1. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #148866 by Nick Good on March 24, 2008 at 11:29 am

A little bit overly emotional by Richard. The ad hominems were not necessary and detracted, rather than added to Richard's strong, even crushing case. The political tangent is, I posit, apt to, at the very least, raise an eyebrow amongst erstwhile supporters who take a different political World view to Richard on how best to marshal resources for the greater good, but support his views on science and religion. I suspect that there are quite a few of us.

I confess, ever so feint echoes of operation Clark County, are ringing in my ears!

2. Don't blame Islam for terrorism, expert says

Comment #131082 by Nick Good on February 21, 2008 at 10:58 pm

This article must be a spoof.

3. Britain cannot put its faith in religiously divided schools

Comment #113594 by Nick Good on January 20, 2008 at 6:34 am

I need to start my own atheist school, atheists only! No doubt that the fundies wouldn't approve. :)

That's a good point, it might be a good tactic too.

Rather than non-denominational schools, motivate for the state to fund schools, where the parents have to be members of the National Secular Society!

Or more realistically, it's a strong argument to use as a counter example - by way of Reductio ad absurdum - to set against arguments for 'faith schools' which use religious selection.

In practice, I wouldn't support atheist schools either. Schools should be non-denominational, religion should be taught as a subject - comparative religion, rather than any one 'brand' being inculcated into young, impressionable minds by indoctrination.

There should be no religious selection criteria in any school, for teachers or pupils; anymore than there should be any racial selection criteria. It should be seen as simply not-acceptable, anymore than it would be acceptable for the British Army, Tescos or the National Health Service, to have a selection process that favoured by race or religion...it's well time for the zeitgeist with regards religion in education to catch up with that regarding race. UK education is behind the curve when compared to the employment field, where outside of specific religious establishments, selection by religion, is getting to be just not acceptable.

We are in danger of slipping backwards, if the argument for religious schools holds, then why not for tertiary education institutions? I wont tangent in detail onto the disestablishment argument....but it does come to mind.

In practice, the biggest problem at the moment, is with Islam. Anlglicinism, the UK state religion, and Christianity in general, are in terminal decline in the UK.

Now personally, I don't see being an 'Islmophobe' as a pejorative at all, not in the slightest. Rather it's a tad oxymoronic, as 'fear of Islam' is anything but a 'phobia', meaning irrational - given Islam's koranic literalist mainstream form and it's history of being promulgated by violence since the time of the 'prophet'; something which manifests all over the World, to this day. This, combined with current Islamic demographics in the UK, as well as other countries, boosted by fecundity, serial immigration and massive global Saudi funding.

There are 150 new state funded Islamic schools in the pipeline in the UK, think about this good people! I think this is more than silly, and to put it mildly, is directly contrary to the UK's national interest.

We're going to see more of this sort of thing, which, to use a Kofi Annan-esque understatement, gives me cause for 'deep concern' - We want to offer Sharia Law in Britain

4. The Moral Instinct

Comment #111865 by Nick Good on January 15, 2008 at 10:35 pm

I doubt these examples will persuade anyone to favor Bill Gates over Mother Teresa for sainthood.

I needed no persuading! Even before Hitchen's nailed her as a 'toxic Albanian Dwarf' - who celebrated squalour. It's ironic that she turns out to have been an atheist fronting as a Catholic - she couldn't, despite her best efforts, bring herself to believe that tosh, so she was disingenuous too.

Gates does great charity work, and is managing Warren Buffet's fortune too.

Of course Richard Dawkins is the incumbent in the Charles Simonii sponsored - professor of public understanding of science. Simonii is one of the Microsoft billionaires.

5. Another critic who hasn't read the book

Comment #109139 by Nick Good on January 8, 2008 at 12:27 pm

Corylus

It always astonishes me how men think a women's IQ is (in some fashion) dependant on how many men they have sleeping with them

It must be very stressful going through life constantly astonished, perhaps some stress relief therapy is in order...

6. Another critic who hasn't read the book

Comment #109124 by Nick Good on January 8, 2008 at 11:53 am

PZed wrote:

Did Dawkins make a surprise visit to Minneapolis specifically to shoot Emily Condon's dog or something?

My darling mother would probably just put this down to her needing 'a jolly good rogering'. My Mum's usually right.

Anyway, it's a candidate theory that has the benefit of being plausible and, in the best spirit of Karl Popper, is eminently falsifiable. It just needs someone to err ...step up to the proverbial plate and do the 'field work'. Any volunteers?

7. Huckabee: Guns, God and rock'n'roll

Comment #107016 by Nick Good on January 3, 2008 at 10:23 pm

Hitchens adds some needed perspective

http://www.slate.com/id/2181008/

8. Huckabee: Guns, God and rock'n'roll

Comment #107015 by Nick Good on January 3, 2008 at 10:16 pm

The last two federal elections did have a nontheist third candidate. Furthermore, he didn't support the Iraq War either.

Well the Democratic nominee in the last US election - Kerry did vote FOR the Oct 2002 Iraq War resolution (No: 107-243), before he was against it.

With regards to this presidential race, I'd put Guliani as by far the most secularly inclined contender in both the Dems and the GOP. He is still, even after Iowa, the Republican front runner, though by a shrinking margin. Guliani didn't canvas in Iowa, as the Telegraph today points out...

The former New York mayor, 63, took the gamble of abandoning Iowa, where Republicans hold mostly church-going, anti-abortion views not predisposed to a thrice-married, pro-choice Yankee.

His decision will, however, allow him to dismiss what is likely to be a poor result. Coming third will be a triumph.

He has taken an even greater risk by winding down his campaigning in New Hampshire, hoping that none of his rivals will have significant momentum going into "Super-Duper Tuesday" on February 5, when 22 states vote.

He is still the national frontrunner, but the gap is closing all the time.

As for celebrity endorsements, US politics most certainly has no monopoly on that iffy practice, it's happens all too often in the UK too.

9. CBC News: Sunday - Richard Dawkins

Comment #100169 by Nick Good on December 18, 2007 at 10:40 am

Really very good indeed, Richard is definitely getting better at responding succinctly, with verve, but without animosity, to the usual theistic 'boiler-plate' tosh.

He's turning into quite a natty dresser too!

10. Believe it or not

Comment #97483 by Nick Good on December 12, 2007 at 7:19 am

Hey, we're the New Realists.
empericalist, rationalist and 'objectivist' are all good; but when I have to fill in forms that ask for one's religion - I put 'None'.

I don't really like defining myself by what I am not. Many if not most folks seem to see atheism as some form of philosophy or religion, and of cours that's uhmmm an a-factual view!

11. Is Infant Male Circumcision An Abuse Of The Rights Of The Child?

Comment #96167 by Nick Good on December 10, 2007 at 5:18 am

Oh and even if it reduces HIV risk* that's not a good argument for routine MGM; anymore than giving girls a double mastectomy, which would reduce the risk of breast cancer in later life, is a good argument for routinely performing that procedure.

* I'm sceptical of this claim, but that's not the thrust of my argument.

12. Is Infant Male Circumcision An Abuse Of The Rights Of The Child?

Comment #96160 by Nick Good on December 10, 2007 at 5:04 am

How many nerve endings do we lose because of the Jewish faith.

It seems male genital mutilation or 'circumcision', removes typically around 30% of your erogenous tissue; from my perspective I don't see that this is a good idea.

Our kids come through us, we don't 'own' them. We have no right to mutilate them in this way. If you want to chop bits off your own genitals, that's your call, do it when your of age but don't inflict it on minors. That's clearly child abuse.

13. Biologist fired for beliefs, suit says

Comment #95918 by Nick Good on December 9, 2007 at 1:23 pm

Good thread on this at the Volokh conspiricy on which I chirped a bit.

http://volokh.com/posts/1197041977.shtml

14. The God Delusion in Turkey

Comment #95318 by Nick Good on December 8, 2007 at 1:52 am

I hope The God Delusion is translated into Arabic, but whether it's put on sale, is another matter.

From what I can glean, other than the Koran and Hadith, Arabs are not really into books.

15. Let us kill all the teddy bears

Comment #94884 by Nick Good on December 7, 2007 at 12:48 am

Then I remember. I remember the remaining 1.2 billion Muslims of the world who are also reading about the Great Teddy Bear Blasphemy of 2007 and going oh holy hell no, please, Allah no, not this again, not these inbred fundamentalist jackals making us all look so horribly bad, and why does the media insist on showing such a harsh, fragmented picture of a generally peaceful (albeit overly militant) faith and is there really nothing we can do?

I think this is as good an example of wishful thinking as I've seen in a while!

16. Fox: 'Atheist Outrage' over holiday 'Tree of Knowledge'

Comment #94577 by Nick Good on December 6, 2007 at 2:12 am

My, that priest is rather 'camp'!

Yul is a pagan ceremony held around the Winter solstice (Northern Hemisphere) purloined by Christians.

17. Bad Faith Awards: Vote for the winner now

Comment #94534 by Nick Good on December 6, 2007 at 12:11 am

Oh and why oh why is 'Mother Teresa' not on the list; in the light of revelations about her closet atheism?

18. Bad Faith Awards: Vote for the winner now

Comment #94520 by Nick Good on December 5, 2007 at 10:38 pm

I'd nominate the New Humanists themselves for promulgating a 'bad faith' award whilst displaying very clear cowardice that amounts to self inflicted Dhimmitude by not even nominating one Muslim whilst we have http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/index.html#Attacks

19. Nurses Told to Turn Muslims' Beds to Mecca

Comment #93999 by Nick Good on December 4, 2007 at 2:54 pm

The NHS would do better to spend their time and resources to ensure that their Muslim physicians are sticking to the spirit of their Hippocratic oath, and are not planning to self-detonate in airport lobbies.

20. Highway to hysteria

Comment #93997 by Nick Good on December 4, 2007 at 2:43 pm

Barking mad, difficult to credit, and yet you will get worse, and more malign in plenty of Mosques, including a goodly number in the UK. Stuff that'll make this lot of fruitcake's carryings on, look like the Reading Rotary club AGM. The US holds no monopoly on crazy religious credulity.

21. Atheism's Wrong Turn

Comment #93373 by Nick Good on December 3, 2007 at 12:03 am

Have we forgotten that Dawkins has talked about nominating her for the Nobel Peace Prize?
I didn't know this, what has Ayaan Hirsi Ali done to deserve this? The company of 'Mother Teresa', Yasser Arafat, Henry Kissinger, Al Gore - the Michael Moore of climate change, and I shit you not, even Adolf Hitler.

No, being nominated for the Nobel Peace prize is hardly the mark of merit.

22. Debate: Ayaan Hirsi Ali vs Ed Husain

Comment #92129 by Nick Good on November 29, 2007 at 11:14 pm

Ed Husain is talking absolute shiite; the only reason anyone is listening to him, is becasue he no longer wants to kill all kuffar.

The problem IS within Islam itself, as Ayaan said - "the prophet Mohammed as a moral guide". Islam is a religion of the sword, no getting away from it, and it still is. No 'whataboutary' pointing to the historic excesses of Christianity, will change that.

Ed Hussain's argument, is to try to replace malign, openly treasonous ridiculous tosh, with less dangerous tosh. It's still tosh.

Ayaan needs a more practice in public speaking; but I'm sure she'll get there

23. In the name of God: the Saudi rape victim's tale

Comment #91705 by Nick Good on November 29, 2007 at 2:28 am

Somewhat germane; Ayaan Hirsi Ali, interviewed in the Spectator
http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/features/376476/we-are-at-war-with-all-islam.thtml

24. Turkey probes atheist's 'God' book

Comment #91593 by Nick Good on November 28, 2007 at 4:14 pm

Naah, it's clearly a cunning plot by RD's publishers, in cahoots with insiders in the Turkish judiciary, folks no doubt on the promise of kickbacks, to garner publicity and increase book sales.

25. Pupil defends teacher in Muhammad teddy furore

Comment #91581 by Nick Good on November 28, 2007 at 3:43 pm

incidents like these proof how much a personality like the reformer Martin Luther is needed
Yes Martin Luther, the 'charming' Germanic Monk is just what's needed...NOT.

He might have been a catalyst that broke the Papal monopoly of the Cathoholic church back when god was a boy; but I'm not sure his like is just quite what we need in the 21st century for Islam. His schism was not predicated on tolerance and reason; it was underpinned by Biblical literalism - a return to core principles.

A couple of gems from the Teutonic Herr Luther...

Reason is the greatest enemy that faith has: it never comes to the aid of spritual things, but--more frequently than not --struggles against the Divine Word....

Reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed. Faith must trample underfoot all reason, sense, and understanding, and whatever it sees must be put out of sight and ... know nothing but the word of God.

We don't need Koranic literalism - that's the nub of problem with Islam. The very basis of it is seeing the Koran as the literal word of God dictated verbatim by the angel Gabriel to the 'prophet' Mohammed. This makes it a particular pernicious meme, it's core tenets require re-proofing against the Koranic standard. This puts potential reformers immediately on the back foot, because if they challenge this, they are vulnerable to charges of apostasy.

More Lutherite gems here - http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/luther.htm

Henry the 8th would be a better model - but he is hardly 'kosher' as a 21st century example.

Rather just call Islam for the tosh it is; and nasty hateful tosh at that.

26. Islam and the modern world don't mix

Comment #91310 by Nick Good on November 28, 2007 at 2:35 am

Good article; and in the Independent of all places!

Islam's 'share price' is definitely taking a tumble in Kuffardom. I think that's a good thing, it's simply a manifestation of the feedback loop of democracy.

Mind you, I'm not sure that this isn't a Zionist, Crusader, Neocon, conspiracy; to sell more of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's books! The same dastardly conspiricy that fully half of UK Muslims think did 9/11.

27. Golden Compass author hits back

Comment #91152 by Nick Good on November 27, 2007 at 12:18 pm

Rather get the nice Catholic kiddies to see a nice little Catholic romantic comedy directed by Mel Gibson.

28. 'Muhammad' teddy teacher arrested

Comment #90836 by Nick Good on November 26, 2007 at 1:35 pm

It's positively refreshing that the all too often Islamophile BBC, is one of the first MSM outlets to report this.

29. The absurd world of Martin Amis

Comment #90498 by Nick Good on November 25, 2007 at 11:00 am

Summer Seale wrote: And on another thing...doesn't anyone else find the whole "I'm against Political Islam" to be about the most *stupid* argument ever? I'm against "Political Nazism"

Yup - that's the essence of my issue with the term 'Islamofascist' it's tautological!

30. Taking Science on Faith

Comment #90487 by Nick Good on November 25, 2007 at 9:55 am

This is an equivocation fallacy. The author is conflating the use of the word 'faith' in it's religious sense with 'faith', in the scientific sense, or in the sense that I have 'faith' that the Sun will rise in the morning.

It's like drawing an equivalence with a the 'trials' conducted by well run, modern judicial system with the Salem witch 'trials'.

What utter tosh!

31. The absurd world of Martin Amis

Comment #90478 by Nick Good on November 25, 2007 at 9:10 am

It goes roughly like this: 9/11 was horrific, its driving ideology was totalitarian, the totalitarians were Muslims, all Muslims follow a book they believe to be the immutable word of God, I don't believe that, therefore all Muslims are idiots, and basically bastards. Idiot bastards moping around the Middle East in a paranoid funk just cos they lost their empire, and what a rubbish empire it was, too, by the way. Now, what is your balanced view of these primitive wife-beating idiotic bastards?
Obviously intended as a loaded synopsis, a caricature of Amis's views - funny thing is, DESPITE this, it seems a pretty much on-the-money synopsis of the Islam problem!

32. How condescension benefits terrorism

Comment #90475 by Nick Good on November 25, 2007 at 9:03 am

Nick Cohen has been flagging the illiberal (as in classically liberal, not the US usage) impulses of many on the left for a while. He's even written a book about it - http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Left-Nick-Cohen/dp/0007229690">'What's Left'

33. 'Expelled' Movie: The Extended Trailer

Comment #88238 by Nick Good on November 15, 2007 at 2:02 pm

They might have budget for production standards, but they're still talking shiite!

The Galileo reference was especially ironic, made me chortle that one did...So much so, I was beginning to wonder if it was a spoof.

34. Mind your manners

Comment #88237 by Nick Good on November 15, 2007 at 1:55 pm

AC is right of course, but it brings to mind a larger, contextual question. And that is why anyone would make a habit of subjecting themselves to the fetid swamp that is CiF.

35. Bill Moyers interviews Jonathan Miller

Comment #87567 by Nick Good on November 12, 2007 at 1:40 pm

A Rough History of Disbelief
Episode Three. 1 of 6
Episode Three. 2 of 6
Episode Three. 3 of 6
Episode Three. 4 of 6
Episode Three. 5 of 6
Episode Three. 6 of 6 Last Clip.

36. Bill Moyers interviews Jonathan Miller

Comment #87563 by Nick Good on November 12, 2007 at 1:21 pm

A Rough History of Disbelief
Episode Two. 1 of 6
Episode Two. 2 of 6
Episode Two. 3 of 6
Episode Two. 4 of 6
Episode Two. 5 of 6
Episode Two. 6 of 6

37. Bill Moyers interviews Jonathan Miller

Comment #87562 by Nick Good on November 12, 2007 at 1:13 pm

A Rough History of Disbelief
Episode One. 1 of 6
Episode One. 2 of 6
Episode One. 3 of 6
Episode One. 4 of 6
Episode One. 5 of 6
Episode One. 6 of 6

38. Dr Bari: Government stoking Muslim tension

Comment #87531 by Nick Good on November 12, 2007 at 11:39 am

kaiserkriss wrote: The thing that truly upsets me though is this character being viewed as a moderate Muslim.

I think you'll find that the UK, government no longer sees the MCB as, the 'go to guys' on matters Islam. Me thinks their days of being feted by HM's government, and having spurious honours bestowed, in the hope that they'll come right, are done.

The UK government was, rather slow coming around to that view, even in the face of crushing evidence, that the MCB were...are...just more Islamo-fascists. They - HM's government - were, perhaps as many as 4-5 years late; but I think they've gotten there now. It took a while to twig.

I also think Bari rather facilitated this - God bless his cotton sox! I think, or rather I understand, that the Jihadi comment, (see my sourced Bakri quote, post no 35 here) was what finally did it.

The Melanie Griffiths, oft ridiculed, mad parody, aint a parody, it's all too true. The trouble is, if you talk about Islamo-fascism, it's not a fringe - it's the mainstream 'Koranic literalist' interpretation of Islam!....If you talk about this... it's difficult NOT to come over as 'barking', to measured, classically liberally inclined folks.

Which is rather my point, we should give more 'prominent Muslims' MORE of a platform, so they can hoist themselves on their own petard. The feedback-loop of democracy, is a good thing, it should be encouraged, not stifled. The fellow on the proverbial Clapham omnibus, is generally a fair minded chap.

I just wish that those interviewing proponents of Islam, possessed a tad more knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence, so that they have the wherewithal, to target questions, and follow ups, rather more pointedly.

39. Dr Bari: Government stoking Muslim tension

Comment #87470 by Nick Good on November 12, 2007 at 7:47 am

Tacho the dog wrote: "I can't add anything substantive to this discussion other than to ask, what enough is that perched on Dr Bari's head? Is it a dead squirrel? Is that allowed under sharia law?"

Many Muslims dye their hair and beards red with henna. Apparently, the 'prophet' Mohammed did this. Pious Muslims do it, I guess, in the idol worshiping way that teenage girls emulate the 'dress sense' of Britney Spears ....or Elvis fans get themselves all done-up, like 'The King'.

In Bari's case, I have a working theory, that it's an Islamo-topee. For starters, the interface between his 'buggery grips' and the red 'squirrel' like object, is well dodgy.

Now I may be wrong, and this theory may be conclusively debunked, I don't hold it as dogma...it's a scientifc theory in the Karl Popper sense that it is 'falsifiable'. So until another piece of evidence comes along which debunks this working hypothesis; based on appearances, the Islamo-topee model seems a reasonably parsimonious working explanation.

That said, I do grant the squirrel theory works pretty well too...but to be fair, without wishing to be too gushingly accommodating to the 'squirrelists'; the Islamo-topee theory and the squirrel theory are not, in-truth, mutually exclusive!

Mind you, aren't red squirrels endangered in Blighty? Let's hope it's a dyed grey squirrel.

40. Dr Bari: Government stoking Muslim tension

Comment #87381 by Nick Good on November 12, 2007 at 2:21 am

Here's a related story about an open letter to the British Prime Minister, signed by 'Leading Muslims', published in the press in August last year.

A precis - Change your foreign policy to suit us, or else!

Its signatories included Bari in his capacity as head of the MCB, as well as by a Muslim Labour MP Shahid Malik - now a government Minister (rather ironically, 'Shahid' means 'holy martyr for Islam')!

The Story on BBC website


Full text of letter

41. Bill Moyers interviews Jonathan Miller

Comment #87370 by Nick Good on November 12, 2007 at 1:49 am

This is a brilliant interview. Great series too.

Lovely man.

42. Dr Bari: Government stoking Muslim tension

Comment #87345 by Nick Good on November 12, 2007 at 12:03 am

Bari was interviewed by the Sunday Telegraph in September 2006, then his threats were rather more specific. Here's the 'money quote'...

"some police officers and sections of the media are demonising Muslims, treating them as if they're all terrorists — and that encourages other people to do the same.

If that demonisation continues, then Britain will have to deal with two million Muslim terrorists — 700,000 of them in London"

Source
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/10/nterr10.xml

43. Dr Bari: Government stoking Muslim tension

Comment #87241 by Nick Good on November 11, 2007 at 2:52 pm

Well it's good for the Telegraph to bring this fellow's views to public attention, there is a public interest in knowing them.

After all, he heads the MCB. An organisation that has received UK tax payers money, is a charitable foundation, its previous chairman was knighted in 2005, it is an umbrella body for many UK Mosques, many of which are very well attended (more mosque attendees than bums on C of E pews). The MCB is tied to 400 or so Islamic affiliates organisation. It also purports, through its 'Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board' "to promote best practice in British mosques"...whatever that is!

He is a good example of how education and intelligence are not necessarily something that provides immunity from medieval superstition. He is a physics PhD!

It's an uncomfortable fact, that Islam, mainstream Islam - Koranic literalism - not some fringe, is a form of totalitarianism; it's a form of fascism. It's not just a religion, it's a political system too.

Islamaphobia - meaning 'an irrational fear of islam' - a rather common charge these days leveled at critiques of Isalm, is rather an oxymoron. There is nothing 'irrational' about having a healthy fear of these medieval, Koranic literalist 'kuffar-phobic' nutters.

Anyway; he's doing stirling service in bringing Islam into yet further disrepute.

Proud to be a Kuffar

44. Holy communion

Comment #87009 by Nick Good on November 11, 2007 at 1:42 am

The problem I have with Humanism, is that it's species-ist; that's a genuine criticism not in the least bit tongue in cheek.

Does a five year old chimpanzee have less sentience than a newborn human infant? I rather doubt it.

45. Sir David Attenborough on God

Comment #86689 by Nick Good on November 10, 2007 at 1:13 am

So is he an Agnostic or Atheist?

Agnostic and atheist are not mutually exclusive, if you lack god belief, you qualify as an atheist.

46. On Being Not Muslim Enough

Comment #86336 by Nick Good on November 9, 2007 at 2:07 am

Goldy, There are alot of us neither fish nor fowl folks about. I was born in India of English parents, but educated mainly in the UK from the age of 8. My son can't even get a UK passport! I don't fit into any easy category.

I don't quite get this woman. The article above is about her feeling non Muslim. But her role in her work is ALL about being Muslim and looking at the world through a Muslim lens. What is she saying...that there is huge amounts of Islamic fundamentalism in the UK...she doesn't say that, it's hinted at only. So what's her point, she's not accepted by Islamo nutters - fine, find other friends or become an Islamo nutter to fit in....simple!

47. Pat Robertson Says Giuliani Presidency Appears in Book of Revelation

Comment #86301 by Nick Good on November 9, 2007 at 12:34 am

The biggest threat to Guliani in my view; is Al Gore. Though I don't think he'll stand, he's doing too nicely as captain of the Global-Warming hyperbole and hysteria industry.

Perhaps ironically, given the Pat Robertson endorsement; of all the potential candidates in with a shot, Democrat or Republican, including Gore; Guliani is by far the most secular.

48. Pat Robertson Says Giuliani Presidency Appears in Book of Revelation

Comment #86295 by Nick Good on November 9, 2007 at 12:22 am

If the Republicans have the sense to nominate socially liberal Guliani; I suspect they will win the presidency again. I just can't see Hilary Clinton or Barack Obama having more electoral appeal.

Guliani will swing many floating voters and social classically-liberal types his way; including some natural Dems, concerned about the moveon.org type 'moonbattery' that's currently to the fore in the Democratic party.

Quite possibly the social conservatives, many of whom's views are informed by religion, realise that Guliani represents their best hope of a Republican securing the White House. Pat Robertson's endorsement rather suggests this. Make no mistake, this is a huge fillip for Guliani. It goes a long way to nutralising Guliani's key perceived weakness - that the religious, social conservative tranche of the Republican party, could never endorse him because of his social liberal values, and his personal circumstances.

Anyway, I don't agree with all Guliani's positions; but on balance, I hope he wins the Republican nomination, and the Presidency.

He is, to my mind, by far the most measured of any of the candidates on either side. He will also continue with the thrust of US foreign policy in it's fight against Islamic theocratic totalitarian imperialism; and that's very much a good thing. I'm pretty much with Hitchens on this one.

49. On Being Not Muslim Enough

Comment #86291 by Nick Good on November 9, 2007 at 12:04 am

Somethings odd here. In her Journalist job in the Guardian; everything about her is about her 'Muslimness'

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/riazat_butt/index.html

50. The Turning of an Atheist

Comment #84980 by Nick Good on November 4, 2007 at 12:01 pm

It was painful to read; heart wrenching stuff.

That said; what does rather strike me, is that there is not more of this sort of thing. It's uncommonly rare to find an atheist, with any kind of track record as such, that ends up as a vocal theist - and I include CS Lewis in this, he claims to be a former atheist, but there's no record, to the best of my knowledge, of him as an atheist.

Now like Lewis, there are plenty that claim to be ex-atheists, but few can point to a any kind of record as atheists. Anthony Flew seems the best 'scalp' the apologists can come up with!

Despite Flew's new found seeming Deism in his dotage; there is quite a strong asymmetry of conversion in favor of theism to atheism. Now granted, that of itself, is not crushing evidence against the truth value of theism, but if rallying converts to the cause is an argument, which is seemingly what's going on here, the theists have the hind tit on that one!

Regardless, those that have exploited and manipulated the old fella, are worse than squalid.