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Fool's Philosophy - by Nate Bartling

Fool's Philosophy - October 2006

Amnesty International calls for Bloggers support

October 30th 2006 12:58
Amnesty International is calling for bloggers worldwide to show support for their campaign to defend freedom of expression on the internet. The respected human rights group believes that our freedom of speech is currently in danger of being restricted, as has already happened in many countries such as China and Iran where bloggers can be imprisoned for simply expressing a disagreement with government policy. They are asking that bloggers show their solidarity by publicising this campaign and pledging your signature to their online petition at irrepressible.info.

This comes at a time when, as I have mentioned in previous blogs, the EU is attempting to pass legislation to prevent us uploading videos and the US military is "enaging bloggers". This week marks the first meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, a five day event setup by the UN where governments, corporations etc. debate the future of the internet. Amnesty International will be taking its campaign to the IGF to show the mass disagreement of policies designed to limit our freedom of expression.


I would urge all boggers, and internet users in general, to read the attached articles and visit irrepressible.info to sign the petition and show that you are willing to stand up for your right to express your opinion. The internet connects people from all over the world regardless of race or culture and allows us to exchange information that would otherwise not be available to us. As soon as we allow authority to begin restricting this flow of information, the internet will become no more varied and interesting than television and no more informative than the average government approved media outlet. Steve Ballinger of Amnesty International is quoted in the attached BBC News article as saying "Freedom of expression online is a right, not a privilege - but it's a right that needs defending".


Relevant Links :

Pledge at Irrepressible.info

BBC News Free Speech Online 'Under Threat'

BBC News World Discusses Internet Future
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To Believe, Or Not to Believe?

October 26th 2006 11:44
We have all at some point in our lives had to make a choice. A decision to accept what we are told or to question things with an open mind. A choice between wearing blinkers to shield us from the truth or the burden of facing inconvenient facts, between the 'blue pill' and the apparent bliss of ignorance and the 'red pill' and the harsh beauty of reality.

This choice, though usually made unconsciously, is one of the most significant you can ever make as it sets the basis for your entire outlook on life. For example, I am quite a spiritual person but have made the decision not to subscribe to any religion, partly due to my refusal to accept anything in blind faith and partly because of my inability to submit to the discipline of religion.

This refusal to accept religion has provided me with the ability to pick and choose between beliefs and theories from a wide variety of systems as I please. For example, with regards to the much debated matter of creation/evolution, I can consider possibilities ranging from the ancient Sumerian tablets to more orthodox Buddhist theories. If I were a devout Christian, however, I would find it unacceptable to contemplate suggestions that we may have been genetically modified by extra-terrestrials or that reality and our world as we know it could be the product of our own consciousness as it is clearly stated otherwise in the Bible and to doubt such an authority is to indulge in heresy.

On the other hand, orthodox religion, however restricting, can provide people with peace of mind, morality, a definite path for spiritual evolution and the comfort of knowing there is an all-knowing and benevolent God watching over us and guiding our destiny. I have no doubt that religion serves many people well in all of these aspects, but it is not a path that I feel is right for me.

This choice though is, fortunately, not a final decision. Once we are consciously aware of these options a religious person can choose to question their beliefs just as I can choose to conform to any doctrine that I feel is appropriate.

While I have the utmost respect for religion, in its true form, I strongly disagree with blind acceptance. It is my personal opinion that we have the power of consciousness so that we can question these things, attempt to form answers and subsequently strive to gain a deeper understanding of the reality we inhabit.

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." - Siddartha Gautama/Sakyamuni Buddha
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O'Reilly Wants to Blow Up Bloggers with Hand Grenade

October 25th 2006 11:35
Bill O'Reilly, once again uncontrollably spewing out venom like some kind of spastic snake, stated on 'The O'Reilly Factor' on 18/10/06. when discussing internet bloggers and their opinions "if I can get away with it, boy, I’d go in with a hand grenade."

I have spent the last week or so of my blogs ranting about how I believe freedom of speech is being taken away, apparently I was mistaken. It would seem, judging by the example set by O'Reilly, that it is acceptable to say on national television that if I could get away with it I would kill those who express their disagreement with me using a hand held explosive to blow them up.

I can only hope that Bill has read my blog 'Bill O'Reilly is a Pretentious Twat' as it is probably the only chance I will get to tell him how I feel. Why cant Bill act like a rational human being and if he disagrees with blogs, put a comment on to explain why and justify his argument instead of just threatening violence through an allegedly 'Fair & Balanced' media station. Wouldn't that be great? If the self proclaimed 'O'Reilly Tzu' started posting comments on my blog and we could have a civilized debate without my microphone being turned off, being told to "Shut Up!" or being called "A Loon" as he likes to label those with contrary views to his own. But that's propbably why he doesn't. Nevertheless, Bill if you're reading, I'd love to hear from you!

Also in the show, O'Reilly claims that bloggers with political opinions, presumably like myself, are "hired guns. These are people hired — being paid very well to smear and try to destroy people." I have written blogs on here since late september, regularly post blogs on my Myspace account and write album reviews for a music magazine. To date, I have never been paid for any piece of writing, political or otherwise. If anyone knows of any organisations that would pay me very well to "smear and destroy people" such as O'Reilly or the Bush administration, please let me know as it sounds like the ideal job!

Oh yeah, one last message to Bill. If in the very unlikely event you're reading this, come round my house with a hand grenade and see how far you can get before I find somewhere much more appropriate for you to stick it!

You can watch a short video of the conversation and read a transcript here.
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10 Classic Bush Quotes

October 20th 2006 12:21
I did write lengthy article which I was going to post today but unfortunately my electricity ran out before I saved it and I lost it, so I decided to post some classic Bush quotes while I go about the arduous task of re-writing my original post.

We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace.
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The Rise of the Empire

October 19th 2006 12:37
Emperor Bush (Wikipedia)
On Tuesday the 17th October 2006, George W Bush signed the Military Commisions Act 2006 and effectively removed 'The Great Writ' or Habeus Corpus from the constitution. For those who do not know what Habeus Corpus is, it has been a fundamental law in the civilized world since 1215 and provides you with the right to challenge your imprisonment. It is your right to a fair trial and is the legal background to the concept of 'innocent until proven guilty'.

Adolph Hitler (wikipedia)
The US governement now has the authority to imprison and torture anyone they see fit, without challenge, purely on the word of George W Bush. It seems to me acts such as this invariably mark the beginning of a dictatorship. Adolph Hitler passed similar laws after the burning of the Reichstag (which was carried out by his own troops) then proceeded to imprison and murder anybody who challenged his authority.Stalin had his 'Great Purge' and assasinated any opposition. Even the fictional Emperor Palpatine turned the senate into the first galactic empire and massacred all those capable of opposing him with the infamous order 66. All of these actions were carried out in the name of peace and protecting citizens from 'terrorists' and 'rebels'.
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Bloggers under attack

October 18th 2006 13:32
CENTCOM (Wikipedia)
According to news website www.therawstory.com CENTCOM (United States Central Command) announced earlier this year that they have a team of employees who would be "engaging bloggers who are posting inaccurate or untrue information, as well as bloggers who are posting incomplete information." Personally, I find this quite worrying as according to Websters New Millenium Dictionary of English the definition of a blog is as follows:

noun
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The Age of Noise

October 17th 2006 13:34
Jiddhu Krishnamurti
For thousands of years great teachers, from Buddha & Jesus to Krishnamurti & Aleister Crowley, have told us that the main obstacle preventing us from achieving enlightenment is our inability to achieve true silence or stillness. Today, this is truer than ever.

We live in what is possibly the noisiest society in history. All of our technology is thrown into battle against silence as we are bombarded with soap operas, advertisements and pop music. This is far more than mere physical noise, it provides the foundation for our inner-dialogue through conspiring to stimulate our cravings and the desire to conform & distracts us from the true goal of life.
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Bill O'Reilly is a Pretentious Twat

October 14th 2006 14:58
Fox News Fair & Balanced (Wikipedia)
I have just been watching segments of Fox 'News' for the first time and its fair to say that I am appalled! The last clip I viewed involved Bill O'Reilly chastising a university professor and calling him a loon, a nut and a disgrace to his country for daring to question the official version of events surrounding the 9/11 tragedy, while not allowing his guest the opportunity to speak, interrupting him every time he tries to do so and drowning out any attempt at argument with shouts of opinionated drivel that reminds one of a child putting his fingers in his ears and chanting to overpower anything he doesn't want to hear. Surely, this is not only a case of biased journalism, where only one side of the argument is provided with the soapbox required to state the reasoning behind a particular opinion, but also evidence that Mr O'Reilly is lacking in the most basic of manners.

I have always lived in the UK, where the BBC is generally accepted as a main source of news, however, being unhappy at the lack of coverage of relevant events (the 5th anniversary protests by the 911 Truth campaign, as a recent example) I have always searched the internet to find all the opinions through various independent news sites and made my own mind up regarding such matters. It would appear that I did not appreciate just how relatively liberal British news is. The BBC, while being far from perfect, at least allows their guests the opportunity to speak without being berated like a naughty schoolboy.
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Who Should Win The Nobel Peace Prize?

October 12th 2006 13:26
The Nobel Peace Prize is due to be announced this Friday and as usual there is much speculation as to who the winner will be.

Who do you think the prize should go to and why?
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10 Inspiring Movie Quotes

October 11th 2006 13:32
Luminous beings we are, not this crude matter. - Master Yoda, Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

I'm on the edge, but thats where it happens. - Max Cohen, Pi
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Are You Awake?

October 10th 2006 11:01
'Awake, arise, or be forever fall'n' - John Milton, Paradise Lost

How many of us are truly awake? Or more relevant to this post, how many of us are still asleep?
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10 Quotes on Words

October 9th 2006 21:33
Words are only postage stamps delivering the object for you to unwrap - George Bernard Shaw

The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean - Robert Louis Stevenson
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Words and Propaganda

October 9th 2006 10:40
Aldous Huxley (Wikipedia)
"We constantly speak of human beings in ways which implicitly deny their humanity - in words which reduce them to being mere representatives of a class, mere symbolic representations of some principle. Bourgeois, Bolshevik, Fascist, Communist.....Not one of these words describes the concrete reality of the men and women to whom it is applied...........Most people would hesitate to torture or kill a human being like themselves. But when that human being is spoken of as though he were not a human being, but as the representative of some wicked principle, we lose our scruples." - Aldous Huxley, speech delivered at the Albert Hall, London, 1936.

Modern wars are fought on two fronts. The first being the battlefield, dominated by gun-fire, cluster bombs and depleted uranium poisoning with casualties inflicted on human life and the Earth. The second is a more subtle yet sinister front with casualties less apparent than the first but just as deadly, for it provides the support and fuel for the physical fight. This second battlefield is between the media and your mind, it is war waged upon public opinion and its victim is the unity of mankind.
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Bush: It's unacceptable to think....

October 6th 2006 11:37
It's unacceptable to think that there's any kind of comparison between the behavior of the United States of America and the action of Islamic extremists who kill innocent women and children to achieve an objective. - George W Bush, Press Conference at the Rose Garden 15/09/06

Apparently, George Bush now believes he has the authority to dictate what is, or is not, acceptable to think about. It is a sad day for freedom when our leaders tell us what thoughts we are allowed to consider within the confines of our own mind.
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Everyday Symbols - The Pyramid & The Eye

October 5th 2006 14:50
"A symbol is an indefinite expression with many meanings, pointing to something not easily defined and therefore not fully known" - C G Jung

A selection of corporate logos containing pyramids & eyes
We are surrounded by symbols, from corporate logos to currency, and unfortunately very few of us are aware of what they represent. It is for this reason that I have decided to write a series of posts on the most common symbols and their basic meanings. However, it is important to remember, as per the above quote, that a symbol represents something more than itself and is therefore open to many interpretations. A symbol by itself is meaningless, it is the intent behind it that is all important.
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10 Quotes on War

October 5th 2006 10:49
Bertrand Russell (Wikipedia)
War does not determine who is right - only who is left. - Bertrand Russell

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones - Albert Einstein
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On Yin and Yang

October 4th 2006 11:47
Yin & Yang
"The common mistake of most martial artists is to identify these two forces as Yin and Yang, as dualistic............... Yin/Yang is one inseparable force of one unceasing interplay movement.................. If this "oneness" is viewed as two separate entities, realization of the ultimate reality of gung fu won't be achieved." - Bruce Lee (from the book 'The Warrior Within' by John Little)

As stated above the most common misconception, with regards to Yin and Yang, is to consider them opposites, or conflicting, as opposed to two mutually dependant halves of one whole. The shape of the symbol gives you the impression of Yin and Yang chasing each other around, both changing into each other and back again in the same manner as day and night. However, nothing is ever entirely Yin or Yang, as symbolised by the dot in both halves, just as light and dark, hot and cold etc. are just varying degrees with no definite boundaries between each other.
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Good Cop, Bad Cop - The UN & Bush

October 3rd 2006 11:07
Mahatma Gandhi (Wikimedia Commons)
I have always been wary of revolution, in the sense of an uprising of the people against the government, especially so when considering what it has brought to the world. Hitler, Stalin and Kim Il-Sung are just a few examples of the dictators that have risen out of such revolts, not to mention our dubious excuse for 'democracy'. However, it would be very narrow-minded to think of revolution as purely a negative thing. There have been many revolutions that have changed the world for the better, but it seems to me that they have been of a very different nature. For example, the rennaisance and the scientific revolution have helped us advance both spiritually and technologically & the non-violent Indian Independence Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi was without a doubt one of the most succesful revolutions of modern times.

For a revolution to occur, two large parties with entirely conflicting viewpoints are required. If one of the parties is significantly smaller than the other they can be regarded as merely a minority of extremists and if the viewpoints are not entirely conflicting some form of compromise is usually reached. Neither scenario justifies a radical uprising. However, it would appear that the current state of world affairs fits the first description perfectly. We have two of the worlds largest military powers with completely contrary agendas, the UN 'Peace Keeping' force which by its definition is designed to resolve conflict before it occurs and the US/UK who, by their own admission, are comitted to fighting a 'war against terror' that they claim will last many years.
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10 Funny Quotes

October 2nd 2006 23:10
Groucho Marx (Wikipedia)
The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese.
Steven Wright

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The Philosophy of Star Wars

October 2nd 2006 14:37
Jedi Master Yoda
It is no secret that the Star Wars saga is heavily influenced by both eastern & western mystical traditions including Buddhism, Taoism & many others. By noting these correspondences, the philosophy of the Jedi can be understood in terms of more 'down to earth' traditions & conversely these traditions can provide a deeper understanding of the classic science fiction tale.

The concept of the Force can easily be compared to the Tao. In fact, I would go so far as to say the Force of the Jedi is the Tao of the Taoists. If you consider Jedi Master Yoda's explanation of the Force, "Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us....You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere." (Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back) in comparison to Lao-Tzu's description of the Tao, "It is the source of life in heaven and on earth. It creates and is all things." (from the Taoist classic Cultivating Stillness, attributed to Lao-Tzu) the striking similarities speak for themselves. Almost all traditions have at least some version of this concept from the Prana/Pranayama of Yoga (the natural energy field that goes hand in hand with life) to the Brahman of the Hindus (a kind of collective world soul through which we are all connected).
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