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| If Ignorance Is Bliss.....
Then Surely It Must Be Folly To Be Wise!"If ignorance is truly bliss, then why do so many Americans need Prozac?" I'm starting to blog again. However I will ruffle some feathers so if it pisses you off so be it, and if you have something constructive to add do so. If you just want to be bitchy then be forewarned. It's just a button push away from blogville to banville.
Now if you're wondering why so many posts on January 12, 2007, read just pissed off at Aff
Come See
Blog World
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Time to shave off those Extra Pounds Kiddies
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Posted:Oct 26, 2007 4:04 pm
Last Updated:Oct 27, 2007 11:02 am
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Parents of fat to get warning letter from the government
Parents of clinically obese five-year-olds in Briton will be sent warning letters under a new government scheme.
The notifications will be part of a tough new stance to tackle rising levels of obesity, following a national initiative to weigh all in schools.
Ministers including Health Secretary Alan Johnson are preparing to face accusations of stigmatising fat over the plan but believe it is in the 's best interest if a problem is formally brought to the attention of their parents.
The Government has made the focus of its plans to tackle obesity amid fears that the problem is growing into an epidemic.
So why not just import more baby food from China?
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Paradise Lost
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Posted:Oct 25, 2007 7:56 pm
Last Updated:Nov 4, 2007 6:21 am
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Human beings are the product of nature, but we are also the creator of our environment. It is just recently that the state of the earth’s environment has begun to be taken seriously. Unfortunately, there are human beings that are not aware of the importance of the environments that we create and that we are a product of respectively. As a product of nature, we are bound by its laws: there are many things that we have no control over. As a creator of the environment that we live in, we have almost total control over what it becomes. As a result, we cannot be held accountable for natural tendencies that our species have. On the other hand, we must be held (and will be by nature) accountable for the environments that we create.
Human beings create political environments. The current political environment in the United States is not simply the creation of greedy, ignorant politicians acting solely on selfish motivation and stupid ideals. It is also the product of an apathetic, lackadaisical public caught up in the frivolous world of hedonistic materialism and egomaniacal desire. The political system in this country is the product of human minds, and as such can be changed. It is not changed because (for the most part) not because it is viewed as the best system, but because the majority of the public will not do the work that it takes to do so. Although we are social animals, we are also capable of intellect. The capability to be intellectual, a product of nature, can be used to change the political environment that we live in, a product of the environment that we create.
Human beings create social environments. Most of the world relies upon technology to define its progress. Progress is defined as economic growth. Economic growth is defined as economic strength of citizens of that country to buy goods and pay taxes. Hence, human beings have created social environments in which progress is defined by yet another creation of the human mind: money and the use of money. We have created a social environment that is defined by money. Perhaps this is why so many people view poverty as not only a negative thing, but an immoral thing as well. If progress is ultimately defined by money and the ability to spend it, then those without money are not progressing: ie. They are lazy. Because we have created our social environments means that we can recreate them. Unfortunately, old habits die hard, which brings me to another human creation.
Human beings create gods. A great percentage of humanity believes in one god or another, and not so surprisingly, those gods tend to favor the given environment of those that worship him/her/it. These gods also tend to favor the given definitions of both politics and progress in their respective environments. These gods also tend to be imaginative variations on the human form: on what the given society believes to be a “perfect” form of the human mind or body. None of this can be surprising since we all tend to be egocentric, and as a species, consider ourselves to be of all importance to our gods. We define our gods based on our wants and wishes: revenge, riches, self-justification, self-importance etc… In doing so, we justify our own self-importance by claiming that we are of utmost importance to our gods. Because we have created our gods means that we can recreate them, just as so many religions do so often.
We create our political, social and religious environments, but we do not create them base on reality. Rather we create them based on the mistaken presumption that it is we as individuals that are all important. While individualism intellectually speaking is of utmost importance, we as individuals are bound by the environments that we create. If we continue to create environments that adhere only to our desires, wants, and wishes, we will soon be forced to answer to those laws of nature that we are bound by. If we as societies continue to allow self-important, ignorant egomaniacs such as GW Bush to lead us political we will be forced to accept the consequences of such political thinking. If we continue to define social progress by a bartering tool, we will be forced to accept the moral implications. And if we continue to create gods and give to them power over our ideals, we will become ever more lost in the haze of ignorance and stupidity. If we continue to act and think in ways that are not conducive to healthy environments we will lose the only paradise that we have.
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A Mole of Souls
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Posted:Oct 25, 2007 5:36 pm
Last Updated:Oct 26, 2007 4:05 pm
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A thermodynamics professor wrote a take-home exam for his graduate students. It had one question: "Is hell exothermic or endothermic? Support your answer with proof."
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:
"First, we postulate that if souls exist, then they must have some mass. If they do, then a mole of souls can also have a mass. So, at what rate are souls moving into hell and at what rate are souls leaving? I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for souls entering hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all people and all souls go to hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in hell to increase exponentially.
Now, we look at the rate of change in volume in hell. Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in hell to stay the same, the ratio of the mass of souls and volume needs to stay constant.
1. So, if hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter hell, then the temperature and pressure in hell will increase until all hell breaks loose.
2. Of course, if hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until hell freezes over.
So which is it? If we accept the postulate given me by Therese Banyan during our freshman year, and take into account the fact that I still have not succeeded in having sexual relations with her, then #2 cannot be true, and hell is exothermic." 
This student got the only A
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Mystery Solved
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Posted:Oct 17, 2007 1:22 pm
Last Updated:Oct 26, 2007 4:48 am
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Many inquiring minds have asked, "why is Stedman never on the show"? Well I can't answer that, However I can hazard a guess as well as the next, so here goes, would you or you cat want to be seen in public after canoodling with the Queen of sleeze, the Empess of schlock, the Princess of parroting, and the Reining ruler of flab for the grab? No, well I didn't think so. It's not my fault, and I don't really care, I just had nothing else to do.
sorry Tall I know how deeply you feel for the Big O.
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How To Dodge Religious Solicitors from The Door,
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Posted:Oct 16, 2007 3:09 am
Last Updated:Nov 3, 2007 6:04 am
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1. Listen for a minute or two with a polite but puzzled expression and then speak in a foreign language. Better yet, make one up. Brand names for electronic components serve as an excellent base for an impromptu language. I've found the following bit to be an excellent opener: "Fritzen mitsuba micht sony leam spartinza. Nakamichi shpont olufsen takamine. Cheloken eraza fleecht?"
2. Before you open the door, put on a pair of Groucho glasses and pour some Pine Sol in a coffee cup. Then atttempt to engage them in a serious debate, spreading Pine Sol fumes by blowing occasionally into the cup as if you are cooling it. See how long you can hold them. Try to remember not to drink out of the cup.
3. Pretend to be deaf. Point to your ears, shake your head, and make intricate movements with your fingers and hands. This can backfire if they happen to know sign language. In that case switch to being blind.
4. Interrupt every sentence with a long, rambling, and totally pointless story. Try to work in your latest medical difficulty, especially if it involved surgery or hemorrhoids. Other topics to touch on are flatulent dogs, copy-machine repairmen, spatulas, hypoallergenic deodorants, mah-johgg, asbestos, persistent nose hair, 900-number psychic lines, and genetically engineered vegetables. Extra points if you can get three or more of these topics into one sentence.
5. Tell them you are a druid. This is much more convincing if you live in an oak grove and paint yourself blue.
6. Ask them if they are from the health board about the hepatitis quarantine. Offer them a sip of your coffee.
7. Offer them $25 to talk to your neighbors instead. Give them the money in loose pennies.
8. Tell them you are not allowed to talk to strangers until the assault case has come to trial. More effective if you come to the door with a knife or baseball bat.
9. Insist that you graduated from high school with them. In an effort to jog their memory, recount various escapades you joined them in. Refuse to be dissuaded from this conviction. This is more effective if there is a dramatic difference in your ages.
10. Using a cordless phone, call someone you haven't talked to for a while. Then go to the door and make gestures like you'll only be a minute. See how long they stay. My best record is 10 minutes.
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Top Ten Reasons Why Beer is better than Jeasus
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Posted:Oct 15, 2007 3:35 pm
Last Updated:Oct 17, 2007 3:47 am
2119 Views
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10. No one will kill you for not drinking Beer.
9. Beer doesn't tell you how to have sex.
8. Beer has never caused a major war.
7. They don't force Beer on minors who can't think for themselves.
6. When you have a Beer, you don't knock on people's doors trying to give it away.
5. Nobody's ever been burned at the stake, hanged, or tortured over his brand of Beer.
4. You don't have to wait 2000+ years for a second Beer.
3. There are laws saying Beer labels can't lie to you.
2. You can prove you have a Beer.
1. If you've devoted your life to Beer, there are groups to help you stop.
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A Small Rock
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Posted:Oct 10, 2007 12:02 pm
Last Updated:Oct 14, 2007 12:53 pm
1997 Views
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Indeed… there are those times that life seems to hit us in the face, making us quake and shiver from the sheer force of the impact. Truth can be like this. Fealty to the truth is to open one’s mind to the ever-present change in the universe. The acceptance of change, and the search for truth within change, is an act propitious to the one tool that mankind has in its favor: the ability to learn, the act of choosing cognizance over ignorance. This is our deed in life, the purpose behind perception, and the meaning behind the war against misoneism. Taken as an aggregate, our curiosity, and the fact that we have the ability to be cognizant, allows us to create our environment, and ask the one, truly godlike question: why. To ask why is to ask of the universe what it is not capable of answering, but not to ask the question is to die in the blackness of stupidity. The answers are there, but we must find them because it is us that create the questions.
Our world is so palpable to us and we accept it so willingly. Sometimes, almost fearful of being wrong, we find that acting within that world has the possibility of teaching us so much. We run through life all the while being chased by the very thing that we search for. At times the bilious world seems convoluted, fulminating against us leaving us ,dazed and confused. Fear resides in us and our life becomes a series of reactions, living becomes surviving, and not learning. Our awareness, however auspicious it may be, becomes an enemy in our eyes as we fight to reign in our perspectives, keeping our awareness on a leash, safe and secure from the ever-present, and all-consuming change of reality.
The act of curtailing knowledge for the sake of safety is malapropos, but in the modern day canaille it is more the norm than not. It is those individuals who fight fear and seek understanding, not of transcendent wishes or imprecations of a deity, but rather of the bulging universe that surrounds us all, pushing the pugnacity of mankind forward along with the possibilities that we are capable. We cannot wan in the face of truth if we are lucky enough to see an iota of such a thing.
We cannot sell the truth out for resplendent promises, guarantees, or shiny dogma's. The sum of all perspectives, an ideal as it may be, is the golden lamb, the white-hot skeptical fire over which all hypotheses must be held over. So the next time the world throws us for a loop, knocks us down with the force of the infinite universe, shaking the life out of us, instead of shaking off the pain and running in fear, look around and perhaps all we will find is a small rock. A small rock that may feel like a boulder, but in reality is only a pebble. Such is reality when the human mind turns itself to understanding, learning, curiosity, awareness, and rational thinking. An insurmountable mountain is, after, only a small rock in the universe
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Doing What Comes Naturally
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Posted:Oct 10, 2007 11:46 am
Last Updated:Oct 15, 2007 8:21 pm
2140 Views
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The United States is currently under the rule of an administration that has been called the most secretive, the least responsive, the most imperialistic, and has been the least concerned with scientific progress opting instead for the progression of so-called "Faith-based Initiatives", abstinence instead of condoms, and prayer instead of research.
The Bush administration has been typical of American politicians in many of its decisions and actions, but it has been atypical in one way: its adherence to and propagation of religious rhetoric and religious dogma. Of course, Bush and his cronies do not see things this way. They believe they are doing the right thing, but are misguided because of their blind faith to their religious creed. The secretive nature of the Bush administration is, I believe, directly linked to its blind adherence to religious dogma. For well over a thousand years, religion held the heart of western civilization in darkness. From the conversion of Constantine to the fall of the Roman empire, religion held what is now Europe under a veil of ignorance, using deceit and lies to allow the growth of its own influence and power.
Modern Christians argue that such deceit and foul play was the actions of men rather than religion, but they fail to realize that it was not simply the actions of men, but the actions of men who were religious, who used religion, and who had faith in religious creeds and doctrines. Religion, in fact, exists and continues to exist solely on its ability to keep and to point out secrets and ignorance respectively. Religion is not and has never been responsive to change.
Religion in the dark ages has not allowed itself to change with the exception of change by force: when religious views become so ridiculous that even the most ignorant of adherents can no longer accept its edicts as true, and can no longer hold their heads up and proudly proclaim their religious beliefs. It is only after societies can no longer hold up religious viewpoints as being not rational, but possible at all that those viewpoints are discarded by religions. Even then, religious fanatics fight to keep even the most inordinately stupid beliefs and edicts. Such people prefer false pretenses to truth, even if it means the death and destruction of whole societies. Religion has never been above using violence as a means to its end.
Today, Christians complain that Islam is a violent and fanatical religion while denying that Christianity is not. Those people are either ignorant of their own religion or hypocrites. Christianity has a long history of fanatical violence against other religions, cultures, and especially against those who claim no religion at all. Religion, no matter what religious people may desire to think, has been, and continues to be the foundation of much if not most violence in the world either directly or indirectly.
The fact that Islam is a sister religion to Christianity is no coincidence. The fact that both religions are directly related to Judaism is no coincidence. And the fact that all three religions have a horrific history of fanaticism coupled with violence and human atrocities is not coincidence. Religion thrives upon secrets, tradition, and violence but knowledge is corrosive to it.
Religious people, especially Catholics, like to claim that religion has played a role in the progression of science. They point out the monks and priests who have helped science along its way. They do not, however, consider how many advancements could have been possible if religions did not make any claims to truth (which they are never warranted to do), and to what extent science could have progressed had scientists throughout the ages been given the freedom to research in peace rather than being forced to either adhere to religious edicts and rules, or research in secret and in fear of death. Granted there have been religious scientists, but almost without exception those scientists have struggled, limited themselves, or defied either their belief or their research in the name of religion at some point. Science and religion are not compatible because true science cannot progress from faith and faith cannot survive true science.
The history and present actions of the Bush administration can be seen to be the meanderings of typical politicians, drowning in power and corruption, but it is also clear that it is justifying its heinous acts, its deceit and lies with the religious fervor of an evangelist. President Bush and his administration are simply acting religiously: authority is unquestionable, knowledge is dangerous, faith is the foundation, and the cornerstone of both those who, according to Bush, are ethically bound to comply with his wishes. Religion demands unquestioned faith, ignorance and compliance. Bush, being the religious fanatic that he seems to be, is simply following suit.
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It Ain't What You Don't Know
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Posted:Oct 10, 2007 10:35 am
Last Updated:Oct 11, 2007 6:43 am
2054 Views
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"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." -Mark Twain
There seems to be much discussion concerning accountability. Most of us really like accountability as long as it is someone else that is held to it. That being said, we cannot be held accountable for things we do not know, that (I think) is Mr. Twain's point with the first part of his aphorism. But what about that second part?
Al Gore used this quote in his movie The Inconvenient Truth. His point was that the environmental problem known as global warming is a problem that American politicians, in discussing it, also create a moral dilemma: in accepting its reality, they also accept their moral responsibility to act effectively and efficiently to solve the problem. His conclusion is that they choose not to discuss it in order to circumvent the moral dilemma. Their hesitance to discuss it, however, does not change the truth of global warming. To put it another way: believing something that is incorrect does not make that thing correct. There are just such inconvenient truths that haunt us all.
Overpopulation is one of the taboo subjects that is rarely, even more rarely taken up as conversation. Lately however, more people are sneaking it in. Still, often overpopulation is talked about in terms of someone or somewhere else. One of the first comments in such conversations is that the overpopulation problem is not a global problem but a problem "over there". "Over there" is never "here" though. Overpopulation is an inconvenient truth. We are not ignorant of the fact, but simply do not want to face the fact that it is a problem. The problem is not that there are too many Africans or Indians, Asians, or Russians. Rather, the problem is that there are too many people. There is only one way that the earth has become overpopulated: people having . This is an inconvenient truth that will not go away no matter how much we refuse to discuss it.
Religious people worldwide are facing inconvenient truths all the time. Religion has a sordid past of power struggles, deception, and lies that are often gleaned over through revisionist theology and the liberalization of religious belief. It is true that these things are the product of human beings, but it is also true that religions have done very little to extricate themselves from these problems, nor has there been much done to accept that these problems exist in the religious paradigm.
A larger inconvenient truth for religious peoples is science. At first, science seemed to be nothing more than a thorn in the side of a very large religious animal. But truth has a way of becoming problematic to those who do not want it. Such is the case with religion. Science has given us factual knowledge that will not dissipate no matter how much religion tries to equivocate or ignore it.
Truth cannot be redefined to fit policies or doctrine.Other inconvenient truths are often closer to home. Many times we are motivated by what we consider to be a truth, but more often than not we cannot, or do not, differentiate Truth from what we want to be the truth. Many times, what we know for sure (but will not admit) is that we cannot face the consequences of actually and honestly asking our selves: is what motivates us the truth?
Just like overpopulation is caused by people having , the dilution of Truth is caused by people knowing for sure what just ain't so. The consequence of us defining truth based on what we want rather than other criteria is that truth can be anything that we want: it becomes arbitrary."So What?", someone may say, "What I want is more important than Truth!"But, is it true that what we believe is more important than Truth?
Think about it. "I want a ." has the ability to become "I need a ." Those are two completely different statements but most likely we have all heard both statements emanate from the same person's mouth and mean the same thing, at least to them. They don't mean the same thing. "I want to believe…" has the ability to become "I need to believe…" I don't think any sensible person would accept the proposition that just because I want the future to be a certain way, that it is certain that it will be so.
One of the worst case scenarios is that of "I don’t want to believe…" becoming "It is not true that…" Closing one's eyes to the truth is no different than closing one's eyes while careening down a four lane highway in car. Truth is an inconvenient truth.There isn't some BIG TRUTH out in the world: there is no one TRUTH that holds for everything. Ask yourself this question: for everything that can be true, is there a truth that coincides to it? In other words, is there a possible truth for every thing we can possibly think of? There is no Truth that corresponds to the future. Truth is created in the moment,, in situations and circumstances, and is found in universal laws which operate in the moment as well.
The only time problems with Truth occur is when truth does not correspond with what we desire. Even more dangerous is when we desire to know for certain something that just isn't so.Truth is often a difficult concept to understand, but even more often it is a difficult thing to face. But, when we choose not to face the Truth when we do understand what it is (inconvenient or not), it is inevitable that dark times lay ahead. More misery, more sorrow, and more tears have been caused when we choose good intentions over the truth of the matter than almost anything else. Our desires, when taking precedence over Truth will most likely be the end of human life. Desires are great, but very limited by their selfish nature.
Sometimes we have desires that are based on the best intentions, and there is no doubt that many have good intentions, but there is also no doubt that good intentions are at best chancy when it comes to truth. Like Mr. Twain reminded us in so many ways: "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."
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1776.0 Americanistic Personality Disorder
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Posted:Oct 9, 2007 6:21 am
Last Updated:Oct 10, 2007 12:04 pm
2199 Views
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The essential features of Americanistic Personality Disorder include pervasive patterns of extreme self-absorption, profound and long-term lapses in empathy, a deep disregard for the well-being of others, a powerful aversion to intellectual honesty and reality, and a grossly exaggerated sense of the importance of one’s self and one’s nation. These patterns emerge in infancy, manifest themselves in nearly all contexts, and often become pathological.
These patterns have also been characterized as sociopathic, or colloquially as the “Ugly American Syndrome.” Note that the latter terminology carries too benign a connotation to accurately describe an individual afflicted with such a dangerous perversion of character.
For this diagnosis to be given, the individual must be deeply immersed in the flag-waving, nationalistic, and militaristic fervor derived primarily from the nearly perpetual barrage of reality warping emanations of the “mainstream media,” most commonly through the medium of television. Typically indoctrinated from birth to believe that they are morally superior, exceptional human beings, these individuals suffer from severe egocentrism, a condition further engendered by the prevalence of the acutely toxic dominant paradigm known as capitalism.
Individuals with Americanistic Personality Disorder are generally covertly racist, xenophobic, and openly speciesistic. They readily participate in the execution of heinous crimes against human and non-human animals, even if their complicity is banal and limited. As long as they are comfortable, safe, and enjoying the relative affluence and convenience afforded by their nation’s economic extortion, cultural genocide, of other species and the environment, and imperial conquests, such individuals display an apathetic disregard for the well-being of other human beings, sentient creatures, and the environment.
Individuals with Americanistic Personality Disorder tend to exhibit unabated greed and an insatiable desire for material goods. Fueled by a compulsion to shop and acquire excessive amounts of material goods, a condition sometimes referred to as consumerism, they have no regard for the misery and destruction caused by their pathological need for “more stuff”. When confronted with the finitude and fragility of the Earth, they frequently react with level one ego defenses by denying that their behavior is a part of the problem or by distorting reality by asserting that concerns about Climate Change, resource depletion, and irreversible damage to the environment are over-blown. Their deeply entrenched sense of entitlement renders excessive consumption a nearly immutable aspect of their behavior.
Individuals with Americanistic Personality Disorder are virtually devoid of empathy or compassion. They view life as a game played by “law of the jungle” rules and co-exist with others in a chronic state of hyper-competitiveness, seeking only to advance their careers and “keep up with the Joneses.” Their desire to win, get ahead and “protect what is theirs” has been so deeply etched into their psyches that their capacity to empathize and experience true concern for the well-being of others is severely stunted or extinguished. The pursuit of property, profit, and power rules their malformed psyches, nearly eliminating their capacity for humane behavior.
Individuals with Americanistic Personality Disorder almost always rely on extortion or violence to get their needs met and to resolve conflict. Believing in their inherent superiority, they eschew laws or rules except when they can utilize them for personal gain or when they fear punishment. Given a choice between a just resolution to a situation and the opportunity to humiliate, subdue, or subjugate the other party, they will choose the latter with a high degree of frequency. They have an amazing capacity to justify their unethical or criminal behavior using false pretexts such as self defense, good intentions, ignorance of the consequences of their actions, or asserting that they were merely carrying out orders.
Individuals with Americanistic Personality Disorder tend to manifest traits indicative of two of Erich Fromm’s personality orientations. They thrive on adding to their possessions, and appreciate their acquisitions more when they attain them through coercion, theft, or manipulation, thus showing strains of Fromm’s exploitative type. They also exist at a very superficial level, offering the world the “friendly face” of the marketing personality that Bernays and Madison Avenue have taught them is the most effective way of advancing their selfish agenda. Opportunism, careerism, and narcissism poison nearly all of their interactions and relationships.
Specific Culture Features
Americanistic Personality Disorder appears to prevail in a very high percentage of those in the upper strata of the socioeconomic order in the United States (and to persist tenaciously because these individuals have little motivation to alter their pathological behavior as they are largely immune from the consequences of their actions). While it is epidemic amongst the opulent, this characterological deficiency does not recognize socioeconomic boundaries. Various segments of the middle, working and impoverished classes comprise a notable percentage of those exhibiting this condition, including those practicing deeply conservative Christianity, many residents of reactionary states such as those in the south, Kansas, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming, and many members of the Republican Party.
Prevalence
The overall prevalence of Americanistic Personality Disorder was recently measured at approximately 35% of the overall population in the United States.
Diagnostic Criteria for 1776.0 Americanistic Personality Disorder:
A pervasive pattern of greed, selfishness, and lack of empathy, beginning the moment he or she begins to intellectualize and presented in nearly all contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
1. lacks empathy due to an excessive degree of self-absorption
2. believes that he or she is exceptional and morally superior
3. frequently engages in exploitative behaviors
4. requires frequent acquisition of goods he or she doesn’t need
5. usually resorts to some form of overt or covert violence, coercion, or extortion to resolve conflicts
6. perceives others as obstacles to his or her “success”
7. disregards laws and rules except as a means to achieve his or her agenda
8. demonstrates deep hypocrisy by projecting a righteous, benevolent image while committing reprehensible acts
9. refuses to accept the consequences of his or her actions
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Saving money
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Posted:Oct 6, 2007 5:18 am
Last Updated:May 17, 2024 12:44 pm
1792 Views
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Florida Prosecutor Accused of Seeking Sex With 5-Year-Old Girl Kills Himself in Prison Cell
Friday, October 05, 2007
John D.R. Atchison
DETROIT – A federal prosecutor accused of flying to Detroit last month to have sex with a 5-year-old girl committed suicide Friday in his cell in a Milan federal prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John D.R. Atchison was found unresponsive, taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead at 10:17 a.m., Federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Felicia Ponce said.
Atchison, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., was being held in a special housing unit in the prison, about 36 miles southwest of Detroit.
The administrative detention area houses all levels of prisoners, and Atchison had a cell to himself, Ponce said.
An investigation into his death is under way, she said.
He was charged with three felonies, the most serious of which was crossing state lines with intent to have sex with someone under 12. A conviction had carried a minimum of 30 years in prison.
A statement released Friday by his lawyer, James Thomas, said Atchison had "done a lot of good in his life."
"Unfortunately, he is going to be judged by his most recent charges and what we have read in the media, and not by the goodness, hard work or by the love of his family."
RelatedStories
Grand Jury Adds New Charge for Prosecutor Accused of Seeking Sex With 5-Year-Old Girl U.S. Prosecutor Accused of Seeking Sex With Girl, 5 The statement also said Thomas would file a request to have the case dismissed.
Atchison had attempted to hang himself with a bedsheet last month in a Sanilac county jail, but another inmate alerted guards who stopped the suicide attempt. He later was taken by U.S. Marshals to the Milan prison.
Three days before that suicide attempt, Atchison had assured a judge he would not harm himself.
The married father of three was a respected figure who coached girls' softball and basketball in a park a few blocks from his Gulf Breeze home. His office was in Pensacola.
But authorities say he had been communicating with an undercover sheriff's detective from Macomb County, Mich., who was posing online as the fictitious girl's mother and arranged for him to have sex with the .
He was arrested Sept. 16 at Detroit Metro Airport carrying presents, including a doll and earrings, and sexual materials, officials said.
As a federal prosecutor, Atchison mostly worked on tax and financial crime cases. According to court records, it appears he never prosecuted sex abuse cases.
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No Wonder the is pissed
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Posted:Oct 3, 2007 5:38 pm
Last Updated:Oct 4, 2007 9:10 am
1957 Views
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El Presidente Bush, in a sharp confrontation with Congress, on Wednesday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have dramatically expanded 's health insurance.
It was only the fourth veto of Bush's presidency, and one that some Republicans feared could carry steep risks for their party in next year's elections. The Senate approved the bill with enough votes to override the veto, but the margin in the House fell short of the required number.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., decried Bush's action as a "heartless veto."
"Never has it been clearer how detached President Bush is from the priorities of the American people," Reid said in a statement. "By vetoing a bipartisan bill to renew the successful 's Health Insurance Program, President Bush is denying health care to millions of low-income in America. "
The Democrats who control Congress, with significant support from Republicans, passed the legislation to add $35 billion over five years to allow an additional 4 million into the program. It would be funded by raising the federal cigarette tax by 61 cents to $1 per pack.
The president had promised to veto it, saying the Democratic bill was too costly, took the program too far from its original intent of helping the poor, and would entice people now covered in the private sector to switch to government coverage. He wants only a $5 billion increase in funding.
Bush argued that the congressional plan would be a move toward socialized medicine by expanding the program to higher-income families.
Democrats deny that, saying their goal is to cover more of the millions of uninsured and noting that the bill provides financial incentives for states to cover their lowest-income first. Of the over 43 million people nationwide who lack health insurance, over 6 million are under 18 years old. That's over 9 percent of all .
Gee now aint that sweet, jacking up the price of smokes could even help some people with lung cancer as well as helping all those . However why should someone who by dint of his troops has killed and maimed hundeds of thousands of in the middle east give a flaming shit about in the US?
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Russia Evacuates
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Posted:Oct 2, 2007 12:36 pm
Last Updated:May 17, 2024 12:44 pm
1154 Views
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Iranian news outlet claims nuclear experts packed their
bags Friday, increasing speculation of imminent U.S., Israeli attack
Iranian and Israeli news outlets are reporting that Russia has evacuated its entire staff of nuclear engineers and experts who were working at the Bushehr nuclear reactor, increasing speculation that the United States is preparing an imminent military attack on Iran.
According to the Khorramshar News Agency, which represents ethnic Arabs in opposition to Ahmadinejad's regime who live near the reactor, the Russians packed their bags and left on Friday.
DEBKA offers three different scenarios to explain the sudden withdrawal of the experts.
a) Russian-Iranian negotiations about how work will proceed on Bushehr have again hit a roadblock. This is highly unlikely because Vladimir Putin is set to visit Iran later in the month to sign a set of nuclear accords.
b) The Russians have learned that an Iranian attack against American interests in the Persian Gulf or Israel is imminent. This is extremely doubtful because any preemptive Iranian attack would give Israel and the U.S. the pretext they are desperately searching for to launch a devastating bombing campaign.
c) Moscow or Tehran have been tipped off that an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is imminent and the Russians are getting their people out of harm's way. This seems to be the most plausible scenario, especially
since reports emerged Friday from numerous "unnamed" worldwide intelligence sources that military action is just around the corner.
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