Nicest Girl and Destroyer of Planets

A Return?

2011-05-15T22:15:00.001-04:00

My life has drastically changed since I last posted on this blog. Got laid off, got dumped, moved back to my home state, lived with my father for a few months, lived with my mother for over a year, got my own place, started a new relationship, started a few new jobs, started my graduate degree, started running, etc.

Unfortunately, I don't find anything I have to say nearly as interesting anymore. Certainly not interesting enough to share with the rest of the internets. But perhaps I will give this old blog thingy here a shot again.

My degree in Criminal Justice has kept me pretty busy, but not too busy to keep me away from fun things like Fable III on the Xbox (gamertag: Izzib3th) or Team Fortress 2, a continuing source of entertainment (steam ID: Izzib3th) :D

Hit me up! Play with me! And in the meantime, I will try to come up with fun things to say on my new old blog.

(P.S. I also had to get rid of my website due to financial difficulties *see "Got laid off" up there* so none of the links on any of my old posts leading to nicest-girl.com work anymore. Sadly.)

So Hey....

2008-10-19T20:04:00.001-04:00

...What's up with all this racism?

When I first realized that Obama was most likely going to be our next President (or at least had a realistic shot at it) I was pretty excited. I really like Obama as a person. I feel he presents himself as a sincere and honest man who really hopes to do good for this country that has strayed off the path. His message of tolerance and coming-together as Americans made me feel like ... well... it could actually happen! He, like myself, is a mutt. Half n' Half. The older white people in this country have had a really tough time dealing with the fact that minorities might not be the minority in another 50 to 100 years and I felt like maybe a halfsie as President would help them to start making that transition.

Unfortunately, it appears that the GOP camp has been doing everything they possibly can to try to rally up their base (rich white males and females who are apparently deathly afraid of brown people) and make sure that they become terrified of anyone who doesn't look like them.

After 9/11, people in the Western world became terrified of Middle Eastern people or even people who LOOKED Middle Eastern. To go even further, one could say that the white people in this country became pretty much terrified of anyone who wasn't white. I remember I was 17 years old and going to school in Boston when 9/11 happened. Maybe two days after the tragedy, I was walking through Chinatown when a parade of white men in loud cars drove through the streets. The cars they were in had American flags all over them and they were driving through Chinatown yelling things at the Chinese-Americans living there. And .....not nice things. These people were as loud as possible and I don't think it was any coincidence that they decided to make a procession through the streets of the Chinese district. I was so angry. But what was I going to do? Things died down a little after "war" was declared and we entered Iraq where some brown people who had nothing to do with 9/11 but who LOOKED enough like the brown people who had everything to do with 9/11 could be used, I suppose, as a substitute to make Americans feel better about what happened.

Eight years later and we are seeing it all again! But it is scarier now, in my opinion. More dangerous.

By now I'm sure everyone has seen or heard of the exchange that happened between McCain and one of his supporters at a rally.

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RIP George Carlin, You "Old Fuck"

2008-06-23T09:42:00.001-04:00

I heard him described this morning as "Legendary" and I don't think any other word could describe him more perfectly. Good-bye to George Carlin, one of my favorite comedians who just happened to be atheist and pro-choice as well! I'll always remember him as The Conductor on Thomas the Tank Engine when I was little, Rufus on Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (and later Bogus Journey) when I was a young teenager, and the hitchhiking dick-sucker on Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back when I was an older teenager ^_^.

Here are some of my favorites of George Carlin's. Obviously they are not safe for work (NSFW). It's George Carlin, duh! I'll miss his insight and the way he expressed his opinions.

shit piss fuck cunt cocksucker motherfucker tits

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How Quaint!

2008-04-09T14:40:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to share these comments with anyone who reads my blog here.... because I find them to be absolutely amazing. Recently I posted a response on a forum that I frequent about the transgendered man who has decided to get pregnant (he had kept his female organs). I think these comments will speak for themselves. Just look at how simple it is, in some peoples' eyes, for you to cease being a human being worthy of your "God-given" rights. By the way, it sounds really "scientific" but it's not. No credible scientist anywhere who knows anything about biology would agree with this assessment. It's just someone's opinion (which is apparently held by others as well). (I am Izzibeth if you couldn't guess) so don't get too worried or anything. In fact, I may go ahead and try to contact some biologists and find out if one ceases to be a human being if one gets a sex change and gets pregnant OR if biologically male human beings end up pregnant at some point in the future. Of course I won't bother posting it in response to this because it's quite obviously a waste of time... but I'll post it here.

From this thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izzibeth

Are you being serious here? You're actually going to say that this person is not a human being because he took hormones and had his breasts removed?

Response: From a biological standpoint, it can't fully be considered a human being. As I said,

Homo sapiens

infants are born by females of the species. A male (which is what the thing claims to be) bearing a child can not fully be considered a human being.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izzibeth

Like I previously mentioned ... when I said "ah, good old dehumanizing" and you said "call it what you will".... when you say that a human being is not a human being .. that's "dehumanizing".

Response:

My intent wasn't to "dehumanize". I'm not suggesting we treat it as an inferior or anything, I'm pointing out that it doesn't have all of the characteristics needed to be considered a human being.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izzibeth

#1. The fact that this person, who you are tactfully calling a 'thing', is bearing offspring nulls your own statement that 'things' can not bear children.

Response:

To the contrary - the fact that it's bearing offspring is precisely what makes it not a human.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Izzibeth

#2. If medical science made it possible for males to bear offspring... would all males who chose to undertake this mission suddenly lose their "human being" status?

Response:

Yes.

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This Just In: Public Stonings No Longer a Threat; Atheists Start Talking About Stuff

2008-02-18T11:36:00.001-05:00

I came across this article on cbs2chicagos website. It's called Atheists An Increasingly Outspoken Minority. I've noticed a number of articles with similar titles or subjects being written and it's kind of interesting to me. It's as if people are so shocked that atheism is becoming more mainstream. It's as if people forget that less than 300 years ago you could be accused of "witchcraft" or some other nonsense and be stoned to death or hanged if you expressed a non-belief in the Christian God in this country. It's like people still don't pay attention to the public opinion polls that show that over 50% of the country STILL wouldn't vote for an atheist Presidential candidate because they believe that atheists have no morals.... but that number is down from the 80-90% it was at years ago.

From the article:

Why are atheists today so open? Non-believers and believers alike agree on one point: Different views are more tolerated in a country that is more diverse than ever.
"I don't know whether there are more atheists or we've created a culture where it's safer for people who have struggled with faith, or don't believe in God to be more forthright and honest about that," said Bishop Mark Hanson.

North Park College Professor Scott McKnight, himself a Christian, offers another reason for what he calls the new atheism. Atheists, he says, are vigorously responding to outspoken Christians who are involved in politics – the so-called religious right.

Can I answer? I know I'm not a bishop or a college professor but... I'd like to go ahead and say as an atheist that it is definitely a combination of all three.

There Are More Atheists

There are more atheists in the United States of America (as well as around the world). This is obvious. Science has advanced tremendously in the past century.. even in the past twenty years... and this new science has caused people to think about the world around them a bit more. The observable evidence is vast and has lead to a number of people who would normally have just accepted what they were told to actually look around and then come to their own conclusion. It's easier to accept an explanation for the world (that you are taught when you're just a baby) when there is nothing to contradict it than it is when there is evidence against it all around you. Obviously this has not made every believer a non-believer but it has certainly raised the numbers.

Safer Culture for Atheists

Uhm. Yes? Just as there is a safer culture for Wiccans. Witches and atheists alike no longer have to fear entire communities coming after them in the night and accusing them of heresy, turning people into cats, eating children, etc. In a more modernly relevent sense, there are less people who fear being disowned by their families or fear losing friends because they no longer believe in gods. Just as we see an apparent "rise" in the number of homosexuals in this country... there are more people willing to admit to themselves that they are not "the norm" and so find comfort in finally coming into themselves and less fear in expressing themselves to others. Instead of a 99% majority of god believers... it's down to 80% or so (I think less). It might not seem like a lot but it really is. 10-20% of the population being non-believers is a large number. A large enough number to provide safety for others, a sense of belonging, and an environment for people to be able to admit to themselves or others that they are not a theist without feeling as if they are completely alone.

Christians in Politics... or Better Yet... Atheists in Politics

Obviously it is important for any minority to voice their opinion in a democratic republic. Otherwise there would be no change. With the advancement of the previous points... so follows the willingness of atheists to come forward and say "This is bullshit! Why are you getting special treatment even when it is blatantly against this Constitution that you hold so dear to your hearts?" In fact I would have to say that all of the non-Christian religions out there should feel a little bit grateful to the non-believers who have stepped forward to make sure that Christian doctrine is not being shoved down the throats of the public... because you better believe that Hinduism was never going to get the same amount of press time.

When a religion is threatening everyone else with theocracy in a democratic republic.. it is important for some to come forward and say "GTFO!". Not just for atheists. Atheists will take the heat because it really is easier for us to. There is no group to attack.. no leader to ostracize.. no huge meetings to protest... All the opposition can really do is bitch about it in a newspaper article somewhere or try to get an atheist book writer on television so they can try to publicly mock them. That achieves nothing, honestly. Atheists are becoming more outspoken for a variety of reasons, not just one.

From the article:
And statistics show there are more young atheists than older ones. At the University of Illinois at Chicago a group called the Rationalists and Free Thinkers includes students who don't believe in God, though some grew up in religious homes.

Again, this doesn't surprise me at all. Some would say it doesn't surprise them either because these are wide-eyed, naive youths who will grow up to realize that there really is a higher power once they get more real-world experience. For some.. that may happen. But I am almost positive that for the majority it will not and the number of older atheists will rise as my generation ages. The science has more backing it up than tradition, brain-washing, and comfort. Science does not claim to have all the answers.. never have.. never will. But it has evidence (observable) on it's side... my generation looooooves it's evidence.

From the article:
As a man of faith, Bishop Hanson still has a key question for those who don't believe in God.

"Where do you place your trust in times of need? Where do you place your hope in the time of a crisis of confidence?" Hanson said.

Ah, one of my favorite questions ever. An atheist in the article provides this answer:

"An atheist will just deal with it, try to find a logical and reasonable solution," Van Maren said.

I would say "In my opinion, the average atheist... etc" since it's completely impossible to know what "an atheist" would do. This atheist does just what Van Maren said. I deal with the problem at hand. I think about it. Where do I place my hope in my time of crisis? With MYSELF (a.k.a. someone who can do something about the situation) or with my supportive friends and family. They have done ... so much more for me than any god ever did. I'll tell you what I don't do... is sit around talking to an invisible being that has never given any hint of it's existence and/or giving a shit about what happens to me or anyone around me. I do not place my trust in nothing. I do not place any hope in nothing. Saying that is a complete waste of time is the understatement of the millenium.

Oh.. and then the article finishes up with this.

One particular question that bothers the Lows is when people ask "how can an atheist lead a good and moral life, without God?"

Can I answer this question with a question? Here it is... How much does it say about you if the only reason why you are a "good person" who is leading a "moral life" is because you are afraid of being punished eternally by a god? You and others like you are only not stealing, killing, raping, etc. because you are afraid of someone throwing you into a lake of fire? Without this threat.... you would be ripping peoples' eyeballs out, having sex with your kids, or breaking into cars just to go for joyrides? And you must have no 'faith' in your kids either if you feel like you have to scare them into being good people by drilling into their heads that they might think timeout in the corner is bad now... but just wait till god gets to them! That's shitty. I feel no threat of burning forever... and I don't do those things.

Actually.. here's an even better question: How can a theist lead a good and moral life without God?

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Fellow Woman, Atheist, Mother, Human Being in Need

2008-01-18T12:02:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in quite some time. I'm working on many things at the moment and really haven't had anything to blog about. I'm going to attempt to get back in the swing of things but first... an important post!

One of the more well-known atheist bloggers on the sphere is Possummomma of Atheist in a Mini Van. Just about everyone on the atheist blogroll knows who she is (even though she's not on the blogroll anymore) and her blog is actually maybe the third I read in regards to atheism when I was introducing myself to the world of blogs and the wide world of atheists out there. She was inspirational to me and she's actually one of the only people whose writings I read and it makes me want to have a kid. Maybe. Probably not though. ^_^

Anyway, I write this entry after weeks of hiatus to mention that there is a donation drive being held to help Possummomma. She is, unfortunately, a sufferer of Lupus and it has left her with horrible reactions to UV light. Apparently the atheist blogosphere is getting together to raise money and help her and her family get materials to UV protect her home so she can leave her bedroom during the day!

Here is more information from Berlzebub:

The reason that she has to spend the sunny hours in her room is that her sun sensitivity has gotten worse. It also seems that her body is using more energy to fight the disease than she has to give.

After reading about her problems, I did a quick search for UV filtering films that go over windows. I found a company, UV Process Supply, Inc., that makes such a film. There's a few options on which one to get, but the one that looks best to me is the clear film.
Note: If someone with more knowledge of UV can check that, I'd appreciate it. I'm not sure if it blocks enough of the UV wavelength to be useful for P-Momma's condition.
UVPS has emailed me the pricing, but I have to find out from Dr. P-Daddy, or the little possums, how much the P-Family actually needs. Then, I can figure out exactly how much it will cost.

Now, the film is not cheap. Considering that I'm not independently wealthy, and my family's finances are still trying to recover from a recent occurence in my home, I won't be able to foot the entire bill. Considering that P-Momma already has medical bills to think of, I wouldn't even think of asking her family to pay for it. So, I'm asking my readers (all 10 of you) if you will contribute. If enough are willing, it won't take as much to fill the P-Family's need.

So there it is. Please click on the above link and see what you can do to help Possummomma get what she needs so she can start to live a semi-normal life again. We don't always know what we can do to help and it's discouraging when your efforts seem to disappear and you're unable to see what good you have done in someone's life. This is one of those instances where the good you do will have an immediate, positive, viewable effect on someone. So do it!

As a side note... I am planning on getting started tomorrow with a new Loving Children for the Lord installment. Look for it!

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FYI

2007-12-11T11:09:00.000-05:00

I moved to a new URL so any other "Click Here to Comment" links will not work except for the most recent entry about Romney. I am too lazy to fix the others but future posts will, of course, have the updated site.

Romney, You're Still a Mormon

2007-12-11T11:07:00.000-05:00

So Romney made a speech yesterday. I read it. And I laughed. My comments to the bolded areas are in PINK!

From Guardian Unlimited

Text of Romney's Speech

Thursday December 6, 2007 5:16 PM

By The Associated Press

Text of Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's speech Thursday on faith at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas.

ROMNEY: Thank you, Mr. President for your kind introduction.

It is an honor to be here today. This is an inspiring place because of you and the first lady and because of the film that's exhibited across the way in the presidential library. For those who have not seen it, it shows the president as a young pilot, shot down during the Second World War, being rescued from his life raft by the crew of an American submarine. It's a moving reminder that when America has faced challenge and peril, Americans rise to the occasion, willing to risk their very lives to defend freedom and preserve our nation. We're in your debt, Mr. President. Thank you very, very much.

Mr. President, your generation rose to the occasion, first to defeat fascism and then to vanquish the Soviet Union. You left us, your children, a free and strong America. It is why we call yours the greatest generation. It's now my generation's turn. How we respond to today's challenges will define our generation. And it will determine what kind of America we will leave our children, and theirs.

America faces a new generation of challenges. Radical violent Islam seeks to destroy us. An emerging China endeavors to surpass our economic leadership. And we're troubled at home by government overspending, overuse of foreign oil, and the breakdown of the family.

Ironically, because of your son, Mr. President.

Over the last year, we've embarked on a national debate on how best to preserve American leadership. Today, I wish to address a topic which I believe is fundamental to America's greatness: our religious liberty. I'll also offer perspectives on how my own faith would inform my presidency, if I were elected.

And here it comes. More bullshit about how the religious majority are being persecuted and attacked by the minority. But! No mention of Mormonism or planet-ruling.

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Tidbits

2007-11-06T09:58:00.000-05:00

Just a post covering some things that have happened over the past few weeks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Chocolate Festival by Planned Parenthood in Delaware was awesome. My boyfriend and I ended up taking a "doggie-bag" home. I had to sneak in after the old ladies started. They can be ruthless when it comes to chocolate!!

A little shout-out to the 7 or so dedicated protesters who were standing outside in the rain at the center where the event was held. Way to remain ignorant, guys! Good job! I have a suggestion... instead of standing outside of PP events/clinics bitching about how the lives of children are so important.. why don't you go out and adopt a baby who needs a loving family? Put your time to good use?

Oh, wait. I forgot. You are all talk and no helpful action. Only caring about unborn children and not giving a damn about the mothers or the babies once they are out of the womb. My mistake. Whatever is convenient for you, though, right? *thumbs up*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The politician who I had been helping with the special election that was held Saturday actually won. By a lot. So.. that may or may not be a good thing. We'll see what he does. But congrats anyway to him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I ended up being a challenger at a polling place this past Saturday for the special election I just mentioned. The challenger just makes sure no funny business happens at the polls.

Anyway, that is neither here nor there. I ended up getting to listen to some ladies (who were the poll workers) talk about... interesting things.

At one point, one of the poll workers started talking about how one of her friends told her that animals don't go to heaven. She said she was upset because her dog had just died and she thought it was not a nice thing to say. Her friend apparently told her to watch a documentary with Kirk Cameron *snort* in which he goes into great detail explaining how animals do not go to heaven. All the ladies were like "Awwww! No, I don't believe that! I am looking forward to seeing my animals in heaven!" etc.etc.etc.

Okay.

I spent a fair amount of time in a Roman Catholic church. I went to CCD. This question was brought up. The answer, for anyone who has ever read the Bible/been raised Roman Catholic is NO. Animals DO NOT go to heaven. Jesus died for the sins of man. Not animals. Animals do not sin. In fact, from what I understand, animals were not thought to have souls at the time the Bible was written. How can something that does not have a soul go to heaven? How can something that can not sin go to heaven (or hell)? COME ON! This was just another clear example of people making things up to make themselves feel better. I mean..... THINK ABOUT IT.

Animals don't sin. They can't. Animals don't know or believe in any gods (I'd be willing to bet). So, let's assume that the Abrahamic God is nice (hah!) and lets all animals into heaven. Does that also count bugs? Let's say it does. Every. single. animal/bug. that has ever lived.... is in heaven? There are billions and billions and trillions more animals/bugs than humans in this world. You're going to tell me that all of them are in heaven? Or...... well....

"My dog had such a good personality.. he has to be in heaven." Said the woman. No lie. That's what she said.

So...... what would have been the alternative if he had had a "bad personality"? God would punish him for all eternity in a firey pit of hell? A DOG?

The whole thing just made my head want to explode. Animals with "good personalities" go to heaven.

Heaven is kinda described in the Bible. It's generally thought to be a place where you are in the presence of god for eternity and THAT is what makes it heaven. Some people like to change it up and say "Heaven is whatever you want it to be. It's your greatest dream." If that is what you believe.. then OF COURSE your damn dog is going to be there! If you want him to be there. But what the fuck does a dog care about being the "eternal presence of god"? He did not serve the lord in any fashion while he was on Earth. What will be different in heaven?

GAH! I just.... this has required way too much of my energy and thought. I tried not to think about it while I was actually at the polling place because I knew I would end up just walking out before I was supposed to. I wanted to shake all of them, though.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Another conversation that two other ladies had was about one's granddaughter (I believe). The granddaughter is 7 years old and was born left-handed. Now, I missed the exact person, but it was either the woman's husband (the child's grandfather) or the child's father. Either way, the male family member is upset that the girl was born left-handed because apparently he believes that left-handed people are stupider than right-handed people. WHAT? I mean... I had heard this kind of thinking before but I thought it only happened in places like Alabama and Arkansas.

Anyway, the grandmother is upset because this male family member is actively trying to change the girl into a right-handed, smart person. This guy..... is right-handed... and is supposed to be "smart" according to him... but he is trying to change the girl into a right-handed person because he believes left-handed people are stupid. Irony! The grandmother has been buying her the left-handed things (scissors, for example) so that she can fit in at school and whatnot. The male family member just wants the girl to start using right-handed things and write with her right hand and all that in the hopes that her brain will change overnight and she will become smart. Like him.

Why am I bothering to write this? Well, I'm sure by now, anyone who knows me will see the parallel that I am trying to draw. This grandmother is so passionate about how her granddaughter was "born that way" and "should be accepted for who she is" and how there is "nothing wrong with her". All over left-handedness.

The first thing that popped into my head was homosexuality. I wanted to say to her... "See? See how stupid that male family member sounds to you and everyone else in the room right now? Trying to change this young girl into something she is not, calling her stupid for not being like everyone else, and forcing her to change the way she does things which undoubtedly causes her undue stress? All over a way she was born that does not effect anyone else but herself? See how ignorant that male family member sounds? How stupid? How completely wrong? That oppressive and discriminatory male family member is in the minority now. Yeah........ think about it."

It wasn't my place to say anything at all. I wasn't part of the conversation and had never met the woman in my life. But. Yeah. Fucking think about it.

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Chocolate Festival - Wilmington, DE

2007-10-24T15:26:00.000-04:00

Join Planned Parenthood of Delaware and friends for lots of chocolate, food, wine, chocolate martinis, a silent auction and fun!

Friday, October 26, 2007
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Rockwood Center, Rockwood Park (by the Rockwood Museum)

To purchase tickets, click on the picture above to go to the site where there is a paypal link available, or call 655-7296 ext. 27 to purchase by phone!

Hey everyone! I will be volunteering at this event this coming Friday. If you are in the area and love chocolate and all that jazz.. please come by! You do need to buy a ticket though. I am super excited. So begins my path towards getting a career with Planned Parenthood. ^_^

Don't worry... I'm not giving up on my Japanese language studies.

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...or Not To Be

2007-10-10T11:41:00.001-04:00

If you are any part of the "atheist community" then you would have heard about Sam Harris ' latest speech in which he said:

So, let me make my somewhat seditious proposal explicit: We should not call ourselves “atheists.” We should not call ourselves “secularists.” We should not call ourselves “humanists,” or “secular humanists,” or “naturalists,” or “skeptics,” or “anti-theists,” or “rationalists,” or “freethinkers,” or “brights.” We should not call ourselves anything. We should go under the radar—for the rest of our lives. And while there, we should be decent, responsible people who destroy bad ideas wherever we find them.

It did not go over well and there was a bit of an uproar, I guess. He has issued a response to the number of people who were very critical of what he had to say... and that has also sparked a notable debate amongst those who believe him to be dead-on and those who think he is wrong.

Personally... I am so confuzzled by this whole thing. I don't even really know where to start but I'm going to try to attempt to say what my mind is currently thinking.

Now, first off, the term "atheist" means "without theism"/"non-theism". "Theism" is "the belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in a personal God as creator and ruler of the world" (or something along those lines). So when you put the two together... "atheist" means "without the belief in the existence of a god or gods..." or "non-belief in the existence of a god or gods..." (you can throw "supernatural" in there too). To me, it's really quite as simple as that. There is nothing controversial about the word in and of itself. It is what it is. The end.

Recently, an "atheist movement" has been taking place (or this is what I have personally perceived it to be). People without the belief in the existence of a god or gods (or the supernatural) have been making their displeasure with overtly Christian way things are run in this country known. People without the belief in the existence of a god or gods (or the supernatural) have stepped forward and said "What you are doing is exclusionary and it needs to change to better fit our United States Constitution". Of course this has been happening for some time now.. but before it was on an individual level and those who stepped forward and were demonized and made out to be an evil, rare breed who just want to remove Christian values from the United States because they "hate God" or are "working for Satan". People who agreed with them kept their mouths shut out of fear of having something happen to them (physical harm, loss of a job, loss of friends, loss of family, etc.). I can probably even go a step further and restate that sentence: People without the belief in the existence of god or gods who agreed with them kept their mouths shut out of fear of having something happen to them. Those few who had belief and who agreed were not quite as afraid because they still had that belief there backing them up. Then came this "new atheist" movement.

People without the belief in the existence of a god or gods started to write books, give conferences, put out fliers, form groups, etc. People without the belief in the existence of a god or gods who had previously kept quiet out of fear started to say to themselves "Hey! They're like me! I'm not alone!" and some of them stopped being afraid. Those with belief in a god or gods, expecially belief in a personal God as creator and ruler of the world, saw that their attempt at building a Christian theocracy in America was threated and so......... began to make up things like an "atheist religion" or an "atheist dogma" or the "militant atheist" label. Although I didn't think that people would fall for it... apparently they have. As ridiculous as it is... people are now "debating" (i.e. fighting) about whether or not people without the belief in a god or gods, including a personal God as creator and ruler of the world... should call themselves... ATHEIST. Is this some kind of joke?

Atheism is not a religion. Even if atheists all group up and make some kind of atheist club... it does not make it a religion. There is no dogma. No required reading. No required thoughts. No required hatred, pity, or disgust for those who are religious. No required proselytizing to gain more members. No rules to live by. You either belief in a god or gods or you don't! As a minority in the country (the least trusted minority) there is nothing wrong with having a kind of counter-group to make sure that people who are not religious are represented in some way. If you stay in the shadows... then no one will know you are there. Or perhaps they will know some are there but that they aren't important.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is... I have no idea what is going on and I think it's absurd for the least trusted minority group to be squabbling about whether or not to call itself by it's politically correct definition. An atheist can be all kinds of things. They can be humanists. They can be democrats. They can be gun-enthusiasts. They can be tattoo artists. They can be CEOs. The only thing that "atheist" defines is the religious aspect. I'm an atheist when asked the religious question. I am a person who is without belief in a god or gods, including a personal God that is a creator and ruler of the world. I also consider myself a free thinker. I am also fairly humanist (though I haven't looked too much into what that means and so wouldn't say that I am "a humanist"). I'm also half-black and half-white. I am also a lover of Japanese culture. I am also a feminist and pro-choice. I am also gamer.

I understand the sentiment that atheists have no positivity in the label. It describes a "without" and a "non". But.... like... I don't see what's wrong with that! At what point did atheists decide that they have to be "pro" something. That is not what atheism is. If you want to be "pro" something then you join that group of people... "atheist" is not the only label you have and certainly not the only group you can belong to. If you are a secularist as well then you join that group and your positive is to ensure that the country remains secular. If you are a feminist then you join the group that works to ensure that women are given equality in society (as much as humanly possible). If you are a humanist then you work towards the positives of humanity. Atheism never claimed to be a hip and cool club for people to join. It simply describes your views on religion.

I am an atheist. I identify with other atheists as much as I identify with other people who have tattoos or stretched ears or dark skin or a vagina and boobs or artistic ability or pink hair or love Radiohead ... whatever. If that's the only thing we have in common (atheism) then that's cool and all.. but we're probably not going to be friends and we'll most likely only agree on a select few things. That doesn't make me any less of an atheist or the other person any less of an atheist.

It just means that we have no fear of speaking about such matters with each other and there will be no judgment in that regard. Or.... at least... it used to mean that. At this point it's looking like if you're an atheist who identifies with the word atheist or if you're an atheist who would rather not be labeled in that way... then you're not on the same "team". How ridiculous is that?

Maybe I'm reading too much into this. I don't even know if what I said makes sense or has a point. This whole thing is just baffling me. I don't give a crap if an atheist wants to call himself an atheist or not. If I woke up one day and said I didn't want to be called a woman anymore ... it wouldn't suddenly not make me one. But would it really be effective for any other women to argue with me about whether or not I'm a woman? I don't think so. I'd just end up ostracized or hanging out with women who don't want to call themselves women and then the other women who DO call themselves women would hate us and we would hate them because we've suddenly all made ourselves not part of the same group. Like.... some people are going to identify with "atheist" and some don't want to. Great. Now that we have established that... let's continue making sure that we don't get burned at the stake by the mob waiting for this to become a "Christian Nation!". For serious. This is just.... totally beyond me.

Am I missing the point?

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A Meeting at Planned Parenthood

2007-10-01T15:50:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: The meeting went very well. I expressed interest in perhaps working full-time for Planned Parenthood at some time in the future and was given a positive response. I will be volunteering on Mondays and Tuesdays for the time being (perhaps some Saturdays) and then I'll slowly work up to maybe getting a paid position there. It's pretty exciting. ^_^ I won't give up on my Japanese but if I am working at a job that I enjoy then perhaps translating part-time would be the plan. But... nothing official has happened yet, of course. We'll see how it goes. Hooray for Planned Parenthood, though! 3 Cheers!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Although I haven't mentioned it on this blog, I am doing an internship for one of the state representatives here (I won't mention the name so that they are not associated with this blog in any way). It's going well and I am getting the opportunity to meet many people that I would otherwise probably not meet (especially because I am in a state in which I did not grow up in and feel no sincere connection to).

Today, I have a meeting with the staff of Planned Parenthood as well as another state representative who works with the organization. I must say that I haven't ever been so excited about a meeting. If there is any field that has nothing to do with Japanese translation that I would love to get into it would be sexual education and women's health (in a non-doctor kind of way).

That's how he broke his arm.

I told my boyfriend this weekend that I must be so excited because of the thought of being in a job where people want to blow me up or shoot me. He said he thinks it's more of the "helping and educating people" thing but... bah! what does he know!

I don't mean to imply that I am getting a job at Planned Parenthood BUT... I do plan on keeping in contact and if a position were to become available (in which I would make more money than I do now or in the near future) then I would jump at the chance. Sexual education (especially of my fellow females) is really important to me. I think it is the first step in making sure a society is healthy, happy, tolerant, and educated in general and it is the one thing that I get really angry about when I see people (fundies) trying to stop it "for the children" and out of their own ridiculous and inexcusable ignorance. If I am unable to work in translation then I would love to work in this field.

Strangely enough, I have never really been in a Planned Parenthood. I went to a women's health clinic at one point but I don't believe it was a Planned Parenthood clinic so although I know what they are about and what they do and what good they do for the community... I have never been inside one and have never seen the inner-workings (I could easily count this as a good thing and give a thumbs up to my birth control which has worked wonderfully in more ways than one for the past six years). Many people falsely believe it is just an abortion clinic where people go to "murder babies" and be encouraged to have premarital sex. Luckily, I know the truth as well as a bit more about what they actually do there. So I am going with happy butterflies in my stomach and a real sense of excitement that I don't usually feel with "every day activities" (like the kind of excitement that I felt before I left for Japan). If anything special happens I'll probably write about it but it might be a fairly standard meeting. Though I do have to go through some kind of orientation or training or something... we'll see what that is all about.

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Magic Man and Most Beautiful Girl

2007-09-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

These two videos have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Except they've got a bunch of accents in 'em. And they are funny shit.

BlogRush

2007-09-21T11:27:00.000-04:00

So, I totally forgot to write a little thingy about this new service I'm using. It's called BlogRush and I'm going to assume it's working because I have gotten a number of hits and couple of new comments (yay!). Check it out. It's free (or else I wouldn't be part of it. ^_~) and it looks like a good sydication network. CLICK IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Sexual Discrimination" Update

2007-09-21T11:26:00.000-04:00

Well, the thread about pedophilia on Political Forum - US & World Political Discussion Forums continued (I just can't stay away!) and eventually morphed into a discussion about how homosexuality is as deviant a behavior as bestiality or pedophilia.. as threads like that usually do.

Feel free to check it out. I've tried to stay as civil as I can but... stuff like this really makes me angry:

Inan'Ta
Sir, you do have a choice that is what makes us human. You’ve made a choice not to be interested in women your own age, not to forget that you’ve buried the thought of having any connection with those women, because of your constant fantasies about little girls. You made that choice on your own free will.

I personally believe that today my sexual orientation would be whatever I desire it to be, whether it is being straight, homosexual, or a bisexual. If I wanted to be a bisexual or a homosexual today, I would have the the free will to become one, but I’ve already chosen to be a heterosexual.

Yes you’ve a choice, and you chosen to be a pedophile.

Like, seriously... where do people hear this shit? If someone could show me how the average human being sits down and goes over the pros and cons of each individual sexual fetish, sexual attraction, etc. and then decides "You know, after much thought and research... I have decided to be a heterosexual. Let's get started!" then I would back off. But... I didn't do that. I had a boyfriend in kindergarten (the only one I would have for another 12 years but...we'll leave that alone). Are you telling me at 5 years old I had already gone through all of the steps necessary to decide what sex I was attracted to? No. I grew up being attracted to males. I also feel an attraction to females but it is purely a physical/sexual attraction and there is no emotional "I love you" bond there (fairly common for females in the animal kingdom to go back and forth pretty easily as far as I have seen). My sexuality, both the love/sexual attraction to males and the sexual attraction to females was chosen for me. I didn't sit down and "decide" it one day although I would be more than willing to hear a tale of someone doing just that... and I'm not talking about the "coming to terms with homosexuality" kind of decision. I'm talking about weighing your options and then deciding which sex you are attracted to.

Anyway, I tried to explain it to the guy who then proceeded to tell me that he's a heterosexual because of his "principles" and "beliefs". So.... apparently he only fucks women because of his beliefs.. without them he'd be out screwing whatever passed by him. Awesome. Good to know that "principles" and "beliefs" are the only thing keeping human beings from raping horses day-in and day-out. Eh..... I said what I could. Whether or not logic broke through............ well, I doubt it did.

Related thread: "Sexual Discrimination"

Shun the disbeliever! SHHHUUUUNNNN

2007-09-20T11:25:00.000-04:00

Many people on the atheist blogroll have been posting the complete list on their blogs. So, to help out, I am doing the same. ^_^ Click "Read More" to get the entire list of peoples on the Atheist Blogroll!

2 Intellectual Atheists
A Daily Dose of Doubt
A Human Mind
A Load of Bright
A Night on the Tiles

A Veritable Plethora
A Whore in the Temple of Reason
A-Deistic
AA
Aardvarchaeology
AASAUF
About: Agnosticism / Atheism
Abstract Nonsense
Aces Full of Links

acrylic.
Action Skeptics
AEsahaettr
After Faith
Agnostic Atheism
aidan maconachy blog
Ain’t Christian
Al-Kafir Akbar!

Alien Atheist
Am I mad, or is the world?
Amused Muse
An Enlightened Observer
Angels Depart
Angry Astronomer
Arcis Logos
Ateistbloggen
Atheism is the Rational Response

Atheism Online
atheism | simra.net
Atheism: Proving The Negative
Atheist Blogs Aggregated
Atheist Ethicist
Atheist Ethics
Atheist Father
Atheist Girl
Atheist Housewife

Atheist Hussy
Atheist Movies
Atheist Revolution
Atheist Says What
Atheist Self
Atheisthought
atheistperspective.com
AtheisTube
Austin Atheist Anonymous

Author of Confusion
Axis of Jared
Aye!
Ayrshire Blog
Babble, bullshit, blasphemy and being.
Bay of Fundie
Beaman’s World
Beep! Beep! It’s Me.

Ben’s Place
Bert’s Blog
Bible Study for Atheists
biblioblography
Bill’s View
Bitchasaurus
bits of starstuff

Bjorn & Jeannette’s Blog
Black Sun Journal
Bligbi
Blogue de Mathieu Demers
blurp
Bob Kowalski
Born Again Atheist

brainstorms
brokencats
Buridan’s Ass
By The Book Comics
Can’t make a difference
CaroLINES
CHADMAC Speaks
Christian Follies

CHRISTIAN PWNAGE 101
Church of Integrity
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Circular Reasoning
Cogita Tute - Think For Yourself
Coming Out Godless
Complete Materialist
Confessions of an Anonymous Coward
Cosmic Variance

Crazy Christian Chain Emails
Culture for all
Daily Atheist
DAILY BBG
Dark Christianity
Dark Side of Mars
Darwin’s Dagger
Daylight Atheism

Debunking Christianity
Deep Thoughts
Deeply Blasphemous
Desperately Seeking Ethics and Reason
Deus ex Absurdum
DEVOUT Atheist Godless Grief
Die Eigenheit
Dime a dozen
disambiguation

discernible chaos
Disgusted Beyond Belief
Dispatches from the Culture Wars
do not read this blog
Dr. Joan Bushwell’s Chimpanzee Refuge
Drunken Tune
Dubito Ergo Sum
Duplicitous Primates

Dwindling In Unbelief
Edifying Spectacle
Edward T. Babinski
Elaine Vigneault
EnoNomi
evanescent
Everyday Atheism
Everyday Humanist
Everything Is Pointless

Evolution
EvolutionBlog
ExChristian.Net
Expired Convictions
Explicit Atheist
Feersum Endjinn
Fish Wars on Cars
Five Public Opinions
Flex Your Head

Flumadiddle
Free Mind Joe
FreeThought by a FreeThinker
Freethought vs. Friel-Thought
Freethought Weekly
Friendly Atheist
FVThinker
Genesis-fel
Geoff Arnold

Gimme Back My God!
God is for Suckers!
God is Pretend
godisajoke.com
Godless Kiwi
Godless on the Wasatch Front
godlessgeek
goldbricker
Goosing the Antithesis

Gospel of Reason
Gratuitous Common Sense
Greg Hartnett
Happy Jihad’s House of Pancakes
Hayleys Paranormal Blog
Hellbound Alleee
hell’s handmaiden
High Maintenance Hags

Honjii’s Harangues
Human Psyche of J.D. Crow
Ice Station Tango
In Defence Of Reason
Incessant Expressions
INFIDELIS MAXIMUS
Infophilia
Inkblot Icon

Interesting
Irked off
Jewish Atheist
Judith’s thought-provoking hard-hitting journal
K H A L A S !
Kill The Afterlife
King Aardvark
Lary Crews

Le Contestataire
le tiers monde
leaping rabbit/lapin sauteur
Leicester Secularist
Let There Be Light
Letters from a broad
Life & Otherwise
Life is an adventure

Life Without Faith
Life, the Universe and Everything
Lifecruiser
Living with Missy and other thoughts
LOL god
Look at the Bright’s Side
Lord J-Bar For Democracy, Not Theocracy
louis’ blog

Love the Nimbu
Lubab No More
lynn’s daughter, thinking
Masala Skeptic
Matt’s Notepad
Mechanical Crowds
mediawatchwatch.org.uk
Meet An Atheist

Memoirs of a (G)a(y)theist
Memoirs of an ex-Christian
Midwest Atheist
Migrations
Mike’s Weekly Skeptic Rant
mindcore
MINISTER OF RANTS
Misc. Musing

mister jebs blog
Modern Agnostic
Modern Atheist
My Case Against God
My Elemental Muse
My Life Thinly Disguised as Groove
Nanovirus
Naturalistic Atheism
Neural Gourmet

New Humanist Blog
NewAthei.st
Nicest Girl and Destroyer of Planets
No Double Standards
No More Hornets
No more Mr. Nice Guy!
NoGodBlog.com
Non Credo Deus
Non-Prophet

North Alabama Rant
Nothing Is Sacred
Nullifidian
olio
One Fewer God
onegoodmove
Onion Breath
Onwards and Forwards
Open Parachute

Outchurched
Oz Atheis’s Weblog
parenthetical remarks
Pharyngula
Philosophers’ Playground
physicshead
Pink Prozac

Pinoy Atheist
Planet Atheism
Pooflingers Anonymous
Primordial Blog
Principles of Parsimony
Prose Justice
Psychodiva’s Mutterings
QuarkScrew

Quintessential Rambling
Ramblings of an Atheist Undergrad
Random Intelligence
Rank Atheism
Re-imagine Ritual
Reeding and Writing
Religion is Bullshit !
REV. ART’S ATHEIST PIN-UPS!

Rev. BigDumbChimp
Richard Carrier Blogs
Rideo ergo sum
Robert’s Thought’s
Ron’s Rants
Rupture the Rapture
Russell’s Teapot

RWANDAN ATHEIST
Saint Gasoline
Salient
Sans God
Scientia Natura
SDARI
Sean the Blogonaut
Secular Humanism with a human face
See For Yourself

Shared Difference
Silly Humans
Skeptic Rant
Skeptical Personal Development
Skeptico
Skepticum
So long, and thanks for all the guilt!
Son Shines Zee 365
Southern Atheist

Stardust Musings and Thoughts for the Freethinker
Staring At Empty Pages
stereoroid.com
Steven Carr’s Blog
Strange Land
Strappado
Summer Squirrel
Talk Reason

Talking to Theists
Tangled Up In Blue Guy
Tarpan’s Blog
Televangelists with Toupees
Terahertz - From Physics to Life
Thank God I’m An Atheist
The Affable Atheist
The Allen Zone

The Angry Atheist
The Anonymous Atheist
The Apostate
The Ateist Endeavor
the atheist chronicles
The Atheist Effect
The Atheist Experience
The Atheist Jew
The Atheist Mama

The Atheist Resistance
The Atheocracy
The Atheologist
The Bach
The Blasphemous
The Blog of M’Gath
The Cat Ranch
The Chronicles of Gorthos

The Conscious Earth
The Daily Cat Chase
The Eternal Gaijin
The Flying Bagpiper
The Flying Trilobite
The Fundy Post
The Gay Black Jew
The Godless Grief
The Good Atheist

The Great Realization
The Greenbelt
The Happy, Religion Free Family
The Homeless Atheist
The Honest Doubter
The Humanist Observer
The Incomer
The Jesus Myth
The Jewish Atheist

The Labour Humanist
The Libertarian Defender
The Lippard Blog
the LITTLE things
The Mary Blog
The Nate and Di Show
The Natural Skeptic
The New Atheist
The New Horizon

The O Project
The One With Aldacron
The Pagan Prattle Online
The Panda’s Thumb
The People’s Republic Of Newport
the post-bicameral mind
The Questionable Authority
The Rad Guy Blog

The Raving Atheist
the right of reason
the Science Ethicist
The Science Pundit
The Second Mouses Guide to Life
The Second Oldest Question
The Secular Outpost
The Secular-Man Blog (An Oasis of Clear Thinking)
The Serenity of Reason

The shadows of an open mind
The Skeptic Review
the skeptical alchemist
The Strong Atheist
The Thermal Vent
The Uncredible Hallq
The Underground Unbeliever
The Uninformed Suburban Housewife
The Uninspired Manifesto

The Zen Of G
These Twisted Times
They Promised Us Jetpacks and We Got Blogs
Thought Theater
toomanytribbles
Toxic thought waste site
UberKuh
Uncouth.net
Ungodly Cynic

Unscrewing The Inscrutable
Uri Kalish - Urikalization
Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy
Vetenskap & F?rnuft
View From Earth
Villa Nandes
Wanderin’ Weeta

Way of the Mind
Why Dont You Blog?
Wild-Eyed Atheist Boy
Without Gods
WORKS WITHOUT FAITH
Writer Philosopher Culture Warrior
Yet Another Blog
You Made Me Say It
Young Earth Creationists Anonymous

Zeemy’s Paradigm
Zen Curmudgeon
zenbullets
“Atheism Sucks” sucks

The Golden Age

2007-09-20T11:23:00.000-04:00

FCK YEAH! Can't wait to see Cate Blanchett as The Queen, again. I have the first movie on cassette. No way to watch it though. She looks stunning in the previews and does a wonderful job. Not.. quite as wonderful as Dame Helen Mirren , but Blanchett is great just the same.

That Damn Church Sign Again

2007-09-19T11:18:00.000-04:00

This is the latest attempt by the church up the road to .... I guess... relate? to the people of Delaware with some kind of reference to a very not funny redneck-wannabe "comedian" who often appears on same station that shows that blasphemous show "South Park". Your sign is not funny.

This, however, is.