The Toaph Manifesto

Life Philosophy; Views on Politics and Religion

• Intro
  • This is probably a good time to tell you I’m Dexter Morgan, but my dark passenger is Sheldon Cooper.
  • Scientist - scientific method
  • Skeptic
  • Red Elephant is creation;  Blue Elephant is new age pseudo science
• Philosophy
  • God
    • If I Belief in God depends on how you define it
      • No bearded man
      • No supreme being
      • “Heavenly Father”???
      • Either the sum total of all knowledge, or all that remains unknown
      • The big bang
      • The whole greater than the sum of the parts
      • The healing power of prayer
    • I don’t have faith.  I’m a scientist.  I need objective proof.  That is the antithesis of faith.
    • But I can’t count it out, because there’s no proof to the contrary.  You can’t prove to me that God doesn’t exist.
  • Creation as a metaphor for big bang / evolution
  • Original sin
  • Morality
    • If you’re not hurting anyone (including yourself) then it’s not immoral
    • Thou shalt not kill
    • I don’t tell lies, ever
    • No stealing
  • Life force / energy
    • Saying you transfer energy to me is like saying my car transfers distance to me
    • The whole electrical thing is bunk.  Never use that with me
    • Eye contact
• Guns, Prostitutes, Gambling, Drugs, and Abortion
  • Guns - opposed
    • You need a license just like to drive a car.  That way background check becomes moot because it’s an instant license check
    • If you violate the rules then the penalty is not jail but your license is revoked and they take your guns away
    • Penalties
      • Top penalty is that you have to keep your guns either on your person (under pillow / bedstand) or LOCKED UP.
      • Can’t share
    • Disincentives (exemption for federal camps / shooting ranges)
      • Gigantic ammunition tax
      • Oppressive assault weapon annual fee (exemption for federal shooting ranges)
  • Abortion - opposed
    • Life doesn’t begin at inception, but the potential does.  What a person will look like, from a chubby baby to a winkled old person is largely determined at inception.  IQ and aptitudes.  Athletic or artistic gifts.  Balding.  Inclination to disease.  All this exists at the moment of inception
    • Honestly, I do believe it’s murder.
    • But you can’t legislate it.  People are going to do it anyway.  Opponents need to cave on this one
    • Continue with Roe standards
  • Drugs - support
    • Nicotine and caffeine are exempt
    • Legalization
      • All drugs are legal but controlled
      • Drug use is a privilege like driving.  Need a license to buy and use drugs.  Minimum age 18
      • Need to be certified to use any specific drug
        • Minor drugs like weed and ecstasy have minor qualifications
        • Risky drugs like LSD have moderate qualifications
        • Dangerous drugs like alcohol and cocaine have significant qualifications
        • Biggies like meth and heroin have onorous qualifications
      • All drug purchase is recorded as part of medical.  No secrets. 
      • Family/friends/employers can request an intervention whereby license will be suspended pending evaluation / rehab
    • All drugs sold in federal package stores.  Producers profit but distributors do not (except bars).  Fed uses profits for awareness campaigns
    • Break the rules and they take away your license and your drugs
    • Drug taxes go exclusively to treatment programs and facilities, which are free and ubiquitous
• Politics
  • Libertarianism
    • If I want a gay-only business, in terms of both employees and clientele, excluding heterosexuals, then I have to accept that someone else can have a straight-only business, excluding homosexuals
    • Public sector and higher ed of course must be non-discrimintatory
    • Food
      • Grocery stores & mini-marts must not discriminate because everyone has to eat
      • Restaurants can because you can’t make me prepare food for you if I don’t want to.  Make it yourself.
    • Clothing
      • General merchandise stores must not discriminate because everyone has to buy clothes and furnishings and daily belongings
      • Specialty stores can discriminate
    • Shelter
      • Real estate must be non-discriminatory across the board
  • Eutopia
    • States rights would go in the dumper.  States would become an administrative subdivision like counties are under states. All laws are at the federal level and are ubiquitous.  Matters of zoning and “community standards” can be determined locally
    • Federal Government
      • Executive
      • Legislative
      • Judicial
      • Military / Reserves
      • Police (no more state troopers or county sherrifs)
      • Healthcare including EMS
      • Insurance
      • DMV
    • Fully integrated information system
      • Demographics
      • Health records
      • Military records
      • Criminal history
• Meritocracy
• Greed is a sin, but achievement should be unbound
• Capitalism
• Fuck equality.  We need something to strive for.  No one should go cold or hungry, but there should be poor and rich.
• If there were no suffering, then joy would have no meaning
• Homeless
• Penal system
• Privacy - I had a dream that I lived in a surveillance state, but no one noticed because no one had anything to hide
• Afterlife
• Racism isn't about race it's about culture

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