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Comments by Peacebeuponme


501. Fleabytes

Comment #154426 by Peacebeuponme on April 3, 2008 at 8:06 am

Anna

GILF...girl I'd like to...goggie I'd like to...
Genuflection I'd Rather Forego

(Sorry, that was rubbish)

502. Fleabytes

Comment #154413 by Peacebeuponme on April 3, 2008 at 7:38 am

And as for soccer (football), ever since Nottingham Forest left the Premier League, I haven't been the same.
Brian Clough's achievments will never be repeated.

503. Fleabytes

Comment #154411 by Peacebeuponme on April 3, 2008 at 7:36 am

Sorry to be OT, but does anyone else find it funny that when mlearnedfriend's name is abbreviated as MLF it's really close to MILF?
Lets call gimlibengloin GILF then.

504. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #154087 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 2:48 pm

al-rawandi

This very same Imam later went on to rape a woman living near the mosque.
What is interesting as well is that I just googled that. The results seem to all be right wing sites such a BNP and Islam Watch. Disappointing that it doesn't seem to have been picked up by the BBC.

505. Fleabytes

Comment #154081 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 2:31 pm

Quine

Not a very nice thing to say about whores.
That's Motorhead for you.

506. Fleabytes

Comment #154015 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 11:44 am

markg - Deicide? I thought they were Satanists?

507. Fleabytes

Comment #154009 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 11:37 am

Currently listening to H.A.A.R.P by Muse but now wanting to blast Master of Puppets out of the speakers.

508. Fleabytes

Comment #153979 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 10:11 am

HeathenPhysicist

How about

I am the one, orgasmatron, the outstretched grasping hand
My image is of agony, my servants rape the land
Obsequious and arrogant, clandestine and vain
Two thousand years of misery, of torture in my name
Hypocrisy made paramount, paranoia the law
My name is called religion, sadistic, sacred whore.

509. Are the 'New Atheists' avoiding the 'real arguments'?

Comment #153957 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 9:11 am

Steve - Meta-discussion alert.

510. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #153921 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 8:01 am

al - ok. I thought you were suggesting it might be a good thing if such action were taken. Thanks for clarifying.

511. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #153895 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 7:33 am

al

I don't know, is citizenship based on your contribution to society? If so I know a few hippies sitting in a tree in Berkeley that could have their's revoked.
A person has no choice in where they are born. They are then forced to live according to rules that are not of their choosing. There are understandable reasons for this set up, and of course they will ultimately get a vote, but I don't see why they should have to contribute to society in any other way than how they want to.

512. Fleabytes

Comment #153880 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 7:10 am

MPhil - Atheism does not have a basis for condemning Stalin. Atheists do. I don't know why this is a problem for the thicker theist.

513. Fleabytes

Comment #153810 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 5:44 am

Agree with Steve here - that was some post - went over my head quite a bit as well.
#153793 was the killer - I think that's the one Steve meant. Wonderful stuff. I feel obligated to repeat that some it it goes over my head as well. However, MPHil does pretty well to make things clear for the untrained.

514. Fleabytes

Comment #153799 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 5:28 am

Steve, MPhil - exactly. Its just a collection of words in grammatical order. I don't know how such talk can satisfy anyone.

515. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153797 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 5:25 am

FightingFalcon

Because every American, regardless of the crimes committed (unless committed in a foreign nation), have the right to be tried by a US judge and US jury. That's the Constitution that we've fought so long and hard for. You will never have the right to take an American and try him without those rights. I'm sorry, but never in a million years will I agree to that.
That's not an answer to the question, that's just a statement about how US law currently works. By the way your comment in parenthesis also seems to completely negate the point.

516. Fleabytes

Comment #153795 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 5:21 am

MPhil

see also Euthyphro-dilemma
My favourite theist get-out of this is "Goodness is grounded in God's character."

517. Faith healing church parents charged over toddler's death

Comment #153794 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 5:17 am

FightingFalcon

I won't debate the idea of killing babies outside of the womb.
Well why are you posting about it then? I'm beginning to see why MPhil got so frustrated. People are having an interesting debate. If you can't see the difference between talking about something and doing it, then what don't you just sit quiet?

518. Fleabytes

Comment #153790 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 5:07 am

I love dipping into this thread every now and again

Dr Benway: Have you ever been robbed? Raped? Beaten? Some have. Such experiences can strip you of your capacity to tolerate certain abuses. That's just the way it is.
Clearthinker: So you equate those who believe in God with those who steal, rape and use violence? Little wonder that you use such emotive and irrational language.
This is interesting. It seems like Clearthinker is deliberately misunderstanding the point Benway was making, which was certainly not to lump theists in with rapists.

519. Fleabytes

Comment #153786 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 4:43 am

Clearthinker

In other words - can you answer the question without resorting to fairy tales?
That sentence betrays your motives here.

520. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153764 by Peacebeuponme on April 2, 2008 at 2:46 am

I still don't see how FightingFalcon's definition of independence draws a distinction between an American having to abide by International Law and a Texan having to abide by American Law.

521. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153228 by Peacebeuponme on April 1, 2008 at 8:41 am

mikejswalker

peace,
Not sure it will help you win. It can cloud the senses. Summoning a hatred that is not intrinsically felt, just surface, is not hate. If I want to beat the other person, hate just gets in the way. You want to beat the big guy, hate, most of the time, won't do it. Smart has a much better chance.
Sure smart has a better chance, but hate can give you the proper motivation and commitment in the first place. From an evolutionary perspective it must have some benefits.

522. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153218 by Peacebeuponme on April 1, 2008 at 8:15 am

mikejswalker

Also, i can fight with everything i,ve got. But where does hate come in to that?
Hate makes you want to beat the other person more, and will help you win.

523. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153215 by Peacebeuponme on April 1, 2008 at 8:13 am

Steve

The USA would say "we are democratic" and so would Russia and China. The current UN at least has the advantage that those countries are all talking there.
Its both its strength and its weakness. What if some of the most powerful and democractic countries came together and agreed to set up an organisation to drive their collective common foreign policy goals? What if these countries then set criteria for inclusion, based on level of democratic process and individual freedoms and allowed in other members that met this criteria? Would that organisation prove more effictive than the UN as it grew?

524. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153203 by Peacebeuponme on April 1, 2008 at 7:41 am

Steve

I agree with the proposal to establish an alternative body to the UN made up of grown-up and responsible democratic nations.
What an excellent idea. We need to decide who is grown-up and responsible and democratic. I vote I am!
Steve, the solution may not be democratic, or fair, but surely you can see the merits? I would think a world governing body that did not include Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, North Korea would be more effective.

You don't get in the EU for instance, unless you pass a few tests. If we just let Turkey or Serbia in it may damage its effectiveness for the other parties.

525. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153195 by Peacebeuponme on April 1, 2008 at 7:34 am

Anna - don't worry. Whether a final decision was yes or no does not alter the point I was making.

526. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153182 by Peacebeuponme on April 1, 2008 at 7:17 am

Anna - how about this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4355871.stm

527. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153173 by Peacebeuponme on April 1, 2008 at 7:02 am

Anna

We did? I didn't hear about this. I feel ill-informed.
I may be ahead of myself in my rush to type. It was certainly discussed though. My point was really that maybe such desicions need a World council rather than just an individual Nation.

528. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153168 by Peacebeuponme on April 1, 2008 at 6:54 am

MPhil

Recognizing that international regulations (such as the Genever convention, the Declaration of Human Rights etc) are binding for nations and that you cannot trust a country who violates them to persecute its own offenders - and that thus an international court needs to be established and recognized. - This is not subversion of the constitution. This is recognizing that the US can do wrong as well and should not be exempt from having perpetrators of war-crimes persecuted.
Once again, thanks for a great post.

Its not just about war crimes either. The US have decided to drill for oil in Alaska. Should they be able to do this without agreement from the rest of the world? I'm not sure they should. Similar examples are damming sections of the nile, Japanese whaling or the destruction of the Brazilian rainforests. We are all in this together, whether FightingFalcon likes it our not.

529. Vote on freedom of expression marks the end of Universal Human Rights

Comment #153151 by Peacebeuponme on April 1, 2008 at 6:00 am

When will Europeans drop this delusion about the US joining any sort of international court? Get this through your head - the United States will never participate in an international court. Our Constitution is the ultimate law of the land for our citizens and we're not going to let them be tried in a court where it doesn't apply. That would be complete madness.
Its this misrepresentative attitude that gives the US a bad reputation abroad. I'm happy to say most Americans I've met (and who post here) have made me realise that its not a general case.

530. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #152816 by Peacebeuponme on March 31, 2008 at 3:18 pm

Steve, al-rawandi, Fanusi - your discussions seems to be a little directionless, or at least I can't see where the lines are being drawn.

Steve accuses al-rawandi of grouping muslims, when this does not seem to be borne out by his posts. Al accuses Steve of not wanting to deal with the ideology harshly, when this seems to be exactly his point.

Maybe I just can't read your posts properly, but are you really so far apart?

531. Fleabytes

Comment #152613 by Peacebeuponme on March 31, 2008 at 9:00 am

Jesus Christ Richard. You've passed up a couple of opportunities for some innuendo I think. Are you losing your touch?

532. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #152599 by Peacebeuponme on March 31, 2008 at 8:46 am

al-rawandi - maybe I was not clear. The man is clearly dangerous and has some strange views. However, he is not stupid. I get the feeling here sometimes that people think he is.

533. My quest to get de-baptised

Comment #152588 by Peacebeuponme on March 31, 2008 at 8:36 am

shemp333

That year was when I refused to ever be taken to church again. My mother said, "Get up! Time to go to Sunday School!" I told her, "I refuse to get up, I refuse to get dressed, and I'm not going to church ever again!"....
I feel a little gutted that, since my parents never indoctrinated me, I never had the opportunity for such a liberating move.

534. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #152572 by Peacebeuponme on March 31, 2008 at 8:18 am

al-rawandi

Ahmedinejad, Chemisty PhD, for instance. Highly intellectual, highly committed to spreading the Islamic revolution worldwide, as was Khomeini's eventual goal. The fact that Iran is currently practicing Taqiyya should not be overlooked.
I find it shocking that this guy is portrayed as something of a loonytune by western media. He is a smart guy.

Course, statements like "there are no homosexuals in Iran" does not help him very much.

535. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #152551 by Peacebeuponme on March 31, 2008 at 8:03 am

al-rawandi

I would consider myself a liberal. To me that doesn't mean though that you can't fight back against those who want to harm you.

536. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #152541 by Peacebeuponme on March 31, 2008 at 7:57 am

Steve

but I have a real worry. It is that there is a serious racist agenda that is trying to encourage fear of darker skins. Darker skin = muslim = out to get you.
That is a genuine worry. Sadly I think a lot a white anti-muslim sentiment in the UK stems from that racist attitude.

I do think we have to listen to what al-rawandi says when it comes to the dangers of islam though.

537. Anti-Quran Film Fitna Pulled From Web Due to 'Threats'

Comment #152533 by Peacebeuponme on March 31, 2008 at 7:49 am

Steve

I was talking more generally, as in the assertion that Europe is somehow under threat from Islam.
Europe is under threat from Islam. This doesn't mean that all muslims are dangerous, or that anything other than a fanatical minority are the problem. But while Islam exists it will always carry some level of threat. If religion in general was not a threat, why are we all here posting about it?

538. My quest to get de-baptised

Comment #152484 by Peacebeuponme on March 31, 2008 at 6:19 am

mmurray

Actually the more I think about this the more I think a campaign for the right to be unbaptised would be a good thing. It would highlight the fact that baptism is being performed mostly on children who cannot give informed consent and link into the `consciousness raising' about `catholic children' etc that Richard is keen on.
I'm not sure I'd go along with that. Its just a splash of water on the head. There are many things parents do the infants cannot give informed consent to. I think we should limit state intervention to cases where harm can be done.

539. My quest to get de-baptised

Comment #152471 by Peacebeuponme on March 31, 2008 at 5:47 am

Matt7895

I was baptised as a baby into the Church of England. That's just a fact of life. I can't pretend it didn't happen by trying to remove all historical records of it. That would just be silly.
I tend to agree, except that the church would be underhand of they still counted you amongst their statistics as a believer as a result. There is also a data protection issue.

It is only a bit water being splashed on your head, so no need worry about "unbaptising" yourself.

540. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #151005 by Peacebeuponme on March 28, 2008 at 2:18 am

MPhil

The Christian God is also an interventionist metaphysical God - which would violate the conservation of energy and momentum, and in extension the 1st law of thermodynamics. For all we know these hold... therefore the Christian God does not exist.
You know that won't wash with a christian. Even if you say "The God of The Bible", I think they would just claim mystery, the god is outside of physics or somesuch.

541. Expelled from Expelled: PZ story goes global

Comment #150532 by Peacebeuponme on March 27, 2008 at 4:27 am

Steve

Perhaps it is not best for me to talk about the RSS. My normal composure might soon be lost...
You had a run-in with these guys, right?

Actually I was glad to notice that the link to their site was removed from this one a long time ago. I have some issues with the way they go about things.

542. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #149993 by Peacebeuponme on March 26, 2008 at 11:38 am

Happy Birthday, mateyboy.

543. Wicked untruths from the Church

Comment #149659 by Peacebeuponme on March 26, 2008 at 4:23 am

Steve

But anyway, it is more of a definition issue. Theism as a term does not imply anything alone, so anyone who says a-theism does is simply misusing language.
I agree with that. We can say though that the problem with theism is that:

(i) it is unsupported by evidence; and
(ii) it can lead to religion/dogma.

None of these cases can be made for atheism.
Some forms of Buddhism are like that in a way.
I know you like your saffron. I'm sure you are right. I would expect though that their particular brand of god is not as punishing as the christian one. It would otherwise be illogical to believe but not obey.

544. Wicked untruths from the Church

Comment #149656 by Peacebeuponme on March 26, 2008 at 4:09 am

Steve

alone doesn't point anywhere (you could believe in the existence of even an interventionist God, but not care about it). What happens is that people hang other ideas off of theism to get specific religions.
An interesting way of putting it. You could believe in a interventionist god, hell and all that, but still think "screw it, I'll not live by his rules". Bet there aren't many who go down that route.

This is of course just one of theism's problems: that you can hang religious rules and a way of life off it in a way that you cannot do for atheism.

545. Wicked untruths from the Church

Comment #149650 by Peacebeuponme on March 26, 2008 at 3:47 am

I wouldn't like to assign anything else to atheism, even indirectly. Better arguments are made by pointing out problems with theism.

546. Wicked untruths from the Church

Comment #149644 by Peacebeuponme on March 26, 2008 at 3:33 am

Steve

Private Eye do a really good column now satirising email contributions.

547. Wicked untruths from the Church

Comment #149638 by Peacebeuponme on March 26, 2008 at 3:14 am

ThoughtsonCommonToad

Is anyone else uneasy about number 2 "Creating a child with the correct tissue match to save a sick brother or sister." or is it just me?
I'm very uneasy on that one. I'm very uneasy on IVF in a lot of cases. Children being born for a purpose, or without the chance of knowing who their biological father is is not something I am comfortable with.

We could have an interesting debate if the religious lobby did not hijack the issue.

548. Wicked untruths from the Church

Comment #149636 by Peacebeuponme on March 26, 2008 at 3:07 am

fides_et_ratio

Cardinal O Brien was calling for MPs to be given a free vote.
I would rather MPs were given free votes more often. However, I doubt we would see the Cardinal pipe up if the situation were reversed. The Church's line on this has been to lie and pressure MPs with words like "morality" and "conscience" into voting in line with an ancient fable. Its laughable that they think they are "good".

Of course, we could never accuse the catholic church of "oppresive, inolerant behaviour"...

549. Wicked untruths from the Church

Comment #149624 by Peacebeuponme on March 26, 2008 at 2:24 am

I agree with clearthinker that you cannot preclude anyone from being an MP based on religious belief. However, we can ask that they only allow in proper evidence when debating issues in the chamber; that they make decisions for the good of the people after taking the appropriate expert advice. Bishops, Cardinal and Priests are experts at nothing and should be ignored in these matters.

This issue has nicely highlighted how dangerous religious belief (even amongst "moderates") can be. We have a bill before us that will save lives, and muddled, silly superstition is trying to shoot it down.

550. The Secular Conscience

Comment #148554 by Peacebeuponme on March 23, 2008 at 9:33 am

MPhil - I've never seen PlagioClase much engage in debate here. Seems to just drop in every now and again with links and fairly ordinary religious comment.

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