Any opinions?

AnneWimsey comments on Apr 10, 2020:

Look! A guy who has compassion, can take charge, yet listen & learn from experts.......we could do A Lot worse!

racocn8 replies on Apr 10, 2020:

Seconded.

Trump's actions and lack thereof are not a matter of incompetence and antipathy toward science.

TheDoubter comments on Apr 10, 2020:

i dno't think Trump cares. he want a sound economy as an election issue

racocn8 replies on Apr 10, 2020:

He doesn't need a sound economy if the election is fixed and no one can challenge it.

Many people like me are very sad about our democratic nominee.

skado comments on Apr 10, 2020:

Lesser evil is evil. Keep voting for evil, keep getting evil. Each cycle, evil gets worse.

racocn8 replies on Apr 10, 2020:

@skado Rationalization of the irrational. You shame yourself by not voting, because you elect the greater evil.

Many people like me are very sad about our democratic nominee.

skado comments on Apr 10, 2020:

Lesser evil is evil. Keep voting for evil, keep getting evil. Each cycle, evil gets worse.

racocn8 replies on Apr 10, 2020:

Not voting for lesser evil is voting for greater evil. Own it.

I had to remind this guy that one of trumps impeachments was for abuse of Congress! Clinton got a BJ...

Robecology comments on Dec 19, 2019:

Here's a collection of some recent memes I thought appropos

racocn8 replies on Apr 9, 2020:

Pretty great, but too sadly true.

So I guess it was all about a pic of an American flag with no comment.

DenoPenno comments on Feb 3, 2020:

It's hard for me to believe that Trump ordered this strike. What I think really happened is that those in our war room came up with the idea and said Trump could look tough for re-election if they said it was all his idea. It's hard for me to imagine Trump ordering more than a hooker or a sandwich.

racocn8 replies on Apr 9, 2020:

The advice had been consistently against this strike for years. Trump did it as a favor to the Saudis.

I hope people remember in November

Freedompath comments on Apr 7, 2020:

It is just too sad...there isn’t enough anger to properly address the negligence and stupidity that allowed this to become more than it could have been! I am lucky to still be here writing this post, but so many of our Country men/women are no longer with us because of this government debacle! ...

racocn8 replies on Apr 7, 2020:

Not stupid. Intentional. Keep watching.

I think I like being the pariah here, so I'm about to make another infamous post.

WilliamFleming comments on Apr 6, 2020:

If a mosquito lights on your arm you ought not shoot it with a shotgun. Measured responses are enough.

racocn8 replies on Apr 6, 2020:

How about if it's a bee and you're allergic without an epipen.

Do masks help stop the spread? This video might say: "somewhat..." [digg.com]

FearlessFly comments on Apr 5, 2020:

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/04/commentary-masks-all-covid-19-not-based-sound-data

racocn8 replies on Apr 6, 2020:

Thanks for that. I suspected as much. As the video shows, most of the particles hang around in unventilated spaces and are small enough to get through masks. Increasing ventilation seems to be much more useful than wearing masks. Fresh air or scuba are probably best, but very costly and thus scarcely practical...

If you really want to learn about religion without going to church or listening to a preacher then ...

Surfpirate comments on Apr 5, 2020:

I think it would make an interesting study to see just how many kills can be attributed to each religion; not down to the last corpse of course but just in round numbers, Say a Million. I'd put my money on the Xstians, they are the most vile and uncivilized of the bunch in my estimation but I'll ...

racocn8 replies on Apr 5, 2020:

One should include cults of personality. In many Asian countries, the absolute subservience that is demanded by authoritarians like Mao, Kim Jong's and the Japanese emperors seem alien, but they are accepted by those cultures. The body counts get pretty high for those. Because the leaders don't follow conventional religions, they are denounced as atheists by other religionists. The conveniently ignoring the religious cult aspects of the organizations. Cults of personality certainly overlap religious and political organizations, as we see with Trump and Hitler.

The National Security Council Gave Trump a 69-Page Pandemic Plan Three Years Ago — He Ignored It

racocn8 comments on Apr 4, 2020:

And then last year in August, a pandemic simulation was conducted and results written up. It was also ignored, supposedly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Contagion Do you start to see a pattern? Significant interest in the effects of a pandemic, but no interest before or after in ...

racocn8 replies on Apr 4, 2020:

@Sticks48 Their end game is Control and Power. Control through intimidation and impoverishment. And further decimation. Soften up the population for martial law, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, and eventually, enslavement. Like Trump, they don't care.

The National Security Council Gave Trump a 69-Page Pandemic Plan Three Years Ago — He Ignored It

racocn8 comments on Apr 4, 2020:

And then last year in August, a pandemic simulation was conducted and results written up. It was also ignored, supposedly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Contagion Do you start to see a pattern? Significant interest in the effects of a pandemic, but no interest before or after in ...

racocn8 replies on Apr 4, 2020:

@Sticks48 Oh, you are so hurting my feelings. Love to you too.

The National Security Council Gave Trump a 69-Page Pandemic Plan Three Years Ago — He Ignored It

racocn8 comments on Apr 4, 2020:

And then last year in August, a pandemic simulation was conducted and results written up. It was also ignored, supposedly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Contagion Do you start to see a pattern? Significant interest in the effects of a pandemic, but no interest before or after in ...

racocn8 replies on Apr 4, 2020:

@Sticks48 The Chinese Government are the ones that suggested the virus came from the US Military. That was probably in response to Trump's calling it a 'Chinese' virus. But, given they responded so much more effectively, who can say? You've mentioned logic several times, and yet your main arguments are the ad hominem fallacy. Along with straight up lying. You're the one that made the claim the virus has been shown to not be man-made. Guess you just heard that on Fox. Res ipse loquitur indeed. Your speech speaks volumes.

The National Security Council Gave Trump a 69-Page Pandemic Plan Three Years Ago — He Ignored It

racocn8 comments on Apr 4, 2020:

And then last year in August, a pandemic simulation was conducted and results written up. It was also ignored, supposedly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Contagion Do you start to see a pattern? Significant interest in the effects of a pandemic, but no interest before or after in ...

racocn8 replies on Apr 4, 2020:

@Sticks48 You gave me a lie. Show reference.

The National Security Council Gave Trump a 69-Page Pandemic Plan Three Years Ago — He Ignored It

racocn8 comments on Apr 4, 2020:

And then last year in August, a pandemic simulation was conducted and results written up. It was also ignored, supposedly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Contagion Do you start to see a pattern? Significant interest in the effects of a pandemic, but no interest before or after in ...

racocn8 replies on Apr 4, 2020:

@Sticks48 Would it have to be man-made? How could they tell it was if it was? Do you debunker nuts ever think things out? Do you ever have proof? Logic is a wonderful thing. Give it a shot.

I 100% support Mr.

Storm1752 comments on Apr 4, 2020:

You're an idiot. Forgive me for saying that. I don't know what came over me. But think what an infinitely better world it would be if: Al Gore won in 2000. Kerry had won in 2004. Hillary had won in 2016. (Add to that if Dems had controlled both houses of Congress those years.) WHY didn't they...

racocn8 replies on Apr 4, 2020:

@Storm1752 It's true I didn't like Hillary, but I voted for her. I agree she would have been vastly better than Trump. So I will continue to complain about Trump who is an illegitimate pretender on several counts. (Maybe see my entry above?)

The National Security Council Gave Trump a 69-Page Pandemic Plan Three Years Ago — He Ignored It

racocn8 comments on Apr 4, 2020:

And then last year in August, a pandemic simulation was conducted and results written up. It was also ignored, supposedly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Contagion Do you start to see a pattern? Significant interest in the effects of a pandemic, but no interest before or after in ...

racocn8 replies on Apr 4, 2020:

@Sticks48 Would you have a basis for saying it's not possible?

I 100% support Mr.

Storm1752 comments on Apr 4, 2020:

You're an idiot. Forgive me for saying that. I don't know what came over me. But think what an infinitely better world it would be if: Al Gore won in 2000. Kerry had won in 2004. Hillary had won in 2016. (Add to that if Dems had controlled both houses of Congress those years.) WHY didn't they...

racocn8 replies on Apr 4, 2020:

Yup!

Remember to follow the money.

SCal comments on Apr 2, 2020:

Ummm. No.

racocn8 replies on Apr 2, 2020:

Absurd false equivalence to the point of functional trolling. Citations please...

Like probably a lot of voters, I'm new to politics.

Aurora62 comments on Mar 31, 2020:

Both are the same with the exact donors of the elites. We have an illusion that we have 2 parties when in reality we have 1 party and you and I are not part of it.

racocn8 replies on Mar 31, 2020:

You are partly correct in identifying that nearly no one belongs to the real Deep State that is controlling much of what goes on, but to lump the Dems in with the GOP is very far from correct and the epitome of false equivalence.

Looks like the DNC is preparing to weasel out of having a final debate in April, even tho they ...

Aurora62 comments on Mar 27, 2020:

Thank you DNC for Trump’s 2020 victory. I’m sure the DNC will be happy to continue to give us white moderates... the ones that MLK warned us about.

racocn8 replies on Mar 27, 2020:

@Varn If Trump wins 2020, it will be with the help of women voters who, as in 2016, imagine that being abusive to women is a sign of strength and virility. He will likely get a big boost from Hispanics who will again stay home because Bernie wasn't nominated, and also obey the Russian social media propaganda saying to stay home. Other Hispanics will vote for Trump because he supports their Catholic anti-abortion anti-Women agenda. Still other Hispanics will vote for Trump because Hispanics don't want more immigrants they'd have to compete against. At least White moderates can get elected and pass laws advancing progressive values. Bernie has such a lengthy track record of passing legislation, NOT. How long has MLK been dead? Being so close to God, he knew the future 50 years hence...

As long as they're handing out money, now's the time to give back the 40% to the middle class that ...

LilithGone comments on Mar 24, 2020:

Don't conveniently forget the W. Bush Bailouts for corporations. 800 billion, I think it was.

racocn8 replies on Mar 24, 2020:

Ideally, a goodly share of the money would come from those corporations. They need to be able to fail, or better yet, be nationalized and cannibalized.

Should governmental representatives be held to a standard of not committing perjury in conduct of ...

racocn8 comments on Mar 24, 2020:

Far more than that, we need to hold those with power to a higher standard, not a lower one. That is a critical and basic principle that needs to be universally applied. However, this would require a dramatic and drastic shift in cultural values. It would be really hard, but we can take heart ...

racocn8 replies on Mar 24, 2020:

@Flowerwall I was describing the ideal moral value, which should be the goal lawmaking would encourage and enforce. Again, describing the ideal... An example would be that the IRS applies an algorithm that evaluates social responsibility and taxes accordingly. Those who behave with pure greed would have their wealth and power stripped away, especially rapidly if they have great wealth and power. Those who behave badly at the top could even face penalties that either treat them as criminals or as mentally impaired. This may not be in accordance with 'American' values, but it's pretty clear that the American system failed a long time ago.

Can Science be liberating?

Mcflewster comments on Mar 23, 2020:

I am convinced though I have no evidence ( this known as faith) that science will find a complete cure for anxiety.

racocn8 replies on Mar 24, 2020:

5-HTP helped me...

To those who have a Christian background: How are New Testament theology and evolution compatible?

WilliamFleming comments on Mar 22, 2020:

It is the questions that are important, not the answers, and in fact there are no answers—not in the Bible, not in science. The enormity of that stark reality might be too overwhelming for many of us to bear, and we tend to protect ourselves with dark glasses. Please, let’s not fight over ...

racocn8 replies on Mar 24, 2020:

Evolution is at least a partial answer. That is why it is a profound discovery, genuinely transcendental and very probably universal. Besides directly contradicting Abrahamic dogma, it is also more profound than anything in these religions.

A Conservative Republican with scruples?

Bobbyzen comments on Mar 19, 2020:

Her racist stance on Palestinians and her nationalist positions while Ambassador to the U.N. are two of the many reasons to despise her. An occasional position of morality does nothing to change my opinion of her.

racocn8 replies on Mar 20, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 Just to be clear, Nikki Haley is an utter piece of shit, wholly self-serving with the usual idiotic wingnut values, and... presidential aspirations. Yikes, what a thought!!! Both Israelis and Palestinians are horrific bigots motivated by their primitive religions, but Islam is somewhat more primitive than Judaism. A small percent of Judaism leans towards modern humanism, and that gives them the moral edge over the Arabs. But the Reform wing is still a small minority; the rest are as bad as the Catholics. The Jews still have a very long way to go. Many/most of them are still obnoxious and undeservedly arrogant, and have their heads up their asses.

A Conservative Republican with scruples?

Bobbyzen comments on Mar 19, 2020:

Her racist stance on Palestinians and her nationalist positions while Ambassador to the U.N. are two of the many reasons to despise her. An occasional position of morality does nothing to change my opinion of her.

racocn8 replies on Mar 19, 2020:

How is it racist?

[youtu.be]

racocn8 comments on Mar 19, 2020:

Naive, wishful thinking and hand-waving, in other words, bullshit.

racocn8 replies on Mar 19, 2020:

@Capitalist Link/Citation/Reference please.

To Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders supporters.

prometheus comments on Mar 16, 2020:

One candidate's supporters are clearly not on board with that. They are as determined and contrarian as flat earthers.

racocn8 replies on Mar 16, 2020:

What is it with these trolls?

The “deep state” is nothing more than a intentionally vicious and destructive knowing fiction.

racocn8 comments on Mar 3, 2020:

Not quite. The Deep State is all too real. It is not the Deep State Trump talks about, because he along with Fox have been instructed to redefine the term. The real Deep State is a coalition within the military-industrial-intelligence complex which operates to preserve the status quo, including the...

racocn8 replies on Mar 4, 2020:

@wordywalt Ok, ok. Sorry. Things are grim, but we shouldn't lose our sense of humor. And, we should always be in search for the truth. I have one question: What subject(s) did you teach as an educator?

The “deep state” is nothing more than a intentionally vicious and destructive knowing fiction.

racocn8 comments on Mar 3, 2020:

Not quite. The Deep State is all too real. It is not the Deep State Trump talks about, because he along with Fox have been instructed to redefine the term. The real Deep State is a coalition within the military-industrial-intelligence complex which operates to preserve the status quo, including the...

racocn8 replies on Mar 4, 2020:

@wordywalt I was trying to see if the shoe fit. Trump wears a yellow size 25. And you?

The “deep state” is nothing more than a intentionally vicious and destructive knowing fiction.

racocn8 comments on Mar 3, 2020:

Not quite. The Deep State is all too real. It is not the Deep State Trump talks about, because he along with Fox have been instructed to redefine the term. The real Deep State is a coalition within the military-industrial-intelligence complex which operates to preserve the status quo, including the...

racocn8 replies on Mar 3, 2020:

@wordywalt How interesting that you should use the term hoax the same way that Trump does.

Here is a very informative video about the latest threat to our existence as a species, the Corona ...

racocn8 comments on Feb 29, 2020:

Bzzzt. Wrong. In no way is this corona virus a threat to the species.

racocn8 replies on Mar 2, 2020:

@TheoryNumber3 Oh, OK. My apologies... I had a friend in college who occasionally spoke with an inflection that sounded like sarcasm. I'd get offended and argue when he really did mean what he said. Language can be tricky...

Is it time to start talking TACTICS ? [pewforum.org]

Mcflewster comments on Feb 20, 2020:

I am lost too. Why do anything? As Hume famously asked, how do you give a reason to get from what is to what you ought to do? In this case, how might observations from science tell us why we should listen to the prescriptions of scientists?

racocn8 replies on Feb 21, 2020:

@Mcflewster Very much thanks for that.

Tonight's Nevada debate seemed the most lively and interesting one so far.

Darthpug comments on Feb 20, 2020:

Whatever momentum that Bloomberg had is gone. He looked stiff, uninteresting, and unemotional. It will be interesting to see what the polls will be like now.

racocn8 replies on Feb 21, 2020:

Bloomberg was revealed to be a first-class a-hole. But I agree with others that he can just buy the votes he needs. It shouldn't be that way, but hell, Trump shouldn't be president.

Tonight's Nevada debate seemed the most lively and interesting one so far.

RoboGraham comments on Feb 20, 2020:

Bloomberg is going to need to spend another few hundred million to reverse the damage done to him in the debate.

racocn8 replies on Feb 21, 2020:

But that's not even pocket change...

For those who watched the debate last night, talk about a smackdown 🤣🤣🤣

racocn8 comments on Feb 21, 2020:

Why are they ALL, both hold-your-nose and unelectable? If a viable opponent to Trump can't be found, maybe we should go extinct. For instance, Bloomberg is really just Trump-lite, but he may be the only one who could fund the level of indoctrination propaganda that could compete with the ...

racocn8 replies on Feb 21, 2020:

Ugh. I can't believe Bloomberg supported Bush in 2004 after Abu Graib and the ugly and false smears of John Kerry. Gross. Good one, Bernie.

Is it time to start talking TACTICS ? [pewforum.org]

Mcflewster comments on Feb 20, 2020:

I am lost too. Why do anything? As Hume famously asked, how do you give a reason to get from what is to what you ought to do? In this case, how might observations from science tell us why we should listen to the prescriptions of scientists?

racocn8 replies on Feb 20, 2020:

Yes, How to bridge the gulf between what is, and what we are... And, by what we are, what we suppose should be. Regarding what is: Religionists believe myths; models of reality that are shown to be contradicted by repeatable facts. Believing these flawed models causes believers to suffer various psychopathic behavioral disorders, and to harm others. Blind faith is dunning. In Hume's model, we may say that exploring facts, aka thinking, benefits our feelings. Seeking the best model of reality provides the satisfaction of obtaining a model which IS somewhat predictive. And that model is rather better now than in Hume's day. We see a stark contrast between a godless scientific universe and the idiocy of multifarious religions. We see a stark contrast between the lives of atheists who constantly seek clearer truths, versus the self-satisfied dogmatists who seek to spread their own corrupting lies. For some of the latter, ignorance may be bliss, but for atheists, it is knowledge and wisdom that are enobling. Taking the cue from these observations, seeking truth, whereever it leads, is seen to be enobling and enriches our life experience. We may offer the truth to others, and the processes for discerning it. We may count ourselves as fortunate to know what we know; if only for the rarity of that experience. It is one thing to have consciousness, but so much more to combine it with actual understanding. Even understanding of what remains unknown is enriching in its own way; we appreciate our ignorance and take it as a challenge to learn still more. The Moral: Enoble yourself and enrich your experience; help others to do likewise.

I think you guys have the wrong idea about what you call "Hinduism"

racocn8 comments on Feb 18, 2020:

As long as people use one or more of the unsubstantiated beliefs to engage in superstitious behavior, it's religion. Whatever beliefs cause people to disregard truth in favor of useless ritual behavior is harmful. That especially goes for absurd beliefs, which Hinduism has plenty (ie Reverence for ...

racocn8 replies on Feb 18, 2020:

@JeffMesser. I specifically said "It may not be PROOF of absence". With such poor reading comprehension, it's not surprising how deluded you are.

I think you guys have the wrong idea about what you call "Hinduism"

racocn8 comments on Feb 18, 2020:

As long as people use one or more of the unsubstantiated beliefs to engage in superstitious behavior, it's religion. Whatever beliefs cause people to disregard truth in favor of useless ritual behavior is harmful. That especially goes for absurd beliefs, which Hinduism has plenty (ie Reverence for ...

racocn8 replies on Feb 18, 2020:

@JeffMesser Hardly. No evidence IS evidence of nothing existing. It may not be PROOF of absence, but it contributes enormously to the probability. The absence of evidence is evidence of absence, and we may reliably assign the existence of the many gods as negligibly likely. People with that knowledge may reliably discard such notions as utter nonsense. We can and do see that those who do otherwise are fooling themselves, disinforming others, and murdering truth. People may also regard the purveyors of that unfalsifiable information as misinformed, deluded, psychotic or scammers; or all of the above.

I think you guys have the wrong idea about what you call "Hinduism"

racocn8 comments on Feb 18, 2020:

As long as people use one or more of the unsubstantiated beliefs to engage in superstitious behavior, it's religion. Whatever beliefs cause people to disregard truth in favor of useless ritual behavior is harmful. That especially goes for absurd beliefs, which Hinduism has plenty (ie Reverence for ...

racocn8 replies on Feb 18, 2020:

@JeffMesser @glennlab @Pralina1 @MsDemeanour Claiming that "THOUSANDS of years of observations..." negates the my statement that the various gods are unsubstantiated beliefs (myths) is a combination of several fallacies. These fallacies include the Appeal to Authority Fallacy (relying on revered mystics), the Bandwagon Fallacy (relying on the number of people believing), and the Anecdotal Evidence Fallacy (a major generator of superstition). The thousands of years of belief in Egyptian gods didn't make those beliefs real either. The truth being disregarded is that the useful and meaningful truth within these beliefs is negligible, and that the beliefs themselves are false. You're welcome to state whatever salient truths you imagine these beliefs convey (that outweigh all the nonsense). I am biased toward truth and Truth, and I welcome enrichment of those. Bullshit can take a number...

I decided that I won't even vote in the presidential primary because I don't care which Democrat ...

racocn8 comments on Feb 16, 2020:

@athena Bernie is not any kind of shoe-in against Trump, especially as long as the voting processes are undermined. He does not have significant minority support, and that is a requisite. Trump will trot out all Bernie's Communist associations from his early years (as absurd as that is given ...

racocn8 replies on Feb 16, 2020:

@Athena And... While Bernie certainly has a lot of energy and charisma for some folks, he comes off as profoundly obnoxious to most others, very much like Hillary. His main proposals are unworkable and dead-on-arrival, just like Warren's (As AOC admitted). Bernie (or Bloomberg) would have to work impossibly hard to get past the anti-Semitism prevalent among Black voters, just as Buttigieg would have to overcome the homophobia Blacks are known for (Look up how the Mormons used this to stop gay marriage in California in 2008). Putin may well have already rigged the election for Trump. Democrats need a landslide to undo Trump's damage, or even to demonstrably win. Even then, the People will have to march on the White House to force his removal. Let's hope we have a few generals left that are loyal to the Constitution. And if by some miracle, the Democrats do win, what then? They still have to deal with the 45% of their fellow citizens who have sedition in their hearts, and are OK with outright treason if it comes from a Republican.

Not even a citizen but still USA relentless in pursuit of Assange the whistle-blower who dared to ...

racocn8 comments on Feb 9, 2020:

Isn't Assange the willing stooge for Putin? Is helping push the US into dictatorship itself comparable to a war crime?

racocn8 replies on Feb 9, 2020:

@Petter OK, it is definitely in the Mueller Report... https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-answer-on-wikileaks-in-mueller-report-is-in-the-spotlight-11574119183 And your answer on the supposedly exposed war crimes?

Not even a citizen but still USA relentless in pursuit of Assange the whistle-blower who dared to ...

racocn8 comments on Feb 9, 2020:

Isn't Assange the willing stooge for Putin? Is helping push the US into dictatorship itself comparable to a war crime?

racocn8 replies on Feb 9, 2020:

@Petter I believe it is in the Mueller Report. Just what war crimes were committed by whom?

I can't say I'm very shocked by these comments, but it does make me wonder how these people could ...

dalefvictor comments on Feb 2, 2020:

Do I need to buy a gun to protect myself from these idiots? I need aa answer. How dangerous are we getting? I am not going to let these bastards come and get me without a fight.

racocn8 replies on Feb 3, 2020:

Unfortunately, yes. You can always throw it away if things get better.

I can't say I'm very shocked by these comments, but it does make me wonder how these people could ...

DavidRooney comments on Feb 3, 2020:

This is how the trash make themselves feel superior...but a gun in the hand is nothing without a brain behind the finger...and if they are christians they have probably all been molested by a pastor or preist...

racocn8 replies on Feb 3, 2020:

You already said 'probably.'

Iran MP offers reward for killing Trump, U.S. calls it 'ridiculous'

racocn8 comments on Jan 30, 2020:

This reminds me of the Twilight Zone "It's a Good Day", where the one adult became drunk enough to ask the others to lay something heavy across the head of the 6 year old monster. The wife began to reach for the fireplace poker, but lost her nerve. Brilliant. So, do we have any real patriots ...

racocn8 replies on Jan 30, 2020:

@PondartIncbendog I guess I don't remember Romania. Can you elaborate?

Long ago I was with a group at a get-together after a funeral.

DavidLaDeau comments on Jan 29, 2020:

In psychology religion does not fit into the diagnosis of delusion. It is sad as many people that need treatment are ignored.

racocn8 replies on Jan 29, 2020:

But, does psychology forego including religion within its diagnosis of delusion as a issue validated by science or as an issue to be omitted for the sake of political correctness (administrating a service which would be rejected by a large percent of society) ?? Seriously, the adherence to political correctness is too often its own form of delusion. Shame on those who 'go along to get along,' but then live a lie for their whole life. So much greater shame on those who lie and support misleading others to line their own pockets. That represents the bulk of religion - - control in exchange for cash. Loyalty to evil while claiming a moral highground? Truth matters. Blocking truth is harmful. Blocking truth with selfish intent is degenerate and cruelly immoral.

Why Religion Is Not Going Away and Science Will Not Destroy It

racocn8 comments on Jan 26, 2020:

I remain hopeful that science with discover cure. Unfortunately, that cure may have to be imposed against their will, as they are unlikely to seek positive change on their own. Specifically, an otherwise harmless virus is edited to include a sequence of RNA that matches what is produced and ...

racocn8 replies on Jan 26, 2020:

@Geoffrey51 Homosexuality, Eugenics and Master Race might come to mind, but they would be false analogies. People aren't born with religion, it is nearly always gained by forced indoctrination. Also not corresponding is the notion that the absence of myth is advocated by the ruling regime. Non-belief remains as blasphemy to the ruling regime. Both the ruling regime and the religion that supports it have become existential threats to the human species. Many of the religionists clamor to instigate Armageddon. Removing both the ruling regime and it's religion are necessary to avoid extinction for everyone. It might be different if the religionists genuinely believed in martyrdom, but they always want non-believers to go first. Infecting the deranged with an otherwise harmless virus seems far more humane than the murderous solutions they have always resorted to.

The Proof: That God Exists There is a hierarchy in Animalia, not only as quantified by the DNA ...

dalefvictor comments on Jan 15, 2020:

Great sarcasm.

racocn8 replies on Jan 17, 2020:

@Gwendolyn2018 You are casting pearls before a swine. @AnneWimsey You are wrestling with a pig, and the pig likes it. If you look at how this guy responds, you can see that he is utterly, deliriously, desperate for attention. It is pathetic to run across people who are so in need of help, but terrified of getting any. The rest of us may be glad not to be them.

Every American should be required to watch this. [msnbc.com] Poll question: Is Sen Kerry right?

racocn8 comments on Jan 12, 2020:

The real (and intended) beneficiaries of Trump's strike were Russia and Saudi Arabia. -Russia benefits because Iran gets to restart its nuclear program which was largely purchased from Russia. -Saudi Arabia would have had the benefit of Soleimani's support for Yemeni rebels being interrupted, if ...

racocn8 replies on Jan 15, 2020:

@rainmanjr The horrific plane crash outside Tehran could also be the work of Putin. I'd say it is 60% likely that Putin arranged to have the SA-15 fire on the airliner. From Forbes: "Given the multiple means of detection and the distinctive flight profile of an airliner, there’s no excuse for the deadly mistake," says Carlo Kopp, cofounder of the think tank Air Power Australia. I believe it is entirely plausible that the Russians hacked the SA-15 in order to throw the Iranian government into the chaos we now see. If the Russians were coordinating Trump's assassination targets, it would be prudent to also take advantage of the situation by destabilizing Iran's government. Sowing division is Putin's favorite play. Note that Russia suffered no consequences from shooting down the Malaysia Flight 17 in Ukraine. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremybogaisky/2020/01/09/how-iranian-air-defense-forces-could-have-mistaken-a-737-for-a-military-threat/#1df6767722e3

The Proof: That God Exists There is a hierarchy in Animalia, not only as quantified by the DNA ...

racocn8 comments on Jan 15, 2020:

Please take your meds. They really do help. Otherwise, it's back to the padded room and straight-jacket.

racocn8 replies on Jan 15, 2020:

@GlyndonD Oh, you're an Ayn Rand cultist. That explains it. Meds won't help. You need a lobotomy. And yes, I do have experience with my ex who would stop her meds and then go catatonic.

Robert Rathswohl Just a note to all trump supporters in the greatest country in the world.

racocn8 comments on Jan 4, 2020:

Any of the Democrat candidates are better than Trump. That being said... My objection to Yang is that he wants a national sales tax. That is a severely regressive proposal and shows he doesn't understand basic economics. All the candidates are absurdly flawed... Warren took months to come ...

racocn8 replies on Jan 5, 2020:

@RoboGraham I stand corrected. However, a value added tax still ends up increasing the costs of goods to the general population. Assuming the costs of the taxes are passed along in the final price tag of the item, the customer still ends up paying those costs. As a general tax to the consumer, it is still wholly regressive.

"I like biting if done in the right way(s)" a man wrote.

mordant comments on Jan 1, 2020:

Well when people tell you who they are, believe them. If two consenting adults want biting and scratching as part of their sex life, it's none of my business, but I can't figure out a way to regard it as healthy. We're humans, not Klingons.

racocn8 replies on Jan 2, 2020:

Biting need not injure. The idea is to provide a particular tactile sensation. Unless you're a Klingon.

Who has noticed in the last day or so there has been a resurgence of Islam bashing.

David_Cooper comments on Dec 31, 2019:

Well, there's a lot of Nazi-bashing and fascist-bashing that goes on all the time and no one complains about that because they made the stupid mistake of not tying a God to their sick ideologies.

racocn8 replies on Jan 1, 2020:

Hardly. I don't think the Nazis had many agnostics nor atheists in their number. Pretty sure they were all Christians.

Many people believe that the federal government needs to tax or borrow to spend.

racocn8 comments on Dec 22, 2019:

You may note that even while Trump has been touting the economy as being so wonderful, he has also cowed the Fed into reducing rates. First, the tax breaks Trump gave to the wealthy were like a shot of heroin, stimulating the economy momentarily, but boosting the deficit bigly. Second, the ...

racocn8 replies on Dec 22, 2019:

@ToolGuy OK... Why this guy is wrong... Steven Hall talks about how Australia has the highest household debt, but doesn’t say why this is a problem. It does suggest that Australians are overconfident about their ability to repay that debt, and perhaps they’ve been misled by their politicians and their gov’t policies. Where's the press? At one point, Hall claims that governments invented money. Money certainly has a long history, but currently, it is the banking system that creates and manages money and continues to do so. The Fed is not part of the government. Governments do not control interest rates through bond sales. The banking systems control interest rates. Maybe Australia is different, but I doubt it. 36:16 There isn’t any government debt (in Australia). If that’s so, they needn’t be paying interest to the banks. They do, so, yes, there is indeed government debt in Australia. Governments become insolvent when the currency is deemed by the citizenry to be worthless and resort to bartering. So in that sense, a government can indeed run out of money or max out its credit card. If a government overspends to the point of spooking its citizens, yes, any government can run out of money. 42:40 You better believe the rest of the world will be hurting when the US financial system collapses because it ran out of money. Steven Hall says hyperinflation isn’t worth worrying about. Wrong. If, for whatever reason, Saudi Arabia or China start dumping dollars, you can be sure Australia will be hurting along with the U.S. Hall goes on to say that Australia does, must and should run a government deficit. Wrong. That would only be right if you wanted your tax dollars going to pay more and more interest to the banks. Indeed, Hall denounces Clinton for seeking to pay down the U.S. debt, but this absurd canard is but an example of Hall’s political bias. Political bias is the biggest degrader of economic theory; Milton Friedman being among the most disingenuous. And that’s the problem with economic ‘theory’. It has no grasp of technology’s contribution and it is consistently biased based on (mainly right-wing) politics. At the same time, Hall does have it right when he says that taxes should increase for redistributive purposes. Wealth inequity is the major fundamental structural problem that needs to be addressed to prevent abuse of financial power and corruption of government institutions. Full employment? Good luck with that!! Increasing government deficits don’t burden future generations? Absurd. Wealth primarily comes from the effective application of new technology, not from gross domestic production of common goods. Wealth disparity comes from unfair tax and tax evasion policies, coupled with familial dissemination of wealth ...

Dear Nancy; You need to win this....

racocn8 comments on Dec 22, 2019:

One scenario: Pelosi holds onto the articles until 2021 when the new Congress is sworn in. The new Democratic majority then convicts and unseats Trump, even though reelected (again, illegitimately),... or directs the various State prosecutors to proceed with their legal actions to convict Trump ...

racocn8 replies on Dec 22, 2019:

@Robecology The GOP/Trump have no story line that can exhonerate Trump, and you cannot suggest that the witnesses can stick to a lie and not be blatently obvious. They'd surely cut their own throats, and that would be fine. Every one of the GOP would violate their oaths of office as well as the oath they take to be impartial. Most of them are on Putin's payroll and those that aren't have other compremat gathered by the Nat. Enquirer. Trump only has a strong chance of winning in 2020 if the electorate are brainwashed by the Russians the same way as in 2016. That is why the Dems do expect to lose again... along with pervasive voter suppression throughout the red states.

No one teaches a newborn human to breath.

snytiger6 comments on Dec 22, 2019:

I like your argumentative point. I may use it. It does seem logical that an all powerful being would make knowledge of himself/herself innate, and then it would be up to each individual to chose from there. It is a more reasonable, rational and logical system under the idea of there even being ...

racocn8 replies on Dec 22, 2019:

If a god were to instill knowledge of itself in animate beings, imagine the temples the bees, ants and termites would build!! I have to laugh at religionists that point to their own pathetic consciousness as being superior to other organisms and thus worthy of god's interest.

I know people love their animals, but I wonder what would happen if you were required to sponsor a ...

racocn8 comments on Dec 11, 2019:

Do you seriously believe we should work toward sustaining this level of human population? I contend it is a recipe for extinction.

racocn8 replies on Dec 11, 2019:

@Grahame It's true, we could feed the world. But then what? Our imminent extinction is a much more serious problem. The people we help survive will die with us when we go, whether it's WW III or ecological collapse. If it makes you feel better to help the destitute, please proceed. However, do not imagine that you are doing anything more that putting off the inevitable. (I recently hosted a pair of homeless in my house for more than a year. While they were wonderful people, they became problematic. I've done my goodwill for a while.) Religious beliefs functionally endorse the inverted morality of "more power-less responsibility." We will never be able to help the poor, OR save our own skins until we figure out how to stop corruption.

A history lesson : : the consequences of immigration and the self destruction of culture : : : and ...

TimeOutForMe comments on Dec 3, 2019:

What's your point? Were you yourself not black or colourful before you turned pale. I'm just asking. Did Britain not become a super power by colonising other countries and enriched itself that way for too long? and continue to do so. It's called looting. The immigrants are working and living ...

racocn8 replies on Dec 4, 2019:

Actually, with their breeding program, we'll all be a bit grayer too.

Should the USA try to keep Muslims out of their country?

Imatheistically comments on Nov 25, 2019:

There is no greater threat to civilization on this planent, then the terrorist based death cult known as "Islam"! It is one "religion" that does NOT deserve the freedom to exist! Not in the USS, nor anywhere else on the planet!

racocn8 replies on Nov 30, 2019:

@Grecio Keeping religious people out is the sane, logical, rational thing to do... But the US general population would not agree to it. Seriously, it's long past time to revisit the Constitution.

Should the USA try to keep Muslims out of their country?

Imatheistically comments on Nov 25, 2019:

There is no greater threat to civilization on this planent, then the terrorist based death cult known as "Islam"! It is one "religion" that does NOT deserve the freedom to exist! Not in the USS, nor anywhere else on the planet!

racocn8 replies on Nov 27, 2019:

At this particular historical instant, I agree, Islam is way worse that Christianity on account of its intolerance and adherence to violent methods. But to be clear, that is only because Christianity has been the prevailing religion in the West during its age of reason and advent of science. Islam has remained intellectually isolated and radicalized in response to the decades of colonial oppression. The main truth is that both lobotomize their believers into psychotic behavior.

Should the USA try to keep Muslims out of their country?

Grecio comments on Nov 24, 2019:

Of course, all Muslims are not bad people. However, if one reads the Koran and other Islamic literature, there seems to be a lot of "kill apostates". etc.. In addition, Muslims that immigrate to the USA don't seem to assimilate. They take over neighborhoods and towns. Look what is going on in ...

racocn8 replies on Nov 27, 2019:

@oldFloyd Remember that before Gilligan, Denver played a 'beatnik' on Dobie Gillis. It would be reasonable to infer that the Maynard character was a pot-smoking forerunner of 'hippie.'

Any of you read Breaking the Spell by Daniel Dennett?

Matias comments on Nov 27, 2019:

A motto very dear to me is: "Nothing in life makes sense except in the light of evolution". If we treat religions as natural phenomena, and if we look at their evolution, we are tempted to view them as mental "parasites" which spread to the detriment of their hosts. But if we look at the ...

racocn8 replies on Nov 27, 2019:

You're right as far as equating religions to parasites. However, you should realize that evolution works on much greater time scales than a few millenia of human history, especially with such a long-lived species. Also, sad to say, but atheism and agnosticism would quality as parasitic memes as much as conventional religions. More accurately, these viral memes are in competition with each other. What is notable is that considerable mutation of the memes does occur in historical time-frames. Christianity has morphed extensively, both in content via text translations, and in practice. Indeed, the various forms of Christianity have evolved to where the rituals and lifestyles are entirely different. The practice of religion is poorly related to pure parasitism because, as you point out, conventional parasite reduce the fitness of the host. An argument may be made that religion enables people to be more fit in certain respects than a non-religious person. Specifically, by analogy, a single ant may be less fit as an individual than the ant colony. Religious practice may be viewed as humans leaning into colonial behavior with discrete hierarchy and separation of function.

Most common/ridicuous argumento pro religion?

JohnnyQB comments on Nov 26, 2019:

When people mix their politics with religion and stand up for islam because they hate the US.

racocn8 replies on Nov 26, 2019:

Most interpretations of Islam say that Islamic law, Sharia, should govern the state.

Most common/ridicuous argumento pro religion?

Sgt_Spanky comments on Nov 26, 2019:

*"If you accept the sacrifice of Jesus and open your heart to him, he will come into it. * So basically, all I have to do is to believe he's real, talk to him like he's listening, and acknowledge his part in my life and then I'll know him. Yes, that is exactly how delusions work.

racocn8 replies on Nov 26, 2019:

I tried that. I really did. It didn't work.

Should the USA try to keep Muslims out of their country?

Imatheistically comments on Nov 25, 2019:

There is no greater threat to civilization on this planent, then the terrorist based death cult known as "Islam"! It is one "religion" that does NOT deserve the freedom to exist! Not in the USS, nor anywhere else on the planet!

racocn8 replies on Nov 25, 2019:

@blzjz @Grecio Actually, snakes are lizards... but being repelled by Islam has absolutely nothing to do with racism. Islam infects different races with equal opportunity.

The GOP have a decision to make: allegiance to Putin or to America.

Druvius comments on Nov 22, 2019:

Right, relations with Russia and sanctions on them are worse than ever, and we are arming Ukraine to the teeth. How is Russia benefiting from this?

racocn8 replies on Nov 22, 2019:

@Druvius Or is it Infiltrate and Subvert 2.0? If you look across Europe, you see the governments wrestling with populism advocated by revealed Putin stooges, and abetted by the naive and worse.

The GOP have a decision to make: allegiance to Putin or to America.

Druvius comments on Nov 22, 2019:

Right, relations with Russia and sanctions on them are worse than ever, and we are arming Ukraine to the teeth. How is Russia benefiting from this?

racocn8 replies on Nov 22, 2019:

Russia is positioning itself to re-take Ukraine. Russia benefits by weakening the West and has been successful in sowing division almost everywhere. Mostly, Russia has de facto control of our country through its connections: Trump, Giuliani, Perry, Nunes, McConnell, Barr, and many more, and suspect on the other side: Gillibrand, Gabbard, Warren and Sanders.

I had a revealing discussion with a group of Trump supporters last weekend.

hankster comments on Oct 30, 2019:

they are worse off and more misguided than the most Ardent Christian. Christians have no evidence to believe yet still do. Trump supporters have a mountain of evidence indicating this man's rancid character and overlook it in favor of their own stupidity.

racocn8 replies on Nov 17, 2019:

Both GOProbots AND Christians develop blinders to avoid seeing contradictions to their views. They choose to live in a bubble and to maintain its purity.

I am listening to the impeachment hearings, not being surprised by, but just appreciating the deep ...

bingst comments on Nov 13, 2019:

Not with the Russians running the RNC. No doubt they have enough dirt on every Republican in order to keep them in line.

racocn8 replies on Nov 14, 2019:

You can be sure we have a boatload of compromised democrats too. I'm not claiming a false equivalence thing - - I'm just saying Putin has been working hard on infiltrating the whole government. If I were to guess, I'd say 45% of GOP are bought off and the rest have comprimat by the Enquirer or other GOP 'allies'. The percent of Dems could be 10%, but a lot on both sides are also paid by Saudi Arabia or other countries. Our government has been corrupted because it's been corrupt for a long time and it's built up an assembly-line of corporate and international bribery and influence peddling. Those that would plug up the holes have to get their proposals past a corrupt majority, so nothing gets done. I'm blown away by how the GOP can, after 70 years of anti-Communist rhetoric, do an about-face and embrace an obvious puppet from those very same Russians. At that level of hypocrisy, we are dead and just don't know it yet.

Criticizing the doctrine of Islam does not mean the person doing so is a xenophobe,Islamophobe, or ...

racocn8 comments on Nov 5, 2019:

You are challenging the CLAIM that criticizing Islam is racist, or comparably immoral. I suspect that this claim is being marketed by Saudi Arabia and by similar Islamic entities. Religions do act on their own behalf. Distributing a false claim like this seeks to disarm opponents of the religion....

racocn8 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

@OwlinASack There's a gigantic difference between those who criticize the nonsense of Islam versus the propaganda from white supremacists, but you seek to conflate the two. Then you say: "those who seek to oppose the ignorant end of criticism of 'Islam' are seeking to protect ordinary muslims who are being targeted by people who say the things you say." (Just what was it you think I said?) Bullshit. Trolling bullshit. As to Tyson and Krauss admitting wrongdoing, WRONG. They have expressed regret if their accusers misunderstood their comments, but they've admitted no wrongdoing, so you're just lying here. Nor has there been any indication of a common motivation, that's in YOUR head. Also, in YOUR head is the claim that these imaginary evil motivations are 'standard for men in atheism'!!! STANDARD??!!! How would you know that? Projection much? As for Buzzfeed's hit job on Silverman, this was the same Buzzfeed that ran the bogus accusations against Krauss. So much for seeking to be a man of letters. You need only three to write you down...

Whatever our reservations as skeptics, whatever our doubts about the admixture of Native American ...

Atheist3 comments on Nov 3, 2019:

As an environmentalist, I am attune to, spiritually aware of, the plight of the planet. The mosquitoe is as deserving of respect as the eagle. Is it not? I have little hope in the future of humanity. ☹️

racocn8 replies on Nov 5, 2019:

I respect the mosquito as another remarkably unique and bizarre life form. I wouldn't kill an eagle if it was flying by me. Mosquitos circle me at their peril. It mosquitos went extinct, I wouldn't shed as many tears as for the eagle. I'm biased toward Chordates I guess.

Religious Conservatives Lash Out at Kellogg’s Over “Anti-Christian” Cereal | Hemant Mehta | ...

PinkyandtheBrain comments on Oct 28, 2019:

Guys Kellogg's teamed up with glaad. (Gay lesbian alliance against defamation).In an attempt to avoid bullying. This organization has Absolutely no right to be in children cereal . Cereal for my kids is something you eat for breakfast and then go to school or play afterwards. But forcing diverse ...

racocn8 replies on Oct 30, 2019:

Bullying is a major serious problem in schools. Who is unaware of this? The so-called 'forcing' of diverse sexuality is an 'Absolute' part of our society - - except for those who are offended on account of their own problems regarding diversity. Sadly, the expression of offense speaks for itself.

How do you deal with unwanted advances?

racocn8 comments on Oct 29, 2019:

Tell them you're an ardent NRA member and you'd love an excuse to try out your newest derringer. or, "Fuck off or I'll start screaming." then take your chair somewhere else, and report the pervert. It's the YMCA and you shouldn't have to put up with that if you are paying their excessive dues. ...

racocn8 replies on Oct 29, 2019:

@LiterateHiker The YMCA is aligned with Christianity, which is a wacko cult, albeit a big one. The YMCA is a mere extension; it is content with keeping the name, Young Men's Christian Association, none of which remains valid, except the bias towards Christianity. Christianity is anti-Truth, anti-reality and anti-sanity, put they're Pro-life, and apparently that's all that matters.

Ideally, should religious people be:

DenoPenno comments on Oct 16, 2019:

None of the above. I did not vote. I was so very tempted to check "forcibly educated" but decided if they want to believe nonsense then let them do so.

racocn8 replies on Oct 17, 2019:

@mooredolezal Your comment helped me realized that while 'forcibly educating' sounds harsh, it is certainly no worse than what was done to them - - brainwashing them into religion. So, surely the 'state' should be entitled to at least try to undo the damage. That's what education is partly about, enlarging ones understanding of the universe.

Carbon Negative SpaceX Starship Possible Elon Musk suggested that SpaceX can make methane fuel ...

racocn8 comments on Oct 11, 2019:

You don't need air, just water and solar energy to perform electrolysis on the water (water which is abundant on the moon and elsewhere). Trying to pull CO2 out of the air and then convert it to methane is doing a lot of work for little benefit. Unless one is trying to cleanse the CO2 out of the...

racocn8 replies on Oct 11, 2019:

@EdEarl Hydrogen is certainly a problematic substance: tiny and very chemically reactive. Slush hydrogen and hydrogen reversably stuck onto a porous absorbent have been advanced as solutions. There might be linings that could reduce leakage, or engineer to tolerate and sequester the leakage.

Do the GOP and their Evangelical enablers constitute an Existential Threat to Humanity?

yvilletom comments on Oct 11, 2019:

Human extinction due to the tipping point you have in mind is your conclusion. A tipping point and the deaths of many humans is my conclusion.

racocn8 replies on Oct 11, 2019:

Not so much a conclusion, but an escalating probability. Once the insects die off and infrastructures are lost, maintaining a food supply becomes problematic. The competition for scarce resources is certain to initiate a nuclear exchange and game over.

He only hires the best people.

Beowulfsfriend comments on Oct 9, 2019:

Ivanka is doing her best to bring back the blonde joke as an important genre.

racocn8 replies on Oct 10, 2019:

What do you call three blondes sitting side by side? A wind tunnel.

So... would I get in trouble for writing something like this?

racocn8 comments on Oct 10, 2019:

It's not that you're off base. It would be nice if we could treat everyone the same. At the same time, we are far, far from being the same. When it comes to a relationship, people expect to spend a LOT of time with their prospective partner. The truth is that people do develop an affinity for ...

racocn8 replies on Oct 10, 2019:

@Paul4747 Culture will be manifested in physical objects or in behaviors. Each of these possessed objects or behavioral memes will be associated with people identifying with a culture at some (generally higher) level of probability or frequency than in other cultures. Gamers are likely to have pewter dragons and engage in role-playing games...

I often find it extremely mind-boggling just how many "Christians" have never read the Bible.

racocn8 comments on Oct 2, 2019:

The tragedy is that we do have transcendental knowledge and profound wisdom. However, because religion teaches believers to ignore everything else, they are blocked from becoming better people.

racocn8 replies on Oct 3, 2019:

@Gawd Of course my notion of transcendental knowledge is my own, and I thus cite those scientific discoveries which elude everyday experience, but are nonetheless critical to our existence. I would cite evolutionary processes, E=mc^2, Maxwell's Equations, Quantum Mechanics, the virtual nature of matter, fission & fusion, The Standard Model, kinetics, the use of imaginary numbers for network analysis, etc.

Amber Guyger, Ex-Dallas Officer Who Killed Botham Jean, Found Guilty Of Murder : NPR

silverotter11 comments on Oct 1, 2019:

Correct call. Glad we don't have to see any civil up risings.

racocn8 replies on Oct 2, 2019:

We'll see...

No Need To Cut Back On Red Meat? Controversial New 'Guidelines' Lead To Outrage : The Salt : NPR

LiterateHiker comments on Sep 30, 2019:

Forty years ago, we knew processed and preserved meats increase your chance of getting cancer. Decades of studies show eating red meat, processed and preserved meat increase heart disease, cancer and stroke. These scientists must have been paid by the beef industry.

racocn8 replies on Sep 30, 2019:

40 year ago, my Nucleic Acids class professor warned us against combining Nitrates and caffeine, which in the presence of stomach acid, became the potent carcinogen, nitrosamine. That combination is endemic with hot dogs or hamburgers and coke, or coffee and bacon. I've never seen the warning in the press, but I'll bet it accounts for a lot of cancer.

Whats the biggest difference being atheist/agnostic has made in your life so far?

linxminx comments on Sep 28, 2019:

I never felt as though something else was in charge of my life, other than me. And I can tell you for damn sure that I've never had a prayer answered. Embracing atheism, for me, was putting a voice to what I already knew but never acknowledged. For me, it was a very satisfying moment. I always ...

racocn8 replies on Sep 28, 2019:

Thanks for the insight.

Is einstein's e=mc2 even possible?

glennlab comments on Sep 22, 2019:

You are trying to understand a theory, without understanding the individual terms and their relational value, or what is being explained. This formula is the explanation of how matter and energy are related to each other. It builds on Newton's theories on Kinetic and Potential energy as well as ...

racocn8 replies on Sep 24, 2019:

@remiforce @glennlab Fission does indeed release large amounts of energy; that's what nuclear energy is all about. However, the conversions you cite relate to the fissile material that converted to radioactive daughter nuclei, not the 'mass' converted to energy. The Hiroshima Bomb liberated 6.3x10^13 joules of energy, while a proton is the equivalent of 1.5x10^-10 joules of energy. Dividing, we get 4.2x10^23 protons or AMU, atomic mass units for the bomb. A mole is 6.23x10^23 units. so the energy of the Hiroshima bomb is 4.2/6.23 moles of hydrogen. At 1 gram per mole of hydrogen, that's about 0.7 grams, or the mass of 2 paperclips converted to energy in the Hiroshima Bomb. It is indeed surprising that the energy from a nuclear bomb can create a plasma that would briefly be suitable for fusion. This fusion then unleashes still more energy via a different mechanism than fission. And yet, the mechanism is the same as far as converting the differences in nuclear rest mass to energy

So many people today label themselves as Atheists.

desertastronomer comments on Sep 23, 2019:

"In fact, "atheism" is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a "non-astrologer" or a "non-alchemist." We do not have words for people who doubt that Elvis is still alive or that aliens have traversed the galaxy only to molest ranchers and their cattle. Atheism ...

racocn8 replies on Sep 24, 2019:

By that flippant reference to cattle mutilations, Sam shows himself to be wholly ignorant of the subject. If you want an eye-opener, check out the FBI FOIA files.

Is einstein's e=mc2 even possible?

glennlab comments on Sep 22, 2019:

You are trying to understand a theory, without understanding the individual terms and their relational value, or what is being explained. This formula is the explanation of how matter and energy are related to each other. It builds on Newton's theories on Kinetic and Potential energy as well as ...

racocn8 replies on Sep 24, 2019:

@remiforce @glennlab Only a minute fraction of the uranium in the atom bombs got converted into energy. The atoms that were split generated other nuclei known as daughter products. All the energy derived from conversion of the rest mass of the nuclei, and the subsequent decay processes. Elements like uranium seek a ratio or balance in the number of neutrons to protons. In this case, 143 neutrons to 92 protons. However, in a fission reaction, the splitting is uncontrolled as the high-speed neutrons bash the nuclei into fragments. Usually, the daughter nuclei have too many neutrons and decay by emitting electrons. This decay converts a neutron to a proton, getting the nucleus closer to the ideal ratio. However, if the daughter nucleus happens to have too many protons to neutrons (less likely, but it happens) then the decay mechanism is to emit a positron, converting a proton to a neutron and moving the nucleus closer to the ideal balance. The emitted positron is a positively charged electron, an opposite to an electron, as far as charge is concerned. When the positron encounters an electron, the charges cancel and both particles are converted into a great deal of energy. Because conventional matter is mostly expressed with electrons orbiting nuclei, an emitted electron can travel several feet before it slows down and dumps its energy into its surroundings. In contrast, a positron annihilates almost immediately given the abundance of electrons it can encounter. As noted, the entire rest mass of both electron and positron are converted to either 2 or 3 high energy photons. As the rest masses of both electron and positron are 511 keV, the total energy is 1022 keV. Thus the 2 emittted photons are 511 keV, or if 3 are emitted, 341 keV.

Conspiracy?

racocn8 comments on Sep 20, 2019:

As the damage was minimal, I'd say this was a warning to Saudi Arabia to back off from Yemen or a real strike would shut them down for real. Sadly, these two have been at each other for decades. The US wants them to stay peaceful so we can keep selling weapons systems.

racocn8 replies on Sep 20, 2019:

@Austin-Cambridge They don't need to work at all. They just have to be profitable enough to keep a few Trump voters employed.

The Christian Right Is Helping Drive Liberals Away From Religion | FiveThirtyEight

ShadowAmicus comments on Sep 19, 2019:

Mixed feelings on this Good - that more people are leving organised religions Bad - the split between left/right religious/non religious becomes deeper and even less interactive I fear that a divided social structure may eventually lead to greater conflict - I see too many similarities with the...

racocn8 replies on Sep 19, 2019:

Sadly, no one even realizes that we are fully into CIVIL WAR 2.0. We've had thousands of 'incidental casualties' but because they have more than one cause, the contributing cause of cultural conflict is only rarely mentioned. They have voted to leave the Union and the rest of us are wasting our time trying to pick up the pieces.

What's the most outrageous thing one of your parents ever said to you?

racocn8 comments on Sep 15, 2019:

Your Mom's response sounds both accurate and clever; nothing ghoulish about it. When I was 3, my Grandfather pointed to the big can transformer on a nearby telephone poll and told me that bad boys would be put in there on time-outs. I was horrified, but couldn't quite grasp how children would fit...

racocn8 replies on Sep 16, 2019:

@Winkiedink54 That is pretty gross. Have you been diagnosed with any sort of personality disorder as a result of that or other experiences? Did your Mom have other issues or sources to have promoted that behavior? These questions are probably out of line, so maybe I'm just thinking out loud. I wish you well for having gone through that.

95% of Black Women plan to vote in 2020

Senex comments on Sep 12, 2019:

I'm just a moderately-interested spectator of US politics but I'd hope that all those elements in your society that want to get rid of that fat sexless fraud who is your current President should be combining to make sure that as many people as possible are on the electoral roll and that electoral ...

racocn8 replies on Sep 13, 2019:

@Bobby9 You're from North Carolina. You tell me. But that's just a start. Then there's McConnell's blocking of bills addressing election security, seeking to reduce the election hacking perpetrated by Trump's sponsor (Putin).

Interplanetary relations

Biblebeltskeptic comments on Sep 12, 2019:

I guess we'd have to go with cosmopolitan. Hahaha

racocn8 replies on Sep 12, 2019:

I think that's a great one However, it has a different meaning in our own language. Maybe the original could be modified, such as 'Humaneist' (seeking to act humanely) Perhaps 'Decusquaero' (meaning seeking beauty or glory) or 'honorquaero' (meaning seeking honor)

95% of Black Women plan to vote in 2020

Senex comments on Sep 12, 2019:

I'm just a moderately-interested spectator of US politics but I'd hope that all those elements in your society that want to get rid of that fat sexless fraud who is your current President should be combining to make sure that as many people as possible are on the electoral roll and that electoral ...

racocn8 replies on Sep 12, 2019:

Republicans can only win by cheating, and that's what they do. So long as they don't suffer consequences, why should they stop.

Been a while since I made a post here.

demifeministgal comments on Sep 11, 2019:

did you ultimately breakup because you were tired of it? Or did she breakup with you when she realized she wouldn't be able to convert you?

racocn8 replies on Sep 12, 2019:

@DavidGreen1 That's the problem though. Not content to lie to themselves, they lie for Jesus and then compete for lying. Delusion is delusional; it's insanity. Back away and dedicate yourself to sanity.

Stop Vaping! CDC issue another warning after series of deaths.

racocn8 comments on Sep 6, 2019:

These vaping deaths need to be closely investigated as to the specific causes of death. Vaping is an industry with competition as well as health issues, so any number of parties are inclined to generate negative and/or biased information. Vaping is often obnoxious, but a lot of things are ...

racocn8 replies on Sep 8, 2019:

@MattHardy As I said before, smoking anything isn't healthy. However, here are some articles on the subject. https://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/cebp/15/10/1829.full.pdf https://www.jstor.org/stable/3552780?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents https://norml.org/component/zoo/category/cannabis-smoke-and-cancer-assessing-the-risk

Stop Vaping! CDC issue another warning after series of deaths.

racocn8 comments on Sep 6, 2019:

These vaping deaths need to be closely investigated as to the specific causes of death. Vaping is an industry with competition as well as health issues, so any number of parties are inclined to generate negative and/or biased information. Vaping is often obnoxious, but a lot of things are ...

racocn8 replies on Sep 8, 2019:

@MattHardy Actually, my response was a qualified 'yes'; I do have scientific reason to think smoking canabis helps prevent cancer, beyond cell culture testing. And yes, to the point where cannabis could prevent cancer from cigarette smoking. Cannabis smokers do not have the incidence of cancer that cigarette smokers have, even though cannabis smoke has almost all the ingredients present in cigarette smoke (… the incomplete combustion products thought to cause cancer). The anecdotes validating the use of Rick Simpson Oil are quite numerous at this point, and a few doctors and hospitals are willing to prescribe cannabinoids for cancer patients in an experimental research context. However, most U.S. doctors are either totally ignorant on the subject or feel they don't want to risk their license by offending federal agencies. The near lack of toxicity, even by levels needed to combat cancer, strongly argues for trying cannabis/hemp when the toxic chemicals that are approved for use are not working. Even with mounting evidence, doctors will proclaim that they need to see published double-blind studies, even though we won't see those for another 20 years. That attitude will (continue to) result in millions of PREVENTABLE cancer deaths. Cannabis/hemp are certainly not universal panaceas, but, the list of ailments helped by using these materials keeps growing as the legal restrictions are removed. The question becomes: Why, when presented with a claim that is backed by extensive documentation, you are dismissive?

Stop Vaping! CDC issue another warning after series of deaths.

racocn8 comments on Sep 6, 2019:

These vaping deaths need to be closely investigated as to the specific causes of death. Vaping is an industry with competition as well as health issues, so any number of parties are inclined to generate negative and/or biased information. Vaping is often obnoxious, but a lot of things are ...

racocn8 replies on Sep 7, 2019:

@MattHardy I recently attended a class where the presenter had documented numerous studies (mostly from non-US countries) that evaluated the effects of cannabis and CBD on cancer. The inch-thick folder was indexed according to the predominant forms of cancer, and included discussions on multiple mechanisms of action. It was fully footnoted and referenced. Each section included one or more anecdotal descriptions of people who had each type of cancer. It is true, most of the studies did not use human subjects, but I would say the preponderence of evidence is not just persuasive, but damning. The drug war prevents studies of cannabis effects on cancer (and a long list of other maladies) from being conducted in the U.S. Only drug abuse studies that support the drug war are allowed. Disinformation continues to be promulgated by Federal agencies, even as the patent office registers hundreds of cannabinoid patents describing applications for cancer and a litany of illnesses. Quite a few of these patents are filed by Federal entities.

What scares you most...?

dare2dream comments on Sep 6, 2019:

Sooner or later we all will rejoin the immense oblivion of the nothingness from which we came. What scares me the most is living a life without meaning or purpose while I'm here.

racocn8 replies on Sep 7, 2019:

And what should meaning or purpose be? Sadly, we are so brainwashed by the prevailing religious milieu that we assume such words have genuine underlying meaning. That's what critical thinking is all about. Why should someone be scared? What is purpose or meaning of being afraid?

Column: Break some eggs, Elizabeth Warren: Drop out and back Bernie - Chicago Tribune

CuriosityExtant comments on Sep 4, 2019:

I still don't respect or trust the DNC establishment for what they did in 2016, but I WILL vote for Bernie (or the closest whomever in the spot), however they register to run. That millinial "I'm not gonna vote" crap I heard about is simply asinine. VOTE or love the stupid consequences!

racocn8 replies on Sep 5, 2019:

Who the hell can you trust anymore anyway. No, the only thing we can do now is to temporarily suspend mistrust.

George Galloway makes a lot of sense .

racocn8 comments on Sep 3, 2019:

Brexit would never have passed but for Putin's social media campaign. Continuing to pursue Brexit is not only illegitimate, but probably not in England's best interest. The inability to develop a cogent Brexit should be a hint that it is not a good idea. Also note the complete resistance of the ...

racocn8 replies on Sep 4, 2019:

@Moravian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/10/russian-influence-brexit-vote-detailed-us-senate-report