There has been another round of letters to the editor concerning atheism and belief that I always fine interesting. One letter made the statement that "atheists, at minimum, are not making a positive claim about weather God exists; we only need say that no one has shown good reason to believe that any god exists." This reminded me of something written by Sam Harris that would support the idea that everyone is an atheist.
"Consider: every devout Muslim has the same reasons for being a Muslim that you have for being a Christian. And yet, you know exactly what it is like not to find these reasons compelling. On virtually every page, the Qur'an declares that it is the perfect word of the Creator of the universe. Muslims believe this as fully as you believe the Bible's account of itself. Why don't you find these claims convincing? Why don't you lose any sleep over whether or not you should convert to Islam? Please take a moment to reflect on this. You know exactly what it is like to be an atheist with respect to Islam. Isn't it obvious that anyone who thinks that the Qur'an is the perfect word of the Creator of the universe has not read the book very critically? Isn't it obvious that Muslims have developed a mode of discourse that seeks to preserve dogma, generation after generation, rather than question it? Yes, these things are obvious. Understand that the way you view Islam is precisely the way every Muslim views Christianity. And it is the way atheist view all religions."
"Reply to a Christian," June/July 2006 issue of "Free Inquiry"
Contract for the American Dream
Posted: 08.09.11
If you are as tired as I am concerning the economic proposals coming from the Congress, I recommend that you download the Contract for the American Dream (pdf). If you agree with its content, go to http://www.rebuildthedream.com/ and add your signature to the document. Lets see if we can build enough support to have some impact.
Reforming Tax Expenditures
Posted: 04.15.11
"With the federal budget on an unsustainable path, our country’s fiscal problems need to be addressed in a way that is both effective and equitable. Scaling back and reforming “tax expenditures” — spending that is delivered through the tax code rather than government programs — should be an important part of that effort."
The "People's Budget" reflects the values articulated by President Obama in his speech on Apr. 13, 2011. It is the antidote to the disease proposed by the Paul Ryan budget plan.
"Budgets are more than collections of numbers; they are a statement of our values. The
Congressional Progressive Caucus Budget is a reflection of the values and priorities of working
families in this country. The "People's Budget" charts a path that keeps America exceptional in the
21st century, while addressing the most pressing problems facing the nation today. Our Budget
eliminates the deficit and stabilizes the debt, puts Americans back to work, and restores our
economic competitiveness."
From the above FAIR article:
In 1998, House Telecommunications Subcommittee leaders Billy Tauzin and Edward Markey designed a bill (later withdrawn) to create a permanent PBS trust fund, abolish the CPB and phase out commercial underwriting messages. The Gore Commission on the social responsibilities of digital broadcasters strongly recommends that Congress create a trust fund for public television and eliminate “enhanced underwriting” by corporations. A December 1998 poll by Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates found an overwhelming 79 percent of the American public favoring a proposal to require commercial broadcasters to pay 5 percent of their revenues into a fund to support public broadcasting programming.
Linking Compassion & Disposable
Posted: 02.14.11
I listened to the two TED talks below and found their juxtaposition to be particularly powerful. The first speakers about compassion and the second about the disposable. It struck me that eliminating the disposable is a manifestation of compassion.
The picture was taken as we returned from our maiden trip with the new Airstream travel trailer. It was the first of many trips that we will be taking over the coming years. The 16 foot Airstream pulled easily behind our GMC Sierra although it dropped our average fuel consumption from 20 to 13 mpg. The trip was a good test run as we learned that our trailer choice felt just right and we have many things to do before it is completely outfitted to our liking.
Holiday Gathering
Posted: 12.31.10
There was no snow in Carbondale this year but we took a trip up a mountain to a great sledding hill. The image above by Julie shows us all trekking up the hill. The image to the left by Peter captures Otter and I rocketing down the hill on our best run of the day.
As you can tell by our expressions, Otter was relaxed and enjoying the ride while I am just trying to get to the bottom without crashing. As it turned out, we were going so fast that the snow bank at the side of the road at the bottom shot us into the air. We landed half way across the road with a jolt that I can still feel. It was a great day!
We went to Carbondale for the second year in a row to spend Christmas with Peter, Misty, Otter, Tucker Mac and Wrenny. Juile and Cody joined us so we had a gathering of nine. We missed Shane and Betsy who were there last year and hope to get Eric and Karen to join us in the future so we can all be together. We did have a great weekend with Eric and Karen before we left for Colorado.
The photo to the left by Julie is of the Cinnamon Monkey Bread that Misty makes as part of their Christmas tradition. We get to eat it after opening presents. It is so good!
