BlackSun's Comments

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : Right-Wing Texas Applause Lines

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:01:55 +0000

I seriously wish it was only a few misguided young people who felt this way.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : Can We Drill Our Way To Lower Gasoline Prices?

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:26:04 +0000

Futures contracts are merely a way for the collective intelligence of the market to translate into hard pricing data. They don't in and of themselves raise prices.

If people did not believe there was a long-term fundamental tightness in world oil supplies, futures contracts would not be higher.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : The Pseudo Science of the Spoken Word: Part 3

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:57:04 +0000

Ned, that's not \"proof,\" it's personal experience. Which is notoriously fallible. We tend to see what we want to see--otherwise known as \"confirmation bias.\" As to your second point, how can one person's words of prayer be a \"benefit\" and another's be labeled \"tyranny?\" That doesn't even make sense. In the marketplace of ideas, all words are fair game. I'm taking issue with deceptive claims for the efficacy of prayer. The burden of proof is on the claimant. And it will take much more to shoulder that burden than personal testimonials or wishful thinking.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : Full Sean Prophet KULR-TV Interview at YouTube

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 17:27:03 +0000

Hey Kirsten, of course I remember you! Great to hear from you. I'll send you a more detailed reply by email...

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : Late-Stage Climate Denialism

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:09:03 +0000

The incentives are still set up all wrong for renewables. If you want a market based solution, you have to ensure users of fossil energy are paying the full externalized costs. If that were the case, no one would need to be concerned about saving the planet. (Since fossil fuels are vastly more expensive--estimates of up to $900 per ton of Carbon pollution). And it's not the planet we should be concerned about, it's ourselves. By encouraging the headlong rush to deplete natural capital over the past two centuries, we've set ourselves up for an unprecedented resource crisis. This is a recipe for severe economic stagnation and even potential violence.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : We Expect Christians to Have Thick Skins...

Tue, 5 Jul 2011 21:11:29 +0000

More shaming and war-drumming from the feminatheist police. And a little "get in line" medicine for the girls who don't agree. Backed and linked by PZ Myers, of course: http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/becau...

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : We Expect Christians to Have Thick Skins...

Tue, 5 Jul 2011 19:52:59 +0000

Angel. Yes it does. Thanks for your reasoned comments.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : We Expect Christians to Have Thick Skins...

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 22:39:18 +0000

Yes, well said Chloe.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : We Expect Christians to Have Thick Skins...

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 22:36:26 +0000

Bailey, first of all I want to say thank you for an extremely balanced conversation. And thank you also for bringing up the point that women pursue sex, too. Of course they do, and that's something which doesn't receive enough attention in all the noise. Perhaps this is a semantic argument about the word "objectify." To me, there's just no way to look at a woman without seeing the complete package. And I don't think I'm alone. Both men and women are constantly evaluating each other, sizing up their chances. Genitalia are only a part of the attraction. But they're an important part. I think you are saying you agree. My act of looking at a woman and thinking about how great it would be to get a her in bed might involve fantasies about her breasts, lips, vagina, ass, and everything else. Which doesn't distract me from the intelligent conversation we would hopefully be having. Nor would I hope her thinking about my penis or other attributes would distract her from what I was saying. I would hope there would be a lot of learning about the other person, a lot of brain connection. Because the brain is the sexiest organ of them all. But still that the chemistry and bodily sexual tension would just add to the deliciousness of the conversation. When I hear the word "objectification" in feminist usage, it makes me think a woman wants people to look at them and completely forget there's any physical attraction or potential sex involved. Which I think is just a killjoy attitude. As a man, I say, think about my body, objectify me, please! And I agree totally with your point about timing and skill.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : We Expect Christians to Have Thick Skins...

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 21:33:07 +0000

Bailey, I know this is a *huge* sticking point for feminists. But I just don't understand how "objectification" is such a big deal. It is acknowledging the obvious. Which that all people are both objectified and instrumental to others in a number of ways, not just sexually. Everyone has endless designs on other people. Politicians use their followers. Businessmen use their workers, people use other people to get information, or favors. Hopefully there's a fair exchange. Problems arise when there is not. Life is a continuous power exchange. Everything is transactional. So when you say rape is a crime of power, absolutely. I couldn't agree more. But so is theft, in the sense that stealing money or goods from someone reduces their power to act in the world. And I fully acknowledge that rape is one of the most heinous crimes humans can commit. But it can still be seen as theft--not of a vagina--but as theft of dignity and autonomy. The canard about the hooker is something I would never say. It is not theft of services, because in order for it to be so, the hooker still would have to have consented to the service. I suppose it could be theft of services if she consented and the man refused to pay afterward. But we're way off target from the original discussion, which was that there needs to be an acknowledgement that to have a vagina is to have something extraordinarily desirable, which men will do all sorts of crazy things to get access to. They will filrt, decieve, cajole, stalk, beg, and even use force. So when a man simply asks once and politely leaves, it's huge progress in an evolutionary and political sense, and something which deserves praise and not scorn. And how would this have gone down differently if Skepchick was actually attracted to the guy? Was he supposed to read her mind? Final question: Do women really want men to be even more afraid to approach them than some of us already are? I don't think that serves anyone.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : We Expect Christians to Have Thick Skins...

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 20:43:47 +0000

Bailey, no one is *reducing* anyone to anything. It is not either-or, but AND. To deny the monumental evolutionary power inherent in the female of the species is just silly. Whatever else a woman may achieve, she still has a vagina. However refined a man may be, he still has a penis. Both sexes are fully responsible for their actions. We don't have to deny the forces involved to say so. Bodily sovereignty is a right because human society has made it so. The ev-psych books say women have been defining their methods of fending off the greater physical strength of men for about the past 200,000 years. To me they've been highly successful. That doesn't mean there isn't a ways to go. But the goal should not be compete emasculation. The goal should be mutual respect and balance. That is what I'm calling for here. Still, people trade their bodies like commodities, and it's not just sex workers. When you spend eight hours on the job, you have bargained away a portion of your life, and gotten something in return. Sex may be for pleasure, self-transcendence, procreation, whatever, but it is also a highly-sought-after commodity. And it is used as a medium of exchange.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : We Expect Christians to Have Thick Skins...

Mon, 4 Jul 2011 08:49:41 +0000

Michael, totally right on. I think where this is headed is separate elevators for men and women.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : Death of the Light Bulb, Protectionism, Immigration

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:53:03 +0000

CFL's basically suck. They can't be dimmed, don't work well in the cold, don't like to be switched on and off too quickly, and their light quality is marginal. They do save a lot of energy though. They were an interim step between incandescents and LEDs.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : Brain Damage Increases 'Spirituality'

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:30:02 +0000

Claiming \"nothing can be known\" places a person in a permanent state of ignorance--with no way to improve the situation. We don't have to know everything to know *something.* Science organizes what can be proven and separates it from what cannot. And that state is always provisional and (when the method is conducted properly) it is self-correcting. Even while imperfect, it's the only system which allows for any measure of objectivity.

Belief, love, trust, respect and beauty remain in the personal subjective domain.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : Betrayal Part 1 (of 3) - by James Hillman

Mon, 30 May 2011 19:22:18 +0000

This is an article about *betrayal,* and we can only be betrayed by those whom we trust. Learning to trust will not stop the betrayal. I agree that we must learn to trust in order to live full lives, but it is vital to understand that this is a paradox: The potential for betrayal is *inherent* in the concept of trust, and that is the most important point made here by Hillman.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : An Utterly Faithless Rush

Mon, 30 May 2011 19:17:35 +0000

Wow, Marty, it's been a long time! I totally remember we had lots of fun until we got caught. They were damn strict back then. Even the wrong music was enough to get you kicked out. I also remember playing a little Elton John and the Eagles. Now I have three sons who are all musicians. Two are studying music in college right now, and the other is a video editor. I still love Rush, but also Nine Inch Nails, Yes, Dream Theater, Tool, and many more. My music collection today would have made Celeste Lasater faint! Something like 500GB of pounding rock and roll (with a little classical thrown in). I think it would take nearly a year to play through it all. Well, that's what they get for making something off-limits, right? Or it could just be great music. Really nice to hear from you. Friend me on Facebook, it would be good to stay in touch, Cheers!

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : Death of the Light Bulb, Protectionism, Immigration

Mon, 30 May 2011 18:30:35 +0000

Hi Nannie, well age is irrelevant, but I was born in 1964 if that helps. As for political parties, again irrelevant. It's what you believe and how you vote. And it seems the right specifically more than the left is subject to groupthink. There are three things you said which need correcting. First, the climate. You are mistaken that we are seeing normal fluctuations. The CO2 in the atmosphere has not been this high in millions of years. The reason why people are arguing about this is because the implications are too terrible for most to accept, and doing something about it would take a complete re-evaluation of our energy systems. It would also involve the loss of a lot of money for a lot of very rich and powerful people. So just like with DDT or cigarettes, they deny and delay as long as possible. Second, our rivers may be cleaner than they have ever been, but we have simply exported our manufacturing to China which is polluting their rivers and killing their people instead. Out of sight is not out of mind. We need global sustainability, and the only way that will happen is if the people demand it. And we have to be willing to go up against the vested interests who profit from the filthy status quo. Third, as for God's stewardship, don't you think that involves precisely taking care of the planet he loaned us to live on? It's not even the planet we should be concerned about, it's each other. The Earth will be fine and will be here for billions more years. It's our own ability to live and have a civilization which is under threat. Unfortunately this does break down by party affiliation. The GOP is generally hostile to human survival. They've gotten millions of middle class Americans to vote against their own self-interest in the name of "freedom" and "small government." But what this does is leave the large corporations unchecked and the rights of workers and the environment unprotected. Democrats in general are pro-worker, pro-environment.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : Ten Questions for Self-Transformation

Wed, 25 May 2011 21:04:34 +0000

Simon, this world runs on power, money and influence. It's an extension of evolutionary conflict which has been underway since the inception of life on Earth. The path to a better world will not be found through the narrative of past lives, fallen angels, godless/soulless ones, etc. It will be found through acknowledging and understanding humanity's indelible animal competitive nature. It is only through deep and painstaking self-exploration that we will find the pieces of darkness, greed and shadow within ourselves. We are all the descendants of the strongest, fastest and the most cunning killers and manipulators. Our ancestors outcompeted, killed, and betrayed countless weaker human beings before we were even born. We all perpetuate this state of affairs by our mere survival, played out through the battle for scarce resources. The powerful simply have more tools of combat at their disposal and control more of the essential resources. The day we acknowledge the universality of what some call human 'evil' is the day we can begin to resolve it and begin to build a structure that may result in a more cooperative society. Unfortunately, too many people are still looking outside themselves for "answers." They blame "greed," the media, the wealthy, governments, the powerful. So they believe (falsely) that if we simply "expose" the perpetrators of various "conspiracies," we can get rid of them and all will become well. This is the pipe dream of all pipe dreams. The mythology of my parents only perpetuates this old paradigm. "If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" –Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : Mark Prophet, The Man and the Myth: Part 6

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 21:25:39 +0000

The question is not whether the Messengers were perfect. The question is, were the teachings demonstrably true? Do they add anything useful to the body of human knowledge? Bottom line, SchoolroomEarth, your arguments are based on the idea that our life is some sort of "school" for something that comes later. Something that my parents and many others have claimed to have direct knowledge of. There's just one little problem: No one has ever been able to confirm anything whatsoever about what happens in any potential 'afterlife.' And all the conjecture of fearful people like you has given those who claim such certainties nearly absolute power over believers. Power they have gladly taken advantage of. There is just no reconciliation between the "schoolroom" idea and the much more likely reality that Earth is the "only room." The only room any of us will ever inhabit before our bodies break down, decompose and our identity is lost forever. But your fears and projections about this eventuality will quickly turn any potential conversation into a dialog of the deaf. You will feel as if I'm robbing you of your eternal life as you accuse me of being corrupted by entities, demons and dark forces, and feign pity for my soul. Just know I've heard it all before, and I'm very content with my 'animal' existence and limited lifespan. You should make peace with your own.

Black Sun Journal - Atheism, Climate Change, Drug War, Atheist, Religion : The Energy Philosopher

Fri, 8 Apr 2011 02:51:25 +0000

Doris, thanks! The next one is posted on the YouTube channel. I'm trying for one per week. Cheers.