william.scherk

Good call on Blumenthal, I think that is who Peikoff meant (gawd forbid he should name them) -- and I also think you found the final nail in the coffin of honesty ... 'revision' by the Curia/minions/acolytes.

Some wag on the internets (Twitter) prematurely announced the death of Peikoff. I include here the epitaph I expect to be chiseled out of the white marble of his sarcophagus (perhaps translated to Esperanto it would sound less, er, kooky):

A few phrases have emerged—"little stuff" for the ultimate constituents of the universe, "charity refutation" Grrrrr. I had wondered where Dr Mrs Doctor Diana ("did I mention I have a doctorate?") Hsieh came up with that term Charity Refutation. She uses it like a small cudgel.

It is good (for me) to know that Randians and Objectivists and deeply objectivish people do service on their own terms and enjoy it. I mean, no one here (yet) has raised any of the anti-service/anti-volunteer objections that can plague this kind of discussion at the Other Places. It was National Service-Dog Day, unremarkable except for the collectivist/altruist bromides that attach to service via Democratic/Progressive mythos. We can resist the blandishments and guilt-trips and sublime coercion and just do the things that give us reward -- even if that reward is in the future and even if that reward is uncertain, and even if there is no 'reward.' It bears mentioning that "Community Service" is often an alternative to Jail. Throw off the shackles of State Altruism and do what you reason must be done. Obey your values, not the 'leaders,' unless of course your leader is Ayn Rand. I should mention also that there is an American-Syrian medical relief committee that accepts both donations for medical supplies and volunteers at the front-line field hospitals. I wonder at the danger facing those people, and I wonder how they mourn the fallen among their corps. Since usually one to two hundred die a day across the country (civilians, not fighters/rebels/terrorists/shabiha). In the Alawite heartland, the government has drafted 'community service' corps who carry weapons and wear uniforms. There I think the Randian objections should be heard Loud. But fascism under threat pulls out all the coercive stops. Thanks for appreciating this my sense of proportion. Now we can perhaps turn to the outrages in the Inaugural Speech by the dictator elected President.

It doesn't get much better, does it? I mean the NewComer Faceplant. Savour this one, for the next one might not be quite as Not Even Wrong ... Only in America. What a country! Meanwhile, in America's former favourite off-shore interrogation centre, the secular-up-the-wazoo Syria: A fighter from the Free Syrian Army's Tahrir al Sham brigade looks at a building destroyed during yesterday's Syrian Air force air strike in Mleha suburb of Damascus January 21, 2013. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Is this art?

It doesn't get much better, does it? I mean the NewComer Faceplant. Savour this one, for the next one might not be quite as Not Even Wrong ...

"Over the top, Disco-fever, doom-laden, hectoring posts, not your role as deacon to assembled righteous members, not as a preacher.. "Bill, You give me too much credit. [ . . . ] I see that you have over 1,746 posts on Objectivist Living - Yes. And you have over 1.038. Many of which I enjoyed thorougly and agreed with in the main. I gave my impression of what I objected to -- underneath my overkill prose was a simple observation, that there was a missing middle (fallacy of the excluded middle), and that National Service Day -- up there with National Dog Day -- is not really a sign of the Obamapocalypse. That your tirade suffered from a lack of proportion. So, despite the flurry of adjectives and sauciness, there was a point. I see you got it. I appreciate that. Unlike a few Objectivish folks you do not treat criticism like scalding water or a jungle rash. My favourite of all your recent posts was the one detailing the cast and crew of the Valliant/Hardesty Opera deep within Amazon. It was good. It was righteous. It was worth savouring. And a good one, thanks. Don't be disinclined to complain about my own bullshit, though. I strive to bore through my amour propre to the greater clarity on the other side. While I am at it, Fuck Obama -- he is slower than molasses and twice as sulfurous on the subject of my intense interest, the Syrian Civil War. If he would spend less time on cosmetics and grandstanding, and tear himself away from genial fingerwagging, then I might give him some qualified support. As it is, you voters might as well have elected Hillary or a doorstop.

Kewl. Looks like all I need to know, to get my dander up and prepare to judge. Um, er ... Website "SSRI Stories" Distorts the Connection Between Violence and SSRI Antidepressants See also: Website "SSRI Stories" Presents Distorted Information

Nice! (I was just going to click the 'Like this" button, but it has been disabled, I forget exactly why.)

I enjoy reading your conclusions, Brant. I think I would enjoy reading your argument more. One of your best conclusions/aphorisms, as I recall, went something like this: -- a collective noun does not mean 'collectivism.' There was no argument with that one either, but it stuck with me. It helps me deal with "you people" statements and assertions. Four assertions and 160 dollars will get you a very fine old Canadian whisky. It will also pay your health insurance premiums for a month for a family of four. You mileage (and your speed limit) may vary.

Kind of reads like poetry. The poetry of self-awareness. The poetry of a man who would be king of the clan. A plaintive undertone, a confident middle range, and a grand if not grandiose self-concept in the top notes. Of such poetry are reputations made: Genius, slavish devotee, potentate, Grand Poobah, head and brains and nervous system of The Movement. Infallible and contextually certain, a giant ... I find myself strangely moved by the doctor's own words. Harrimanizing them only adds to the emotional wallop. I see a state funeral, pomp, turgid music, tearful farewells, the End of an Era, fighter jets screaming across the skies -- and the bells, ringing, ringing, ringing. The pope is Dead, and there will be no more.

Is there a reason you placed this useful harangue under 'Music,' or do you know? I suggest decaffeinated copy/pasting this weekend ... might give you more focus for copy/pasting an avatar and your mini-bio. You can always speak to your Islam=Death topic later, when you have something to say other than post a viideo that we have seen here before. Or not. You are in the Zone of Freedom, after all. You may wish to visit OL's Zone of Bizarre Rants about Mooslims. Or rant at one of the three Muslim members. Or something else memorable and worthwhile.

"Is it possible to convince a self-described socialist that altruism is as Rand described?" If you are designating me as a self-described socialist, Jerry, it comes with the territory. I believe it was Adam who first labelled Obama as a crass usurper-beast somewhere between Vlad the Impaler and Stalin, as a Marxist so horrible that blood freezes. I tried then and since to point out that if Obama was a vile Marxist/socialist, that would make me (and 89% of Canadians) even more vile, since he is right of our 'right-wing' government in Ottawa (in re gay marriage/gay pot smoking/gay nudity/gay abortions/gay divorce/gay what have you/bawdy house law/medical mariSocialist gayjuana). You see? I react to knobs when they get twisted up beyond Throb with Exaggerated Fear and Loathing. I would never apply a crude "Hi, I'm socialist" to myself in any but an ironic way. Please try to understand that I react to the Over The Top Apocalyptic Disco fever of your doom-laden, hectoring posts, not your role as deacon to assembled righteous members, not as a preacher whose flock are weak and uninformed and needing way more catechism and drills. If my disagreement with Comtean/Randian slicing/dicing were not more profound than your cartoon, I would not bother replying. Chin up, Jerry, it is earlier than you think, I recall somebody saying, thoughtfully. Not Dennis May, who is digging his root cellar/hoard/redoubt as we speak, but somebody else ...

The worst (as far as I know from reading O-lists/blogs/etc) wielder of the 'concrete' weapon is La Hsieh, the Dr Mrs Dr ... If I recall correctly without hunting down a link or example, the flaw in Diana's reasoning was in rejecting instances of 'white swans' as real refutations/winnowings of general claims. So, in a logical way, Diana rules out the weight of counter-evidence. It is an anti-empirical flaw running through her arguments when she bats away hard evidence that tends to falsify her conclusions. She disregards the counter-evidence when it suits her, and tells the counter-argument that it is "Concrete-Bound". It is a sleazy intellectual dodge that shows her a biased amateur at hard thinking, critical self-checking and other cognitive necessities. So, I hate the Concrete fetishizing in objectivish cultures for its all-too-often use as a club on 'opponents,' a dodge

My boss suggested I read this here Atlas Shrugged book, hint hint. I always saw it in the sprawl and mess of his office. I was afraid to throw it away, so I took it home, and he didn't notice it was gone. I had seen its Gone With the Wind doorstoppiness in second hand bookstores for years, but it wasn't until I read L Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth that I was willing to open up Atlas Shrugged with intent to reach the end. I compared the two books in a commentary slash threadkiller comment to a thread at the old listserv (now on Yahoo somewhere) : http://members.shaw.ca/wsscherk/SOLOrejects/freedomofmind.htm Objectivism a cult? No, probably not, in my opinion. But maybe anotherway of looking at the Cult/Rand meme: could we find cult-ishtendencies within the present body of Objectivists? Maybe yes. MaybeShermer simply found a ready-made fit for his devotional tendenciesafter he gave up god . . . With regard to Rand's magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, in which she laidout concrete examples of her philosophy in action: Oi. Fantasy. Rant.Haranguing dialogue. Characters with the depth and realism ofSkeletor, Lex Luthor, Bizarro Superman, She-Ra and Wonder Woman.So far I have only read the first 650,000 of its 800,000 pages. At themoment, as I struggle through the chapter "The Utopia of Greed," itreminds me most of L Ron Hubbard's "Battlefield Earth," with Rand'smonsters slightly more horrid and evil than Hubbard's nightmarishslavedrivers, the titanic struggle between good and evil only slightlymore titanic . . . mind you, Hubbard's book is also slightly longer,at 1,000,000 pages of turgid, pulpy, entertaining hooey.And oh yeah, hey Newcomer. A certain amount of freakiness is tolerated here at OL, but on the whole we none of us show mercy unless necessary. Beware the complete freedom of the tongue here -- and have fun. Our parent figure is busy with his life and generally gives little thought to coddling, but his red lines are well-marked. Start with the guideline threads and if you want us to get acquainted with you, then do some homework and get acquainted with 'us' ... use your whole mind, not just your panic button, and you will be fine. This is the Initiation Stage for you, in case you hadn't noticed.

Now this is (objectivish) ecumenicism!

And happy Nazional Zervice Day to you too. Biggers has some large points to make, too: I have to think about the implications. Was I correct to give up my service to the demented elderly at my local full-service private institution of care? Had I been incorrect to obey Dr Evil/Mr Thompson/Obama's edict and offer my bondage in the first place? Is there any dirtier word that the Comtean 'selfless'? I have some hard pondering ahead in light of POL POT, you know. I destroy the world a little bit everyday, but I don't know about you, Jerry Biggers.Creative work does not exclude charitable endeavor (as with inventions such as village-grid/solar telephony, etc etc), and hard capitalist calculations can inform a charitable act of creation (as with microloans/women's co-ops). Good economic solutions for individuals increase independence and accountability, whether patented and exploited commercially (only) or open-source 'gift' ... at least to my stunned Socialist mind, looking at top level creative work deeply embedded with charitable endeavor, so I don't really yet grasp the relevance and import of the epigram. Back to the body count in Syria for me. Please no one search up stories of 'selfless' medical personnel infiltrating to salve real wounds. It might make the Nightmare of Mr Thompson snap into perspective.

Yikes, Marotta, secret young earth creationist, gawd of the gaps diddler, this is distressing. Hovind, his shyster career came to an end save for these old videos. He went to the edge of the crackpot and fell off, criminal vanity, stupidity and sleaze. A world 8K old, this video, Hovind falling off the hooey horse. Seriously, your Randian bullshit detectors should be pinging. Don't buy Hovind's intellectual swill and don't buy the barge-load of add-ons peddled by Jerry. Heaven's sake! as my grandmother might say were she not dead.

Update on Kent Hovind for Jerry. He is still in jail ... here's a portion of the detailed Wikipedia article, dealing with just part of his legal affairs, from before his later (failed) appeal. This is prime 'crank' material -- "He hoped to convince a jury that his amusement park admission and merchandise sales belonged to God and cannot be taxed."

Please garbage bin or Outer Limits or retitle it as you wish, Michael -- I didn't think it inappropriate when I banged it up, but I could have appended it to a previous Over There thread, now that you point it out. I surmised that I might not be the only one to be interested in the contortions the 'Slop jerk' might perform to not ban Moeller. You will not have noticed, but SOLO is losing audience (or so says Alexa). A little schadenfreude is not a bad thing, since he so richly deserves ill fortune, given his past rebarbative and/or insane tirades and so on ... We had a good long and useful couple of discussions over Glenn Beck claims and errors, you and I, I recall. In my mind there is bashing, nitpicking. and then reasonable -- if persistent -- criticism. I shall try not to hit your buttons with emotion-laden words (huckster, clown, etcetera) when next I react to a Beck piece. I have a lot of respect for what you have done and continue to do, Michael -- keeping this forum going gives me a place to let WSS out to do what he does, and I appreciate it very much. Sometimes I hit the mark, sometimes I don't. When I don't, I do hear the hisses of the crowd, as well I should. Incidentally, and off-topic, I have been haunting the IPB help/panic boards to see if any board owners had posted a ticket/complaint on weird video embed difficulties. So far, nobody has raised the particular issue that we have here. If you like, I can post a link to the help thread I have been checking at IPB, if you are not already on it. I know you are not the only one frustrated with what should work seamlessly after the upgrade.

Brilliant, Stephen, thanks. Where would you like the cheque sent?

He can't shut SOLO down, I don't think, because it is his only platform (besides his sad and awful community access TeeVee progamme). It would be death to his ego, and to his amour propre ... But, who knows how far the Moeller will press Lindsay. Moeller's second-to-last post is a masterpiece of slagging, to my eyes.

I cannot find the orginal source for this quote** (beyond Christopher Hitchens), but thought it might shed light on the schmozzle in this thread: Attributed to Karl Christian Rove, purported to be what he says if asked about his belief in god or asked about his relation to Jesus Christ: “I’m not fortunate enough to be a person of faith.” This is more or less what I say, with variations, when I am challenged/asked about my beliefs. I usually say this to forestall a lot of yammering: "I am atheist." Should yammering continue, I say something like what Rove is said to have said: "I am not blessed with faith in a spiritual world." I live in a place of many religions. In any given week I will have said howdy to Christians (my neighbours), Sikhs (my friendly Mac's Milk), Muslims (at my pharmacy), Rosicrucians (don't ask), Christians (at my volunteer job, co-workers), Jews (at my volunteer job, with the seniors), Catholics (at the monthly community supper I attend), Baha'is (quasi brother-in law), Buddhists (my namesake uncle), converting to Jew (same uncle, don't ask) ... and Jehovahs' Witnesses (uptown at the main crossing). My siblings and half siblings (all five) are atheist/atheist/atheist/agnostic/'Christian' ... I love a good discussion and argument about faith and religion (and Gnu Atheism), but have developed a much bigger empathy for folks with faith. There is nothing (much) I can do about their beliefs, and there is nothing (much) they can do about my lack of belief/faith. I never believed in spirits, never had faith in spirits (gawds, gods, Santa, tooth fairy, ghosts, what have you). Atheist I use as an adjective. I rarely say "I am an Atheist" ... simply "I am atheist". I am encouraged by Michael's notes on his own development (spiritual values). It is nothing of great (good/terrible) import, in my opinion -- just a straightforward honest telling of his place on the journey. Kudos! --- Yes, this all might seem very convenient to assert now, after having once taken J Neil Schulman to the brink of rage and despair, but I will place in my defence my last note to him in That Huge Thread That Got A Lot of Readership: ____________________ ** this might turn out to be one of those dratted things, a quoat. PS -- yup, a quoat: PPS -- see also: http://www.atheistrev.com/2007/04/karl-rove-is-atheist-more-evidence-and.html

I am assuming that this question is being asked of an atheist (such as an Objectivist). In that case, it is a trick question (or as Rand would say, "improper"). Why? Because the question itself, presumes that there there is a god. Nope. What a tight-ass reaction. The guy said IF. Obviously one has to suspend the usual atheism to answer, but why get all corsetted and finger-waggy? Man .... some atheists ...