As dependable as the sun coming up, we can pretty much count on some type of incredible parade of ignorance.  After trimming the grass on the boulevards and sweeping up the sidewalks, our collective conscious is then assaulted by some incredible parade of ignorant stupidity tromping through the neighbourhood like a bad case of sudden onset alcoholism, hangover included.

First to come storming through our gated community to destroy the potted plants is the reliable Conservative Party government.  In an effort to win votes by destroying the nation, they seem to think it’s just fine to warp the prison and justice system according to ideology; even if the policies developed in such a manner are not supported by facts.

For anyone who wishes to sort through reams of statistical information or commentary from sociologists, the evidence is quite clear.  Mandatory minimum sentences and a general “get tough” approach to criminal justice has no effect on crime rates.  All it can really be proven to do is ruin lives for no good reason.  Ah, but what do the facts matter?  From the CTV article, we can be blessed with words of wisdumb from former conservative Chief of Staff, Ian Brodie referring to lawyers, criminologists and sociologists.

Politically it helped us tremendously to be attacked by this coalition,

And why?

So we never really had to engage in the question of what the evidence actually shows about various approaches to crime.

As if the potted plants weren’t damaged enough, you can always count on radical Christian dogma to come through and take care of the smaller trees, well groomed shrubbery and manicured lawns as well.

Didja’ hear?  There’s an elephant statue on display in the Calgary Zoo and Concerned Christians Canada wants it removed.  Why?  Because it’s modelled after the Hindu God, Ganesh.

Now, this in and of itself doesn’t strike as bad or ignorant.  Frankly, I would prefer no religious imagery in public facilities at all and I won’t shed any tears if the statue in the Calgary Zoo is removed.  It’s an elephant with a belly and a weird dress, whoopee-doo.  I really actually don’t care much either way but there was something so shockingly stupid in the article that I had to read the paragraph in which it was contained three times.  No word of a lie; the first was for reading, the second was for ensuring I read what I had actually read what I read and the third was for an astounded kind of chuckle.

In opposition to the statue of a Hindu god, (on which, all religious reference was removed before it was approved for placement) the chairman of Concerned Christians Canada, a certain Jim Blake said,

The display of foreign gods is offensive and does not reflect the views of the majority of Canadians

Wow…that’s incredible.  Foreign gods?  I wonder how these folks would feel about that statement.  Believe it or not Mr. Blake, Hindus can be Canadian too you arrogant and ignorant jackalope.

Have you ever heard of Denyse O’Leary?  She’s a real treat if you like large metal stakes lodged in random portions of your cranium.  She does also make for good blog fodder as a random moron when you have nothing better to do as well…which would explain the origin of this post.

Oh and just for the sake of future reference, O’Leary does not allow commenting on her blog.  Seems she was punched in the face one too many times by nasty and intimidating words I guess.

In her most recent explosive fit of what seems to be an attempt at cogent postulation, O’Leary muses that atheists are good for nothing control freaks who agree with “Islamic fascists” in thinking that people do not have freedom of thought, conscience, and belief.  Now sit down, shut up and read closely what I’m about to post here.  If you don’t, I’ll call the police.  Settled?  Good!

O’Leary sputters in part:

What either Islamic fascists or atheists believe is just boilerplate, because they agree on the one most important thing: Freedom of thought, conscience, and belief are an illusion. Government should run your life and tell you what to believe, for your own good.

Which is absolutely farcical.  Atheists are in fact the great levellers in terms of promoting self responsibility, self determination and reliance on one’s own ability to produce prosperity for the person.  It is after all an Atheist who thinks that in order to leade your life in a responsible and self sufficient manner, you are better off not investing your emotional substance in fairy tales or guiding principles born of fantasy.  I don’t know what “Islamic fascists” believe but I’ll bet that there aren’t many of ‘em and if they do exist to any notable degree, they aren’t anything like atheists.

I’m an atheist (Or perhaps more appropriately called a non-theist) and I couldn’t disagree more with anyone who thinks that government is the be all and end all of one’s rights.  In fact, since government is well populated by long winded religious folks who’s average age is often measured on the geologic scale, a younger non-theist like myself would certainly have a huge aversion to government intervention.  I’m really not all the comfortable with people who believe in fairy tales not only regulating my life, but perhaps basing some of their decisions on those fairly tales to boot.  Heck, even the Unitarians are nick named the NDP at prayer.

Denise O’Leary is a buffoon.  A raging ball of idiocy rolling about mercilessly trying to crush any semblance of intellectual forethought in her path.  It’s exceptionally disturbing that her blog gets any type of traffic at all.  It leads me to think that either there are many who buy into the clap trap she produces or perhaps it’s like a terrible car crash that you just can’t look away from…you know…like why I listen to FOX News Talk.

Back on topic though, Atheists are not control freaks and are in fact bastions of self reliance, responsibility and freedom of thought.  In fact, if you read my blog as being written by an avowed non-theist, you’ll see that the last thing I want to do is control the lives of any group of people at all.  It is in fact people like O’Leary who are more easily associated with massive campaigns across the political spectrum that seek out control of the population at large rather than more innocent leanings toward preservation of their own lifestyle.

O’Leary needs to crawl back into whatever hole she was dug up from.  I stopped by her blog today just to see if I would get fired up about anything she wrote and there was a heaping pile of stupid just sitting right there for me…it was oddly satisfying.

Even though this wasn’t exactly a formulaic essay of sorts, I’m satisfied wit the rambling path I went down.  Now dear reader, I invite you to gather up the pieces of your brain that I splattered about and go on with your life.

Taa!

Imagine getting the following phone call.

*RING RING RING*
Cracked Out Guy: Hey dude!  How’s it goin?
Kinda Taken Aback: Pretty good.  What’s up buddy?
COG: Dude, you and I gotta work together on something super serious.
KTA: Uhh…well ok.  We’ve done some pretty important projects together before.  What’d you have in mind?
COG: K, well this is way more important.  I’m on a mission from God and I need your help!
KTA: Mission from God?  Dude, did you find the keys to the liquor cabinet again?  I told you to lay off man.
COG: *Slightly slurred* Nononononnnooo man.  Listen!  K, you know Iraq n’ shit right?
KTA: Sure.
COG: OK!  Well like, satan’s at work there through his agents of evil, Gog and Magog…the fuggers!
KTA: Gog…
COG: And Magog.  Dude…totally.
KTA: *Silence*
COG: K seriously.  Thisz important k?  I need you to send troops with me to Iraq so we can kick them all the way back to hell.
KTA: Uhh…well ok buddy.  Listen, I’m gonna have to think it over.  C-ya. *click*  What the hell was that all about?

Now imagine if that phone call took place between the leaders of two nuclear superpower nations like sayyyy…France and the United States in 2003.  Consider the cowboy Bush was in office at the time.

So G.W. Bush was a religious fanatic.  I don’t mean religious fanatic like Grandma who goes to church 8 days out of the week; I mean religious fanatic like completely cracked in the head to the point of believing that his planned invasion of Iraq was actually mission delivered from some guy in a wavy robe with flowing white hair and a gnarly staff that would put Gandalf to shame.

Think I’m exaggerating?  No, it’s true.  According to former French president Jacques Chirac, this is essentially what happened in 2003 when Bush was putting together the coalition of the willing.

Now, there are all kinds jokes we can make and make often about this but frankly, isn’t this a little scarier than the common fair stupidity you see from world leaders?  Not only did Dubya have some zany thought that the invasion of Iraq had something to do with defeating Satan and specific agents of evil, but he was actually willing to try to use that card in negotiations at the highest level with the leader of another global super power to send as many people into battle as possible.

I have to say, I’m kind of agog over this.  The worst part is that we don’t find out about it until 6 years after the fact.  I honestly feel that Chirac had a social obligation to tell the people of the world that a president who was responsible for the political direction of a nation of 300 Million was batshit crazy!

It would also have been nice if the media had picked up on this in a more fantastic way than it did after it came directly from Chirac as a fully public admission.  Oh but it was just the nation’s most powerful leader…who cares!

With another post in the works, please enjoy the following in the mean time.