RD.net to be re-revamped!

[lordpasternack]

Because RDF & whatnot are not published in Urdu?

Yeah - but if one is of an insular, despotic, theocratic mindset - one does not normally indulge the more enlightened of one's populace by publishing one's censorship notices clearly in English - especially given that this would facilitate communication of said censorship to the English-speaking world.

If I were a Pakistani theocrat blocking RD.net with a view to stifling secularism, I wouldn't even state that the site were censored, nor that it were nationwide. I'd just cause the URL to keep returning "404 unavailable" and other generic errors. Saying "this is censored in your country", in clear English, is just not something that despots do.

Also note that the RDF fundraiser doesn't cite a single organisation, nor urge us to seek out Pakistani secular organisations to enquire about their situation or express our solidarity. (And of course, when I personally did so - I discovered that the site wasn't banned in Pakistan… )

Those were just a couple of irregularities which raised an eyebrow on my part.

[Svartalf]

There might also be the fact that, like in India, English is the most widely practiced official language of Pakistan...

[lordpasternack]

There might also be the fact that, like in India, English is the most widely practiced official language of Pakistan...

Not in my experience of ex-pat Pakistanis. It also doesn't negate my point about despots not telling people "yo, this is censored" in plain English.

[Robert_S]

Maybe LP used her vast political influence to get RDF banned and then suddenly unbanned in Pakistan just to make them look bad.

[Svartalf]

There might also be the fact that, like in India, English is the most widely practiced official language of Pakistan...

Not in my experience of ex-pat Pakistanis. It also doesn't negate my point about despots not telling people "yo, this is censored" in plain English.

Out of those expats, how many of those who did not have Urdu as a native language practiced it fluently?

Remember that those balkanized countries still are a long way from establishing the 'official' languages as a second language everybody will be fluent in... especially in islamic republics where Arabic and possibly Farsi will be the non local languages of choice in the Quranic schools...

Also, internet users belong to the moneyed and cultured classes, which may not be the case of the people you had experience with.

[Robert_S]

Is this place banned in Pakistan?

[Audley Strange]

I don't think so.

[Pappa]

What we need is a Pakistani version of http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/, but called http://www.downforeveryoneorjustinpakistan.com/

[lordpasternack]

I'll just leave this here:

[Robert_S]

Ask them how did it come to pass that they once were censored and no longer are now? What role did the latest round of fund raising play?

[lordpasternack]

Well, duh, Robert… Duh…

Greta Christina wrote a decent article about Edwina Rogers which rings ever-true:

There are two problems here. There’s the fact that Edwina Rogers is a long-time operative in the Republican party. And there’s the fact that she responded to questions about this history with evasion, spin, and outright falsehoods about obvious, easily-checked facts.

...

The fact that Edwina Rogers responded to questions about this history with evasion, spin, and outright falsehoods? That is much more than a big problem. That is unacceptable.

She was talking to her own community here. She was talking to the people she was hired to represent. And she treated us with contempt. She treated us like children, or fools. She treated us like gullible, easily manipulated sheep, who would swallow whatever she told us without question. She treated us, not like members of a community who she was hired to represent, but like targets of a PR campaign who she was hired to dupe.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/greta/2012/ ... na-rogers/

[Svartalf]

Well, are Greta and her crowd flouncing off, or are they actively and effectively working to get Ms Rogers out of that job?

Given the similitudes in character between the execs, was it random chance that the RDFRS came to join forces with the SCA?
Birds of a feather... seems to be an applicable saying there.

[DaveDodo007]

If Greta said it was raining I would call the dog in to see if it was wet.

The friendly atheist does have a post up on the SCA and Rogers though:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyat ... ingtonian/

[lordpasternack]

In case anyone was in any doubt - I was castigating Edwina Rogers above for evading giving evidence for the actual issue at hand, and trying to turn the burden of proof onto me, when it lies firmly with her and RDFRS.

One does not have to be a "Pakistan expert" to smell bullshit in this case - and in any case, she has plenty of native Pakistani atheists ready, willing and able to tell her she's full of shite. Why doesn't she take the above verbiage to them, and see what she gets? Well, she won't - because her comments were never about expertise on Pakistan, and everything about trying to manipulate me.

This issue has nothing to do with expertise on the subject of Pakistan, and she fucking knows it. This has nothing to do with her doubting my substantiveness - and everything to do with her trying to evade the issue, pick some psychological weak spot she thinks I have, and turn the issue into me trying to justify myself.

I am the one who has actually sought out and provided publicly verifiable evidence in this case. Mrs Credentials has so far said NOTHING relevant and substantive.

[lordpasternack]

Fucking FINALLY - some substance: http://www.richarddawkins.net/foundatio ... ur-website