Fearing the ‘Other’

I strongly suspect that (((Wife))) and I scare the shit out of many extremely religious people.  I bet dollars to donuts that my best friend does, too.  Why?  We’re boringly normal.  

American Jihadists? Yee-Fucking-Ha!!

I have been asked, through email and through comments, why I, as an atheist, give a flying fuck about theists — about what believers do, or think, or believe.  Why do I blog about religion and belief in god(s) if I am an unbeliever? 

There are many reasons I blog.  I blog to help me understand who I am.  I blog to poke fun at political and religious absurdity.  And I blog because I am scared abso-fucking-lutely shitless about the radical right.

My Experience With Profiling

As I read different  posts regarding the incident between Harvard Professor Gates and Sergeant Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department, I keep seeing references to profiling.  In the interest of fairness, I might as well tell you about my personal experience with profiling.

You Can’t Make This Shit Up: Gun at Church?

Some Americans, mostly of the severe right-wing Christianist godbot dominionist peruasion, seem to overlook some of the supposed teachings of the (probably fictional) Christ.  Things like pacifism, meekness, helping the poor, helping the weak — basically the left-wing progressive Jesus.  Courtesy of Teabagging for Jesus  (which, if you haven’t visited, is a great blog), we are reminded that not all Christians are into the meek and mild.  Some are into just plain firepower.

Poe? or Alternate Personal Universe?

Poe’s Law states:

Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won’t mistake for the real thing.

Which makes it rather difficult for me, as an atheist blogger, to deal with some of the sites which I find as I have been that someone.  Some turned out to be true Poe sites.  Others, maybe.  My problem is that I am not only an atheist, not only a blogger, but am also quite gullible.  So, I have tried to be much more careful when writing about a possible religious web site.

A Response From a Clued-In American to a Clueless Brit

Yunshui asked (on my post Happy Teabagging Day!) for an explanation of what the hell the right was trying to do with the whole teabagging thing:

Somebody fill me in here – as a Brit who, frankly, can’t be arsed hunting through an infinite pile of porn sites to find the current (political)definition of “teabagging”, I’m at a loss as to what all these teabaggers clogging up the intertubes are actually protesting about. Something to do with taxes? Can somebody please explain to me what “teabagging” is (I know enough slang to realise that it’s a very unfortunate choice of moniker, but I’m not entirely sure what the Republicans mean by it)?

Cheers in advance, clued-up Americans!

Faith over Fact Every Damn Time!

One of the aspects of our political system is the way it relishes expertise.  Our elected representatives, senators, governors, and President, are all of the highest caliber.  The best and the brightest. Experts in the art of governance. Honest men and women who always put the health of the country over the finances of their friends.  The witnesses called to testify before these august legislators, providing expert advice, aid immeasurably.  And, in the United States Congress, this process has been on display this week during testimony before the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The Ultimate Dummies Book

Obstructionism for Dummies.  Like they need it.

Ultimate Protest

Do you ever feel like you want to protest something?  Or everything?  But each different thing that you protest needs a new sign, right?  Wouldn’t it be nice to have an all-purpose protest sign?  One that tells the world you hate everything that your version of god(s) hates? 

Well, (via hissingteakettle (attribution under Creative Commons)) here it is:

Faith and Freedom Institute Wants Neither

A new group, The Faith and Freedom Institute, has decided to fill in the vacuum of evangelical leadership created by the semi-retirement of James Dobson.  The FFI will combat “satanic wickedness” and will return America to a foundation of Biblical principles.