08.31.08
Posted in General at 9:30 pm by Hemant Mehta
Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty appeared on Meet the Press this morning — he was defending John McCain’s decision to tap Sarah Palin as Vice-President.
Tom Brokaw asked Pawlenty about Palin’s views on science.
Besides confirming her support of Intelligent Design/Creationism, Pawlenty gave us another example of a Republican government official who possesses scientific illiteracy — himself:
MR. BROKAW: OK.
In the governor’s race, [Palin] refused to be specific about her views on creationism vs. evolution, but as I understand it, she did say that she thought that the two subjects should be taught side by side in public schools. Do you think that’s a good idea?
GOV. PAWLENTY: I saw her comments on it yesterday, and I thought they were appropriate, which is, you know, let’s — if there are competing theories, and they are credible, her view of it was, according to comments in the newspaper, allow them all to be presented, or allow them both to be presented so students could be exposed to both, and — or more, and have a chance to be exposed to the, to the various theories and make up their own minds.
MR. BROKAW: In the vast scientific community, do you think that creationism has the same weight as evolution, and at a time in American education when we are in a crisis when it comes to science that there ought to be parallel tracks for creationism vs. evolution in the teaching?
GOV. PAWLENTY: In the scientific community, it seems like intelligent design is dismissed. Not entirely, there are a lot of scientists who would make the case that it is appropriate to be taught and appropriate to be demonstrated. But in terms of the curriculum in the schools, in Minnesota we’ve taken the approach that that’s a local decision, but I know Senator Palin, or Governor Palin, has said intelligent design is something she thinks should be taught along with evolution in the schools, and I think that’s appropriate from my standpoint.
MR. BROKAW: Given, given…
GOV. PAWLENTY: But I believe — my personal view is that’s a local decision.
MR. BROKAW: Given equal weight.
GOV. PAWLENTY: At the local school board.
MR. BROKAW: And you would recommend it be given equal weight.
GOV. PAWLENTY: We’ve said in Minnesota, in my view this is a local decision. Intelligent design is something that in my view is a plausible and credible and something that I personally believe in; but more importantly, from an educational and scientific standpoint, it should be decided by local school boards, by — at the local school district level.
In other words, neither Pawlenty nor Palin would force Creationism to be included in the state Science standards… but if a local school board in their states decided to go forward with teaching both ideas (wink wink)… they wouldn’t see a problem with this.
Ugh.
There are many reasons it would be against a woman’s best interest to elect McCain/Palin — The overturning of Roe v. Wade to name one.
But if they wanted to select a woman, couldn’t the Republicans have found one with more intelligence and better education?
Permalink ~
Posted in General at 11:53 am by Hemant Mehta
Answers in Genesis — the group that runs the Creation Museum — isn’t on board with the other conservative Christian groups in supporting Sarah Palin as John McCain’s Vice Presidential nominee.
Why not?
To quote Happy Jihad, AiG is “undecided about whether or not Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin is scientifically illiterate enough to run America.”
In other words, while she may not accept evolution, they don’t know if she’s a Young Earth Creationist.
And that’s just unacceptable to them.
In 2006, then-candidate Palin indicated in a TV debate that creation should be taught alongside evolution in the state’s public schools, declaring that schools should “teach both. You know, don’t be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.”3 Now, in stating this, she may have been advocating the teaching of scientific creationism, as opposed to biblical creationism4 (the latter having been deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 19875), but we don’t really know.
I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry.
(via Happy Jihad’s House of Pancakes)
Permalink ~
08.30.08
Posted in General at 10:12 pm by Hemant Mehta
Webster Cook. Remember him? He’s the student who took a communion wafer back to his dorm room and started a maelstrom at the University of Central Florida and beyond, received death threats from Catholics, and was facing expulsion from his university. At the very least, he was facing impeachment from his role as Student Government Association senator.
So what happened to his position in the student government?
The Senate was set to vote on three different charges, however it only took a two-thirds vote on any one of the three to remove Cook from office.
Cook was found guilty of the second charge. The charge was for misfeasance, which is defined by SGA as a lawful act performed in a wrongful manner by a Student Government official in execution of his or her duties.
The vote on the charge of misfeasance was 22-7-1 against Cook. After the vote was tallied, Cook was officially removed from office.
It seems absurd to think what he did was done with any bad intentions. If anything, he was being peaceful while attending a church and representatives of the Catholic Church on his campus were the ones causing a disruption. Listen to his interview on Freethought Radio (MP3, beginning at the 18:30 mark) to hear what I’m talking about.
The student government has no business voting on whether a communion wafer is actually the body of Christ, and if they’re not doing that, it’s hard to say what exactly Webster did wrong. As a result, he shouldn’t be found guilty of anything.
Webster doesn’t deserve this stain on his résumé.
And if students at UCF want to avoid further embarrassment, they should vote any anti-Webster representatives out of office during the next election.
(via Edger)
Permalink ~
Posted in General at 6:00 pm by Hemant Mehta
Why should atheists be worried about Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Harriet Miers Sarah Palin?
The Christian Coalition loves her:
Roberta Combs, President of the Christian Coalition of America said: “Governor Sarah Palin is a bold choice for Vice President who is a courageous advocate for unborn children. In addition, she is a conservative who is a reformer not afraid to shake up the establishment. I congratulate Senator McCain for his outstanding selection for his vice presidential running mate.”
The Concerned Women for America love her:
Janice Shaw Crouse, director and senior fellow of CWA’s Beverly LaHaye Institute, said,
“It is particularly significant that a conservative woman was nominated for the nation’s second highest office. For years the feminist movement has acknowledged for leadership only those women who embrace a radical agenda. How refreshing that now we have a woman who reflects the values of mainstream American women. Sarah Palin is pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-family. She is a woman who is balancing the personal and professional in admirable ways. She is an outstanding woman who will be an excellent role model for the nation’s young people. Sarah Palin is chief among equals with American professional women; she brings the kind of balance that characterizes the high-achieving women of today. She will bring to the forefront of our cultural conversations an intelligent, realistic, well-grounded woman’s perspective.”
Crouse concluded: “Take that feminists — here is a woman of accomplishment who brings a fresh face to traditional values and models the type of woman most girls want to become.”
Liberty Alliance Action loves her:
“Gov. Palin is pro-life and pro-marriage. She is also a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association,” said [LAA Chairman Mathew] Staver. “Personnel is policy. With the selection of Gov. Palin, Sen. John McCain has proven that he can exercise sound judgment. Gov. Palin has electrified conservatives,” noted Staver.
Family Research Council Action loves her:
[Says President Tony Perkins:] “Senator McCain made an outstanding pick from the choices that were on the table. Governor Sarah Palin is an outspoken advocate for pro-family policies that energize social conservatives. She has a record of advancing the culture of life at every opportunity including championing a ban on partial-birth abortion and promoting parental consent for minor abortions.
“On February 11th of this year, for example, she signed into law the ‘Safe Haven for Infants Act,’ facilitating the safe surrender of an unwanted newborn to a place of safety and hope. Her actions contrast sharply with the Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who when he was in the Illinois Senate repeatedly helped to kill a bill that sought to protect babies who survived abortion.”
Even James Dobson has has apparently turned gay for her, saying, “I would pull that lever [for McCain].”
Other reasons we should be worried:
Palin wants to teach Intelligent Design:
“Teach both [evolution and creationism]. You know, don’t be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both. And, you know, I say this, too, as the daughter of a science teacher. Growing up with being so privileged and blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject — creationism and evolution. It’s been a healthy foundation for me. But don’t be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides.”
She thinks religious leaders have the freedom to endorse candidates from the pulpit:
“A pastor, a priest, a rabbi, certainly they have the freedom to say whatever they want to say. And you know, thank the lord that we do have that freedom of speech.
“Faith is very important to so many of us here in America, and I would never support any government effort to stifle our freedom of religion or freedom of expression or freedom of speech.
“You know, I would just caution maybe a pastor to be very careful if they’re in front of a congregation and they decide to endorse one candidate over another. You know, there may be some frustration with that candidacy endorsement being made manifest by a few, fewer dollars in the offering plate, so I would just offer that bit of caution (laughing.)
“But, no, I’ll tell you, freedom of speech is so precious and it’s worth defending and of course freedom of religion and freedom of expression will be things that I will fight for.”
Just wait till the weekend’s over and the media have combed through her entire personal and political life.
We’ll get more of her absurd statements and the Religious Right’s fawning press releases.
Permalink ~
Posted in General at 1:14 pm by Hemant Mehta
At the end of The Colbert Report segment with atheist lobbyist Lori Lipman Brown, Stephen Colbert made a reference to atheists having threeway sex with snakes.
Here’s what he was referring to — a scene that was cut from the final interview:
(Thanks to Joe for the link!)
Permalink ~
Posted in General at 10:06 am by Hemant Mehta
Last night, Lori Lipman Brown of the Secular Coalition for America appeared on The Colbert Report.
Here is the segment!
I thought she did a wonderful job 
And the piece was hilarious, even from an atheist perspective. If you know how Stephen Colbert does his interviews, then this fits right alongside all his others. If you’ve never seen the show before, you might be confused.
With two hours of filming edited down to five minutes, they can make Lori look however they want her to look. But I thought she held her own and was a good sport when Colbert began improvising and tried to get her off-topic.
Did you spot:
- Lori’s Wrist Strong bracelet?
- The picture of Lori’s family behind Stephen?
- The sexual chemistry between the two?!
Now, off I go to have three-way sex with snakes. It’s what good atheists do.
Permalink ~
Posted in General at 9:00 am by Hemant Mehta
You can have Barack Obama believe in whatever you want, too.
(Thanks to Lexi for the link!)
Permalink ~
08.29.08
Posted in General at 8:00 pm by Hemant Mehta
Tonight, Lori Lipman Brown — the Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America — is scheduled to appear on The Colbert Report (after being bumped last night).
In anticipation of her “Better Know a Lobbyist” segment, other organizations are already sending their congratulations. Here’s a statement from the Council for Secular Humanism:
The Council for Secular Humanism congratulates our friends at SCA on securing this opportunity to promote awareness of the nonreligious community in the United States. The show should be interesting — and entertaining.
For those who would like some inside information about the interview in advance of the airing…
It was filmed in the Secular Coalition for America offices in Washington, D.C. — not a studio. Lori said the SCA sign was visible on the shelf, as were pictures of herself, partner, and pet. Hopefully, all were caught on camera.
Did she receive any advice before being interviewed?
“Don’t laugh,” she said, adding that that’s not easy when facing Stephen Colbert.
The two hours of taping were whittled down to a five or six minute segment.
What was cut?!
Lori speculates with good humor:
I’m sure he will cut the parts where I am absolutely brilliant, so whatever he shows — just assume I was much more spectacular on the cutting room floor. I also assume he will cut the nude scenes.
I can’t wait
Permalink ~
Posted in General at 6:00 pm by Hemant Mehta
If you go to the website for the 2008 Republican National Convention, you can search for videos. Right now, no videos exist since the convention has not yet begun.
But that hasn’t stopped something strange from happening.
When you click on any of the video links (”Main Feed,” “En Español,” etc.)… instead of a video popping up, you get this odd little image instead:
What the heck is that?!
It’s a symbol for the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic Virtual Learning Centre in Ontario, Canada:
The Catholic schools of Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka, rooted in a rich tradition of faith, family and community values, are committed to education as lifelong growth. Our response to personal and societal challenges has helped to form a vibrant school system which is resolute in its commitment to academic excellence nurtured within a faith-filled Catholic environment. As communities of faith, Catholic schools are called to be visible signs of Christ in the modern world.
I want to assume this is just a mistake… but when you see a GOP website “accidentally” featuring a symbol of the cross, you can’t blame a person for thinking there’s a stronger connection between the two than either side wants to admit…
(Thanks to Sasha for the link!)
Permalink ~
Posted in General, Politics at 4:26 pm by Hemant Mehta
Only a couple days after the first post, you all have sent fantastic letters to Senate candidate Kay Hagan’s campaign as well as to her opponent (and anti-atheist fearmongerer) Elizabeth Dole and thrown a lot of support her way.
So far, you’ve raised $1620 and that’s only counting the people who commented on this site.
Here’s one more incredible letter sent by reader Sarah Hewitt to the Dole campaign:
To Ms Dole or to the reader of this e-mail,
I grew up in the 1990s and remember my parents voting for Mr. Dole in 1996. I remember reading about Elizabeth Dole and hoping she could successfully run for President herself one day. As a young girl, I had few strong female role models I could identify with, and I respected the moderate positions and understandable stances that Ms Dole took in a complicated political setting. In the current hubbub surrounding the Presidential election, I hadn’t thought of Ms Dole in some time, as I’m not a native of North Carolina but rather of Michigan.
A few days ago, I was extremely upset to read about the attacks made by the Dole campaign concerning Kay Hagan’s plans to attend a fundraiser held by atheists, agnostics and other non-religious voters. That simply meeting with them and accepting their money is criticized by the Dole campaign outrages and saddens me. As an atheist from a Christian family who understands and respects my personal beliefs and values I have come to expect and demand decency and fair treatment from the believers around me, including the politicians who represent my rights. The separation of church and state is a controversial issue right now, but it is beyond extreme to attack a political opponent for simply being willing to hear from the minority side of the debate who are only trying to protect their civil right — not to interfere with the rights of others to practice religion.
The language used in the press release paints the non-believers in America with an ugly brush, and I am disappointed in my former role model for this low move. Atheists and agnostics are not and should not be treated as second-class citizens or political untouchables. Taking advantage of prejudices against us is as disgusting a tactic as it would be to take advantage of a local prejudice against any other minority.
I hope but do not expect that a public apology and explanation for this incident will be forthcoming. In the meantime, I will make sure that my friends and family know what has happened, and I will be donating money to Hagan’s campaign — the first time I have ever donated money to a political campaign in my life — as a way of speaking out against this kind of abhorrent behavior.
Sincerely,
Sarah Hewitt
If you want to donate, you can do so here.
To response to a comment made on this site, I have inquired about an interview, but no response from Hagan’s campaign yet.
Permalink ~
« Previous entries
