A former 40 year Atheist analyzes Atheism, without resorting to theism, deism, or fantasy. *** If You Don't Value Truth, Then What DO You Value? *** If we say that the sane can be coaxed and persuaded to rationality, and we say that rationality presupposes logic, then what can we say of those who actively reject logic? *** Atheists have an obligation to give reasons in the form of logic and evidence for rejecting Theist theories.
You know.... I have been a Fred Fan since the mid-1980s, when I cut his articles out of the back of the Navy Times over in Japan. He vanished from their pages one day, but I still a few clipped-out articles in my photo album from those days.
However, I noticed something about Fred, and it is that Fred is very, very cynical. I read and read and read the articles on his site and come to the conclusion that he has been staring at the underbelly of the American Dream for so long, he no longer believes in it anymore.
I don't mean the fantasy of American Hegemony - I mean the love of country, tempered with the knowledge that men are Fallen and that we live in a world where we must compete on less than ideal terms or perish. No, we are not perfect because we are a democratic republic (or whatever Fred thinks it is). Nor are we perfect in our ways and means of extending our power and influence.
Hell, we're not even close to perfect, and I am not using that as an excuse for our failures. I am personally ashamed of the shenanigans we pulled in the Philippines. But I would like to point out two things:
First, some yee-haw yokels DO claim the moral high ground. They are wrong, but that does not automatically make what we do in the interests of preserving American power wrong. What did Old Fred expect, honestly? Did he really believe we should abstain from any and all morally questionable methods of preserving and extending our country's influence?
How long would we last if we did?
And where does he get the curious idea that because we are American citizens, we cannot be (and indeed, are) occasionally or even frequently dirty rotten scoundrels. I am not holding that up in pride - it is a shameful thing. And yet, as Machiavelli pointed out, such men do get the job done. And the nations who do not recognize this are not nations for long.
Second, where does Old Fred get the idea that because he has hung out with the dregs (ooh rah young soldiers and aging 'mercenaries'), the rest of us are to be lumped in with them - or worse, dismissed as of no import because we haven't corrected the perceived ills of our society?
I submit that Fred has an interesting take on America and Americans, but his credibility is somewhat diluted by the fact that he has chosen to abandon the culture and take up residence in a place where a goodly number of people spend a lot of time and money doing exactly the opposite.
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You know.... I have been a Fred Fan since the mid-1980s, when I cut his articles out of the back of the Navy Times over in Japan. He vanished from their pages one day, but I still a few clipped-out articles in my photo album from those days.
However, I noticed something about Fred, and it is that Fred is very, very cynical. I read and read and read the articles on his site and come to the conclusion that he has been staring at the underbelly of the American Dream for so long, he no longer believes in it anymore.
I don't mean the fantasy of American Hegemony - I mean the love of country, tempered with the knowledge that men are Fallen and that we live in a world where we must compete on less than ideal terms or perish. No, we are not perfect because we are a democratic republic (or whatever Fred thinks it is). Nor are we perfect in our ways and means of extending our power and influence.
Hell, we're not even close to perfect, and I am not using that as an excuse for our failures. I am personally ashamed of the shenanigans we pulled in the Philippines. But I would like to point out two things:
First, some yee-haw yokels DO claim the moral high ground. They are wrong, but that does not automatically make what we do in the interests of preserving American power wrong. What did Old Fred expect, honestly? Did he really believe we should abstain from any and all morally questionable methods of preserving and extending our country's influence?
How long would we last if we did?
And where does he get the curious idea that because we are American citizens, we cannot be (and indeed, are) occasionally or even frequently dirty rotten scoundrels. I am not holding that up in pride - it is a shameful thing. And yet, as Machiavelli pointed out, such men do get the job done. And the nations who do not recognize this are not nations for long.
Second, where does Old Fred get the idea that because he has hung out with the dregs (ooh rah young soldiers and aging 'mercenaries'), the rest of us are to be lumped in with them - or worse, dismissed as of no import because we haven't corrected the perceived ills of our society?
I submit that Fred has an interesting take on America and Americans, but his credibility is somewhat diluted by the fact that he has chosen to abandon the culture and take up residence in a place where a goodly number of people spend a lot of time and money doing exactly the opposite.
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