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So it is…..D’errrr!

In my defense I was medicating when I checked to see what day it was, I clearly didn’t pay attention to the time.

Thanks.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 11:06 pm

Great story. If only all humans displayed such humanity, we would all be better off.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 10:40 pm

Was there a live chat tonight? it’s late here and I just realized it was Friday night….#oldman

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 10:33 pm

I’m normally not into the Jerky Boys type humor, but that one was brilliant.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 10:30 pm

Look, with all due respect, I’m not going to argue what you believe or have faith in with you. There is nothing to be gained from it for either of us.

We can talk about all kinds of shit under the sun, but arguing what a person has faith in or what they believe in their heart to be true is just unproductive.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 10:29 pm

I saw this and just had to share it. I imagine that we all wanted to do this at some point in our lives. Telemarketers are a pox on humanity, and should be flogged in public for their intrusive, interruptions into our lives. Well, that might be a bit extreme for their transgressions, but we should at least be able to flick their ears if we run into them…

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 10:05 pm

We’ll just have to agree to disagree.

I’ll never convince you that belief in a magical sky being is in fact superstitious nonsense despite your claim otherwise, and you won’t be able to convince me that such a being without proof.

For what it’s worth, it’s not just Xtian beliefs I find to be ludicrous, but all the religions that profess of magical beings.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 4:52 pm

Thanks Kilgore. Trust me when I state that the comment took a lot of self censorship on my end so as not to be completely hostile to the religious minded among us.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 2:35 pm

Har har! Glad to hear it, I know some don’t take kindly to having such things pointed out, and I didn’t want to come off as an ass over it.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 1:36 pm

Kilgore, I totally agree.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 1:33 pm

Freedom of speech as I see it, is when the GOVERNMENT attempts to silence you through either intimidation or prosecution.

He was shut down by his employer who is under no such obligation to provide a international platform for him to spread his ignorance. He wasn’t threatened with imprisonment. No fines were levied by a government agency. He spoke his mind with no fear of such repercussions.

He is just as free to speak his mind as his employer is to disagree with him, and remove his platform. I see it as a win-win as it gets one stupid redneck off the airwaves, and it shines a light on these supposedly Christian values he claims to cherish, and live by.

I’m a stone cold, atheist, some might even say I’m an aggressive atheist, and I act more Christlike than 99.9% of the Christians I have ever met in my life. I find them to be disgusting, small minded, vile, people far too worried about nonsense to take seriously. They are all show, and very little substance. Don’t get me started on how they have infiltrated the government with their nonsense…

People are free to believe in the fairy tales of their choosing, I got no problem with that. The problems arise when they demand that everyone in the nation fall in step with their beliefs, and write laws that bring to punishment/disadvantage to those that do not share their delusions.

I happily acknowledge their belief system, but I am under no obligation to respect it. Respect is earned, and they have done nothing in that regard. I grow weary of their hate mongering, and I simply cannot respect such a weak minded thought process.

With so many problems facing humanity, I find it offensive that so many are unwilling to use their brains to seek truth rather than just accept what they are told. To me such faith is intellectually lazy…”the answers all in a book so you don’t need to think for yourself”….

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 1:31 pm

Great video, nailed it good.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 1:00 pm

FYI, it’s censor, not sensor. Not trying to be an ass, just trying to help.

Helpful Smotpoker

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 8:55 am

As a society we are under no obligation to give him a national platform to espouse his vile hatred, and ignorance either.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 19, 2013 @ 8:50 am

Cool, I thought it might be as I went into the memory banks of my brain picturing them on the globe….

No way in hell I was going to argue that it wasn’t…lol

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 18, 2013 @ 5:45 am

I don’t play the game either. Life is rigged against me enough without letting poor math skills add to the troubles. It’s a tax on those that are poor at math as I see it. Sure someone gets lucky, but you got a better chance of getting struck by lighting 7 days in a row while standing the exact same spot.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 18, 2013 @ 5:44 am

Kalima – This was the only spot I saw a reply button attached to one of your post. Does this mean that…that my article made the cut? Yes, I am done with my article, and it is ready for you to do with it as you see fit….

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 18, 2013 @ 5:05 am

Definitely has a whole “I fart in your general direction” vibe to it don’t it…

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 17, 2013 @ 9:19 pm

I went ahead and wrote a little piece today that I just submitted for approval. Nothing too heavy, just a light hearted story about an experience I had a while back. I hope it passes muster….

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 17, 2013 @ 9:07 pm

Now you’ve just confused me….

I’ve been to Germany, and I’ve been to Vermont, and I’m pretty sure (but don’t hold me to it, as we Americans are well known for not knowing shit about geography) that they are on separate continents. Not sure about which one is further north though….

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 17, 2013 @ 6:14 am

I completely agree. That process works for just about any type of decision. Consider it a decision making tool in your belt. Not every decision can be so cut and dried, or obvious. This can be useful for helping to determine the proper risk and which direction to go to promote success in the endeavor.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 17, 2013 @ 6:11 am

I hear EXACTLY what you are saying my friend. We gotta start with the ground rules of the exercise. If your participant is unwilling to have an open mind, then yeah, the whole exercise is one of futility. My solution is to allow every extreme comment no matter how stupid or based in ignorance, from both sides of the argument. I feel at the end of the discussion will still result in an overwhelming conclusion that we must do something.

I’ll let them argue hoax all they want, they can bring up their invisible friend in the sky that promised to never let anything bad happen again, whatever falsehood they wish, but at the end of the exercise the proof is in the pudding.

As you said though, trying to use reason, and logic with a stone cold bagger to me is like trying to teach your cat calculus or nuclear theory, a complete waste of time, and an exercise in futility.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 16, 2013 @ 4:33 pm

Excellent article, thanks for the link.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 16, 2013 @ 4:24 pm

Thank you for the kind words, as I do attempt to put some thought in what I post. Of course, as you’ve seen over the last week, I also tend to post stuff just to get a chuckle, so I think it balances out in the long run.

You keep making me feel all warm and fuzzy like that with such positive reinforcement I worry that I may become a bit too active, setting your server into overdrive.

I’m considering a feature post (or whatever we call the articles we submit for pub), with some of navel gazing, and where it takes me…So many wrongs to right or put into the public mind, no shortage of subjects past or present.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 16, 2013 @ 4:23 pm

Do you have family members that scoff at Climate Change? Are you tired of trying to talk reasonably, and logically with those that are unwilling to listen? I might have exercise that will help you get the stubborn on board with the program of our survival as a species. I saw this years ago on Youtube, and thought it would make a great tool in teaching not only decision making, but how to handle the debate on Climate Change as a reality. the exercise is quite simple, and takes no more than a few minutes to reach a conclusion.

What’s The Worst That Can Happen? Please watch the following video, and let me know if you agree with my thoughts on this exercise being useful in talking to the deniers.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 16, 2013 @ 1:48 pm

No problem. He was a groundbreaking artist in getting his films not only made, but distributed. He was one of the originals.

Billy Jack is a film that still resonates with people today. The character of Billy Jack is a hero to all those that have suffered under the thumb of the greedy, and oppressive.

Here’s a memory I think we all share….

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 16, 2013 @ 1:37 pm

I was navel gazing for a bit today, remembering things I’ve seen in the past, and I happened to remember this speech from the great Charlie Chaplin film, The Great Dictator. It is an impassioned speech that caused him considerable pain in his life as he became embroiled in accusations of being a communist, and bringing attention to himself from the FBI under the great asshole, and blackmail artist J. Edgar Hoover (whose crimes against humanity are far too numerous to list here). His speech which I shall post below in it’s entirety came at the end of the film, was an impassioned plea for reason, and for all to find the humanity that lay within each of us. I post it in it’s entirety because despite my self professed mastery of the English language, there are no words that I could add or subtract from the original that would add to it, in fact it is my firm belief that any alterations would be harmful. It was 4-5 minutes where he spoke directly to the camera from his heart. I find it to be as relevant today as it was in 1940. We are on a dangerous slope these days.

The Great Dictator Speech:

I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone – if possible – Jew, Gentile – black man – white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness – not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.

Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost….

The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men – cries out for universal brotherhood – for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world – millions of despairing men, women, and little children – victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.

To those who can hear me, I say – do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed – the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. …..

Soldiers! don’t give yourselves to brutes – men who despise you – enslave you – who regiment your lives – tell you what to do – what to think and what to feel! Who drill you – diet you – treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men – machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate – the unloved and the unnatural! Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!

In the 17th Chapter of St Luke it is written: “the Kingdom of God is within man” – not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power – the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.

Then – in the name of democracy – let us use that power – let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world – a decent world that will give men a chance to work – that will give youth a future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power. But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will!

Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people! Now let us fight to fulfill that promise! Let us fight to free the world – to do away with national barriers – to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of democracy, let us all unite!

Music is a powerful tool especially when it comes to propaganda, so with that in mind I have posted a version that has no music, it is simply speech, nothing but words, and images to evoke the emotions. Enjoy.

Please take a few minutes to review this speech, and ask yourselves just how far we have come in reaching those ideals he speaks of, and how utterly short we have fallen after 70+ years.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 16, 2013 @ 1:32 pm

His daughter states that it was from complications from pneumonia, but it should also be noted that he was battling cancer. He was 82 years old.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 16, 2013 @ 12:10 pm

Bummed to hear that Tom Laughlin AKA Billy Jack has passed away. I loved those old Billy Jack films…

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 16, 2013 @ 11:49 am

Sweet pic. My uncle has a cabin up north (I live in MI)that I went he and I went to last year to do a bit of target shooting to release some pressure I was feeling.

I’d never been to the cabin before, it was one he and my aunt had built with their own two hands. He was, and is quite proud of it, and for good reason.

He has pictures of a deer that COMES INSIDE THE HOUSE, and will hang out, accept treats, and even snuggle up on a couch. I need to get a copy of some of those pictures. It was the damnest thing I ever seen.

» Posted By SmotPoker On December 16, 2013 @ 6:52 am