Letters to the Editor
Hermit
Published Letters: 30
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Verbal Behavior.
[Read the article: I don't believe in atheists]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]From a behavioral science point of view, all religions are really verbal behavior, with no other presenting phenomena. The reasons for the behavior have been studied and explained, many times: Social attention, fear of being different, conditioning (brainwashing) during childhood, money, controlling and dominating personalities, drugs and mental illness. No religion's claims of better health, prosperity, happiness or safety ever been accurate nor has any religion’s prediction of future events (like the end of the world) ever come about so the notions of any gods being in control seem outside of reason.
The only predictions they seem to get right is that there are enough gullible saps out there to continue giving them power over their lives with just threats and empty promises. The hard core of these believers are committed dominionists, determined to control all within their reach. They use the masses of those they do control to try to control the rest of us. So, they started the culture wars and continue them with repeated attacks on our freedoms and liberties, especially us atheists. I'm more than disappointed at seeing such a high number of super-naturalists here. Actually, I'm alarmed. This has been an eye opener for me that so many educated people could criticize a thinker like Dawkins. I am more pessimistic than ever.
Here’s a very current example of how these Modern Day Inquisitors give their bullying religious prohibitions the power of armed law. A common garden plant (Salvia) is about to be made illegal in Michigan because teenagers are said to use it to get high. There are no proven harmful effects or current safety or health problems cited - no deaths, assaults or robberies. We are to use the Law Enforcement Industry to control others because, “It just has negative impacts on the holistic well being of an individual." (See below.) This ridiculous explanation is an act of religious bullying. They enjoy punishing disobedience to their taboos against self pleasuring, especially, any outside of their control.
We need Dawkins, et. al. to very publicly confront them and I wish there were more here with his brains and balls. It has been gratifying to read the more savvy writers here and they do give some hope to balance the pessimism, but if this forum hosts some of the best among us then we are fucked.
Hermit
Full text of quote:
http://www.michiganradio.org/.search?action=search&NEW_SEARCH=Y&x=0&y=0&KEY_WORDS=salvia
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It Will Never Balence
[Read the article: The crash in Republican economics ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Our capital economy, the one we we're selling world-wide, is based on increasing numbers of people to create such wealth as we have. So, no matter what we do about bad loans or who wins the next elections, we are addicted to this unsustainable model and will ultimately crash. How hard we crash will be proportional to how big we have grown.
The rest of the world is eagerly following in our footsteps, not realizing our economy has a fatal cancer. But we are giving it a face lift and now all those other economies will want one too. We have to find an economic model that is sustainable with a stable or shrinking population or try to live with what an unsustainable one will bring. The world is right behind us and will be greatly influenced by what we do in the next few years.
Hermit
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Seen It - Bad Bet
[Read the article: Peak oil? Consider it solved]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I've seen these percentage fixes like, "15% emission reduction!", "20% mileage increase!", washed away by increased population, car ownership and driving, again and again in my lifetime. So, I am cynical of any more of the same. That's because increasing human numbers are the basis for our, and the world's, economies and I don't see any reason that will change voluntarily. (See article below)
http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php?section=library&page=flynn_28_1
We built a passive solar house in 1979 on some rural acreage and have lived here since, burning 2 cords of firewood per winter that we cut off our land. It's a relatively small house but we designed it with indoor and garage workshops and an office so we could work at home and not have to drive as much as if working in town. But I only know of 2 other houses built in the last 28 years with any passive solar elements so, while I wish people would design northern houses with the sun in mind, I have to bet that they won't in the future either.
Now, what does that mean? "Hope for the best, plan for the worst." We have moved our retirement investments to things we think people are going to do rather than what we wish they would do. We are also evolving in other ways to deal with the world that is changing around us, as best we can anyway. (We love fresh food from the farmer's market and put up a lot for winter.) We also are NOT sending any kids into the future to compete for space and food, but you don't need to thank us for that because it's no sacrifice.
I'm very skeptical that our nation's attitudes about what's cool and what we're entitled to, can change. It looks like a long-shot because it will require some sacrifice and a lot of actual changes in our behavior. But we're too busy glamorizing American Idols and Donald Trump to think about the future, much less to actually do anything.
Sorry, I'm betting against the home team.
Hermit