101. Richard Dawkins Interview on TVOntario

Comment #185085 by huzonfurst on May 26, 2008 at 10:10 pm

Oh God, I beseech thee, pray let us have a panel of Pythons and Dawkins satirizing the shit out of every religious belief coming their way! I swear I've seen The Life of Brian at least ten times and it still send me into hysterics; a Pythons/Dawkins panel discussion would no doubt give me the world's happiest coronary.

102. Ben Stein Vs. Sputtering Atheists

Comment #185082 by huzonfurst on May 26, 2008 at 9:55 pm

Let's see, secret negotiations with the Chinese Army perhaps? A long-term stealth campaign to put thousands of troops under deep cover, ready to strike at every fundamentalist church, temple and mosque all at once when the order comes?

103. Town moves against Islamic school

Comment #185077 by huzonfurst on May 26, 2008 at 9:43 pm

I repeat, there must be standards of assimilation in place which if not met according to a reasonable timetable will result in deportation. Or a country could simply place more restrictions on immigration - or would that be "racism" too?

I don't like any faith-based schools, however in the US there is a lot of social inertia which allows the xtian and jewish ones to continue. It seems to me we should start applying the brakes beginning with islamic schools, both because it would be easier and because they most definitely are more of a threat.

If this seems like picking on the poor little "peaceful" muslims, too goddamn bad! They've shown their hand and we'd be idiots to ignore reality for the sake of "tolerance."

Another way to discourage faith-based schools is to turn the tax tables on them: impose a "stupidity tax" for every student who will need remedial classes once s/he gets out and has to deal with the greater society.

104. Town moves against Islamic school

Comment #184953 by huzonfurst on May 26, 2008 at 2:16 pm

Indeed. If the US truly had state/church separation there would be *no* tax breaks at all. Every time some dingy old fool wills a house to a church it comes off the property tax rolls and forces the rest of us to make up the difference. This is a huge problem, worse in the East only because it's been occupied longer. It's time to take all this property back, by persuasion if possible but if not by force as in Mexico in the 19th century. It was acquired under false pretenses, after all.

105. Town moves against Islamic school

Comment #184931 by huzonfurst on May 26, 2008 at 1:02 pm

Once again this website won't let me edit a previous comment: the last line in my previous message was supposed to be "what are you, some kind of elitist (another word that is badly abused by the PC crowd these days)?"

106. Town moves against Islamic school

Comment #184925 by huzonfurst on May 26, 2008 at 12:46 pm

Guess what - I *do* care what these nutters believe, because some of what they believe entails monstrous violations of basic human rights! Why must "freedom of religion" allow the continued indoctrination into such vicious ideas?

The answer is it doesn't: "freedom of religion" has become a sacred cow in too many countries. It sounds good on the surface (or used to, now I'm not so sure) but here we are facing some serious unintended consequences. We have the same kid-glove approach to faith-killers in the US, people who call themselves christian "scientists" for one example, who refuse to provide medical attention for their own children and get away with it because "it's their religion!" Anyone else would be justly prosecuted for the same level of neglect. It is simply wrong to allow things like this to happen, and enforcing universal laws does not pick out one religion over another.

You can't tell people what to believe, but we sure as hell have a right to be concerned with what they do, and also what they say if it incites true racism or violence.

The longer you avoid getting involved in doing something about this, mordacious, the harder the fight will be when the battle is joined. "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in time of crisis, refuse to take sides." And stop calling these people "hicks," because I'm quite certain you don't know a single one of them; are you a closet racist yourself?

107. Town moves against Islamic school

Comment #184914 by huzonfurst on May 26, 2008 at 12:11 pm

Since when is opposition to Islam a "racist" attitude? Racism is a fighting word brought up whenever any group being opposed for whatever reason has run out of excuses for its bad behavior: illegal immigrants in the US call controls on immigration racist; thin-skinned Jews call anything remotely critical of Israel anti-semitic (which doesn't distinguish jews from arabs, strictly speaking); and politically-correct idiots call damn near everything racist at one time or another!

If I ever move to another country I expect to assimilate as much as possible. What's with immigrants who want to escape an oppressive culture by coming to a Western country, yet bring their oppressive culture with them and insist that we "respect" that? That could be construed as racism on their part!

Any country has the right to preserve its own culture. Immigration should be conditional on assimilation - not a complete abandonment of their culture but a recognition by words and deeds that they now belong to a new country - and those who refuse to assimilate should be summarily deported.

This is exactly what happened in Holland, which allowed its Muslim immigrants to form enclaves isolated from the majority culture. Most of them arrived as refugees, then proceeded to continue the same atrocious behaviors that led to them becoming refugees in the first place, and many of these behaviors were illegal under Dutch law.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was one of these refugees who assimilated to the point of abandoning Islam entirely and becoming a member of Parliament besides. Her self-appointed task was to warn Holland and the West in general to be very concerned about so many Muslim immigrants flooding in and setting up Islamic societies, with all their lovely honor killings, wife-beatings and genital mutilations intact (no pun intended). Since 2002 Ayaan has needed 24-hour security for speaking truth to religious fascism, even in the US where she now lives. Read her book "Infidel" and your hand-wringing about "racism" will slink away with its PC tail between its dickless legs!

108. Kenya mob reportedly burns 11 'witches'

Comment #184557 by huzonfurst on May 25, 2008 at 5:32 pm

The old "god of the gaps" argument: if we can't figure out how something happened, "goddidit" is supposed to ba an acceptable answer. Except that it is *not* an acceptable answer, and never will be! And when science closes one of these gaps, the believers conveniently forget about it and start ranting about a different one.

I just found out you were 14, which explains a lot. You are raising questions which have already been answered though, and perhaps you are indeed learning a few things. Congratulations for daring to face the lions of atheism; that takes some nerve for believers of any age.

109. Kenya mob reportedly burns 11 'witches'

Comment #184474 by huzonfurst on May 25, 2008 at 12:58 pm

Bullet, despite what I'm sure you will insist upon, it is not necessary to be an expert in every damn religion's "holy" scriptures in order to figure out that religion is crap! The basic premises of religious belief - any religious belief - have been debunked ad nauseam, and that should be enough. It is enough for anyone who is sincerely interested in finding out the facts of the matter, but it will never be enough for the true believer who takes pride in resisting logical challenges to his or her cherished delusions. If you think you will be able to talk anyone on this site out of their rationally-derived convictions, you are sadly mistaken. What may happen is that *you* will learn something in spite of yourself!

110. How Are Humans Unique?

Comment #184473 by huzonfurst on May 25, 2008 at 12:49 pm

For Bullet, Evolution 101, first introductory lecture: Evolution is a *fact*; evolutionary theory is an *explanation* of this fact. The word does not mean "educated guess" as it does in the vernacular. Now sit quietly and learn.

111. Kenya mob reportedly burns 11 'witches'

Comment #184471 by huzonfurst on May 25, 2008 at 12:43 pm

Lucas is right about treading lightly when you live in a country like that. I spent a year in Ghana, which is awash with traditional beliefs. I never heard of any serious violence committed because of them (not that it couldn't have happened) but it never occured to me to try to argue them out of it. It was an unquestioned part of everyday life, even after a century of British influence - or perhaps because of, as a way to hold on to some of their own identity.

112. The Faith of Flanders

Comment #184468 by huzonfurst on May 25, 2008 at 12:22 pm

I can't wait for the first Towel Day parade, with all those hot Towelettes marching along in their mini-towels. Wet towel contests, anyone?

113. How Are Humans Unique?

Comment #184467 by huzonfurst on May 25, 2008 at 12:10 pm

BJohn's article about the "other atheists" points out a real problem about how so many people are still terrified of being found out as unbelievers. Every one of those "other atheists" bases his entire argument on the discomfort he feels when Dawkins and Harris tell it like it is for once, without pulling any punches.

Their objections are universally straw men which desperately try to equate honest atheism with fundamentalist religion. It's *tiresome* - religion is *bullshit* and we all know it!

114. Free Speech

Comment #182519 by huzonfurst on May 20, 2008 at 10:19 am

It would help if the size and length of these videos were posted here too.

115. What is science for?

Comment #182515 by huzonfurst on May 20, 2008 at 10:04 am

I don't get people who would pass up potential immortality (in a fulfilling environment) because they would "lose an essential part of humanity!"

What you lose is DEATH - sheesh!

116. God and Science Collide in Nation's Capital

Comment #182357 by huzonfurst on May 19, 2008 at 8:42 pm

Who was it that said:

"Civilization will not attain to its perfection until the last stone from the last church falls on the last priest?"

No compromise with fools and liars!

117. God and Science Collide in Nation's Capital

Comment #182326 by huzonfurst on May 19, 2008 at 5:36 pm

Shermer has always been weak on atheism, somehow swallowing the definition of an atheist as someone who "believes" there is no god.

It's someone who has no supernatural beliefs, Michael - period! I consider myself by your definition as being a "hard atheist" because *I have no supernatural beliefs* - get it? Like Dawkins, I rate myself a 6.9 on the scale where 7.0 is absolute certainty there is no supernatural. That can never be proven of course, on the other hand there has never been any evidence of it whatsoever, so a reasonable person has to leave the tiniest hair of doubt on principal.

I simply don't believe those poll numbers, either. 40% of scientists believing in god is ridiculous. It's the kind of figure a soft-on-religion group would come up with, one which probably counts creationists and philosophers as scientists (no offense to Dan Dennett).

118. Surviving an unholy school war

Comment #182321 by huzonfurst on May 19, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Whoa, Magrat, you're being rather judgmental in assuming that doing this would give me any kind of pleasure at all; as I said, I would be compelled to do it. You also said "by someone who was no longer a threat," and I wonder how you came to that conclusion?

And until you walk in those shoes, I suggest that you lay off the finger-wagging.

Mmurray, I also said I would take the consequences. The fact that a person can actually be prosecuted for protecting his own children is one of the many reasons I have sheer contempt for the broken legal system in the USA. If you ask me, it's perfectly reasonable if someone breaks into your house while you are there to shoot first and ask questions later, because how would you know what their intentions are? I've also known people who have been harassed by frivolous and malicious lawsuits, which since we don't have "loser pays" here end up costing the victims thousands of dollars to "win." Yet the laughingly-named legal "profession" allows this to continue in the name of profits for the attorneys on both sides.

By the way, if I ever did have to take aim at someone it would be with a rifle because I've always been in favor of banning handguns outright.

119. Mayor challenges pope during Genoa visit

Comment #182275 by huzonfurst on May 19, 2008 at 2:58 pm

Instead of Iraq, perhaps we should have invaded the Vatican and got rid of this cancerous boil once and for all!

120. God's honest truth?

Comment #182270 by huzonfurst on May 19, 2008 at 2:52 pm

Fantastic! A step in the right direction and an experiment well worth trying.

121. Surviving an unholy school war

Comment #181887 by huzonfurst on May 18, 2008 at 3:27 pm

Dansam, there is no shame in protecting one's family by whatever means necessary. Violence is a last resort but sometimes that's all that's left. In a case such as this, also, violence is almost demanded by our genes; having a child purposely injured is so beyond the pale that "getting medieval" on the perpetrator is an instinctive response, and I can't imagine a jury would convict the parent with more than a symbolic slap on the wrist.

122. Surviving an unholy school war

Comment #181857 by huzonfurst on May 18, 2008 at 1:11 pm

Agree, dansam. Nothing could stop me from marching into that "school," throwing that evil psychopath to the floor and stomping him to within an inch of his life - then happily taking the consequences with no remorse whatsoever.

123. Face to faith

Comment #181673 by huzonfurst on May 17, 2008 at 10:22 pm

Common Toad, what is "patronizing" about expressing an opinion which my experience tells me is accurate?

And I'm not the same person as moderndaythomas, although after reading some of his posts I find him to be pretty thoughtful and congenial guy who doesn't have his nose stuck up in the air like you and Henri.

124. Face to faith

Comment #181668 by huzonfurst on May 17, 2008 at 10:03 pm

Still waiting to hear how humanism derives from xtianity, Henri (but not holding my breath for it).

125. Face to faith

Comment #181667 by huzonfurst on May 17, 2008 at 9:59 pm

Excuse me, Common Toad, but the majority of people do *not* know the difference between amoral and immoral - what ivory tower have you been living in?

And it's "you're", dummy.

126. The Stupidity of Dignity

Comment #181658 by huzonfurst on May 17, 2008 at 8:31 pm

Yes, let's have Eat-Ins at Kass' everywhere he goes! Ice cream, corn dogs, sloppy pizzas, greasy, slimy chicken, those oversize burgers being devoured by yuppie lunkheads in those grotesque commercials, and Big Gulps leading to Olympic-class belching!

In your prissy face, Kass!

127. Texas Megachurch Minister Busted in Internet Sex Sting

Comment #181641 by huzonfurst on May 17, 2008 at 6:49 pm

Interesting how the church is praying for this creep's family instead of for his victims.

128. Face to faith

Comment #181471 by huzonfurst on May 17, 2008 at 9:14 am

I know what 'amoral' means, but I also know that probably a majority of people, especially religious people, equate it with 'immoral' - and I suspect that Henri is (consciously or not) exploiting this confusion.

129. Richard Dawkins Responds to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Comment #181450 by huzonfurst on May 17, 2008 at 8:43 am

I attended a forum some years ago in San Diego which included Sam Harris plus a number of local "defenders of their faiths" - Sam being outnumbered by about six to one in what typically passes for "balance" in these things.

The most obnoxious person by far was a toady/columnist for our local excuse for a newspaper, a rag which could have made Hitler blush at times. He would frequently raise his voice to a thunderous level, for example when he insisted that "in the year of our lord" proved that God was mentioned in the Constitution! When I pointed out the absurdity of this, including the fact that the word "lord" is not even the word "god" he went even more ballistic, unknowingly embarrassing himself before the mostly reasonable audience.

At the end of the presentation he stormed out screaming that "at least we all respect each others' beliefs" and disappeared before I could disagree with that final presumptive statement of his - which he obviously disagreed with himself!

130. Face to faith

Comment #181427 by huzonfurst on May 17, 2008 at 8:17 am

"Humanism derives from Christianity" and "atheism is amoral" are two of the most asinine statements I've ever seen here!

131. Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens

Comment #179889 by huzonfurst on May 14, 2008 at 12:13 am

Well, isn't that special? The Vatican gives Catholics "permission" to believe in extraterrestrial life! What century do they think they're -- oh, never mind.

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

Comment #179447 by huzonfurst on May 13, 2008 at 8:57 am

If they knew they could never get along with each other, Fanusi, why did they insist on moving into their bitter enemies' backyard in the first place?

There were other options available; and I am *sick* of supporting a near-theocracy on the other side of the world which only makes the Middle East more dangerous than it already was - for the insane reason of "fulfillment of prophecy!" (Oh wait, the proximity of vast oil resources may be a factor too.)

133. The Stupidity of Dignity

Comment #179436 by huzonfurst on May 13, 2008 at 8:44 am

What sheer, breathtaking nonsense! The Catholic Church is *still* fighting the Enlightenment!

(Yeah, I know this isn't really news, but when it's thrown in your face you can't help being stunned for a few moments.)

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

Comment #179426 by huzonfurst on May 13, 2008 at 8:33 am

Apparently Michael Jackson has relatives in this part of the world.

135. Americans pray at the pump for cheaper petrol

Comment #179420 by huzonfurst on May 13, 2008 at 8:27 am

Just when you think you've heard it all...

136. God seekers go public

Comment #179417 by huzonfurst on May 13, 2008 at 8:21 am

Hi Forti, loved the "Lack of Faith" pic!

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

Comment #179237 by huzonfurst on May 13, 2008 at 12:28 am

Your answer proves my point: Israel could not exist without U.S. aid. Cutting it off and insisting they get along with their neighbors is *not* genocide. Why are you such a knee-jerk supporter of a country that can't survive on its own staying where it is and pissing off half the world in the process - Jewish or non-Jewish?

Please remove your blinders; this is a situation that can only grow worse over time [and having said that, I would be the first one to celebrate if they actually did establish lasting peace in the region].

I have nothing against Israel existing as a country but it *does not belong where it is*!!

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

Comment #179226 by huzonfurst on May 12, 2008 at 11:34 pm

Who's advocating genocide? I'm advocating that Israel stand on its own feet or go away, period. How long must it be our oil proxy in that benighted region and at what obscene cost?

And if you think the Israeli government actually wants to co-exist with Palestinians you haven't read a newspaper in 60 years! As long as we keep them as our biggest welfare case they have no incentive to change their ways. Their true stated objective is to drive out as many Palestinians as they can, because to them Israel cannot be Israel unless it is predominantly Jewish. This is Abrahamic tribalism as absolutist as any in the Arab or Muslim world. It values religious affiliation over U.S.-style pluralism, and is a recipe for perpetual conflict - something which is just fine with the religious con-men on both sides who profit from it.

Israel needs to relocate. Until then, a pox on both their houses.

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

Comment #179197 by huzonfurst on May 12, 2008 at 9:22 pm

Uh, kaiserkriss, your analysis only sounds reasonable, but does not explain the fact that so many suicide bombers come from upper-class, educated families. It is ideology, not desperation, which drives these people.

Applying reason to Islamic radicalism is like trying to reason a cockroach horde out of invading your kitchen if that is what it is determined to do. They may understand in their buggy little way that if they do they will be exterminated, but they simply can't help themselves because the Roach God demands it!

So do we sit by and hope that radical Muslims will eventually come to their senses and knock it off? Want to buy a bridge while you're waiting?

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

Comment #179193 by huzonfurst on May 12, 2008 at 9:12 pm

Well, sickofgod, lots of Jews disagree with you about Israel. It may not be the biggest problem over there but it has certainly become a rallying point for hatred of things Western. Besides, Israel was *imposed* on Palestine by Britain in order to wash their hands of the situation. Other countries had offered uncontested territory for the state of Israel, but Orthodox Zionists insisted it be plopped where it was 2,000 years ago despite intervening history - with what should have been predictable results.

There is a magazine called Tikkun ("Rebuilding")which in a recent issue carried a cover story about how the Israel Lobby was bad for both Israel and the USA. Many people here would find it interesting, to say the least.

My own solution to this artificial problem is to simply end U.S. aid to Israel so it would be forced to come to terms or rapidly cease to exist. We send a third of our entire foreign aid budget to Israel and get nothing but headaches in return - who needs it any more?

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

Comment #178683 by huzonfurst on May 11, 2008 at 11:14 pm

Got you thinking though, didn't I, Jenin?

The fact is, whether you choose to accept it or not, that the Muslim world has already declared war on the West, and they are laughing at our dithering response.

The Koran allows and encourages Muslims to lie to "infidels" at every turn, take advantage of them at every opportunity, let them live if they are useful but otherwise kill them (meaning US) with impunity - so I will think of you when an Islamic mushroom cloud blooms in my backyard.

This does not mean I agree with anything George Bush does, says, or thinks (being generous with that word), or have the least amount of regard for neocon "philosophy." The invasion of Iraq was the dumbest thing this country has ever done and we will be paying for it for a long time both diplomatically and financially.

However, I was describing a scenario that is one possible outcome of the current conflicts. Obviously it is an extreme example of a last resort, but do you think it's "immoral" to even discuss it? I certainly don't!

A little background: I grew up in a fairly liberal Lutheran community in Minnesota (Prairie Home Companion country, literally); my political eyes were opened in college in California and I have been very liberal ever since, to the point of becoming a godless socialist; I was in the Peace Corps in West Africa in the 1970s; I've had Jewish girlfriends but despise the state of Israel for what it's done to its neighbors, not to mention its shameless con job for U.S. support ever since day one; and I *hate* political correctness and especially multi-culturalism, which refuses or is afraid to recognize that some cultures are indeed vastly superior to others.

Appeasement is not in my vocabulary!

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

Comment #178515 by huzonfurst on May 11, 2008 at 2:19 pm

It seems like the misnamed "clash of civilizations" (misnamed because only one side is at least partially civilized) will soon be upon us in spades. Consequently, as horrible as it sounds, we may find ourselves in the position of having to apply the Final Solution to the problem of Islam for our own survival.

I hope nobody thinks for one moment that if the existing nuclear arsenal were in the hands of these howling barbarians instead of us that they wouldn't have used it already. And does anyone think they *won't* eventually acquire a significant quantity of these weapons?

For the same same reason that the Manhattan Project was undertaken and the bombs actually dropped on Japan (people conveniently forget that Japanese fanaticism was as lethal as the Islamic kind is today, and the military was prepared to order the entire population to fight an invading army to the last man, woman and child), we just may have to bomb first and ask questions later.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if some of the Western powers don't already have this scenario in their contingency plans, in fact. If we wait until they also acquire nuclear weapons they *will* use them, forcing us to use them whether we want to or not and making the resulting carnage much worse than it needs to be.

The clock is ticking.

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

Comment #178478 by huzonfurst on May 11, 2008 at 1:35 pm

One step in the right direction might be for Western countries to offer sanctuary to any Muslim woman who requests it, along with her female children. Let's see how they reproduce once all their women are gone!

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

Comment #178472 by huzonfurst on May 11, 2008 at 1:28 pm

Stories like this and FGM bring tears to my eyes and despair to my heart. These things must stop, but how, and when??

145. Atheists are nice people who will roast in hell, says Cardinal

Comment #178211 by huzonfurst on May 10, 2008 at 10:28 pm

Speaking of wanking, isn't that precisely what religion is?

146. British Airways takes beef off the menu to avoid offending Hindus

Comment #178210 by huzonfurst on May 10, 2008 at 10:24 pm

The next time I find myself on any airline sitting next to someone with religious food restrictions I will demand to be served that exact dish, and if it's a Muslim with alcohol besides!

Alaska Airlines is in the habit of providing everyone with little Bible verses during meals, btw. This is of course irritating not only to atheists but any other non-xtian or jew. I make up for it by handing it back to the steward(ess) and informing them that I most definitely did not order shit with my meal.

147. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176884 by huzonfurst on May 8, 2008 at 8:49 am

I read most of Taibbi's article on the link, and came away unimpressed with his gratuitous put-downs of the participants as being "overweight losers with no fashion sense." What does this accomplish except to show that Taibbi is not immune to indulging in unworthy ad hominems for cheap laughs?

He seems to have no sympathy for these people, who have obviously had serious trouble in their lives and are only going to have more after getting suckered into Hagee's abortion of a religion (not that any religion is worth spit).

The perpetrators of these religious encounter groups deserve all the criticism they get, but picking on the victims is sadistic and crass.

148. An Atheist Goes Undercover to Join the Flock of Mad Pastor John Hagee

Comment #176869 by huzonfurst on May 8, 2008 at 7:56 am

Here's the perfect opportunity to expose McCain for the phony political whore he has become with the help of Karl Rove: make a campaign commercial with videos of him accepting Hagee's endorsement followed by clips from Hagee's sermons.

149. What really goes on at the Large Hadron Collider

Comment #175916 by huzonfurst on May 6, 2008 at 8:37 am

I get irked by the same bad grammar as you do, but I just couldn't resist the apostrophe comment. Don't agree about the pronunciation of kilometer, though, as linguistic evolution is not in the same category as rational vs irrational world views.

I don't have a problem with different pronunciations of "processes" either but have a personal bias against pronouncing the Latin diphthong ae as "ee" instead of "eye" (spelled wrong in Latin itself, as it started out correctly as "ai"). And the next person who says "between you and I" will have his head handed to him on a platter!

150. What really goes on at the Large Hadron Collider

Comment #175858 by huzonfurst on May 6, 2008 at 6:54 am

Gawrsh, rod-the-farmer, yew shore dew git upset over the small stuff. And there ya go spelling "its" with an apostrophe!