I just read this quote from Natural posted on our Atheist Nexus group page and found it to be one of the best summations of the "I hate you RRS" effect that I've seen over the years...

Natural wrote:

Just a warning to anyone reading this who's not familiar with the RRS forums: A lot of people have the wrong impression about RRS, based on rumors and haters, but if you go in with an open mind -- instead of assuming you know what it's all about -- then we are very welcoming of anyone willing to discuss anything with intellectual honesty. Some of our long-time members are people we strongly disagree with, but get along with just fine because they are honest to us and themselves. On the other hand, if you start making claims and accusations with nothing to back it up, we will challenge you unrelentingly. A lot of people can't handle this, and hence we get a lot of haters spreading rumors.

Oh, ironically the reason I noticed the quote was because I was going to look at the new group Natural formed.  Here is the information on his wonderism group. I didn't have an account on nexus, and I still don't.  So if you're looking for me there, you'll be looking for a while.

____

There has been a battle amongst non-believers, non-theists, secularists, brights, humanists, atheists, non-religious, agnostics, skeptics, and the non-religious for quite some time in this country.  How many different names was that to describe someone that almost always is without a belief in a god?  I probably missed a few, in fact feel free to mention them and I'll add them in.  The battle is a pointless one that only serves to divide us, disparage us, and hurt us.  Instead of one minority, we are now 10 smaller minorities with less power. Anyone avoiding usage of the word atheist is allowing the theist to win.

Growing up I was told by my born again Christian mother that atheists are devil worshippers, that they know for sure no god exists, and that they are arrogant fools who hate god (yes I know the contradictions there now).  It's been about 12 years since I was led down the path from agnostic deist to agnostic by Jake.  After I abandoned my deism as a result of his arguments I felt as if I was sure I wasn't an atheist because I had such a negative stigma attached to the word, and also didn't claim to know for sure that a god didn't exist, as my Christtarded mother once claimed all atheists do.  Jake then showed me the truth of how atheism is defined.  When I learned that I was being duped by religious people as to how atheism is defined I chose to accept the term atheism within an hour of internal deliberation.  I promise you, it was a hard hour.  

As I continued my journey over the years into the god defeating activist you have grown to love, I've seen the development of these terms to define atheists without using the word atheist.  These terms are almost always a way to dodge usage of the word: atheist.  Why is it Mr. Humanist that you can recognize religion is bunk, sometimes even speak out against it, yet fall over in defeat when Christians have chosen to affix a bad connotation to the word that best describes your position on god belief?  Don't let me take away your humanism, I know the arguments well.  Humanism puts forward things you do believe in, atheism is merely the word that describes what you don't believe.  I even consider myself part of every single one of the bolded words I opened with.  Don't give me that "I'm not a negative person" routine, I know well that many people avoiding the term atheist are doing so because they don't want the bad connotation applied to them.  I've heard this response many times when arguing this issue.

There are two massive problems with succumbing to those who seek to attach a false definition or negative stigma to the word atheist.

1.  We have allowed those bastardizing the term atheist to segregate us.  

It's become hard to determine just how many atheists exist in the world as a result of the various terminologies. We've had problems fighting off faith based funding, and haven't been able to get contrary non-belief funding.  We hold less power than if we all just stood by this term, and addressed it when questioned or given a false definition for it.  As a result of bowing down to their whim we've refocused our own energy on dividing ourselves instead of focusing energy on correcting incorrect terminology.  Had we been fighting the battle rather than giving up, we'd have had a shot today, instead we have a second problem now, one I always saw coming...

2.  It's not the term atheist they don't like, it's anyone who doesn't hold a belief in their god. 

So you've dodged the term atheist, good for you.  Now what?  Now that you're a Humanist or a Skeptic, tell the Christian what you believe.  If the theist manages to read between the lines and figure out that embedded in your Humanism is a lack of god belief, they're just as likely to affix a negative stigma to your beliefs.  They're not on a mission to disparage atheism, they are on a mission to disparage anything that isn't their form of theism.  Once they realize you're not with them, then you're against them.  The day the term bright was created was the day I knew it would someday have a horrible stigma attached to it.  Of course it was created in part to duck the negative stigma associate with atheism.

Now what do you do? Do you abandon your humanism?  If you don't then one must wonder why you abandoned the term atheist.  If you do, at least we're certain now, you are a coward.  As you can see from the sign outside the Seagate Community Chapel in North Carolina, they figured you out.  They know what you are now, and they are working their smear campaign.  Let the memes begin! And to that end over the last two years I noticed many Christian sources affixing negative connotations to brights, skeptics, and humanists.  Some of those examples were pointed out on this site in discussions of this issue.  The information I've provided in this post isn't much different than the points I've argued on this topic for years.  At that point however I didn't have a picture of a Church misrepresenting the name of the peaceful passive humanists.  Well look where the passiveness got ya.  Welcome to false definition-ville.

Ready to embrace the word that defines anyone who is without a belief in a god yet?  If we embrace it together and respond to false claims wherever they exist, we can help slowly to correct a dishonest/ignorant theist population, and maybe if we're lucky we'll even be counted.

Once again: What is an atheist and how does it differ from agnostic?

Until next time, stay rational.

Hey folks, as you know the core leadership of RRS was rather inactive for the first half of 2009, this was due to various factors including several that are personal, however the recession took it's toll as early as the beginning of 2008.  A bunch of folks who were donors and subscribers wrote to us with apologies after they lost their job, or their wives lost their jobs, or something recessionary in nature happened to them presenting a situation in which they had to withdraw their funding of our efforts.  This story was echoed by the SSA who was on the verge of disappearing this year as a result of the hard times, and has raised over $90,000 in two months.  I've been working as many hours as possible in the real world for over a year now to reduce the fundraising burden in order to keep this site afloat.  While I seemed absent on an activist level my time away from the limelight was designed to preserve RRS.  

Since I've been able to alter my schedule to get back to the typical 50+ hour RRS workload, the donations are at an all time low.  This is to be expected of course, there is no current radio show, there was a hiatus, and we're still in a recession... but we're recovering on multiple levels.  I'm gonna manage to work in the 70 hour range on activist activities here, while holding down a job and caring for a son, this week. Signs of a recession ending are upon us.  However, due to the intense workload already on my plate, the show is far from my mind.  Doing the show takes preparation time, editing time, and more... while I currently have 60 hours of unedited material that still needs to be addressed.  Work that needed to be addressed for a very long time now, my sincerest apologies to those who were waiting for that content.

Since I've returned I've been bombarded with countless positive comments, many of which are encouraging me to get the show back up and running, here's your chance to get me one step closer to that.  Yeah... I'm begging for money.  Pick up that phone and call us now to keep the congregation going.  I hate feeling like this, hate having to ask for it, I thought maybe donations would just start coming back organically, but they're not.  So I'm asking.

Let me give you some insight as to some of the things I'm working on that require funds...

1. I'm going to Salt Lake City next month and will be a guest of an atheist group out there and will take some footage engaging Mormons.  On my dime.  About $500 for the trip, I'll be staying with a friend.

2. I finally managed to get ALL the footage from the documentary team that failed to produce the RRS movie, due to their own lack of funds.  This includes our in person interviews with Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Dennett, Ellen Johnson, Margaret Downey, and at home conversations and interviews that have never been released.  Unfortunately the footage is not viewable on a pc (for now), there was some sort of error in encoding it for pc.  I've done a ton of things to make it work, but so far I only have audio and am missing the video.  I'm exploring a few more options, but one option is to purchase an Apple computer which it was encoded on, and I think that could solve it.  I'm looking to test that theory, and if you have an Apple you'd like to lend me or sell to me after I test the theory, I'm all ears.  I was told I could recode it from an apple and then use it.  I'm without a laptop and plan to travel to other atheist groups around the country in the next year, and think adding a new apple laptop (about $1200) would be a good multi-faceted solution.  A used apple would be about $600.  Other video editing software, and equipment, or expenses might be necessary to finally make something of this project.  I flinched at the apple store telling me I needed this $1,000 piece of software.  

3. You know those atheist billboards that have been popping up everywhere?  I want to put them all over the web via google ads.  This project is limited only by how much money we have, one could invest $10,000 per day easily in google ads.

4. I'd like to not have to ask for more hours at work every week, and instead ask for less, spending more time working RRS would get me back on track, I'm so backlogged, it feels like I'm 3 years behind.  

5. I'd like to plan trips to speak at both California and Florida atheist events in the next 9 months.  I have friends/family I can stay with at both to keep costs down.  Video projects will be made on both trips.   Darth Josh will be here at the end of January to record a show (and scheme), I'd like to help with his travel expenses.

There's obviously a ton of other activist reasons more money could be put to good use, but I think I've added enough transparency and at least a few thousands dollars worth of expenses to give you an idea of how your donation will be put to good use.

So here's your chance... all those folks that sent me words of support in the last three months, telling me how happy you are to see me back full time, help me keep it up!  Show me you really mean it.  I need to see your love in the form of dollars or I need to look into a second job and pull back the amount of time I spend on activism.  Keep in mind, the RRS network of sites will be here for at least as long as I'm alive, and likely well after.  While I might have lost some teammates along the way, I promise you're never losing me.  This has always been my baby.  I'm not going anywhere, don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years.

There are two big ways to help financially: 

1. Donate monthly: 

http://www.rationalresponders.com/monthly_subscriptions

2. Donate any amount, any size, consider $15-25. http://www.rationalresponders.com/donate

3. If you have to do any holiday shopping, start doing it now, and do it through this link.  Amazon.com sells just about everything in the world, you can get your groceries and clothing there as well.  Purchase items you'd normally buy at the store through our amazon link and we'll make a small commission.  Thanks to the few folks who do this year round. 

Please consider as large of a one time donation as you can make, this is a crucial time, now is the time to donate. If I'm to buy an apple laptop, something I could really benefit from, large one time donations help more than monthly.  Do all you can, please.  

/begging 

Darth Josh told me last night how the radio disclaimer is one of his favorite sound bites in RRS history, and I'm inclined to agree with him.  For those that don't know the technicals on it... it's my voice sped up 1.5 times. 

So here's a little slice of RRS history, a download for the disclaimer that was played on our show.  Enjoy!  

You can still hear a bunch of free archived material here.

_____

I miss you Carl...

Pale Blue Dot

Where did the Big Bang come from?  Does it make sense to believe it was a God?

We are made of star stuff. 

Upcoming Video Description: "Carl Sagan's description of how we evolved from "Star Stuff" and are on our journey to go back to our origin - in the Stars. From "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" episode 8, "Journeys in Space and Time".  Please support this amazing masterpiece by buying the DVDs - you will not regret it. 

Upcoming Video Description: "Those worlds in space are as countless as all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the Earth. Each of those worlds is as real as ours. In every one of them, there's a sucsession of incidence, events, occurences which influence its future. Countless worlds, numberless moments, an immensity of space and time. And our small planet, at this moment, here we face a critical branch-point in the history. What we do with our world, right now, will propagate down through the centuries and powerfully affect the destiny of our descendants. It is well within our power to destroy our civilization, and perhaps our species as well. If we capitulate to superstition, or greed, or stupidty we can plunge our world into a darkness deeper than time between the collapse of classical civilization and the Italian Renaissaince. But, we are also capable of using our compassion and our intelligence, our technology and our wealth, to make an abundant and meaningful life for every inhabitant of this planet. To enhance enormously our understanding of the Universe, and to carry us to the stars." Carl Sagan explains the immensity of space and time. This clip is from Carl Sagan's Cosmos episode 8, "Journeys in Space and Time." 

A brief story and a nutritious cookie recipe...

Some of you are already aware I've been dieting and eating an entirely different batch of foods in the last 3 months.  I'm eating foods that are high in protein, low in fat, and have a higher level of complex carbs vs. simple carbs.  I've been hesitant to blog about this as it obviously has nothing to do with my typical area of expertise, but I want this blog to cover some other areas of my life, and I plan to post recipes and diet/bodybuilding related things from time to time.  One of the new items in my diet is protein powder supplements.  I've tried a few different brands to see which flavor I like the most...

I bought the two huge jugs, Muscle Milk light and Evopro only after sampling them, I found them to be the most tasty so far.  The folks on facebook mentioned ON Standard but I was looking for lactose free, so keep that in mind if you get the urge to recommend your favorite powder.

Before this diet one of my favorite late night snacks was some form of cookie.  I prefer anything chocolate and have altered a recipe I found online to create a tasty yet healthy cookie.  If there is something you don't like about this recipe, feel free to substitute.  If you like a very sweet flavor, something close to a chocolate chip cookie sweetness just add another 1/4 cup of sugar.  You'll notice pureed banana, that is designed as a substitute for butter.  You can use almost any fruit with a similar consistency, mango, papaya, strained applesauce, etc... 

This recipe makes 16 cookies

1/2 cup banana (mash to create proper texture)

1 tablespoon peanut butter (skip it if you wish, or add up to 2 more tbls)

1/4 cup light brown sugar or splenda brown sugar

1/4 cup splenda sugar

2 eggs 

1/3 cup milk 

3/4 cups organic oatmeal flour (excellent source of complex carbs, much better than all-purpose flour)

1/2 cup chocolate powder protein supplement (choose another flavor if you'd like)

1 oz or 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder 

1/2 cup granola (pick whatever type you'd like, or choose oats instead.  Another complex carb source!)

1/4 cup carob chocolate chips 

1.5 teaspoon baking soda 

2 tsp vanilla extract

dash of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees D (175 degrees C)

2. In a large bowl cream together the fruit, peanut butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, the stir in the vanilla and water.  

3. In another bowl combine the leftover dry ingredients saving the chocolate chips.  Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Drop the dough by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling tray, wax paper, wire rack, etc.

If you follow my recipe exactly and use Muscle Milk light chocolate powder and Biochem Vanilla powder your nutritional information will look like this:

Serving size: 1 big cookie

Calories: 110 

Fat: 3 grams

Carbohydrates: 13 grams (3g sugars, 10g complex carbs)

Protein: 6 grams

These taste great with that chocolate protein shake you drink just before bedtime.  

Coming soon will be a post about the substitution in my diet for a cheese steak that I was previously addicted to, a huge eggbeater omelette with chicken steak slices instead, at 285 cals, 9 grams fat, 8 grams carbs, 37 grams protein.

If you're finding this post in google and wondering what the the heck is going on here... yeah... we don't believe in God around these parts. No matter what you believe you can reply to this post by clicking "Add new comment" below. 

 Thanks to David Silverman for bringing this to my attention, I'm united with him on a boycott of Tom Cruise movies and now The Simpsons. Nancy Cartwright (voice of Bart Simpson) is promoting Scientology.

(give the clip a moment to load, and it starts 5 seconds in, if you have problems click here) 

Goodbye Simpsons.  

Seriously Nancy, you're auditing?  You dumbass.

On Thursday nights Daily Show Jon Stewart fell into the funniest impression I've ever seen him pull off, an attack or parody if you will of the ridiculous Glenn Beck...

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cThe 11/3 Projectwww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show
Full EpisodesPolitical HumorHealth Care Crisis

Religion creates another atrocity, god is great, eh?  Listen Muslims and Christians... stop the fighting.  You're both wrong, it's time to act like rational grown-ups and throw off your archaic belief system, you are destroying civilization, and will continue to do so until we're gone.  Abandon your superstitous nonsense, and evolve already!  Ask yourself, what solid proof do you have to believe in your God.  If what you have is a holy book, remind yourself that hundreds of holy books exist for hundreds of gods, and you don't believe in any of them, so obviously a holy book is not sufficient proof.  Throw off your superstitious nonsense, and embrace things you know exist like humans for example.  Make no mistake, today millions of folks around the world who have no belief in a god are sad for the people who were affected by this needless loss of life, just as we've been sad about all the other atrocities committed in the name of religion throughout the ages.  Our thoughts are with the billions who have been negatively affected by religion since the dawn of time, and always are.  In fact my life is dedicated to ensuring these sorts of things don't continue to happen, you can start by breaking the cycle... throw religion off today!  

Quote:Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who allegedly killed 11 people before being shot and wounded by police at Fort Hood, had said Muslims should "rise up" and attack Americans in retaliation for the US war in Iraq, a former army colleague said.  Col Terry Lee, a retired officer who worked with him at the military base in Texas, alleged Maj Hasan had angry confrontations with other officers over his views.  Maj Hasan was reportedly fighting orders to be deployed to Iraq at the end of the month, claiming that he was the victim of harassment and insults because of his Arab background and his faith.

The major is a psychiatrist who had been treating soldiers returning from Iraq for post-traumatic stress and alcohol and drug abuse problems. "He was making outlandish comments condemning our foreign policy and claimed Muslims had the right to rise up and attack Americans," Col Lee told Fox News.  "He said Muslims should stand up and fight the aggressor and that we should not be in the war in the first place." He said that Maj Hasan said he was "happy" when a US soldier was killed in an attack on a military recruitment centre in Arkansas in June.  An American convert to Islam was accused of the shootings. Col Lee alleged that other officers had told him that Maj Hasan had said "maybe people should strap bombs on themselves and go to Time Square" in New York.

He claimed he was aware that the major had been subject to "name calling" during heated arguments with other officers.

source

Quote:FORT HOOD, Texas -- The base commander at Fort Hood says soldiers who witnessed a shooting rampage that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at the Texas post.

Lt. Gen. Robert Cone told NBC's "Today" show on Friday that suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, made the comment, which is Arabic for "God is great!" before the rampage Thursday that also left 30 people wounded.  Military officials say they are still piecing together what may have pushed Hasan, an Army psychiatrist trained to help soldiers in distress, to turn on his comrades.
Cone says Hasan was not known to be a threat or risk.

Hasan was shot four times during the rampage. Cone says he is hospitalized in stable condition and that military officials will interrogate him as soon as possible.

source

Quote:

Hasan's aunt Noel Hasan of Falls Church, Virginia, told the The Washington Post that her nephew had been harassed about being a Muslim in the years after the September 11 attacks and he wanted to leave the Army.

"Some people can take it and some people cannot," she said. "He had listened to all of that and he wanted out of the military."

At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades.

Investigators had not determined for certain whether Hasan was the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

source

Quote:

Hasan had been telling his family since 2001 that he wanted to get out of the military, said a spokeswoman for his cousin, Nader Hasan. Hasan told his family he had been taunted after the September 11 attacks, the spokeswoman said.

"He was mortified by the idea of having to deploy," his cousin told the New York Times. "He had people telling him on a daily basis the horrors they saw over there."

---

Hasan would also ask the owner whether he planned to attend Friday prayers. The owner would say he was too busy.

Hasan said he would be deployed to Afghanistan soon, the owner said. 

---

A former neighbor of Hasan said he lived in a highrise apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland, with another man, apparently his brother, and that the two appeared friendly.

"They had some Arabic signs out there, and I asked them what they meant," said the woman, who asked not to be identified. The other man, who routinely wore a chef's outfit, told her it was a prayer, she said. "They seemed like they were nice people," she said.

The two men moved out three or four months ago, which she noticed because the Muslim prayer had been removed from their door.

"Honestly, they seemed like very cool, calm guys, and religious guys," she said. "It's kind of strange."

According to military records, Hasan was born in Virginia, and a federal official said he was a U.S. citizen of Jordanian descent.

Military records show Hasan received his appointment to the Army as a first lieutenant in June 1997 after graduating from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, with a degree in biochemistry.

source

Today is the day, on the Don Imus show Bill Maher referred to himself as an atheist very explicitly for the first time that I am aware of.  

Here is his page on Celebrity Atheists with the update: http://www.celebatheists.com/wiki/Bill_Maher

NOVEMBER 2009 ON IMUS - MAHER REFERS TO HIMSELF AS AN ATHEIST

November 1, 2009 on Imus, Bill Maher finally accepts that the term atheism describes him best when relating to Richard Dawkins and his atheism lacking absolute certainty:

"Neither me nor my girl believe in God or marriage, so there's not gonna be a big church wedding... I always say I don't know. Even Richard Dawkins a man whose name has become synonymous with atheism says he puts a scale of 1 to 7, 1 being absolute certain there is a god and 7 being absolutely certain there isn't, and he says even he's a 6.9. Because no one knows for sure what's out there. He says yes there could be a god and there could be a spaghetti monster out there, but it doesn't look like it. To me it was always great fodder for comedy. There isn't a week that goes by that there isn't something hysterically funny if it's not tragic, having to do with religion. My recent favorite example was at the Michael Jackson Memorial Stevie Wonder said 'we needed Michael but God needed him more.' And I thought really God needs people, God needs singers, God is up there saying 'Jesus, nothing on, get that Michael Jackson up here.'

Imus then asks if Hitchens is a 7. Bill Maher responds "he may be, I think we're just talking semantics at some point, we are all atheists (referring to Dawkins, Hitchens, and himself), which means we don't believe in a deity, we don't believe in a magic spaceman, and we think people that do, have a neurological disorder and they need help."

And on religion in general he said "When I hear from people that religion doesn't hurt anything, I say really? Well besides wars, the crusades, the inquisitions, 9-11, ethnic cleansing, the suppression of women, the suppression of homosexuals, fatwas, honor killings, suicide bombings, arranged marriages to minors, human sacrifice, burning witches, and systematic sex with children, I have a few little quibbles. And I forgot blowing up girl schools in Afghanistan."

The following is a repost from Hemant Mehta the Friendly Atheist.

Go, LAPD!

The Los Angeles Police Department wants to stop working with the organization that runs its Explorer program for youths because the group is linked to Boy Scouts of America, which bans gays from becoming members.

The organization, Learning for Life, was spun off from Boy Scouts of America.

A department official told the Police Commission Tuesday that the Boy Scouts policy is “inconsistent” with the city’s policy of non-discrimination. He suggested that the department manages the Explorer program itself.

Learning for Life officials say the organization does not discriminate and does not take funds from the Boy Scouts.

They ban atheists, too, even though that’s not mentioned in the piece above. And that that last comment from Learning for Life officials skews the truth. There may be no funding from the Boy Scouts directly, but there is definitely a connection with them. READ MORE »

I feel the need to highlight the recent trials and tribulations of Sunsara Taylor with the Ethical Society of Chicago as she is a friend of mine, and this issue is of obvious importance to her.  Sunsara has given me the fuel to give brief mention to a past issue I feel that the Ethical Society of Philadelphia helped hinder the advancement of non-believer unity in Philadelphia.  If you can believe it Sunsara is even more of a rabble rouser than I am, while she staged a scene, I quietly backed away and just pretended it never happened.  Today I speak up, because of Sunsara.

About two years ago a group was formed called PhillyCor, I'm close with quite a few people involved in the forming of the group.  The group was formed to connect local freethought and humanist groups, and RRS is based out of Philadelphia. Being that we had the largest global presence of any of the groups in Philadelphia it made sense for us to be involved, and we would've embraced the role.  We would've adapted to fit within the groups model, we would've helped raise money, and most importantly spread the word on a much larger scale than the group was capable of.  In fact this is the first time I ever link to the group, because when the opportunity arose for RRS to be in the group, the Ethical Society essentially stated it's us or them.  

If you're from the Philadelphia area you'd know well that the Ethical Society of Philly owns a gorgeous building in the center of town that is frequently used for freethought gatherings by the groups currently in PhillyCor, and this was considered to be an important piece of the puzzle.  In fairness, this wasn't the only issue, there were also some rumors that muddied that waters, the point is I didn't find their ethics to be those I'd share.  While it may seem understandable to exclude a confrontational group, it's not understandable that they never asked us to address their concerns which I believe were based on lies and misrepresentations made about us.  Their action spits in the face of the inclusive nature that the group was designed for.  It's hard to have a coalition when you exclude the largest and most recognized group from your target area.  Today I'm actually glad I'm not part of the COR considering the recent acceptance of money and connection to Greg Epstein that is permeating COR groups.  If you don't know about Greg see here: Humanist chaplain Greg Epstein wants you to join him, asshole - Greg Epstein ≠ humanism - Greg Epstein seeking further embarrassment?

Now with that little story out of the way, I bring you Sunsara's most recent blog on her issues with the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago.  

Cameraman brutally arrested while filming Sunsara Taylor making a statement Sunday 10:30 a.m. at Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago 

On Sunday, November 1st, plainclothes and uniformed police who had been called in earlier by officials of the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago (EHSC) dragged out, maced and arrested a man for videotaping Sunsara Taylor as she stood near her seat and made a statement before the start of that morning’s program about the shameful cancellation of her long planned talk to EHSC that day on the topic “Morality without Gods.”

The shocking incident took place at the insistence of the president of EHSC. About 40 people witnessed the videographer being brutalized by the police in the foyer of the facility. An attorney demanded that the police stop brutalizing him when five officers piled on him as he lay face down on the floor. 6 police cars arrived within minutes.

The day before, during a workshop on the same premises which the president and other board members of the EHS were at, Sunsara explained very clearly that she would be attending the opening of the EHS's Sunday gathering and giving the EHS the opportunity to do the right thing and allow her talk to go forward, up until the last minute. If the EHS still refused to let her give her talk, she explained that she would leave and give her talk in “exile” at the nearby home of one of the EHS members.

The statement can be viewed here.

Also see Sunsara Taylor undeterred

In her brief statement at the EHS on Sunday morning, Sunsara Taylor challenged the very wrong decision to cancel her speaking engagement and pointed out how this is contributing to a chilling atmosphere in society as a whole and has happened all too frequently to people who challenge the dominant narrative (like Ward Churchill, Noman Finkelstein and the director of Milk who was recently “disinvited” from Hope College, etc.). Taylor stated that while the group had the “bureaucratic right” to disinvite her, it didn’t make it any more “right” than the voters in California passing Prop 8. She also invited those who wanted to hear her speak to come to her “talk in exile” at the home of a member of the EHSC.

At no point during her brief statement was Sunsara asked to stop speaking or to leave the premises. And at no point was anyone who was there to support her, including the photographer, asked to leave. It is telling that the only person singled out by the police, at the request of the president of the Society, was the man documenting what Sunsara was saying.

The videographer was simply trying to document and guard the truth of what Sunsara was saying in her brief statement. Sunsara’s words had been grossly distorted and taken out of context by some members of the EHSC who were the driving forces behind canceling her speech.

What kind of ethics and morals is the EHSC upholding and modeling through the great lengths it has gone to in suppressing Sunsara Taylor’s talk on Morality without Gods? A number of their own members expressed disagreement with the cancellation and a number of prominent people from around the country wrote statements in support of Sunsara’s speaking and called on EHSC to rectify its wrong-headed decision. Instead, the board fortified and increasingly defended its decision and created an atmosphere of anti-communist hysteria, fear and rumor-mongering that had no relationship to reality.

The EHS had no legitimate basis to feel the police needed to be there in the first place, except for the rumors and hysteria that they themselves had created. Then, by choosing to set the police upon the person filming they went after the one person who was documenting the truth of Sunsara's words and the fact that Sunsara and others there to support her were acting in no way to disrupt the replacement talk the EHS had planned.

What kind of Ethical Humanist group would create a situation that led directly to the brutal arrest of someone simply for filming Sunsara giving a statement at that point with simply a cell phone? In their zeal to suppress Taylor they went repeatedly against the stated purpose of the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago which includes “the supreme aim of human life is working to create a more humane society...Our commitment is to the worth and dignity of the individual and to treating each human being so as to bring out the best in her or him.”

This attack was in stark contrast to the day before at the EHSC where Sunsara led a well-attended and lively discussion with much audience participation on "Women’s Liberation and the Emancipation of Humanity." This whole program was videotaped by the same volunteer photographer.

To call upon the EHSC to drop charges against the photographer and to continue to express their disagreement with their decision to dis-invite Sunsara Taylor contact: eval(unescape('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%6f%66%66%69%63%65%40%65%74%68%69%63%61%6c%68%75%6d%61%6e%2e%6f%72%67%22%3e%6f%66%66%69%63%65%40%65%74%68%69%63%61%6c%68%75%6d%61%6e%2e%6f%72%67%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b'))  847-677-3334

To find out how to make contributions to the legal defense, contact: eval(unescape('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%73%75%6e%73%61%72%61%74%6f%75%72%40%79%61%68%6f%6f%2e%63%6f%6d%22%3e%73%75%6e%73%61%72%61%74%6f%75%72%40%79%61%68%6f%6f%2e%63%6f%6d%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b'))

Hey, this is Brian Sapient here posting some views from Margaret to her blog. I should take this moment to inform you that to the best of my knowledge Margaret hasn't blogged on this site and she currently uses her facebook page to communicate with people. A few supporters and I have posted her views to this site on her behalf with her permission.

I recently approved a comment to be posted on this site that I found to be hateful, but indicative of the type of behavior I've seen from "True Christians" over the years. I don't like comments of this nature to go without a response as an uninformed reader may be led down the wrong path. I asked Margaret to comment and the following is the comment and her response.

Original comment:
I am so glad that bitch lost
Submitted by Modious on Fri, 2009-01-30 22:26. READ MORE »

Below is a sample of the letter I wrote to all school board members (printed on my letterhead):

August 10, 2009

Dr. Brian T. Binggeli, Superintendent
Brevard County Public Schools
Fax: (321) 633-3432

Dear Dr. Binggeli:

Please allow me to introduce myself through this email message. I am the founder and president of the Anti-Discrimination Support Network (ADSN). ADSN is a watchdog organization established to act on complaints of discrimination against the atheist community. ADSN has tracked the activities of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) since reports of discrimination were first received in 1991.

It has come to my attention that on Tuesday, August 11. 2009, the Brevard County School Board will be discussing whether or not the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will be allowed to hold a recruitment drive through the Brevard County public school system. READ MORE »

My letter of complaint to American Airlines:

My husband and I always use American Airlines to travel and have had wonderful experiences until the April trip.

We flew on a red eye from Kona, Hawaii to Los Angeles, California. We flew first class for more comfort and service. We awoke to music playing and the lights coming on when the pilot announced that we were about to land. The music was a shock to me in that it was specifically Christian music. The words of the song being played praised Jesus and God and instructed listeners to pray and "adore him."

The next song was even more religious. I said to the stewardess that the flight had become a church service. She ignored me completely.

The next song was also an overtly Christian song, this time with a message about the "glory and the power of God."

In total we had to listen to three songs about a religious doctrine we find disturbing. I'm sure that a Jewish family, a Hindi family and nontheist people such as my husband and I were equally offended that American Airlines was promoting the Christian doctrine in a space that could not be escaped from. We were a captive audience! READ MORE »

From the Orlando Sentinel, Sunday, November 18, 2007

Disabled Scouts Left Without Troop
Group loses charter after leader’s discrimination suit

By Kate Santich - Sentinel Staff Writer

Perhaps the Scouts of Titusville's Unit 700 don't quite fit the historic mold. Perhaps, they admit, you couldn't picture some of them strapping on a rucksack and hiking through the wilderness. After all, one has cerebral palsy. Another suffers from the effects of a rare childhood stroke. Several have learning disabilities or asthma.

In Unit 700, though, they seemed to thrive. One of their leaders was a strong-willed woman in a wheelchair. But after the woman filed a lawsuit charging the Boy Scouts' Central Florida Council with violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, things began to get very, very unpleasant for Unit 700. READ MORE »

Joke 1

Murphy approached Mulligan's bar to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. On the step outside he was accosted by a nun, Sister Marie, who said:

'Surely a fine man like yourself is not going into this den of iniquity? Surely you're not going to waste your hard-earned cash on the devil's brew. Why don't you go home and feed and clothe your wife and children?'

'Hang on, Sisters,' spluttered Murphy. 'How can you condemn alcohol out of hand? Surely it's wrong to form such a rash judgment when you've never tasted the stuff?'

'Very well,' said Sister Marie. Till taste it just to prove my point. Obviously I can't go into the pub, so why don't you bring me some gin. Oh, and just to camouflage my intent, maybe you should bring it in a cup not a glass!'

'OK,' said Murphy and into the bar he breezed.

'I'll have a large gin,' he said to the barman. 'And can you put it in a cup?'

'My God,' said the barman, 'that nun's not outside again is she?'

Joke 2

The first says: "Aye, this is a nice bar, but where I come from, there's a better one. At MacDougal's, you buy a drink, you buy another drink, and MacDougal himself will buy your third drink!" READ MORE »

This is the story of a bunny born in the backyard of the Weisman home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Weismans’ only child discovered the baby bunny on a star-filled night while the three Weismans’ were out for a walk.

Because Bugsy was such a cute little bunny, he was taken to a pet store in Nazareth, Michigan. The pet store displayed Bugsy in its storefront window. Little children came to worship the very sight of him. Bugsy found his first disciples (Markie, Lukey, and Johnny) at that pet store.

It was a miracle, but all the bunnies escaped from the pet store when an employee carelessly left the door to their cage unlatched. “Lettuce prey,” were the first words spoken by Bugsy when he and the others escaped.

After escaping from the pet store, Bugsy and his disciples went on a wild adventure. They taught children the joys of dancing the Bunny Hop, coloring eggs and hiding them, filling up baskets with candy, and wiggling their noses.

It was said that Bugsy once multiplied five chocolate bunnies and two marshmallow goodies to give away five-thousand treats. There was also a story about Bugsy magically turning chicken eggs into jelly beans. READ MORE »

I. Thou shalt be devoted to growing beautiful roses--maybe even joining a local Rose Society.

II. Thou shalt purchase the best rose plants available. Try to find "Grade 1" plants that have at the very least three strong, lively shoots. A plant that has a paraffin coating is not a good plant.

III. Thou shalt plant in a location that will get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. The location must also have good drainage.

IV. Thou shalt dig a 18"deep by 24" wide hole using a soil mix with lots of nutrients. Space between plants should be 36"-42" from the center of each plant. Plant only what you can manage--no more--no less.

V. Thou shalt take time to fertilize.Roses need frequent fertilizing after pruning. The best recipe includes organic and chemical fertilization. Feed your rose bed at least every two months.

VI. Thou shalt treat your roses to disease and pet control protection. Roses are subject to fungus diseases tht can be avoided by applying chemicals that will prevent spores from developing. When insects appear, use insecticides. Control of diseases lies in consistency. Extreme care must be taken when applying toxic chemicals. READ MORE »

Lori Stephens author of Alpha Omega recently asked me if I wouldn't mind sharing her book with the users of the Rational Response Squad website.  As always purchases made on this site via Amazon, help support this site.

Product Description
A defector from a cult called Omega has bled to death for no identifiable reason, and the only clue is the book he’s clutching: the Librah Vae-ta, the holy scripture that the Omega cult founders created a century ago, unaware of its dangerous power. Dr. Gatsby Donovan resolves to help solve the mysterious murder. As she spirals deeper into the danger zone of spies and assassins, she realizes that the Omega script is based on the languages of ancient holy texts. Through an action-packed story, Alpha, Omega challenges readers to rethink the agendas of large religious organizations and how they have become global superpowers. With despotic cults, religious scriptures, ancient languages, neuro-addiction, murder, betrayal, revenge, and ultimately, love, Alpha Omega is a rollercoaster tale with a message that cannot be ignored, and readers may even suspect that their own Bible may contain more than maxims for moral living.

Reviews
Review by Decia Rowland, PhD, Scholar of Religion
Cults have never been good news for the religions they parallel. Evil fairly drips from this story of a PTSS victim who now must face her boogeyman again as a scientist-detective delving into the religious psyche of the Omega group. I read this book in one sitting, convinced that as a believer, I would find something to roar about in Ms. Stephens' gripping portrayal of a nasty man and his nasty companions. Nothing good could come out of self-serving religion, the author seems to say. But I was caught by the emotional struggle of her two protagonists to create a real relationship, in the rawness of the present, in the hope of something honest. While The Da Vinci Code asks the question, "Is our eschatological symbol for goodness who we think he is?" Alpha Omega asks "Come on now, what does it really mean to be human?" 

Alpha, Omega
Review by Katy McElroy
Can you trust what you read? In this thrilling adventure, Lori Stephens explores the potential language has to influence our beliefs and actions, and how dangerous the knowledge of this potential can be in the wrong hands. When a strange book is connected with a grisly murder, Gatsby Donovan is selected to help decode its cryptic language. But as she deciphers the strange syllables, she discovers that there is much more to this text than just the words on the pages--and even she may not be able to resist its power. Alpha, Omega will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow Gatsby along the path of an investigation which soon consumes her life, ultimately forcing her to confront her own hidden, painful past.