From the New York Times:

Is it any wonder the rationalists/atheists/humanists are conflicted? On one hand, almost all of us have sane, reasonable believers in our lives to whom we feel strongly bonded/connected. At the same time, the people whom everyone is frightened of (and well should be) are, so often, religious extremists from the various religious traditions. Worse yet, our fellow citizens keep elevating people with similar views into more and more powerful positions in government. I call a "whattheflyingfiddlyfuck?" on this shit.

**FYI, the answers to the question posed in the second image is: narrow-minded, judgmental, personal religious beliefs having nothing to do with the U. S. Constitution.

And, as far ass Mr. Barr is concerned, He was born with native intelligence and given the priceless gift of a high quality American education. Therefore he should fuckin' aye know better. Apparently the money spent on that schooling went up in smoke. He should have stuck with bible school.

Recent Headline re: Russia, Trump

Recent Headline:

"RUSSIAN STATE MEDIA CALLS TRUMP A MOSCOW 'AGENT,' JOKINGLY SUGGESTS HE'LL NEED TO FLEE TO THEIR COUNTRY AFTER LEAVING OFFICE"

Nobody can know what will happen. However, this does not seem like a joke to me at all.

I suggest this is a disturbingly real possible outcome. Stop and think about it. This man has been privy to many of our most sensitive national secrets. Whether you are for him or against him, we all realize that once he leaves office, he will be under serious criminal exposure. Considering that he has never faced serious consequences for all his vile behavior, it is easy to imagine him feeling like a cornered animal (even more so than he does now).

And how does a cornered animal act? It lashes out and looks for any way out. Is it so far-fetched to imagine a person in that position taking any life preserver that is thrown his way?

Further, let's imagine the person in question is a classic narcissist, thinks of himself as above the law, and clearly lacks anything like normal human empathy.

Now, tell me how this is just a joke.

Is there a Deep State?

The Family Documentary

Surprise! There is a deep state but it is not the one routinely referenced without supporting evidence on Fox News, Glenn Beck, Breitbart, Rush Limbaugh, Dennis Prager, et al.

I started watching this documentary on Netflix and soon had a pucker factor of about 9.8 on the ten point “USPS” (Universal Sphincter Pucker Scale). What I learned also provided evidence for my argument that wing-nut conspiracy theories cooked up by the Republicans often turn out to be mirrors of their own achievements. The so-called “deep state” being a prime example. In their fevered dreams (which is almost indistinguishable from their waking reality) a demon host of commie pinkos (known to us a dedicated government employees) work tirelessly to subvert our freedoms/democracy. It is patently obvious to everyone not wearing a conservative tin foil hat, that Republican-suits conflate laissez faire capitalism with our democratic republic. Boiling it down, it is soon obvious they fear they will be found out and judged too crass if they openly state their intentions to hoard all the resources along with the power to make policies about said resources, for themselves.

Happily, for self-righteous-righties, it is an elementary exercise to propagate the delusional notions out to the largely angry, unsophisticated, base voters who conveniently lack, or fail to employ, critical thinking skills. Such pursuits are greased by the copious injection of sophomoric religious tropes. In no time at all millions believe goofy conservative narratives their overlords have inextricably woven together with their own political objectives.

Were that not sufficient to raise ones eyebrows up beyond ones hairline, the unspoken religious-test of high government officials extends to many/most Democrats as well. That is to say, one must profess belief by continually inserting phrases into ones narrative such as: God Bless America/Americans, We pray for the victims and their families, and so on. It is also helpful to cast our enemies as either godless or disciples of a different deity.

Stairway to Belief

One knows to begin with a disclaimer when challenging the deeply held beliefs of others. This is most especially true in these divisive times.

12 Step programs, Largely ineffective

My disclaimer is as follows: For those who have been involved with one of the many twelve step programs and have found solace, companionship, a path out of addiction, or a pathway to a happier existence when a loved one struggles with addiction, I am truly glad for you. I have seen this happen with people in my own life and it seems wrong to dishonor any new found quality of life, however one achieves that goal. In short, if you feel good about your successes or perceived successes in a twelve step program and your judgment is to continue, by all means. I am satisfied that ones mental flexibility to listen to and/or absorb new ideas is the single most important bit. 

That said, if we “know” (as in; we have abundant evidence for a thing) that a given methodology/treatment is not truly effective, it is incumbent upon us to stand up straight and say this clearly. First, because it is true. Further, in the interest of compassion toward our fellow humans, we wish to both point the way toward superior methods/treatments of serious maladies and away from the inferior. As the psychiatrist in the report observes, even if we were not able to offer a clearly superior treatment for a given disease, our moral obligation to inform others of the failures of a system currently in use, still applies. We arrive at this inference based upon the idea that operating from facts and evidence is unarguably superior to acting from belief alone.

—The fact that we have a very serious addiction problem in the United States and we have finite resources available for research/remediation and the diversion of precious resources to ineffective treatments is a shocking waste, well, that is another discussion.—

I keep up with the news and I am well informed.

Let's examine that claim.


Humans of New York article

Quote from the above article: "She volunteered to tutor us for free. Even though we only saw her two or three times a month, she gave me another perspective on life. I’d probably have five children by now if it wasn’t for her. She taught me to think critically about our traditions. She had empathy for our culture, but she also taught me that not all traditions are positive. Especially for women."

Heartwarming, isn't it? Well, on a personal level, sure. Any effort in the right direction is a good thing.

On the other hand, this isn't the second century BCE anymore. There are seven plus billion humans on this planet. Soon enough there will likely be eleven billion! And guess what most of them won't have and all of them will want? An American or Western European lifestyle. That would include an automobile, a home, a refrigerator, plenty of food, and the energy to manage all that.

For those of us concerned about climate change, guess what? Without concurrently working to slow population growth, almost all of our efforts will be in vain. In short, there are too many humans scrambling for a slice of a finite pie. Do you imagine you are getting the most informative and helpful news and information? Ask yourself, when was the last news story you heard about this topic?

Fuck Bill Barr

Click to see what the AG of the USA is saying these days.

CNN reports on Bill Barr speech

Let me be clear and concise. Fuck Bill Barr.

How does he have the nerve to label people on the left of the political spectrum as, essentially, demons bringing down society? How did he become so deluded as to conflate being America’s pastor with being America’s chief law enforcement officer? He is a living example that one can be an intelligent, and even well-educated, human being and be totally clueless.

If Mr. Barr wishes to run things according to a religious dogma, let him go and become a deacon or pastor in his church.

Leave us out of it.

I am good with religious folks who decide to live by a certain tradition from which they derive an inner peace, a sense of community, a strength to help them get along in a world that can be rather harsh. Bless their hearts, I know and have strong connections to many of them. Back in the day, I was one of them. But I will speak boldly and firmly in opposition to anyone of any religious tradition that brings those beliefs into the public square and tries to impose policies, particular to their traditions, on all of us in a pluralistic society. It is presumptuous at best. At worst it is a crass display of dominance. And, oh by the way, it is unconstitutional.

Ghost in the machine

Click here

Aren’t we all god’s little Androids?


I understand The manufacturer got a great deal on some ancient Windows Vista disks. So, expect to receive dubious responses regarding life-changing decisions and the constant threat of demon viruses. On the bright side, tech support calls will be answered by genuine American atheists in silicon valley.

NOTE: All support personal are cross-trained. Whether you are simply having an issue with your android or a full-blown crisis of faith, you are covered.

Blessings

John Oliver is a British born naturalized American citizen. That is, he chose to be an American. Most American are only citizens by accident of birth. Though they may be delighted by the fact of their citizenship, it was a gift they had no hand in. While clearly displaying a great affinity for America by becoming a citizen, Mr. Oliver uses the platform of his television show to criticize various aspects of American life. And may the Flying Spaghetti Monster bless his acerbic heart.

Click here for a quick primer on the current scourge of televangelism

In any other venue or enterprise the cynical greed and villainy of such people would be a the subject of rightful public shaming and criminal prosecution. Sadly, these con-artists/scammers/sociopaths are able to veil their evil doings behind a cloak of religion. This get-out-of-jail-free-card, provided by religion, not only allows them to use the public airways to market their fraud, they do so tax free. In fact, whole television networks hide behind the religious tax dodge.

So, sure, my believers might wish to pop up and proclaim a personal distance from such practices. To the extent this is true in your particular case, Bravo! However, I would be interested to hear believers make a case for why all of you are allowed to hide among the folds of the same skirt? I am truly curious if a convincing case might be made to except religion from our basic societal contracts without imputing blame on one's own doctrine? Is it possible to carve out the worms from the apple while leaving the sweet bits intact? Could it be that, silence in the believer community suggests a nagging feeling that all are involved in marketing a defective product?

**Note**
Proselytizing religions have a special responsibility in this arena. It is arguable that those who are not involved in marketing their views to non-members should not be held to the same standard. At least on this question.

For those who do not care for, or are not fulfilled by, the comedic approach employed by Mr. Oliver, I would offer the following.

For the eggheads and high brows...

It rhymes!

Humpty-Trumpty sat on a big wall.

There he’d scowl & do little else at all,

He’d burnish his ego or watch his reflection

And hope to evade any criminal detection.

Or line his bottomless pockets with ill-gotten cash.

Or proclaim he cared for things other than his stash.

He’d call on his posse to give him more strokes

While making shit up and fleecing the blokes.

He was supreme in his bloated self-confidence

As he’d never faced a day’s worth of consequence.

They say he had more money than even the Gods

While most of his followers were simply poor sods.

He might’ve kept on as a playboy & bunghole supreme

But the narcissistic twat had a crazy-ass dream.

He got on the ticket for president (or, perhaps, a king)

And that was the start of some very very bad things…

Soon he was quite a big fish in quite a small bowl.

The negative attention took a most annoying toll.

From the beginning, he had distain for the job.

Even with all the power, he was still such a knob.

Many hoped the office would round out the holder.

But the weight only sloped his pampered shoulders.

He walked with head held high, and right on cue

But he was just a loser with TP on his shoe.

Was Humpty-Trumpty an Adonis, an egg-head?

Or just a scammer who’d made his own bed?

To his millions of supporters and me and you-

for Humpty-Trumpty, we were all the TP on his shoe.

Feeling a bit nauseated lately?

Click for the story:
Our own intelligence people are worried about Trump

Our country is swirling around the drain. Those who think America is somehow immune from the fate that has claimed many other great civilizations, should either read up on some history or ask an historian. You can take my word for it, with little prompting, historians and history buffs will happily tell you more than you wanted to know.

It is way past Trump now. Those who have enabled and/or aided this president's criminality (Republican Congress members and others) are now co-conspirators and they lack any plausible defense.

Congressional Republicans, and the wealthy cohorts who fund them, now comprise a lawless gang. They have sold out this country, whether by their actions or their silence.

Demoralizing

I could not say it better.

Wounded psyche?

What we believe

***Catholics in specific and Christians in general you are hereby offered a trigger warning. I highly recommend you go find a cute cat video or football highlight video to watch. Seriously, you won't like it.***

I had been thinking about the things we believe or profess to believe. We most certainly includes me.

While rolling ideas around the old brainpan, I suddenly had a mental picture which I wanted to share.

I assert that, if asked, almost every woman and most men (regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof) would agree with the statement at the top of the image. However, when we are faced with the ultimate example of a power differential, what do we believe?

Let's consider this. We have a young lady (we would likely consider her a girl by today's standards) who is living a very basic existence with little or no education at a time when the average person didn't understand the world was round and thought diseases were caused by demons or the displeasure of the gods. Thus, with all due respect to Mary, we can safely assume she was not a sophisticate or a scholar. In fact, if she'd been the most sophisticated educated woman in the world, how much would she have understood about the world at that time? 

Now things get really dicey. A member of the 'holy trinity' visits her and tells her he will impregnate her and that her child will be special in all the world. 

I suggest nobody in her right mind would argue that Mary had the ability to give informed consent. Well, except for those inculcated to believe in this particular canon.

Obviously, I understand that the believer will clap back with some version of, "it's God and he can do as he wishes" or "God works in mysterious ways" etc. 
And, no, I do not expect to change their minds. 

My intent is to challenge thoughts/beliefs. Why? Because challenging beliefs is how we evolve superior beliefs. Therefore, my retort is simple. Those who hold these beliefs are welcome to continue. That said, according to my calculation, they are holding their fellow humans to a higher standard than their deity. 

The Right Question

Most days my assumption is, we are not even asking the right questions. So, one reasonably wonders, what is the right question? The right question is WTF? On what do I base that seemingly cavalier assertion? I'm so glad you asked (click): Historical Population

Is it any wonder that I claim Climate Change isn't at the bottom of the Modern Ills Pyramid. Oh sure, it is hugely important and anything we can do to blunt its effects is likely worth doing. That said, we are still whistling-past-the-graveyard unless we also confront the facts about over population. The same is true for many of our other problems. They all trace back to this basic fact; too many humans are vying for the same finite resources of this planet.

Concurrent with that sad fact, is the little situation we have with many our fellow humans failing to move forward out of their bronze age belief systems to face the reality of the twenty first century. I know, that sounded rather harsh. But keep in mind, if the predictions of our best minds are even close to accurate, the near future will be way harsher. So, by all means, (my beloved believers) keep the endearing traditions that warm the heart and bind people to their ancestors but, for the love of Cthulu, lose the other, less helpful, baggage. 

It is clear to any reasonable human willing to absorb the facts that we can not persist in procreating like the earth had infinite space and resources. 

Can you help poor Polly?

Somewhere out there is a third year poli-sci major looking over the current political/societal landscape and despairing. She feels her name is not really important but let’s call her Polly. Anyway, Polly is considering whether to drop out and go to work as a costumed cartoon character for Disney World, or worse yet, staying in school but switching her major to MBA. Lord knows I don’t need to tell you, dear reader, these are two of the last things the world needs more of at this dark moment.

Polly’s hopes for the future are hanging by a mere thread. Her one simple wish is a gazillion shares on this meme. More than anything, Polly hopes the name Humpty-Trumpty catches on. The prospect of millions of people around the world thinking of America’s forty fifth president as Humpty-Trumpy is like a beacon of hope to Polly and so many others like her. Can we really afford to extinguish the one bright shining thought to which they so desperately cling?

If you would like to support this effort, please share this post. If you won’t do it for poor Polly, do it for the “Polly” in your life.