Atheists Need to Stand Up and Fight

We are close to the point where atheists are the last group where most folks think it is just fine to hate, persecute, and harbor bigotry against. Consider these quotes from high-ranking officials that really did not cause many problems...

• George Bush the First: "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
  
  
• Ed Murnane, cochairman of the Bush-Quayle '88 Illinois campaign: "Everything that American Atheists does, Rob, is bullshit."
  
  
• Ed Derwinski, the secretary of the Department of Veteran's Affairs, for the First Bush Administration: "What you should do for me is what you should do for everybody: Believe in God. Get off our backs."

A few weeks ago I posted some examples of state constitutions that contain bigoted tests for holding office -- tests that are illegal according to the US Constitution. Yet nothing gets done about it.

Religious organizations are not taxed, yet many want to be politically active and foist their backwards mindsets on the nation. Just look at all the anti-gay sentiment. It would be unlikely to proper without religious backing. And what about David Patterson's (Governor of New York) suggestion that New York would provide money (taxpayer money) to those wishing to build a mosque on ground zero if they'd just move it elsewhere?

But now I'm rambling... back to the point of this post... there are a lot of atheists and people "without faith" out there; many more than the religious believe. I think it would do a world of good if all atheists/agnostics/no-religionists came out of the closet and proudly exclaimed they don't need faith because they have reason.

Some day...