U.S. Constitution didn't come from the Bible. Rather it came as a direct result of The Reformation & The Enlightenment.

The U.S. Constitution didn't come from the Bible. Rather it came as a direct result of The Reformation & The Enlightenment.

On the back of Modified and Enlightened and Evolved Christian tradition.

So not directly from the Bible, but it was done by children raised within the general European Christian tradition that's true.

When I examine who on the social & political landscape supports a.) the freedom to draw Mohamed, and b.) the publishing of such cartoons, the list is very small: Libertarians who're mostly conservative, and a few very (very) lonely leftists.

When Obama states that his preferred future belongs to people who never talk smack about Mohamed or the prophets of other religions, he's turning his back on the principles of The Enlightenment, principles which allowed America and it's Constitution to exist in the first place. He's also turning his back on all the people who want to (f-ing) leave abusive cults like Islam (& Mormonism & other highly abusive religions).

more info:
http://reason.com/blog/2012/09/25/president-obama-says-we-must-condemn-tho

So, it's true that ex-Muslims / atheists who pop up, rather naturally these days, within Islamic theocracies are little gems who should be valued & protected. They exist & live within countries which are essentially meat grinders, grinding against all opposition to the status quo.

Here's a special vid of an atheist visiting Mecca:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ5x0vAEaCw

I'm sure that Obama would be upset by such a vid, as per his past comments about the supposed strong need to never offend a devout cult member.

Before 9/11 I had mostly zero idea what Islam was about. After 9/11 I woke up & realized that people in Islamic countries sometimes find their lives to be so shitty that they lash out in unhinged ways - misdirected anger. The 9/11 attacks were performed by men who were angry - but they should have been angry at their religion rather than at 3000+ innocent people in those towers.

The Enlightenment human tradition is a unique one, and one that should be valued. Freedom of speech. Freedom of thought. Freedom of religion. Freedom from religion. Freedom of commerce (mostly). Governmental transparency (hopeful). Freedom for science to progress. Freedom for science to question traditional religious dogmas & doctrines regarding literalist interpretations of a god. When leftists like Glenn Greenwald and Noam Chomsky (& many other 'regressive' leftists) blame America first for all that is wrong with the Middle East, they're also turning their backs on the Enlightenment tradition which allows them to speak & exist in the first place.

Mr. Greenwald is gay for example. If he lived in an Islamic theocracy he'd be suppressed at the very least or killed at worst.

The cold war abuses of America are not responsible for every single thing that ails the world. Religious theocracy, that of a specific religion, is largely to blame. And yes, it's a religion - that is Islam is a religion.

Before 9/11 I sat in my little ex-Mormon chamber and just thought about ex-Mormon things. I knew Joseph Smith was a charismatic charlatan. I know Brigham Young was an abusive authoritarian theocratic bozo. I relished the works of people like Monty Python with their general criticism of Christianity (eg: Life of Brian), and of Mormon specific humorist organizers like Steve Clark (operator of Latter-Day Lampoon now renamed The Salamander Society).

Consider what Muslim versions of the following works of art would look like?

Life of Brian:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python's_Life_of_Brian

Latter-Day Lampoon (aka Salamander Society):
http://salamandersociety.com/

Would Obama approve?

How about your average MSNBC & CBC & BBC presenter?

So I was raised in an itty-bitty religion which has as it's key tenant a required cult of personality revolving around this guy named Joseph Smith. Then when I got older I wised up & left that religion.

That whole experience provided greater insight into the entirely of the situation with Islam, it's followers, and those who want to leave it and be free of it.

A communist who left it (Maryam Namazie):
http://freethoughtblogs.com/maryamnamazie/2013/02/01/world-hejab-day/

A libertarian (Ayaan Hirsi Ali):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayaan_Hirsi_Ali

Another libertarian & big Ayn Rand supporter (Bosch Fawstin):
http://fawstin.blogspot.com/

And some people stay in to varying degrees, or are just 'marginally' in:

Maajid Nawaz:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maajid_Nawaz

Tawfik Hamid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxfo11A7XuA

Maajid is considered an 'Uncle Tom' by hijab-loving Muslims though. And Tawfik is a former hard line Muslim w/key info re how Sunni flavor Islam prompts young men within it to consider getting virgins in paradise via suicide as a viable option for sexual expression (check the vid linked to above).

Charlie Hebdo was mostly killed off, and it's remaining members have given up publishing drawings of the prophet of Islam. So Obama's preferred future has been fulfilled re Hebdo. Hebdo was and is an ultra-leftist publication, but one which was 'very lonely' on the left - lonely like Bill Maher is, and lonely like Sam Harris is, and like Salman Rushdie is. Lonely leftists who could never get a Mohamed cartoon published in any mainline leftie publication if they tried.

In any case, I was raised an American Democrat. Now I'm a general middle of the roader. A moderate Republican/Libertarian, or a very very blue dog Democrat. But as per the response of the left to Hebdo (the murder of the artists) & Garland (Garland, Texas cartoon contest attempted to be shot up by Islamic adherents) though I'm a bit loath to refer myself as a Democrat at all. The response of the left to those events shows that the left, as it stands today, as nothing to offer people who want to a.) leave Islam, or b.) criticize Islam exactly the same way we've been criticizing Christianity for hundreds of years.

Also America isn't a full democracy. It's a republic. A representative democracy. There republicanism helps to quell craziness & chaos & stupidity which can come from 'full democracy.'

When 'democracy' came to the Islamic middle east, the secularists were mostly drowned out by the thoecrats (so far).

Where in an Islamic 'democracy' is one free to draw Mohamed? Nowhere? Then the principles of the Enlightenment are not being fully engaged. Freedom of speech. Freedom of though. Freedom of religion. Freedom from religion. Freedom for science to examine & critique literalist religious claims which touch upon the physical world. And so on.

There's slight bright spots here & there. Example:
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/12/30/egypt-president-calls-for-islamic-reform-again-in-muhammad-birthday-speech/
http://www.clarionproject.org/videos/egypts-president-el-sisi-calls-islamic-reformation

But in which Islamic country can one be an atheist openly? Criticize Mohamed? Draw Mohamed? Lampoon Mohamed - EXACTLY the way Monty Python did regarding Anglican Christianity? Nowhere yet.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2530920/You-parody-Islam-says-Palin-Monty-Python-star-believes-religious-sensitivities-increased-impossible-make-Life-Brian-today.html

But some ex-Muslims (and friends) somewhere shall do this someday soon I hope (parody Islam in total Life of Brian style & more).

Complaint regarding the University of Utah Hospital and it's marketing department: Censored on Facebook, Permanently.

[copy of a complaint filed with the University of Utah]

September 23, 2015

Complaint regarding the University of Utah Hospital and it's marketing department: Censored on Facebook, Permanently.

Request this complaint be reviewed by the "complaint review" committee of the Hospital, and by whatever citizen-rights-advocacy person or group may exist within the University structure - any person or group who may advocate on behalf of citizens who've been wronged by University actions.

In violation of the First Amendment, in violation of my right as a patient and citizen to complain to and about the University, publicly, I have been blocked from any ability to post comments on the University of Utah Hospital's Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Utah-Hospital/102550626466923?fref=ts

Previously I posted copies of complaints on the Hospital's page regarding the Orthopedic Center unit of the Hospital.

Those posts were deleted by Hospital staff, in violation of the First Amendment.

My posts were labeled as "spam" by the marketing department of the Hospital (as per their comments to the University Office of Equal Opportunity).

My ability to post ANY comments at all on the Hospital's Facebook page has been blocked by Hospital staff.

A permanent black mark.

An attempt at retaliation in response to my Free Speech activities (my attempts to let the public know about problems with the University and with the Hospital, in a public forum).

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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

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"The right to petition government for redress of grievances is the right to make a complaint to, or seek the assistance of, one's government, without fear of punishment or reprisals."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_petition

Dr. David Petron and his staff have directly acted to attempt to punish me for making in-person during-visit complaints regarding their refusal to weigh me on a scale during my visit.

Clinic Manager Leslie Berg of the School of Dentistry has directly attempted to have me ejected from the School of Dentistry clinics in response to complaints filed about the school she works for, complaints filed with the University and with other relevant parties.

The Marketing department of the Hospital has directly attempted to have be barred from access to the Hospital Facebook page. They have labeled my posts as "spam," have labeled me a "spammer," have deleted my public posts complaining about the University Hospital and it's clinics, and they have permanently blocked my ability to post anything at all on the Hospital Facebook page.

These acts by the University are reprisals.

These acts by the University are retaliation.

The University has engaged in censorship.

The University Hospital has labeling my speech as "spam."

The University Hospital has labeled me, a patient & citizen, a "spammer."

The University Hospital does attempt to boot, block, and censor patients who complain about poor treatment. If complaints are made during an active visit, lower level staff summarily boot patients with zero due process and with no opportunity to speak with the doctor being seen that day (Orthopedic Center). If complaints are made after a visit to other parts of the University and to other relevant professional & accrediting bodies, University Hospital employees try & boot patients in response. From Leslie Berg: "We don't know why you would want to continue coming here?" - from the School of Dentistry Clinic Manager.

Are all these the appropriate actions for a governmental institution and for a University and for a hospital?

Clearly not!

They ARE the acts of an abusive institution bent on self-serving self-protection.

A "whack-a-mole" game IS engaged at the University when patients complain.

Your retaliatory acts are acts of punishment, and are reprisals.

Punishments directed at my family.

There are some good providers & managers at the University - usually most often on the "general practice" side of things. But there's also administrators, doctors, clinic managers, and medical students who root their daily work solely within the religious culture of Utah, where belief maintenance, heresy trials, and excommunication are all ready tools they have zero problem with using, using in their jobs as government employees.

These people haven't read the Constitution, and neither apparently have the legal staff for the University.

Sincerely,

Jonathan with Yanning, Carl, and Tina

p.s. Carl & Tina were both born at the University Hospital, if that means anything to you. My wife Yanning is a patient of the Hospital and it's clinics, it that means anything to you. Attempts to shut up and shut down my family will not succeed, regardless of the apparent sociopathic. theocratic, and dictatorial anti-Constitution inclinations of Hospital & University administrators. The Utah government is MY government, not your private club nor your personal enrichment device.

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Related posts:

University of Utah School of Dentistry and Leslie Berg: direct retaliation and ejection, if you complain about poor treatment.
http://jonathanshome.blogspot.com/2015/09/university-of-utah-school-of-dentistry.html

University of Utah Orthopedic Center and David Petron: rude treatment, denial of service, refusal to weigh (of all things!)
http://jonathanshome.blogspot.com/2015/06/university-of-utah-orthopedic-center.html

On American exceptionalism: the left's hatred of America

As someone who was proud to bang some pots and pans when the guy was elected to office, I'm sad in some ways to admit that I generally agree with the right's criticism of the left on this point. There's far too much self hatred and America hatred on the left side of the isle.

If you hate your country too much then something else more unsavory will replace it. 

America was founded on the *basis* of the Reformation and Enlightenment. Enlightenment thinkers put Enlightenment ideals into America's founding document. 

Yes in subsequent years some less than perfect things. But not everything is equal. 

America has a more healthy birth rate.

Americans are more generally proud of their country - and that's a good thing. It means people who come here are actually drawn to something positive. If for example people come from a more oppressive culture, if there's isn't a positive cultural draw to something better, they may more readily retain the oppressive culture they're more used to (as a sort of safety blanket).

As an atheist, let me say: thank god for rural America, where there's a general counter culture to the relativism on the coasts. Not everything is equal nor relative. America is better because it's founders drew up documents directly from key Enlightenment values. Freedom of speech & therefore freedom of thought. Separation of church & state. Separation of powers. Not having direct democracy, but instead having a democratic republic. The right to bear arms - aka the right to be a Duck Dynasty person.

http://www.therebel.media/rudy_giuliani_obama_doesn_t_love_america

Liberal self hate is just as distasteful as the conservative variety. For example conservatives are upset that we're sexual animals, and that pleasure is an inherent part of sex. Liberals are upset that the reason sex exists in the first place is for reproduction. Conservatives are upset that outliers naturally exist. Liberals are upset that outliers aren't treated with "full equality," even though not everything is equal. Thus both sides are upset with the facts regarding human nature, evolution, and biology, in their own way.

Both sides question each other's motives, and refuse to realise that each side has some good faith goals. Both sides tend to be too short sided to give an inch on the key issues they care about. Fully natural human morality can and is rooted in religion, because religion is a natural phenomenon. It's so natural that two or more atheists gathered in the name of a social or political ideology can't help but form de facto religions, with belief maintenance, heresy trials, and excommunication all waiting in the wings. 

The answer to conservatism isn't full blind liberalism. Rather a key answer to human flourishing is examine what's of value from all sides. What are the facts. What ideas help humans flourish & move forward and survive. The Enlightenment yielded some key answers. And that's why America is better - because it's founding ideals are better.