Posted by: Sastra | May 21, 2011 4:45 PM
I want to see Harold Camping prosecuted for bilking people out of their money, for destroying lives and families. I want to see his radio empire dismantled and the people who promoted his lies disgraced and ashamed.
I don't. At least, not to the extent the government or legal system gets involved.
The people who were 'bilked' out of their money were deliberately buying into something that they knew was something no reasonable, scientific, person-of-and-in-the-world would buy into. The whole point was to be one of the special elite who doesn't rely on rational secular evidence: I don't see how consumer protection laws can apply to that. Camping readily admitted that his views made no sense unless you had faith. They were accepted not despite that, but because of that.
So I'd like to see this incident used to disgrace and shame the entire concept of faith itself, socially, rationally, and culturally. Instead, most believers will just marginalize these people as using faith "the wrong way." As if there is a right way to use it.
#13

Something.. next, should be made of this entire, repetitive/periodic idiotic process, before the digital-attention-span expires
-- something akin to psychic vaccination against the. next. one. from whichever 'faith-based' National or Int'l cult thing.

MMO; motive, means and opportunity: prerequisite for every criminal trial in most Systems.
Make Un-Belief an active rather than passive / pointless, ultimately useless pastime amongst the already vaccinated?

Prohibition.
Thus enforced by the same sort of folks as now occupy all airports
(and yesterday: at the court house, where my minuscule belt buckle triggered their misadjusted detector; as I went in/out a few times,
and they saw the same me + same belt: no deviation from the VB-script burnt into retinas. Talk to HAL9000.)

So no, I cannot think (either) any formal remedies for, as my Norwegian friend was wont to say, The sheep shall be sheared.
'We' used to think ~~ that ed'jaKay'shun could?/would! obviate the need for many laws beyond, Do unto others as ...
Now if everyone were conscious, at least for a few minutes a day..
(and No, the Xians didn't invent that lovely koan, either.)

Those ripped-off by the Robed Ones (corporate or individual entrepreneur) are able to close-eyes to their Leader's Mercedeses and motel hi-jinx--
as they steal the kids' lunch money (forget any edjaKayshun fund; them inneleckshuls be the Antichrist) to fund creating even more of themselves in new flocks.

Only answer I see [both to save an overpopulated planet from the suicidal Marauding Species and to minimize further evangelizing for fun and profit) might be:

Decimation?

*cough* ..of course, I'm not saying we won't get our hair mussed, Mr. President: 15? 20 MILLION TOPS!