1. Woman - Blame devil for infant in microwave

Comment #45331 by Sir John Falstaff on May 27, 2007 at 7:48 am

I blame the devil for microwaves. I don't think I was ever satisfied with any food cooked in there... except maybe popcorn. Popcorn's pretty delicious.

2. Fortune-telling no longer in the cards in Philly

Comment #39491 by Sir John Falstaff on May 10, 2007 at 10:59 pm

"McDonalds, Exxon, and the Gap do much much more damage than all the fortune tellers in the world could ever dream of doing, not to mention priests and any other religious figures"

That was vauge, but I meant to categorize religious figures with the big business corporations (not with the fortune tellers).

3. Fortune-telling no longer in the cards in Philly

Comment #39490 by Sir John Falstaff on May 10, 2007 at 10:55 pm

Worse than the priesthood? Come on, now.

I'm not defending what fortune tellers do, I'm just defending their right to make a business if people are willing to pay (and it seems that people are). And how divisive is their influence in society anyway? Where do they stand compared to other ploys set out to scam people? It's not like they're making news all the time, have a lobby (probably not), or are on commercials. And it's not like they're forcing people into getting their cards read, or preaching from street corners on a regular basis. Hell, they're not even taken seriously by the vast majority anyway.

It seems if we want to talk about "taking advantage" and "playing with [gullible people's] emotions" then we should by targeting big business, right? McDonalds, Exxon, and the Gap do much much more damage than all the fortune tellers in the world could ever dream of doing, not to mention priests and any other religious figures (and you don't need cards to know that).

It's one thing to oppose a certain type of belief, but it's another to support crushing them out of a living. I cannot support it, especially when it is trivially harmless, and will probably create more harm for the fortune tellers than anybody else in the city. (Though I do believe that if any religious organization wants to survive, it should do so at its own expense, not the taxpayers).

And lastly, the state's actions are obviously not enforced in the name of "reason", for if that was truly the statewide campaign or trend, then fortune tellers would still be low on the list.

4. Cardinal: homosexuality a form of prostitution

Comment #39319 by Sir John Falstaff on May 10, 2007 at 10:07 am

Well it's good to know they have neo-Nazi skinheads on their side. All they need now is the Ku Klux Klan and they'll have all the credibility in the world!

5. Fortune-telling no longer in the cards in Philly

Comment #39217 by Sir John Falstaff on May 10, 2007 at 7:26 am

I agree with Russell. While I don't give a damn for that Fortune Telling nonsense, I do not think the state has the right to shut down the business; as quakery as it is, it is still a legitimately legal service that people pay for. And for everybody's scorn, remember that these people are jobless after years of comfortable work, and maybe without anything to fall back on. Where's the sympathy for godsakes (or for our sakes)?

It's one thing if they started making religious establishments pay taxes - I have no sympathy whatsoever for their exemptions - but I do feel very bad for these "gypsies" or whatever you call them, and I don't think this is a good action in the name of democracy, free-market, and whatnot.
It is quite arbitrary to decide who is allowed to con people out of their money or not, because everybody does it. If the worry is over that, they should make advertising illegal. Until then, the fortune tellers should not be punished for the hell of it.


(Plus, I live in Philly, and it's not like they're running around causing harm. Though I wonder if they read this shit in their cards!)

6. Those fanatical atheists

Comment #38064 by Sir John Falstaff on May 6, 2007 at 10:25 pm

Oh man, Paul was definitely the creative force behind Sgt. Pepper. No contest. And I agree about those ridiculous Ringo claims; I refuse to tolerate such extreme ignorance! But enough about the Beatles...

7. Atheists split on how to not believe

Comment #33931 by Sir John Falstaff on April 22, 2007 at 6:00 pm

Dr. Dawkins and Mr. Harris continually catch flack for being so "militant", as they call it. But the way I see the situation is that religion is like filth covering a pot, and if you wanna clean it off at all, you gotta start by scrubbing real hard.

The initial move is to start weakening the untouchable pillar that religion rests upon. And based on the huge response of the God Delusion - which, after all, did start a movement - Dr. Dawkin's "militant" attitude is obviously working.

Hell, the way I see it, people like Mr. Harris and Dr. Dawkins are making a sacrifice by so boldly challenging religion. It's a dangerous position to take, and I'm grateful that they do take it. And even gladder that their method has been working so well!

Where would we get with passive "challenges"? The same place we've always been... nowhere.

8. Even non-believers must recognise the moral necessity of Christianity

Comment #30680 by Sir John Falstaff on April 9, 2007 at 10:07 am

"In one respect, atheists have an easier task than theists. In order to deny the existence of God, it is only necessary to accept one proposition. Believers have to try to understand what they believe. After two Christian millennia and many libraries of theology, that task seems harder than ever. St Paul told his fellow Christians that in this world, they would only see through a glass, darkly. That is becoming increasingly true."

It is easier to follow accepted rules and conventions without thinking too much; it is harder to reject them knowing you are about to identify yourself with a hated minority group, and then seek out life's answers that are not guided by simple rules.