Action Altert: Greece v Galloway case

My fellow atheists, please take a moment to act on this alert.

Ask the White House to withdraw their amicus brief supporting legislative prayer (Greece v Galloway) and uphold the separation of church/state by signing this petition. (Text Below)

We The People ask the White House and the Obama administration to support our founding principles of keeping the state separate from the church and withdraw their amicus brief (http://sblog.s3.amazonaws.com in support of legislative prayer.

We The People ask that our government take a position of neutrality in this matter and refrain from endorsing prayer or religious endorsement in government proceedings.

We The People believe that allowing legislative prayers unnecessarily entangles church and state.

We The People would all be better off if government stuck to government business, and left the business of promoting religion to religious leaders in society.

Thank you. 

A Christian spelltard

I’m a an atheist spelltard. I have a few friends who edit posts. They gently correct my errors. My ego survives the process, but just barely. I can easily fix errors. It’s not like they are written in stone…

Mike Ritze, Oklahoma Lawmaker, Erects Ten Commandments Monument With Spelling Errors.

The rose-stone block reads “Sabbeth” instead of “Sabbath.”

And at its base, the tenth commandment reads, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidseruent.” It should read "maidservant."

Rep. Mike Ritze, a fundie Oklahoma state congressman, is a spelltard. This fact alone makes me feel better today. I needed to feel better. It’s been a hard week.

I give the ill-advised monument 10 months before it is removed by our fair and balanced courts. Dippy judge Roy Moore lost his battle over a similar issue, so will Mike Ritze.

Technorati Tags: Christianity,Conservatives,GOP,Video,Mike Ritze,Mike Ritze Oklahoma,Mike Ritze Ten Commandments,Ten Commandments Lawsuit,Aclu,Oklahoma,Roy Moore,Roy Moore Ten Commandments,Separation Of Church And State,Ten Commandments Oklahoma,Politics News

Mayor Allan Fung needs to be educated

I like a good cause and the separation of church and state is one of them.

Allan Fung, Mayor needs to be educated

Technorati Tags: Atheism,1st Amendment

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Pastor arrested for poaching

Poaching - any encroachment on another's property, rights, ideas, or the like.

Pastor Mark Holick was tying to poach Muslims outside of the Islamic Society of Wichita.

Pastor Mark Holick of Spirit One Christian Center says he was arrested for handing out "packets that included the Gospel of John and the Book of Romans in English and Arabic, a DVD with testimonies of former Islamists who have come to the Lord."

He was arrested for loitering and failing to disperse. I think the charges should be dropped. He was doing what many Christians do, spreading the word of Jesus. It’s annoying as hell, but it is legally protected speech.

In an email, Holick says his group was peaceful and he was exercising his First Amendment rights on the sidewalk.

So why was he arrested? I suspect it has something to do with 9/11 and the uptick in anti-Islamic activity leading up to nutball Pastor Terry Jones’ Koran burning in Florida.

Let’s say Holick were instead a Atheist named Mojoey, or vjack. Would we be arrested for trying to hand out material critical of religion and Islam? Could we do the same thing in front of a large church and get away without ending up in jail? I hope so, but I think we need to test it. Who is willing to volunteer to do the same thing as pastor Holick? Who among us would stand with him, if he would have us?

Pastor Holick works for the Spirit One Christian Center. I’ve requested comments on his arrest by e-mail.

Technorati Tags: First Amendment,Islam

20% of Americans are idiots

At least that's what I’m led to believe after hearing of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. 18% of adults surveyed believe Obama is a Muslim. Really? My fellow Americas, come on now, this is some kind of joke, right?

Do I care what religion our president claims? Yes, but only if he (or eventually she) uses it like George Bush jr., as a justification for presidential action. Reagan was a Christian, but I did not care. Carter was a Christian, and a bad president. He bothered too. If the President acts on his religion publically, I notice and voice an objection when its appropriate. With Bush Jr., it was all the time, but not so much with Obama.

Obama claims to be a Christian. The White House says me prays daily. I see evidence of his Christianity occasionally, but more often I see respect of the 1st Amendment. I like that better. And, Obama is not a Muslim. That’s just crazy talk.

My personal opinion is that Obama is  an Atheist. But hey, we all have our little fantasies. At least I don’t think about him riding on the back of a unicorn. 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Obama a Muslim? Rumors gain steam, defying facts (sfgate.com)
• "Poll: Growing Number Call Obama Muslim" and related posts (theyeshivaworld.com)
• White House says Obama is Christian, prays daily (thegrio.com)

Technorati Tags: Obama,Religion

No Christian police for you

The question: Should a private Christian university have campus police with the power to arrest suspects and enforce state law.

The Answer: Hell no. (the court was unanimous)

The police power “is an unconstitutional delegation of ‘an important discretionary governmental power’ to a religious institution in the context of the First Amendment,” Wynn wrote before he left the state bench to join the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week.

The state argued that it the school secular – except it’s not.

Davidson, a Presbyterian school of 1,800 students, has generated Rhodes Scholars and consistently ranks among the best liberal arts schools in the country. Davidson and schools like it have well-established principles of academic freedom and religious tolerance, the ruling said.

I’ve never really considered the subject before. Now that I have I must admit I do not understand why anybody would think delegating authority to a religious institution is a good idea. There are churches with larger membership, if that state delegates authority to a small school, what’s to stop it from delegating authority to a megachurch? Can you imagine?

North Carolina plans to appeal. They might as well flush public money down the toilet. Go North Carolina!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Davidson College's Police Force Powers Limited By Court (huffingtonpost.com)
• Christian College's Police Force Ruled Unconstitutional (beliefnet.com)
• Judge: Davidson College officers cannot enforce state laws (charlotte.news14.com)

Technorati Tags: Separation of Church and State,Religious Education

Utah highway crosses unconstitutional

In a facepalm moment, Utah political officials thought, “Perhaps we should not push Christianity on our highway users.” Well, maybe not, but one can hope.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals said no to highway crosses.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has ruled that crosses erected to memorialize fallen Utah Highway Patrol officers are unconstitutional.  There are currently 14 of the 12 foot, steal crosses on public land throughout the Beehive state.

Read more

Utah tried to hide their support by saying the crosses were the property of a 3rd party. However, granting use on public lands was the issue. That and forcing drivers to view a Christian message with the implication that it was the official position of the State. I’m surprised it was not a Mormon bugle thingy.

Congratulations American Atheists. You have one of the ugliest magazines going, but at least you stood your ground on this issue.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Appeals Court Rules that Crosses Are Christian Symbols (friendlyatheist.com)
• Utah Crosses Ruled Unconstitutional (liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com)
• Appeals court rules against Utah memorial crosses (sfgate.com)

Technorati Tags: Separation of Church and State,Utah

Millions of tax dollars go to Catholic Charities

I hate to be a whiner, but I’m so tired of public funds going to religious organizations, even if they are charities. Is there no organization in the private sector that could provide emergency services? My fellow atheists, it does not get more religious than Catholic Charities. They are the 900 pound gorilla, and the 800 pound gorilla too. Yet they still get my tax dollars to provide emergency services in the event of a disaster.

The expansive contract calls for CCUSA to organize national, regional and local teams and to work in partnership with these teams to help ensure disaster case management preparedness and delivery. Acting as General Contractor, CCUSA will pre-identify local/regional volunteers and sub-contractors, enter into agreement with them, provide training and experience in disaster case management, and be ready to deploy and implement anywhere in the country within 72 hours of a FEMA designated disaster.

So… do they get to pass out bibles too?

Technorati Tags: Charity,Separation of Church and State

Pastor jailed for Oakland anti-abortion acts

Walter Hoye, an Anti-abortion activist and Baptist pastor at a Berkeley area Church, will play the martyr and spend 30 days in Jail 

A pastor at a Berkeley church was jailed Friday for 30 days after unsuccessfully arguing that an order requiring him to stay 100 yards away from an Oakland abortion clinic violates his right to free speech…

…Hoye could have disposed of the jail time in a sheriff's work detail or by volunteering. But he balked at the judge's order to stay 100 yards from Family Planning Specialists Medical Group at Second and Webster streets. Hoye argued that the order was more severe than Oakland's ordinance and stifled his First Amendment rights.

Something tells me we will see Hoye back in front of the clinic just as soon as he’s a free man. Of course, it would be a violation of his probation. I wonder if he has the guts to do two years in State prison? speech

Technorati tags: Walter Hoye, Free Speech, First Amendment

I'm so conflicted

Baptist Pastor Walter Hoye will spend 30 days in jail for violating an Oakland law that creates a buffer zone between anti-abortion protesters and abortion clinics. Walter Hoye is a peaceful man who carries a sign that reads “Jesus Loves You and Your Baby. Can We Help You?” From a few unbiased accounts I've read, it appears that Hoye did not harass women entering the clinic, yet he is going to jail.

Everyone who reads my blog knows that I am no fan of religion, but a am also a huge fan of free speech. I am conflicted here because I don’t like religion imprinting it’s contrived moral agenda on secular society. I tend to rebel against the message because I don’t want the message to become law. People need options.

I also support the right of people like Hoye who peacefully protest what they find morally objectionable. From the accounts I’ve read, I do not see what Hoye did as wrong. Do you?

Technorati tags: Abortion, Walter Hoye, Free Speech

It never hurts to ask

An won a small victor against religion in government recently. The resident of Newton New Jersey asked the town council to stop the practice of saying the Lord's prayer before meetings. They agreed. Of course, it was out of fear of a lawsuit instead of an understanding that it was the right thing to do.

"It's not a surprise, but I'm disappointed that we had to cave into this or we would've been open to a lawsuit," said longtime Councilwoman Thea Unhoch. "You can't even say 'Merry Christmas' anymore."

Can’t you just here this subtext in her comments, “I’m not bitter… No, not bitter at all.”

Remember – it does not hurt to ask.

Technorati tags: Atheism, Separation of Church and State, First Amendment

Say what?

I try to be nice, I really do. Even when my friends send me "important" editorial emails like this Letter to the Editor from the Lompoc Record. Seriously now - what is she talking about?

It's quite hilarious that people have such a problem with “in God we trust.” People saying things such as “it's a melding of church and state.”

Do these people have any idea of our history? And how we became a nation? They don't seem to have any problem spending or taking money that states “in God we trust.” I haven't heard that it is a problem of melding church and state or forcing Christian beliefs on anyone?

People need to see and realize when this nation started failing. It wasn't just eight years ago, as people would like to believe. It was when we, as a nation, allowed such people as these to take God out of our nation.

Soon there won't be any protection for us. I thank my God that I am, and always will be safe in His hand.

Kelly Masi - Lompoc

Try as I might, I'm not sure what Kelly's letter is all about. Is it really funny that people find a problem with mixing church and state? And what does she mean about history? And what is her point about spending money with the words "in God we trust" imprinted our coins and currency. Do we have a choice?

I'm sure Kelly will frame her letter, I'm more inclined to wipe my ass with it. What absolute drivel, what rubbish, what poppycock.

Technorati tags: Christians, In God We Trust

Church endorses political candidate

This is Pastor Wiley Drake's First Southern Baptist church of Buena Park. The sign on the left endorses Alan Keyes for president. I took this picture on Friday, October 3rd, at 1:00 in the afternoon. Drake is making a political statement. He wants to provoke the IRS.

"I'm going to talk about the un-biblical stands that Barack Obama takes," the Rev. Wiley Drake of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park told the Los Angeles Times. "Nobody who follows the Bible can vote for him."

Christian ministers from California and 21 other states will use their pulpits Sunday to deliver political sermons or endorse presidential candidates.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State have already filed a complaint.

"These pastors have decided to thumb their noses at the Internal Revenue Service and at the whole concept that the church is a place where partisanship should be left at the door," said the Rev Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

In August of 2007, Wiley Drake issues a call for Imprecatory Prayer against Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Drake asked God to kill Joe Conn and Jeremy Learing.

Drake runs a homeless village out of his church, so I must grant him some credit. However, I don't agree with his methods. The man is a religious nutball of the highest order. He's not quite as bad as Phelps, some of the crap that spews from his mouth is almost as bad. I hope the IRS throws the book at him.

Tell Wiley Drake what you think. Here is his email: wileydrake@hotmail.com

Technorati tags: Wiley Drake, IRS, 1st Amendment, Americans United

Bible park is wrong on so many levels

Let's face it, theme parks are risky propositions. It does not matter if the park is bible based or based on the latest cartoon series. Theme parks fall into the "high risk" business category. High risk is rarely in the public interest. Conservative investments serve the public, high risk investments often hurt the very communities who pander to them.

A bible park in Rutherford County (think Ten Commandments) is a Christian political statement funded by the public.

The Industrial Development Board passed without any recommendation a plan to create an economic impact zone around the park allowing property taxes from that area to help fund the $150 million to $200 million development.

Source: Murfreesboro and Rutherford County news from The Daily News Journal - www.dnj.com - Murfreesboro, Tenn.

This simple act allows public money to flow into the proposed bible park development. The Industrial Development Board also passed a plan to forgo $27.9 million dollars in property tax income to help fund the park. So, public money will flow into the park in form of tax dollars, and the public will be denied funds, in the form of tax breaks. All for an openly religious institution. Rutherford County might as well be funding a church. The county hopes to receive $122 million in income from its investment. Of course, they believe the developers growth projections...

Those figures are based on the developers' projection that at least 1.5 million visitors will come to the park annually after it is open for five years, and that the number of visitors will grow to about 2.5 million annually after 20 years

The developers estimates are optimistic, especially given the failure rate of small regional amusement parks, not to mention parks dedicated to a narrow demographic. I wonder if the developer ever heard of Dinosaur Adventure Land.

Technorati tags: bible park, Rutherford County, Christian activism, Separation of Church and State, 1st Amendment

U.S. Funded Health Search Engine Blocks 'Abortion'

Our Christian big brother of a president is helping us to think like a fundie again. If the information is unavailable, it must not exist.

A U.S. government-funded medical information site that bills itself as the world's largest database on reproductive health has quietly begun to block searches on the word "abortion," concealing nearly 25,000 search results.

Called Popline, the search site is run by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland. It's funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, the federal office in charge of providing foreign aid, including health care funding, to developing nations.

Source: U.S. Funded Health Search Engine Blocks 'Abortion' | Threat Level from Wired.com

I am counting the months until Bush is out of office.

Technorati tags: Popline, USAID, Bush, Abortion, 1st Amendment, Separation of Church and State

Atheist objects to $1 million for burned-out church

I don't like to simply repeat a headline. However, in this case I can think of nothing else to do. Rob Sherman, an "atheist activist" from Chicago, has a valid point. Public funds should never flow to a Baptist church.  It is simply wrong.

Atheist activist Rob Sherman says it's unconstitutional for Governor Rod Blagojevich to give $1 million to a burned-out church.

Blagojevich has said Pilgrim Baptist Church would use the money for administrative offices and educational purposes so not to violate the separation of church and state.

Read more... Atheist objects to $1 million for burned-out church

I understand that the church is a landmark and is considered historically significant, yet it is also an active Baptist church. Let local secular and religious charities raise the funds needed to affect repairs. The state should keep its distance.

For background on the issue, please go to this link.

Technorati tags: Separation of Church and state, The 1st Amendment, Chicago, Atheism, Pilgrim Baptist Church, Rob Sherman

Ending religious pork

Americans United urged federal agencies to block federal cash from ending up in the hands of organizations with blatantly religious agendas

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alfonso Jackson and Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, Americans United challenges 10 grants of public dollars for religious organizations or programs that appear to violate the First Amendment principle of the separation of church and state.

The Americans United letter identifies an additional 16 earmarks that raise constitutional concerns and should only be issued if the federal agencies “can ensure that the grant funds will be restricted to secular activities and not be used to support religious coercion or discrimination….”

“Government pork for religious work is never kosher,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “The federal government should never use public funds to directly support religious missions. The bulk of these earmarks are highly suspect because they are directed at groups or programs that include heavy doses of proselytization.”

Americans United’s letter notes that the departments of Justice (DOJ), Housing (HUD), Education (DOE) and Health and Human Services (HHS) all have regulations intended to bar direct funding of overtly religious work.

Read More...

I have some small hope that this behavior will end when the democrats take over next year.

Technorati tags: 1st Amendment, Americans United, earmarks

Things that piss me off

I have always had a thing for bumper stickers. The people who put them on their cars are making a statement. Usually in direct opposition to the values I hold dear. I carry a camera to record the worst examples. I get no end of shit from my family for this odd habit. But what the hell, I'm a little odd. I'm ok with it.

I read about M. Reza Salami who protested a bumper sticker posted inside a patrol car. It read "Jesus is your savior". Salami read it while waiting for a police officer to search his car during a sobriety checkpoint (don't get me started).

The police do not even understand why Salami would have been offended by a brazed attempt at Christian indoctrination.

Sheriff BJ Barnes said Salami asked him to apologize for offending him.

"Personally, I hate that this gentleman was offended," Barnes said. "If he is offended by that, then he should choose to ignore it."

Source: Patrol car Jesus raises legal hackles" : News-Record.com : Greensboro, North Carolina

Rather than apologize the police choose the "screw you" approach to public relations. If poor Mr. Salami don't like it, he can appeal to the boss. Oh wait, I am the boss. Screw you Salami.

Barnes goes on to explain that the sticker is not against policy policy.

Barnes said the sheriff's office doesn't have a formal policy on what personal effects deputies are allowed to keep in their patrol cars, but he supports deputies displaying anything that gives them comfort for 12-hour shifts on a dangerous job.

Using this idiotic rational a police officer could post graphic images of transsexual midget sex acts and it would be OK because the officers need it to pass time on a dangerous job.  Never mind that the car is government property and that the police are agents of the state. They should be able to post whatever propaganda they choose. If it seems stupid, that's because it is stupid.

Technorati tags: 1st Amendment, Separation of Church and State, Religion

Jesus can stay

Apparently, a picture of Jesus can stay on a wall of a New Orleans courthouse because it has been grouped with other portraits of figures in legals history - Including Muhammad. WTF? 

A picture of Jesus that critics said violates the U.S. constitution's separation of church and state can remain on the wall at a south Louisiana courthouse because it has been placed with other portraits of figures in legal history, a federal judge ruled Friday.

U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle said he would have ordered the Jesus picture removed had it remained prominently on display by itself in the lobby of Slidell's city courthouse. The American Civil Liberties had gone to court asking for its removal.

"As much as we might like the image, I might make a copy and frame it in my house," Lemelle said. "But I'm not going to display it in my courtroom" or in the courthouse lobby.

The display now has 15 pictures figures in legal history, including Muhammad.

Is it just me or does anyone else notice that a making a picture of Muhammad is considered blasphemy in Muslims? What are they going to say when an angry mob of Muslims storm the courthouse to demand justice?

Note to the U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemeilie - you cannot win. No matter what you do, the religious nutballs are going to make your life hell. Just ban all religious pictures from the courthouse. It's the right thing to do.

I have this picture in my head of Jesus centered on a wall with a few important historical figures clustered around him. Off to the side is a picture of Muhammad - what the hell does he look like anyway?

If there are any atheist readers in New Orleans (according to some Christians, there are nothing but atheists and sinners in New Orleans, that's why god smote it) - could you please take a photo of the arrangement? I'll be happy to post it here.

Note: I found a before and after picture.

Technorati tags: New Orleans, Jesus, ACLU, Separation of Church and State, 1st Amendment

Only in Texas: A moment of silence and under God too

Two articles out of the fundie state of Texas caught my attention today. Both demonstrate how religion creeps into our secular schools and why it is important to speak up to protect our children from unwanted religious indoctrination.

In Carrollton, Texas, David Wallace Croft (Blog) is fighting to protect his children from religion at Rosemead Elementary school. He makes frequent visits and files complaints when needed to make sure his children receive a secular education.

He complained about Boy Scout rallies held during school, fliers sent home about Good News Bible Club meetings and the inclusion of "Silent Night" and a Hanukkah song in holiday concerts.

The rallies and fliers stopped, and in some cases the songs were removed or altered, angering other parents.

Mr. Croft, 39, often stopped by the campus looking for violations. He took photos as evidence of "In God We Trust" posters hanging on the wall and complained about a teacher wearing an Abilene Christian University shirt.

Wallace is an Atheist, an "optihumanist" (I don't have any idea what that is), and a fellow libertarian. His biggest issue is the moment of silence each child must observe after the pledge of allegiance to the US Flag, and the Texas State Flag. The moment of silence was added in 2003. Wallace faces an uphill battle, the law was carefully crafted to avoid being an endorsement of prayer.

I am sure Croft is aware of the latest fundie attack on our secular schools. The Texas State pledge of allegiance was modified to include the words "One state under God" by the state legislature.  State Rep. Debbie Riddle sponsored the bill.

"Personally, I felt like the Texas pledge had a big old hole in it, and it occurred to me, 'You know what? We need to fix that,' " said Riddle, R-Tomball. "Our Texas pledge is perfectly OK like it is with the exception of acknowledging that just as we are one nation under God, we are one state under God as well."

Let's give this a little sniff test. First you say "under God" to the US Flag, and then you say "under God" to the state flag, and then you take a moment of silence to pray. It's  the triple whammy for Christians. Who do they think they are fooling?

Of course, Texas protects atheist children. All they need do is bring a note from home objecting to the pledge. They can opt out, which is the same as placing a big Atheist "A" on their foreheads. Nothing to fear here.

I like California much better thank you.

Technorati tags: Atheism, Texas, Christians, Fundies, Separation of Church and State, Under God, Pledge of allegiance, 1st Amendment