201. Ayaan Hirsi Ali: abandoned to fanatics

Comment #77706 by USA_Limey on October 10, 2007 at 8:41 am

Brainsys

I don't have a problem with anything you said since it seems to be a genuine disagreement with my comments on Pilger. Ok fair enough. But the outburst, (it was, no denials there), was NOT primarily about Pilger; yet you focussed on that.

Did you actually read Pantore's post? You made no comment on it.
__________________________________________________
Carousel is a lie! THere is no renewal!

~ Logan

202. Ayaan Hirsi Ali: abandoned to fanatics

Comment #77685 by USA_Limey on October 10, 2007 at 7:00 am

Pantore, (Comment #77680), you absolute wanker.

You type a few vitriolic hate filled lines insulting a women whose boots you are not fit to lick and then post a link to a John Pilger video as if that makes you smart.

Pilger is well known anti-american leftist agitator. In the video he speaks well of Hugo Chavez doesn't he? The same Hugo Chavez who is currently shutting down opposition media in Venezuela and has decided he needs to be 'president for life'. The same Chavez who stood on the floor of the UN and said he could smell 'Sulphur' and called Bush the Devil. Some Statesman!

I don't have time for a lengthy rebuttal right now as I am at work being a productive member of society but had to at least get off something that voiced my contempt for you.

__________________________________________________

203. The Price of Freedom

Comment #77324 by USA_Limey on October 9, 2007 at 4:07 am

Unfortunately, (for her standing in America I mean), she is an outspoken atheist as well as an outspoken opponent of the oppressions of Islam.

It would have been far better for her to convert to christianity; she'd have a much easier time of it then.

204. Sam Harris seems like a nice fellow, but very confused

Comment #77323 by USA_Limey on October 9, 2007 at 4:00 am

Schism:

1. division or disunion, esp. into mutually opposed parties.
2. the parties so formed.


Start picking sides everyone!

205. Call for major science campaign

Comment #77077 by USA_Limey on October 8, 2007 at 11:47 am

I read something similar 10 years ago. Nothing changed then and nothing will change now.

Those students who have an aptitude for, and desire to pursue, math and science will do so.

Those who don't won't.

206. Searching for God in the Brain

Comment #77038 by USA_Limey on October 8, 2007 at 9:13 am

Comment #77029 by GBG:

Brain defect! I knew it!

207. Searching for God in the Brain

Comment #77000 by USA_Limey on October 8, 2007 at 5:58 am

Each of these nuns answered a call for volunteers "who have had an experience of intense union with God"

208. We Few, We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers

Comment #76886 by USA_Limey on October 7, 2007 at 3:27 pm

BCWC: nice vid.

You are correct of course that nationalism / patriotism are as bad, and possible worse than religion. Like religion though, I don't really know what we can do about it.

Alien invasion anyone?
_________________________________________________
Carousel is a lie! There is no renewal!

~ Logan

209. The Squirrel Wars

Comment #76884 by USA_Limey on October 7, 2007 at 3:10 pm

Veronique,

Yes Australia has suffered terribly from the introduction of non indigenous species.

I remember watching a documentary on the attempts to deal with the rabbit problem through infection by myxomatosis . Horrible, just horrible. I am sure you would know more about it though. I'd be interested in hearing what the current state of play on the rabbit problem is.

__________________________________________________
Carousel is a lie! There is no renewal!

~ Logan

210. A Nation of Christians Is Not a Christian Nation

Comment #76815 by USA_Limey on October 7, 2007 at 11:14 am

Thanks Zakie Chan, that Alan Dershowitz video was excellent.

211. The Squirrel Wars

Comment #76802 by USA_Limey on October 7, 2007 at 10:14 am

Comment #76799 by weavehole:

Yeah, here's another English Toff with nothing better to do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wVADKznOhY

Still, nice Trebuchet.

212. Why Christians should take Richard Dawkins seriously

Comment #76801 by USA_Limey on October 7, 2007 at 10:11 am

Wait a second! Who Let Dianelos Georgoudis out of the Dawkins / McGrath thread! Come on out with it.

Well for those who never waded through that gem and may not be aware, Dianelos Georgoudis is just your common variety christian nut who likes to do a bit of philosophizing on the side.

Evidence exibit 1 M'Lord:

http://richarddawkins.net/articleComments,1212,Richard-Dawkins-and-Alister-McGrath,Root-of-All-Evil-Uncut-Interviews,page12#comments

Or to summarize; when challenged on the sticky issue of christianity basically being a badly plagiarized mix of previous pagan cults, (with emphasis on the resurrection myth), he offered this:

"On the contrary if resurrection myths are really that remarkable then a Christian might argue that this evidences the truth of Christianity. How so? Well, God created people in such way that they intuitively knew about the truth of God's death and resurrection in Christ, but as Christ had not yet come they created myths to instantiate the truth they intuitively knew."

213. The Squirrel Wars

Comment #76783 by USA_Limey on October 7, 2007 at 8:40 am

Nice pictures Doc!

I see the wellspring of so many of your previous avatars!

I grew up in the South West of England and remember seeing a red once or twice when I was young; by the time I left to live in the States a few years ago I don't remember having seen one for a good ten years. (Anecdotal I know).

I'm pessimistic that anything realistically can be done. And really, without wanting to sound cold; should we even bother trying?

214. The Squirrel Wars

Comment #76781 by USA_Limey on October 7, 2007 at 8:35 am

Is there an example of a successful intervention to stop a non native species over running a native species once they have been introduced and Darwinian selection kicks in?

If so I am unaware of it. I feel this campaign is destined to be nothing but a failure.
__________________________________________________
Carousel is a lie. There is no renewal!

~ Logan

215. Christianity's Image Problem

Comment #76218 by USA_Limey on October 5, 2007 at 5:43 am

Comment #76155 by Veronique:

Oh dear, oh dear. 400,000 Muslims in Texas.

216. Genes Tied to Bad Reactions to Antidepressant Drug

Comment #75095 by USA_Limey on October 1, 2007 at 7:17 pm

Comment #74946 by oxytocin wrote:

Let's get on with debunking the god-botherers.

217. Why are we Muslims so self-destructive?

Comment #73617 by USA_Limey on September 25, 2007 at 2:38 pm

Ah, Richard Morgan...

Let us all remind ourselves shall we of another thread where he showed his effortless talent to create unnecessary conflict. (See comment 13 on the thread below by the great man)

My comment, (18), on the same thread now seems more accurate than ever.

http://richarddawkins.net/article,1581,The-Sacrifice-of-Reason,Sam-Harris-On-Faith

218. Critical Analysis of Case for a Creator

Comment #72346 by USA_Limey on September 20, 2007 at 7:26 pm

I found the arguments of the Discovery Institute compelling, therefore I am going to become a Muslim.

That's ok, isn't it Discovery Institute?

219. Taking exception to Jake

Comment #71777 by USA_Limey on September 19, 2007 at 4:03 pm

Usual PZazzz from PZ!

Good stuff.

220. VOTE on the 'Faith smackdown': Richard Dawkins vs Francis Collins

Comment #71772 by USA_Limey on September 19, 2007 at 3:53 pm

Comment #71732 by marshall1:

I am actually on a fact finding mission here.

221. Faith schools should not be tax-funded, and here's why

Comment #71711 by USA_Limey on September 19, 2007 at 2:13 pm

Comment #71686 by jimbob:

You have to imagine the feeling of pleasure that ran through me at the naturalization ceremony

222. Radical Christians in Iraq

Comment #71705 by USA_Limey on September 19, 2007 at 2:06 pm

Comment #71661 by pewkatchoo

Fucking wankers.

223. The Bili Apes Are in Trouble!

Comment #71702 by USA_Limey on September 19, 2007 at 1:58 pm

Comment #71434 by HappyPrimate:

An article on BBC.com tells of a metorite that hit in Peru and is causing severe illness in people and a bull has died. It appears there are gases coming from the impact site.

224. Radical Christians in Iraq

Comment #71414 by USA_Limey on September 18, 2007 at 6:03 pm

It all seemed like some harmless nut jobs until 4:20. Then I saw the POTUS inviting them to "spread the word of God and proclaim the kingdom of God."

That scared the shit out of me.

How come I have never seen that little gem before! I knew Bush was a faith head of course, but this kind of direct endorsement of a particular religious sect is beyond belief.

225. Larry King Interviews Kathy Griffin

Comment #71366 by USA_Limey on September 18, 2007 at 2:35 pm

She's an entertainer; this is how she makes her living.

Courting controversy and staying in the headlines is how these people keep their careers ticking over.

On the whole I am not bothered by this much, and in all honesty most theists probably will see it for the self promotion it is rather than anything else.

226. In Depth: Christopher Hitchens

Comment #71360 by USA_Limey on September 18, 2007 at 2:17 pm

Wasn't this already posted here?

http://www.richarddawkins.net/article,1598,Christopher-Hitchens-on-BookTV,C-SPAN-Christopher-Hitchens

227. The Bili Apes Are in Trouble!

Comment #71306 by USA_Limey on September 18, 2007 at 11:04 am

Comment #71291 by bwana ndege

This is a 'human specific' asteroid then I presume.

228. The Bili Apes Are in Trouble!

Comment #71278 by USA_Limey on September 18, 2007 at 9:24 am

Comment #71090 by BAEOZ

Damn humans!

We will never run out of humans!

Humans . . . the scourge of the planet

229. The Nonbelievers

Comment #71059 by USA_Limey on September 17, 2007 at 5:41 pm

I feel a Spinoza rant coming on.....

:-)

230. Youtube hater, I respect your right to free speech.

Comment #70728 by USA_Limey on September 16, 2007 at 7:06 pm

Spinoza...

Atheism as an elite, ivory tower intellectual pursuit only works if the smart guys are in charge. But they aren't are they? In democracies where everyone has the vote, including all the idiots and morons you so despise, there are very real public policy consequences of religiosity, and the politicians who pander to it. It is not just important to reach out to all sections of society: it is imperative.

If I have understood you correctly you seem to be opposed to any kind of grass roots campaign; anything at all that smells of 'spreading the word'. I get the feeling you are holding your nose and can't bear the idea of the plebes coming to just sit under the pedestal you have put yourself on. This just won't do.

I am with Yorker in my indignation; you don't need to be working on a Ph.D. to 'get it'.

231. Interview with Christopher Hitchens

Comment #70366 by USA_Limey on September 15, 2007 at 5:14 am

Comment #70344 by windweaver...

...When did it become ok to copy/paste large essays like this into the comments page?

By all means cite the article and provide a link if you like but please, cut that crap out. (I mean that literally as well as figuratively - I think you should remove it)

232. 'Jane Doe' Testifies as Trial of Polygamist Leader Begins

Comment #70199 by USA_Limey on September 14, 2007 at 10:06 am

Comment #70195 by Prufrock:

Hold on. I've just reread this and the girl was only 14. Unbelievable!!!

233. 'Jane Doe' Testifies as Trial of Polygamist Leader Begins

Comment #70192 by USA_Limey on September 14, 2007 at 9:45 am

Eh, hold on a sec there, what's wrong with this picture:

Mr. Jeffs is the self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a breakaway sect of the mainstream Mormon Church

234. Review of Darwin's Angel

Comment #70188 by USA_Limey on September 14, 2007 at 9:31 am

Well, I took that as an admission that religion is all about having a nice warm fuzzy feeling inside that makes you feel good but you can't find any good reason for. Or is there another way of interpreting this:

It is an intuition, a sense of something more than meets the eye, a glimpse of transcendence, of a higher purpose, but nothing more tangible.

235. The Fleas Are Multiplying!

Comment #69497 by USA_Limey on September 11, 2007 at 1:42 pm

Comment #69493 by The Wee Flea:

There is not much point pissing in a pool that is already full of filth

236. The Atheists Interviews

Comment #69490 by USA_Limey on September 11, 2007 at 1:23 pm

This interests me in a number of ways but mainly because I was never raised religiously and as far back as I can remember have never 'believed'. The question this has always made me ask myself is this: if I could re-run my life but be raised with a religion would I have walked away from it?

Of course my ego would like to have me think that yes, even if I had been indoctrinated as a child with a particular faith my intelligence would eventually have led me away from it. But then sometimes I wonder... would it have? I have listened to many interviews, (mostly on this very website), with people obviously smarter than me who profess faith. This is a paradox I still find difficult to come to terms with. It leaves me with the uneasy feeling that if I had been raised with a religious belief it would not have been as easy as I would like to think to walk away from.

Atheism to me seems so obvious, such a logical default position... and yet, and yet. Well I hope you see my difficulty. The experiment that is my life can only be run once and I can't go back and change the parameters to see if things would turn out differently or stay much the same as far as my current views on religion are concerned. Hence, I am very interested to hear from those who were raised with faith and once believed but have now given it up. In some ways it is an experience I wish I could have gone through because those people at least now know they had the strength of character and intelligence to overcome their earlier delusions.

I am left with the knowledge that I will never know for sure, not for sure, that I could have been that strong. On the other hand... I am damn glad I never had to go through any of that crap as kid!

237. The Fleas Are Multiplying!

Comment #69485 by USA_Limey on September 11, 2007 at 12:47 pm

Comment #69471 by _J_ wrote:

Put it like this: I've increased the literary value of my copy by orders of magnitude by writing the word 'Bollocks!' in the margin

238. Young Muslims begin dangerous fight for the right to abandon faith

Comment #69476 by USA_Limey on September 11, 2007 at 11:58 am

Bonzai….

Thanks for the article that one slipped by me; yes it's a good example of what I was trying to say.

… does anyone know how to get us out of these italics?

239. Young Muslims begin dangerous fight for the right to abandon faith

Comment #69421 by USA_Limey on September 11, 2007 at 7:51 am

Pewkatchoo,
Agreed on all counts. I did follow the link to the Beeb article on faith schools; it's a development I have followed since moving to the USA with sadness. That we would actually seek to create for the country as a whole the kind of division that prevails in Northern Ireland's faith based schools is beyond my ability to understand.

My only theory is that the government is so desperate to be shown making an effort to raise educational standards, (which are deplorable), that they will make whatever concessions are necessary to achieve them. Muslim schools teaching shariah law to kids? Sure, no problem as long as you get their grades in reading and math up as well.

That's the only reason I have come up with for this madness.

240. Teresa, Bright and Dark

Comment #69414 by USA_Limey on September 11, 2007 at 7:02 am

Wow... I had not looked at this thread for many a day and it's turned into an abortion debate. Yet more evidence I suppose that the only thing atheists have in common is their atheism.

Other than that we are a disparate group politically aren't we?

Well, I am off for a bit of cat herding would anyone like to join me?

241. Young Muslims begin dangerous fight for the right to abandon faith

Comment #69405 by USA_Limey on September 11, 2007 at 6:18 am

I know it's just the title of the article, but nevertheless it annoyed me a little - young Dutch muslims already have the right to abandon their faith don't they? That they might be subject to violent reprisals for publicly doing so in a democratic western country is shameful.

This is just symptomatic of a wider malaise in my view. That we even need to have campaigns like this is representative of just how much we have been asleep at the wheel whilst fundamentalist Islam chips away at our perceptions of our own democratic freedoms. If people are threatened with violence it should be a matter for criminal law. Why the need for a campaign? Do I have to campaign for my right not be murdered or burgled? Of course not.

Dark days are still ahead for Europe I feel, they have not yet reached a tipping point. When they do, I feel sorry for the Muslims. Europe on the surface may seem so much more passive and meek than, say, the United States - but I believe it has the capacity for a much greater backlash. I have often commented to American colleagues here in the USA how amazed I was at the relative restraint of the US population immediately after 9/11. Yes there were some isolated incidences of random attacks against muslims but on the whole there were NOT the rivers of muslim blood that I for one, (Shamefully), expected to see.

I am not so sure it would have been the same in Europe. If London, or Paris, or Berlin had suffered an attack of the same magnitude as New York I truly believe the backlash against those countries muslim populations would have been far worse than anything we saw in the USA.

Keep pushing Islam, one day I fear you will rue the day.

242. A Virus Among Honeybees

Comment #69399 by USA_Limey on September 11, 2007 at 5:47 am

Whilst correlation does not necessarily imply causation this does seem to be a fairly robust theory for the decline of the honeybee.

What to do about it is of course another matter. I hope something can be done.

__________________________________________________
Carousel is a lie! There is no renewal!

~ Logan

243. The Sacrifice of Reason

Comment #66554 by USA_Limey on August 30, 2007 at 11:57 am

Comment #66523 by socratzsche wrote:

Richard Morgan quibbles about how the hero worship distracts from the debate when, in fact, it is his quibbling is the actual culprit--and not a particle of criticism of Sam's essay.

EDIT: Oh, I see the criterion of truth is determined if Richard Morgan agrees with it! Charming.

244. The Sacrifice of Reason

Comment #66457 by USA_Limey on August 30, 2007 at 3:25 am

Comment #66392 by Richard Morgan:

The "Jerk" at the end, I presume, is Modern American English at its best. Is it a noun here, or the imperative form of the verb?

245. The Sacrifice of Reason

Comment #66343 by USA_Limey on August 29, 2007 at 6:08 pm

Comment #66322 by Richard Morgan:

the asinine adulation that I find expressed in these columns for our "fab four" (D,D,H & H) strikes me as equally excessive and on the way to becoming just as hysterical.
When I read stuff like that, I find it so embarrassing I hardly dare recommend this site to other acquaintances.
How undignified!

246. Anger at Malaysia 'Jesus cartoon'

Comment #65969 by USA_Limey on August 27, 2007 at 3:57 pm

Yorker...

That's too funny.

247. Anger at Malaysia 'Jesus cartoon'

Comment #65949 by USA_Limey on August 27, 2007 at 2:23 pm

Comment #65944 by Yorker:

Let's all have Muhammad avatars!

248. Fallen Pastor Seeks Aid to Pursue Studies

Comment #65948 by USA_Limey on August 27, 2007 at 2:16 pm

Its worth mentioning again that, as far as I am aware, RD has not once in print or the spoken word commented on Haggards fall from grace; despite the way he was treated by him in the "Root of All Evil" channel 4 documentaries.

A lesser man, (like me), might have given into the urge to endulge in a little schadenfreude, so kudos to Richard for being the better man!

:-)

249. Shop targets U.S. hunters with camo Bibles

Comment #65554 by USA_Limey on August 24, 2007 at 7:21 pm

Don't judge a book by its cover!



(ah.. someone had too)

250. A hole lot of nothing found by astronomers

Comment #65552 by USA_Limey on August 24, 2007 at 7:05 pm

Fascinating.

I am not going to pretend I can really conceptualize this in my head. But what it says to me is that this is yet further evidence of just how little we really know about what's out there... or, ahem... not out there as the case may be.

That's some gap though eh? 'Insert God here' anyone?

Nah, I didn't think so.

__________________________________________________
Carousel is a lie! There is no renewal!

~ Logan