Zen and the Art of /.*/

The so-called “freedom of religion,” which is supposedly protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (emphasis mine)

is also, quite clearly the freedom FROM religion, if that is what the individual seeks.

A recent Time article, Can Atheists Be Parents? explains that:

“Judge Camarata denied [a couple's right to adopt a] child because of their lack of belief in a Supreme Being. Despite the Burkes’ “high moral and ethical standards,” he said, the New Jersey state constitution declares that “no person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience.” Despite Eleanor Katherine’s tender years, he continued, “the child should have the freedom to worship as she sees fit, and not be influenced by prospective parents who do not believe in a Supreme Being.”

This is the kind of arrogant, pea-brained shit that makes sense to people who have so thoroughly deluded themselves that they continue to believe patently ridiculous fairy tales well into their “adult” years. Of course, most religious people will say that this is just a case of a religious extremist taking an extreme position, but no, these are exactly the kind of conclusions that you must reach if you actually buy into this crap.

And just as a bonus thought of the day, should we be surprised that the leviathan state, which takes upon itself the task of “caring for” people from cradle to grave, could possibly reach such conclusions? We should not be the least bit surprised. It, likewise, is the natural, predictable result of government.

It is time we, as a people, grew up and stopped believing in the two most deadly ideas in history: the cult of the state and the cult of god.

Hans Hoppe: The Economics of World Government

Lew Rockwell recently posted a great (mis-titled) talk given by the brilliant Austrian Economist and Anarcho-Capitalist Social Theorist Hans Hoppe. With great clarity and wit, Hoppe explains many crucial aspects of the Rothbardian libertarian society.

There is a well-known prayer in the fire service known as the Fireman’s Prayer:

When I am called to duty, God
Whenever flames may rage,
Give me strength to save some life
Whatever be its age.

Help me to embrace a little child
Before it is too late,
Or save an older person
From the horror of that fate.

Enable me to be alert
And hear the weakest shout,
And quickly and efficiently,
To put the fire out.

I want to fill my calling
and give the best in me,
To guard my every neighbor
And protect his property.

And if, according to my fate,
I am to lose my life,
Please bless with your protecting hand
My children and my wife

From an article at AspiringFirefighters.com:

While most accounts of the Firemen’s Prayer conclude with Author Unknown, the world renowned poem was written by Firefighter A.W. “Smokey” Linn. As a young firefighter in 1958 Linn and his crew responded to a fire in which three children were trapped behind security bars and died in the fire.

The only way he could find to ease the pain of such a tragedy was to sit down and put his thoughts on paper. The phrase, “enable me to be alert and hear the weakest shout”, sends a chill up a firefighter’s spine as you imagine what he experienced on that fateful night.

We recently had a call for a three-year-old child choking on an unknown object who was getting some air exchange, but was getting worse. Luckily the police officer was able to dislodge the object and we were quickly canceled.

A few days later, some of us were joking about how we tend to respond when a call comes across involving a child.

Whenever we get a page, we always quit what we’re doing and hurry to the station.

If we get a page and something is on fire, we always jump, drop what we’re doing, and run to the station.

If we get a page and a child is in trouble, we jump out of our skin and fly to the station.

The wife of our Captain 11 recently found out that her 13-year-old niece, who has been fighting cancer for two years, is to a point where the doctors at Children’s Hospital cannot do anything more for her with conventional treatment. She is now undergoing alternative treatments at a center in California (that is not eligible for insurance coverage).

On very short notice we are trying to organize and promote a benefit for her. As part of this effort I spent a late night quickly setting up a website for her at www.LaurrenSmithFoundation.org.

We are sounding the alarms and calling for mutual aid. Spread the word far and wide.

We grown-ups have made a hell of a world for ourselves and are all lucky to have had as much time as we have, despite how we’ve spent it. When a child is in trouble, it is incumbent upon us to bring all the forces we can muster to their aid.

The Stateless Society, by Stefan Molyneux (read on YouTube)

Text of the article from LewRockwell.com

Just came across this recently. I’m not terribly familiar with this guy and by accounts online, he appears to be pretty controversial, but this is a pretty good article. Granted, it is little more than a re-presentation of Rothbard’s conception of a libertarian society, but it is an interesting, concise, and compelling presentation. Worth the watch.

The New American Century

Definitely another red-pill movie. Not for the credulous, the faint of heart, or those who can’t stomach the view from inside the rabbit hole.