Olympic Protests¹

I know, I know. I was supposed to kill this thing off some time ago. But since the death of Mindinclined, my viewership has doubled and I am receiving sponsors. So what the hell, let’s keep babbling.

My topic today, a favorite among the do-gooders of our world, human rights. And, as usual, I am sick of it. How long have we been seeing these damn protests and commentaries about how awful China is? You could fill a library with how they abuse, imprison, and stalk their people. Nobody mentions how China has sustained 30 straight years of economic growth. Besides, all governments have ‘violoations’ to some extent, so why don’t you mind your own business?

Maybe I’m insensitive. Granted. But what is a ‘Human Right’ anyway? Something you’re born with? Acquire? Take by force? Really it’s patchwork of scribblings compiled over the years, by particular groups, agreed upon, and given power ONLY by acceptance of people. It is an artificial creation; an idea. We are trying to bully China into accepting our idea (brainwashing even?). I’m still waiting for the ‘Human Right’ to masterbate in public before I  buy into the idea myself.

Ok, let’s stop right here, lest you get confused. I am not suggesting that any of the so-called ‘Human Rights’ are bad ideas. I think most of them can be beneficial. But they are just that: ideas. Not God-given or even natural states that we somehow possess just because we live. What bullshit. We made these ideas and we give them power. Sound familiar?

Now all China has to say to respond to this onslaught, is that their system works. It has provided HUGE economic prosperity for 30 years and will continue to do so. It has provided the most basic of Human Rights to much of its population: the Right to live. It is easy for us fat cats to bitch and whine about freedom of speech and privacy issues. But lets see how much protesting you can do when most of your day is spent earning a portion of rice and some clean water. Are we so fucking bored and bloated that we have to entertain ourselves by preaching our perfect systems to struggling countries? Hmmm, sounds like a little bit of Christian-dom infused in Democracy…

Oh you self-righteous glutons and your socially-progressive ideals. Can’t you see? While you are raving on and on about how superior your ‘Human Rights’ are, China is proving, by example, how superior their economic system is. And in the world of scarce resources, over-population, and war… ‘Human Rights’ mean shit.

Does nobody see how volatile our own system is? You civilized folk, you. Given the right circumstances, you’ll be tearing out each others hearts and selling them to China for loaves of bread. “Oh no, not me! Never.” Yes even you, preacher-man. You and your 5-year old kid will turn savage if your suvival depends on it. You’ll club seals, skin your cat, sell fake drugs, and auction your daughters into slavery. Why lie to yourself? All humans are equal. Remember? There is a monster inside of you too.

But I hate to be pessimistic, I really do. So how about proving, by example, that our ‘Human Rights’ can coincide with sustainable living and a strong economy? Or even progress civil liberties at the same time? If you can demonstrate that your way of doing things is better, people will ask for your advice. Otherwise, you’re just forcing your own brand of bullshit down their throats. And, I think any Human will agree, that is the worst violation of all.

1. Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/astrolondon/2396259086/ [↩]

It’s been a while now since i’ve published a piece. I truly miss it. And not from a lack of ideas or material but rather sheer degenerate dead waiting; idle restlessness and procrastination. It is a ghastly sickness that traps you like a tire wedging itself in a pre-paved tread. Find as little resistance as necessary to maintain… But maintain what?

I am not alone. I am the product of my surroundings. Anyone denying the great idle bore, our mindset, is a pretentious beast basking in the aroma of its own feces. The same shit day-in, day-out: speak mind-over-matter, choke occasionally, ingest mounds of thoughtless titilation. For 2500 years we seek reason and perfection as something real and ultimate… nothing but a hollow incarnation of our desire to overcome the beast of desire.

So here we are, locked in the desireless battle between Religion & Science; shouting obscenities at the power-yielding douche dolls of ancient times. Who the fuck cares? Who cares that scumbags and liars exploit brilliance for riches? Who cares that your liberty is taken to empower honestly heinous bastards so that the decievingly wretched actors can protect you from them? To these issues numb your reason with decadent beastiality. Withold your reason for isolation, for the abstract.

I wonder if this bull is anything but dead. Thoughts, ideas, abstractions. I could connect a million dots together and it wouldn’t make a difference. Power only comes when millions of people share my delusion (see taurus in the sky lately?). Until then, all we have is titilating flashes across the screen. “Still humping the American Dream.”¹

But enough of that chin-raised gibberish eh? Some pompous asshole spewing opinions from an armchair. Or is it floor-gazing regret? No matter, what’s important is movement, grounded reality, or something.  Idleness, dead waiting, rebirth. “What’s the point here?” Oh thats right, closure. After some short, meaningless consideration I will end this site… this idea. It is with this suiting title, a clear summary of my writing this last year, that I am bringing this shit to a close. Clearly it is not quite me.  The mind is built up from mostly movement and feeling… start there, think later.

http://www.deadwaiting.com

1. R.I.P. Hunter S. Thompson [↩]

Do NOT Turn Jesus On¹

Now we know what they mean by “Jesus is the light of the world”.

1. Creative Commons http://flickr.com/photos/sepultura/2282088722/ [↩]

Its been about a year since Danish newspapers (and subsequently others around the world) published some cartoons poking fun and the religion of Islam. We all know the story: outcry, censorship, violence, destruction, etc.

This week, many newspapers republished the cartoons (posted below) in response to a foiled attempt to murder the cartoonist¹ . Many people claim that such cartoons are hateful and discriminatory. Check a dictionary (or better yet, the koran). They are merely descriptive.

What’s the difference between description and discrimination? Well, discrimination targets people. You might hate country music, but that doesn’t mean you discriminate against country singers. Similarly, these cartoons are not examples of discrimination, they are comments on the tenets of Islam. They do not advocate harming Muslims or hatred against any Muslim - what a ludicrous conclusion. You do not have a right NOT to be offended.

Or perhaps I have the right to kill anyone that challenges my Atheism, musical taste, or gawky posture. Any religious person that claims I deserve to suffer in hell because my beliefs should be murdered or imprisoned. That is hatred; that is musical non-religious bigotry of the highest order. Welcome to my struggle² .

1. Danish papers republish Prophet cartoon. Reuters UK. 13 February 2008. [↩]
2. English for ‘Jihad‘ [↩]

All too often, the case in defense of marijuana is tainted by prejudice, stupidity, and incoherence. In the spirit of political jargon, here’s how to defend your beliefs with more sophisticated wordplay.

Lesson 1 - Deflecting the issue

Q: You think marijuana should be legal? What are you, some kind of pothead?

A: I’ll tell you what I am. I am a firm believer in the philosophical notions of liberty and truth (this might throw off your opponent beyond recovery already). I therefore reject the continuation of a policy that stands in firm contradiction to those notions.

Lesson 2 - Give a little, Take a lot

Q: The truth is that marijuana is a dangerous substance. It causes respiratory illness, psychosis, memory loss, and other problems. How can you possibly call yourself a believer in the truth and deny these facts?

A: I’ll pretend for a moment, that your ‘facts’ are not grossly over-exaggerated and that the scientific support is unquestionable. The truth is that most of these claims are much different than the original reasons for criminalizing marijuana. The lies that it is toxic, creates murderers & heroine addicts, and that it causes permanent psychosis for all users - have long been proven false. If the original reasons for criminalizing it have proven false, there is no longer reason for it to remain criminal.^{1 234}

Lesson 3 - Flipping the Issue; Go on the attack

A: These NEW claims you speak of, pale in comparison to the originals. Should we really ban anything that might increase the risk of common ailments? Should you be put in jail for eating cholesterol?

Lesson 4 - Hardcore logic for weak associations

Q: But marijuana use leads to harder drugs and profits go towards organized crime. How can you possibly support such results?

A: Profits go to organized crime because well, its a crime. If it weren’t a crime, its profits would go elsewhere. Similarly, heroine is a crime. Those people that get heavily involved in marijuana are more likely to get involved with heroine because, the same organized criminals are distributing it. Therefore, marijuana criminalization causes heroine use, not marijuana itself.

Lesson 5 - When all else fails, lie…well

Q: My daughter got into marijuana when she was 16. Today, she’s a crack addict prostituting herself for spare change. Its people like you that allow such things to continue. How do you live with yourself?

A: My grandfather was in the military. He smoked marijuana on a daily basis in order to cope with the stress and trauma, as did many of his fellow soldiers. Without marijuana, the allies would have struggled to defeat the German’s in World War II. I think a world where your daughter is a crack addicted prostitute is more pleasant than a world where each of us is in a slave camp, mutated by genetic experimentation. Don’t you?

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1. You can also suggest that marijuana has medical applications. Here’s some references to get you started: [↩]
2. “We conclude that this CBM [cannabis-based medicine] may represent a useful new agent for treatment of the symptomatic relief of spasticity in MS.” -Christine Collin, MD, et al. “Randomized Controlled Trial of Cannabis-Based Medicine in Spasticity Caused by Multiple Sclerosis”. European Journal of Neurology. Vol. 14, No. 3, Page 290. Mar. 2007. [↩]
3. ”Smoked cannabis was well tolerated and effectively relieved chronic neuropathic pain from HIV-associated sensory neuropathy The findings are comparable to oral drugs used for chronic neuropathic pain.” -Donald I. Abrams, MD et al. “Cannabis in Painful HIV-Associated Sensory Neuropathy: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial”. Neurology. Vol. 68, Pages 515-521. Feb. 2007. [↩]
4. “Treatment with cannabinoids had been shown to reduce the invasiveness of cancer cells, but the cellular mechanisms underlying this effect were unclear.” -Burkhard Hinz, PhD, et. al. “Inhibition of Cancer Cell Invasion by Cannabinoids via Increased Expression of Tissue Inhibitor of Matrix Metalloproteinases-1″. Journal of the National Cancer Institute Vol. 100, Number 1, Page 51. Dec. 25, 2007. [↩]

Scientology Pamphlet¹

Protest the Church of Scientology? Why not.

Anonymous or not, online oganizers decided to change the news, focus on a powerful organization, and show distaste for it. The nice thing about action: you don’t have to worry about libel or hate speech. It’s curious vocalized criticism of doctors, pharmacists, or homosexuals² doesn’t qualify as hatred/discrimination (But thats another issue).

For weeks anonymous videos have been threatening the church and organizing a modern media crusade. Some people went further, sending fake anthrax letters to Churches in Los Angeles³ .

Why you ask?

It definitely isn’t due to fraudulent and criminal activities, secrecy, destructive beliefs or opportunistic emotional brainwashing. So what then? Why the anger?

Maybe people in their 20’s just have nothing better to do with their time. They need some senseless, random, cause. There just aren’t enough causes for concern to keep us occupied. We crave senseless discrimination. We are legion.

I am what? Babling? No. I am fair and balanced - scientific even. I told you the what, but what about the why?

Why not? Get up off your as this Sunday. Forget about your exams, work, mass?, or hangover nursing for a day. Embrace the opportunity. Save your political passivity for Monday. Drop some acid with your MAOI’s and Ritalin while smoking a joint outside Scientology headquarters; just cause that’s your right⁴ . Do what’s right.⁵

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1. Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/groovymother/527216967/sizes/m/ [↩]
2. Just threw this one out there, not that its necessarily Scientology related [↩]
3. Mailings to Scientology sites probed. L.A. Times. 31 January 2008. [↩]
4. To find a location nearest you click here [↩]
5. Not Wendy’s [↩]

Fetus in a tube¹

So the age of human cloning has begun… A scientist clones himself.

And, as expected, a moral battle has ensued. Its important to understand exactly what is at issue. We are not dealing with the actual birth of any clones - the idea is to use cloning as a means to obtain stem cells for patients suffering from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, transplant patients, diabetes sufferers, and many others. It isn’t The 6th Day or The Island people; the embryos only live several days.

But some people panic (surprise!). They think that this akin to breeding for spare parts, playing god, genetic engineering, or a small step towards much more serious experimentation. Richard Doerflinger, a representative of the Catholic Church says,

It does not answer the ethical or social questions about the mass-production of developing human lives in order to destroy them. . . . It only tells us that these questions are more urgent than ever.²

Fortunately for Doerflinger, most science does not make ethical arguments. Nonetheless, nobody is ‘developing human lives in order to destroy them’ - except maybe god.

We are attempting to develop pre-human lives, in order to save actual lives and benefit those around them. Where did this ludicrous idea of associating mysticism to the moment of conception come from anyway? If it wasn’t for the sciences of biology and anatomy, Doerflinger might accuse people of ethical malpractice for building mud sculptures. As far as religious texts are concerned, God is ignorant of fetal development.

And yet, there is something odd about this cloning business isn’t there? Though somehow I doubt it has anything to do with ‘killing’ anything worthy of our moral consideration. Maybe Hollywood did it to us; maybe it’s the danger of a black market; or maybe our prehistoric ego’s can’t accept the fact that each one of us is just a natural, duplicable, machine.

Or what do I know? Maybe there is a divine plan behind rape pregnancies, miscarriages, deformed children, and conjoint twins. But if that’s intelligent design, I’m proud to be a moron.

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1. Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/thaumata/317263639/ [↩]
2. Mature Human Embryos Created From Adult Skin Cells. Washington Post. 18 January 2008. [↩]