The 502

Tsk, Tsk FOX!

2006-10-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

FOX News really knows how to spin something in their favor. The recent charges against Republican Mark Foley engaging in pedophilia via email have brought out the masters of spin.

First, FOX News speaks to Ann Coulter, who proceeds to downplay the charges. She pushes the fact that Foley is denying having any sexual contact with young boys. She apparently thinks that talking to young boys online about sex is not such a bad thing. I'm sure she would have a lot more to say if Foley were a Democrat.

Second, FOX News tried to distance the GOP from Foley by lying about Foley's party affiliation. They labeled him a Democrat.

FOX News is as impartial in reporting the facts as CNN is when it comes to politics.

Out to Lunch

2006-02-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

I am taking a break from blogging. I do not know how long I will be gone.

If You Can't Beat Them, Buy Them!

2006-01-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

I feel sick.

Aaaaah!

2006-01-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, school is over. After taking a week to catch up on some sleep, I went on vacation for a week. I am feeling very relaxed now. Life is good... for a month.

Next month I will be moving. The lease to my apartment ended last November, so now I am on a month-to-month payment. I was just informed by the office that I can only stay on month-to-month for 3 months. If I don't wish to sign a new lease, I have to leave. Assholes. Since I was planning on leaving at the end of April, a new lease is out of the question.

I was going to seek legal advice to see if they could kick me out, but I changed my mind. I have a friend who is going to let me move into her place for a few months for free. I can't beat a deal like that. After I move into my friend's house, I'll be able to sit in front of my computer 24/7. Life will be good... for 3 months.

After that, I am moving to Chicago. I'll find a job and start working on my MBA. Life will be good... and cold.

Enjoy the Winter Solstice!

2005-12-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

Today is the Winter Solstice! A day celebrated by most, if not all, ancient societies, and is still celebrated today. Many of today's religious holidays are based on the pagan festivities of old, including Christmas. Whatever winter holiday you celebrate, have a merry one.

Interesting winter holidays that nobody celebrates (Well, nobody I know, anyway. Correct me if I'm wrong.):

Festivus: Dec. 23rd alternative created on Seinfeld
Life Day: Dec. 20th festival for Wookies
Agnostica: Winter holiday celebrating the birth of Quantum Physics as told in the Nukees comic book

Enjoy!

Time Is On My Side

2005-12-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

I asked a co-worker today, "Do you know what I have to do today?"
He replied, "No. What?"
A small smile slowly came across my face, turning into a large grin. "Nothing.", I replied.

I have something today that I have missed for the past 3 years: free time. School is over. Sure, I had breaks between quarters, but they never lasted more than 2 weeks. During most of them I would be working on project ideas for the following quarter.

Today feels very different. I came home from work, laid down, and watched TV. I am completely relaxed. There is no urge to jump out of bed, and quit wasting time. I feel good.

I am going to enjoy this for a couple weeks. After that, I will start working on some personal projects. I have been making a list of project ideas that I have been looking forward to digging in to. I also have a seperate list of books that I want to read. These 2 lists will keep me busy, but I'll happily take breaks whenever I feel like it.

Drunk Post

2005-12-03T22:50:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Shandi's PWI (painting while intoxicated), I am posting while drunk. I'll make this short since I need to go to sleep. Check out this link: Freestar Media. No details here. You'll have to go there to find out what it's all about.

*hic*

Big Loud Atheist

2005-11-21T13:07:00.000-08:00

Most know Penn Jillette as the big loud guy in Penn & Teller. Atheists know Penn as one of the most out-spoken atheists in the public spotlight. This morning I heard Penn's voice on NPR. Every monday NPR runs a show called, "This I Believe", in which various people speak about what they believe. Penn's dialogue began, "I believe that there is no God." You can hear the entire thing, or read the transcript here.

Something for my Pain...

2005-11-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

This is a nice way to alleviate the pain of yesterday's post.

I Feel a Pain...

2005-11-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

...it's as if millions of rational voices cried out and were suddenly silenced.

Thanks Ayn

2005-11-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

“Death is the standard of your values, death is your chosen goal, and you have to keep running, since there is no escape from the pursuer who is out to destroy you or from the knowledge that pursuer is yourself. Stop running, for once – there is no place to run – stand naked, as you dread to stand, but as I see you, and take a look at what you dared to call a moral code.

“Damnation is the start of your morality, destruction is its purpose, means and end. Your code begins by damning man as evil, then demands that he practice a good which it defines as impossible for him to practice. It demands, as his first proof of virtue, that he accept his own depravity without proof. It demands that he start, not with a standard of value, but with a standard of evil, which is himself, by means of which he is then to define the good: the good is that which he is not.

“It does not matter who then becomes the profiteer on his renounced glory and tormented soul, a mystic God with some incomprehensible design or any passer-by whose rotting sores are held as some inexplicable claim upon him – it does not matter, the good is not for him to understand, his duty is to crawl through years of penance, atoning for the guilt of his existence to any stray collector of unintelligible debts, his only concept of a value is a zero: the good is that which is non-man.

“The name of your monstrous absurdity is Original Sin.”

-John Galt

From Ayn Rand's book Atlas Shrugged

I've Been Busy...

2005-10-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy with other things lately that I forgot to mention something: Congratulations to the White Sox. I was shocked by their sweep of the Astros. I expected more of a fight. I was able to watch the game last Sunday, and it was good! The game on Tuesday night was WAY better! I heard bits and pieces as I drove back from Orlando with groceries and gas. When I got home, I turned on the radio to hear the last couple of innings. I fell asleep during the final game, but woke up when everyone on the radio was cheering. Woohoo! I won a dollar! Yes, that's right, I bet a whole dollar on the game. I couldn't afford more than that, and neither could my co-worker who made the bet.

I hope that in the next couple of years the World Series returns to Chicago. But, next time I hope it's my favorite team. Go Cubs! There were 86 years between Red Sox wins, and 88 for the White Sox. The Cubs haven't won in 97 years. They have only won the World Series twice. It was back-to-back wins in 1907 and 1908. They beat the Detroit Tigers both times. Maybe they can win the 2007 and 2008 series. I can hope, can't I?

Post-Wilma

2005-10-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

I'm alive and well, and I have plenty of things to rant about. For now, I'm getting some sleep and cleaning up the mess from the Wilma-Bomb.

Later.

Hurricane Wilma and the World Series

2005-10-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

I would have posted a cool NASA pic, but they don't have one yet... maybe after the storm passes they will. I live right in the path of the some of the worst damage that is going to be done on the east coast of south Florida. There is obviously no work tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll be in on Tuesday. If the power is out at work, then I get to stay home. I expect to lose my power for a while. Any bets on how long I will be without power? I'm guessing 48 hours.

The worst part is that I am probably going to miss at least one game from the World Series. My previous predications were only half true. I really thought the Yankees would beat Los Angeles. LA proved that they had a great team. I was shocked that the Red Sox didn't even win one game. Obviously, I was wrong about the Cardinals making it to the series. I have been impressed with the Astros so far. The White Sox are still going to win. The series is currently at 2-0 for the White Sox. Maybe one of my friends will have power if I don't. I hope they are baseball fans.

I'll be back by next weekend.

Wouldn't It Be Cool to Have a Monkey?

2005-10-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

I used to be hip to all the new comics. Back around '90 I watched all the stand-up shows on TV. There were some good comics, and a lot of bad ones. I have been out of the 'know' for quite a while. A friend of mine recently brought my attention to a popular comedian. His name is Dane Cook.

He reminds me of Sam Kinison and Jim Carrey, but so much more. If you don't know who he is, check out danecook.com.

In his own words, "That Dane Cook is one silly bitch."

How to End Poverty in America

2005-10-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

What can we do to eliminate poverty? I think the solution is fairly simple. We do nothing. We don't donate a dime to the poor.

When people get sick of living in poverty, they can work hard and make more money. The resources need to be available for them to do this. It is up to our government to make sure that those resources are available. In rare cases, athletes climb out of poverty. In other instances, those who work hard in school can continue their education which will allow them higher paying jobs. What about the rest of poor people? Give them access to information to educate themselves and apply for grants.

Disagree? Let me hear it.

Blasphemy and the Aristocrats

2005-10-03T00:45:00.000-07:00

For anyone who is easily offended, quit reading now. You have been warned.

What makes blasphemy funny?

Well, for those who get the Aristocrats joke, you know. It's about being offensive. The Aristocrats joke purposely pushes the limits on any topic that will offend. It is understandable why it has been a private joke among comedians. The funny part isn't the joke; it's the reaction to the joke. After going through the joke, the punchline itself pokes fun at the people who were offended. I've got to admit, I laugh at the offended as well.

Example #1
What do you do when you are having sex with a 5 year old and her hip pops?
Just stop. If that doesn't get you off, nothing will.

If I tell this joke to someone, I am not advocating pedophilia. The truth is that they are scum and deserve a painful punishment. I know the joke is sick, but it is only a joke. It is nothing more than words, and you should remember the whole sticks and stones saying. In telling the joke, I expect one of two reactions. They laugh because they understand that the joke is supposed to be offensive, or they are completely offeneded. For the latter, I get to laugh at them. This is because they are being disgusted by words. It serves as a great litmus test to weed out those that take things a little too seriously.

On to blasphemy...

Example #2
Why could Jesus walk on water?
Because shit floats.

Blasphemy is humorous for its offending nature as well. For those of us without faith, we think the whole God-myth is just plain silly. We are poking fun at the silliness that people take so seriously. To understand this, think about Raelians. I think their religion is silly, too. I can make alien jokes specific to their beliefs because they believe in something silly. God and Elohim are equally disregarded as myths. I find all religions to be unfounded and have no problem pointing that out with a joke, even if they are percieved as offensive. They are words, so get over it.

Just a small add-on. My previous post entitled 'Rhino Skin' refers to a trait everyone could use. If someone intentionally tries to offend me, I let it roll off my back. Words are easy to disregard because they mean nothing. Let your skin grow tough, and learn to lighten up.

World Series Prediction

2005-10-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Well, as all the baseball fans know, the Yankees won their division. They are in the playoffs again. After they beat the Angels, they will lose to the White Sox. In the National League, the Cardinals will advance to the World Series after beating the Astros. So, the Series will be White Sox vs. Cardinals. After 6 games, the White Sox will be victorious.

A Little Baseball and a Load of Crap

2005-10-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting back, enjoying a beer, and watching the Red Sox/Yankees game. I would love to see the Sox go to the playoffs. What would make things better is if the Indians get the wild card. Just say no to Yankee playoffs! [grin] I have doubts about this becoming a reality. The Yankees have a great team that seems to get even better when battling for playoff rights.

Today's rant begins with a short story.

I was talking to a fellow employee at the warehouse I worked at. He informed me that one of the worlds most venomous spiders lived in our warehouse. Needless to say, I was intrigued. He pointed out that the popular spider known to many as the Daddy Long Leg was very poisonous, but its fangs were too small to penetrate a man's skin. My initial reaction was to think that this sounded like a load of crap. He was very serious though, and obviously not joking around. I had no reason to argue with him, because I knew nothing about the biology of this spider.

After work I did a little research. I found out that I was correct in thinking that it was a load of crap. They are not poisonous, but it is a very popular rumor. My co-worker was probably told this rumor by one of his friends and accepted it as true. I wonder how these rumors become so popular. My best guess is that in this case it was probably started by a kid. He was probably trying to scare a friend for fun. This friend then tells other kids, and the rumor begins to spread. How did this spread into the adult world? Why would a grown adult believe something that sounds so outrageous?

I'm sure almost everyone has heard the saying, "Don't believe everything you hear". This is good advice, but people choose not to follow it. Because of this, there are all kinds of weird and stupid things that people accept as true. Check out snopes.com for a long list of these idiocies.

The spider story is mostly harmless. I guess it doesn't help arachnophobes, but they seem to have bigger problems than Daddy Long Legs. Other rumors can be very harmful. People believe in psychic powers, although there is no proof that they exist (check out randi.org). When trust is given to a psychic, so is all the money they can scam out of you.

Whatever the degree of harm to others, the harm is greatest to you. By not thinking for yourself, and blindly trusting what others tell you, you are doing yourself a great injustice. If someone challenges your opinions, you have no leg to stand on. The best defense you can muster is, "That's what I was told".

Do yourself a favor and question your own opinions and beliefs before others challenge you on them. Become a critical thinker by questioning the information you hear. A man who thinks for himself craves knowledge, while the man who believes what he's told becomes intellectually stagnant.

If it looks like shit, and smells like shit, it's probably shit. But, you will never know that without checking it out for youself.

Edit: October 3, 2005 Part 2 - Trusting Your Sources
David brought up a good point in the first comment to this post. We cannot spend all of our time checking sources. The above rant refers to blind trust. Once you have researched the information given to you from a blind source, you know whether or not that source can be trusted. If they consistantly give you true, verifiable information, you know you can trust them for most things. I still don't think they should be trusted 100%. After all, nobody's perfect.

When researching information that I know very little about, I try to find at least 2 or 3 different sources that supply the answers I need. This is mostly because I use the internet, and you need to be very weary of information found here. One source that I have come to trust is wikipedia.org. Another is snopes.com. Time after time, they have supplied information that is not only verifiably true, but states it in a neutral way. By being neutral, they are not pushing an agenda.

I do a lot of research concerning science and religious issues. I have found one source that is NOT a good one. It is actually a series of sites. Some of them are allaboutphilosophy.com, allaboutscience.com, and allaboutgod.com. Those sites have been put together by All About God Ministries. The sites appear to provide official information, but they are written with the purpose of pushing the belief of Jesus. Unlike wikipedia.org, they do not provide a neutral viewpoint to the facts.

A Small Edit

2005-09-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I just organized my links a little, and added comments to them. I've added 3 more blogs.
The Inside of One Mind and The Musings of David Amulet are blogs of a couple people who have commented at my site. I liked their blogs, so I'm happy to link to them. The 3rd one is The Convert an Atheist Contest. Anyone who can convert this atheist to their religion will win a cash reward over $1000.

To Be or Not To Be, That is the Agnostic's Question

2005-09-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Agnostics are the fence sitters in the freethinking community. They are of the opinion that since we can’t prove God exists, and we can’t prove that he doesn’t exist, they will just not make a choice. When asked if there is a God, they say, “I don’t know.”

I have said before that the difference between atheists and agnostics is that agnostics have questioned their faith, and atheists just thought about it a little longer. There are people who remain agnostic because they continue to stand by the belief that we can’t prove or disprove God’s existence. There is a major flaw in this thinking.

What if I told you that I had a goblin living in my closet? He turns invisible when other people go near him, so I am the only one who sees him. I can’t take a picture of him because he doesn’t show up on film. Sometimes he takes one of my socks and hides it. He also sings silly songs while I’m trying to sleep, but I’m the only one that can hear him.

Now, for anyone to believe me, I would have to prove that the goblin exists. I claimed it was true, so the burden of proof is on me. There is absolutely no evidence that a goblin exists outside of my imagination. Telling someone else to prove me wrong is just silly. I could make up anything that can’t be proven wrong. Prove that there are no invisible pink unicorns or psychic abilities.

An agnostic would have to accept all these things at ‘maybe true’ without making decisions on any of them. They can look at the world around them and see absolutely no evidence supporting the belief of goblins, unicorns, psychic abilities, or God. Why automatically assume that something may be true just because someone else said so? How about telling the claimants to prove it, since there is no reason to believe it in the first place.

My guess is that with religion, they just want to appear neutral and not cause waves when the discussion comes up. The truth is that they probably don’t believe.

Freedom!

2005-09-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Freedom feels good! I'm not talking politically this time. I have been using almost every waking moment for the past few weeks to finish up my senior project. Sometimes, those moments were available because I forced myself to stay awake. Right now, I have gone 41 hours without sleep. What's worse is that I only had 3 hours of sleep prior to this. Well, I handed my project in four hours ago. Now I am free to spend my time doing whatever I please.

I must be becoming a blog addict. I should be sleeping instead of posting this, but this is how I choose to spend my time. For the next two weeks, I can dedicate more time to this blog and also to the Discussing Beliefs blog. I can also sleep until noon on Saturday, which I will most definitely do. Since I started going back to college, my free time has been sparse. I stopped reading for pleasure. Now, I only read textbooks. I constantly come up with projects that I want to work on, but all I can do is write them down for later. My list of projects is getting very long. The good news is that I have only one quarter left. After the new year I will have my degree along with my time.

It is true, you don't know what you have until it's gone.

Good Morning America

2005-09-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Along with many other atheists, I watched Good Morning America this morning in anticipation of Bill Weir's retraction of his insulting statement a few weeks ago that, "There are no atheists in foxholes and hurricanes". Mr. Weir stated that there are more than 30 million atheists in America, and they are helping with different aspects of the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. He retracted his statement by saying, "I stand corrected."

I have not spoken with my fellow atheists yet to get their opinion on the matter. I can forsee one possible negative comment that will arise. That is the fact that Mr. Weir didn't say, "I apologize" or "I'm sorry". If this does come up, I will have to point out that in a letter to Dave Silverman (NoGodBlog.com), Mr. Weir said that he will retract his statement, not that he would apologize for it. Mr. Weir kept his word and retracted the statement.

I extend my thanks to Mr. Weir for his retraction. In the overall negative view of atheists by the American public, he has been a small help in softening the harsh criticisms that we face. In may not be a lot, but it does matter. Mr. Weir displayed class and I respect him for it.

I have sent a note to Good Morning America through a web form at their site. In it, I thanked Mr. Weir and asked them to consider a human interest story about various atheists who have been helping the hurricane victims. I think it would be a nice supporting story for Mr. Weir's retraction. My guess is that this will not happen because it doesn't equate to good ratings. I hope I am wrong.

A Co-op Blog

2005-09-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

I have just created a new blog with a fellow blogster, Northern Born Southerner. It is a respectable dialogue between the two of us. If you have read my previous posts, you know that I am an atheist and he is a Christian. We are inviting everyone to follow our conversation and comment if you want to. I have added the link to the side for Discussing Beliefs.

New Links

2005-09-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

I just added 5 new links. Maybe next time I add some I'll organize them. All 5 are blogs I visit on a random basis.

NoGodBlog is from American Atheists. A great place to keep up on news concerning the secular community.
Godless Wonder has some great information and humor for all us heathens.
Parody of a Life is.... um... well, it's funny. If you want a great laugh, read his post entitled 'Anger Management'.
Quarter Lifer is written by a smart and sexy little cheesehead.
Parsimony: By ApostleRadio has some interesting views.

Edit: Parody of a Life is, "Chaotic Entertainment, Waste of Time". He summed it up nicely here.

A Week's Worth of Rants

2005-09-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the 4th anniversary of the WTC attack. It was one of those events that everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when it happened. There is something that they forgot, though. Americans shared the feeling of anger and a sense of patriotism. The overall attitude of the American public changed. Everyone became a lot nicer. I was surprised at how it changed how people drove. They were more aware of the people around them and more courteous to them. This was short lived, unfortunately.

What happened to everyone? The anger has subsided, naturally. I don't believe anyone is less patriotic than they were four years ago, they just don't feel the need to advertise it. What about the respect we had for each other?

On 9/11 and the months following it, Americans had something in common. They shared a social awareness beyond their normal, self-centered world. It appears as if they have gone back to that frame of mind. Was no one paying attention? There was something to be learned from the feelings we shared. I don't think I could find a person that would disagree that the country was in a better place because of those feelings. It seems easy to me: compare how you use to view society before the attacks to how you viewed them afterwards. After that, build on what is better about the new attitude, and if necessary, toss out the old attitude. Tada! Yes, people always change through time, but we can accelarate the process if we want to.

I have become more aware of looking past the differences of my fellow man. I have come to better understand the good behind Humanism. It approaches matters with the highest priorty to human life. Conflicts are not looked at as conservative vs. liberal, faith vs. logic, or black vs. white. They consider the common ground of, "Hey I'm a human on this planet and so are you. What can we do to make things better for both of us?"

Looking past people's differences helps us live in a better society. No matter what we disagree on, we can come together for a common good. This does not mean that we ignore those differences. When I have a difference of opinion with someone, I will state my case, and listen to what they have to say. If both of us keep in mind the humanist point of view, beyond our discussion, we can continue to have a civilized conversation. Communication begins to break down when this is not followed. For example, when laws are passed based on faith instead of logic. The proponents of Intelligent Design are a good example of this. They want a psuedoscience taught as a science in our public schools. They are not thinking of the good of all Americans. Instead, they are thinking of the good for all judeo-christian religions. When their opponents bring up their views on the matter, they are subject to insult and public assault. Obviously the ID crowd is not willing to find common ground for the good of everyone. Even worse, they know they are wrong. A civilized, round-table discussion would prove that, and they know it.

Back to our differences. I tend to look for ignorance in the world, and am more than happy to point it out. At times, even that has it's problems. People get defensive because they think I'm calling them stupid. Ok, they are ignorant to the definition of ignorance. For those who don't know:

Ignorant: not having knowledge of a paticular subject

That's it. It has nothing to do with intelligence. Everyone is ignorant. Consider the combined knowledge of everyone of the planet. How much of that knowledge do you possess? I know that I am ignorant to most of it, but I attempt to chip away at that ignorance every day.

Here is a list of items that I am ignorant of:
1. how to play guitar
2. how to salsa dance
3. Marxism
4. Japanese poetry during the 1700's
5. the beginning of sentience on Earth
6. lifeforms in the Andromeda galaxy
7. all things I don't know minus this list, if it were completed to the best of my knowledge (ignorance of ignorance)

As a curious person, I have an interest in learning everything on this list. Salsa and Japanese poetry are very low on my priority list. It is quite possible that I will remain ignorant of them for the rest of my life. I will probably never know about number 6, because of lack of evidence. I think number 5 is very possible to scientifically verify, and hopefully it will happen before I die. That leaves items 1, 3, and 7. I will learn to play guitar one day when I have more free time. I will learn about Marxism because I have a high interest in politics and sociology. As for number 7, it is always a constant search.

As you can see, there are some things that I choose to remain ignorant about. There are others things that I feel a duty not to remain ignorant about. As a voter in America, my knowledge of politics is important. If I choose to remain ignorant on the issues and the candidates, I am not helping the country with my vote. Unfortunately, it appears most voters don't share my attitude. They get all their information from the media. Do yourself a favor if you fall into this category:
-Research each candidate - see what actions they have made
-Research the political parties - understand what position they take on issues and how much their members follow those issues
-Research and more research - yeah, it's like homework... sometimes it's not fun, but this country needs more educated votes

I can't remain ignorant on politics. I can, however, remain ignorant about poetry. My lack of knowledge in that area doesn't affect my daily life or my fellow Americans.

What are your ignorances? Do they affect your life and those around you? I am not asking because I want to know. I am asking because this is something you should know about yourself.

Hurricane Bitch

2005-09-04T06:10:00.000-07:00

Another NASA photograph
As the world now knows, Hurricane Katrina was devastating. My comment about it costing millions was WAY off. The entire country will feel the effects of this storm for quite some time. The homeless, the gas prices, and the rebuilding will be in the news for months if not years.

In other news, Chief Justice Rehnquist died last night. I wanted to see him off the bench, but it is unfortunate that his death had to be the reason. After naming John Roberts to replace Sandra Day O'Conner, President Bush gets to fill another vacancy. This is unfortunate. He has the opportunity to destroy our constitutional rights by appointing judges who side with the 'moral majority' and the 'religious right'. Everyone knows what an oxymoron the latter is. Well, everyone except the christian conservatives that back it up. Ok, that isn't fair... I don't think that the people leading the religious right are that blind. They know exactly what is good about religion: it helps to oppress a nation and make the leaders more powerful.

There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that Bush has more that 2 more years to continue destroying the constitution. The good news is that as he does this, more people will realize just how bad a president he is. His ratings have been falling, and I hope the trend continues. We have two more judges who are not in the best of health. John Paul Stevens(85) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg(72) have both undergone cancer treatment. I hope they remain on the bench during Bush's term. I'm optimistic about a democrat becoming president during the next election. When that happens, those two judges can retire, leaving openings for the left to fill. We need more liberals on the bench to fight the illogical stance that the bible thumpers have on today's issues.

Hurricane Katrina

2005-08-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

This image of Hurricane Katrina was stolen from NASA

This is a picture of the hurricane just before it slammed into Florida. I was lucky in that my power didn't go out. I can't live without DSL. :) There was some wind damage in the area, but nothing major. They saw a lot of damage and flooding just south of where I live.

edit (8-28-05): Katrina is now a Catagory 5 and is heading straight for New Orleans. The destruction is going to cost millions.

Rhino Skin

2005-08-26T01:35:00.000-07:00

If you listen long enough
You can hear my skin grow tough
Love is painful to the touch
Must be made of stronger stuff

You need rhino skin
To get to the end
Of the maze
Through this world

You need rhino skin
Or youre gonna give in
To the needles and the pins
The arrows of sin
The evils of men
You need rhino skin

-Tom Petty

'Nuff said

Religious Zealotry

2005-08-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

President Bush and Lance Armstong go for a bike ride.
Some of you may remember that Dubya's father said in an interview, "I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots." Look at this picture of the president enjoying his free time while hanging out with an atheist. Dad would be so proud!

During that same interview, George Sr. mentioned that he was for the separation of church and state. It is unfortunate that his son doesn't see the importance of a secular government. When our government starts to favor one or more religions, it disfavors everyone who doesn't belong to those religions. We are a nation where all men are equal, with no exceptions. How can a muslim, atheist, or pagan feel that they will be treated equally when our government favors christianity?

A common misconception is that the proponents of the separation of church and state want to rid the country of religion. This is completely untrue. We don't want any dieties in our government, but you have every right to believe whatever you want. If the U.S. government started telling its citizens that they couldn't practice religion anymore, I would be right beside you in protesting it. To sum it up, your life is yours to control, but our government belongs to all of us. We are a melting pot, let's be proud of that by not dismissing religious diversity.

The Art of Parenting

2005-08-24T00:50:00.000-07:00

We all know that politics and religion are taboo when in mixed company. A lot of people avoid them because of the differing points of view, and the passions behind those views. I want to add another topic to the list: parenting skills.

Everyone with kids has their own ideas about how to raise them. Looking at the growing number of deviant youth out there, there are a lot of parents doing a bad job. Most, if not all, of us have seen people treating their children poorly. Can we say anything to them? Of course not! "Don't tell me how to raise my kids!" "I love my kids!" They immediately get defensive, to the point of being scary, perhaps violent if you continue to push it.

Why do they think that they are an authority on good parenting skills? For most of us, the only thing we know about it is how our parents raised us. For me, I don't want to raise my kids the way my parents raised me. From what I know of my grandparents, my parents did a better job raising me than when they were raised. I want to continue that by raising my kids better than my parents raised me.

There is no reason why I have to do things the same way they did. They spanked me sometimes, but not without reason - I did things that deserved punishment. I am going to refrain from spanking, although I'm sure there will be times that I'll want to slap the shit out of someone. My parents were always supportive of me, but not very active. I would compare them with cheerleaders. I will be more then just a cheerleader. I will be a coach, a teammate, and a counselor. I'm guessing that my parents goals for me were simple. They wanted me to be a good person and not do anything that would end up with me getting killed. Two great points, but there is more to being a good parent.

My ultimate goal will be to raise them into rational, responsible adults with the confidence to pursue whatever dreams they desire. What a concept, huh? Imagine, actually raising children to be adults. Too many people 'protect' their children from social issues instead of teaching them what is wrong with the issue. Don't shelter your children, it does them no good.

Have any of you watched the nanny reality shows on TV? There is a lot to learn from them if you are willing. Of course, that is the whole point of this rant. Learn what good parenting is. Don't remain ignorant just because you think parenting is some instinctual ability. While you are at it, start learning everything about anything. The more knowledge you have, the more you can teach to your children. Help them to make their own rational decisions. Let them grow wise with age. Treat them like young adults. Don't do them an injustice by refusing to admit that you don't have all the answers.

Being Inspired

2005-08-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

If you check out my links, you will see one for Little Voice Blogs. The woman who is writing it also has a blog titled Atheist Exposed. It is a journal of her experience of coming out of the atheist closet. I recommend reading it, whether you are a theist or an atheist. She has great patience and a graceful way of saying what is on her mind. Her new blog (Little Voice) is her memoirs of childhood. After reading her posts, it inspired me to start this blog. Thank you Shirley.

I will be reflecting on my childhood, but I will also be commenting about my life now, along with issues I have opinions on. I'm going to use this blog to sort out my thoughts and opinions. By stating them publicly, I can get feedback from anyone who wants to comment. Maybe I'll learn something new, and hopefully you will, too. One day I'll have children, and I would like this blog to be a way for them to understand me. When they are about 18, I'll show them my posts, so they can understand what their father was going through while they were growing up.

The next link in the list is for JREF. That is the James Randi Educational Foundation. If you have some time, check it out. The last link is for you to understand what Objectivism is. It is the philosophy that I live by. I was surfing around the web a while ago, searching for philosophies. I read this site and realized that I fit right into the description. I didn't choose it from a list, I just found out that I had a name for my way of thinking.

What is your favorite color?

2005-08-21T23:35:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was young and someone asked me what my favorite color was. I thought it was an odd question. Why would one color be better than another? What would make blue better than orange, or green better than red? I saw no way of rating one above another, and I still don't. So, I don't have a favorite color.
I was also asked what my favorite number was. I thought this was just as silly as the color question. Not having a favorite, I just picked one at random. I have told people ever since that my favorite number is 502. It is insignificant, just like 7, 13, 0, or -10. I don't know why I remember picking this number, but I thought I would add some significance to it now. It is my identity here. I am The 502.

Blogger Spam Rant

2005-08-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

I spent about 30 minutes going through the settings on my blog. When I finished, I took a look at my page. I already had 6 comments! WHOA! I start to read them and realize they are all spam. WTF?!? I posted my email, go ahead and send spam there. Being new to blogging, I never knew about this activity. It doesn't really surprise me, but it seems a bit rude. Not only am I getting junk to read, everyone else is subject to it, too. I have deleted the comments.

The 502

Welcome to my blog

2005-08-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my corner of the net. I have been inspired to start my own blog, so here it is. I made this purely for selfish reasons. I will be ranting, reflecting, questioning, and any other -ing I desire. It will help me to put my thoughts in writing. If anyone reads this and wants to comment, I welcome it. I may have a few things to say that other people are interested in. I am very introspective, so this will be the first time many of my thoughts and feelings will be out in the open. I hope you enjoy your stay.

The 502