Muhammad Rasheed's Blog, page 222

Final Answer.

Al Bush – [shared meme] Considering that (1) Dick Cheney absolutely opposed any invasion of Iraq until the day he joined Halliburton, and (2) Halliburton earned $39 billion from the Iraq war, I think we know the answer to this.  

Muhammad Rasheed - Corporate greed; final answer.
Al Bush - Didn't need to call for help either.
Al Bush - Blessings to you this day MR.
Anton Von Flugelhorn - it's not like Hitler trying to invade Russia, - the russian fighting for their country and survival - those poor soldiers were sent there under false pretenses, it removes nothing to their courage and the respect due to them, but the "king is to blame" (re: Henry the V by Shakespeare, a scene exacltly about this: a little glimpse of Harry in the night, even in those days it was a valid question)
Al Bush - Correct AVF. I respect vets. I don't respect lying to vets.
Anton Von Flugelhorn - Vets have been lied to, they are victims, when they come back they are treated like crap, it's disgusting, only banks get bailed out
Tim Brown - Ultimately, the chief reason why the U.S. invaded Iraq was not, as critics later claimed, to find and dismantle Saddam's stockpiles of WMD. The "Authorization for the Use of Force in Iraq" that President Bush obtained in October 2002 was a resolution passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, with Democratic as well as Republican majorities. It contained a total of 23 clauses that spelled out the rationale for the war. Of those 23 clauses, only 2 mentioned WMD. What the Authorization did stress -- in 12 separate clauses -- were 16 UN Security Council Resolutions that Saddam had ignored or defied since 1991. These Resolutions were more than mere expressions of UN opinion. The first two -- Resolutions 687 and 689 -- constituted the terms of the truce negotiated in the first Gulf War, a truce whose violation was a legal justification for renewed combat. The other 14 Resolutions were failed attempts to enforce those first two. In sum, the major reason why the U.S. was preparing for war, was to enforce the UN Resolutions and international law. SO there's your truth.... but it just doesn't seem to matter to the far left.
Tim Brown - More facts to ponder: As a result of President Bush’s appeal, the UN Security Council voted unanimously (on November 7, 2002) to present Saddam with an ultimatum and a 30-day deadline -- to expire on December 7, 2002 -- by which date he was bound to honor the terms of the Gulf War truce and to destroy his illegal weapons programs, or face “serious consequences.” This ultimatum was UN Resolution 1441 – the seventeenth attempt to enforce a truce to which Saddam had agreed after the Gulf War of 1991. The deadline came and went without Saddam’s compliance, as the Iraqi dictator knew that his military suppliers and political allies -- Russia and France -- would never authorize its enforcement by arms. This -- and not a preference for unilateral measures -- is the reason why the United States eventually went to war against Iraq without UN approval.
Tim Brown - And a few more little bothersome facts.....In addition to Saddam's failure to abide by the UN Resolutions, there were other reasons for the U.S. to feel threatened by this self-declared enemy of America. For example: • he had attempted to orchestrate the assassination of former President George H.W. Bush; • he was the only head of state to openly celebrate the destruction of the World Trade Center after 9/11; • every major intelligence agency in the world -- including the British, the French, the Russian, the German and the Jordanian -- believed that Saddam was in possession of WMD; • there were in fact links between international terrorists (including al Qaeda) and the Saddam regime -- links that are documented in in Stephen Hayes’ book, The Connection
Tim Brown - Though critics -- including many Democratic Party leaders – later depicted America's invasion of Iraq as a hasty endeavor undertaken without patience or forethought, President Bush gave Saddam numerous and ample opportunities to avoid war. By March 2003, nearly 14 months had elapsed since his January 2002 "axis of evil" speech. After the December 7, 2003 deadline had passed, the United States did not immediately attack Iraq. Instead, the White House spent the next three months trying by diplomatic means to persuade the French, Russians, and Chinese to honor the terms of the Gulf War truce that they -- as Security Council members -- had ratified and promised to enforce. Notably, the entire national security team of the former Clinton administration -- including the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of Central Intelligence -- supported George W. Bush when he sent American troops into Iraq in March 2003.
Muhammad Rasheed -
Tim Brown - And Muhammad is the first to reply even after facing the facts...... I will say this, there is corporate greed in every war. Even in 1776 there were Congress members getting rich from the Revolution we had yet to win! You find one war our nation fought where corporations didn't make out, big time, if you can....... but you can't.
Muhammad Rasheed - Tim Brown wrote: "...there is corporate greed in every war."
That's why it's the easy $100 question.
Muhammad Rasheed - You'll have to go back pretty far to find a war that WASN'T over corporate greed. Any post-Adam Weisthaupt war was DEFINITELY corporate greed driven, and certainly any American war after 1913.
Tim Brown - Go check them All Muhammad, from the Revolution forward.
Muhammad Rasheed - I already know they are, Tim, because of the significance of the events/personages/date I mentioned. The official spin job you’ve bought into given to the public is irrelevant.
Al Bush - That was a case not made, a case I'd still struggle over and certainly not last resort. Baring assassination they posed little threat to us. But this was about oil, chest thumping, teaching someone who's boss, not honestly dealt with, wrong war, wrong plan, wrong financing, wrong deaths, wrong sales job, wrong to do to voters and wrong in outcome. Didn't make anyone safer as assassination is still an open question. It disrupted the biggest threat opposition- Iraq to our current object of scorn, Iran. Left a monster in the budget, killed a ton of the wrong people and made our weaknesses starkly apparent. We live now in a world where cyber is as deadly or more so, I'd say more so, than ground warfare and we still act like we can display military muscle for effect. BS on dry toast. Those days are over.
Tim Brown - No "spin job". The facts I have displayed are just that, facts. There is no spin. The war was brewing long before G.W. or Clinton was in office, and it had more to do with Saddam's actions than Chaney's relationship with Halliburton
Muhammad Rasheed - ...and made a small percentage of the world's populace obscenely wealthier.
Al Bush - Ahh yes we lived through the sins of the father.
Tim Brown - They always do Muhammad and always will
Gambler Wilde - Tim, you can worship your false idol, the American Empire, all you like. Now you can explain to us why McCain and the other Republicans demanded the arming of militias in Syria and Iraq that were obviously al-Qaeda affiliated - al Nusra and the entities that became ISIS/ISIL. Someone please explain to me why American air power has yet to make a dent in ISIS? Iraq folded in weeks in the face of air strikes in two different wars, but ISIS continues to hold its ground on several fronts. My guess is that ISIS knows they can't attack because they will only face significant air strikes when they are on the offensive. America needs boogeymen like ISIS.
Tim, as a likely partisan hack, will agree that Obama's air assault on Libya was a mistake. All of the Democrat shills will have to apologize for Obama's Libya adventure. The moral equivalence between Bush's Iraq War and Obama's Libya War are obvious for those with eyes to see. The real story behind the Benghazi hype was a deliberate policy of arming al-Qaeda linked terrorists in order to destabilize the world. These imperialists want nothing but war - on this, the far left and the far right agree. The dummies in the middle will continue believing their fables until the bitter end.
Tim Brown - Wow Gambler...... Who's your idol? Kardashian? We were discussing the Iraq war. ISIS and American Air Power...... Now I do know a little about that. The air power we are using today is but a fraction of what we usually do Gambler. Pretty simple answer.
Al Bush - Gambler is accurate in assessing the American policy as Empire. We don't know how apparently to realign ourselves to new realities. When I said above I thought there were as many digital dangers as ground force ones it's become clear that we are captive to our history and our weapons. And we can no longer afford it. Defense will now need every dollar to combat cyber warfare. Attacks upon our economy are as deadly or more so since they're not well thought through. The war plan against this country is now one of never ending data streams corrupted and viral, chipping away at banking, infrastructure and grid power supplies, communication and energy. We can't stay in the 20th century when the 22nd is upon us. -- Reassess. Quickly.
Tim Brown - Exactly Al, our real threats are threats where conventional warfare will do little to stop it.
Al Bush - Gambler Wilde is smart as can be. Likely correct about Libya as I've come to regret the chaos there . Now if we don't have to go through the partisan hack stage of getting to know one another we'll be better able to hear.
Carol Tvaroh - Then there's the question of how our invasion of Iraq, a counrty tht did nothing to us, would help "protect our freedom" What rubbish!
Jonathan Beatrice - In Halliburton we trust
Tim Brown - Please Carol and Jonathan please resort to the factual statements that I posted. They can not be refuted.........
Muhammad Rasheed - Tim Brown wrote: "What the Authorization did stress -- in 12 separate clauses -- were 16 UN Security Council Resolutions that Saddam had ignored or defied since 1991." 
What was the ultimate purpose for grooming Saddam for that leadership role where his handlers needed him to play ball? Saddam's "ignoring & defiling" are not the root cause of that war. That's the official spin job reason; the real reason is that 1.) wealth was exchanging hands and they needed their own agent in the region to help the process along, and 2.) part of the web of sabotage in the area preventing the Arab nations from working together to attack Israel again (see: Syria & Egypt's counterattack after Israel destroyed their airforces).
Tim Brown - your theory holds no water Muhammad, actually makes no sense what do ever........
Tim Brown - What-so-ever
Muhammad Rasheed - Saddam's decision to not play along and to seize ultimate power in his area for his own benefit was a win-win for western forces: If he played along then the above two points would be in place and the west would be happy, and if he didn't play along the west would get to crank up the war machine and make their billions of dollars a day.
Muhammad Rasheed - I find your theory, Tim, to be hopelessly naive and lacking insight.
Muhammad Rasheed - So I guess we're even.
Tim Brown - I gave you facts Muhammad, you gave me theories, at best. Check the history, the UN resolutions and the votes in Congress. I believe even Al Bush can agree I Have given nothing but facts
Muhammad Rasheed - You gave me an "ultimate reason" theory based on how you interpreted the official spin job reports, which were completely divorced from the root cause of the reason the west is even over there in the first place. Please stop pretending you know what a "fact" looks like. It's getting embarrassing.
Belinda Bates - The question isn't whether or not what you posted was true. The question is how did that threaten our security, and how did going to war with Iraq further secure our freedoms?
I distinctly remember that Saddam Hussein did submit a weapons report before the war that was so heavily redacted that it was impossible for any one without top security clearance to decipher. But the reports after the war were clear. There were no WMDs and their weapons program had long been destroyed. 
And none of that really matters now because it's in the past. What really matter is: how are we treating our returning veterans? There seems to be a prevailing ideology on the right: purchase of life, limb, body, and soul is okay to secure our society and maintain our way of life, but money is sacrosanct.
So the same people who made money sending our troops to war are the same people hiding that money in tax shelters and lobbying to make sure that the tax cuts to the rich are either extended or made permanent. Meanwhile our veterans are being treated deplorably. It's hypocritical and disgusting.
Tim Brown - Oh my.... yea the facts get in the way. If you want to blame oil..... Well duh!!!!! Of course but sadly we need it.
Muhammad Rasheed - Oil is a piece of it, to keep our civilization running. A bigger piece is the protection of Israel from a unified Arab face. A bigger piece still is corporate greed.
Tim Brown - Nope..... It's just not in the facts.
Muhammad Rasheed - Tim, so you really think the entire problem of our war machine leads only to Saddam, and what those reports said?
Really? And that represents "the facts" to you?

Tim Brown - We were only speaking of the Iraqi invasion...... You were bringing up erroneous info.....
Muhammad Rasheed - lol
Muhammad Rasheed - All conflicts in the middle east are corporate greed driven. That's why western powers are over there. That's "the facts." Al's very first post in this thread showcases the true facts of relevance. The view that everything we need to know is in the official reports about the events that are actually only are spin-job misdirection, is a naive view.

Sam Gootas - get the hell off Halliburton's back, the Army needed the services they were contracted for.

Muhammad Rasheed - The Army could've done it themselves cheaper. It was a con job.

Final Answer...

Battle Mode - Atheist vs Muslim: Religious Antiquity

Brian Lewis - Some say religions starts war.That may be true,but when did atheism bring my people peace?

Sa'tori Ananda - the problem with that statement is the assumption that any people all do one thing. Africa for instance has/had many gods and many avenues of spirituality and no religion for centuries

Brian Lewis - I'm talking to ones here in the good ole usa.

Sa'tori Ananda - ah ok

Brian Lewis - I talk to many Africans at my school.We talk about our disconnection from each other.These were some of the questions we were building on.

Sa'tori Ananda - the thought I have about most people is they dont actually believe in what they say they do. they want to i guess but they dont actually. for instance.. many people claim to be christian. if they actually believed in what their bible said they wouldnt do most of the things they do.. because they would believe they would face judgement and go to hell.

Sa'tori Ananda - people believe they will go to jail if they steal for instance or speed when they see a cop so they dont do it

Brian Lewis - You very correct when it comes to moral laws.A lot believers in these major religions don't follow their own book..lol

Sa'tori Ananda - they dont even know what it says

Sa'tori Ananda - i hear ppl say "the grace of god" that isnt even in the bible

Sa'tori Ananda - actually the opposite.. the bible says in heb 10:26 if you keep sinning after you know its a sin, than their is no sacrifice for you left

Sa'tori Ananda - the whole blessed and highly favored mess too.. like what?!!

Brian Lewis - Does it have to be in the bible to make it a true statement?.I believe the Most High shows grace everyday to me just by waking up.

Sa'tori Ananda - lol very little of whats in those books are true- in my opinion

Brian Lewis - I know with you..lol

Sa'tori Ananda - question just for curiosity .. if you were born on an island without any other outside influence how would you believe in a Most High

Brian Lewis - I can look at all of creation and know Im not the Creator of this.Something or Someone other than myself had grand designs for this planet.

Sa'tori Ananda - well thats not answering the question but there are millions of people who didnt have outside influence and they made up many gods over the years of existence. study creation myths of all people .. it gives amazing perspective of what our imaginations are capable of. Science explains most things. I think spirituality is ok as long as we understand its mostly our own minds trying to make up what we have no answers for. not that there are no answers just that personally we may not have them.

Sa'tori Ananda - for instance the aboriginals have dreamtime. and the celtics had Melody.. the hebrews have the garden of eden and so on and so forth

Brian Lewis - well i believe in reincarnation also.I think everything here concerning life runs in cycles.

Sa'tori Ananda - then you have your own religion lol cuz neither the bible or the quran teach that

Muhammad Rasheed - Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "...but black people didnt always have religion."

Sure they did. Humans have always had religion. Are you referring to the specific modern three Abrahamic religions?

Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "there was spirituality in every culture pre religion and there was peace."

There have been pockets of peace among humanity around the globe, but we are a warring species by our nature. The point of civilization is to control our animal selves.

Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "also buddhism is atheist. and its uber peaceful"

Here:  How an Extremist Buddhist Network Is Sowing Hatred Across Asia

None of us are immune from the savage criminal mind. Individuals who refuse to play nice are the reason for strife in the earth, not religion.

Brian Lewis - I remember losing my brakes on Mt.Eisenhower in Colorado.3 mile drop,brakes on fire,no way I could of slow down.I was gonna die and a few cars would of got taken out.I was ready to die.,but I started saying Jesus if it be your will,please slow this truck down so I don't kill nobody.I made it to the bottom without a scratch..Divine intervention?.Yes in my book!

Muhammad Rasheed - Brian Lewis wrote: "Some say religions starts war."

How? How would a religion ‘start a war’ without a war-minded human willing to point a gun?

Sa'tori Ananda - @muhammad .. i think you are confusing religion and spirituality. religion has not always existed

Muhammad Rasheed - Of course it has. Why wouldn't it?

Muhammad Rasheed - I think you have bought into the popular "let's demonize the concept of religion" idea.

Sa'tori Ananda - its your burden to prove that is has ..

Sa'tori Ananda - i dont really do the popular thing sorry

Brian Lewis - Luke 19:27

Muhammad Rasheed - Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "its your burden to prove that is has .."

Based on what? Because the person that has joined the popular "spiritual not religious" crowd said so? You're going to have to do better than that.

Brian Lewis - Religion and spiritually what's the difference ?

Sa'tori Ananda -  im not spiritual.. im an atheist

Leah Garcia-Hatt - Hahahaha never, because they have faith in NOTHING!#faithisthesubstanceofallthingshopedforandnotseen
I could be offered anything in the world that the heart desires, and I would never trade my faith in Christ for it! I am proof of Devine interventions, where there are no coincidences, just REAL blessings on the watch of Christ!
#hehasneverfailedme

Sa'tori Ananda - muhammad you arent actually stating any facts anyway. if i say the world was created by a unicorn then the burden of proof is on me.

Muhammad Rasheed -

religion:  a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. 

spiritual: any of various doctrines maintaining that the ultimate reality is spirit or mind. 

Spirituality is the belief in the concept of "spirit" and/or an "all powerful creator" without the codified system of doctrine/rituals that demonstrate that belief in the adherent's life.

Muhammad Rasheed - Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "muhammad you arent actually stating any facts anyway. if i say the world was created by a unicorn then the burden of proof is on me."

Well, this is the fictional thing you said in which the burden of proof was on you to prove: "...but black people didnt always have religion. there was spirituality in every culture pre religion and there was peace."

Muhammad Rasheed - Did you forget already?

Brian Lewis - Wow i didn't mean for this thread to be a debate.lets be cool yo!..lol

Muhammad Rasheed - Any time you'd care to start tossing facts on the table, Sa'tori.

Leah Garcia-Hatt  - #iwannaputonmymymymyboogieshoes. LUV that song, lol

Sa'tori Ananda - no i didnt forget.. im actually fully aware of the timeline of religion and we can start there if you want. i will state again .. religion has not always existed. it eventually came to be. and im generally not interested in "debating". brian and i have good conversations where we share our thoughts. you are arrogant and presumptive muhammad and my understandings and studies of religion and anthropology will be lost on your ego. so i will pass  have a good day .. ( i bet you think you won too lol)

Muhammad Rasheed  - Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "no i didnt forget.. im actually fully aware of the timeline of religion..."

This outta be good.

Muhammad Rasheed - Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "i will state again .. religion has not always existed."

Sure, before humans came on the scene.

Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "it eventually came to be. and im generally not interested in 'debating.'"

Figures. It's easy to spout fictions while telling the other person the burden of proof is on them while copping out of proving your own arrogant proclamations. Is that a tenet of atheism then?

Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "...and my understandings and studies of religion and anthropology..."

Another fiction? What do you have a bag full of them?

Sa'tori Ananda - lol ya

Muhammad Rasheed - And you magically don't believe the burden of proof is on you to prove any of them? Curious.

Sa'tori Ananda - magically..  Muhammad .. i love discussions. I dont have anything to prove. Im not the one who says there is a god or some infinite religion. thats you. so you have the burden of proof. like you know .. in court. Also. i dont care about debating to be right. this convo has no value to me. its not a discussion at all. you are already convinced and convicted of your beliefs. have them.

Brian Lewis - Oh Mr. Rasheed you live for this don't you?..lol

Muhammad Rasheed - Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "I dont have anything to prove."

...she said hypocritically, while telling someone else the burden of proof was on them. [roll eyes]

Muhammad Rasheed - Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "Im not the one who says their is a god or some infinite religion."

But you did proclaim a different fiction that you very tellingly refuse to provide proof for, while you attempt this "prove God" misdirection.

Muhammad Rasheed - No wonder you don't like debating.

Sa'tori Ananda - exactly. Muhammad.. the burden of proof is on the one with the suggestion of a deity and religion. im not sure why you dont understand that. Its like court. Im not sure why you dont understand

Sa'tori Ananda - your smugness is hilarious tho

Muhammad Rasheed - Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "exactly. Muhammad.. the burden of proof is on the one with the suggestion of a deity and religion."

The burden of proof is on any party that proclaimed a definitive truth.

Prove the religion/spiritual concept that you led the discussion with, please.

Muhammad Rasheed - Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "your smugness is hilarious tho"

Your smugness is the reason I'm here.   ;)

Muhammad Rasheed - Back up your own smugness with the proof of your claims, please.

Sa'tori Ananda - let me get on my laptop. cell phone debates are exhausting lol and im mad i let you drag me into this

Muhammad Rasheed - Finally! Jesus!

Muhammad Rasheed – lol

Muhammad Rasheed - Brian Lewis wrote: "Oh Mr.Rasheed you live for this don't you?..lol"

Yes.

Brian Lewis - Let's move on please..I have other random thoughts to spew out today..lol

Muhammad Rasheed - Not until I convert your atheist girlfriend to Islam...

Sa'tori Ananda - friend .. and no thank you. dated muslims and my best friend doesnt even show her eyebrows. pass

Brian Lewis - She is not my girlfriend and stop trying to convert my friends..or Im posting Gospel music all day today!..lolol

Muhammad Rasheed - hahahaha

Sa'tori Ananda - im tryin to wear less clothes not more

Sa'tori Ananda - and hold for the "debate" im going to sonic

Muhammad Rasheed - Is that the extent of your knowledge of "Islam?"

Muhammad Rasheed - lol smh

Muhammad Rasheed - Yeah, you'd BETTER run to Sonic!

Muhammad Rasheed - [throws shoe]

Sa'tori Ananda - see lol now youre showing me the bottom of shoes.. thats so offensive

Sa'tori Ananda - ok so we have to agree on a few things as common denominators. I agree with your above descriptions of religon/ spirituality. There are a couple of different timelines about who had religion first. But the most recent discovery of ritualized worship was in Botswana and its like 70k years old.

Brian Lewis - Botswana came before Sumerian?

Sa'tori Ananda - ya i think the sumerian religion is like 50 thousand years old but Sumerian is like the oldest written

Sa'tori Ananda - yall gonna make my head hurt trying to remember dates and stuff

Brian Lewis - Lol..

Muhammad Rasheed - Sa'tori Ananda wrote: "There are a couple of different timelines about who had religion first. "

It's impossible to know who had religion first using any kind of modern scientific method. The homo sapien is significantly older than 70,000 years. Consequently it's impossible to take such statements seriously.

Sa'tori Ananda - ok

The Worms That Invade Your Brain Found in This Food Favorite

There are many forms of tapeworm, three of which can readily infect the brain. From a public health perspective, there's one in particular to watch out for. "It's mainly the pork tapeworm that's the main brain one," says Helena Helmby from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The pork species, known as Taenia Solium, can infect humans in two forms. The first is by eating undercooked pork from infected pigs, resulting in taeniasis -- an adult worm residing in the intestine. The second, in the larval form, through contact with the feces of an infected pig or human, which can go on to infect many tissues. If the larval worm enters the nervous system, including the brain, it can result in a condition known as neurocysticercosis. Infection of this kind can often cause epilepsy once inside the brain. Almost a third of epilepsy cases in countries where the disease is native are people who have previously had neurocysticercosis, according to the World Health Organization.

Neurocysticercosis infection arises from poor sanitation and hygiene. "You can actually infect yourself," says Helmby, as poor hygiene, such as failing to wash your hands, could result in you eating the eggs of an adult worm living in your intestine. "Self-infection is common."

The global distribution of pork tapeworms is widespread with high numbers across Latin America, Africa and Asia, according to the World Health Organization. As a result of its higher prevalence and due to increased international travel, Gkrania-Klotsas has three patients in her care in Cambridge who have previously experienced neurocysticercosis.

Infections with pork tapeworms are common but treatable with antihelminthic drugs targeting the worm. Until now, treatment for Spirometra has been surgical, but the recent genetic insight from Bennett's team in Cambridge found that some drugs, such as praziqantil, which is used against schistosomiasis (snail fever), could have an effect. Certain drugs used against cancer were also identified as potential treatments.

Both Helmby and Gkrania-Klotsas are concerned about risks from increased international travel and the global food trade. "Food import and export is increasing and increasing risks of consuming infected goods," says Helmby, who feels there is a need for more vigilance with food inspection. She predicts more cases will occur in places like the United Kingdom where such infections have been virtually eliminated.

"I'm confident there will be more of this in the future," agrees Gkrania-Klotsas, who has seen patients infected without having traveled abroad. "People are getting infections without going anywhere."

Those who do travel, however, also need greater awareness when visiting regions where infections are commonplace. But if health teams are ready for the consequences, this rise can be controlled.

"We need to be able to treat these infections," says Helmby. "That's the challenge at the moment." A challenge where genetics researchers could prove invaluable, as their sequencing continues to reveal the secrets of these parasites.
SOURCE: The Worms That Invade Your Brain

Battle of the Sexes

Muhammad Rasheed - "This battle of the sexes was highlighted by the boys' club celebrating the first Monday of each month as 'mumday,' when members were forbidden to speak to any of the girls (or even their own mothers)." ~ Shaenon Garrity, All the Comics #12: Little Lulu

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - What? Don't speak to me. I'm your mother. Wonder how that worked when mum was cooking your dinner.

Muhammad Rasheed ...

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - So, you're not speaking to mummy, uh?

Muhammad Rasheed - It's not even the first Monday of the month.

Rules, mummy. Rules.

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - Who makes the rules, Son? Your mommy hating boy's club friends? That's you weren't allowed to hangout with those kind of boys.

Muhammad Rasheed - Mummy, we can't just throw out the rules and live like savages! Who am I to reject the system?

Muhammad Rasheed - The system was here when I arrived and everything was working fine.

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - For whom? Surely it has never worked for the well-being of the masses. Are you an agent for the One Percent?

Muhammad Rasheed - Please don't embarrass me in front of my new friends. Behave, mummy!

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - Oxford University does not allow women to be seen on campus on Wednesdays. What does all this pagan symbolism mean? Be afraid! Be very afraid!

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - Stop taking to me. It's Saturn's day.

Muhammad Rasheed - Oxford, eh? [takes notes]

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - I received an invitation as a Rhode Scholar when I graduate from U of M. But I was past the age limit. Your dad read the rules in the literature that accompanied the application for grad school. It thrilled your dad that my grades were high enough for me to get the invitation.

Muhammad Rasheed - That's cool.

(for a girl)

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - I always had that problem. It's really wonderful being part of a team that actually appreciates my female perspective.

Muhammad Rasheed - Mummy, what's wrong with belonging to the natural order of things, and knowing your proper place? No good will come of this foolishness. Mark my words!

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - "The Theory of Everything" movie premiered yesterday. It's a biography of Steve Hawkins. Do they have movies there?

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - Those words you just wrote were used to justify over 400 years of chattel slavery.

Muhammad Rasheed - Why do you have to be so dramatic? You're embarrassing me again.

Muhammad Rasheed - Yes. The AAFES theater plays movies that come out a week or two after they premier in the states, free for the soldiers.

Muhammad Rasheed - Do you HAVE to bring up "slavery" and "woman's rights" in every single post then?

Muhammad Rasheed - There's no honor in being a trouble maker, mummy.

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - I'm going to the movies today, and I'm leaving for Eatonville this Thursday to celebrate at the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities. It's the 26th anniversary, and I've only missed 2.

Muhammad Rasheed - Contributing to civilization involves maintenance and building up. Not boorish criticism.

Muhammad Rasheed - Did you miss those two dates because you are a girl? smh

Muhammad Rasheed - If you were a man you wouldn't have missed ANY. Let this be a lesson to you.

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - "I like myself when I am smiling, and then again when I am angry"

Muhammad Rasheed - Don't you see that no matter how much you try, your true nature will shine through?

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - I can give birth 9 times and feed them for 2 year each from my own body, Dude! I am a higher evolved being.

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - "And in no wise is the male like the female"

Muhammad Rasheed - Mummy!! Do your embarrassments have no end??? Please!

Muhammad Rasheed - Talk sense!

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - I AM matter! Without me, the male spirit has no way of physically expressing himself.

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - "Paradise is at the feet of the mother"

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - "I AM the first teacher"

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - Plus I am cute at 64 years young!
Muhammad Rasheed - Is anarchy also at the foot of the mother? What form of "paradise" that will be? Will there be endless knitting, cooking and crocheting there?
Muhammad Rasheed - Will we all be forced to give birth and talk womanly foolishness? It will be difficult to consider that paradise…

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - The DNA that is passed only from mother to daughters and is traced to its origin.
Muhammad Rasheed - >:(
Muhammad Rasheed - (i swear the first Monday can't get here fast enough)

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - Castle! Game won! Next dude!
Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - Read and weep!


Muhammad Rasheed - Mummy, I have determined... with my superior masculine mind... that you are obviously suffering from some low form of psychosis, and require admittance to a mental health facility. I'll be generous and allow you to pick one out that you like best.

May I suggest a pink one...? I know you all are very fond of pink.

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - Don't make me get my alligator on you and your boys.
Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - Actually, my scarf and sweater are coral.
Muhammad Rasheed - I'm pretty sure that means "pink" in woman speak.

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - I'll take a week in Eatonville, so I can get my vitamin D3 levels up. Thanks for looking out for my health.

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - You are color blind like most males.

Muhammad Rasheed - Do I need to see color? I'm allowing you to pick the facility.

Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - I can't breathe!

A Peek Into the GOP Mind

Muhammad Rasheed - Yet another schizo example of the GOP pretending that the problem begins with the comeback:

So did you somehow forget about your sarcastic ass applause? You're "disappointed" that he came back with a response to YOU being an asshole, huh? That phenomenon 100% sums up the GOP's stance on foreign policy. You forgot about the murderous, interventionist shit you STARTED, and act like their outraged revenge mindset is how they always were when you found them. ‪#‎leavePeopleTheFuckAlone‬

"Real" Americans & Their Racist Hypocrisy

Muhammad Rasheed - It's easy to cover over your own peoples' evil, but when someone else different from you goes to the store to buy some Skittles, they need to be shot dead for daring to wear a hoodie in public. "He probably did something in his past that deserved it. He was probably a gang banging thug anyway."

But look how all the people want to forgive Marky-Mark for doing ACTUAL evil in his past (not just wearing-a-hoodie-while-black). Very interesting how racist hypocrisy works.

Ken Krueger - Or MAYBE he's got lots of money.
Muhammad Rasheed - I'm not talking about the courts, Ken. I'm talking about average Joe Blow Facebooker saying how Marky Mark has paid his debts, and we shouldn't judge him for things he's done in the past, when the very same average Joe Blow Facebooker said that the Who's Who of violent cop victims deserved to die because of what they "PROBABLY" did in their past. 
Blatant racist hypocrisy is my #1 pet peeve, and makes me feel immense hatred.
Todd Holland - Or you get a hit movie about a serial killer that murdered over 100 people from ambush. White killers are "different".
Anton Von Flugelhorn - shoot first, then with bit of luck tyour victim will have sinned in the pat, you did not know but oh well, he had it coming, it's one of my pet peeves, makes me angry this hypocrisis. death penalty for all crimes.... and even innocents just in case?
Brett Barton - I think Mark Walberg was a degenerate product of his environment. Probably wasn't the only one around hating on Asian folk for Vietnam and what not.
He was probably seen as some sort of hero in the local racist groups and had some really stupid "pride" in his action(s). Again we only know of this instance he got caught.
I do think he grew up, got away from that life and bettered himself, and was educated on his former ways.
Does that mean it should be forgotten? No.
But I do like the change. I'm not going to say shame on a dude for making the right decision but he doesn't get a free pass. There are no "do-overs".
John Kraft - Just shoot everyone who might be a threat. We need to reduce the world population by 90 % Save this planet for the future. Decrease spending on the wrong people
Muhammad Rasheed - Brett Barton wrote: "But I do like the change."
What change? The "I don't want to fuck up my new rich & famous lifestyle by keepin' it real" change?
Brett Barton - He's admitted a few times that he was wrong in the situation. 
He isn't going around taking out any more Asian people's eyes.
No more white sheets.
He's been fairly rich and famous since the 90's he is just more rich these days.
It's old news.
Karla Holland - Once a southie trash, always a southie trash. If we get labeled thugs regardless, Mr marky mark souls have that label on his head regardless in turn.
Muhammad Rasheed - It's different for him, Karla. He doesn't see race any more and is now 'color blind.' Marky Mark has love for all people of the world, whether they are white, black, green, or purple. We should forgive him of his past and welcome him as a human being.
But you, of course, will always be a fucking thug.
Karla Holland - Of course, I pciked up on that at "degenerate product of his environment". I doubt he'd say that about Tamir Rice. Aren't post racial types adorable?
Brett Barton - Just move the hell away from the label.
Change. Grow up. Get out.
I don't see a point in complaining about a person who has apparently "changed" or appears to be (could be a show)
Would you all rather him still be running around committing hate crimes?
GTFO
Brett Barton - I don't think he should get his record changed.
Muhammad Rasheed - @Brett, last week every racist on Facebook was telling me that those kids deserved to be killed because they were "probably gang bangers & thugs."
Brett Barton - I'm not the average racist.
Brett Barton - So in turn hate, from last week begets hate this week? 
It's all fuel man.
Muhammad Rasheed - Brett Barton wrote: "I'm not the average racist."
My point is to shine the spotlight on the hypocrisy.
Karla Holland - Oh Brett, your innocence is SO cute! *pets head* Listen honey, first--we don't care that he "reformed", second- if Marky Marky were black, he wouldn't even have a chance to reform, he would either be shot dead or still languish in jail to this day. As a matter of fact, Mr Walberg ' s victim, a vietnamese immigrant, since moved to texas. Why would he leave boston? Was it a bunch of southie thugs who beat him badly? Oh yeah, that would push me to leave a place too.
Zodicus Zu'ul - Marky Mark's music career alone was a crime against the universe.
Brett Barton - Yeah I get all the circumstance being different via color.
It's just a damned if you do damned if you don't.
You can either hate a person for there pervious actions or (when/if) they change welcome the change give it a shot. Hating on someone after they change doesn't really solidify or give any incentive for them to keep a changed heart/mind. (This is on a more personal basis and not so much the funky bunch)
People that want change should promote change.
People that want love should promote love.
If you shine a light on all the hate it might help. It might bring someone who doesn't know about the situations some form of knowledge it might change them. 
Or it just might get others that have hate and aggression an outlet to vent.
(Read in Judge Joe Brown voice) You mean to tell me we have race related problems in the United States of America?
Clifton Hatchett - It is the nature of the society that we were born into. We were never intended to be viewed or treated equally. Our perceptions and expectations have changed, but in many ways, in actuality the practice of discrimination on many fronts is still at play.
Nurah Rasheed - I disagree with the argument that because this is the way it is and always has been, we shouldn't discuss it. When you keep silent and let these hypocrises and horrors just slip by, then you are condoning it by turning your head. When has anything ever been changed in history by just silently bearing the injustices? I'm done with that.
Riley Freeman - Um yeah. I've tried not to judge and ended up getting robbed by two young black teens in hoodies who I assumed were just out minding their own business. .
Andre Thedogyearscom Roberts - Tell us more Riley Freeman
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - It speaks to the nature of america and americans that this criminal and racist can say hes turned his life around and be a multi millionaire but a cosplayer many young fathers and mothers college students future college students and a 7 year old cant have that chance at life any more.
Anton Von Flugelhorn - no pasr illegal activity can justify being shot, it can onlu justify one thing: a trial, and that is a totally different thing
Andre Thedogyearscom Roberts - @Nurah Rasheed… That's one of the strangest things I hear about racism today. The mere fact that we discuss it is met with such virulent resistance it boggles the mind. How many times do we hear from conservatives "racism will end if you would just stop talking about it"...WTF?
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - well apparently, as i read about mark, he had a second chance before he beat this guy with a stick till it broke, and then he only got 45 days in prison and didn't serve all of them.
Andre Thedogyearscom Roberts - ^^^^That's white privilege. A black person doing that would have been a life 25 to life
Karla Holland - The problem is that we don't fear gangs of southies approaching down the street like we do teen thugs. Both are equally dangerous.
Anton Von Flugelhorn - watch "white like me" on youtube, it's an eye opener, the medias purposefully lie about things like benefits going to blacks (it goes mainly to whites!) etc. It looks like they are rebuilding slavery but slowly and mainly behind private jails doors. a must see
Ken Krueger - Hypocrisy? How many musicians, athletes and actors have stuff like this in their past?And how is calling a group of people "southy trash" any different from painting another as "thugs"?This isn't a case of Black or White...as is normally the case, it's about the most important color. Green.Muhammad, don't fall victim to what you hate.
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - also mark did his dirt in boston. is southie some term for a boston racist?
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - @Ken Krueger the reality is when its in the past of someone brown, they better be damn good at what they do or its jail and public scorn. this dude a beloved actor still churning out the hits, and didn't have to serve 45 days for beating a dude a wood plank. and if not for this thread i wouldn't even know. i missed the news this morn. and how long will this stay news? ray was on every channel even while cops were getting away with murder and riots were happening. all that is part of racism.
Ken Krueger - Southie is a term for a Whitie from South Boston.
Ken Krueger - @Kamau, it's the same thing. If you can do something very well that most people can't do at all, you'll catch a break. It's not just Rice and Wahlberg.Do I think it's right? No! Do I think this is about racism? No.
Ken Krueger - Finally, you bring up cops getting away with murder. I live in St. Louis. I assume you dont't.The media coverage of Ferguson has been absolutely horrible.As an exercise, please tell me what you think happened here.
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - i disagree. mark hasn't been charged with a hate crime. what he can do really well is act? i'm not sure i agree. what he can do well is rap? cause thats what he did before act. not sure i agree there either. hes just a white male and the system is skewed
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - i think hes a white male who profited from a racially biased system in both boston and across america. i think thats been going on since the inception of this country. and because of populatioin shifts as well as the level of bullshit the people are fed up with it's more in disscussion than it has been previously
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - darren wilson is another benefactor of that system. you can point out hes a cop, but black cops often get treated differently. the amount of incidents involving black people and white cops is past the idea of incidental. and that they are able to go free isn't because the media is telling the story wrong, it told that way because its how americans like it. if not they would be angry write letters threaten to pull commercials and support and they would change.durring the short time after ferguson i overwhelmingly saw "i dont care" and "shut up about it already" in post from white folk on fb.
Muhammad Rasheed - Ken Krueger wrote: "I live in St. Louis. I assume you dont't."
I grew up in Michigan, where we have racist assholes there, too.
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - i don't have to live there to see racism its all over the country #whokilledbrandontatebrown
Brett Barton - Well, I live in south. 
We don't have any racists here.
Well maybe that isn't 100% true
Muhammad Rasheed - lol smh
Anton Von Flugelhorn - In europe you see more and more black/white couple, it's becoming something people dont notice anymore. Racism here is aimed at arabs, not blacks, the worse a black normally gets is being called "snow white" or that sort of supposedly funny rubbish, but violence towards them is very very rare. If you look for a job and you are black it's kind of ok, if you are arab (or have an arabic name, sorry Muhammad Rasheed) you generally dont even get an answer to your letter for the job. Many kids here curse their parents for no giving them a local first name, sad sad. Your family culture is your own, it's nobody's business
Anton Von Flugelhorn - Brett Barton, that reminds me of the old joke about austria: "98% of austrians are antisemitic", "oh really are there many jews there?" answer: "2%, why?" it's not the exact truth so apologies to any intelligent austrian out on FB!
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - racism is a mindset and action. it doesn't always mean, and hasn't for sometime, mean physically hiting or yelling racial slurs. job denial creates poverty, those conditions are then used to belittle and offer up as reasons for committing other terrible acts.
Andre Thedogyearscom Roberts - @Kamau Mkafele Mshale real talk. You hit the nail on the head. You don't want to hire me, I get broke, then when I carjack you at a stop light the first thing you say is: why don't those people get a job?!!
Karla Holland - I hate to say this but Ken has a point. Didn't Snoop Dogg fatally shoot a man in the early 90s in mid fame) with his aquitted having little impact on his career? Feel free to provide a rebuttal, my mind is open to that one.
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - Snoop is an admitted gangster who was given a record deal. Examine that, a. He was given. B. Was he the best? Were there no other rappers as good no one positive? Or did a power structure turn to sex and violence knowingly undercut the black community to make them more money?
Kamau Mkafele Mshale - So why would that prove anything? If any thing it speaks to the idea that racism and violence isnt done with obvious hate anymore
Anton Von Flugelhorn - I'd love to know who puts the guns in the hands of black kids in the first place and program mtv with nothing but clips glorifying violence and money (in europe it does anyway, havent seen mtv US - where is the "music " in mtv anyway)
Muhammad Rasheed - 1.) Just move the hell away from the label.
2.) So in turn hate, from last week begets hate this week? It's all fuel man.
3.) Muhammad, don't fall victim to what you hate.

This is the shit that fuels my rage. You are pleading with me to help cover over your peoples' faults while, like Riley Freeman did above, continue to uphold the brainwashed narrative of the perpetual "black thug."

Muhammad Rasheed - No.

Avoiding McVeigh: Why the Government Handled Cliven Bundy with Kid Gloves

Muhammad Rasheed - I no longer think that the reason the government didn't beat up and arrest Cliven Bundy was only because he was white, and they wanted to be nice & gentle with him because white privilege. I think they kept their distance because of what happened the last time they attacked a similar "compound" of a similar demographic of criminal: The Waco Siege of the followers of David Koresh.

After that event, a very pissed off Timothy McVeigh took out his revenge by blowing up an Oklahoma federal building, killing a bunch of men, women and day care babies. The Oklahoma City Bombing was blowback for Waco. Now as you can see from the quotes in the image below, McVeigh sounded exactly like everyone you ever argued with over Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Tamar Rice, etc., using all the same talking points, and the authorities literally didn't even consider him "extreme." Ain't that a bitch? That's why they didn't attack Bundy's place, because it would've created a new wave of domestic terror, and with that "evil, Muslim, socialist, Kenyan in the White House trying to take all their guns," it probably would've been a whole lot worse. Timothy McVeigh is the patron saint of that crowd, and an attempt on Bundy would've created a shitload of McVeigh acolytes.

REVIEW: The Legend of Korra

Muhammad Rasheed - [warning: spoilers] I enjoyed The Legend of Korra series over-all, and remain a big fan of the Avatar Universe. What it did right was the continuation of the world building, the strong characterization, the martial art-driven super powers, and the ability to make the viewer genuinely care about what is going on. This last can work against the series however, and cause the flaws to stand out as a taint, or an intrusion in a fan such as myself. There were a few inconsistent items in this latest series that stood out to me, making it inferior to Aang's adventures.

1.) Korra got beat up too much. The first series established the Avatar as THE badass in that world, so much so, that a 12 year old kid that had only mastered ONE bending discipline commanded a healthy respect from everybody, even Azula. By the end of the series, Aang had only half-assed learned the other three disciplines and still made people hesitate to challenge him. By contrast, Korra peaked in the first episode. It seems like the whole point of the story was to break her, to take her confidence from her, because she was never as badass as she was when she first arrived in Republic City and saved that store from that gang. The first series established that a fully-realized Avatar was a beast in combat, and we saw this little 12 year old, with only one discipline under him solid, kickin' ass. Naturally a 20 year old, who'd had significantly longer than one summer to master three disciplines would be a super confident, super badass, right? That's how Korra was when we met her, and it was all downhill from there. The way the cast was treating her in the finale ("Oh, you got this, huh? Yeah, right." [roll eyes]) was basically how I had gotten about her pretty quickly. I got TIRED of her making her moaning "I'm hurt" sound effect. I cared about her, sure, but I was very disappointed in how she turned out to be a fake toughie. At the end, when a wounded Kuvira is limping away because the giant mech they were fighting in exploded, Korra was calling after her to stop, that it was over, and I was like, "For what? You ain't the one that was beating her up. Why would she listen to you?" Korra was supposed to be more awesome than this. When Fire Lord Sozin dared to challenge Avatar Roku that time and got his ass hemmed up, that's what Avatar Korra should be like. Make the Avatar ALWAYS a badass as an unbreakable rule of that universe, and wrap the story around that fact. It's the Avatar's job to bring balance to the world, and it's possible the world of Avatar Korra needed compassion, so a cocky/selfish Avatar needed to be broken in order to give it to the world, but I disagree with how they went about it. A fully-realized Avatar needs to always be the baddest motherfucker in the room.

2.) A series this good deserves more than derivative hack job writing. It really does. The Avatar Universe pulls from the Asian cultures and rituals it's inspired by to create a unique and fascinating speculative fiction work that is truly art. They should embrace that, and work hard to create their own plot devices and tropes. Nothing pissed me off more than watching Korra go to Dagobah, the friggin' swamp planet, to talk to Yoda. The ONLY thing that saved the scene for me was the fact that the old Jedi master acted exactly like the world's greatest earth bender instead, and was a fan delight. It was really a waste; they could've taken the time to come up with their own unique way of introducing Toph back into the series without making me think of an entirely different movie, effectively pulling me out of the story. As a writer, why would I WANT you to stop thinking about my story that you are reading/watching, and make you think of someone else's story anyway? That's some lazy, ignorant nonsense.
3.) The Legend of Korra didn't flow as smoothly, and organically as the original series did. It was really stiff in presentation, and although it would be easy to blame that on the addition of the various socio-political critiques, and the symbolism of leaving behind the outdated paradigm of old traditionalism for modern Progressive ideas (which I'm fine with; please express yourself honestly in your art), I don't think that was it. The problem was probably just not taking the time that they took in the first series to make sure the script was right, so instead it felt like a rough outline of the message they wanted to convey. This also contributed, as another reviewer mentioned, to how Korra seemed to restart at the beginning of each book like she forgot everything she had just went through and learned in the previous adventure. Very frustrating, and the script took away from the character to give to the plot/message, which isn't as important as the character, in my opinion. The character is what makes me care about your story, and if you downplay that, then you are basically preaching at me. I don't turn on speculative fiction to get preached at, but to get lost in your world. You can give me your message, but it had better be wrapped in the challenges faced by Team Avatar, in the terror inflicted by Ko, or even in Prince Wu's singing.

But other than this, I am completely hooked still, and look forward to the Avatar's next incarnation.

Super Fight x2: Mayweather versus Pacquiao

1.) In Feb 2013, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. announced his six-fight deal with Showtime/CBS in which he was guaranteed $200 million.
2.) One of the terms of that deal involved the potential to make over his $200 million base depending on such factors as pay-per-view totals, promotion efforts, Mayweather's continuing undefeated status, and "the quality and marketability of his opponents."

3.)  The first four fights in this deal had total pay-per-view bout buys as follows:
a) fight one - 1,000,000 (versus Robert Guerrero) b) fight two - 2,200,000 (versus Saul Alvarez)c) fight three - 900,000 (versus Marcos Maidana)d) fight four - 925,000 (versus Marcos Maidana II)4.) Weeks ago, with only two fights left in his Showtime six-fight deal, Mayweather announced that he would like his next two fights to be against rival Manny Pacquiao, and called him out.
5.) Pacquiao's camp has reported on The Ring Magazine website that they have agreed to all of the terms presented to them by Mayweather representatives (which include the drug testing, and Floyd's preference for the 02 May date for the first fight), and only awaits his approval.
There's no way this isn't about to happen.  IT. IS. ON.

See Also:The Boring Spectacle of Demonstrated Skill in Techniques
The Mayweather Arrogance: Real or Projected Haterade?
Odds on the Super-Fight!
Has the Pac-Man Lost His Bite?