1105 & 1107

Third Blog:

No joke, these measures are a pain in the ass to read and I had to literally force myself to do so…but here’s the skinny:

Measure 1105: Like 1100, it’s about hard alcohol, “spirits” as they say. A basic cut and paste…the measures are nearly identical, save for a few details that don’t really set them apart. You are either okay with hard liquor being sold at mini marts and grocery stores or you’re not. You’re either fine with liquor stores shutting down, and people losing their jobs, or you’re not.

The people for this measure say that liquor should be sold by anybody who can afford the annual fee. Many other states of done this. There is no ethical justification for this measure. It’s purely a matter of money.

People against measure 1105 say that Washington is number one in keeping hard alcohol out of the hands of minors for a reason, and that reason is that government ran liquor stores are efficient. Two ethical reasons to say no to 1105 are: other states that have passed similar measures have higher DUI related deaths and mini marts are 400 times more likely to sale alcohol to kids.

Okay…so here is who’s really behind all this stuff:

YES for 1105: A bunch of rich people. Jack Rabourn (Former Washington State Liquor Control Board Member), Al O’Brien (State Representative, former Criminal Justice Committee Chairman), Ken Oplinger (Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce & Industry President), Tom Pierson (Federal Way Chamber of Commerce CEO), Po Chang (President of Summa Foods), Charlie James (African American Business and Employment Activist and Columnist)


No for 1105: an assortment of public service personal. Jim Cooper (Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention), Alice Woldt (Executive Director, Washington Association of Churches), Kelly Fox (President, Washington State Council of Firefighters), John Lovick (Snohomish County Sheriff), Sharon Ness (RN, Acute Care Nurse), Craig Sousie (Emergency Medical Technician), Renton Fire and Emergency Services.

You decide…Yah or Nah

Measure 1107, is about ending the new taxes enacted this year. Temporary candy, soda and bottled water taxes have been in effect since June 2010. Also a higher B&O tax for manufactures of certain processed foods. All of this is meant to bring in $300 million into Washington State’s general fund.

Those for measure 1107 say that taxing candy, soda and bottled water will hurt Washington families and higher B&O taxes for manufactures will hurt food producers. People who regularly consume soda and candy will have to pay a bit more. They also claim that these junk food taxes apply to all groceries and that the money the state gains from these taxes goes into a general fund, which politicians can use at their discretion.

Those against 1107 say, well, I think they say it better than me:
“1107 strips $300 million that funds schools, kids’ health and other basic services by eliminating small, mostly temporary taxes on non-essential items like gum, soda and candy.”

“Sugar sweetened sodas and candies have zero nutritional value and contribute to an epidemic of childhood obesity and diabetes -- with taxpayers footing the bill. It makes sense that highly profitable soda companies pay a small amount to help cover some of the health costs their products create.”

“The national soda lobby is financing 1107. The American Beverage Association is providing 99.9 percent of the funding - more than $10 million dollars! They don’t care about Washington families, just their own profits.”



Okay…so here is who’s really behind all this stuff:

YES for 1107: Grocers and Manufactures: Ed & Roxanne Husmann (Farmers, Ed’s Apples, Sultan), Marc Wallace (Grocery Store Manager, Baker’s Corner Store, Longview), James Connelly (Owner, Lodi Water Company, Chewelah), Tim Martin (President, Harbor Pacific Bottling, Elma), Pierson Clair (President, Brown & Haley, Makers of Almond Roca), Terri Jean Racy (Grocery Store Owner, Aeneas Valley General Store, Tonasket)

No for 1107: Mostly Education and Health professionals: Nyda Galbreath (First grade teacher, Board member, Washington Education Association), Dr. Jeffrey Smith (Medical Director, Community Health Care, Pierce County), Laura Hitchcock (Executive Director, Washington State Public Health Association), Doug Shadel (President, AARP of Washington), Tara Lerew (Registered Nurse), Paola Maranan (Executive Director, Children’s Alliance)

You decide…Yah or Nah

Taxes and Alcohol

Second Blog:

There are a lot of measures being voted on this November. At first glance they’re so boring but if you really look into it it’s quite interesting.

Measure 1098, it’s about taxes…again. Overall, 1098 is meant to level the playing field, so that the richest and poorest pay an equal percentage. It will reduce property, business and occupation taxes and direct any extra funds to education and health. It will also make it so that all tax increases and decreases must be voted on by we the people before enacted. All of this would begin 2012.

As of right now the middle class in Washington are paying four times the tax rate that the richest people in Washington pay. It’s outrageous and Washington State is ranked dead last in fairness, meaning that the tax gap between the rich and poor is smaller in every other state.

However, some fear that if we level the playing field then the rich might take their toys and play elsewhere. Opponents also claim that even though 1098 says that funds will be directed toward education and health, greedy legislators will use it as they see fit…but that sounds more like flinging poo than an actual concern…especially since this argument came from the rich people…

Nothing but fear tactics, says the writers and supporters of 1098.

Okay…so here is who’s really behind all this stuff:

YES for 1098: a varied assortment of people: Bill Gates (multi-billionaire and humanitarian), Janine Vaughn (owner of Revival Lighting, and Board of Main Street Alliance), Sonya Langford (7th Grade teacher, Board member, Washington Education Association), Walt Bowen (President, Washington State Senior Citizens Lobby), Linnea Hirst (President, League of Women Voters of Washington), and Clair Ervin (owner of C. Ervin Construction LLC.)

No for 1098: a lot of rich people: Steve Appel (President of the Washington Farm Bureau), Don Brunell (President of the Association of Washington Business), John Drescher (Executive Director of TechNet Northwest), Steve Mullin (President of the Washington Roundtable), Mike Sotelo (President, King County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce), and Joseph Zarelli (State Senator)

You decide…Yah or Nah

Measure 1100, it’s about hard alcohol, “spirits” as they say. Basically this measure would make it so that Safeway, Albertsons and any mini-mart could sell tequila and vodka until 2am. This measure mandates that all state ran liquor stores are shut down and that the Liquor Control Board limits its control over spirits to law enforcement and policy regulation and not sell the stuff. All of this would take affect December 2011

The argument here is clouded with money…very hard to see the underlining truth. Simply ask yourself if you want the convince of having hard liquor sold at gas stations and grocery stores, or are you too afraid that this sort of access to liquor make neighborhoods worse or short change the government in some way…

Okay…so here is who’s really behind all this stuff:

YES for 1100: 3 Corporations that would benefit: Jim Sinegal (CEO, Costco Wholesale Corporation), Anthony Anton (President/CEO of 5000 Member Washington Restaurant Association), and Paul Beveridge (President, Family Wineries of Washington, Owner, Wildridge Winery)

No for 1100: Government officials and churches: Jim Cooper (Washington Association for Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention), Alice Woldt (Executive Director, Washington Association of Churches), Kelly Fox (President, Washington State Council of Firefighters), John Lovick (Snohomish County Sheriff), Sharon Ness (RN, Acute Care Nurse), and Craig Sousie (Emergency Medical Technician, Renton Fire and Emergency Services)

You decide…Yah or Nah

Washington State Measures

Okay, I’ve just selected for myself a daunting task. I am trying to make my way through the muddy waters of American politics…not easy.
So, let’s just jump in with two feet:

Measure 1053, it’s all about taxes. Basically it would undo any changes in taxes made during 2010 and make it harder for the powers that be to change any taxes or fees imposed by the Washington state government. Any increases must be approved by 2/3 legislative majority AND voters approval…that mean us.

This measure would add a feeling of security which is especially needed in this crazy economy.

However…on the flip side, California enacted the same measure and they’ve reported party gridlocks, where nothing is getting done because it only takes and small number of legislators to kill anything. We also have to remember that our taxes pay for schools, clinics, police stations, fire stations and a ton of other government programs that keep us safe and taken care of…cut taxes and we’re cutting jobs, teachers, nurses, construction workers, social workers…etc. we don’t want to shoot ourselves in the foot.

However-ever, if it is harder or even impossible in some cases for taxes to be increased it would force Olympia to be more innovated, and instead of milking the tax payers they could prioritize…you know, like not give themselves raises…but that might be a gamble…they like their money…

Okay…so here is who’s really behind all this stuff:

YES for 1053: business owners: Erma Turner (beauty shop), Darryl Ehlers (Farmer), Eric Phillips (Label Company), Larry Stanley (retired business owner), Brad Carlson (evergreen memorial gardens) Wes Uhlman (former mayor of Seattle)

No for 1053: teachers, nurses, firefighters, and state funded programs: Reverend Paul Benz, Jerry Reiller (Eldercare Alliance), Pam Keeley (Nurse), Andy Coons (Math teacher and president of Tacoma Education Association), Greg Merkley (firefighters)

You decide…Yah or Nah

Measure 1082, it’s all about insurance for business…Basically L&I right now insure most of our business in Washington. If you get injured at work L&I are the people that investigate and then take action…or not. This measure would allow businesses to seek private insurance starting 2012.

As it is L&I is government ran and paid for by tax payers. Taxes paid toward L&I have increased 53% in just the past ten years! Oregon has privatized business insurance and their taxes haven’t moved in 20 years…what is Oregon doing right?

There’s no real argument here. It’s a bunch of he said she said BS. Those against 1082 say it will be a hugely corrupt insurance industry F-up full of unethical business practices and suffering workers…those for 1082 say it was written by small business owners and all the same protections that are in place now won’t go anywhere…

Okay…so here is who’s really behind all this stuff:

YES for 1082: business owners: Patrick Connor (State Director, NFIB/Washington), Betty Neighbors, owner, TERRA Staffing Group) Joel Kretz (State Representative and owner, Promised Land Ranch), Steve Robinson (Spokane Rock Products/AWB Board member), Mark Shaffer (owner of Mark’s Drywall), and Mike Gilmartin (Commercial Creamery Company)

No for 1082: Government workers and business owners: Mike Kreidler (Washington State Insurance Commissioner), Brian Sonntag (Washington State Auditor), Don Orange (owner of Hoesly ECO Auto/Tire), Don Grillot (Business manager, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 77), Judy Huntington (MN, RN, Executive Director, Washington State Nurses), and Kelly Fox (President, Washington State Council of Fire Fight)

You decide…Yah or Nah

There is sooooo much more… I’m going to post this but continue trying to decipher the crazy mambo jumbo political jargon BS…

A Great Video

GEN 2

Genesis 2

1. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested [a] from all his work. 3. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

--Why do they keep saying the same thing over and over…that is really alloying…I get it, he rested, he rested…but why did an all powerful god need to rest? I’ve heard people say that it wasn’t a weary rest but a rest after a good job done, a holy rest of satisfaction…if that is so, why doesn’t the bible just say that. As long as we’re on the subject of days and resting and all that…why did god need six days to create everything in the first place? Is he not powerful enough to create everything in a blink of an eye? Because of science, we know the earth was not made in six days and because of the bible we know god’s days were not billions of years. If the bible says god made everything in existence in 144 hours and then had to take a break I would like to know how people can stomach this garbage. I really would.

Adam and Eve

4. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- 5. and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, 6. but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground 7. From the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

--From what I gather, god’s saying that there were no plants on earth only because there was no rain and no men to till the ground…however, we know that plants and animals came long long long before men…and plants don’t need men in order to grow naturally…we need plants. To believe in the holy word we must accept that god took a bunch of dirt and made a clay man out of it and then blew into the nose wholes to bring this clay person alive! Eat your heart out Frankenstein.

8. Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

--God builds a place he names Eden, and in the east of Eden there is a garden. Then God puts the clay man in the garden. Then God puts all nice looking trees and trees that the man can eat from in the garden…I must ask, what is nice looking to god? What is god’s definition of attractive? Just curious why god would say that, you would think he might see all his trees as attractive, or why would he make them. Then god puts two more trees in the garden. The tree of Life and the tree of Knowledge of good and of evil…most people only remember the evil part…why did god put these trees in here…the world may never know. They both sound like good trees to me.

10. A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13. The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

--What does a god care for rare rock and resin? Gold, onyx (gemstones), bdellium (a yellow tree resin used in perfumes…the aromatic resin) are all of little value to a god, so why would a god mention them, or their quality? It sounds more like a man has written the stones and resin in to entice the greed of other men. Why would god himself fancy the worth of gems, gold and perfume? Also here is a river that splits into four. The names here change depending on what version of the bible you read and seriously, I don’t see their importance other than most of them are believed to be in the middle east…nearly anybody can tell you that Africa is the birth place of humanity.

15. The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16. And the LORD God commanded the man, you are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17. but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

--Um, wasn’t the guy already placed in the garden… Now the bible is telling us that god made all that is in existence so that he could make a pretty garden and put a naked man in it and watch him “work it”… …Then god put a tree in the garden, and god says… “Yeah, I put it here, but only to taunt you, you can’t eat it. It’s for lookies, not for touchies.” What gives? It doesn’t make sense to make everything in existence for this purpose: a garden, a single human male, the man’s job is to maintain the garden and not eat from one tree…a tree that doesn’t need to be there, but god put it there as some kind of mind game!

18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

--This makes no sense… Why is it up to this man he created (who was never taught how to talk and apparently sprung from the ground a full grown male) to name every animal that has ever existed! As if they could ALL fit in a garden in the Middle East, as if they could all survive there. Some animals need cooler, wetter environments. BUT, apparently all these animals that god put there to lighten Adam’s burden were doing a piss poor job…and god didn't see that coming...

21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, for she was taken out of man." 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

--Great, a mythological story about why god made women. There’s no special story to explain why men deserve to live, but women, now that needed some explaining didn’t it? As Christians, Muslims and Jews believe, women were an afterthought, created only to serve man because wild animals didn’t cut it. Before now Adam was either reproductively self-sufficient or god had only intended there to ever be one person in all the world. But, if god is timeless and all knowing why did he think animals would help, why didn’t he just make women with men? This whole thing makes no sense at all. Any biology teacher will tell you that female is humanities default, go-to sex. All humans would be women if not for a tiny little chromosome that does almost nothing else but make a would-be woman, a man…like redirecting a train. And am I reading this right? “The man said, "This is now bone of my bones…” Women are not this. Does this not sound completely sexist to anyone else?

Discrepancies found in Genesis 2:1 – Genesis 2:25
1. An all powerful god should not need to rest
2. We all know that the earth was not made in six days
3. It is unrealistic for people not to labor at all on the seventh day of the week
4. Plants do not need man’s intervention in order to survive
5. Male humans are not literally made out of clay
6. Different bible versions have inconsistent translations
7. An all powerful god would not designate the value of materials that would be good for markets or trade. Only greedy men would care of such things.
8. The cradle of life was not in the Middle East, but in Africa
9. God put Adam in the garden of Eden twice, 8th verse and 15th verse
10. Animals were not created to be man’s servants
11. Humans were not created before birds and land animals
12. One man did not name all animals in existence
13. The bible first says fish and birds were made first, then beasts and then men, and now it is contradicting itself.
14. All animals that ever existed were not living in the Middle East at one time, ever
15. God is supposed to be infallible, but that animals he made didn’t work out
16. There is no special reason why women exist, almost all species have male and female counterparts
17. Women are not made out of ribs…well, most of us aren’t
18. Women were not created to be servants
19. Men were not created before women
20. A woman being made out of a man (false) is not why women and men marry and start families. Marriage is something almost all civilizations thought of on their own, without god.
21. In the first chapter god says he made both men and women at the same time, and now, the story has changed…yet again.

GEN 1

I've always wanted to apply common sense to the bible. That is my goal. I only use facts, not theories, Western ethical truths and I never put words in the bible's mouth or take any verse anything but literally. I didn't write the bible. Don't be mad at me for the discrepancies I found, please.

Genesis 1

1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth.

--Surely god can’t be referring to the beginning of time…our planet is far too young for all that, but the verse does say, “In the Beginning…” To rationalize FOR god is to put words in his mouth. We must take everything literally. You can’t pick and choose what is real and what is metaphor. There are two ways that heaven is defined, one is the sky and the other is a paradise. We can assume that this verse is saying that god created paradise, since the bible mentions making the sky later on. Earth can be assumed to mean our particular planet…I call BS on this claim, since we all know solar systems start with a sun and planets come later…

2. And the Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

--God is saying that our planet had no form, which could either mean it was without existence or without shape . Since the bible also says our planet was void, which means empty space , I’m going to go with the definition of nonexistent. How can there be something, an Earth, which is nothing, a void, which has something, “the deep?” The, means it’s a noun, and as a noun, “deep” means ocean. Face means the surface of an object. Also…god is mentioning an ocean? So, the Earth was nothingness, with an ocean, and god hovered over that ocean…

3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

--There are many definitions of light. We can assume the bible means the sun, which gives off light. But, the Earth has already been created…even though it’s currently nothingness with an ocean. This is consistent with the idea that the Earth is the center of the universe. This makes no logical sense…this is completely impossible! Suns are created first, then planets.

4.And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5. And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

--Now, we are told that the light is day and darkness night, and that he separated day from night. We can assume he divided them via a good earth spin. Many creationist claim that god’s time may be different from our time. A day to god could mean several billion years…however, we know from this verse that god is the one that is defining to us what a day is. And, in one turn of Earth’s axes, from evening to morning, the heaven, the Earth, the ocean and the sun were created by god…Um-yeah-no.

6. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

--The firmament literally means sky, sky is considered to be our atmosphere and all the celestial bodies that can be seen from Earth’s surface (stars, sun, and moon). However, god is saying that this area is separating Earth’s waters from…other waters…space waters? How can we have had an ocean that is open to space? Before now, there was no atmosphere, which means the Earth’s oceans, which god spoke of, were open to space. It would make them frozen waters, thick sheets of ice, not an ocean…dumb asses

8. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

--It took god a whole day to create our atmosphere and the little bit of space we can see from Earth’s surface (firmament)…Also, heaven is the firmament, so god lives in our atmosphere and the little bit of space we can see from Earth’s surface…but didn’t he create heaven the first day…

9. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

--God caused the waters to gather? This implies moving the water…however, it is the
land that must be manipulated in order for the water to move…the verse should read, Let the land move, creating higher and lower areas, so that the water will gather together…has god no concept of plate tectonics?… So, the bible is saying that god moved the water aside so that land would “appear.” Right…

11. And God said, Let the Earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the Earth: and it was so. 12. And the Earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13. And the evening and the morning were the third day.

--Grass, trees and herbs were also created all in one day? Nope, trees didn’t come about till about 370 million years ago. Grass is a relatively new plant to Earth; if I’m not mistaken it didn’t come about until like 67 million years ago…I find it hard to believe it was here on the third days of Earth’s existence. So right after the sky was made, trees, grass and herbs were made in one 24hr period…but not shrubberies! That would be ludicrous.

14. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the Earth: and it was so.

--God made lights in the sky? Because the verse goes on to say that these particular lights change with the season, and may stand for signs (constellations) and even change over the years, we can assume god is referring to the stars. However, by claiming that all the stars in the firmament are just now being made the bible is also claiming the Earth is older than all the stars in the sky. …crazy ancient people…

16. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.17. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the Earth. 18. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

--Okay…god already said he made the sun, but now the bible says again that he made the sun again, “the greater light to rule the day.” (!) Then god makes the moon, and…the stars! But, he already made the stars! … All on the fourth day, Earth is now 96 hours old; god made the stars, the stars again, the moon and the sun again!...Talk about reinventing the wheel…

20. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the Earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.22. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the Earth. 23. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

--Ok, god made all birds in existence and all fish and water mammals in one day! The Archaeopteryx is considered to be the first bird ever, and it’s dated to be 150 million years old, while the oldest fish fossil found is well over 500 million years old…no, but, yeah, they were made the same day. …but for some reason there’s this silly 350 million year gap between them…heck, there were fish before there were trees…yet the bible has it reversed…curious, no?

24. And God said, Let the Earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the Earth after his kind: and it was so. 25. And God made the beast of the Earth after his kind and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the Earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

--Depending on your source or personal bias toward science, the first land animals appeared anywhere from over 400 million to 365 million years ago. This makes land animals older than birds, grass and trees…all which the bible says came before land animals. We know, by looking at fossils, that not all animals were made at one time. There were no golden retrievers running away from a tyrannosaurus rex! …not only false but completely ridiculous.

26. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the Earth.

--“Let us”….US! “make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness…” Who the heck is god talking to? The angels? Are there more gods up there, chilling in our sky…? Besides the whole “us” and “our” thing, what’s up with man having dominion over all living animals? So far, we’ve seen that the bible says earth is made first and everything revolves around earth, and now we see that everything on earth revolves around men...me thinks these ancient people thought themselves very important! …And, we wonder why some people have ego problems…

29. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the Earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30. And to every beast of the Earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the Earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

--So again, god mentions that he gave all animals over to men, to do with them what he will…which is totally messed up…and now he says that men can eat all the plants on the earth…Besides the fact that not all plants are yummy, many plants are poisonous! Yet, god says all plants are food, “…every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the Earth, and every tree…” …cool, I guess…

31. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

--144 hours after god sat down and decided to make men, everything in the world, as we know it today, was made: heaven, earth, ocean, sun, sky, heaven again, plants, stars, sun again, stars again, moon, fish and birds, land animals and humans…and in that order too.…All for men! Lucky men…

Discrepancies found in Genesis 1:1 – Genesis 1:31
1. Earth was not the first thing to exist, or even the second
2. There was not an ocean covering Earth before there was an atmosphere
3. The sun was not created after the Earth; planet formation is due to sun
4.Our planet did not begin to spin after the sun was made (see above)
5. All of the above could not have taken place in one 24 hour period
6. There is no ocean in outer space
7. Earth’s early atmosphere caused the creation of oceans; it didn’t come afterward
8. All of the above could not have taken place in one 48 hour period
9.Trees and grass did not appear on Earth at the same time. There is over 300 million years between them.
10.All of the above could not have taken place in one 72 hour period
11.The stars and other celestial bodies were not made after Earth
12.Earth is not the oldest planet, let alone older than all suns
13.The sun and the stars were not brought into existence twice
14.All of the above could not have taken place in one 96 hour period
15.Birds and fish were not created at the same time; there is more than 400 million years between them.
16.All of the above could not have taken place in one 120 hour period
17. All land animals that ever existed were not all made at one time
18. Humans do not have “dominion” over all living things on earth
19. Humans can not eat all plants and animals, some are poison to us
20. All of the above could not have taken place in one 144 hour period. Heaven, earth, ocean, sun, sky, heaven again, plants, stars, sun again, stars again, moon, fish and birds, land animals and humans were not created in six days and not in that order

Death to an Atheist

In most mythologies or belief structures the main goal of its design is to assure the believer that they may physically die but that is not the end of them. There is a concept of a soul, a living soul that will never cease to be. All these beliefs systems take away fear of death and replace it with a feeling of anticipation and acceptance.

Many believers of such creative fancies believe that life, physical life, is a lesser existence, and that worldly concerns are of lesser importance. If the main goal of every believer is to have a pleasurable afterlife then this life becomes cheapened as a sort of limbo. In which the believer spends much of their time contemplating what pleasures they will experience after they die and not while they live.

However, in these belief structures not everyone can have the eternal pleasure that awaits death. Every belief structure has designed rules which tell the believer what they must do in order to experience pleasure after death and not pain or oblivion. These rules are as common sense as the disapproval of murder and as outlandish as not working on a certain day of the week or being a certain gender. This provides the believer with a sense of universal justice and control over their afterlife.
I pose a question. How helpful and productive is the believer to the living world? Would a believer put all of themselves in something that could benefit mankind greatly? Or are most believers only surviving this life mundanely in anticipation for the next?

Atheism is a growing concept. Atheism is the acceptance that no belief structure involving the existence of an omnipotent being is correct. Most atheists come to this conclusion after reading the “holy” literature of these beliefs and finding too many flaws to ignore. It is a process that could take years and heartache as the once believers realizes that there are no gods and that it is solely up to them to make their only lives as they see fit.

However the biggest hurdle in this journey, second to nothing, is the fear of death. Without the ability to lean of a belief structure that promises an eternal soul the ex-believer feels anxiety over dying. Oblivion is a scary concept. None-existence is a daunting thought. Death is the end of you, you as a being, in every sense of the word, will be no more. How do you deal?

The sooner you realize that death is the end of all ends the sooner you can do something about it. What I mean to say is that life is precious and it should not be cheapened by the anticipation of a fanciful afterlife but rather lived to the fullest! If death is the end then live not a poor life. Do great things. Create for yourself a legacy of good deeds, inventions, discoveries, novels, movies, artwork…Change the world for good and you will live forever in the minds and hearts of the living world.

If you’ve done nothing in the world but live a mundane life in which you’ve compromised left and right, always with your eyes on a pleasurable afterlife that will never be then you have lived a very poor life and will be forgotten in two generations, and you probably suffer from depression…

But it doesn’t have to be this way. One act of greatness is all you need. Just think to yourself, “what can I do that will make this world a better place?” design a better car? Write an inspiring novel? Take in foster kids and instill in them a passion for life? Build a group of volunteers that help others? Design public policies that work better than those in place today? Build a bridge?

You don’t have to do great things to make your name live on after you have gone in order to live a full life. You can be utterly selfish too. You only get one life so live it. No compromises, no settling. Marry the person you want to, or marry no one if you wish. Live off the grid, join the army, live as a gipsy, do as you like, be one hundred percent you with a devil may care grin and bad posture. No one has to live your life but you, so why live by the expectations of others?

This line of thinking doesn’t create criminals. Desperation, sick minds, and poor parenting create criminals. A child raised to value life, respect others and pursue that which is curious will never be a criminal…maybe a public nuisance in their teens but who wasn’t? Can you imagine how productive the human race would be if we all thought this way…we would have colonies on Mars by now...

What does death mean to an atheist? Death to an atheist is the end of a very good story.