poor quality. The truth is that the US is the .ONLY industrialized nation in the world that does not have some form of universal healthcare, and that our healthcare is by far the most expensive and not much better, if any.

Thanks trump! You stupid dumbshit goddamn motherfucker! [news.yahoo.com]

wordywalt comments on Dec 14, 2019:

It could well have been a deliberate action on Trump's part.

This speaks volumes now more than ever.

wordywalt comments on Dec 13, 2019:

True words spoken by a man with true integrity and patriotism.

Holy S$%!

wordywalt comments on Dec 12, 2019:

Holy shit! Either Huckabee has lost his damned mind or has become totally corrupt -- or both!!

I watched some of the CNN coverage of the impeachment process today and was staggered at the GOP ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 12, 2019:

Hear! Hear!

Cutting Health Benefits of 1,900 Whole Food Workers Saved World's Richest Man Jeff Bezos What He ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 12, 2019:

Despicable.

In case you forgot and this is just the tip of the iceberg!

wordywalt comments on Dec 11, 2019:

All true and irrefutable.

Time Picks Climate Activist Greta Thunberg as 2019 "Person of The Year"

wordywalt comments on Dec 11, 2019:

Good choice.

House Judiciary Impeachment Hearing Devolves Into Farce | Above the Law

wordywalt comments on Dec 10, 2019:

That was certainly the intent of the Republicans They no longer have any integrity.

Despite my being an atheist, I still like Christmas.

wordywalt comments on Dec 9, 2019:

Some Christmas music is beautiful. A Methodist church in Wichita<Kansas was bequeathed It is also fun to see the joy that kids have at Christmas. arrangements that are great. I once went to a service at that church just to hear the music. It was truly enjoyable.

Republicans So Incensed By Pam Karlan They’re Going To Name Barron Trump ‘Archduke Of ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 9, 2019:

Ridiculous.

Bill Barr wants to be the theocracy’s attorney general.

wordywalt comments on Dec 9, 2019:

He is not religious -- merely corrupt.

Ralph Nader: The World Is Waiting for America to Rise Up

wordywalt comments on Dec 8, 2019:

It IS time for us to rise up against racism, xenophobia, greed, corruption, and right-wing authoritarians. Let's do it!

I usually just buy the magazine every now and again, so haven’t read the full article, but it ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 8, 2019:

It is only logical. Humans are social animals. They learned that, for the benefit of the group and all members within the group, it is best to treat everyone with dignity and respect. That is the basis of all morality.

In a previous video featuring this same guy that was posted here earlier in the week, he claimed ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 8, 2019:

Super=religious "scientists" are truly creative in the bogus ways that they try to prove things in the Bible and the existence of gods -- none of it legitimate.

Could it be that humanity is missing its sense of community; from being around campfires and at ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 8, 2019:

The combination of the social electronic social media, propagandistic false news outlets like Fox and Sinclair, and proselytizing special interest groups are tearing our society apart into self-serving and self reinforcing echo chambers. No longer are local communities groups of people working and living together to make the local community a good place in which to live. This really began in the late 1950s, but has been greatly accelerated since the advent of Fox News, the growth of well-financed special interest groups, and the advent of the internet and its social media. It has also been greatly aided by aggressive right wing Republican politicians like Gingrich, Armee, Deley and their current ilk like Gaetz and Jordan. The question is how can we stop this destructive trend?

What is our purpose in life?

wordywalt comments on Dec 8, 2019:

Absolutely correct.

Deconstructing Men’s Rights Activism

wordywalt comments on Dec 8, 2019:

Any "males' rights activism" is nothing more than the attempt of the privileged to maintain that status.

How Medical Bills Bankrupt Hundreds of Thousands of People Every Year | GQ

wordywalt comments on Dec 8, 2019:

A travestly that should not happen. And, it would not happen if we had universal healthcare.

Harvesting The Blood Of America's Poor: The Latest Stage Of Capitalism | PopularResistance.Org

wordywalt comments on Dec 7, 2019:

Our poor have been selling their blood for many decades.

Tax religions: how?

wordywalt comments on Dec 6, 2019:

They should be taxed on both property and on revenue.

Head and Neck Injuries from Staring at Smartphones Sharply Increased

wordywalt comments on Dec 6, 2019:

I am not surprised.

I wondering what is the basic structure of folks gardens on here--containers, aquaculture, rows, ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 5, 2019:

I grow vegetables in raised beds or rows. I also have a patch of pineapples. In the rest of our back yard my wife has developed an integrated landscape.

Florida Republican: 'We should hang’ treasonous Democrats [apnews.com]

wordywalt comments on Dec 4, 2019:

Shows just how vicious and conscienceless too damned many Republicans have become.

Do you get Seasonal Affective Disorder? What helps?

wordywalt comments on Dec 4, 2019:

I do not have such a disorder. Here in Florida, though, I do not enjoy the long, hot and humid summers.

Offering something for folks to ponder--the effect of major solar flare events on human history.

wordywalt comments on Dec 4, 2019:

What does this have to do with gardening?

John Denver - Grandma's Feather Bed (1991) (480P) - YouTube

wordywalt comments on Dec 4, 2019:

Hearing that song reminds me of the experience of sleeping under German Federbetten. Federbetten are thick (6 inchs or so), soft, fluffy down filled, bed-sized quilts. Sleeping under a Fedeerbet is a glorous experience-- just being enveloped by such soft, andl encompassing warmth and softness. With one Fedderbet, no matter how cold it getsones one does not need an electric blanket or a tick , heavy pile of covers.

Adam Schiff reveals the three Trump Cabinet members who remain under investigation: ‘There’s a ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 3, 2019:

Just three?

Former top Navy SEAL says the US is 'under attack from the president' - Business Insider

wordywalt comments on Dec 3, 2019:

Our whole country and culture are under attack by the idiot Trump!

Do people who hate religion do it because of their Atheism or Agnosticism or because of their ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 3, 2019:

I simply do not discuss religion. I don't hate it.

Anyone here experience this internal conflict?

wordywalt comments on Dec 3, 2019:

Count yourself fortunate that no one is trying.

Religion in Europe [pewresearch.org]?

wordywalt comments on Dec 3, 2019:

It is int4eresting to note that the least developed (economically, intellectually) countries are the most religious. I think we could say the same about regions in the USA.

I came across something regarding the Westboro Baptist Church.

wordywalt comments on Dec 2, 2019:

This is a "nut family. The founder and "minister" of the church was Fred Phelps, and leading members of the "congregation" are son, daughter, spouses and offspring. Phelps, his son, and his daughter were all attorneys in Topeka until all three were disbarred for unethical conduct. Immediately after, he declared himself a minister. Tells you all you need to know.

Why the Christian Right Worships Donald Trump - Rolling Stone

wordywalt comments on Dec 2, 2019:

The answer is simple: because both Trump and the leadership of the Christian right are both morally bankrupt and demagogic. Although he has no real religious beliefs, Trump cow-tows to those l leaders because he wants their political support and the ability of those demagogic religious leaders to persuade (delude) their flocks to act in the political manner which they preach. Those corrupt evangelical leaders overlook Trumps corruption and total lack of morality because they want to use Trump to gain the political power which they can use to enact their religious demagoguery into law and use it to control people.

Walmart dodged US tax on $2 billion by routing cash through multiple countries, whistleblower says

wordywalt comments on Dec 1, 2019:

I hope they wind up having to pay the entire amount, plus an equivalent fine.

A Pennsylvania bill would require death certificates for fertilized eggs that never implant in the ...

wordywalt comments on Dec 1, 2019:

Absurd!

What do you think about 'intuition?

wordywalt comments on Dec 1, 2019:

Real intuition is nothing more than indicators from your past experience or learning giving you a sense that something is or is not likely. You may not be able to put your finger on exactly what is the indicator, but it is there.

The White House Says Nursing Home Regulations Are Too Tough : NPR

wordywalt comments on Nov 30, 2019:

Atrocious!! The Trump cabal wants to enable any corrupt sleaze artist to profit at the expense of others. We MUST oust them all!!!

Franklin Graham Reminds Jimmy Carter That God Kills Gays | Michael Stone

wordywalt comments on Nov 30, 2019:

Franklin Graham is a moral cretin and a demagogic hypocrite.

Republicans compare trump to Lincoln

wordywalt comments on Nov 30, 2019:

That is nauseatingly atrocious! Among the worst of deliberate lies.

I grew up in rural, small-town America — and I can tell you the real reason why people love Donald...

wordywalt comments on Nov 30, 2019:

A lot of what the author says is ccorrect. Having grown up in a poor rural town in the south, I knew that most of the people there also look up to people who appear to have financial success, and are all too willing to overlook character flaws in the rich person is not directly mean to them.

Astronauts in diapers as all toilets at International Space Station break down | World News – ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 29, 2019:

Does not sound pleasant.

Hannah Arendt Explains How Propaganda Uses Lies to Erode All Truth & Morality: Insights from The ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 29, 2019:

Arendt was brilliant. I remember her well from my graduate studies in political science some 50 years ago. .

From CNN: The precipitous fall of America's mayor [cnn.com]

wordywalt comments on Nov 28, 2019:

I hope the entire lot of them go to jail.

Deutsche Bank Exec Who Oversaw Trump Loans Dies by Suicide | Law & Crime

wordywalt comments on Nov 28, 2019:

Suspicious.

Democrats question why DOJ inspector general isn't investigating Trump's attorneys general ...

wordywalt comments on Nov 27, 2019:

Damned good question!

The Importance of Seeing Beauty in Everyday Life

wordywalt comments on Nov 27, 2019:

Sometimes it seems to take being in a circumstance of an imminent threat to our existence to make us slow down and focus on the little things which can give life quality.

My wonderful and sweet dad drove me to work because my car battery died.

wordywalt comments on Nov 27, 2019:

In their older age, people do not give up their core beliefs readily. My father and mother died as believers. They knew that I was not, but we simply chose not to talk about it.