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User:WarriorScribe

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by WarriorScribe (talk | contribs) at 15:53, 8 March 2006 (→Part 1: Shifting articles towards a "Christian" point of view). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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List of "Whatevers"
This user lives in or hails from the U.S. State of California.
enThis user is a native speaker of the English language.
he-3משתמש זה יכול לתרום ברמה מתקדמת של עברית.‏
de-2Dieser Benutzer hat fortgeschrittene Deutschkenntnisse.
ru-1Этот участник владеет русским языком на начальном уровне.

Template:User skeptic Template:User Jew Template:User OS:Linux

This user contributes using Firefox.

Template:User perl-2

C++This user can program in C++.
JavaThis user can program in Java.
MSThis user has a Master of Science degree.
LP This user is a member of the Libertarian Party.
This user is a music composer.
🎸This user plays the guitar.

Template:User ecology-via-killing

Forever a work in progress

Born: February 1958

Birthplace: Chula Vista, California

At the time, my parents lived in National City, and my father was a four-year veteran of the United States Navy. My mother was a stay-at-home housewife, which was common in those days. I was born almost ten months to the day after my parents were married, and I was the first of four children.

We moved a lot. I lived in the following cities before I graduated high school:

I graduated from Southport High School, Indianapolis, in 1976.

A Lifer Blue-Suiter

I am a nine-year veteran of the active duty United States Air Force, starting my military career as a Security Policeman, specializing in law enforcement, after washing out of the last part of pararescue school.

I am a twenty-year (and counting) veteran of the United States Air Force Reserve. I volunteeered for and served in the Persian Gulf for the entire Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations. I was activated for 61 days following the 9/11 attacks.

I have been trained, stationed, or have served at:

I have participated in a number of deployments and operations in support of objectives in various locations, including Grenada and Somalia. I expect to retire in 2018.

If I could be a professional student...

My fairly nomadic lifestyle has not stopped my desire for education. I have completed coursework at the following colleges and universities:

I hold an associates degree in general studies, two bachelors degrees (in psychology and biology, respectively, earning 111 semester hours in the latter before I finally got around to applying for graduation), and a Master of Science in information technology, as well as a graduate certificate in computer networking, with an emphasis in LAN and WAN design and engineering. The latter two credentials were awarded by Regis University. A third bachelor's degree, in Liberal Studies (for which I combined all of my other credit), was awarded by Excelsior College in 2001.

I am currently working on a doctorate in information technology management, with respect to the application of specific technologies in the area of public safety and local and regional emergency management and disaster response.

Ummmm...I'm not an atheist...not that there's anything wrong with that...

I hold ministerial credentials issued by the Universal Life Church (title, "Reverend") and the Church of Spiritual Humanism ("Rabbi"). I have officiated at six weddings.

I am Jewish, with a philosophical viewpoint that falls somewhere between the Reform variety and a form of Jewish deism.

Babel

I speak English and Hebrew, with four years of study in German, but it's so old, I can't claim to be proficient. I've always wanted to learn Russian, but can only engage in the most rudimentary greetings.

Considering the lack of talent...

I play the guitar, banjo, harmonica, and musical keyboards, and I'm learning the mandolin. I've written and copyrighted about 200 songs. None have ever been recorded by anyone but me, and my recordings have been made only for fun and for private.

I have three screenplays, two novels, and one non-fiction book on the market. I have written seven other books and more short stories than I can count. I am a past winner of the National Council of Teachers of English award for writing. I have published a few short stories and several articles under various pseudonyms.

Genetic geek

I have four computers at home, all but one of which dual boot between versions of Microsoft Windows and Linux. My primary system runs Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server 4, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP Professional. Except for my Dell Inspiron laptop and an old, second-hand Dell Optiplex PIII-450, all of the computers that I have owned in the last 15 years have been built by me, often of discarded parts. These Frankenstein computers helped provide the ideas that led to my master's degree project and my eventual doctoral dissertation.

I can program in the Java and C++ languages, as well as a few others, but I find coding tedious and boring. I can script in Unix and Linux shells, as well as in Perl and AWK. I also know HTML and JavaScript pretty well, and I've put up more than my share of useless web pages.

This means that I can peacefully break bones...

I have been a practitioner of Tai Chi Chuan and Jun Fan Gung Fu for about nine years and 32 years, respectively.

My only real valuable contributions to this Earth...

I have fathered two very beautiful daughters, Jennifer Dawn (1978-1983), and Anastasia (b., 1983). Anastasia lives in Russia, with her mother, Natalia, a linguist who speaks seven languages and is working on her eighth. Anastasia, my pride and joy, graduated high school at 15 years, nine months, received her bachelor's degree in biological sciences at 20, and is a master's student, studying molecular biology and microbial genetics, while seeking eventual entry into a veterinary program, something "Papa" wanted to do but which circumstances never permitted.

And I vote!

My politics are closest to libertarianism, and my personality has been classified over and over again as that of a curmudgeon. Basically, I stopped caring what other people think a long time ago; and I'm apt to speak my mind pretty directly, and "damn the torpedoes," as it were. Major pet peeves of mine are stupidity and hypocrisy, followed closely by willful ignorance and dishonesty, especially when used to gain from others. I despise phonies and frauds, and do everything that I can to expose them. I find religious frauds particularly loathsome, as they prey on the basest of human need and exploit it for their own gain.

When it gets right down to it, only the two girls matter

Now...that is as much as anyone should want to know, but certainly, the beauty of talk pages is that, if something wasn't covered here, it can be asked there.

Misplaced Pages History and Philosophy

Bad news: I've been poking around Wiki a bit longer than some might suppose. Edits under "WarriorScribe" are not my first.

I strongly subscribe to the nPOV policy, and I'm here to provide balance, fairness, and perspective where I believe it is and will be badly needed. Being human, I won't always succeed and I won't always get it right; but I have always been reasonable when it comes to intelligent, thoughtful and thought-provoking discussion. Tantrums don't impress me, and if I see one, I'll egg it on just to make a point. When it comes to that sort of thing, my BTM ("Bullshit Tolerance Meter") is always at zero.

It's time to take back the world in the name of reason, and we all have to start somewhere. Here's as good a place as any.

Editing User Pages

I'm told that everyone is entitled to a sympathetic user page. If that's the case, and you want to discuss something with me, post it to my talk page. Don't edit this page. This is my soapbox, as it were. Posting to my talk page will usually get you a reasonable response, and I won't delete your comments just because I disagree with them, find them challenging (which is usually a good thing, anyway) or don't happen to like them (and I have only one exception to that rule, at present). The only people I won't respond to, directly, are those whom I find loathsome and vile or those whom I find to be complete idiots. Everyone else gets a 100 on the "Respect Meter," particularly if we've never encountered one-another before. Basically, that means that everyone starts at 100 with me; and you can't gain respect--you deserve that for being human. You can only lose it. Once someone hits 0, though, all bets are off; and it takes quite a bit to even get back to a 1.

Biased Editors Watch List

(Thanks to User:Avb for his suggestions.)

Part 1: Shifting articles towards a "Christian" point of view

I have observed a clear tendency in a number of editors to edit Misplaced Pages articles so that they reflect a more "Christian" point of view. Of course, Misplaced Pages requires a neutral point of view, at least as much as is possible in a project such as this.

What, exactly, is being done to perpetuate this point of view? Some of the episodes have been obvious and are caught and corrected quickly. Others are more subtle. Keep in mind that encyclopedia articles are about facts, and those facts are not limited to those that a given advocate finds comfortable. These attempts to influence Misplaced Pages have largely tried to remove, mitigate, or disguise apparently uncomfortable facts and allegations about whatever it is that is perceived to be "Christian." Here are some examples of what I have observed so far:

  • Based on citations from reputable sources, a Misplaced Pages article reports that a Christian college has had issues with approval, accreditation, or has engaged in practices or has standards that are considered suspect, at least, when compared to conventional, approved, or regionally accredited schools. This information is deleted and if, through the diligence of other editors, it is restored, the information is muted by including a lot of fluff to the article or there is an attempt to mitigate the circumstance, often with unproven assertions.
  • A notable Christian has been involved in a controversy or scandal. That information is removed. If it is replaced by a diligent editor, the same tactics are used to mute the controversy or scandal.
  • Comments about a Christian institution or individual are provided. A reference is subsequently demanded by an editor who perceives the comments as negative. However, this editor fails to provide (or require) references for those things perceived to be positive about that person or institution.
  • Comments about a Christian institution or individual are provided, together with references from reputable sources. An editor who perceives the comments as negative removes the commentary and demands a reference.
  • A person or institution representing an "unchristian" point of view has an article edited to include irrelevant, exaggerated, or unreferenced information casting that person or institution in a negative light.
  • A person or institution representing an "unchristian" point of view has an article edited in such a way that it minimizes, marginalizes, belittles, or makes irrelevant that person or institution.

These are just a few examples of what I've observed in Misplaced Pages with respect to these kinds of things. Whether or not these activities are indications of dishonesty, ignorance, cognitive dissonance, or whatever, is not really the issue. What is needed is to build and maintain a base of information that is as neutral in point-of-view and as unbiased as possible. Those of us who can do that need to be on the look-out for those who cannot approach these subjects with a nPOV. To this end, I'm building a "Watch List" of editors engaging in these activities. I will add to the list as more are uncovered or exposed:

Articles I've Helped Edit (sans talk pages and my own pages)

  • Key
  • ===
  • (gPOV) = Counter Jason Gastrich POV-pushing
  • (gSL) = Removed Jason Gastrich Spam Link
Categories: