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Comments by Mango


1. Why is sex abuser on school's land?

Comment #179544 by Mango on May 13, 2008 at 11:33 am

This isn't the Discovery Institute that champions Intelligent Design.

2. 'My daughter deserved to die for falling in love'

Comment #178362 by Mango on May 11, 2008 at 9:49 am

I'd wager that honor killings have become more common since the US-led invasion of Iraq as Iraqis use them as outlets for personal frustrations and also to reassert their Muslim identity.

3. Evolution's Critics Shift Tactics With Schools

Comment #174771 by Mango on May 3, 2008 at 12:48 pm

My Louisiana state representative is on the education committee and I sent her an email to let her know that I oppose the "academic freedom" bill.

4. Truly Bizarre : Indians Throw Babies 50ft From Roof To Thank God.

Comment #174726 by Mango on May 3, 2008 at 11:07 am

I wonder what the connection is between being blessed with a child and then tossing the child off the roof? I think it's just an excuse for spectacle.

Simple pleasures for simple minds. :)

5. The Neanderthal Debate

Comment #174725 by Mango on May 3, 2008 at 11:03 am

What's even more interesting to me is that Homo erectus was contemporary with modern humans in Asia (Java definitely) only around 50,000 years ago.

6. Pat Condell: Anthology DVD available now!

Comment #172521 by Mango on April 29, 2008 at 4:53 pm

He's a guy with a webcam -- why bother comparing him with Carlin? He's on YouTube, not his own HBO specials. Cut him a break.

7. Expelled producers accused of copyright infringement

Comment #158151 by Mango on April 10, 2008 at 6:26 am

The troubling use of this particular video by creationists has been known for a long time.

http://endogenousretrovirus.blogspot.com/2007/11/di-fellows-expelled-for-plagiarism.html

8. Commentary: Democrats finally getting religion on religion

Comment #157857 by Mango on April 9, 2008 at 4:04 pm

Ah yes, that wonderful "faith community," presumably it was a member of which who a few days ago stole my car's official Louisiana license plate that read "ATHEISM." I guess I should've taken the hint to remove it after my car was keyed multiple times -- stupid me.

9. Richard Dawkins on The Big Questions

Comment #157104 by Mango on April 8, 2008 at 2:54 pm

This debate on whether the devil exists took place in London? Astonishing, and worrisome that most of the imbecilic statements received applause.

10. Get out of here, atheists!

Comment #156448 by Mango on April 7, 2008 at 3:03 pm

Why does it matter what religion someone is, or is not, when objecting to the state's misappropriation of funds? Rep. Davis has a personal problem with atheists that she could not keep to herself. She also abused her position as a state official to "spew" hate speech. Essentially, she hates millions of American atheists and should be removed from office.

11. Get out of here, atheists!

Comment #156376 by Mango on April 7, 2008 at 12:25 pm

What do guns in school have to do with the separation of church and state? Rep. Davids engages in the same kind of ridiculous argument as person who gets pulled over for speeding and proceeds to yell at the officer, "Why aren't you catching rapists and murderers instead of giving me a speeding ticket?!"

12. Biologists Take Evolution Beyond Darwin Way Beyond

Comment #155905 by Mango on April 6, 2008 at 9:22 am

Re: comment 1 by Crossroads. I think emergence might be misused by some people, but it is a concept that is needed -- if not for explanation, then at least for description. For example, if you stand in front of your class of students you can ask them, "What makes this class? Is it the chairs, the room? Is there is a class if we all go home? Is there a class if it is just two people, or are more needed?" The class *emerges* from our coming together at a time and place for a purpose. That's how I think about emergence -- something that is created that is not predictable from the combination of known entities -- it is somehow understood to be more than the sum of its constituent parts.

13. Beware the Believers

Comment #151705 by Mango on March 29, 2008 at 8:31 am

Unfunny and sycophantic.

14. Expelled from Expelled: PZ story goes global

Comment #150699 by Mango on March 27, 2008 at 9:17 am

I echo Bonzai's thoughts here. But I'll go a little further and voice a concern about how this "expelled from Expelled" story appears to have exposed the sycophantic tendencies among some atheists.

15. EXPELLED!

Comment #147549 by Mango on March 20, 2008 at 9:48 pm

This is great news! Bad publicity for the ID-ers. :)

16. Atheists claim censorship by billboard company

Comment #146501 by Mango on March 19, 2008 at 6:33 am

comment 19 I personally do not mind it if a private company discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, race, religion or gender.


I'm surprised to read comments here saying that the government should turn a blind eye toward discrimination and essentially repeal so much progress on civil rights. Such a libertarian streak here!

Could CBS-OA legally reject putting up a billboard on behalf of a black community organization because the mostly-white community might get ruffled by it?

FFRF's billboard is not sexual, violent, crude, hateful, or in any other way harmful to children, these being the only grounds for which I could accept CBS-OA rejecting a billboard.

That being said, I am glad that FFRF is not seeking a lawsuit. As a member of the organization I prefer that it follow more meaningful avenues of attack.

17. New Atheists Are Not Great

Comment #145298 by Mango on March 17, 2008 at 1:11 pm

Atheism cannot reach our hearts.


I've never been religious so such statements are just white noise to me. And that's a problem some atheists might have with the average theist's declarations -- there's a real and palpable language barrier. Theistic language relies on the experiential and divine revelation. It's just plain tough for me to know where they're coming from.

But with a character like D'Souza, I think there's more to it -- he uses that experiential language to knowingly distort counter-arguments.

18. The Great Tantra Challenge

Comment #144643 by Mango on March 16, 2008 at 1:56 pm

After it was over Sanal could have told the TV viewers that HE has the REAL magic and that's why he survived! He could then set up shop as a guru and make himself rich.

19. The atheist delusion

Comment #144026 by Mango on March 14, 2008 at 10:24 pm

"evangelical atheists." Why must writers so thoroughly expose their abysmal ignorance and wrong-headed biases by using religious terms for the non-religious? The article appears to have no value whatsoever.

20. Two More Fleas

Comment #142437 by Mango on March 12, 2008 at 1:41 pm

We are not this book's target audience -- it is people who have not read any new book by an atheist yet still feel threatened by the success of those books.

This book is meant to be the only book they read on the matter and entrench them in their beliefs.

21. Bulldozers tear down giant religious teapot

Comment #138561 by Mango on March 4, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Malaysia is traditionally a liberal Islamic state. Apostasy is illegal for Muslims.


Everything's relative, I guess.

22. Berlin gallery in Islam art row

Comment #136564 by Mango on March 1, 2008 at 12:22 pm

Never give in to the demands of terrorists or they will keep up their tactics. This is encouraging extremists to continue to threaten violence because it meets their goals!

23. Ayaan Hirsi Ali to get EU protection

Comment #135953 by Mango on February 29, 2008 at 11:24 am

How will this work? If AHA's personal bodyguards cost, say, $3,000/day, then if she spends a week in Berlin at a conference she'll send the German government a bill for $21,000? And how does a person get on this list of protected persons?

This is one way radical Muslims can destroy the West -- systematically threaten every person in Europe and make the "host country" pay for their personal protection!

24. Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous video

Comment #133152 by Mango on February 25, 2008 at 5:48 pm

In agreement with comment #2, there are thousands of videos that devout Muslims will find offensive. It's bizarre that Pakistan would block the website because of one video in particular rather than the whole concept of user-generated content [free speech] in particular.

25. How he was sentenced to die

Comment #132758 by Mango on February 25, 2008 at 7:26 am

The British schoolteacher in Sudan who named a teddy bear Muhammad; the young woman in Saudi Arabia who was gang-raped and convicted of being alone with a man who was not a family member; and now this case.

Seems there is always at least one cause celebre in the news that draws the distinction between secular and sharia law. The Western countries can petition for the acquittal of a few cases here and there, but the brutality of sharia is endemic.

I anticipate that the justice and value systems of secular and Islamic countries will continue to diverge and these tragic cases will only become more intolerable to those who care about human rights.

26. Ayaan Hirsi Ali asks for protection

Comment #128101 by Mango on February 16, 2008 at 7:09 am

comment 30 I would not stand between AHA and harm. I suspect those who claim they would are just attempting to seem heroic and manly."


Perhaps Hitchens was overestimating the solidarity of his audience. I can only speak for myself, of course. I have neither children nor a wife to think of when considering danger to myself. And one can never be certain how one will react in a crisis until it comes. That being said, I do intend to intervene whether it is AHA who is being set upon by thugs, or anyone else who is in danger from those who seek to violently dispossess people from their freedom of speech.

27. Ayaan Hirsi Ali asks for protection

Comment #128091 by Mango on February 16, 2008 at 5:47 am

Tetratornis comment 12 I believe the exact quote involved taking bullets.


I spun up the DVD of the speech to uncover whether my memory from that day was mistaken. The quote is, "There isn't anyone in this room who wouldn't very proudly stand between you and anyone who wished you harm."

28. Ayaan Hirsi Ali asks for protection

Comment #127958 by Mango on February 15, 2008 at 7:48 pm

As Christopher Hitchens said at the AAI meeting in the autumn, any of us would get between her and anyone who intended to do her harm. Lacking that opportunity, however, I'm happy to contribute monetarily to her protection.

29. Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge?

Comment #127508 by Mango on February 15, 2008 at 10:59 am

Annabanana, not to belabor the details, but in reply to elfinabout all you did in fact say was "elfinabout, maybe calm down with the conspiracy theories?" That short, unenlightening dismissal was I was referring to, not later on when as you say you ". . .replied, in detail"

Please don't assume that I'm just playing "the gender card".


I didn't think I assumed anything when you wrote
"I genuinely wonder what the response to my comments would be like if my avatar were something genderless or even a picture of a guy... "

But I realize you do have to watch out for people who make assumptions about you based upon your avatar, and I'm wholly sympathetic to that. But in this thread, today, I think your avatar has played no role.

30. Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge?

Comment #127475 by Mango on February 15, 2008 at 10:31 am

al-rawandi - Is that Sly Stallone as your avatar?


Close, Dean Martin

31. Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge?

Comment #127469 by Mango on February 15, 2008 at 10:26 am

comment 27 annabanana - I genuinely wonder what the response to my comments would be like if my avatar were something genderless or even a picture of a guy...


I'm not wondering. In comment 11 you tell the author of the book to "shut up" because the article isn't telling you if the book contains any remedies. In comment 15 you refer to elfinabout's thoughtful post as a "conspiracy theory" and recommend he "calm down." In comment 17 you call yourself "attractive." No, I'm not wondering at all -- I think your words would elicit the same replies regardless of the avatar you displayed. Few, if any, regular posters on this website are more roundly respected than Paula Kirby. I suggest you closely read how she communicates before you decide to play the gender card.

32. Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge?

Comment #127426 by Mango on February 15, 2008 at 9:14 am

comment 11 annabanana If you aren't going to offer some sort of solution or be part of a solution, then shut up.


We are not told from the article whether her analysis of the situation includes prescriptions for change. Regardless, what's wrong with an indictment of a cultural situation that delves into the depth and ubiquity of a perceived problem and leaves the answers for another book? Certainly her work has value either way and your rude off-the-cuff dismissal seems out of line.

33. Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge?

Comment #127394 by Mango on February 15, 2008 at 8:24 am

My girlfriend is a graduate student in America and I chide her every time I see her on a ridiculous gossip webpage. She's simply a woman of her times -- she has an innate intelligence but is swept up in the rot of popular culture.

Intellectuals, and intellectualism, are not American values. There are too many distractions for people to turn to to avoid thinking. Thinking and intellectual self-improvement are hard work, and most people avoid it.

Look at the American presidential race. The talking heads on TV say something like, "Obama won South Carolina with 90% of the black vote." The next level of analysis, such as why people cast their precious vote on the basis of a phenotype, might as well be string theory.

34. Debate between Richard Dawkins and Madeline Bunting

Comment #126920 by Mango on February 14, 2008 at 1:51 pm

Wonderful tactic -- one doesn't have to answer what one believes by asserting that the word "belief" doesn't apply to what one believes!

35. Exorcism undergoes a revival across Europe

Comment #125853 by Mango on February 12, 2008 at 7:11 am

People possessed by demons "speak in exotic tongues"


It's normal for people who attend churches in my area to speak in tongues -- are they all possessed by demons?

36. Bill Maher on Larry King Live

Comment #125546 by Mango on February 11, 2008 at 3:14 pm

The entire interview is worth watching, if you are able to find it somewhere on the Web.

37. Charles Simonyi Professorship in the Public Understanding of Science

Comment #125502 by Mango on February 11, 2008 at 1:26 pm

Bonzai, comment 8, Dr. Dawkins mentions a "mandatory retirement age." But the silver lining is that he is perhaps freer to express himself w/o having to worry about any possible negative reflections on Oxford.

38. Charles Simonyi Professorship in the Public Understanding of Science

Comment #125365 by Mango on February 11, 2008 at 9:32 am

Regarding that Conservapedia entry, endowed professorships are indeed filled with full professors who simply have a position that is, well, endowed. The name of the endowment precedes their normal title as a sort of modifier, e.g. The John Doe Professor of Anthropology. Most universities in the U.S. have these endowments in various departments and these professors are quite distinguished.

39. Charles Simonyi Professorship in the Public Understanding of Science

Comment #125341 by Mango on February 11, 2008 at 9:01 am

I'm surprised an enlightened university such as Oxford still has a mandatory retirement age. In America those rules have generally been abolished.

40. Exorcism undergoes a revival across Europe

Comment #125326 by Mango on February 11, 2008 at 8:35 am

Exorcists said they are careful not to treat people suffering from mental illness


How does one act differently when one is possessed by a demon as opposed to being mentally ill?

"How else can you explain how a wife, in the space of a couple of weeks, could come to hate her own husband, a man who is a good person?"
Hmmmmm...I wonder... coughRAPE.... Lemme think...coughBEATINGS.... It's coming to me... coughGAMBLING... Nope, nothing comes to mind. She must be a pawn of Lucifer, no question about it.

41. Hitchens and Boteach Debate on God

Comment #125074 by Mango on February 10, 2008 at 10:25 pm

The more Mr. Boteach spoke the more rope he was making to hang himself intellectually.

The flailing and flapping arms only added to his caricature of a caricature.

"You asked for white noise and you got it." - Hitchens to the moderator

42. Hitchens and Boteach Debate on God

Comment #125056 by Mango on February 10, 2008 at 8:51 pm

Mr. Boteach is willfully ignorant or willfully mendacious. He accepts that humans and chimpanzees share 98% of our genes but in the next breath says "so what, watermelons and jelly fish are both 98% water." Of course that is not a valid analogy -- we are discussing DNA, not water content of inter-cellular tissues.

43. Battle of the Chambersburg billboards

Comment #124775 by Mango on February 10, 2008 at 7:52 am

When asked about the question, "Why do atheists hate America?" Nedd gave a quick reply: "That's what we're trying to figure out. We don't know the answer."


What a piece of deductive reasoning! This fella just has a hunch that atheists hate America, and then he tries to find the evidence. But in the meantime, he pastes his deduction on a billboard for the world to see. This man has the cerebral yield of an average ground mole.

44. The New Atheist Movement

Comment #123437 by Mango on February 7, 2008 at 6:59 am

In my experience in American universities professors do not attack religion directly. The swipes are indirect, with references to the depth of geologic time, evolution, culture studies, anthropology, psychology, so on. In short, becoming educated is not ineluctably liberalizing, but education does make one more wary of spectacular religious claims and this then tends to place a person in the politically liberal camp, if conservatism is defined by religious adherence.

And indeed, this is why places like Liberty University exist -- to essentially block the transmission of any knowledge that could free a mind while still imparting "a university education."

45. The New Atheist Movement

Comment #123240 by Mango on February 6, 2008 at 4:58 pm

The Campus Crusade for Christ has existed for 57 years and is on over 1,000 campuses. That the Christians are STILL nervous about their children's minds should be encouraging to the forces of reason.

46. The New Atheist Movement

Comment #123180 by Mango on February 6, 2008 at 2:48 pm

The guy towards the end is right -- there ARE very good reasons why American Christians believe what they believe. It has to do with memes, cultural diffusion, inculcation, and so on. Black Americans who are Christians also have a very good reason -- they adopted the religion of their oppressors. Should they then teach their children that to steel their minds against atheism?

47. An Altar Beyond Olympus for a Deity Predating Zeus

Comment #122486 by Mango on February 5, 2008 at 10:40 am

Why is there a seemingly universal human (particularly male) need to be right? That is, why can't a person have his own God(s) while accepting that the god(s) of others exist as well -- what is called henotheism. In that way these interesting "pre Zeus" religions might still be around.

48. Atheists to celebrate at Darwin Day in Coconut Creek

Comment #121833 by Mango on February 4, 2008 at 8:08 am

Evolution and atheism -- the more tenaciously the public associates one with the other, the more difficult it will be to get evolution taught in public schools in America.

That being said, it is not only science (e.g. evolution) that can naturally lead to atheism. A general knowledge of cultural anthropology or history can inform one adequately enough that he/she recognizes the spatio-temporal cultural consequences of his/her birth.

Reason, not science in general nor evolution in particular, ought to be what one associates with a lack of unsupported beliefs.

49. Are Darwin's Theories Fact or Faith Issues?

Comment #120183 by Mango on February 1, 2008 at 10:15 am

Dr. Simmons read an article in Scientific American about the evolution of whales -- he devoted literally minutes and minutes to researching this subject. And he seems so confident in his depth of knowledge. Pathetic.

50. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #117420 by Mango on January 28, 2008 at 6:59 pm

The interviewer's leading questions clearly outline his biases. Pathetic journalism.

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