1. Rep. Davis: The Worst Person in the World

Comment #157263 by bayareadude on April 8, 2008 at 7:37 pm

I just called this woman's district office at (773) 445-9700 and left a message.

I basically asked how she justified envoking the name of Abraham Lincoln in an attempt to discriminate against an American citizen. As a Black woman she should be ashamed. As a representative of our government, she deserves to be removed from office!

Earlier this evening, Davis managed to have her email address deleted from her web site. In case you missed it, here it is:

mdavis2174@aol.com

Be sure and send her my best regards!

2. Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up

Comment #116412 by bayareadude on January 26, 2008 at 12:24 pm

Eh.

3. THE FOUR HORSEMEN - Available Now on DVD!

Comment #99061 by bayareadude on December 15, 2007 at 11:39 am

95. Comment #99054 by Matt7895 on December 15, 2007 at 11:17 am

I'm surprised so many people here and on YouTube don't like Hitchens' position on Iraq. He supported the Iraq war to remove a brutal dictator from power in one of the most turbulent regions in the world. I know a lot of people who supported the Iraq war too. I supported it myself. I'm just not a fan of what has gone on AFTER the war. That's what I'm against - the Coalition's behaviour since Saddam fell.

4. THE FOUR HORSEMEN - Available Now on DVD!

Comment #99056 by bayareadude on December 15, 2007 at 11:31 am

43. Comment #98938 by InquiringMind on December 15, 2007 at 12:21 am

I tend to think that Sam Harris has the most clearly stated, cogent arguments against religious belief, and End Of Faith would be my recommendation to an Open-Minded person who asked me which of the 4 authors I would recommend as a place to start explorering polemics against faith and religions.

5. Frequently Asked Questions about the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust

Comment #90573 by bayareadude on November 25, 2007 at 3:21 pm

Absolutely incredible to see some of the comments on here.

1. YES, SHE LIED ON HER APPLICATION! For christ's sake, we know that! She was up front about it long before her run for office, and it has NOTHING to do with the current issue. If the Dutch wanted to root out every one of their lying politicians, Parliament would be empty.

2. There seems to be a HUGE swatch of Dutch people in this forum who have a strong (and ill-informed) negative opinion of this woman. Makes me wonder about that "open-minded" Dutch nature we hear so much about. Yes to drugs, but no to the outspoken Black lady, eh?

6. Tony Blair: Mention God and you're a 'nutter'

Comment #90533 by Bayareadude on November 25, 2007 at 12:36 pm

This article is a perfect example of something I've been trying to get through the skulls of all those British "America Bashers" out there. The issue of Pluralistic Ignorance fuels differences in the survey reports of "religiosity" in our two countries, nothing more.

Pluralistic Ignorance is a term we use in Social Psychology to refer to the fact that dissenters tend to behave like the other group members because of what they perceive as group unanimity. For instance, there may be huge swaths of people who don't believe in a god, but since they assume that most people do, they REPORT that they also do. The opposite occurs in the UK, but for the same reason. In the end, there are probably equal numbers of people in both groups who either believe or do not believe.

From the beginning of this fiasco, Blair struck me as someone who was just as Evangelical as Bush, but as he now says (and aren't they honest after the curtain's down?), he wasn't free to state his beliefs openly.

Either way, it's terrifying that those in charge of such amazingly destructive military and technological power believe that they're getting messages from an invisible entity...and one who is known for his wrath and has a history of world destruction! Yikes!

7. Tony Blair: Mention God and you're a 'nutter'

Comment #90527 by Bayareadude on November 25, 2007 at 12:25 pm

This article is a perfect example of something I've been trying to get through the skulls of all those British "America Bashers" out there. The issue of Pluralistic Ignorance fuels differences in the survey reports of "religiosity" in our two countries, nothing more.

Pluralistic Ignorance is a term we use in Social Psychology to refer to the fact that dissenters tend to behave like the other group members because of what they perceive as group unanimity. For instance, there may be huge swaths of people who don't believe in a god, but since they assume that most people do, they REPORT that they also do. The opposite occurs in the UK, but for the same reason. In the end, there are probably equal numbers of people in both groups who either believe or do not believe.

From the beginning of this fiasco, Blair struck me as someone who was just as Evangelical as Bush, but as he now says (and aren't they honest after the curtain's down?), he wasn't free to state his beliefs openly.

Either way, it's terrifying that those in charge of such amazingly destructive military and technological power believe that they're getting messages from an invisible entity...and one who is known for his wrath and has a history of world destruction! Yikes!

8. Tony Blair: Mention God and you're a 'nutter'

Comment #90524 by Bayareadude on November 25, 2007 at 12:23 pm

This article is a perfect example of something I've been trying to get through the skulls of all those British "America Bashers" out there. The issue of Pluralistic Ignorance fuels differences in the survey reports of "religiosity" in our two countries, nothing more.

Pluralistic Ignorance is a term we use in Social Psychology to refer to the fact that dissenters tend to behave like the other group members because of what they perceive as group unanimity. For instance, there may be huge swaths of people who don't believe in a god, but since they assume that most people do, they REPORT that they also do. The opposite occurs in the UK, but for the same reason. In the end, there are probably equal numbers of people in both groups who either believe or do not believe.

From the beginning of this fiasco, Blair struck me as someone who was just as Evangelical as Bush, but as he now says (and aren't they honest after the curtain's down?), he wasn't free to state his beliefs openly.

Either way, it's terrifying that those in charge of such amazingly destructive military and technological power believe that they're getting messages from an invisible entity...and one who is known for his wrath and has a history of world destruction! Yikes!

9. Frequently Asked Questions about the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust

Comment #90089 by bayareadude on November 22, 2007 at 8:12 pm

I'm so glad someone is doing something CONSTRUCTIVE, rather than continuing to pass along that ridiculous online petition. That thing refused to die, no matter how many of us refuted the claim that they're effective.

As for contributions, I too hope some of the wealthier folks out there will step up and help. I've always resented the rich asking regular folks to give money to causes (like they do in movie theaters here in the U.S.).

Still, I've vowed to give up my bi-weekly trips to Starbucks so I can give my share to Ayaan.

10. Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial

Comment #88397 by bayareadude on November 16, 2007 at 1:07 pm

Thanks for posting this link! I'll be able to share this with my students now via my blog.

When I first heard about this, I contacted Matthew Chapman (whom I'd met at the Atheists Alliance Int'l conference in DC back in Sept.). He replied, saying that they'd interviewed him for it, but that he wasn't sure how good the program would be.

Personally, I thought he came off quite well. And the show was very thorough and fair. I was a bit concerned when they offered up that sound byte of Chapman saying that he was "proof against evolution" given the success of his ancestor and the fact that he was just a screenwriter. But they came back to him later and showed him for the rational person he really is.

Still reeling from the idea that we were able to pull off a victory, even though the judge was a Bush appointee. I guess there is a god after all, eh? LOL

11. 'Growing Up in the Universe' now available free online

Comment #88198 by bayareadude on November 15, 2007 at 8:24 am

I thought you all might find this amusing. From Salon.com's list of the "Sexiest Man Living, 2007" (actually, it's a list):

Who: Richard Dawkins
Age: 65
Know him as: Evolutionary scientist and author, most recently of "The God Delusion."

Wonder is sexy. Knowledge is sexy. And embodying both as much as any man in the world today is a man in a tweed jacket riding his bike around the Oxford University campuses, the damp English breeze sweeping a curtain of silver hair from the delicate bones of his face. Yes, those cheekbones, those piercing eyes, that pursed bow of a mouth -- but that brain, oh that brain, oh, god, that brain -- is what makes Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and the most famous atheist in the world, the sexiest man around.

Dawkins is the professor I never had an affair with, whose very sentence structure threatens to weaken my concentration on the content of his words. Call me deluded: I ache for his atheism; I reel from his reasoning. He is my James Bond, a well-attired, fearless seeker of truth in the face of nihilism.

I dream of his perfectly-accented voice -- Oxbridge softened by a childhood spent in, sigh, East Africa -- whispering to me from his latest book, "The God Delusion," a defense of endless curiosity in the face of omnipresent theism. "If the demise of god will leave a gap, different people will fill it in different ways. My way includes a good dose of science, the honest and systematic endeavor to find out the truth about the real world." Take me with you, Richard: You put the "sex" in sexagenarian. Let us clinch in a godless embrace, crying out to what we know does not exist, searching, searching evermore.


-- Lauren Sandler

12. AAI 07

Comment #84961 by bayareadude on November 4, 2007 at 10:55 am

Can I suggest something radical?

Can we just stop responding to Scooternyc's posts from here on?

If we pretend he's not here, maybe it'll be true some day and he won't be. Remember that "Simpsons" episode when all the advertising billboards and characters came to life? The song Lisa (and Paul Anka) sang was, "Just Don't Look, Just Don't Look"!

LOL

13. I didn't know the FLEA CIRCUS was back in town!

Comment #84957 by bayareadude on November 4, 2007 at 10:40 am

Corylus: What a great idea! Sharing books so these morons don't make money off of us, but we can still read what they're up to (although it appears to be the same old crap, repeated and placed in a different cover).

14. I didn't know the FLEA CIRCUS was back in town!

Comment #84952 by bayareadude on November 4, 2007 at 10:25 am

Some of these make me question my current stance on book burnings. : )

By the way, you all just HAVE to listen to the new theme song from Julia Sweeney's film version of "Letting Go of God." To hear it,
CLICK HERE.

That amazing voice is Jill Sobule!

15. AAI 07

Comment #83956 by bayareadude on October 31, 2007 at 8:26 pm

Notsobad:

"Addiction is in most cases freely chosen despite all the available knowledge in the Western world."

Just incredible! I think you need to go back and study those psychology books again. Your ignorance is showing, however "laughable" you might think my assessment is.

16. Ayaan Hirsi Ali at AAI 07

Comment #82961 by bayareadude on October 28, 2007 at 11:06 am

19. Comment #79369 by evdsteen
22. Comment #79970 by Pantore

Each of the above comments was posted by someone in the Netherlands. Several more comments like these are made by Dutch members below the essay by Hitchens and Rushdie (see http://tinyurl.com/282xp4).

34. Comment #77646 by tijnvanlier
35. Comment #77654 by rokort
41. Comment #77680 by Pantore (very anti-American)
42. Comment #77684 by hfaber (a voice of reason)


In each case (except "hfaber"), the comments are both anti-Ayaan and more than a bit nationalistic. Several are also anti-Semitic. Not surprising when you consider that more Jews were turned over to the Nazis by the Dutch during WWII than by any other country (regardless of the story of Anne Frank...or maybe she's an example?).

I get the feeling that the Dutch (like all European nations) are quite far behind in their enlightenment regarding race/ethnicity/religion. The European nations thumb their noses at the U.S. as they watch all the issues unfold on their televisions, but fail to realize that they're living in the calm before such storms. The Brits, for instance, are beginning to see what generations of oppression of Muslims brings (e.g., car bombings, attacks in the subway, etc.). The Dutch and the French seem unable to shake loose their hatred of Jews and Muslims long enough to allow them a place at the political table. And anyone - like Ayaan Hirsi Ali - who's brave enough to point out their flaws is thrown to the lions.

Sad and ironic all around.

BY THE WAY, ONLINE PETITIONS ARE USELESS, SO PLEASE STOP WASTING YOUR TIME WITH THAT THING!!
Read more here: http://tinyurl.com/2cnado

17. Ayaan Hirsi Ali: abandoned to fanatics

Comment #82958 by bayareadude on October 28, 2007 at 11:05 am

67. Comment #78101 by PLAYBALL

Not only is that joke lame (e.g., not funny), but it's also sexist and illogical. Are you seriously suggesting that a woman could read a map?

18. AAI 07

Comment #82797 by bayareadude on October 27, 2007 at 4:04 pm

Notsobad:

You said, "Someone with healthy limbs should not become homeless in the first place! I can understand position of some homeless people, but in most cases, they are clearly responsible for their situation (alcoholics and such)."

What planet were you raised on that you ended up with such a naive viewpoint toward homelessness and substance abuse? You need to read up a bit on Psychology, poverty, the cycle of abuse, and addiction.

I do understand why you're so lost on this, however. There's something we call "The Just World Hypothesis" that makes such statements attractive. It basically makes us feel like everyone is deserving of his plight, so we're safe from ever suffering that way. In other words, "Bad things happen to bad people. Good things happen to good people. Since I'm a good person, bad things can never happen to me."

Sounds a bit like religious thinking, doesn't it?

19. AAI 07

Comment #82795 by bayareadude on October 27, 2007 at 4:00 pm

Scooternyc,

Other than seeing your smirking mug shot posted over and over, I'm confused as to what you're even doing here. Your comments always seem to be contrary, as if your only goal is to stir up shit. If you're an Atheist, fine. If not, there are plenty of christian forums you could post to.

As for the political stuff, it boils down to what you think is important. If you're selfish, self-centered, homophobic, misogynistic, and racist, there's a warm place for you in the bosom of the Republican party. If you don't believe me, just open up an American History book. They've always been on the side of Whitie, the corporations, etc., and against human rights. Nothing has changed in that regard.

I don't want to hear people rant about unrelated political issues either, but I don't think there's anything wrong with political discussions on themes that directly relate to the topic of Atheism. I'm sure you had no problem with Hitchens' comments...since he likely agrees with you on a lot. I guess you'll just have to learn to tolerate a little disagreement from time to time...you know, like we do every time we're forced to watch your president mangle the English language in his press conferences.

20. Christopher Hitchens at AAI 07

Comment #80415 by bayareadude on October 21, 2007 at 6:17 pm

Riley,

You asked for a "prominent" person's quote in which he states that believers are more moral than unbelievers? How about David himself?

Psalms 14:1 - The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

If you want a quote from a christian, I'm sure I could dig up a few of those as well.

- Sheldon

21. Ayaan Hirsi Ali at AAI 07

Comment #78589 by bayareadude on October 13, 2007 at 5:17 pm

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was, by far, the best speaker at this event. She was gracious and very kind at the book-signing table, as well, allowing me to come behind and take a picture with her, even though her guards looked on with furrowed brows. To think she's been abandoned by those in charge in the Netherlands is just beyond belief.

22. Talking Action Figure Jesus

Comment #78587 by bayareadude on October 13, 2007 at 5:08 pm

These toys are as big a threat to the toy industry as tapioca pudding is to the dessert industry.

Kids won't want it just because grandma brought it to the party.

23. Interview with Richard Dawkins

Comment #78565 by bayareadude on October 13, 2007 at 3:56 pm

All of you ranting on and on about Lionel's voice should do a bit of online research before wasting your time (and ours).

Lionel (of "The Lionel Show") is KNOWN for his non-radio voice. He plays it up in the on-air commericals, and makes a point that his refusal to learn to mimic the typical gutteral radio DJ way of speaking is a testament to his "doin' my own thing" style.

Now, can we get back to discussing the FACTS presented in the interview, please?

24. Ayaan Hirsi Ali: abandoned to fanatics

Comment #78494 by bayareadude on October 13, 2007 at 8:53 am

Before you waste your time filling out that online petition, click the following link:
http://tinyurl.com/2cnado

Online petitions are not effective tools of social change. They are impotent outlets for our anger and outrage. Best to put your energy into something that might actually make a difference, rather than typing your name on a keyboard and feeling satisfied that you've done your part.

My suggestion is to write or call the Dutch Prime Minister and/or others in their government.

The current Prime Minister (an ass named Jan Peter Balkenende whose taxpayer-funded apartment costs 9,000 Euro per month) can be reached at:

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende
Binnenhof 20
2513 AA Postbus 20001,
2500 EA The Hague, Netherlands
phone 31-70-356-4100
fax 31-70-356-4683

25. AAI 2007 Photos

Comment #78016 by bayareadude on October 11, 2007 at 1:45 pm

My set of photos can be seen at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14856872@N05/

Great meeting you all!

- Sheldon

26. AAI Convention webcam

Comment #75346 by bayareadude on October 2, 2007 at 11:28 am

Robert Maynard:
You've really twisted things up in that last reply to me. (I don't yet know how to use the "quote" function in this room, and the HTML code I used did not work.)

When someone disagrees with me and says, "You must be young," it's only logical to conclude that he's saying, "You think that because you're young and inexperienced/immature/etc." He didn't say, "You must be younger than me," or "You must not yet be 70 like me." He said, "You must be young."

Another place you make an odd assumption is in saying that I didn't enjoy myself. I DID! I just thought Richard Dawkins was acting like a spoiled, stuck up twit.

Julia Sweeney was a delight (as always), Greydon Square is an amazing talent, I chatted with Matthew Chapman for over an hour, and with Pastor Deacon Fred (out of character) who cracked me up over and over, and I thought Lori Lipman Brown was brilliant, as was Eddie Tabash's speech. There were many more exciting and educational events that took place, too. I just wanted to point out that Dawkins was a HUGE disappointment to many of us to cared to notice. I didn't think that message would go over well in here, believe me.

27. AAI Convention webcam

Comment #75142 by bayareadude on October 1, 2007 at 11:12 pm

wonderist: I never said they were "assholes," so don't put words in my mouth. I implied that they were immature and a bit embarassing. Big difference, as you can hopefully see. The fact that they had access to the "stars," or that they raised some cash doesn't change that fact.

28. AAI Convention webcam

Comment #75140 by bayareadude on October 1, 2007 at 11:08 pm

VanYoungman: You disagree with me, so you automatically assume you're more mature (and presumably intelligent) than I am? That's ironic.

No, this isn't my first time at the ball park, and I haven't been young for some time. I'd elucidate further, but I think your comment was more of a name-dropping statement than anything else. The fact that (as you claim) you've known Dennett for some time makes you LESS qualified to refute my comments, not more.

29. AAI Convention webcam

Comment #74843 by bayareadude on September 30, 2007 at 9:32 pm

As I type this, I'm sitting in the Crown Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC. It's late Sunday evening, and the convention is at a close.

I have to say that I'm still reeling from the disillusionment I suffered in actually spending a weekend at a convention with Richard Dawkins. He turned out to be one of the most arrogant, acerbic, and self-centered pseudo-celebrities I've had the misfortune of meeting.

When onstage, he shines. He's well spoken as ever, witty, entertaining, and educates his audience over and over. As soon as he's out amongst the peasants, however, a dramatic change occurs. He speaks only to those in his immediate clique (usually only the speakers/celebs/organizers), and seems terribly put out when someone asks for an autograph or a picture. I put the first few such encounters down to exhaustion or bad timing, but by the fourth or fifth occurance over the past several days, I had to face facts. He's NOT the Richard Dawkins we see on the television.

I'm not sure what he expected from us. I know putting up with all these assorted science geeks and star-f#@kers for 3 or 4 days can't exactly be fun, but it's the price you pay for hawking your wares, giving your speeches, and creating a fan base. If you don't like the attention, get a day job that doesn't require it, Richard.

The biggest irony of the day came as I stood patiently waiting for him to finish a conversation with a small group during which he complained that "photographers who are sent by news publications never want me to smile in the pictures they print...they purposely wait for a scowl or an angry or irritated look to fall across my face, and then print that." I thought to myself, "I've seen you fifty times over the past three days, and I have yet to see you with any OTHER expression on your face!"

He begrudgingly signed my book, and didn't even utter a response when I thanked him in a most polite manner. Others reported similar experiences this weekend, by the way, so I doubt it's "just me."

For all the disagreement expressed about Christopher Hitchens' politics, he was an absolute DREAM this weekend. He signed books, joked with convention attendees, smoked cigarettes with folks on the patio, and was extremely accommodating and friendly. I thanked him for his autograph, and he looked me in the eye and said sincerely, "No, thank YOU." What a contrast to the childish behavior Dawkins exhibited! Between that and Sam Harris' ridiculous diatribe on "mysticism," I don't know WHAT to think. Were it not for Hitchens, I might drop out of the "movement" altogether.

(And don't even get me started on the ridiculous theater crowd called the "Rational Responders." Being around them and their "look at us, we're the cool crowd" personae reminded me of high school drama geeks trying to get everyone's attention, but pretending to not care.)

30. Rational Atheism

Comment #67040 by bayareadude on September 1, 2007 at 1:30 pm

I just cancelled my subscription to Shermers' Skeptic Magazine. He's become an apologist for the Religious Right, and I'm not going to support that with my money or any other way.

31. New age therapies cause 'retreat from reason'

Comment #61917 by bayareadude on August 7, 2007 at 11:41 am

Hopefully this will silence the millions of Brits who insist upon sneering at Americans, calling us all credulous for the survey reports of disbelief in Evolutionary Theory.

If it were true, as so many of them say, that the real problem with nonsensical belief lies in the U.S., people like Dawkins wouldn't need to do programs like this, James Randi would have no need to travel all over the world challenging purveyors of nonsense in practically every country, etc., etc. This program shows that the battleground has been drawn EVERYWHERE, not just in the country with the most press (U.S.).

32. Come Out!

Comment #59733 by bayareadude on July 30, 2007 at 1:03 pm

My partner and I approached Ellen Johnson (current president of American Atheists) about this a few years ago, suggesting that a national "Coming Out" campaign would make a world of difference, and would embolden Atheists everywhere by providing a sense of comradery.

Her response was a rather haughty, "You have to realize that people can lose their jobs over that kind of declaration."

Um, duh! We're well aware of how dangerous it can be; so were gays and lesbians when the Gay Rights Movement first began. The point is, those of us who are lucky enough to be a bit more protected (those who live in California, for instance, are far better off than someone living in, say, South Carolina) will begin the movement, and hope that it will slowly move out from there. If no one's willing to make the first move, and take the first chance, change will never come. It's gonna make a lot of people mad, but that's all part of the process.

As Gloria Steinem once said, "The truth will set you free. But first, it's gonna piss you off."

33. Town Hall Seattle: God Is Not Great

Comment #57190 by bayareadude on July 18, 2007 at 2:02 pm

Hitchens is amazing in his ability to deliver an insult that would go over the heads of most of its targets.

Can't wait to see him in September at the Atheist Alliance International Annual Conference (where Dawkins, Harris, and Dennett will also be in attendance)! atheistalliance.org

34. Richard Dawkins and Alister McGrath

Comment #54787 by bayareadude on July 9, 2007 at 1:19 am

It's only at marker 49:41 or so that things REALLY get interesting.

Watch as McGrath COMPLETELY FALLS APART when caught in a hypocritical contradiction by Dawkins.

Beautiful! The rest is all gobble-dee-gook.