Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Obama is not a man
On Paltalk, after Obama's win, we were treated to several recordings of black preachers who claimed that Obama is not human but was created in a laboratory. They claimed that Obama is so calm because he does not have blood running in his veins, since he is an android. Some assert that Obama is just an evil product of the devil. Some claimed he was the antichrist, but others disagreed. The conspiracy theories that emerged almost instanteously are astounding!
The US Constitution is Illegal!
On Paltalk, after Obama won most of the electoral college votes, there was a lot of celebrating and crowing. When the interesting question of whether Obama is a natural born citizen or not was brought up, one "gentleman" claimed that only indigenous peoples in the US could be presidents of the US. In other words, his personal definition of the phrase "natural born citizen" was correct, and the agreed upon definition of "natural born citizen" by centuries of legal scholars and litigation and court proceedings was incorrect. All the law professors in the United States and all the courts are incorrect, and this obviously uneducated chat room resident was correct. And he wanted us to accept it without question. Since a number of non-indigenous people had held the office of the US presidency, the constitution had been violated repeatedly in the United States.
He also claimed that since women were not allowed to vote originally according to the US constitution, that the US constitution was an illegal law and should be never be enforced and should never have been followed. Well it is hard to know what to say to that sort of argument. Others also claimed that the CIA had "standing" to sue Obama in court and since they had not, this showed that he was a valid candidate. I tried to point out that this is not what the CIA does, but I was savagely attacked and told that I should be made a slave so I would understand what it was like to be a black. Oh my gosh....
He also claimed that since women were not allowed to vote originally according to the US constitution, that the US constitution was an illegal law and should be never be enforced and should never have been followed. Well it is hard to know what to say to that sort of argument. Others also claimed that the CIA had "standing" to sue Obama in court and since they had not, this showed that he was a valid candidate. I tried to point out that this is not what the CIA does, but I was savagely attacked and told that I should be made a slave so I would understand what it was like to be a black. Oh my gosh....
Monday, October 27, 2008
Calls from the Looney Bin
One can hear all kinds of insane stuff on Paltalk. For example, in a room discussing Obama's credentials and the legality of Obama assuming the Presidency, one can hear one crazy comment after another. People in the room often want to change the topic to discuss how awful Islam is, or claim that Obama is a terrorist or a communist, or discuss a world-wide communist conspiracy or a world-wide Islamist conspiracy. They then rant and rave and spew all kinds of nonsense.
The participants often do not have a clue what they are talking about and exhibit their lack of knowledge and literacy over and over. One said the "electorial college" is formed by congress members only, and is never affected by voter fraud, so the ACORN scandal is irrelevant (??). One called McCain a "Beezlebug" (whatever that is). It would be comical except that these characters are not really trying to make jokes.
One room member made a phone call to a staffer working for his senator, and played it live in the room to a few dozen listeners. The staffer did not know who vetted presidential candidates, if anyone, and was subject to about an hour of abuse. The caller identified himself as someone who is on disability since he was released from a mental hospital. Although he might have been joking, I started to wonder as he continued. The staffer said he was not allowed to give his personal opinion about political issues since he is a federal employee. The caller said he was in the same boat since being on SSI means he is a federal employee (??!!??). The caller ranted and raved and got nowhere. The staffer was very polite but did not give him any information that was useful. It made me very uncomfortable to listen to this exchanged.
Many of those who heard this call live later said that they thought the caller had not approached it in the right way. The caller became incensed, and cursed everyone saying that he had years and years of experience of calling staffers and that it never does any good since they "come and go like hookers". Is this a surprise that he never gets anywhere with this approach?
When I questioned this approach, and said that we needed to be effective rather than spinning our wheels, I was told I was "godless" and a "muslim asskisser". Wow. With these kinds of allies, who needs enemies?
The participants often do not have a clue what they are talking about and exhibit their lack of knowledge and literacy over and over. One said the "electorial college" is formed by congress members only, and is never affected by voter fraud, so the ACORN scandal is irrelevant (??). One called McCain a "Beezlebug" (whatever that is). It would be comical except that these characters are not really trying to make jokes.
One room member made a phone call to a staffer working for his senator, and played it live in the room to a few dozen listeners. The staffer did not know who vetted presidential candidates, if anyone, and was subject to about an hour of abuse. The caller identified himself as someone who is on disability since he was released from a mental hospital. Although he might have been joking, I started to wonder as he continued. The staffer said he was not allowed to give his personal opinion about political issues since he is a federal employee. The caller said he was in the same boat since being on SSI means he is a federal employee (??!!??). The caller ranted and raved and got nowhere. The staffer was very polite but did not give him any information that was useful. It made me very uncomfortable to listen to this exchanged.
Many of those who heard this call live later said that they thought the caller had not approached it in the right way. The caller became incensed, and cursed everyone saying that he had years and years of experience of calling staffers and that it never does any good since they "come and go like hookers". Is this a surprise that he never gets anywhere with this approach?
When I questioned this approach, and said that we needed to be effective rather than spinning our wheels, I was told I was "godless" and a "muslim asskisser". Wow. With these kinds of allies, who needs enemies?
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Capitalism=Fascism=Communism
In Paltalk, one can listen to a wide range of nonsense. One lady came to the room and claimed that Senator McCain had never been incarcerated in North Vietnam and that all the accounts of his prisoner-of-war status were faked. She claimed that McCain's limp and badly set broken bones were from airplane crashes where he had killed hundreds of fellow service members, but it had all been covered up. She claimed that McCain had never had a job since he had been either in the military or in the Senate, and that no government jobs or military jobs were real employment. She even claimed that McCain was a "Manchurian Candidate" since he forgave his former captives, and was in favor of capitalism. She said that favoring capitalism was suspect, because "Capitalism is essentially Fascism, which is essentially Communism". Anyone who disagreed with her was met with an angry attack, insults and curses. Oh man...
The IMF controls US elections
In Paltalk one can sample the incredible ignorance of the general public. One very angry and aggressive user came into a room discussing Obama's candidacy, and claimed that it was impossible for Obama to have been born outside the US since the CIA, NSA and IMF check all the backgrounds of US Presidential candidates. This is outrageous, since anyone working for the CIA or NSA investigating a "US person" would be fired and probably jailed for doing so. And the International Monetary Fund as well? What on earth does the International Monetary Fund have to do with candidates for US presidency?
In fairness, this user also stated that it was impossible for Obama to be a non-US citizen since the FBI could not also be fooled. Of course, even in the case of the FBI, which is allowed to do this kind of investigation, there is no evidence that they have been tasked to do this.
From his accent, it was clear that he was not a native English speaker, and probably was not even an American. He obscured the issues being discussed with his nonsense and angrily attacked anyone who disagreed with him. Oh brother...
In fairness, this user also stated that it was impossible for Obama to be a non-US citizen since the FBI could not also be fooled. Of course, even in the case of the FBI, which is allowed to do this kind of investigation, there is no evidence that they have been tasked to do this.
From his accent, it was clear that he was not a native English speaker, and probably was not even an American. He obscured the issues being discussed with his nonsense and angrily attacked anyone who disagreed with him. Oh brother...
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Muslim men have courage!
On Paltalk I encountered a quartet of men who purported to be Muslim and decried the supposedly "pussy-whipped" status of Western men; particularly American men. They said that the problem with the West is that they have forgotten what honor is, and like cowards appeal to the police and the judicial system to settle disputes. They said any real man would treat "his women" (including his wife, girlfriends, children, mother, aunts, etc) as property and would beat anyone who looked at them or touched them, or would kill anyone who dared to touch any woman of "his". They said only a coward would ask the police and the court system to help. They said they did not care what the law is, and that the real measure of a man is how much killing he has done personally, not using cowardly methods like technology to do their killing. They said any "real man" would not allow women to have any say in politics or any other matter and that women were dirt and should be regularly beaten and that Western men were cowards for listening to women, and Western men were therefore faggots and feminized. They went on and on and on. I asked these great geniuses if they had personally killed anyone, but it turned out that not one of these brave souls admitted to killing anyone. They blustered on and on, belching and farting on the microphone and insulting anyone in the room. They even mistook several women in the room for men, and called them queers and faggots, attacking them visciously over and over. Wow I am really impressed. What a great religion Islam is! It sure supports family values and seems like a much better alternative than what the West has.
Interestingly, whenever I or others have suggested that these blowhards should live in a country that favors their mindset, and leave the West and its Western values to Westerners who appreciate it, they become very defensive and angry. None of them want to leave the West and its comforts. They only want to change it to reflect what they feel is the "right" sort of culture.
Oh brother...
Interestingly, whenever I or others have suggested that these blowhards should live in a country that favors their mindset, and leave the West and its Western values to Westerners who appreciate it, they become very defensive and angry. None of them want to leave the West and its comforts. They only want to change it to reflect what they feel is the "right" sort of culture.
Oh brother...
Monday, October 20, 2008
Paltalk NWO
Here is an example of the kinds of nonsense that one gets exposed to on Paltalk:
Good heavens...
My book Matrix & the Code Shows the Luciferian dark sentence code of NWO Date Setting formula connecting 911 events to Prophecy to become the One World Government---email me for a free copy folks as its going world wide to Expose the NWO CODE!!! -Godspeed from XXX... XXX@yahoo.com
Good heavens...
Condeleeza Rice is a Communist!
The range of opinions one encounters on Paltalk is mind boggling. One amateur "sovietologist" on Paltalk held forth for hours claiming that the Soviet Union never collapsed, and that it is still in a close alliance with China. All of the border clashes were ruses. Condeleeza Rice is supposedly a traitor and a communist and a KGB informant. He claimed that Condeleeza Rice's PhD advisor, Josef Korbel (Madeleine Albright's father), is a communist and KGB agent, and a former Nazi. This is quite an impressive claim, given that Korbel was a Czech Jew who fled the Nazis, and returned to Czechoslovakia and then had to flee again when the communists took over Czechoslovakia in 1948!
He also claimed that Taiwan has been secretly taken over by China already because all its leadership are loyal to the communist party in mainland China. All the leaders in China are supposedly not native Chinese, but Chinese from Singapore, which is why they have brought capitalism to China.
He claimed that Germany plans to leave NATO. He stated that Angela Merkel is a secret communist.
He was extremely angry when I questioned any of his story. He claims that world wide domination by a secret underground communist conspiracy is only months away. At the point the plan is finally put into action, all westerners will be slaves to the Soviet/Chinese overlords.
His proof of some of this nonsense is that Obama is associated with William Ayers, a known communist radical. He also noted that one of the senior officials in a Soviet intelligence agency had a birthday of September 11, and that this was further "proof" that the Soviets were behind the attack on the world trade center.
Oh....my...gosh...
Addendum
A blog discussing this theory appears here. A video he uses as a source is here. In the video, a defector named Bezmenov claims that Jane Fonda became "filthy rich" because of her activities as a dissident!
He also claimed that Taiwan has been secretly taken over by China already because all its leadership are loyal to the communist party in mainland China. All the leaders in China are supposedly not native Chinese, but Chinese from Singapore, which is why they have brought capitalism to China.
He claimed that Germany plans to leave NATO. He stated that Angela Merkel is a secret communist.
He was extremely angry when I questioned any of his story. He claims that world wide domination by a secret underground communist conspiracy is only months away. At the point the plan is finally put into action, all westerners will be slaves to the Soviet/Chinese overlords.
His proof of some of this nonsense is that Obama is associated with William Ayers, a known communist radical. He also noted that one of the senior officials in a Soviet intelligence agency had a birthday of September 11, and that this was further "proof" that the Soviets were behind the attack on the world trade center.
Oh....my...gosh...
Addendum
A blog discussing this theory appears here. A video he uses as a source is here. In the video, a defector named Bezmenov claims that Jane Fonda became "filthy rich" because of her activities as a dissident!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Fight like a Man
In my wanderings at Paltalk, I have gained many insights into the mindset of Muslims. One common theme that is repeated over and over is that one has to "fight like a man" [1] . They disdain using cover, defenses, modern vehicles or even modern weapons as being "cowardly". Supposedly the bravest thing one can do is to brandish a sword or scimitar and scream like a maniac. Using any thought or strategy or tactics is viewed as cowardly. I have heard this over and over, and I have started to realize this is a common theme among Muslims. Is it just frustration, or pure stupidity? I do not know, but it sure is backwards.
It is typical of lots of other Islamic thought. For example, it is common when young Afghans or Iraqis are being trained to use a rifle for them to hold the rifle above their head and fire randomly instead of aiming. They figure that they will hit what they want to hit if Allah wills it. They often have to be retrained to understand the concept of cause and effect. Wow...
It is typical of lots of other Islamic thought. For example, it is common when young Afghans or Iraqis are being trained to use a rifle for them to hold the rifle above their head and fire randomly instead of aiming. They figure that they will hit what they want to hit if Allah wills it. They often have to be retrained to understand the concept of cause and effect. Wow...
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Quran Only
On Paltalk, one can run into all kinds of flakes. I have had the "honor" of encountering a group of "Quran Only" "Muslims" that reject all of the sayings of Mohammed captured in the hadiths, and all of Sharia law. They claim that anyone who follows Sharia law is not a Muslim, and that this is well known.
It is very frustrating to try to discuss Islam with them, since any of the most common objections one has about Islam they can easily dismiss. All of the bad practices in Iran, and Egypt and Syria and Saudi Arabia, and all of the bad behaviors of the Taliban and the Ayatollahs, are easily rejected by Quran Only Muslims since they can claim that the people in Iran, Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia are not "real" or "true" Muslims. The Quran Only Muslims say that the Taliban and the Ayatollahs are not really following Islam. They say that the Shiites and the Sunnis and the Sufis and the Salafis and the Alewites are not Muslims since there are no sects in Islam, according to their interpretation of some passages in the Quran. They say that there is no mention of Aisha's young age, or penalties for apostasy in Islam. Obviously, Quran Only Muslims are viewed as heretics by mainstream Sunni and Shiite Muslims, and fatwas have been issued against them. Some Quran Only Muslim leaders have been murdered.
Even objectionable language in the Quran is easily disputed by these people, since they claim that their personal translations and interpretations of the Quran are superior to all published translations of the Quran. They claim that they and only they know the "true" meaning of the Quran. Even when presented by 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 other translations of the Quran by real Muslim scholars with positions in Islamic Universities, they are unbowed. These scholarly translations and interpretations are discarded cavalierly since these nonArabic speaking Quran Only Muslims claim they know the Arabic in the Quran better than native speakers of Arabic or Professors of Arabic or Professors of Islam.
While other mainstream Muslims claim one has to read the Tafsirs, i.e., the Islamic exegeses or commentaries, on the Koran and the Hadiths to understand Islam, Islam Only Muslims claim that the Tafsirs are haram.
We even had the pleasure of these nonArabic speakers giving lessons in pronounciation of Arabic words to native Arabic speakers. I later found out that only 13 percent of all practicing Muslims can speak Arabic, even though they have to pray in Arabic! I was astounded at the boldness of these characters in promoting their own particular beliefs. They made the claim that most Muslims were Quran Only Muslims, contrary to all demographic statistics. After all, roughly 85 percent of all Muslims are Sunnis and 15 percent of all Muslims are Shiites, but according to Quran Only Muslims, Sunnis and Shiites cannot be Muslims. I asked repeatedly to be given peer-reviewed studies backing up their claims that most Muslims are Quran Only Muslims, but I was met with just double talk and anger, and crazy gratuitous claims. For example, they claimed that 75 million Muslims in Eastern Europe are Quran Only Muslims, and that all the Muslims in Pakistan are Quran Only Muslims. Not very compelling, frankly.
Unfortunately when I realized what was going on, I compared the Quran Only Muslims to their Christian Counterparts that follow only the bible, and claim that those who do not interpret the bible the way they do are not Christians. I was immediately contacted by someone Christian who claimed that this is not true. They said there are no fundamentalist Christian groups who do this. And then, after they had claimed that they do not do this, they proceded to do exactly this, and tell me that only Christians who believe in the trinity and in being born again are real Christians. They become so obnoxious and aggressive and angry and nasty about this that I had to just block their accounts. Wow...
It is very frustrating to try to discuss Islam with them, since any of the most common objections one has about Islam they can easily dismiss. All of the bad practices in Iran, and Egypt and Syria and Saudi Arabia, and all of the bad behaviors of the Taliban and the Ayatollahs, are easily rejected by Quran Only Muslims since they can claim that the people in Iran, Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia are not "real" or "true" Muslims. The Quran Only Muslims say that the Taliban and the Ayatollahs are not really following Islam. They say that the Shiites and the Sunnis and the Sufis and the Salafis and the Alewites are not Muslims since there are no sects in Islam, according to their interpretation of some passages in the Quran. They say that there is no mention of Aisha's young age, or penalties for apostasy in Islam. Obviously, Quran Only Muslims are viewed as heretics by mainstream Sunni and Shiite Muslims, and fatwas have been issued against them. Some Quran Only Muslim leaders have been murdered.
Even objectionable language in the Quran is easily disputed by these people, since they claim that their personal translations and interpretations of the Quran are superior to all published translations of the Quran. They claim that they and only they know the "true" meaning of the Quran. Even when presented by 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 other translations of the Quran by real Muslim scholars with positions in Islamic Universities, they are unbowed. These scholarly translations and interpretations are discarded cavalierly since these nonArabic speaking Quran Only Muslims claim they know the Arabic in the Quran better than native speakers of Arabic or Professors of Arabic or Professors of Islam.
While other mainstream Muslims claim one has to read the Tafsirs, i.e., the Islamic exegeses or commentaries, on the Koran and the Hadiths to understand Islam, Islam Only Muslims claim that the Tafsirs are haram.
We even had the pleasure of these nonArabic speakers giving lessons in pronounciation of Arabic words to native Arabic speakers. I later found out that only 13 percent of all practicing Muslims can speak Arabic, even though they have to pray in Arabic! I was astounded at the boldness of these characters in promoting their own particular beliefs. They made the claim that most Muslims were Quran Only Muslims, contrary to all demographic statistics. After all, roughly 85 percent of all Muslims are Sunnis and 15 percent of all Muslims are Shiites, but according to Quran Only Muslims, Sunnis and Shiites cannot be Muslims. I asked repeatedly to be given peer-reviewed studies backing up their claims that most Muslims are Quran Only Muslims, but I was met with just double talk and anger, and crazy gratuitous claims. For example, they claimed that 75 million Muslims in Eastern Europe are Quran Only Muslims, and that all the Muslims in Pakistan are Quran Only Muslims. Not very compelling, frankly.
Unfortunately when I realized what was going on, I compared the Quran Only Muslims to their Christian Counterparts that follow only the bible, and claim that those who do not interpret the bible the way they do are not Christians. I was immediately contacted by someone Christian who claimed that this is not true. They said there are no fundamentalist Christian groups who do this. And then, after they had claimed that they do not do this, they proceded to do exactly this, and tell me that only Christians who believe in the trinity and in being born again are real Christians. They become so obnoxious and aggressive and angry and nasty about this that I had to just block their accounts. Wow...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Power of the Internet
In Skypeland, I have had numerous examples of the power of the internet. Today, I talked to two young ladies studying Japanese in university in Shanghai. Although they had standard government educations in Chinese government schools and only got their information from web newspapers issued by the Chinese government, they were suprisingly well informed about Chinese history and current affairs. I was stunned that they knew about the Chinese attacks on Tibet, India and Russia, although I think they new less about the Chinese attacks on Vietnam a few decades ago. They were well-informed about the relations with Taiwan and the failed negotations with North Korea. They were pessimisstic about the current negotatiations with North Korea to get North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons program, and sounded more like Neoconservatives in the United States than Chinese on this issue. They expressed displeasure with the Chinese communist party. I was surprised at how different they seemed to be than most Chinese people I have talked to.
A Japanese friend said it was possibly because these women speak Japanese, and so have more access to foreigners than the average Chinese person. However, other Chinese students of Japanese we have talked to were not this knowledgable.
I am not sure how these two ladies knew so much, but maybe it is because of the internet. It is just too difficult for the Chinese government to censor everything on the internet.
A Japanese friend said it was possibly because these women speak Japanese, and so have more access to foreigners than the average Chinese person. However, other Chinese students of Japanese we have talked to were not this knowledgable.
I am not sure how these two ladies knew so much, but maybe it is because of the internet. It is just too difficult for the Chinese government to censor everything on the internet.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Islam is the perfect religion !
In Paltalk, there are many Muslims who want to use the venue to recruit others to Islam. It can give some interesting insights into Islam to look at their arguments. For instance, this gentleman, named "I", told me that Christians pray to Mary, and this proves Christianity is a weak religion since Christians are praying to a woman.
Here is some more of our discussion. I first asked him to join me in a Paltalk room entitled "Why I am not a Muslim". He declined, saying:
I: that room doesnt respect Islam
I: they say bad things about our Prophet
I: sallallahu alaihi wa salam
O: I will be glad to discuss it anywhere you want
I: discuss here
I: or invite me to another room
O: but if you want a discussion, you have to be prepared to hear it all
I: no problem
O: if you do not want to hear it all, maybe you should never talk to anyone who is not Muslim
I: but i dont like foul language
I: anyways discuss here
I: in pm
I: u r not even a christian
I: so y u inviting me to a christian rom
O: I was raised as a Christian
O: and that is not a Christian room
O: you are a bit confused about religion
I: just tell me why u r not a muslim
I: give me 1 reason
O: you do not know much about Christianity
O: and you do not know much about other religions
I: i know everything about christianity
I: i know everything they believe
I: i can prove from bible jesus denies being god
O: No you don't. You said that all Christians pray to Mary.
I: not all christians
I: most of them
O: that to start with proves you know NOTHING
O: haha
I: i.e. catholics
O: not even most
O: haha
I: yes catholics are the majority
I: they are over 50%
I: majority is defined by being over 50%
O: you do not know much about Christianity
I: prove i dont know much
I: ask me any question
O: Ok tell me how many books in the bible
I: i dont know the exact number
O: haha
I: it differs
O: oh yes? tell me how
I: catholics have extra books
O: and who else?
O: haha
O: and what are the extra books called?
I: there is no answer to that question
O: sure there is
I: since different bibles have diff number of books
O: you forgot the Orthodox
I: apocrypha
O: and what about the pseudopigraphia? What is that?
I: same thing
O: nope
O: you better do some more reading
O: when the Christians established the canon, the disagreements were about the apocrypha
O: and when the Jews established their canon, they excluded the pseudopigraphia
O: that is it approximately
O: and there are more than 300 million orthodox
O: so one should not ignore them
I: ok
I: now what is ur objection to Islam
O: I have a few
I: just 1
O: the more I learn
O: the less I like about it
I: at a time
I: Islam is the pure religion
I: no religion can compare
O: haha....of course you would claim that
I: no book can compare to the Holy Quran
O: haha
O: of course you claim that
I: no person can compare to Muhammad (alaihi salatu wa salam)
O: of course you claim that
I: no question about it
O: well there is at least one other side to that
O: I would say to start with
O: I disagree with the Apostasy statutes in Shariah law
O: that I find offensive
O: profoundly offensive
I: apostasy is in christianity as well
I: say something unique about Islam
O: but there is no "Shariah" law in Christianity that is applied across a wide range of those in the faith
O: there are all kinds of statements in the old testament that have been superceded by the new testament
I: christians believe in the bible do they not?
I: bible says to kill apostates
O: some believe in it literally, some do not
O: most do not
I: whether christians follow the bible or not isn't our problem
O: at least 90 percent do not believe in it
O: haha
O: you say that since you do not understand Christianity
I: say something about Islam which no other religion is "guilty' of
O: the sermon on the mount basically supercedes all the mitzvot etc
I: actually no
O: well Christianity is not "guilty" of apostasy laws
I: jesus himself said to kill not only apostates
I: but all those who reject him
O: well you are going to tell me what Christianity says?
O: ok give me the verse
O: if you believe it is true
O: and should be taken literally
I: luke 19:21
O: and not allegorical etc
O: ok let me look
I: sorry
I: luke 19:27
I: But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me
I: i have to go pray soon
I: we will discuss later
O: Well you have to understand that passage in context. That is part of a parable.
O: I read the full thing, which goes from 19:11 through 19:27. It means something totally different than what you claim, from what I have heard for years and years.
O: I have never heard it interpreted as an attack on Apostates
O: or Jesus ordering the killing of Apostates
I: yes its a parable
O: You making that claim really reeks
O: haha
I: the person who orders killing of non-believers represents JEsus
I: learn what a parable means
O: Believe whatever you want
I: these are words of Jesus
O: However, as I have maintained many many times, if you want to force your beliefs on others, then you will have trouble
I: he is ordering killing of all non-christians
O: Just a friendly word
O: you are I
O: and living in a dream world
I: during medieval times the church used this verse to kill heretics
O: of course all the passages have been used for all kinds of purposes
O: like the story about Onan
O: to forbid masturbation
I: u cannot change the fact
I: bible and jesus are very violent
I: even in book of revelation
O: I freely admit that there are lots of bad things in the bible
O: haha
I: it says jesus will do some major killing
I: so much so his pure white robes will become red with blood
O: The Revelations of St. John the divine are like a hallucination
O: and it is not even clear what they are referring to
I: of course its a hallucination
I: my point is christians believe in it
O: most scholars adopt some variety of preterism to interpret it
O: some do
O: but most do not
I: its part of their pathetic religion
O: haha
O: you do not know much about Christianity friend
O: you know almost nothing
O: you know hate-filled rhetoric from Imams
O: if you get the Fatwahs against me personally to have me killed lifted
O: then I might have some respect for Islam
O: until you do that
O: you will find me not particularly convinced that Islam is much good
I: listen buddy
I: stop beating around the bush
I: why cant u answer a simple thing
O: Ok you asshole
O: Islam wants to kill me
O: so I will give you the same back
I: u claim christianity is peaceful
O: i never claimed it
O: but I am not peaceful
I: everything u said so far is weak
O: so deal
O: haha
O: If you want death
O: The west will give you death
O: how is that?
O: I am not peaceful
O: Islam is a religion of hatred and death
I: lo0l
I: now u r swearing
O: and if Molsems wants death
O: they will get it
I: calling me "asshole"
O: yep
O: haha
O: yes i did
I: what is the point of that
O: you wanted plain speaking
O: and i gave it to you
I: if u cannot debate properly why u challenge people?
O: if it offends you
O: too bad
O: haha
O: I am offended by death threats
O: how do you like that?
I is now offline. Messages will be delivered when they sign on to Paltalk.
After he logged off, I added this portion for him to read when he logged back in:
O: Look, get the fatwahs against me threatening me with death lifted. And then I might find Islam to be a bit more compelling. You cannot speak peace if you want to constantly threaten others with death. If you threaten others, then you will buy a negative relationship. Is that what you want? I am asking you to try to see your way clear to live in peace with the others you share the planet with. Tolerance is the path of peace. Intolerance like that represented by aggressive proselytizers like yourself is not the path to peace, but the path to death and evil. So why not give peace and tolerance a chance? What is with that?
O: However, as I see with all Muslims, you are not able to actually handle a frank discussion.
O: Oh well.
O: As you sew, so shall ye reap
O: If you want to have rooms with no one who disagrees with you, there are plenty of Muslim rooms. They throw out anyone who disagrees. Try one of those.
Here is some more of our discussion. I first asked him to join me in a Paltalk room entitled "Why I am not a Muslim". He declined, saying:
I: that room doesnt respect Islam
I: they say bad things about our Prophet
I: sallallahu alaihi wa salam
O: I will be glad to discuss it anywhere you want
I: discuss here
I: or invite me to another room
O: but if you want a discussion, you have to be prepared to hear it all
I: no problem
O: if you do not want to hear it all, maybe you should never talk to anyone who is not Muslim
I: but i dont like foul language
I: anyways discuss here
I: in pm
I: u r not even a christian
I: so y u inviting me to a christian rom
O: I was raised as a Christian
O: and that is not a Christian room
O: you are a bit confused about religion
I: just tell me why u r not a muslim
I: give me 1 reason
O: you do not know much about Christianity
O: and you do not know much about other religions
I: i know everything about christianity
I: i know everything they believe
I: i can prove from bible jesus denies being god
O: No you don't. You said that all Christians pray to Mary.
I: not all christians
I: most of them
O: that to start with proves you know NOTHING
O: haha
I: i.e. catholics
O: not even most
O: haha
I: yes catholics are the majority
I: they are over 50%
I: majority is defined by being over 50%
O: you do not know much about Christianity
I: prove i dont know much
I: ask me any question
O: Ok tell me how many books in the bible
I: i dont know the exact number
O: haha
I: it differs
O: oh yes? tell me how
I: catholics have extra books
O: and who else?
O: haha
O: and what are the extra books called?
I: there is no answer to that question
O: sure there is
I: since different bibles have diff number of books
O: you forgot the Orthodox
I: apocrypha
O: and what about the pseudopigraphia? What is that?
I: same thing
O: nope
O: you better do some more reading
O: when the Christians established the canon, the disagreements were about the apocrypha
O: and when the Jews established their canon, they excluded the pseudopigraphia
O: that is it approximately
O: and there are more than 300 million orthodox
O: so one should not ignore them
I: ok
I: now what is ur objection to Islam
O: I have a few
I: just 1
O: the more I learn
O: the less I like about it
I: at a time
I: Islam is the pure religion
I: no religion can compare
O: haha....of course you would claim that
I: no book can compare to the Holy Quran
O: haha
O: of course you claim that
I: no person can compare to Muhammad (alaihi salatu wa salam)
O: of course you claim that
I: no question about it
O: well there is at least one other side to that
O: I would say to start with
O: I disagree with the Apostasy statutes in Shariah law
O: that I find offensive
O: profoundly offensive
I: apostasy is in christianity as well
I: say something unique about Islam
O: but there is no "Shariah" law in Christianity that is applied across a wide range of those in the faith
O: there are all kinds of statements in the old testament that have been superceded by the new testament
I: christians believe in the bible do they not?
I: bible says to kill apostates
O: some believe in it literally, some do not
O: most do not
I: whether christians follow the bible or not isn't our problem
O: at least 90 percent do not believe in it
O: haha
O: you say that since you do not understand Christianity
I: say something about Islam which no other religion is "guilty' of
O: the sermon on the mount basically supercedes all the mitzvot etc
I: actually no
O: well Christianity is not "guilty" of apostasy laws
I: jesus himself said to kill not only apostates
I: but all those who reject him
O: well you are going to tell me what Christianity says?
O: ok give me the verse
O: if you believe it is true
O: and should be taken literally
I: luke 19:21
O: and not allegorical etc
O: ok let me look
I: sorry
I: luke 19:27
I: But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me
I: i have to go pray soon
I: we will discuss later
O: Well you have to understand that passage in context. That is part of a parable.
O: I read the full thing, which goes from 19:11 through 19:27. It means something totally different than what you claim, from what I have heard for years and years.
O: I have never heard it interpreted as an attack on Apostates
O: or Jesus ordering the killing of Apostates
I: yes its a parable
O: You making that claim really reeks
O: haha
I: the person who orders killing of non-believers represents JEsus
I: learn what a parable means
O: Believe whatever you want
I: these are words of Jesus
O: However, as I have maintained many many times, if you want to force your beliefs on others, then you will have trouble
I: he is ordering killing of all non-christians
O: Just a friendly word
O: you are I
O: and living in a dream world
I: during medieval times the church used this verse to kill heretics
O: of course all the passages have been used for all kinds of purposes
O: like the story about Onan
O: to forbid masturbation
I: u cannot change the fact
I: bible and jesus are very violent
I: even in book of revelation
O: I freely admit that there are lots of bad things in the bible
O: haha
I: it says jesus will do some major killing
I: so much so his pure white robes will become red with blood
O: The Revelations of St. John the divine are like a hallucination
O: and it is not even clear what they are referring to
I: of course its a hallucination
I: my point is christians believe in it
O: most scholars adopt some variety of preterism to interpret it
O: some do
O: but most do not
I: its part of their pathetic religion
O: haha
O: you do not know much about Christianity friend
O: you know almost nothing
O: you know hate-filled rhetoric from Imams
O: if you get the Fatwahs against me personally to have me killed lifted
O: then I might have some respect for Islam
O: until you do that
O: you will find me not particularly convinced that Islam is much good
I: listen buddy
I: stop beating around the bush
I: why cant u answer a simple thing
O: Ok you asshole
O: Islam wants to kill me
O: so I will give you the same back
I: u claim christianity is peaceful
O: i never claimed it
O: but I am not peaceful
I: everything u said so far is weak
O: so deal
O: haha
O: If you want death
O: The west will give you death
O: how is that?
O: I am not peaceful
O: Islam is a religion of hatred and death
I: lo0l
I: now u r swearing
O: and if Molsems wants death
O: they will get it
I: calling me "asshole"
O: yep
O: haha
O: yes i did
I: what is the point of that
O: you wanted plain speaking
O: and i gave it to you
I: if u cannot debate properly why u challenge people?
O: if it offends you
O: too bad
O: haha
O: I am offended by death threats
O: how do you like that?
I is now offline. Messages will be delivered when they sign on to Paltalk.
After he logged off, I added this portion for him to read when he logged back in:
O: Look, get the fatwahs against me threatening me with death lifted. And then I might find Islam to be a bit more compelling. You cannot speak peace if you want to constantly threaten others with death. If you threaten others, then you will buy a negative relationship. Is that what you want? I am asking you to try to see your way clear to live in peace with the others you share the planet with. Tolerance is the path of peace. Intolerance like that represented by aggressive proselytizers like yourself is not the path to peace, but the path to death and evil. So why not give peace and tolerance a chance? What is with that?
O: However, as I see with all Muslims, you are not able to actually handle a frank discussion.
O: Oh well.
O: As you sew, so shall ye reap
O: If you want to have rooms with no one who disagrees with you, there are plenty of Muslim rooms. They throw out anyone who disagrees. Try one of those.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Israelis are immoral
On Paltalk, I heard some Arabs ranting about how immoral Jews are, particularly those in Israel. And what were they complaining about? They were complaining that Israelis ate falafel, tahini poppy seed dressing and hummus, which they consider Arab foods. They felt that Israelis should not be allowed to eat Arab foods, or to serve them in their restaurants. To do so they felt was dishonest, and immoral. Oh my...
Students cheated by foreigners
One can easily sample opinions from around the world in Skypeland. Talking to a 19 year old from China, we asked her about Tiannamen Square. She said she knew all about Tiannamen Square. I asked what she knew. She said that it happened in 1989. I asked what happened in Tiannamen Square. She said that the soldiers had killed students in Tiannamen Square. I asked why the government had killed them. She said that students had been cheated by foreigners. She said the students were criminals, obviously, and so the soldiers had shot them. I told her tens of thousands of Chinese students in the US had stayed in the US after the Tiannamen Square Massacre. She said this was impossible since few Chinese students were allowed to go to university at that time.
I asked her if China was in any wars in the last 50 years. She said that China was in no wars in the last 50 years. I asked about Chinese wars with Russia, India, Vietnam and Tibet in the last 50 years. She was shocked and said they did not happen.
I asked about the Cultural Revolution. She said she knew everything. I asked her what she knew. She did not tell me.
I asked if she had free speech. She said she did. I asked if she could protest the Communist Party and she said of course she could not, but why should she?
She said she had full access to information on the internet. I told her that China had the world's largest internet censorship program. She was shocked to hear that. I told her that China had threatened western companies like Yahoo and Google if they do not cooperate with China's censorship program. She did not have much to say in response.
I asked if North Korea should have nuclear weapons. She said they should be allowed to have them. I asked why she disagreed with the Chinese government. She was somewhat shocked to be told that she disagreed with her government.
She became quite annoyed with me for bringing these things up. She said many foreigners tried to tell her these things, but she did not want to hear them since she believed that she had a happy life and the Chinese Communist Party is good and she supports it.
Amazing. But quite a good example of what sort of culture exists in much of China.
I asked her if China was in any wars in the last 50 years. She said that China was in no wars in the last 50 years. I asked about Chinese wars with Russia, India, Vietnam and Tibet in the last 50 years. She was shocked and said they did not happen.
I asked about the Cultural Revolution. She said she knew everything. I asked her what she knew. She did not tell me.
I asked if she had free speech. She said she did. I asked if she could protest the Communist Party and she said of course she could not, but why should she?
She said she had full access to information on the internet. I told her that China had the world's largest internet censorship program. She was shocked to hear that. I told her that China had threatened western companies like Yahoo and Google if they do not cooperate with China's censorship program. She did not have much to say in response.
I asked if North Korea should have nuclear weapons. She said they should be allowed to have them. I asked why she disagreed with the Chinese government. She was somewhat shocked to be told that she disagreed with her government.
She became quite annoyed with me for bringing these things up. She said many foreigners tried to tell her these things, but she did not want to hear them since she believed that she had a happy life and the Chinese Communist Party is good and she supports it.
Amazing. But quite a good example of what sort of culture exists in much of China.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Russian language
One hears all kinds of crazy stories in discussions with people from all over the world. This includes assorted theories about languages. For example, I have had several people try to tell me that Arabic is the root of all modern languages, or that Hindi is the root of all the languages on earth. A friend found someone arguing that the origin of the Russian language is an animal language. Oh man, where do people get this sort of nonsense?
More conspiracy theorists
This is a great website that rants and raves about all kinds of terrible conspiracies, including the classic conspiracy claim that 911 is an "inside job". There are all kinds of crazy claims on this webpage.
For example, supposedly the Club of Rome has been creating food shortages on purpose for decades. Also, the evil global elites have been trying to reduce the world population for decades intentionally as part of some evil plan. Bob Barker supposedly revealed this evil plot with his message at the end of each "Let's Make a Deal" episode when Barker advised viewers to "spay and neuter" their pets.
This character, Markus Allen, believes that vaccination is an evil conspiracy. Allen thinks that the word "therapist" really should be parsed as "the rapist" proving that mental health professionals are evil.
Allen also thinks that a fire drill in the World Trade Center held on the morning of 9/11 is absolutely irrefutable proof that the attack was an inside job. Allen knows that there was a fire drill since he lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and many New Yorkers visit Lancaster on vacation and he gets to talk to them. He claims that since only 2500 people of the 100,000 or so in the World Trade Center died because 911 was clearly a fraud. He believes that 4 hijacked planes inside the US were proof that US defenses were penetrated 4 times, and he claims that it is impossible for planes to invade the US since it has the world's most powerful military, and therefore 911 must have been an inside job. He claims that the pilots hijacked the planes at the same time and struck the buildings at exactly the same time, which is impossible. He also claims that flight 175 flew right through the building unscathed, which he claims is impossible since the nose of these airplanes is made out of plastic and is very flimsy. His final proof that this was an inside job stems from people calling the World Trade Center "ground zero", because "ground zero" is the name for the location of a nuclear weapons strike. This shows that Americans are being manipulated and brainwashed. He claims that 911 was planned for several centuries by the military intelligence community of the US, aided by the UK, Israel and the G8. All the commanders of the military in the US were trained by the Jesuits, so this proves that the Catholic Church was involved, and the black pope who runs the Jesuits planned it.
Oh brother...
For example, supposedly the Club of Rome has been creating food shortages on purpose for decades. Also, the evil global elites have been trying to reduce the world population for decades intentionally as part of some evil plan. Bob Barker supposedly revealed this evil plot with his message at the end of each "Let's Make a Deal" episode when Barker advised viewers to "spay and neuter" their pets.
This character, Markus Allen, believes that vaccination is an evil conspiracy. Allen thinks that the word "therapist" really should be parsed as "the rapist" proving that mental health professionals are evil.
Allen also thinks that a fire drill in the World Trade Center held on the morning of 9/11 is absolutely irrefutable proof that the attack was an inside job. Allen knows that there was a fire drill since he lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and many New Yorkers visit Lancaster on vacation and he gets to talk to them. He claims that since only 2500 people of the 100,000 or so in the World Trade Center died because 911 was clearly a fraud. He believes that 4 hijacked planes inside the US were proof that US defenses were penetrated 4 times, and he claims that it is impossible for planes to invade the US since it has the world's most powerful military, and therefore 911 must have been an inside job. He claims that the pilots hijacked the planes at the same time and struck the buildings at exactly the same time, which is impossible. He also claims that flight 175 flew right through the building unscathed, which he claims is impossible since the nose of these airplanes is made out of plastic and is very flimsy. His final proof that this was an inside job stems from people calling the World Trade Center "ground zero", because "ground zero" is the name for the location of a nuclear weapons strike. This shows that Americans are being manipulated and brainwashed. He claims that 911 was planned for several centuries by the military intelligence community of the US, aided by the UK, Israel and the G8. All the commanders of the military in the US were trained by the Jesuits, so this proves that the Catholic Church was involved, and the black pope who runs the Jesuits planned it.
Oh brother...
Shiites are Jews
In these VOIP discussions, one can probe into other cultures to find out what they think. In a discussion room on Paltalk called "Islam answers back", several were discussing problems with the Shiites. Several said that you could see by looking in their eyes that they were haunted and cursed. They said they had seen Shiites on television so they knew. Someone else said that they were just really Jews because they had similar beliefs. I asked what beliefs of the Shiites were similar to those of Judaism. I was told that the Shiites and the Jews both wait until the three stars are visible to start their feasts, and that Shiites and Jews both practiced "nudity and perversions". I mentioned the Supreme Ayatollah and I was accused of being a dirty Shiite. I was told that all ayatollahs are Kafirs.
Ah yes. Religion of peace.
Ah yes. Religion of peace.
Monday, September 15, 2008
More proof of Islam's superiority
In my meanderings in Paltalk, I have encountered some who like to tell me that they have "proof" or evidence that Islam is the one true religion. One gentleman went on a long rant about how all the animals knew that Islam was the "true" religion and praised Allah, showing how much better they are than Jews and Christians and other "kafirs". He then said that even the rocks themselves knew that Allah reigned supreme and that Islam was the true religion, and were therefore smarter than Christians and Jews. He even told me that turds worship Allah.
This is probably based on some passages in the Koran where the animals and rocks and trees talked to Mohammed. To complete his "proof", this character stated that the bible ordered all Jews and Christians to eat excrement. Ah yes, I see, clearly a very well known biblical passage that Jews and Christians follow!
For example, in the book of Ezekiel 4:12-13, it states that the Lord said: "And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them."
A passage in 2 Kings 18:27 says: "But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?"
The first of these is generally interpreted to refer to the use of dung as fuel. The second is a bit more sketchy, but certainly does not appear to refer to a "commandment" to eat excrement. In any case, the fact that there are over 30,000 varieties of Christianity alone, each with their own interpretation of the bible shows that some sort of blanket statement about what Jews and Christians are ordered to do, and all accept, is just plain silly...
This is probably based on some passages in the Koran where the animals and rocks and trees talked to Mohammed. To complete his "proof", this character stated that the bible ordered all Jews and Christians to eat excrement. Ah yes, I see, clearly a very well known biblical passage that Jews and Christians follow!
For example, in the book of Ezekiel 4:12-13, it states that the Lord said: "And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them."
A passage in 2 Kings 18:27 says: "But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?"
The first of these is generally interpreted to refer to the use of dung as fuel. The second is a bit more sketchy, but certainly does not appear to refer to a "commandment" to eat excrement. In any case, the fact that there are over 30,000 varieties of Christianity alone, each with their own interpretation of the bible shows that some sort of blanket statement about what Jews and Christians are ordered to do, and all accept, is just plain silly...
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Just ask questions
One of Skype's competitors, Paltalk, offers a somewhat similar venue to Skypeland for discussions. What is different is that Paltalk has fewer foreign language discussions, and many more English discussions than Skypecasts do (or did, since it is not clear if Skypecasts will return). In addition, Paltalk software only allows one person to speak at a time (although a beta version I tried some months ago seems to allow more than one to talk at once). Paltalk also makes a lot more use of a single text chat window accessible by all users than Skypecasts typically do. This is quite confusing, because a user is asked to respond to someone speaking, as well as potentially dozens of other interlocutors in a very fast moving text chat, as well as "whispers" (private messages between room participants). Although Skypecasts could have such a chat window, it would be a bit impractical since the participants would have to be added manually. It is easier for participants in Paltalk to hold forth for extended periods, lecturing the others in the room. Since they cannot be interupted by others, the only way to stop them is to silence them or boot them from the room, which is often done. Another difference is that Paltalk hosts have much more ability to silence discussion participants than Skypecast hosts, and Paltalk hosts can even ban certain users from a given room for 24 hours. Hosting a room in Paltalk appears to be a much bigger deal than it does in Skypecasts, and it is much harder in Paltalk for any user to become a host. It appears that this extra power given to hosts has resulted in much less discussion and debate in Paltalk than one typically finds in Skypecasts. The rooms are less interesting as a result, but calmer. I also think there is less information exchange in Paltalk; I have found fewer people able to support their positions with real evidence, since they just can drive people that disagree out of the room or silence them much more easily.
For example, someone invited me into a room entitled "Muslim Christian Debate". A Muslim was speaking and invited me to ask questions. I asked him what he thought of extremist Muslims. I was told that they did not exist and that all Muslims were moderate. So, I asked about the Supreme Ayatollah and his 3000 answers to a series of traditional "religious queries" published in his "thesis"; surely these were somewhat extreme positions. I was told that Ayatollahs do not count.
I asked if Ayatollahs were not Muslim, and I was told that Ayatollahs are not Muslim. Pondering this, I asked if Shiites were Muslim and I was told they are not. In response, I asked if Sufis are Muslims and I was told they were not. I inquired about the Kharijites and the Alevi, but I did not receive any answers.
I tried to ask why these groups were not Muslims but I was just met with more jeers and invective. I was told that all Muslims who called themselves something else were not Muslims, or who have hyphenated labels. I asked if this was true of Salafis and I was attacked and insulted for asking this. I tried to point out that I had been invited to ask questions, and now I was being assailed for doing so. All this did was increase the agitation of others in the room. Apparently, the room participants did not want to be asked questions and did not want to have a dialogue.
What was interesting to me was how I was repeatedly assaulted, criticized, and ridiculed visciously, for asking questions. Even though I had been invited to ask questions, I was bombarded with jeers for doing so. I waited and waited while I was hit with more and more personal slurs and attacks. Finally I stated that I had had enough and I would leave the room. I was met with a stream of insults for this statement. Still, after a good 10 minutes or more, no one had really addressed most of my questions in any reasonable way. I gave up and left. I was invited back but I did not see who had invited me, otherwise I would have talked to them in private. So I left. Such things can happen in Skypecasts, but I do not think it is as common in Skypeland as it appears to be in Paltalk.
A similar thing happened in a room supposedly about conservative politics. I asked what people knew of Governor Sarah Palin's views about creationism and the use of prayer to "cure" homosexuality. Again, I was beset with wave after wave of insults and snide remarks, expletives, execrations and imprecations from all sides, in text and by voice. My question of course was not addressed or even allowed to be discussed. This might happen sometimes in Skypecasts, but I noticed that usually a different culture reigns in Skypecasts in which people are allowed to state their position clearly. Often someone in Skypecasts will ask that someone who is "odd man out" and clearly holding a different opinion than most of those in a room be allowed to make at least one statement unimpeded. In Paltalk, most of the rooms seem to be populated only by one group with similar views. It appears that it is not common in Paltalk to find a room which is dominated by those with opinions that are different than that of the host, as is often found in Skypecasts. Paltalk hosts quickly censor anyone with a contrary position, or even remove them from the room very rapidly, at least from what I have observed so far. If someone is booted from a Skypecast room, they can immediately return, although they will not necessarily be allowed to speak. In Paltalk, someone booted from a room is not allowed to return for 24 hours.
I brought the Palin question to a room on "Christian debate" where I was again met with wave after wave of derision. About 10 or more speakers approached the microphone to tell me in extremely rude terms, often laced with assorted vulgarities, that no political questions were allowed there since this room was only for discussion of religion. I tried to point out that some topics like creationism or abortion or homosexuality or Sharia law overlap between religion and politics, but this was met with derision and repeatedly rejected. I was told over and over that off-topic discussions are not permitted.
Someone said that donuts were a permissable topic and so I sarcastically asked about donuts, and the room residents enthusiastically discussed their favorite donuts for a few minutes. I opined that the reason there are few "debates" in these rooms, even rooms labelled as "debate" rooms is that it is not permitted in Paltalk. I was told over and over that Skypecasts never had existed and that I must be lying and that the format I was describing for a discussion would never work. I was even told that sarcasm was improper and not allowed in a discussion, which I found curious.
Interestingly, an hour or two later, several people came up to lecture the "Christian debate" room about political topics, including someone who is clearly a Hindutva supporter. No one objected, even when I pointed this out. The Hindutva gentleman wailed on and on about how evil the US is and how God is planning to destroy the US and how all of Judaism is derived from the Dravidians and their religious ideas. It took me quite a while before I started to even understand his position because it was so confused. Others just let him spew away with little response. Apparently he does this regularly and no one objects. Possibly, this is because they cannot understand what he is saying.
I find it interesting how different sets of rules and powers for hosts and a slightly different communication medium has resulted in a completely different culture on Paltalk. The Paltalk rooms might be more orderly and less contentious, but they are also less interesting and less informative. I learned long ago that controversy is the lifeblood of these internet discussions. Without an exchange, rooms die. Paltalk hosts can filter out everyone who disagrees or states a contrary opinion. Therefore the Paltalk rooms tend towards peaceful armed camps where everyone agrees and any interlopers are swiftly dealt with and removed. Since an interloper in a Skypecast cannot be easily removed, and is at least allowed to listen and message many in the room by text, or even start a competing room easily, other methods have developed to deal with disagreements in Skypecasts. Many in Skypecasts have been forced to become experts in various controversial subjects, and to demand that anyone who enters into a debate be able to support their position with evidence. Except for people reading long passages directly from the Koran, the Hadiths, the Vedas or the Bible, I saw little to no supporting evidence being discussed or presented in Paltalk. Although there were Skypecasts rooms in which all contrary views were suppressed, these rooms tended to quickly whither and die because they just are not interesting. Also, the extra powers and privileged positions of Paltalk hosts tend to create tinpot dictators, smug and pleased with themselves. Although Skypecast hosts can become comfortable and familiar to many "fans", they are not as powerful and the atmosphere in Skypecasts is different.
For example, someone invited me into a room entitled "Muslim Christian Debate". A Muslim was speaking and invited me to ask questions. I asked him what he thought of extremist Muslims. I was told that they did not exist and that all Muslims were moderate. So, I asked about the Supreme Ayatollah and his 3000 answers to a series of traditional "religious queries" published in his "thesis"; surely these were somewhat extreme positions. I was told that Ayatollahs do not count.
I asked if Ayatollahs were not Muslim, and I was told that Ayatollahs are not Muslim. Pondering this, I asked if Shiites were Muslim and I was told they are not. In response, I asked if Sufis are Muslims and I was told they were not. I inquired about the Kharijites and the Alevi, but I did not receive any answers.
I tried to ask why these groups were not Muslims but I was just met with more jeers and invective. I was told that all Muslims who called themselves something else were not Muslims, or who have hyphenated labels. I asked if this was true of Salafis and I was attacked and insulted for asking this. I tried to point out that I had been invited to ask questions, and now I was being assailed for doing so. All this did was increase the agitation of others in the room. Apparently, the room participants did not want to be asked questions and did not want to have a dialogue.
What was interesting to me was how I was repeatedly assaulted, criticized, and ridiculed visciously, for asking questions. Even though I had been invited to ask questions, I was bombarded with jeers for doing so. I waited and waited while I was hit with more and more personal slurs and attacks. Finally I stated that I had had enough and I would leave the room. I was met with a stream of insults for this statement. Still, after a good 10 minutes or more, no one had really addressed most of my questions in any reasonable way. I gave up and left. I was invited back but I did not see who had invited me, otherwise I would have talked to them in private. So I left. Such things can happen in Skypecasts, but I do not think it is as common in Skypeland as it appears to be in Paltalk.
A similar thing happened in a room supposedly about conservative politics. I asked what people knew of Governor Sarah Palin's views about creationism and the use of prayer to "cure" homosexuality. Again, I was beset with wave after wave of insults and snide remarks, expletives, execrations and imprecations from all sides, in text and by voice. My question of course was not addressed or even allowed to be discussed. This might happen sometimes in Skypecasts, but I noticed that usually a different culture reigns in Skypecasts in which people are allowed to state their position clearly. Often someone in Skypecasts will ask that someone who is "odd man out" and clearly holding a different opinion than most of those in a room be allowed to make at least one statement unimpeded. In Paltalk, most of the rooms seem to be populated only by one group with similar views. It appears that it is not common in Paltalk to find a room which is dominated by those with opinions that are different than that of the host, as is often found in Skypecasts. Paltalk hosts quickly censor anyone with a contrary position, or even remove them from the room very rapidly, at least from what I have observed so far. If someone is booted from a Skypecast room, they can immediately return, although they will not necessarily be allowed to speak. In Paltalk, someone booted from a room is not allowed to return for 24 hours.
I brought the Palin question to a room on "Christian debate" where I was again met with wave after wave of derision. About 10 or more speakers approached the microphone to tell me in extremely rude terms, often laced with assorted vulgarities, that no political questions were allowed there since this room was only for discussion of religion. I tried to point out that some topics like creationism or abortion or homosexuality or Sharia law overlap between religion and politics, but this was met with derision and repeatedly rejected. I was told over and over that off-topic discussions are not permitted.
Someone said that donuts were a permissable topic and so I sarcastically asked about donuts, and the room residents enthusiastically discussed their favorite donuts for a few minutes. I opined that the reason there are few "debates" in these rooms, even rooms labelled as "debate" rooms is that it is not permitted in Paltalk. I was told over and over that Skypecasts never had existed and that I must be lying and that the format I was describing for a discussion would never work. I was even told that sarcasm was improper and not allowed in a discussion, which I found curious.
Interestingly, an hour or two later, several people came up to lecture the "Christian debate" room about political topics, including someone who is clearly a Hindutva supporter. No one objected, even when I pointed this out. The Hindutva gentleman wailed on and on about how evil the US is and how God is planning to destroy the US and how all of Judaism is derived from the Dravidians and their religious ideas. It took me quite a while before I started to even understand his position because it was so confused. Others just let him spew away with little response. Apparently he does this regularly and no one objects. Possibly, this is because they cannot understand what he is saying.
I find it interesting how different sets of rules and powers for hosts and a slightly different communication medium has resulted in a completely different culture on Paltalk. The Paltalk rooms might be more orderly and less contentious, but they are also less interesting and less informative. I learned long ago that controversy is the lifeblood of these internet discussions. Without an exchange, rooms die. Paltalk hosts can filter out everyone who disagrees or states a contrary opinion. Therefore the Paltalk rooms tend towards peaceful armed camps where everyone agrees and any interlopers are swiftly dealt with and removed. Since an interloper in a Skypecast cannot be easily removed, and is at least allowed to listen and message many in the room by text, or even start a competing room easily, other methods have developed to deal with disagreements in Skypecasts. Many in Skypecasts have been forced to become experts in various controversial subjects, and to demand that anyone who enters into a debate be able to support their position with evidence. Except for people reading long passages directly from the Koran, the Hadiths, the Vedas or the Bible, I saw little to no supporting evidence being discussed or presented in Paltalk. Although there were Skypecasts rooms in which all contrary views were suppressed, these rooms tended to quickly whither and die because they just are not interesting. Also, the extra powers and privileged positions of Paltalk hosts tend to create tinpot dictators, smug and pleased with themselves. Although Skypecast hosts can become comfortable and familiar to many "fans", they are not as powerful and the atmosphere in Skypecasts is different.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Use your left hand
A great part of Skypeland is the chance to learn about other cultures. One young Muslim Arab man who claimed to be from Kuwait entered our room to tell us how superior his culture was to American culture. He said that he never used toilet paper after defecating because toilet paper was contaminated with bacteria. Instead, he thought it was much more sanitary to "wash" himself with his bare left hand after completing his evacuations.
Well, that sure sounds reasonable and much cleaner, doesn't it?
Well, that sure sounds reasonable and much cleaner, doesn't it?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Can truthers get any dumber?
One of the interesting features of Skypeland is that an interested user can come into contact with a wide variety of "truthers"; that is, people who believe 911 was an "inside job". After talking to many truthers, I have realized that many truthers complain constantly about the WMD fears that partly motivated the military action in Iraq. However, when I ask them what constitutes a Weapon of Mass Destruction, I find that almost none of them can give me an accurate definition. Wow. Can they get any dumber?
Friday, August 29, 2008
More evil from the USA
Skypeland is a perfect place to spread conspiracy theories. Some of the conspiracy theory proponents have even taken to threatening the skeptics and debunkers since they want Skypeland turf to themselves for promoting their theories. They thrive on the lack of information, and skeptics and debunkers provide contrary information, which they despise.
I heard that the US created the Tsunami in South East Asia. And that Hurricane Katrina was created by Russia.
Ah yes, how rational.
I heard that the US created the Tsunami in South East Asia. And that Hurricane Katrina was created by Russia.
Ah yes, how rational.
Born again
Some use Skypeland as a place to try to find converts to their particular set of beliefs, such as atheism, fundamental Christianity or Islam. This sort of evangelism usually does not work particularly well.
A young lady approached me to tell me that my approach to dealing with Skype users who were rude and would not engage in polite discourse was off-putting. I pointed out that the reason I get large audiences for my Skypecasts was that I entertain my audience. This includes "not suffering fools lightly". If people want to be treated with respect in my casts, they have to behave and engage in a discussion, allowing others to speak. They are not allowed to use my audience as an opportunity to lecture others for 5 minutes or 20 minutes or an hour, uninterrupted and unquestioned, while they spew all kinds of misinformation and nonsense. I used to be less confrontational, but my skypecasts then had many fewer participants. People like controversy and contention. It is that simple. Other formats are boring.
She started out by probing me extensively about my personal religious beliefs. I was polite for a long time, but she became more and more aggressive. She believed in biblical literalism of course, and knew nothing about the history of the bible or the Christian faith. She claimed that she knew what parts of the bible to take literally and what parts to take allegorically, but of course there have been massive disagreements about this very issue for centuries; it is not at all clear cut. She believed in the literal truth of Genesis and the first Creation account (but not the second), even though we have contrary evidence. However she knew that the 6 day, 24 hour creation was allegorical and did not need to be taken literally. She dismissed all the previous scholarship on the bible for thousands of years; she personally knew better. She explained away all apparent inconsistencies in the text. She said that all the statistical evidence that prayer and faith healing does not work is wrong because she knew better. She claimed that one can learn more about creation and the universe by studying the bible than from studying the universe directly. She claimed that the inconsistent other versions did not exist or ignored their existence. She had no response to all the scientific knowledge in disagreement with the bible. She claimed that the "born again" movement in the US based on a particular interpretation of an ambiguous short passage in the gospel of John was much older than a few decades old, which is patently false. Eventually she told me that since I am not "born again" I am going to hell. I told her that she was a bit of a hypocrite and quite offensive, and not even following the main commandment; "love thy neighbor as thyself". Threatening and attacking others really is not very Christian.
So I decided, she needed to be blocked. And so I blocked her.
A young lady approached me to tell me that my approach to dealing with Skype users who were rude and would not engage in polite discourse was off-putting. I pointed out that the reason I get large audiences for my Skypecasts was that I entertain my audience. This includes "not suffering fools lightly". If people want to be treated with respect in my casts, they have to behave and engage in a discussion, allowing others to speak. They are not allowed to use my audience as an opportunity to lecture others for 5 minutes or 20 minutes or an hour, uninterrupted and unquestioned, while they spew all kinds of misinformation and nonsense. I used to be less confrontational, but my skypecasts then had many fewer participants. People like controversy and contention. It is that simple. Other formats are boring.
She started out by probing me extensively about my personal religious beliefs. I was polite for a long time, but she became more and more aggressive. She believed in biblical literalism of course, and knew nothing about the history of the bible or the Christian faith. She claimed that she knew what parts of the bible to take literally and what parts to take allegorically, but of course there have been massive disagreements about this very issue for centuries; it is not at all clear cut. She believed in the literal truth of Genesis and the first Creation account (but not the second), even though we have contrary evidence. However she knew that the 6 day, 24 hour creation was allegorical and did not need to be taken literally. She dismissed all the previous scholarship on the bible for thousands of years; she personally knew better. She explained away all apparent inconsistencies in the text. She said that all the statistical evidence that prayer and faith healing does not work is wrong because she knew better. She claimed that one can learn more about creation and the universe by studying the bible than from studying the universe directly. She claimed that the inconsistent other versions did not exist or ignored their existence. She had no response to all the scientific knowledge in disagreement with the bible. She claimed that the "born again" movement in the US based on a particular interpretation of an ambiguous short passage in the gospel of John was much older than a few decades old, which is patently false. Eventually she told me that since I am not "born again" I am going to hell. I told her that she was a bit of a hypocrite and quite offensive, and not even following the main commandment; "love thy neighbor as thyself". Threatening and attacking others really is not very Christian.
So I decided, she needed to be blocked. And so I blocked her.
Monday, August 25, 2008
An amazing conspiracy theory
Skypeland is a hotbed of conspiracy theories and one can hear a wide range of these theories. Today I ran into a man who repeated a long complicated description of how humans are being tricked and manipulated. He said he had a genius IQ "up in the 200s".
All humans are controlled by their capitalized names. Any contact with the government always uses your name in all capitals (i.e., majuscule), which has some supposedly nefarious purpose. Humans are supposedly at sea, with their actions governed by "Admiralty Maritime Law". This is proven by the fact that a "dock tor" delivers you when you are born. A ship sitting still is "at berth", which is why we use the term "birth" for a human's first entry into the world. We are a world of controlled beings, manipulated and controlled. You are not a living person but a third party transmitting utility, that is, a fictitious person, a strawman. We are controlled by the NWO or Jesuits or British Crown or Illuminati. Attorneys are not really working since they are called "attorneys in practice", so they are not real, they are just practicing. One has to be a dead person to go to court. All police stations are masonic law temples. The USA is a nonprofit religious corporation of the masons. The British Crown owns the USA and Canada. The Vatican owns the British Crown and the world. We know the world is an illusion and we are manipulated because law dictionaries do not give the same definitions as Webster's dictionary. A corporation is a group of dead people. The only place you should see capitalized letters is at grave site, since a capitalized name is a dead entity.
That is the difference between a signature and an autograph. An autograph is of the living, the real entity. The signature is of the dead, since it includes the word "sign", suggesting that a signature is fiction. At the bottom of a check there are no lines there is some writing that says "authorized signature. The reason for this is that we are manipulated by what we are told by the television, which is given that name since it means it is a "tell lie vision". Television programs are programming. Every single judge is a masonic priest.
Lawyers are the bar association which is the British accredited law organization. There are no living people left in the world. They cannot take you to a dead court if you put a copyright and trademark on your name.
The US people do not know the right flag of their country.
The US is a british colony. The US flies the admiralty flag.
History is "his story" because they make it up and it is all fake.
King James had the bible rewritten because he was a mason. The bible has been rewritten over 817 times (at least). His friend Francis Bacon rewrote the bible under the name of Shakespeare. King James was a known pedophile murderer and rapist. He then banned and burned all other bibles so his name could be on the bibles.
Congress is the opposite of progress. Look at the money. There is a
hidden mind and hidden eye at top of pyramid watching you all the time. Note that this not a human eye.
The person who has done all this research is Jordan Maxwell, who is the person who trained David Icke and brought him to the USA.
The elite worship Malick the stone owl at the Bohemian Grove. The proof of this is that Malick appears on the US one dollar bill. The reason to put Malick there is because owls see in the dark and are nocturnal.
The figure on top of the US capital building is the goddess of the underground.
The Matrix movie that came out is actually about something real. We are being clues about reality from this movie. Hollywood is called that since the magic wand was always created from the holly tree. Someone said they learned that in barber school.
A further proof that there is a huge conspiracy against us is that "9 times any other number is 9"
The word "understand" means to "stand under", so when you go to court and ask you if you understand, they are asking you to stand under.
Someone came up to agree with him and also disagree with him, and called him a scientist. He said he was an archaeologist since he was a hands on scientist. He said he was an archaeologist since he is into music.
Holy cow.
Addendum
Here is a great summary of some weird conspiracy theories.
All humans are controlled by their capitalized names. Any contact with the government always uses your name in all capitals (i.e., majuscule), which has some supposedly nefarious purpose. Humans are supposedly at sea, with their actions governed by "Admiralty Maritime Law". This is proven by the fact that a "dock tor" delivers you when you are born. A ship sitting still is "at berth", which is why we use the term "birth" for a human's first entry into the world. We are a world of controlled beings, manipulated and controlled. You are not a living person but a third party transmitting utility, that is, a fictitious person, a strawman. We are controlled by the NWO or Jesuits or British Crown or Illuminati. Attorneys are not really working since they are called "attorneys in practice", so they are not real, they are just practicing. One has to be a dead person to go to court. All police stations are masonic law temples. The USA is a nonprofit religious corporation of the masons. The British Crown owns the USA and Canada. The Vatican owns the British Crown and the world. We know the world is an illusion and we are manipulated because law dictionaries do not give the same definitions as Webster's dictionary. A corporation is a group of dead people. The only place you should see capitalized letters is at grave site, since a capitalized name is a dead entity.
That is the difference between a signature and an autograph. An autograph is of the living, the real entity. The signature is of the dead, since it includes the word "sign", suggesting that a signature is fiction. At the bottom of a check there are no lines there is some writing that says "authorized signature. The reason for this is that we are manipulated by what we are told by the television, which is given that name since it means it is a "tell lie vision". Television programs are programming. Every single judge is a masonic priest.
Lawyers are the bar association which is the British accredited law organization. There are no living people left in the world. They cannot take you to a dead court if you put a copyright and trademark on your name.
The US people do not know the right flag of their country.
The US is a british colony. The US flies the admiralty flag.
History is "his story" because they make it up and it is all fake.
King James had the bible rewritten because he was a mason. The bible has been rewritten over 817 times (at least). His friend Francis Bacon rewrote the bible under the name of Shakespeare. King James was a known pedophile murderer and rapist. He then banned and burned all other bibles so his name could be on the bibles.
Congress is the opposite of progress. Look at the money. There is a
hidden mind and hidden eye at top of pyramid watching you all the time. Note that this not a human eye.
The person who has done all this research is Jordan Maxwell, who is the person who trained David Icke and brought him to the USA.
The elite worship Malick the stone owl at the Bohemian Grove. The proof of this is that Malick appears on the US one dollar bill. The reason to put Malick there is because owls see in the dark and are nocturnal.
The figure on top of the US capital building is the goddess of the underground.
The Matrix movie that came out is actually about something real. We are being clues about reality from this movie. Hollywood is called that since the magic wand was always created from the holly tree. Someone said they learned that in barber school.
A further proof that there is a huge conspiracy against us is that "9 times any other number is 9"
The word "understand" means to "stand under", so when you go to court and ask you if you understand, they are asking you to stand under.
Someone came up to agree with him and also disagree with him, and called him a scientist. He said he was an archaeologist since he was a hands on scientist. He said he was an archaeologist since he is into music.
Holy cow.
Addendum
Here is a great summary of some weird conspiracy theories.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Why the Koran is the only true Word of God
One can learn all kinds of great cultural and religious information in Skypeland. For example, today I learned that the written Koran is not really the word of God according to Muslims, since it must be recited to be the word of God. The written version is not really the word of God.
I was also told that the Koran is superior to all other purportedly holy books because the Koran does not describe women's breasts. Describing women's breasts is clearly pornographic and obviously God would never discuss women's breasts because God is disgusted by women's breasts. Since the Koran does not do this, it proves the Koran is the only true word of God. See? Very simple and rational, right?
Addendum: Someone pointed out to me that this is not even correct, since the Koran does mention women's breasts. For example, the passage that is taken as justifying the wearing of the hijab mentions covering women's breasts.
I was also told that the Koran is superior to all other purportedly holy books because the Koran does not describe women's breasts. Describing women's breasts is clearly pornographic and obviously God would never discuss women's breasts because God is disgusted by women's breasts. Since the Koran does not do this, it proves the Koran is the only true word of God. See? Very simple and rational, right?
Addendum: Someone pointed out to me that this is not even correct, since the Koran does mention women's breasts. For example, the passage that is taken as justifying the wearing of the hijab mentions covering women's breasts.
Lunacy revisted
One hears an amazing range of crazy views in some casts in Skypeland. For example, the other day I wandered into a room dealing with 911 and claiming that the CIA caused 911. Here is a sample of some of the views presented.
The Talmud is a modified fake version of the Torah, stating that only Jews are humans and all others are beasts. That is why Jews call gentiles "goyim" because "goyim" means "beasts". The Jews own 99.9 percent of the media. They control the USA. Al Jazeera started to criticize the Jews, so the Jews bombed the Al Jazeera headquarters in Afghanistan. Now Al Jazeera is funded by the Jews and controlled by the Jews. All of humanity is targeted by the Jews. Israel is behind every policy of the USA and there is no doubt about it. The people in the White House are all Jews. The lobbyists and leaders of huge companies are all Jews. Barak Obama is bowing to the Jews. Obama is bad because he wore the yalmulke. Obama promised to screw up everyone else besides the Jews.
Bin Laden is a CIA agent. Bin Laden is more wealthy than all of the United States combined.
When choosing between the two devils, McCain and Bin Laden, one must choose the lesser devil. George Bush is a mason like all other presidents, since they all belong to suspicious organizations like Skull and Bones. The USA wants to occupy Iran to use as a launching pad for attacking China and North Korea and Russia. The USA is the same as Hitler therefore.
The US started 911 to attack Muslims. This is proved because more Muslims have died since 911 then Americans died during 911. The World Trade Center had asbestos in it and it would have cost 1 billion dollars to remove this asbestos so it was cheaper to bring the World Trade Center down in a faked attack.
The Jews are behind all the evil on the earth. I asked what their evidence is, and they told me it is proven that the Jews hired Japan and Germany to attack the United States, and that the Jews hired the United States to attack Japan and Germany, so the Jews caused World War II. I asked what the evidence for this was, and I was told that George Bush's grandfather had owned a bank that financed companies in Germany. This bank had been seized by the US Government before World War II, and therefore this proved that the Jews had caused World War II. When I questioned this, I was met with a hail of angry curses and other assorted imprecations.
I asked one young muslim how he thought Islam should return to its "golden age" before the year 1100 when there was more tolerance in Muslim societies and many advances in mathematics, engineering, sciences and medicine in Islamic culture. This young muslim told me that the answer was to reject all learning besides the Koran and to be much more strict Muslims and to attack the infidels. Ah yes, very rational. No wonder they have problems.
The Federal Reserve was formed by 13 Jewish families and is a private company that forces the US government to pay money to get the Federal Reserve to print its currency.
The host tried to get me to give him 100 dollars to be permitted to speak in the room:
[11:25:15 AM] filll says: you wanted me back; i am back
[11:35:37 AM] b says: give me 100 doller to talk in my room
[11:36:09 AM] b says: :D
[11:36:43 AM] filll says: as always
[11:37:13 AM] b says: 8-)
[11:40:01 AM] b says: send me 100 doller in my credit skype
[11:40:05 AM] b says: :D
[11:40:06 AM] filll says: haha
[11:40:08 AM] filll says: whatever
[11:40:24 AM] filll says: You want to hear different opinions, that is your choice
[11:40:35 AM] filll says: if you want to hear only one opinion, that is your choice too
[11:42:37 AM] b says: send me 100 doller in my credit skype i need to call some one
[11:42:43 AM] b says: :D
[11:42:48 AM] filll says: you do whatever you want
[11:43:32 AM] b says: be cool
[11:43:44 AM] b says: send me 100 doller in my credit skype i need to call some one
[11:43:52 AM] b says: i relly need it
[11:45:09 AM] filll says: i wonder why that is
[11:45:24 AM] b says: that is 8- what
At this the host threw me out of the room. Ah yes, so rational!
The Talmud is a modified fake version of the Torah, stating that only Jews are humans and all others are beasts. That is why Jews call gentiles "goyim" because "goyim" means "beasts". The Jews own 99.9 percent of the media. They control the USA. Al Jazeera started to criticize the Jews, so the Jews bombed the Al Jazeera headquarters in Afghanistan. Now Al Jazeera is funded by the Jews and controlled by the Jews. All of humanity is targeted by the Jews. Israel is behind every policy of the USA and there is no doubt about it. The people in the White House are all Jews. The lobbyists and leaders of huge companies are all Jews. Barak Obama is bowing to the Jews. Obama is bad because he wore the yalmulke. Obama promised to screw up everyone else besides the Jews.
Bin Laden is a CIA agent. Bin Laden is more wealthy than all of the United States combined.
When choosing between the two devils, McCain and Bin Laden, one must choose the lesser devil. George Bush is a mason like all other presidents, since they all belong to suspicious organizations like Skull and Bones. The USA wants to occupy Iran to use as a launching pad for attacking China and North Korea and Russia. The USA is the same as Hitler therefore.
The US started 911 to attack Muslims. This is proved because more Muslims have died since 911 then Americans died during 911. The World Trade Center had asbestos in it and it would have cost 1 billion dollars to remove this asbestos so it was cheaper to bring the World Trade Center down in a faked attack.
The Jews are behind all the evil on the earth. I asked what their evidence is, and they told me it is proven that the Jews hired Japan and Germany to attack the United States, and that the Jews hired the United States to attack Japan and Germany, so the Jews caused World War II. I asked what the evidence for this was, and I was told that George Bush's grandfather had owned a bank that financed companies in Germany. This bank had been seized by the US Government before World War II, and therefore this proved that the Jews had caused World War II. When I questioned this, I was met with a hail of angry curses and other assorted imprecations.
I asked one young muslim how he thought Islam should return to its "golden age" before the year 1100 when there was more tolerance in Muslim societies and many advances in mathematics, engineering, sciences and medicine in Islamic culture. This young muslim told me that the answer was to reject all learning besides the Koran and to be much more strict Muslims and to attack the infidels. Ah yes, very rational. No wonder they have problems.
The Federal Reserve was formed by 13 Jewish families and is a private company that forces the US government to pay money to get the Federal Reserve to print its currency.
The host tried to get me to give him 100 dollars to be permitted to speak in the room:
[11:25:15 AM] filll says: you wanted me back; i am back
[11:35:37 AM] b says: give me 100 doller to talk in my room
[11:36:09 AM] b says: :D
[11:36:43 AM] filll says: as always
[11:37:13 AM] b says: 8-)
[11:40:01 AM] b says: send me 100 doller in my credit skype
[11:40:05 AM] b says: :D
[11:40:06 AM] filll says: haha
[11:40:08 AM] filll says: whatever
[11:40:24 AM] filll says: You want to hear different opinions, that is your choice
[11:40:35 AM] filll says: if you want to hear only one opinion, that is your choice too
[11:42:37 AM] b says: send me 100 doller in my credit skype i need to call some one
[11:42:43 AM] b says: :D
[11:42:48 AM] filll says: you do whatever you want
[11:43:32 AM] b says: be cool
[11:43:44 AM] b says: send me 100 doller in my credit skype i need to call some one
[11:43:52 AM] b says: i relly need it
[11:45:09 AM] filll says: i wonder why that is
[11:45:24 AM] b says: that is 8- what
At this the host threw me out of the room. Ah yes, so rational!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
is it true that us pepole stupid
Sometimes in Skypeland one sees people making all kinds of points for the other side of a debate, unintentionally and inadvertantly. One prominent Muslim proponent has run a cast several times entitled "is it true that us pepole stupid". He invites people to "come and talk" and states that it is "me vs us".
However, he has had a lot of trouble running his Skypecasts, even with hours and hours of experience and repeated instruction. He still cannot understand that cast participants with their microphones turned off (i.e., the cast participants are in the "listening" area) cannot speak. This is explained to him, and he claims over and over and over that he is too tired to do it correctly. Then a day or two later, he makes the same mistakes, again and again. Ah yes, "us pepole stupid".
However, he has had a lot of trouble running his Skypecasts, even with hours and hours of experience and repeated instruction. He still cannot understand that cast participants with their microphones turned off (i.e., the cast participants are in the "listening" area) cannot speak. This is explained to him, and he claims over and over and over that he is too tired to do it correctly. Then a day or two later, he makes the same mistakes, again and again. Ah yes, "us pepole stupid".
Taiwan is part of China?
One of the interesting features of Skypeland is the opportunity to sample opinions of people from all over the world. I was speaking to a friend from Japan who speaks Chinese and someone from Mainland China in Skypeland recently. The lady from Mainland China said repeatedly that Taiwan was part of China. I pointed out that historically, there were only short periods of time that Taiwan was part of China in the last 100 years, or in the last 1000 years or longer (The same is true of Vietnam, of course).
I noted that Taiwan was about 75 miles away from China, and so well outside internationally recognized Chinese waters. Many other islands which are part of Japan and South Korea are also about the same distance from China, so the proximity argument is quite weak. The residents of Taiwan are not anxious to reunite with China, having been involved in overt and covert warfare with Mainland China for decades and having a different economic and political philosophy. Language claims are also weak since Mandarin was only widespread after the Nationalists arrived in Taiwan in 1949, and many other Chinese speaking areas in Asia, the Americas and Europe are not sought by China. Legally, the Japanese surrendered the island of Taiwan to the Chinese Nationalists, not to the Chinese Communists in 1949. So on the issues of (1) history (2) legality (3) desires of people (4) language (5) proximity, the claims of Mainland China on Taiwan are quite weak. I said that Taiwan would probably object less to reunification with China if the Chinese political system was liberalized.
At this, the Chinese lady objected, claiming that China clearly had a democracy. I asked what nonCommunist Party leaders had been elected to lead China in the last 50 years, but of course she had no answer to this. She tried to justify Chinese designs on Taiwan by mentioning Koxinga. However, Koxinga had fled Mainland China to set up a separate regime in opposition to that on Mainland China, so this was a weak example. She had no response to this.
Recent polls show that as few as 5 or 6 percent of Taiwanese want to reunify with China quickly, at least as things currently stand. And apparently this number has been dropping as China becomes more belligerent and warlike about this matter, and even threatened violence if Taiwan announces its independence. In spite of Chinese threats of violence if Taiwan announces independence, more than 20 percent of all Taiwanese are in favor of a rapid declaration of independence.[1][2]
I noted that Taiwan was about 75 miles away from China, and so well outside internationally recognized Chinese waters. Many other islands which are part of Japan and South Korea are also about the same distance from China, so the proximity argument is quite weak. The residents of Taiwan are not anxious to reunite with China, having been involved in overt and covert warfare with Mainland China for decades and having a different economic and political philosophy. Language claims are also weak since Mandarin was only widespread after the Nationalists arrived in Taiwan in 1949, and many other Chinese speaking areas in Asia, the Americas and Europe are not sought by China. Legally, the Japanese surrendered the island of Taiwan to the Chinese Nationalists, not to the Chinese Communists in 1949. So on the issues of (1) history (2) legality (3) desires of people (4) language (5) proximity, the claims of Mainland China on Taiwan are quite weak. I said that Taiwan would probably object less to reunification with China if the Chinese political system was liberalized.
At this, the Chinese lady objected, claiming that China clearly had a democracy. I asked what nonCommunist Party leaders had been elected to lead China in the last 50 years, but of course she had no answer to this. She tried to justify Chinese designs on Taiwan by mentioning Koxinga. However, Koxinga had fled Mainland China to set up a separate regime in opposition to that on Mainland China, so this was a weak example. She had no response to this.
Recent polls show that as few as 5 or 6 percent of Taiwanese want to reunify with China quickly, at least as things currently stand. And apparently this number has been dropping as China becomes more belligerent and warlike about this matter, and even threatened violence if Taiwan announces its independence. In spite of Chinese threats of violence if Taiwan announces independence, more than 20 percent of all Taiwanese are in favor of a rapid declaration of independence.[1][2]
Monday, August 18, 2008
Native Americans are not a group
There are a wide range of flakes in Skypeland. Someone asked about the "Red Indians" and I started describing them as a "group of people", but I was cut off and interrupted before I could go further. What angered people most was my use of the word "group". I was attacked over and over for using the term "group".
I was indignantly told that Europeans were a "group" but native Americans are not a "group". I tried to point out that we do not use the term "Red Indians" since it has racist connotations. I was met with immense outrage and furious attacks by numerous others. I decided I would not bother to fight them. Every time I tried to explain I was met with a hail of criticism. Someone used the term "oriental" to refer to Asian people and I told them that was considered politically incorrect and people were even more incensed and angry at me. I just shut up and room descended into chaos with static, music and "hello people" shouting out "hello, hello, hello" over and over.
I was indignantly told that Europeans were a "group" but native Americans are not a "group". I tried to point out that we do not use the term "Red Indians" since it has racist connotations. I was met with immense outrage and furious attacks by numerous others. I decided I would not bother to fight them. Every time I tried to explain I was met with a hail of criticism. Someone used the term "oriental" to refer to Asian people and I told them that was considered politically incorrect and people were even more incensed and angry at me. I just shut up and room descended into chaos with static, music and "hello people" shouting out "hello, hello, hello" over and over.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Al Qaeda nonsense
One of the advantages of visiting Skypeland is the chance to meet people from all over the world. A friend from Iraq described some examples of the kind of silliness that Al Qaeda sympathesizers were trying to impose on Iraq in the last few years. For example, people who were selling ice in Iraq were killed by Al Qaeda because ice was not available during the time of Mohammed. Barbers who used a string for hair removal (called "khite") instead of a razor were killed since the Al Qaeda people decided that using the string method was unIslamic (said to be "haraam"). Bakers who introduced new triangular bread instead of the round pita bread were killed for baking unIslamic bread. Jeans were forbidden. Any sandals or slippers that did not introduce a strap between the toes were forbidden. Anyone violating these restrictions would be attacked and possibly killed. Ah yes, they sure are a reasonable bunch, aren't they?
Shebana Rehman
Someone in Skypeland tipped me off to Shebana Rehman, a Norwegian comedian of Pakistani origin, who was raised as a Muslim. Shebana has been involved in one crazy stunt after another in an attempt to irritate fundamentalist Christians, extremist Muslims and other assorted uptight characters. For instance, she appeared nude on the cover of a Norwegian magazine painted like a Norwegian flag. She kissed a fundamentalist Christian conservative female government officer on camera, and then mooned the audience. She threatened to burn a koran. She picked up an accused Muslim terrorist, Mullah Krekar, and carried him around the stage during a debate, much to his irritation. Just like Wafa Sultan, Tissa Hami, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Rehman is a Muslim woman who has used the freedoms of the west to decry the brutal repressive environments that exist in Muslim societies. In all cases of course, there are countless death threats against these women. The religion of peace; yeah, right.
An excerpt from an interview and a tiny part of her stage act can be seen here.
An excerpt from an interview and a tiny part of her stage act can be seen here.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Ten years of study
Sometimes in Skypeland I do not even bother to argue with assorted "experts", but just encourage them to talk so I can record their teachings. I ran into a German lady that told us that the conflict between Russia and Georgia had been secretly caused by American oil companies who encouraged the Georgians to attack the Russians. I have never heard of such a claim, and told her what I had read about this being associated with a civil war in the area about 15 years ago, and she was amazed. At least she didn't try to tell me that the fight between Russians and Georgians was not between Russians and Georgians at all, but between groups of Jews instead, which I have heard numerous times in Skypeland.
The German lady told me that she had spent the last 10 years studying for many hours per day to understand how the world works. Her favorite resource was a website called "World Reports". She had discovered that holographic memory techniques were used to program human clones. Carter, Bush and Cheney are all clones, with the original people having been killed and replaced by the clones, programmed by lasers.
She told me her theories about life in the universe. She said that rocks and stones have the "first density". This "first density" is the "soul" of the rocks and stones. The rocks get reincarnated as animals, which also have a soul. This is called the "second density". These animals evolve and learn and experience earth. Pets like cats or dogs can be trained and have their minds opened by people talking to them so they are reincarnated as human beings. People have 50,000 reincarnations as a human, which is called the "3rd density". The 4th dimension or density is less physical. She told me that "there is duality there", and it is associated with two types of behavior. The good behavior is associated with the serving of others. The bad behavior is very selfish. We cant see the 4th dimension most often. She claims that the bad residents of the 4th dimension can eat us.
The German lady told me that she had spent the last 10 years studying for many hours per day to understand how the world works. Her favorite resource was a website called "World Reports". She had discovered that holographic memory techniques were used to program human clones. Carter, Bush and Cheney are all clones, with the original people having been killed and replaced by the clones, programmed by lasers.
She told me her theories about life in the universe. She said that rocks and stones have the "first density". This "first density" is the "soul" of the rocks and stones. The rocks get reincarnated as animals, which also have a soul. This is called the "second density". These animals evolve and learn and experience earth. Pets like cats or dogs can be trained and have their minds opened by people talking to them so they are reincarnated as human beings. People have 50,000 reincarnations as a human, which is called the "3rd density". The 4th dimension or density is less physical. She told me that "there is duality there", and it is associated with two types of behavior. The good behavior is associated with the serving of others. The bad behavior is very selfish. We cant see the 4th dimension most often. She claims that the bad residents of the 4th dimension can eat us.
Acid in your body
There are reams of crazy ideas that one can encounter in Skypeland. I entered a room where a man was speaking about his diet theories. He said that healthy people's bodies are 90 percent alkaline and 10 percent acid. He said he sweats too much since his body is 90 percent acid.
To reduce the acid in his body, he is replacing the meat in his diet with dates which have a natural sweetness which is not due to sugar, and are alkaline. He only eats almonds since they are supposedly the only nut that is alkaline, which he was told by a nutritionist. This nutritionist had been discharged from university since they told the nutritionist there was nothing they could teach her, which he claimed was because the nutritionist knew it all already. This man said that oranges are not really acid although you might think so, but are slightly alkaline.
He started telling us about different sorts of diets for dogs. His dogs are very flatulent, and are on a special diet he has designed to reduce their alkalinity. He is on the same diet and is quite flatulent as well.
He lives in Australia and told us a charming story about visiting a trailer park with hot pools. Many fruit bats flew into the trees around the hot pools. Many of the fruit bats crapped in the hot pools and many people were hit by fruit bat poo. Sounds delightful.
To reduce the acid in his body, he is replacing the meat in his diet with dates which have a natural sweetness which is not due to sugar, and are alkaline. He only eats almonds since they are supposedly the only nut that is alkaline, which he was told by a nutritionist. This nutritionist had been discharged from university since they told the nutritionist there was nothing they could teach her, which he claimed was because the nutritionist knew it all already. This man said that oranges are not really acid although you might think so, but are slightly alkaline.
He started telling us about different sorts of diets for dogs. His dogs are very flatulent, and are on a special diet he has designed to reduce their alkalinity. He is on the same diet and is quite flatulent as well.
He lives in Australia and told us a charming story about visiting a trailer park with hot pools. Many fruit bats flew into the trees around the hot pools. Many of the fruit bats crapped in the hot pools and many people were hit by fruit bat poo. Sounds delightful.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Middle aged America
In a skypecast in Skypeland entitled "Middle Aged America", an interesting discussion developed with a lady from Pakistan about the political situation inside Pakistan, the status of Kashmir and Waziristan and Ali Khan. Into this deep discussion where a lot of people were learning a lot, someone from Europe entered. He was disgusted and interrupted the people talking over and over to declare that this was inappropriate for a room titled "Middle Aged America". When he finally managed to get the floor to talk, he regaled us all with accounts about how proud he was that he still had nice bowel movements, could still urinate fairly easily and once in a while even had sex, at the age of 52. Oh brother...
AIDS is genetically engineered
The range of lunatics one encounters in Skypeland is amazing. I stumbled into a discussion where a group claimed that a huge conspiracy exists to drastically reduce the population of the world by AIDS and SARS. AIDS and SARS are supposedly genetically engineered to only attack nonCaucasians. They gave as evidence a passage in the UN documents that the population should be reduced. They said that the Illuminati were behind this, and the Freemasons, who are the keepers of the magical sacred geometry. Anyone who obtained a vaccination would immediately come down with a terrible disease and die.
I said I thought it would be good for the planet if the population of humans would be reduced to help with pollution problems and agriculture problems. Most of the people in the room were outraged and attacked me. I was told that it would be trivial to move all 7 billion people on earth to the USA. I asked how we would be able to feed ourselves that way and they told me it was trivial because I was forgetting about the "free energy". I asked where I could get my free energy and no one answered me.
I asked how they knew about this supposedly secret program and they dismissed my question because others had also asked this question.
When I asked the leader of this group what his education was, he became enraged and said he was educated by the world. Someone asked if he had a passport and he said he did not need a passport and had never been out of the country. They told me that no one needs to have a passport to travel since "all countries are corporations". Therefore, each person can claim to be a "displomatic citizen", or therefore a "sovereign" and travel anywhere and live anywhere without a passport. They talked about a place called the "Country of Alaska" which someone said had issued his documents.
It was claimed that there were no governments anywhere on earth. All the governments were an illusion.
I said I thought it would be good for the planet if the population of humans would be reduced to help with pollution problems and agriculture problems. Most of the people in the room were outraged and attacked me. I was told that it would be trivial to move all 7 billion people on earth to the USA. I asked how we would be able to feed ourselves that way and they told me it was trivial because I was forgetting about the "free energy". I asked where I could get my free energy and no one answered me.
I asked how they knew about this supposedly secret program and they dismissed my question because others had also asked this question.
When I asked the leader of this group what his education was, he became enraged and said he was educated by the world. Someone asked if he had a passport and he said he did not need a passport and had never been out of the country. They told me that no one needs to have a passport to travel since "all countries are corporations". Therefore, each person can claim to be a "displomatic citizen", or therefore a "sovereign" and travel anywhere and live anywhere without a passport. They talked about a place called the "Country of Alaska" which someone said had issued his documents.
It was claimed that there were no governments anywhere on earth. All the governments were an illusion.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Thin skin
Sometimes in Skypeland, one meets a "know it all". I entered a cast with the following description:
I thought it sounded promising and I listened to a long confused description of String Theory and Quantum Chromodynamics and Dark Energy and Dark Matter and Zero Point energy. I listened politely and then decided I would correct the host's misconceptions a bit. This did not go over very well.
I tried to tell him that String Theory had been replaced by M-Brane Theory. He dismissed this and said that String Theory is incorporated inside M-Brane theory. He did not understand why M-Brane Theory had been created, or who had created String Theory. At this point the host jumped down my throat and demanded to know my background. He said he had a degree in "applied mathematics" and a masters in "Business Management" so he was clearly more of an expert in theoretical physics than someone who did research in physics, since he lived in the "real world". He demanded that I tell him what schools I had obtained my degrees in, and sneered that I was not an expert in M-Brane Theory. I tried to ask him about renormalization and explain it, but he was not interested.
I started to try to tell him the difference between Dark Energy, Dark Matter and Zero Point energy, since he said he wanted to know, but every time I started he interrupted. I tried again, and he interrupted again, being clearly very sensitive about this. The host said he wanted to learn, but when I tried to tell them what my understanding was, he said I was being arrogant. I apologized and offered to be quiet, but this made him angry.
He claimed that all hydrogen atoms vibrate at 1.1 Gigahertz, and even if you slow a hydrogen atom down to 0.5 Gigahertz, it will automatically speed up to 1.1 Gigahertz, and the energy for this comes from dark energy, drawn in from a higher 4th spatial dimension. He felt that energy from quarks also can leak out to electrons, as another bond between them besides electromagnetic energy. He felt that water must grab energy from a higher dimension to maintain its natural form. The host believed that inflation is the correct version of astrophysics because of this sucking of energy from a higher dimension. He claimed that the electron spinning around the proton is thought to be a perpetual motion machine, but there is friction and it needs to get its energy from a higher dimension. He equated this higher dimension with heaven. He said there was insufficient energy in the vaccuum energy between an electron and a proton to power the spinning of the electron, since it would run out of gas in a few days. Therefore, it has to get its energy from another dimension. The zero point energy is inside the quarks, he said. He said there will be a coming Big Rip where the universe will tear apart, associated with the electrons and protons tearing apart from each other. He said the red shift shows that the universe is going away from itself. Newtonian physics would say that the universe would keep expanding at the same rate. He said that if one included gravity the universe would have to collapse in on itself, but the universe is expanding at an exponential rate, proving his theory. He said that this extra energy is coming from God. He said that neutrinos were Dark Matter. He felt that the universe was like a balloon with water in it, and the water was the Dark Energy, and the balloon was the matter that we can see. He stated that he believed in the Holy Trinity and that his theories prove it. It was an incredible stream of consciousness spew of nonsense.
Eventually I became irritated and I left. I have better things to do with my time.
God, UFO's and AstroPhysics
This show is for people who believe in God. We will rejoice in God through Science and His creation. We may discuss topics such as string theory, quantum mechanics, astrophysics, black holes, white holes, worm holes but no a-holes!
I thought it sounded promising and I listened to a long confused description of String Theory and Quantum Chromodynamics and Dark Energy and Dark Matter and Zero Point energy. I listened politely and then decided I would correct the host's misconceptions a bit. This did not go over very well.
I tried to tell him that String Theory had been replaced by M-Brane Theory. He dismissed this and said that String Theory is incorporated inside M-Brane theory. He did not understand why M-Brane Theory had been created, or who had created String Theory. At this point the host jumped down my throat and demanded to know my background. He said he had a degree in "applied mathematics" and a masters in "Business Management" so he was clearly more of an expert in theoretical physics than someone who did research in physics, since he lived in the "real world". He demanded that I tell him what schools I had obtained my degrees in, and sneered that I was not an expert in M-Brane Theory. I tried to ask him about renormalization and explain it, but he was not interested.
I started to try to tell him the difference between Dark Energy, Dark Matter and Zero Point energy, since he said he wanted to know, but every time I started he interrupted. I tried again, and he interrupted again, being clearly very sensitive about this. The host said he wanted to learn, but when I tried to tell them what my understanding was, he said I was being arrogant. I apologized and offered to be quiet, but this made him angry.
He claimed that all hydrogen atoms vibrate at 1.1 Gigahertz, and even if you slow a hydrogen atom down to 0.5 Gigahertz, it will automatically speed up to 1.1 Gigahertz, and the energy for this comes from dark energy, drawn in from a higher 4th spatial dimension. He felt that energy from quarks also can leak out to electrons, as another bond between them besides electromagnetic energy. He felt that water must grab energy from a higher dimension to maintain its natural form. The host believed that inflation is the correct version of astrophysics because of this sucking of energy from a higher dimension. He claimed that the electron spinning around the proton is thought to be a perpetual motion machine, but there is friction and it needs to get its energy from a higher dimension. He equated this higher dimension with heaven. He said there was insufficient energy in the vaccuum energy between an electron and a proton to power the spinning of the electron, since it would run out of gas in a few days. Therefore, it has to get its energy from another dimension. The zero point energy is inside the quarks, he said. He said there will be a coming Big Rip where the universe will tear apart, associated with the electrons and protons tearing apart from each other. He said the red shift shows that the universe is going away from itself. Newtonian physics would say that the universe would keep expanding at the same rate. He said that if one included gravity the universe would have to collapse in on itself, but the universe is expanding at an exponential rate, proving his theory. He said that this extra energy is coming from God. He said that neutrinos were Dark Matter. He felt that the universe was like a balloon with water in it, and the water was the Dark Energy, and the balloon was the matter that we can see. He stated that he believed in the Holy Trinity and that his theories prove it. It was an incredible stream of consciousness spew of nonsense.
Eventually I became irritated and I left. I have better things to do with my time.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Some Islamic Preaching
In Skypeland, one often meets assorted characters who want to preach and promote their own particular views. The most common religious views that are celebrated are varieties of Christianity and Islam.
Today I ran into some great examples of Muslims who wanted to preach at great length about how their beliefs (and only their beliefs) are correct. The first was a young man from Algeria who claimed that all science and mathematics and languages originated with the Arabs. I asked him about Al Ghazali and his book, The Incoherence of the Philosophers , and he became enraged. He was positive that the Western accounts of what is in this book are wrong. He also said that the word "" was not of Germanic origin as the dictionaries claim, but was instead of Arabic origin (he said it came from the Arabic word "bannaa" which means "builder"). When I asked him why he thought he was correct and the dictionaries were incorrect, he shut off my microphone. And then proceeded to rant and rave and curse me for many minutes afterword.
I then ran into a Sunni from Egypt in a room entitled "they do not Cursing mohammed they Cursing us" who recounted his own idiosyncratic religious philosophy. He told me that Mohammed had predicted huge numbers of events that had come true, such as the oil wealth of the Arabs and the backwardness of Islamic countries. He claimed that Mohammed predicted the Tsunami in Indonesia over 1000 years ago. He felt that there would be a tsanumi in California because California now allows gay marriage. He told me that the Bible stated that God would never do anything like destroying Sodom and Gomorrah as God had done previously, but this Sunni did not believe it. This Sunni was certain God was prepared to destroy societies to punish them.
He said that politicians, particularly Western politicians and American politicians studied the predictions of Mohammed in the Koran. He felt that American politicians secretly know the Koran much better than any Muslim. He said that the Protestants and the Catholics, including Americans, are all Romans, and that Mohammed had predicted a huge war with the Romans. He said that at the end of time, there will be a huge battle signalling the end of the world with horses and bows and arrows, with no guns or missiles, as predicted by Mohammed.
He gave me an example, to try to enlighten me, in text:
To be honest, I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.
He said there are no contradictions between the Koran and the bible, but then proceeded to give me many examples of contradictions. He is convinced that the Koran is the absolute truth. When I asked him about the similarity between the Gilgamesh story and the story of Noah, he dismissed the Gilgamesh account since Gilgamesh does not appear in the Koran. He said he only believes what is in the Koran.
He told me that the Shiites were not Muslims, and were secretly Jewish. He said that the Sufis were not Muslims either, and were organized by the Shiites as spies against the Sunnis in Egypt. He said that the Sufis were in hiding because they are afraid. He told me that there was no such thing as Salafis or Wahabis, or any difference between different types of Sunnis who are the only true Muslims. Interestingly, he told me that he believed in the Mahdi and his imminent return, which is not a mainstream Sunni belief, but it is a prominent Shiite belief.
I asked him about the philosopher Al Ghazali, and he told me that Al Ghazali had renounced all his books and writings before he died. Al Ghazali at that time supposedly wanted to go back to being a simple Muslim, instead of a philosopher. He told me that philosophy was evil since it was a science of the Greeks and did not come from Muslims.
He told me that the name Jesus was a false name, and so is Jehovah. He told me that knives cannot cut wood because that is the property of knives. He told me that Abraham was not ordered to kill Isaac, but Ishmael instead, which is a common Muslim belief. He said that the Last Supper was not associated with Passover. He said that Mohammed is a prominent figure in the Christian bible.
I asked him about artwork showing pictures of Mohammed. He said that Muslims never drew pictures of Mohammed in previous ages, but have done so recently because there are now many bad Arabs and bad Muslims. He said that most Muslims are bad, but eventually all Muslims will be good. He said that the Danish newspaper comics showed Mohammed kicking his women, which Mohammed never did and never would do.
He told me that many of the Catholics in Columbia are converting to Islam, and as "proof" gave me a youtube video supposedly showing a young Finnish man who had converted to Islam. He said that the bible had been changed a lot over the years, particularly after Mohammed appeared and showed Jews and Christians the errors of their ways. He said that the reason there are two separate words for "fornication" and "adultery" in English is because that the English invented the new word "fornication" to allow them to engage in this act without consequences, because the original Hebrew does not have separate words for "fornication" and "adultery".
He said there was a huge advantage to Islam over Judaism and Christianity, because Islam has a huge database of "people with footprints"; a large blacklist since the time of Mohammed. They knew who slept too much, and did other bad things, so they knew who to trust. He said that Jews do not have a long history compared to the Moslems. He said this is because there is a big 300 year gap between when the bible was written and Jesus died. He said clearly no one can trust such a book with such a gap. When he was asked if he thought Judaism was not a valid religion, he disagreed and said he believed in Judaism. He said he also believed in Christianity.
He said that Jesus was preaching from the first day he was born, since it is written this way in the Koran, but Jesus is not God in spite of this. He said that Constantinople was taken peacefully without any deaths, with only one word: "Allah". He said that while the Muslims had control of the Holy Land for 1400 years, that Jews and Christians were free to visit it whenever they wanted. I guess he does not understand why the Crusades were mounted.
He also said that in colloquial Arabic, the word "73" was equivalent to infinity.
Wow. Just wow.
Today I ran into some great examples of Muslims who wanted to preach at great length about how their beliefs (and only their beliefs) are correct. The first was a young man from Algeria who claimed that all science and mathematics and languages originated with the Arabs. I asked him about Al Ghazali and his book, The Incoherence of the Philosophers , and he became enraged. He was positive that the Western accounts of what is in this book are wrong. He also said that the word "" was not of Germanic origin as the dictionaries claim, but was instead of Arabic origin (he said it came from the Arabic word "bannaa" which means "builder"). When I asked him why he thought he was correct and the dictionaries were incorrect, he shut off my microphone. And then proceeded to rant and rave and curse me for many minutes afterword.
I then ran into a Sunni from Egypt in a room entitled "they do not Cursing mohammed they Cursing us" who recounted his own idiosyncratic religious philosophy. He told me that Mohammed had predicted huge numbers of events that had come true, such as the oil wealth of the Arabs and the backwardness of Islamic countries. He claimed that Mohammed predicted the Tsunami in Indonesia over 1000 years ago. He felt that there would be a tsanumi in California because California now allows gay marriage. He told me that the Bible stated that God would never do anything like destroying Sodom and Gomorrah as God had done previously, but this Sunni did not believe it. This Sunni was certain God was prepared to destroy societies to punish them.
He said that politicians, particularly Western politicians and American politicians studied the predictions of Mohammed in the Koran. He felt that American politicians secretly know the Koran much better than any Muslim. He said that the Protestants and the Catholics, including Americans, are all Romans, and that Mohammed had predicted a huge war with the Romans. He said that at the end of time, there will be a huge battle signalling the end of the world with horses and bows and arrows, with no guns or missiles, as predicted by Mohammed.
He gave me an example, to try to enlighten me, in text:
zakariah bin ahmed said to hamad said to mahdy and mahdy said to jezo that he heared mohammed pbuh "pray in your choses becouse the jews dont pray on shoes"
To be honest, I have no idea what that is supposed to mean.
He said there are no contradictions between the Koran and the bible, but then proceeded to give me many examples of contradictions. He is convinced that the Koran is the absolute truth. When I asked him about the similarity between the Gilgamesh story and the story of Noah, he dismissed the Gilgamesh account since Gilgamesh does not appear in the Koran. He said he only believes what is in the Koran.
He told me that the Shiites were not Muslims, and were secretly Jewish. He said that the Sufis were not Muslims either, and were organized by the Shiites as spies against the Sunnis in Egypt. He said that the Sufis were in hiding because they are afraid. He told me that there was no such thing as Salafis or Wahabis, or any difference between different types of Sunnis who are the only true Muslims. Interestingly, he told me that he believed in the Mahdi and his imminent return, which is not a mainstream Sunni belief, but it is a prominent Shiite belief.
I asked him about the philosopher Al Ghazali, and he told me that Al Ghazali had renounced all his books and writings before he died. Al Ghazali at that time supposedly wanted to go back to being a simple Muslim, instead of a philosopher. He told me that philosophy was evil since it was a science of the Greeks and did not come from Muslims.
He told me that the name Jesus was a false name, and so is Jehovah. He told me that knives cannot cut wood because that is the property of knives. He told me that Abraham was not ordered to kill Isaac, but Ishmael instead, which is a common Muslim belief. He said that the Last Supper was not associated with Passover. He said that Mohammed is a prominent figure in the Christian bible.
I asked him about artwork showing pictures of Mohammed. He said that Muslims never drew pictures of Mohammed in previous ages, but have done so recently because there are now many bad Arabs and bad Muslims. He said that most Muslims are bad, but eventually all Muslims will be good. He said that the Danish newspaper comics showed Mohammed kicking his women, which Mohammed never did and never would do.
He told me that many of the Catholics in Columbia are converting to Islam, and as "proof" gave me a youtube video supposedly showing a young Finnish man who had converted to Islam. He said that the bible had been changed a lot over the years, particularly after Mohammed appeared and showed Jews and Christians the errors of their ways. He said that the reason there are two separate words for "fornication" and "adultery" in English is because that the English invented the new word "fornication" to allow them to engage in this act without consequences, because the original Hebrew does not have separate words for "fornication" and "adultery".
He said there was a huge advantage to Islam over Judaism and Christianity, because Islam has a huge database of "people with footprints"; a large blacklist since the time of Mohammed. They knew who slept too much, and did other bad things, so they knew who to trust. He said that Jews do not have a long history compared to the Moslems. He said this is because there is a big 300 year gap between when the bible was written and Jesus died. He said clearly no one can trust such a book with such a gap. When he was asked if he thought Judaism was not a valid religion, he disagreed and said he believed in Judaism. He said he also believed in Christianity.
He said that Jesus was preaching from the first day he was born, since it is written this way in the Koran, but Jesus is not God in spite of this. He said that Constantinople was taken peacefully without any deaths, with only one word: "Allah". He said that while the Muslims had control of the Holy Land for 1400 years, that Jews and Christians were free to visit it whenever they wanted. I guess he does not understand why the Crusades were mounted.
He also said that in colloquial Arabic, the word "73" was equivalent to infinity.
Wow. Just wow.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Lets start the killing !
The other day, I was talking to someone who identified himself as a police officer. We started discussing the death penalty and he opined that it was a waste of time and money to have prisoners on death row and filling up our prisons. He thought that all these expensive trials and prisons should be done away with by letting the police just carry out justice on the spot by killing those they suspected were guilty. It was all a conspiracy by lawyers and judges and people who build prisons to steal tax money, after all.
I pointed out to him that under his scheme, some people might be falsely accused and that innocent people might be executed. He rejected this, and said that people were never falsely accused. Ever.
I pointed out that the introduction of DNA evidence had lead to large numbers of people on death row being proven innocent and released. He ignored this.
I pointed out that there is corruption among the police and that is why there are internal affairs departments. He ignored this.
I asked about the Blackstone ratio, which is the well known principle in jurisprudence that in our society, we want to have a legal system that falsely convicts fewer innocent people than criminals that the legal system permits to avoid punishment. He denied that the Blackstone ratio existed. I tried to explain it again, and all that it did was anger him.
He stated over and over that the police be allowed to do what they should do. He demanded that the police should be allowed to just kill whoever they wanted, whenever and wherever they wanted, no questions asked.
As I contemplate this conversation, it reminds me of another conversation I had with the Head of the Police Department of the City of Chicago. I met him in a restaurant near the US Naval Academy where his son had been admitted to go to college. I asked him what was the hardest thing about his job. He told me that the toughest thing about being the head of a large police department was ferreting out those who are psychologically unsuited to be police officers. He told me that he has to deal with a never ending stream of officers who only want to use their position to attack the citizens, and be as brutal as possible, to get "even" for some imagined slights, etc.
I guess I can believe the Chief, after what I heard in my conversation with the police officer. But what is amazing to me is, how certain this police officer was that he was correct. He was so sure that he was correct, he probably would have killed me if he could have. After all, that would have proven that he was correct, right?
I pointed out to him that under his scheme, some people might be falsely accused and that innocent people might be executed. He rejected this, and said that people were never falsely accused. Ever.
I pointed out that the introduction of DNA evidence had lead to large numbers of people on death row being proven innocent and released. He ignored this.
I pointed out that there is corruption among the police and that is why there are internal affairs departments. He ignored this.
I asked about the Blackstone ratio, which is the well known principle in jurisprudence that in our society, we want to have a legal system that falsely convicts fewer innocent people than criminals that the legal system permits to avoid punishment. He denied that the Blackstone ratio existed. I tried to explain it again, and all that it did was anger him.
He stated over and over that the police be allowed to do what they should do. He demanded that the police should be allowed to just kill whoever they wanted, whenever and wherever they wanted, no questions asked.
As I contemplate this conversation, it reminds me of another conversation I had with the Head of the Police Department of the City of Chicago. I met him in a restaurant near the US Naval Academy where his son had been admitted to go to college. I asked him what was the hardest thing about his job. He told me that the toughest thing about being the head of a large police department was ferreting out those who are psychologically unsuited to be police officers. He told me that he has to deal with a never ending stream of officers who only want to use their position to attack the citizens, and be as brutal as possible, to get "even" for some imagined slights, etc.
I guess I can believe the Chief, after what I heard in my conversation with the police officer. But what is amazing to me is, how certain this police officer was that he was correct. He was so sure that he was correct, he probably would have killed me if he could have. After all, that would have proven that he was correct, right?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
You are a selfish motherfucker
I was listening to a discussion in a room about Islam in Skypeland that swerved into a discussion about how evil the United States is, and how they should recruit more people to kill Americans since they are against Islam. I decided I had to go in, and told everyone that we should live together in peace and tolerate each other. I was impressed that most people seemed to agree.
Then a Serbian came into the room about Islam, and said it was a good religion. I said I was surprised since I had heard from many Serbians with different attitudes.
We started talking about World War II and he told me that the United States had not helped England or France or Russia in World War II. He told me that Australia and New Zealand had not participated in World War I or World War II. When I said this did not sound correct, he was dismissive, and said that the United States did not play any important role in the second world war. He said this was especially true since the US had never come to Belgrade in World War II.
Eventually we started talking about Serbian relations with its neighbors, Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. He told me that the Bosnians were just Serbians who had converted to Islam after 1955 and then started their own army to try to separate. He told me that the people in Kosovo were just Albanian Muslims who had snuck into Kosovo. He said that all the people in countries around Serbia spoke the Serbian language, so they were all secretly Serbs really who had become Muslims and wanted to separate and were therefore terrorists.
I told him that the US had only gone to the former Yugoslavia because the Europeans had asked for US assistance to stop the killing. He denied this was true, and said that I was a "selfish motherfucker" for wanting to stop the killing of people from Kosovo and Bosnians by Serbians. He said that the US attacked Serbia because they wanted to have a strategic base from which to weaken Russia, and because the US wanted to steal the resources in Kosovo. I asked him what the resources in Kosovo were that the United States was trying to steal, and he said that Kosovo had a recently discovered a deposit of one million tons of nickel and also had a lot of concrete.
Eventually the host returned, and was dismayed that things had gone bad, since he claimed that they had a nice conversation before. I will note that the previous conversation was about how evil Americans are and how Muslims should kill them, but since no one disagreed, it was a "nice" conversation I guess.
Then a Serbian came into the room about Islam, and said it was a good religion. I said I was surprised since I had heard from many Serbians with different attitudes.
We started talking about World War II and he told me that the United States had not helped England or France or Russia in World War II. He told me that Australia and New Zealand had not participated in World War I or World War II. When I said this did not sound correct, he was dismissive, and said that the United States did not play any important role in the second world war. He said this was especially true since the US had never come to Belgrade in World War II.
Eventually we started talking about Serbian relations with its neighbors, Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. He told me that the Bosnians were just Serbians who had converted to Islam after 1955 and then started their own army to try to separate. He told me that the people in Kosovo were just Albanian Muslims who had snuck into Kosovo. He said that all the people in countries around Serbia spoke the Serbian language, so they were all secretly Serbs really who had become Muslims and wanted to separate and were therefore terrorists.
I told him that the US had only gone to the former Yugoslavia because the Europeans had asked for US assistance to stop the killing. He denied this was true, and said that I was a "selfish motherfucker" for wanting to stop the killing of people from Kosovo and Bosnians by Serbians. He said that the US attacked Serbia because they wanted to have a strategic base from which to weaken Russia, and because the US wanted to steal the resources in Kosovo. I asked him what the resources in Kosovo were that the United States was trying to steal, and he said that Kosovo had a recently discovered a deposit of one million tons of nickel and also had a lot of concrete.
Eventually the host returned, and was dismayed that things had gone bad, since he claimed that they had a nice conversation before. I will note that the previous conversation was about how evil Americans are and how Muslims should kill them, but since no one disagreed, it was a "nice" conversation I guess.
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