MellowDem
MellowDem's JournalAtheist State Senator Integral in Repeal of Nebraska Death Penalty
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/05/27/nebraska-just-repealed-the-death-penalty-thanks-to-its-atheist-state-senator/Awesome to see one of the few out atheists in our government making such a good impact!
On Respecting Beliefs
Another great video from Theramin Trees. Also points out how a lot of the beliefs in the Abrahamic faiths dehumanise nonbelievers.
Editor of Charlie Hebdo on Islamophobia...
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/16/400155340/in-posthumous-riposte-editor-of-charlie-hebdo-targets-islamophobiaSorry for lack of text from the article, it's tough to do on the phone.
His thoughts have matched mine on this matter for quite a while, glad they get some exposure after his death.
Why I'm so cynical of the Hillary campaign...
I think Hillary is a moderate conservative on a lot of economic issues. I feel that revolving family political dynasties are not good for democracy. I think she will be the corporate candidate of choice for Democrats. I don't really like Hillary much as a candidate.
And yet I have to vote for her because of our archaic first past the post two party system.
That depresses me. It makes me cynical.
I know there is a difference between the Democratic and Republican parties, and I know she is the lesser of two evils, but I want more choice than two, I want proportional representation and multiple parties. I don't want to vote for the corporate candidate from one of two parties every time that is the least evil.
It's hard for me to understand any enthusiasm for Hillary, it comes across as perverse to me, like being enthusiastic that I get to pull a lever that dumps sewage on me instead of radioactive waste.
The most understandable is that she would be the first woman, but even this seems somewhat hollow given that the first woman will be a former First Lady with corporate connections, which just seems to reinforce the point that the game is rigged.
The second most understandable point for enthusiasm of Hillary is that she's not a Republican candidate. No doubt, the Republicans can make even a candidate I personally dislike seem quite likeable, but this just further depresses me.
I don't get enthused on these two points, I get reminded why the American system of government is fucked. I know there are people with my perspective on here, and I know we come across as Debbie Downers to those who are enthusiastic.
I do think Hillary and Democrats will do well in 2016, as they usually do on presidential election years and will continue to going forward, given demographic shifts, and the only thing I'm even kind of excited about is certain social conservative ideology failing, and seeing the reaction the the right imploding slowly, but that's a very cynical excitement.
So please understand where I and some others are coming from, why the Hillary enthusiasm can turn our stomachs, make us roll our eyes and maybe even
cause us to criticize the likely presumptive nominee. It's not a joyous occasion to us, it's pretty damn somber and depressing.
Once the general election really heats up, we'll be forgotten, and many of us will be suddenly enthused by our hatred for the greater of the two evils, a pretty poor but understandable reason. It will make us try and forget all the cynical stuff for a bit.
But remember come next Presiential primary, if we still have growing wealth inequality, if we still don't have universal health coverage, if we still have too big to fail banks, and if we still have no progressive Presidential candidate that's not corporate sponsored, you'll see our sad somber faces again. In other words, focusing on the root cause of the problem, at all times, may not be fun, but it's the only way these problems will ever get fixed, IMHO, and some other's as well, so please excuse our cynicism.
Seeing Things
A new video out by one of my favorite YouTube channels, they're few and far between but always excellent IMHO, I recommend Theramin Trees as well as Qualia Soup for these kinds of videos.
Sam Harris on the Chapel Hill murders and militant atheism
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/02/18/sam-harris-on-the-chapel-hill-murders-and-militant-atheism-and-why-he-now-fears-for-his-safety/Addresses a lot of the false comparisons seen in the media and in here, and addresses,some,of,the willful misrepresentations of atheism in order to make it just another religion, and make apologetics for other religions a bit easier.
Abrahamic religions are explicitly...
bigoted, hateful, misogynist, and whether believers choose to ignore that or not doesn't change that fact. You are making another false comparison.
Dogs in Heaven? Nope. Another PR Pope article proved false
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/14/opinion/schlumpf-pope-dogs-go-to-heaven-controversy/index.html?c=opinionIt's hilarious and disgusting to see the Pope's sycophants all over the Internet fall over themselves to believe anything that verifies the image of the Pope the Vatican wants them to have.
The truth is that the Pope is a bigoted asshole that contributes to the death and suffering of many with his bigoted beliefs, and these stories are only meant to make people that identify with this heinous belief system feel less guilty for doing so.
Is ISIL Islamic?
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/09/11/sam-harris-calls-out-president-obama-on-the-falsehood-in-last-nights-speech-that-islam-is-fundamentally-good/The privilege of major religions is so great that they can do no harm in the eyes of many world leaders, out of deference to the power of the religious.
President Obama declaring ISIL as not Islamic is a great recent example. The No True Scotsman fallacy used to excuse any religiously motivated violence. And, of course, the unqualified assumption that Islam is good.
It's not healthy to pretend an idea is always good.
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