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Secular Humanity - February 2009

There was a shooting outside of a downtown Portland, Oregon underage nightclub a few weeks ago. Out of respect to the dead I won't go into details, as they really don't matter as far as what I am gong to talk about. I'm concerned with an age-old device, blame those who don't share your beliefs. And of course, if you want to blame some infidels, there's nowhere better to go than to the Atheist!

After the shooting, in which three people (including the shooter) were killed, an upright citizen from the Portland area city of Milwaukie felt compelled to submit the following in a letter to the editor of The Oregonian, the state's largest newspaper.


FROM THE OREGONIAN
I could not help but notice all the coverage about the downtown shooting. All this coverage got me thinking -- the shooting was just a symptom of a much bigger problem. America lacks God.

America was once a godly nation. Times were better. People were safer. However, we have stepped away from God. We have let humanist views slip into our lifestyles. This absence of God was one cause of the downtown shooting.

The young shooter did not know the God that I know. He was probably taught about evolution. He was probably influenced by atheism. This lack of God leads to dangerous things that even the strictest laws cannot prevent.

More gun laws may be a result of the shooting. Fewer gun laws may be a result. Whatever happens, we should consider adding God back to our lives.

RUSSELL MATHEWS
Milwaukie

The esteemed writer seems to feel that the shooting would have been avoided by an America that didn't "lack God." Well damn, it's that easy, eh? Oh year, that's been tried before. For millenia, actually. Didn't work so good. What brain trusts like the writer of the above letter fail to note is just how completely theocracies and/or countries that are dominated by religious thought have failed. He also doesn't recognize America was, in part, founded to escape religious fundamentalism. And just whose God does he suggest we add back to our lives?


I was "taught about evolution," I am "influenced by Atheism," and I'm not planning on any shooting rampage. It's fact that the countries with the highest levels of Atheism also have the lowest crime levels, among the highest health and living standards, and generally happier people over countries that are very religious.

It's high time people looked to real ways to solve real problems. Pray about them if you want, but don't begrudge those of us who want to use reality.
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Why are conservatives whining so much?

February 23rd 2009 20:45
What has the American conservative movement so miffed? From Sean Hannity to Rush Limbaugh to the average conservative on the street, they are livid. Is it because their policies were so roundly rebuked? Their standard bearer, George Bush, was so soundly set aside, and may, possibly, still be held to account for crimes and misdeeds? One could expect some hurt feelings, but damn - there's a point at which it becomes ridiculous.

If one can bear for a few moments to listen to Sean Hannity you would think it's the end of America. The other shills- Limbaugh, Savage, Levin, and the rest are the same. Obama is a communist, America is going socialist, and the rich are under attack.

Well, actually, the rich are just fine. No one is suggesting they be dragged out into the streets and shot. They do, however, need to be reigned in and held to account if they have been part of causing the economic collapse. And they need to be told, in no uncertain terms, that there will no longer be an exclusive American elite. No longer will the super rich be able to live above the law and above tax obligations. And yes, their tax obligations should be substantially bigger as they use the resources of the country to a much greater degree. Of course the economy hasn't degraded enough that the rich will be reigned in. But it is getting worse, so dare to dream!

But back to conservative whining. It seems to be reaching a fever pitch. Some on the fringe are even calling for armed revolution in response to the Obama presidency, or even more unbelievable, the slight chance Mr. Bush might be held accountable. What ever happened to supposedly being a "nation of laws?" The double standard stinks more than the G.W. Bush sewage treatment plant! As if asking that laws be applied to those who for so long so themselves as above them is a bad thing!

Fact is, the American conservative movement has seen it's zenith. The damage done to the country, the economy, our international standing, and the general well-being has really started to come home to roost. Reaganomics and "trickle down" have been discredited to all but the stalwart ideologues. Most Americans now realize economies, and countries, are built from a strong foundation and grow up out of that.

Worker's rights are coming into focus again, real health care reform is on the horizon, America is rejoining the community of civilized nations, and conservatives want none of it. I think the reasons are as much about losing relevancy as they are about real ideals. They see their influence dwindling, their ideals rejected, and it scares the hell out of them.

Since Reagan conservative trends have dominated economic thinking, even, to a large degree, during the Clinton years. Now, everyone from "Joe Six Pack" to economic planners worldwide are rethinking their previous acceptance of cowboy capitalism and are looking to be more socially effective.

America is moving from a country fairly split down the middle to a country with a firm majority leaning "liberal" and a decreasing, albeit vocal, conservative minority. And while one of the firm principles of democracy must be protection of minority views, conservatives need to realize they no longer can run roughshod over the political landscape. The rest of us welcome their views, but also realize our time has come
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