Sigmund, Carl and Alfred

Men’s prayers finally answered.

Scientists are developing a pill which could boost women’s libido and reduce their appetite.

The hormone-releasing pill has so far only been given to female monkeys and shrews who displayed more mating behaviour and ate less.

The team from the Medical Research Council’s Human Reproduction Unit in Edinburgh believe a human version could be available within a decade.

But a psychologist said low-libido was usually caused by relationship issues.

Up to 40% of women are thought to experience a lack of sex drive at some point in their lives.

‘Rump presentation’

The Edinburgh team, led by Professor Robert Millar, have been looking at the properties Type 2 Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone.

When it was given to monkeys, they displayed mating behaviour such as tongue-flicking and eyebrow-raising to the males, while female shrews displayed their feelings via “rump presentation and tail wagging”.

When couples come to me and they are not having sex, the last thing they want to do is examine their relationship Lesley Perman-Kerr, psychologist

But the animals also ate around a third less food than they normally would.

Professor Millar hopes to achieve a similar rise in libido and fall in appetite in a pill for women.

He told the Scotland on Sunday newspaper: “This hormone is distributed in the brain in areas that we suspect affect reproductive behaviour.

“It is considered a major pharmaceutical endeavour to address the area of libido.

“So the next stage is to produce a drug that simulates the actions of this hormone.

“It is most likely that we will do it in partnership with a pharmaceutical firm. It could be available to women within the next 10 years.”

He said it may also be possible to develop a pill which worked for men, but he has so far not carried out any tests on male animals.

But psychologist Lesley Perman-Kerr said relationship problems usually had a psychological, rather than a biological, basis.

“Some women have problems specific to libido.

“But often if they go off sex, it’s more to do with their relationship than their level of libido.

“When couples come to me and they are not having sex, the last thing they want to do is examine their relationship.

“They want to believe that it’s nothing to do with their relationship.”

Later today, SC&A will participate on the BBC World Service program, World Have Your Say. The program is unique in that the content is dictated by listeners (the Program can be heard here).

The principal topic of today’s show will revolve around the goings on in Turkey and the ‘mass demonstrations over the weekend to protest at the prospect of presidential candidate Abdullah Gul getting the job. They’ve talked of preserving ‘the inseparable principles of democracy and secularism”. Abdullah Gul is Muslim and the AK party he represents has close ties with Islam.’

From there, the discussion will expand into a general discussion of religion and politics.

We are republishing our post of 26 January, 2007, that caught the BBC’s attention.

What is about about religion that scares so many people? The vast majority of people who express their faith, do so quietly and usually within a community of like minded believers. They, like most Americans, hold the concept of ‘live and let live,’ dear. Most Americans do not impose their belief on others nor do they support those who do.

Nevertheless, there seems to be a deliberate attempt to lump all believers together, regardless of their affiliation. We talk about the ‘moderate’ right, or the ‘moderate’ left, but when we talk about religious people the word ‘moderate’ is never spoken or implied. Religious people, it is assumed, are, well, religious. Enough said.

Religious people, as we noted, are for the most part, perfectly happy to live life in happy obscurity. Unfortunately, all too often religious people are dragged into political debate, or they are excluded from political debate, simply because they are religious. Faith seems to infuriate some people. The faiths, beliefs and believers that are shared and so familiar to most Americans are often subject to fierce criticism, ridicule and even vicious attack.

Of course, not all not all faiths are treated in the same way. Religious beliefs that are out of the mainstream of those that originate in far away places, or beliefs that are to be regarded as suggestive only, are fine.

Why is there such a disparity in how adherents to different faiths are treated?

The answer lies in the kind of demands and expectations our faith, beliefs and fellow believers make upon us . Real faith demands morality, not just from the individual, but from an entire community as well. Faith demands sacrifice. Friday, Saturday or Sunday prayer instead of Friday, Saturday or Sunday sports or shopping. Real faith demands that charity, given on a regular basis, without the need to be prodded by guilt or by images of disaster.

Religions are not measured by what they destroy, but rather, by what they build. Religions are not measured by how many they kill in God’s name, but rather by how many they save in God’s name. Religions are not measured by who they hate in God’s name, but rather, they are measured by how many they extend their arms in acceptance, in His name.

Those non believers or those who claim to be believers, who profess hatred toward God or others in His name, reject the notion that there is something more important than the self. They reject the notions of responsibilities, accountability and a living up to higher expectations. They reject the notion of a higher self with moral obligations. They want to be free of obligation and expectation.

The confrontation between believers and non believers is really a battle for the soul. That battle is not so much about belief in God as it is about the human conscience. There are plenty of non believers that believe that we are more than just animals, concerned only with our own pleasure and needs and thus understand the significance of human responsibility and accountability.

In fact, the battle for the soul of an individual or a nation is a battle that scares a lot of people, because if there is even the possibility of a soul, everything changes.

The atheist says, “I don’t believe in God.” In truth, people of faith don’t believe in the God the atheists reject, either.

Non believers cringe at the words ‘Fear of God‘ and other similar expressions. They only see fear as a negative expression- the fear of the powerful intimidating the weak. They rightly understand that ‘fear,’ as they understand it, is a negative expression. They use that expression, as a mantra- because without it, the argument weakens.

What many non believers do not admit is that fear is not always a negative human emotion. Often, fear can be a positive expression. For example, when an athlete faces his opponent or a when a public speaker first faces an audience, the nervous fears they experiences can lead to heightened awareness. All his or her senses are at a heightened level. Any and all of the skills and capabilities they have worked so hard to achieve, can be called upon in an instant. In fact, every one of us knows the kind of fear that can brings out the best in us.

The right expression and description of a believer’s relationship with God is ‘Awe.’ When we stand and behold the magnificence of nature, we are in awe. When we gaze upon an artist’s work that talks to us, we are in awe. There is music, sounds created out of thin air, that make us cry or can evoke memories, for decades. That too, inspires awe.

In fact, the awe we experience is a manifestation of human dignity. We see and understand ourselves to be a part of a greater scheme. We understand ourselves to be a part of the masterpiece that is Creation. We- each of us, have a starring role in the play of life- Creation. It is an unfolding drama, comedy and musical- with our best efforts and intentions a part of the script. We are not meant to ad lib our way through life. We are obligated and meant to make Creation an even more magnificent expression that It is, and we each of us have lead role in doing just that.

It is clear that when standing in Awe of God, we recognize what the gift of life means.

When we acknowledge the gift of life, we acknowledge that we have a purpose. We may not understand or even clearly understand our purpose, but we don’t have to, any more than we have to clearly understand nuclear physics or organic chemistry. We know they are there and they impact our lives. That is enough.

It is man’s objective to seek- it is a natural instinct. It is what we look for that to a very large extent, defines us. It is our charge to discover and celebrate, not our basest selves, but rather, that part of us that is as majestic as anything in nature or art. We are charged to take center stage in God’s creation. We seek the majesty that is in each of us- we seek to know our own soul.

It is not easy. It is not easy at all. We must acknowledge that even if we are to take center stage, we share that stage with everyone else- and sometimes, that may go against our very nature. It is then that we must put in that performance of a lifetime. Like the athletes that play beyond their capabilities in that last game, we must reach inside to our souls, to pull from within the very best of ourselves, especially when it seems the odds are stacked against us.

Sometimes, center stage can be a very scary place- and that is why so many people fear having a soul.

All gardens need tending. If we can remove the weeds in life- those things that restrain, contain us and hinder our growth, we will grow. When we refuse distort the reality we know exists so that our selfish needs are sated, and when we choose to remove the doubts and fears that hold us back, we will thrive.

We may indeed, be small in the eyes of history and Creation. That doesn’t mean we can’t be great.

Rosa Brooks of the Los Angeles Times and poster child for irrelevant leftist drivel masquerading as informed ‘thought,’ has left yet another stain on paper.

In 9/11 was bad, but…, she posits the notion that ‘The attacks were appalling, but they don’t pose the threat politicians make them out to be.‘ That’s right. In BrooksWorld, the events of 9/11 were a distraction, with political overtones.

Brooks goes on:

Every year, we also lose millions of Americans to preventable accidents and disease. We’re more likely to die on the road than as a result of Al Qaeda’s machinations. Annually, we lose some 43,000 people to auto accidents. For the grieving families, that’s 43,000 deaths too many. But, although we surely could reduce auto fatalities if we chose to make it our top national priority, the Bush administration has yet to announce a “War on Highway Deaths.”

Why wasn’t a War on Highway Deaths a priority of the Clinton Administration?

If terror isn’t such a big deal, why did Bill Clinton work so hard to kill Osama bin Laden? Why expend American energies on such an irrelevant concern? Why was Richard Clarke so critical of the CIA efforts to kill Bin Laden, if he wasn’t such a threat?

Clarke was insistent that Clinton had

put in place the plans and programs that allowed America to respond to the big attacks when they did come, sweeping away the political barriers to action.

Is it possible that terrorism on our shores might be a bit more important than Rosa Brooks says it is?

In BrooksWorld, deceit is the order of the day- responding to terror on our shores, she says, is a political expression.

After 9/11, the Republican line was that all future terror attacks on U.S. soil must be prevented at any cost.

If terror weren’t such a big deal, why is Hillary Clinton defending her husband’s record on terror

I think my husband did a great job in demonstrating that Democrats are not going to take these attacks

The former president won’t even hear of anyone criticizing his administration for being soft on terror. The former president said he

“left a comprehensive anti-terror strategy” for the Bush administration.

The former president also insisted that he came close to killing bin Laden and noted that his administration took the threat of terrorism more seriously than the Bush administration did before the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Shouldn’t that admission be enough to taint the Clinton administration forever in BrooksWorld?

Does Rosa Brooks believe that there is an ‘appropriate’ body count type benchmark that must be reached before we take terror on our shores seriously?

This morning, Dr Sanity has posted The Postmodern Psychological Landscape And The Battle Between Guilt And Shame, one the best pieces on the post modernism and leftist ideology you will read this year. She discusses multiculturalism, moral equivalence and cultural relativism, that Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole that is the entry portal to BrooksWorld. In discussing the terror mindset and the western response of which Rosa Brooks is so dismissive, Dr Sanity’s insights are hard to ignore- unless of course, you live in BrooksWorld.

…this toxic interaction will not produce peace in our time; but, on the contrary will inevitably lead to more war and even more death and destruction than is now able to be imagined. Because, these Islamic fanatics–who do not let reason or life interfere with their jihad; who abide by no treaties, follow no rules, and scorn the very values upon which western civilization is founded will not be appeased and will use the postmodern lunacy very well to their advantage against us.

We could have lived with them they did not insist that we must submit, become what they are, or die. But they have defined the groundrules (or the non-rules) of this conflict; and eventually, we will have to meet them at their level–or they will win. They have set the psychological landscape of this war, and the political left in our own country and around the world has done all it possibly can to ensure that those committed to our destruction have the advantage and that we must operate under a vicious, self-imposed handicap.

Rosa Brooks has a clear agenda, one that desperately must deny and obfuscate reality. This denial would be irrelevant and comical, if the stakes weren’t so high. Brooks isn’t satisfied in putting her own future on the line, as is her right. She is insisting that we all follow suit. She wants us to be exactly what she is- ‘good little Nazi,’ following ‘ideological orders.’

In The Apes In Tuxedos And Hypocrites At The LA Times, we noted how truth and reality are toxic in BrooksWorld. We concluded by noting that

Until such time as Ms Brooks and her ilk take the initiative and reclaim the kind journalism that is not so beholden to an ideology, or a committed to an agenda at the cost of truth, journalists will remain marginalized and not trusted, as polls continue to show.

They will remain apes in tuxedos.

And goose stepping, like all good little leftists.

By the way, Rosa, the ‘appalling’ but not so bad terror attacks cost us plenty, as a nation and society. Of course that doesn’t matter in BrooksWorld- and never will.

Hog Hollow, MS- (MHNN)- The Mental Health News Network has learned that Dr Pat Santy, the highly regarded former NASA flight surgeon courted by Democrat candidates for the White House for a top job, will shakeup the campaign by demanding those candidates respond truthfully to the latest Iraq war poll numbers.

The most recent polls indicate that the American support for the war in Iraq is solid, and that most Americans are against mandated troop withdrawals and actually support and agree with the President in viewing Iraq as a critical front on the war on terror.

Dr Sanity, renowned organic waste in space elimination specialist and co-developer of the Deep Space Diaper (whose effectiveness was highlighted terrestrially by Lisa Nowak), was outraged as the very same Democrat candidates that are courting her are misrepresenting the facts. Speaking at a private, invitation only gathering of southern Democrat leaders in Hog Hollow, MS, Santy chided James Carville in his own ancestral back yard. Her remarks, preceding the the closing ceremonial BBQ, upset overall wearing Howard Dean, the DNC chairman. He said that demands that political protocol be obviated in favor of honesty by Democrat politicians was an

“…absolute outrage. I just want to scream every time someone says something like that.”

After regaining his composure, Dean told MHNN that the release of certain information about Dean’s tenure as Vermont governor has been a source of great stress. He said that his record as an environmentalist has been ‘misunderstood’ and that his support for the use record levels of pesticide and chemical use in that state was a desperate cry for attention from Rachel Carson.

Despite the departure of many small farmers from Vermont and the closing of many family farms on his watch and by his deliberate refusal to support family farms in Vermont, Dean told CNN that

The destruction of the middle class and the widening gap between the rich and poor is being played out right before our eyes with the concentration of the agriculture industry.

When asked by MHNN about his track record, Dean said our questions proved his point:

The American voters do not want the truth. They do not want their candidates to really represent their interests . American voters want their candidates to ’stick it to the other guy.’

Dean also questioned the timing of the latest criticisms.

‘If it weren’t for that fat bastard Al Gore’ and his phony carbon offset scams, and John Edward’s obsession with hair cuts (ed- Edwards is also a major stockholder in Hairclub for Men and plantation like estate in North Carolina, replete with plantation like staff), he said Santy’s criticism would be meaningless. The DNC chairmen said that the crop of useful idiots under command was the ‘best ever,’ and that ‘they would march into sewers and happily drink,’ if he asked them to.

Santy responded to Dean’s remark with characteristic outrage.

I know organic waste. I’m an expert on organic waste. I am familiar with organic waste from all parts of the world. Let me tell you that Howard Dean and the Democrats are among the finest organic waste specimens anywhere.

She went on to say that

As a psychiatrist, I know that behavior is predictable and follows patterns. The obsessions of Howard and his platoons of useful idiots are indicative of toilet training gone relativist wild. They want to be applauded for trying to make it on time, and being sorry for ‘accidents,’ and that intending to crap in the bowl, is as good as crapping in the bowl, and why are we so obsessed with toilet training? It isn’t as if porcelain is natural, right?

These *****rs make me puke.

Santy went on to say that ‘playing with numbers is never defensible.’

No one ever hears the truth about Hungarians. Did you know that virtually all Hungarians are toilet trained? That’s something else the Democrats omit.

How about the ‘Delaweenians’? Did you know that people from that state hate to be called ‘Delaweenians’, and the only reason no one says anything about that is because Joe Biden, senator from that great state, believes that by victimizing his fellow citizens, he can bring home even more pork, out sympathy for the ‘Delaweenians’?

Do you know why we haven’t we heard from a single Democrat candidate that Sheryl Crowe’s idea of using a single sheet of toilet paper is a bad idea? Because the candidates all want you to believe that not only do they approve of the idea, they are humbly doing their bit for the environment. THAT’S ASSININE.

Think about this. Do you want to shake hands with a candidate who wants you to believe he uses a single sheet of TP? Would you allow your baby to be kissed by a candidate that uses a single sheet of TP and who would publicly disparage you for using disposable diapers?

These *****rs make make me puke.

Despite her harsh criticisms, none of the candidates or Democrat party officials would disparage Dr Santy, believing that doing so would be political suicide. Barack Obama issued this statement:

Pat Santy is a phenomenon. Her Carnival Of The Insanities is a must read. She’s reaches inside more people that Tim Russert or that ‘girly man,’ George Stephanopoulous. Even the New York Sunday Times can wait.’

Obama was referring to Santy’s Carnival Of The Insanities, a Sunday blog post read around the world, by influential people everywhere.

Not to be outdone, Hillary Clinton responded by saying that

Pat Santy is an example to us all. While my opponent refers to girly men, let me take this opportunity to blame the vast right wing conspiracy for my southern accent and for my daughter’s first job out of college that nets her a six figure income. Let me also say I have no idea how those FBI files got into my desk in my study at in the White House and that my $100,000 profit made with the help of a lawyer friend representing a large Arkansas company that changed the state of our finances, was purely coincidental. Any suggestion otherwise really hurts my feelings and might result in the use of private detectives and political dirty tricks operatives to harass, intimidate of threaten the enemies that are so bent on hurting me.

Howard Dean was somewhat more cryptic.

In the spirit of openness and honesty, my feelings will be made clear at a later date. Dean cited ‘executive privilege.’

Have you ever wondered how a conversation with God might go?

Here’s an opportunity to eavesdrop- God called.

This post is the 5th and last in a series. Here are links to parts one, two ,three and four.

These posts may also be accessed from the sidebar, under ‘Pages.’

For American lawmakers of either party, tinkering with Social Security has long been considered the ‘third rail’ of American politics, a kind of kiss of death for any politician with higher aspirations.

Talk of renouncing violence is the ‘third rail’ of Palestinian lawmakers. For them, such talk is political suicide. Such talk is also considered traitorous and contrary to religious dogma.

Yesterday, we noted that to challenge the significance and importance of Palestinian violence and terror has the kind of ramifications that can come back and bite. Questioning the status quo can upend a very dysfunctional culture.

Suicide bombers and terrorists are glorified. Parents are regaled as almost equal to the shahid, for having raised and encouraged a child to go off to his death, murdering as many non members of the group as possible. Those parents become elevated in status and morality, precisely because their child embraced the immorality of indiscriminate murder. The prestige bestowed (and thus the dysfunction) is so great that many other parents harbor wishes for the same recognition. They are willing to sacrifice their own children. It is not uncommon to hear the refrain that ‘we love death,’ not because of the finality of death but rather, because of the desperate belief that in death will come a kind of relief. The restrictive bonds of life under tyranny (Palestinians and the Arab world are well aware of who their leaders are) will be broken- a new, more pure ‘life’ awaits them on the other side. Even talk of sexual pleasures unavailable in conservative Arab societies, can be talked about within a religious context. A teenager, consumed with own sexuality- and feeling guilty about that obsession- often sees his own shahada as a kind of redemption in addition to the skewed religious and moral expressions he or she was taught to believe.

The shahid and his or her family have to believe that. They cannot question those who define the afterlife, because to question that would be too painful. They understand that the ideologues that encourage young men and women to their deaths are corrupt. They understand that those ideologues define religion in any way that best suits their needs at any given time…

To question the basis of Palestinian shahada (martyrdom) is to question the predicates and foundation of the group.

Nevertheless, one Palestinian notable addressed the culture of violence directly.

In October 2006 Ghazi Hamad, publisher of an influential newspaper and Hamas spokesman and senior advisor to the Hamas government, plainly asked if violence and a culture of death have become a disease or bacteria that has infected the Palestinians.

Hamad’s argument was simple. What kind of future could a society have if violence is a legitimate form of expression and exchange? He broke a taboo by speaking of violence in Palestinian homes, streets, neighborhoods and between clans. He went on to make very clear that the pervasive culture of violence could not sustain a future Palestinian society and the rejection of violence was the obligation of every Palestinian.

We have surrendered to it until it has become the master and is obeyed everywhere - in the house, the neighborhood, the family, the clan, the faction, and the university.

…violence has taken away the language of brotherhood and replaced it with arms.. It has stolen our unity and divided us into two camps, or three, or ten.”

“Shouldn’t we be ashamed of this ugly behavior which scandalizes us before our people and before the world?” he asked.

Hamad addressed issue which both the Palestinian and western media furiously avoid. The Haaretz article noted that Hamad wrote that 175 Palestinians had been killed by “Palestinian gunfire” since the beginning of the year. Understand that the figure of 175 Palestinians killed in a few months by other Palestinians reflects only the number of deaths reported. The majority of killings go unreported, for fear of reprisal. It is also true the ongoing killing fields as the ‘Intrafadah,’ assigns the body count of the number of Palestinians killed by other Palestinians, to victims killed by the Israelis.

Factor in Palestinian body count inflation and the number of victims of the ‘Intrafadah,‘ a whole new perspective of the conflict emerges.

We want to disown this disease, this cancer, which has damaged our brains, and paralyzed our hearts.

The Palestinian addiction to violence and the resistance to change may very well be a deliberate attempt by Palestinian leaders to repress the reality they know is true- and one they are afraid Palestinians will demand.

The Palestinians, as a group and as a society, have failed. Unlike other Arabs in the region, they live in close proximity to a vibrant and free society. They know and see the benefits of what living in a free society means. They also know to acknowledge Israel’s successes, they have to acknowledge their own failures. Culturally, that is too high a price to pay.

The cycle of violence is not simply destined to perpetuate itself- the cycle of violence is reinforced and ever escalating. Dysfunctional behaviors that were unknown or unheard before have become commonplace.The self destructive behavior of the Palestinians comes about as the result of the integration of exaggerated love and exaggerated hate into a fused single exaggerated emotion. What distinguishes the two becomes no more than a blurred idea. Thus, violence directed at each other is a appropriate as violence directed at the Israelis.

This kind diseased thinking is not just about violence. Even the wildest conspiracy theories, widely welcomed and accepted, become a reflection of a dysfunctional defense mechanism and absurdity. As Arab religious and political leaders whip crowds into a wild frenzy, warning of ‘Jewish plots’ to control the world, these same religious and political leaders have no trouble promising that ‘Muslims all over the world will work together to control the world’ and that the ‘flag of Islam will fly over the White House’ and the British Parliament. Those who resist will be destroyed.

These kinds of projections are used by religious and political leaders to control and feed the fantasy with the intoxication of absolute power. In their world, the non Muslim must not only submit, but he must be in a subjugated and terrorized. He must be in a constant state of fear of the believers power. The idea is intoxicating- it is directed at some of the most failed and broken cultures and societies in history.

There is a difference between backward societies and failed ones. Backward societies are unaware of the possibilities in front of them. Failed societies have squandered the opportunities that have been afforded them. Failed societies can recover, but only if they reject the ideologies that led them to fail in the first place. That kind of redemption will not come easily in a culture where

To admit one’s flaws and mistakes, to correct and repent is inconceivable…

To acknowledge one’s shortcomings before first blaming others would bring deep shame and dishonor not only to the individual but to his or her entire family…If the mistake is a cultural taboo, one’s reputation may be scarred for life and the perpetrator might end up brutally punished.

The society that births terrorists or supporters of terror, is one that encourages the narcissism of the self as paramount- more important even, than adding the self to the fabric of the well being and elevation of the entire community. It is the beliefs and feelings of the individual, or a group of individual with similar ideologies, that counts. The ‘collective’ of a community with diverse thoughts and ideas are rejected, for fear of being unable to control the community.

The narcissistic self is never progressive. It fears the future (what it cannot control) and regressive, wanting and encouraging only it’s own ideologies, beliefs and value systems. This is not unlike the Catholic Church when it struggled and wrestled with science. The narcissist, like the Church at the time, fights bitterly to maintain control over ideas and beliefs, stifling opposition at will.

Narcissistic and ‘progressive’ ideologies are predicated on the belief that others cannot think for themselves. The indoctrination by progressives and narcissists does not allow for the natural urge of humans to reach accommodation and allow for self expression. Even before the progressive/narcissist forces his ideology, he must force his control if he is to maintain power.

The Palestinians- and other narcissist/progressives, have a long road before them.

It’s Thursday, and that means the SC&A Academy of Extremely Peculiar Pathologies, is pleased to announce the winners of the Weekly Wednesday Whackjob Awards, commonly referred to as the ‘Whacky’s.’

First, some fine print: nominations will open each week until 10:00 PM, EST (After the broadcast of House, M.D.).

That’s it for the fine print.

The Judging Committee at the SC&A Institute are pleased to announce that this week’s variety and assortment of fools are a particularly amusing group of whack jobs.

OK, on with this week’s show, broadcast from the finely appointed showrooms of humanerestraints.com (a Disney company). This years selection of restraints are made from the finest leather, highlighted with Corinthian chrome cinctures.

A ‘Whacky‘ has been been awarded this week in each of the following categories:

The Thorazine Shuffle and Dance Award, each week to the politician who dances and shuffles without actually addressing reality or answering a question. Once again, the award is presented to presented to House Leader Nancy Pelosi, member in good standing of the House Select Committee Of Most Corrupt Legislators, for lecturing the President on ethics.

Ms Pelosi, whose foreign policy faux pas were excoriated by anyone with an IQ over 11, is not satisfied to have her credibility only impugned when it comes to diplomacy abroad. It is now clear that her intention is to be just as credible in domestic matters. Harry Reid is on the plan in the hope that his support for Ms Pelosi will result in yet more pork for his cronies back home.

The Thomas Szasz Psychotherapy Award, presented each week to the biggest idiot therapist is awarded week to a psychiatric patient, Tristano Ajmone.

First, a few words from his manifesto:

“Facing psychiatry you have to fight even to simply survive. Those who have experienced the ritual tortures of today’s psychiatry know how hard it is to survive — not only physically, but also mentally — psychiatry’s torments and its masked cruelty. Ritual menticide is no longer an Orwellian circumstance of the famous novel 1984, it’s the institutional routine of today’s mental health system. The famous words «anything you say can be used against you» are today more relevant to the psychiatric psychopolice — which has the right to revoke citizens’ freedom in an arbitrary and systematic way — than it is to ordinary police forces.”

And just who is this expert?

I have spent several consecutive years in Italian psychiatric institutes, from OPGs (Ospedali Psichiatrici Giudiziari — Judiciary Psychiatric Hospitals: Psychiatric Prisons) to private clinics and «therapeutic» communities (Italian euphemisms for psychiatric facilities differ from the English ones). Even though my psychiatric journey is tied to a judiciary measure, it’s a misfortune that could happen to anyone… it could even happen to you!

I have met men who were locked up in OPGs only because deemed «socially dangerous». The «crimes» that brought them in those facilities are often hasty acts resulting from inner-despair situations. Having been deprived of the right to defend themselves in court, because discredited by psychiatrist who branded them «incapable of intending and willing» (Italian insanity defense cornerstone formula), these people soon found themselves locked up in a ghastly, atrocious reality — places and situations that cannot but exacerbate the original sufferance that brought them there…

I have seen my Muslim brothers tied to restraint beds, deprived of their right to perform the five obligatory daily prayers.

(The fact that they may have been stark raving mad and dangerous to themselves or others, is apparently of no consequence to Mr Ajmone)

Paging Dr Sanity, paging Shrinkwrapped, paging Neo, paging Gagdad Bob and Petey…

The Valium Award, presented to the dullard of the week goes to Billyboy, author of The Most Boring Weblog In The World. Here is s sampling of fresh and scintillating content:

I am moving in two days and everything mostly is packed, the new house is clean and only a 5 minute drive from the place I am at now and we are ready…

I got really really sick of that Pussycat Dolls song “Don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me” or whatever it is called. Finally the series is over and Asia is the new Pussycat Doll. If you compare the show to American Idol you have to notice how interesting the characters are especially when they have cat fights. I watched for the T and A but in the end I was a little disappointed with the whole idea….who cares about joining a stripper band?

Anyway there is apparently going to be another season…

My highlight of the show when they were told that it was supposed to look artistic when they dance not slutty, and in the next scene they were dancing in windows at a strip club.

Well just as promised by the passport guy I just received my Canadian passport in the mail today and it only took four weeks.

There seems to be a lot of hype about the length of time that it takes to get a passport but when I went a few weeks ago it took a couple of hours in line to get my application in and it would have been even faster if I would have filled out the passport application online…

Riveting stuff. Kind of cool too, in a dull way.

The Trojan Award is presented each week to the person we wish had never been born. This weeks winner is the girl who believed the guy that told her,

I told this girl that I had surgery done, and they used cheetah blood for a transfusion, and now I could run really fast, and she believed it completely.

The girl has announced her desire for children. The State Legislature has been called into emergency session to revisit the issue of forced sterilization.

The NutriSystem “I’m Not So disgusting to My Spouse Anymore” Award, given to the biggest loser of the week, goes to the guy who effectively used the pickup line,

“Somebody must have beat the hell outta you with a pretty bat”

Publishers are reporting a large decline in the sale of poetry titles.

The Haldol Honor, awarded each week to the person or persons most out of touch with reality, either on or off medication goes to Roger Bean.

A man was held Wednesday on charges that he performed dental work on customers without a license in his “filthy” garage, authorities said. Roger Bean, 60, was arrested Tuesday and held on $6,000 bond.

Bean performed denture fittings and made false teeth in his garage, charging just $200 for a full set of dentures, a procedure that typically costs more than $2,000, authorities said. But he was not licensed to practice in Florida.

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s detective Don Zumpano said there were “health risks with operating this type of facility outside of your house,” adding that Bean’s workspace was “filthy.”

Neighbors and clients, however, praised Bean for saving them thousands of dollars.

Ron St. Mary, 73, head of the neighborhood crime watch, said Bean is no criminal.

“He’s helping the old people who don’t have a few dollars,” he said. “I think the world of him.”

It was not immediately clear if Bean had an attorney.

The entire Bean clan are dedicated to the frugal living lifestyle. Brother Norman Bean is a self taught neuro-surgeon working out of Johnny-on-the-Spot.

The Methamphetamine Medal, awarded each week to the most hyper, histrionic, hysterical, spaced out documented behavior goes to mechanic Robert Steinwirt.

It’s Dog Day Afternoon - the Austrian version. A man has been jailed after robbing a bank to pay for a breast operation for his transvestite lover.

It’s reported that car mechanic Robert Steinwirt, 29, was caught just hours after he handed over the 7,000 pounds he had robbed from the bank in Grinzens, Austria, to a plastic surgeon who he hoped would perform the op on his transvestite lover.

The surgeon reportedly called police because he was suspicious that the mechanic wanted to pay him so much money in cash up front for the operation.

Steinwert has been sentenced to six years in prison.

In the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon, Al Pacino plays a man who robs a bank to finance his lover’s gender reassignment surgery. The movie was based on a real-life robbery, committed by John Wojtowicz in Brooklyn in 1972.

The Viagra Statuette, awarded to the wimpiest metro sexuals, goes to Matthew Dow, a man who believed he is making a difference.

A US carpenter in Maine is branching out from his normal trade of tables and cabinets after being asked to make a coffin for a pet.

Matthew Dow is now selling his pet coffins through pet stores and veterinary clinics, and can provide grieving pet owners with coffins in four sizes, ranging from £50 to £200.

At the moment each coffin is custom-made, but Mr Dow is hoping to be able to build up a stock so the satin-lined coffins can be available as soon as they are needed.

The ECT Battery Award, presented to the most shocking news story of the week, goes to the woman who swallowed her pride and announced to the world her child’s mediocrity- as well as her own lack of common sense.

British firefighters said on Wednesday they had come to a boy’s rescue after he got a toilet seat stuck on his head.

The toddler, aged two-and-a-half, and his mother walked into a fire station in Braintree, Essex, Tuesday saying the boy had put his head through a small trainer seat for the toilet and now could not remove it.

“His mum had tried to get it over his head but couldn’t budge it so she walked him down here and asked us to have a look at it and we went to work and we managed to get it off in no time,” firefighter Chris Cox said.

“We simply put some dish washing liquid on his head and ears and it slid off nice as pie.”

He said the boy had been “very brave” and “toddled away as happy as can be” after his ordeal ended.

The child went home and promptly went to play with the bidet. While at the fire station, the mom who discovered the lubricating properties of soap, also discovered that Ramen noodles in a Styrofoam cup need not be emptied into a pot for cooking.

Finally, The HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) Prize awarded weekly to the loudest and most inconsequential feminist drivel the SC&A jury can find. This week’s winner is Amanda Marcotte (of whom we had higher expectations!)

In a previous installment of “Are Wingnuts Aware Of How They Don’t Conceal Their Psychosexual Issues Well?”, we found wingnut Ace of Spades assuming outright that if a series of women give up wanting to fuck him after trying him out for about a week, it’s because they have a problem and probably don’t like sex..

Because I’m prone to speculation, I suggested that men, especially sexist pigs, who find themselves in a situation where women routinely taste the goods and opt out may, just may, be a tad selfish in bed to the point where there’s no point in sleeping with them. But see, my explanation for the situation can safely be written off as just more evidence that there’s nothing wrong with sexist pigs, just something wrong with the entire half of the human race called “women”. Which is to say, I could only be saying that out of feminazi man-hatred…

The funny thing is that in a general sense, I agree with Ace—fear of putting your face in the pussy and contempt for the idea that your female partner should have fun in the sack are not signs that a guy is gay, but usually better signs that he’s sexually immature and sexist.

(and all women ought to love going on a guy- and if she doesn’t, she’ s immature and sexist- a point with SC&A agree….)

Amanda, Ace was kidding.

Now while we’re on the topic of crazy, be sure to visit Dr Sanity’s Carnival Of The Insanities for more bizarre, arcane, insane and incredible examples of what can be found in the whackosphere, blogosphere, MSM and NASA. As a world class expert on organic waste disposal in space, Dr Sanity’s voice is well regarded.

Nancy Pelosi believes that President Bush should sign the ‘Retreat From Iraq And Screw The Consequences’ bill, passed by the House and Senate.

Nancy Pelosi is the last person on Capital Hill to be talking about ethics.

If Ms Pelosi were so concerned with ethics, she would have investigated Senator Diane  Feinstein and her husband, a Pentagon contractor that was awarded contracts that Ms Feinstein approved and oversaw, including a single contract for $600 million, with a potential of additional revenues that would bring the total contract value up to $3.1 billion dollars.

Instead, Ms Pelosi and her fellow Democrats obsess over Dick Cheney, who has long severed ties all ties with Halliburton.

If Nancy Pelosi were so concerned with ethics, she would have investigated Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, whose only demonstrated expertise is in the area of corruption.

Mr Ethics, Harry Reid (who happily took money from Jack Abrahamoff, then denied it, then admitted it, and then refused to return the money) is backing what promises to be one of Nevada’s largest real estate development proposals. In fact, Mr Reid wanted the feds to part with valuable federal lands for nothing. When that came to light, the developer (a good friend of Mr Reid’s)- without a peep- agreed to pay ten million dollars for the land.

In fact, the developer and Mr Reid have ties that go back a long way. The developer/lobbyist, Harvey Whittemore, is a longtime friend and financial backer of Harry Reid. Of course, lawyers are always the front people for deal of this magnitude. ‘Leif Reid, who is Whittemore’s personal lawyer, has represented the developer throughout the Coyote Springs project, including in negotiations with federal officials.’ What a good daddy.

To put things in perspective, the size of the deal must be appreciated. The Coyote Springs Valley project calls for ‘as many as 159,000 homes, 16 golf courses and a full complement of stores and service facilities. At nearly 43,000 acres, Coyote Springs covers almost twice as much space as the next-largest development in a state famous for out-sized building projects. ‘ The project has been referred to as being of ‘historic proportions.’

We noted in Culture Of Corruption And Playing In The Mud that

The Empress Dowager of the Democrats, Nancy Pelosi, is fond of accusing her Republican counterparts of harboring a ‘culture of corruption.’ Her Majesty has a short memory. Notwithstanding her self righteous call, The Emperor Dowager is rather fond of corruption. As Minority House Leader, Ms Pelosi has often spoken of lobbying reform and ethical issues. She has stated she would like to see a ban on House members accepting gifts from lobbyists.

What Ms Pelosi does not want to remember is that in 1995 she voted against a provision “to prohibit registered lobbyists from giving gifts to members, officers, or employees of the House and Senate.” The Empress Dowager wasn’t alone. She was joined by Steny Hoyer, the then number two Democrat in the House. That ‘culture of corruption’ is clearly very addictive to Ms Pelosi and others in her party.

Just how addictive that culture of corruption is becomes quite clear with a bit of hindsight.

In speaking of the Abrahamoff scandal and other improprieties, John Boehner noted Ms Pelosi’s hypocrisy:

“When I hear Democratic Party leaders throwing around terms like ‘culture of corruption,’ I have to think: ‘You oughta know.’
“Yes, Republicans are outraged by the actions of Jack Abramoff. But we’re outraged, in part, because our standards are higher than the standards that were held by the Democratic majority we replaced after 1994. We are repulsed at Abramoff and his crimes, in part, because they remind us of the corruption we uprooted and stamped out when we took the majority away from the Democrats a decade ago.

“Minority Leader Pelosi, who has served in Congress since 1987 and was part of the last Democratic majority, should recall that corruption well. It wasn’t that long ago that gifts and personal loans from S&L interests to a Democratic committee chairman, made in hopes of winning favorable treatment from regulators, resulted in a half-trillion dollar scandal and a $125 billion tab for the American taxpayer. Nor was it that long ago that the Democratic chairman of the House Administration Committee stood idly by while drugs were being dealt from the House Post Office, hundreds of Members of Congress were bouncing checks and floating themselves zero-interest loans from the House Bank, and lobbyists were being given assigned parking spots on the Capitol grounds. Nor was it that long ago that the Democratic chairman of the Ways & Means Committee was trading taxpayer-purchased stamps for personal cash, leading to his conviction and jail time in 1993.

“An honorable majority responds to its stumbles with contrition, reform, and an effort to fix that which is broken. This is precisely the path Speaker Hastert and Chairman Dreier have charted for our majority in recent days. I applaud the Speaker for his leadership, and challenge Minority Leader Pelosi to join Republicans in our effort to change the way Congress works.”

So much for the Empress Dowager’s credibility as a beacon of morality and ethics.
See this, too.

This post is the 4th in a series. Here are links to parts one, two and three. The 5th and final article in this series will be published tomorrow.

These posts may also be accessed from the sidebar, under ‘Pages.’

How does political and/or ideological indoctrination work? Surprisingly, the process is fairly simple. Wilfrid Bion explained the process:

The child (or even adult) is taught that he is part something much bigger than him or herself. The individual is taught that because of that affiliation, the are very special, and expression of narcissism that celebrates the self (an expression of which is necessary component of every healthy individual) is frowned upon. It is because of that affiliation with the group, they are loved.

Those outside the group are rejected at best and hated and reviled at worst. This is not hard to grasp: Within the group, there is love. Non members or members of different groups are ignored or rejected- they are outsiders. If and when those outsiders reject the group or cling to their own group, they become hated.

It bears remembering that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

When the ‘love’ offered by the group by virtue of attachment to that group is so strong, so to is the hate proffered by that group, directed at outsiders. The group leaders control the ‘volume’ of hate. The closer group leaders control their followers, the more they focus that hate on the chosen ‘others.’

What we see in the Middle East are members of a group so desirous of love (worthiness) and attention, that they make a deliberate choice to opt out of the rules that define civilized society. They refuse to deal with or even interact with non members. This is no small matter or self imposed isolation. Human progress of every single type has it’s origins in the interaction we have with each other. By deliberately choosing to not participate in an honest exchange with others, or by believing that forced or coerced interactions (i.e., believing that forced religious conversions denote religious embrace) are the equivalent of real exchanges, many in the Arab world separate themselves from the reality, even as they perceive that their forced interactions place them center stage, or in a position to dictate reality. The Cartoon Riots are an example of that. In the end, free speech in the west will not simply disappear (notwithstanding shrill cries to the opposite).

In any event, as the individual withdraws from reality into the fantasy love/respect the group offers, the stage is set for the terrorist and (even more importantly) the terrorist supporter. The hate fueled by the group nurtures envy (”what they have is rightfully ours”) and sadism (we will punish them for their evil. We are the righteous ones”).

That level of intense hate is matched only the level of intense love (and therefore ‘worthiness’) bestowed by the group. Death becomes an expression of fidelity to the group. Murder and killing on behalf of the group bestows an ultimate morality in the absence of any kind of morality (”of course we can justify the murder of innocents and civilians) of the group.

From an early age, Palestinians are taught that martyrdom is the ultimate expression of fidelity to the group and the ultimate expression of the elevated self. Terror and murder are the vehicles in which one can achieve fulfillment as a Muslim, Palestinian and as an individual. Terror and murder are celebrated. When a suicide bomber completes his deed, there are celebrations in the local mosque. His or her actions elevate the rest of the congregation. It is as if there were a competition among churches as to which might provide the most saints.

These expressions are not only religious in nature. Schools, media and entertainment reinforce the message. There is a whole subculture that reinforces that culture, not unlike American gang culture. Gang members are willing to die for their ‘colors.’ A kind of code of ethics (religion) permeates the culture and there is an entire subculture of entertainment and art that feeds and glorifies that culture.

Suicide bombers and terrorists are glorified. Parents are regaled as almost equal to the shahid, for having raised and encouraged a child to go off to his death, murdering as many non members of the group as possible. Those parents become elevated in status and morality, precisely because their child embraced the immorality of indiscriminate murder. The prestige bestowed (and thus the dysfunction) is so great that many other parents harbor wishes for the same recognition. They are willing to sacrifice their own children. It is not uncommon to hear the refrain that ‘we love death,’ not because of the finality of death but rather, because of the desperate belief that in death will come a kind of relief. The restrictive bonds of life under tyranny (Palestinians and the Arab world are well aware of who their leaders are) will be broken- a new, more pure ‘life’ awaits them on the other side. Even talk of sexual pleasures unavailable in conservative Arab societies, can be talked about within a religious context. A teenager, consumed with own sexuality- and feeling guilty about that obsession- often sees his own shahada as a kind of redemption in addition to the skewed religious and moral expressions he or she was taught to believe.

The shahid and his or her family have to believe that. They cannot question those who define the afterlife, because to question that would be too painful. They understand that the ideologues that encourage young men and women to their deaths are corrupt. They understand that those ideolgues define religion in any way that best suits their needs at any given time. They understand that deceit is as much part of the ideology as is religion (”Jews never had a Temple. The Bible is forged. Jesus was really a Muslim”).

To question the basis of Palestinian shahada (martyrdom) is to question the predicates and foundation of the group.

That is why Muslim apostates are reviled and feared in their community and not simply ignored. One who leaves the group, knows the group. The non member is hated because he is a non member, and perceived to reject the group without knowing the group (”Come learn about Islam, get to know us. We are not as we seems”) The apostate is reviled because he refuses to accept the ‘love’ (worthiness) of a flawed and murderous ideology. The apostate thinks for himself, a cardinal sin in the Arab world. There is a reason the quality of education in the Arab world is so abysmal. An educated citizen thinks for himself and does not need to rely on the group to do that for him. An educated citizen finds his own self worth, in his community and beyond. The Arab citizen cannot compete outside his own environment. He sheltered by deliberately imposed ignorance. This is not his fault. Arabs are the greatest victims of their own leadership.

To be clear, not all Palestinians or Arabs are enamored with the ‘love’ of Islam and Arab societies bestows upon their culture and society. There are other voices that reject the ideologies that have served to degenerate and subjugate Islam and the Arab world.

Nonie Darwish is one of them. The daughter of a decorated ‘guerrilla’ fighter, she acknowledges that all she was taught was wrong. More importantly, she finds something more distressing than the hate. In discussing Arab culture and societal norms, she notes

To admit one’s flaws and mistakes, to correct and repent is inconceivable…

To acknowledge one’s shortcomings before first blaming others would bring deep shame and dishonor not only to the individual but to his or her entire family…If the mistake is a cultural taboo, one’s reputation may be scarred for life and the perpetrator might end up brutally punished.

This is the kind of environment that allows for and justifies ‘honor killings.’ This is also how many young women are recruited into terror. If they are thought to have shamed the family, an act of terror serves as act of redemption for their family as well as themselves. The higher ‘morality’ of indiscriminate killing of innocents makes up for their transgressions.

This highlights another reality. In Arab cultures, there is no real reward or recognition for loving the sanctity of life. Those who profess a desire for real peace, non violence, less corruption and less oppression are considered reformers.

In societies and cultures where violence is often seen after religious services (unique in the Abrahamic faiths). little emphasis is placed on self improvement, the betterment of society (the ‘real jihad,’ we are told) or humility. Rather, worshipers are whipped into a murderous frenzy directed at non members. Each week, the hate is elevated.

These realities have brought Arab nations to their knees. Repression, oppression, terror, genocide and hate flourish. Entire populations are groomed to know only hopelessness, and not hope. There are failed economies, failed civil infrastructures and failed educational infrastructures. A child born in the Arab world today has little hope of achieving success on his own. There is little in the way of opportunities or a way out if the bleakness. There is no bright future to look forward to.

The only promise and guarantee that child can count on, is being taught to hate.

Via the always thoughtful,  insightful and irrepressible  Mamacita, author of Weekly Scheiss, the blog that must be read, comes this letter of resignation, written by ‘an employee of an institution of higher education.’ 

The letter speaks for itself. There is no need for additional commentary.

Mr Baker,

As an employee of an institution of higher education, I have a few very basic expectations. Chief among these is that my direct superiors have an intellect that ranges above the common ground squirrel. After your consistent and annoying harassment of myself and my co-workers during the commission of our duties, I can only surmise that you are one of the few true genetic wastes of our time. Asking me, a network administrator, to explain every little nuance of everything I do each time you happen to stroll into my office is not only a waste of time, but also a waste of precious oxygen. I was hired because I know about Unix, and you were apparently hired to provide amusement to myself and other employees, who watch you vainly attempt to understand the concept of “cut and paste” for the hundredth time.

You will never understand computers. Something as incredibly simple as binary still gives you too many options. You will also never understand why people hate you, but I am going to try and explain it to you, even though I am sure this will be just as effective as telling you what an IP is. Your shiny new iMac has more personality than you ever will. You walk around the building all day, shiftlessly looking for fault in others. You have a sharp dressed useless look about you that may have worked for your interview, but now that you actually have responsibility, you pawn it off on overworked staff, hoping their talent will cover for your glaring ineptitude. In a world of managerial evolution, you are the blue-green algae that everyone else eats and laughs at. Managers like you are a sad proof of the Dilbert principle.

Seeing as this situation is unlikely to change without you getting a full frontal lobotomy reversal, I am forced to tender my resignation, however I have a few parting thoughts.

• When someone calls you in reference to employment, it is illegal to give me a bad recommendation. The most you can say to hurt me is “I prefer not to comment.” I will have friends randomly call you over the next couple of years to keep you honest, because I know you would be unable to do it on your own.

• I have all the passwords to every account on the system, and I know every password you have used for the last five years. If you decide to get cute, I am going to publish your “favourites list”, which I conveniently saved when you made me “back up” your useless files. I do believe that terms like “Lolita” are not usually viewed favourably by the administration.

• When you borrowed the digital camera to “take pictures of your mothers b-day”, you neglected to mention that you were going to take pictures of yourself in the mirror nude. Then you forgot to erase them like the techno-moron you really are. Suffice it to say I have never seen such odd acts with a ketchup bottle, but I assure you that those have been copied and kept in safe places pending the authoring of a glowing letter of recommendation. (Try to use a spell check please, I hate having to correct your mistakes.)

Thank you for your time, and I expect the letter of recommendation on my desk by 8:00 am tomorrow.

One word of this to anybody, and all of your little twisted repugnant obsessions will be open to the public. Never **** with your systems administrators, because they know what you do with all your free time.

Sincerely,

[Name Omitted]