I’ll be on the air with Scooter on KPFT shortly, at about 10:30 central time. There is live streaming, if you’re interested. I think we’ll be talking about Australia and the Global Atheist Convention, but who knows? That guy is crazy.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
He is crazy. Watch yourself, PZ.
Just tuned in, they get some interesting callers on this station.
I’ve just tuned in as well.
I’m always constantly surprised at how mild mannered PZ sounds.
Where’s the gnashing?
I was under the impression that this show wouldn’t be sympathetic to “the cause”.
Tim, Scooter is a regular around here.
Apparently I’m not enough of one. Thanks for clarifying!
Oh, no worries.
It’s interesting to hear his voice. For some reason, that’s not how I expected someone called ‘Scooter’ would sound.
I’ve been imprinted by the voice of Scooter from the game Borderlands.
You sound tired PZ :(
Affirmative. I like that. Might have to replace the godless liberal bumper sticker with that.
I think I’ll just have to wait for it to be entered in to the archive :)
@#8 The dialogue in that game is one of the best things about it:
Scooter: “Lucky’s an old buddy of mine – and by old buddy I mean asshole that ruined my momma’s girl parts. Sounds like he’s in trouble so you go on ahead and try and keep him alive long enough so I can kill him at a later occasion.”
MP3 download is up: http://archive.kpft.org/mp3/100325_223001inner.MP3 (The Inner Side)
I was watching Terry Jones’ Crusade series, and heard this quote: “The inhabitants of the earth are of two sorts: those with brains, but no religion, and those with religion, but no brains.”
The author is the Syrian blind poet Abul’-Ala’ al-Ma’arri, who lived before the First Crusade. He also said, “Do not suppose the statements of the prophets to be true; they are all fabrications. Men lived comfortably till they came and spoiled life. The sacred books are only such a set of idle tales as any age could have and indeed did actually produce.”
A thousand years ago, he was able to say those things and not only stay alive, but be respected enough to have his writings survive.
Man, this station’s website needs work! What a mess: programming errors, no info on what the various shows contain (if you can even find the list), i.e. a search for ‘pz myers’ turned up nothing, a way too busy user interface, etc.
And yes, I could do *much* better in the design alone.
By the way, is this the same Scooter who worked for Air America? I met one of their DJs in San Diego and believe it was him.
Nope, doesn’t sound a bit like him.
That was a pretty awkward interview. Also the host really enjoyed talking about his mother…
Here’s the higher bitrate cleaned up version:
http://acksisofevil.org/audio/inner263.mp3
and Great Waves, at least I’m talking about my mother and not yours, but that’s a subject best left alone.
I’ve been on Pacifica radio since the nineties and have only contributed to Air America during Katrina and Camp Casey as an interviewee because I was there.
It was just a coincidence that I had a long conversation with my mom about religion 30 minutes before I went on the air with PZ.
Personal experiences of brushes with the horror of religion tend to be more vivid than abstract critiques from rational positions.
So Great Waves, why do you hate Mothers?
I thought this was a great dialog with PZ.
scooterKPFT:
All too true. Is that link permanent? I can’t listen right now, but that will change when I get real internet, a la a satellite connection.
That link is permanent, sort of, I have diabetes with complications, so get it while you can, not sure what happens when I die from too much liberty in America.
maybe I’ll be reincarnated as a Hindu Teabagger
http://acksisofevil.org/innerside.html
I have diabetes with complications
sorry to hear that, man. Still recall the drinks we shared in LA with PZ a couple years back.
In fact, I think the pics are still there…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ichthyic/2896583049/in/set-72157607560511322/
Off Topic: we need to spread the word about the petition against the pope’s visit to the UK in September; we only have about 9,000 votes, but there’s an opposing petition with nearly 60,000!
ProtestthePope
Good interview, scooter.
What’s that word again?
Oh, yeah:
HOMINA HOMINA HOMINA
Scooter,
You should probably read Peter Singer’s book The Expanding Circle before you dis him too much.
He’s really a lot smarter and less radical than PETA.
I think he has explicitly regretted coining the term “animal liberation,” and said that even the term “animal rights” is misleading.
His main point re animals is that animals have interests because they can experience happiness and suffering—their suffering shouldn’t count for nothing in humans’ moral calculations. He doesn’t think that animals can have rights in the same sense or to the same extent as humans, because they can’t make informed choices the way normal humans can.
I don’t agree with everything Singer says, but he says a lot of stuff I do agree with, and it’s a mistake to lump him in with PETA and dismiss him as a kook. He’s a smart guy and worth reading.
In particular, the “expanding circle” of the title is a very interesting concept for atheists. It’s about how moral systems define in-groups and out-groups, such that members of the in-group deserve full moral consideration, and members of the out-group don’t, and can be exploited in various ways.
Religion in particular evolves to justify certain in-group/out-group distinctions, and validate exploitation of out-groups with bullshit rationalizations. In light of science, not only is religion stupid per se, but the bullshit rationalizations for us/them dichotomies don’t work, and people have fewer excuses for treating others shabbily—and the more we know, the fewer people (and now other animals) we can exclude from our moral calculus.
I think Singer is interestingly right about on point, and in particular about how religion systematically serves to limit people’s morality by making false distinctions that include out-groups from fair consideration. (E.g., Biblical justifications of slavery and other atrocities to non-chosen people, Hindu justification of the caste system in terms of bad Karma, etc.)
He’s also big on dissing believing ridiculous religious crap as morally irresponsible.
Check it out. He’s interesting, and smart, and he’s one of us.
Paul, thank you.
I find Singer somewhat confusing, but that is likely my bad, and I was in error about his connection to PETA.
I don’t find PETA as objectionable as many, I’m a fan of direct action, but all movements have their fringes, and kooks, they seem to have more than most.
scooterKPFT:
Okay, thanks Scooter. Damn, I’m sorry to hear about the diabetes, take good care of yourself.
It’s my own damn fault. I’ve had very bad experiences with really awful doctors, totally fucking incompetent golfing meatbags and decided I’d be better off without them.
Logical fallacy, sample size too small.
So I finally went in for my first check up in 32 years, and got alot of bad news, not surprising since I’ve spent a great deal of my life as a human metabolizer of every psychoactive substance known to induce ecstatic experiences.
My father died from Medical fuck-ups, my mother has a bad heart valve from Fen-phen, my wife and I were put through a wringer because my son was born with conjunctivitus, and the children’s hospital was convinced it was from an STD, but it turned out we were simply the first parents of five hundred that showed up later that week, and it was a rampant hospital staff infection going around houston, then last November I was diagnosed with heart disease, and when I finally got the $5ooo dollar test, it turned out that I was fine, all within the same health care provider , then they gave me Metformin for my diabetes, which did nothing but make me sick, no effect on blood sugar levels, but is really bad for your liver, and my liver is fucked according to the same doctor, who wants to give me more tests to prove my liver is fucked, so I can go on a schedule of interferon and pegasus which is only effective in certain strains, and has a well known side effect of making you emotionally unstable, which is just what I need since I’m just one six-pack away from wading into the next tea-bagger protest with a machine gun, which even now, without the stress, seems like a rational response, and also, I’ll probably lose my benefits due to a pre-existing condition.
I’m going for putting my kids through higher education before dying, and that would be a win, it’s an addendum to evolution, launching your genes into the future with an evolved consciousness and good information. So I just need to keep working for about ten more years.
But my personal experiences with modern medicine have been horrific.
As a balance, modern medicine saved my wife from cancer death, praise MD Anderson.
I have learned that you have to be very discerning and skeptical about modern medicine if your goal is longevity. I work as a repair person and have dealt with electricians who do not understand how 208 high leg delta creates 240 three phase electrical energy.
So I just need to keep working for about ten more years.
I do hope most of your problems are of the manageable type then?
I have learned that you have to be very discerning and skeptical about modern medicine if your goal is longevity.
most assuredly. I am in 100% agreement with you that diagnostic skills of GP’s in the states since HMO’s has become abysmal.
you practically have to get a fucking medical degree yourself to safeguard against really common diagnostic errors.
*sigh*
it’s a bit better, here, if only because there are simply far fewer people/GP, and by and large nobody (except me :P ) has to worry about paying for healthcare. Has kept the docs honest and interested in their patients, which is a refreshing change, I have to say.
the technology level is a bit behind the states, but only by say 5 yrs or so.
overall, I am finding that government-paid healthcare is indeed a better thing. (and I’m sure my opinion of it will improve even more once I don’t have to pay for it myself).
too bad it just won’t work in the states :(
It’s very strange being an immigrant, I’m finding. I’m very glad I never had to deal with trying to immigrate to the states, given how difficult it has been to get even a 2yr work permit here!
scooterKPFT:
Absolutely. I shopped around for my current neurologist, turned down a lot of them. It’s important to know what’s what, and be able to advocate for yourself, or have an advocate who is not afraid to be a loudmouth when it comes to medical issues.