In which I agree with Andrew 'Broken clock' Bolt

Yes, it does, on rare occasions, happen. It certainly doesn't excuse the filth he's written, but Andy does sometimes write worthy stuff.

Case in point:

Australian doctors are considering introducing a controversial form of genital mutilation carried out on baby girls.
The Royal Australian New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) says the practice of "ritual nicks" could meet the cultural needs of some women and potentially save some people from drastic surgery.

The practice is said to be common among some African, Asian and Middle Eastern communities but has been known to leave some young girls scarred for life when not carried out in proper clinical facilities.

Andrew writes:

Will police will instruct husbands on the “safe” beating of wives to avoid worse damage?

What’s at stake here is not just the abhorrent mutilation of girls, but an abhorrent presumption that these wicked things need to have their sexual appetites permanently and sugically controlled and drastically reduced. It’s that presumption that also suggests we will surrender our principles without actually convincing many to surrender their practices. I suspect the reality of the mutilation is desired more than the mere ritual.

His anti-multicultural rant notwithstanding, I agree entirely. If human rights and cultural views clash, there is no debate. Misogyny isn't acceptable in any way, shape or form, especially a form which has no use but to control a girl's sexuality. And to anybody who thinks there's a double standard between male circumcision and female genital mutilation, the difference is obvious: circumcision doesn't inhibit a boy's sexual pleasure. Genital mutilation does. The whole point is to prevent girls and women from enjoying sex.

Equally, I highly recommend this.

Old rice and monkey nuts*, religion and atheism.

The latest from Andrew "Manlier than Teddy" Bolt:

Another example of how atheists seem to be walking, ranting evidence of the need for Christianity’s civilising influence.

His evidence?
That's it. Catherine used a naughty word, which makes her "uncivilised." I don't see how Christianity is a necessarily 'civilising' influence: christianity has been a justification for countless atrocities-from the Inquisition, the KKK, the American Taliban, and just about every abortion bombing in the history of the US.

However, ol' Rusty isn't finished yet. For his next column:

...if the Christian God really is dead, then there’s not much to stop people here from being barbarians.

I’d have hoped that the Atheists Convention’s speakers would have reassured me not just by fine words but finer example that a godless society will nevertheless be a good one.

How about the obvious: that despite the US being one of the most outspokenly Christian countries (certainly in the Western world), on every parameter it fails in its Christian teachings? The US has an infant mortality rate worse than Cuba. It's the only developed country without universal health care. It's education is worse than most other developed countries.

Compare this with the Scandinavian countries, all of which are amongst the least religious countries of the world. Sweden and Norway are among the best in preventing infant mortality. They are ahead in literacy. They have among the best public services while in comparison, while the US's infrastructure is on the verge of collapse.

I'm not saying that there's an inverse causation between religion and the of a country (ie, that the more religious a country is, the more it fails on actually meeting its religious convictions in protecting its citizens). What I'm saying is that religion is irrelevant to morality in services. A country can be highly religious and deliver health-care that would shame the Scandinavia countries. It may be entirely atheistic and be reminiscent of Zimbabwe. Either way the concept that Christianity is somehow 'civilising' by itself is nothing short of crock.

To go even further, there is evidence of non-human moral behaviour; that the ideas of justice and ethics aren't exclusive to humanity. This, more than anything else, would put to rest the notion that atheists are inherently less moral than theists.

I have no idea what Bolt's religious convictions are. Given how he so intensely defends Christianity, I'm inclined to believe that he has some sort of spiritual belief. Perhaps he doesn't, I don't care. However, before he starts with the classic 'if we become atheists we won't have any skydaddy to tell us what's right and wrong so we'll all go back to the caves and smash each others' heads in with clubs and crowbars' meme, he may want to see how the smear holds up to reality.

*Hattip to the original Pure Poison.

Some religions are more rational than other.

Incisive piece from Andrew "Spank me, Rupert!" Bolt, in which he reveals his views on some religions:

As I say, we’re on a retreat from reason:

THE Victorian Ombudsman has criticised a left-leaning inner-city council for spending $620,000 of ratepayers’ money on a self-styled “white witch” to assist with “change management”.

Port Phillip Council’s ad hoc but costly arrangement with pranic healing and astrology devotee Caroline Shahbaz was savaged in a report by the Ombudsman tabled in the Victorian parliament yesterday...It has also emerged that the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment has used Ms Shahbaz as a consultant, as have the Victorian Department of Planning, Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water and the Reserve Bank.

If you were wondering what kind of irrational, superstition-raddled brains left us with water supplies critically low, forests dangerously overloaded with fuel, housing land too scarce, and useless wind farms scarring the coastline to fight a warming that actually stopped a decade ago, now you know. It’s the kind of minds that took a witch for their guru.

Of course, could you imagine Rusty saying such things about Christianity? Or Judaism? Heck, even Islam?

Personally I see all religions, by and large, as irrational as each other*. Christianity involves magic Jewish zombies, Hinduism features a human/elephant/spider hybrid creature, and I don't know what paganism and witchery involve, but I doubt either is based on sound science. Religiously, I see no difference between a new-ager and a Baptist-so long as they don't try to force their beliefs on me, I've got no problem.

With Bolt, and I imagine other conservatives, is that Christianity is more 'logical' than other religions-the only possible explanations I that the monotheistic religions are older and more common than more recent ones. Which aren't so much reasons as they are fallacies, but I doubt that's the point.

And, true to form, he can't help but use this case as a way to bash environmentalists. What witchery has to do with controlled burning, water supplies and sustainable energy sources is beyond me-and probably beyond Bolt, given that he doesn't give any link to his hyperbole.

*When I say 'irrational' I'm referring to the belief systems. One can certainly be an entirely rational person and be religious.

Piers and Andrew. Pornstars in other lives.

Piers 'Idiot's Andrew Bolt' Akerman is a well established idiot.

The Left, which has been pushing for this new global wealth redistribution scheme, must decide whether it really wants to punish nations like India, where 42.5 per cent of children under five are malnourished.

Fracken' genius (although it should be spelled 'teh Left').

But the true gold comes from Andrew 'Murdoch's bitch' Bolt. I wonder how Andy would feel if he knew his material has such strong support from leading white supremacist forum Stormfront?

From the world of Andrew "I'm a journalist! No, really, I am! Why are you all laughing?" Bolt:

You don't like the way Israel has historically treated the Palistinians?

Captain Lefty, Sarah, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International- you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. All Israel has done is exercise his* democratic right to kill those random brown people who may have disliked Israel (if they didn't then, they certainly will now)-those same democratic rights the Coalition of the Willing have been wielding for the past 6+ years.

You'd all better unanimously apologise for insulting the 2nd Greatest Country To Bless This World (TM), or be banished from the internets forever.

*In accordance to Israeli policies, all terms of remotely feminine nature (her, she, etc) have been replaced with male counterparts for the foreseeable future.

(Note on the label: yes, I know that 'Arabia' covers only a portion of the Middle East, which I'm pretty sure doesn't cover Israel. But let's face it; Arabia is a far better name. So I'm sticking with it, geography be damned)

Thank God for Andrew Bolt

We all know that Greens are Nazis (reductio ad Hitlerum notwithstanding). So it comes as no surprise that Andrew 'Woodward' Bolt has uncovered the terrible truth; that the Greens are directly responsible for the bushfires.

Greens literally added fuel to the fires by planting “carbon offset’’ forests - which have now burned, adding the carbon dioxide emissions they were meant to remove:

Greenfleet will assess the impact of these fires on our forests over the coming weeks, with a view to replant if necessary or monitor recovery in areas where the impact was less severe.

But I don't think Andrew goes far enough. After all, as long as there's forests in Victoria, they could burn. And kill people. Thus, the only solution is log the state. If we wipe out the forests, the chances of a bushfire will be 0%. You don't want to people to die, do you?

It's official: Andrew Bolt has gone off the deep end.

Andrew Bolt has officially crossed that thin line that divides the controversial and the batsh*t insane:

Catholics believe in Armageddon and the fires of hell. So do global warming believers.

Uh..no. Just-gah, this statement is so full of wingnuttery, no wonder Bolta refused to give any links to his strawman environazis-they don't exist.

Catholics believe we must repent our sins to be saved. So do global warming believers.

No, you troll. Environmentalists think that we need to drastically cut our emissions on a global level to avert the worst of climate change. That has sweet f*ck all to do with 'sinning', which is a religious concept of personal immorality.

Catholics believe love of money is the root of evil. So do global warming believers, only they called money “industrialisation”.

This is so ridiculous it's almost self-parodying: Bolt has painted conservationists with a brush almost the size of Brendoc's forehead. I'm a "global warming believer" and I see bigotry and greed as the roots of evil-not industrialisation. Perhaps you'd like to explain why, if greenies are so anti-technology, the Greens are so supportive of more advanced renewable technology? I won't hold my breath.

UPDATE

Apologies to the readers below who are offended by the comparison. You are right: Catholicism is indeed more rational and benign than the green faith, and doesn’t demand forcible conversion.

OK, that is self-parodying. Why don't you name 10 people who have been "forcibly converted" to environmentalism? And benign? Like opposing both abortion and contraception despite that policy committing genocide against African women? Compared to campaigning for increasing international to developing nations (CLEARLY SUPPORTING INDUSTRIALISATION)?

F*ck off Andrew. Your pathetic attempts at smearing environmentalists are becoming more ludicrous everyday. BTW, the CEC called; your member's registration needs renewal.

UPDATE: W.O. Michelle B. Button cross-posts this, and raises some excellent points:

• Catholicism demands conversion unless you want to be judged for all eternity in Hell.

• Tell the kids who have been molested by priests that Catholicism is benign. Tell the people who have been killed in the name of the religion.

• Catholicism is based on a book which, if it weren't for the mass support in it's Truth, would be found squarely in the Fantasy section of the bookstore.

• There is no scientific basis for Catholicism

• Catholicism wants you to believe that there is a guy in the sky who created it all and controls many aspects of the lives of people on earth.

Yep, Catholicism is totally rational.

When the ends justify the means

Casually flipping through Captain Tobias' archives, I discovered this little gem, featuring Andrew "Boy Wonder" Bolt. I think he's revealing a little too much of his authoritarian beliefs, here.

The real scandal isn’t that the US has locked up suspects at Guantanamo Bay, but that it’s let so many of them go free - free to resume their terrorism.

...

How many people have now been murdered by fanatics set free from Guantanamo Bay, at the urging of so many civil libertarians and Leftist activists?

How many deaths do those civil libertarians now have on their conscience?

Andrew seems to think that if we can save lives my locking up suspected terrorists, then we have a moral duty to do so. My question to Andrew; how far should we go? If we locked up every suspected murderer, rapist and child molester in Australia for life,chances are, we'd drastically reduce the number of murders, rapes and child molestations in the country. Only problem is, we'd be inevitably locking up innocent people in the process. Why is it justified when the suspects are suspected terrorists?

Oh, and one last point-nice try at trying to through some political mud at your fictional Leftists. Only trouble is, not every Lefty is a civil libertarian, and not every civil libertarian is a Lefty.

Wonder Columnist discovers irrefutable link between obsenities and hate. Leftists now run for cover, their pure evillness exposed.

Bolta once again displays his brilliance at intellectualism and in-depth philosophy.

It’s true that some of the Left are genuinely nice people motivated by a sense of justice and compassion, however mistakenly applied. But it’s also true that the Left is the natural home of the barbarian.

What was the research that Andy used to make such a philosophical claim? That the Left uses more swear words. I've always thought that a 'barbarian' was someone who didn't give a rat's about the poor, or was an outspoken bigot, or was obsessed with retaining power at all expense of human rights. Bolt sure showed me.

Bolt: 1. Strawman Left: Pwned.

Scum in human form

I've never particularly liked Andrew Bolt, as he comes off as a selfish, self-centered, hypocritical, cowardly, misogynistic turd in his columns (probably because that's precisely what he is). But for some reason I thought there something in there that could distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, etc.

Clearly I wasn't thinking properly. Recently there's been the tragedy of an infant being discovered dead in a bag at a bus stop. Personally, as I know almost nothing about it, I currently feel extremely sorry for both the baby and the parent/s who most likely have gone through the most terrible of ordeals and horrific circumstances to have had to abandon the infant.

What does ol' Shameless write about it?

Utterly tragic, but in some ways a grim metaphor:

Homicide Detective Senior Sergeant Ron Iddles said: “Sadly, about 5.30, a gentleman living on a rural property went out to put out his rubbish bins, went to a bus shelter and found a green shopping bag, looked in the bag and found the body of an infant or a baby, aged somewhere between one or two weeks and three months old.”

In the hysteria to “save” Earth from a warming that’s actually halted, we ignore a true and growing threat to children.

I'm not religious, but I try to live to the standard of compassion of "loving your enemies." And you know what? I can't. Bolt, you are pure and unadulterated evil. Go drag your knuckles back to the cave, because you clearly have yet to evolve what might pass for a conscience. You want to help the littlest children? Why don't you? Instead of posting bullsh*t on your blog every half hour, trying to use an abandoned infant to score cheap political points against your strawman environmentalists, why don't you go out to the soup kitchens? Hold fund raisers to help fight poverty? I don't know, maybe just something TO HELP FIGHT THE CAUSES AS TO WHY A BABY WAS ABANDONED AT A BUS STOP INSTEAD OF SMEARING GREENIES.

Who knows? You might even develop enough compassion to pass for a human (although I doubt it).

Cross posted here, here and here.