In this episode I discuss the Senate Report on Torture that came out last week. As you’ve no doubt heard by now, it’s pretty horrifying. But does Sam Harris condone such behavior? According to CJ Werleman, yes. According to Sam Harris, likely not. Here are some links I discussed.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/john-yoo-torture-report-dustbin-article-1.2039758

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/12/11/370055472/dick-cheney-on-senate-torture-investigation-the-report-is-full-of-crap

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/09/senate-torture-report-details_n_6295396.html

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Bobby C and I continue the excellent discussion. Also, we have yet another great Patron of the week!

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This week I’m joined by Bobby C of No Religion Required. I’m very grateful to Bobby for coming on to give us some insight on what it means to be a police officer. We talk about the NYC case a little as the news broke the day we recorded, but we focus more on Ferguson and police brutality as well as possible solutions to the problem.

Find Bobby’s podcast at http://www.noreligionrequired.com or @noreligionreq on Twitter.

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Atheistically Speaking welcomes to the show an avid listener and fantastic supporter, Marcel! We talked about a wide range of differences between the Netherlands and the US. Turns out they are quite different.. who knew! It was an excellent discussion and provided a really neat look into what it’s like not being an American, something I don’t have much experience with.

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In this episode I revisit some Ferguson stuff in light of your comments. I have to revise something I said last week. Then, I do some Tommentary about comments Ayaan Hirsi Ali made a week ago, as well as an interview Dawkins had.

http://time.com/3595656/ayaan-hirsi-ali-time-for-thanks/

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nonprophetstatus/2014/11/20/dawkins-take-on-sexual-harassment-is-par-for-the-course/

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nonprophetstatus/2014/11/21/if-you-treat-feminism-only-as-a-weapon-to-attack-islam-then-you-are-not-a-passionate-feminist/

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/ayaan-hirsi-ali-destroys-american-feminism-by-discussing-the-real-war-on-women/article/2556419

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Several months ago I gave my initial thoughts on the happenings in Ferguson. Well, as you’ve no doubt heard, the grand jury came back with no charges filed. Also, the evidence has been made public, so it’s time to dive into it.

Also, new segment, Patron of the week! I am going to do a little questionnaire with a Patron each week because they each are so neat and have their own unique story. Michael kindly agreed to be the first subject, and it went really well!

Here are several links I referenced:

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/08/what-i-did-after-police-killed-my-son-110038_Page2.html#.VHa-D4vF-Gk

http://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article4157730.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/seemingly-unorthodox-police-procedures-emerge-in-grand-jury-documents/2014/11/25/48152574-74e0-11e4-bd1b-03009bd3e984_story.html

http://www.vox.com/xpress/2014/11/25/7285265/darren-wilson-grand-jury

And there were many others.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:19 — 46.2MB)

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Listener Erik sent me a very thoughtful email outlining some thoughts he had on the James Lindsay episodes, especially our brief discussion on privilege. Since Erik comes from a different background, I thought it would be a good idea to get a different voice in on the discussion so it wasn’t just another case of two white guys talking privilege. Erik has a fascinating story and some great observations, make sure to give this one a listen!

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We finish up the discussion with Jonathan Figdor. Lots of interesting stuff! Then I move onto some commentary about last week’s episodes. Definitely a lot to think about and discuss moving forward. Hopefully I can get some more guests on to represent all sides.

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This week Jonathan Figdor joins us to discuss a multitude of topics. First up, he’s promoting a new book, Atheist Mind, Humanist Heart. That can be found on Amazon or on the home page here : http://www.atheistmindhumanistheart.com/

Also at that link you can find info on his ReThink prize! It sounds really cool and I’m thinking maybe we should organize some entries for the podcast! Let’s win!

We also get into some great discussion on morality, chaplaincy, and plenty of other stuff too!

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Continued discussion on discussion. We maxed out the time, so I’m going to have to address comments and give more thoughts on a later date. Thanks for the many good comments on this topic!

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