Gibberish passes as theology

How do you tell the difference between gibberish and theology? The experts apparently can't. This brings to mind Daniel Dennet's quote:

The philosopher Ronaldo de Souza once memorably described philosophical theology as "intellectual tennis without a net," and I readily allow that I have indeed been assuming without comment or question up to now that the net of rational judgement was up. But we can lower it if you really want to.  
You'll have some fun reading this Sokal-style abstract for the fake article that passed muster.

Continue ReadingGibberish passes as theology

More on the drone wars

I'm sick of the undeclared drone war that the U.S. (led by President Obama) is waging against thousands people in the Middle East who have not been shown to be guilty of anything at all. Who are all these people we are killing? The Obama Administration says "Trust Us," but I don't. I'm tired of hearing the U.S. claim that these drone attacks are killing "insurgents" while more reputable sources show the bodies of civilians and children. This reckless use of drones is causing millions of people to HATE the United States. The drone wars are thus contrary to our national interest. Even if you very much prefer Obama to the insane GOP alternative this November, please speak up against the drone wars. The following cartoons were drawn by a friend of mine, Ray Gregory, who is no fan of the drone wars. -- ---------------

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New batch of quotes

I collect my quotes from many sources. When I have about a dozen favorites, I publish them at this website. This is where you'll find hundreds more of my favorites. “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” ~ Buddha "The earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses." Utah Phillips And I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.” Thomas Jefferson – May 28 1816 Letter to john Taylor. http://www.snopes.com/quotes/jefferson/banks.asp All contributions by corporations to any political committee or for any political purpose should be forbidden by law; directors should not be permitted to use stockholders' money for such purposes; and, moreover, a prohibition of this kind would be, as far as it went, an effective method of stopping the evils aimed at in corrupt practices acts. Not only should both the National and the several State Legislatures forbid any officer of a corporation from using the money of the corporation in or about any election, but they should also forbid such use of money in connection with any legislation save by the employment of counsel in public manner for distinctly legal services. Theodore Roosevelt “The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” Plato "Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand." Bodie Thoene “Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent.” ― Napoleon Bonaparte "If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." -James Madison You can safely assume that you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do. Anne Lamott “We’ve bought into the idea that education is about training and “success”, defined monetarily, rather than learning to think critically and to challenge. We should not forget that the true purpose of education is to make minds, not careers. A culture that does not grasp the vital interplay between morality and power, which mistakes management techniques for wisdom, which fails to understand that the measure of a civilization is its compassion, not its speed or ability to consume, condemns itself to death.” ― Chris Hedges, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle “Throw off your worries when you throw off your clothes at night.” ― Napoleon Bonaparte Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity. Unknown, Hanlon's Razor “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.” ― Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God Libertarianism: (noun) One who believers that oppression is best handled by the private sector. Anon "When the white man came we had the land and they had the Bible. They taught us to pray with our eyes closed and when we opened them, they had the land and we had the Bible." Jomo Kenyatta (1889 - 1978), prime minister of Kenya, “Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet. Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.” ― Napoleon Bonaparte "In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane." - Oscar Wild Science is arranging experience in the most economical way. Ernst Mach

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Leaking information to the public now appears to be a federal crime.

Glenn Greenwald comments on some disturbing information recently obtained pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request.

It seems clear that the US military now deems any leaks of classified information to constitute the capital offense of "aiding the enemy" or "communicating with the enemy" even if no information is passed directly to the "enemy" and there is no intent to aid or communicate with them. Merely informing the public about classified government activities now constitutes this capital crime because it "indirectly" informs the enemy. The implications of this theory are as obvious as they are disturbing. If someone can be charged with "aiding" or "communicating with the enemy" by virtue of leaking to WikiLeaks, then why wouldn't that same crime be committed by someone leaking classified information to any outlet: the New York Times, the Guardian, ABC News or anyone else? In other words, does this theory not inevitably and necessarily make all leaking of all classified information - whether to WikiLeaks or any media outlet - a capital offense: treason or a related crime?

Continue ReadingLeaking information to the public now appears to be a federal crime.