Atheist outrage in Arkansas

Rep. Richard Carroll has introduced a bill to repeal Article 19, Section 1 of the Arkansas state constitution, which says:

"No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court." 

In Arkansas an atheist is not allowed to hold office or testify in court!  And to think, some people deny that atheists are discriminated against.  How is it that such a blatant form of discrimination has been allowed to remain in the Arkansas constitution?  Where is the outrage?

Happy Valentine's Day

Love is poetry and dirty dishes, and sticky stuff between the legs.

The Future is Androgynous

Bus Slogan

go here & make your own!

http://ruletheweb.co.uk/b3ta/bus/

PostModern Heroes

 

One can appreciate the natural beauty of the world without resorting to superstitious non-sense, e.g. "a higher power".  Many presume atheism is negative. This is incorrect.

It is refreshing that atheist columns are getting attention. Perhaps people are tired of being bamboozled by spiritual charlatans. Perhaps people are escaping the darkness of religious superstition and spiritual obfuscation. Perhaps people are moving into the light of reason.

A new postmodern hero is emerging. A hero who challenges dogma and rejects magical thinking. Will you be a postmodern hero?  Be brave, be strong, be an atheist! 

Role Models and their bongs

Important historical information about marijuana from Huff Post:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robbie-gennet/on-role-models-and-their_b_164378.html

"Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica." - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

"Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country." - Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President

"Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere." - George Washington, U.S. President

"We shall, by and by, want a world of hemp more for our own consumption."  - John Adams, U.S. President

"Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marihuana in private for personal use... Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marihuana." - Jimmy Carter, U.S. President

"I inhaled frequently. That was the point." - Barack Obama, U.S. President

"The war on drugs has been an utter failure. We need to rethink and decriminalize our nation's marijuana laws." -Barack Obama, January 2004

"The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world." - Carl Sagan, renown scientist, astronomer, astrochemist, author and TV host

"Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?" - Henry Ford, whose first Model-T was constructed from hemp fibers and built to run on hemp gasoline

"Prohibition... goes beyond the bound of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded" -Abraham Lincoln

"The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this." - Albert Einstein quote on Hemp

Evangelical Atheism

Strong, strident, evangelical atheism is a political strategy to force thought and discussion. The more atheism is brought out of the darkness and discussed openly the more people will be willing to identify as an atheist. In this way hearts and minds can be brought to the truth.

As an atheist I want to recruit people. I do not want any important public decision made by anyone who believes in superstitious non-sense. The stakes are too high to tolerate and humor such ignorance.

Religion is the problem

Religion is the problem. It has always been the place where cowards and bullies take refuge. Christians are no better. Religion's m.o. has always been to scapegoat one group - progressive women, progressive blacks, non-believers, etc. Religion is the place where ignorance and superstition is given comfort and nurture.

If you are religious, you are part of the problem. There is blood on your hands. I encourage all good people of sound mind and strong character to stand up and say "no" to religion. Let us end the ignorance and madness once and for all.

Be brave, be strong, be an atheist!

Chrome Drip

Chrome drip

SuziRiot... rants from the left: Blogroll Amnesty Day 2009

making a link

SuziRiot... rants from the left: Blogroll Amnesty Day 2009

Preternatural President

President Obama is cool.  His calm demeanor is a valuable political asset.  The economy is crumbling, the sky may be falling, yet President Obama remains unflappable.

Yes we can!

 

Should Sam Go?

Sam Adams is a mayor under siege. Adams is under fire for lying about a 2005 sexual relationship with an 18-year-old legislative intern, Beau Breedlove, while he was a city commissioner. 
Adams was beginning a run for mayor in 2007 when rumors of the affair began to surface. At the time Adams denied any sexual contact with the intern.  Adams, the first openly gay mayor of a top 40 US city, now admits the lies he told about the affair were a mistake.  In addition to apologizing to the city at large, Adams went out of his way to apologize directly to the Portland gay community.  Nevertheless, the question remains:  Should Sam go?
Most agree that it is not the homosexual nature of the affair that is troubling.  Rather, it is the deceit around the affair; and, to a lesser extent, the age of Beau Breedlove at the time of the affair.  Rumors persist that the affair began before Breedlove turned 18, although both the Mayor and Breedlove deny this.
Should Sam go?  The political truism holds true:  the cover-up is worse than the crime.  Why did Sam lie?  Why did he not simply utter a “no comment”?  Why, oh why?  Now Portland is left with a mess.  What looked to be a young, dynamic Mayor, with enthusiasm and ability; is but now another dirty politician, awash in scandal.  And Portland weeps for what might have been.  

The War on Drugs

Prohibition does not work; prohibition is a historical and contemporary failure.

Marijuana should be legalized, taxed and regulated for medical and recreational purposes.

Drug use and abuse should be treated as a medical problem, rather than a criminal problem.

All those incarcerated for non violent drug violations should be released immediately.

The war on drugs is a war on Americans. Let us end the assault on our friends and neighbors.

http://current.com/items/89780707/time_to_rethink_expensive_futile_war_on_drugs.htm

The Bible and Truth

(this is my reponse to a post on current: http://current.com/items/89777589/the_bible_and_truth.htm
The Bible is a huge document with many authors, many strands, and indeed two distinct volumes - old and new testament.

To say the bible is true or false is a meaningless claim. The bible is a multiplicity and can not be reduced to a singular, binary, true/false proposition.

The short answer is this: there is no god, no heaven or hell, no life after death. There is only this natural world, which is much older than the bible claims. Man evolved from lower species; there was no creation and no creator.

Jesus was a man, albeit a great moral teacher, as was Socrates and Buddha.

Ultimately the bible and it's supporters encourage ignorance and fear and shun reason and knowledge. Hence, religious superstition is responsible for much of the worlds pain and suffering.

I encourage all good people to step out of the darkness of religious superstition and into the light of reason. Be brave; be strong; be an atheist!

Green Taboo: Population

http://current.com/items/89778083/green_taboo_population.htm

Population: The elephant in the room. Uncontrolled population growth threatens to undermine efforts to save the planet; the environmental movement must stop running scared of this controversial topic. It's the great taboo of environmentalism: the size and growth of the human population. It has a profound impact on all life on Earth, yet for decades it has been conspicuously absent from public debate. Most natural scientists agree our growing numbers and our unchecked impact on the natural environment move us inexorably toward global calamities of unthinkable severity. They agree the need to address population has become desperate. Yet many environmentalists avoid the subject, a few objecting strongly to any focus on our numbers. Some activists insist acting to influence population growth infringes on human rights; they maintain that it is best to leave the problem alone.
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What do we do about the population problem? How do we address the problem without infringing on human rights? Perhaps more to the point, is it a human right to have as many kids as you please?

Dawkins of the Gap

Atheist porn and techno for the late crowd.

http://current.com/items/89774435/dawkins_of_the_gap.htm