The Atheist Mama

So on to Rev. E. F. Briggs.
He’s the one responsible for the billboard that Lamar Advertising *will* allow.

Well, here he is. Meet Reverend E.F. Francis Briggs.
This 96 year old Reverend is responsible for such a disgusting, hateful billboard.

You can learn more than you ever wanted to know about him here.
“Associate Briggs has remained Steadfast for God and Country.”

Father Everett Briggs
Near Martyr and a Most Unforgettable Priest
(They forgot hate-monger)
“He has designed and financed billboards attacking the anti-Christian leanings of our social institutions…”

His billboards have been mentioned in The Catalyst (go to this link and scroll to the next heading) -

“GO FATHER BRIGGS!

Congratulations Father Briggs. You’re our kind of guy.”

Apparently, he’s a poet too.

He’s now a resident of St. Barbara’s Nursing Home.

Yuck. What an ass.

Tags:
atheism, atheist, american family association, lamar advertising, billboards, columbusblogger, ohio

While on my daily visit to Meet an Atheist, I read one of his most recent posts about Lamar Advertising. You know who that is, right? They do a lot of the billboards that you see on the interstates.

Well, let’s start with one of the billboards that is in Monongah, West Virginia.

This deserves a whole different post. So I’ll address this Reverend Briggs guy later.
But just keep in mind that the above billboard is OK!! It is up and running.

The ones below, however, are not. Why? Because “It’s not in line with community standards.”

From Meet an Atheist -
“And in Georgia, they have refused to run ads for Georgia Equality, a GLBT support group. The ads which depicted doctors, firemen and professionals with the slogan, We are Gay and We are your Neighbors, was refused because it violated local community standards.”

In Wisconsin, Lamar Advertising refused an Environment2004 ad that states “Mercury. It’s what’s for dinner. Served up by the Bush Administration.”

“The primary billboard company in Sioux Falls & Rapid City (in fact the only company in SF), LAMAR, has refused to allow us to put the billboards up. The general manager thinks it is “offensiveâ€Â? and a bad business decision. He doesn’t want to have to put up with a bunch of calls from people who oppose Planned Parenthood. When Kate Looby asked him if he would continue to display abstinence only billboards in SF, he told her he would because nobody has a problem with the abstinence only message.”

Rejected by Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Bressler Outdoor Advertising, Star Outdoor and Outdoor Network Media in Crawford, Texas (near President Bush’s ranch).

“Executives at a major outdoor advertising company refusing to run billboard ads criticizing state legislative leaders for voting themselves 16- to 34-percent raises, have been a steady source of campaign donations for some of those same lawmakers.”
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/12459870.htm

Lamar Advertising also pulled billboards advertising The Headliners Club thanks to pressure from The AFA of Pennsylvania (who is working with The Citizens for Community Values on removing offensive billboards). I tried to find a picture of a billboard but couldn’t.

I agree with Alan and many others who have said that we need to write letters and be heard about this.

Here is the information you need:

Mr. Kevin P. Reilly, Jr.
Chairman & CEO
Lamar Advertising Co.
5551 Corporate Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Call: (225) 926-1000.
Fax: (225) 926-1005.

Lamar Pres and CFO and CEO contacts:

kreilly@lamarhq.com
sreilly@lamarhq.com
kistre@lamarhq.com

Here’s a link to the Executive officers of Lamar Advertising

Thanks to:
Meet an Atheist
The Democratic Party Blog

Tags:
atheism, atheist, american family association, lamar advertising, billboards, columbusblogger, ohio

I’ve been thinking more and more about my previous post.

“Jesus, could you let the ringing in our ears from the Fourth of July fireworks stop before assulting our senses with Christmas music and decorations.”

Ok, this guy was asking for it. Am I offended? Hell no. Are others? Absolutely, and I guess I can’t blame them.

So I guess my point is that I don’t have a problem with what he wrote, but I can see why others would.

When I sell this house, would that letter that she wrote be a reason to not give her my business? I mean, she never mentioned God or Jesus or anything like that when we were working with her. So I respect that.
In her letter, she did refer to “our God” and “my Lord”, not “the” God or “the” Lord, so she’s not pushing her beliefs onto others. She was just stating that she was offended.

Hmmmm… Food for thought…

Use of ‘Jesus’ in column offensive, not appropriate

To the editor:
I am writing regarding Tim Krumlauf’s commentary in the Nov. 23 issue of the Gahanna News.
I read paragraph one, under the heading “Holiday Season Retailers,” four times to make sure I wasn’t reading it incorrectly. Mr. Krumlauf begins his paragraph with “Jesus, could you let the ringing in our ears…” Was Mr. Krumlauf addressing a question to Jesus or was he truly so obtuse (and your proofreaders so anxious to check out for Thanksgiving) that he used my Lord’s name in vain to make a point? There is no question mark at the end of the sentence that begins with ‘could’ (those darn proofreaders) so I have to believe that he was using Jesus’s name as an expletive.
I am deeply offended by this Mr. Krumlauf - look out your window. See all that red and green? See the lights and the tinsel? Occasionally you may see a farm-looking setting with a barn and people with robes standing around. See that small baby in a crib looking structure with hay? This is Jesus. 92 percent of Americans still celebrate His birth. Many of us worship Him. His name is holy. He is our Lord. He is not a curse word.
Shame on you. How ironic that your insensitivity was in a commentary headlined “Stupidity Awards.”

Kathy Chiero

This is the paragraph she was speaking of -
“Jesus, could you let the ringing in our ears from the Fourth of July fireworks stop before assulting our senses with Christmas music and decorations.”
His commentary was titled “Stupidity awards from the roundtable”.

She is the one who we purchased this house with. She will not be the one we sell with.

Tags:
atheism, atheist, Christian, columbusblogger, christmas

I found this site while researching the laws regarding teaching ID in Ohio - www.idnetohio.com

So for the last few days I’ve been going over the site and writing up my submission to the Dissenter’s Corner.

http://ohio.intelligentdesignnetwork.us/pages/dissenters-post-dec.-8.php

From the emails, I can say that the director is a really nice guy, is very respectful and seems very open to the opinions of others. I’m thrilled that I was able to get my opinion out there.

December 8, 2005 — Submission from Cassandra Cox in Gahanna

Intelligent Design Network of Ohio,

I’m glad to see that you are accepting and publishing opposing views; I respect and appreciate that.

I am a mother of two in Columbus, Ohio and I’d like to share my thoughts on this subject. I didn’t read all of the submissions completely, so I apologize if I am being redundant.

My overall opinion is that teaching “intelligent design” in public schools’ science classrooms is irresponsible and dangerous. While some think that ID is a scientific theory, the fact is that it is not. I see the push for ID in the science room as a part of a bigger political agenda.

Upon reading through your site, I want to respond to some of the comments made in your “Criticisms of ID Answered” section.

Criticism No. 3: Intelligent design is religious belief masquerading as a secular idea (http://ohio.intelligentdesignnetwork.us/pages/criticism-3.php)

In response to Response #1 - Perhaps Richard Dawkins did say that “Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.” I honestly doubt that he’d appreciate being quoted to back theists up in their claim that ID is not creationism in disguise.

In response to Response #2 - I noticed that atheism is described as a religion several times. Atheism is not a religion. Atheism is not a belief. So to say that Darwinism is “a religious belief masquerading as a secular idea.” about atheism is incorrect. Atheism is inherently secular.

“Nearly every dictionary will define religion as ‘belief’ in a divine or superhuman power or powers to be obeyed and worshiped as the creator(s) and ruler(s) of the universe. The definition of all other terms linked to religion employ much the same language - church, monastery, priest. They are all part of a religious-language universe or ‘game’ that has little to do with Atheism. There cannot be an Atheist ‘Church’, or an Atheist ‘priest’ anymore than there could be an Atheist ‘God.’” ~American Atheists (http://www.atheists.org/faqs/atheism.html#not.religion)

Criticism No. 4: Intelligent design is no different than belief in the Flying Spaghetti Monster (http://ohio.intelligentdesignnetwork.us/pages/criticism-4.php)
In your response to Frank Wylie regarding the Flying Spaghetti Monster, you say that “if the Church of the Spaghetti Monster has any evidence to support its claims, then, in the interest of objective science IDnet Ohio will be in full support of their evidence-based science.” I don’t remember seeing any evidence here to support the claim of ID. If in fact you do have evidence to support your claims, please place a link directly to it in your navigation. It would make it much easier for people trying to understand how ID is a scientific theory.

Criticism No. 6: Most scientists do not support the position of intelligent design (http://ohio.intelligentdesignnetwork.us/pages/criticism-6.php)

I think that the response to this criticism scares me the most.

“You cannot expect ‘educated people’ to know anything on a topic for which they received no education, much less exposure.”

You can also not expect high school science teachers to teach on a subject that they have received no education, much less exposure to.

“The solution is to fix science education.”

Do you expect all science educators to be re-educated on the subject of ID? At whose expense? Who will be paying for the new textbooks that will have to include ID? Me? The tax paying atheist?

“…and teachers should encourage students to ask the right questions.”

Here are a couple of questions -

Who determines what the “right questions” are?

How can the subject of God not come up while discussing ID?

Is the teacher to guide the discussion away from specific topics?

How can a teacher answer all questions fairly and accurately without influencing her answers with her own beliefs?

What happens when the inevitable debate comes up: Evolution vs. Creationism?

No matter what you call it, ID and creationism go hand in hand. How can you expect high school students to make a separation between the two?

I think that the science classroom will become nothing more than a debate session that will include religion and more specifically, Christianity. I don’t see how it can be avoided.

“Most scientists do not support the position of intelligent design” (a claim that you agreed is 100% true).

If ID is not supported by scientists, who will be doing the research and how?

It seems that a lot of the answers to the criticisms are not answers at all. For example, instead of an answer to the criticism saying that ID isn’t science because it is not testable, the statement that is made is that “…the ‘untestability’ criticism of intelligent design needs to be turned back around on Darwinism.”

I visited the FAQ’s at discover.org (a link that you provided), and I’d like to comment on a few things I read there. First, after reading the claim that ID is not the same as creationism, I can honestly say that I see how that was once the case.

“Creationism is focused on defending a literal reading of the Genesis account, usually including the creation of the earth by the Biblical God a few thousand years ago. Unlike creationism, the scientific theory of intelligent design is agnostic regarding the source of design and has no commitment to defending Genesis, the Bible or any other sacred text.”

I can accept this. However, like I stated above, I don’t feel that this has much to do with actually teaching ID anymore. I think that this has “evolvedâ€Â? into a political, religious agenda at our children’s expense.

I also wanted to comment on number one under Questions about Criticism of Darwinian Evolution. It states that “The scientific theory of intelligent design holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause…”

In your response to Criticism No 1, you simplified the definition of science: “science is simply the human activity of seeking explanations for natural phenomena, the explanations being based on observable data.â€�

How can something that is “best explained by an intelligent causeâ€� be natural? It sounds to me like something that is supernatural.

su·per·nat·u·ral adj. (http://www.answers.com)

1.Of or relating to existence outside the natural world.

2.Attributed to a power that seems to violate or go beyond natural forces.

3.Of or relating to a deity.

4.Of or relating to the immediate exercise of divine power; miraculous.

5.Of or relating to the miraculous.

It’s truly amazing to me that this is even an issue in 2005. I feel as if we are going backwards. I don’t understand how anyone can support teaching myths in the science classroom. I think that teaching ID is just the beginning to possibly dividing classrooms, schools, communities… The country? Why not leave ID/creationism to the church and let schools focus on what is really important - academics.

Thank you,

Cassandra Cox

Gahanna, Ohio

Tags:
atheism, atheist, Christian, intelligent design, Creationism, evolution, darwinism, columbusblogger, ohio

Ok, the main reason I’m even posting about Gibson is because of this picture of him.

Who does that look like to you??

Thanks Rob!

HEAVY SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM
EST FRIDAY
TOTAL ACCUMULATION OF 3 TO 5 INCHES.

Hopefully we won’t get over an inch.

Last year we had quite a storm but it was ice. We ended up with no power for 4 days and were stuck in a hotel room. It was miserable with a 2 year old and a 3 month old. When we got back to the house, it was 38* inside. It took about 24 hours to warm back up to 70*.
It was crazy… The night the power went out I was sleeping (it was about 3 am) and I heard a very loud pop and there was a bright light. We didn’t realize that a transformer behind the house had blown up until later.

Here’s a picture from December 26, 2004 -

Let’s hope there’s no ice this year!!

I’ll have to call Robert and tell him to bring home beer.

Tags:
columbusblogger, columbus

For anyone who’s interested…

24 hour EEG Results

So there’s good (great) news and then there’s news that’s not bad, but not so great either.
The good news -
We didn’t have to stay the full 24 hours and got to come home at around 6:30 last night.
The staring spells that Jesse is having don’t seem to be epileptic.

The not so good news -
The staring spells aren’t epileptic, which means that it’s behaviorial or neurological.
We don’t know if the medication he is taking actually reduced the staring spells or if it’s a coincidence that the spells decreased when he started taking it.

If they’re behaviorial or neurological, I guess that would mean that they’re some sort of tic.

I’ll be calling the Dr. on Friday. She’s going to go over Jesse’s case with some behaviorial specialists. Apparently, this medication (Trileptal) is sometimes used for behaviorial issues with good results (along with Depakote). So now we decide if we keep him on it for a little longer or start trying to wean him and see what happens.

VERY hard decision. He’s really made some major improvements and I’d hate to screw that up, but keeping him on medication when he’s not having seizures?

So we honestly don’t know what to do now, and the doctors don’t seem all that sure either.

So that’s it… we just keep on truckin’ I guess.

Limbo
1 theological intermediary (used)

“Constructed in the 13th century as a solution to the theological conundrum of what happened to babies who died before they were christened, Limbo has been home from home to millions of top quality souls. Liberation of Limbo by one P. Benedict (IVI) has brought this top quality theological space to the open market.”

My son is going to be having a 24 hour EEG done and we’ll be going to Children’s Hospital in the morning.
Soooo… until then!!

:-)

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/12/04.html#a6176

This is just scary. It’s about 5 minutes long. I’ve never seen this show, and I have no idea what the deal is, but it seems that this woman needs help.

Yikes…

Tags:
atheist, Christian, trading spouses

No, not to Firefox. I did that a while ago.
I switched from Windows XP to Ubuntu.
It’s not so bad!! I actually really like being out of Microsoft land. It’s something to get used to, that’s for sure. But the messenger software (Gaim) is very cool. The email software (Thunderbird) is very much like Outlook Express.
There are lots of different, cool little features. So, I’m impressed and I think that I can say goodbye to Windows now.

My husband has been trying to convince me to switch for a while now, but I had no interest. Finally, I decided to give it a try.

I can certainly say that I recommend it to the average computer user out there.

Tags:
ubuntu, Linux, Windows, Microsoft

Porn domain faces further delays

“Plans for the .xxx have been criticised by many people and organisations, among them former Icann board member Karl Auerbach and US conservative religious groups, including the Family Research Council.”

No way… You think?

I think that this is a great idea.
It is mentioned in the artice, that “…because signing up for .xxx was voluntary, there was no guarantee pornographers would move material to the new domain…” Like Angie said, this is the Internet!! It should be voluntary! Can you imagine what it would be like if you were forced to use a specific extension because of the content of your site?

Hey, maybe when (if) this goes through, cassandracox.com (caution…) will move on over to cassandracox.xxx so that I can step up as the rightful owner!

Tags:
technology, Internet, websites, porn

On The Bos’un Locker Freedom of Religion Watch Update 11/30/2005 he posts a letter from the American Family Association suggests boycotting Target because of their refusal to use the term “christmas” in their “promotions and advertising next year” [2006].

I commented:
“Why are christians so upset about being offended and so quick to offend others? Just because people that don’t celebrate xmas are a minority? That’s the same as excluding people who aren’t white from Target ads in the US because they are a minority.”

I honestly don’t understand why they don’t care about offending others. It’s so strange to me.

Tags:
Religion, atheism, atheist, christmas, holidays, solstice

The Evangelical Atheist has put up a great list of gifts for the godless.

I’d like a couple of GIANTmicrobes, please.

Tags:
Religion, atheism, atheist, christmas, holidays, solstice

John Bartlett, a “Christ-follower, Husband, Father, Friend” said (mistakingly) that he thought of getting into a wreck with a man who had a “Proud Atheist” bumpersticker, just so that he could have a conversation with the guy and try to “reason” with him.
This was on November 15th, and the comments are still going strong!

He did explain later that he had no intention of actually getting into an accident with the guy, but it’s interesting that it crossed his mind, even for long enough to blog about it.

He says that “it shocks me that someone could believe there was no God.”

I guess he’s just as shocked as I am that someone could believe that there is a god.

Tags:
Religion, atheism, atheist, God

Today I got the solstice cards that I ordered from the Freedom from Religion Foundation. I’m really happy with them. I looked all over for cards that were appropriate for our family and the solstice. This site had quite a few that I could have ordered.

Now, if only I could find some solstice stamps…

Tags:
Religion, atheism, atheist, christmas, holidays, solstice

Keep Science, Faith Separate

In the Atheist Mom’s group that I’m in, a member posted a response to an email written to Sue Gamble.
Here is an excerpt:

“This has stopped being about science or education it is now about stopping a political movement that wants to turn our education system back to a time that we did not expect that all students could learn to high expectations. If we don’t stop this movement now it will harm our economic viability both at the state level but also nationally because this is a national movement.”

How scary this statement is…

vjack is right. How in the hell is this happening in 2005?

Today I commented that I should re-visit the idea of “homeschooling for religious reasons” (and homeschooling is something I have wanted to do for a long time). After my son was determined special needs, I figured that the idea of homeschooling was no longer an option. But, luckily - what makes my son special needs has nothing to do with intelligence. I’m realizing that it is an option.

But then someone suggested:
“If you don’t like what’s being taught in the schools, that’s a really
*good* reason to stay involved with them, and demand that they adhere to
the Constitution.”

And how right she is.
I think that raising children in a society where they are teaching about creationism in science class is going to be a challange… How can we - such a minority - save our children?

I’m honestly saddened and hurt by all of this and I fear for us all.

Tags:
atheism, atheist, evolution, Intelligent Design

What a strange name for this blog.

This was posted in the comments on NoGodBlog and I just thought it was really good and worth an entry here.

Comment from: ********** [Member]
“The Solstice is the Reason for the Season, Solstice Conifers are ancient traditions to bring in the scent of nature into the dank homes of harsh winter climates predating Vatican / xian claims that an alleged baby god was born coincidentally upon Saturnalia of the Roman pantheon of alleged deities. Christ Mass trees are very recent English traditions of the last 14 decades or so. Much like the praying to the flag of McCarthy just 50 years ago, idiots assume something that is older than they are are ancient. Current attempts to blame the ACLU & American Atheists for “renaming” exclusive religious marketing & theocratics into less inclusive “holiday” trees & school pageants is just plain self serving big lies. Xians used to mumble both: “Merry Xmas & Happy Hannukah” to placate voices of anti-semitism correctly responding to the frenzies of merchants & cashiers to pretend gift buying & gift wrapping somehow is holy & sacred. Since I cut out the illegal motto on all of my currency, clerks/cashiers instantly can observe my non-compliance with the theocratic conspiracies to re-write history pretending that Christmas/Xmas was not for many years illegal in states like Alabama as a “popish ritual.” I encourage all people to fight back with responses like: “crusades are not happy history” or “alleged baby gods are not my idea of symbolizing peace on earth or good will toward men” when some clerk or shopper tries this mindless drivel of religious brainwashed blather. Nonetheless, I do it with a smile, and thank people for their smiles & their good intentions. I remind them religious violence begins with presuming one religion is better than another. Bigotry is simply pretending one is better than another. I have compassion for theocratic victims of propaganda. I stand for telling the truth and guiding a light out of the darkness. I light my Solstice Conifer with American Atheist orbits, colored lights, Stars like Polaris and home made ornaments my children have enjoyed creating out of celebratory scientific hope. No single religion can monopolize good cheer or compassion, indeed they need to be held accountable for their source books, their bibles that call me a: “fool” & “a reprobate.” And cited for the examples of training young & old minds alike to practice violence illustrated in such texts as the King James Bible. Now, during this current “heat season” of pious fervor, sprinkle out reason for the season, logic not sick dishonest sentiments and smile as someone free from threats of hell or bribes of heaven. Peace on earth will happen when such a message such as mine is never censored in the future as it is frequently now.”
Permalink 12/01/05 @ 17:20

This is well written, and pretty to the point. I couldn’t have written it better myself (really, I couldn’t… that’s why I’m copying and pasting it here).

Tags:
Religion, atheism, atheist, christmas, holidays, solstice