Child Pornography

Oh, how the topics of this blog have varied, dear reader! I find myself on the brink of supporting free speech in defence of child pornography. But wait, keep the phone on the hook for now. I simply wish to draw your attention to this piece. In May 2005 an Arizona man, aged 57 with no previous criminal record, was sentenced to 200 years in jail. Why? Did he rape a baby? Did he hack away at the genitals of a newborn boy with a sharp stone without the divine permission of God? No. He downloaded 20 images of child pornography. Vulgar, yes, but without context. A single case of possessing inappropriate images results in a ten year prison term, without the chance of early release. And, in these instances, it is not eligible to be served concurrently. In other words, jail terms have to be served consecutively for each conviction. Hence, 200 years. Now...call me a paedophile...but surely, downloading several pictures of a little boy/girl, is not quite as bad as killing someone (an act, which under Arizona law, often procures a 22 year jail sentence). There seems to be some imbalance here. Not only that, but convictions of second degree murder can be served concurrent with other convictions. So, if I killed someone whilst drunk-driving I would be charged with second degree murder and DWI (driving while intoxicated), but then serve the jail time concurrently and be freed after 22 years. However, if i was to download two pictures of a stranger having sex with a twelve-year-old, I would go down for forty years. Say what you want, dear reader, but one is not as bad as the other; any glowing essence of human solidarity would tell you which. Lest we forget that this man did not perpetrate any act against a child, but merely stood by. In a removed sense, this equates to remanding a man for funding the 9/11 attacks through buying heroin off a shady crackpot on a street corner.

Hitchens v. Hitchens

Granted, this isn't the first time that Christopher Hitchens and Peter Hitchens have come to do battle. These independent thinking brothers have met before in England to debate, and I've heard them both argue relentlessly about the war in Iraq on radio before now. However, this video shows them debate together for the first time on American soil, only a couple of weeks ago. It always provides intense viewing as your never quite sure whether tensions will fray just enough for a familial fall-out. (It is well documented that their relationship was fraught with anger for a couple of years before their apparent reconciliation roughly a year ago.) They even vowed never to review one another's books, but an exception was made in the case of Christopher's god is not Great - Peter is a devout Roman Catholic. Forgive me for having the impression that whatever topic Christopher turns his hand to, so too does Peter, but belatedly opposing any argument Christopher poses. For example, Christopher supports the war, Peter attacks it; Christopher condemns the religiosity of the Nazi regime, Peter denies it, etc. Overall, to the neutral bystander, this could look simply like exaggerated sibling rivalry. And it's nice to see them share a joke, but the seriousness of their topics does not provide any breathing space, there is no letting-up here. Who won the debate? You decide. But, as a reward, here is a clip purely for your visual enjoyment: Hitch steals a heckler's hat.

A Non-Contrarian

A month ago a man called John Gray turned his hand to writing an article for The Guardian entitled 'The atheist delusion', supposedly expunging the various faults of the secular fundamentalist arguments. Not being one to surround myself solely with support for my own opinion, I printed out Grays article and proceeded with a relatively open mind. However, the article is not exactly persuasive. For example, Intelligent Design is denoted as a theory, yet Dawkinsian meme-theory is passed off as the next in "a succession of ill-judged Darwinian metaphors". Yet he goes further. According to Gray, Islam is not a significant threat in comparison to that posed by North Korea. Moreover, he even has the audacity to tackle humanist arguments of fair education amongst children. Not teaching religion, says Gray, would be similar to rearing children in a chaste environment, expecting them to grow up "without illicit sexual impulses" (later: "repressing religion is like repressing sex, a self-defeating enterprise"). If you cannot draw your own conclusions from this last statement, how dare you read my blog. In fairness to his article, I suppose someone has to do it. The only successful course of action for these non-contrarians is to pursue the line of free-will, determinism, and self-judgement. This method was employed by the commendable Dinesh D'Souza, whom we've come across before. This angle of reasoning, I'm led to believe, allowed him a small victory over Christopher Hitchens in a recent debate. I tip my hat to the mere suggestion of such a feat. Unfortunately, no video appears to have surfaced on the web but you'll be first to know when t does. Read Gray's article for yourself, and come back in a couple of moths once I've had the time to prepare my own lengthy case against it.

Neurotics

Over the years and decades mind-altering drugs have been employed by the intellectuals to enhance what depths of thought they find most straining. For example, Freud was a known user of LSD to couch himself well and truly in the abyss he attempted to notate; Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes was no stranger to cocaine, his only vice, as a means of formulating his intricate crime explanations; and, most recently, Hugh Laurie's eternal Gregory House MD is addicted to neurotic pain-killers. Indeed, without his meds, he is merely half the doctor he can be. And so it comes as no surprise to read about widespread use in the US of mind-enhancing drugs, often legally prescribed for diagnosable conditions such as narcolepsy or hypertension. However, in over 50% of cases, those who take these meds do so with regard to improving their memory, concentration, or alertness. This, surely, is a very worrying statistic. What state of human confidence has developed if half of the American population take these pills, not to get an edge, but simply to keep up? In related news, the Japanese have taken it one step further.

Nearly There

It is now almost a month since I last posted on this blog. Many times have a scanned the news reels brimming with topics to post about but never had I had the time until recently. I'm now back in Tucson, rehabilitating myself into academic progress, which is taking a great deal of effort. Not only have I neglected the many courses I'm currently enrolled in, but I've also lapsed on my reading of my many magazine subscriptions and classic works. For this I apologise, and I can only leave you with the hope that my blogging returns to its fully fledged consistency once this brown patch has passed. Needless to say, my readership has gradually declined, but here's to wishing for a merry exponential growth over the coming fortnight. Wish me luck.

Free Homosexual Kisses

Clicking on this link will give you a good visual depiction of what I attempted to describe a couple of days ago - the evangelical preachers drawing swaths at the University of Arizona. What the picture doesn't show, unfortunately, is my favorite Tucsonian couple who denounced us sinners with their classic banner. However, I can go one better; in this picture, notice the man on standby with his placard: "Free Homosexual Kisses". I commend that man. Well done, sir.

Incorrect Classifications

An ongoing issue raised by the good doctor Kermode on Radio 5 concerns the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and its recent rise in inappropriate classifications, not least of all for The Other Boleyn Girl, a film that I haven't seen and neither will I in the future seeing as it lends a platform for the awful, wooden, and boring Natalie Portman. This film has been given a '12A' certificate, which suggests that children aged under 12 should only go and see the film with the accompaniment of an adult within special reason; certainly no-one under 8 years old should go. With regard to The Other Boleyn Girl, the BBFC states: "The film also contains a scene in which the King, frustrated by Anne Boleyn's refusal to submit to him, forces himself upon her, [...] merely suggesting what is happening through Anne's pained expression. [...] The film also contains undetailed implication of two executions by beheading. [...] The film also contains some brief and undetailed references to incest." Now, call me a square from the past, but surely films that contain rape, executions, incest, bad language, and dramatic violence should not be classified as a '12A'. This is not the first time that Kermode has taken issue with their guidelines, and rightly so, it seems. Moreover, a concerned fellow citizen even rang in to the show to express his doubts after watching the film, judging whether it would be appropriate for his daughter studying Henry VIII. What brings me directly to this, considering I would not normally post about this subject, is the BBFC's struggle against Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2. I have posted about this before but I cannot find where. In that instance, judge the case for yourself and analyze whether the BBFC has its priorities set straight: here and here.

An Update...

Following my venture into mainland Texas, my reading of the classic works on evolution has somewhat dropped off, or subsided shall we say. However, I have picked up the Canto edition of John Maynard Smith's The Theory of Evolution. As I was reading the very thoughtful introductory essay I had a sneaking suspicion that it may have been written by the contemporary guru, Richard Dawkins, and so when I found his name credited it came as little surprise. I was again assured that I was in the hands of a very capable writer, with an alluring tone of informality, written for the layman. I shall keep you posted. Otherwise, I should inform you that I'll be leaving Tucson again this Saturday, but this time set for good ol' Blighty. I'll be home for three weeks and I'll do my best to keep my blog alive for all you adamant readers. Unfortunately, my friend's blog, Exchange, has come to its untimely end - my inkling has been confirmed; the key to a successful blog is regular updates, which requires an unusual amount of motivation. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to my daily newspaper in the morning - a luxury that the States barely provides, along with good cups of tea.

Passports and Burqas

Just as I add to my blogroll, I discover this, which is one of those curious things - something that I wish I had written myself. As a side note: Premature Ejaculation - premature for whom?

Evangelicals

Today on the university commons an evangelical preacher group drew quite the crowd whilst spouting nonsensical drivel about the word of god. You have to have a certain admiration for evangelicals - to believe every word of The Bible to be gospel regardless of the wealth of evidence that suggests quite the opposite. What's more, the passages that moderate christians tend to avoid, like those found in the Book of Revelations for example, are just those that evangelicals latch onto as a cheap conduit for their anti-Semitic views. Why, you ask, am I in such a good mood then, considering the large number of people who gathered to listen? Well, as I made my way over to the ruckus, I was greeted by the sound of heckling, whispering, laughter, and overall derision. What music to my ears! The American's aren't as feckless, impressionable, nor as stupid as we had previously upheld. There is a worthy cause motivating Richard Dawkins' current US tour. Let me tell you the best of it, stood beside the bambling female speaker was a couple holding the following placard: "WARNING Masturbators Thieves Liars Fornicators Homosexuals JUDGEMENT DAY". When I nonchalantly approached these sordid little goons and asked, "what happens if I fit all of these?" the woman replied with words to the effect of: repent your sins and accept Jesus Christ. What a moral teaching that is, comrades! And lastly, in the eternal words of Penn & Teller: "We need more atheists, and nothing will get you there faster than reading the damn Bible."