Faithless-based initiatives anyone?

Regular readers will note I've taken down the photo of my Obama/Clinton in 2008 bumper sticker (created the day after Kerry lost in 2004) from this blog. My original intent was to annoy the heck out of Republicans driving about with their Bush/Cheney stickers in full display. (Have you seen many of those lately?) I figured an Obama/Clinton ticket would be their worst nightmare. I had no idea how close my fantasy would actually come to reality.

The sticker on my vehicle has faded out completely, mirroring my original luke-warm support for The Candidate for Change -- that support now growing rather chilly observing all the pandering to the center right crowd the past couple of weeks. Wouldn't you know it -- in an act of compulsive conciliation, I actually threw some money Obama's way a week or so after he clinched the nomination. Then suddenly FISA - handguns - capital punishment - Wesley Clark - faith-based initiatives -- have I missed anything? Oh yeah, MoveOn.org.

For me, Obama's repudiation of MoveOn.org was highly ironic, as I had only a few days prior cancelled my online subscription to MoveOn. I'd always liked their populist and creative organisational tactics, but they really pissed me off when they decided to support Obama in the primary. There was so little actual difference between Clinton and Obama in terms of stated policy. Well MoveOn -- are you happy with your decision now? And of course, one has to wonder what issues Hillary would have flipped on in the general election. She'd already taken on some macho hawkish rhetoric in order to be just like the boys. (blech!)

However, it is important to remember that Obama has never been a true progressive. Righties continue to label him a "socialist" or worse, but they are making it up. Progressive Punch provides a scale of progressive voting records in Congress and Obama is at 43. Hillary Clinton is at least in the upper third at 31 and our own Senator Brown sets a high standard at #7. Dick Durbin is the most progressive of all.

Therefore I'm not going all suicidal over Obama's displaying his true colors. I'll probably still vote for him, unless I get so disgusted I decide to vote for the Green Party. Could happen. Mike Gravel is endorsing this guy for Green Party presidential candidate.

Now about this faith-based government funding foolishness. I have no problem with religions doing good works. Let them tithe and pass the plate and continue on with their volunteer work. But why should they get government money on top of that? Isn't it a major point of religious practice that the believer must make sacrifices of time and money for what they believe in? Reverend Barry Lynn was on television tonight making a whole lot of sense about life before any of these faith-based plans were put in place. Charities functioned well, governmental support of community programs happened in the non-profit sector and we didn't have to pay anyone to head up a new agency to make it all happen.

I'm not convinced by Obama's statement that in his plan, there will be no proselytizing or suspect hiring/firing decisions. Who is going to run around policing all these groups to make sure that no proselytizing is taking place? For many religions, proselytizing is part of the practice. And will faith-based groups consent to hire out-of-the-closet atheists and agnostics?

There are plenty of things that the government could be spending money on that will make our citizens healthier and happier, such as low cost dental clinics, local food pantries, medical research and alternative energy systems -- to name but a few. I don't see the need to collaborate with religious groups to provide these services. Community and social services must be secular in nature in order to fairly serve the great diversity that is this country.

But maybe -- in the grand scheme of things political -- Obama's actions are simply pragmatic decisions made to ensure his win in November. Lefties must simply bite our lips and stay cool until our candidate is in office. Then we'll see renewed support for progressive ideals. Sorry, I was born without faith. In other words, I'll believe it when I see it.

Akron City Council gets rational

Great news today for the city of Akron! Our elected officials decided to represent all of us equally by no longer reciting "the Lord's Prayer" at the beginning of each council meeting. Even though they didn't do this of their own initiation, I'll cheer their decision and give them a great big A (See side bar) for their efforts. Be sure to check out the comments after the news report in the Akron Beacon Journal. There are far more rational folks in the area than I thought. Yeah sure, the deluded are still well represented but it sure is nice to see a lot of support for the Constitution in this day and age of patriarchal government.

Next we need to get rid of "In God We Trust" on the currency. Sorry, not all of us do -- trust in a god or goddess. "With God all things are possible" is another one of those tacked-on meaningless phrases that are used to assert moral authority over those of us who are, after all is said and done, condemned to boil in oil for all eternity.

Finally, "The Pledge of Allegiance" must be put to rest in the trunk marked "USA 1950s anti Communist propaganda." Whenever I hear the phrase "under god" during recitation of said mindless oath, I think of a Rolling Stones song -- "Under My Thumb."

Godless in Akron

Spotted down town, this ghastly spectacle of a vehicle. I will defend their right to free speech, but I'll be damned if I can defend their right to park by a fire hydrant. There was no adult in the vehicle, just a bored kid hanging out by himself while daddy stood on the corner spewing forth. He tried his rant on me and I politely informed him that there is no god, have a nice day.

Speaking of that, readers please note the graceful scarlet letter A in the column to the right. It is courtesy of Richard Dawkins and PZ Meyers of Pharyngula who are instigating a global wide coming out party for atheists and agnostics. We are the last of the oppressed still waiting for something approaching acceptance. Mostly we are told that we will burn in hell. In graphic detail usually involving boiling oil and flesh that never is consumed totally, rather magically remaining burnable for all eternity. Quite a trick that. But I guess Satan is all powerful, so they tell me.

Nevertheless, I am happy to "come out" as an atheist and join my godless comrades in this endeavor. The idea is to reveal ourselves as ordinary people who are your fellow workers, bosses, shop keepers, soldiers, even teachers! We are harmless, really. We believe in one less god than you monotheists. As for pantheists, well -- I have a soft spot in my heart for the ancient Greek gods. They were the first ones I came to know.

For the record, I had the incredible good luck of being born into a godless family. We didn't go to church on Sundays. We went to museums, concerts and theatre. We'd go on family outings to historical sites or on nature walks. Instead of religious indoctrination, we discussed philosophy, science, literature and the arts. We created our own family values with much thought and debate. We learned to be polite in the face of great pressure to conform as well as in the face of horrendous prejudice. I learned what it was like to be hated for something irrational, so I grew up identifying with blacks, Jews and other minorities.

Even though Bush 41 said that atheists should forfeit their citizenship because this is a Christian nation, we are still here and we vote. We tend to avoid voting for those who base all their decisions on a book of old myths from primitive cultures. For a list of celebrity atheists, agnostics and skeptics, look here. And check out my friend Kevin's blog entry in which he comes out as an atheist.

What kind of atheist are you?

Here's a fun self-awareness quiz via Pharyngula. I'm a Scientific Atheist -- what kind are you?

Scientific Atheist		83%
Militant Atheist		58%
Angry Atheist		50%
Apathetic Atheist		42%
Agnostic		33%
Spiritual Atheist		25%
Theist		8%

What kind of atheist are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

In the new millenium, atheism speaks out

Pharyngula, my favorite science blog, has the most amazing five minutes of live television I've ever seen. Christopher Hitchens getting down on Jerry Falwell. Anderson Cooper gives him uninterrupted time and Hitchens delivers. Be sure to check out the comments at the Pharyngula post as well -- there is a debate going on as to whether Fallwell and the other "Chaucerian frauds" actually believed what he preached.

Hitchens is an interesting character. His book on the sins of Mother Theresa is a must-read. He veered left then veered right and is now trying to turn things around with a new book called God is Not Great. I haven't picked it up yet, as I'm not finished with Dawkins' The God Delusion. Wow, I can't believe I've actually reached an era where I can't keep up with all the best selling books on atheism! Sam Harris is so much easier on the ears and eyes than Maddy O'Hair, that's for sure.

Signs of Spring at the Village Green

Spring is officially here in the Village Green gardens. Out front, the crocus spreads its petals in the first day of spring sunshine. The past week gave us warmer temps and lots of rain, but no sunshine. I watched the green shoots pushing through the leaf and straw bed covers, happily greeting old friends. Hello Columbines! Looking good, Dafs and Tulips, shooting green spikes up toward the sun. A cluster of Hyacinth spikes bear blue buds and should be sending forth their blooms and perfumes very soon.

Inside, the need for spring cleaning is apparent. The companion animals are in full shed and the litter of the current big deadline project is begging to be sorted through and put away. Unfortunately, there are a few more days to go before I can give blog, house and garden the focus each deserves.

So much is going on in the world beyond, my head would be spinning if I were paying full attention. For Village Green regulars, I encourage you to visit the following sites to keep up on current events from local to international:

Pho's Akron Pages is THE best place to look for commentary on local Akron as well as state of Ohio politics and of course, state education policies.

Buckeye State Blog is a good place to go to get views of Ohio from beyond NE Ohio.

My favorite all round place to view breaking news and up to the minute commentary remains the Huffington Post.

For environmental issues, try Treehugger, a great collection of environmental news and ideas.


Speaking of global warming and human activities that contribute to it, check out this article (The Year Without Toilet Paper) in the NYT and then visit No Impact Man's blog for the day to day challenges of one family trying to make no environmental impact on the planet for one year. And I thought I was doing something special by saying NO to plastic bags!

And finally, check out my friend Kevin's blog, Daily BBG. Kevin lives in San Diego and is a comic book colorist and graphic artist. His blog features tips on Mac aps, along with commentary on politics, religion and popular culture. Kevin and I have been part of an informal atheist discussion email group for over ten years, having banded together during the purge of freethinkers from AOL's old Philosophy and Religion boards in the mid 90s. It's been an intensely interesting experience. One day, with the group's permission, I may write more about it, but for now all I can say is that we have spent years having many an argument over matters great and trivial, thus proving that there is no typical atheist response to anything other than we choose to live our lives without religion.

Meanwhile, the crocus are blooming and the sun is shining. Enjoy your rest of the day.

Atheists poll at the bottom -- we are the scum of the earth

A new Gallup poll indicates the present levels of prejudice in our society toward various groups of people. The polls ask simply, would you vote for a woman, black person and so on. Here are the results:

Black 94%
Jewish 92%
A woman 88%
Hispanic 87%
Mormon 72%
Married for third time 67%
72 years of age 57%
A homosexual 55%
An atheist 45%

I'd like to thank 55% of American society for your complete and utter disdain.

Granted the entire premise is so very silly. Why should anyone not be considered simply because they reside in any of the above categories?

It's also chilling that 12% of the populace are pro-patriarchy.

On the other hand, the 94% who would vote for a Black show us that social progress is moving us forward with decreasing numbers of troglodytes screaming in protest. Even homosexuals now have majority support as possible presidential candidates. It all looks good unless you are looking through the eyes of the atheist. We still must bear the scorn, the condemnations to hell, the cold steady chill from those who don't care to associate with the devil's spawn.

I wouldn't really care about what people think, except -- in this case, it means that I am excluded from participating in the political process as a candidate. How much money do you think an openly atheistic candidate would raise? And most likely, candidates that I do support aren't going to be overjoyed if I show up at an event wearing a button that says "Atheist for So and So." I really thought about making one last summer that said "Atheist for Sherrod Brown." But I wanted him to win, so I didn't.

Yes, we have no religion

Sam Harris has a new post up on his Huffington Post blog. It is actually an excerpt from an email debate that you can read here. The leading question in the debate is "why are atheists angry?" I posted a comment there:

Why are atheists angry? Maybe because so many religionists really believe we are the spawn of satan and are doomed to burn in hell. I was lucky enough to be born into a godless family, but growing up I had to contend with kids who picked on me because I had no religion and with neighbors who shunned me and wouldn't let me play with their kids because I didn't go to church. The worst ones were those who would invite me over for an over-nighter on Saturday night so that they could hustle me off to their church before taking me home. (I soon learned to avoid Saturday night stay-overs!) I'm 55 years old and I still remember and resent all the prejudicial behavior from my early years.

That's just one very personal reason to be angry. There are plenty more. I really prefer people who keep their religious beliefs to themselves. Frankly, I don't want to know the particulars about anybody's faith-based delusions. I like to think the people I deal with every day are rational beings. When religion pops up, rationality goes out the window.

I am planning to review Sam Harris' new book, Letter to a Christian Nation, but haven't had the time. I expect to get to it over winter break -- just in time for the holiday season!


But in the meantime if you need a good dose of skepticism, I do recommend God Is For Suckers -- they keep tabs on all the religious threats and absurdities.