POST #9: SEATTLE PRINCIPAL FIRED FOR MARRYING HIS MALE PARTNER

Of course, it's a Catholic School, and they fired him, because, sin.  But my favorite part is where the nuns offered to let him keep his job if he divorced his partner. So... divorce is ok now with the Church this week (when it suits them), but homosexuality is out?  OK, got it... Good luck to the students in their protest, but trying to get the Church to enter the 19th Century (let alone the 21st) is like beating your head against a wall. What say you, Pope Frankie? You ok with the gay-divorce cure for this "problem", too?

Thanks to Hemant Mehta of "The Friendly Atheist" for turning me on to the story. 

POST # 6: FOX NEWS SAYS ATHEISTS SHOULD LEAVE

Today I caught wind of this little gem from Dana Perino (link), one of the many intellectual abortions over at Fox "News".  Seems Ms. Perino is "tired" of atheists, and is further of the opinion that if atheists don't like "under God" in the American pledge of allegiance, they should just leave the country.  

Isn't that special.  Here's a little note I dashed off to Ms. Perino this afternoon:

You may want to actually READ the First Amendment sometime, Perino, and contemplate that not everyone believes in the same mythical sky wizard that you do. That amendment protects your right to believe whatever religious nonsense you want.  However, realize that there are also millions of patriotic Americans who have no belief in gods whose rights are equally protected by the Establishment Clause.

Non-believers pay taxes, vote, and have as much right to live in this remarkable country as you do.

If you do not support the First Amendment of our secular U.S. Constitution and its Establishment Clause, then I suggest YOU leave the country and find yourself a nice theocracy in which to live.  Just remember to bring your burka, though, and realize that you'll have to leave the political pontificiating to the men-folk.

The fine folks over at "The Young Turks", and in particular host Cenk Uygur, put her in her place nicely here.  

Couldn't have said it better myself.  Keep doing gods work, Turks!  And to the folks at Faux News who think atheists should just leave the country - after you, ladies.

POST # 4: HASIDIC D*CK SUCKERS and RITUAL PEDOPHILIC FELLATIO

Joshie Berger, on a recent "Atheist Nomads" podcast, discussed the Jewish practice of metzitzah b'peh, i.e., "sanitizing" the circumcision wound during a bris by having the mohel place his mouth directly on the boy's penis (!) and sucking out the blood. Yes, you read that correctly - you cannot make this sh*t up. This vile practice is frequently performed by the Hasidic and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities of New York City (among other places).

This bizarre, archaic and frankly disgusting tradition sometimes results in the transmission to the baby of severe and even fatal infections, including the Herp.  Due to their poorly-developed immune systems, babies are unable to fight off the multitude of microbes found in the human mouth. The City of New York has been fighting to require Jewish parents to sign a "consent form" before metzitzah b'peh is practiced, stating that they have been informed of the risks inherent in the practice and are ok with proceeding. To date, New York has faced tremendous pressure from supporters of the practice and the city has been unable to implement a consent form requirement.

Here's an idea: since babies are catching serious diseases (and even dying) from this practice, how about we freaking outlaw it on public health grounds? Hell, we ought to outlaw it on moral grounds.

It's not bad enough that the god cults insist on carving up the genitals of little boys (and girls) - this particular cult has to follow that up with a some good old-fashioned ritual pedophilic fellatio.  Nice work, degenerates!

You can read more about this grotesque ceremony on this Wiki page, and on New York's efforts health concerns and the consent form here.

"It's just religion, what's the harm?"

POST # 3: IN HONOR or MEMORY

I would like to take a moment here at the very beginning to honor some of the millions of people who have suffered and/or died due to religious-inspired stupidity and bigotry.  The list that follows includes mostly women, whom I highlight as the traditional target of religious persecution.  Clearly, the three Abrahamic religions were invented by Men.

Though it goes without saying, the list below is FAAAAR from an exhaustive catalog of those persecuted and/or killed in the name of superstitious nonsense.  I hope to make updates to this list a regular feature of this blog.

Episode 1: The Salem Witch Trials, 1692

Hanged on June 10
Bridget Bishop, Salem

Hanged on July 19
Sarah Good, Salem Village
Rebecca Nurse, Salem Village
Susannah Martin, Amesbury
Elizabeth How, Ipswich
Sarah Wilds, Topsfield

Hanged on August 19
George Burroughs, Wells, Maine
John Proctor, Salem Village
John Willard, Salem Village
George Jacobs, Sr., Salem Town
Martha Carrier, Andover

September 19
Giles Corey, Salem Farms (pressed to death)

Hanged on September 22
Martha Corey, Salem Farms
Mary Eastey, Topsfield
Alice Parker, Salem Town
Ann Pudeator, Salem Town
Margaret Scott, Rowley
Wilmot Reed, Marblehead
Samuel Wardwell, Andover
Mary Parker, Andover

Other accused witches that were not hanged, but died in prison:
Sarah Osborne, Salem Village
Roger Toothaker, Billerica
Lyndia Dustin, Reading
Ann Foster, Andover

For a much more comprehensive list of victims, including many who escaped, were acquitted, etc., go to Wikipedia at this link.


Episode 2:   Recent victims of religious persecution

• Alia Al-Mahdi (nude Egyptian blogger)
• Sila Sahin (Turkish Playboy model)
• Lama Al-Ghamdi (5 year old girl raped and murdered by her Saudi cleric father)
• Malala Yousafzai (Pakistani girl shot by Taliban)
• Amina Tyler (topless protester in Tunisia who provoked the ire of Islamists when she posted pictures of herself online with the words “My body belongs to me, it doesn’t represent anyone’s honour,” and “F*** your morals” emblazoned across her bare breasts.)
• Asmaa Mahfouz (Egyptian video blogger, helped spark revolution)
• FEMEN (international women's rights group)
• Pragaash (all girl rock group in Kashmir, disbanded after fatwa declared)