1. The Out Campaign

Comment #60405 by Harlon57 on August 1, 2007 at 7:27 pm

I purchased my OUT shirt this evening. I can't wait to wear it to the mall.

2. Hamas Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony

Comment #47518 by Harlon57 on June 4, 2007 at 8:11 pm

Axulus.

Do we really want to start jailing people for their thoughts and beliefs?

Who decides which thoughts and beliefs are acceptable? You? The government?

Better that we do our best to use powers of persuasion than resort to thought police.

3. The Blairs' Witch Project

Comment #45573 by Harlon57 on May 28, 2007 at 8:57 am

pewkatchoo,
Thank you for clearing that up for me.
What was I thinking, of course a man who is into new age whackery as well as mainstream religion must be "much more intelligent" than Bush. Are you compelled to find a way to feel superior. How sad. It begins to seem as though there is some sort of envy at work.

I love the fact that you, with your degree in psychiatry but no chance at first hand analysis, figured that Blair is a congenital liar who has now completely confused his self with his own lies. Making unsubstantiated claims seems to come easily for you.

4. The Blairs' Witch Project

Comment #45434 by Harlon57 on May 27, 2007 at 6:14 pm

apparently, Blair is crazier than Bush. This must upset all the U.S. haters on these pages.

5. Importing a slave class

Comment #44914 by Harlon57 on May 25, 2007 at 2:55 pm

Robert.

That is completely revisionist history. The Republicans were the conservative party even back in the time of Lincoln.

Even the Democrat leaders of today don't try to argue that point. They just say that the tides have turned and that they are now the supporters of the downtrodden.

6. Intellectual Diversity or Intellectual Insult?

Comment #39017 by Harlon57 on May 9, 2007 at 6:35 pm

Lauregon,

I'm not conservative. I was mentioning what happened to those who held different views.

Are you so arrogant as to suppose that only liberal views are correct and the only views to be taught?

When discussing history, one cannot escape the reality of differing views being predominant at different times. Conservatives should not be mocked for their views.

Teach, don't mock.

7. Intellectual Diversity or Intellectual Insult?

Comment #39000 by Harlon57 on May 9, 2007 at 5:55 pm

Bonzai. You said "That is because a lot of conservatives are whinny, obnoxious idiots. Dinesh DeSousa anyone?"

Does that mean that liberals prove their point with ad hominem attacks, such as yours?

By the way, whinny? Nicely done.

8. Intellectual Diversity or Intellectual Insult?

Comment #38972 by Harlon57 on May 9, 2007 at 4:45 pm

I think there is more to this than the fear of religion being foisted on education.

When I was going to college, any class that discussed politics was openly hostile to conservative classmates. Even the professors would make disparaging remarks about the conservatives.

There has been talk of this for years. This is the backlash.

9. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38677 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 11:26 pm

Bonzai, you loosely toss out statements.

You say "Dresden was a war crime". I don't recall reading about any war crime tribunals vis' a vis' the allied fire bombing of Dresden.

Face it. You don't have the stomach for war.

That's why it is left for serious men to execute.

No pussy's allowed.

10. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38674 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 11:18 pm

How about McArthur. After WWII, he wanted us to head into Russia to avert what went on to be a 25 year cold war.

Eisenhower did an admirable job administering the war in Europe, but he was not a strong president.

11. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38672 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 11:08 pm

Bonzai. You speak of rationality and genocide.

In WWII, the belligerents would have loved to have you petition our side with your liberal crap.

They would have in their delight continued to slaughter everyone in their path while you spoke of appeasement.

Oh Please, can't we just all get along?!?

Ridiculous. This is why war is left to men, not wimps.

12. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38669 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 10:56 pm

Bonzai.

When the allies bombed Dresden, was it moral or immoral?

The only way to win in war is to completely eliminate the desire for continued belligerence from the enemy.

13. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38664 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 10:47 pm

That does not refute my point.

Reason needs to prevail, particularly in the face of dogmatic religion.

14. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38660 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 10:41 pm

Bonzai.

There is no question that the vast majoriyt of books written about the topic support the contention that the bombing of japan saved millions of battle deaths.

There are only a few authors who contend that japan had already given up. That contention is completely unsupported by the facts.

Please provide your facts that the Japanese had conceded and that the war was over prior to the bombings.

15. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38657 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 10:33 pm

Catchy Nick.

Regardless of your opinion, the vast majority of historians believe that bombing Japan saved millions of lives.

The aggressors got their asses kicked, and it caused them to cease and desist.

16. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38655 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 10:30 pm

Bonzai. I can understand the attacks on 9/11 as the only way they could make an impact on us.

That only causes us to need to annihilate them in response.

There is no way to reason with people who believe based on faith. You must wipe them out, or they will attempt to wipe you out.

17. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38649 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 10:23 pm

Catchy Nick.

Regardless of your opinion, the vast majority of historians believe that bombing Japan saved millions of lives.

The aggressors got their asses kicked, and it caused them to cease and desist.

18. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38646 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 10:18 pm

Catchy Nick. I guess all the historians who have proven that the war with japan would have continued unabated killing millions without the bombings are wrong, and you sitting in your bedroom are right.

Just because you wish things to be so, does not make them so.

19. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38642 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 10:06 pm

filthyatheist.

You said "War is horrible. But this war in Iraq is horrible, illegal, unnecessary and immoral.?

It is your opinion that this war is illegal. Legality is a term with specific meaning. There is no court in the world that has tried and convicted the U.S. nor the current U.S. administration for crimes related to this war.

It is your opinion that this war is unnecessary.
It is your opinion that this war is immoral.

During WWII, there were many who said the carpet bombing of entire german and japanese cities was immoral.

In the final analysis, the only way to stop that war was to ensure that support for those who were our enemies was completely annihilated.

20. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38631 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 9:00 pm

Filthyatheist.

In WWII, The german people lost their will to fight because we bombed them into submission.

The japanese people and their leaders lost their will to fight, not because of the thousands of soldiers on both sides who fought and died in the tiny islands leading to japan, but because we bombed their people into submission.

War is horrible. But sometimes necessary.

21. Christopher Hitchens and Al Sharpton: A Debate God Is Not Great

Comment #38620 by Harlon57 on May 8, 2007 at 7:27 pm

Sharpton used the Muhammad Ali "rope a dope" strategy from boxing. He just fell against the ropes letting Hitchens flail away.

Sharpton knew he couldn't go toe-to-toe with Hitchens, so he just ignored the religious context and said god can't be proven to not exist.

Well, that point should only be allowed to be used once in a debate. Why did he show up? Face it, Sharpton is a fraud using religion for its' income value. He is a reverend of what religion? He admitted that he couldn't argue against the biblical inadequacies, that he may actually agree. He was supposedly ordained at the age of 9.

He seemed to know less about christianity than Hitchens.

22. The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it

Comment #38366 by Harlon57 on May 7, 2007 at 10:18 pm

If you go to www.charlierose.com and select "video archive" then select "science" you can find conversations with Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan and Daniel Dennet. These are 25 to 50 minute interviews.
Quite worthwhile.

23. An ecumenical contempt for religion

Comment #38364 by Harlon57 on May 7, 2007 at 10:15 pm

If you go to www.charlierose.com and select "video archive" then select "science" you can find conversations with Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan and Daniel Dennet. These are 25 to 50 minute interviews.
Quite worthwhile.

24. Richard Dawkins on Canada AM

Comment #38363 by Harlon57 on May 7, 2007 at 10:10 pm

If you go to www.charlierose.com and select "video archive" then select "science" you can find conversations with Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan and Daniel Dennet. These are 25 to 50 minute interviews.
Quite worthwhile.

25. The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it

Comment #38318 by Harlon57 on May 7, 2007 at 2:21 pm

Phil, perhaps your book idea will resonate with someone in a position to implement it.

Here's a little anecdotal evidence: I have two brothers and three sisters, all practicing catholics. Two wouldn't even start reading The God Delusion, the others didn't read as far as chapter 4.

They all held the same opinion; why should they care what some atheist thinks about god.

I told my friends and family about my increasing doubt over the years, and finally that I had no belief years ago. All it did for me was to distance myself from my friends and family.

They aren't interested.

26. The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it

Comment #38288 by Harlon57 on May 7, 2007 at 12:33 pm

We atheists certainly want to cheer for our side.
But let us consider how little impact these books are actually having.

A hyper majority will never read any of these anti-religion books. They may run across articles like these that would only serve to confirm their preconceived notions of atheists.

A very small percentage will see the 4 minute interviews.

We are excited that our side is getting coverage, but the religious will just continue to caricature our views as we do theirs.

On the other side, Rick Warren's A Purpose Driven Life is still selling more than 1 million copies a month, having already sold more than 30 million.

We are getting our butts kicked.

27. The moment a teenage girl was stoned to death for loving the wrong boy

Comment #37722 by Harlon57 on May 5, 2007 at 2:23 pm

The middle east is overflowing with people who have these strongly held beliefs.

Our fundamentalist types are amateurs in comparison.

We need to develop an alternate source of energy so that we can stop funding these backward people.

28. Lou Dobbs Interviews Christopher Hitchens

Comment #37408 by Harlon57 on May 4, 2007 at 12:01 pm

Phil Rimmer

Lou Dobbs was host of a financial show, MoneyLine for 20 years.

In the past few years he has made a name for himself by charting the supposed "attack on the middle-class", and more recently for fighting against "illegal immigration".

29. How multiculturalism is betraying women

Comment #36905 by Harlon57 on May 2, 2007 at 5:48 pm

Glacian said: This is shameful. I had thought most of Western Europe had progressed far beyond the United States, but this kind of absurdity would hopefully not be tolerated here.

I am really tired of the U.S. being the whipping post for every story. This was a story about Germany for crying out loud.

Your superiority is showing.

30. Evolution Booklet

Comment #35597 by Harlon57 on April 27, 2007 at 7:17 pm

From the bottom of page 9, regarding the 2005 Dover case. Judge John Jones commenting on I.D.s scientific credentials demolished the I.D. arguments: "ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious antecedents."

His judgment made it clear that ID could not be considered a valid scientific theory.

That should put to rest any speculation that the pamphlet treats Intelligent Design with undue respect.

31. Jesus 'Love-Bombs' You

Comment #34972 by Harlon57 on April 25, 2007 at 7:18 pm

This was my post to the Truthdig site:

Before you were born, you did not exist.
After you die, you will not exist.
Get used to it.

I realize you have myths that make you feel better about death, but they are not true.

When you die, you cease to exist. That is all. You are no better than any other human that ever existed, and you get the same end as all other humans. Non-existence.

32. The Video: Bill O'Reilly Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #34623 by Harlon57 on April 24, 2007 at 6:05 pm

Just watched (Tuesday the 24th) Bill O'Reilly to see if there would be any comments about the segment with Prof. Dawkins from last night. There were emails to O'Reilly from various people, but one in particular should sum it up. This man wrote in to congratulate O'Reilly for quickly disarming the atheist with his points that scientists don't have the answers and that the greatest atrocities of the last century were due to atheists/atheism. Bill said thanks, and that he was just "stating the facts".

33. NEXT MONDAY: Bill O'Reilly interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #34275 by Harlon57 on April 23, 2007 at 5:38 pm

I just finished watching the segment. Very short. Richard acquitted himself nicely, Bill behaved. This was not as most of you predicted with Bill ranting and raving. He was polite. Even finished with a congratulations to Richard for all the success from "The God Delusion".
Seems all the slandering of O'Reilly was unwarranted.

34. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #33181 by Harlon57 on April 19, 2007 at 2:22 pm

This from Andrew's blog in January:
"At one point in my life, when I was diagnosed with what was then a fatal disease, HIV, when one of my closest friends was suddenly admitted to the hospital with AIDS, and when my mother was also hospitalized with depression, I felt something inside me simply beg for God's help. I wanted to know why all these things had befallen me and those I loved all at once. I wanted an answer. I wanted something to hold on to, something to anchor me, to return to me the spiritual and physical equilibrium I had suddenly lost. I found myself drawn to the Gospels, and all I can say is that the old story I had long loved spoke to me more powerfully than ever."

That says it all. His life, in his eyes, is tragic. He's a gay Catholic, with HIV, and is grabbing at anything for solace. There is no intellectual debate going on. For Andrew, it's all emotions.

35. New Primate Species Found In 42 Million-year-old Texas Fossils

Comment #32247 by Harlon57 on April 16, 2007 at 12:15 pm

#32217 by ghostbuster

Insulting the innocent daughters of the U.S. president lacks class.

36. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #22696 by Harlon57 on February 20, 2007 at 11:26 pm

I quietly and eagerly awaited this round only to find that I am disappointed.

This debate conjures images of watching two old men tend sheep on opposite sides of a fence.

Neither the sheep nor the men cross the fence.

37. A Familiar and Prescient Voice, Brought to Life

Comment #22327 by Harlon57 on February 14, 2007 at 7:44 pm

This book by Ann Druyan will now be added to the long list of books I can't wait to read.

Today, I had to order Sam Harris' "Letter to a Christian Nation" from Barnes & Noble as it was out of stock. They assured me it would be in within a week and that they just can't keep it in stock.

Isn't that a good sign!?!

38. Foreword for the UK edition of 'Letter to a Christian Nation'

Comment #22326 by Harlon57 on February 14, 2007 at 7:25 pm

MelM, thank you, I will add Infidel to my reading list.

39. Foreword for the UK edition of 'Letter to a Christian Nation'

Comment #22268 by Harlon57 on February 13, 2007 at 7:41 pm

Comment: 22266 It truly is a small world.
How long have you been on this site? I started reading the posts about 2 months ago, and have had difficulty gaining access until just last night.

40. Foreword for the UK edition of 'Letter to a Christian Nation'

Comment #22265 by Harlon57 on February 13, 2007 at 7:20 pm

Hello Bremas,

Thank you. I was stationed at 29 Palms in the electronics school 77-80

41. Foreword for the UK edition of 'Letter to a Christian Nation'

Comment #22262 by Harlon57 on February 13, 2007 at 6:54 pm

This is my first post and may I begin by stating how happy I am to have found a new home on the net.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The God Delusion" and am now reading "The Selfish Gene".

My family has called Minnesota home for about 150 years. I moved away 30 years ago to join the Marines, and moved to Florida after my service in California. I remain in Florida.

As a boy, I carried fresh, steaming hot hard-boiled eggs in my pockets on my way to 5:50AM mass. They kept my hands warm and served as my breakfast after mass. I was a catholic altar boy attending a catholic elementary school. But I had a secret.

My dirty little secret was that the more I heard and saw, the more conflicts in word and deed, the quicker I lost my faith. I couldn't tell my family until I was a late teen, that I no longer believed.

They prayed for me, but it was no use. I was free.

To this day, I am the black sheep of the family. My 3 sisters and 2 brothers (good catholic family) believe a smattering of variances of christian dogma, but they all profess to believe that the creation story is fact. My older sister recently berated me for believing that we came from animals or dirt or slime. She wasn't quite sure what I believed, but she knew it was disgusting. She told me to look into my sons eyes, to see the love that god put there.

I do see the love in his eyes, reflected back from mine.

Well, I could go on and on describing the sad conversations we have. But I won't. My family hasn't read a science book since they left high school. They don't read peer reviewed articles in magazines and they won't consider reading Carl Sagan's Demon Haunted World, or now Prof. Dawkins The God Delusion, or any other book I suggest, as the source may be evil.

This anecdotal evidence of my family and their friends leads me to believe that the world should be very worried about the uneducated conservative movement in this country.

I guess I've rambled on long enough. Great to be here.

Thank you Prof. Dawkins for shining some light into our lives.