Step 1: commit a crime.
Step 2: graduate university in prison.
Step 3: ???
Step 4: profit.
Pretty sure they do. They still own Clearwater, Florida (including the police department) and have a significant presence in East Grinstead, England, plus at least one mega-yacht in international waters. All they need to do is relocate you there then ‘handle’ the investigation when you come up missing.
Shelly is still missing to this day.
e: they may have toned down the crazy publicly because they were attracting too much attention, but I don’t think their power has diminished.
The whispered part of that is that members should run for office; that way they have the power to make laws conform to their ideology. I was surprised by the number of Mormons in Congress. They’re pretty over-represented for the population they represent.
That’s true, but trump is transactional. He and Giuliani were selling them for 2 million a pop. How many military regulars can afford one? Why should trump care to pardon them if they can’t give him something?
If I was rank-and-file, I wouldn’t take that bet.
On the age scale, they’re barely a blip. On the size scale, they’re massive enough to disappear people with zero accountability.
They’re a full-blown religion.
You’re right, and that’s fair. I guess I was talking about general atheists in one breath, then the specific vocal atheists OP seemed to be talking about in another.
I shouldn’t generalise like that. Atheism is simply the lack of belief in a god – any god. And there are many gods. You can be atheistic about any of them.
Scientology is pretty new, and pretty big.
I think you’ll find vanishingly few even fervent atheists who wouldn’t be persuaded by actual evidence. I know some percentage of fervent atheists would say if real evidence of a god were presented, they wouldn’t follow it because it’s a monster (I’m in this camp), but I don’t believe any real percentage would stick their fingers in their ears and say lalalala. That’s kind of the opposite of what atheism is about. It’s literally about evidence.
You can’t really blame people who were raised in religious environments and have newly discovered intellectual freedom, though, right? Sure, they can be obnoxious sometimes, just like we all are when we learn a new thing that’s blown our minds. They’ll grow out of it, and we should have patience, like in all things.
Hilariously, many of these companies already fired staff because their execs and upper management drank the Flavor-Aid. Now they need to spend even more rehiring in local markets where word has got round.
I’m so sad for them. Look, I’m crying 😂
Some, sure. Most, no.
Atheism is simply the state of nonbelief in a deity. It requires no declaration nor even conscious thought. I don’t believe in leprechauns, but I don’t belong to an anti-leprechaun cult.
e: you’re likely atheist about Ra, Thor, Sheba, and Quetzalcoatl, right? Most atheists feel the same about Yahweh, and aren’t likely to bring it up unless you do. Most will even hold out for dozens or hundreds of times. Many Christians seem oblivious to how often they reference their religion in casual conversation. Often, Atheists only have to say it once.
The only difference between religions and cults is the size.
Oh good lord no.
Those are almost universally built on religion, and most are very cult-like. If that’s your take on them, I suspect you haven’t had more than a superficial interaction with them.
Ha. Asking a fascist to resign for fascist action in a fascist government. I mean, worth a try, right?
Wish in one hand…
I hitchhiked around the southern US for a while in the late ‘80s and, as a small blonde-haired, blue-eyed white girl, you wouldn’t believe what southern white guys were willing to say in front of me. It was appalling.
Ever since trump started gaining popularity, it’s all been very familiar. ‘Oh, you call everyone you don’t like racist’ – no, I call racists racist, and if this offends you, fucking check yourself. It’s not hard to respect people, and it’s not hard to not be a bigot. Just respect people, simple as.
Is it hurting you that people are gay? No. Does it impact your life that someone you’ve not even met is trans? No. So shut the fuck up and mind your own. Lord knows your own house could use some intellectual maintenance. Maybe attend to that before throwing shit at others.
He does, but anyone following illegal orders doesn’t. Sure, he could pardon them, but only after a long, expensive, and potentially life-changing legal battle after which they’re convicted.
That doesn’t sound like a fight most regular troops should want to gamble on.
I’ll bet he’s seething today. Like ketchup on the walls, needing 20+ diaper changes seething. Probably didn’t sleep last night because he was glued to the teevee, clicking through news reports and getting angrier by the minute at the coverage.
Whomever runs interference was likely up all night trying to find favourable articles to print to placate him during his briefing this morning, and it didn’t work. They probably had to dodge a hurled half-empty Diet Coke as they scurried away.
His narcissistic injury must be yuge. I hope it was. (Though we’ll all pay for it soon, this image is worth it.)
(e come to think of it, we’d be better off if he had an actual jester. I totally get the point of them now.)