The Iron Fist and the Velvet Glove

Sorry about the audio on episode 100.

Scott’s voice was too loud (or mine was too soft) and there was a lot of background noise.

Here is a better version.

Trevor

In this episode, we look at the UK election and discuss the Democratic Unionist Party, Sinn Fein, Elmo and Lord Buckethead as well as a new theory called the median legislator theorem.

 

We shake our head at the request by The Islamic Council of Victoria for safe spaces so that their troubled youth can rage against Western civilisation without fear of being labelled radical.

 

The Catholics warn politicians that while a minority of people are against assisted dying legislation, that minority is prepared to vote based on that one issue. We look at some interesting statistics showing that there is a high correlation between religious belief and an unwillingness to allow assisted dying and this correlation increases as people attended church more regularly.

 

Father John O’Connor is another Catholic priest and he is not happy about changes to procedures regarding the hearing of confessions and clearly dislikes the fact that he has to conduct confessions in an open environment. In his view, the Church has been in this game for a long time and it knows what is best for the penitent. Clearly, he has not been paying much attention to the Royal Commission into Responses to Institutional Child Abuse.

 

We take a look at Donald Trump’s Twitter account and the fascinating application of First Amendment law which seems to confirm that he is not allowed to delete people from his Twitter account. The Fist suggests that Australia needs something similar to the First Amendment.

 

We thank our patrons and induct Sean into the Iron Fist Velvet Glove Patron Hall of Fame.

 

Liberal Party branches designed for Chinese members are a bad idea.

 

A burrito shop in Oregon is forced to close down after allegations of cultural appropriation.

 

Life is tough for white chickens in Brooklyn

 

We take a quick look at the Sunni-Shia divide, the methods used by Saudi Arabia to indoctrinate the population of Indonesia and the ganging up on Qatar by fellow Arab countries.

 

We invite a listener to read a book to join The Fist for a book review at a later time.

 

Donald Trump thinks NATO countries need to spend more money and The Fist questions whether alliances are a good idea.

 

We finish with another look at domestic violence in Islam and the despicable work done by so-called feminist as they perform linguistic gymnastics in order to excuse the Quran.

Here are the links:

 

Fighting an election only to refuse a seat: Sinn Féin and Westminster abstention

Can a minority Conservative government survive? Let’s look at the maths

Premier Daniel Andrews says he’s “very troubled” by the Islamic Council of Victoria’s suggestion for safe spaces where Muslim youth “could be radical”.

Proposed euthanasia laws a ‘vote loser’ for Andrews

In this episode, we look at the UK election and discuss the Democratic Unionist Party, Sinn Fein, Elmo and Lord Buckethead as well as a new theory called the median legislator theorem.

 

We shake our head at the request by The Islamic Council of Victoria for safe spaces so that their troubled youth can rage against Western civilisation without fear of being labelled radical.

 

The Catholics warn politicians that while a minority of people are against assisted dying legislation, that minority is prepared to vote based on that one issue. We look at some interesting statistics showing that there is a high correlation between religious belief and an unwillingness to allow assisted dying and this correlation increases as people attended church more regularly.

 

Father John O’Connor is another Catholic priest and he is not happy about changes to procedures regarding the hearing of confessions and clearly dislikes the fact that he has to conduct confessions in an open environment. In his view, the Church has been in this game for a long time and it knows what is best for the penitent. Clearly, he has not been paying much attention to the Royal Commission into Responses to Institutional Child Abuse.

 

We take a look at Donald Trump’s Twitter account and the fascinating application of First Amendment law which seems to confirm that he is not allowed to delete people from his Twitter account. The Fist suggests that Australia needs something similar to the First Amendment.

 

We thank our patrons and induct Sean into the Iron Fist Velvet Glove Patron Hall of Fame.

 

Liberal Party branches designed for Chinese members are a bad idea.

 

A burrito shop in Oregon is forced to close down after allegations of cultural appropriation.

 

Life is tough for white chickens in Brooklyn

 

We take a quick look at the Sunni-Shia divide, the methods used by Saudi Arabia to indoctrinate the population of Indonesia and the ganging up on Qatar by fellow Arab countries.

 

We invite a listener to read a book to join The Fist for a book review at a later time.

 

Donald Trump thinks NATO countries need to spend more money and The Fist questions whether alliances are a good idea.

 

We finish with another look at domestic violence in Islam and the despicable work done by so-called feminist as they perform linguistic gymnastics in order to excuse the Quran.

Here are the links:

 

Fighting an election only to refuse a seat: Sinn Féin and Westminster abstention

Can a minority Conservative government survive? Let’s look at the maths

Premier Daniel Andrews says he’s “very troubled” by the Islamic Council of Victoria’s suggestion for safe spaces where Muslim youth “could be radical”.

Proposed euthanasia laws a ‘vote loser’ for Andrews

Opposition to assisted dying is largely religious

2:56 In episode 99 we look at the latest terrorist attack in the United Kingdom.

3:05 We discuss the statement by the British Prime Minister and the responses around the world.

5:21 An article from The Guardian proves that The Guardian has lost touch with reality.

8:56 In The Conversation, Bill Durodie suggests that rather than being united in horror and mourning we should focus on becoming united in purpose. He looks at the demands by the Prime Minister for internet and social media censorship and policing but notes the fact that if you or I were to troll through as many jihadist websites as we could find we would still not turn into the morally bankrupt murderers that are committing these atrocities. He also castigates the Metropolitan Police Chief Commissioner for suggesting that British society could turn on the Muslim community in some sort of pogrom which is insulting to the civility of British people.

12:20 Kenan Malik notes that censorship will not work, that there was a police failure as these terrorists were known to police and that if Theresa May wants to confront uncomfortable questions she needs to address the involvement of Saudi Arabia in funding Wahhabism.

16:33 The Pope and the Archbishop of Westminster are providing their usual assistance in the form of prayers.

17:49 Richard King describes virtue signalling as a trickle down model of social change which is as ineffective as trickle down economics.

21:46 Lauren Rosewarne in an article in The Conversation criticises a fellow academic who had the temerity to call for the end of Islam and suggested that the university that employs him should consider whether that is still a good idea. She demonstrates that the left is not nearly as tolerant as it likes to think that it is and diversity is fine so long as that is not diversity of opinion.

31:22 Covfefe and a President is not allowed to delete tweets

32:55 We look at Andrew Robb and the topic of political donations

The latest opinion surveys from the Essential Report.

53:02 We suggest that the foul language and racial insults frequently levied by Noel Pearson make him unsuitable as a leader of the Aboriginal community.

58:58 We have another look at Margaret Court

1:01:15 A great quote from Christopher Hitchens which seems to apply in Indonesia at the moment.

1:04:18 The TPP refuses to die.

1:06:04 Finally, the Catholic Church is telling kids that if they want to enjoy casual clothes day then they must ensure that their parents sign a complaint letter about school funding.

 

The Guardian view on Theresa May’s plans on terror

London Bridge attack: too right ‘enough is enough’ – but Britain must tackle uncomfortable questions

Kenan Malik: The real problems exposed by the recent terror attacks were barely touched on by Theresa May,

Prayers for London attack victims

Islam and the fine line of academic freedom The RSA seemed to agree with the statement “But condemning...

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Right Wing Tony.

1:03 We look at the aftermath of the Manchester bombing

1:17 Jonathon Pie on the attack. Carrying on as normal achieves nothing. Apparently, if I get angry, the Terrorists win. A free pass into paradise? Where did he get that idea? We may never know why he did this? Check his WhatsApp.

3:52 Right Wing Tony – We’ve been cowed to say nothing. The Fist wrote a letter to the editor objecting to Karen Brooks who said unity is everything. Refusing to discuss Islam is fake unity. RWT asks if Islam is compatible with civilised society. The religion encourages a fatalistic worldview.

7:44 The Fake Sheik Tawhidi argues with Rifi. Rifi is a moderate apologist for Islam who says suicide bombers are not true Muslims.

9:44 Rifi must have bought an abbreviated version of The Quran. Was the IRA Catholic? The literal interpretation relies on the ordinary meaning of the words.

11:45 We look at a few articles, one by Douglas Murray describing the strange death of liberal Europe and Europe’s unwillingness, contrary to the United States, to be proud of its values and expect assimilation from its immigrants.

14:44 RWT concludes that assimilation is impossible and notes the French have come up with the word “integrisme” which means a refusal to assimilate. In Australia, we seem to be happy to allow parallel lifestyles.

17:25 We discuss the Muslim enclave proposed for Brisbane. A simple question by a councillor led to an allegation of potential racism by Mayor Quirk. This is not a matter of race and it shows you have to be brave to enter the debate as you will be labelled a racist.

21:07 Some European leaders are now acknowledging the problem of parallel lifestyles.

23:14 Kenan Malik notes that in his youth racism was an issue and different races campaigned together and worked to improve lives across various ethnicities but after the Rushdie affair the rebellion divided into ethnicities. Previously a Muslim youth would join a workers union but after identity politics money funnelled to leaders of minority groups and claiming minority and disadvantage was the new key to gaining government money. RWT notes that Italian immigrant families encouraged their youth to assimilate.

30:02 The Muslim 2nd generation isn’t assimilating. The Fist hates it when people argue that refugees aren’t committing terrorism but refuses to acknowledge it is the sons and daughters of refugees who often are.

The ASIO boss states that terrorism has nothing to do with Islam and many academics agree with him which seems contrary the facts. According to the Asio boss, “ASIO does not make assessments on the basis of religion”. He has support from counter-terrorism experts.

37:25 Waleed Aly says terrorism is a form of theatre … an irritant. RWT proposes shutting down all religious schools.

39:45 The Lindt cafe police incompetence means we should not trust the so-called experts who talk down the Islamic element of the problem.

42:17 Anne Aly said it was a long bow to link refugees with terrorism. She says they became radicalised here. It is a strange chicken and egg story. If eggs were nuclear bombs we would start asking “where are the chickens?” but as RWT says, our leaders have decided to leave them as free range. The Fist refers to his favourite article which describes a distilled form of Islam which happens when Muslims are the minority. Kids become more extreme than their parents as part of proving and wallowing in their identity.

47:01 RWT refers to a book “Islamic Exceptionalism”. Basically, Islam is different and exceptional and positive outcomes for Islam are unlikely because of the holy texts.

0:57 Manchester bombing. It is often the successful sons and daughters of refugees who commit terrorist acts.

5:58 We criticise the government for paying money to the Catholic hierarchy rather than to individual Catholic schools because the Catholic hierarchy cannot be trusted to distribute the money correctly. In the article we have linked to it is clear that the National Catholic Education Commission has been taking money from poor schools and giving it to rich schools. The Catholics once again demonstrate that they can’t be trusted with money, children or morals.

10:48 Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on giving but perhaps gives too often. It is hard to keep up with his daily escapades where he commits what for most people would be career ending mistakes. We give a quick explanation of what is required to impeach a president.

19:06 The Bible society is offering a master class meanwhile the 12th Man provides a masterclass comment on the Bible Society’s efforts to teach the bible to abused teenage girls in Cameroon.

22:17 We think that a second anthem using Aboriginal friendly words is a bad idea and so does Stan Grant.  Stan also impresses us with his response to the budget.

28:04 How many refugees did Japan take in during 2016?

29:39 We should spend more on Foreign Aid in our region. What will happen in Indonesia if the military splits over religious lines?

32:57 The Snowy Hydro expansion plan was cooked up in just 13 days.

35:36 Parish priest Glen Tattersall says that the Royal Commission is a hatchet job and that many of the church’s problems have been caused by the loose morality of liberals and homosexuals.

40:32 We have some excellent listener feedback from Landon Hardbottom and What Problem.

41:35 If someone can identify as a different sex then there seems no reason why they cannot identify as a different race but if you try to run that argument you will face enormous abuse from the left. Rachel Dolezal. The left claims to be tolerant but in fact, often they just don’t care because when they do care, their intolerance is obvious.

47:07 You can now buy a boomerang for $1,930, however, you will have to dodge complaints of cultural appropriation. If that should happen to you we have a rebuttal argument drawing on ancient Egyptian, Indian and Polish artefacts which will help you out.

51:33 Madame, you are an experience, but not an argument.

How to impeach a President

The Bible Society is putting on a masterclass and the 12th Man gives them a serve on Facebook.

Two anthems is such a bad idea

Is this the same Stan Grant?

In this episode, The Fist talks with Brian Morris the author of Sacred to Secular.

Here is a link to his petition.

and here is a link to his website Plain Reason where you can get a copy of his book Sacred to Secular.

In the interview, we discuss Brian’s career as a PR consultant, his experience with Bob Carr and the NSW government, and his motivation to write a book about secularism. After that, we talk about government funding of religious schools we then propose a plan for a lobbying effort using a well-known celebrity to act as an ambassador or spokesperson for the secular movement.

 

1:28 We take a quick look at the federal budget and ask why Labor is not supporting the coalition’s policy to reduce funding for elite private schools.

8:20 We briefly remind listeners of the history of government funding of private schools and pay homage to Mother Celestine who pulled off a true miracle by converting a toilet block into a gold mine.

12:28 After that, we examine the blasphemy charge against Stephen Fry which was dismissed due to lack of outrage while simultaneously Governor Ahok in Indonesia was sentenced to 2 years jail for blasphemy. The irony is that Stephen Fry committed blasphemy and got off while Governor Ahok did not commit blasphemy and was found guilty.

18:39 We poke a bit of fun at Prince Philip and share some of his witticisms.

22:10 We briefly turn to North Korea and can’t blame them for having nuclear weapons. It seems to be the only tactic that will prevent the USA from engaging in regime change.

24:48 Catholic Bishops are at it again as they implore the flock to fight against efforts to introduce voluntary euthanasia.

27:14 More irony in Victoria as Liberty Victoria hands out the Voltaire award to a most undeserving winner.

It has been a great podcast for suggestions from listeners. Matt in Perth has a good turn of phrase. The New York Times, however, has a problem with the phrase female genital mutilation. In Texas, a state representative has lodged a proposed bill to control masturbation and we think it is a good idea. In Canada, a polygamy trial highlights the need to remove legality from religious marriage ceremonies. The Fist goes soft in relation to an Afghan teenager who assaults girls in bikinis on a beach. We now have an option on the website where listeners can leave a voicemail message and it is now possible to buy books from Book Depository via our affiliate link which will provide us with a kickback. We have statistics to show that Australians are not as Islamophobic as we are led to believe while immigrants in the UK are surprisingly against further immigration and we finish off with a look at Faith-based investing where you can select management funds which only invest in companies which are biblically responsible. Listen to the podcast to see how the biblical funds compared with the Seven Deadly Sins fund.

31:06 The New York Times, however, has a problem with the phrase female genital mutilation.

32:41 In Texas, a state representative has lodged a proposed bill to control masturbation and we think it is a good idea.

37:11 In Canada, a polygamy trial highlights the need to remove legality from religious marriage ceremonies.

40:45 The Fist goes soft in relation to an Afghan teenager who assaults girls in bikinis on a beach.

We now have an option on the website where listeners can leave a voicemail message and it is now possible to buy books from Book Depository via our affiliate link which will provide us with a kickback. We have statistics to show that Australians are not as Islamophobic as we are led to believe while immigrants in the UK are surprisingly against further immigration and we finish off with a look at Faith-based investing where you can select management funds which only invest in companies which are biblically responsible. Listen to the podcast to see how the biblical funds compared with the Seven Deadly Sins fund.

48:30 We have statistics to show that Australians are not as Islamophobic as we are led to believe while immigrants in the UK are surprisingly against further immigration and

53:54 We finish off with a look at Faith-based investing where you can select management funds which only invest in companies which are biblically responsible. Listen to the podcast to see how the biblical funds compared with the Seven Deadly Sins fund.

57:14 A masculinity survey of Egyptians, Palestinians and Morrocans

Links

1:13 The Iron Fist and Hugh Harris discuss the NSW SRE decision. Here is one opinion and here is the alternative

10:38 A discussion on the role and importance of Christianity and Judeo-Christian ethics in our Australian culture including references to  Kevin Donnelly’s article on celebrating Christianity’s role in our society and Hugh’s response and another Kevin Donnelly article claiming Barnaby Joyce is right about Judeo-Christian principles. Hugh argues Judeo-Christian values are a myth contrived by the USA moral majority.

31:29 Major discussion. We are wasting our time waging a grassroots battle. To reinstate secularism we need to focus on influencing powerful people.

Democracy for Realists

Voters are too busy to care about policies but even if we convince the grassroots, they will vote for a party based on tribal affiliations, not on policy platforms.

Lobby groups don’t waste time changing public opinion. They go out and lobby powerful people.

When people identify with a group, they will follow whatever the group leader pushes.

All we are doing is preaching to the converted.

How much do the various secular groups co-operate?

 

0:46 Yassmin and Anzac Day

6:02 The interplay of S.18C and S.18D. Yassmin’s comments on Anzac Day may have breached 18C and arguably failed to met the elements of S.18D

16:30  Hugh Harris paints a picture where atheists are in control and turn the tables on theists

21:40  No more Eagle Rock

24:55  Russia has banned the JWs

28:35  Religion is dragging us down says a famous biologist

30:11  The Dalai Lama is running rings around the Pope

33:30  Trump is a lot like the God of the Old Testament

36:40  Is anyone else worried about Indonesia?

42:03  Philippines troops kill militant leader

46:41  UN elects Saudi Arabia to its Commission on the Status of Women

52:02  America is Regressing into a Developing Nation for Most People

1:00:32  Australia Post hits back at Amazon and eBay and says Coalition’s GST model is best

1:23 Partisan bias and public opinion on Trump’s Syria strike

8:50 A Washington Post poll reveals Republicans disapproved of bombing when Obama was considering it but approved when Trump did it.

16:45  Trump can remember dessert but not the name of the country he bombed

Attacking North Korea: surely Donald Trump couldn’t be that foolish

21:37  JFK and the military

ACT government defends abortion clinic prayer ban as ‘rights balancing’

29:46  Reem Allouche (left) and Atika Latifi discuss how a man should ‘discipline’ his wife in the controversial video.

39:50  Radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir takes aim at mainstream Muslims who condemn domestic violence

41:30  Hospital prayer rooms

51:55 Dave Rubin

55:23 ‘Christ is risen, I’d bet on that’: Pope

57:17 A map of the world’s most and least racially tolerant countries

1:04:47 Female Track Team Welcomes Boy Who Thinks He’s A Girl Onto Team. He’s Really Fast.

1:10:16 New poll finds 9 in 10 Native Americans aren’t offended by Redskins name