What's so special about Obama?

Exactly what the title says: What is the big deal here? Barack Obama's start in the Oval Office doesn't seem all that spectacular - so was everyone out to lunch? Was the media behind him all hype? The reality is - It doesn't really matter if he completely adds up to the hype. The attention, press coverage, and popularity behind his rise to the office will guarantee he has the support of America's majority for quite awhile. It's like a commercial - advertisers aren't trying to make great ads - they are just trying to make you see them. And Barack Obama is the biggest billboard US politics has seen in a long, long time.

When you think about it, it makes sense that he won. The Republicans weren't going to throw a party favorite to the dogs this election (Bush had already thrown a curve ball at their chances for winning). The Democrats come out fighting amongst themselves (as is always the case) and in the end we get Obama. Above all else, this guy can speak. He is the anti-thesis of Bush in image and presentation.

Do I regret voting for him after seeing his relief bill? No. I can't say I like that relief bill - hell, I hate it, really. But if I had voted for McCain, would I have gotten anything different? Not likely, based on his record. And for all of the talk about "Fiscal Responsibility" with Sarah Palin, Alaska did keep the funds for the bridge to nowehere, they just didn't spend them ont hat project. As it happened, those dollars could have been spent employing Americans, instead we have no idea where they went.

Good or bad, this president is going to have a massive impact on America. We're on the verge of collapsing under our national debt, environmental troubles loom, two conflicts persist despite lacking both the manning and the funds to achieve the results America needs. Our politicians have abandoned even concealing their own crimes, flaunting tax evasions and frauds in front of the public. Between an unwillingness to prosecute these politicians and the often exercised presidential pardon, justice has no reach on Capital Hill.

Things look pretty grim and these problems aren't going to be able to be ignored much longer. So, all there is left for us is to wait and see.

Atheism under Fire

Summary:

Soldier is openly discriminated against for not being Christian while on tour in Iraq. He sues the DoD and Secretary of Defense - but he's not suing for money, he's suing them to change their policies on faith in the service.

While I applaud him, I really do, I can't help but think this will prove ultimately ineffective. The DoD does not condone what was done to him. The Secretary of Defense does not condone it either. However, because each individual command has a near autonomous control over it's personnel, commands separately develop "climates." This means that while one base appears to be full of bitter, system-bucking, party-animals another command might literally be polar opposite. This culture takes years to build and does not change quickly. Policies and directives are a start, but they only go as far as they are enforced. And when it comes to Faith, some Commanding Officers follow the policies and directives differently then others. It isn't right - but it happens. 

It happens a lot because the normal tight-lipped soldier will say nothing. He isn't stupid. His supervisor, his supervisor's supervisor, and so forth all answer to a Commanding Officer who has decided to enforce Christianity at his command. If he raises the issue on this, he knows he will be contending with - literally - his entire command against him while the very slow wheels of military bureaucracy roll into action possibly years later. While those wheels are starting to roll, his career is over, he's getting the absolute worst assignments, and he has his entire chain of command actively searching for a reason to take disciplinary action against him. It's a courageous fight to raise an issue like this - but have no doubt, this soldier is a pariah at his command now.

I don't know how to fix it. As an atheist, I saw some of the same things he brings up in this article, but not to the extent he advertises in his case. I had to swear on a bible. I had to listen to prayers over our announcing circuits. I had to stand watch on Sunday morning (not forced, just sorely encouraged) so that Christians could go to church.

I only hope something good - something effective - comes out of this. Because this soldier has already given up his career to start the ball rolling.

Bush's 4 Point Plan for Gas

Summing it up:

1. Open up shores for drilling
   
2. Open up the Arctic for drilling
   
3. Help fund research for getting oil out of shale rock for profitably
   
4. Build more refineries
   

Alright, on the surface this seems like a good plan. However, its missing something...

Above is a chart of the average price of gas (averaged annually) in the US with a comparison of adjustment for inflation.

So it seems we have a few issues here.

It would appear that the price of gas is not out of control as much as we are:

1. Losing value on our dollar
2. Getting price gouged on our gas
3. Suffering from oil suppliers with holding oil to keep demand high

Bush proposes more sites to get oil, but that doesn't fix suppliers consciously with holding oil to keep the price high (both domestic and foreign). It also doesn't fix inflation. It only addresses additional supply, but in no way guarantees America will see the benefit of these extra allowances on the oil companies.

This proposal fails to address the meat of the real issue. It fails to address the oil baron's record profits and it fails to address our weakening dollar.

In short, I would call this 'Bush's Placebo for the Masses.' No substance for the people and nothing but another dollar in the oil companies' wallet.

It's been a very sad week so far.

Pat Buchanan: His Quote on Black America

Pat Buchanan:

First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.

Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.

Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.

Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks—with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas—to advance black applicants over white applicants.

Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks.

We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?

Barack talks about new "ladders of opportunity" for blacks.

Let him go to Altoona and Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for "deserving" white kids.

Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America? Is it really white America's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent?

Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?

First off, and I hate to say this - there is some truth in what he's saying... it's just about the absolute most racist way of saying it, however.

Have 'caucasian' Americans been discriminated against? Yes! Certainly. Affirmitive action is discrimination against us, based on our race, holding good jobs for minority races over caucasians. That's discrimination, period.

Is it right? No. The law is wrong. It needs to be changed.

The rest of Pat's tirade is a myriad of stereotypes and ignorance, supported by statistics that, while accurate, fail to address the issue. We have a huge segment of our population falling through the cracks. Throwing money at it won't fix it. We need to take comprehensive action to correct this aggravating problem in our society. I don't know how to fix it. I only recognize it is a problem.

The rant, in it's entirety, can be found here: http://www.vdare.com/buchanan/080320_obama.htm

God - The Arguments

There are many 'Proof of God' websites. Some notable ones are:

All About Creation

Proof God Exists

Proof That God Exists

In addition to siting these sites, I will also site, as rebuttals:

The Skeptic

Richard Dawkins

I was drawn to make this post due to the long winded commentary of one of these site's administrators (Proof That God Exists's Sye Ten Bruggencate).

Here, we will take a brief review of the 'staple' arguments of each of these sites.

Proof God Exists and All About Creation are Intelligent Design Websites:

A summation of the intelligent design argument is:

Intelligent design (ID) is an anti-evolution belief that asserts that naturalistic explanations of some biological entities are not possible and such entities can only be explained by intelligent causes. Essentially that many organisms, including humans and animals, are too complex in nature to have come to be by chance mutation.

This argument's strong points against evolution are two-fold:

They assert that evolution can only make small changes on single components at a time.

They assert that the essential nature and complexity of the design leave no room for randomness or error.

The rebuttal to intelligent design (from the Skeptic):

The multiple parts of complex, interlocking biological systems do not evol

ve as individual parts. They evolve together, as systems that are gradually expanded, enlarged, and adapted to new purposes.

The assertation that the nature and complexity of the design of man would leave no room for randomness or error seem to disintegrate when you consider the presence of the appendix, and the relatively poor designs of the spine, birth canal, and the prostate. (Summation from the Skeptic, multiple contributors)

My Opinion: If God really did design us, we should sue him for poor quality control.

Third Site, Proof that God Exists's Argument (summation):

"To reach this page you had to acknowledge that immaterial, universal, unchanging laws of logic, mathematics, science, and absolute morality exist. Universal, immaterial, unchanging laws are necessary for rational thinking to be possible. Universal, immaterial, unchanging laws cannot be accounted for if the universe was random or only material in nature...

Only in a universe governed by God can universal, immaterial, unchanging laws exist. Only in a universe governed by God can rational thinking be possible. We use rational thinking to prove things."

My rebuttal here is simple:

1.) Morals are taught - a trained function. This is not to be confused with instincts which are inherent in virtually all life on this planet. I can teach a dog to attack people on sight, and likewise I can teach a child the same. This has been proven numerous times in psychological analysis.

2.) This argument is simpler to refute. There is no evidence supplied, either on this site or anywhere else to my knowledge to support this assertion that abstract ideas can not exist without God. He makes the assumption of God to explain the known of abstractions existing. There is no additional evidence supplied outside of quotes from the Bible. This is not how theories are proven in the scientific world.

I post this thread here due to the lengthy and cyclic commentary on some earlier posts. In an effort to lay this out succinctly and clearly, I made the entire discussion it's own topic.
*Minor edit on April 1, 2008 to fix formatting

Battlestar Galactica Last Supper

Click to see higher resolution version. Just an interesting picture.

Infidels.Org

This website I came across is loaded with excellent information. I gladly applaud the caretakers of it, as it has become a living, intelligent discussion.

Everything you wanted to know about prominent atheists, atheist discussions, and various discussions on political movements throughout the world that relate to atheism (such as the pariah, Intelligent Design).

The library at this site is simply astounding.

I gladly encourage anyone interested in understanding the viewpoint of atheism to visit Infidels.org.

Some links of note from the site:
Debunking the book, God the Evidence

The Debate of the Soul, Blind Nature, and God

Discussion of the Coming Apocalypse - a review of the Bible's Book of Revelations by an atheist