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I just love this image

I think the definitive response is at http://www.motifake.com/the-beard-fear-the-beard-giants-demotivational-posters-139695.html

I've talked with Mormon missionaries. I don't mind conversations about religion and politics, and wonder why those subjects are considered taboo in polite conversation. Is it that some people can't control themselves?

On one occasion, needed some help moving some furniture, and the price was having to listen to their pitch. So I talked with them. They agreed that the Earth was approximately 4.5 billion years old. And even that evolution is real. Before I could say anything more, they hastened to add that we are NOT descended from monkeys. Technically true (it's apes, not monkeys), but I knew what they meant.

The most recent encounter was with some missionaries going door to door. This time I asked about Global Warming. They agreed that it was real. And that we were causing it. I was heartened. But when it came to solutions, they blew it. It's in God's hands, they said. Apparently that means that we should do nothing, or that there isn't anything we can do about it.

This is a continuing problem with much organized religion. They just can't accept science, and keep trying to oppose it as if knowledge is the enemy of their faith. It's embarrassing, sad, and pathetic. It's like watching a sucker endlessly playing slots at a casino, under those great prominent signs announcing that the return on slots is less than 100%. They grapple with arguments about as well as one of those coin operated claws grips stuffed toys. These monotheistic religions very badly need some new blood and fresh air.

Maybe I can get one of them to bring me a frapacino.

That's "frappicino".

Sorry, pet peeve.

Maybe I can get one of them to bring me a frapacino.

That's "frappicino".

Sorry, pet peeve.

This is awesome. So while I'm out protesting corporations, I can use my phone, produced by a corporation, to notify my family that I've been arrested. Maybe I can get one of them to bring me a frapacino.

you're funny

One of the people in this photo is a billionaire. See if you can guess which one.

Here's the thing - we're all gonna die in the end, so all these fights against proprietary formats won't mean jack.

In that case, so is replying. Yet you seem to care enough about justifying your position (perhaps to yourself) to reply, so don't give me this nihilistic bullshit.

In life we pick the battles we can fight. These are potentially important issues, but basically given you're effectively saying about 90% of people are part of the "problem", I don't give a fuck anymore.

When 90% of the people are part of the problem is when I absolutely do care.

Take another battle I've picked: Religion. There's a small minority which does some really crazy shit. And they get away with it in the name of "religious tolerange", because a majority of the world believes enough crazy shit of their own that it takes a lot to make us as a culture say, no, you can't let your child die because you'd rather fucking pray than get help.

Easily 80-90% of the US population is religious, which makes it a safe bet that you are, too -- probably also Christian, probably believe faith is a virtue. If so, merely by supporting the idea that faith is a virtue, you are encouraging yourself and those around you to turn off their critical thinking and skepticism when the situation calls for it. That kind of thinking leads to atrocities. Never mind that merely by calling yourself "Christian", you lend credibility to these fuckwits.

Am I going to win? Not really. I do hope to reinforce separation of church and state, to promote actual science education instead of "Intelligent Design", and to establish some basic rights the religious would deny, like the right to marry. I'd love to see people tolerate less of the extremists. I really doubt I'm going to see the religious become a minority in my lifetime.

But you know what? I'd like to think that when I'm lying on my deathbed, I lived for things that matter. I'd like to think that I'd still be the kind of person who would be ashamed to think I gave up because it was too hard, or because there were too many people who disagreed with me.

Life shouldn't have to be some damn crusade.

You're right, it shouldn't. But this is the world we live in, and there are some issues which tend towards exactly that -- either you're a good little worker propping up the status quo, or you're actually helping to move things forward.

And life should be meaningful -- and it's up to you to find that meaning. Maybe you honestly don't care, but that's not what I'm hearing. What I'm hearing is that you do care, you're just too lazy to do anything about it anymore.

Yet somehow, you're not too lazy to post, and to try to justify how much you don't care. That says a lot.

Their Scientists have now figured out how to make a web page. Maybe they can use it to promote their armed forces

The problem with that is this part of your sentence "unless you use common sense" which sadly in this day and age is about like this poster. Hell just the other day I come up on a horrible bike wreck, I knew one of the cops handling the wreck so I asked Mike what went down "Oh the usual, just another moron paying attention to everything but what was in front of him while tailing a truck too close at 60MPH+". I swear if we can't even get morons to wear helmets or pay attention to what is going on when they are flying at 60 less than a foot off the pavement, what chance do we have of getting them to pay attention while they bebop down the road listening to their iPod?

Personally I think it is just another case of Darwinism, where the government tries to foolproof the world only to find out they were even bigger fools than they thought. Why do you think we have to put "Open First" on Campbell soup cans now? the world is just too chock full of dumbass today.

Now someone will surely be Punnished for their crimes.

PS: Image is from USA Hollywood movie "The Punnisher" (best movie ever made, right next to They Live (Duke Nukem fame) and Sin City.

This. And it's interesting because it makes me wonder how many other "flight" impulses could be short-circuited in other animals. Do mice go running up to cats? Rabbits start frolicking when eagles fly overhead? It'd be interesting to get some picture of what the world on antidepressants would be like. I'd imagine predators would still get hungry and eat...but would their prey stop caring...? Wait...I think I've seen this film....

For a new Metal Gear?

As an atheist I couldn't possibly be happier with the Catholic Church and the deranged B-movie villain they elected Pope.

Dude! Star Wars isn't a B-movie!

In contact? Fffft, they are going to prepare us for a much more intimidating truth.

You think that similarity is a coincidence?

Here ya go.