Well, it is. It sure is easier to just follow the crowd, to believe forwarded emails, to think commercials and tv shows are honest and forthright, to believe everything the news tells us as fact, etc, etc….

I used to podcast a morning radio show. It was goofy fun. Amusing if a bit crass. But after awhile, I realized they never really said anything new. And they had their producer on there who was so full of lies and hate that I just couldn’t stand it anymore. It didn’t help that he proclaimed his christianity along with the hate he spewed forth.

So I gave it up, even though I had been using it to keep me company since I’m alone most of the day. I had to replace it with something. I like to listen to people talk while I do mundane things. Around the same time I found Atheist Nexus. One thing led to another, and I discovered that there’s this whole Skeptical community out there, as well as an Atheist community.

So I’ve been sampling and listening to different Skeptical and science podcasts lately. I love it. It’s intelligent, fun, interesting, and stimulating. I’ve realized several things, though, as I’ve been listening and taking in all this great new information. Read more…

Why is it that people who put on such a show of high moral character and fine virtues are usually the dirtiest fighters, the biggest bullies, and the first to whine and cry when something might possibly be a little less than fair? Hypocrisy. That’s why. And I hate it. To me it’s one of the REAL 7 Deadly Sins.

Hypocrisy: noun- a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.

I watch several different sports. I have a passion for Formula One racing, MMA, boxing, College football and NFL football. I’ve noticed parallels between sports, religion and politics.

While I love these sports, I do watch them differently than my husband does. I get interested in different players or drivers or fighters while he is more interested in other things that are beyond my poor female brain. I’m explaining how I watch them because I think that’s how I’ve noticed this thing about hypocrisy. Read more…

1. More than 99 percent of terrorists are bread eaters.
2. Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.
3. In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality rates were unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations.
4. More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread.
5. Bread is made from “dough.” It has been proven that as little as one pound of dough can be used to suffocate a mouse. The average North American eats more bread than that in one month!
6. Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low incidence of cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and osteoporosis. Read more…
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I got an email from Sam Harris this morning requesting that I let people know about his latest essay in Newsweek. I wasn’t sure exactly how to give it to you, so that I don’t just copy his whole essay here. So here’s the first paragraph, then several quotes from the rest of it that I thought were incredibly important. You can read the essay in its entirety at Newsweek here.

Let me confess that I was genuinely unnerved by Sarah Palin’s performance at the Republican convention. Given her audience and the needs of the moment, I believe Governor Palin’s speech was the most effective political communication I have ever witnessed. Here, finally, was a performer who—being maternal, wounded, righteous and sexy—could stride past the frontal cortex of every American and plant a three-inch heel directly on that limbic circuit that ceaselessly intones “God and country.” If anyone could make Christian theocracy smell like apple pie, Sarah Palin could. Read more…

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I’m on the fence with voting. Half of me feels like it’s a total waste of time. After all, from my limited understanding of such things, I learned in school that we have an electoral system in place, not direct elections, so how does my vote count? Plus, I don’t really care for any of the candidates. Some of them are downright despicable, but the others are just not my choice for the role they’re campaigning for. I hate the idea of voting for the best of the worst. That’s a lousy choice.

On the other hand, I feel that we have to do whatever we can to make things as good as possible, individually and collectively. This means doing stuff like voting, which is a responsibility, not a luxury. Plus, if you don’t vote, then I feel you have no right to complain about whoever gets elected.

Then, as we get closer to the election, I become increasingly alarmed by what I’m hearing and seeing about the candidates. Below is a short Associated Press video of Matt Damon talking about Sarah Palin. He basically sums it up in under 2 minutes why I have to vote against McCain/Palin.

From what I gather of Palin, if she gets into higher office, it seems like we’re doomed. She’s a pentecostal. She believes in armageddon. Not just figuratively, but literally. Which means she doesn’t care about the world, or peace. If the violent biblical prophecies happen then they’ll be closer to getting to heaven. So World War 3 would be just dandy to someone who believes in armageddon. Read more…