Nanovirus

This blog is now closed

2010-05-25T17:51:00.002-04:00

I have moved on to other projects. I hope that what I have written here has entertained and challenged you. Peace!

What to say to the next fundie that accosts you

2009-02-19T10:17:00.003-05:00

What to say to the next fundie that accosts you:

Bush's final approval rating: 22 percent

2009-01-17T14:06:00.003-05:00

President Bush will leave office as one of the most unpopular departing presidents in history, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll showing Mr. Bush's final approval rating at 22 percent:

Seventy-three percent say they disapprove of the way Mr. Bush has handled his job as president over the last eight years.

Mr. Bush's final approval rating is the lowest final rating for an outgoing president since Gallup began asking about presidential approval more than 70 years ago.

The rating is far below the final ratings of recent two-term presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, who both ended their terms with a 68 percent approval rating, according to CBS News polling.

Recent one term presidents also had higher ratings than Mr. Bush. His father George H.W. Bush had an end-of-term rating of 54 percent, while Jimmy Carter's rating was 44 percent.

Harry Truman had previously had the lowest end-of-term approval at 32 percent, as measured by Gallup.

Views of Mr. Bush's popularity are highly partisan. Only 6 percent of Democrats approve of the job he has done as president, while 57 percent of Republicans approve. Eighteen percent of independents approve.

Interestingly, Mr. Bush also has the distinction of having the highest approval rating for a president, as well as the lowest.

In November 2008, just before the presidential election, only 20 percent approved of the job he was doing as president - the lowest of any president since Gallup began asking the question in 1938.

Cheney's approval rating is even lower: 13 percent.

Farewell, you disastrous unamerican fuckup.

Merry Mithras!

2008-12-24T12:12:00.002-05:00

Don't forget to head down to your local arms dealer and take advantage of today's holiday two-for-one special on holy hand grenades for the ongoing War On Christmas!

Enjoy the festivities! Remember, Mithras is the reason for the season!

Mithraism, one of the major religions of the Roman Empire, the cult of Mithra, the ancient Persian god of light and wisdom.... It was a rival to Christianity in the Roman world.

Mithraism was similar to Christianity in many respects, for example, in the ideals of humility and brotherly love, baptism, the rite of communion, the use of holy water, the adoration of the shepherds at Mithra's birth, the adoption of Sundays and of December 25 (Mithra's birthday) as holy days, and the belief in the immortality of the soul, the last judgment, and the resurrection. Mithraism differed from Christianity in the exclusion of women from its ceremonies and in its willingness to compromise with polytheism. The similarities, however, made possible the easy conversion of its followers to Christian doctrine.

Peace.

Fundies lose in the marketplace

2008-11-18T16:45:00.002-05:00

It couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of bigots:

Because of a weak economy and cash-strapped donors, Focus on the Family said it is eliminating 202 jobs, the deepest cuts in the 32-year history of the Colorado Springs-based Christian nonprofit. The ministry laid off 149 workers, and cut another 53 vacant positions.

The best part? It is probably going to get even worse

8 years of Republican misrule comes to an end...

2008-11-05T11:24:00.002-05:00

...and there was much rejoicing...

I am considering winding down this blog. Just considering. I suspect I will have far less fodder under an Obama administration.

Al Qaeda supporters endorse McCain

2008-10-22T21:45:00.003-04:00

Terror group hopes McCain continues 'failing march' of Bush:

A Web site linked to international terror group al Qaeda has endorsed John McCain's presidential bid, believing the Republican candidate will keep US troops engaged in costly, intractable wars abroad and continue the policies of President Bush, according to news reports.

Al Qaeda also is cheering the ongoing financial crisis in the US, according to the messages taken from a password-protected site linked to the group, according to the Washington Post.
"Al-Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election," said a commentary posted Monday on the extremist Web site al-Hesbah, which is closely linked to the terrorist group. It said the Arizona Republican would continue the "failing march of his predecessor," President Bush.

The Web commentary was one of several posted by Taliban or al-Qaeda-allied groups in recent days that trumpeted the global financial crisis and predicted further decline for the United States and other Western powers. In language that was by turns mocking and ominous, the newest posting credited al-Qaeda with having lured Washington into a trap that had "exhausted its resources and bankrupted its economy." It further suggested that a terrorist strike might swing the election to McCain and guarantee an expansion of U.S. military commitments in the Islamic world.

"It will push the Americans deliberately to vote for McCain so that he takes revenge for them against al-Qaeda," said the posting, attributed to Muhammad Haafid, a longtime contributor to the password-protected site. "Al-Qaeda then will succeed in exhausting America."
The Associated Press has more. "This requires presence of an impetuous American leader such as McCain, who pledged to continue the war till the last American soldier," the message said. "Then, al-Qaida will have to support McCain in the coming elections so that he continues the failing march of his predecessor, Bush."

SITE Intelligence Group, based in Bethesda, Md., monitors the Web site and translated the message. McCain's campaign responded to the calls during a conference call Wednesday. According to several reports [1][2], the McCain campaign didn't engage the possible reasoning behind al Qaeda's near endorsement; instead, McCain advisers rehashed old quotes from other US enemies that were vaguely supportive of Obama. Spencer Ackerman notes,
What was absent from the call, oddly enough, was any discussion about why Al Qaeda might want McCain to win. And there the case is simple enough. Al Qaeda prefers an indefinite U.S. occupation of Iraq and a bellicose U.S. all across the Muslim world to radicalize Muslims to its terrorist cause and drain the U.S. of its financial wealth — what Osama bin Laden calls his “bleed to bankruptcy” strategy. Hence, the reason why, as the CIA eventually concluded, Bin Laden tried to help George W. Bush’s reelection in 2004 by releasing a late-October tape. McCain pledges basic continuity with Bush on the Iraq war. As Scheunemann put it, “John McCain will spend what it takes to win.”
The messages could be seen as undercutting past Republican attempts to paint Democrats as the preferred party of "the terrorists."

In 2004, former Rep. Dennis Hastert, who was then Speaker of the House, predicted a pre-election terror attack from al Qaeda in an attempt to shift votes to John Kerry.

Osama bin Laden released a videotaped message before the 2004 election, but he's been silent so far this year.

The online posting says an attack would drive voters to McCain because the GOP candidate would promise to seek revenge and ramp up the global war on terror. Indeed, it seems al Qaeda couldn't be happier at its prospects after eight years of President Bush's foreign policy.

Earlier this spring, Jerome Corsi, who's gained prominence lately for his anti-Obama writings, reported on another al Qaeda-linked group that was backing McCain.

Whatever the case, it seems the latest message represents something of a consensus among Islamic extremists, an intelligence analyst told the Post.

"The idea in the jihadist forums is that McCain would be a faithful 'son of Bush' -- someone they see as a jingoist and a war hawk," Adam Raisman, a senior analyst for the Site Intelligence Group, said. "They think that, to succeed in a war of attrition, they need a leader in Washington like McCain."

If you recall, in March 2004 Al Qaeda endorsed Bush.

Steal Back Your Vote

2008-10-22T17:13:00.001-04:00

These 7 steps come from the website: Steal Back Your Vote. You can watch it too...

STEP 1: DON'T DON'T DON'T mail in your ballot!! Absentee ballots are often not counted for the weakest of reasons. Furthermore, there are new rules in many states that you must photocopy your ID and send it with the ballot. However, they often don't even tell you that. So HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of absentee votes will not be counted for this reason.

STEP 2: VOTE EARLY ...VERY EARLY! Many states are already allowing you to vote. Do it NOW. That way if you're not listed on the voter roles, you have plenty of time to get your complaint heard.

STEP 3: REGISTER AND THEN REGISTER AND THEN REGISTER! There is a TON of purging of voter rolls going on. It's not enough to think you're registered. Double check twelve times. You can check online at www.votersunite.org/info/RegInfo.asp . Once you're done with that, go register. ...Then go register.

STEP 4: DO NOT FILL OUT A PROVISIONAL BALLOT if your vote is challenged!! In 2004 the Republicans challenged a ridiculous number of voters. The voters were then told by a sweet little lady at a table that their "provisional ballot" would be counted, BUT IT WON'T. Don't listen to the little old lady!! DEMAND that poll judges make the judgement ON THE SPOT. Demand a call to the supervisor of elections. If you have to, go home and come back with a better form of ID.

If you need help, call ELECTION PROTECTION at 1-866-OUR-VOTE . And help those around you when you're at the polling place. Look for people having trouble. Call the number for them. Tell them not to fill out a provisional ballot!

STEP 5:STEP AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER! Walk out your front door and get active!! Volunteer to help with the campaign. Or ignore the campaign and do something on your own. It's as simple as printing out these ELECTION PROTECTION steps and leaving them at people's doors. Hell, you could hand then out outside the polling places. Don't sit still or this election WILL be stolen. And go to a swing state if at all possible.

STEP 6: FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS VOTE WITHOUT FRIENDS! Don't go to vote alone. Bring friends!! Lots of them or only one of them. Make it a date. Arrange to have lunch with everyone after you vote. Whatever it takes. And have your election protection phone number WITH YOU (1-866-OUR-VOTE).

STEP 7: IT AIN'T OVER 'TILL IT'S OVER! If the election is indeed stolen, don't throw in the towel! The day after is CRUCIAL! Three words need to be chanted over and over again: COUNT EVERY VOTE. For example, in 2000 Al Gore lost because of a Supreme Court decision that was 5-4 against him. Imagine if he had won that court decision. But if half of America had not chanted COUNT EVERY VOTE after election day, we would never have gotten to the Supreme Court. Half of America could've thrown in the towel on election night, but thanks to people in the streets, it was fought to the end.

Scientists Discover Fish in Act of Evolution

2008-10-08T09:14:00.002-04:00

In what could be a first in the world, a fish species known as cichlids has been observed by scientists in the act of splitting into two distinct species in Lake Victoria:

This may be remarkable because what is causing them to diverge are adaptations to their vision as animals and plants try to cope with increased pollution and the effects of climate change. The change is also happening without geographical isolation, which was thought to be a precursor for evolution....

In a report published in the journal Nature, researchers from Tokyo’s Institute of Technology and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology have observed the cichlid evolve into a new species better adapted in sighting its prey and predator.... The study says the eye adaptations have also affected mating patterns.

An alternative explanation, of course, is that Jesus is causing the fish to divide as a test of our faith ;)

Bush job approval plummeting

2008-10-07T16:04:00.005-04:00

Bush Job Approval at 25%, his lowest yet:

President Bush's job approval rating is at 25% in the latest Oct. 3-5 Gallup Poll, the lowest of the Bush administration, and only three percentage points above the lowest presidential approval rating in Gallup Poll history....

Bush's previous low point was 27%, measured about a week ago. The 25% approval rating is one point higher than Richard Nixon's lowest job approval rating of 24% measured in the summer of 1974, and it is just three points higher than Harry Truman's all-time Gallup low job approval rating of 22% measured in 1952. No other presidents have had job approval ratings of 27% or lower in Gallup Poll history.

This must be the 25% of the American population that is retarded.

Religion kills teen

2008-10-05T15:38:00.002-04:00

This is why religion is dangerous:

The parents of an Oregon City teenager who died during attempts to heal him with prayer have pleaded not guilty to charges of criminally negligent homicide.

A grand jury indictment accuses 50-year-old Jeffrey Dean and 46-year-old Marci Rae Beagley of failing to provide adequate medical care, in violation of their duties as parents.

They made no statement in court Friday and were released on bond.

The Beagleys belong to the Followers of Christ Church in Oregon City. It favors spiritual healing and prayer over medical treatment.

Their 16-year-old son, Neil, died in June from complications of a urinary-tract blockage that triggered heart failure. Doctors said a simple procedure could have saved his life.

Happy "Use Telepathy to Communicate with the Invisible Sky Daddy" Day

2008-05-01T06:00:00.006-04:00

Today, May 1st, is the National Day Of Prayer, a day designated by the United States Congress as a day when all Americans regardless of faith are asked to come together and pray in their own way. "Regardless of faith" here means "in keeping with the Judeo-Christian tradition," for if you volunteer to help out with events in your area, you're only welcome if you sign the following: A volunteer must be an evangelical Christian who has a personal relationship with Christ. I acknowledge that I am working for the Lord Jesus Christ and the furthering of His Work on earth and agree to perform my work with the highest standard of Christian faith.

In other words, you are not welcome if you are a Jew, Muslim, Catholic, Mormon, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Pagan or Wiccan.

You know what these groups should do? Donate blood. Seriously.

A few years ago the National Day of Reason was founded to counter this nonsense. It purposefully falls on the same date as the National Day of Prayer. The goal of this effort is to celebrate reason - a concept all Americans can support - and to raise public awareness about the persistent threat to religious liberty posed by government intrusion into the private sphere of worship.

Please join we nontheistic Americans (including freethinkers, humanists, atheists, agnostics, and deists), along with many traditionally religious allies who view such government-sanctioned sectarianism as unduly exclusionary, in giving blood today.

T-Rex DNA shows bird lineage

2008-04-26T09:43:00.003-04:00

It turns out that T-Rex was just a big chicken. Of course, Jesus probably planted that DNA evidence to test the faith of nonbelievers.

Even gawd hates xtian rock

2008-04-26T09:39:00.002-04:00

It's true. I hope the victims quickly heal from their injuries and see the light of rationality.

Study: Bush officials lied 935 times

2008-01-23T10:26:00.000-05:00

A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations finds that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

My initial reaction to reading the study: "Only 935?" Snarky, yes, but honestly it was my first thought.

The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both. Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

"It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."

What would MLK say if he were a nonbeliever?

2008-01-21T12:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I reread the text of Martin Luther King, Jr's Letter from a Birmingham Jail and realized that it has application toward today's public debates over religion. My edits are [like this]:

I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the [religious] moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the [Atheist's] great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the [Christian fundamentalist] or the [Islamic fanatic], but the [religious] moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of [writing and suing for enforcement of your rights]"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the [nonbeliever] to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

I had hoped that the [religious] moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fan in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the [religious] moderate would understand that the present tension [between believers and nonbelievers] is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the [nonbeliever] passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who engage in nonviolent [writing and free speech] are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with an its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured.

Richard Dawkins has made the case that religious moderates make the world safe for fundamentalists, by promoting faith as a virtue and by enforcing an overly pious respect for religion.

If you doubt the comparison, consider that:

Where once blacks were prohibited from holding public office, atheists still are.
Where once blacks were considered second class citizens, atheists still are.
Where employment discrimination against blacks once was the norm, it is still common to discriminate against nonbelievers.
Hate crimes are committed against nonbelivers, not just against ethnic minorities.

Happy Religious Freedom Day

2008-01-16T12:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Religious Freedom Day

Sensitive Guantánamo Bay manual leaked

2007-11-14T08:54:00.000-05:00

Wired reports:

A never-before-seen military manual detailing the day-to-day operations of the U.S. military's Guantánamo Bay detention facility has been leaked to the web, affording a rare inside glimpse into the institution where the United States has imprisoned hundreds of suspected terrorists since 2002....

"What strikes me is the level of detail for handling all kind of situations, from admission to barbers and burials," says Jamil Dakwar, advocacy director of the ACLU's Human Rights program. Dakwar was in Guantánamo last week for a military-commission hearing....

Dakwar sees hints of Abu Ghraib in a section instructing guards to use dogs to intimidate prisoners. He also raises concerns over a section on the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, which indicates that some prisoners were hidden from Red Cross representatives.

This manual directly confirms charges made more than three years ago by the Red Cross.

Wear a Guy Fawkes mask on Election Day

2007-11-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

Good evening, America. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine: the security, the familiar, the tranquility, repetition. I enjoy them as much as anyone. But in the spirit of mourning over the death of Habeas Corpus, I thought we could mark this occasion by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth.

And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance, crusades and torture. And where once you had the freedom to object, think, and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who’s to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you’re looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.

I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn’t be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. They promised you order, they promised you peace, and all they demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. Tonight I seek to end that silence to remind this country of what it has forgotten: that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives.

So if you’ve seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow this election day to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to vote beside me wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, and together we shall give them an Election Day next November that shall never, ever be forgot.

[This is a repost from last year, but still a good idea.]

Logical path from religious beliefs to evil deeds

2007-10-04T08:28:00.000-04:00

Richard Dawkins has a short, lucid piece in Newsweek on the link between religion and evil:

It is easy for religious faith, even if it is irrational in itself, to lead a sane and decent person, by rational, logical steps, to do terrible things. There is a logical path from religious faith to evil deeds. There is no logical path from atheism to evil deeds. Of course, many evil deeds are done by individuals who happen to be atheists. But it can never be rational to say that, because of my nonbelief in religion, it would be good to be cruel, to murder, to oppress women, or to perpetrate... evils

The new Bush stamp

2007-09-28T11:57:00.000-04:00

The United States Postal Service created a 43-cent first-class stamp with a picture of President Bush. The stamp was not sticking to envelopes, which enraged the President, who demanded a full investigation.

After a month of testing, a special presidential commission presented the following findings:

1) The stamp is in perfect order.
2) There is nothing wrong with the adhesive.
3) People are spitting on the wrong side.

[Thanks, Dad!]

Scientists induce out-of-body sensation

2007-08-23T15:46:00.000-04:00

Science deals the supernatural yet another body blow:

Using virtual reality goggles, a camera and a stick, scientists have induced out-of-body experiences — the sensation of drifting outside of one’s own body....

The research reveals that "the sense of having a body, of being in a bodily self," is actually constructed from multiple sensory streams....

The research provides a physical explanation for phenomena usually ascribed to other-worldly influences.... After severe and sudden injuries, people often report the sensation of floating over their body, looking down, hearing what is said, and then, just as suddenly, find themselves back inside their body.

The new research is a first step in figuring out exactly how the brain creates this sensation, he said.

Out-of-Body experiences are sometimes called "lucid dreaming," and there appears to be a whole cottage industry of gullible people out there (just Google "Out-of-Body"...) willing to buy into it. I am not convinced that they are the ones who read scientific journals though....

Welcome Atheist Blogroll

2007-08-13T09:57:00.001-04:00

I have added a new feature to the sidebar: the Atheist Blogroll.

There are a lot more sites on this topic than I imagined, and I won't have time to check them all out. So please leave me a comment if you find any gems.

My liberal identity

2007-08-12T17:27:00.000-04:00

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Reality-Based Intellectualist, also known as the liberal elite. You are a proud member of what’s known as the reality-based community, where science, reason, and non-Jesus-based thought reign supreme.

Take the quiz at www.FightConservatives.com

Why does faith deserve respect?

2007-08-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

This is awesome on so many levels: