My Thoughts On Election Day

This morning we got up at four so we had time to drink coffee, wake up, and get to the polls early.  I thought the lines would be long and neither of us have patience for standing around waiting. Our poll is within easy walking distance.  Often, in local elections,…

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Rachel Maddow on the abhorrent new “poll tax”

Rachel Maddow is so very very right about the new "poll tax." There is now excuse why people should be standing in line for 2, 4 or 8 hours, waiting to exercise their fundamental right to vote.  Time is money, and the de facto system in place in many parts…

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Canvassers

Yesterday I needed to get out the door earlier than usual to get to work.  We have a big order due next Monday and a couple extra hours a day will see it done with time to spare.  But I do need that extra time and I don't really want…

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Naturalism is Shaping the Utilitarian Values of Our Society

This title is an incisive quote from our regular responder, Karl K. My personal and immediate response to this statement is, “Duh”. Naturalism, or the acceptance of the results and conclusions from the application of the Scientific Method, has created huge advances in the survival and comfort of all humanity. In the couple of centuries since the Enlightenment, more progress has been made toward that goal than in the previous 50 centuries under theistic ruling philosophies. There is great utility for society as a whole in following naturalistic views.

However, then Karl proceeds with the following non-sequitur:

Can I therefore assume that you would concede the point that if somebody has to die to solve some of the world’s problems it should be people like ERIK who preach religious dogma in a manner that offends you. In fact this would apply to anyone who says interpretive science needs to be knocked out of its prominent position in our secular society be they Christian, Muslim, Hindu, […]

Actually, evolutionary theories (one subset of naturalistic conclusions) prove that variety (a wide bell curve in every characteristic) is necessary to the long term survival of societies, as well as species. Only people with narrow world views advocate eliminating non-aggressive adversaries. Genocide is practiced by theists, not naturalists. Usually by theists of the newly-formed personality-cult sort as with Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot. These cult leaders claim to be scientific to the world, yet the first thing they do is purge actual scientists and …

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