Oppose HR 397

American citizens: Please email your member of Congress and ask them to refuse to co-sponsor "House Resolution 397" and oppose all efforts to move this resolution forward. This "Christian nation" resolution states that YOU AND YOUR GOVERNMENT:

"recognize the religious foundations of faith on which America was built are critical underpinnings of our Nation's most valuable institutions and form the inseparable foundation for America's representative processes, legal systems, and societal structures."

It tries to form a legal basis for introducing religion to the "Nation's public buildings and educational resources" and tries to solidify keeping "under God" in the pledge.

Your help is needed! Contact your congressional representative now!

http://action.secular.org/t/5367/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27204

Why the Hate Crimes Bill Should Become Law

There are a lot of opinions "out there" on hate crimes. My own brother (conservative that he is) is against any form of hate crimes legislation. Many conservatives are. Here is why they are wrong.

A hate crime a crime committed upon one or more people with the larger intent of terrorizing a whole class of people or society. It is a crime against a homosexual just because they are gay. Or a crime committed against somebody because of their race, ethnicity, or religion -- with the intent to scare and/or terrorize folks of said race, ethnicity, or religion. In other words, hate crimes are a form of terrorism.

The usual song & dance from the right is that they are against legislating "hate crimes" any different from any other crime and that everyone should be protected under the law the same way. Well, hate crime laws do protect everyone the same way... unless or until only certain classes of people are explicitly written into the legislation (like the right wants to do). Without that specificity, then there can even be hate crimes against WASPs. But we all know the reasons the right actually opposed hate crime legislation: (1) there are no hate crimes being committed against WASPSs, and (2) they are afraid that "christians" who go too far fighting against those queers gays might be prosecuted.

The other typical response from the right is something like "Hell, ya can't prosecute somebody for what they are thinking?"

Wrong! We do it every day. What do they think the difference between first and second degree murder is? Thought!

So let's all clear our heads and embrace the passing of laws against hate crimes, with appropriate penalties for the terroristic acts that they are.

The End of Christian America

Interesting article in the latest issue of Newsweek leads off stating "The percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 points in the past two decades."

Later in the article we read: ...the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has nearly doubled since 1990, rising from 8 to 15 percent....while the unaffiliated have historically been concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, the report said, "this pattern has now changed, and the Northeast emerged in 2008 as the new stronghold of the religiously unidentified."

Another clip: This is not to say that the Christian God is dead, but that he is less of a force in American politics and culture than at any other time in recent memory. To the surprise of liberals who fear the advent of an evangelical theocracy and to the dismay of religious conservatives who long to see their faith more fully expressed in public life, Christians are now making up a declining percentage of the American population.

I sincerely hope this trend continues. Personally, I think it displays people's dissatisfaction with ardent religiosity moreso that it shows any rising tide for atheism or agnosticism. My guess is that many Americans who do not go to a church or voice any specific religious belief still "believe" in a god (probably a flavor of the Christian god and Jesus). That's cool, as long as they keep it out of the public arena in terms of it impacting policy and requiring taxpayer support of religious belief...

President Obama Announces Members of Science and Technology Advisory Council

Today, during remarks at the National Academy of Sciences, President Barack Obama announced the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)...PCAST is an advisory group of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers who will advise the President and Vice President and formulate policy in the many areas where understanding of science, technology, and innovation is key to strengthening our economy and forming policy that works for the American people.

President Barack Obama said, "This council represents leaders from many scientific disciplines who will bring a diversity of experience and views. I will charge PCAST with advising me about national strategies to nurture and sustain a culture of scientific innovation."

This is the type of thing that a reasonable man like President Obama will not only institute, but listen to. The list of folks participating in this advisory group is indeed impressive. It will be a great 4 years (hopefully 8) if the president listens to these scientists and implements policies and projects to enact their advice on issues like global climate change and alternative energy.

Another Reason Republican Suck and Democrats are Pansies

Rove (and other Republicans) mocked the inclusion of preparing for a pandemic in the stimulus bill. I hope they all get swine flu!

But hey, Democrats caved and removed it instead of moving forward with the original (now visionary) idea. So they can get the swine flu, too... the pansies.

Fascism???

Because some people have lost their fucking minds and think that Obama is a fascist, here is a definition of fascism (from Webster's Universal College Dictionary).

fas-cism - 1. a totalitarian governmental system led by a dictator and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism, militarism, and often racism.

This definition does not describe the administration of any US president, current or past, but it comes much closer to describing the most recent past administration (GWB) than it does Obama.

Is our system of government totalitarian? Is the president a dictator? Does it promote nationalism, militarism, or racism?

If you still "believe" Obama to be a fascist then there is no communicating with you and you are just a fucking moron not worthy of any effort.

I can understand if you don't like (some, or even all of) the things the Obama administration is doing, but labeling it fascist (or socialist, which is closer to reality, but still inaccurate) does nothing to further your cause.

WWJP - Who Wants a Jesus Puppet?

Came across this on the web and thought it was amusing. You, too, can own your own "big-mouth professional puppet" that is "30 inches tall with legs attached and approximately 19 inches with legs removed."

Why you might want to remove Jesus' legs is beyond me, but hey, I am definitely not their target audience.

Reading further, I learned that "(a)ll clothes are completely removable and interchangeable." Now we're getting somewhere. Jesus in a tutu? Wearing a kilt? Galoshes and a yellow Gorton's fisherman slicker? Now any of those sound like a lot more fun than merely removing his legs, doncha think?

But don't rush over there to buy one... unfortunately, it looks like Jesus sold out.

Richard Dawkins jars creationists nicely.