Lebanon and Israel

I wrote this on 1 August to some people I mostly don't know about the mess in Lebanon before the fighting ended.

The whole stinking mess is mind boggling to me. Being atheist, the place has no meaning to me, I just see millions of people fighting to the death over some ancient fairy tales that shouldn’t be told to kids beyond kindergarten. Of course Hezbollah hides behind civilian structures, they’d be crazy to go out into the open and get spanked by the Israeli army. Besides, they think anyone dying in the cause will go to heaven, women, children, armed men. At least that’s what their leaders say from the safety of their hideouts. The Israelis on the other hand somehow think that they can defeat them with force. They have been trying for how many years now? I bet they have created many more new Hezbollah recruits than they have killed. When will they learn they have to have some meaningful dialog? But the religious extremists on the Jewish side are as bad as the Muslim extremists, pressuring to get the most they can, compromising as little (if any) as possible.

Bush’s pathetic “sustainable cease fire” policy just drives me nuts. If I were a real cynic, I’d say here are the Christians egging on the Jews and Muslims to fight it out and solve the issue once and for all. But I am not quite ready to believe that. More likely it is just plain and simple incompetence by Bush’s inner circle. The silence from congress is pretty deafening. And the press is just orgasmic over a new war that is nice and safe to cover, unlike Iraq.

There are a lot of reasonable smart people involved in this mess. If only they could get past the past and give the people something to believe in besides religion. Israel is going to be in the same boat we are, rebuilding a country they bombed into the past century and no body thanking them for it. It is going to cost their children much of their future like our children will be paying for Iraq for decades.

Sorry to bring up the big religion taboo. It isn’t polite. It isn’t friendly. And most of you don’t even know who I am. But people are dying in the name of it. In my humble opinion needlessly, stupidly, criminally.

Tom
End faith. Get rid of the old fairy tales, embrace reason, question until you understand, demand evidence. Faith will kill us.

Airplane ride for Anna

Anna and Liz riding in the plane. Good time last Sunday. 

Bloggermann: Feeling morally, intellectually confused? - Bloggermann - MSNBC.com

Bloggermann: Feeling morally, intellectually confused? - Bloggermann - MSNBC.com: "Aug. 30, 2006 8:34 p.m. ET
Feeling morally, intellectually confused?

The man who sees absolutes, where all other men see nuances and shades of meaning, is either a prophet, or a quack.
Donald H. Rumsfeld is not a prophet.
Mr. Rumsfeld?s remarkable speech to the American Legion yesterday demands the deep analysis?and the sober contemplation?of every American."

Wankers

I had this pair of bumper stickers on my car for about an hour when some old coot in a Caddy passes me on the highway giving me the finger. I pass him a little bit further and he really gives it to me again when he re-passes me. I just laughed at him. And showed him my finger. 

LiveScience.com - U.S. Lags World in Grasp of Genetics and Acceptance of Evolution

LiveScience.com - U.S. Lags World in Grasp of Genetics and Acceptance of Evolution: "U.S. Lags World in Grasp of Genetics and Acceptance of Evolution

By Ker Than
LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 10 August 2006
02:01 pm ET



A comparison of peoples' views in 34 countries finds that the United States ranks near the bottom when it comes to public acceptance of evolution. Only Turkey ranked lower.
Among the factors contributing to America's low score are poor understanding of biology, especially genetics, the politicization of science and the literal interpretation of the Bible by a small but vocal group of American Christians, the researchers say.
?American Protestantism is more fundamentalist than anybody except perhaps the Islamic fundamentalist, which is why Turkey and we are so close,? said study co-author Jon Miller of Michigan State University."

Yep...

No End to Mid East War

 

The war won’t end until people quit believing in the fantasy that they will go to heaven when they die.  Hezzbollah hides behind women and children because they die for cause and will be rewarded in heaven.  Hezzbollah won’t accept Jews in the “holy” land.  The Jews won’t leave for similar reasons.  Until there is an end to Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faith in religious fairy tales, there is no way to end this violence.

 

Tom

 

ISS Observed Over Ben Lomond

Spotted the ISS (International Space Station) tonight. It was chasing the space shuttle Discovery (STS-131) for their docking later. I missed the shuttle... was looking in the wrong direction... :-(

Oh well... it was fun seeing it. Should have let the moon be in the picture also... I could have massaged the image some to bring out the ISS from the moon glow.

Young Eagles Over Watsonville

I flew some more Young Eagles last Saturday. EAA Chapter 119 flew around 40. Lots of fun, I enjoy giving rides to these kids. Many want to learn to fly, but others want only a fun ride... no problem, either way is good. Some want some roller coaster type turns, others want straight and level. Only have had a couple get a little queasy. I've flown about 30 kids (not including relatives) so far this year.

I turned 50 last weekend. Holy cow. Had dinner with Mom and Dad, Louise/Les/Charles/Sarah, and friends Mojan/Ali/Mark/Spud. Not least being my lover Liz. :-) Very nice cake, huh? 

Religion is the root of all evil

Religion is the root of all evil

I have begun to really hate religion. This is from my web page. The book "The End of Faith" is making me think more about this.

End Faith, Embrace Reason.

The End of Faith

“Tell a devout Christian that his wife is cheating on him, or that frozen yogurt can make a man invisible, and he is likely to require as much evidence as anyone else, and to be persuaded only to the extent that you give it. Tell him that the book he keeps by his bed was written by an invisible deity who will punish him with fire for eternity if he fails to accept its every incredible claim about the universe, and he seems to require no evidence whatsoever.” (page 19)

blog.myspace.com/many87

blog.myspace.com/many87

I am very happy.

NPR : The Rule of Law

NPR : The Rule of Law

"our beliefs about some things are very important. These are things subject to the Tinkerbell effect -- that is, they exist only so long as we believe in them. One of these is the rule of law."

"When you get right down to it, the rule of law only exists because enough of us believe in it and insist that everyone, even the non-believers, behave as if it exists. The minute enough of us stop believing, stop insisting that the law protect us all, and that every single one of us is accountable to the law -- in that moment, the rule of law will be gone."

"It is our bulwark against both mob rule and the overweening power of the modern state."

CNN.com - 'Da Vinci' provokes widespread protests - May 16, 2006

CNN.com - 'Da Vinci' provokes widespread protests - May 16, 2006

The day we can't see a movie because of religious objections in this country, for any reason, is the day we become no better than Iran's religion controlled dictatorship.

Leaks

Bush had to leak information to contradict what others are saying about WMD and going to war? He couldn't just release the information formally? "The White House provided the this declassified document explaining... " would have been a lot better than a bunch of "leaks". To everyone, supporters and detractors. That would be the democratic way. Not like a bunch of kids playing spy and war. Does Bush think this is a game? Obviously since he let the special prosecutor spend millions of dollars on an investigation when he knew all along he prompted it. But that is nothing in the big Iraq war game he is playing.

As much as this sounds like it, it doesn't seem we can impeach him on this. What a moron. The worst President in American history and we can't get rid of him.