Recent Comments

1. over 2 years ago on Non Sequitur

   What if God’s only power is that of suggestion; for non-sentient reality, God’s “suggestion” is accepted non-critically; but for sentient creatures, such as ourselves, where we have the capacity for reflection, the suggestions may outline the best course possible, but we have a certain degree of autonomy, and do not always follow the divine suggestion. God aims for the well-being of all to the degree that is possible. But we can and do choose horrible outcomes despite God’s aims. Jung was unable to make sense of this, but Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy sets the stage for a radically different understanding of the nature of God’s power. For ANW, God’s aims are part of all of reality, God does know all that has happened as well as what the trends are, but does not cause bad things to happen. The Center for Process Studies has tons of references to a large number of scholars who have pursued ANW’s ideas for decades.

2. over 2 years ago on Doonesbury

   Depending upon the State, Dad may still need to sign to permit his son to buy, own, and use an AR15 or its equivalent since this young blind guy (YBG) is under 21. (YBG is blind since he has no useful eyes; he obscures that with the labels on his cap.) If YBG’s dad is anything like two of the teen boys’ fathers, no questions will be asked, just congratulations and now you are a MAN. Sex, money, and killing and death are the high stakes, forbidden topics that absolutely need to be seen, heard, discussed, and fully understood. Having a rational discussion about science and religion is a rare phenomenon; usually, the more passionately pro-science types are clear they see the practice of religion, the nature of religious beliefs, and the purpose religious events as comical, ridiculous, disdainfully amusing, even damaging and potentially deadly. On the other hand, some Christians who are strongly conservative see science guys as atheists, pawns of the devil. But it is what we do that defines who we are, not what we think or say. If diehard atheists feed the poor every weekend, they are responding with their heart in the same way as anyone who has been deeply religious from before memory.

3. over 2 years ago on John Deering

   Yes, since “true” = “helps ME!” and “not true” = “hurts me/doesn’t help me” (good, bad; genius, moron, and more)

4. over 2 years ago on Strange Brew

   This reminded me of a beautifully done SF movie, The Vast of Night (there’s a comment that the alien spaceship only comes to rural areas when people are preoccupied with something like a local basketball game). It was one of those movies I keep returning to in my thoughts.

5. about 3 years ago on Steve Breen

   A way to lead the world (and move past China) is to enhance the resources available to all Americans. For that to happen, the 3.5 trillion is an excellent downpayment. This also would lessen the extremely destructive financial divide. Bailing out the billionaires and trillionaires, which we’ve done multiple times, does not help the nation as a whole, nor the world. The overweight Shrek in reality are the top 600 wealthiest individuals and families in the world who benefited the most from the 2017 tax cut. As Peter Phillips shows in his book, Giants: The Global Power Elite, the people in this group are highly interconnected on the boards of and as owners of the largest financial holdings in the world. In fact, Shrek would not be big enough to represent their relative weight.

6. over 3 years ago on Arlo and Janis

   For me, this was really unexpected and really funny.

7. about 4 years ago on Clay Bennett

   GOP: Greed Over People (Democracy = People). Mitchum McConnell is now 99 44/100 Gollum.

8. over 4 years ago on Clay Bennett

   Wonderful!

9. about 7 years ago on Doonesbury

   Fox News Shepard Smith on 11/15/17 succinctly and clearly explained that Hillary had nothing to do with the so-called uranium deal. See https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/11/15/fox-news-shepherd-smith-debunks-his-networks-hillary-clinton-scandal-story-infuriates-viewers/?utm_term=.8f3470f98a68 One-sided piling on is one thing, but to accuse someone of charges that already have been dismissed is worse.

10. about 16 years ago on Clay Bennett

    Bennett is amazing!