2008: 1/3 of the way

Amongst the things that happen in 2008 are…

1. A bad movie comes out and no one cares other than the people who can laugh about it (scientists).
2. Grand Theft Auto IV comes out and everyone blames it on rising prostitute murder cases.
3. An album by the all-atheist band Napalm Death releases, with no doubt more political prowess than prior.
4. The band Venom, which inspired bands such as Napalm Death and other bands such as Metallica, releases their album entitled “HELL” in May. (just something for me to talk about to upset the religious right)
5. In two months, the Large Hadron Collider kills all of us no one.

etc. etc.

It’s going to be a very interesting year. Well, assuming you like heavy metal music, like violent video games, and absolutely love it when bad movies promote bad science that will eventually crossover into good projects causing bad things…

Wait, what?

I also think it’s important to note that one of our elected officials recently went on an anti-atheism tirade.

Davis: I don’t know what you have against God, but some of us don’t have much against him. We look forward to him and his blessings. And it’s really a tragedy — it’s tragic — when a person who is engaged in anything related to God, they want to fight. They want to fight prayer in school.

I don’t see you (Sherman) fighting guns in school. You know?

I’m trying to understand the philosophy that you want to spread in the state of Illinois. This is the Land of Lincoln. This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God, where people believe in protecting their children.… What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous, it’s dangerous–

Sherman: What’s dangerous, ma’am?

Davis: It’s dangerous to the progression of this state. And it’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists! Now you will go to court to fight kids to have the opportunity to be quiet for a minute. But damn if you’ll go to [court] to fight for them to keep guns out of their hands. I am fed up! Get out of that seat!

Sherman: Thank you for sharing your perspective with me, and I’m sure that if this matter does go to court—

Davis: You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon.

That, of course, would be Illinois representative Monique Davis. Another gem on this case comes via Eric Zorn:

Sherman didn’t budge, continued his testimony related to Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s oddly misdirected $1 million grant intended for Pilgrim Baptist Church, (story) and later told me he “felt like Rosa Parks.”

When you start treating minorities of any race, religion (or lack thereof), or otherwise (minus NAMBLA) as if they’re less than people or have no opinion, you’re paving the way to Auschwitz… again. I’m in no way suggesting the murder of millions of innocents in the Holocaust is anything like atheist oppression, because it’s not, but what I am suggesting is that there are people out there who want us six feet under regardless of how we are as people. Mrs. Davis would seem to be one of these people.

It’s a bit crazy to me that the basic rights given to us in the constitution is null when it applies to those without religion. Why is that? Is “freedom of religion” not the right to be free of religion, if one wishes?

More so, isn’t that $1 million in taxpayer money being allotted to a church a breach of the establishment clause of the constitution? Yeah, it is.

The government shall make no laws respecting the establishment of religion (or to prohibit practice of, blah blah). This would, theoretically, go all the way to any state action, including what happens with tax money. Therefore, any tax dollars being spent on anything religious, openly or otherwise, which would have the cause or effect of promoting religion, is essentially a breach of this clause.

If this country was founded on god and god’s morals, why do you lie and steal? You’re lying by not directly approaching the issue, and you’re stealing my money. Call me crazy, but I don’t think Jesus would want that. Of course, you’d proudly put fingers in ears and start to yell “la la la la I can’t hear you!”, or just divert the subject to the supposed wrongdoings of the speaker. Oh, wait..