Jewish Atheist

Of all the wars that America has fought in my lifetime alone, only one – World War II – had anything to do with my freedom. Mostly they had to do with politicians’ vanity; or their need to prove their toughness by sacrificing others (if it’s so necessary, why don’t THEY go?); or America’s wish to forcibly impose its will on other countries.

It’s bad enough that we still depend so much on cars, partly because of the requirement that so many of us put in “face-time” at the office (picture thousands of cars, idling bumper to bumper, air conditioners at full blast, day after summer day, as repairs are done on the numerous “expressways” in this great land of ours). But it is unconscionable to burn fossil fuel for amusement. No society that is serious about fuel conservation and energy independence can burn this much gasoline for amusement.

How many gallons of irreplaceable fossil fuel will be vaporized during this racing season? The Indy 500 (1-2 miles/gallon) must use thousands upon thousands of gallons. Daytona, NASCAR, I can’t even begin to name them all…there’s immense social approval for it, as well as lots of logos and money (and with Danica Patrick, sex), so gentlepeople, start your engines.

The Founding Fathers didn’t get it completely right, especially as regards women and forcibly transported Blacks, slave and free. But they did focus on one shining concept that promised to improve the state of humanity on earth: liberty. Not “relentless dogmatism” (Zorn). Liberty from millennia of kings, czars, and other despots.

That a TV comedy could cause other people to commit or even threaten violence is sad evidence of the barbarism that is Islam. Where are the clerics speaking out against this bullshit? Where are the moderate Muslims? The governmental leaders?

The magician is only a little more clever than you; schools don’t do enough to teach critical thinking; too many are afraid to confront the Bible as fantasy; and too few students get a physics teacher who urges them to examine the evidence before they conclude that a house is haunted.

This is the same insane school-administrator mentality that suspends students for having an Advil or nail clipper. Students learn, in no uncertain terms, that the adult world is irrational, demanding, rigid and ruthless. Students at Highland Park High are getting a valuable lesson indeed. Perhaps a few brave spirits will not be broken.

When, when, WHEN are black people going to get it: a double standard hurts everybody? The achievements of the protected class (yes, that’s the term they use) are forever tainted (would you want an affirmative action brain surgeon?), while the resentment of the unprotected class continues to fester.

At a crucial age, when parents should be carefully shaping their kids’ boundaries between fantasy and reality, these gooey New Age-y parents are blurring it. And priming them for the adult fantasies: that a political leader or religous figure or brand name can save you…these involve serious amounts of power and money. It is important to marketers, politicans, and clerics that the people’s capacity for fantasy and magical thinking be cultivated early and maintained throughout life.

Anti-monster sprays are NOT harmless story-telling. They are the foundation for much bigger myths.

Perhaps New Age sewage is an innocuous, de-fanged, relentlessly ecumenical (you believe my BS and I’ll believe yours) yet non-violent alternative to the barbaric Abrahamic faiths, perhaps a stepping stone to the eventual marginalization or abandonment of religion. Or maybe it’s a crutch. Religious beliefs get retained for particular reasons. Reincarnation is a powerful antidote to fear of death. As for memories, if the mind retains them, why not the body?