Sunday 28 October 2012

We are being dangerously polite to religionists


I am a dangerous guest to invite to polite dinner parties because I refuse to pretend religionists are mentally sound or harmless. They are not. 

Though some pious individuals are indeed innocuous, even nice, enthusiastic about love, religions which controlled many parts of the world for centuries remain a potent and ambitious political ghost, desperate to be reincarnated. Their power depends on the faithful followers, renewable in the schools with Government support

Perhaps I should first highlight the definition of religion. My dictionary says it’s “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods”. According to this reasonable definition, Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions. Buddhism and Daoism are fundamentally atheistic and irreligious. Confucian teachings are simply irrelevant in this context. Labelling them religions was perhaps just ignorance on the part of those who cannot accept the existence of a godless ancient civilisation. But for the SAR government to continue with this perplexing classification is . . . I have no polite word for it.

But why can’t I keep my mouth shut and respect other’s “Freedom of Worship”?

荒谬的 “宗教自由”



我從來不假惺惺地認為宗教信仰很正常;因為宗教歷史上一向是個社會問題和政治團體。

或許我應該先對宗教的定義稍作闡明。我的電腦字典說宗教(religion)的定義是:「對一個或多個有主宰權的超人上帝的信仰和崇拜」。根據這個合理簡單的定義,基督教回教等教派都是「宗教」。奇怪的是,佛教道教是無神論的修為哲學和人生宇宙觀,但也被歸納為「宗教」。更莫名其妙的是連孔夫子那套入世的社會人倫操作手冊也被劃定為「宗教」。這可能是很多在宗教文化長大的人當初無知,不能想像和接受世間上有如此龐大古老的一個「無神論」文化體系吧。但香港特區政府的繼續無知,起碼五十年不變,則有點令人費解。

很多教友本身都不是壞人,有些甚至是蠻有愛心的普通老百姓。假如他們安分守己,閉門念經歌頌上帝,在神仙故事中找尋心靈寄託,不騷擾別人,則不失為一種方便法門,無可厚非。可惜西方宗教主宰歐洲一千多年,習慣了橫行無忌,不擇手段傳教擴張。到現在仍然是一隻陰魂不散的政治厲鬼,野心勃勃,隨時準備借屍還魂。而宗教野心家依靠的,就是一般信徒的群體力量。

容許我講個有關人類起源的故事吧:

Tuesday 23 October 2012

US Government sues a bunch of coins . . .


The United States of America sue a bunch of inert defendants. Yes, they are as inert as any suspect could be, highly inorganic in fact. They are a bunch of coins. Ridiculous? Another conspiracy theory? At the bottom of this post is the civil docket for case No. 1:08-cv-00230-LHT-DLH which anyone should be able to look up from the Department of Justice site. Having gained some experience now in the Rule of Law, I am less surprised than I could have been. 

I think the “defendants” have so far remained silent; but their prospect of self-defence does not look good.

The following is guest blogger Brynjar Danielsson’s piece on what happened.


以下是美国政府控告一批钱币的真事。控告钱币?没那么荒谬的事情吧。有美国司法部的控告文件为证 (在司法部网站也可以搜寻到)。法治这个好概念,被乱用滥用的时候,可以比 “没有法治” 更加可怕,更令人啼笑皆非。以下是 Brynjar Danielsson 的报告及有关链接。

By Brynjar Danielsson (23 Oct 2012)

I love America.  In spite of everything I still love America, because no matter what they do they can never kill this idea that is America. An idea that has shone as a beacon of light ever since 1776.  The world would be a darker place to me without this America, and I cannot conceive it. 

But they are doing their damnedest to smother America now. 

My own rude awakening came in 2007, during the primaries of the previous election, when I witnessed their dismantling of due process of the law.  That was the day they raided the Liberty Dollar, seizing all of its assets, computers, and having the company's bank accounts frozen - all without so much as a cease-and-desist. We had been supporting Ron Paul, and we were eagerly awaiting the delivery of copper coins that bore his likeness, so we could go around handing them out to people while spreading the word - the message of 'no more senseless wars and monetary madness'. They confiscated them all that day, nearly 2 tons worth of copper - plus all the other metals owned by the company. All we could do was to band together in collective defense, in a class action suit to protect our property and our rights. The case remains in a limbo to this very day, and we are not holding our breaths waiting for victory. 

Through all of this we also witnessed the surreal as the empire struck back.  They had taken the absurd to a whole new level in a counter-charge as they effectively waged war on metals. I take a kind of perverse pleasure when I try to explain this to people, especially those in the legal profession, as I show them the case docket sheet; jaws invariably drop to the floor with priceless expressions on dumbstruck faces.  Hey, you get your kicks where you can these days.

Naturally the founder of the Liberty Dollar was sicced by the imperial attack dogs.  Mr. von Nothaus was pronounced a 'unique terrorist' last year for his troubles. Yet amidst this gloom there was a flicker of light, as media entities such as the New York Sun and the Wall Street Journal questioned this inevitable outcome. The Sun mused that if von Nothaus was branded a terrorist for advocating honest money, what would that make Mr. Bernanke...who even as I write is busy QE-ing all of us into oblivion, to the tune of 40 billion smackeroos a month. The Wall Street Journal had this to say in its own editorial: "...it's a loser's game to suppress private money that is sound in order to protect government-issued money that is unsound."  The truth is catching on and hope springs eternal.

As you head to the polls on November 6th, ready to vote for either the lesser or greater of two evils, for they really do amount to the same things - more senseless wars and monetary madness, haven't you had your fill of this farce? Mittens by the way seems to have the upper hand as his pals appear to control Diebold, while the latest indications are Big Money has abandoned Obama. Please consider the words of an all-American hero, when he wrote about his own awakening: " I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers.  In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.  I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914.  I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street.  I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902 - 1912.  I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916.  I helped make Honduras right for the American Fruit Companies in 1903.  In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested.  Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints.  The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts.  I operated on three continents."  Maj. General Smedley Butler, War is a Racket, 1935.

I love America, but I fear for her, and the world.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related links:









Friday 12 October 2012

New Age Narcotics


These things are bad, real bad. How so?

They are seriously addictive. According to my informal survey, more than half of my friends' kids are addicts. Many of them stay up till three four o’clock in the morning indulging in their habits. Some of them are well into their twenties. But young people are not the only victims. Some parents are junkies too. 

Many addicts end up neglecting life. Some miss it altogether, stuck in fabricated reality. They hallucinate rather than participate. These things are extremely damaging to health. The senses and nervous system are dulled by constant over-stimulation. Some suffer from arthritis of the digital joints as well as ruined eyesight as a result. Long-term abusers probably develop funny tics.

You can spot serious fiends on the street, offices and campuses. They look pale, puffy, fat or scrawny, and phlegmatic; zombies with dark pouches under lifeless eyes. Overdosing can result in death

But worse than old-fashioned drugs, they are legal, and very readily available. Don’t even have to venture down to Seven Eleven for them. Instead of going to jail, manufacturers and pushers make huge profits and give speeches in conferences. 

I believe that computer games should not be banned because addiction is entirely voluntary. But isn’t that the case with most illicit drugs though? 

Before the revolution, my maternal grandparents wasted half their lives dreaming on opium beds because their Daddies could afford it; all their friends' grown up children were fashionably the same. Today's electronic junkies live in another century, a distant world from them, but share a similarly privileged nightmare.

Chinese Version:摩登鸦片
Guo-Du Blog  12/10/2012

摩登鸦片


这东西很坏,十分危险。如何危险呢?

它很容易上瘾。根据我的非正式调查,朋友之中的子女有一半以上是道友道姑。其中不少每晚搞到三四点。年纪最大的已经面临三十岁了。不单只年轻人会沉迷,已经一把年纪的瘾君子也大不乏人。

严重上瘾的可能会感到人生迷惘,失去方向,前路一片虚拟,没有了积极参予的落脚地。这东西还很伤身。长期地过度刺激官能,会导致神经系统出轨。有些道友更会患上关节炎和眼疾之类,或由于面部肌肉经常紧张而变得 “眼戚鼻戚”。

瘾君子越来越多,在街上,办公室,校园都可以看见。他们一般不是身体肥肿便是骨瘦如柴,面色苍白憔悴,两眼无神,活像行尸走肉。严重的致命案子,层出不穷。

这东西合法方便,随手可得,不必长途跋涉到街口711去买。贩子们不单只不用坐牢,发财之余还到座谈会演讲介绍。

它虽然祸害不逊于古典鸦片,但很难想像(我也绝对不赞成)“电脑游戏”被禁制。电脑是死的,玩不玩是活人自己拿的主意。不过其它毒品也是基本上自愿者用的,所以禁制这东西很难有标准。

我的公公姥姥解放前花了半生人躺在烟床上做梦,主要因为他们的爹爹们有能力供养。上流人士吸鸦片当时是“潮”!现代的电子鸦片瘾君子们,与公公姥姥相隔了一个世纪,生活在另一个世界,做着同一个世代相传的噩梦。

英文版:New Age Narcotics
Guo -Du Blog 12/10/2012