2011 List With A Twist

   
Time for the mandatory end of the year lists. I tried to make this list a little different than any other you may come across......

Religion Newswriters (RNA) journalists voted for the top religion stories of 2011. Let's take a look at their choices---Along with my guess at why they made the list

1) The death of Osama bin Laden, and the discussions it spurred among people of faith. The terrorist's death led to talk on forgiveness, peace, justice and retribution, according to the Religion Newswriters Association, which conducted the survey.
All discussions took place after the "Fuck you bin Laden" parties

2) The series of congressional hearings held on the civil rights of American Muslims.
Because those muslims are crafty devils, wanting equal rights and all that

3) The case of Catholic Bishop Robert Finn, of Kansas City, Mo., who was charged with failure to report the suspected abuse of a child.
Because it was the least surprising story of the year

4 ) The Catholic Church's new English translation of the Roman Missal was fourth.Because of the number of catholics that never read the old translation

5) The move by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to allow local option on ordination of partnered gay people. See civil rights above

6) Beatification of Pope John Paul II. Because he was so ugly on the inside

7) California evangelist Harold Camping's end-of-the-world predictions for 2011
Because if Harold's plan worked the Scientology people were going to to try it (Tom Cruse's idea)

8) Megachurch pastor Rob Bell's book, "Love Wins," presented a less harsh picture of hell and stirred discussion.
Example of discussion: I hear in this new hell they only jab you in the ass with a pitchfork if you get mouthy, or are an Atheist

9) Failure of the Personhood Initiative in Mississippi, designed to outlaw abortion by declaring a fetus a person.
Hey the church has to try somethin', the're getting their asses kicked out there.(trick sentence)

10) Bible translations -- the 400th anniversary of the King James Version, gender usage in the newest New International Version and completion of the Common English Bible --Because gods words were again made even easier to understand, for all the good it will do

 Since we are on the internet now it seemed appropriate to list the top visited web sites.

   Google, Facebook and Yahoo! were the three most visited web brands in 2011, according to Nielsen. The favored search engine saw more than 153.4 million unique visitors per month this year, while Facebook had 137.6 million and Yahoo had 130.1 million. Bing and YouTube rounded out the top five.

Just because it includes such a big number..

 The top government contractor in 2011 was  LockheedMartin Corp. with $17,344,113,000 worth of government contracts.

 The top careers for all you people wondering what line of work to go into after losing your job this year.

1. Career: Massage Therapist
Median Salary: $39,780

According to the U.S. Labor Dept., this field is projected to grow in demand as baby boomers age and people of all generations recognize the physical and mental health benefits associated with massage therapy.

Note:Avoid training schools that have 'happy ending' in their name

 2. Career: Athletic trainer

Median Salary: $44,020

Athletic trainer jobs are expected to grow in 2011, as employers such as universities, corporations, and pro and amateur sports teams add to their training staff, according to the Labor Dept. With all those muti-million dollar pros you are bound to get huge tips
 

3. Career: Interpreter/Translator

Median Salary: $45,700

It's a global economy, and vital connections and business deals can't happen without sophisticated interpretation and translation.And because the world would be a better place if less people felt the need to say "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"



 4. Career: Computer Support Specialist

Median Salary: $47,360

As teams go virtual and technology continues to morph, computer support specialists are already in short supply in many organizations.

Keep in mind sooner or later you will have to transfer out of the country if you want to keep your job


 5. Career: Meeting Planner

Median Salary: $48,060

If you're already the social air-traffic controller for your friends and find yourself saying, "Let's make a plan and a time line," you'll likely fit into the meeting-planning arena. Hey, it got Obama that president gig

  
6. Career: Court Reporter

Median Salary: $52,460

Surprisingly, more than 70 percent of those in the profession work outside the courtroom, according to the National Court Reporters Assn.

It's like having jury duty as a job....only you get paid for it



7. Career: Public Relations Specialist

Median Salary: $59,370

Wanted to work in media? With print publications struggling, journalism isn't the hot job field it once was, but public relations is booming, according to U.S. Labor Dept. figures. A great way for ladies to find Mr. Right and for you fellas to get laid


8. Career: Mediator

Median Salary: $63,250
Mediators are specialists in Alternative Dispute Resolution. They listen to both sides and help parties in business disputes, real estate wrangles, and other battles find common ground—and avoid court costs.

And what could beat being able to tell both sides of an argument "YOU BOTH ARE WRONG. Now shut up and do what I say"



9. Career: Film & Video Editor

Median Salary: $63,680

With YouTube now hosting more searches per day than any site save Google, the need for film and video editors is clear.

Now instead of just watching porn you can help make the magic happen.



 10. Career: Financial Analyst

Median Salary: $85,240

All organizations—government agencies, for-profit businesses, and nonprofits alike—need smart financial analysis to guide their leadership decision-making.

Did you want to be the 99% forever?



And for all you criminals, here are the top 10 pirated movies for 2011 along with the number of times it was downloaded.



1     Fast Five     9,260,000 

2     The Hangover Part II     8,840,000 

3     Thor     8,330,000 

4     Source Code     7,910,000 

5     I am Number Four     7,670,000 

6     Sucker Punch     7,200,000 

7     127 Hours     6,910,000

8     Rango     6,480,000 

9     The King's Speech     6,250,000   

10     Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2     6,030,000



 Here are the top baby names for 2011



 Rank    Male    Female    

1     Mason     Emma              

2     Liam     Olivia              

3     Noah     Sophia              

4     Ethan     Isabella              

5     Jacob     Ava              

6     Aiden     Madison              

7     Jackson Emily              

8     Logan     Ella              

9     Jack     Abigail              

10     Lucas     Chloe

And to wrap up the list of lists...the top disaster for 2011

1) 2012





Have a great 2012. Thanks to everyone who reads and supports the blog (even those of you who don't admit it)

I'll Pass On That

I'd like to post a public service announcement for all of you people out there who think you are safe, secure or smart when in reality you are none of the above.
 The FBI has come out with it's list of the most common passwords. Before I list it I'd like to tell you a couple of things.
   Anonymous has posted public information about police departments and posted credit card data from several sites including SpecialForces.com & Stratfor Global Intelligence. A local chain of  'LUCKY' supermarkets found out recently they has 'skimmers' attached to the self-checkout lanes. Lucky says at least 24 Bay area stores have been affected. I have had my ATM card 'canceled' by my bank twice in the last 6 months because of unknown reasons. All the bank would tell me is my card was 'at risk'. I'm glad they saved my card from certain harm but it still left me with an uneasy feeling.
 Times are changing and we are only going to see more of these types of behavior so please try not to make it easier for them to happen.
 I can tell you for a fact this list is pretty good. I hope my posting it will be used by the reader for good and not evil. In the meantime CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS often and don't make em obvious, like these...

 
password
123456
12345678
qwerty
abc123
monkey
1234567
letmein
trustno1
dragon
baseball
111111
iloveyou
master
sunshine
ashley
bailey
passw0rd
shadow
123123
654321
superman
qazwsx
michael
football

Violent Islam/Peacful Muslim

      

    I have been looking into Islam an Sharia Law. As I  learned about both I realized there was a deep divide among not only Atheists but among the general  population about how to consider the two subjects. I asked Dr. Laina Farhat-Holzman, a writer and historian who formerly taught World History and Islamic Civilization at Golden Gate University in San Francisco  "Do You think in this country we should be worried about Sharia Law creeping into our existing legal system?" 

   he told  me "The only danger to our legal system would be banning free speech (that is not incitement).  Muslims have a legal arm (CAIR) that tries hard, but has not succeeded in overturning free speech. The Europeans, however, particularly the  British and French,  mistakenly thought they were fighting religious oppression when they began taking people to court for maligning religion.  It was intended to fight the holocaust deniers, but is now being used to  stifle criticism against Muslims.  European courts are now revisiting this issue."

 This is not to say we shouldn't pay attention. Our legal system may fall victim to isolated attempts at implementing Sharia  Law into our existing system. Just as we deal with creationist who try to sneak their learning plan into our school system. It's just one of those battles we must keep fighting over and over in order to keep our constitution free of unneeded and/or unfair changes. When we see an example of Sharia Law being inserted into our system as an alternative to our own legal system it must be stopped.

  When we see a judge making decisions based on their own belief system instead of applying the existing law, we must speak out against it. The biggest problem I have with Sharia Law is it combines two of the things I wholeheartedly believe should be kept separate for everyone's good. It combines religion and law into one and uses it to govern the people. As we all know this practice tends to result in unfair punishment and it often ignores the truth just as religion ignores the truth about itself. I have often wondered how believers would like it if we had a court system that was based on the same logic they use when considering religion. Sharia Law is that system and I don't want the lesson to be learned by example in the USA.

  Part 2

   Islam often called the peaceful religion. The problem is not everyone who follows this religion is peaceful. Someone tried to convince me that I was mistaken by questioning the peacefulness of Muslims. "Look at the Westboro Baptist Church. How do you think they look to people in the middle east?" 

  I would hope they look like radicals, and I would hope that they would also look like a dozen radicals, because that is what they are. A dozen people who follow the word of the bible closer than most any others. The example made me laugh out loud. It shows there are extremists in any religion, that's about it. When the number of extremists reaches the number we see in Islam I think it is fair to make certain assumptions. A friend of mine recently made a statement against Islam. He was then bombarded by Atheists who condemned him for labeling all Muslims. (the word 'muslim' was not in the statement)  Then as the comments went on he was criticized for calling all Muslims 'terrorists'. 

  I've seen this happen too many times. The intelligent Atheist turned into a blabbering moron because they make assumptions or just plain outright put words in another person's mouth. Then they proceed to rip into that person for what they claim was said. Why this happens I do not know but it is pathetic, annoying, and a complete waste of time. Instead of any discussion the author has to waste time explaining what should be obvious if people would only read the original post without twisting it like a pretzel and then bitching because they don't like the shape of it.

  The point I am making is Islam can be described as a violent religion, that is not incorrect. I think it needs to be realized that there are far more active violent Muslims than Christians and the level of their violence is alarming to me. I would think for anyone to say Islam is a peaceful religion without at the same time pointing out the violence which also stems from it is irresponsible. Just calling it peaceful and ignoring the reality is not going to change anything, it must be realized that almost daily people are blowing themselves up in order to kill others.

   Even if the fundamentalist Christians were to get into power  I doubt we would see anything like Sharia Law (at first anyways) Christians aren't saying rape and slavery are okay because the bible condones it. Radical Muslims say their violent laws are orders from their holy book and should not be questioned. Sharia law is only supposed to be applied to Muslims but how many times have we seen that not to be the case? Should we refrain from calling Cancer a deadly disease because not everyone dies from it? 

  Yes Muslims in the United States tend towards peaceful practice of their religion it would be irresponsible of me not to concede that point but we must understand there is another side to Islam and it is not peaceful, it is dangerous. It also has, by it's own admission, a desire to eliminate those who oppose them. That is a fact, we can not, and should not get angry just because someone points out the ugly side of truth.

 I don't see any reasonable person claiming anything that applies to an entire group except those people who want to dumb themselves down and make assumptions. Do we need to point out nothing is absolute after everything we say?

     Before I end I would like to address Atheists who dislike outspoken Atheists because they are "are no better than fundamentalist Christians"  getting into people's faces and demanding they are correct. There is a huge difference between the two. As long as outspoken Atheists base their arguments on things which are PROVEN TO BE TRUE they are NOTHING like the fundamentalist expecting you to just "have faith". So please stop trying to equate the two it's a lame attempt to insult people just because they don't do things the way you would. It doesn't make them wrong, it makes them different.  

  If an Atheist wants people to believe there is no possibility of any type of god,claims to know this for a fact, and expects everyone to think the same way, then they are arrogant and stupid. It still doesn't make them like a fundamentalist Christian. Our intelligence and our argument comes from realizing and admitting what we do not know and then working towards answers without any magical explanations.I hope that explains things.

What Did You Say?

Too much seriousness lately. I thought I'd provide you with some wit and or sarcasm. A few of these are mine and the rest I just came across at various places. I gave no credit to anyone for any of them to keep it fair.

1. Fiction writing is great, you can make up almost anything.
2. I couldn't repair your brakes, so I just made your horn louder.
3. The following statement is true. The previous statement is false.
4. If you’re one in a million, there are seven thousand people exactly like you.
5. I see you are playing stupid.! Looks like you’re winning.
6. Don’t be humble. You’re not that great.
7. I feel so miserable without you, it’s almost like having you here.
8. I don’t hate you… I just don’t appreciate your existence.
9. My lack of attention seems to be your fault.
10. He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.
11. I still miss my ex – But my aim is getting better 
12. If you’re too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
13. Beware the fury of a patient man.
14. Intelligence is key and you are locked out.
15. Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.
16. You’re unique just like everyone else!
17. Someone who thinks logically, provides a nice contrast to the real world.
18. You’re so ugly that when you cry, the tears roll down the back of your head….just to avoid your face.
19. People like you make me want to learn boxing
20. Tact is for people not witty enough to be sarcastic.
21. Nothing is more discouraging than unappreciated sarcasm.
22. I’m sorry I was talking, while you were interrupting me.
23. Sarcasm (n.) – the ability to insult idiots without them realizing it
24. Sometimes I need what only you can provide: your absence.
25. You have a very strong grasp of the obvious.
26. There is a strong need for a sarcasm font.
27. No, you don’t have to repeat yourself, … I was ignoring you the first time.
28. Your silence echos your thoughts.
29. Sarcasm helps keep you from telling people what you really think of them.
30. A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
31. I don’t know what makes you so dumb but it really works.
32. Anybody who told you to be yourself simply couldn't have given you worse advice…
33. I’m sorry, I’m a little busy. Can I ignore you later?
34. I’d agree with you, but then we’d both be wrong.
35. Do you want me to accept you as you are or do you want me to like you?
36. Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort today?
37. You can’t fix stupid.
38. Sure, I've seen people like you before – but I had to pay an admission.
39. If you took an IQ test, the results would be negative.
40. The most effective comeback to an insult is silence.
41. Brains aren't everything. In fact in your case they’re nothing.
42. Everyone has a photographic memory… some just don’t have film.
43. I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.
44. Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go
45. I won’t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.
46. Even rabbits insult an dead lion.
47. You aren't a complete idiot, some pieces are missing
48. An alcoholic is someone you don’t like who drinks as much as you do.
49. There are two insults no human being will endure: that he has no sense of humor, and that he has never known trouble.
50. When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.
51. An injury is much sooner forgotten than an insult.
52. A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts.
53. A graceful taunt is worth a thousand insults.
54. Instead of being born again why don't you just grow up?
55. You're the reason we have a middle finger
56. All the sex you've had made you an expert, now all you need is a partner
57. The overwhelming power of the sex drive was demonstrated by the fact that someone was willing to father you. 
58. When you talk, other people get hoarse just listening. 
59. If ignorance is bliss you must be multi-orgasmic
60. Are you always an idiot, or just when I'm around? 
61. You make me believe in reincarnation. Nobody can be as stupid as you in one lifetime. 
62. I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.
63. A closed mouth gathers no foot

God- version a.123abc

     Atheists and believers have a habit of equating religion with god, and that is not accurate. If you are going to consider god then you need to be specific in defining the term. People often tell me I hate god. I can't hate what isn't there. What I hate is the idea of god created by religion.  When people say you can't know god they are correct. No one can know god because we have no evidence god even exists. What religion does is present an artist's rendering of god.
   It would be like me asking you to draw me a picture of the 3rd planet from the star I was pointing at in the night sky. You would know only the very basics. It is a planet,so it is probably round. What else would you know? Nothing. You wouldn't even know for sure if there is a third planet orbiting that star. So it would be impossible to go any further and know you were correct. 
  You could go into detail and claim it has one large ocean. It also has creatures that can live both on land and breath underwater. The trees grow to the height of skyscrapers. you could say the days last a month and the sun is the color green in the sky. You could claim anything you want, the most important things to remember are all the attributes you give this planet would come from what you know about living on earth and they are all made up, you couldn't even call them educated guesses.
  The bible stories are the science fiction stories of that time. These days we have Star Wars. Back then they had angels, beasts with multiple heads, turning water into wine and knocking women up with out having intercourse. The authors of the bible were The Steven Speilburgs and George Lucas' of their time.When they imagined the end of times they thought of famine, disease, hordes of locus covering the land, and earthquakes. Those were the things that were scary to them. Those were the things that they had night mares about. If you were to write about what was going to happen during the rapture would you say a horde of locus is going to swarm across America and eat us? Probably not. It would be more like the earth is going to have climate change and turn into an uninhabitable sphere of floating ice, if you were the scientific type. The younger generation might say the internet will become sentient and enslave humanity.  The bible is science fiction before science had had a chance to catch up. Now science has passed up religion and is well on its way to destroying it all together accept for the sentimental few who just can't give up the old ways. (see people who still use record players, or commodore 64 enthusiasts)
   I think Atheists have been going about it the wrong way for the most part (from what I've seen) We shouldn't be debating if a god (or gods) exist, we should be discussing it. There is no way for us to know one way or the other. If people want to believe in god they should realize they must believe in something created from no actual knowledge except that it is the he/she/it/them that created the universe. That's all, you can not give any other characteristics because they are unknown.
This is where religion comes in and this is where we need to concentrate our efforts. We need to make sure believers know we do not consider god and religion as the same thing, they are not interchangeable. They define god according to their bible,book or imagination . We don't define god the same way. I think many if not most Atheists do not consider this when speaking to or debating believers. I'm sure most know what I'm talking about though, they just dont use the argument against believers. It would give people a far different impression if Atheists were to say "You know I'm not sure, there could be a god." which any reasonable person would have to admit simply because we don't know everything. You can claim to know there is no possibility of a god no matter what. If you do believe this then please stay away from me because I can't stand stupid people who think they know everything and feel the need to show it off, they annoy the hell out of me. you can't even explain to them why you think they suck cause there is no way for the concept to break through the stupid.
 
     A believer will be more open to discussion if you find some common ground. Tell the you can not completely dismiss the possibility of some type of creator.Then you can make them own their god who in most cases is a bi-polar dick. The reason he is a dick is because mankind as a whole is a bi-polar dick too. Maybe you should refrain from calling their god bi-polar or a dick (use your judgment) but most religious people who are intelligent will admit there are aspects of their religions god they are not quite sure of. Bring up the way their god allows so many people to starve to death. Do those people deserve that terrible suffering? Why would a god as described in their bible do that? To say god's it's god's plan doesn't make any sense couldn't god have found another more humane way to kill people if he must kill them? The bible itself is a contradiction why would god allow it to be so vague? If we go after the man made version of god and cause people to question it using common sense it may work better than simply walking up and saying "I'm an Atheist, there is no god" that tends to shut down any further constructive discussion. This isn't a show of uncertainty or a weakening of position, it is a way of smarter interaction with believers. Not everyone is going to be able to pull it off and it isn't a silver bullet but it may work better than what we are doing now.
 The last piece of advice- Never get into a debate with anyone as to whether god exists or not. You can't win because, like I said it is unknowable at this point. Make sure you know what god you are debating about. Once you lock the person on the religious side into a certain man made version of god you can easily come out on top using common sense.

  I'd like to thank Frank Apisa for the inspiration and assistance in forming these thoughts without laying any of the blame for them upon him

You Atheist Dimwits....

Here's an article that I stumbled upon from catholiclane.com-

You Whiny Sniveling Little Atheists Are Pathetic!

by Mary Kochan on Dec 13, 2011 

       

Okay, so here is the story:

In Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. v. Brewer, (D AZ, Dec. 12, 2011), an Arizona federal district court dismissed an Establishment Clause challenge to the Arizona governor’s proclaiming a “Day of Prayer.”  The court held that plaintiffs lacked standing because they were not injured by the governor’s proclamation, saying:

Plaintiffs provide affidavits to establish they turned off the television and altered conversational habits to avoid the topic of religion or the day of prayer….  Plaintiffs, however, do not explain why their alleged injury is different than injuries in other Establishment Clause cases in which the plaintiffs did not have standing, such as the President’s day of prayer proclamation. Essentially, Plaintiffs seek a ruling obliquely holding that injury sufficient to confer standing exists under the Establishment Clause where government action is covered in the news or the subject of a social conversation. The Court declines to depart from Establishment Clause case law on this ground. Plaintiffs have not shown injury beyond “stigmatic injury” or feeling like an “outsider.”

The East Valley Tribune reports a few more details on the decision and reactions to it:

“Gov. Brewer’s proclamations proclaim a day of prayer, and one proclamation encourages all citizens to pray for God’s blessings on our state and nation,” the judge acknowledged.
“Though ‘encouraged,’ no one, including plaintiffs, is obligated to pray,” Silver wrote. “Nor are plaintiffs forced to alter their physical routine or bear a monetary expense to avoid a religious symbol.”
At best, the judge said, those challenging the governor’s actions have incurred a “stigmatic injury” or “feeling like an outsider.” None of that, said Silver, gives them the right to sue.
Attorney Marc Victor said his clients are weighing whether to seek review from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals or file a new lawsuit in state court. He said there are similar requirements to separate church and state in the Arizona Constitution.
In a prepared statement Brewer praised the court, calling the lawsuit “a futile attempt to stifle an American right and tradition.”
“Citizens of every race, background and creed have been coming together in voluntary prayer since our nation’s founding, and will continue to do so against this organization’s best efforts,” the governor said.
Press aide Matthew Benson acknowledged that not everyone believes in prayer. But he said that does not mean his boss is doing anything unconstitutional.

Let’s get this straight.  The atheists are suing because they had to turn off the television to avoid the topic of religion or news announcements about the Day of Prayer.  They had to alter their conversation to avoid the topic of religion. This made them feel like “outsiders”.

Oh, boo hoo.

You whiny, sniveling, little, pusillanimous cowards.  You have the audacity to tell us Christians that we are “weak” and that our religion is a “crutch.”  You are supposed to be so “courageous”, venturing forth boldly into the existential mystery of being alone, facing with stoicism the nothingness that awaits you at death, priding yourself on your realism and self-reliance. You are a bunch of feeble fakers.

This picture obviously proves the United States was founded a christian nation...see the flag with the bible? duh!

Yes, you are outsiders. Go start your own damn country.  This one was started by Christians, you puerile dimwits. It is Christians who established and largely Christians who fought and died to maintain the freedoms you enjoy. And Christians are still the majority. Apparently your vaulted belief system doesn’t equip you to handle being in the minority. That’s interesting, isn’t it? After all, this was and is a societal situation valiantly handled by millions and millions of Christians who suffered — and currently suffer — real oppression, violence, torture, economic deprivation, and cruel deaths.  But you have to go through turning off the TV once in a while and so your precious puny feelings are hurt. How delicate and frail your mental architecture is!

You are a pitiful joke. Trembling over the mere mention of God. Running like babies to court because of your brittle feelings. “Oh, but judge, but judge, I saw a cross and I just can’t stand it.”  “I heard someone say ‘Merry Christmas’ and it hurt my feelings.”  “I just can’t sleep knowing there is a manger scene at the courthouse.”  “The sight of the Ten Commandments makes me wet my pants.” Now we see how inadequate and feeble you really are. Rage, therapists say, is the flip side of helplessness. And so we see your rage against religion in the public square for what it is: a product of your own insubstantial internal resources. Go look at yourself in the mirror if you can bear the pathetic, contemptible sight of yourself. Our merest martyr shows you to be a wimp – fourteen-year-old Kizito of Uganda singing hymns while being burned alive. But you, you anemic, lily-livered worms – you quail at pushing the off button on the remote! Hah!

First I'd like to address the last portion of the article. The burning of Kizito is a perfect example of why Atheists don't want to see or read anything about religion. If you think about it just a little maybe you would realize that whole scene was caused by one factor, religion. So Mary is giving an example of  the atrocities committed in the name of religion as a defense against attacks from Atheists? Seems an odd way to make your point.....unless your a Catholic I guess since Mary seems quite okay with it. 
 I'm glad we Atheists don't have a  martyr like Kizito the reason we don't is because we don't do any killing in the name of Atheism.
   Atheists aren't interested in a violent movement to eradicate Christians or anybody else. People like Mary Kochan think in those terms though, that's how she thinks things should be. Mary doesn't decry the violence that resulted in Kizitos death in the name of religion, she basks in the glory of having someone of her faith sing songs about a god who wouldn't spare his young life. Instead of saving the life of Kizito from being taken in the name of religion his god allowed him to be burned alive. I wonder if Mary Kochan can even begin to grasp the way it feels to be burned to death.
  To make a couple more points about Mary's little temper tantrum. (see: hello pot, this is kettle...you are black)She places a blanket around all Atheists. We all are whiny, sniveling, pusillanimous, cowardly, dimwitted , wimpy, anemic, lily-livered worms, and a bunch of feeble fakers. I won't judge all Catholics as childish and feeble minded because of  Mary's ability to regress back to the maturity level of a 7 year old, or maybe she never matured past that point there is no way for me to know for sure.
  What I can say for sure is Mary Kochan knows very little about the founding fathers. I almost feel sorry for her because it's always kind of sad to see an ignorant person who thinks they are smart mock others by using incorrect information.  Reading Mary's claim about the United States being founded as a Christian nation is like watching a child prove he has super-human strength by bending a wire coat hanger. The child doesn't gasp the concept yet, neither does Mary.
  Mary Kochan also manages to give us a clear look at how she thinks and what she would say to Atheists if she is ever elected to be Jesus-
     Get out of the country. Yep, that's right, you ain't Christian you ain't shit. You all can stay as long as you STFU and allow us Christians to do as we damn well please. You have a problem with us mixing religion with government? Get the hell out! We all know there is nothing in the constitution keeping Christianity out of government!  Now shut up and quit whining about your place in this country, your place is in HELL sinner! you should be thanking us Christians you are even free to let us do what we want. WE FOUGHT AND DIED FOR YOUR FREEDOM TO LET US HAVE OUR WAY, you ingrates.

    Even now we suffer REAL oppression, violence, torture, economic deprivation, and cruel deaths. Why can't you give us Christians a break? We only make up a majority of the country and everyone knows the majority  has almost no chance of being treated fairly. You Atheists dare complain about our tendency to believe in things that can in no way be tested as to their validity? HOW DARE YOU MOCK OUR RIGHT TO BUILD A COUNTRY BASED ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS THAT ARE  SUBJECT TO INDIVIDUAL INTERPRETATION WHICH CAN DIFFER DRAMATICALLY  DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ASK....HOW ...DARE..... YOU!

  You heard Mary you bunch of sniveling worms the Christians aren't going to take it anymore. They are going to take it to the next level....dodge ball on the playground at high noon or are ya a bunch a lily-livered poo-poo heads?
 
 

A Judge, a Muslim, and an Atheist

    

Mechanicsburg PA

    Here's what we have- A guy named Ernest who dressed as the prophet mohammed on Halloween, a zombie mohammed to be specific with a sign around his neck that read 'Mohammed of Islam' . Along with him you have other characters like the pope. It's a parody of religion being performed by an Atheist group  in PA. Some of you uptight people out there can save your criticism of the costumes. It's Halloween and if you are gonna get upset about the types of costumes people are wearing there are far worse than these, go complain about them somewhere.If you watch the video below you can see there was an altercation. As the video states a report was taken and as a result charges were filed. 

   The case came to trial. There are a couple of questionable tactics used by the defense but what would you expect, the guy is trying to get out of going to jail. There really is no question that there was an altercation. the man who had approached Ernest told an officer the evening he had put his hands on Ernest. At trial the officer testified to that fact and Ernest told the same version of events the defendant however testified at trial he did not put his hands on anyone. When the defendant was asked whether he was lying then or telling the truth at trial he responded that he was telling  the truth at trial and the  testimony of the officer and Ernest were falsehoods. The defendant is an immigrant and had come to the parade with his family. When he saw the costume it shocked him because he had never seen mohammed represented in such a way. 

     The defendant also testifies that his 9 year old son was looking at him and he felt he needed to do something in order to show his son he would fight for his prophet. The defendant also says "he is not allowed to do that" referring to Earnest wearing the Mohammed costume. He said he approached Earnest and told him to "stop it, you can't do that" and then called police because he thought making fun of Mohammed was a crime. Earnest had no way of knowing what the attackers intent was when he was approached. It would not be unreasonable to assume the man was intent on harming Ernest.at the time. 

   It seems after the testimony the man was simply trying to stop Ernest from making fun of Mohammed, he was trying to defend his god much like a Christian would try to rip away a sign that had a picture of jesus dressed as a nazi. It is also clear the attacker was ignorant of the law in this country. Ignorance of the law is no excuse but you can see how the guy would act out the way he did, he thought a crime was being committed. The Judge Mark Martin, who also happens to be a Muslim (a fact which was unknown until Judge Martin states it in his decision) finds for the defendant.

  Here is the judges ruling-

         Having had the benefit of having spent over 2 and a half years in predominantly Muslim countries I think I know a little bit about the faith of Islam. In fact I have a copy of the Koran here and I challenge you sir to show me where it says in the Koran that Mohammad arose and walked among the dead. I think you misinterpreted things. Before you start mocking someone else's religion you may want to find out a little bit more about it it makes you look like a dufus and Mr ---- is correct. In many Arabic speaking countries something like this is definitely against the law there. In their society in fact it can be punishable by death and it frequently is in their society. 
   Here in our society we have the constitution that gives us many rights specifically first amendment rights. It's unfortunate that some people use the first amendment to deliberately provoke others. I don't think that's what the forefathers really intended I think our forefathers intended that we use the first amendment so that we speak with our mind not to piss off other people and other cultures which is what you did. I don't think you are aware sir there's a big difference between how Americans practice Christianity. I understand you are an Atheist, but see, Islam is not just a religion, it's their culture, their culture. It's their very essence their very being. They pray five times a day towards Mecca to be a good Muslim, before you die you have to make a pilgrimage to Mecca unless you are otherwise told you can not because you are too ill too elderly, whatever but you must make the attempt. Their greetings wa-laikum as-Salâm (is answered by voice) may god be with you.Whenever, it's very common when speaking to each other it's very common for them to say uh this will happen it's it they are so immersed in it. 
     Then what you have done is you have completely trashed their essence, their being. They find it very very very offensive. I'm a Muslim, I find it offensive. But you have that right, but you're way outside your boundaries or first amendment rights. This is what, and I said I spent about 7 and a half years living in other countries. when we go to other countries it's not uncommon for people to refer to us as ugly Americans this is why we are referred to as ugly Americans, because we are so concerned about our own rights we don't care about other people's rights as long as we get our say but we don't care about the other people's say....     
      All that aside I've got here basically.. I don't want to say he said she said but I've got two sides of the story that are...in conflict with each other. I understand and I've been in the Halloween parade I understand how noise can be how difficult it can be to get a pulpit I can't believe that if there was this kind of conflict goin on in the middle of the street that somebody didn't step forward sooner to try and intervene or that the police officer on the bicycle didn't stop and say "Hey let's break this up" Put your hand down sir you are not a witness (it was in fact a witness) (long pause) The preponderance of, excuse me, the burden of proof. It must be proven that the defendant did with the intent to harass annoy or alarm another person whether there's conflict or not and yes he shouldn't be putting his hands on you. I don't know, I have your story that he did and I have his story that he did not but another part of the element is as Mr __ said was was the defendants intent to harass annoy or alarm or was his intent to try and have the offensive situation negated? If his intent was to harass annoy or alarm I think there would have been a little bit more of an altercation and something more substantial as far as testimony goin on if there was a conflict. Because there is not he has not proven to me beyond a reasonable doubt that this defendant is guilty of harassment therefore I am going to dismiss the charge



     Now this is where the case troubles me. The defendant is teaching his children it is okay to confront a person who is mocking their prophet in some way, the defendant feels it is his duty as a Muslim. The judge only mentions in passing that the defendant should not put his hands on anyone and that isn't even directed to the defendant. It seems it would be a bit more responsible of the judge to at least inform the defendant that he needs to become familiar with this country's laws and it is not acceptable to put your hands on another person in such a manner in order to prevent any other such incidents in the future.The judge does nothing, not a word about that, instead his decision is more like a sermon on the Muslim faith.
   I don't know why Judge Martin felt he needed to preach about Islam and inform everyone how much time he has spent in other countries, it's almost as if he felt a need to impress someone as to how strongly he embraces Islam even pointing out that he keeps a copy of the Koran at the bench.
    Judge Mark Martin goes on droning about Islam and how no one is allowed to poke fun at Mohammed because it offends a Muslim's "very being". I guess Judge Martin thinks any speech that offends people should not be protected. He says the first amendment does not allow anyone " to piss off other people and other cultures" When you hold a sign that says abortion should be legal you are offending Catholics I guess that isn't allowed either.And Islam gets a special pass because it is part of a culture? I have news for the judge, just about every religion is considered by the people who practice it as part of their culture. He also indicates he believes that Muslims are more devout in their beliefs than Christians when he says " there's a big difference between how Americans practice Christianity" and  how Islam is practiced.
  I wonder how this would go over with some of the Christians who have Judge Martin presiding over their case.
  Judge Mark Martin also feels the need to inform everyone that he too is insulted by Ernest's portrayal of Mohammed and the sign he carries. I don't know why a judge would feel the need to do such a thing. Did he feel it had some importance to the case? The only effect I could see it having is to indicate that Judge Martin is biased. He should have allowed another judge to take the case and is too stupid to keep his mouth shut.
  I would think that as soon as the judge knew it was a case involving a religious issue on Islam he would excuse himself from it just to make sure it was a fair trial. Not only did he not do that but he went out of his way to do just the opposite. All judge Martin needed to do was keep his big mouth shut and rule based on the law and a little common sense.
  Judge Martin even has the nerve to say that people like Ernest are the reason other countries refer to us as "ugly Americans" That's right, we are called ugly because we don't consider the rights of other people when exercising our own rights. People in other countries are pissed off about this fact and they are calling us names over it. The reason people in other countries call us ugly is not because we value our rights more than we value those of others. There are various reasons for this such as our tendency to become familiar with people too quickly and being too straightforward. Again more commentary that was needless and also incorrect. I can only assume that Judge Martin was blaming Ernest for making us all look ugly because of his bias.
  The judge then goes on to say he can't be sure who is telling the truth. An officer testified that the defendant said he had contact with Ernest the night of the conflict. When is the last time any of you heard a judge go against the testimony of an officer who was at the scene? I'll bet it is not very often if ever. Yet here judge Martin basically says the officer didn't give an accurate account or doesn't give it any weight.

   There is not any indication the judge even looked at the video footage. I can't believe that he watched it and still worded the decision as he did, saying it was "his word against your word" It's not a real complicated case. What possible reason could there be for the judge not to at least watch the video footage? The defense did go to Ernest's YouTube account to try and show he was biased against the defendant. Even pointing out comments that had been made on the video of the attack.
   At one point the judge tells someone to put his hand down because he "is not a witness". The person is Carl from the video. Carl was obviously standing right there. Of course the judge wouldn't know this if he didn't watch the video, but why wouldn't he at least consider any testimony and then decide if it was relevant?
   Once again considering the judge is a Muslim, there could be a question of his neutrality. There is definitely a question as to his intelligence when considering how to present his ruling.
  Do I think the defendant should be put in jail? No. But I do think he should have been instructed to learn about the laws in this country because that is the way it works for everyone else. Try claiming ignorance of the law in court sometime. About the only time this will work is in Mark Martin's courtroom if you are Muslim Do I think this case was fair? No. I don't think Ernest deserved to be made the the bad guy for expressing his freedom by wearing a zombie costume of Mohammed on Halloween. Like I said there are far more tasteless costumes worn on that  holiday that could be considered offensive. I don't think anyone should be putting any laws into place dictating what you can wear on Halloween. I think Ernest was subject to a meaningless lecture about Judge Martin's travels, his religion, and what he sees when he imagines he is Benjamin Franklin. I doubt Judge Martin's rambling had any effect on Ernest's opinion of Islam accept to prove it also causes people to be biased in some cases.  I think this case is a perfect example of how religion has an effect on how justice is served. Judge Mark Martin himself gives us the perfect example. It's fine if people want to have a 'personal religious belief' but as soon as you start talking (in this case almost bragging) about it in a public forum it is no longer a personal belief. I think maybe Mark Martin needs to learn a little about how justice should be blind before he tries to provide it to people wrapped in Islam   

Peter Popoff-The Prophet of Profit

Peter Popoff was proven to be a fraud years ago by James Randi. Peter went into hiding after the truth came out about him. He's been back for a while with a new scam. He can be seen on infomercials on BET and several other stations that value money over credibility and dignity. There are many people who have been telling the true story about Peter Popoff and his scams, I thought another example may help spread the word of Peter Popoff as the con-man he is. I have also written to any network I see Peter appear on and let them know exactly what kind of person they are supporting by allowing him to use their airwaves and to let them know people are paying attention. If this stops even one person from falling into Peter Popoff's trap then it was time well spent.  Screw you Peter Popoff, you are a dickhead

In Atheists We Miss Trust

 

Here's an article discussing a study on Atheists and the amount of trust people have in them

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/30/study-explores-distrust-o_n_1120869.html

       Bigotry, in my opinion is caused by several preconceived notions, or to put it simply, ignorance.
  The article states " While reasons behind antagonism toward atheists have not been fully explored the study is among the first explorations of the social psychological processes underlying anti-atheist sentiments." and then grasps on to this issue of trust and rockets it to the top of the list of things Atheists need to worry about. Lack trust is a result of bigotry ad the bigotry is caused by ignorance.

IGNORANCE

: the state or fact of being ignorant : lack of knowledge, education, or awareness

 Most people don't know any Atheists or at least they don't think they do. If someone is a bigot against gays, it's usually because they don't know any gay people. As homosexuals have become more open, the acceptance of them has grown. When your kids teacher is doing a great job motivating the children and half way into the school year you find out he is gay it's going to be more difficult to say gays can't teach. Of course there are going to be some who would say that still but you can't fix stupid.
THAT is the reason we need to be vocal and we need others to at least be open about their lack of beliefs in god or more importantly, in the failure of religion to stand up to reasonable questions about it's validity. While I do not believe in a god or gods I feel it is more important that we focus on how silly religion is. It's a much more simple argument to prove. Once you get people to question the beliefs they hold just because their mother and father said so or because it makes them feel good by putting it  to a very basic examination then they will look to other belief systems. Since all belief systems are basically built from the same type of shaky foundation and stem from fantastic stories you end up with an Agnostic which eventually (from my experience)  will lead a person to Atheism. This depends on the person caring enough to go that far, many people simply don't care enough about religion and I don't think those people are ones we need to worry about forcing religion into our personal lives or government.
  When we proclaim "There is no god!" we take something that people feel gives their lives meaning and try to crush it. We need them to think about the meaning being a different one than they currently believe in. Once you get people thinking they won't stop....I think.