DonPennington.blogspot.com

Mitt Romney hands Newt Gingrich his head over investments

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:50:00 +0000

Don't be fooled by Mitt Romney's "innocent" looks. There's some "fight" in that man, especially over his investments. During the Florida debates when Newt Gingrich tried to raise doubts about investments by Mitt Romney, as shared on CNN.com, the ex-governor gave Gingrich a verbal spanking in front of millions—and Gingrich took it.

File:Mitt Romney 2007 profile portrait.jpg
Photo credit: Steve Jurvetson

During the video, the look in Romney's eyes is unmistakable. He was offended and unwilling to take any more of Gingrich's mud-slinging. The tone in his voice demonstrated he wasn't giving memorized lines provided by a speech-writer. He spoke from his gut, and—by golly—the audience liked it. It was a joy to watch someone neuter the Newt in front of so many.

Accentuating Gingrich's faults, as demonstrated in the South Carolina debates when Newt Gingrich exposed himself as a candidate above questioning, is easy. He seems to believe himself above questions which journalists and Americans want to ask. What Mitt Romney did, though, was even better. He showed himself as willing to face off with a little man who believes himself better than the same questions every other candidate has ever endured. Mitt Romney showed the nation he's willing to fight back.

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I'm Proud to Be a Friend of Jessica Ahlquist - from Yahoo! News

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:45:00 +0000

COMMENTARY | To my better Christian friends, what would you think of living in a world filled with others threatening your life for standing by your beliefs? Do you feel those people who would do so should be proud of behaving so evilly? I'd guess not. Would you defend yourself or any other believer thusly attacked? Of course you would.

That's why I'm proud to say Jessica Ahlquist is a friend of mine. In a recent report on TheBlaze.com, she and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have filed a complaint* against a florist for refusing to deliver flowers sent to her by one of her fans. In their defense, they claimed to need police protection for delivering flowers. That police protection wouldn't be from the actions of Ahlquist but from the religious extremists who threaten her, as revealed on the blog for...Go here for the rest.

(*The original version says "lawsuit," which is inaccurate.)

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Stem cell therapies make the next step in their evolution

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:40:00 +0000

COMMENTARY | Since the discovery of progenitor cells, aka stem cells in 1978, scientists the world over have been abuzz over the possibility to treat a wide range of diseases and medical conditions. The promise of treating not only genetic diseases, but hopefully one day, the restoration of missing limbs and damaged organs is one step closer to reality.

South Korean government officials have approved the sale of a new stem cell drug named “Cartistem,” which re-grows cartilage in the knee for patients with degenerative arthritis and is injected during surgery. Oh, the joys and wonders of science. This certainly comes as good news for anyone who has ever lived with osteoarthitis – a debilitatingly painful joint disease.

Thus far, investors have committed a total of approximately 23.7 million dollars into the project and the possibilities of return for investors far out-weigh any risks. With an estimated 21 million people living with osteoarthritis in the US alone, the market certainly exists and is hopeful for any scientific advances which show promise.

South Korea's Medipost – along with other drug manufacturers - is hoping for a worldwide license to market the new drug, meanwhile, clinical trials have been ongoing in the US for the past year. Americans are expected to be able to access Cartistem by 2015.

Many of the religious and/or ethical concerns over the use of human stem cells have been addressed. With the discovery of pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells are no longer necessary to develop any of the 220 different tissue types in the human body. Pluripotent stem cells are those which have been taken from an adult human's own body and treated in such a way as to make them embronic-like in their flexibility.

But even with these latest developments in mind, there still remains a debate over the ethics of the possibility of human cloning. But so far, scientists and researchers are not so much looking to clone entire humans, but rather, individual organs and body parts. For the patient waiting for a heart transplant, to simply have a copy made of their own could make all the difference.

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President Obama Rubs America's Gullibility In Our Faces

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:16:00 +0000

After shooting down the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have created more jobs and lessened our dependence upon OPEC for our oil, Obama's first re-election campaign ad brags about the effectiveness of his energy policies. *Author scratches head.*

Yeah. That piece made me do a double-take too.

I especially loved how he bragged on – wait for it – Solyndra! For those who don't pay much attention, they're a solar energy development firm in Arizona whom after having received millions in guaranteed loans from the Obama Administration conveniently went into bankruptcy.

You'd think a re-election campaign ad would perhaps, oh I don't know, talk about something he might have done right? But no, not this president. And to think, I was beginning to like President Obama. Then he rubs it in our faces just how big of suckers we all are.

Maybe his next ad will celebrate how big of a success he was at getting Guantanamo closed or how pleasant Joe Biden is. We Americans are certainly gullible to play along.

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So, Rick Perry dropped out. Was it from the backlash over “Strong?”

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:29:00 +0000

COMMENTARY | With today's resignation of Rick Perry, America breathed a collective sigh of relief that there's now not a Republican's chance at an orgy of the man becoming the next Republican nominee for the office of the presidency. Anyone who would pander so hard for the Christian vote that he would stoop to the level of doing his “Strong” ad on YouTube must seriously be in love with the idea of power.

He just about had a chance for the nomination too, until that ad came out. In a nutshell, he told America he'd inflict his personal religious beliefs on everyone else, whether we wanted to be a Christian or not. It's not that Rick Perry (or anyone) doesn't have a right to believe as he sees fit. It's that he wasn't “Strong” for what he said. He was wrong for what he said. And his poll numbers showed it from then on out.

When he decried “gays serving openly in the military,” he was disrespecting men and women who were serving at the time he said it. He was telling some of the very people who were currently fighting overseas he had no use for them.

When he accused Obama of “waging a war on religion,” he simply wasn't acknowledging the truth of the matter, in that there isn't one. All Obama's done to be accused of “waging a war on religion,” is to recognize that Christianity isn't the only religion in America. (Heck, some of us practice no religion) What Perry was really whining about was that his team wasn't so all-powerful anymore.

When Rick Perry said he “wasn't ashamed to admit he was a Christian,” millions of minds in America thought “How brave to admit he's a Christian in America.” Try that in Saudi Arabia. Now, that would've shown some balls.

When Rick Perry did his “Strong” ad on YouTube, he actually managed to get more “dislikes” (747,612 as of this blog posting) than Rebecca Black's “Friday.” He set a record for disapproval on YouTube. History will show that his message in that particular ad was the down-turning point for his campaign. I'm just glad we got to see what sort of a bigoted turd he was before he got the job. Now, on to destroying his endorsement, Newt Gingrich.

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Ron Paul is Facing Something Less Than a Conspiracy

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:02:00 +0000

COMMENTARY | According to The Washington Post's Mention Machine, the media has only mentioned the name Ron Paul 2,821 times - but as of January 17, 2012 - his name has been invoked 266,874 times in general. Still, the headline reads as if it's Mitt Romney's big week. Right. Obviously, Romney may be the media darling, but it's Ron Paul who's the people's candidate-of-choice among the Republicans.

Anybody else also notice it was Ron Paul who received Senator Tom Davis' endorsement? In a powerfully-worded statement on SenatorTomDavis.com, he states "I'm endorsing Ron Paul because enough is enough. Despite this wave of unprecedented government spending, our unemployment rate has remained above 8 percent for the last 34 months and 146.4 million Americans - one out of every two people in this country - are now classified as poor or low-income."

Before he chose to endorse the Texas Congressman, the Senator's endorsement was "vital." Now, conveniently, it's not all that important. Is there anything the Libertarian candidate can win which doesn't immediately get downgraded to unimportant? Has there been a debate, poll or survey where Ron Paul has done well, but another candidate's horn gets tooted? No, not one. Why?

My guess is it's not a conspiracy, in any way. A "conspiracy" would imply some sort of secret plan to engage in criminal behavior. And all of this is not the criminal behavior - the criminal behavior is reserved for after a candidate wins the office. No, this is no criminal conspiracy.

From what I've surmised, the media - every website, newspaper, radio and television station in America - is no longer in the news business. They're now strictly advertising - all advertising, all the time. And while Ron Paul is popular among the voters of the U.S. because he has honesty, consistency and more than one good idea, other candidates simply bought their favor. Mitt "Waffles" Romney is in the pocket of every media outlet he can be. Nothing personal. It's just business.

It's understandable. Every business on Earth must pay their employees, bills and also earn a profit. So, saying and doing what a sponsor says is their job, like it or not. But, has Romney spent enough to guarantee he'll out-shine a candidate who makes all other politicians look bad in comparison? Or, will Ron Paul offering a good plan trump the power of the almighty dollar?

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The Bible is Anti-American-Video

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:27:00 +0000

When someone says a comment such as mine, that the Bible is anti-American, I can imagine the sounds of panties getting into bunches all over the country. But it's true, just the same. All feelings aside, that book is not a source for any guidelines of a free and just society.

Let's be clear: I'm not saying goodness ia anti-American. I'm not saying morality is anti-American. The people of America are – in fact – some of the best, most moral and even generous people who have ever lived. This commentary has nothing to do with any of that though.

Read that book. I won't accept anyone saying “but I have.” If you can try telling me that book has anything to do with liberty and freedom, then I can call bullshit, because you've obviously never read those legends about the brutal dictator of a sky god humanity once worshiped. I hope you enjoy the video.

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5 Predictions for 2012 and the USA and a challenge to psychics everywhere

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:08:00 +0000

Psychics are bullshit. I'm going to prove it too. Not only am I going to make 5 disprovable predictions, I'm also going to hit about half of them right.

As well, I challenge any and all fraud psychics everywhere to do the same thing as I've done here. They won't. And maybe then, their victims will see the truth.

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Was it tebowing which got two basketball players beat up?

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:23:00 +0000

So lately, it seems a popular fad is to go “Tebowing” during sporting events. Because, y'know, God® is such a big sports fan... First off, let me say that, personally, I don't give a rat's ass what Tim Tebow – or any other athlete – does on the sidelines. I don't care if they wanna pray, sit there quietly, sacrifice a goat or have an orgy. Believe it or not, there are bigger issues in my world and some football stars personal rituals are no more a part of that world than any of the drama of the Kardashians. I find it all silly.

So, earler today, as reported on FOX News two basketball players were allegedly beaten by players from a rival team for “tebowing.” At least that's what the mother of one of the players says. Of course, since there's a religious connection to all of this, people on the web are going right along and the ensuing commentary is taking it all as if it's a hate crime.

Of course, it had to be for tebowing. Obviously, right? Because – obviously again - HER baby boy would NEVER have talked smacked to an opposing player during the game SHE raised him better than that! OBVIOUSLY. This must be due to those evil atheists and their war on religion. Oh LORDY LORDY! These two poor persecuted souls are beaten up for expressing their faith during a game and not because of anything they might've said to students from a rival school!

I bet the assailants from that other team were baby-eating atheists. I bet, as they lie in wait for these two innocent, virtuous, saintly high-school children they were probably just cleaning the last few scraps of baby meat off of some baby bones while waiting to hurt these two innocent little kids. Right? A mother just knows these sorts of things and besides that's what he told her and would her baby lie?

Nah! Of course not. It has to be because these two were praying. It can't be due to any other sort of behavior on the parts of these two poor innocent waifs who were just going outside where there were no adults present to get a fresh breath of the Lord's air – not smoking a cigarette or pot or anything like that. It has to be due to their tebowing during the game. Sounds legit to me!

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Home Made Mayonnaise Made Easy – Yum!

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:59:00 +0000

Since we're dealing with raw eggs, it's vital to make sure all parts are as clean as possible and that everything goes into the refrigerator as quick as possible. With that being said, I may never buy store-bought mayonnaise ever again!

What you'll need to make delicious home made mayonnaise easy:

2 eggs
1 ½ cups vegetable oil (Some folks swear by olive oil, others canola and still others soybean oil. Really, any oil works and it's all a matter of taste preference)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar or honey

How to make delicious home made mayonnaise easy:

In a blender, add your eggs, salt and sugar. Blend well, until it starts to look like mayonnaise. Stop blending and add half of your oil a drop or small dribble at a time. Blend again until you see it looking whipped. Add your lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and the rest of your oil. Blend on high until you think it looks enough like mayonnaise.

Refrigerate in a sealed jar any portions not eaten right away.

Experiment with hot sauce, chili powder, mustard, dill or any other flavorings you might want to. There are no rules. You might just invent the next food trend. Leave me a comment so I hear what you've tried and how it worked out for you.

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Home-Made Delicious Pecan Butter Made Easy

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:18:00 +0000

First, to tell you where I got the idea. We just got a new blender and I love love LOVE making “All Things Blended.” Smoothies, home made mayo, you get the idea. So, I went looking for a home-made peanut butter recipe and found this one from a friend who writes for Yahoo! Voices.

Her recipe sounded really good but when I checked my cupboard (cue ominous background music) NO PEANUTS! What to do? What to do! Okay, I told myself “Self, you're just going to have to try something unique.” So I did.

While we didn't have any peanuts, I remember having had almond butter and other nut butters and that's when it hit me: We have a bag of pecans in the fridge! So, I went with that.

While Ms Morris' peanut butter recipe probably works just fine as it is (in fact, it sounds damn good and I must try it soon) I had to make a few changes for successful pecan butter. Here are my ingredients and steps to make the world's easiest and most delicious pecan butter.

What you'll need:

2 cups shelled pecans, crushed
4 Tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
4 Tablespoons honey or sugar
A blender with varying settings

What you'll do to make the world's easiest, most delicious home made pecan butter:

In the blender, chop up your pecans until they're very nearly powdery. Add your oil and mix on low until it's blended. Then add your honey and mix until it's blended.

Once the ingredients are well-mixed, blend on high (or “puree” if you speak “fancy-talk.”) until it's a consistency which looks like, well...peanut butter.

Here's what mine looked like. But, I've always been a fan of "chunky" myself. You might want to keep pureeing longer.

Spoon out into your container and whatever you don't eat right then needs to be refrigerated, since there are no preservatives. Multiplying this recipe in equal portions of four could probably make enough to justify using a mason jar. It doesn't pour like fresh home made peanut butter, so you'll need to scoop it out with a spatula.

A Tablespoon of the final product is surprisingly filling and gratifying. The next time I make it, I'm going to experiment with flavorings. Chocolate might be a bit too much (Never thought you'd see those words in the same sentence, did ya?) but I'm thinking cinnamon or vanilla might work just right. Maybe butterscotch. Anyways, you're welcome. And enjoy!

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Have We Been Unfair to President Obama? Exposing Three Myths

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:29:00 +0000

Here we are in yet another election cycle. With November 2012 coming sooner than we'll really be ready for, we're going to have to once again choose who holds the Oval Office and the nuclear codes. So far, the incumbent President Obama has had the position and in spite of what many may claim, he hasn't done too terrible of a job.

I don't believe in much in life, but I do believe in being fair. And, if President Obama isn't re-elected on the basis of the issues, that's fine. I don't believe in re-electing anybody, really anyway. Still, even though I've done what I can to support my guy Ron Paul, I think we Americans should consider the job President Obama's actually done so far.

I've heard three major complaints from those who don't like the president, and at one time I bought into them too, until I started looking into the stories myself. Those three topics which wrankle the most cankles of the Tea Party movement in the US are: Obama's “apology tour” in his early presidency, military spending and of course, jobs. Let's look at them, shall we?

President Obama myth number 1) Obama went on an apology tour when he first became president. - This just doesn't pan out. According to Washington Post's Fact Checker blog, as a new president, Barack Obama was expected to travel the world and meet with heads of state of other nations, so it wasn't an “apology tour,” but simple diplomacy. As well, any quotes used against him were taken out of their original context.

President Obama myth number 2) Obama cut military spending and weakened Americn defenses. - This one is blatantly wrong. Anyone making this claim (Mitt Romney) needs to be aware that military spending is – in fact – public knowledge and therefore easily checked. Herp Derp.

According to U.S News and World Report, not only has military spending not been cut, under President Obama, it's gone up – significantly! In 2008 the Pentagon spent $594 billion then $666 billion. And in 2011, it was $739 billion! If you can convince me the increases are a cut, I'll eat my nacho hat.

President Obama myth number 3) Jobs - Holy crap, where do I begin? This might upset some folks, but when President Obama first took office, he actually was straddled with the after-effects of former President Bush. Just because he had taken the Oath of Office didn't mean there were any policies in place yet. Again, according to the previously referenced U.S. News and World Report article, the president has ended up creating an estimated 3 million private sector jobs over the last 22 consecutive months. (Actually, the businesses doing the hiring are the job creators. But that's a fine point which seems to confuse some folks so I'll just play with the same terminology folks are used to.)

Granted, all of those jobs aren't the type which might feed a family and fund the dreams of an Ivy League education, but when times are tough, even a part-time job can make all the difference. The jobs are there. Corporations are turning profits under President Obama. The economy is recovering. Granted, I might've done it differently, myself. But it seems like America is almost working again.

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Confessions of a smooch-a-holic

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:59:00 +0000

I confess. I'm a smooch addict. I love smooches. Can't get enough of them. I gotta have at least one a day. If my girlie ever stopped giving me a smooch every day, I'd probably go back to giving smooches to strangers just to fill my need.

There's nothing to be ashamed of for loving smooches. Everybody needs them. The only people who think they don't are those who aren't getting any. And once they do, they'll remember how good they are. So, in case you think you're not a smooch addict like me, go give someone a smooch and see just how happy they make you. Go on. Do it. Give your own mom a smooch if you must. Give anyone a smooch. I'm game! Get over here. SMOOOOOCH!

Smooches are the secret to world peace. How in the world could we go around killing potential smoochers to smooch? Smooches are how we should seal contracts too. The next time you make a deal or a bet or any sort of contract, instead of shaking their hand, give 'em a smooch! Imagine how great a world this would be if we each gave others more smooches. Just imagine!

I hope my message gave you a smile. I hope it helps remind you to give a smooch to those you love today. If you don't have anyone to give a smooch to, show them this and by the time they get to this line, you'll have your daily smooch no doubt. Everybody needs a smooch, so go get yours. Like other good things, smooches need to be given as much as they need to be received.

Remember to leave me a "howdy" in the comment section, so I know you stopped by. Okay? Have a wonderful day. (Give me a stumble or a tweet or a share and help me spread the message of more smooching!)

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Bobby Joe Rogers -- Latest Arrest in Long Line of Senseless Abortion Clinic Violence

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:59:00 +0000

COMMENTARY | In response to another act of ridiculous and pointless violence, federal authorities have charged one Bobby Joe Rogers, 41, with violating federal explosives laws for allegedly setting fire to a Pensacola abortion clinic on January 1, as reported on The Washington Post's website. It seems for some folks, there's just no better way to start the new year out than with some unnecessary act of violence.

Luckily for Bobby Joe Rogers, nobody was reported injured in this latest cowardly act of violence, still, the news report states he could be facing up to 20 years in prison for his actions if convicted. In addition to this fire and daily protests by people carrying bibles and crosses at the clinic, this particular location - known as "The Ladies Center" - has been the center of attention for one or more groups of Christian extremists in Pensacola for decades now, according to an Associated Press report issued today.

In spite of decades of violence - mostly involving arson, explosives and butyric acid attacks - access to abortions for women is an issue which no group of extremists has a right to stop. While there are some elements of American society who believe themselves doing "the Lord's work" in committing these acts, what they're attempting to stop is the safe and affordable abortion procedures which have been legal in the United States since 1973.

Some evangelicals who've managed to catch the public eye on the topic have made vague references to the "personhood" of an unborn fetus, but what never seems to get mentioned is there are no commandments (laws) in the Judeo-Christian bible restricting the termination of a pregnancy. Let's go so far as to put it bluntly to those considering an attack on any client or employee of an abortion clinic anywhere claiming the Biblical law as their reference - the Bible does not recognize the fetus.

In Numbers 3:15, God is said to have ordered a census where pregnant women were not considered two people. Numbers chapter 5 contains the "law of jealousy," where a husband suspecting his wife of infidelity can force her to drink an abortifacient known as "bitter water." With the Bible not condemning abortion - Genesis 38 and Hosea 13:16 even threatening the deaths of unborn children - why are modern American extremists being so violent to stop legal abortions?

For those of you needing a flash video:

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Top 5 Reasons Ron Paul Should be President in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:41:00 +0000

I have a lot of difficulty imagining a system so borked as ours allowing a guy like Ron Paul to survive a victorious presidential campaign. He simply has far too many financial interests threatened by his proposals. He's too honest. He's not crooked enough. Many have even called him naive.

I'll even agree with having some issues of my own with the guy. I don't really think he'll succeed in keeping every campaign promise. And if he lets our school's science classes get screwed up with creationist's demands to be included in curriculum, he'll have done a terrible disservice to our youth.

But even with all of these factors considered, we could still stand to learn a few things from him. Hear my 5 reasons I feel we should give him the job for four years, at least, and feel free to comment on the video page. I don't block comments or video responses.

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Parental Alienation is Child Abuse.

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:18:00 +0000

Parental alienation is one of those topics so painful for the person going through, it's quite difficult to discuss. I've tried to bring the topic up without going into a rant. I no longer wish to attack my own ex over anything, but this is still a topic which needs to be discussed among adults, with other adults, and like adults.

For those of you on mobile phones, here's a flash version:

Originally published on YouTube. It's time this form of child abuse is recognized and stopped. Here are those two resources I promise in the video. I'm sure you'll find them helpful: http://www.fact.on.ca/Info/info_pas.htm and http://www.parental-alienation-awareness.com/

Few things in life are more sickening than when a supposed grown-up uses a parent's love of their children as "leverage" of some sort or another, to get their way. Please comment on the video below. Just be mature enough to at least not be vicious. If you do have something vicious to say, and you're not willing to identify yourself, I just might delete your comment. So be mature, or at least be honest about who you are. Thanks. I hope something helps visitors here.

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Atheism: Hell is No Longer a Threat

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:37:00 +0000

Throughout the history of mankind, we have always wanted to understand the mysteries around us of this beautiful world. Before the rise of science, the human mind defaulted to crediting everything to one sort of god or another. This reliance on some mysterious, supernatural entity was the norm for countless centuries of human history.

As of late though, more and more people are no longer accepting this as an answer. We are turning to various forms of science to understand our world. In the process of learning, we've found evidence of processes far more intriguing than anything religion could explain. (If someone needs support of the rise in the numbers of non-believers, visit this page from NPR, or this NBC affiliate. Here's one more.)

Where we once believed our planet to be the center of the universe, astronomy shows us we're really less than a speck of space dust, compared to the entire cosmos. Where we once held onto the belief that goodness only flows from some spiritual deity, biology now shows the human organism has an innate goodness - and that it is essential to the survival of our species.

Where once, any particular religious leader was the highest authority in any given region of the world, archeology proves mankind has had many competing gods. Even today, among any particular religion's followers, there is division. Christianity is credited with 34,000 denominations throughout history. Islam has 72 sects. Religion has - if nothing else - brought about more division than any other factor in history.

Religion held its power over the individual human mind by the power of fear, more than any other factor. In spite of attempted arguments to the contrary, love existed among all belief systems, so nobody's god can lay claim to it exclusively. No, it was a fear of eternal torment in hell which was used to gain followers. Too often, those who refused still were tortured and/or slaughtered as "heretics" or "infidels" - depending on which religion's terminology a person used.

But the various religious leaders are losing their power to kill non-believers, and they are powerless to stop the trend. Daily, more people around the world are coming to realize slaughtering their own is wrong.

For the most part, Christianity lost its carte blanche pass centuries ago, although there still remain pockets of religious persecution by Christians. Islam is losing its power before our very eyes. Ridiculous "honor killings" are prosecuted as the crimes which they are. This is good.

While each of the world's religious leaders is busy decrying others for not being more like them, we atheists notice you all sound the same to us - divisive, superstitious and lacking a philosophical leg to stand on. The threats of hell from any of you sound like the threats of hell from all of you - and we accept none of it from any of you. We've all come to learn that for all of us to survive, only love will work. As was once so eloquently stated anonymously, "Seeing now that the Bible was so wrong about where we came from, how can we trust it to tell us where we're going?"

Some day, as our future generations look through our history, they'll see that humanity finally woke up to the beautiful reality surrounding us all. They'll see the myths of an afterlife were what kept primitive man back for as long as it did. They'll be able to pinpoint the time wherein we finally realized we're all just people - and tribalism, racism and religions were just myths. They'll see we finally realized we need each other and nobody was terrorized into obeying any superstition.

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Interviewing Jules Manson, The California politician who threatened President Obama and his children on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:43:00 +0000

It never pays to buy into every rumor on Facebook. It's bad enough when someone believes everything they read on the site. It's even worse when someone lets those Facebook rumors make them angry without checking out the accuracy of those rumors. But to go and make a threat to President Obama and his children like California politician Jules Manson did? That's just plain stupid.

First, it's criminal to call for the assassination of the president. Secondly, his children? Come on...his kids? What the hell did they do? And thirdly, to be so pissed off about a Facebook rumor that's just so...inaccurate. Wow. You big dummy.

Well, we're all human. And I wanted to give him the chance to explain himself and what he said. So I sent him a few questions. They are as follows:

DP: “Jules Manson, A firestorm erupted over a recent post http://www.examiner.com/democrat-in-national/california-politician-advocates-assassination-of-obama-and-family (Author's note: In case the Examiner article fails to load some reason, here's the article is available on http://current.com/community/93585860_california-politician-advocates-assassination-of-obama-and-family.htm ) in which you stated - in regards to President Obama 'Assassinate the f***en n***er and his monkey children.'

'Do you regret the statement? And would you like a chance to rephrase?'

'What motivated you to make such a statement?'

'Do you feel Ron Paul supports your position? And more importantly, would you consider dropping your public support of Congressman Paul to spare him the embarrassment?'

'In case the Secret Service does come to talk with you on this subject, how will you deal with it? Will you try to fight any charges in court?'

'Also, as a dad myself, I really feel you should leave the Obama kids out of all of this. What were you thinking to mention his kids as well? Why drag his children into it?'

'In regards to these statements, on the off chance you do end up facing charges, will you indemnify Ron Paul by stating clearly, your statements do not reflect his position?'”

Thus were my questions. Jules chose to make one solid statement to me, rather than answer each question independently. So, I'm going to share his reply just as he sent it to me. I feel this is the fairest way possible to allow him to defend himself. Other than the combining of individual messages into one paragraph, no other changes have been made to his words. I can provide screen-shots if necessary.

JM: “Sure thing Donald Pennington

Thank you for allowing me to respond to this.

You are all correct. I have since had time to think about what I wrote. I went way too far but it was only an emotional over-reaction to learning that our president had signed away some of our constitutional protections. That is all it was and I meant no harm to come to anyone. For this I apologize to all you good people especially to all black Americans (including the president and his family) who may have been offended at my racial epithets or taken my statements as genuine. I also accept whatever comes my way.

I am a very emotionally driven person and often react before I have had time to calm down. I realize that nothing good can come from such statements. Again I wish to stress that I have many black friends who may find my disgusting statements offensive including many other black people I have never met. For this I deeply regret. I also wish to stress to the president himself and his family my deepest regret and apology.

However, we MUST remain very vocal about what this government is becoming. This is the only land that I know and love. It is why I am so vocal about it. If I had not cared enough, I would have remained quiet like most people.

I do not intend on ever stopping my very vocal dissent about its oppressive policies. It is my hope that this issue may have awakened all Americans to the steady erosion of our constitutional protections. This is the only thing people should be incensed about. Not my careless emotionally driven words on a facebook [sic] page.

My statements have nothing to do with Ron Paul or the Libertarian Party or anything else political. They were really me being human in a very disgusting way as most of us are guilty of sometimes in our lives. This was one such moment for me. I really do not wish for this to hurt his campaign as he really is the right man for the job.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In summary of the discussion with Jules Manson, I'll still disagree with his use of the racial slur, the threats of violence against the president and the wholly unnecessary comment about the president's kids.

But everyone, even the most depraved of mass-murderers on trial, get a chance to defend themselves or at least explain their side. And this was yours, Jules Manson. (I'm not saying you are a depraved mass murderer. I'm just saying even they get a chance for defense.)

I will, however, say that you are a dumbass. If this is how you react in anger – to throw racial slurs, threaten violence and attack children – then I am glad for the people of California that you blew your chance in politics. I'm also quite glad you exposed the real you in such a public way, before anyone else gets dragged into your secret room-of-stupid-bullshit-within-your-head. I'm also taking you off of my friends list.

Don't be so quick to believe silly Facebook rumors from other stupid people. Facebook is just like any other community, in that, the majority of the populace are just a bunch of big dummies – big, fat, thoughtless dummies. And you fit right in.

His response on Facebook

Come visit me on DonPennington.info.

Why our happiness counts even if we don't think we deserve it

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:30:00 +0000

All of us in life, at various times, find ourselves either deserving of good things or bad. But it is not just we ourselves who get what we deserve. Whatever we enjoy or endure is shared, whether we want it to be or not, with others in our lives – our friends and loved ones, co-workers and even strangers we happen across through our day. We neither suffer nor celebrate anything alone, even when we try to.

As an example, think about the prisoner being punished for a crime. While they're the one locked up in a cell, their friends also miss them. Their family does without their contributions. Their absence from society leaves the smallest of holes in the world. They do not suffer their sentence alone. Others are punished alongside them who never see the inside of a cell.

On the opposite side of the coin, let's consider the lottery winner – at least the good side of it anyway. They're not, in any way, the only person who enjoys the benefit of the windfall. The server at any restaurant who gets their table is likely to enjoy healthy tips. Family and friends may find themselves getting gifts. The community in general gets a boost in tax revenue. Should he invest his funds in a legitimate business, he creates jobs. Even if he squanders every last dime, everything he purchases along the way generates a profit somewhere. My examples are simplistic. Real-life scenarios are vastly more complicated, but time is limited.

Whether good or bad, anything a body is enjoying or suffering, others are just as affected. Try as we might, we are never alone. Even those who've abandoned their closest family to find themselves on skid row share their bitterness in their stench for every passerby. Even they, being as far removed the society as possible, have an impact on others.

Perhaps this is what John Donne was getting at in “Meditations: XVII” when he said, in part:

“No man is an island, entire of itself.
Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were.
Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls.
It tolls for thee.”

His religious “filter” within his mind may have caused him to be something of a “drama queen,” but he was close. His limited understanding and relative lack of knowledge put into his work a theme centered only on death and his part played within the church. But, even out of his undeserved-guilt-ridden rant, the smallest piece of treasure can be found. He was so close to discovering a powerful truth.

Even if we ourselves feel we do not deserve something good – for whatever reason – we still have those in our lives who very well may. Our families, friends, associates and strangers encountered throughout each day may very well be deserving of everything good. For that reason, if nothing else, we must look for everything good we can in this life. We must strive for all the prosperity, happiness, love, joy and freedom we possibly can during our one trip on this speck of space dust, even if we feel we ourselves, do not deserve something good, others do. It's not anyone's right to deny something good which someone else may deserve.

Come visit me on DonPennington.info.

Goodbye AdBrite

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:59:00 +0000

I've just made a decision about my blog. I've just removed a long-time sponsor from it and for good cause. Maybe you might do better with AdBrite - but me – I'm a little tired of being kicked in the teeth.

I've had a small relationship with AdBrite for years now. And there have been a few times I've made a few dollars, so not all of the memories are bad. But after the month of November 2011, wherein I've had more blog visitors than ever before, I see a whopping total of 19 cents in earnings.

In fact, over the past two years, I've seen such little earnings with them, it's not even worth sweating ever collecting a cent from them. 19 cents for my best blog month. Admittedly, my blog sucks for visitors compared to most others. And that brings me to my next point.

These last couple of years, the advertisers using AdBrite have gone from good to bad to spam-a-licious. When I've addressed this with admin they tell me, when I increase my visitor totals and the quality of those visitors (whatever the hell that means anyway), I'll see better advertisers.

What? In order to get anything much more than “Congratulations! You're today's lucky visitor!” I have to get the kinds of page views that are usually turned off by “Congratulations! You're today's lucky visitor?” Talk about Catch-22. Besides, my visitor totals have been increasing, in spite of this, "Congratulations! you're today's lucky visitor," is all I see. (By the way, who could ever get tired of seeing that ingenious, well thought-out marketing approach? It just gets better every time I see it. Not lame at all, right?)

Awhile back, I was seeing those scummy, lowlife ads where some advertiser using AdBrite is basically trying to trick folks into downloading something, allegedly because their video player wasn't updated. Although I repeatedly rejected those ads, they kept showing up.

Contacting admin, I was told I needed to set my adzone to “family friendly,” and that it would significantly lower my income. So, if I am to ever have a shot at making money with AdBrite, I have to deal with these types. Well, I'm not settling for that. I sell my soul enough as it is.

Dealing with AdBrite has been a lot like being told that, in order to make a living, I have to deal with scumbags. I'm tired of the negative impact their ads have had on my blog. The folks at WoT have told me what shows up on my page from these advertisers AdBrite deals with. They're just not finicky enough to deserve to be on my blog.

Then there are questions too, regarding the way they work anyway. Even though lately, my visitor counts have gone up, the earnings just are not going up accordingly. I contacted admin about that as well and was told – in short and what appears to me as – they just don't have the advertisers. This, in spite of everything I was told previously.

No more. I will not let others dictate what I carry on my blog, for the sake of maybe earning a few dollars a month – unless some other problem arises. I will not be told to jump through hoops to just be denied my prize anyway. Perhaps others might give AdBrite a try and they may just love them but not me. Not anymore. I'm done with kissing the ass of those who would treat me badly. I have been patient enough, to such a point, I have wasted my time. No more.

Goodbye Adbrite. You're off my blog. I'll have better luck relying on the occasional donor. I'll have better luck finding my own advertisers (Hint-hint to anyone willing to sponsor my blog). Regardless, I'm done playing stupid games..

Come visit me on DonPennington.info.

My Five Favorite 'The Thinking Atheist' Videos on YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:36:00 +0000

My fellow non-believers and I often find ourselves challenged and/or reprimanded for not having the same beliefs as others do. It is an all-too-popular belief that because we don't accept at least one of the thousands and thousands of interpretations of the hundreds of religious documents presented throughout history that, we are somehow, "evil."

If only there were some sort of a resource so that we can know we are not alone in this life. Well, there is. They call themselves 'The Thinking Atheist.' And I'm here to share with you five of their presentations which have re-affirmed my belief that humanity just might have a chance at making it, after all.

The Center of All Things - I want to open up this introduction to 'The Thinking Atheist' with this particular video, if for no other reason than, perhaps an explanation might help to clear up some confusion about atheists in general. It's not that we have a hatred for those things religious. We only seem angry when others insist that mankind hold itself back out of fear of offending a deity who has not been proven to exist. Religion has served its role in humanity's history. But it is now time for us to move on.

Woman, Be Silent! - The Thinking Atheist Radio Podcast #33 - As the title suggests, this YouTube presentation isn't so much a stand-alone video, but a recorded radio podcast on an extremely important topic. For far too long we, as a species, have failed miserably in cherishing women. This presentation puts into perspective just how terrible the fairer sex has been treated, and how the treatment has been justified by dogma.

Ghosts, Ghouls and Bats in the Belfry - The Thinking Atheist Radio Podcast #31 - Also a recorded radio podcast, this presentation from 'The Thinking Atheist' brings up the topic of the silliness of hauntings and other paranormal claims. I especially wanted to share this episode for my own personal reasons, and found it will probably benefit those struggling with similar issues as I have. The discussion proves valuable.

Divine Protection - It's about time someone comes up with the examples of real-world scenarios demonstrating just how illogical the concept of "Divine Protection" really is. The questions asked in this video is a genuine eye-opener for anyone courageous enough to be honest with themselves.

Welcome To This World - This presentation is not just a well-done presentation, it is - in fact - the greatest summation of religious philosophy I've ever heard. If any believer never hears or sees any other presentation from 'The Thinking Atheist,' I hope they experience this one. Could there possibly be anything wrong with helping the religious leaders of the world to simplify their own message into a digestible bite?

Sources: Embedded

Originally published on DonPennington.info.

Everyone is noble

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000

The old man was already seated at his table, as usual. It seemed to me, no matter how early I tried to be, he was already there for each lesson. The thought passed through my mind that he might always be there. As I sat and the waitress brought me my coffee, he began his lesson for the week, in his usual catch-me-off-guard sort of way.

“Everything everyone does, ultimately, is from a noble place in their heart.” For once I had no immediate, smart-ass remark. I thought perhaps he had gone off the deep end finally, as old as he was. After a few seconds of silence, the response which I knew that he knew was coming, did. “What? That makes no sense.” “Of course it does,” was his reply. Based on every other meeting I'd ever had with the old man, I knew he'd eventually win. So, rather than argue, I chose to remember that I knew absolutely nothing, and I prepared myself to learn something, yet again.

“You mean even a homeless drunk on the street, who chooses to stay drunk all the time, rather than contribute to society, is acting from a noble place in his heart?” He said, “Remember, I said 'ultimately.' And you must also remember what 'noble' means. Do you remember?” My head nodded in agreement before my brain was aware it did, in fact, agree.

“The drunk you reference, is he so different than you, when you smoked grass all those years? Why did you smoke so much pot?” After a bit of honest self-analysis, I remembered I was trying to hide from my own pain. “I was hiding from my problems,” I replied. “You were hiding from an onslaught of mental anguish. You were trying to cope with your own failures, shortcomings and previous bad choices, were you not?” Through the stinging harsh truth, my eyes confirmed he had me pegged. The kindness in his eyes reminded me he understood. Once again, I opened the door for another lesson as difficult and painful as it would be liberating. The old man never disappointed me there.

“Is a person not, at least, valuable to themselves, and therefore deserving to manage whatever pain and suffering they may be struggling with?” He saw I was listening actively, and continued. “Although they may be going about in the wrong way, that 'drunken bum' (making air quotes) means well. He's just misinformed. He's merely unaware of a better way, like so many. Like you were once.”

“Thieves steal, because in their confusion about life, it seems to be the fastest way to fulfill a need. Killers kill from a desire for some sense of justice, as perverted as it might seem to us. Liars lie out of a need for self-protection. Bullies on a playground abuse others, as hard as it may be to understand right now, out of a yearning for love, understanding and friendship.”

“So, how could they be shown a better way?” I asked in my naivete. “That's not the point of today's lesson,” he answered. “The point of today's lesson is for you to learn how to cope with what seems to be stupidity from others.” Taking another sip of coffee as I wrestled with the thought, he continued, “Until you learn to completely master your own emotions, forget helping others. You would only amplify the problem – and that's not why we came here. Learn how to not hate your enemies and you'll never waste a drop of energy. That gives you more resources to win the battle ahead of you.”

The waitress, in all her glory, somehow knew this week's lesson was over and brought our check. He grabbed it before I could. “My turn,” was all he said, smiling. Since he grabbed the check, I left the tip. It was the perfect yin and yang arrangement.

Come visit me on DonPennington.info.

How small are we?

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:22:00 +0000

My mind is drifting again. It happens more and more as I get older. I'm not high. I'm not drunk. It's drifting all on its own. This happens whether I welcome it or not, so I've learned to just go with it.

I'm another one of those who likes to sit outside and look up at the night sky. I love to look at the stars and try to think about how far away and how very huge they really are. Scientists tell me that many of these stars are sometimes thousands and thousands of times the size of our Sun. And even it could hold a million of our planets within it.

So, how tiny is our world? How tiny are we?

I look up at those stars, so many times larger than our Sun, and even being so unimaginably huge, they're so far away, they appear to be smaller than well-lit specks of dust showing themselves in a sunbeam on a bright morning through a window.

So, how tiny are we?

This perception of something so big, seeming so small, is merely the way it looks from my perspective, sitting on my back porch. Imagining how small we are from a galactic perspective takes us down to smaller than a bacterium, in relation. And here I sit on my back porch.

How tiny are we? How tiny, indeed?

As if considering our size in relation to the galaxy were bad enough, imagine how small our entire world is in comparison to the group of nearby galaxies, then compared to the Universe. In comparison to the whole of the Cosmos, we'd make that aforementioned dust speck seem impossibly colossal in comparison. In relation to the whole of the Universe, our world is smaller than any bacteria. We're smaller than a molecule. We're smaller than an atom. Perhaps, in comparison to our Universe, we might compete with something on the quantum level. But I'd also wager we may yet only be some sort of a particle within that quantum structure– in comparison.

Perhaps, in the much grander scheme of things, the entirety of our known Universe is also but an atom, in some other unimaginably vast plane of existence. We could be a component of a cell in some other living thing, perhaps some part of some giant creature's ass. Perhaps we're just a part of more dark matter itself, a bubble of space gas somewhere, serving no definite purpose at all.

How tiny are we, and yet here I sit considering it. And how very, very vain of us to believe in some creator having made us, just to worship him.

Come visit me on DonPennington.info.

Can you see it? ISS crosses full moon

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:14:00 +0000

I don't really have anything I can say in light of this.

Credit: Watchonepiecepoint.com

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Sharing: What does the Internet weigh?

noreply@blogger.com (D) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 00:13:00 +0000

One email weighs about 2/10,000th of a quadrillionth of an ounce. There's a good start. Enjoy this video.

Come visit me on DonPennington.info.