1. Teenager faces prosecution for calling Scientology 'cult'

Comment #183443 by Bookman on May 22, 2008 at 6:26 am

There should be no law banning insults -- it would be the end of comedy.

2. Shermer's 'Mind of the Market' Reviewed in L.A. Times

Comment #116332 by Bookman on January 26, 2008 at 8:56 am

Just because Shermer is a good skeptic doesn't mean his political views have to be accepted. To believe that there is a "Free market" requires one hell of a lot of faith, and I've never been impressed with the arguments of libertarianism -- at all. It strikes me as a philosophy founded on confirmation bias.

3. Dinesh D'Souza: Winner of the 2007 Bad Faith Award

Comment #112228 by Bookman on January 16, 2008 at 3:39 pm

Cruise has won in 2008, and we're only half-way through January. The video has so much, on so many different levels. It is the mother lode of self-important, self-satisfied, bubble-headed inanity and insanity. The tragedy is, he's passed on his seed to a new generation.

I suppose he could lose on a technicality (the video is a few years old), but in my book, he's clinched it.

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

Comment #109778 by Bookman on January 9, 2008 at 4:52 pm

The book is a very good follow up to his book "Innummeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and It's Consequences". There are no new arguments in it (how could there be?) but it's a good, and humorous, assault on the logical fallacies and magical thinking inherent in god-belief. It's a good addition to the genre and definitely worth a look.

5. 'Atheistic fundamentalism' fears

Comment #102256 by Bookman on December 22, 2007 at 7:48 am

Christ. The churches sure do get top quality thinkers leading them, don't they?

"It allows no room for disagreement, for doubt, for debate, for discussion." Translation: "Those atheists refuse to humour me!"

6. CBC News: Sunday - Richard Dawkins

Comment #100464 by Bookman on December 18, 2007 at 4:42 pm

I'm puzzled by the reaction of some commenters here to the interviewer. So he's believer -- stop the presses! He most definitely is not some right-wing religious crank a la FOX. I'm also puzzled that some assume him to be a typical Xtian; he's Jewish. Anyway, he asked the typical Believer questions and RD answered them calmly and eloquently. A great job on Dawkins' part, I thought. It's also a widely watched program, so it's great PR for the rationalist community.

7. Banishing the Green-Eyed Monster

Comment #91988 by Bookman on November 29, 2007 at 4:56 pm

My wife, in her previous relationship, discovered that her long-time boyfriend was carrying on an affair with another women while lying about what he was doing and implying she was paranoid to suspect something was amiss. Until he was caught. My wife didn't so much object to the sexual relationship with the new woman as she was devastated by the lies and the withdrawal of love. So I think the issue is a little more complicated than RD suggests in the article. A good relationship is about trust, and it can be crushing when that trust is destroyed. I don't have a high opinion of people who destroy that trust with a loved one, and I don't think they should be let off the hook. We all hurt people at times, but that doesn't make it acceptable.

8. American kids, dumber than dirt: Warning: The next generation might just be the biggest pile of idiots in U.S. history

Comment #82360 by Bookman on October 26, 2007 at 6:28 am

At the time I was born, in California, over 40 years ago, that state had the best public education system in the country. Once the conservative revolution took hold, in the late seventies, their great system was essentially abandoned by the government. Now it is ranked 49th out of 50. Only Mississippi is worse. Give credit where credit is due -- to Movement conservatives.

9. A new website addition: Debate Points

Comment #81843 by Bookman on October 25, 2007 at 9:15 am

A couple I've heard recently are:

"Science owes its origins to Christianity"

"The idea of Church/State separation comes from Christianity"

10. Dawkins - what can't he be blamed for?

Comment #75260 by Bookman on October 2, 2007 at 7:02 am

One of Armstrong's pet theories is that "fundamentalism" didn't exist in any important way prior to the secularization of western societies. Fundamentalism is, in her view, the fault of secularists. She has a very selective view of history, to put it politely.

11. MORE GOOD NEWS for US taxpayers

Comment #72114 by Bookman on September 20, 2007 at 11:26 am

I hope you have a Canadian chapter some day!

12. Review of Richard Dawkins' new book 'The Fascism Delusion'

Comment #69096 by Bookman on September 9, 2007 at 5:39 pm

Parody, thy name is J.J. Ramsey.

13. New age therapies cause 'retreat from reason'

Comment #61461 by Bookman on August 5, 2007 at 8:23 am

I am very pleased to hear the RD is taking on the Woo. I'd love to see him interview some publishers of New Age books. If they are being honest they will tell him that they know it's complete garbage and they had many good laughs over it at their editorial meetings. I first heard the term "woo woo" years ago from a veteran book rep whose job it was to sell the stuff to bookstores. He actually met Chopra once, who struck him as a complete fraud (Chopra had a book-launch party at his California home and was wearing a toga-like outfit; around the swimming pool were a bevy of nubile young women). New Age books receive the same level of derision from book people as self-help books. There's a lot of money in it, but selling woo-woo makes one feel dirty. I'm glad that Professor Dawkins now has this target in his sights.

14. The infinite wisdom of Richard Dawkins

Comment #51717 by Bookman on June 24, 2007 at 9:38 am

ThomasB -- you beat me to the punch with the Walrus article. There is a majority of evangelicals in the government caucus -- thank goodness they don't have a majority governement.

Jesus H wrote: "Until he invokes policies based on religion that people disagree with they should leave the thought crime analysis out of it."

Harper went as far as he could with the anti-gay "traditional marriage" vote in the House. Though it was basically symbolic, since he knew he would loose, it gives us some insight into his mind. Canadians have a right to know whether he plans to try to legislate his religious views or install religious fanatics into positions of power should he gain a majority. The evidence suggests that he does have such plans (as long as they don't get him de-elected).

15. An Inquisition in science's name

Comment #51087 by Bookman on June 21, 2007 at 12:14 pm

This idiot was the mentor of the current idiot in the Prime Minister's office, Stephen Harper, and the two hold the same fundamentalist Xtian beliefs. 75% of the MPs on the government benches are evangelical Christians. They have learned to keep quiet about it, through experience, and I don't think they will try anything too crazy unless, or until, they get a majority government. They are both from the province where a Creationist museum just opened up -- a bit ironic considering that Alberta is the home of Albertosaurus and some of the best fossil fields in the world.

16. What I Think About Evolution

Comment #46533 by Bookman on May 31, 2007 at 2:58 pm

Sen. Brownback has (sadly) proved himself to be perfectly qualified for the job of President of the United States. How is he any different from Reagan or George W. Bush?

17. Aiming for knockout blow in god wars

Comment #45570 by Bookman on May 28, 2007 at 8:47 am

If RD is giving Margaret Somerville sleepless nights, all I can say is..."excellent"!

As previous commenters have noted, she was a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage here in Canada. Same-sex marriage was formally legalized here over two years ago. Somerville testified before a parliamentary committee about the issue, and her argument, in a nutshell, is that human societies "need" the rituals that religion provides, especially in the area of reproduction. Marriage, she asserts, is a reproductive ritual, and so gays and lesbians should be barred from participating in it since they won't reproduce with their life-partners. Needless to say, most people in Canada found this argument to be idiotic and unethical. The person who needs these rituals is Margaret Somerville. Her writing is simply a thinly veiled apology for Catholicism.

Every year here the Massey Lectures are published in book form and usually make it to all the bestseller lists in Canada. Her lecture was the first in a long time that bombed as a book -- another positive sign that the zeitgeist is changing.

18. Hitchens on Falwell

Comment #41920 by Bookman on May 17, 2007 at 9:51 am

This was Hitchens at his very best. I think his television performances have improved markedly over the past couple of weeks after a shaky start on Jon Stewart. Still, one wonders how he could so effectively attack religious credulity while, at the same time, be so credulous regarding the Bush Administration. He's a contradictory fellow, but wonderfully enjoyable at times.

19. Dobson, Armageddon, and Foreign Policy

Comment #41897 by Bookman on May 17, 2007 at 9:24 am

I got the feeling in reading this that these were two individuals actually living in the Bronze Age. They might as well be illiterate nomads in the desert a few thousand years ago. Yet they have a direct line to the most powerful man on earth, and that man takes them very seriously. It completely boggles the mind.

20. Why Christopher Hitchens is not Great

Comment #40632 by Bookman on May 14, 2007 at 3:52 pm

Thanks for posting this article to remind us how frighteningly loony the American religious right is. I'm not going to visit the Townhall website myself as I find it too depressing, so I appreciate you doing the work for us. When people claim that Dakwins creates a strawman of religion, I will point them to this, and the many articles like it.

21. Among the Disbelievers

Comment #40619 by Bookman on May 14, 2007 at 3:35 pm

How do I replace something I never had?

The writer assumes that atheism leaves a hole in the psyche that needs to be filled. He's wrong.

Another disappointing article from the progressive press.

22. How dare you call me a fundamentalist

Comment #40529 by Bookman on May 14, 2007 at 12:14 pm

That was a brilliant and funny response by RD. I particularly enjoyed the reply to Terry Eagleton's pompous critique of the God Delusion.

It's amusing how the Believers love to call Dawkins a fundamentalist: "Nyah, nyah, you're just as stupid as we are."

23. Lou Dobbs w/ Hitchens on Al Sharpton's Bigoted Remark

Comment #39370 by Bookman on May 10, 2007 at 12:30 pm

It would be great to see Hitchens become the resident atheist on Lou Dobbs (as long as he doesn't become Dobbs' foreign policy "expert"). He makes a good point that most of the fighting has been believers vs. believers, rather than believers vs. atheists. Reminds me of the quote on religious wars attributed to Arafat: "You're basically killing each other over who's got the best imaginary friend".

24. An ecumenical contempt for religion

Comment #38323 by Bookman on May 7, 2007 at 3:45 pm

*#2 Roll:

I'm sorry, I'm not sure what kind of mental yoga I need to do to accept that Bush hasn't "any religious convictions of any kind". I may not be up to the contortions required, but perhaps you could enlighten me.

25. An ecumenical contempt for religion

Comment #38300 by Bookman on May 7, 2007 at 1:00 pm

"I don't think (Bush) has any religious convictions of any kind, but he's a sap for the idea of faith," Hitchens says.

That's the kind of absurd statement that makes Hitchens such a mixed "blessing" for the cause of rationality. It seems that George W. Bush is about the only modern president for whom Hitchens has had anything good to say. (I would agree that the others have been bad....but...dubya?)

26. Lou Dobbs Interviews Christopher Hitchens

Comment #37588 by Bookman on May 5, 2007 at 8:25 am

I was surprised to hear Dobbs come out and give some support to Hitchen's book. With Dobbs' relentless American flag-waving I pegged him as a good God-fearin' American, but perhaps he's not that shallow. Hitchens did better than he did on the Daily Show, and I see he's #4 on Amazon. Very good indeed.

27. How multiculturalism is betraying women

Comment #36881 by Bookman on May 2, 2007 at 4:07 pm

"She is horrified by the moves in Canada to introduce shariah courts to enforce family law for Muslims."

Thankfully this was stopped in its tracks by the Premier of Ontario.

from the BBC:

"Mr McGuinty said he would introduce 'as soon as possible' a law banning all religious arbitration in the province"

28. Interview with Christopher Hitchens

Comment #36504 by Bookman on May 1, 2007 at 11:03 am

Mr. Mark wrote:


"I swear, hopping on the "Hitchens was drunk" bandwagon is a cheap shot"

I'm in complete agreement with Hitchens on the topic of religion and I think he has written eloquently on the subject. But showing up drunk for interviews, not once, but repeatedly, is completely unprofessional. It's hardly "cheap" to point that out. I like a lot of what Hitchens writes, but lets face it, the man's a boor. Give me Dawkins any day.

29. Interview with Christopher Hitchens

Comment #36445 by Bookman on May 1, 2007 at 6:48 am

What a wasted opportunity that was. The best preparation for this book tour would have been a visit to Betty Ford. It is a disease, so I suppose I should feel some pity for the man. From what I've heard, the book is much more coherent.

30. Pundit Christopher Hitchens picks a fight in book, 'God is Not Great'

Comment #35888 by Bookman on April 29, 2007 at 7:40 am

Just curious -- if H.L. Mencken was "the penultimate social critic of the first half of the 20th century", who was the ultimate?

(sorry if I'm being pedantic, but journalists who think that "penultimate" means really really "ultimate", bug me).

31. Fighting Words: A wartime lexicon

Comment #35082 by Bookman on April 26, 2007 at 6:47 am

A good article, though I'm not quite as over-the-moon about it as others. I did like the line, "And as it happens, I will continue to do this without insisting on the polite reciprocal condition—which is that they in turn leave me alone. But this, religion is ultimately incapable of doing."

I agree, however, with comment #7 from hightrekker -- the way in which Hitchens has treated his friends and former allies is reason to keep a safe distance from him. From reading his articles one might conclude that Hitchens is the only one who cares about human rights and fighting tyranny. His drunken public outbursts reveal a core of instability that people dealing with him must be aware of. His last book, on Thomas Paine, was a bit pedestrian, but I may buy this one anyway. Contrary to what JDAM thinks, Hitchens isn't nearly as sharp as he once was, but the flashes of brilliance that still come through are enjoyable.

32. Here Comes the Fourth Musketeer.

Comment #33587 by Bookman on April 20, 2007 at 4:37 pm

Hitchens is a good hitman, but I'm not sure that I'd go to him for any lessons on ethics. His nearly- neocon articles in Slate hardly make him the go-to guy for truth about world affairs. I'd take Dawkins, Dennett, or Sagan over Hitchens anyday.

33. NEXT MONDAY: Bill O'Reilly interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #33195 by Bookman on April 19, 2007 at 2:34 pm

93% of Fox News's viewership is Republican and most of those are theists. It could be a good thing to have them hear a little of what RD has to say. I suspect that O'Reilly will not be too out-of-line when interviewing a famous Oxford scientist. O'Reilly is is typical bully and attacks hardest against people who are "lower" in the social pecking-order. I think Professor Dawkins should try to have a little fun with it -- there's nothing much to lose. I look forward to seeing the clip, as I don't get Fox News here in Canada.

34. Is God poison?

Comment #30959 by Bookman on April 10, 2007 at 12:53 pm

Maclean's Magazine, in which this article appeared, is, more and more, becoming a right-wing rag. After all, it includes as columnists, Barbara Amiel (Conrad Black's wife, Canada's Ann Coulter) and Mark Steyne.

"The God Delusion" remains #1 on the non-fiction bestseller lists in Canada, a rare achievement for a book that's been on the market for six months. Professor Dawkins has many, many fans in this country!

35. Is this another Sokal Hoax?

Comment #29037 by Bookman on April 1, 2007 at 9:33 am

If this is not an April Fools joke, then it's seriously disturbing. The University of Toronto has a prestigious reputation, but, obviously, a loony has been ensconced in a salaried position there.

36. Richard Dawkins' Report Card

Comment #17064 by Bookman on January 10, 2007 at 2:49 pm

I'm glad that Professor Dawkins remained inky in adulthood. He is certainly getting lots of ink these days, and I'm loving it!

37. Blaming 'The God Delusion'

Comment #13066 by Bookman on December 15, 2006 at 8:51 am

Reporting from Vancouver, home of the author of this article, sales of The God Delusion rose 23 percent last week in Canada, and it's #3 on Amazon.ca

Very nice to see!

38. Book a Day

Comment #11820 by Bookman on December 7, 2006 at 1:15 pm

Great to see a good review in the national Canadian newspaper. The God Delusion is selling very well here. It's #5 on amazon.ca, and sales shot up in the past week nationally. People are obviously buying it for...Christmas. I do hope that Professor Dawkins visits Vancouver sometime in the future. I'm sure he'd receive a warm welcome.