* Atheist's Lawsuit Cites His Treatment in the Army

Saturday, April 26, 2008

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — Like hundreds of young men joining the Army in recent years, Jeremy Hall professes a desire to serve his country while it fights terrorism.

"But the short and soft-spoken specialist is at the center of a legal controversy. He has filed a lawsuit alleging he's been harassed and his constitutional rights have been violated because he doesn't believe in God. The suit names Defense Secretary Robert Gates."
. . .

"Known as "the atheist guy," Hall has been called immoral, a devil worshipper and — just as severe to some soldiers — gay, none of which, he says, is true. Hall even drove fellow soldiers to church in Iraq and paused while they prayed before meals." More ...

Cross-reference METAXY: Atheists in Foxholes and George Bush's Christian god told him to go to war with Iraq.

New York Times: Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats

"It is unclear how widespread religious discrimination or proselytizing is in the armed forces, constitutional law experts and leaders of veterans’ groups said. No one has independently studied the issue, and service members are reluctant to come forward because of possible backlash, those experts said."

Weekly Quote:
Merton on Religion and Poverty

by Austin Cline

It is easy enough to tell the poor to accept their poverty as God's will when you yourself have warm clothes and plenty of food and medical care and a roof over your head and no worry about the rent. But if you want them to believe you - try to share some of their poverty and see if you can accept it as God's will yourself! - Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation, chapter 14, p. 107 (1949).

~ Hope for America After All?

New Poll Finds That Young Americans Are Leaning Left

by ADAM NAGOURNEY and MEGAN THEE
Published: June 27, 2007

Today's youth "have continued a long-term drift away from the Republican Party. And although they are just as worried as the general population about the outlook for the country and think their generation is likely to be worse off than that of their parents, they retain a belief that their votes can make a difference, the poll found.

"More than half of Americans ages 17 to 29 — 54 percent — say they intend to vote for a Democrat for president in 2008. They share with the public at large a negative view of President Bush, who has a 28 percent approval rating with this group, and of the Republican Party. They hold a markedly more positive view of Democrats than they do of Republicans."

Full Article for specifics, e.g., stance on gay marriage, abortion, etc. ...

If this current trend continues a more stable America could emerge for the future.

* American Women Lose 34 Years of Progress ~ Back to Alleys and Coathangers

Top court upholds ban on abortion procedure

'Partial birth' law at issue; first time for justices to ban a specific procedure

April 18, 2007

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court's conservative majority upheld a nationwide ban Wednesday on a controversial abortion procedure in a decision that sets the stage for additional restrictions on a woman's right to choose.

For the first time since the court established a woman's right to an abortion in 1973, the justices said the Constitution permits a nationwide prohibition on a specific abortion method. The court's liberal justices, in dissent, said the ruling chips away at abortion rights.

* The new law, in the works for a long time, was effected by five old duffers, all men, two of whom were appointed by Bush, i.e., Roberts and Alito. The ruling includes two years in federal prison for doctors who violate the law even if the woman's health is at stake.

The preservation of the sanctity of human life is critical for everyone but so is the human right to self-determination. A law forbidding vasectomies can be slightly likened to this new law.

Bush 'pleased'

Reacting to the ruling, Bush said that it affirms the progress his administration has made to defend the "sanctity of life."

"I am pleased that the Supreme Court has upheld a law that prohibits the abhorrent procedure of partial birth abortion," he said. "Today's decision affirms that the Constitution does not stand in the way of the people's representatives enacting laws reflecting the compassion and humanity of America."

It was the first time the court banned a specific procedure in a case over how - not whether - to perform an abortion.

* Oh, please! "The compassion and humanity of America"? So why not end the Iraq war, Mr. President!

blogHillary

* Who's Who on the Religious Right?

AMERICANS UNITED FOR SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

"Religious Right leaders often claim that they offer a mainstream vision for America. Their own words, however, demonstrate a radical worldview far removed from the values of most Americans. Over the past two decades, their rhetoric and agenda have been shrill, divisive and extreme."

The single greatest threat to church-state separation in America is the Religious Right TOP 10, PDF

Read all about 'em ...

* We Need a New Enlightenment in America ~ Paul Kurtz

gapingvoid.com

The Culture War Continues in Spite of the Recent Election

by Paul Kurtz

Dr. Kurtz writes, "The results of the recent elections are gratifying to secular humanists, for they discredited the Religious Right. This is one victory in a protracted Culture War that has been raging in the United States. Free Inquiry was virtually the first national voice, dating back to 1980 (see the “Secular Humanist Declaration”) that sounded an alarm that fundamentalists and evangelicals of the Moral Majority (later, the Christian Coalition) planned to take over political power. Unfortunately, the Culture War still continues. Indeed the lame-duck Senate has attempted to introduce two measures—the nomination of extremely conservative judges and an unprecedented effort to penalize attorneys who contest infractions of the separation of church and state ...more

Paul Kurtz is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo, and Chairman, Center for Inquiry, Brief Biography

* Supreme Court Agrees To Review ‘Faith-Based’ Case

The White House
Washington, D.C. 20502
(202) 456 - 6708 (Phone)
(202) 456 - 7019 (Fax)
www.fbci.gov

Yes, there really is such a thing in American government, but good news!

Americans United for Separation of Church and State
January 2007

"The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether taxpayers may bring a legal challenge against the White House’s “faith-based” agenda.

"On Dec. 1, the justices announced that they will hear oral arguments in February over a lower court decision that said three Wisconsin taxpayers had standing to sue the Bush administration for its creation of an Office of Faith-Based and Com­munity Initiatives and other promotion of the faith-based initiative.

"In 2005, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation ruled that taxpayers “have standing to challenge an executive-branch program, alleged to promote religion, that is financed by a congressional appropriation….”

"The Bush administration asked the Supreme Court to overrule the 7th Circuit, arguing that court precedent allows taxpayers to challenge congressional aid to religion, but not executive branch actions that rely on general funds.

“This is a relatively narrow question,” said Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, “but it’s quite important. We believe that no tax money should be spent to advance religion. It’s essential that the justices uphold the principle that taxpayers can go to court when their money is being used to advance religion.”

"Lynn noted that the case is the first church-state controversy to reach the court since two Bush appointees – Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito – have joined the bench.

“Both Roberts and Alito expressed general support for church-state separation during their confirmation hearings,” Lynn said. “This case will be a good opportunity for them to put that viewpoint to good use.” (For a full analysis of this important case, see the February 2007 issue of Church & State.)"

I will. It's about time.

* Gay Animals Out of the Closet, Cave, Nest, Whatever ~ Some Unhappy Religious Folks

First-ever museum display shows 51 species exhibiting homosexuality.

Scientists say that homosexual activity among giraffes is, in many cases, more common than heterosexual activity.

by Sara Goudarzi
LiveScience Staff Writer
November 16, 2006

"From male killer whales that ride the dorsal fin of another male to female bonobos that rub their genitals together, the animal kingdom tolerates all kinds of lifestyles.

"A first-ever museum display, "Against Nature?," which opened last month at the University of Oslo's Natural History Museum in Norway, presents 51 species of animals exhibiting homosexuality.

"Homosexuality has been observed in more than 1,500 species, and the phenomenon has been well described for 500 of them," said Petter Bockman, project coordinator of the exhibition."
...

"Against Nature?" was set up partly to demystify the concept.

"The argument that a homosexual way of living cannot be accepted because it is against the "laws of nature" can now be rejected scientifically, said Geir Soli, project leader for the exhibition. "A main target for this project was to get museums involved in current debate; to show that museums are more than just a gallery for the past."

MSNBC's Full Story ...

To learn more, see LiveScience's presentation, Gay Animals: Alternate Lifestyles in the Wild.

Example from LiveScience:

Bonobo Chimpanzees ~ "Homosexuality has been documented in almost 500 species of animals, signaling that sexual preference is predetermined. Considered the closest living relative to humans, bonobos are not shy about seeking sexual pleasure. Nearly all of these peace-loving apes are bisexual and often resolve conflict by the “make love, not war” principle. They copulate frequently, scream out in delight while doing so, and often engage in homosexual activities. About two thirds of the homosexual activities are amongst females."

Unfortunately, the museum is in Norway where I won't be going anytime soon. But I sure will make the good news available to Christians, Jews, and Muslims, and some of the godless who travel. The religious ones will be relieved to see for themselves that homosexuality is "natural," even "God-given." As well, they'll realize that homosexual marriage is as good for society as heterosexual.