If you watch this video in its entirity, you'll get a fair idea of what the United Nations is all about.
Can someone explain to me why my tax dollars are used to fund this drivel?
Can you tell me why Democrats champion this anti-American, anti-Israel slander-fest?
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Prequel: The Speeches NOT Banned at UN Human Rights Council
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
One Last Stab At It
If you wish to tell me that the official name of the Democrat Party is "Democratic Party" - Fine, I'll accept that. Based on their politics and actions, it's a misnomer - but fine.
But please have the sense to understand that "Democrat Party" is a perfectly legitimate and grammatically correct way to describe a political party made of Democrats.
Also correct: Democrats' party
Incorrect: Democratics' party
Thank you.
If you wish to tell me that the official name of the Democrat Party is "Democratic Party" - Fine, I'll accept that. Based on their politics and actions, it's a misnomer - but fine.
But please have the sense to understand that "Democrat Party" is a perfectly legitimate and grammatically correct way to describe a political party made of Democrats.
Also correct: Democrats' party
Incorrect: Democratics' party
Thank you.
Monday, March 26, 2007
To My Democrat Friends...
Note: If you voted for John Kerry you are a "Democrat" - not a "Democratic."
The Party I usually vote for is made up of Republicans - The Republican Party. The Party you vote for is made up of "Democrats"- The "Democrat Party."
"Democratic" is an adjective, not a name, and describes a political system that the Democrat Party has found detrimental to the furthering of its agenda.
I can't make it much simpler than that.
Thank you.
Note: If you voted for John Kerry you are a "Democrat" - not a "Democratic."
The Party I usually vote for is made up of Republicans - The Republican Party. The Party you vote for is made up of "Democrats"- The "Democrat Party."
"Democratic" is an adjective, not a name, and describes a political system that the Democrat Party has found detrimental to the furthering of its agenda.
I can't make it much simpler than that.
Thank you.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Attention Limey Hostages: Address Complaints To The Democrat Leadership
Britain’s crisis with Iran deepened last night after Tehran justified seizing 15 British servicemen by claiming that they had strayed into Iranian territorial waters “illegally”.
The announcement appeared to rule out any hope that the incident was a simple mistake that could be quickly rectified.
Does this surprise anyone? The criminals that run the Iranian Government can read the newspapers and watch CNN. They know they have nothing to fear from all those American soldiers camped out a few miles from their border.
There is a price to pay for constantly badgering and maligning the commander-in-chief for political gain - during a time of war. We are seeing the fruits of the Democrat's labor.
We'll never know how Iraq would have turned out if the Democrat Party was led by patriots instead of self-serving politicians hungry for power. We'll never know how many fewer young men and women in our armed services would have died if our government had remained united.
But we can be sure that our enemies appreciate weakness when they see it.
Britain’s crisis with Iran deepened last night after Tehran justified seizing 15 British servicemen by claiming that they had strayed into Iranian territorial waters “illegally”.
The announcement appeared to rule out any hope that the incident was a simple mistake that could be quickly rectified.
Does this surprise anyone? The criminals that run the Iranian Government can read the newspapers and watch CNN. They know they have nothing to fear from all those American soldiers camped out a few miles from their border.
There is a price to pay for constantly badgering and maligning the commander-in-chief for political gain - during a time of war. We are seeing the fruits of the Democrat's labor.
We'll never know how Iraq would have turned out if the Democrat Party was led by patriots instead of self-serving politicians hungry for power. We'll never know how many fewer young men and women in our armed services would have died if our government had remained united.
But we can be sure that our enemies appreciate weakness when they see it.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Revolution, Part Deux
I'm sure you understand that the 2nd amendment was not established just so we could hunt and shoot at targets. A militia? Yes, but why would the founders need to restrict the government's power to diminish the effectiveness of local posses or Indian fighters?
My previous post wasn't meant to suggest that we need to take up arms this week against our government. It was meant to be a reminder that our liberties were conceived through revolution, and the revolutionaries responsible made legal provision for defense of what they fought so hard for.
The Federal Government has indeed started down a path that has already restricted our liberty to make our own laws and govern ourselves. The 10th amendment basically states that the Federal government is limited only to the powers it is granted in the Constitution:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved for the States respectively, or to the people.
This amendment is not favorable to unlimited Federal power and control, so it is ignored. For instance, the Constitution says nothing of marriage laws or abortion rights, so elected state representatives and local communities should be allowed to decide how to address these issues.
But when the people speak and laws are made - unelected tyrants in black robes get creative with the Constitution and basically tell the people they can't govern themselves. The "Living Constitution" is a power grab that threatens to strangle the life out of our representative democracy.
The Federal Government displays its lawless nature in the way it handles the illegal trespassers. It oppressively taxes its legal "subjects" and uses the funds to buy votes and secure its power. Its secular and socialist ideology is sweetened by the Beltway Media Propaganda Machine, and its daily hysterical rants drown out the words of composed, adult leaders who are serious about addressing the nation's problems.
And today, if the greatest statesman - the most brilliant leader ever - stepped forward to serve... He would get creamed in the primaries.
We live in a country governed by a graceless, lawless, centralized conglomerate of would-be thieves and power-hungry tyrants. The Supreme Court will not protect us from them because the Court has been purchased - and is "in the loop."
And may I pause to say I'm a little surprised that the left-leaning visitors to my blog - these courageous souls instilled with the "spirit of the 60's" - are so critical of a little seditious chatter.
In conclusion... Two hundred years ago a bunch of patriots got sick and tired of a tyrannical, unresponsive, and oppressive government over-taxing them and telling them what they should think and how they should live. They bled and died to create something really special. And then they gave us the right to speak sedition and bear arms... so that tyrants would never rule over us again.
It's something we need to think about, because we have less freedom to govern ourselves than we did 50 years ago. And while our nation is being threatened from abroad, our government is being led by politically-correct theatrical performers who fight more to protect their power than to protect us.
The Beltway "Machine" is of our own making. But it's not working. The time may come when events necessitate that we either fix it... or scuttle it.
I'm sure you understand that the 2nd amendment was not established just so we could hunt and shoot at targets. A militia? Yes, but why would the founders need to restrict the government's power to diminish the effectiveness of local posses or Indian fighters?
My previous post wasn't meant to suggest that we need to take up arms this week against our government. It was meant to be a reminder that our liberties were conceived through revolution, and the revolutionaries responsible made legal provision for defense of what they fought so hard for.
The Federal Government has indeed started down a path that has already restricted our liberty to make our own laws and govern ourselves. The 10th amendment basically states that the Federal government is limited only to the powers it is granted in the Constitution:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved for the States respectively, or to the people.
This amendment is not favorable to unlimited Federal power and control, so it is ignored. For instance, the Constitution says nothing of marriage laws or abortion rights, so elected state representatives and local communities should be allowed to decide how to address these issues.
But when the people speak and laws are made - unelected tyrants in black robes get creative with the Constitution and basically tell the people they can't govern themselves. The "Living Constitution" is a power grab that threatens to strangle the life out of our representative democracy.
The Federal Government displays its lawless nature in the way it handles the illegal trespassers. It oppressively taxes its legal "subjects" and uses the funds to buy votes and secure its power. Its secular and socialist ideology is sweetened by the Beltway Media Propaganda Machine, and its daily hysterical rants drown out the words of composed, adult leaders who are serious about addressing the nation's problems.
And today, if the greatest statesman - the most brilliant leader ever - stepped forward to serve... He would get creamed in the primaries.
We live in a country governed by a graceless, lawless, centralized conglomerate of would-be thieves and power-hungry tyrants. The Supreme Court will not protect us from them because the Court has been purchased - and is "in the loop."
And may I pause to say I'm a little surprised that the left-leaning visitors to my blog - these courageous souls instilled with the "spirit of the 60's" - are so critical of a little seditious chatter.
In conclusion... Two hundred years ago a bunch of patriots got sick and tired of a tyrannical, unresponsive, and oppressive government over-taxing them and telling them what they should think and how they should live. They bled and died to create something really special. And then they gave us the right to speak sedition and bear arms... so that tyrants would never rule over us again.
It's something we need to think about, because we have less freedom to govern ourselves than we did 50 years ago. And while our nation is being threatened from abroad, our government is being led by politically-correct theatrical performers who fight more to protect their power than to protect us.
The Beltway "Machine" is of our own making. But it's not working. The time may come when events necessitate that we either fix it... or scuttle it.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Time for Another Revolution?
Wasn't it Thomas Jefferson that said "A little revolution now and then is a good thing; the tree of liberty must be refreshed..."
Well... somebody said it.
A look at the latest Democrat witch-hunt/political fishing expedition/smear campaign/distraction from their obvious inability to govern/ fiasco - involving Federal Prosecutor firings... Suggests that the need to tear it down and start over may be in America's future.
Getting back to the kind of governing by honest grown-ups that the founding fathers intended may one day involve speaking a little treason against the powers that be... Not that the original plan wasn't a great one - But the Democrats have formed an extra-legislational, pseudo-truth, propaganda-alliance with the Judiciary Branch and the Liberal media. The resulting tyranny is palpable as the people who think they know better than the majority play fast and loose with both the law and the truth. And the worst part is - they exercise this charade with impunity.
These people are the perpetrators of the present "daily hysteria" and governmental quagmire... Which is what happens when either you have no ideas, or can't sell the ones you have - and you can do nothing but criticise and accuse your opponents.
I'm not sure if the "Spirit of 1776" still lives and breathes in our distracted, complacent, self absorbed, and embarrassingly lazy culture... But when the wheels fall off - When the grown-ups take their hand from the wheel and ask, "Who is John Galt" - the sleeping giant of liberty and self-determination may be roused from its current nap.
As the Left continues to chip away at our Representative Democracy, the authors of the second amendment look more and more like the geniuses they were.
Wasn't it Thomas Jefferson that said "A little revolution now and then is a good thing; the tree of liberty must be refreshed..."
Well... somebody said it.
A look at the latest Democrat witch-hunt/political fishing expedition/smear campaign/distraction from their obvious inability to govern/ fiasco - involving Federal Prosecutor firings... Suggests that the need to tear it down and start over may be in America's future.
Getting back to the kind of governing by honest grown-ups that the founding fathers intended may one day involve speaking a little treason against the powers that be... Not that the original plan wasn't a great one - But the Democrats have formed an extra-legislational, pseudo-truth, propaganda-alliance with the Judiciary Branch and the Liberal media. The resulting tyranny is palpable as the people who think they know better than the majority play fast and loose with both the law and the truth. And the worst part is - they exercise this charade with impunity.
These people are the perpetrators of the present "daily hysteria" and governmental quagmire... Which is what happens when either you have no ideas, or can't sell the ones you have - and you can do nothing but criticise and accuse your opponents.
I'm not sure if the "Spirit of 1776" still lives and breathes in our distracted, complacent, self absorbed, and embarrassingly lazy culture... But when the wheels fall off - When the grown-ups take their hand from the wheel and ask, "Who is John Galt" - the sleeping giant of liberty and self-determination may be roused from its current nap.
As the Left continues to chip away at our Representative Democracy, the authors of the second amendment look more and more like the geniuses they were.
The Great Global Warming Swindle Part 4 (of 8)
I'm not sure Part 5 is the right Part 5...
But Part 6 should be right.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Notes from the Mire
Is it true that sometimes the best advice comes not from the mountain top, but from the poor schmuck struggling in the pit beside yours?
Probably not. But is that going to stop me?
Actually... Most of this comes from James McDonald of "Walk in the Word" fame. It concerns prayer.
1) Don't wait for trouble. Fast and pray regularly... And maybe God won't feel the need to "rock your world" - just to get your attention.
2) Make time. Don't "find time." Get up early. Turn off your favorite TV show. Preferably make a sacrifice to honor this time with God.
3) Get alone and on your knees. Praying on the toilet is attitudinally incorrect. "Standing" in the presence of God is attitudinally incorrect. Pray whenever you can - but make time for "alone and on your knees."
4) Put down your knife and fork and create a stressful fervency. And no, it doesn't make sense... Until you have done it.
5) Speak out loud.
-a) Your mind will wander less (remember where you are).
-b) Let your child or young adult hear you pray for them by name - and create the stuff that will follow them and influence them for the rest of their lives.
6) Pray in order: ACTS. Adoration... Confession... Thanksgiving... Supplication...
7) Use notes.
You were created. You were created to have "needs." You need oxygen. You need water. You need food. You need sleep. If you neglect these "needs" - you can't expect to live a healthy life.
Today's post is about something else you were created to need.
8) Start today.
Is it true that sometimes the best advice comes not from the mountain top, but from the poor schmuck struggling in the pit beside yours?
Probably not. But is that going to stop me?
Actually... Most of this comes from James McDonald of "Walk in the Word" fame. It concerns prayer.
1) Don't wait for trouble. Fast and pray regularly... And maybe God won't feel the need to "rock your world" - just to get your attention.
2) Make time. Don't "find time." Get up early. Turn off your favorite TV show. Preferably make a sacrifice to honor this time with God.
3) Get alone and on your knees. Praying on the toilet is attitudinally incorrect. "Standing" in the presence of God is attitudinally incorrect. Pray whenever you can - but make time for "alone and on your knees."
4) Put down your knife and fork and create a stressful fervency. And no, it doesn't make sense... Until you have done it.
5) Speak out loud.
-a) Your mind will wander less (remember where you are).
-b) Let your child or young adult hear you pray for them by name - and create the stuff that will follow them and influence them for the rest of their lives.
6) Pray in order: ACTS. Adoration... Confession... Thanksgiving... Supplication...
7) Use notes.
You were created. You were created to have "needs." You need oxygen. You need water. You need food. You need sleep. If you neglect these "needs" - you can't expect to live a healthy life.
Today's post is about something else you were created to need.
8) Start today.
Attitudes of Iraqis
From the "Times Online" in the U.K.
MOST Iraqis believe life is better for them now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a British opinion poll published today.
...when asked whether they preferred life under Saddam, the dictator who was executed last December, or under Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, most replied that things were better for them today.
Only 27% think there is a civil war in Iraq, compared with 61% who do not, according to the survey carried out last month.
By a majority of two to one, Iraqis believe military operations now under way will disarm all militias. More than half say security will improve after a withdrawal of multinational forces.
They certainly sound hopeful and optomistic. Obviously the News Media and the Democrats are failing to get the word out.
From the "Times Online" in the U.K.
MOST Iraqis believe life is better for them now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a British opinion poll published today.
...when asked whether they preferred life under Saddam, the dictator who was executed last December, or under Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, most replied that things were better for them today.
Only 27% think there is a civil war in Iraq, compared with 61% who do not, according to the survey carried out last month.
By a majority of two to one, Iraqis believe military operations now under way will disarm all militias. More than half say security will improve after a withdrawal of multinational forces.
They certainly sound hopeful and optomistic. Obviously the News Media and the Democrats are failing to get the word out.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Children of Palestinian Suicide Bomber
And this just in from "Parents Magazine:"
"Embrace the mess! Learn to prioritize, find ways to simplify your life, and recruit your kids help in any way they can."
And...
"My daughter is only 15 months but loves to sit on the potty. Is it too early to toilet-train her?"
And...
"Will my martyrdom adversely affect my child's emotional health? ...Not that I care."
The Great Global Warming Swindle Part 1 (of 8)
I found particularly interesting the natural - preCO2 - fluctuations of the last 2000 years.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Upon Request
"The untold want, by life and land ne'er granted,
Now, Voyager, sail thou forth to seek and find."
-Walt Whitman
Thanks for the email, and sorry it took me so long.
I first read this call to travel and adventure 35 years ago, back when I was a timid, sheltered 18 year old.
...I'm still thinking it over.
"The untold want, by life and land ne'er granted,
Now, Voyager, sail thou forth to seek and find."
-Walt Whitman
Thanks for the email, and sorry it took me so long.
I first read this call to travel and adventure 35 years ago, back when I was a timid, sheltered 18 year old.
...I'm still thinking it over.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Great Global Warming Swindle - Introduction
I haven't heard these guys quoted on the news... Or the weather chanel... Or anywhere else.
Al? Have you lied to us, Al?
The Ungrateful Foreign Left
I read a comment over at Skyepuppy's blog (always great reading) which I'll share here:
"I'd really like to ignore you Americans and leave you to your lunacy but unfortunately your quest for global full spectrum dominance is impinging upon everyone else's lives.
Couldn't you break the habit and stay within your own borders? Maybe buy the stuff you need rather than steal it?
You know, like civilised people...." confusedforeigner
The "Civilised people" this Aussie describes are scattered throughout history... also referred to as the "conquered people."
Foreign Lefties "rise and sleep under the blanket of the very freedom that we provide, and then question the manner in which we provide it"... to quote a certain general...
They whine and complain about the U.S.A. - all the while denying the undeniable... that they owe us for every bit of goodness - every bit of freedom in their lives. They also owe their unsophisticated predecessors and contemporaries who have fought alongside the Leaders of the Free World.
Tyrants don't take away the foreign Leftist's freedom - but not because they're "just so smart and clever..."
Tyrants are kept at bay because brave young men fall in battle.
I read a comment over at Skyepuppy's blog (always great reading) which I'll share here:
"I'd really like to ignore you Americans and leave you to your lunacy but unfortunately your quest for global full spectrum dominance is impinging upon everyone else's lives.
Couldn't you break the habit and stay within your own borders? Maybe buy the stuff you need rather than steal it?
You know, like civilised people...." confusedforeigner
The "Civilised people" this Aussie describes are scattered throughout history... also referred to as the "conquered people."
Foreign Lefties "rise and sleep under the blanket of the very freedom that we provide, and then question the manner in which we provide it"... to quote a certain general...
They whine and complain about the U.S.A. - all the while denying the undeniable... that they owe us for every bit of goodness - every bit of freedom in their lives. They also owe their unsophisticated predecessors and contemporaries who have fought alongside the Leaders of the Free World.
Tyrants don't take away the foreign Leftist's freedom - but not because they're "just so smart and clever..."
Tyrants are kept at bay because brave young men fall in battle.
Monday, March 12, 2007
If Malott Was King
As a public service, Malott's Blog will attempt enlighten the blogging world as to the question that is on every one's mind... What would the world be like... If Malott was King.
In our first installment we explore the question...
How would we vote... If Malott was King?
1) If you wanted the privilege to to vote, you would have to be able to speak English. Heck, you shouldn't even be able to immigrate if you can't speak English.
2) If you are, or ever have been an illegal alien, you cannot vote.
3) If you pay no taxes, you cannot vote.
4) If you have served in the Military, you get to vote twice.
That's a good start. Please leave any additions or corrections in the comments.
There should never be an intelligence test to qualify for voting, but demonstrating a certain amount of knowledge...? Here is a site that has a voting test that you might like.
I scored 98%.
As a public service, Malott's Blog will attempt enlighten the blogging world as to the question that is on every one's mind... What would the world be like... If Malott was King.
In our first installment we explore the question...
How would we vote... If Malott was King?
1) If you wanted the privilege to to vote, you would have to be able to speak English. Heck, you shouldn't even be able to immigrate if you can't speak English.
2) If you are, or ever have been an illegal alien, you cannot vote.
3) If you pay no taxes, you cannot vote.
4) If you have served in the Military, you get to vote twice.
That's a good start. Please leave any additions or corrections in the comments.
There should never be an intelligence test to qualify for voting, but demonstrating a certain amount of knowledge...? Here is a site that has a voting test that you might like.
I scored 98%.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Jihad
A short history of jihad. I found this at Front Page Mag.
You might want to turn down the music. It's that opera thing by Carl Orff that was used in Excalibur and The Omen... and no one wants to hear it.
A short history of jihad. I found this at Front Page Mag.
You might want to turn down the music. It's that opera thing by Carl Orff that was used in Excalibur and The Omen... and no one wants to hear it.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Ann Coulter Reigns
Ann is the William F Buckley Jr. of political humor and satire. If there is a sharper or more biting wit out there, I don't know who it would be. Democrats despise her, but oh how they wish they had one like her.
Ann is the William F Buckley Jr. of political humor and satire. If there is a sharper or more biting wit out there, I don't know who it would be. Democrats despise her, but oh how they wish they had one like her.
I've read several liberal blogs - which call her names - but they seem to have trouble arguing with the points she makes.
She is the "smart" and lovely woman that so many little Liberal guys could never get... The one they can't impress with their Liberal pseudo-intellectual drivel. Too much competition for their fragile male egos... I understand.
But a bright woman should be appreciated... She should be exercise for their intellect... To simply call her names only exposes their insecurities.
So bring on the criticism and the pathetic attempts to discredit and disarm her. She is up to it.
Atheist Update
I have had a fun week over at Arthur Vandelay's (pseudonym a la Seinfeld) Five Public Opinions site. Arthur is a very bright guy and for the most part dealt fairly with my comments. I picked out a couple highlights.
AV: I haven't ruled out anything. This is generally the first assumption most theists make when they encounter an atheist, and it amounts to a basic misunderstanding.
I don't believe in a god because, there being no evidence for the existence of god/s, there is no reason to believe in their existence.
Malott: I'm also amazed at the zeal with which you all reject even the mention of "intelligent design" in the public school. You are every bit as unyielding as any fundamentalist I know.
AV: There is nothing fundamentalist about the demand that science be taught in science classrooms. Intelligent design/Creationism doesn't count: it inverts the scientific method (it presupposes certain conclusions about the universe and then seeks to make the facts fit the presuppositions), it isn't falsifiable (how do you falsify the conclusion that "God did it?"), it violates the very definition of science (science seeks natural explanations for natural phenomena; ID/C demands that we abandon this search without explaining why), it is based upon a series of logical fallacies (including the Argument from Ignorance: "There is a gap in our knowledge about x, therefore Goddidit"; or the Argument from Design: "It looks designed, therefore it is designed") and it lacks positive content, being based almost entirely upon attacking evolution and presenting itself--again without proper justification or evidence--as the default alternative explanation.
Malott: Look, you make a very interesting and sophisticated argument, but for evolution to work you need the first cell - and Jr High Biology and common sense should tell you the first cell didn't just compose itself. Chloroplasts, DNA, messenger RNA, RNA template, and other structures didn't just show up one day inside a semi-permeable membrane, spatially arranged in a matter that would allow it to maintain and reproduce itself.
This alone should squeeze at least a mention of intelligent design into the classroom.
AV: We don't know, Malott. But "we don't know" does not by default mean "Goddidit." It means that scientific knowledge is not such that the question is able to be answered yet. That doesn't mean that it can never, will never be answered.
...intelligent design at the end of the day is not an explanation. It's just another way of saying "we don't know." It's just another way of saying "We don't know; therefore, God." Argument from ignorance. God-in-the-gaps. These are logical fallacies, and you can't have science built upon logical fallacies.
Then there is this guy named Bruce that also comments on the site. He comes across as very arrogant - and either communicates poorly or tries to impress with obscure references and tortuous long-winded arguments. (Then again, maybe he is just much smarter than I am.)
Bruce annoyed me, and so I'll list only my responses to a couple subjects:
Malott:
Bruce,
Surely you are a teacher. I recognize the "attitude."I'm sure you get away with being the pedantic bully in the classroom. You love to rough up the egos of children? Probably compensates for a myriad of personal insecurities.
I'm sure you're doing your best, but being flawed - as am I - you might study humility. It will help you accept your short-comings, like yourself, and be a better "encourager" of your wards.
Malott:
Bruce,
You're well-schooled...But I believe that if there was evidence championing gay-longevity... You would have already produced it. The fact that the claim to the contrary has been made - and remains unanswered by a very Liberal world of Academia... suggests to me that Gays do not live as long as the rest of us...And I wonder why you don't want this taught in Public Schools... for the sake of the children?
Malott:
AV,I do appreciate you for entertaining my questions, though "Bruce the Pompous" says you needn't.
Malott:
Bruce,
A pompous person should not be so sensitive.
Malott:
Bruce,
You're allowing your hurt feelings to cloud your judgement.
I wrote to AV above, "for evolution to work, you need the first cell."
If you weren't in such an emotional dither, you'd recognize that this suggests I know the difference between biopoietic theories and evolutionary theories.
Now buck-up young man and get a hold of yourself.
At this point Bruce appealed to his reputation at the site, suggesting that all involved knew he was rational and well-adjusted.
Malott:
Bruce,
Methinks thou dost protest too much.
Denial will only postpone recovery.
"Now, Voyager, sail thou forth to seek and find."
Then AV chimed in concerning my Bruce abuse: ...rather than being reduced to sniping from the sidelines, you could address his points.
(Perhaps Arthur makes a good point.)
Anyway, it's been fun. It's a well written and interesting blog, and though I agree with none of it... It is interesting.
I have had a fun week over at Arthur Vandelay's (pseudonym a la Seinfeld) Five Public Opinions site. Arthur is a very bright guy and for the most part dealt fairly with my comments. I picked out a couple highlights.
AV: I haven't ruled out anything. This is generally the first assumption most theists make when they encounter an atheist, and it amounts to a basic misunderstanding.
I don't believe in a god because, there being no evidence for the existence of god/s, there is no reason to believe in their existence.
Malott: I'm also amazed at the zeal with which you all reject even the mention of "intelligent design" in the public school. You are every bit as unyielding as any fundamentalist I know.
AV: There is nothing fundamentalist about the demand that science be taught in science classrooms. Intelligent design/Creationism doesn't count: it inverts the scientific method (it presupposes certain conclusions about the universe and then seeks to make the facts fit the presuppositions), it isn't falsifiable (how do you falsify the conclusion that "God did it?"), it violates the very definition of science (science seeks natural explanations for natural phenomena; ID/C demands that we abandon this search without explaining why), it is based upon a series of logical fallacies (including the Argument from Ignorance: "There is a gap in our knowledge about x, therefore Goddidit"; or the Argument from Design: "It looks designed, therefore it is designed") and it lacks positive content, being based almost entirely upon attacking evolution and presenting itself--again without proper justification or evidence--as the default alternative explanation.
Malott: Look, you make a very interesting and sophisticated argument, but for evolution to work you need the first cell - and Jr High Biology and common sense should tell you the first cell didn't just compose itself. Chloroplasts, DNA, messenger RNA, RNA template, and other structures didn't just show up one day inside a semi-permeable membrane, spatially arranged in a matter that would allow it to maintain and reproduce itself.
This alone should squeeze at least a mention of intelligent design into the classroom.
AV: We don't know, Malott. But "we don't know" does not by default mean "Goddidit." It means that scientific knowledge is not such that the question is able to be answered yet. That doesn't mean that it can never, will never be answered.
...intelligent design at the end of the day is not an explanation. It's just another way of saying "we don't know." It's just another way of saying "We don't know; therefore, God." Argument from ignorance. God-in-the-gaps. These are logical fallacies, and you can't have science built upon logical fallacies.
Then there is this guy named Bruce that also comments on the site. He comes across as very arrogant - and either communicates poorly or tries to impress with obscure references and tortuous long-winded arguments. (Then again, maybe he is just much smarter than I am.)
Bruce annoyed me, and so I'll list only my responses to a couple subjects:
Malott:
Bruce,
Surely you are a teacher. I recognize the "attitude."I'm sure you get away with being the pedantic bully in the classroom. You love to rough up the egos of children? Probably compensates for a myriad of personal insecurities.
I'm sure you're doing your best, but being flawed - as am I - you might study humility. It will help you accept your short-comings, like yourself, and be a better "encourager" of your wards.
Malott:
Bruce,
You're well-schooled...But I believe that if there was evidence championing gay-longevity... You would have already produced it. The fact that the claim to the contrary has been made - and remains unanswered by a very Liberal world of Academia... suggests to me that Gays do not live as long as the rest of us...And I wonder why you don't want this taught in Public Schools... for the sake of the children?
Malott:
AV,I do appreciate you for entertaining my questions, though "Bruce the Pompous" says you needn't.
Malott:
Bruce,
A pompous person should not be so sensitive.
Malott:
Bruce,
You're allowing your hurt feelings to cloud your judgement.
I wrote to AV above, "for evolution to work, you need the first cell."
If you weren't in such an emotional dither, you'd recognize that this suggests I know the difference between biopoietic theories and evolutionary theories.
Now buck-up young man and get a hold of yourself.
At this point Bruce appealed to his reputation at the site, suggesting that all involved knew he was rational and well-adjusted.
Malott:
Bruce,
Methinks thou dost protest too much.
Denial will only postpone recovery.
"Now, Voyager, sail thou forth to seek and find."
Then AV chimed in concerning my Bruce abuse: ...rather than being reduced to sniping from the sidelines, you could address his points.
(Perhaps Arthur makes a good point.)
Anyway, it's been fun. It's a well written and interesting blog, and though I agree with none of it... It is interesting.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Enjoying Being a Girl
"I am Ayaan, the daughter of Hirsi, the son of Magan."
Thus begins the extraordinary story of a woman born into a family of desert nomads, circumcised as a child, educated by radical imams in Kenya and Saudi Arabia, taught to believe that if she uncovered her hair, terrible tragedies would ensue. It's a story that, with a few different twists, really could have led to a wretched life and a lonely death, as her grandmother warned. But instead, Hirsi Ali escaped -- and transformed herself into an internationally renowned spokeswoman for the rights of Muslim women.
Note: This is the Washington Post at its most "politically correct" - referring to genital mutilation as circumcision.
In 2004, Hirsi Ali helped a Dutch director, Theo van Gogh, make a controversial film, "Submission," about Muslim women suffering from forced marriages and wife beating. Van Gogh was murdered by an angry Muslim radical in response, and Hirsi Ali went into hiding.
Curiously, what seems to rankle Europeans most is the enthusiasm with which Hirsi Ali has adopted their own secularism, and the fervor with which she has embraced their own Western values. Though this is a continent whose intellectuals routinely disparage the pope as an irrelevant dinosaur, Hirsi Ali's rejection of religion in favor of reason, intellect, and emancipation seems to make everyone nervous. Typical is the British feminist who complained that not only does Hirsi Ali paint "the whole of the Islamic world with one black brush," she also "paints the whole of the western world with rosy tints," which is of course far more objectionable.
The left in this country hasn't embraced her... Probably because she is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank... Which is also probably why Newsweek's article about her is titled, "A Bombthrower's Life."
Oddly, the people Ali writes about, the real bombthrowers, would never be called bombthrowers by Newsweek.
Joel Surnow's
When I see Obama i think of the movie "Little Big Man" - when Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George) says, "Yes, the 'black' white man; I have heard of them."
Monday, March 05, 2007
Who Decides What is Best for Our Public Schools?
I have of late been involved in a discussion of what is appropriate instruction for grammar and high school children. I found a statement that perfectly sums up my feelings at lain Hall.
I have the greatest respect for teachers( I am married to one after all) but the people who have a clear right to judge them are not their peers but the parents, and students, who make use of their services. We as parents expect that the teachers in our schools will act as our proxies, to teach OUR children, as WE desire them to be taught.
Perfectly said.
I have of late been involved in a discussion of what is appropriate instruction for grammar and high school children. I found a statement that perfectly sums up my feelings at lain Hall.
I have the greatest respect for teachers( I am married to one after all) but the people who have a clear right to judge them are not their peers but the parents, and students, who make use of their services. We as parents expect that the teachers in our schools will act as our proxies, to teach OUR children, as WE desire them to be taught.
Perfectly said.
Burka Band -Burka Blue
In Afghanistan girls aren't supposed to play music or sing songs. But 25-year-old Nargiz didn't care. She started the Burka Band, the first Afghan girl band ever.
25-year-old Nargiz laughs when she shows us the video in Kabul , the capital of Afghanistan . She is one of the three girls who started the Burka Band two years ago.
- It was a lot of fun, but also very scary. Afghanistan is still a very dangerous place for modern women, and when we shot the video we had to do it very discreetely because no one could know that we were playing music, says Nargiz.
http://www.lnd.dk/burkaband_eng.htm
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Friday, March 02, 2007
A Fundie in Full
Liberal Atheists have a name for fundamentalist Christians: "Fundies"
I've been frolicking at a blog called Five Public Opinions - managed by an Australian-Liberal-Atheist-Teacher who believes, along with his friends, that those who are not "teacher-trained" should have no voice in setting curricula, though I believe they are willing to continue collecting and using non-teacher-trained tax dollars.
It's been interesting, and has inspired me to eclipse my former ambition to become "A Man in Full" - by instead becoming a "Fundie in Full."
On the FPO blog I have also been arguing that gays have a much shorter life span, and that this information should be taught in Public Schools for the sake of the children.
They reject my data. In fact I've learned that I am a bigot - I suppose because I don't agree with them. Can't argue with that.
Actually it's been fun because how can a Pedantic-Liberal-Atheist-Elitist stand up to a Fundie in Full.
Liberal Atheists have a name for fundamentalist Christians: "Fundies"
I've been frolicking at a blog called Five Public Opinions - managed by an Australian-Liberal-Atheist-Teacher who believes, along with his friends, that those who are not "teacher-trained" should have no voice in setting curricula, though I believe they are willing to continue collecting and using non-teacher-trained tax dollars.
It's been interesting, and has inspired me to eclipse my former ambition to become "A Man in Full" - by instead becoming a "Fundie in Full."
On the FPO blog I have also been arguing that gays have a much shorter life span, and that this information should be taught in Public Schools for the sake of the children.
They reject my data. In fact I've learned that I am a bigot - I suppose because I don't agree with them. Can't argue with that.
Actually it's been fun because how can a Pedantic-Liberal-Atheist-Elitist stand up to a Fundie in Full.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Media Bias Defined
Over at Logic Lifeline "All I Can Stands" defined media bias perfectly when he wrote:
Ever notice that the media will probe in an area that has no known basis or proof when it comes to a conservative. Yet for liberals it takes a video and 100 witnesses before they will even consider probing. Fishing for dirt on conservatives is a daily exercise while deflecting dirt on the liberals is given equal effort.
As long as the media is a hidden wing of the Democrat party - a silent partner in the business of Liberalism - Republican and Democrat indiscretions will be weighed with different sets of scales.
Over at Logic Lifeline "All I Can Stands" defined media bias perfectly when he wrote:
Ever notice that the media will probe in an area that has no known basis or proof when it comes to a conservative. Yet for liberals it takes a video and 100 witnesses before they will even consider probing. Fishing for dirt on conservatives is a daily exercise while deflecting dirt on the liberals is given equal effort.
As long as the media is a hidden wing of the Democrat party - a silent partner in the business of Liberalism - Republican and Democrat indiscretions will be weighed with different sets of scales.
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