There are a lot things that I have noticed not just about the 9/11 the Truth movement, but the people in the movement itself.
So here a five things I've noticed about people in the 9/11 Truth movement:
5. They're not who you think they are.
Back a few years ago I use to think that 9/11 Truthers came in three different flavors: Those on the extreme left who were suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome, those on the extreme right who greatly distrust the government, and paranoid kooks who may be mentally ill and willing to believe in just about any crazy theory, but over the years I've found people who do not fall into any of those categories, and are actually perfectly normally people.
Heck, a few months ago a friend of mine posted something on their Facebook page in which they implied that the towers were brought down by explosives, and I was very shocked that they believed that. In fact I had actually thought that person's page had been hacked, but it turns out it wasn't, and because of that it's made me rethink that maybe not all 9/11 Truthers are a bunch of cranks, just misinformed. Some of them might even be to afraid to express their beliefs for fear of being labelled a crazy person.
4. They keep using the same, dis-proven theories.
Go to any site that promotes 9/11 conspiracy theories, or talk to anyone who believes in some of the 9/11 conspiracy theories, and you will get a variety of theories (technically speaking they're actually hypothesis) that despite their beliefs, and despite how much they seriously believe them to be true, they have been dis-proven and debunked, yet they still keep promoting them.
Apparently they must live belief that if you say something that isn't true enough times it will become true.
3. There is a lot of infighting.
While most people who promote certain types of conspiracy theories are normally united if they promote different theories about certain events, the same cannot be said about people who promote 9/11 conspiracy theories. This may be due to shear fact that unlike many conspiracy theories, 9/11 conspiracy theories varies greatly. Because of this members from one group promoting one theory might fight with members from another group promoting a different theory, with the two groups eventually accusing each other of being dis-info agents.
In the skeptic community this is generally referred to as "nutter fights"?
2. They always claim to have "undeniable evidence."
If you do a search on any major website using the words "9/11 Truth" you are going come across some pages that claims to have "undeniable evidence" or "undeniable proof" or something of the like that the 9/11 attacks were a false flag attack.
These claims in the end tend to prove absolutely nothing, but people in the movement still make them.
1. They don't want to do any real research into their own claims.
Probably the only reason why currently the amount of people that believe that the 9/11 attacks were committed by the government is above 10% is because the people who believe in it after all these years isn't because of some mental disorder, it's because they haven't done any real research for themselves, and have only relied on web sites and videos that promote the theories that they believe in.
In fact on the occasions when a a person who is a 9/11 Truther does real research on their own, and not simply rely on what some other 9/11 Truther says, they tend to leave the movement.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Embarrassing Conspiracy Theories: Natural Disasters are False Flag Attacks
Natural disasters can occur anywhere on the planet. Sometimes they're small scale with no lose of life and relativity little damage. Sometimes they're huge and kills thousands of people, and even wipe out entire cities an regions.
Most people accept the fact that natural disasters are random, mostly unpredictable, uncontrollable, that there is nothing we can do about them, and that it has been that way since before humans even existed.
But, there are some people out there who do not believe that many of the recent natural disasters over the last few years are actually "natural" in nature, and that many of these natural disasters are actually man-made.
As crazy as it sounds, a lot of people believe that many of our recent natural disaster are actually man-made, false flag attacks (I'm not sure why they would be called that, but for some reason they are) and that the government can control the weather, and even create earthquakes.
The main focus of conspiracy theorists who seriously believe this is that they mostly believe that the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is the cause many of these large natural disasters... at least since 1993 when the facility was built.
Probably the main reasons why so many people believe that HAARP is the device that is responsible for so many of these recent natural disasters is because it's research mainly deals with upper atmospheric research using radio waves, and that a few scientists have stated that it "could" be used to control the weather, and even create earthquakes. Also, it is not accessible to the public without permission by the government, which to many conspiracy theorists is a giant red flag because it says to them that there is stuff there that the government doesn't want the public to know about, rather than there being some highly sensitive (and expensive) equipment there that the government just doesn't want to risk getting broken or damaged in any way by some person who doesn't need to be there in the first place.
Most scientists (especially those who are involved in atmospheric research) agree that HAARP (and any other site like it) is not capable of generating enough power into the upper atmosphere to alter the weather what so ever, and that it's only purpose is for research (which it has provide a lot of).
While HAARP might be the main focus of many conspiracy theorists who believe that the government is controlling, it isn't the only one.
Some claim that chemtrails (which are not real) are being used to alter the weather, and that even nuclear weapons are being used to create earthquakes. Of course if nuclear weapons were used to create earthquakes (assuming one was built that was powerful enough to create an earthquake in the first place), the radiation left behind from the blast would be easy to find.
The reality is that we are are not capable of altering the weather, or creating huge earthquakes, and that natural disasters are just simply random acts of nature that we have no control (at least for now).
Most people accept the fact that natural disasters are random, mostly unpredictable, uncontrollable, that there is nothing we can do about them, and that it has been that way since before humans even existed.
But, there are some people out there who do not believe that many of the recent natural disasters over the last few years are actually "natural" in nature, and that many of these natural disasters are actually man-made.
As crazy as it sounds, a lot of people believe that many of our recent natural disaster are actually man-made, false flag attacks (I'm not sure why they would be called that, but for some reason they are) and that the government can control the weather, and even create earthquakes.
The main focus of conspiracy theorists who seriously believe this is that they mostly believe that the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is the cause many of these large natural disasters... at least since 1993 when the facility was built.
Probably the main reasons why so many people believe that HAARP is the device that is responsible for so many of these recent natural disasters is because it's research mainly deals with upper atmospheric research using radio waves, and that a few scientists have stated that it "could" be used to control the weather, and even create earthquakes. Also, it is not accessible to the public without permission by the government, which to many conspiracy theorists is a giant red flag because it says to them that there is stuff there that the government doesn't want the public to know about, rather than there being some highly sensitive (and expensive) equipment there that the government just doesn't want to risk getting broken or damaged in any way by some person who doesn't need to be there in the first place.
Most scientists (especially those who are involved in atmospheric research) agree that HAARP (and any other site like it) is not capable of generating enough power into the upper atmosphere to alter the weather what so ever, and that it's only purpose is for research (which it has provide a lot of).
While HAARP might be the main focus of many conspiracy theorists who believe that the government is controlling, it isn't the only one.
Some claim that chemtrails (which are not real) are being used to alter the weather, and that even nuclear weapons are being used to create earthquakes. Of course if nuclear weapons were used to create earthquakes (assuming one was built that was powerful enough to create an earthquake in the first place), the radiation left behind from the blast would be easy to find.
The reality is that we are are not capable of altering the weather, or creating huge earthquakes, and that natural disasters are just simply random acts of nature that we have no control (at least for now).
Friday, March 22, 2013
The Three Categories of Alternative Medicine
Alternative medicine is a really big business, and is practiced around the world (in some places more than others).
In some place in the world it might be practiced because the people there either can't afford modern medicine, or more likely they either just can't get access to modern medicine, or they feel they have no need for modern medicine because they have been taught that their local folk medicine works. In other places in the world it could be just simply that they don't trust pharmaceutical companies.
So back at the subject at hand, alternative medicine can be basically categorized into three different types:
Ineffective
While many people might say that no forms of alternative medicine work, there are in fact a few that do work to some extent, they just don't do to the extent that many of the practitioners of that alternative medicine claims, and that there are more effective (and sometimes cheaper) conventional medical practices that can be done.
Examples of this would be acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, and even vitamin supplements can be categorized into this group, and that is if these things done correctly, otherwise some of these things could be not effective at all, or even dangerous.
It should also be noted that this is the smallest category for alternative medicines as most alternative medical practices are like the next two categories.
Non-effective
This is the largest of the three alternative medicine categories as simply put, almost all alternative medical practices just do not work at all, and is mainly based off of anecdotal evidence, rather than real, scientific evidence.
Some of the (many) examples of this type of alternative medicine are Reiki therapy, crystal healing, naturopathy, certain alternative cancer and HIV treatments, and biggest of all, homeopathy.
While non-effective alternative medicine is not outright harmful, in some cases (such as with alternative cancer and HIV treatments) it is indirectly harmful because whomever is taking the "alternative treatments" and foregoing the proven, real medical treatments, is basically killing themselves.
Dangerous
While all forms of alternative medicine could be considered dangerous in their own ways, there are some forms of alternative medicine that really is harmful and dangerous if you use it, and can lead to permanent injuries, and even death.
Some examples of this are salt water flushes, colloidal silver (if used in excessive amounts), herd immunity, and reparative therapy have all been proven to be harmful, and in some cases, illegal (although usually if it is used on a minor, but sometimes some of these things are illegal for anyone to use).
In some place in the world it might be practiced because the people there either can't afford modern medicine, or more likely they either just can't get access to modern medicine, or they feel they have no need for modern medicine because they have been taught that their local folk medicine works. In other places in the world it could be just simply that they don't trust pharmaceutical companies.
So back at the subject at hand, alternative medicine can be basically categorized into three different types:
Ineffective
While many people might say that no forms of alternative medicine work, there are in fact a few that do work to some extent, they just don't do to the extent that many of the practitioners of that alternative medicine claims, and that there are more effective (and sometimes cheaper) conventional medical practices that can be done.
Examples of this would be acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, and even vitamin supplements can be categorized into this group, and that is if these things done correctly, otherwise some of these things could be not effective at all, or even dangerous.
It should also be noted that this is the smallest category for alternative medicines as most alternative medical practices are like the next two categories.
Non-effective
This is the largest of the three alternative medicine categories as simply put, almost all alternative medical practices just do not work at all, and is mainly based off of anecdotal evidence, rather than real, scientific evidence.
Some of the (many) examples of this type of alternative medicine are Reiki therapy, crystal healing, naturopathy, certain alternative cancer and HIV treatments, and biggest of all, homeopathy.
While non-effective alternative medicine is not outright harmful, in some cases (such as with alternative cancer and HIV treatments) it is indirectly harmful because whomever is taking the "alternative treatments" and foregoing the proven, real medical treatments, is basically killing themselves.
Dangerous
While all forms of alternative medicine could be considered dangerous in their own ways, there are some forms of alternative medicine that really is harmful and dangerous if you use it, and can lead to permanent injuries, and even death.
Some examples of this are salt water flushes, colloidal silver (if used in excessive amounts), herd immunity, and reparative therapy have all been proven to be harmful, and in some cases, illegal (although usually if it is used on a minor, but sometimes some of these things are illegal for anyone to use).
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The Helmet that "Stops Alien Abductions"
Recently I came across a website that shows you how to make a helmet (actually it's a skullcap) that it's inventor, Micheal Menkin, claims to be able to not only prevent alien mind control, but alien abductions as well by preventing aliens from taking control of your mind and movements, thus preventing them from abducting you.
Basically, it's a tinfoil hat on steroids.
I find it quite strange that some head piece that, according to the website, cost only $25 to make (price may vary) can prevent beings that are so technologically advanced that they can travel through several light years of space, or go from one universe to this one, from finding you and abducting you.
The claim about this "helmet" isn't even the weirdest claims on that site.
According to the site, aliens are also causing autism (and possibly Down's Syndrome), that we are in a telepathic war with aliens, that aliens do not like cheap perfume (who does?), the smell of incense from White Sage, and that Vitamin-C is the Plan-B for alien hybrid fetuses.
There are also testimonials on the site as well. Of course, the names of the people giving these testimonials aren't given, so it is hard to say whether or not these testimonials are from actual people, or they were just made up for purpose of making people who believe that they are being abducted by aliens that these head pieces actually work. Considering how likely it is for the public in general to view people who believe they have been abducted by aliens to be "crazy" it doesn't surprise me that people giving testimonials about a head piece that is suppose to prevent alien abductions might not want their names to be given out.
So, would these helmets really prevent alien abductions? Most likely not.
Remember, these alleged beings are suppose to be thousands, if not millions of years more technological advanced then us. Some cheap, homemade head piece is not going to stop them from abducting someone (unless it makes them feel so sorry for the person wearing the said head piece that they just decide to stop abducting them).
The fact is that there is no proof that alien abductions are even real, and that the phenomenon is most likely the result of mass hysteria (some people watch television programs about alien abductions, and think they have been abducted by aliens) or mental illness, and not because aliens are coming to Earth and experimenting on humans.
What this head piece really is isn't some creative mind shield to prevent being assaulted by Extra Terrestrials, but a ridiculous looking placebo that calms people who believe that they are being abducted by aliens by making alleged abducties believe that aliens won't be able to find them if they wear said placebo.
Basically, it's a tinfoil hat on steroids.
I find it quite strange that some head piece that, according to the website, cost only $25 to make (price may vary) can prevent beings that are so technologically advanced that they can travel through several light years of space, or go from one universe to this one, from finding you and abducting you.
The claim about this "helmet" isn't even the weirdest claims on that site.
According to the site, aliens are also causing autism (and possibly Down's Syndrome), that we are in a telepathic war with aliens, that aliens do not like cheap perfume (who does?), the smell of incense from White Sage, and that Vitamin-C is the Plan-B for alien hybrid fetuses.
There are also testimonials on the site as well. Of course, the names of the people giving these testimonials aren't given, so it is hard to say whether or not these testimonials are from actual people, or they were just made up for purpose of making people who believe that they are being abducted by aliens that these head pieces actually work. Considering how likely it is for the public in general to view people who believe they have been abducted by aliens to be "crazy" it doesn't surprise me that people giving testimonials about a head piece that is suppose to prevent alien abductions might not want their names to be given out.
So, would these helmets really prevent alien abductions? Most likely not.
Remember, these alleged beings are suppose to be thousands, if not millions of years more technological advanced then us. Some cheap, homemade head piece is not going to stop them from abducting someone (unless it makes them feel so sorry for the person wearing the said head piece that they just decide to stop abducting them).
The fact is that there is no proof that alien abductions are even real, and that the phenomenon is most likely the result of mass hysteria (some people watch television programs about alien abductions, and think they have been abducted by aliens) or mental illness, and not because aliens are coming to Earth and experimenting on humans.
What this head piece really is isn't some creative mind shield to prevent being assaulted by Extra Terrestrials, but a ridiculous looking placebo that calms people who believe that they are being abducted by aliens by making alleged abducties believe that aliens won't be able to find them if they wear said placebo.
Friday, March 15, 2013
5 Things I've noticed about... people on "Doomsday Preppers"
Doomsday Preppers is a popular show on the National Geographic Channel that profiles people that are preparing for what they believe is going to be a major disaster that will lead to the end of civilization as we know it. Most of the people on that show tend to have many common traits amongst them.
Here are five things I've about people on the show Doomsday Preppers:
5. They love guns
Almost everyone on that show seems to own several guns (and lots of ammo too), usually ranging from hand guns to semi-automatic assault rifles. Even the ones that don't own any guns still tend own other types of weapons, and even make their own weapons as well.
4. They are very disaster specific
Almost every prepper on that show not only believes that some world altering disaster is going to happen, but they are also very certain what type of disaster will be, many of which (but not all) tend to be highly improbable. Because they are so disaster specific, whatever supplies they get tend to be what they believe will allow them to survive that disaster that they believe will happen, while ignoring the fact that if a different type of disaster were to occur, their prepping efforts might not save them.
3. They almost seem to want Doomsday to occur
Not only do these people believe that a disaster is going to occur, many of them act like they want it to occur! Some of them even even toast what they believe is the coming Apocalypse!
There are probably a couple reasons why they want the Apocalypse to occur: One, they don't want everything they have been working for and what they have believed in for so long to have been a waste, and two, they want to rebuild the world.
2. They are arrogant
From being so sure of what type of disaster is going to happen, to believing what they are doing will allow them to survive that disaster, everything about these people just screams arrogance to me. Even when they are given advice at the end of each segment on how to improve something, sometimes they will ignore that advice, and those that do usually have already pre-identified that certain weakness.
1. They're selfish
Besides the fact that many of these people make it very clear will only be fending for themselves (and maybe a few others) in what they believe is a coming disaster, that they will not be helping anyone else (except those within their group, if they are in a group to begin with), and that they will kill anyone whom they feel is a threat to them or their stash or anyone else in their group, they often times drag their families into their prepping lifestyle as, which includes their children.
Sometimes these children (along with their spouses) have been obviously indoctrinated into this prepper lifestyle, while other times they remain resistant to their parents beliefs that the world as we know it is going to end, and that they are only going along with their parents because they have no choice.
Here are five things I've about people on the show Doomsday Preppers:
5. They love guns
Almost everyone on that show seems to own several guns (and lots of ammo too), usually ranging from hand guns to semi-automatic assault rifles. Even the ones that don't own any guns still tend own other types of weapons, and even make their own weapons as well.
4. They are very disaster specific
Almost every prepper on that show not only believes that some world altering disaster is going to happen, but they are also very certain what type of disaster will be, many of which (but not all) tend to be highly improbable. Because they are so disaster specific, whatever supplies they get tend to be what they believe will allow them to survive that disaster that they believe will happen, while ignoring the fact that if a different type of disaster were to occur, their prepping efforts might not save them.
3. They almost seem to want Doomsday to occur
Not only do these people believe that a disaster is going to occur, many of them act like they want it to occur! Some of them even even toast what they believe is the coming Apocalypse!
There are probably a couple reasons why they want the Apocalypse to occur: One, they don't want everything they have been working for and what they have believed in for so long to have been a waste, and two, they want to rebuild the world.
2. They are arrogant
From being so sure of what type of disaster is going to happen, to believing what they are doing will allow them to survive that disaster, everything about these people just screams arrogance to me. Even when they are given advice at the end of each segment on how to improve something, sometimes they will ignore that advice, and those that do usually have already pre-identified that certain weakness.
1. They're selfish
Besides the fact that many of these people make it very clear will only be fending for themselves (and maybe a few others) in what they believe is a coming disaster, that they will not be helping anyone else (except those within their group, if they are in a group to begin with), and that they will kill anyone whom they feel is a threat to them or their stash or anyone else in their group, they often times drag their families into their prepping lifestyle as, which includes their children.
Sometimes these children (along with their spouses) have been obviously indoctrinated into this prepper lifestyle, while other times they remain resistant to their parents beliefs that the world as we know it is going to end, and that they are only going along with their parents because they have no choice.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Embarrassing Conspiracy Theories: Mind Control
Ever feel like someone else is controlling your mind?
Well, that simply could be the result of stress. Or maybe you have some psychological issues. Or maybe someone else really is controlling your mind...
Yes, there really are some people out there that really do believe that their minds are being controlled by someone else, and I'm not just talking about "brain washing" either (which is very real) but actual mind control, in which someone's mind is being directly controlled by an outside source (as oppose to brain washing, being more of an indirect control of another person's mind, and can be broken using therapy, or just an individual's own will power).
While there are multiple things in the world that people who claim to be victims of mind control (Target Individuals or T.I. for short, as they tend to call themselves) claim that certain shadowy groups are using to execute this mind control, the two most common forms are telepathy, and radio waves.
Now the telepathy one is easy to explain: It doesn't exist.
There have been multiple studies to see whether or not telepathy is real, and all of those studies have shown that, despite being popular for comic books and science fiction novels, it is not real, and that we cannot control other people's thoughts and actions simply with our own minds.
While several governments have actually tried to use people who claimed to telepathic (or train people to become telepathic) for the use of espionage purposes (which includes the US government), most of the time these programs are abandoned simply because these programs produce no results, and become they are a big waste of time and money.
While several governments have actually tried to use people who claimed to telepathic (or train people to become telepathic) for the use of espionage purposes (which includes the US government), most of the time these programs are abandoned simply because these programs produce no results, and become they are a big waste of time and money.
As for the claim that radio waves (in particular, extreme low frequency radio waves) can control a person's mind, this one also seems very highly unlikely that this would work as well (even if it could be proven to work in the first place).
For one thing, we are constantly being bombarded by radio waves from multiple sources (including natural sources), and they don't affect us one bit, most especially our minds. Also, all studies into ELF waves have shown that (despite popular belief by T.I.s, and other conspiracy theorists) they do not affect the human minds, otherwise it would be affecting all of us all the time because many things around us give off ELF waves (one of the most common being power lines).
Now despite the evidence that it's not even possible to control a person's mind (at least by the use of external sources) those that believe it is real also believe that such "attacks" can be blocked. Perhaps the most popular ways to block these alleged mind attacks is to wrap tin foil around your head (whom's origins may or may not be based on the Faraday cage).
Odds are this wouldn't work.
For one thing, most tinfoil hats only cover the top of the head and the forehead, so they would not give total protection. Another thing is that tinfoil hats most likely wouldn't be able to block telepathic attacks either, as telepathy most likely would be "something" other than radio waves. Also, there some studies that have suggested that tinfoil hats would more likely act like an antenna, rather than a shield. Studies that have shown that it could work (as long as it is well constructed) have been shown to only reduce radio waves getting to a targeted object (such as a radio), rather than eliminating them, and that only works if the metal construct isn't touching the antenna of said object.
Even if it was possible to control a person using radio waves or telepathy, it would be pretty hard to do in the first place due to the fact that you would have to know where the person was all the time, and target them so precisely that it wouldn't effect other people around, and then keep locked on that person (because people tend to move).
So you might be asking yourself "if mind control isn't real, then why do some people believe that their minds are being controlled, and that their thoughts are being read"?
There are two simple answers to this:
First, many people who believe in this are most likely very gullible, and are prone to mass hysteria (like believing that your mind can be controlled be the government).
Second, they could also be severally mentally ill, that if left untreated could cause them to have delusions that can cause a person to very seriously believe that their thoughts are being read, and that their minds are being controlled.
To put this article to a point, if you believe that your thoughts are being read, and that your mind is being controlled from an outside source, you should seriously consider seeking psychological help.
Friday, March 8, 2013
5 Things I've noticed about... The Westboro Baptist Church
A lot of things are said about the Westboro Baptist Church (mainly negative) and through all that is said, there a certain things that church tends to do.
So here are five things I've noticed about the Westboro Baptist Church:
5. They believe God hates everyone... but them.
According to the Westboro Baptist Church, God hates everyone (or at least anyone who offends Fred Phelps in even the littlest of ways), and according them everyone (but them) is going to Hell. This even includes people who might share a similar ideology to the church's ideology, but that the church's leadership believes that those people are still going to Hell simply because their hate towards a certain group isn't up to the church's standards, or that they don't hate all the groups that the church hates.
4. They don't mind lying.
Despite being a sin (and according to the Bible a very big one), they have no problems lying, whether it be announcing that they a going to protest somewhere and then not showing up, announcing that they a going to protest somewhere, not showing up, and then photoshopping a picture of them protesting at said place, or just saying things about people that are simply not true.
3. They alienate everyone.
Literally no one can stand them, either because of their blatant bigotry, homophobia, antisemitism, anti-Americanism, or just plain psychopathic behavior. Even the Klu Klux Klan can not stand them, even though they have a similar ideology with the Westboro Baptist Church.
Their actions have made so many people angry that there are now laws to try to curtail their protests, and that the public at large wants their IRS tax exemption to be revoked, and for the government to officially declare them a hate group.
Also, no one cares if someone attacks them. In some cases people believe that it's a good thing to attack them.
2. They encourage their members to be psychopaths.
The leadership of the Westboro Baptist Church encourages it's members to show no empathy for anyone, to have no remorse what so ever for causing anyone pain through their actions, to be happy that they are causing people pain, to be happy when someone dies, to pray that certain people die, and to be happy with the thought thought that someone might be in Hell. In fact they tell they're members that not doing this stuff will get them sent to Hell.
If that is not psychopathic behavior, I don't know what is.
1. They're cowards.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church will protest just about anything, just as long as there are enough police officers around to protect them from the public who might use force to get rid of them.
They're not going to show up anywhere where they don't think they're not going to get enough security to protect them, or where they may be harmed no matter how much security they have. In fact it's even been suggested that communities stop giving them police protection during their protests just to keep them away.
They also haven't taken on Scientology either. Maybe they're afraid of getting harassed and sued by them.
So here are five things I've noticed about the Westboro Baptist Church:
5. They believe God hates everyone... but them.
According to the Westboro Baptist Church, God hates everyone (or at least anyone who offends Fred Phelps in even the littlest of ways), and according them everyone (but them) is going to Hell. This even includes people who might share a similar ideology to the church's ideology, but that the church's leadership believes that those people are still going to Hell simply because their hate towards a certain group isn't up to the church's standards, or that they don't hate all the groups that the church hates.
4. They don't mind lying.
Despite being a sin (and according to the Bible a very big one), they have no problems lying, whether it be announcing that they a going to protest somewhere and then not showing up, announcing that they a going to protest somewhere, not showing up, and then photoshopping a picture of them protesting at said place, or just saying things about people that are simply not true.
3. They alienate everyone.
Literally no one can stand them, either because of their blatant bigotry, homophobia, antisemitism, anti-Americanism, or just plain psychopathic behavior. Even the Klu Klux Klan can not stand them, even though they have a similar ideology with the Westboro Baptist Church.
Their actions have made so many people angry that there are now laws to try to curtail their protests, and that the public at large wants their IRS tax exemption to be revoked, and for the government to officially declare them a hate group.
Also, no one cares if someone attacks them. In some cases people believe that it's a good thing to attack them.
2. They encourage their members to be psychopaths.
The leadership of the Westboro Baptist Church encourages it's members to show no empathy for anyone, to have no remorse what so ever for causing anyone pain through their actions, to be happy that they are causing people pain, to be happy when someone dies, to pray that certain people die, and to be happy with the thought thought that someone might be in Hell. In fact they tell they're members that not doing this stuff will get them sent to Hell.
If that is not psychopathic behavior, I don't know what is.
1. They're cowards.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church will protest just about anything, just as long as there are enough police officers around to protect them from the public who might use force to get rid of them.
They're not going to show up anywhere where they don't think they're not going to get enough security to protect them, or where they may be harmed no matter how much security they have. In fact it's even been suggested that communities stop giving them police protection during their protests just to keep them away.
They also haven't taken on Scientology either. Maybe they're afraid of getting harassed and sued by them.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The Pros and Cons of Paper Money and Coins
There are a lot of pros and cons when it comes to coins, and a lot of pros and cons when it comes to paper money (or bills, as they are sometimes called). But which is better?
To help you answer that question for yourself I've made a list of five things that should mainly be considered in determining which is better, paper money, or coins:
Durability
Hands down this goes to coins.
Paper money only lasts for a few years at the most before finally it has to be taken out of circulation as a result rips and tears and the ink fading, while coins practically last forever.
In fact there are coins that are thousands of years old that are still around (although not in circulation) and I still occasionally get a wheat penny.
Cost effectiveness
Paper money wins this one
While you still have to manufacture new bills every year to replace the old ones, it's still a lot cheaper to manufacturer paper money than it is coins.
In fact the penny and the nickel actually cost more to make than what they are actually worth, and many countries have actually stopped manufacturing pennies altogether because they are just not worth the cost (Canada being the most recent as of this post).
Portability
Again this goes to paper money as well.
This reason why paper money is more portable than coins is very simple: you can put bills into wallets, putting them all in one nice little place, and they are much lighter than coins, thus easier to transport. Plus, because you can actually put bills in wallets, it makes it much harder to lose them then coins (unless of course you lose your wallet).
Counterfeiting
When it comes to counterfeiting, coins win this.
While coins can be counterfeited, simply because there is so much more involved (and expensive) with making a coin then paper money, most counterfeiters don't even bother to try to make counterfeit coins, and instead make counterfeit bills.
Heck, the only thing you really need to make your own counterfeit paper money is a scanner and printer combo. You'll of course be caught very quickly if you try to send it anywhere and arrested, but you can do that a lot easier then making a coin.
Disabled friendly
Unless paper money is made at different sizes, the blind can't tell a $1 bill from a $100 bill.
Simply by the fact that no two coin denominations are alike (in size, thickness, engravings, and the edges along the coins) it's far easier for the blind to tell one coin apart from another.
In fact the reason why coins were designed the way they were is so that it would be easier for the blind to use in the first place.
To help you answer that question for yourself I've made a list of five things that should mainly be considered in determining which is better, paper money, or coins:
Durability
Hands down this goes to coins.
Paper money only lasts for a few years at the most before finally it has to be taken out of circulation as a result rips and tears and the ink fading, while coins practically last forever.
In fact there are coins that are thousands of years old that are still around (although not in circulation) and I still occasionally get a wheat penny.
Cost effectiveness
Paper money wins this one
While you still have to manufacture new bills every year to replace the old ones, it's still a lot cheaper to manufacturer paper money than it is coins.
In fact the penny and the nickel actually cost more to make than what they are actually worth, and many countries have actually stopped manufacturing pennies altogether because they are just not worth the cost (Canada being the most recent as of this post).
Portability
Again this goes to paper money as well.
This reason why paper money is more portable than coins is very simple: you can put bills into wallets, putting them all in one nice little place, and they are much lighter than coins, thus easier to transport. Plus, because you can actually put bills in wallets, it makes it much harder to lose them then coins (unless of course you lose your wallet).
Counterfeiting
When it comes to counterfeiting, coins win this.
While coins can be counterfeited, simply because there is so much more involved (and expensive) with making a coin then paper money, most counterfeiters don't even bother to try to make counterfeit coins, and instead make counterfeit bills.
Heck, the only thing you really need to make your own counterfeit paper money is a scanner and printer combo. You'll of course be caught very quickly if you try to send it anywhere and arrested, but you can do that a lot easier then making a coin.
Disabled friendly
Unless paper money is made at different sizes, the blind can't tell a $1 bill from a $100 bill.
Simply by the fact that no two coin denominations are alike (in size, thickness, engravings, and the edges along the coins) it's far easier for the blind to tell one coin apart from another.
In fact the reason why coins were designed the way they were is so that it would be easier for the blind to use in the first place.
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