USA | Terahertz

1Feb/120

This is the 1%

I really hope Americans aren’t just paying attention to the race for the Republican nomination, but are actually giving each of these candidates a good look to see how contemptible each one is.

Take Mitt Romney:

Figures released Tuesday show that Mr. Romney was able to raise nearly $24.3-million in the last quarter of 2011, and spending about $20-million of that in the same quarter.

In an analysis of that data by Bloomberg News, eight of the 10 biggest donors worked for banks and investment firms.

“Wall Street supports someone they consider one of their own and the candidate perceived to be the most committed to promoting policies they prefer,” Costas Panagopoulos, director of the Center for Electoral Politics and Democracy at Fordham University in New York, told Bloomberg News.

The Republicans are going to try to run on an anti-establishment campaign, decrying Obama’s “big government” and will promise to protect the average Joe. Instead, the front-runner is literally in the pocket of those same Wall Street crooks that just ran the US economy into the ground, only to get bailed out by the government.

Mitt Romney represents everything that the Occupy protests are against. But the others are no better. Newt Gingrich held the US government hostage because of his own brand of vindictive politics and Ron Paul is a racist homophobe whose ideas are so dangerous they are borderline sociopathic.

The fact that any of these old white men are serious candidates to lead the most powerful nation on Earth should give everyone pause.

Filed under: Politics, USA No Comments

31Jul/100

The old New Atheist

It turns out that Mark Twain wrote an autobiography of his life but decided that it shouldn’t be published until 100 years after his death (which occurred in 1910). Newsweek has posted an excerpt, and it seems like it’s a well timed release.

About once a year some pious public library banishes Huck Finn from its children’s department, and on the same plea always—that Huck, the neglected and untaught son of a town drunkard, is given to lying, when in difficulty and hard pressed, and is therefore a bad example for young people, and a damager of their morals.

Two or three years ago I was near by when one of these banishments was decreed and advertised, and I went over and asked the librarian about it, and he said yes, Huck was banished for lying. I asked,

“Is there nothing else against him?”

“No, I think not.”

“Do you banish all books that are likely to defile young morals, or do you stop with Huck?”

“We do not discriminate; we banish all that are hurtful to young morals.”

I picked up a book, and said—

“I see several copies of this book lying around. Are the young forbidden to read it?”

“The Bible? Of course not.”

…

I can’t wait to do this with the book club (although in the end it will be 3 volumes and half-a-million words).

Filed under: Atheism, Books, Links, USA No Comments

25Feb/090

Of course Jindal won’t monitor volcanoes…

I purposefully avoided watching Bobby Jindal's response to President Barack Obama's speech yesterday, and from the sounds of it, I didn't miss much.

Everyone (sciece or progressive oriented) seems to be upset that he blasted funding volcano monitoring programs, which have the potential to save hundreds of lives.

But people, think about it. This is a governor who thinks the Earth is 6,000 years old and wants it to be law that students in Louisiana have to learn that - of course he doesn't want to monitor volcanoes.

And not just because it's a science thing and Christians are afraid of science (that's an untrue stereotype - creationists just bastardize it).

He would cut money to disaster detection (including hurricane detection) because it's already clear to him and his fellow True believers what the cause of these disasters is.

God punishing America.

So why waste tax dollars on programs that clearly don't address the root of the problem?

Instead of waiting for shit to happen, Jindal's way is to appease God, through continued discrimination and prayers.

Then there's lots of money left over to continue fighting endless wars and to give to that needy 5% that Obama isn't giving tax breaks too (families making over $250,000 per year and big business deserve a break too, right? I'm sure they'll let that break trickle down to the rest of the country).

Nevertheless, if 2012 does have Palin fighting Jindal for the Republican nod, it may actually bring about the end of the world (for Republicans at least).

Filed under: Conservatives, Creationism, Politics, Religion, Science, USA No Comments

24Feb/091

Obama speech, as seen through my Twitter

@thzatheist

(Chronological)

About to watch Obama speech. Will live-tweet. Dion should take notes.
CBC coverage: "It's like a speech from the throne without the throne"
Creationist Bobby Jindal to rebut after, sigh
Why isn't #Obama in HD?
5 minutes of straight clapping for #Obama, he actually wants to say something I think
"Survival depends on new energy sources" need health care reform
Republicans aren't standing for stimulus becoming law
"Because nobody messes with Joe (Biden)"
auto/college/small business loans from Gov't fund
Banks not getting string-free bailouts gets full standing ovation #Obama "Those days are over!"
US Budget priorities: Energy, Health Care, Education
"Market based cap on carbon emission" #Obama - different page than Harper
"The nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it" #Obama
Health care reform in the US this year
#Obama asks every American to get at least 1 year of post-secondary.
By 2020 US to have highest % college graduates.
Eliminating "no bid contracts" in Iraq
No tax increases for families making less than $250K
Tax cuts for 95% of families by April
"The USA Does Not Torture"
Had to end with the God Bless yous/ USA

Also, check out Recovery.Gov for updates on how he moves forward with his stimulus packages.

Overall, I'd say it was a good speech.

I was almost expecting at times that he'd call for a nationalized health care or nationalizing the banks, but then I remembered I was watching the president of the US.

Filed under: Economics, Media, Politics, USA 1 Comment

20Jan/091

Things I care more about than Obama’s inauguration

Is anyone else sick of this yet (744,823 hits as of writing)?

Yes, Obama looks to be a better president than the last 8 years have shown, but that awaits to be seen.

So what do I care about?

Let's see if he delivers. And if he doesn't, hold his feet to the fire. He's still bound to the American electorate, and doesn't have a free pass.
Shit is still going on in the world.
Canada's still being run by a fascist.
My EngPhys Club placed 2nd in Geer Week (okay this one's selfish), coming only 2 points from winning.

Sorry to piss in the cornflakes, but despite the promises, he's still a politician, and he's still only human. Or maybe I'm just getting sick of reading Obama inauguration posts across the blogosphere.

Finally, this should mark the start of me getting back into the swing of things in terms of blogging.

Filed under: Elections, Politics, USA 1 Comment

17Dec/083

Now penguins have more rights than gays

(Via Challenging the Commonplace)

This is something of a news story.

Filed under: Gay rights, Links, Media, Religion, USA Continue reading

11Dec/080

A line-up of news briefs

There was a lot in the news today. Most of this is political, but I'll start with the science end and move toward politics.

Filed under: Links, Media, NDP, Politics, Science, USA Continue reading

26Nov/082

The American ‘left’ to cut spending?

Again, showing that neo-cons have no economic knowledge, Obama has announced that to try to afford these giant bailouts, he will be instituting a series of spending cuts across the board.

Want something that doesn't really need funding in the USA?

The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives eats a whopping $2 billion for prostylization of the disadvantaged.

It's not on the order of the $1 trillion dollar deficit he's faced with, but every little bit counts.

Actually, my serious hope is that research, education, and health care don't feel any pressure in the USA (except perhaps the school voucher scam). It's not easy to inherit the worst economic situation the US has seen in decades, but hopefully the right action is taken.

Filed under: Economics, Links, Media, Politics, Religion, Secularism, USA 2 Comments

10Nov/082

A sceptical White House?

Here's an interesting bit from a recent interview with president-elect Barack Obama:

JIM ANGLE: He was asked what he's been doing to get ready for office and whether he talked to any previous Presidents.

PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA: I have spoken to all of them, that are living, obviously, President Clinton -- I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any séances. [emphasis added]

Obama later apologized for apparently mocking the supernatural belief system, but that doesn't remove two facts:

It was Hilary Clinton who did séances, Reagan used astrology, either way, superstition. (I imagine Laura and George just used good ol' fashioned prayers).
Obama is willing to make fun of superstitions. People who generally buy this stuff don't do that. This means there is potentially a sceptic in the White House. Imagine the ratifications of that - a president who consults knowledgeable advisers before acting. It's the most promising thing I've heard about him so far.

Exciting times.

Filed under: Links, Media, Scepticism, USA 2 Comments

5Nov/081

Obligatory US election post

So if you go back, the only thing I have mentioned about the US election is to Vote No on Prop 8 in California (so that gay marriage can remain legal).

Obviously I'm happy Obama has beaten McCain/Palin. But let's not assume that the US is suddenly socialist utopia. It's not.

Depending how the results turn in, up to 49% of Americans still voted for McCain/Palin. Granted, many would vote for a Libertarian candidate, if the two big parties hadn't strangleholded democracy years ago and declared a vote for a third party is a wasted vote (they've even convinced the third parties that it is), but that's till a lot of right-wingers.

Let's look at some of the other things being decided today.

Many states are having ballot propositions on gay marriage (including state constitutional amendments) and abortion rights. Here's some preliminary results: