Executive Producers of EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed Statement on Lawsuit by Yoko Ono
The Producers Add commentsShare ThisFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2008
The fair use doctrine is a well established copyright principle based on the belief that the public is entitled to freely use portions of copyrighted materials for purposes of commentary and criticism.
We are disappointed therefore that Yoko Ono and others have decided to challenge our free speech right to comment on the song Imagine in our documentary film.Based on the fair use doctrine, news commentators and film documentarians regularly use material in the same way we do in EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed .
Premise Media acknowledges that Ms. Yoko Ono did not license the song for use in the Film. Instead, a very small portion of the song was used under the fair use doctrine.
Unbiased viewers of the film will see that the Imagine clip was used as part of a social commentary in the exercise of free speech and freedom of inquiry. Unbiased viewers of the film will also understand that the Imagine clip was used to contrast the messages in the Documentary and that the clip was not used as an endorsement within Expelled.
Contact: Megan Erhardt (ext.136 ) or Mary Beth Hutchins (ext.105 ) at 703.683.5004
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
SCHOOLING EVIL
Pope Benedict included this paragraph in his 4/19/08 remarks to the youth in Yonkers:
“My own years as a teenager were marred by a sinister regime that thought it had all the answers; its influence grew — infiltrating schools and civic bodies, as well as politics and even religion — before it was fully recognized for the monster it was. It banished God and thus became impervious to anything true and good. Many of your grandparents and great-grandparents will have recounted the horror of the destruction that ensued. Indeed, some of them came to America precisely to escape such terror.”
-NYT
These remarks are from an article in WND about Bibles in China:
FAITH UNDER FIRE
China escalates Bible crackdown
Bookstore owner re-arrested after being cleared of original counts
Posted: April 19, 2008
12:10 am Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily
“Believers across China report a shortage of Bibles and other Christian resources. The China Christian Council (CCC) claims that Amity Press, the only legal publisher of Bibles in China, is producing enough Bibles to meet the demand. The Council, however, puts the total number of Protestant believers in China at only 16 million – including only the members of government-approved churches – whereas a survey carried out by the East China Normal University in 2005 and 2006, published in February 2007, stated that China had 40 million Protestants,” the Compass report said.
“Some estimates on the total number of Christians in China rise as high as 130 million. The fact is, Compass said, “In some areas, house church members still take turns reading the only available copy of Scripture.”
The report said Shi’s arrest “appears to be part of a crackdown on religious groups that the government fears could raise dissident voices during” the coming Olympics.
WND reported earlier on a “blacklist” of people and groups of people China has been targeting specifically because of the coming publicity that will accompany the Olympic Games in August. Those targeted include religious leaders.
“WND also documented a report that China would ban Bibles from its Olympic village for athletes. Chinese officials denounced that report, but have maintained on the Olympics website a demand that visitors to the Games bring no more than a single Bible with them.”
MY COMMENTS:
Notice that when God is driven from the country, or from the premises, or even from the discussion, PURE EVIL takes over. In the case of Germany, it was the NAZIS. In Red China, it is BIBLES they hate. In America, it is Darwinism that drives out both God and the Bible, prohibiting usually even the mention of such. And in that absence, EVIL GROWS, and become impervious to anything true and good, as the Pope said.
You people who hate God, who hate the Bible, you Christ-deniers, have opened up a way for great evil to grow in America and the world. And if you are ENABLING evil, what does that make you? You are gripped by evil, and you can’t even see it.
These are OUR schools too, and it is high time to break up the public school monopoly that mars so many of our young people. Freedom of speech and religion means exactly what it says. We should be able to at least talk about the Bible as literature, and we should be able to talk about other concepts, including Bible concepts, regarding the origin and development of life on earth. To not be able to, is to be more in tune with the Nazis and the Communists, than with the real America as our Founders envisioned it.
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
-Psalm 9:17
God bless America.
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
supression
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Why am I surprised? Yoko Ono should know better, her lawyers certainly do. I could say 23 years of radio have taught me she is wrong, but I think I’ll just quote the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107 instead.
Notwithstanding the provisions of sections § 106 and § 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.
I would have to wonder what the actual motive is here.
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I went and looked up some stuff on copyright, and I would tend to
think that Ono at least has a case, though one cannot be sure with the
guidelines given.
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use
The issue of sampling seems to be important here, and even though the
rapper’s work was “transformative” (which counts toward the fair use
defense), so long as it was “legally cognizable appropriation,” one
had to have permission. I believe that “Expelled’s” use would be
easily “legally cognizable appropriation.”
One might ask if it is “trivial,” however, since the law does not care
about trifles. While I am not, indeed, a lawyer, I
would understand it as involving the “heart of the work,” or at least
something that is important to the original (see below). The piece is
short, reportedly only 15 seconds (perhaps somewhat less than a tenth
of the song), but highly recognizable and cuts close to the heart of
the song. It is not simply the opening bars, or closing of the song,
it is definitely “important to the original” (again, see below).
As far as damages go, it seems a foregone conclusion that widespread
use of snippets of his song could easily damage the market value of
the work.
Here is another source, emphasizing the issue of the copied material
being “important to the original”:
http://copylaw.com/new_articles/fairuse.html
Of course I can’t claim that these are authoritative references.
However, they seem to be relying upon authoritative references, and
using important examples that seem to suggest that “Expelled” was
simply ripping off the copyright owner(s).
Most of this is a cross-post from Talkorigins newsgroup (post headlined “Yoko One is suing Premise, others”)
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Here’s a case revealing what a lawyer advised one movie producer:
http://blog.stayfreemagazine.org/2005/06/mad_hot_ballroo.html
Supposing this lawyer advised correctly, the only other defense that I
could think “Expelled” might have is that this is criticism or parody
of the work “Imagine”. Yet I can’t see how either of those would fly,
for there is no actual parody (only an attempted contrast between what
Lennon imagined, and what they portray as the reality of irreligion),
nor is it a criticism of the work itself. It criticizes the ideas of
Lennon, but it is not the ideas that are copyrighted, only the form in
which those ideas are presented is copyrighted.
I’d like to add to the above by saying that only in
vaguest sense are they even criticizing Lennon’s ideas.
Essentially,
they’re just generally disagreeing with his general disparagement of
religion, not at all making a direct criticism of anything specific in the song.
Again, mostly cross-posting my comments at Talkorigins (at “Yoko Ono is suing Premise, others”)
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/2kxyc7
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Try telling that to the judge. I think it’s pretty obvious that fair use doesn’t cover reproducing copyrighted materials in order to make a profit. Sure, you can ‘comment’ on the song–nobody’s arguing about that. You just can’t reproduce it without permission! Nice try with the free speech angle, creationists. See you in court.
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Shocker. I guess some people don’t like plagiarism that much. How’s the XVIVO lawsuit going?
When you guys can find a way to express yourselves that doesn’t involve lying, you might have a place in the scientific community.
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I belive it was fredrick douglas that said “the simplest truthes are meet with the most resistence”. Pride and arrogance are the fuel of the foolish. They can’t attack the message so they attack the people delivering it. Dr.kent Hovind a great teacher an speaker, but the state didnt like the message. He is currently spending the next 12 years in a prison here in South Carolina. All because of his never-ending battle in fighting evolution and his wonderful work in creationism. I wish more people would help get him out of that place. Thanx for the movie and God Bless Us All
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
dirtman manelli, #5:
“I belive it was fredrick douglas that said “the simplest truthes are meet with the most resistence”. Pride and arrogance are the fuel of the foolish. They can’t attack the message so they attack the people delivering it. Dr.kent Hovind a great teacher an speaker, but the state didnt like the message. He is currently spending the next 12 years in a prison here in South Carolina. All because of his never-ending battle in fighting evolution and his wonderful work in creationism. I wish more people would help get him out of that place. Thanx for the movie and God Bless Us All”
He’s serving time for tax fraud. It’s not because he fights evolution and supports creationism. He’s also a pretty awful teacher and speaker, from what I’ve seen of his work.
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:45 pm
This is obviously the work of atheistic “Big Music”.
Somebody please cue David Berlinski to stop playing “La Vie En Rose” on his Parisian Victrola (the oldest one in Paris) and say something pompous about The Beatles (preferably laying down on a lawn chaise in front of the Berlin Wall)
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:58 pm
This is for John and dp
God Angrily Clarifies ‘Don’t Kill’ Rule
September 26, 2001 | Issue 37•34
NEW YORK—Responding to recent events on Earth, God, the omniscient creator-deity worshipped by billions of followers of various faiths for more than 6,000 years, angrily clarified His longtime stance against humans killing each other Monday.
God.
“Look, I don’t know, maybe I haven’t made myself completely clear, so for the record, here it is again,” said the Lord, His divine face betraying visible emotion during a press conference near the site of the fallen Twin Towers. “Somehow, people keep coming up with the idea that I want them to kill their neighbor. Well, I don’t. And to be honest, I’m really getting sick and tired of it. Get it straight. Not only do I not want anybody to kill anyone, but I specifically commanded you not to, in really simple terms that anybody ought to be able to understand.”
Worshipped by Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike, God said His name has been invoked countless times over the centuries as a reason to kill in what He called “an unending cycle of violence.”
“I don’t care how holy somebody claims to be,” God said. “If a person tells you it’s My will that they kill someone, they’re wrong. Got it? I don’t care what religion you are, or who you think your enemy is, here it is one more time: No killing, in My name or anyone else’s, ever again.”
The press conference came as a surprise to humankind, as God rarely intervenes in earthly affairs. As a matter of longstanding policy, He has traditionally left the task of interpreting His message and divine will to clerics, rabbis, priests, imams, and Biblical scholars. Theologians and laymen alike have been given the task of pondering His ineffable mysteries, deciding for themselves what to do as a matter of faith. His decision to manifest on the material plane was motivated by the deep sense of shock, outrage, and sorrow He felt over the Sept. 11 violence carried out in His name, and over its dire potential ramifications around the globe.
“I tried to put it in the simplest possible terms for you people, so you’d get it straight, because I thought it was pretty important,” said God, called Yahweh and Allah respectively in the Judaic and Muslim traditions. “I guess I figured I’d left no real room for confusion after putting it in a four-word sentence with one-syllable words, on the tablets I gave to Moses. How much more clear can I get?”
“But somehow, it all gets twisted around and, next thing you know, somebody’s spouting off some nonsense about, ‘God says I have to kill this guy, God wants me to kill that guy, it’s God’s will,’” God continued. “It’s not God’s will, all right? News flash: ‘God’s will’ equals ‘Don’t murder people.’”
Worse yet, many of the worst violators claim that their actions are justified by passages in the Bible, Torah, and Qur’an.
“To be honest, there’s some contradictory stuff in there, okay?” God said. “So I can see how it could be pretty misleading. I admit it—My bad. I did My best to inspire them, but a lot of imperfect human agents have misinterpreted My message over the millennia. Frankly, much of the material that got in there is dogmatic, doctrinal bullsh*t. I turn My head for a second and, suddenly, all this stuff about homosexuality gets into Leviticus, and everybody thinks it’s God’s will to kill gays. It absolutely drives Me up the wall.”
God praised the overwhelming majority of His Muslim followers as “wonderful, pious people,” calling the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks rare exceptions.
“This whole medieval concept of the jihad, or holy war, had all but vanished from the Muslim world in, like, the 10th century, and with good reason,” God said. “There’s no such thing as a holy war, only unholy ones. The vast majority of Muslims in this world reject the murderous actions of these radical extremists, just like the vast majority of Christians in America are pissed off over those two bigots on The 700 Club.”
Continued God, “Read the book: ‘Allah is kind, Allah is beautiful, Allah is merciful.’ It goes on and on that way, page after page. But, no, some assholes have to come along and revive this stupid holy-war crap just to further their own hateful agenda. So now, everybody thinks Muslims are all murderous barbarians. Thanks, Taliban: 1,000 years of pan-Islamic cultural progress down the drain.”
God stressed that His remarks were not directed exclusively at Islamic extremists, but rather at anyone whose ideological zealotry overrides his or her ability to comprehend the core message of all world religions.
“I don’t care what faith you are, everybody’s been making this same mistake since the dawn of time,” God said. “The Muslims massacre the Hindus, the Hindus massacre the Muslims. The Buddhists, everybody massacres the Buddhists. The Jews, don’t even get me started on the hardline, right-wing, Meir Kahane-loving Israeli nationalists, man. And the Christians? You people believe in a Messiah who says, ‘Turn the other cheek,’ but you’ve been killing everybody you can get your hands on since the Crusades.”
Growing increasingly wrathful, God continued: “Can’t you people see? What are you, morons? There are a ton of different religious traditions out there, and different cultures worship Me in different ways. But the basic message is always the same: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Shintoism… every religious belief system under the sun, they all say you’re supposed to love your neighbors, folks! It’s not that hard a concept to grasp.”
“Why would you think I’d want anything else? Humans don’t need religion or God as an excuse to kill each other—you’ve been doing that without any help from Me since you were freaking apes!” God said. “The whole point of believing in God is to have a higher standard of behavior. How obvious can you get?”
“I’m talking to all of you, here!” continued God, His voice rising to a shout. “Do you hear Me? I don’t want you to kill anybody. I’m against it, across the board. How many times do I have to say it? Don’t kill each other anymore—ever! I’m fucking serious!”
Upon completing His outburst, God fell silent, standing quietly at the podium for several moments. Then, witnesses reported, God’s shoulders began to shake, and He wept.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28151
April 24th, 2008 at 12:47 am
Why don’t you release the clip on youtube if you are so sure of yourselves?
April 24th, 2008 at 1:03 am
You guys have absolutely no case. You can’t use material with a copyright without permission, especially for commercial purposes
You evil people are gonna lose big time…a fitting end to this unprincipled, charade of a “movie”
Why do you believe “lying for Jesus” is not a sin??
April 24th, 2008 at 1:14 am
#3 says…….Why am I surprised? Yoko Ono should know better, her lawyers certainly do. I could say 23 years of radio have taught me she is wrong
Hey #3…. If you really worked in radio you would know that everytime a song is played over the air a royalty is paid to the writer and publisher and any song used in a movie needs the permission of the publisher….you don’t get to use somebody else’s property for free…..you’re just another liar for Jesus.
April 24th, 2008 at 1:35 am
dirtman manelli Says:
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I belive it was fredrick douglas that said “the simplest truthes are meet with the most resistence”. Pride and arrogance are the fuel of the foolish. They can’t attack the message so they attack the people delivering it. Dr.kent Hovind a great teacher an speaker, but the state didnt like the message. He is currently spending the next 12 years in a prison here in South Carolina. All because of his never-ending battle in fighting evolution and his wonderful work in creationism. I wish more people would help get him out of that place. Thanx for the movie and God Bless Us All
>>>>>I always find it funny how the God fearing talk about the chaos that would ensue if faith died. It always seems to be the ones who think God’s law rules over all Laws who seem to do whatever they want. Isn’t it? Yes, just the kind of morals and ethics I want you teaching our kids. Same reason you don’t care about stepping on my Rights. Thanks
Is there any, in fact, associated with creationism, ID, or DI that has any ethics at all btw? Sounds like being void of such things is a perquisite.
Kent Hovind had been charged with falsely declaring bankruptcy, making threats against federal officials, filing false complaints, failing to get necessary building permits, and various tax-related charges . He was convicted of federal tax offenses and related charges, for which he is currently serving a 10-year sentence. (58 tax offences)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Hovind
April 24th, 2008 at 1:37 am
Well, I think we figured out the case of…
“Brazilian balloon priest still missing at sea”
Wed April 23, 2008
“Rev. Adelir Antonio di Carli remained missing after lifting off from the port city of Paranagua on Sunday strapped to hundreds of helium-filled balloons.
He was also wearing a helmet, aluminum thermal flight suit, water proof coveralls and parachute and was seeking to break a record for the longest time in-flight with party balloons.”
“The priest, an experienced skydiver, also had a GPS device, satellite phone and buoyant chair with him, Coelho said. “He last used the phone and GPS on Sunday at 8:45 p.m. to let the Navy know his location,” Coelho said. “We haven’t heard from him since.”“
Seems like a obvious lack of faith in the Lord our savior Jesus Christ to me.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/23/priest.balloons.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch
April 24th, 2008 at 1:47 am
John,
you said:”These are OUR schools too, and it is high time to break up the public school monopoly that mars so many of our young people. Freedom of speech and religion means exactly what it says. We should be able to at least talk about the Bible as literature, and we should be able to talk about other concepts, including Bible concepts, regarding the origin and development of life on earth. To not be able to, is to be more in tune with the Nazis and the Communists, than with the real America as our Founders envisioned it.”
I agree that these our schools, but since this is a free country where anyone can believe in whatever religion they choose, even if that means not following Christianity. You said it best by saying “Freedom of speech and religion means exactly what it says,” if we are to put religion in our public schools than that religion class, not in science class, must show not only the current religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Taoism, Hinduism, etc) being practiced, but also past and deceased religions. The portion about the origin and development of life on Earth, well, you need to back those concepts with evidence. As science only deals with the development on Earth part I don’t see any concepts in the Bible, with physical evidence, to back them up. What I mean about physical evidence is that it must be more than ‘the bible said so’. Not being able to express different concepts is not on the path like the Nazis were on (if I misunderstood just let me know), the concept of God has lead to much worse evil than Hitler and the China regime. Example, anyone who uses the notion of God (by notion a word that symbolizes god to a person) to lead a crusade or holy war. They use God’s name in vain to achieve what they want; just look at bin Ladden and al Qaeida (most likely I misspelled this). Let’s just take a look at another country that has not announced God or a religion for the world to be known as: the United States of America. Does this mean that the U.S.A. is evil? No. Just because someone or a country doesn’t believe or assigned themselves to a god doesn’t make them immoral. If everyone was immoral than chaos would be spread everywhere. Instead, even a atheist needs order to survive and thus laws are written with punishments. Now, Usually one is able to see what kind of laws are made by the type of government that is formed from the conditions in which that country is experiencing at the time. If Hitler was born in America and living in our time period than the Hitler of Nazi Germany would have born created. Why? Simple, because Germany was facing a depression and accepted fault for causing World War I, even though it wasn’t Germany’s fault. They had to pay the winning side for damages caused in the war. No wonder when a man came forward to help stop the misery and horrible conditions people listen and even throw away their morality. Have you considered that Hitler made turn away from God, because of his hatred towards the Jews? After all, he could have interpreted their as the will of God, or Allah or whatever name is given to the almighty, as many people claim in history and even today.
April 24th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Thanks for posting the extract from the copyright law (KMVL). But is strikes me that the film Expelled (I haven’t seen it as I’m based in the UK)doesn’t fit the criteria for fair use (I’m not a lawyer either but it seems quite clear to me).
To quote part ofd the law above:
“…for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research”
I assume criticism means ‘of the song’ which expelled does not claim to do.
I assume comment would mean comment on the song, which expelled does not claim to do.
This is a documentary (apparently) so it is not news.
This does not come under what I (a British academic reseraching the field of education, creationism and evolution) would deem to be an educational film produced for teaching purposes and it is not scholarship or reserach - at least a documentary such as this does not qualify for scholarship or reserach purposes in British Universities under the ‘Research Assessment Exercise” by which all British Academics are judged.
So just how does it fit the fair use criteria?
In my limited experience of making TV documentaries and films ALL broadcast music must either fall outside copyright or permission must be sought for use - even small snippets being played.
As for Kent Hovind (dirtman)- he was jailed for tax evasion not his loony views on creationism - even creationists distance themselves from his so-called ‘teaching’. He is entitled to his views, but not entitled to evade taxes.
April 24th, 2008 at 5:30 am
“It’s (EXPELLED) going to appeal strongly to the religious, the paranoid, the conspiracy theorists, and the ignorant –– which means they’re going to draw in about 90% of the American market.”
-Atheist blogger and fabulist PZ Myers, on a film he has not yet seen.”
What an amazing header!
You prevent a person from seeing the film that he is featured in then, when he posts an opinion that coincides with the demographic you are aiming for, you criticise him for not seeing the film. YOU STOPPED HIM! If you had let him see the film (and his comments coincide with those of Richard Dawkins - who did see the film) and he posted the same comment what would you say then? PZ Myer’s view of the film would be obvious from your interviews of him so why use this comment?
April 24th, 2008 at 5:50 am
John,
You’re number 1. Congrats. I knew you could do it.
KVO
April 24th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Porkchop, I don’t see anything in the act pinted above that states profit motivated commentary is excluded. Since when is news reporting and “phonorecords” not profit motivated. Nice try, but any judge, in any court in the land knows this.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:11 am
God Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder
May 2, 2001 | Issue 37•16
NEW HAVEN, CT–In a diagnosis that helps explain the confusing and contradictory aspects of the cosmos that have baffled philosophers, theologians, and other students of the human condition for millennia, God, creator of the universe and longtime deity to billions of followers, was found Monday to suffer from bipolar disorder.
The Lord, found to be manic-depressive by Rev. Dr. Jurgens (left).
Rev. Dr. J. Henry Jurgens, a practicing psychiatrist and doctor of divinity at Yale University Divinity School, announced the historic diagnosis at a press conference.
“I always knew there had to be some explanation,” Jurgens said. “And, after several years of patient research and long sessions with God Almighty through the intercessionary medium of prayer, I was able to pinpoint the specific nature of His problem.”
Bipolar, or manic-depressive, disorder is a condition that afflicts millions. Characterized by cycles of elation followed by bouts of profound depression and despair, the disorder can wreak havoc on both the sufferer and his or her loved ones, particularly if it goes undetected and untreated for an extended period. Though the condition is estimated to affect, in one form or another, 5 percent of the world’s population, Monday marks the first time it has been diagnosed in a major deity.
Evidence of God’s manic-depression can be found throughout the Universe, from the white-hot explosiveness of quasars to the cold, lifeless vacuum of space. However, theologians note, humanity’s exposure to God’s affliction comes primarily through His confusing propensity to alternately reward and punish His creations with little rhyme or reason.
“Last week, I lost my dear husband Walter to the flood,” said housewife and devout churchgoer Elaine Froman of Davenport, IA. “I asked myself, ‘Why? Why would God do something like this, especially when He had just helped Walter overcome a long battle with colon cancer, and we were so happy that we finally had a chance to start our lives anew?’”
New York attorney Ruth Kanner also gained firsthand knowledge of God’s wild mood swings.
“Last Saturday, on a gorgeous spring afternoon, I was jogging in Central Park with my daughter. We were marveling at the beauty and majesty of nature, and I remember thinking what a wonderful world we live in. Then, out of nowhere, I heard the gunfire,” said Kanner, speaking from her hospital bed at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. “All they took was a measly $17, and for that, the doctors say my daughter will never walk again. If only Our Holy Father didn’t have those mental problems, my precious Katie might not be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.”
Jurgens stressed that God’s earthly subjects need to understand that, because of His bipolar condition, He is not in control of His actions and does not realize how they affect others.
“What He needs from us is understanding and patience,” Jurgens said. “To paraphrase the words of the Lord God Himself, ‘Humans, forgive Him, for He knows not what He does.’”
Taken on the same day, these photos offer evidence of God’s mood disorder.
While such drugs as Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft have proven effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder among humans, there is no modern earthly medicine that can be prescribed for a deity as vast and complex as God. Jurgens is in the process of forming a support group, “Living With A Bipolar Creator-Deity,” for all of humanity to “get together and discuss their feelings about living in a universe run by an Omnipresent Loved One not fully in control of his emotions.”
Jurgens said he believes God’s essential condition is seasonal, as evidenced by the bursts of energy and elation associated with springtime and summer, followed by the decay and bleak despair of fall and winter. Sometimes, however, the condition cycles even faster.
“The average person with bipolar disorder may go through as many as 10 or 12 cycles of mania and subsequent depression in a lifetime. In severe cases, a sufferer may experience four or more per year, which is known as ‘rapid cycling,’” Jurgens said. “We believe God suffers from the even rarer ‘ultra-rapid cycling,’ which would account for the many documented cases in which He alternates between benevolence and rage toward humanity within a matter of seconds. For example, last week, He brought desperately needed, life-giving rain to southern Mali while simultaneously leveling Turkey with a devastating earthquake.”
Further evidence of God’s manic-depression can be found in the Bible, in which the erotomania of the Song of Songs sharply contrasts with the sadness and existential despair of the Book of Ecclesiastes. The Book of Job, Jurgens noted, marks the best example of His condition. The book begins with the bleak lamentations of Job and ends with a full-blown manic episode by God, complete with such classic bipolar symptoms as the illusion of omnipotence and delusions of grandeur.
“One of the major ‘heresies’ of Christian history is the Gnostic belief that the Creator, or ‘demiurge,’ of this troubled world is a blind, idiot god who is insane,” Jurgens said. “This idea surfaces in many religious traditions around the globe. As it turns out, they were only half right: God has His problems like anyone else, but He is essentially trying His best. He just has a condition that makes His emotions fly out of control at times.”
“So it’s up to us to make the best of God’s emotional problems,” Jurgens continued. “Thus, mankind is born to trouble, as surely as sparks fly upward.”
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28484
April 24th, 2008 at 7:28 am
To the moderator:
Sorry, I missed a word that should have been edited. Wasn’t intentional. Delete it if you read it or this and I will re-post it edited. Again sorry.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:32 am
dirtman said: “Pride and arrogance are the fuel of the foolish. They can’t attack the message so they attack the people delivering it.”
Excellent! You have pointed out how IDers/creationists/cdesign proponentists operate!
They waste much time beating on Darwin, or comparing evolution to Hitler, or some such foolishness.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Porkchop Post:4
“Try telling that to the judge. I think it’s pretty obvious that fair use doesn’t cover reproducing copyrighted materials in order to make a profit.”
A rather profound misunderstanding of the law. I do news, for profit, and have for 23 years. You can use a portion of someone else’s work for the purposes in the law I just quoted. It matters not if you do it for profit or not.
April 24th, 2008 at 8:54 am
dirtman manelli,
I think you’ll find he’s in prison for the next 12 years for tax evasion…nothing to do with evolution of creationism. The state allowed him to go around the country giving lectures, and his theme park is still operational. His conviction had nothing to do with science.
April 24th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Ben Stein is a quote miner extraordinaire:
In support of his claim that the theory of evolution inspired Nazism, Ben Stein attributes the following statement to Charles Darwin’s book The Descent of Man:[88]
“ With savages, the weak in body or mind are soon eliminated. We civilized men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination. We build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed and the sick. Thus the weak members of civilized societies propagate their kind. No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man. Hardly anyone is so ignorant as to allow his worst animals to breed. ”
Stein stops there, then names Darwin as the author in a way that suggests that Darwin provided a rationale for the activities of the Nazis. However, the original source shows that Stein has significantly changed the text and meaning of the paragraph, by leaving out whole and partial sentences without indicating that he had done so. The original paragraph (page 168) (words that Stein omitted shown in italics) and the very next sentences in the book state:[89][88]
“ With savages, the weak in body or mind are soon eliminated; and those that survive commonly exhibit a vigorous state of health. We civilized men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination. We build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed and the sick; we institute poor-laws; and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the life of every one to the last moment. There is reason to believe that vaccination has preserved thousands, who from a weak constitution would formerly have succumbed to small-pox. Thus the weak members of civilized societies propagate their kind. No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man. It is surprising how soon a want of care, or care wrongly directed, leads to the degeneration of a domestic race; but excepting in the case of man himself, hardly anyone is so ignorant as to allow his worst animals to breed.
The aid which we feel impelled to give to the helpless is mainly an incidental result of the instinct of sympathy, which was originally acquired as part of the social instincts, but subsequently rendered, in the manner previously indicated, more tender and more widely diffused. Nor could we check our sympathy, even at the urging of hard reason, without deterioration in the noblest part of our nature. The surgeon may harden himself whilst performing an operation, for he knows that he is acting for the good of his patient; but if we were intentionally to neglect the weak and helpless, it could only be for a contingent benefit, with an overwhelming present evil.[90]
”
The Expelled Exposed website also points out that the same misleading selective quotation from this passage was used by anti-evolutionist William Jennings Bryan in the 1925 Scopes Trial, but the full passage makes it clear that Darwin was not advocating eugenics. The eugenics movement relied on simplistic and faulty assumptions about heredity, and by the 1920s evolutionary biologists were criticizing eugenics. Clarence Darrow, who defended the teaching of human evolution in the Scopes trial, wrote a scathing repudiation of eugenics.
I don’t know if the italics will show up, but just reading the ACTUAL text should be validation enough.
Shame on you, Ben.
April 24th, 2008 at 9:24 am
First…dirtman, MR. Hovind is spending time in the clink because he didn’t pay his taxes. Oops to him.
Now to the blog post, hate to break it to the Producers but you’re going to lose. I’m not a lawyer but I’ve friends who are and we all goof off on an RPG site centered around the setting of a major movie series.
Unfortunately, the documentation for the RPG system is well out of print and we have to be very careful with what we place online. Even use for nonprofit-making enterprises can violate copyright law (i.e., it dilutes the potential profit of the copyright owner). However, this movie is clearly a profit-making operation (or at least it will try to be). There’s a clear violation here.
April 24th, 2008 at 9:45 am
For the Intelligent Designers who subscribe to the “Mt. Rushmore” explanation of Irreducible Complexity, please explain the following…
FINGAL’S CAVE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingal’s_Cave
http://www.mull-bed-and-breakfast.co.uk/im/fingalsCave.jpg
GIANT’S CAUSEWAY
http://www.geographia.com/northern-ireland/ukiant01.htm
http://www.ee.qub.ac.uk/dsp/mmns2003/picture/giants_causeway.jpg
PAMUKKALE, TURKEY
http://www.bitez.net/turkey/pamukkale/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamukkale
These sources were well-known in the Antiquity. They were described by the Roman architect Vitruvius. The Phrygian Greeks built Hierapolis on top of the hill. They ascribed medical properties to the spring water, bestowed by the gods, especially Asklepios (demigod of medicine) and his daughter Hygieia (goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation), under the protection of Apollo (god of medicine and healing).
Opps, it seems these were Intelligently Designed, just not by your God, sorry.
April 24th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I wonder if Yoko realizes that this will open a few eyes–Maybe her husband wasn’t about peace & love after all…
April 24th, 2008 at 9:51 am
Freedom of speech? Ha…more like freedom to terrorize. I mean everyone has the right to their religion but you dont have to throw it in anyone elses face. If you want to talk about religion in school…go to a private school! in a public setting everyone must be accomodated.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Street Evangelist Saves 300 Souls From Enjoying Park
April 21, 2007 | Issue 43•16
SAN FRANCISCO—Open-air preacher “Brother Sam” Hilson rescued more than 300 of God’s children from appreciating a cloudless spring day at Golden Gate Park Tuesday by informing them of their sins and the swift approach of Judgment Day.
Enlarge Image
“Brother Sam” Hilson rescues countless souls each weekend from the grips of a leisurely afternoon.
A former building superintendent, Hilson said he was directly called by God to bring Christianity to San Francisco’s unholy cyclists, tai chi practitioners, and dog walkers.
“All of you will burn in hellfire, so sayeth the Lord,” Hilson said to a stroller-bound toddler and her picnicking parents.
For nearly five years, his highly personalized, one-on-one style of lay sermonizing has been among the most effective in the city, as virtually all park-goers within Hilson’s range of vision are delivered from their conversations or badminton games within minutes.
After telling a novel-reading Berkeley student that there was “no book but the Good Book,” Hilson bore witness to a woman strolling by in a sundress.
“Harlot, dare ye bare your shoulders when the Rapture is nigh?” Hilson said.
Many of those who have been singled out by Hilson confirm the attention had a direct impact on their lives.
“It was my first weekday off in a while, so I thought I’d enjoy the nice weather, maybe head down to the waterfront too,” said Russ Tiderington, 25, who, according to Hilson, “sashay[ed] [his] hips like a painted Jezebel.” “But I decided to go home and catch up on some chores instead.”
Hilson’s bullhorn, which he often employs to bring recreation-seekers into the light of God’s grace and drown out their iPod music, forced one-third to one-half of the souls to spurn the path they had chosen for that afternoon.
At one point, Hilson ministered to a family of Indian-Americans, whom he mistakenly identified as “Muslim demon-worshippers.”
His photo-collage display of aborted fetuses, Hitler, Oui magazine centerfolds from the 1980s, and the rock band KISS spared at least 10 others the temptation of the fresh April breeze.
“Someday our jealous and vengeful God will make you regret watching your aerobics sex tapes!” Hilson told a group of kite flyers, who rapidly walked away from him as he strayed momentarily in their direction. “Your kites may reach the sky, but they cannot get you into Heaven! Only Jesus can! Jesus is the One True Kite!”
Though he is not formally recognized by any church, it is estimated that Hilson has reached nearly 75,000 wayward souls on college campuses, at state fairs, and in bus terminals around the Bay Area.
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/street_evangelist_saves_300_souls
April 24th, 2008 at 10:30 am
“They can’t attack the message so they attack the people delivering it.”
I never knew Yoko Ono was considered a partisan in evolution-vs-creationism.
Face it: expelled misappropriated one of the most famous songs in the world; you can’t play the victim for that.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Wha! You should know better than to steal.
btw, Kent Hovind was a tax fraud, plain and simple. That’s why he is in jail.
Pull your head out from your midevil ways.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:33 am
My apologies, I meant to say “Medieval”.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:50 am
John Lennon is someone that you should never attempt to disrespect, and that is exactly what you continue to do with your actions. You are obliged to do everything within your power to make ammends for your grievous sins…. You will lose any semblance of credibility if you continue defending your abominable behaviour in using his work.
You who would support the regurgitated chum of coffee clutching wormtongued hypocrites are vile and do a horrible disservice to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
How truely neanderthal of you that you don’t see the true definition of God
Shame on you for your arrogance and your greed
In the name of Jesus Christ almighty, take heed that you are weaving your own demise
April 24th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Here’s the problem folks, you keep making it a bible thing.
Just stick to the facts that science can’t explain without a designer.
Let each person decide who the creator is without bible thumping, that’s why you can’t get ID into debates.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Bored, you should change your handle. You among all the others are the most interested in this stuff. You should change it to “Desperate2DebunkID”. Seems like this has become a full time job for you.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Donc says: “John Lennon is someone that you should never attempt to disrespect, and that is exactly what you continue to do with your actions…..In the name of Jesus Christ almighty, take heed that you are weaving your own demise.”
!!! What is John Lennon sacred? !!! You being a Christian should remember he arrogantly proclaimed the Beatles were more popular then Jesus Christ which was pretty disrespectful.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Bored, thanks for The Onion articles - very funny!
April 24th, 2008 at 11:41 am
I have the sneaking suspicion that if Yoko Ono agreed with the message of the film (that is, if she even took the time to see it), then she would not have made a peep about the short music clip from “Imagine.”
April 24th, 2008 at 11:53 am
I think the tee shirt should read:
I saw Expelled hoping to see “smart new science” and all
I got served was “old whine in new skins”.
If the best you
can do is to try to “Hitler” evolutionary science, then you
might want to learn something about evolution. Even in the
1930s it was known that a basic principle of evolution is
that the fitness of a population is measured by its diversity:
the more diversity, the greater the fitness. Had the Nazis
actually been knowledgeable in evolution, they would have been encouraging their followers to marry non-Aryans, instead of
to kill them.
And guess, what, if you want to play at being a “social Darwinist,” then history played out according the evolutionary
gameplan. The inclusive and diverse cultures of the west
survived, while the exclusionary monoculture of Naziism
failed. Indeed, our
push to increase diversity in our own society more closely fits
a model suggested by evolution. And guess what? The Europeans
have decided that they are going to do the same thing too.
Even the intelligent design movement has embraced diversity,
after a fashion. The Moonie (Jon Wells) has lain down with
the Baptist (Will Dembski), and the Catholic (Michael Behe).
I don’t know if there are any Mormon id’ers, but I suspect that
one of those would be welcome under the big tent. Of course, if
their common enemy (the invented bugaboo of “materialism” or
“Darwinism”) were to disappear overnight, then they would likely
go back to being at each others’ throats.
All Ben Stein can give us are mediocre pseudo-academics boohooing
because they may have “not had their contracts renewed” or
had their fradulent “research center” website closed down. Boo
freaking hoo.
The fact that the big guns of ID don’t make an appearance in
Expelled, should tell you that this ship was destined to sink.
David Berlinski (math hasbeen and writer of pop math history
and detective stories) is likely present only because he has
a book coming out.
As to Expelled exploiting the victims of the Holocaust for its
nefarious purpose. Well, Mr. Stein and Mr. Mathis, you will
have to spend the rest of your lives living this down.
April 24th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I wonder why the producers of Expelled felt the need to use ‘Imagine’ in their little film.
After all, it’s been banned by churches as being ‘anti-religious’.
Strange, that.
April 24th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Even Atheists such as Richard Dawkins are forced to unite with the superstitious regarding visiting aliens in order to avoid the scientific evidence of intelligent design inherent within this physical world. You can hear his comment on the movie “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.” These Atheists merely demonstrate that they have used Darwinism to advance science-FICTION novels because the very complex proteins they have imagined which had to form by chance DO NOT formulate naturally nor is there any evidence for such processes within any topographical level of the earth’s crust. Let’s let the facts speak for themselves and let’s not speak for the lack of facts.
http://www.evolutionfacts.blogspot.com/
April 24th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
How very fitting that the majority of the posts here are blasting the movie and those involved with it, or else attacking the bloggers with good things to say about it. What are you guys doing on this site if you hate it so much? Did something touch a chord? The thing about Christianity that seems to be causing you so many problems is that it is free, absolutely free, with no strings attached. It is a personal choice that your over-educated, complex minds will not let you grasp. If there was a price tag on it, I am sure everyone would want in on it, if nothing else just for security from going to Hell. So you tell yourselves it doesn’t exist, you don’t need it, and you despise the ones who do. Well, it is quite simple really, time will tell. After you leave this earth you will not get a second chance to accept Christ. Good luck with that.
April 24th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Mr. Dawkins Tear down that wall!
April 24th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Hey, you know what… Carmen said:
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson
Samuel Adams, First Chief Justice John Jay…
Over 200 years ago they shook off the chains of tyranny from Great Britain By divine call,
Citing 27 biblical violations they wrote the Declaration of Independence
With liberty and justice for all.
BUT
But something happened since Jefferson called the Bible the cornerstone
For American liberty then put it in our schools as a light…
Or since “Give me liberty or give me death”, Patrick Henry said,
“Our country was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
We eliminated God from the equation of American life
Thus eliminating the reason this nation first began.
Founding fathers like Noah Webster who wrote the first dictionary,
Could literally quote the Bible chapter and verse.
Of the 55 men who formed the Constitution,
Fifty-two were active members of their church.
James Madison said, “We’ve staked our future on our ability to follow
The Ten Commandments with all our heart.”
These men believed you couldn’t even call yourself an American
If you subvert the Word of God.
In his farewell address, Washington said, “You can’t have National morality apart from religious principle,” and he’s right,
‘Cause right now we have nearly 150,000 kids carrying guns To these war zones we call public schools.
Abe Lincoln said, “The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation
Will be the philosophy of the government of the next…”
So when you eliminate the Word of God from the classroom and politics,
You eliminate the nation that Word protects.
History tells us time and time again
To live like there’s no God makes you a fool.
If you want to see kids live right
Stop handing out condoms and start handing out the Word of God in schools!
If there’s ever been a time to rise up Church, it’s now
And as the blood bought saints of the living God proclaim
That it’s time to send the alarm from the Church house to The White House
And say, “We want God in America again.”
April 24th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Andy: post 14
If you really worked in radio you would know that everytime a song is played over the air a royalty is paid to the writer and publisher and any song used in a movie needs the permission of the publisher….you don’t get to use somebody else’s property for free…..you’re just another liar for Jesus.
Not sure anything I say would convince you otherwise, however, BMI and ASCAP fees that stations pay they do so for an entirely different reason. Even if a song is not licensed to BMI or ASCAP or anyone, I cannot use that song as “endorsement”, such as a music bed behind a commercial. The same holds true even if a station pays the fees. I still cannot use the song as the music behind a commercial, “endorsement” is the key here. The movie uses “Bad To The Bone” in the trailers. That would be endorsement, and thus would require permission.
A.R.Wallace: Post 18
“I assume comment would mean comment on the song, which expelled does not claim to do”
Yes it does, the press release on this page says:
“Unbiased viewers of the film will see that the Imagine clip was used as part of a social commentary…”
You also said:
“In my limited experience of making TV documentaries and films ALL broadcast music must either fall outside copyright or permission must be sought for use - even small snippets being played.”
Again, that is not the case under the Fair Use Doctrine, it provides the exceptions.
April 24th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Yoko Ono and her lawyers are in no doubt money hungry. They do not allow any permission from anyone including just students unless there is a decent payoff for permission…
But I don’t totally agree with the producers of “Expelled” to use the song in the first place. I believe the song has no real relevance to either creationism or evolution. John Lennon himself was into Hinduism.
April 24th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Saw the movie….SUPER, full house and people applauded at the ending and stood around talking about the issue for sometime. Yoko should get a life - Ben thanks for the though provoking movie - may the small minded darwinist awaken to the day when theroy is not substituted for fact and thoughts are not censored or punished…
April 24th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
KVO, post 27;
“… It is surprising how soon a want of care, or care wrongly directed, leads to the degeneration of a domestic race; but excepting in the case of man himself, hardly anyone is so ignorant as to allow his worst animals to breed…”
I don’t get it KVO. No Eugenics? Wasn’t Hitler trying to do just this? In the Struggle of the Favored Races, weren’t the less favored races, i.e. Jews, Gypsies and the handicapped, being denied to breed? Or breathe? And the favored Arian Race to prevail? This is very Darwinian. Whether Hitler was a conscious adherent of Darwin is yet another matter of endless debate. But it seems there is some creedence to the notion to at least notice the resemblence between Darwin’s belief and Hitler’s, whatever the symantic dressing adorning it all.
Shouldn’t Luckolution prosper no matter what directed or undirected care may or may not be given? Isn’t darwin’s observation that misdirected care injurious to the organism rather telling? How could misdirected care be injurious under the “guidance” of statistics? Seems under this logic that directed care would be counter to the natural process that follows the fittest only upward.
Ben, through his family, has personally indured the consequences of this Favored Race dogma and you mock him for it?! Had it been your family or racial background that had been targeted, would you be so cavilier in dismissing the causes of your own people’s demise? Not a single factor to be sure, but many contributing factors?
I intend respect to the bloggers here while I disagree, his views are not groundless.
Bored, you are a very intelligent man, but the rage in you, the venom- I am truley in awe. I hurt when I read your posts. I am in no way meaning to be condescending or mean to you. I think something very very disasterous has happened to you and I am truely sorry. There is no way I can intellectually cross swords with you either but I think that if you could corner God in a room somewhere, you would want to tear Him into Plank Lengths and incenerate the residual flotsum with the fire of a trillion trillion white holes. And I risk your ire by posting this. Man, I care for you but I don’t know what to say to you. It hurts to read your posts and can only make one wonder what is fueling this level of personal vengence. Ignorant people are everywhere, but you’re not mad at all of them like this very targeted rage.
I wish you the best.
James
April 24th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
December 28, 2005 | Issue 41•52
Theory Of Intelligent School-Board Design Disproven
DOVER, PA—The controversial “theory of intelligent school-board design,” which holds that local school boards are “imbued by their creator with minds of irreducible complexity,” was decisively disproven by the actions of the Dover School Board this week. “The ignorant and incompetent decisions of this school board clearly indicate that their opinions are not informed by any sort of higher intelligence,” said Dover citizen Hank Jervis, one of thousands of locals currently mobilizing to oust the current school board in the next scheduled elections. “Obviously, there is no all-knowing, all-powerful superintendent guiding their demonstrably incorrect policies.” Critics of the theory argue that the new evidence supports the alternate view that school boards, instead of being created perfect and without error, rather evolved over the eons out of a morass of political, social, and religious special-interest groups, some of which are better-suited to adapt to change than others.
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/43899
April 24th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
“Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed”
Huh. I thought it was a catchy tagline.
Didn’t realize it was a business model for the movie’s creative team . . .
April 24th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
In the film, just prior to the clip of Imagine, PZ Myers describes the perfect world where Science forces religion out of society to a place where it’s a “side dish rather than the main course.” PZ “Imagines” and shares his longing for a world without religion. The movie’s use of the 10-15 second clip (”and no religion too…”) was to compare John’s vision in the song, to the thoughts and world view of the PZ Myers and Richard Dawkins of the world. The side by side comparison is intended to criticize the suggestion that religion is a bad thing; that those of faith are a drain on society in some way and that religious people have less rights than those of a more scientific, liberal or atheistic mind.
Those reasons for using that “tiny” clip clearly fall under the fair use rights for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting and educating. Educating the world to the agenda of a group of elite who are determined to push God out of America… and who are succeeding.
I find it particularly interesting that Yoko appears to be completely ignoring the rest of John’s song by seeking monitory gain from this:
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…
April 24th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
…by the way, I downloaded those lyrics to John’s song from about a trillion and one places on the internet where you can download the full song, lyrics, photos, videos of John singing the song and just about anything you can think of related to this song. I am sure Yoko has been kept quite busy suing all those who are using John’s material all over the world… Or… is she just suing the guys from Expelled due to the subject matter of their film? Or maybe maybe it’s just the exposure the film has gotten and Yoko’s been out of the limelight for a while and knows a good opportunity when she sees one. hmmmm? “Imagine” that? I wonder if you can…
April 24th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Hopes fade in search for balloon priest
Thursday April 24 2008
Article history
Rescue workers today began scaling down the search for a priest who was carried off the coast of Brazil four days ago by hundreds of balloons.
The Rev Adelir Antonio di Carli was last heard from on Sunday night, eight hours after he took off from the port city of Paranaguá harnessed to hundreds of brightly coloured helium-filled balloons. Strong winds had blown him off his planned route and out to sea.
The Brazilian air force today suspended its search as hopes of finding him alive faded. The navy continued to patrol waters off the coast of Santa Catarina state, but it was considering halting operations, according to the Reuters news agency.
“The chances [of survival] are increasingly slim and we are considering when to end the search effort,” Lieutenant Francisco Jose Cavalcante, of the navy’s southern search unit in Rio Grande do Sul state, told Reuters.
“It’s difficult to talk about survival. There have been cases of shipwrecked people having lived for four or five days at sea.”
Di Carli called friends from his mobile phone on Sunday to say he would soon crash into the Atlantic ocean.
He had wanted to fly 20 hours due west of Paranaguá but winds unexpectedly carried him in the opposite direction.
Friends and worshippers have been praying and placing candles at the altar of his church.
“This is a test of our faith but Jesus tells me he is safe on land,” said Denise Gallas, a parish coordinator. “Day and night, people are praying here.”
>>>>I am sure I would rather you keep assuming I am in the FREAKING WATER AND LOOK FOR ME!!! Thank you, oh faithful followers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/24/brazil
April 24th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Oh No! You messed with Yoko! Man, you guys really screwed up this time!
First you blatantly plagiarize a video of cell processes then use a Lennon song without permission? You better hope the movie makes enough to pay for the lawsuits.
Have any of the biologists filed suit yet for being filmed under false pretenses for a movie that you had no intention of filming? Crossroads - a balanced look at the debate.
April 24th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Let’s take a tally,
1. Lied about name and premise of movie.
2. Interview under false pretenses.
3. Copy Harvard video of cells.
4. Only tell part of “complex” stories behind “expelled” scientists.
5. Don’t get licensing rights for Imagine.
6. Partial quotes of Darwin.
Is there more?
If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck…
Where there is smoke, there is ….
A rose is a rose is a….
April 24th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
#7 Spencer Says:
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Shocker. I guess some people don’t like plagiarism that much. How’s the XVIVO lawsuit going?
When you guys can find a way to express yourselves that doesn’t involve lying, you might have a place in the scientific community.
ANSWER
Spencer:
What is being asserted here is neither lying nor plagiarism. The Commie anthem “Imagine” was fully credited, both in the movie and in the film’s credits. What IS being asserted is use of the song without permission. Can you understand the difference? That your thinking skills are as sharp as a dull butter knife, leaves none surprised that you are a Darwiniac of the first order. When you can find a way to express yourself that doesn’t involve stupidity, please re-post. In the meantime:
Don’t think, just believe; don’t think, just believe; don’t think, just believe…
Dictionary.com Unabridged
pla·gia·rism /ˈpleɪdʒəˌrɪzəm, -dʒiəˌrɪz-/ Pronunciation[pley-juh-riz-uhm, -jee-uh-riz-]
–noun 1. the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work.
2. something used and represented in this manner.
[Origin: 1615–25; plagiar(y) + -ism]
April 24th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I keep hearing how science has to keep an open mind and allow for the possibility that god exists.
Well, let’s see if the double standard is still in effect…
Creationists…What is the probability that god does NOT exist? Can you give me a number?
Remember, if you say 0%, you have a closed mind and won’t allow for any possibilities except what you believe and that is viewed by YOU as being WRONG.
April 24th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Prophecy Proves Him Says:
April 24th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I wonder if Yoko realizes that this will open a few eyes–Maybe her husband wasn’t about peace & love after all…
>>>>Or, she understood the song and how inappropriate it was in this setting.
“Can you imagine a world without countries or religions?”
April 24th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Georgia’s Evolution Stickers
January 19, 2005 | Issue 41•03
Last week, a U.S. district judge ordered a Georgia school district to remove stickers reading, “Evolution is a theory, not a fact” from its textbooks. What do you think?
Jered Garza,
Driver
“The thing is, they’re right. Evolution is nothing more than a well-supported, predictive, scientifically rigorous theory.”
Carlton Fuller,
Teacher
“If you don’t believe in creationism, then how do you explain the fact that I do, smart guy?”
Melanie Burton,
Systems Analyst
“Good. Now could New York please take the sticker off my literature textbook that says Surrealism is just a school of thought often in conflict with Abstractism?”
Susan McKinney,
Painter
“Maybe now a judge will press Georgia schools to remove the ‘Mr. Yuk’ stickers from books by black authors.”
Danny Hale,
Plumber
“Man, I gotta get one of those stickers for my guitar case. That’d be awesome.”
Brad Dawson,
Novelist
“I hope they replaced the old stickers with new ones that read, ‘Do not burn.’”
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/38220
April 24th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Kansas Outlaws Practice Of Evolution
November 28, 2006 | Issue 42•48
TOPEKA, KS—In response to a Nov. 7 referendum, Kansas lawmakers passed emergency legislation outlawing evolution, the highly controversial process responsible for the development and diversity of species and the continued survival of all life.
Lawmakers decried spontaneous genetic mutations.
“From now on, the streets, forests, plains, and rivers of Kansas will be safe from the godless practice of evolution, and species will be able to procreate without deviating from God’s intended design,” said Bob Bethell, a member of the state House of Representatives. “This is about protecting the integrity of all creation.”
The sweeping new law prohibits all living beings within state borders from being born with random genetic mutations that could make them better suited to evade predators, secure a mate, or, adapt to a changing environment. In addition, it bars any sexual reproduction, battles for survival, or instances of pure happenstance that might lead, after several generations, to a more well-adapted species or subspecies.
Violators of the new law may face punishments that include jail time, stiff fines, and rehabilitative education and training to rid organisms suspected of evolutionary tendencies. Repeat offenders could face chemical sterilization.
To enforce the law, Kansas state police will be trained to investigate and apprehend organisms who exhibit suspected signs of evolutionary behavior, such as natural selection or speciation. Plans are underway to track and monitor DNA strands in every Kansan life form for even the slightest change in allele frequencies.
“Barn swallows that develop lighter, more streamlined builds to enable faster migration, for example, could live out the rest of their brief lives in prison,” said Indiana University chemist and pro-intelligent-design author Robert Hellenbaum, who helped compose the language of the law. “And butterflies who mimic the wing patterns and colors of other butterflies for an adaptive advantage, well, their days of flouting God’s will are over.”
Human beings may be the species most deeply affected by the new legislation. Those whose cytochrome-c molecules vary less than 2 percent from those of chimpanzees will be in direct violation of the law.
Under particular scrutiny are single-cell microorganisms, with thousands of field labs being installed across the state to ensure that these self-replicating molecules, notorious for mutation, do not do so in a fashion benefitting their long-term survival.
Anti-evolutionists such as Hellenbaum have long accused microorganisms of popularizing “an otherwise obscure, agonizingly slow, and hard-to-understand” biological process. “These repeat offenders are at the root of the problem,” Hellenbaum said. “We have the fossil records to prove it.”
“No species is exempt,” said Marcus Holloway, a state police spokesman. “Whether you’re a human being or a fruit fly—if we detect one homologous chromosome trying to cross over during the process of meiosis, you will be punished to the full extent of the law.”
Although the full impact of the new law will likely not be felt for approximately 10 million years, most Kansans say they are relieved that the ban went into effect this week, claiming that evolution may have gone too far already.
“If Earth’s species were meant to change over successive generations through physical modifications resulting from the adaptation to environmental challenges, then God would have given them the genetic predisposition to select mates and reproduce based on their favorable heritable traits and their ability to thrive under changing conditions so that these advantageous qualities would be passed down and eventually encoded into the DNA of each generation of offspring,” Olathe public school teacher and creationist Joyce Eckhardt said. “It’s just not natural.”
Some warn that the strict wording of the law could have a deleterious effect on Kansas’ mostly agricultural economy, since it also prohibits all forms of man-made artificial selection, such as plant hybridization, genetic engineering, and animal husbandry. A police raid on an alleged artificial-insemination facility outside McPherson, KS on Friday resulted in the arrest of a farmer, a veterinarian, four assistants, one bull, and several dozen cows.
Agribusiness leaders, who rely on evolution science to genetically modify crops, have voiced concerns about doing business with Kansas farmers.
“If Kansans want to ban evolution, that is their right, but they must understand that we rely on a certain flexibility in the natural order of things to be able to deliver healthy food products to millions of Americans,” said Carl Casale, a vice president with the agricultural giant Monsanto. “We’re not talking about playing God here. We are talking about succeeding in the competitive veggie-burger market.”
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/55807
April 24th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
LEMMINGS, UNITE!
#13 Andy Says:
April 24th, 2008 at 1:03 am
You guys have absolutely no case. You can’t use material with a copyright without permission, especially for commercial purposes
You evil people are gonna lose big time…a fitting end to this unprincipled, charade of a “movie”
Why do you believe “lying for Jesus” is not a sin??
ANSWER
Andy:
There is no assertion of lying here. “Imagine” was fully credited. What is so difficult to understand about that? The assertion is use without permission. You are also completely wrong about fair use. This law is relied upon every day in the free world, both for profit and not, with few repercussions.
This just shows how the folly of Darwinism is spread. Observe the hierarchy:
1) At the top are some people who are smart enough to know that there is no evidence for such a belief, but they are bought and paid for and they just don’t care. Let’s call them Science Whores.
2) In the middle are the drooling ravers like Bored Out Of His Mind who thinks it’s funny to openly mock God. Berserk and proud of it, a sad, sad case.
3) On the bottom are a whole lot of people who are just too stupid and ill-informed to even have a clue as to what the real issues are. These are the idiots in our little cosmic village, and they are legion, for they are many.
A ragged, motley crew of human debris it is, marching over the cliff into the yawning abyss in lock-step like so many lemmings. Such is the end for those who reject the truth.
My question is, how fulfilling can life REALLY be for lemmings? I mean, on one hand we have Jesus Christ offering us eternal life as a free gift, just for the taking, and on the other, we have the god of this world, offering a life of self-deception and at the end, eternal death and damnation.
Hmmm. What to choose, what to choose?
Like there’s a real choice?
Definition of a lemming: A rat with a death wish.
“Do not reprove a scoffer,
lest he hate you:
Rebuke a wise man,
and he will love you.”
-Proverbs 9:8 NKJV
April 24th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Glen Davidson: Post 4
Despite the extensive quotes, nothing you posted there applied to the fairness in use doctrine.
Glen Davidson: Post 5
“Stay Free!: There’s a scene where a woman’s cell phone rings and she
has the “Rocky” theme ring tone. I noticed that you even cleared that!
I would have thought that could be an example of fair use.”
No, because there was none of the reasons for using it as describe in the law I posted in post #3
You also said:
“Essentially,
they’re just generally disagreeing with his general disparagement of
religion, not at all making a direct criticism of anything specific in the song.”
-The comment was about how things have gotten they way they are thru social engineering; the song was an example of that. Good or bad example, that’s what it was, and the press release clearly says it was “….the Imagine clip was used as part of a social commentary…”
April 24th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Two observations, from our all too familiar “blind leading the blind” files:
(1) What else would you possibly expect from the very gal who was once personally responsible for breaking up the greatest rock-n-roll band this world has ever known?
(2) And whose former hubby, while certainly responsible for his own wretched state of affairs…though more like a sheep helplessly led to slaughter, would gladly, I assure you, if he only could, now retract his historically memorable anthem, “Imagine.”
Absolutely guarantee you that John’s not singing:
“Imagine there’s no heaven,” these days…
Nope. The song goes nothing like that! Instead, to the painful contrary, he’s singing a rather different tune about now…
April 24th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
In watching the movie I found that it supported the idea that our freedom as American people is under fire, and we the people are none the wiser. This movie may upset the apple cart, but the truth is that evolution is being taught as fact when it is theory. Science is the practice of viewing all the evidence, and coming up with an answer or more questions. If all the evidence or theories or not taken into consideration that is just bad science. This is clearly or problem and what is causing freedom to be taken away. I don’t agree with taken evolution out completely, but i do think that both ID and evolution should be taught in schools. The origin of life can be found in a book we all know about, but just don’t choose to believe?
April 24th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
John Says:
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
“MORE SMALL-MINDED DEMONIC MEANNESS… Observe the craven cavilling and double standard… it is hard to tell which one is the more self-satisfied, dishonest, pretentious buffoon… You mental midgets… you are as big of a LIAR as he is… blatant hypocrisy and small-minded demonic meanness… you don’t know what you are even talking about… Can YOU read plain English? … shameful and disgusting… BIGOTRY ALERT! BIGOTRY ALERT! BIGOTRY ALERT!… a stinking attitude that permeates all of your posts… it is YOU who cannot even fully read or understand simple English… But what can one expect from such a hard-boiled, condescending, small-minded, arbitrary HYPOCRITE?”
I just love Christian love and humility… don’t you? The only cheek he turns is clearly the posterior kind.
I suppose we could give John a pass since he is clearly a hardcore fundamentalist who believes his interpretation of the Bible is the only true meaning and everyone else is possessed by… ahem… me.
But his foolish uneducated arrogance and ignorance is a matter of record and he’s just too easy of a target. I also love the fact that he drives away anyone who might otherwise be open to an intelligent dialogue with a Christian… he’s doing the hard work for me.
Remember John, Satan loves you!
April 24th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
HAHA! Poor Yoko Ono and the young lemings.. er I mean Neo-Darwinist psychos LOL !!HAHAHAHHAHAH!! Breath.. Breath…. While you have your head up your hindquarters see if your colon has evolved any new tactics! LOL HAHAHAH WHEW..
April 24th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Re: Intelligent Design not being allowed in our schools:
Many, many years ago, our ancestors were hunter/gatherers because places like TGI Friday’s had not been thought up yet. Today, many of us are no longer hunters or gatherers.
I want to learn about hunting (just in case society falls apart and my own survival depends upon my hunting skills). Can I learn how to hunt at my local high school? No. There is no “hunting” class available in the K-12 curriculum. In order to learn about “hunting”, I’m going to have to seek instruction outside of the public education system. That’s okay with me. I’ll get the information I am looking for through a number of possible channels.
Regarding Intelligent Design, is there a class that I can take at my public high school to learn about the theory of intelligent design? No. There is no “intelligent design” class available in the K-12 curriculum. Again, that is okay with me. I will get the information that I am looking for through a number of other possible channels. One of those channels is a building commonly referred to as a “Church”. A great number of “churches” have been around for awhile and they provide a lot of information on the subject of Intelligent Design. So do places called “Mosques” “Temples” “Synagogues”, etc. If you are looking for information on the theory of evolution, you’ll have to look elsewhere because the “churches, mosques, temples and synagogues, etc” don’t dive too deeply into that subject matter.
I think the Intelligent Design theory will be around for many years to come, until all questions are answered.
Remember, there was a time when humans believed that the Earth was flat, was the center of our solar system, and even the center of the universe. It took many years to accept the fact that none of those beliefs (”truths” at the time) were true.
Sadly, science is supporting the fact that we are just another carbon based organism among many and that everything around us was not “created” solely for our existence (what a massive blow to the ego, I know). That idea scares a lot of people, and understandably so. I don’t want this party called “life” to end, either. I like my life, and I want to be conscious forever. Believing in Intelligent Design allows people the comfort of holding on to the idea that they will stay “conscious” forever, by ascending to the place they call “heaven”. And to those who believe in an afterlife, I admire you and I hope you are correct in your beliefs, because life is surely a beautiful and precious thing, and I’m all in favor of extending my consciousness even if my body gives out years from now.
Until this “unknown” can be answered, my advice is to go out and enjoy your lives, be good to other people, and take care of yourself and your loved ones from this day forward.
You are blessed to be alive right now. Make sure you appreciate everything you have experienced so far, and do whatever you can to be an ambassador of goodwill.
April 24th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
John Says:
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS LOST SOUL
EXPELLED Number One Documentary
#1120 Satan Says:
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
John Says:
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:41 am
It produced $3,000 per theater…
$3.2 million weekend…
it was close to #3 at $3,370…
But then the devil is such a liar, and so are his children.
Satan says: Why do God’s sheeple lie and misrepresent?
$2,970,848 total Friday -Sunday
$2,824 average per screen over 3 days, less than $1,000/per day average
#3 Prom Night- Weekend $8,670,364- 2,700 theaters -$3,211- $32,133,926 total after 2 weeks
Expelled was the only movie that weekend to do less on Saturday than it did on Friday, and even less on the Sunday… the Christian god day.
God’s will?
John says ANSWER:
The figures I have, from a disinterested third party, show a weekend total of $3,152,896. The per-theater take is $2,997. Rounding up $3 and calling it $3,000 is not a lie in anyone’s book, except for the most twisted and demented. We are speaking in averages. EXPELLED showed in 1,052 theaters. Prom Night is a regular feature film, and with very, very few exceptions, documentaries almost NEVER do nearly as well as regular films.
Your figures are faulty, your logic is skewed and wrong-headed, and I notice that you find it amusing to invoke the name of the devil. Are you aware that Satan is a real person who is totally evil and wants only to damn your soul? He is the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air. He is not playing games even if you think you are. Or maybe you just don’t care.
I feel sorry for you.
Interested readers Google The Numbers - Weekend Box Office Chart
Satan replies…
As was pointed out by one of the more educated posters here, John is deceptive and wrong. His numbers were “estimates”. The numbers I posted were “reality” as in the actual final totals after the real money was counted.
In other words, John is liar.
John is doing my work for me and will arrive at the Gates of Hell without my assistance.
April 24th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
If I owned copyright to any relevant song, animated film or anything else, I would let Premise use it freely for the sake of the message. I wouldn’t ask for a penny in return for the production of EXPELLED. Money face. Monkey face. No difference.
April 24th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Hi and thanks for keeping Dr.Hovind in topic, yes he was placed in prison for tax evasion. But you see CHURCHES DONT HAVE TO PAY TAXES, so how could he be put n jail? i love that all you haters of peace and love are keeping him in your minds. Next, Yoko is just mad that she didnt get any money for it. Plus if it is such a big deal just pull the song, im sure atheists everywhere will applaud the nice effort in seperating thier “theme song” from a movie that blows thier horribly incorrect and ludacris theories out the primordial ooze. Sorry that your impirialistic views are on its last days. So God Bless.
PS: Yoko is a joke, thanx for breaking up the greatest band on earth. u are so selfish and must be bored, just rest on the fact that u helped qand gave free advertising to this great movie. TY yoko. Jesus loves you.
April 24th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
So are you going to enlighten us on the “true definition of God”? If so, I’m very interested to read it. If not, then I’m not getting which side you’re on. Thank you.
April 24th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Was Lennon REALLY about love and peace, or did he only Talk the talk? Yoko continues the cause?
By the way, look on the top row of Sgt Pepper’s lonely heart’s album… You’ll see one of their favorite characters, Aleister Crowley. Do a little research on Aleister Crowley… Or perhaps on a historical pact made between Yoko and who? for Lennon’s career…
Marcus Williams
Dear Marcus,
Would love to send you the rest of my thoughts and the answer to your question. Please e-mail me: michaelsrose1@juno.com
April 24th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Study: Humans Neared Extinction
Thursday, Apr. 24, 2008 By AP/RANDOLPH E. SCHMID
(WASHINGTON) — Human beings may have had a brush with extinction 70,000 years ago, an extensive genetic study suggests.
The human population at that time was reduced to small isolated groups in Africa, apparently because of drought, according to an analysis released Thursday.
The report notes that a separate study by researchers at Stanford University estimated the number of early humans may have shrunk as low as 2,000 before numbers began to expand again in the early Stone Age.
“This study illustrates the extraordinary power of genetics to reveal insights into some of the key events in our species’ history,” Spencer Wells, National Geographic Society explorer in residence, said in a statement. “Tiny bands of early humans, forced apart by harsh environmental conditions, coming back from the brink to reunite and populate the world. Truly an epic drama, written in our DNA.”
Previous studies using mitochondrial DNA — which is passed down through mothers — have traced modern humans to a single “mitochondrial Eve,” who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago.”
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1734841,00.html?xid=rss-topstories
HMmmm… mitochondrial DNA… must be a liberal atheistic racist demonic conspiracy to attack and discredit oppressed young earth creationists and by inference all Christians. Who are these elitist scientists who dare to claim decades of research and calculations are superior to superstitious fairy tales?
Inquiring demons want to know.
April 24th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I am a bit bemused by Donc’s comment (#36). Couldn’t the opinion perhaps be made a little more forceful. With regard to Kent Hovind, he was obviously just following Jesus’ advice; “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (“Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ”) (Matthew 22:21). Obviously, since Caesar is dead (or at least he was the last time I looked), Kent Hovind obviously thought that paying tax no longer applied to him.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
POOH ON THE THOUGHT POLICE
Re: One of the Top 25 Documentaries of ALL TIME
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=62489
Thursday, April 24, 2008
MEDIA MATTERS
WorldNetDaily Exclusive
‘Expelled’ to Yoko Ono:
Imagine a Constitution
Makers of intelligent design film respond
to lawsuit over brief use of 1970s anthem
Posted: April 24, 2008
4:56 pm Eastern
WorldNetDaily
The makers of Ben Stein’s “Expelled” movie, which opened last weekend at No. 10 nationwide and already has become ONE OF THE TOP 25 DOCUMENTARIES OF ALL TIME, say the U.S. Constitution will be their defense against a lawsuit filed by Yoko Ono.
Ono and the sons of “Imagine” songwriter John Lennon, Sean Ono Lennon and Julian Lennon, are suing the documentary makers for using a brief clip of the popular song in the film.
Lennon’s 1971 song, which suggests an evolutionary utopia without heaven or hell, has been ranked No. 3 by Rolling Stone magazine on its list of the 500 greatest songs.
The action, brought in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, demands the filmmakers and their distributors remove “Imagine” from the film.
The makers of “Expelled,” however, contended today they are protected by the fair use doctrine, which allows presentation of brief segments of copyrighted material for commentary. They called the suit just another attack on freedom in the U.S., a focal point of the movie that contends opponents of the Darwinian theory of evolution are being censored.
“Expelled” covers the following key questions:
Were we designed or are we simply products of random chance, mutations and evolution occurring without any plan over billions of years?
Is the debate over origins settled?
How should science deal with what appears to be evidence of design?
What should be taught to children and college students about our origins?
Is there any room for dissent from the evolutionary point of view?
Is it appropriate for eminent scientists who depart from strict evolutionary dogma to be fired and blacklisted, as is occurring in academia today?
Should government schools and other institutions be engaged in promoting the secular, materialistic worldview to the total exclusion of differing points of view?
Is science so advanced and so certain that it should be exempt from the societal norms of open dialogue and free debate?
Why is it simply inconceivable and unacceptable for some evolutionists to consider the possibility – no matter how remote – that our world might actually have a Creator?
The makers, as WND reported, previously went to court seeking a ruling after a company called XVIVO, LLC, alleged a piece of animation in the movie was an infringement on their work.
Filmmaker Premise Media filed a lawsuit last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas seeking a declaratory judgment that there is no copyright or other infringement, and the movie opened on schedule.
The new claim by Ono, however, opens up a new front “in the culture wars,” the company said.
“Yoko Ono and others have now filed lawsuits challenging the film’s use and critique of John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine.’ One of the suits seeks to ban free speech through preliminary injunctive relief, which essentially means that they are trying to expel ‘Expelled’ as it is now being shown in theaters,” the company said in a statement released to WND.
“If you really listen to the lyrics of ‘Imagine’ then you realize that it represents everything that the Neo-Darwinists want. ‘Imagine there’s no Heaven … No hell below us … Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too…’ That’s exactly what the Darwinist establishment wants to do: get rid of religion,” said Walt Ruloff, CEO of Premise Media. “And that’s what we point out when we play less than 15 seconds of the song and show some of the lyrics on screen.”
Premise Media Chairman Logan Craft said, “The fair use doctrine is a well established principle that gives the public the right to freely use portions of copyrighted materials for the purposes of commentary and criticism. While some may not like what we have to say or how we say it, we have the free speech right to do so – just as other political and social commentators have been doing for years.”
Officials said the company did not ask for a license to use the song, because there was no obligation to do so.
“Unbiased viewers of the film will see that the ‘Imagine’ clip was used as part of a social commentary in the exercise of free speech. The brief clip – consisting of a mere 10 words – was used to contrast the messages in the documentary and was not used as an endorsement of ‘Expelled,’” the company said.
Ben Stein, himself, weighed in on the controversy.
“So Yoko Ono is suing over the brief constitutionally protected use of a song that wants us to ‘Imagine no possessions’?” he asked. “Maybe instead of wasting everyone’s time trying to silence a documentary she should give the song to the world for free. After all, ‘imagine all the people sharing all the world … You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the World can live as one.’”
The film opened on about half the screens of other top 10 features and scored an impressive $3.2 million in its opening weekend – more than all but eight other movies.
“Expelled” rolled out in 1,052 theaters, compared with 3,151 for the top grosser, “The Forbidden Kingdom.”
The movie, promoted heavily in conservative and Christian circles throughout the U.S., performed much better than the weekend’s other new current-affairs documentary, “Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?” That movie, the second feature from “Super Size Me” filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, banked a mere $143,299 in 102 locations, for a $1,405 average. “Expelled” brought in nearly $3,000 per screen.
COMMENT:
And now, I will illustrate the well-established principle of fair use:
Imagine
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
See? Fair use IN ACTION!
As songs go, it is a pleasant one, it’s just that it’s based on a damn LIE!
Just read it, it’s all there. Socialism, no possessions, no countries (including no America), one-world-government, why it is the very anthem for International Communism. And here is my observation: John Lennon was a deluded Socialist/Communist. His envisioned utopia never was and never will be. Real life and human nature don’t work that way. If what he said were true, than why doesn’t Yoko OH NO! just give the rights to the song away? I mean, “imagine no possessions,” right?
Hey, Yoko, WE are imagining, but YOU’RE NOT!
Here is the brutal truth. Yoko OH NO! is a lying hypocrite, as are her sons, as is everyone who tries to pretend that Socialism/Communism, Fascism, Naziism, or any other coercive, lawless government on God’s green earth works. They ALL lead to mega-murders, mass destruction, and the utter ruin of whole nations. God WILL NOT ALLOW the tower of Babel to be rebuilt, under any guise (SEE Genesis 11). And after this, the cold, cold grave, and hot, hot hell.
Forever.
Remember this, a Socialist is a Communist is a Nazi is a Fascist.
When will they ever learn?
When will they EVER learn?
April 24th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
I posted something like this on Talkorigins. Anyway, it’s really quite good information, from Nature: