DN Speak

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Colin Powell: Deal With Iran Is A 'Pretty Good Deal' (VIDEO)

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran is a "pretty good deal." ... Read more

Fiorina: US Cannot 'Relax Our Entrance Criteria' For Syrian Refugees

Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina said that the United States cannot relax its criteria for Syrian refugees. ... Read more

Carly Fiorina: U.S. Has 'Done Its Fair Share' On Syrian Refugees

Republicans are always happy to get the United States into more wars. Dealing with the aftermath... not so much. Here's Republican presidential nomine... Read more

Oliver Sacks: A Neurologist At The 'Intersection Of Fact And Fable' (Terry Gross, Fresh Air)

Neurologist Oliver Sacks, who died Sunday, once described himself as an "old Jewish atheist," but during the decades he spent studying the human brain, he sometimes found himself recording experiences that he likened to a godly cosmic force.
Interview:
http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/08/31/436289763/oliver-sacks-a-neurologist-at-the-intersection-of-fact-and-fable

Dan Barker, Co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (The Friendly Atheist, #69)

Dan Barker was a teenage evangelist and longtime preacher before he stepped away from God for good. He is now the co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (along with his wife Annie Laurie Gaylor), a group dedicated to the principle of separation of state and church.

Barker is also the author of Godless (2008) and Life Driven Purpose (2015).

I spoke with Barker about why he goes on The Daily Show even when the segments aren’t very kind to him, his next project encouraging people to read the Bible, and how all Christian ministers are “slaves traders.” (Yep.)

Notes:

Here are links (one and two) to Barker’s segments on The Daily Show.

Here’s more about Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers and his 2007 lawsuit against God.

Interview:
http://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2015/08/23/dan-barker-co-president-of-the-freedom-from-religion-foundation/

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Dick Cheney Belongs in Prison, NOT on TV • Support the Iran Peace Accord • BRAVE NEW FILMS

Dick Cheney was Wrong on Iraq, and he's Wrong on Iran. The framework agreement the U.S. and its international partners reached with Iran that blocks Tehran’s pathways to building a nuclear bomb is barely a week old and yet the usual suspects have already denounced it as a “bad deal.” Sound Familiar?
https://youtu.be/lHWlICdtaD0

Why Union Members Are Better Off

On Labor Day, a look at the benefits of being in the labor movement for women and people of color. ... Read more

Texas lawyer exposes religious hiring test for peace officers: County only wanted Baptist constables

Robert Lloyd explained at a press conference that Williamson County asked about his views on marriage, abortion and religion during a 2013 interview for a job at the Williamson County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/texas-lawyer-exposes-religious-hiring-test-for-peace-officers-county-only-wanted-baptist-constables/

#RefugeesWelcome: Australians demand a softer stance

Candlelight vigils are drawing large crowds of supporters urging government compassion for desperate refugees. Read more

Iran 'ready' to talk to US and Saudi Arabia about Syria

Hassan Rouhani says Tehran "will sit at any table with regional countries and world powers" to restore peace in Syria. Read more

Almost 100,000 children starving in Yemen's al-Hodeidah

UN children's agency says it is alarmed by the levels of child hunger in Yemen after six months of heavy fighting. Read more

Worried About Refugees? Just Wait Until We Dust-Bowlify Mexico And Central America

If the U.S., through our role as the greatest cumulative carbon polluter in history, plays a central role in rendering large ... Read more

Cities Could Save $17 Trillion Just By Reducing Their Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Making climate-smart decisions could save cities a lot of money, according to a new report. ... Read more

Experts: Pending Health Insurance Mergers Will Hit Patients Right In The Wallet

"A lack of competition in health insurer markets is not in the best interests of patients or physicians," ... Read more

Baltimore Fraternal Order Of Police Tries To Distance Itself From Offensive Fundraiser T-Shirt

A fundraiser for the six Baltimore police officers indicted for Gray's murder is selling t-shirts commemorating the clash ... Read more

5 Myths About Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis You Shouldn’t Fall For

Conservatives are eager to defend and free Kim Davis, but their attempts to legitimize her actions don't hold much water. ... Read more

Donald Trump Twists Robert Redford Diss Into 'Nice Words' For Campaign

From the looks of Donald Trump's Twitter feed on Tuesday, it may have appeared that Academy Award-winner Robert Redford was on the verge of endorsing ... Read more

The Arguments for God's Existence and Why They Suck (JT Eberhard -- 2015 Gateway to Reason)

https://youtu.be/BegaokiNqrc

What Atheists Can Learn from Christianity (Hemant Mehta-2015 Gateway to Reason)

https://youtu.be/3RxuM-YBy7U

If Tech Support Workers Were Honest

https://youtu.be/q0QW_AdK-Gw

Teachers Say What's Wrong With Education In The U.S.

States across the U.S. have reported teacher shortages. AJ+ spoke with some teachers who are still working in the classroom about what's wrong with public education.
https://youtu.be/2qz7dysrSFw

'Wrong Then, Wrong Now': White House Video Rips Cheney For Iran Deal Criticism

Vice President Dick Cheney opposes the Iran nuclear deal. If his reasoning sounds familiar, it's because we've heard it from him before on the Iraq war....

..."That happened on Obama's watch."
"No, that was before 2009."
"Well... cough"
It's scary that a man like him has any power at all...

https://youtu.be/bEb0VFhrl_k

Robert Greenwald Refutes Dick Cheney on MSNBC • BRAVE NEW FILMS

https://youtu.be/NspxQySWYSE

When US Corporations Spy on Citizens • w/ Heidi Boghosian • Henry A. Wallace National Security Forum

The CIA, NSA and the Pentagon rely on outside contractors to much of their work, but what if big corporations could use them as well to spy on activists opposed to their actions? Corporations aren’t bound by the constitution like government agencies and therefore aren’t required to honor the same rules when it comes to surveillance. How will free speech suffer if corporations can ally themselves with government spy agencies and private security firms to intimate and silence those who questions them?
https://youtu.be/eF-NZiLyOTo

AlterNet Comics: Jen Sorensen Imagines Trump as a Desperate Refugee

What if The Donald found himself on the other end of the immigration debate?
http://www.alternet.org/comics/trump-desperate-refugee-alternet-comics

5 Insane Right-Wing Statements This Week: Kim Davis Saga Sets off 'War on Christianity' Hysteria

And Limbaugh: "They want the good life in Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Denmark," Limbaugh railed on. "That’s where all the benefits are. In Denmark, I think you can smoke dope all over the street. Or is that Amsterdam? They're human beings. They want the good life. The good life meaning big welfare benefits. A better life that generations of hardworking Europeans have built up is now being swarmed over by refugees."
... Read more

Congress returns to yet another spending crisis (USA Today)

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress return from summer recess facing a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the federal government, a deadline they are certain to miss, as they have each of the past 18 years. The question is: Will the government shut down Oct. 1, or can lawmakers agree to a temporary spending plan while they argue about a longer-term solution?...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/09/07/congress-returns-spending-crisis-fears-government-shutdown/71657516/
https://youtu.be/DXyfr6LpMSo

23. Top 10 (Failed) Proofs the Bible is True: Fourth Proof, "One Crying in the Wilderness"

Episode 23 of a massive, multi-part series examining Bob Dutko's, Christian radio talk show host and apologist, "Top 10 Proofs the Bible is True." In this episode, we examine Bob's fourth proof the Bible is true: Fulfilled Prophecy, "One Crying in the Wilderness", regarding Psalm 2:7 and Proverbs 30:4.
https://youtu.be/Y8QuzNvIHDo

White supremacists threaten to assassinate ‘anti-white’ Pope Francis during US visit

“This mofo needs a third eye, right in the middle of where his two existing eyes are,” wrote someone using the handle “Freedom lover.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/white-supremacists-threaten-to-assassinate-anti-white-pope-francis-during-us-visit/

Kim Davis supporters gather outside judge’s home to hold him ‘in contempt of God’s court’

“You, sir, are the one that’s in contempt of the law,” said the Rev. Philip “Flip” Benham, head of Operation Save America and father of would-be reality TV stars David and Jason Benham. “You, sir, are the one in contempt of God’s court, you’re in contempt of the Constitution of the United States of America, of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and sir, you need to repent.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/kim-davis-supporters-gather-outside-judges-home-to-hold-him-in-contempt-of-gods-court/

Colorado's Long-Lasting Birth Control Program For Teens May Not Last Long : It's All Politics : NPR

"What greater gift can you give to a teenaged potential mother than the opportunity to plan her family so when she has children, it's when they're wanted, when she can afford to care for them ... and to do it in such a cost-effective way in terms of government spending? It dramatically reduces government spending," he said.
http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/09/03/437268213/colorados-long-lasting-birth-control-program-for-teens-may-not-last-long

As Pope visit nears, U.S. Catholic Church faces financial strain

(Reuters) - When Pope Francis makes his first visit to the United States this month he will face a national Catholic Church whose finances are staggering under a shrinking membership and huge payouts to sex-abuse victims, threatening to undermine its social influence.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/08/pope-usa-finances-idUSL1N11D0O520150908

Pope Francis announces biggest changes to annulment process in centuries

Pope Francis on Tuesday announced sweeping reforms to the Catholic Church’s marriage annulment process, changes that are designed to speed up and simplify the often lengthy procedure. The changes, according to Vatican experts, appear to be the most far-reaching made to the church’s annulment process in centuries...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/09/08/pope-francis-is-reforming-the-catholic-churchs-marriage-annulment-process/

Bernie Sanders booked to appear next week on Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ - The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/09/07/bernie-sanders-booked-to-appear-next-week-on-colberts-late-show/

Bill O’Reilly’s nonsense “nihilism”: Now the Fox News host is even lying about God

The Fox News personality dwells in deep illusion about faith and religion. It's time we helped him see the light...
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/06/bill_oreillys_nonsense_nihilism_now_the_fox_news_host_is_even_lying_about_god/

7 Union Heroes To Remember This Labor Day

The Radical history of the labor movement. Read more
https://youtu.be/wxiMrvDbq3s

Obama Calls Out 2016 GOPers He Says Are Anti-Union (VIDEO)

President Barack Obama singled out several Republican presidential candidates—without actually mentioning any by name—as being anti-union in a Labor D... Read more
https://youtu.be/oWS8hdNCARY

Reason Rally 2016

Welcome to the Reason Rally!

In 2012, people from all across America assembled together on the National Mall in D.C. for an epic event in the history of our country. Standing in the rain, we declared to the world, “We are many! We are strong! We are united! And we are here!” Four years have past and we’re ready to do it again!

We’re converging on Washington D.C. once again, but this time we’re at the Lincoln Memorial. In this historic place, we proclaim our dream of a future where people are free to express rational and reasonable views without the fear of reprisal, retaliation, or retribution!

http://www.reasonrally.org
https://youtu.be/mPPanjMSjm0

Will we see you at the Reason Rally? Let us know in the comments if you are going to join us on June 4, 2016 for the second installment of the Reason Rally! It's going to be big, it's going to be fun, and everyone is going to be there. See you there, and remember to #bereasonable
https://youtu.be/aRm3iE-zLak

Women battle to become female priests

Lisa Bernard has the story of a group of women who aim to make history in the Catholic church.
https://youtu.be/K-bZw2uu9g8

Fox Panel Condemns Kim Davis, Calls Her Lawyer 'Ridiculously Stupid' (VIDEO)

Fox pundits offered a surprisingly strong condemnation of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis and her lawyer, Mat Staver, on Monday's edition of "Happenin... Read more
https://youtu.be/BEE_ZgcPR-k

Monday, September 7, 2015

Why The Kentucky Clerk's Last Stand Won't Make Her A Right Wing Hero

This week, an elected county clerk in Kentucky named Kim Davis is owning the news cycle with a ridiculous George Wallace act, where she refuses to iss... Read more

Monty Python - Galaxy Song [Comedy]

Galaxy Song, taken from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. Terry Jones picked this as part of his Top 10 Monty Python Movie Moments for Esquire Magazine.

With sing along lyrics:
https://youtu.be/23Dm7sQ1C1E

Without lyrics:
https://youtu.be/buqtdpuZxvk

Satanists, Vegans and Atheists Seek Equal Opportunity in Little Rock - The New York Times

What atheists, vegans, Hindus and Satanic cultists have in common lately is an eye for the statehouse grounds of Arkansas. The groups have separately proposed public displays of their own spiritual values in Little Rock now that the state government has approved a Ten Commandments memorial for the Capitol grounds.
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/satanists-vegans-and-atheists-seek-equal-opportunity-in-little-rock/

Persecuted political artists defy Cuba crackdown

Arrests and jail time have failed to dissuade many of the country's artists from speaking out for democratic change. Read more

Debunking David Barton's Jefferson Lies (Because They Still Need to Be Debunked)

"Over the last couple of weeks, I've seen a number of articles about pseudo-historian David Barton's "comeback." My first thought upon seeing these articles was "what comeback?" You have to go away to have a comeback, and Barton has never gone away. His popularity and influence were not at all diminished when his book The Jefferson Lies was pulled last year by Christian publisher Thomas Nelson. His recovery was almost immediate. With the help of his pal Glenn Beck, an aggrieved Barton quickly had his followers convinced that he was being silenced for telling the truth! If anything, he became even more popular..."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda/debunking-david-bartons-j_b_3936810.html

Matt Dillahunty- 2015 Gateway to Reason

Topic- "Thoughts from a decade of debates"
http://youtu.be/H50Pr2v4BvA

Chris Wallace Dazes Cheney: Iran's Centrifuges 'Went From 0 To 5,000' While You Were VP

Fox News host Chris Wallace forced former Vice President Dick Cheney to admit that Iran's centrifuges went from zero to 5,000 under his watch, not Pre... Read more
https://youtu.be/_X7A1bR6RnE

Stephanopoulos Grills Huckabee Over Cries Of Judicial Tyranny

Mike Huckabee, in a desperate attempt to become news (in the foreboding shadow of Trump), announced he will be in Kentucky, this Tuesday, to help prot...

See the reader comments below the article too.

Read more

Bill O'Reilly: Murderers Are Always Atheistic Or Agnostic

When white males of the far right carry out violent attacks, neocons and Republicans typically describe them as lone-wolf extremists rather than people who are part of terrorist networks or well-organized terrorist movements. Yet many of the terrorist attacks in the United States have been carried out by people who had long histories of networking with other terrorists...
https://youtu.be/up66UW0GENQ

Bernie Sanders Rips Trump For Attacks On Immigrants

From the Sanders campaign, Bernie had some stern words for Donald Trump during a meeting with the Muscatine County Boxing Club in Iowa this Friday: Sa... Read more

Astronomers have developed a new, highly accurate method of measuring the distances between stars

...which could be used to measure the size of the galaxy, enabling greater understanding of how it evolved.Read more

Entertaining chess game

Magnus Carlsen in Stavanger with Norway Chess, having a little fun challenging his manager, Espen Agdestein to a blitz game. Things start to get a little crazy.
Think you have what it takes to challenge Magnus? Download Play Magnus:
http://www.appstore.com/playmagnus

https://youtu.be/GL-uWmw4YMA

In 2015 my car is probably safer from thieves by being a stick-shift rather than having a car alarm.

Take This Lollipop

...is an interactive film which accesses viewer's Facebook profile and locates the viewer's home from data in profile. It depicts the dangers in posting too much personal info on the Internet. Information gathered is then deleted which makes the film different for each viewer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_This_Lollipop

Aspen becomes third U.S. city to go 100 percent renewable energy

“It was a very forward-thinking goal and truly remarkable achievement,” Hornbacher said. “This means we are powered by the forces of nature, predominately water and wind with a touch of solar and landfill gas.”
Read more

Sunday, September 6, 2015

The Workers Whose Paychecks Are Shrinking

Since the recession officially ended in 2009, Americans have watched the economy slowly improve: More people are back to work, unemployment has decrea... Read more

Right-Wing Terrorists Strike Again: Planned Parenthood Fire Ruled An Arson

This is how far the the right will go to terrorize women. Read more

Fox Contributor Erickson: Drowned Syrian Boy Was Obama’s Fault

That didn't take long. It's already Obama's fault that the little Syrian boy drowned, if you listen to Fox's Erick Erickson's ... Read more

Marco Rubio’s Energy Plan Is Big on Fossil Fuels, Silent on Clean Energy

The Republican presidential candidate vowed to end the Clean Power Plan, lift the crude oil export ban, and allow states to ... Read more

Mass baptism at Georgia high school spurs controversy

...The soon-to-be controversial video was uploaded to YouTube with the caption, "Take a look and see how God is still in our schools!...
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mass-baptism-georgia-public-high-school-football-field-brews-controversy/

Should Sex Ed Be Mandatory?

...Some parents and educators are challenging the policy but the Ministry of Education is holding firm. Said spokesperson Pascal Ouellet: “Sexual education is planned for all Quebec students.” The ministry claims that the program, which may be adopted province-wide by 2017, will help prevent sexual violence, reduce unwanted pregnancies, and protect children from sexually transmitted infections (STIs)...
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/03/should-sex-ed-be-mandatory.html

Profile of a Former Catholic

New analysis of the PRRI/RNS Survey, in the field August 5-11, 2015, allows us to take a closer look at American Catholics–including former Catholics. Roughly one-third (35 percent) of Americans were raised in a Catholic household and while most Catholics have remained within the religious fold, a significant number have left the Catholic faith: 15 percent of the U.S. population says they were raised Catholic but no longer identify as such...
http://publicreligion.org/2015/09/profile-of-the-american-former-catholic/

Noam Chomsky on Iran's Nuclear Deal

Amy Goodman interviews Noam Chomsky about Iran's situation regarding the nuclear Deal.
https://youtu.be/dpqWzeiezsY

Fiorina: Border Walls Aren't 'Particularly Effective'

Carly Fiorina on Tuesday dismissed recent calls by her fellow Republican presidential candidates for walls at both the southern and northern borders o... Read more

Scientists Discovered High Levels Of Radioactivity In A Common Form Of Waste

A group of researchers at Duke University found radioactive elements present in both coal and coal ash from all three of the ... Read more

Ben Carson: A Wingnut With A Calm Bedside Manner

As the Invisible Primary for 2016 reaches its zenith in the months before formal voting begins, there is one Republican candidate doing very well desp... Read more

Gulag Appalachia?: Ky. Clerk Claims Persecution, Refuses To Obey Supreme Court Verdict

Whatever the outcome of her case, Davis only has herself to blame for her dilemma. She clearly ... Read more

Why Are So Many People Running For President?

Running for president is expensive and exhausting — but this year, some 22 people seem to think it's a good idea. There are five major candidates for the Democratic nomination and a whopping 17 on the Republican side.

But why? As it turns out, there are many reasons.
http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/09/05/437699700/why-are-23-people-running-for-president

No, Christians, you’re not being “persecuted” — and Kim Davis is not a martyr

Conservatives are insulting us all by saying she was jailed for #BeingChristian.

My fellow Christians, we are living in dark times. We are now being LOCKED UP by a MALICIOUS judicial system that is denying us our CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS to RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. Just kidding. We're totally fine. And any...

http://www.salon.com/2015/09/04/no_christians_youre_not_being_persecuted_and_kim_davis_is_not_a_martyr/

Listen up, Ted Cruz: Here’s what you don’t understand about climate change and science

The Texas senator says the facts don't back global warming. He doesn't understand how science assesses facts In 2004, science historian Naomi Oreskes did a survey of abstracts published in the previous 10 years matching the search term "global climate change," and found that none of them rejected...

http://www.salon.com/2015/09/05/listen_up_ted_cruz_heres_what_you_dont_understand_about_climate_change_and_science/