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Brainwashing, Jesus … and Fascistic Creep

What better way to brainwash people than to stress them, exhaust them, force them to go without food and sleep? And THEN jump in with your message, the thing you want to force into their unresisting minds, when they’re at their most vulnerable?

I’m describing the brainwashing tactics of Stalin, or Mao Tse Tung, right?

No. I’m talking about U.S. Military chaplains. I’m talking about the brainwashing of U.S. soldiers to become Christians, and Christian evangelists. All of it paid for, by their own proud admission, by our government. Continue reading “Brainwashing, Jesus … and Fascistic Creep”

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Duh, Idiot Me — or: Why The Catholic Church Soldiers On

Reading this article on Papal infallibility — Postponing Self-Destruction of the Catholic Church — I just now learned the real reason why the Catholic Church doesn’t update its outworn policies on things like contraceptives, marriage, or human morality.

Because, really, who hasn’t thought about how much good this huge worldwide organization could do if it reversed its stand on condoms and contraceptives? Rather than waiting for tardy governments to act, it could simply began distributing condoms and teaching how to best prevent the spread of HIV. It could give a kick in the head to overpopulation by telling Third World men and women that it’s okay to use contraceptives, okay NOT to have more and more and more children they can’t feed. Continue reading “Duh, Idiot Me — or: Why The Catholic Church Soldiers On”

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In Case You Missed It …

This is the piece that appeared in the Albany Times Union newspaper this last Saturday, in the Voices of Faith column on the Faith & Values page. (Interestingly, it used to be the Religion page, and I suspect the change reflects some sort of sea change in understanding that “values” can come from someplace other than religion. Which is progress, and which I attribute directly to newly-vocal atheists making that very point.)

The two other main stories on the page were “Pope orders crackdown on nuns” and “Faith lost, then found, strengthens Troy mayor.” (Troy is a local city, a once-upon-a-time industrial giant located next to Albany.)

I titled my piece “Being Good Without God: The Option of Atheism” / the editor renamed it Atheists Aim for Goodness. Continue reading “In Case You Missed It …”

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Stilling the Jerk of My Liberal Knees

Look at this picture (click to embiggen) of a woman arrested in France for refusing to remove her veil. A tiny, defenseless woman, a plucky warrior for the rights of a minority to live and breathe free, is manhandled by racist government thugs.

It came up on my Facebook wall recently, from a group called the Muslim Defense League (MDL) United We Stand, Divided We Fall (“Fighting against racism, fascism and oppression”).

The photo caption was “A Muslima is arrested in France for refusing to remove the veil! If you are against this act then Share it everywhere!” Continue reading “Stilling the Jerk of My Liberal Knees”

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Reason Rally: Mainstream Media Blackout?

I’m collecting a list of major news media outlets that have not (so far) covered the Reason Rally. I’ve checked a few of them; if you find others, I’d appreciate knowing, so I can add them to the list. (There’s a list at the bottom for the news sites that DID cover the event, even if negatively.)

The point of this is twofold. In reverse order:

Second, to make the point that, all the times Christians cry about being discriminated against, the real story is exactly the opposite. Christian thought and action gets automatic coverage, automatic benefit of the doubt, and freethinkers have to fight for every scrap of progress. Continue reading “Reason Rally: Mainstream Media Blackout?”

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Oh, Kid, I Wish You The Best …

… I just wish your name was anything but “Palin.”

Because the spotlight that shines on you — because of your name — is the same one that shines on two-headed kittens, and Jessica Simpson. The spotlight that says “Oh, look, all you people sitting there with really nothing better to do, and no mind to figure out what you might be doing, here’s something SUUWEEET!!!!”

Bristol Palin is now a blogger.

Yes, THAT Bristol Palin. Continue reading “Oh, Kid, I Wish You The Best …”

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Hurrah! Cure for Alzheimer’s Discovered!

Yes, I’m doing that “sensationalist headline” thing the popular news media is so famous for.

But … I hope this is true. It would be damned cool if it was. At the same time, I’ve learned — not as a scientist, because I’m not one, but as a reader of news and onetime newspaper editor — that what you read in headlines is often misleading. And you can’t even trust the stories that follow.

But here it is: Breaking News from the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine

Continue reading “Hurrah! Cure for Alzheimer’s Discovered!”