Green Oasis Comments

Comment by: FireTag

2009-10-24T18:14:17Z

Jonathon:

Maybe you DON’t live in a morecivilized community than I do, after all.

Interesting blog; I’ll be looking it over thoroughly to find more gems like the Big Bang page.

Comment by: Chris

2009-10-14T17:03:56Z

The Anointed One is a complete bogus. You don’t drop something like that on a blog. You actually come forward and take ownership for what you say happened and why you disagree.

He didn’t even bother telling us what great piece of scientific evidence “shook” his testimony. What was so new that you hadn’t heard before. Please share.

I suspect it is a lie. Congrats, you made a bunch of people feel justified.

Comment by: Jonathan

2009-09-20T09:22:35Z

I’ll be waiting for your call.

Comment by: Lincoln Cannon

2009-09-20T09:04:01Z

That’s fine, as long as groups on the other end of the spectrum (like the MTA) get equal access.

Comment by: Jonathan

2009-09-13T05:38:30Z

I had never heard that the phrase was used by Stalin, so I tried to track down the context. I found various authoritative-sounding attributions: to Stalin, Lenin, Robespierre, and Napoleon.

Apparently, the phrase predates all of the above and is a centuries old proverb in many European languages.

Regarding the larger issue of the end justifies the means, I must buck the trend to say that sometimes the ends do justify the means. And sometimes they don’t. It’s a slippery slope, but one that we have to tread every day if we want to accomplish something.

Comment by: chanson

2009-09-13T04:12:03Z

That’s an amazing speech! I agree with your point that this type of confrontational display wouldn’t be necessary if the LDS church allowed and encouraged open discussion instead of correlation.

I just have one issue with your use of the “broken eggs” quote: I’m not a history expert, but I thought that was a quote from Stalin, and that he was actually talking about killing people in order to achieve his ends, not about breaking decorum and ruffling a few feathers. So I wouldn’t use that quote as something we say or agree with…

Comment by: Jonathan

2009-08-24T08:02:47Z

Delysid, thank you for the unusually informative comment. You don’t see that everyday on a blog.

I’ve heard that synthesizing LSD is not a simple process and can be easily botched. Personally, if I ever took LSD, it would probably be part of controlled experiment.

Comment by: Delysid

2009-08-23T19:25:27Z

Most of what is represented these days as LSD is not the sublime, ethereal cosmic elixir that was used in the 1960s. The product may be LSD (d-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide), but the purity of the substance is quite bad compared to the LSD of the sixties, which was around 96%-98% pure w/ almost no active ergolines (LSD-like chemicals) in the mixture. You see when LSD is produced in a lab the final product is a crystalline mass that contains (hopefully) LSD, iso-LSD, and other byproducts from the synthesis. You can not get 100% LSD, the molecule is simply not stable enough even under ideal conditions so you are left w/ LSD and other isomers and similar chemicals, and if the chemist was poorly trained or made a mistake in the synthesis, you may also be consuming leftover precursors and reagents from the synthesis. I would know, since I’ve met some of the cooks (chemists) who used to produce the stuff. Today’s LSD, in the USA at least, is being produced by a group of second rate cooks and associates scattered throughout the Pacific Northwest, and these people are far from professionals. They have good intentions, but they are not trained chemists and are simply replicating a recipe they were taught…as such their product is not up to par and varies in purity from 60%-90%, with many active and detrimental chemicals being left over in the final batch that eventually hits the tours (music festivals where most distribution of LSD takes place today). This second rate LSD does not produce the same type of experience that the LSD in the 60s and 70s produced, so to say people should go out and take LSD is somewhat disingenuous. I might add that there are also lone wolf chemists who are producing LSD-like compounds and passing them off as LSD…one that has shown up recently is ETH-LAD, which is another ergoline. DOB, DOI, and DOC (potent psychedelics unrelated to LSD) are also being represented in some areas as LSD. You really don’t know anymore what you’re getting unless you’re at the very top, so be careful with experimentation.

Comment by: Jonathan

2009-08-14T08:18:33Z

Yeah, I’ll confess to pinning a bit of my self-worth to my position in the church. For example, when I never made District Leader as a missionary (I barely made senior companion and for only a few months) I was disappointed. I rationalized and deflected. I may never know why, but it stung a little. It was very difficult for me to resist getting sucked into the culture where rituals and leadership positions were status symbols.

It’s still hard to avoid that mindset at work, for another example, but I’m glad that I don’t have the church to make things worse. Now if only I could stop feeling superior for having escaped.

Comment by: outclassed

2009-08-14T08:08:48Z

This whole “members-only” for certain members and these ordinances is really starting to bug me. The comment regarding being taught that we were more valiant spirits before this life – this type of teaching drives me up a wall.
I recall having thoughts on my mission that perhaps I was not as valiant in the pre-mortal existence and thus the reason for struggling so much as a missionary. What a ridiculous notion and blatant abuse of LDS Church teachings manipulating a young man’s image of self-worth. It is no wonder that missionaries are sometimes referred to as robots or mindless sheep.
Breaking you down to build you up, I guess that is Christlike?

How about ‘members-only’ for certain higher callings within the Church…