First - the ACLU.
Wow, some folks here are sure quick to malign an organization they know nothing about. The membership of civil liberty groups across North America, including the ACLU, shares three characteristics: they have a greater than average education; they donate in amounts less than $200, typically; and they come from all over the political spectrum.
The Board of Directors of the ACLU, and it's advisory committees, have in their ranks: right and left wing libertarians; anarchists; small government Republican conservatives; big government Keynesians. And more. Sure, there are rich people in civil liberty groups - there are poor people too. Mostly, these are grassroots organizations.
In BC, where I was politically active, the BCCLU took both the right-wing Socred Government to court, and a few years later took the leftist New Democrats to court when they formed the gov't.
I am puzzled as to why people hate civil liberty groups: they exist to prevent unwarranted government abridgement of your rights. That's all. Civil Liberties: the freedoms of the individual.
Second: the commandments. Sigh - such a flawed document to come from a supposedly perfect supernatural being.
First four commandments are all about jealousy - god even admits it. Such a petty and mean emotion from the big fellow.
First comm: why does he have to say who he is? Shouldn't it be obvious - I mean he made all the stuff in the universe, didn't he? So, a self-evident truth as the first big rule...
Second comm: he admits there are other gods. "...no other gods before me." Sooo Yaweh, you're not alone up there in that penthouse suite? Please tell me you're up there with that Hindu god with all those breasts. . .
Third: I don't know if this is about images of god or art in general - but the big fella (I'll explain why god has to have a willie in a bit) hates art. Exodus, it's art in general; Deut, well it could be limited to statuary. Hey Deut - I sympathize; I've never understood post-modern sculpture either.
Fourth: there will be no court of appeals to using god's name in vain - hell forever. Yeah, that sounds fair.
Fifth makes sense unless your parents do something nutty or kooky like put cigarettes out on you, or pimp you out or lock you in the basement or don't feed you or. . .you get the idea.
You shall not murder. Hmmm, nope. Big problem with that one. Someone is about to do harm, maybe fatal harm to another. I have a baseball bat and I smash that bad person's head in. Yup, I murdered them - I killed them on purpose. And I'd know I did the right thing.
You shall not commit adultery. Oh, so this is where all that body hating thing came about in Catholicism! Ok, I've never been unfaithful but I just don't see it as more important than oh, don't rape, for example (more on this later). So, no problem with it but it seems a little unimportant to be here. Oh wait - christians count unmarried sex as fornicaing; is it also adultery? What if I'm single and a married woman wants to hump me? I know that makes me a cuckholder - am I also an adulterer?
You shall not steal. No way to this! I'm poor and starving: I steal a loaf of bread. I did exactly the right thing, Les Miserables notwithstanding. So far this "perfect god" seems pretty screwed up.
False witness. Ok, this one is cool - but the Code of Hammurabi covered that hundreds of years earlier. But I do like that one. Except. . .oh darn, here's the problem: Nazis at the door and they ask if the neighbours are harbouring any Jews. I know they are - but I lie about my neighbours and say no, they aren't. I go to hell, my neighbour goes to heaven. Seems a little screwy.
Not coveting: this covers two commandments, depending on your particular flavour of christianity. I dig it, but why not turn it around: if you are really rich and your neighbour is poor, share your wealth. By the way, do I really have a choice about what I want? I mean, either I find my neighbour's wife hot, or I don't - there's no choice about that. But acting on those desires, that is my choice. How about not stealing that which I covet? Oh, yeah - already covered that one.
Also, why is it thy neighbour's wife? Seems a little sexist to speak of women as less than full people, as property, along with the house and the ass.
What is missing from the Big Ten Rules:
Slavery. As in it is wrong, so don't own people. Unfortunately the Old Testes advocate slave ownership, even lays out the rules for how to keep a human pet.
Rape. See, now, this omission really pisses me off. And sorry guys, but only the gender with the power would leave that off the list - and the guys had the power. So this is why god ain't got a vagina. Actually, rape is also advocated in the book.
Incest: this is sorta like rape, but sorta not. See, a brother and a sister could be sane and healthy and in their thirties and really honestly wanna do it with each other, but it still results in massive deformities and retardations. And fundamentalists. Oh, yeah, incest is also acceptable in the bible. My, my, my - what a wicked document we call "the good book."
The Golden Rule: treat others as you wish them to treat you. Not a perfect idea (especially if you neighbour is a masochist and you're not), but a pretty good place to start.
And that's why this anarchist hates the ten suggestions.
I trust I have now thoroughly ticked everyone off.
Pangloss
