Daily Blend: Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Peter Gleick

My thoughts on Leaked-Heartland-Anti-Global-Warming-Documents-Gate, in (sorta-)brief: The only (major) objection I would have with what Peter Gleick ^[pictured] did is if he stole someone else’s identity rather than forge a fake one (and I withhold judgment on that matter until I see confirmation either way). Otherwise, I can only support his actions (even though he apologized for his self-called “serious lapse of [his] judgment and ethics”). No laws were broken, no-one was harmed in their persons or rights, and in the end, truth trumps all. Not that it stops Heartland from crying foul, nor the usual denialist suspects from crowing – even after cheerleading for the “Climategate” perpetrators (who actually did break the law, unlike Gleick) only a couple years previously. But then, denialism of any flavor does usually come bundled with weapons-grade hypocrisy.

All in all: No harm or foul (again, as long as Gleick didn’t steal any real person’s identity), the truth won out, and the anti-science liars are whining because someone used (a watered-down version of) the same tactics they so eagerly applaud when used against actual scientists. It’s only sad that Gleick now faces a ruined career for having ostensibly done the right thing.

And with that out of the way, I now present your links:

Dead-child law in 3 … 2 …
(via The Agitator)

Death by denial: A look at the (literally) dying field of HIV/AIDS denialists.
(via The Daily Grail)

Pathetic smear piece in The Telegraph: Richard Dawkins should apologize for having a distant ancestor who owned slaves hundreds of years ago!

• On that subject, Vox Day never misses a shot at making a more pathetic ass of himself than I thought possible.

Oh, Canada: Ontario universities sign ridiculous copyright agreement stipulating that emailing links is equal to photocopying, incurring heavy fees.

Homeowner to armed burglar who just shot him in the head: “F—- you, you son of a bitch, now it's my turn.”
(via @radleybalko)

The march sprint to Idiocracy continues.
(via The Daily Grail)

If you have any story suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments or send them in.

Tags: Michael Truluck • Kris Keys • energy drinks • dead-person laws • HIV/AIDS denialism • Richard Dawkins • The Telegraph • Adam Lusher • Henry Dawkins • Vox Day • Theodore Beale • Canada • universities • Access Copyright • Western University • University of Toronto • burglary • home invasion • Jay Leone • Samuel Cutrufelli • Ultimate Taser Ball • extreme sports • stun guns • Taser

Daily Blend: Thursday, February 09, 2012

According to some, President Lincoln was the worst ever for ending this

Spain’s new conservative government rushes to reverse liberal policies about abortion, secularism and possibly gay marriage previously established by Socialist Party.
(via Joe. My. God.)

Court laughs off PETA’s continued claims that slavery laws apply to whales at SeaWorld.
(via The Agitator)

As stupid and childish as “glitter-bombing” may be, I hardly think it merits jail time.
(via Joe. My. God.)

50 incredible photos from the U.S. Civil War. ^[pictured]
(via The Agitator)

Are constitutional law professors uniquely unfit for Presidency? Then again, the same logic could be applied to any President with an unpopular track record.
(via The Agitator)

Vox Day: Christians are being persecuted in developing countries, so U.S. atheists should shut up about the discrimination they face.

“Twenty fraught minutes later, he learned he'd been chasing... himself.”
(via @radleybalko)

If you have any story suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments or send them in.

Tags: Spain • Popular Party • People's Party • Socialist Party • constitutional law • professors • POTUS • US President • Gene Healy • PETA • People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals • SeaWorld • whales • Jeffrey Miller • Civil War • US Civil War • American Civil War • Vox Day • Christians • atheists • glitter bombing • Mitt Romney • Secret Service • Peter Smith • CCTV • undercover agents • undercover cops

Daily Blend: Monday, January 23, 2012

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• Colorado Republicans push bills to allow guns in K-12 schools and eliminate state-level background checks.

• Tennessee Tea Party “demands” that textbooks pretend the Founding Fathers were absolutely holy and pure and perfect.
  (via Joe. My. God.)

• Republican Party: ♪ We’re on the highway to hell ♫
  (via The Agitator)

• Not entirely accurate, but still a very interesting point: The Pirate Bay is the new Hollywood. ^[pictured]

• I just can’t get enough of him: Vox Day now manages to turn a grievous case of anti-atheist discrimination in Indonesia into an attack on atheists.

If you have any story suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments or send them in.

Tags: gun nuts • Republicans • Colorado • background checks • schools • Tea Party • Tea Partiers • Tennessee Tea Party • US Founding Fathers • Indians • Native-Americans • US history • Newt Gingrich • Republican Party • GOP • Barack Obama • Mitt Romney • The Pirate Bay • Hollywood • Stop Online Piracy Act • SOPA • Vox Day • atheists • Christianity • Indonesia • Alexander Aan

Why not abolishing slavery is (not) on par with not abolishing the government

Best libertarianism symbol I could find

It’s so easy to vilify libertarians these days. After all, everyone needs a favorite punching bag. But the truth is that the majority of libertarians, as far as I have been able to tell over time, are normal people like you and I who tend to be socially liberal and fiscally conservative and possess (what I would call) a healthy distrust of modern government. And that’s all just fine, if not even ideal. But then, every now and then – something that’s frightfully more common in the vast, open playground that is the Web – you come across the obligatory nutjob who does things like say that the reasons for abolishing slavery are the same that should be used in support of overthrowing the government, presumably in favor of some completely unregulated, anarchic society.

And no, that’s not some random example pulled out of my rear. It’s something currently being proposed and debated on Reddit:

Ten Reasons to Not Abolish Slavery

• 1. Some slavery is a necessary evil.^[1]

• 2. Slavery has always existed.^[2]

• 3. New slave owners would just take over.^[1]

• 4. Slaves cannot provide for themselves.^[4]

• 5. Slavery is good for the economy.^[5]

• 6. Freedom is less predictable than slavery.^[6]

• 7. Abolition would cause bloodshed.^[7]

• 8. Freed slaves would run amuck and cause great harm.^[8]

• 9. Abolition is foolish and utopian.^[9]

• 10. It is better to practice a form of limited slavery.^[10]