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Richard Dawkins censored in Berkeley because he does not like Islam


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2017 Jul 26, 10:27pm   21,541 views  138 comments

by Patrick   ➕follow (61)   💰tip   ignore  

https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2017/07/21/richard-dawkins-deplatformed-at-a-book-talk-berkeley-for-abusive-speech-about-islam-on-twitter/


Richard Dawkins was supposed to speak at this event in Berkeley on August 9: a talk about his new book, Science in the Soul: Selected Writings of a Passionate Atheist. As you see, the talk has been canceled.

But why? You can guess. The talk was to be sponsored by a Berkeley radio station, KPFA, and they made this announcement but didn't even inform Richard before deep-sixing the event. Through the ticketing agency, Brown Paper Tickets, KPFA sent out this email with the "reasons":

From: Brown Paper Tickets

Date: July 20, 2017 at 2:04:53 PM PDT

To: [NAME REDACTED]

Subject: Notification for Richard Dawkins: Science in the Soul: Selected Writings of a Passionate Rationalist

Dear Richard Dawkins event ticket buyers,

We regret to inform you that KPFA has canceled our event with Richard Dawkins. We had booked this event based entirely on his excellent new book on science, when we didn't know he had offended and hurt in his tweets and other comments on Islam, so many people.

KPFA does not endorse hurtful speech. While KPFA emphatically supports serious free speech, we do not support abusive speech. We apologize for not having had broader knowledge of Dawkins views much earlier. We also apologize to all those inconvenienced by this cancellation. Your ticket purchases will automatically be refunded by Brown Paper Tickets.

Sincerely,

KPFA Radio 94.1 FM

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen: the termites have spread to Berkeley, and have dined well on the wooden heads of the Deciders. Although there are undoubtedly a few authoritarian Dawkins-bashing atheists who will be pleased at this, it's a terrible blow for free speech, and likely a big disappointment for those who hoped to see Richard. I'm sure that some of the Perpetually Offended, with perhaps Muslims among them, complained to the radio station, and KPFA caved.

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81   MAGA   2017 Jul 28, 7:46pm  

Maybe he should offer to wear a dress. The libs would like that.

82   Y   2017 Jul 29, 5:50am  

The conjoined twins below, which, for all intents and purposes are the same, demonstrate your limited capacity to understand what you are writing.
Probably why you need to write a novel every other post in a vain attempt to mask your deficiencies...

Dan8267 says

BlueSardine says

Apples and oranges


False equivilancy again.

No two apples are the same. So I guess you are saying that you cannot compare apples to apples.

83   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 29, 6:06am  

PeopleUnited says

Dan8267 says

Liberalism is NOT a self-identifying term. If you don't believe in liberalism, you are not a liberal.

Christianity is NOT a self-identifying term. If you do not know Christ as your savior, you are not a Christian.

"Yes, a Christian is, by definition, someone who believes in the divinity of Christ. Many such persons were pure evil, including Hitler."

More lies from Dan. You assume the authority to tell us who is a liberal and who is not by evaluating empirical evidence. And yet you refuse the authority of anyone else to do the same regarding Christians. You are a semantics arguing, lying hypocrite. The most prolific liar on this site.

The true liberals are known by their actions. The same is true for Christians. Quit your lying Dan, it is shameful.

Dan, as a non-Christian, who lacks understanding of even the most basic of Christ's teachings you have no idea who is and isn't a child of Christ. Do yourself a favor and turn off the keyboard, and start studying rather than typing. You will give an account for every lie you have told about Christ and Christians when you meet Him. You might as well know the truth and seek mercy rather than justice.

84   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 29, 6:14am  

.Strategist says

Dan8267 says

PeopleUnited says

says the illiberal guy who justifies his own conservatism: suppressing opposing speech by censoring who can post on "his" threads

Once more you are caught in a lie. There is no way that any person on PatNet can censor another person. All users are free to open their own threads and say whatever they want.

Stop it Dan, no one censors more than you. I am the true guy who never censors. I have never ever put anyone on ignore or given an ad hominem. I have never given a "dislike" either.

Strategist is one of the most civil contributors to this site. Probably because he is a conservative.

85   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 29, 6:23am  

Dan8267 says

Saying that liberals believe in censoring free speech is exactly like saying that atheists believe in gods.

Saying liberals believe in censoring free speech is exactly like saying Christians believe in rape, slavery and murdering babies. All of which Dan has stated on multiple occasions. Hypocrite.

86   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 29, 12:15pm  

Dan said:
Quarks tend to align themselves with peaks in quantum fluctuation. Virtual particles have been observed.

So Dan where did they come from?

87   Dan8267   2017 Jul 29, 4:05pm  

PeopleUnited says

"Yes, a Christian is, by definition, someone who believes in the divinity of Christ. Many such persons were pure evil, including Hitler."

More lies from Dan.

So you believe in the No True Scotsman definition of Christianity, anyone who makes Christianity look bad is no true Christian. By that criteria, you are no Christian.

88   Dan8267   2017 Jul 29, 4:07pm  

The flame war in this thread is the perfect justification for the banning of trolls from an author's threads.

89   Dan8267   2017 Jul 29, 4:09pm  

PeopleUnited says

Dan said:

Quarks tend to align themselves with peaks in quantum fluctuation. Virtual particles have been observed.

So Dan where did they come from?

Satan. Satan is the supreme being who created the universe and who you should worship. This assertion is every bit as well-justified as your assertion of your false god.

Again, if god can be self-begotten, why not nature itself? Why should a self-begotten entity have to be alive or sentient? A first mover premise does not imply the morality or sentience of the first mover.

90   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 29, 8:55pm  

Dan8267 says

PeopleUnited says

"Yes, a Christian is, by definition, someone who believes in the divinity of Christ. Many such persons were pure evil, including Hitler."

More lies from Dan.

So you believe in the No True Scotsman definition of Christianity, anyone who makes Christianity look bad is no true Christian. By that criteria, you are no Christian.

No, you believe in the No True Scotsman definition of liberals, anyone who make Liberals look bad is no true liberal. By that criteria you are a Conservative.

I simply called you on your bullshit because you want to have your cake and eat it too. You want to define what a liberal is according to empirical evidence. And you want to deny the right of anyone else to apply the same logic on identification of a Christian. Furthermore you seek to redefine Christianity into something that Christ (the author of Christianity) never intended and instead define it based on those people who CLAIM to be Christisan yet who commit atrocities that Christ said specifically NOT TO DO. That is like redefining liberalism as Triglypuffism as you rightly pointed out, yet you do the exact same thing with Christianity. It is bullshit and when someone calls you on it, you ban them. You are a liar and a censor of anyone willing to call you what you truly are.

You assume the authority to tell us who is a liberal and who is not by evaluating empirical evidence. And yet you refuse the authority of anyone else to do the same regarding Christians. That is hypocrisy.

Dan8267 says

"Saying that liberals believe in censoring free speech is exactly like saying that atheists believe in gods."

Yes, and Saying liberals believe in censoring free speech is exactly like saying Christians believe in rape, slavery and murdering babies. All of which Dan has stated on multiple occasions. More hypocrisy.

91   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 29, 9:00pm  

Dan8267 says

The flame war in this thread is the perfect justification for the banning of trolls from an author's threads.

The flame war was started by you when you sought not only to poison the well against individuals on this site, but in fact you poison the well and defame ALL CHRISTIANITY with your lies. And somehow you think you are the noble one. You spread lies, you spread hate and you censor those who call you on your bullshit. How come you are the only one who has to ban 28 people in order protect his own ego. Oh, because you are the biggest liar and most special snowflake on the Christmas tree. Thats right sweetheart, don't let any of those truth tellers make you feel bad, you just lock them out of your threads and create your own little safe zone. Mamma Patrick will keep you safe with your little ban button to keep the bad people out. Sleep tight honey.

92   Y   2017 Jul 29, 9:12pm  

ROTFLOL...

PeopleUnited says

Oh, because you are the biggest liar and most special snowflake on the Christmas tree. Thats right sweetheart, don't let any of those truth tellers make you feel bad, you just lock them out of your threads and create your own little safe zone. Mamma Patrick will keep you safe with your little ban button to keep the bad people out. Sleep tight honey.

93   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 29, 9:13pm  

Dan8267 says

PeopleUnited says

Dan said:


Quarks tend to align themselves with peaks in quantum fluctuation. Virtual particles have been observed.

So Dan where did they come from?

Satan. Satan is the supreme being who created the universe and who you should worship. This assertion is every bit as well-justified as your assertion of your false god.

Again, if god can be self-begotten, why not nature itself? Why should a self-begotten entity have to be alive or sentient? A first mover premise does not imply the morality or sentience of the first mover.

Exactly, now you have admitted your true religion. You desire so deeply to discredit God the Creator, that you have defined the universe as its own creator and would jokingly give worship to Satan as a supreme being, knowing it to be anathema to Christian principals. Why don't you just be honest enough to say, that you will go to your grave ignoring any evidence, any notion of conscience that God created you and the world you live in. Your very existence is evidence of God, any every time you seek to explain God away, you admit that there is something out there that you cannot comprehend or fully describe. You push Him out of your knowledge only to find He is still lurking there in the shadows as the "first mover" you wish to depersonify.

94   NDrLoR   2017 Jul 29, 9:15pm  

PeopleUnited says

The flame war was started by you

It's what Dan lives for then feigns phony indignation--no one has thinner skin. It's also called drama.

95   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 29, 9:19pm  

P N Dr Lo R says

PeopleUnited says

The flame war was started by you

It's what Dan lives for then feigns phony indignation--no one has thinner skin. It's also called drama.

A true queen of his own little screen.

97   CBOEtrader   2017 Jul 30, 6:03am  

Dan8267 says

How is the left and the right not both wrong for the fundamentally same reason?

They are. The "left" is simply 10x worse. This is exactly why the liberals are and will continue to lose.

98   Y   2017 Jul 30, 6:10am  

Who said god was self-begotten?
The theory is that god has always existed outside of the space/time continuum.
No need to be 'created' in this instance...

Dan8267 says

Again, if god can be self-begotten, why not nature itself?

99   CBOEtrader   2017 Jul 30, 6:11am  

Dan8267 says

The quintessential attribute of conservatives.

You consistently make up your own definitions, then expect others to use your definitions as their authority.

Dans logic is the most self-important dribble you could possible spew on an anonymous forum. Total, and complete horseshit.

In glad you can point out that labels of groups and labels of ideological theories are uniquely different uses of the same word.

Yes liberals aren't liberal.

100   Y   2017 Jul 30, 6:22am  

This appears to be the 'shaming' stage of the devastating defeat last november.
Liberals are redefining themselves to be outside of the losing entity known as the democratic party.
I hope all of these side effects are being documented, with new vaccines designed and accumulated for 2020...

CBOEtrader says

Yes liberals aren't liberal.

101   CBOEtrader   2017 Jul 30, 7:25am  

BlueSardine says

This appears to be the 'shaming' stage of the devastating defeat last november.

Liberals are redefining themselves to be outside of the losing entity known as the democratic party.

I hope all of these side effects are being documented, with new vaccines designed and accumulated for 2020...

CBOEtrader says

Yes liberals aren't liberal.

The democrats will continue to lose, and blame phantom racists/misogynists/classists while never pointing the finger at themselves. Today's DNC is the most racist, the most divisive, the most ideologically righteous, most anti-american, most anti-liberal movement i've seen in the US in my lifetime. They deserve to be smashed into a thousand little pieces and scattered into the wind.

Rather than admit this, Dan defines today's "liberals" as conservatives (LOLZ) and uses a childish fantasy definition of conservative that he made up in his fairy-tale mind. Lets at least admit where we agree. Today's liberals aren't liberal. The labels and definitions have been attacked for generations. This is nothing new. Look at what the left now defines as alt-right. (Alt-right= anyone who disagrees w the DNC.)

102   NDrLoR   2017 Jul 30, 7:45am  

curious2 says

If we may please return to the topic of the thread:

A good idea! I wondered how it veered so off course! I kept wondering what that other stuff had to do with the original subject.

103   Onvacation   2017 Jul 30, 8:17am  

BlueSardine says

Who said god was self-begotten?

The theory is that god has always existed outside of the space/time continuum.

No need to be 'created' in this instance...

A computer virus can no more understand the software engineer that created it than we can understand our creator. It is beyond our comprehension.

104   Patrick   2017 Jul 30, 10:47am  

If the brain were simple enough to understand, then we would be too simple to understand it.

105   Ceffer   2017 Jul 30, 11:12am  

Dawkins needs to evolve a more diplomatic and accommodating personality.

106   Dan8267   2017 Jul 30, 12:17pm  

PeopleUnited says

No, you believe in the No True Scotsman definition of liberals, anyone who make Liberals look bad is no true liberal. By that criteria you are a Conservative.

Ah, the Bizzaro world of a brainwashed Christian.

The defining characteristic of liberal is the belief in the liberalism. The defining characteristic of Christianity if the belief in the divinity of Christ. Neither is a No True Scotsman.

You are caught pants down in your lie.

Sure, a liberal could look bad, but he won't look bad for advocating liberal philosophy. Show me how liberal philosophy is ever bad. I've shown you how belief in Christ is bad.

PeopleUnited says

Yes, and Saying liberals believe in censoring free speech is exactly like saying Christians believe in rape, slavery and murdering babies. All of which Dan has stated on multiple occasion

Actually, I stated that your Bible advocates all of the things, and it does. Do you deny that?

Clearly, today's castrated Christians don't believe in the Bible. They are still brainwashed enough to be dangerous though.

Also, for 1800 to 1900 years, longer than Islam has even existed, Christians did rape, enslave, and murder babies. Slavery, including the rape of slaves as young as six-years-old, was practiced extensively in American history, and the South used the Bible, both testaments, as a justification for slavery. Good old Southern Christians were feeding black babies to alligators as recently as the early 20th century. Being Christian does nothing to make people good.

PeopleUnited says

The flame war was started by yo

Oh honey, the flames were started long before that. And again, it just goes to show why you trolls are rightfully banned. How much has this thread gone off-topic because of you?

PeopleUnited says

Exactly, now you have admitted your true religion.

107   Dan8267   2017 Jul 30, 12:18pm  

BlueSardine says

The theory is that god has always existed outside of the space/time continuum.

No need to be 'created' in this instance...

If you're going to say that kind of bullshit, simply say that nature itself has always existed outside of the space/time continuum and need not be created. Again, such a premise, as meaningless as it is, does not imply sentience, morality, or the knowledge of human existence.

108   Dan8267   2017 Jul 30, 12:23pm  

The constant childish attempts by trolls to insult me in this thread demonstrates exactly why such trolls need to be banned from productive threads. All other non-troll users on this site should read through this thread and ask if you really want trolls like PeopleUnited, Blue Sardine (Shrek), CBOEtrader, and P N Dr Lo R doing the same thing on your threads. Once they get a stick up their ass regarding someone, they never quit. The only way to handle them is to ban them so they can only jerk off in their own threads.

109   Dan8267   2017 Jul 30, 12:27pm  

rando says

If the brain were simple enough to understand, then we would be too simple to understand it.

This is a statement that is appealing to the masses, but there is no reason to believe it is true, and plenty of reason to believe it is false.

On a daily basis I understand software code that is far too big to be loaded into my memory at once. Yet, I do understand the code. I could never hand-execute the code, but I can trace down any problem and fix it. I can develop new features. I can integrate the software with other software. I can do all this because of several things including modularization.

The brain also has modules, subnets of neurons, and those subnets have subnets. The same pattern of neural circuitry is repeated. The same ideas used over and over. Sure, the human brain is complicated, but it's not irreducibly complicated, and so it can be understood.

A problem may be hard, damn hard, so hard that it remains unsolved for centuries. Yet, this does not mean the problem is unsolvable.

110   Dan8267   2017 Jul 30, 12:28pm  

curious2 says

If we may please return to the topic of the thread

This can only happen if trolls are banned. There is a reason I say they disrupt conversations and derail threads. This thread proves that beyond any doubt, reasonable or otherwise.

111   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 30, 1:35pm  

Dan8267 says

curious2 says

If we may please return to the topic of the thread

This can only happen if trolls are banned. There is a reason I say they disrupt conversations and derail threads. This thread proves that beyond any doubt, reasonable or otherwise.

Once again Dan is wrong. The "flame war" is very pertinent to this thread. Patrick is expressing the hypocrisy of the liberal left, and the pitfalls of accomodating Islam. Many of us on this thread have called Dan out for doing the exact same thing, by banning people who he disagrees with from posting on his threads. You see, those of us who are willing to call bullshit to the many lies Dan slings around this site have been banned JUST LIKE that liberal radio station BANNED Richard Dawkins for speech that they disagree with. Dan is just like Patrick says

KPFA Radio 94.1 FM

112   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 30, 1:40pm  

Dan8267 says

rando says

If the brain were simple enough to understand, then we would be too simple to understand it.

This is a statement that is appealing to the masses, but there is no reason to believe it is true, and plenty of reason to believe it is false.

On a daily basis I understand software code that is far too big to be loaded into my memory at once. Yet, I do understand the code. I could never hand-execute the code, but I can trace down any problem and fix it. I can develop new features. I can integrate the software with other software. I can do all this because of several things including modularization.

The brain also has modules, subnets of neurons, and those subnets have subnets. The same pattern of neural circuitry is repeated. The same ideas used over and over. Sure, the human brain is complicated, but it's not irreducibly complicated, and so it can be under...

Once again Dan is false and Patrick is right. Software code is.... wait for it.... SOFTWARE!

The brain is hardware. But Dan if you are so good, please tell us how to reboot a brain once it is turned off completely by the death of the organic unit that supports that hardware. I am sure it is only a matter of time before geniuses like you learn how to reanimate a brain right?

Dan8267 says

113   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 30, 1:51pm  

Dan8267 says

Show me how liberal philosophy is ever bad. I've shown you how belief in Christ is bad.

It is not my intention to paint "liberal philosophy" in a negative light. But your misrepresentation of my intentions is one of the reasons why I am repeatedly forced to call you on your bullshit. You simply won't let me or many of the others who disagree with you speak for ourselves and define our own positions.

Oh, and by the way you have not shown how belief in Christ is bad, you have shown how you misunderstand what it means to believe in Christ.

What is shocking to me is that the analogy is nearly perfect. Earlier in this thread you have argued that liberals are not liberals unless they pass your definition of what it means to be a liberal. I am also making that SAME ARGUMENT that Christians are not Christians unless they live up the Christ's definition of what it means to be a a Christian.

You allow yourself the liberty to define liberalism and evaluate a person's actions to determine if the label applies to an individual or organization. But you deny the liberty of Christ or Christians to define Christianity and evaluate a person's actions to determine if the label applies to an individual or organization. You are such a hypocrite.

114   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 30, 1:58pm  

Dan8267 says

The constant childish attempts by trolls to insult me in this thread demonstrates exactly why such trolls need to be banned from productive threads. All other non-troll users on this site should read through this thread and ask if you really want trolls like PeopleUnited, Blue Sardine (Shrek), CBOEtrader, and P N Dr Lo R doing the same thing on your threads. Once they get a stick up their ass regarding someone, they never quit. The only way to handle them is to ban them so they can only jerk off in their own threads.

Translation: please, Patrick and anyone else who will listen to his whining, Dan doesn't feel safe, he needs other people to expand his safe zone because he is one of, if not the most special snowflakes on the Christmas tree and there are too many people who are not accepting his false logic despite many years and numerous hours of typing and posting and crying like a baby when his thread is derailed, (even though he repeatedly does the exact same thing when given the opportunity). You must make them accept him or ban them from posting.

Does that sound like anything else today???

115   FortWayne   2017 Jul 30, 1:59pm  

Dans logic.... Hitler was a man therefore all men are pure evil. That's how his mind reasons.

116   Onvacation   2017 Jul 30, 2:08pm  

Dan8267 says

The constant childish attempts by trolls

Am I the only one that justs scans through Dan's long tedious posts?

Edit: Dan does have some good ideas but gets caught up in his own egotism.
@patrick reinstate the comment limit to enforce succinctness. Thanks

117   Dan8267   2017 Jul 30, 2:08pm  

FortWayne says

Dans logic.... Hitler was a man therefore all men are pure evil. That's how his mind reasons.

Are you really so stupid that you don't realize I was demonstrating that such reasoning is wrong? Or are you just lying because you think the ends justify the means?

118   Dan8267   2017 Jul 30, 2:10pm  

The people I've banned can be summed up as follows, and this is why other people need to start banning them as well.

119   PeopleUnited   2017 Jul 30, 2:53pm  

Richard Dawkins censored in Berkeley because he does not like Islam

Dan censors 28 Patnetters from posting on his threads because he does not like people who disagree with him. Patrick supports this.

120   Patrick   2017 Jul 31, 9:52am  

A Corte Madera bookstore has stepped up to host an event with evolutionary biologist and atheist Richard Dawkins just days after Berkeley public radio station KPFA abruptly canceled a similar event, citing Dawkins’ criticism of Islam.

“As an independent bookseller, we are in strong support of independent thinking,” Karen West, events director for Corte Madera’s Books Passage, said in a statement. “We would never censor one of the greatest thinkers of our time!”

Book Passage will hold a book signing and discussion of Dawkins’ latest work, “Science in the Soul: Selected Writings of a Passionate Rationalist.” The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 9 — the same date the original Berkeley event had been planned.

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/07/28/controversial-atheist-richard-dawkins-to-speak-at-book-passage-is-corte-madera-new-home-of-free-speech/

This is a bookstore that deserves everyone's support! Good on them.

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