One thing that I have noticed is that people seem to be a lot less DIY these days than when I was a ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 9, 2019:

"Necessity is the mother of invention." You do what you have to, to make life more tolerable. I also grew up poor, and though middle class today, at the age of 82 I still grow 3 crops a year in my vegetable garden, do my own yard work, and to other things I need to, like building my own work able out of left over lumber.

Can someone assist you without wanting a favor in return?

wordywalt comments on Sep 9, 2019:

Of course.

Company Bidding To Store US Nuclear Codes Is Tied To Sanctioned Russian Oligarch - The ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 9, 2019:

That is almost unbelievable.

Wide concerns about Trump in intelligence community Exclusive: US extracted top spy from inside ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 9, 2019:

The alarming part of that is that the CIA had to extract the Russian to protect him from Trump's leaks of classified information to the Russians.

These Alarming Posts Shows How Bad The Student Debt System Is Affecting People

wordywalt comments on Sep 9, 2019:

Something has to be done to reduce the cost to students of a college education, and to release current graduates from a major part of that debt load.

Warren and Clinton talk behind the scenes as 2020 race intensifies

wordywalt comments on Sep 9, 2019:

Any communications could reveal many of the mistakes that Clinton made, informing Warren's decision-making. Basically, Warren could learn what not to do.

How would you reply to a theist who says, "You send yourself to hell"?

wordywalt comments on Sep 9, 2019:

"I'll take that chance. The odds of my being wrong about this are so infinitely small that it is worth the risk."

Funny that they should feel that way.

wordywalt comments on Sep 8, 2019:

Hypocrisy has never been an impediment to the NRA.

I find it amazing how much so many of us have in common on this site, much of it due to our lack of ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 8, 2019:

There have always been uncivil and aggressive right wing reactionaries on this site, as well as angry anti-theists (not just atheists). If you did not encounter them a year ago, you were lucky.

Does anyone have a favorite book that helped you in your transition out of your religion?

wordywalt comments on Sep 8, 2019:

Mine was the Bible itself. By the time I was 15, I had read the Bible from cover to cover 3 times. Each time, I saw more and more things that did not make sense or that were simply impossible.

Trump under fire over revelation of cancelled US-Taliban peace talks | World news | The Guardian

wordywalt comments on Sep 8, 2019:

This should add to he treacherous sociopath's impeachment worries.

Is it possible to have a partner that’s not Atheist

wordywalt comments on Sep 8, 2019:

Of course, if both care for each other and if each respects the other's right to believe as he or she chooses. My wife and I are an example and we have been happily married for 24 years.

Is religious education based on "gullibility"?

wordywalt comments on Sep 8, 2019:

To a degree, religious education is based on gullibility. But, to a greater degree, it is based on indoctrination and enculturation of thoughts where no prior thoughts exist, and in the coercive pressure of the cohesive group or body of true believers.

My Evangelical Church Is Gaslighting Me, But I Refuse To Fall For It Anymore

wordywalt comments on Sep 8, 2019:

It would be good if more evangelicals would wise up on the mixture of politics and religion and how that mixture corrupts both.

General Michael Hayden: There Is No Other Side - YouTube

wordywalt comments on Sep 8, 2019:

A man of ultimate honor and patriotism. Hayden's view is correct.

Talk about delusional!! 🙃 ‘The Trumps will be a dynasty that lasts for decades’ ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 8, 2019:

No way in hell!

Risk rescuers' lives for people who refused mandatory evacuation?

wordywalt comments on Sep 7, 2019:

Carry that even further. Let us not use public funds for rebuilding or economic relief for those who have knowingly built homes and facilities in flood-prone areas and/or in areas prone to storm damage.

The EU believes that it "owns" the UK. [spectator.co.uk]

wordywalt comments on Sep 7, 2019:

I disagree. I believe that, overall, the UK has an exaggerated image of its importance.

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

wordywalt comments on Sep 7, 2019:

I would reserve your ticket -- Warren for president, Sanders for veep. I want her brains at the top.

Once again those democrat idiots in California have shown how looney they are.

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

Fox "News" is little more than a lying propaganda machine. If you buy Fox News, you are either a reactionary, a person who likes being led by the nose, a member of the culture of greed, or just not very bright.

84 Environmental Rules Being Rolled Back Under Trump [nytimes.

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

The longer that Trump stays in office, the more damage he will do -- in all sectors, not just the environment.

I really enjoy this site, I get a range of views through posts I submit and read.

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

There are more than a few caring, intelligent people on this site.

The Problem With Warren - CounterPunch.org

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

I am a Warren supporter, without question. She is more intelligent than most of the other candidates, more dedicated to serving the American people ands to strengthening our democracy. She has deep dedication to that cause, great energy, and great compassion for the common person. To me, she stands head and shoulders above the rest. In 2016, I voted for Bernie in the primary, but only because Warren was not in the race.

The Christian Right and the War on America by Chris Hedges.

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

If I have anything to do with it, like hell he will!

Atheists in foxholes

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

I don't have a foxhole story, but was stationed in West Berlin at the height of the Cold War. Kruschev was constantly threatening to attack if we did not get out of Berlin, and we were just 3,000 American troops surrounded by 200,000 to 300,000 Russian troops 110 miles deep in Russian controlled East Germany. When a new American soldier arrived in Berlin, we were always told that if the Russians did attack, it would be a maximum of 48 hours before the last American was wiped out. On top of that I was picked to be one of a small number of soldiers from our unit to stay behind and fight a suicide holding action while the rest attempted to break out. Religion did not have a damned thing to do with the circumstance.

Republican strategists are reportedly worried Trump already wasted his 'best shot' against Elizabeth...

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

In head to head debates, Warren will absolutely destroy the idiot Trump!

Will Bernie Sanders Will Be Our President in 2020? - CounterPunch.org

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

I do not believe that Bernie is the best Democratic candidate. If he were chosen as the candidate of our party, I would vote for him without regret, but would prefer another candidate.

Did atheism somehow cause - or contribute to - the rise of science?

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

I think that the primary contributor to the rise of science has been and will be simply a desire to understand, and to use such understanding to make human life better. I think that the rise of science has contributed to the growth of atheism.

Psychiatrists recommend evaluation: "Trump’s communicative abilities appear to be deteriorating" ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

I always thought that his communication skills were severely lacking showing disorganization, impulsiveness, and inability to maintain a train of thought.

Scientists identify the genes linked to left-handedness

wordywalt comments on Sep 6, 2019:

As a left-hander, I sfound similar research interesting when I encountered it decades ago.

Vlad the Cad must be a student of Sun Tzu, The Art of War, "You can win without fighting by sowing ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 5, 2019:

Creating chaos is a signature tactic of Putin.

[alternet.

wordywalt comments on Sep 5, 2019:

Trump is vry capable of dumping anyone when it sits his perceived purposes.

Hellooo fellow freethinkers! I just found out about this site and joined.

wordywalt comments on Sep 5, 2019:

Welcome. You will find that there are lots of worthwhile thoughts, information and experiences shared on the site. But, be prepared for the fact that you will find a few angry and aggressive right wing nuts on the site, too.

Wenatchee 12-year-old arrested for threatening to shoot up school.

wordywalt comments on Sep 5, 2019:

I remember a case in Arkansas in which two elementary school boys took a rifle from the grandfather's home and killed fellow students from a distance. All kids must be made to understand that such a threat is not an appropriate joke.

Mike Pence’s Political Team Has Spent Nearly a Quarter Million Dollars at Trump Properties ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 4, 2019:

Masing Pence just another cog in the Trump cabal of corruption.

Brexit Deal

wordywalt comments on Sep 4, 2019:

Being a part of the EEYU helps the British economy. The issue to xenophobic Brits is open immigration from anywhere in the EEU. They are the ones who have forced Brexit.

Why are we - or some of us - able to understand the universe?

wordywalt comments on Sep 4, 2019:

Do you mean that none of us will ever completely understand the universe and its infinite complexity? If you didn't, you should have.

For those still troubled by religion.

wordywalt comments on Sep 4, 2019:

I don't look at it as a matter of defeating anyone or their influence. Rather, I view it as a process of a process of growing up and deciding for myself who I am and will be.

Do religious people really believe what they say?

wordywalt comments on Sep 3, 2019:

I really believe that more than a few "Christians" would like to disbelieve, but are totally frightened by the possibility of Hell as a penalty for their disbelief.

NRA slams Walmart for caving to ‘anti-gun elites’ after retailer ends handgun ammo sales ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 3, 2019:

The NRA is getting scared that it is losing its influence and power. They are, and I am damned glad of it!

Is it ethical to have children?

wordywalt comments on Sep 3, 2019:

Only if you are willing and able to devote the time, energy, and love to their rearing that helps them to become physically and emotionally children with a lust for life and learning.

A vegan woman sued her neighbors for barbecuing in their backyard: 'It's deliberate' [yahoo.

wordywalt comments on Sep 3, 2019:

Hell, no!

My mother is having a family cookout on Friday.

wordywalt comments on Sep 3, 2019:

Try holding your own family get-together, inviting only he family members you want to attend.

Evangelical Leader Claims Teaching Kids Basic Science Causes Mass Shootings

wordywalt comments on Sep 3, 2019:

Perkins is a loathsome, lying demagogue.

If Christianity didn’t exist, nor would this site.

wordywalt comments on Sep 2, 2019:

The world will never be perfect. We live in a universe of bounded chaos, and all organisms are imperfect.

Trump plays golf as Dorian moves dangerously close to US - The New Daily [thenewdaily.

wordywalt comments on Sep 2, 2019:

What do you expect? It is Donald Trump, isn't it?

Has anyone ever had any impossible prayers answered? 🤪

wordywalt comments on Sep 2, 2019:

To believe that any prayer has ever been answered would require belief in god. Even when I believed as a child, no prayer was ever answered.

Should atheists subscribe to naturalism or even scientism?

wordywalt comments on Sep 2, 2019:

The only "ism" that I subscribe to is existentialism.

I do not think many here really care what happens to their remains after they die.

wordywalt comments on Sep 2, 2019:

My two daughters and my wife are to scatter my ashes on a windswept point on a lake where I fished often, while playing the "Ashoken Farewell" on a cell phone or some electronic device.

I am curious what is the general consensus in this community on the notion of death and then the ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 2, 2019:

I have instructed my wife and daughters that when I die, there is to be no funeral, no kind of service or ceremony of any kind. My ashes are simply to be scattered near a lake I fished in often, and simply the "Ashoken farewell" is to be played, with only my two daughters and, if she survives me, my wife.

Religion & science--the topsy twins of human affairs.

wordywalt comments on Sep 2, 2019:

It is not a matter of the unschooled. I know more than a few people with advanced degrees who are still religious. It is more a matter of personality - people who feel that they need absolute certainty for now and forever, people who feel relatively powerless and need to belong to a community of true believers in a total system ideology.

Things I Didn’t Know – Note To My White Self

wordywalt comments on Sep 2, 2019:

If you did not know it, you were not an educated person who was actually reared in the South. We knew those things just like the vast majority of Germans knew about the death camps late in WW II.

Chiropractors are bullshit | The Outline

wordywalt comments on Sep 2, 2019:

I saw a chiropractor once out of desperation about back problems. After his phony manipulations, I lost all felling in my right leg and had to undergo back surgery the next day.

People say "older and wiser" my question is, how old will Trump have to be?

wordywalt comments on Sep 2, 2019:

He is incapable of becoming wiser, period!

[theguardian.

wordywalt comments on Sep 1, 2019:

I certainly hope that you do not mean to imply that all Americans are mentally deranged dimwits. If you do, then I find your attitude offensive.

Despite us both being atheists, my roommate and I had a disagreement on the usage of the word ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 1, 2019:

Babies are born without beliefs of any kind. That does not make them atheists. Being an atheist is a conscious choice.

Trump's takeaway from the Dutch slave trade exhibit at the Museum of African American History was, ...

wordywalt comments on Sep 1, 2019:

An absolute narcissist and sociopath.

Franklin Graham: School Boards Must Be Run by Evangelical Christians | Michael Stone

wordywalt comments on Aug 31, 2019:

Franklin is an extremely dangerous charlatan demagogue. His father was a decent man. He is not.

In Control of Trump's Brain!

wordywalt comments on Aug 31, 2019:

No one is in control of Trump's brain '' especially not Trump.

"There are three important patterns of twentieth-century secularization : First, secularization has...

wordywalt comments on Aug 30, 2019:

Has the author really examined trends in Asia? If so, I would like to know exactly what he found.

Firings Of Disabled Federal Workers Have Increased 24% Under Trump

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

Yes, they did!

'Fck You, I Like Guns.'

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

All of the NRA supporters have no conscience.

Alabama Republicans approve resolution calling for Omar to be expelled from Congress | TheHill

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

Those Republicans should be removed from office for blatant bigotry and overt corruption.

A doctor and medical ethicist argues life after 75 is not worth living

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

It may not be worth living for some, but it is for me. I am as mentally alert as I ever was, and physically fit. I still enjoy many facets of life. Through a lifetime of work and public service, I earned the time that I have that I can still enjoy.

George Conway: Trump engaged in criminal ‘market manipulation’ by lying about China calls ...

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

The cretin is incapable of honest, honorable action.

Whats the point of having 2 houses of government when you have a mad dictator doing their jobs?

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

It is the job of Congress and the Judicial system to rein him in. Unfortunately, Moscow Mitch will not allow that to occur.

Another day, and more 🐂 💩💩💩.

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

If you are not, get involved politically. Together with millions of other patriotic Americans, we can permanently remove this mental and moral cretin from the public scene.

Exposing America’s Biggest Hypocrites: Evangelical Christians

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

Absolutely true. These charlatan demagogues will do ANYTHING to gain power so as to enact their false dogma into law.

Police: Connecticut Man Tests His New Guns By Firing Into Park Full Of Kids Playing Softball – CBS...

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

That cretin should be held without bail!

Trump Demands Staff Break Any Laws Necessary to Get Wall Built by 2020 | Vanity Fair

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

An impeachable offense.

A Louisiana Parish Jailed a U.

wordywalt comments on Aug 29, 2019:

Totally unacceptable. The people involved in jailing the person should be jailed themselves.

Children of US troops born overseas will no longer get automatic American citizenship, Trump ...

wordywalt comments on Aug 28, 2019:

The Trump administration is a bunch of heartless SOBs.

Trump Pushes to Open the World’s Largest Remaining Temperate Rainforest to Logging and Mining

wordywalt comments on Aug 28, 2019:

Given Trump, that is no surprise.

Something just popped into my head and I don't feel like researching.

wordywalt comments on Aug 28, 2019:

The onlything that Norquist is against is taxation.

Time to start prepping for the possibility of Dorian coming to call.

wordywalt comments on Aug 28, 2019:

Good advice. I have experienced 4 hurricanes.

Oh--this hurts my heart with physical pain! Having come out of patriarchal, quiverfull, ...

wordywalt comments on Aug 28, 2019:

What a truly evil blog!

"This is how it is with the universe.

wordywalt comments on Aug 28, 2019:

There is not a single word, or even hint of a word, about "chosen" in that statement. Happenstance is not choice.

Alleged Child Predator Welcomed Back To GOP With Open Arms - The Intellectualist

wordywalt comments on Aug 28, 2019:

Not surprised. They embrace Trump, don't they?

Hill Trump complains about media coverage of Warren’s crowd sizes [thehill.

wordywalt comments on Aug 28, 2019:

He is going to have a terrible tantrum when her poll numbers continue to go up and his continue to go down.

Q:394821..

wordywalt comments on Aug 28, 2019:

No further building should be allowed on ground vulnerable to rising sea levels.

Beatrice man sentenced to 8 years probation in sexual assault case

wordywalt comments on Aug 27, 2019:

That judge should be removed from the bench.

New Oregon Bill Would Allow Black People to Sue Folks Who Make Frivolous 911 Calls with Racist ...

wordywalt comments on Aug 27, 2019:

It is about time!

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE HEARD THIS?

wordywalt comments on Aug 27, 2019:

A stupid, arrogant woman!

White lawmaker warns black attorney she may ‘go missing’ if Confederate statues are threatened -...

wordywalt comments on Aug 27, 2019:

Is not such a threat a crime? If not, it should be.

Is David correct?

wordywalt comments on Aug 27, 2019:

It certainly drives Republican politics and the politics of the super-rich. It ignores that computer-based economic models based on those points of view prove to be off target with real frequency -- indicating false assumptions at their very core.

As a child, I really enjoyed church, Sunday school, and Vacation Bible School--the dressing up, the ...

wordywalt comments on Aug 27, 2019:

I did it all, but I can't say that I really enjoyed it. As a small child, I would rather have been out playing with my friends. As a teenager, I would have much preferred to be hunting, fishing, swimming, exploring.

A year or two ago, I read an article about Franklin Graham becoming angry with Bank of America, I ...

wordywalt comments on Aug 26, 2019:

If Billy could see what Franklin is doing, he would roll over in his grave. Franklin is simply a charlatan.

Trump defends bid to host G7 at his Miami resort: 'I don't care about money' | US news | The ...

wordywalt comments on Aug 26, 2019:

The moral idiot simply cannot stop lying.

Seems legit! Funny that a trumpster posted this. [facebook.com]

wordywalt comments on Aug 26, 2019:

Matches his intelligence and his tendencies.

A Campaign Targeting Our Staff | The New York Times Company

wordywalt comments on Aug 26, 2019:

Both dangerous and reprehensible action by Trump, but matches his character.

Donald Trump’s wildlife protection board full of people who like killing animals for fun | The ...

wordywalt comments on Aug 25, 2019:

Exactly as one should expect of this destructive monster.

The Trump presidency is not just unfolding, it is unraveling - The Washington Post

wordywalt comments on Aug 25, 2019:

The absolute truth!

"Common Sense".

wordywalt comments on Aug 25, 2019:

Common sense is simply good judgment based on keen perception, excellent ability to analyze situations, and appropriate choices of courses of action. The more knowledge and experience in different situations the person has, the more frequently the person shows common sense.

Ok so I've tried to be good.

wordywalt comments on Aug 25, 2019:

Hope it turns out well.

'A deep and boiling anger': NBC/WSJ poll finds a pessimistic America despite current economic ...

wordywalt comments on Aug 25, 2019:

Damned right!

Something I've been thinking about lately is this.

wordywalt comments on Aug 25, 2019:

This time le will be verbally pummeled

If you could be alone and totally undisturbed with tRump for 10 minutes, what would you do or say?

wordywalt comments on Aug 25, 2019:

I would not say a word. I would spit in his face, then what I would do I cannot say in public because it would be considered a threat.

Trump's plan to cage kids indefinitely while denying them vaccines is ethnic cleansing in plain ...

wordywalt comments on Aug 25, 2019:

It is clearly unconscionable and unconstitutional -- indeed criminal.

Agnostics should just start our own political party..

wordywalt comments on Aug 24, 2019:

I don't think so. Further political fragmentation would play into the hands of the political right.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who grew up around 'broken' and defeated Nazis, has some blunt advice for the...

wordywalt comments on Aug 24, 2019:

Not only Trump, but all southern politicians need to listen to Arnold.