For Banned Books Week, author Trevor Blake continues his yearly tradition of posting a link/commentary roundup of “unorthodox and unpopular ideas that were banned or challenged in the United States in the years 2012 – 2014.” While waving about a copy of “The Great Gatsby” for solidarity is easy, tackling incidents that are making the status-quo uncomfortable NOW, is not. —Reverend Kevin Slaughter
third side intelligence
107 posts
A minor victory for American secularism was scored in the courts, but one that could set a precedent for other institutions to follow. The Locke and Milton-inspired Enlightenment values that influenced the American revolution will hopefully continue fighting for, as Thomas Jefferson coined it, “a wall of separation between church and state”. We give a horned salute to the airman whose Luciferian sense of rebellion took him to this victory. Let our schools, our legislative halls, and all publicly-owned grounds heed the Air Force’s example. Onward! —Warlock Darren Deicide
When Magus LaVey said, “Satanism demands study—NOT worship,” he defined the Satanic standard that Magus Gilmore has termed “the Magic of Mastery.” The very idea of study has long been so closely associated with witchcraft that the witchy word “glamour” is derived from the same word as “grammar.” The Latin term “grammatica,” meaning learning or scholarship, often had occult implications during the Middle Ages. The same word also gives us “grimoire,” weaving a web that supports the principle of eclectic studies as the foundation of all magic. So whatever your speciality (to channel Minnie Castevet), remember the magic that dwells […]
This is a “challenge” I can get behind. —Priestess Kim Rice As deserving as this symbolic blasphemy may be, I question the ultimate agenda of some of these activists and the feasibility of their goals. If you taunt marauding jihadists, you may have to consider being prepared to match violence with violence. Ultimately, who picks up the bill? —Reverend Raul Antony I find it heartening that some in the Arab world are using mockery to deal with the rabid dogs of the Islamic State. If only a musician from that region would retool Spike Jones’ “Der Führer’s Face” to suit the situation. […]
Just when the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade lifts its ban on openly gay participants, Louisiana is upholding its ban on same-sex marriage. Louisiana, abetted by Judge Martin L. C. Feldman of Federal District Court, has interrupted the steady progress toward justice in marriage laws across the United States, enforcing theocracy in the name of “democracy.” A Catholic tradition is loosening is restrictions while Louisiana allows bigots to infringe upon the rights of others. For now, same-sex couples in Louisiana won’t be marching down the aisle. But, as a straight New Yorker with roots in Nawlins, I’ll raise a glass of […]
Frank Sinatra’s 1963 interview for Playboy Magazine has been posted and it reveals a thoughtful man, scathingly critical of organized religion, who understood that the carnal motivations of our species are what can often break down ideological barriers. One can only wonder what fascinating conversations took place between “Ol’ Blue Eyes” and our one time Warlock Sammy Davis, Jr.—both men being kindred realists who lived their lives quite fully, with few regrets. —Magus Peter H. Gilmore
Why is there an “invocation” in the first place? Why are our government officials “praying” to anything during our time, paid for by our tax dollars? That’s some unconstitutional horseshit, right there. Pray on your own time, if you really think prayer guides you. If you’re on my time, your ass better be doing something more akin to law-making than sitting on your knees asking Jeebus if he thinks the intersection of Main & Park needs a flashing red light or just a stop sign. —Magister David Harris
In the USA, there is much brouhaha concerning a federal grant for over $700,000 toward the development of computer software that writes jokes. The fundamental mechanics of humor are exploited by both pioneering comedians and the hacks who haunt what LaVey called “the dismal world of comedy clubs.” (“‘T’ Ain’t Funny, McGee,” Satan Speaks!) Yet consistently successful humor is the still-elusive holy grail of artificial intelligence, which grows ever closer to replacing the most productive aspects of your average human. By automating not only human tasks, but personalities, we can highlight and more freely enjoy the truly unique elements of […]
Trends – Self Doubt – Peer Pressure…our media promotes and cultivates these at every turn. Our founder, Anton Szandor LaVey, coined a term—the “Invisible War"—denoting the stresses contemporary society and "big business” have wrought on our populace meant to keep people behaving as docile consumers. A study has shown that at least 30% of the nation’s populace now wants to buy and eat gluten-free products. When a group of self-professed “gluten-sensitive” people were tested on various diets (the nutritional content of which were not revealed until afterwards), they fully expected to feel worse at the end of the study. And they did, for all of the […]