The Planet - April 21, 2013

American Angst

The Boston Marathon bombing has troubled the perceptions of many. Though there's been a sane discussion on the sitehere, the news of that day was filled with false reports and ridiculous speculation. CNN decided they had the scoop; "a man with dark skin was arrested."  Though retracted, for part of the day the thought that was implanted in white America's head was once again be afraid of the dark skinned human. While commentators backed off the "arrest," they still left us thinking for hours that yes, another possible terrorist attack had occurred.

Though know one knows the why yet, endless speculation produces useless distraction for people with nothing better to do. Get a life.

Glenn Beck's faithful are waiting for Monday, when their favorite clown will once again delve into conspiracy nonsense. Useless, except as an example of how simple minds don't work, Beck explains how the injured Saudi student is part of the Muslim Brotherhood who is working in cahoots with the Saudi government and secret Muslim Barack Obama. Time to try impeaching the president once again.

Though foolhardy, this man makes money by deceiving the public. Rhetoric like this should be compared to the old example of yelling "fire!" in a crowded theater. We all know that a small percentage of Americans will believe anything, and more than likely they own a few firearms and know how to use them. This type of nonsense endangers all of us.

Beck wasn't the only one of course. Initial responses from Red State, Pamela Gellar and the New York Post, all blamed Muslims for the attack. Possibly the worst was FOX pretend news commentator Erik Rush tweeting about Muslims;  "Yes, they're evil. Let's kill them all." 

Basically all the current media fools jumped on the bandwagon with horribly inaccurate comments.

Gun Groupies

Even thought slightly buried by the bombing in Boston news, the failed bill to make background checks necessary before one can purchase a gun should remain firmly in the public eye. There have been many responses to the failed legislature, but once again the comedy channel has the only shows that make you realize how inane the debate is.

Stewart and Colbert in recent weeks have brought up the following thoughts. When it comes to magazine size, a conservative, (paraphrased), response was "why ten, why not nine or eleven?" Insinuating that any limits would seem to be haphazard at best. The response from the Comedy Central titans was something to the effect of "Yeah, why set a speed limit at seventy, why not sixty or eighty?" Why? Because you guys were all elected to make laws and that is what laws do, set limits. If you don't want to make laws, why are you in the legislature?

Even better, Stewart's response to the argument that "stopping legal citizens from purchasing guns won't stop criminals from getting them." What an odd response by conservatives. The thought that any type of even minor gun laws being passed is "criminals will still get guns why law abiding citizens cannot." Well, criminals steal, kill, etc., and we have laws for that. Maybe anarchy is what they are promoting. No laws on anything? Back to the speed limit analogy, screw that 70 mile an hour speed limit, criminals don't obey it. Press the pedal to the metal and drive spectacularly!

No matter. No laws protecting the populace will have any support from our elected Representatives. Senators and Congressmen who only take orders from people with deep pockets, and only pretend to listen to you when they need a vote.

The Planet - April 4, 2013

The Mad Skills Of Mighty Mortals

We are Mighty Mortals, and we are Mad. The "mighty" part is easy. We breathe, drink and eat, ignoring the final moment of our meandering lives. With mad skills we debate, we love, we friend; for most of us, we have no real fears. If there is fear, that experience is provocatively engineered; keeping us distracted, keeping us worried, keeping us busy. We exhort the subject matter of the day like there is no tomorrow where we will end. Working, playing, loving, laughing; no worries for us. Squabbling like children at the playground, too many of us never grow, never mature. We play games with life so we feel alive.

Yet none of this has anything to do with reason or thought, which is why our skills are so mad.

Mad skills belong to the preacher, who distracts thoughts of reason with platitudes and lies. Befuddling our minds with nonsense, a dream that our minds relate to. A falsity of why and where we are, a mind numbing diatribe of foolishness that keeps our minds off of our short existence. Keeping progress under lock and key, keeping us at odds with our humanity as we kill for nothing but a figment of our imaginations. A skill so depraved that it enslaves our children's minds so no future exists that embraces peace, only poverty enslavement and death. Exchanging kindness and love with depraved righteousness. A skill so demonstrable, that humans kill not only others, but themselves. In acts of either madness, or sacredness, depending on the storyteller, we destroy instead of build.

Mighty mortals latch on to their favorite religion. Never minding that they believe every other religion is phony; because theirs is different, it is real.

We insist that our grand scheme of life forever is better than all the others. In religion, in everything. At a friends house, I am corralled into watching one of the many reality shows that clog up the airwaves. We know they're made up drama and scripted and have nothing to do with reality, yet he says no, this isn't like the others, this one is different. It is the best. Well, no it isn't. It's the same nonsense. Just like your religion is the same nonsensical crap that wounds other lands. None of it is great or real in any sense.

Mad skills of imagination we do have.

Mad skills belong to the politician, who warps the events of the day. Who can change the mind of a constituent with a well turned phrase. Who can take a subject that we all agree upon, and make it seem as if there's a needed opposing view. Who can anger the masses with a sly twist of words, who can move their nation into a direction that no citizen really wants. Riches and fame, not statesmanship, is the goal of the governing party. Only self enrichment matters, you do not.

What mighty mortals we let them become. We can't tell the difference anymore. Your local politicians might as well be the newest and greatest advertised fitness regime. There is nothing there that is special, nothing different, nothing needed. The expectations of grandeur never are realized, yet it is forgotten in a moment. Here's the next greatest ruler, the next better mousetrap; here for your perusal and consumption.

You will like it.

Do we have atheist conmen as well? I'm sure there are nonbelievers aplenty taking what the rubes willingly give. What mightier mortal is there than one who knows reality, and takes advantage of those who do not. How simple to copy the prose of a preacher to fill your pockets. It does take work, but is only a puzzle that the mind begs to solve. To live knowing only one life exists, to enjoy it to the the fullest by taking what is others; this would seem to be an avenue that probably has been, and perhaps, possibly should be, travelled.

Atheism doesn't seem to say much when you think about it. One point, and one point only; the supernatural does not exist. It doesn't tell us to live a moral life. It doesn't tell us what we ought to be doing. That one point may hopefully lead to a better human, but what if it does not?

Critical thinking and philosophy seem to focus more on what we should be, instead of what we are not.

The mad skills of mighty mortal atheists might need more focus. We know what is, but do we know what can be? Will only not believing really change anything?

The Weekly Planet - April 28, 2012

The Planet Politics

The presidential race is about to get started, but not much in the way of fireworks yet. Until Romney picks his running mate, for the most part I'm going to ignore. Last week we looked at old, washed-up, has been Ted Nugent, who Romney actively sought support from. The Secret Service talked to the old windbag, but apparently found Nugent's threats to be hot air. Much to his dismay, the old, washed up, has been, brain dead rocker was cancelled from a Fort Knox concert in June because of his remarks about Obama. 

I dislike spending time on the old screwup, but there are at least a couple of reasons for doing so. Recently he pleaded guilty to the charge that he transported an illegally killed black bear. This from an episode of his "Spirit of the Wild," show. Basically, he, like apparently all conservatives, live above the law. It's a recurring theme, they know better than you how you should behave, while never actually walking the talk. Also, when you look at his anti-Obama rhetoric, you must realize that he is not alone when it comes to expressing his distaste for our president.

Since the start of his 2008 campaign Obama has been the blunt of conversation that is based on hate. Whether because of someone's conservative views, or straight out racist views, the highest office in the land has been denigrated by these jackals. The death threats against the president are 400 percent higher since the inauguration. The tone of political and religious discourse only contributes to the problem. In 2009 you had this fine upstanding pastor telling it like it is. Steven Anderson, a baptist pastor, made these remarks:

"What goes around comes around. You love violence. You hate that which is right. You love to harm others. You love to hurt or kill the unborn or the innocent or the righteous. He is saying, God is going to bring that upon your own head, because whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Now, turn back to Psalm 58 and let me ask you this question. Why should Barack Obama melt like a snail? Why should Barack Obama die like the untimely birth of a woman? Why should his children be fatherless and his wife a widow, as we read in this passage?

Well, I will tell you why. Because, since Barack Obama thinks it is OK to use a salty solution, right, to abort the unborn, because that's how abortions are done, my friend, using salt -- and I would like to see Barack Obama melt like a snail tonight."

I could fill up a dozen blogs with examples of how the right treats the president. Whether it's the Fox news pundits lies, the immoral evangelicals and their constant whining, or politicians telling him simply, "you lie!" There is not an ounce of respect from these neanderthals. 

If you are a liberal, it is hard to respond to the nonsense, and even possible danger, that the right promotes. We know that science, logic and critical thinking are not appreciated or even understood by mainstream conservatives these days. I think we have to find a method of communication that is easily understood by all, and that method has finally come to light in a doone discussion; mockery. Whether it's mocking creationists as Andrew Sullivan promotes, or mocking the education buffoons like Colbert did, this is the most fun a liberal can have these days. It's a fine line we have to walk; keep it separate from disdain, which is too serious, and lighten the conversation up with laughter.

I think even an old, washed up, has been, brain dead, pig screwing, writer of misogynist bad rock, demented fleabag like Ted Nugent, would really hate to be the brunt of everyone's jokes. 

Go for it.

Editor's Note: My apologies for bringing numbnuts back for a second week. For all his fans - like his NRA bitches will ever find their way to this site - all I can say is, "get a life."

The Planet Hates Women

Not "The Weekly Planet," but the planet in general. Why is all the violence allowed to stand? If you have not been involved in the, "Why Do They Hate Us," discussion posted by Adriana, you need to go there now. It concentrates on Middle Eastern craziness, but this is happening to some degree worldwide. Every week I'm going to bring up this subject until I understand it fully. This is not only religious in nature, by its nature it must also include a struggle for power and dominance; yet I do not understand why that needs to be. 

Today Planned Parenthood Advocates are protesting nation wide. You will have to google your state to see where, but it is happening now. There are two going on in Michigan today, I'm hoping to make it to the Lansing one to stand with them. For liberals, get your rears out the door and find one. I am of the mind that this is one of the most important subjects in this year's election. Find them, join them and have a discussion. Think of your mother, your sisters, your daughters, your wives and go fight. Especially us ugly white guys; there's nothing more unsettling to a conservative than white males taking the other side. Smile wide for the cameras, talk to anyone who will listen.

Even if it is impossible for you to do so today, you can take a stand almost weekly. Everywhere there's a Planned Parenthood facility, there's a few dumbasses protesting. Go mess with them, it'll feel good. We've let this nonsense continue, year after year, and it will never stop unless we get out there. I don't call for activism often, I'm happy to go out and make my position known without needing company, but when will you decide that you've had enough? 

Don't you know anyone that has had to take the, "walk of shame," to get help? I do and it's bullshit. Excuse my aggravation please, but this just riles me up. I start talking about this and all I want to do is grab one of those religious protestors that are to be found with their stupid posters and shove said poster up their ass. Hey buddy, I have a place for that cross.

God, I hate your people.

Education

I can't seem to get my mind off gender inequality today. In Tunisia, universities and women are under attack. Salafist militias are demanding prayer rooms be opened and are mandating that full veils be worn even during exams. When I talk about power and dominance, I am also talking education. If you look at where global conflicts occur today, you are looking at the same places where education is under attack. Keeping them illiterate makes life easy.

In the U.S., where student debt has exceeded a trillion dollars, legislation to help is being stalled by our unfriendly conservatives in office by linking it to women's health. Orange, blowhard, crybaby Boehner denies there's a war on woman while at the same time linking the student loan crisis with women's health. Boehner thinks that the, "Prevention and Public Health Fund," is a slush fund. You know, things like, "cancer screening, child immunizations and programs designed to help people quit smoking and eat right," hinders our freedom to be idiots. We should, "cut funds for cervical cancer screening, breast cancer screening," and all the rest of the stuff that women don't need. 

So even though this should be about education, it's really about those damn women. I wish conservatives would just man up and tell us the truth.

Okay, education Neal.

Paul Ryan's budget plan would cut funding for higher education for ten million disadvantaged youths and adults, thank you sir. Though some conservatives are starting to distance themselves from his budget plan, Ryan is a possible running mate for Romney. His plan would destroy the Pell Grants program by reducing funding over the next few years to where the program would be ineffective. 

Take a look here at what this man wishes to accomplish. It is your basic conservative strategy, rape the children and poor and give it all to the rich. 

Homeschooling advocates are traumatized by Obama's request that all high school students stay in school until they have graduated or turn eighteen. Oh, the humanity! Taking away their educational freedoms! Parents, not the government, should be in control of how long their child should remain in school according to home schooling advocates. And if these parents are all knuckle dragging theists, they will get their kids out before they learn enough to think for themselves.

Conservatives are the only ones who can distort a fine word like freedom to stand for stupid.

Republicans That Don't Totally Suck

Well, for me, they all suck today. I guess that the conservative senators who joined democrats in passing a version of the Violence Against Women Act would be deserving of some credit if it wasn't for the fact that it will never get through the House.

I have tried to include this part of The Planet to praise conservatives for doing something actually good for the country; not much luck with that. I see no future for moderates of either party, both are under attack. 

For any conservatives reading, I'll throw you a bone. The fine Senator from Alaska, Lisa Murkowski, has made it clear that she supports contraceptive rights and is pro-choice. Unfortunately she only says that to her constituents. When it comes time for a vote, she bends under conservative pressure and doesn't vote for her beliefs. 

When it is time to look for a republican leader who doesn't totally suck, it seems to be easiest to start with women who are not southerners; I wonder why that is.

The south, especially on the conservative side, seems to be the home of all that is wrong in politics today. The north isn't doing much better. I miss the times when you could count on northern conservatives to be more rational than their southern counterparts; that difference appears to be, if not gone, quickly dwindling. 

Final Thought

Robert Jordan, who initially tried to get a job with the local police force in the mid 90's, has been in and out of court over not being considered for the job. The problem Jordan had? Too smart.

Apparently the police in Connecticut only seek candidates with an average IQ, citing that a highly intelligent person would become, "bored," with the job.

I'm not sure about anyone else, and I do have respect for the officers that I have undesirably come into contact with, but don't we want intelligence behind that gun? I think this is possibly the first case of discrimination I have heard centering on high intelligent levels.

It will be a fun day in court when some enterprising young lawyer defends his client on the premise that the officer wasn't smart enough to understand the situation and came to a wrong conclusion.

The Weekly Planet - April 21, 2012

Welcome again to The Weekly Planet. 

Presidential Politics

How is an election won? These days it's primarily money thanks to the Citizen's United case, but there still needs to be a conversation that grabs certain blocks of voters. As an easy example, atheists will probably vote for those, that by their actions, do not take their marching orders from any religion. Actions are what you have to look for, much more so than any talk.

How any atheist can be a conservative is a mystery to me. With Santorum out, maybe they can wrap their minds around Romney, but again, if you look at his actions you'd be hard pressed to vote for him. Well, hard pressed if you care about the the rights of the women in your life. Since he changed his mind on abortion, declaring himself pro-life, or more succinctly anti-abortion, he is mimicking the religious views that the hard right base imposes. He may not be outspoken about contraceptives, but he does oppose religiously affiliated hospitals being required to provide free contraceptives. With those two small points, he has disclosed his link with the church.

Adriana posted a very interesting poll regarding atheists that I think relates to the upcoming elections as well. Besides data on the most religious and non-religious states, nationwide the percentage of people who state that religion is not an important part of their daily life and seldom or never attend religious services is 32 percent! Take that religious freaks. How this effects the election probably won't be known until after the fact. But by Obama not capitulating to the catholic church concerning contraceptives, he could possibly get as many votes as the religious right will provide for Romney.

What should be interesting as the race starts in earnest is concentrating on those who are behind the scenes. Who are those that influence the candidate's thought. This last week the NRA's board member Ted Nugent tells it like it is. Besides the discussion there's also numerous posts by doone in the Right Wing Whackos group. The gist of his comments revolve around the president and the Supreme Court Justices that he disapproves of. For the president, old Ted says he's a "vile, evil America-hating administration” which is “wiping its ass with the Constitution.” Taking it a step further, he said that “If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.” For the Supreme Court Justices, “We’ve got four Supreme Court justices who don’t believe in the Constitution. Does everyone here know that four of the Supreme Court justices not only determined you don’t have the right to keep and bear arms, four Supreme Court justices signed their name to a declaration that Americans have no fundamental right to self-defense.”

Keep in mind that not only has the NRA always supported the right, the hate in their rhetoric increases every election cycle. Six days ago Glenn Beck addressed the fruitcakes at the NRA's national convention. Crying Glenn said, “Barack Obama‘s winning slogan was ’Yes we can.‘ That’s the dumbest damn slogan I’ve ever heard,” Beck said. “Don’t tell me what you can do. Will you do it? Will you do it? ‘Yes we can.’ What a bunch of crap that is.”

I think liberals need to understand how the far right thinks. If you have the stomach for it, the Daily Caller has the speeches online of all your favorite mouths. Plop a couple of alka-seltzers in a shot of bourbon; only way I could take it.

Education Meets Misogyny

We are all familiar by now with the Monkey Bill in Tennessee. Another attempt to disqualify science as a whole. With all the legislative attempts to either restrict women's rights or to pervert education, it is easy to miss parts of what a particular piece of legislation is trying to accomplish.

Arizona has what has to be one of the most insidious attacks on the books; it manages to attack women and education at the same time.

We have a society that seemingly now views women, especially the poorest segments, as disposable. In Texas they have cut family planning finances, have added a sonogram bill and Planned Parenthood is being kicked out of the Medicaid program for poor women. Texas is only an example, but numerous states are cutting funds for women's health issues.

Back to Arizona, where they are not only restricting health care for women, but also using public education to promote the legislation. Arizona's new law which banns abortion after about 18 weeks is being debated by the country it would seem. But the bill also states that public schools will instruct the students on how birth and adoption is a priority over any other option. 

Isn't that the way the religious brainwash our children? Get them while their young and before they can think for themselves. It's a proven historical method that works. Not only are they restricting a person's right to control their own body, they are teaching the young to go along with the misdeed. 

Occupy The World

The Occupy movement seems to be in a funk lately. They are not getting the media's attention as they did last year; at least not yet. I guess if there's no violence from one side or another it's not worth reporting. 

The last major protests were on April 17th. Tax day for Americans. In New York they descended on Trump Tower, where goofy Donald was holding a birthday party for Anne Romney. I like the idea, they were dressed in baseball uniforms with the team name, "Tax Dodgers." 

Various protests occurred across the country, though they didn't seem to get much air time. 

The main thought of the Occupy movement is generally agreed upon to be income inequality. A longish New York Times article recently centered on two left leaning economists; Picketty and Saez. From their work archiving Internal Revenue Service data they discovered that income inequality dropped after the great depression through the seventies. After that income inequality once again was on the rise. From 2000 to 2007 they found that income rose for the bottom 90 percent rose about 4 percent after adjusting for inflation, while the top 0.1 percent incomes rose 94 percent! In 2010 the top 10 percent took half of overall income. They also stated the last time income inequality was this high was right before the great depression.

Hey Occupiers, you may want to read what they have to say.

Republicans That Don't Totally Suck

The Tea Party, the NRA and the Club for Growth are all gunning for Richard G. Lugar, a long serving United States Senator. In this country, if your a moderate conservative who supported those horrible liberal thoughts like the Dream Act, or even sometimes bipartisan supported ideas like banning earmarks, you've gone to far. With an F rating from the NRA and critiques about him being too friendly with Obama, he might have a hard primary this year. This gentleman had the audacity to work with Democratic senator Sam Dunn on a program for disarmament in the Soviet Union.

So sorry, you don't meet the crazy criteria.

Final Thought

I watched the bond hearing for Mr. Zimmerman, wanting to finally hear the man talk. After catching a couple contradictions in his testimony, I thought to myself, here's a man who's going to have trouble when the trial actually begins. 

After the hearing was over, I listened to the pundits giving their views on the case. They all seem to think that if Zimmerman can prove their was a scuffle that he could claim self-defense. I did not understand why they focused on that instead of the fact that Mr. Zimmerman followed Mr. Martin. Am I wrong in thinking that if you follow someone you are no longer defending yourself? 

The "Stand Your Ground" law will be revisited by a panel selected by FLorida's Governor. I hope that the trial is about the killing of Mr. Martin and does not revolve around defending the legislation.

I'm sure the NRA will be wielding its might protecting what they believe the second amendment means.

Should be an interesting trial.