America's True History of Religious Tolerance

America's True History of Religious Tolerance

"From the earliest arrival of Europeans on America’s shores, religion has often been a cudgel, used to discriminate, suppress and even kill the foreign, the “heretic” and the “unbeliever”—including the “heathen” natives already here. Moreover, while it is true that the vast majority of early-generation Americans were Christian, the pitched battles between various Protestant sects and, more explosively, between Protestants and Catholics, present an unavoidable contradiction to the widely held notion that America is a “Christian nation.”"

Yawn...

Another night on Grave shift.

The Digital Cuttlefish: Blasphemy Day Again?

The Digital Cuttlefish: Blasphemy Day Again?:
Calloo, Callay! It's blasphemy day!
When we tug on the beard of the prophet;
When we say to the pope, "you're a miserable dope;
That ex cathedra chair? Just get off it!"
We point out that god is an impotent sod--
If indeed we assume god exists--
Just a vanishing fable, forever unable
To step from mythology's mists.
Here's your chance to express what you think of this mess;
If you haven't before, you should try it!
If you try just one bite, just one blaspheme, you might
Find a welcome new dish for your diet!

I've been celebrating International Blasphemy Rights Day:

• Commenting at Holy War: Should Americans Fear Islam?    about my fear of losing my rights to free speech. "Islam seems to have a component that allows for violence more than Christianity or Judaism, but I am not afraid of that. I am very afraid of losing my ability to comment and criticize Islam or any other religion. President Obama and others have said I have to respect other people's beliefs. No, I do not. This country stands for the right to reject religious belief, that is why many of the founders came to America. That is why religion was separated from government. Fear of Islam is stifling our right to criticize all beliefs and that is unacceptable. The only way to fight religious extremism is through open dialog, debate, criticism, and education. Nobody has the right to not be offended. Do I need to fear the loss of free speech?"
• Wished all my FB friends a happy Blasphemy Rights Day and got some responses. Mostly silence. 
• Wished a few Christian friends at work a happy Blasphemy Rights Day, may have stirred a germ of thought in one of them. 
• Finally I got a cortisone shot in my wrist so I could continue to blaspheme.

Hurray for Obamacare!

On January 1st my daughter will again have health insurance through my job, thanks to Health Care Reform or "Obamacare".  There being no god to trust in helping to protect my daughter, I am grateful for the new legislation coming into effect.  Neither of us can afford to buy insurance separately until she finds a job that provides benefits.  How anyone can think this is "expansion of government" is beyond me.  Same with prohibiting the loss of insurance simply because you get sick.  Or having lifetime caps.  This society should never have allowed health insurance for profit.  There is no way that such corporations can make people come first.  I am totally against repealing "Obamacare."

Come and get me, al-Awlaki!

Zinnia Jones on the death threat against against cartoonist Molly Norris. Who is going to stand up to al-Awlaki and others with him?

I drew a picture for Lets Draw Mohammed day. It was a nice picture. But since al-Awlaki has forced the cartoonist who kicked off Draw Mohammed day into hiding, trying to silence free speech with fear, I'll have to do something to fight back.  Free speech is not negotiable, nobody has the right to not be offended.

A homosexual transvestite defending American free speech.  Lets see if FOX Noise has anything to say about this.

Faulty AEHF To Reach Orbital Slot Next Summer | AVIATION WEEK

Why I am at work 2am on a Saturday morning.

The U.S. Air Force’s newest protected satellite communications spacecraft will likely reach operational status 7-8 months later than planned, after a liquid apogee engine designed for orbit raising was deemed useless after two failed burn attempts.

What this country stands for...

Obama: The idea that we would burn the sacred texts of someone else’s religion is contrary to what this country stands for.  It’s contrary to what this country—this nation was founded on.  And my hope is, is that this individual prays on it and refrains from doing it. . .

In fact, this country stands for our right to burn the sacred texts of any religion we choose, and to criticize faith as strongly as we wish.

Apparently Obama forgot not only about freedom of speech,  but also about those non-believers.  If we’re one nation under God, I’m not part of it.

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PZ Myers:  This seems to be a difficult concept for some people to grasp. No one is saying you can't irrationally revere some religious object — we're just saying you can't tell others that they must irrationally revere your religious object, and you especially can't tell others that their cheap, mass-produced copy of your religious object must be treated in some special way.

More on the Koran burning / Ground Zero free speech thing...  PZ said elsewhere he just doesn't care about firmly held beliefs about some object.  Pullman pointed out that nobody has the right to not be offended.  That isn't encoded anywhere.  "Thou salt not offend religious believers" is not stated anywhere.  The Imam in NYC can build a Mosque right next to ground zero if he wants for all I care.  I think it is rude and provocative and asking unnecessarily for trouble but I respect his right to not care about other people's feelings of offense.  Just as I expect him to respect my right to draw Mohamed.

Back on the night shift...

I got 1.5 hours of sleep this afternoon. Not enough. Almost 1am and I am already suffering. That could be partly due to the ghost hunter talking all night so far. I am about ready to fire him. Liz and I have spent $3000 so far on fixing the front of the house. We hired two old hippies to do the work. They seem to be doing pretty good, know what they are doing and give good advice.  Hopefully soon, they will start on the front deck and steps so Liz doesn't fall and break her neck. They keep finding and having to fix termite and water damage. The stoned hippies who built the place should be real proud of themselves.

Just a pain in the butt...

I tried to fly today.  I thought I had the plane all tuned up and ready to fly Young Eagles.  But I hadn't test flown yet.  So I go run it up for a quick test flight and cylinders 4 & 6 are not firing on the left mag.   Shit.  Back to the tiedown, put it away, watch a few of the other guys flying kids.  Go home pissed.

Before I left, I talked to John Davi.  He took me aside and showed me the home he is buying in Walnut Creek.  He just had some stints put in his heart and has quit flying since his collision with a parked Porsche.  It is a nice condo and will be comfortable for him since he is over 80 and is close to his very sick, probably dying, daughter.  I told him, despite the crap his other friends are giving him for leaving, I thought he was doing the right thing.  He told me that you can be an ex-president, an ex-vice president,  or ex-husband.  You can't be an ex-father.  Nope, that is one thing you can't be.

Sunday show economic experts agree: more stimulus needed

We have to spend out of this depression. Reducing taxes for the wealthy does nothing to influence demand which is the only way out. The national debt is huge (thanks to the GOP in my opinion) but the priority has got to be to get jobs and demand up again. The 2009 stimulus was too little and most economists said that then.


And then there is Glen Beck.
"We have been setting up re-education camps. We call them universities"


Glen Beck is a Nazi and/or a moron. The Nazi Brown Shirts of the 30's said the same kind of things about intelligencia.  He is dangerous.  The fact that people actually listen to him is just like the Germans following Hitler.  I am serious.   That is what it looks like to me.  He is a mediocre radio jock who managed to hit a cord with a bunch of people.  The fact that no one is willing to call him a Nazi is beginning to bug me.  Well here it is.  Glen Beck is a Nazi.

The Ground Zero Mosque

I've finally formed an opinion on the "Ground Zero Mosque."  At first I was insulted and disgusted.  Then I thought that was hypocritical and was thinking I would have to support their right to build where they wanted, constitutionally there were no grounds to prevent it.  But then I realized it isn't the government trying to stop it, it is the Fearful Right who oppose it.  And making a bunch of noise in the process, causing a lot of division and strife.  Using it for political gain it appears.   Building the "we aren't soft on Islam" credibility for future elections.  So basically I think what I have to do is ignore it.  Ignore the Ranting Right and their "fears" about Islam.  Ignore the blithering of liberals about how the center is a place of peace or whatever.  I doubt that.  Contributing to the noise about it only contributes recruits to radical Islam, gives them ammunition for their cause.  It also gives the Fearful Right power and followers.  Ignoring both gives liberals nothing to say in return, nothing for the Ranting Right to howl about, and nothing for the radicals to recruit with.  Al-Qaeda doesn't want it built, it wants it to continue to tear at our society.  Our best response is to ignore it.  Quiet ridicule of the money wasted on it and those who go inside it is the most it deserves.

Spaceflight Now | Atlas Launch Report | Military satellite relying on backup plan to save itself

Well... it started out perfectly.

"A rescue plan is being implemented to salvage the U.S. military's pricy new communications satellite despite a serious malfunction that knocked out its main engine and stymied the craft's maneuvering ability."

 It will be next summer before it is up and ready for use.

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ

Brillant statement about freedom of speech and offense.

No one has the right to not be offended.

Would it be immoral to murder a malware author?

I submit that no, it would not be immoral to murder a malware author. If somehow convicted of the act conclusively that they did write and distribute malware, that person should be marked as fair game. Why? Because it is in our best rational self interest. It would be moral. Anyone who had spent hours or days trying to recover a computer from their product of malicious mischief would be morally in their rights to murder them. That is what I think right now after spending hours trying to (for at least the third time) recover a computer from a malware infestation.

South African reserve’s last rhino butchered for her horn - thestar.com

Fuck the impotent little pencil dick fuckers who buy into the "Traditional Chinese Medicine" that says that ground rhino horn makes you a big fucker. Fuck the motherfuckers who supply them and fuck the fucking motherfuckers who kill for them.



That felt kinda good. If I ever hear any crap about how good ancient medicines are, this will come up.