Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 360 Editor's Choice: 12
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Here we go again
[Read the article: I don't believe in atheists]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]For example, they believe that the human species is marching forward, that there is an advancement toward some kind of collective moral progress
This is simply false. Core advocates of the New Atheists are evolutionary theorists, and this is absolutely antithetical to evolutionary theory. I've read Dawkins' and Hitchens' book, and neither makes this absurd claim.
So I think that I find the faith that these people place in science and reason as a route toward human salvation to be as delusional/
Again, this is absolutely false that there is any misunderstanding about people who practice science and reason as a route toward human "salvation." In fact, I challenge the author to find any of the New Atheists using the word "salvation."
What these people (and I) say is that there are things that are true, and there are things that are not true. Among the things that are not true are eternal life and the presence of supernatural beings, now or in the past.
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That's it? There's no more substance beyond saying over and over again that the new atheists are just like Christian fundamentalists?
Oh, and Hitchens is an asshole. Yes, we knew that. His book isn't all that good either.
On the little fascism/Hitler riff (Godwin's law doesn't apply, I guess, if you've gone to seminary), I'd note that Science is morally neutral. The fact that fission bombs are possible doesn't require that they be built or used.
The bizarre notion that Hitchens believes in torture because he's an atheist makes as much sense as saying Bush believes in torture because he's a Christian.
The central point of all the new atheist theses is that morality, far from being something people progress to, is part of the make-up of human societies, and precedes the establishment of a set of authorities to enforce some version of it. As both Dawkings and Hitchens say, the Israelites didn't believe murder and theft and rape were moral before Moses brought the tablets down from the god who spoke to him from a burning bush. Murder, theft and rape are universally immoral practices in all human societies--where, of course,these actions take place within the tribal group.
It's provocative to say that atheists are like fundamentalists. But you have some burden to show that there is some substance behind your provocative assertion. Perhaps there is in the book, perhaps a better interviewer could have elicited it. But that substance is not here.
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@ziabear
[Read the article: Misadventures in logical reasoning -- and lessons learned from the Spitzer scandal]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]They didn't arrest "Kristen," no. But they also didn't arrest Spitzer. I don't think they will charge him.
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Mom1
[Read the article: Misadventures in logical reasoning -- and lessons learned from the Spitzer scandal]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Um, all your citations are of the same single source. Farley. Whose clearly coming at this in a biased fashion.
So what of Mona's question? And do you really think that it is inherent in being a prostitute is mental incompetence?
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Dodd
[Read the article: The principled, honest House Republicans]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As the odds that we can win this have moved from nearly impossible to conceivable, it's worth remembering that none of this would be happening if Dodd, Kennedy and Feingold had not worked together to prevent passage of the SSCI bill last December. At the time, this seemed like a quixotic gesture, a last ditch attempt to stave off the inevitable.
While Glenn was very pessimistic at the time, he nonetheless has always said that we must use the mechanisms available to us, and to use them to their fullest extent. Dodd was derided by his fellow senators, by all accounts, and by the press, when they bothered to cover this at all.
Even though it was months ago, it's worth remembering that this would not have happened with Dodd standing up for the Constitution and the citizenry.
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casual_observer
[Read the article: The principled, honest House Republicans]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Blue Dog Stampede?
Two names.
Donna Edwards.
Bill Foster.
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@Scientician
[Read the article: The principled, honest House Republicans]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Thanks. The House passing this bill is at least as, if not more, important than Dodd's stance.
And you're right. It's under the radar.
Progressives have given Pelosi a lot of.....stuff. But without the House bill to stand on, the fearmongerers would have won.
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casual_observer
[Read the article: House Democrats reject telecom amnesty, warrantless surveillance]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yes. and Chris Carney, who is the guy I voted to hit.
So some ads will run.
This is a remarkable victory for citizen lobbying. Of course, all it took was two years and something like 100,000 phone calls, just to make a very simple and unexceptionable point.
However, I am very optimistic. It's like when the kids at the playground discover that the bully is not so tough after all.
When nothing bad happens to them, they may well find they enjoy standing up to Mr 30 percent.
And it's great that on this one we don't need to pass anything.
I hope everyone goes to any town halls or other event their senators are holding during the recess. Especially if they are on the wrong side of this.
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Off-Topic and with Trepidation
[Read the article: House Democrats reject telecom amnesty, warrantless surveillance]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Slate's Explainer answers a question posed earlier this week as to why pay a woman to have sex is illegal, but paying her to perform sex acts in front of a camera is not.
http://www.slate.com/id/2186552/
First Amendment.
Making a movie is expression, and is protected.
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LWM
[Read the article: Time magazine invents facts to claim that Americans support Bush's domestic spying abuses]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The slogan is "Privatize the profits. Socialize the losses."
GG-
this must have been a remarkably good piece. Everybody's off topic, because they have nothing to add, and nothing to argue with.