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“The real world of capitalism is one in which capitalists demand state intervention on their behalf while opposing government intervention on behalf of their employees or the poor. In a broader sense, the state is the guarantor of the capitalist system, providing the framework of laws and protections it needs to exist. Taxpayers fund the state, thereby ensuring capitalism’s viability. Capitalism cannot exist without a host state, just as corporations cannot exist without property laws, state charters, copyrights and patent protections, and a host of other government “interventions.”
— Brian Oliver Sheppard, The Inefficiency of Capitalism
There is no morality to be found in religions and their scriptures. It is a human being who interprets the words and it is human being that makes the decision to x or y – no religious magic involved. So what is happening in Palmyra with ISIS is a testament to how religion enables truly shitty human behaviour.
“ISIS militants have blown up two ancient tombs they consider sacrilegious in Palmyra, a 2,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site in central Syria, the ultra hardline Sunni Muslim group said on Tuesday.
The report was the first of any damage being done by the militants to buildings in Palmyra since they seized control of the city, also known as Tadmur, in May. Syrian forces have bombed the city, and the militants camped within it, since then.”
Destroying world history because someone interpreted the tombs to be sacrilegious. This is some zany shit we are dealing with here – the lesson here is quite clear, and quite obvious: When the religious are in charge all bets are off and nothing is safe, not even history from the perverse ideals of radical religious thought.
Boiling down all the hoo-haa we can see that, at least in the case of ISIS, the religious piece is there for the sole reason of keeping people in line and most definitely not thinking for themselves. What reason can be supplied for destroying tombs that isn’t irrational?
Of course, destroying archaeological, is small potatoes in comparison with the recent acts of violence in France and Tunisia. How much more evidence is required before the West will decisively act and put an end to ISIS and their extremism?
I’m a ardent fan of birdsrights.. :)
A woman in a Ruth Bader-Ginsburg costume celebrates the announcement that SCOTUS ruled in favour of same-sex marriage.
Catchy Melody – Check.
Fantastic Rhythm – Check.
Meaningful Lyrics – Check.
Paul Simon and company lay down another great track for you and me to listen too. Mission Accomplished. :)
And of course some history:
Following the success of 1986’s Graceland, on which he worked principally with South African musicians, Simon broadened his interests in diverse forms of music from around the world. He turned to Latin America for the musicians and rhythms which characterize much of this album, partnering with Afro-Brazilian superstars Grupo Cultural Olodum, masters of the heavily percussive sub-style of samba called Batuque or Batucada. The group’s drumming is featured on the opening song and first single, “The Obvious Child”. Brazilian singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento co-wrote “Spirit Voices” and contributed some vocals. Guest appearances were also made by mandolin- and “guitarra baiana” master Armandinho, another Bahia musician, and by Afro-Cuban drummer Francisco Aguabella, and Puerto Rican-born drummer Giovanni Hidalgo. Another collaborator was jazz percussionist and master of the berimbau, Naná Vasconcelos; jazz guitarist Rafael Rabelo also played on the album, along with many other Brazilian musicians.
I should have known! Sometimes I just bite off more than I can chew. It’s that damned hope…but I’m getting ahead of myself.
For those of you still unaware, John Zande has just put out a new book. Further, in an unimaginable act of generosity, he has been gracious enough to share some of the basic groundwork concerning his case for an omnimalevolent creator in a few recent posts over at The Superstitious Naked Ape. Briefly, all the suffering in the universe points to a creator that is all knowing, all powerful, and all malevolent. It is a surprisingly polished theology, surpassing all others before it in terms coherency and elegance.
Reading through these delicious teaser-trailer posts, an idea arose that I may have uncovered a fatal flaw in Zande’s otherwise brilliant reasoning. It came to me while I was reading through his latest post, “Before there was Light: A Functional Proof for the Omnimalevolent Creator“. Even before I finished reading the post, I had named this flaw ‘The Problem of Good’. I even had clear cut example to demonstrate it: Me. Read the rest of this entry »
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