01) #051- Interview with a Pedophile (Tom O’Carroll)
“Tom O’Carroll is a self-confessed pedophile, pro-pedophilia advocate, and writer.
In today’s episode we delve in to Tom’s early life, the experience of first realizing his sexual attraction to children, his failed attempts to lead a normal life, and his pro-pedophile advocacy efforts.
We debate the nature of consent, whether or not adult-child sexual relationships are always harmful, if childhood sexual trauma is caused by the sexual acts themselves or subsequent societal judgement, and the likelihood of pro-pedophile advocacy ever resulting in a society which accepts adult-child sexual relationships.”
“Tracie Harris is one of the co-hosts of http://atheist-experience.com. She spoke on camera about religion, the formation of beliefs in the brain, and changing minds.”
Those of us who were raised in a fundamentalist religious setting, have a very unique starting point…one which is very different, from the common experience.
It can take many years…even a decade or more…to transition from deeply religious fundamentalism, to atheist…It easily took that long for me.
There are so many layers of indoctrination, deception…and, yes…fear…to strip away.
…But, the mind seeking truth, will keep searching…keep asking questions…and keep finding sound, credible answers…they wont choose the easy path, of following the majority.
Coming out of fundamentalist religion, and losing something that fundamentally defines you as a human being…that is a life’s journey…
…Those who find it easy and quick to disbelieve in “god”?…In my opinion, they never genuinely believed in the first place…Maybe they had an open mind…but they never had a sense of certainty…And that’s one of the things that separates us, and our experiences with these kinds of transitions…
A lot of people look at individuals like us…and in some accusatory way ask, “What is wrong with you?”…They think we are fanatical…mellow dramatic…mentally off…because they think we are being so unfair to religion [and religious people], as well as senselessly “disrespectful”…
…To them it is like…”What’s the big deal?”…”It’s so obviously a quaint fairy tale, you’d have to be dumb not to see through it all along.”…”So, why all this fuss?”…”It’s your fault, if you drank the cool-aid.”…
They did not have our life experience…Virtually none of them know what it is like, to be raised in an isolated setting…where from your earliest memories, this is all that is placed in front of you…and this is the bedrock, on which your entire life and learning are built…
…When everything you believe is hinged on those beliefs…it is a radical, completely life altering path…to have those things keeping you tethered, stripped away.
…A lot of the things you go through in this process, are not pleasant [to say the least]…and you can spend many years of your life…not just trying to make up for the many years of your early life, that were stunted by this…but wrestling with, agonizing and having a very long life crisis over the discovery, that virtually everything you spent your life believing is wrong…and all the implications of that…and knowing that all these people fed you through that, and what you continue to experience in the aftermath…
…This can be genuinely devastating…overwhelming…drowning, even…
A lot of people…especially those who cling to religion…can be tone deaf, hostile and ruthless towards those of us who have spent a life navigating this…I’ve been mocked, scorned and threatened, just for moving in the directions…which I recognize as moral, honest and correct.
In fact…this has always appeared to be the genesis of people’s rejection of me…I am different from them…and they fear what is different…
One of the reasons I have a strong concern about fundamentalist religions…is because they breed and foster this exact sort of cultural phobia and rejection…which in turn, leads to social conflict, unrest and damaged or ruined lives…and a cycle of destructive lashing out…
…Nobody can be truly happy, in a culture like this…Everybody is always at guard…because everybody is at each others throats…You cannot trust your fellow man…This is nothing but poison…And anyone who pushes this, is an enemy towards us all.
…We are fools, if we accept and play into this vicious game.
01) Sandy Hook Parents Fight Back Against Alex Jones
“Three parents whose children were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 filed a defamation lawsuit on Tuesday against Alex Jones, the right-wing conspiracy theorist who has long claimed the shooting was “completely fake” and a “giant hoax” perpetrated by opponents of the Second Amendment.
Mr. Jones, the popular radio show host who also operates the conspiracy theory website Infowars, has questioned for years whether 20 children and six adults died in the school massacre in Newtown, Conn. To bolster his false claims, he often cites news reports and video clips from the hours after the shooting that turned out to be incomplete or based on wrong information.
Soon after they buried their children, many Sandy Hook parents started to come under fierce attack by conspiracy theorists who have said they are actors in an elaborate scheme to enact stricter gun control laws. The fringe theories still thrive in small forums online but have reached a far greater audience through Mr. Jones, the most vocal propagator.
The two lawsuits filed on Tuesday represent the first civil action taken by parents accusing Mr. Jones of defamation. One was filed by Leonard Pozner and his former wife, Veronique De La Rosa, and the other was filed by Neil Heslin. Their sons, Noah Pozner and Jesse Heslin, both 6, were killed at Sandy Hook.
The suits focus on comments made by Mr. Jones in the past year. In a segment on his radio show called “Sandy Hook Vampires Exposed,” which aired on April 22, 2017, Mr. Jones highlighted an interview that Ms. De La Rosa did with Anderson Cooper of CNN after the shooting. While they are standing outside a downtown Newtown building, Mr. Cooper turns his head to face her.
01) 10 Things You Didn’t Know Your Old Game Boy Could Do
“The Game Boy was innovative for so many reasons. The portability of the system gave us gaming on the go and it had a library of games filled with a lot of classics including the original Pokemon games. Even with all the games and the Game Boy camera, the portable device could do things you can’t even imagine.
Into sewing? Well, the Game Boy was compatible with a sewing machine that would automatically create patterns and designs. The Game Boy was great for camping trips, but the device could also be used to catch some huge fish. Systems like the GameCube and SNES were compatible with the games, but there was also a way to play games on the Sony Playstation. The Game Boy wasn’t really built for multiplayer action, but there was a four player link and a number of games you could play with three friends. The Mission Impossible game has some amazing features including the ability to control your TV or VCR. The original Game Boy was so tough, it could actually survive a war. For those who love style, the Game Boy has been transformed into both a luxury collector’s item and some pretty fancy shoes. Game Boy music was pretty basic, but the handheld console could be transformed into a portable radio and used with both speakers and headphones. The console also had the ability to connect to computers through special software. Watch to see all these great uses and then decide if it’s worth pulling out your old Game Boy for some action once again!”
Richard Carrier concisely rebuts six common claims apologists make.
00:28 “Spacetime had a beginning”
1:38 “The Universe is fine tuned for life”
3:43 “Life requires a creator”
5:20 “Consciousness requires a spirit/soul”
7:34 “God is needed for objective moral values”
9:07 “Jesus was resurrected”
This may seem like a strange milestone to recognize…But I’ve never had any of my posting series actually hit 100 published posts on any individual blog I’ve ran…
…Though I’ve written well beyond 100 posts for it…not even “In Self Defense”, has reached 100 posts published on the same blog [not counting the “worthy additions”].
This has been an easy series to blog for, however…So…It’s grown quickly…
…Here’s to the next 100 Atheist Media posts…the next of which will be published momentarily…
01) Bernie-Style NY Governor Candidate Cynthia Nixon Gets Major Lefty Endorsement
“The New York Working Families Party, a major force in the state’s progressive politics, voted Saturday to endorse Cynthia Nixon in New York’s Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Nixon, an actress and longtime education activist, received 91.5 percent of the vote at a meeting of the party committee in Albany.
“I am indebted to you today and every day, because you are the heart and the soul of the progressive New York that we want to create ? a New York that belongs to all of us,” Nixon said in a speech accepting the endorsement…
01) #051- Interview with a Pedophile (Tom O’Carroll)
