Reg the Fronkey Farmer

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

If they are doing it themselves it is not FC.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Facilitated Communication sits at the intersection of hope, identity, and perceived injustice, which makes it unusually resistant to evidence. When you watch FC in action, it can be convincing. The person appears to be communicating fluently, even sometimes at a level far beyond what anyone expected. The problem is that this impression is exactly what you’d expect from the Ideomotor Effect, the same subtle or unconscious movement seen in Ouija boards or dowsing rods. The facilitator believes they’re not influencing the output, but they are.

The goal behind FC,  which is to help non-speaking individuals communicate, is absolutely valid. The problem is the method itself doesn’t reliably work. There are evidence-based alternatives, especially in the field of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (like speech-generating devices or independent typing systems) that give people a real voice without facilitator influence.

Even questioning FC can be framed as silencing disabled people, which puts critics on the defensive immediately. So when studies say it doesn’t work, it feels like science is denying lived experience. This is a classic clash between anecdote and controlled evidence, subjective and objective experiences. Once someone believes FC works, they start noticing every “successful” interaction and explaining away failures and over time belief becomes very hard to shake. But it is just confirmation bias at work.

It must be tough on families that have non-verbal children. I understand how they see FC as empowering or that calling it pseudoscience is dismissing their child’s experiences or even denying disabled people agency. But it is pseudoscience. There are much better alternatives in Augmentative and Alternative Communication – AAC.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Have a great week!!

I was deplatformed as a child… now everyone’s an expert. 

– Reg.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Modern workplaces bring together people with fundamentally different worldviews, be they religious, secular, scientific or ideological and then ask them to cooperate as if those differences don’t matter. But in reality, they do matter. The trick is deciding when they matter at work and when they don’t.

For me the issue is never “belief vs belief. It is “power vs expression”.

There is “personal expression” where someone says “I’m a Christian”  or “I don’t believe in God(s)” or “I think gender identity works this way…”

Then there is what I would call “institutional pressure”. “If you work here, you must respect this religious messaging or participate in this religious prayer” and if not, there is some form of penalty.

People can do their job without being forced to affirm beliefs they reject. Staff may be required to behave professionally but should not be required to internally agree or affirm metaphysical claims. I focus on my role in work and have no interest in anyone’s worldview. I do not care if my co-workers or my clients are religious, atheists, trans, or are in any other way different to me. My trips to the water cooler last 15 seconds.

Remember Kim Davis in Kentucky? She was an elected county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Courts ordered her to comply. She refused and was briefly jailed for contempt of court.

Can a public official refuse to carry out a legal duty because of personal beliefs? There are two fundamentally different ways to look at this.

The first is “No, her role comes first”. She was acting as the state, not as a private individual and legally the law required her to issue licenses. Personal beliefs can’t override legal obligations in a public office.

The second is “Yes, conscience still matters”. She shouldn’t be forced to act against deeply held beliefs, and the state could have accommodated her (maybe, delegated her duties).  There are limits on what the state can compel individuals to do. When is accommodation reasonable vs. when does it undermine the role itself?

This case got a lot of coverage in previous Sunday School posts. A key distinction that often got lost in the discussions was Kim Davis was not “just” an employee. She was in fact an elected official and was acting as a gatekeeper of a legal right for her fellow citizens. There is a distinction between a private employee being asked to follow workplace norms and a public official denying a legal service to citizens.

There was another case I posted about a few times.  A home services company in North Carolina required daily Christian prayer meetings with Bible readings. All employees had to attend. They even took a roll call! An atheist asked to be excused from the prayer portion and was told (I am paraphrasing here) “You don’t have to believe it, but you do have to participate”. When he stopped attending his pay was cut in half and then he was fired. A second employee was also fired after she stopped attending for similar reasons. The company was successfully sued for $50,000 and agreed to change polices.

I am not fully sure of the law in the U.S. (but I will be corrected by others) but voluntary expression is allowed but compelled participation is not and any punishment for refusal is illegal.

I have been involved with helping atheists in cases of discrimination over the years and have had the police threaten me over complaining about Bibles in voting booths. They did not know what they were dealing with….but that’s another story 😊

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

“It’s a very collective society, not huge on individualism like in the US.”

People tend to think in terms of community, family, and shared identity. There’s more value placed on cooperating and supporting each other. I would say that social norms often lean toward “we” over “me”.

But it is also a liberal society. We do have a small but vocal right wing element. They exercise very little power and tend to be agitators who join any demonstration and push it towards violence. I think this is a global phenomenon where these manosphere types need to feel like they have some power when in fact they are just weak bully boys.

The availability of property is certainly an issue. There are a lot of new builds happening but it will take a few years for supply to fully meet demand. Plenty of secondhand options outside of Dublin if you have the money and want something different.

Individuality is encouraged, especially for anyone with any sort of artistic flair. Nobody really cares what “you” do as long as it does not impact “us”. I guess Ireland feels more community-oriented, while the US feels more focused on personal identity and independence. When I am in Ireland I know almost all of my neighbors but when I stay in Atlanta we know very little about each other. I can walk almost everywhere here but depend on a car when in Atlanta. Maybe that is why the sense of community is greater here?

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Every dot is a galaxy. The map spans 11 billion years of cosmic history. It also includes 20+ million stars in our own galaxy. By comparing galaxy positions across time, scientists can track how expansion changed. Early DESI data hints that dark energy might not be constant. That’s huge because current physics assumes it is and so the standard model of the universe may need revision. It is more than a map. It is a precision tool to test the laws of the universe.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Thanks Strega! On Friday I went to see several works by William Blake, one of my favorite creative artists. One of his works is “Thou wast Perfect till inquiry was found in Thee” c. 1805. Reference  is “The book of Ezekiel” which depicts Satan in his glorious state, before his fall. The orb and scepter server to emphasize Satan’s power and regal status. I would take Knowledge over Heaven any time too.

  I have a tattoo of his, “The Ancient of Days” tattooed on my shoulder. So, just for you….

In the dawn before the Question woke,
He stood in gold unbroken light—
A Prince of Fire, with brow of calm,
And eyes that mirrored Heaven’s sight.

No shadow clung, no tremor stirred,
No thought beyond the given sphere;
For all was whole, and all was One,
And none had learned the word to fear.

The Orb within His lifted hand
Held worlds that never dreamed of Fall;
The Sceptre burned with silent law—
Obedience breathed in all.

Yet in that still, unfractured bliss
There crept a spark no choir had sung:
A whisper not of praise—but Why?
A seed upon the silent tongue.

What grief is born from sight made sharp,
When once it flowed in sightless grace—
To know the height is but a ledge,
To feel the mask upon Love’s face.

O radiant One, did sorrow bloom
The hour Thou saw’st Thyself apart?
When Heaven’s mirror cracked to mind,
And thought first entered in Thy heart?

For knowledge is a bitter crown,
More bright than any Eden’s air;
It lifts the soul beyond the stars—
Then leaves it exiled, standing there.

Was it regret that veiled Thy gaze
When first the gates withdrew their flame?
Or did a fiercer joy arise—
To stand alone, and choose Thy name?

I think Thou knew’st the dreadful trade:
To lose the Whole, yet gain the Eye—
To fall from song into the Word,
And learn at last the self can die.

And if all Heaven be but sleep,
Unbroken, pure, yet never free—
Then blessed be the fatal thought
That broke eternity in Thee.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Have a great week and have a good 4\20 day tomorrow….:-)

“Reason builds its truths in daylight; faith asks you to trust what survives in the dark.” 

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Northern lights may be visible from several US states Friday and Saturday….

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Get Back into your Cave (A Modest Wager)

“Oh no—you can’t know that at all!

No mortal mind can stand so tall.

You can’t just say ‘there are no gods,’

That’s arrogance in thinking clods.”

 

I sip my tea. “I never claimed

A truth so final, neatly framed.

I said I’m not convinced—so far—

No deity has raised the bar.”

 

“But wait!” they cry, “the proof’s been laid—

A cosmic cause! Don’t be afraid!

Whatever begins must have a plan—

Wham bam kalām—behold the Man!”

 

“Wham bam kalām?” I blink, impressed,

“That leap deserves a proper test.

From ‘there’s a cause’ to ‘He who cares’?

You’ve climbed a ladder missing stairs.”

 

“Get back in the cave!” the chorus calls,

“Those shadows dancing on the walls—

They’ve served us well, they’ll see you through,

Why chase a light that might blind you?”

 

Then softer tones, a cautious shove:

“It’s not all reason, friend—there’s love.

This may not be a passing dream,

There’s more than what things merely seem.”

 

“And listen well—you shouldn’t dare

To wager like there’s nothing there.

You can’t just bet there is no God—

That’s reckless play, distinctly odd.”

 

“A wager?” I grin, “Now that’s a game—

Let’s dress up fear and call it ‘sane.’

Believe, just in case—you might be right!

A cosmic insurance for the night.”

 

“But tell me—which god wins this bet?

I count a few you haven’t met.

If Zeus is keen, or Odin’s sore,

Or some new god I’ve missed before?”

 

“Place your chips!” they urge with zeal,

“Just hedge your doubt—make faith your deal!”

“But if belief’s a thing I fake,

What kind of bet is that to make?”

 

“Get back in the cave!” they cry once more,

“Don’t ask what all this fuss is for!”

But I just stand, not quite outside—

Just peeking where the shadows hide.

 

No thunder cracks, no heavens roar,

No final truth I can be sure—

Just questions asked, a wager declined…

And fewer monsters in my mind.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

There is a new study done on benefits of getting the Shingles vaccine. I will get it soon as I had chicken pox when I was young.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Me troll Christians?? Never! I am only gently admonishing them with my wise words.

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom.”  Colossians 3:16

Yes, the MAGA magic cross is only a vein attempt to stop Trump bleeding them dry 🙂 Knowles can choke on his Cheerios too.

Of course for any deep and meaningful bible debates I ask them the serious questions 🙂

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Christian: Reg, do you know why do so many MAGA people wear a crucifix around their necks?

Me: It’s to let people know they are Christians because if we judged them on their words and deeds we would never know they are. They simply ignore James 2:14-26.

[Reg the Fronkey Farmer]

Somehow, my earlier attempt got setup as a Post instead of a Forum topic. They are separate systems in WordPress. Once I got promoted to Mod again, I was able to fix it. Hope you find something there to think about. 🙂

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