Two people have to understand that they are using the same code language and know the definitions inherent within that language in order to communicate with at least a modicum of effectiveness. Death, life, presence, God, self, etc are the context. When an extremist proclaims that god will have vengeance, god becomes a Janus figure, a context that is measured in a multitude of ways depending on the code language of those discussing it. For Muslims, Hindi, Buddhists, Hebrews and Christians the language is taken into translation, and then come the debates or what was meant, etc.

This is where we stunt our progress. Without language there is simply perception. On a basic biological level we are all the same regardless of race. To overcome prejudices, bigotry and hatred is to realize the structure of language and ideas, the alienation it causes and work to eliminate confrontation. If you are an American of Asian descent, stop referring to Caucasians as “the Americans”. You are American too. If you are black and want to be referred to as African American instead of “black,” stop referring to white people as “white.” They are Irish, Dutch, British, German, Polish, Russian, Swiss, Australian, etc. They are no more all the same than “black” people are all the same, and they also experience their own ethnic alienation. Until the 60s most neighborhoods in major cities were divided among ethnic lines. To stray into another neighborhood was dangerous simply because of ethnicity. Catholics and Protestants have their own bigotry that causes alienation. White people do know what it is like to be discriminated against.

Even the atheist knows Allah because he knows himself. Only, the atheist is too humble to conceive of himself as a god. To him god doesn’t exist. It is only an insignificant rhetorical definition. When you speak of god to him you are speaking of the person’s mind to whom you are talking. You cannot insist that he use the same terminology of god since, too him, god doesn’t exist. Your concept is moot to him. If you wish to inspire this person to do the wonderful things he is capable of doing you must appeal to the code language that makes up his thoughts and not appeal to him to give up that code language and take on your code language. The good he does in the world is not within the context of religion, and compassion is not an exclusive right granted by a god or a religion. When a Christian speaks to a Muslim of god the Muslim hears the word god and it is translated into his own code system. And when the Muslim speaks of god to a Christian, the Christian is thinking of god in his terms.

The entire western language catalog with all of its inferences and semiology has been influenced by Christian culture. To know this is to know the language that is being used when talking to a Westerner, regardless if he is an atheist or a devout Christian. With the advent of America as a world power, the other nations of the world have lined up to decry America for its lack of understanding the other cultures of the world. But it is painfully evident that those other cultures no more understand the culture of America than, as they claim, Americans fail to understand theirs.

The Romantic Spaniards conquered a continent searching for gold and a fountain of youth. Sadly, they lacked the spin of our current “heroes” conquering kingdoms and handing over assets to businessmen. Gallantry was more fashionable for the Spaniards, while currently, GW Bush is like an emcee telling the audience, the American public, “let’s hear it for the troops folks. Freedom,blah blah. Protecting our quality of life, blah blah. Good show. Good show. How ’bout those troops folks? Let’s give ‘em a hand.

In light of the reactionary response around the country regarding the latest sensational killing spree reported in the news entertainment business it is important to note some facts.

Every year in this country there are no more than 20 mass killings involving four or more victims. Almost half of them are family annihilations. Maybe another 30 percent are workplace homicides … About 20 percent—about four or five massacres—are committed against absolute strangers in places like shopping malls. It’s very unusual for the killer to open fire on strangers. He’s much more likely to be selective in his choice of victims. He chooses those individuals he perceives as part of the conspiracy against him, so in this case I would have predicted that the killer in Omaha would have opened fire on his boss or the supervisor that had fired him, or maybe on his girlfriend because she had rejected him. Instead he went on a suicidal rampage against all of humankind. The notion of just indiscriminately killing people you don’t even know indicates there was some kind of mental illness in play. The more indiscriminate the massacre, the more likely it is that mental illness plays a part.

Click Here to Read the Full Article

The stronger the opinion the more impressionistic the mind that holds it. An open mind reserves opinion at times no matter how strong the inclination because it knows there is always another rhetorical idea to consider, another person’s shoes to walk in, new technology that negates prior knowledge. The impressionistic mind belongs to people who, thinking they need to tell others “the plain truth”, or “the way it is” because “others don’t want to believe it.” The impressionistic mind needs to believe it has supreme understanding, and like the insecure bully shouts down others because it thinks it is the only way he can get others to listen. All the while this impressionistic barker is blind to the fact that others don’t listen to him because his opinions reveal he isn’t listening to them.

Actor Will Smith appeared on a recent airing of 60Minutes, and in a bizarre encounter defended Tom Cruise and Scientology. Normally, nutcases like this don’t deserve scrutiny, but Scientology is a rather powerful cult and the public statements of its apologists must be deconstructed. To quote Smith in the interview:

“the ideas of the Bible are 98 percent the same ideas of Scientology, 98 percent the same ideas of Hinduism and Buddhism.”

Here are some recent facts about the CULT of Scientology.

The Anderson Report, an official inquiry conducted for the state of Victoria, Australia, found that the auditing process involved a form of “authoritative” or “command” hypnosis, in which the hypnotist assumes “positive authoritative control” over the patient. “It is the firm conclusion of this Board that most scientology and dianetics techniques are those of authoritative hypnosis and as such are dangerous…”

In France, the Church of Scientology was categorized as a sect (or cult) in the 2468 report of the National Assembly of France in 1995. A more recent government report in 2000 categorized the church as an “absolute sect” and recommended that all its activities be prohibited.

On May 12, 2007 Journalist John Sweeney of BBC Panorama made highly critical comments regarding Scientology and its teachings, and further reported that since beginning an extensive investigation he had been harassed, surveilled, and investigated by strangers. Sweeney wrote, “I have been shouted at, spied on, had my hotel invaded at midnight, denounced as a “bigot” by star Scientologists, brain-washed … and chased round the streets of Los Angeles by sinister strangers. Back in Britain strangers have called on my neighbours, my mother-in-law’s house and someone spied on my wedding and fled the moment he was challenged.” In another passage, “He [Scientology representative Tommy Davis] harangued me for talking to … heretics. I told him that Scientology had been spying on the BBC and that was creepy.” And in another passage, “In LA, the moment our hire car left the airport we realized we were being followed by two cars. In our hotel a weird stranger spent every breakfast listening to us.”

I don’t recall ever reading in my nearly 40 years of studying world religion anything in Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Hebrew or Islamic scripture any other nutcase scenario about aliens strapping evil souls to the mountains of the earth, or any self proclaimed prophet hiding in the clouds. Evidently I missed the part in the bible where God told Moses to keep all of his decision making to himself and don’t let the congregation know about them or the finances of the operation. Nor do I recall any other world religions advocating ceremonial devil worship as L.Ron Hubbard did before starting the Scientology cult. Remember, he was a student of Aleister Crowley, once proclaimed the wickedest man alive. For Will Smith to say this cult is is compatible with any of the world religions is patently absurd and opens up a whole new window into his mind.

Another of Smith’s bizarre pronouncements:
“When I sit and I talk with Tom Cruise, he is one of the greatest spirits that I’ve ever met – someone who is committed to making the world better,” Will said. “You have people [that] are attacking and wanna fight that don’t know nothing — how you gonna not know nothing about Scientology and attack somebody? It’s dangerous and it’s ignorant.”

This type of grammar couldn’t come out of the mouth of anyone who reads literary works of any kind. Just because someone doesn’t agree with Tom Cruise doesn’t mean they are any less peaceful. And most decidedly, it makes them anything but ignorant. They aren’t denouncing Cruise and the cult of Scientology out of hatred and spite, although a few probably are. It’s the blashphemous charges of self absorbed brain washed idiots like Tom Cruise whom they feel they must stand up against, and speak out for decent and civilized people that a brainwashed propagandist does not speak for world peace. That is only his rhetoric. Jim Jones, David Koresh… they spoke of love and peace. They led their followers to believe they stood for a better life, and advocated a commune of peace, incidentally, just as Charles Manson did. Very few have been able to build a cult following by saying “come join us and we will teach you how to hate.”

It’s childish to simply dismiss everyone who disagrees with you. Most religions of the world understand science and use it to help themselves. Foolish souls like Cruise and the Scientology cult authoritatively criticize science, but get angry and are unable to to forge a comprehensible arguement when they are asked to explain and to cite authority to defend their position.

The truth of the cult of Scientology is a matter of public record in an exhaustive 9 part study published by the Los Angeles Times in 1991. Anyone can go the LATimes’ website and download the articles. Unfortunately, in present day America, entertainers are elected president, governor and congressman for a reason. They have a following that is willing to listen to them, no matter how ignorant they sound, and no matter how weak their character. What is obviously a cult divised in the mind of a science fiction writer with some sort of grandiose complex can be bankrolled by a few crazy entertainers with a lot of money, spreading its disease of propaganda among a tolerant public in a way David Koresh and Jim Jones could’ve only dreamed of.

To read the story of a former member of the cult of Scientology called Hollywood, Satanism, Scientology and SuicideCLICK HERE

A video was recently released of College basketball legend Bobby Knight, in hunters’ gear, spouting the stupid mouthy horseshit which he is so famous for, after his careless use of a firearm resulted in a harmless bystander being sprayed with pellets on their own property. When confronted, Knight used the extremely cowardly and lame excuse that he would’ve moved if the person filming him hadn’t used abusive language. But he wasn’t inclined to do so because HE had been insulted.

Now, millions of us are used to this stupid selfish moron justifying his own idiotic behavior. Let’s analyze this with some sense of reality. There is no sane person who is not going to be upset over being shot at. Knight carelessly discharged a firearm in a populated area. A woman was shot. Knight is so absorbed in his own senseless reality he felt his indignation justified regardless of the fact he had just carelessly shot another human being. Evidently, in Texas this is acceptable. But we must also remember it was Texas that welcomed this pig with open arms when the rest of the country had grown weary of his blowhard bullying and denounced him for being the pariah he is.

In Michigan he most definitely would be cited, and depending on where he was, would’ve more than likely had his head introduced to his heart via his anus. Of course, this coward knows that, and it is why he spent a lifetime bullying and slapping kids around. Men would never put up with his behavior. It is also easy to stand tall when holding a gun. It takes a man to meet people face to face on their own level. Publicly, Bobby Knight doesn’t exhibit this basic quality of manhood. Women with good men all over America can at least be secure in the knowledge that their men aren’t Bobby Knights.

Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.
-Joseph Stalin

Thomas Jefferson Foretold the Truth About American Banking

Thomas Jefferson understood, the problem is not taxes per se but rather a monetary system rigged by the bankers. “If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”

QuestionAuthority is an educational and advocacy project dedicated to defending and extending personal and civil liberties and encouraging free expression. Our goal is to create a broad-based coalition of non-authoritarian groups and individuals who may currently be working in relative isolation on single issues, for political organizations and candidates, or in relatively isolated ideological cohort groups. As a cohesive force, we can do more than just stem the tide one issue — or one court case — at a time. We can exercise political and cultural influence by uniting the vast numbers of Americans who believe that the country has taken a radical turn in an authoritarian direction.

To Read the QuestionAuthority Proposal click here

I was watching a baseball game and I heard one of the announcers talking about a player who had admitted taking steroids and how the Yankees fans would accept him after that. The announcer stated dogmatically that the American people were the most forgiving people in the world. It is the appropriate venue for the announcer appraising his audience to say this but when we use it in the context of normal dialogue in America we run into trouble because America’s various ethnicities tend to identify themselves with race or ethnicity first, and nationality second. For example, if a caucasian says Americans are the most open minded people in the world, an onlooking Mexican immigrant might take exception to that at this point in history.

I am sure that most citizens of other countries from around the world feel they are at least as forgiving as Americans, and each has a credible claim. President Bush said Americans were the most forgiving people when he announced war on Afghanistan. Let us hope that the rest of the world is more forgiving than the American political administration has been and realize that American public knows the deeds of our government. We elected new members of congress to truly represent the citizens of America in 2006, but to our consternation the same diabolical machinery plods on as before, feeding the war machine and providing corporate welfare while its citizens must not only pay for health care themselves, but pay extraordinary sums. Our banks are robbing us blind, stealing our homes and our income, every decade or so the titans of banking and their cronies in congress cook up a scheme to rob hundreds of billions of dollars from the public to to keep their empire in order.

It is a sad commentary of our time that the word “war” has become a euphemism for organized murder. We wage war on ourselves for not supporting the latest mass murder our government has undertaken with the false rhetoric of freedom, and we readily question the morality of other societies that have the audacity to question our superiority. Debating doesn’t eliminate the way we look at things, it only solidifies our own reasoning whether we have won the debate or not. It does no good for humanity to debate which society is the most forgiving, and therefore it serves no good purpose to make such a claim.