A song for Anonymous

One of my fav songs.

I always thought this was about a pub, like the Double Locks near Exeter and people have left the city. It's probably more likely about Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park since there are a lot of religious speaker, but pretty much every topic is covered.

Where is such a place in the US, with its purported freedom of speech?

Crowded afternoon and there's not enough room in the city today
The people assembled to hear what resembled evangelists say
Some came just to see them for a laugh
Others to be free
Fools must pretend to be wise
With a faith that we use as a heavy disguise.

Tears from the crowd with men crying aloud or just ringing their hands
The love in their hearts at this joining of people from far away lands
I'd so many questions I could ask
I wanted to be free
Fools must pretend to be wise
With a faith that we use as a heavy disguise.

Cheers from the crowd for a much-loved constituent lately arrived
Here's to the soul of the man who takes toll for just staying alive
Can't ignore the feeling in the air
Glad that I was there
Fools must pretend to be wise
With a faith that we use as a heavy disguise.

Evening drew on with a change of opinion from left wing and right
And North accused South who were left little doubt that they needed to fight
I cannot begin to understand
The suffering tonight
Fools must pretend to be wise
With a faith that we use as a heavy disguise

Ayn Rand on Religion & Conservative Politics

This is really funny.

Do these people know what this woman really believed?

In America, Religion is a private matter and must not be brought into political issues.

Intellectually, to rest one’s case on faith means to concede that reason is on the side of one’s enemies—that one has no rational arguments to offer. The “conservatives’” claim that their case rests on faith, means that there are no rational arguments to support the American system, no rational justification for freedom, justice, property, individual rights, that these rest on a mystic revelation and can be accepted only on faith—that in reason and logic the enemy is right, but men must hold faith as superior to reason.

Ayn Rand on Religion

One commenter describes himself as a Randian Businessman: Does that mean he screams about government, yet is more than willing to take government handouts?

Happy Darwin Day

On a site called Darwin Day Celebration, I discovered this wealth of information about the great scientist.

Darwin Day is a global celebration of science and reason held on or around Feb. 12, the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth.

I especially appreciate that they said "on or around Feb. 12," because as usual I'm a day late and a dollar short. I guess I've been reading about guns too much again.

One of my other favorite subjects is the, what I always find a bit shocking, debate between the creationism crowd and the evolution folks. One of the fascinating aspects of this debate is that often it seems that both sides argue as if it's an either/or situation. Why can't both be right? Why couldn't there be a God who created the beginnings of life, I guess it would have been around the time of the Big Bang, and oversaw the entire business in a sort-of Divine Omnipotence, allowing evolution to run its natural course all the while, including the development of men's free will which accounts for so much trouble?

What do you think? Is it an either/or discussion?

I myself can actually see the atheistic scientist's argument better than I can the hard-line creationist's. What about you?