A Return?

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....

...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"

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!

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

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

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

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.