Don’s Random Thoughts

I was watching the California Supreme Court in action. I think the process they use for appeals could be put to good use in criminal and civil trials. One of the things that makes me dislike our legal system is that jurors receive a sentence in excess of the defendants if convicted. The long trials and potential of sequestering for extended periods is an undue impact on jurors. Why can’t the presentation of facts and arguments to a jury be presented in the same fashion as to an appeals court. Have the prosecution and defense prepare their presentation to the jury with all the time consuming other court activity, or inactivity, that the jurors are supposed to “disregard” anyway, handled at the leisure of the court but not the jurors. Let the jurors just consider the facts. Then serving on a jury wouldn’t be such an impact to the lives of average people.

I think that, as relates to law, people should be able to marry whomever they want to. Unfortunately, the bigoted religious sort do not. The real problem here is again the convoluted nature of combining religion and law.
The solution is simple. Separate all legal rights from marriage. Let the religious folk copyright the use of the word “marriage”. Let gay folk copyright another word like “union”. Each only describes a form of couples joining into a common life together.
As to legal rights. each gets identical rights that they must enter into separately like any other legal partnership.
To be nice and simplify the conversion, grandfather all marriages into legal partnerships as well.
Why should anyone object to this as a solution, unless they are just bigots.

Here we go again. NASA hasn’t launched the shuttle for quite a while because the foam comes off the fuel tanks and breaks the tiles. And of course, yesterday, the foam was ready to fall off before launch and did come off in flight. So why the delay if they weren’t going to fix anything?
The solution is so simple. Duct Tape. For about $20 you could wrap the whole tank with duct tape and the problem would be solved. Just Ask Red Green or the American Duck Tape Council of Prairie Home Companion fame.

I am an agnostic, meaning, I do not know if there is a god.
I don’t understand how anyone can be either an atheist nor religious because either could only be absolute if they were omnipotent and they would therefore be a god themselves and contradict their belief.
It is my belief that the world would be better off without religion because most wars seem to be fought in the name of god.
I do believe in the root objective of Christianity, its golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That seems like a good rule and of benefit to all, and about the only rule needed.
I especially do not understand Islam. It is a religion developed 600 years after Christ and appears to be nothing more than a (very large) cult with little difference from any other religious sect like revival baptists or the religious right. Any religion that demands obedience to their one and only set of rules is a bad religion, and one that misses the meaning of the golden rule.
If there is a heaven and hell, there most definitely will be an awful lot of religious people in hell and not very many, at all, in heaven.
I’ll keep considering this.

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
Mohandas Gandhi