Comments by Laurie Fraser

Comment #251055 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 3:14 am

Actually, Richard, the sub-title's the more derogatory. "...and defends elitism"? How wrong can one be?

902. Art teacher made student pray to Jesus for forgiveness

Comment #251050 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 3:03 am

Hi Titania - 8p.m. here; I agree with you. (When don't I?:)) Any teacher who reprimands a child for voicing (even via t-shirt) his individuality, is a fuckstick that should be drummed out of the profession. She's obviously got the mentality of a parking-cop.

Edit: just visited the scum of the earth page - I think the teacher, as punishment, should be forced to sit through twenty of their concerts. That would, indeed, be hell, IMHO.

903. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #251043 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 2:57 am

Really? I'm still stuck in the 18th century. That's when the Enlightenment was a rockin'

You're our resident Renaissance man, Brian.

904. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #251026 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 2:30 am

They're sooooo 19th century, Brian. Unfortunately, with economic rationalism there has been a revival of attempts to align E.R. with a philosophy that will support it. Libertarianism is the idea most often cited, and it's completely full of holes. Marx shot libertarianism down in flames in the Paris Manuscripts, Critique of the Gotha Program, Kapital (of course) and even the Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte.

905. When Atheists Attack

Comment #251022 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 2:22 am

So true, Steve - the most alarming effect of the melting polar cap is the accelerative feedback loop it will engender - already, scientists have discovered that the amount of greenhouse gases locked up in the tundra, which is under threat of warming from this feedback, is more than double as was believed formerly. Not just polar bears, but thousands of species are at risk from this one phenomenon.

906. When Atheists Attack

Comment #251015 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 2:13 am

Comment #251012 by Steve Zara

You forgot to mention culling those pesky, population-exploding, polar bears, Steve.

907. Scientists Behind 'Doomsday Seed Vault' Ready World's Crops For Climate Change

Comment #251014 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 2:11 am

Comment #250447 by Zappi

A climate change skeptic! Thought you lot had gone extinct, Zappi.

908. When Atheists Attack

Comment #251010 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 2:03 am

Eeeeeyuuuch! Sorry, mate, but as we say over here - I wouldn't fuck her with YOUR dick!

*exit, stage left*

909. When Atheists Attack

Comment #251008 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 2:00 am

Haha - BTW, I know I'm probably being ridiculously out of touch here, but I've seen that acronym (MILF) several times on this site. What does it stand for?

910. When Atheists Attack

Comment #251005 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 1:54 am

Thanks, Diacanu - I'm on it.

I'm amazed that most Americans didn't just have a look at Palin, discover what a fucktard she is, realise that the Republicans only picked her because she's female and stereotypically attractive, and just say to McCain "Fuck off."

911. When Atheists Attack

Comment #251000 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 1:47 am

atp - this is a "clear-thinking oasis". If rational people can't discuss the abysmal state of U.S. politics here, and discuss, moreover, the connection between reactionary politics and fundamentalist christianity, then ....?

912. When Atheists Attack

Comment #250998 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 1:45 am

Wow, Steve - I now know why I like Matt Damon.

913. When Atheists Attack

Comment #250994 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 1:40 am

Oh well, back to the drawing board!

914. When Atheists Attack

Comment #250991 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 1:37 am

I hope I'm not speaking out of turn by urging posters to read Anna Banana's superb blog entry:

http://annaelizabeth82.blogspot.com/2008/09/please-consider-following.html

A real insight into the Palin phenomenon.

P.S. PM for you, Diacanu

915. Art teacher made student pray to Jesus for forgiveness

Comment #250978 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 12:45 am

Steady on, Mitchell! :)

916. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250977 by Laurie Fraser on September 21, 2008 at 12:44 am

Comment #250974 by Steve Zara

Funny how it's the new libertarian/economic rationalist types that think WE'RE the troglodytes, now. "Oh, that Marxism is so 20th century." "Oh, a humanist! How quaint!"

Sad and impoverished - so true, Steve. There's very little sapiens about such a world-view.

917. Art teacher made student pray to Jesus for forgiveness

Comment #250965 by Laurie Fraser on September 20, 2008 at 11:48 pm

Well, you'd really have to drag me to get me on my knees to pray.

We have similar laws re touching students, Hellene - to the point of being ridiculous. My wife has to think twice before giving a kindy kid a cuddle if she/he is upset. (But she only thinks for a millisecond, says "Fuck that" and gives the littlie a hug anyway.)

I give my students (15 - adult) a pat on the shoulder every now and then. I don't care about "appropriate" and "inappropriate" labels anymore - I always act appropriately, and if that entails a pat on the shoulder, or even an arm around them to say "congratulations", well, if that warrants some disciplinary charge, then we live in a fucked old world.

918. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250963 by Laurie Fraser on September 20, 2008 at 11:26 pm

G'day Brian, Sunday's going ok, except that I'm having trouble working out the right way to link a blogpost to one of my recordings which I've uploaded to a storage site. Tis a bugger.

919. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250959 by Laurie Fraser on September 20, 2008 at 11:00 pm

Comment #250764 by Jesus86

Neglect is harm only when the neglectful have a specific duty of care -- e.g. a parent's duty to care for a child, a service-provider's duty to the client under contract, etc.

And you have the hide to castigate others for "infantile" arguments?

Meanwhile, in other news - capitalism demonstrates the complete rationalism of modern economics. What did Marx say? - "... all facts and personages of great importance in world history occur, as it were, twice...the first time as tragedy, the second as farce." To which I'd only add: 1929, 2008.

920. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250698 by Laurie Fraser on September 20, 2008 at 6:37 am

What Diacanu said.

921. Look Who's Irrational Now

Comment #250518 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 8:02 pm

Comment #250514 by Elles

Good point. Anyone can be an atheist; I can simply "choose" to be one, without applying any critical thinking skills to the question. That makes me a naive atheist, and one whose opinions should be ignored, just as we would ignore the ideas of anyone who was a catholic because it "ran in the family", so to speak.

trevok - also a good point. Superstition, whilst being dangerous to the mind of its believer, is not necessarily dangerous to others until they want to shove it down your throat at the point of a gun. (No need to reply, Fanusi.)

922. Look Who's Irrational Now

Comment #250513 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 7:48 pm

Off topic, wp. Well, I'm in the antipodes; takes a while for news to travel around the world :) When they say the magnets had overheated, it probably means they went up to 2.5 degrees K.

923. Look Who's Irrational Now

Comment #250509 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 7:33 pm

OT - the LHC is down. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/20/2369794.htm

924. Look Who's Irrational Now

Comment #250492 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 6:55 pm

Comment #250479 by wouldbesakota

Well, mate, with all this cultural relativism around, perhaps we need a kind of comparitive lexicography of atheism, just so everyone knows where he stands. For instance:

Absolutist atheist: There is no reality outside the physically explainable.

Hard-line atheist: Shit, I don't even believe in my own mother!

Anglican atheist: I pretend to believe in god.

American atheist: I only believe in god on Sundays, and when I sing the national anthem.

etc etc - I'm sure others can do better.

925. Back from the grave

Comment #250471 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 6:14 pm

Well, I've been bitten by a snake (no harm done), chased by a shark (had to walk on water), and swallowed a bit of croc meself; does that qualify?
Oh, and bitten by a red-back spider - jeebus, that hurt!

926. Look Who's Irrational Now

Comment #250465 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 6:07 pm

Idiotic. Where do they get these writers, and why on earth would you feed them anyway?

Edit: Mord, they're talking about American atheists. Apparently it's OK for you guys to believe while you're disbelieving.

927. Back from the grave

Comment #250458 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Mord - I'm Australian :)

928. Does faith have a place in medicine?

Comment #250430 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 4:30 pm

And when the boot's on the other foot, don't the religoids jump up and down, Carto? We had a case a few years ago where a young boy, victim of a car accident, needed a massive transfusion or he was going to die. The parents, nut-job JWs, told the hospital staff not to transfuse him. The doctor in charge basically said "Fuck that, get these idiots out of the ER."

Litigation ensued. Can you believe that? These people were so fucked up that they sued the hospital for saving their son's life.

929. It's Time for Science and Reason

Comment #250414 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 4:09 pm

Sign me up!

930. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250409 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 4:02 pm

Eshto - excellent post. U.S liberals are, generally, very centrist, even slightly right-wing. There is virtually no left. People like Chomsky are considered far-left nut-jobs, where in my country he is considered a reasonable left-winger.

931. Back from the grave

Comment #250406 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 3:55 pm

wp - what's an "fb"?

I've had four NDEs: two drowning, two electrocution. There was no tunnnel, no light. Everything just went black. Does my anecdotal evidence count for anything? No. How could you devise a scientific trial into this? Using mirrors on the ceiling? Might as well throw some smoke into the mix.

932. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250401 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 3:48 pm

Thanks, Titania - your copy is gratis.

933. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250398 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Faith based? Pure reason, old boy. Still far and away the best analysis of the industrial age ever.

934. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250394 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 3:39 pm

Haha - I prefer "unreconstructed Marxist", Titania; there'll be a chapter on my activities in the Newcastle branch of the Communist Party of Australia during the Vietnam Moratorium, if only I can get the files from ASIO under a FOI application.

935. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250386 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 3:28 pm

Morning all,
sctparker:

I wasn't saying anyone called Laurie a Marxist, I stated that her comment made it sound like Dr. Dawkins espoused it.

I was just making little joke, sct. I have no idea what political colour the good professor is.

I, on the other hand, am a Marxist.

936. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #250237 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 6:05 am

Fanusi, what the fuck is wrong with your powers of comprehension? Sorry to use strong language, but I'm getting exasperated by your continued propensity to twist the things I say into a meaning that suits your own purposes.

I did not say, or imply, that we should appease Islam. Is that clear? I repeat: I abhor religion. My comments concern methods by which the oppositional ideologies of Islam, and the equally evil U.S. administration, should be enlightened. Fuck, I don't know why I bother responding, because you will just twist my ideas again. Fanusi, get a grip, and realise that not everyone who doesn't believe in the extermination of muslims is an appeaser.

937. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #250161 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 2:41 am

CFL, did my reply to your PM get back to you?

938. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #250160 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 2:40 am

Fanusi, you're becoming insulting. My five points were as far from grovelling as one can get. It's because you have a certain mindset about Islam that you see it that way; I, on the other hand, see evil wherever it occurs - and evil happens not just within, or because of, Islam. The evil that we are contending with at the moment has a number of sources; the idiocy of Islam is one of those to be sure, but so is the idiocy of U.S. foreign policy. These are compounding idiocies - are you trying to tell me, seriously, that jihadist organisations would be where they were if the U.S. and Australia and Britain hadn't reacted so stupidly to the Iranian revolution and subsequent events? If you are, then you are, frankly, deluded.

Nearest university is 20 k from here. I work at it.

939. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #250143 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 2:01 am

Comment #250128 by Fanusi Khiyal

Laurie in all seriousness now, what exactly do you know about Islam? About its history, theology and practice?

A fair bit, or as much as any intelligent, well read and well educated 55 year-old should. But that's hardly the point, Fanusi. My little five-point program was simply an alternative to the completely failed policies of the current US administration (and it's interesting that you bring up the point about those who think that history started 8 years ago - how long has Bush been in office?)

I am not a subscriber to the "make nice to Islam" belief; as you should be aware, I regard all religion as barbaric. Just as Islam has been waging Jihad for centuries, so has Christianity been waging the crusades (in one form or another. The solution is not to bomb the infidel out of existence; it is to bring the ignorant out of their intellectual slavery. And that applies just as much to the barbarians of the Pentagon as it does to the Wahabi goat-herder in Saudi Arabia. War is never an answer; humanitarianism is.

940. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #250126 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 1:41 am

Comment #250116 by Fanusi Khiyal

Stop the slide.

1. USA and its allies out of Iraq and Afghanistan.
2. Massive western medical, construction, educational aid for the countries torn apart by US war-mongering.
3. An apology by Bush to the Islamic world for his country's fucktard foreign relations.
4. Israel reigned in by the UN and told to behave, give back the land to the Palestinian people, and treat them with respect.
5. US to dismantle its military/industrial hegemony and use resulting capital for promotion of health and education programs throughout Africa.

There you go, Fanusi - that's a good start! :)

941. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #250112 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 1:30 am

Vaal, he certainly should be; not for his sexuality, but for the excrescences of musical murder.

942. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #250111 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 1:29 am

As regards hate speech, see "Reverend Ian Paisley".

943. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250108 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 1:27 am

To be serious, for a second, I don't think that Haidt was promoting any sort of agenda here. I've actually been following some of the threads of his, and others, investigations for some time, and there are some genuine findings from a lot of wide-ranging research that do point to affective differences between the "liberal" and the "conservative" mind (although I'd hesitate to paint with such broad brush-strokes.)

I certainly don't think that Haidt is necessarily a left-wing demagogue ; shit, there's plenty of others who are heroes of mine.

944. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #250098 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 1:21 am

Hey Fanusi, I think you've got a thing for seeing Sir Elton beheaded; this is not the first time you've mentioned it. Of course, the infamous Dr Zara will be following him on a tumbril.... :)

945. The real difference between liberals and conservatives

Comment #250094 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 1:19 am

Hahaha - Fanusi, old chap - I just KNEW this would get your dander up! (And every word the pure truth, brother!)

Or is there some new rule that atheists must be leftists?

Yeah, haven't you read the RD rulebook lately? Rule no 2: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Charles Darwin and Karl Marx"

Jeez, get with the program, Fan...

P.S. Josh, don't listen to him; he's just an old curmudgeon.

946. Creationist Britain (would you Adam and Eve it?)

Comment #250086 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 1:13 am

wp - GE? I have no idea what you're talking about, and besides, I would never introduce a young person to an addictive substance (unless it was the music of Frank Zappa.)

947. Creationist Britain (would you Adam and Eve it?)

Comment #250064 by Laurie Fraser on September 19, 2008 at 12:19 am

In a fair and sane world, those children would be taken from their parents and given the opportunity to grow up free of that mind-fucking evil. Where are the child-protection agencies when you really need them?

948. Eoin Colfer to write sixth Hitchhiker's Guide book

Comment #250042 by Laurie Fraser on September 18, 2008 at 11:12 pm

It was the comment "this needs to be stopped..." I thought it was a suitable rejoinder, considering our discussion on the other thread. I don't have any feelings one way or the other on this, although I think it will be hard for Colfer to derive the same kind of wit as Adams, even though whose books, I might say, often leave me with a "so what" feeling.

949. Eoin Colfer to write sixth Hitchhiker's Guide book

Comment #250034 by Laurie Fraser on September 18, 2008 at 10:59 pm

Fanusi, you FASCIST!!! :)

950. Palin: average isn't good enough

Comment #250033 by Laurie Fraser on September 18, 2008 at 10:58 pm

Ah, Brian - polishing those jackboots, again, I see.