comparing Viagra to RU-486 was comparing apples and oranges or more like comparing life and death. Viagra is a wonderful medical advancement in that can help couples with sexual disfunction issues…it can even help in producing life. RU486 always destroys life by taking the life of the unborn child.

So that’s why Republicans like drugs that combat erectile dysfunction — it’s so they can create life. How sweet…so they never use the combination of Viagra + contraception, I presume?

Robin Marty asked a somewhat different question.

I also asked Sen. Gazelka if, in light of its "wonderful" qualities, he himself used the medication, or would consider sponsoring legislation that would create a database of information such as name, address, medical history, familial history, phone number, age and sexual history for those who are prescribed Viagra, to be handed over to the state department of health, such as databases created in various other states to gather information on women who obtain abortions.

He told me no comment to both questions.

But I think that’s perfectly fair! I say, let them have full access to Viagra, but as long as we’re snooping on women’s sexual histories, it’s entirely reasonable to apply the rules equally and have comparable databases of men’s sexual purchases.

They have nothing to be ashamed of. I’m sure they’re only purchasing Viagra in association with conjugal and procreative relations, and they’ll be ably to proudly point to each and every child that they spawn with every bottle of Viagra. They could even make the receipt or prescription for their erectile aids the first entry in the kid’s baby book.

I guess that’s how the big names can generate those impressive publication lists: they just recycle each paper a few dozen times.

But for sheer and utter, almost jaw dropping hypocrisy, you usually can’t beat the right. Or the religious. Or both in tandem, which they often tend to be. You know, those people who love to wrap themselves in the flag and carry a cross. The most recent instance where I found my chin scraping the pavement was recently when Ted Nugent (anyone here remember the Amboy Dukes, BTW?) proclaimed at an NRA event

“It isn’t the enemy that ruined America. It’s good people who bent over and let the enemy in. If the coyote’s in your living room pissing on your couch, it’s not the coyote’s fault. It’s your fault for not shooting him.” …“If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, I will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.”

He went on to say that the voters ought to chop the administration’s heads off in November.

Now, I didn’t abrade my chin skin at what Nugent said. I’m not one who actually thought he was making a direct threat on the President’s life, even though he was talking to a bunch of gun-toting, weapons-loving aficionados who might have interpreted it that way. It did sound like he was predicting that he would do SOMETHING stupid if Obama was elected, that would be criminal in nature, and/or result in him being killed in the course of some overt violence directed towards someone he was pissed off at come November 6. And it certainly sounds like that person is President Obama. But he didn’t actually say it was the President, so I’ll give him a pass for mere vitriolic rhetoric given the audience he was addressing.

And I’m a firm adherent to the1st Amendment. I have absolutely no problem with him saying the most vile things about his President. I really don’t care. His opinions have already been shown to be based on vacuous, paranoiac, swinging dick syndrome, so they bounce off the wall and fall to a heap, easily ignored and swept into the garbage with other moronic opinions.

No, what caused my irony meter to break with a loud bang was the lack of reaction from the right. Many on the left felt he should have been arrested for threatening the President. He even received a visit from the Secret Service (just back from Columbia) to see if it was something they should sit on him for. Apparently it wasn’t. But from the right? Crickets chirping. Given the conservative penchant for adulation and worship of all things authoritative, one would expect them to be a tad more respectful to the office of the President. History would tend to support this.

 Right. Does anyone remember back in 2003 when the Dixie Chicks said during a concert in Great Britian, about then President Bush,

“Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”

The right wing began to froth at the mouth. Boycotts were called, records were defaced or burned, and they were chastised in the press. They were called all types of names, many of which found their way onto their nude bodies in their photo shoot for Entertainment Magazine. Even though they had the free speech right to criticize the president, the country music crowd (which is for the most part conservative, Christian and Republican) took extreme umbrage that they would be so disrespectful of a sitting President. How dare they say such things when we were at war, and while in a foreign country no less?

Now my question is, where are those people when Ted Nugent says that the President’s administration is “wiping it’s ass on the Constitution”? You didn’t see that NRA crowd in the video of his comments booing him for his disrespect of the President, our Commander-in-Chief. They clapped and cheered. The same people who wanted to burn the Dixie Chicks in effigy. (and I’m not even going to analyze the difference female artists are accorded by these right wing elements. That’s a whole ‘nother topic for discussion). Why aren’t they all up in arms (literally) when Nugent says such things as

• Hillary Clinton Is A “Toxic Cunt” And “Two-Bit Whore For Fidel Castro
• Obama Is “A Piece Of Shit” Who Should “Suck On My Machine Gun.”
• Compares Obama to a coyote in your living room, pissing on your couch
• calls Nancy Pelosi a “sub-human scoundrel” and referrs to liberals as cockroaches to “stomp” in November.

among others. Why aren’t his concerts being boycotted? Why aren’t they being cancelled?

Oh, wait. They are.

Maybe what goes around finally comes around? The sad thing is that it’s council members in Bangor Maine, and the Army officials at Fort Knox that is canceling Nugent. The right wing, gun-toting authoritative conservatives in the country feel that what’s good for the geese when they criticize the white man in the White House is not necessarily what’s good for the gander, when the gander is criticizing the black man in the White House.

Nugent should stick to black bears.

It was against this backdrop that I slowly began to perceive other possibilities.

I don’t think I’d ever truly believed. I wanted to believe. I even had, what felt at the time, spiritual experiences. But I think I knew even then that these were nothing more than sensory manipulation – beautiful music, twinkling candles, incense, harmonious voices and shared emotional experiences.

I was educated at a grammar school and was introduced to mind openers such as world history, physics, chemistry and critical thinking. In my late teens, I subscribed to New Scientist and developed an interest in physics. Later, I read A Brief History of Time and, although I struggled with the maths (I’m more of a humanities person), the concept of deep time and the vastness of space fascinated me.

Around this time, I began to see the injustices in the world outside the church yard wall. My social and political awareness was developing at a time of Band Aid, Nelson Mandela, Apartheid, the fall of the Berlin Wall, AIDS and a growing awareness of LGBT issues. I also began to perceive discrimination against my own gender whilst listening to the debates over the ordination of women priests.

In my early twenties, I started to pick up bits and pieces about evolution. Having only a rudimentary grasp of biology, I again looked to popular science books and eventually discovered Richard Dawkins’ The Ancestor’s Tale.

These different threads were weaving a pattern in which there was less and less room for a god.

I stopped going to church with my family when I was 18 but it was perhaps another decade or so before I would call myself an atheist. In the intervening years, I read about different religions, humanism, secularism, rationalism, scepticism and feminism. I am “out” to my friends and some work colleagues but not to my parents, although I’m sure they suspect. The reasons, as always with such situations, are complicated.

At present my reaction to religion is similar to that of ex-smokers towards cigarettes. They can be far more vehemently opposed to smoking than a non-smoker would ever be. In the same way, I have a visceral reaction to religions and religious behaviour, especially when I get a knee jerk response from that inner child who grew up in a church.

I am now trying to remove those angry knots and burrs from my tapestry so that it only reflects the beauty and wonder of my one precious lifetime on our amazing planet.

Clare
United Kingdom

Two of them are just frightening:

I think Malo spoke to my parents for this one:

This little piggy went to the nursery. Omnomnom:

And this one’s just awesome:

There are more where those came from…

(via My Modern Met — Thanks to Sophie for the link!)

(via NatGeo)

(Also on Sb)

 I've been working with a friend on a logo for the new website.  I've done tons of tweaking on this and really like where it's at.  I would like to know you're thoughts.  It might be more appropriate to refer to this as a header design for the site.

The conference provides undergraduate and graduate level students with the opportunity to present papers on the history, belief, practices, cultural contexts, and artistic or literary expressions of any religious tradition.  Proposals for papers from any discipline within the academic fields of the humanities and social science are welcome.

The conference is open to students from any educational institute at any point in their educational career.  Although we encourage PhD students to attend, we are particularly seeking papers by undergraduate and masters level students.

Papers will be selected on basis of abstracts submitted. Click here to submit your abstract. And if you need some help:  How To Write An Abstract

The conference’s history has been one of great success in terms of the numbers and quality of papers presented and the obvious impact it has had on students. Our meeting provides all the benefits conferences provide for professors and more. It is a very positive pedagogical tool for those destined to continue their studies at a more advanced level. The conference provides students with a way to make good on all the constructive feedback from their professors and to see just what kind of level they can actually work at. The conference is modeled on professional conferences and is a venue for undergraduate and master’s students to meet and share the fruits of their research. The students certainly … Continue reading

Rational Response Squad website and affiliate sites are in a black out on Jan 18 to draw attention to SOPA and PIPA which threatens our existence...

Have you noticed how some of our members like to cut and paste news articles for discussion on our forum?  Did you know that in many cases you're not supposed to do that?  Did you know that it's not always easy to tell if you can or can't because of tough to understand copyright rules and potential for fair use treatment since the post is being used for critique, parody, or criticism?  What do you think would happen if corporations and the government worked together to control the copyright problems on the internet?  

For the last few years some companies have been fighting for a bill that protects against online piracy.  They pushed for a bill to come along that they could support.  Many of those same people today are leading the charge against SOPA and PIPA which go too far, give the government too much control, put too much fear into the webmaster, and should put fear into everyone talking about anything on the internet. These rules would stifle internet development.  The next big thing will not happen, it'll cost too much in legal fees for the start up.  Only mega-corps will stand a chance at innovation.  

Maybe you kept quiet over the last 10 years as our Constitution has been trampled on by our government.  Maybe the Iraq War built on a lie didn't bother you because it was so far away.  Maybe you let the Patriot Act slide because you didn't think they'd torture you.  This time you should not be quiet.  This time you have to speak up... or you may not be able to later.  

The internet and the free exchange of information that we have been afforded has helped catapult our society into a much more knowledgeable one.  A more efficient society that is more informed about anything it chooses to be informed about.  SOPA and PIPA help put the control of our information in the hands of government officials and massive corporations.  It is an attack on the grass roots nature of the internet.  As an atheist site webmaster it is the biggest fear I have today.  

Let me run you through what would happen if a bill like these get passed...

There are probably thousands of instances of people posting trademarked or copyrighted information on our site.

When SOPA and PIPA are passed I will have a team of mods scour over 100,000 pages to censor, delete, or eliminate conversations that have any possible violation.

I will instruct my team that if it's borderline, delete it.  

We might find that the problem is too rampant, so we may choose to simply delete everything that has ever been written on any of our sites, and start over.  (you may know that maintaining our old information is about the most important task I have put on myself... this would be devastating to me personally)

During this process we may find that the laws are too restrictive or too scary, or too costly to fight.  We may at that point decide to close our doors for community posts. 

Internet dark ages... here we come... unless you speak up.

EXTERNAL LINKS 

http://my.americancensorship.org/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57329001-281/how-sopa-would-affect-you-faq/

http://gizmodo.com/5870405/sign-this-sopa-petition-to-get-obamas-attention

http://americancensorship.org/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2012/01/13/wikipedia-mulls-sopa-blackout-as-other-sites-join-in/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2011/12/20/official-veto-sopa-petition-gets-25000-signature-in-two-days/

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/how-sopa-pipa-can-affect-you/

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

http://www.geekosystem.com/anti-sopa-petition-whitehouse/

So we’ve been covering SOPA a lot, specifically how horrible it is and how horribly it’s going. On the dim, but bright side, someone listed as Ji S has created a beautifully simple illustration of how utterly ridiculous SOPA really is. Under SOPA as it currently stands, this anti-SOPA petition on Whitehouse.gov would lead to a nationwide block of Whitehouse.gov on the whole. The irony is delicious, isn’t it?

One of the many issues with SOPA that is so offensive is that it allows any and all sites with links to copyrighted content to be summarily blocked. A recent amendment has made this even more egregious, allowing ISPs to block entire domains even when a court order specifies one certain link or page. The petition, which provides a link to this copyrighted image in its description, would, under SOPA, classify Whitehouse.gov as a rogue site and flag it for censorship. Need I say more?

We lost Christopher Hitchens last night.  Many of us have a feeling of emptiness today, we know how amazing he was.  Many of us have been influenced by his style, and because of this he will live on.  Because we read his books and use his arguments, quote him in arguments, and are influenced by him, he will live on.  Christopher Hitchens seems irreplaceable.  It's only in the strength of our collective voices do we consider the notion that we could possibly fill his shoes.  And we will try, this is obvious to us, all of us had a collective atheist head nod today.  We know we must pick up where he left off.  

I would like to recognize for a moment a new blogger on our website.  He reminds me a little of Hitchens, and ironically Hitchens is his greatest influence.  I posted this on Facebook an hour ago, but thought I should make a blog post for it.  

The winner of the most Hitch like new blogger on RRS for 2011 is Louis Cypher! 

Hitch lives on!  He lives on in all of us, but please check out Louis Cypher.  He's making waves, he's intelligent, known to curse from time to time, and not scared to confront any aspect of religion.  I'm so happy he's posting here and going to be an Atheism United blogger.  You can follow Louis Cypher via RSS feed if you want, or just go to Louis Cypher's Blog.

"But it was his out front, wholehearted and passionate stance on religion and theistic chicanery that captured my unabashed admiration for the man.  His no prisoners,  confrontational approach was a breath of pure oxygen. His skills at both lecture and debate were astounding in their clarity, wit, and sheer persuasiveness.  His presence alone on the stage was enough to make the most outspoken theist cringe in fear.  He stood astride the once safe harbour of rhetorical discourse like a veritable colossus, wielding his enormous intellect like a club." - Louis Cypher on Hitchens

Quotes from Louis Cypher

"My ethics and morality derive from the culture in which I was raised and reinforced by the pressure of my peers. As I grew, I incorporated much of what in had been taught into my world view, rationalizing and reasoning out the purpose and place of the various ideas, making them part of my essential character. On top of my personal ethic, we have laws, society's way of codifying a common ethic. Even if one lacks an ethical stance on certain issues, the fear of societal retribution tends to keep most in line.

Morality is mutable, changing with time and custom. I knew several people in my youth who were only a generation removed from slavery. Once slavery wasn't immoral, it was in fact validated by the holy scriptures as right and moral. Once, a wife could not refuse her husbands sexual advances, the concept of marital rape was unimagined. We've changed, we've grown as a people.

Christian morality doesn't exist. Yes, they have rules and a huge litany of sins, but most are for the purpose of pointing out the failings of others, many are outdated, barbaric and non nonsensical." - Louis Cypher, The Myth of Christian Morality

"Unless of course, we are talking about the human sacrifice that is the root of our most prominent western religion, Christianity. Then it becomes a beautiful and moving act. One that essays, books, even entire careers have been built around, extolling the virtue of a death on a Roman torture device. A favorite of the artist, thousands of paintings have lovingly detailed the blood and gore, the sense of suffering. Millions of little children wear the image of this near naked man hanging in torment, dieing on a torture device, around their necks." - Louis Cypher, It has to be blood

"Faith is a mental defect made into a virtue by those with an agenda to fleece the gullible. Faith isn't sloppy reasoning, it's no reasoning at all by simple definition. There is a lot of equivocation about the word, other than 'spirit' I can think of no other word more horribly abused from a semantic standpoint. Faith is belief without evidence. If you have evidence, you don't have faith you have a reasoned belief. How hard is that to grasp?" - Louis Cypher, Faith is a mental defect

Notable Louis Cypher threads

Belief is Irrational

Evidence, please.

Faith is a mental defect...

Wow Darrel Ray is brilliant. He nails it on "First generation leadership." Because of my type-a personality and my inability to trust easily I was unable to spot future dedicated activists when they aligned with me early in their activist "careers." Ashley Paramore and Shelley Mountjoy were by my side at the beginning. If I could have known to expand their leadership role early enough, they might have never needed to go become superstars elsewhere. 

Check this article out if you would like to learn more about how atheist groups function, and how we can improve them.

Two Types of Leadership in the Secular Movement

Leadership among secular groups tends to come in two general flavors, those that are led by one or a few charismatic leaders (often the founders) and those that are led by a less centralized executive group.  There is plenty of room for both types of groups in the movement, but it is important to be conscious and intentional in understanding and recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of both.  For purposes of discussion, we will call these groups “first generation” and “second generation,” respectively, although they may not always fit that classification.

First-Generation Leadership

First-generation groups are often led by charismatic leaders. These are lean and activist groups.  The founders have a sharp vision for what they want to accomplish and move fast to get the job done.  They are often the leading edge of the movement and have influence out of proportion to their numbers both within the movement and in the larger society.  Their strengths are invaluable because they are pacesetters, influencing the overall direction of the movement.  

Despite their major strengths, it is also important to understand the weaknesses of first generation leaders.  They are often an insular group and less democratic. Since first-generation leaders are generally autocratic, they tend to attract members who respond to strong, direct leadership.  This limits membership, since only a fraction of the target population responds to this type of leadership.  

Challenges to their leadership or vision are not welcome.  It may be easy to join one of these groups but hard, if not impossible, to gain a position of influence. For this reason, the leaders have difficulty grooming the next generation. Upcoming, promising new leaders often see no opportunity to take part in the core functions of the organization and, therefore, don’t stick around long.  Further, the boards of first-generation groups are generally a reflection of the leader and, therefore, typically very insular as well.  The age range within this type of board is often similar to the age of the founder.  This makes for a leadership structure that has a limited view and tends to be resistant to change.  

Further, he talks about how groups led by charismatic leaders suffer when the external environment changes.  The decision to start atheismunited.com was born from that change in environment.  The atheist world is much different today than 6 years ago.  RRS is still needed, but atheism united will be more current and relevant.  The project was born from the idea that we didn't care what banner we impacted the world under, we just wanted to have the biggest impact possible.  We decided it was necessary to create something different.  How justified Darrel Ray makes us feel.

function. But when the external environment changes, it can present difficult challenges. To the degree that an organization influences the surrounding culture, the target of its efforts must change. Culture is a moving target, and organizations that don’t adjust their influence strategy run the risk of using yesterday’s successful methods on today’s culture. 

A good example is the civil rights movement, where many of the first-generation leaders continued following a vision that was rendered obsolete with changes in legislation and social norms."

“Runs great. Purrs like a kitten” he says.

2 comments… Continue reading

Cross posted @ the Atheist Oasis

It’s the clarion call of the Christian scaremongers: somewhere deep in the bowels of the earth, some dark thing conspires to control and warp not only the adults, but the children. Oh, think of the children!

If I have been unclear in the past, I shall reiterate: conspiracy theories are for the large part pure hokum. Not being a psychiatrist of any sort, I can only speculate why people become so heavily vested in them. There’s a wide variety out there. There’s the 9/11 wackaloons who are convinced that our government purposely brought down the Twin Towers, there’s the JFK assassination enthusiasts, then there’s the Bilderburg balderdash, the Zurich Gnome manure – the list is exhaustive, and many of you have heard these before. The huge percentage of these are in excessive violation of Ockham’s Razor. This is not to say conspiracies don’t exist – just that the cottage industry is glutted with so many entities, it boggles the rational mind. For the most part, it’s not a battle for hearts and minds. Pursuit of the almighty dollar? Most definitely. But intricate long-term plots to control the world? Please. People are greedy. Ergo, they pursue money, sometimes with a sociopathic fanaticism.

But above all others, the ‘occult conspiracy’ is probably the most pathetic of all. That shadowy taloned fingers are slowly inching towards your ‘soul’ to enslave and/or gobble you/it up? Honky, please.

We’ve all encountered these paranoid people before. Some of us may have relatives that will, without any prompting whatsoever, began slathering their blathering on anyone within earshot. It’s ridiculous. I could cover all the old worn ground like so many times before: the bible has no authority whatsoever, energy isn’t destroyed but proof that information somehow survives death is non-existent (as is the proof that there’s anything remotely resembling the ill-defined ‘soul’), etc. etc. ad nauseum ad infinitum..

If anything deserves ridicule, it’s this comic book conception of our ontological significance.

This garbage has a long history, dating all the way back to when our ancestors attained self-awareness while huddled frightened around primitive campfires, starting at bizarre noises outside the circle of light, and the slightest mishap could make one a predator’s meal. Introversive as our species is, it’s a small leap to assume the world at large has it in for us. And again, the entities multiply needlessly.

Even today, we hear about how playing D&D can lead our children down the path of witchcraft, Ouija boards are the gateway drug to demonic possession, and even how Harry Potter (a fictional person) can pollute our kids’ precious bodily fluids.

So I bring you this blast from the past: one Phillip Phillips (I defecate thee not), who, in the 1980’s, did this bit of idiocy (courtesy of Dribbleglass):

Phil Phillips is the author of Turmoil in the Toybox (1986), Halloween and Satanism (1987), Saturday Morning Mind Control (1991), and Dinosaurs: The Bible, Barney, and Beyond (1994). Turmoil in the Toybox is about how the Smurfs, Care Bears, My Little Pony, He-Man, Mighty Mouse, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Rainbow Bright are all WICKED DEVIL TOYS STRAIGHT FROM THE PIT OF HELL ITSELF leading our precious children into ruin! The other three book titles speak for themselves. Halloween and Satanism includes some perhaps unwitting but still overt anti-Semitism on display in the author's choice of images and captions.

Typical 1980s sensationalism for the Christian paranoia market. His books were sold in every Christian bookstore, on prominent display right next to those of Texe Marrs.

Phil and his wife Cynthia have since authored Miracle Parenting, on the subject of "Biblical parenting", and a book on Attention Deficit Disorder called ADD: Welcome to Our World. The book (also available in audio version) is based on Phil’s personal testimony of finding out, as an adult, that he was ADD.

Really? Seriously? Yes, seriously. The Smurfs were a part of some vast Satanic conspiracy. As were the Care Bears, He-Man, and…MIGHTY MOUSE?!?!?

Sad. Just sad. Can’t use the word pathetic often enough. I think the best illustration (and best summation) of this folderol was done by Robot Chicken:

So, if you’re ever within earshot of some wild-eyed stupid conversation about this topic, just do what I would (or will) do: point and laugh hilariously.

Because all opinions are not even CLOSE to being equal.

Till the next post, then.

Years went by, the original group members went their own ways, and the website essentially went defunct (though it’s starting to pick back up).

Now, founder Brian Sapient is trying to restart the group. Part of that plan involves a new website called Atheism United:

The project aims to unite all atheists under one banner for the first time in internet history.

Well, it’s not like atheists will unite under one banner — on our own — for anything else, so I won’t try to stop them. But, um, good luck with that. With the proliferation of atheism on the Internet and in the media, I don’t know how anyone can honestly capture us all under one umbrella of anything. We’re too diverse and there’s way too many of us to assemble any sort of comprehensive list — it’d be virtually impossible to list every non-theistic group in the country, much less websites, blogs, Twitter users, etc.

Still, the “Longest List of Atheist URLs Ever” is an interesting (editable) document. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone continues to update the list as information changes for longer than a couple months. It has a *long* way to go but you can try to update parts of it yourself if you’re up for it.

It didn't go unnoticed that I am more active over the last few weeks.  I'm glad to have the time again, and I'm glad you told me you were happy to see me more active.  My better computer was out of commission for a little while... like 9 months. I was on a laptop with a wireless connection and very busy since March.  The better computer has been fixed and the main room I conduct business in, has been revised over the summer.  I was almost finished the room but then I fixed the computer and well... it'll probably be the spring before I work on the room again.  Now that I'm moving fast online again I can cover a lot more territory.  I'm right back in the swing of things.  My real job is somewhat seasonal and it'll be slow until March.  I'll get less hours.  Those hours will be spent here.

I'm extremely comfortable in the workspace I have now.  I think I was having a hard time getting comfortable in the RRS workspace by myself, I had to overhaul my workspace.  I was at an 8 foot by 8 foot desk with 3 computers by myself.  I kept the setup for a while thinking that I would bring new hosts into the fray and continue the show as it was, or that me and the other hosts would want to have a reunion.  I've moved on from that idea. During the summer I converted the room, stripped the wallpaper, sold the fish tank, brought the tv in, brought the couch in, cut the desk in half, ran new wiring, and new lighting.  I share the space with my son at my side, he uses the computer all the time.  We have a couch in front of the desk, and a big screen tv that can be seen from the whole room.   It's very easy to work the type of excessively ridiculous hours I like to work in this setup.  

I think my trials made me want to distance myself from people, at least in terms of activism.  I was let down by the people I cared for the most.  So it took some time to realize I wouldn't feel comfortable with new show hosts.  Only because I would feel the inevitable end in sight.  Maybe with time that will change.  I'm finding that I'm the only constant.  Even my very close friend Jake, who led me to atheism 13 years ago and taught the InfidelGuy, closed doors on atheistnetwork.com this past year.  I don't know why my drive to continue this fight outlasts everyone around me, but I'm realizing that almost always that is what happens.  I've made the 10 year club!  Although I can't give you an exact date.

My activism will continue at full force through the winter.  We hope to meet a deadline to upgrade to a new server in February, although preliminary fundraising efforts could use a kick. 

I purchased a new domain this week.  www.AtheismUnited.com 

The goal is to unilaterally support other atheist groups, to expand atheism awareness, and to make a political impact.  I am mentoring the man who will hopefully be the future President of 501c3 Atheism United Lance Sievert. Join his facebook group if you are an atheist organizer Atheism United Headquarters on facebook.

Please join the discussion on our site: Atheism United (Can you see it?)

Oh... and women... I gave up on women.  If you want me ladies, come find me, I'm too busy with my activism to notice that I should say something. 

OLD OFFICE SETUP:

NEW SETUP (almost same camera angle):

Different light level and a different view:

Two new books got added to the Amazon books on the side of some pages of the site.  

Nick Covington posts here under the name Switch89 and he has a great blog at Aigbusted http://aigbusted.blogspot.com  

Rich Woods is a long time friend of RRS, he is a speaker, author, and internet show host.

Please support these guys, enjoy their book!  

It is with great sadness that I announce the death of a website that is near and dear to my heart.  Sadly PrayersToJake.com is now owned by an asian outlet with the interest of capitalizing on the power of the domain name.  Jake lost focus for a minute there and it got stolen.  You may already know that Jake has been taking some time away from kicking ass on the internet.  He put atheistnetwork.com to sleep a few months back.  

His site atheistnetwork.com is where I became an atheist primarily because of his line of questioning.  His site will always be important to me, and thankfully he hasn't lost that domain.  His knowledge, time, effort, and level headed approach has changed me immeasurably.  The clarity and patience that he had while volunteering for him in my first few years of activism is something I'll remember forever.  He is like no other man I know, and at times the many people who knew him on his message board would consider him worthy of prayer.  

A legend grew that he was godly.  People started praying to Jake, I'm sure there was an early thread call "Pray to Jake" and people did in fact do so.  I promise you, atheists literally prayed to Jake.  People reported their findings and prayers were in fact answered.  I had several instances where I was spooked by how helpful Jake was in answering my prayers.  Jake bought the domain and I slapped a website on it to bring more people into the prayers to Jake club.  

On this site, I've referred to prayerstojake.com many times.  I'll miss it.  But I won't miss praying to Jake.  From time to time I will allow myself to pretend.  I will allow myself to pray to a man that has helped make me who I am.  It might have a calming effect for me.  And when my prayer is answered, I'll allow myself to pretend that maybe Jake answered my prayer, even while knowing that he didn't. 

May all your prayers to Jake be answered.

Jake has youtube videos addressing religion here: http://www.youtube.com/user/chronicbudha

Atheistnetwork.com formed a small group of ex atheist network people at: http://www.atheistnetwork2.com I however consider RRS forums home to all atheist network folks.

Well, the Catholic Charities of Peoria and the Catholic Charities of Joliet are now doing the same thing.

Catholic Charities of Peoria and Joliet have informed the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services that they will no longer license families who applied to become foster care or adoptive parents because the state’s civil unions law went into effect Tuesday.

“It is the religious practice of Catholic Charities not to place children with unmarried cohabiting couples, whether same sex or opposite sex,” wrote Glenn Van Cura, executive director of Catholic Charities of Joliet, in a letter to DCFS sent this week.

Once again, the Catholic Church is telling the world that they would rather see kids without any adoptive parents at all than put them in the home of a loving gay couple.

Remember: The taxpayers of Illinois are giving these Catholic organizations money to carry out these services. They have absolutely no right to discriminate against the GLBT community.

As Benjamin Wolf and John Knight of the ACLU of Illinois wrote in an excellent editorial this week:

These agencies elected to accept state money to carry out a government function — the licensing of foster and adoptive parents. Having chosen to voluntarily act in the state’s capacity, these agencies are expected to perform using the same standards as any other agency. Illinois law already required placements of children in state custody to be based on child welfare considerations, as opposed to the views of the agencies. Thus, denying foster or adoptive parents licenses based on their sexual orientation (or race and religion), already is prohibited by law.

Catholic Charities is free to practice in accordance with its religious teachings. But if it chooses to accept tax dollars to perform the state’s job of finding families for children in state custody, it may not use religious criteria — as opposed to child welfare criteria — in choosing families for them.

…

Like every child, these 15,000 children deserve a safe, loving home where they are nurtured. That hope is undercut when qualified available families are needlessly excluded from consideration. Imagine a child who has been the victim of abuse or neglect being denied the opportunity to live with a loving aunt or uncle simply because the relative is lesbian or gay. That is not in the best interests of the child.

We’ll just add all this to the list of ways the Catholic Church has screwed children.

(via Chicagoist)

Challenge six requires a song that reminds me of somewhere. Well, what to pick for this one. I never go anywhere. I was in England in 1997, though, which was the best year for music. Not that Tubthumping by Chumbawumba should qualify, but it got a lot of UK airplay, and was the #2 single there that August, according to Wikipedia. Natalie Imbrouglia was also popular, Torn in particular. I wound up buying her album eventually. I don’t recall if I caved and bought Chumbawumba, too. If I did, I’ve blocked it out. I heard one of the tracks on their new album recently. It was shocking to hear how different it sounded compared to how I remembered them. Sash!, Gala, Ace of Base, Whigfield, Deep Blue Something, The Outhere Brothers.. so many songs I liked then. Raincloud by Lighthouse Family got a lot of play. Their whole album did and I still own it. While I grew to truly hate Notting Hill (from 1999, it turns out), their cover of Ain’t No Sunshine (when she’s gone) is still goose-bump inducing. Tunde Baiyewu kicked ass as a vocalist. (I had to look that up.)

It took me a while to figure out why I had Notting Hill on the mind; I saw Julia Roberts in another horrible romance movie that year which I hate even more, My Best Friend’s Wedding. The Full Monty was the big hit film for me in 1997. So many times better, it can’t even be calculated. It was great to see that one in a British theatre after weeks of being surrounded by Brits. I was already conditioned to hear a variety of accents by that point so I had little trouble grokking the speech of the characters. Every time I hear You Sexy Thing, I remember that movie. (Persephone Theatre hosted the musical stage version last year. It was also terrific, btw. Catch it if you can.)

Other song memories from that trip: the guy I was seeing at the time tried to tell me that the back-up singer in Glass Tiger’s “Don’t You Forget About Me” was a guy who just sounded like Bryan Adams. Dude, dude, dude…don’t screw with a Canadian who knows her ’80s music and owns most of his albums. But he also introduced me to the Corrs (their CD that is, Forgiven, not Forgotten), and “House of Fun” – a song by Madness that I don’t think ever got airplay here. The radio station I was listening to while there had a morning crew that rewrote Pulp’s “Common People” to reflect the country’s insanity over Teletubbies at the time, calling it “Tubby People.” I had the chance to record it on cassette and still have it around somewhere. “Oh, dear me!” the announcer laughs at the end of it. Dear me, indeed. It was quite well done, though.

Challenge seven is a song that reminds me of a certain event. I could pick just about anything, but I think it’ll be Molinos by The Paperboys. I saw them in concert at Mosaic (a folk festival) while I was in Regina going to university. From what I recall, it was a great concert. I hadn’t heard of them before then but their Celtic/folk style was in synch with other bands I liked at the time (Spirit of the West, Great Big Sea, Uisca Beatha, Rawlins Cross, The Mahones) so it was a given they’d be instant favourites. They also recorded a great rendition of I’ve Just Seen a Face. Poking around on Youtube, it’s clear they have a name too similar to other people so finding their stuff is slightly problematic. But, I’ve located a track from an album I know they put out, “The Road to Ellenside.”

Not bad at all, eh?

Festinger and several of his colleagues had infiltrated the Seekers, a small Chicago-area cult whose members thought they were communicating with aliens—including one, “Sananda,” who they believed was the astral incarnation of Jesus Christ. The group was led by Dorothy Martin, a Dianetics devotee who transcribed the interstellar messages through automatic writing.

[...]

Festinger and his team were with the cult when the prophecy failed. First, the “boys upstairs” (as the aliens were sometimes called) did not show up and rescue the Seekers. Then December 21 arrived without incident. It was the moment Festinger had been waiting for: How would people so emotionally invested in a belief system react, now that it had been soundly refuted?

I really, really hope that some psychologists are watching the followers of Harold Camping. Come May 22, they’re going to become the new case study for failed prophecy. Consider this gentleman:

And here’s the man himself:

This is the biggest meeting in the conference’s 9 year history with 52 papers!

The conference is for undergraduate and MA students  in any field of the academic study of religion.

We have not yet sorted out presiders from the sessions, and there are likely to be some typos in what follows, but people have been asking for the schedule.  A final schedule will be posted in a few days. I’m hoping there will be no substantial changes.

All sessions held in Anderson Hall, except the banquet.

Full schedule below the break

…
Read the rest of Religious Studies Conference Schedule (1,321 words)

3 comments

The conference is for undergraduate and MA students (or PhD candidates in the very early years of their programs) in any field of the academic study of religion.

The paper submissions are starting to come in, although we don’t really expect a lot until closer to the deadline. Still, we have already accepted contributions from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, John Carroll University in Ohio, and Trinity Western University in British Columbia, not to mention a number from Alberta and elsewhere!

The paper topics already span the iconography of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha,  a comparison of the mystical philosophies of Sankara and Ibn Arabi (and another paper on the latter), Kali, Kerouac’s Buddhism, and exogamous marriages in Ezra and Nehemiah.

Go here to submit your paper proposal. All we need is a title for the paper and a 200-300 abstract (summary) of the paper. You don’t need to submit the whole thing. For more information, including tips on presenting papers, writing abstracts, and the like, to to our conference blog: Research in Religious Studies.

Our keynote speaker for the banquet on Saturday May 1 is Marco Hilgersom from Lethbridge College, who is one of the most engaging and entertaining speakers we have heard. He formerly taught Buddhism and other courses here at the University of Lethbridge and will be talking about the  many religious studies students: what the heck good is religious studies anyway?

Religious Studies Rules!
Marko Hilgersom

Are you tired of responding to “What are you going to do with that?” or “Are you going to become a pastor?” when you tell people you are a Religious Studies Major? There is a simple reason for devoting your life to a religious studies ma-jor. Religious Studies Rules! Religious studies will not only make you a fantastic dinner guest and more attractive to the opposite sex but it provides the key to a successful life. Where else can you find such a varied approach to knowl-edge? Religious Studies is parts history, philosophy, anthro-pology, psychology, literature, sociology, and fine arts. It is truly the most liberal of the Liberal Arts and the most human of the Humanities. Religious studies majors of the world, unite! All you have to lose is your shame.

Parent Claus is bringing the kids presents?  Don't want to hear O Holy Night while you shop for those gifts?  Want to help support the Rational Response Squad network of websites while buying Grandmom a necklace for the Winter Solstice? Consider doing any necessary holiday shopping through the links below and Amazon will reimburse RRS a commission!

We are trying to avoid having to have a donation drive this year, like almost all atheist orgs we have a significant shortfall this year.  Please click these links before going to Amazon.com to make any purchases!  

Top Holiday Deals event, Nov. 30-Dec. 23. 

Top Holiday Deals: http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=384082011&tag=HTTPWWWRATION-20

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Toys

New this year: Save 25% or more on popular kids' gift items in the Holiday Toy List using this link -  Toy List

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Sports & Outdoors

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Endless.com now offers jewelry from your favorite brands- from Nicky Hilton, Mizuki, GURHAN, Devon Leigh and other well known fashion brands to niche and unique brands that are hard to find elsewhere. With over 2,000 unique products, you’ll find the best selection of bridal, statement jewelry, and everyday fashion with free shipping and free returns. Endless will add selection continuously so check back often for the latest designs. 

Parent Claus is bringing the kids presents?  Don't want to hear O Holy Night while you shop for those gifts?  Want to help support the Rational Response Squad network of websites while buying Grandmom a necklace for the Winter Solstice?  Do some shopping through the links below and Amazon will help pay for our new server!  This really works and it's a huge help.

Please make your purchases by clicking any of these links and starting your Amazon shopping experience there.   

TV

GPS

MP3s

Movies

Software 

Computers

Endless.com

Office Products

Best Books of '11

Car Accessory Deals

Book of the Month Site

Video Game Deals Page

4 for 3 Promotion in Kitchen

Audio and Home Theater Deals

Consumer Electronics Deals Page

New Video Game Downloads Releases

Amazon Home Kitchen and Lawn Gift Guide

Instant Video Movies Best Sellers on Amazon

Amazon Tools - Get Up to 50 Off our Favorite Gifts

Amazon Special Offers in Grocery and Gourmet Store 

Please click these links before going to Amazon.com to make any purchases!  

Top Holiday Deals event, Nov. 1-Dec. 24. 

Shop Amazon's Holiday Toy List

KINDLE
Kindle is the #1 Bestselling, #1 Most-Wished-For and #1 Most-Gifted product on Amazon.com.

This year Kindle Fire is taking the world by storm.

Amazon Gift Cards: Shop Amazon's Gift Cards - Perfect Anytime

Save on the 3D experience with bundles from top manufacturers: Sony, LG, Samsung, Toshiba and Panasonic will run promotions before year's end.

Music

• Deluxe Editions: Hundreds of CDs and DVDs
• Box Sets: Hundreds of box sets
• Greatest Hits: Hundreds of titles, including the Beatles, with prices starting at $6.49.
  

 I want to make sure I'm following any RRS forum users on twitter.  So do you use it?  If so please drop me a line here so I can follow you.

Follow me @RationalSquad and @BrianSapient

I have a daily newspaper compiled with links from RRS fans/supporters/activists.  Check it out, read it daily, like it on facebook, you get the drift: http://paper.li/rationalsquad/rational-response-squad

You may remember "Rapture Right " a Christian parody group that has pranked RRS users (at my request) on several occasions.  Sadly one of the two brothers that make up "Rapture Right" had a tragedy strike his daughter recently.  His life hasn't been the same since.  His daughter Ella is currently in a coma which she slipped into after having a cancerous tumor removed from her brain.  If you are able to help financially please consider sending a few dollars to help out.  A full story is available at: http://www.hope4ella.com 

I've also posted a portion of the story at: http://www.atheistvolunteers.org/node/47 

DONATING VIA THE CHIP IN BELOW WILL SEND MONEY STRAIGHT TO THE STEWART FAMILY AND WILL KEEP TRACK OF DONATIONS MADE BY ATHEISTS:

 I have a new advertiser.  For the next few weeks an image ad is on some pages of the website on the right hand side for a t-shirt company.  It's controversial, so I thought I'd give people a chance to lash out or comment in general.  What do you think of the ad?  What do you think of the shirts?  Would you buy one?  What would you think of someone who was wearing one?  What are your thoughts?

Here it is:

Stainedtees

On December 25th I will maintain a tradition I started a few years ago, celebrating Christmas day with nonbelievers via webcam, and you're invited!  I'll be joined by longtime RRS moderator and friend Shaunphilly and his girlfriend Seana, who was a Christian before she met Shaun.  Christmas can be a depressing day if you're a non-believer, especially if you feel alienated or unwelcome at festivities of a more religious nature.  We look forward to bringing together a large group of non-believers who want to hang out, blaspheme, and exchange stories of our religious past.  This is a gathering in both live text form and video format.  We encourage you to hook up your webcam as we can have up to 6 people on webcam at once.  Christians are welcome to visit as well!  

You'll need an account with http://www.stickam.com If you don't have one, get it now.  It's free!  

The party will happen in this room: http://www.rationalresponders.com/rrs_webcam_room

If you have a problem with that page you can also view it here: http://www.stickam.com/sapient

Here is the schedule of events:

1 est: The chatroom will open to members of stickam

2 est: Christmas related youtube video presentation along with text chatting.  I'll show a conglomeration of youtube videos dealing with the history of Christmas intertwined with some atheist comedy and blasphemy.  I've prepared over 3.5 hours of youtube videos, giving you the chance to comment on these videos live, while exchanging stories.  If you have a favorite Christmas video you want me to show, you have to link to it by Tuesday the 22nd as a response to this post!

6 pm est: Shaunphilly and his girlfriend will arrive at my home and we'll all appear on webcam.  At that point we will open up the extra camera slots to as many people as possible.  We will talk about a variety of issues including but not limited to the origins of Christmas, my purpose of Christmas project, the tree of knowledge, and more. During our broadcast we will order a traditional ChristMyAss Sushi and General Tso's Chicken dinner.  We invite you to eat your ChristMyAss dinner with us!  

9 pm est: In the past we've shown The God Who Wasn't There Movie but we've never shown the commentary track version, this time we will.  

Once again the festivities will be here:

http://www.rationalresponders.com/rrs_webcam_room

FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=257573686280&ref=mf

I've got two new posts up tonight, the first is my opening shot at Pastor Rick Warren and The Purpose of Christmas.  

The second post is long overdue and is a summation covering the Ray Comfort plagiarism in his Origin of Species bullshit.

My opening post here about The Purpose of Christmas is here.

The RRS thread on Comfort plagiarizing is here.

I turned off commenting for this blog post.  If you want to post comments, please do so at The Purpose of Christmas or WOTMwatchdog.  

Amazon just sent me word that of a special deal to pass on to you.  As an amazon associate I'm getting a bonus this weekend for your purchases, through the end of shopping on Monday.  You're also getting more discounts.  Amazon has tons of black friday - cyber monday deals and they're all available here: Black Friday - Cyber Monday Amazon Shopping to support RRS

So how many atheists out there embrace faith?  The more I learn, the more I realize faith permeates everything... way too many atheists utilize it.  Question everything, and when the source is available, ask it.

Rumor 1:  Sam Harris gave the RRS $500,000 for a house.  They proceeded to do nothing but play video games and smoke pot.

Status: False.  Sam Harris isn't our anonymous investor.  The video game and pot rumor likely stems from the times we hung out and partied with other atheists.  If I'm correct, it's sad they left thinking that a night of partying is what happens every night.  I would think our body of work spoke for itself.  

Rumor 2: They got a free house from an anonymous investor.

Status: False.  I purchased a large house with the help of an investor who owns 60% of the house.  When we sell, we each get our share.  I consider it a huge gift but technically we weren't given anything, all the money the investor spends on the mortgage will be returned upon sale of the home.

Rumor 3: Brian Sapient decided to leave Rational Response Squad but not tell anyone because he was still making money on it.

Status: False.  I informed subscribers that I was working a real life job about the same time I started working one.  I started working the job to preserve the ability of RRS to function, to stay afloat.  I spent 80% of my life savings in the 3 years I worked RRS full time to cover the difference between income from RRS and expenditures.  Additionally I was dealing with a batch of personal issues that are personal.  I never left RRS.  I consistently spent time as I could addressing issues related to upkeep and maintenance. I was $50,000 in the hole for the three years that I ran RRS without a real job, sorry for making a few hundred of it back while I worked a real job and didn't dedicate 100 hours a week to RRS.  

Rumor 4: Brian Sapient has only returned to make money.

Status: False.  This isn't a comeback... I never left, I never will.  Try living your life for the rest of your life working 100 hours a week on the same thing, see if you can do it.  Need a break from time to time?  I worked a real life job, recharged my batteries, waited out the recession a little, and got right back to it.  I decided to get a job because I had used up so much of my savings and at the start of the recession got quite a few warnings from subscribers that they had to pull back donations as a result of the downturn.  

I'm not going anywhere, this site isn't going anywhere.  It will exist after my death as well.  The RRS has not made a profit.

RRS HAS NOT MADE A PROFIT.

I left a good career to do this, this is my love, this is my legacy, my effort to make the world a better place.  If I was in it for the money, I would be a little smarter than to work for 80 cents an hour. If I was in it for the money there would be no RRS. Maybe I'd be the President of a big Atheist org... you know the people that make $60,000-$100,000 a year.  

Rumor 5: RRS is Atheist Nexus

Status: False.  I didn't even have an atheist nexus account until yesterday.  The Rational Response Squad page on atheist nexus was started by a friend of mine.

Rumor 6: Brian Sapient and Kelly started a rumor that Richard Dawkins cheated on his wife to get back at him.

Status: False.  We didn't start a rumor.  This one is rather easy to pick apart, can you find anywhere that Kelly or I posted that in a public place at the time when it supposedly happened?  This is what it looks like when I "get back" at someone.  It looks a little different than "he said it, just not on the internet anywhere."  I wouldn't want the world to know a story like that, imagine what the Christians would do with that info.

Rumor 7: Kelly was spending RRS money on illegal drugs.

Status: False.  Kelly was on prescription medication, if she had an issue with substance abuse it was more in the alcohol department, she made her drinking public during a few broadcasts.  Those concerned about Kelly should know she's doing better now, and she's on a better track.  We spoke yesterday for the first time in about 80 days.  We have a mutual admiration for each other and hope the best for each other.  She's currently working on bettering herself in a number of areas, details of which are personal.  

Rumor 8: Sam Harris wanted to give us $500,000 to work on a non-profit but decided against it to do The Reason Project instead.

Status: False.  However, may I note that "The Reason Project" is not working... we can't even get atheists to embrace reason.  This rumor might've stemmed from my interest in helping Sam Harris get the project started, and the fact that at one point he explained that groups like RRS would be the beneficiaries of funds... however we'd have to be a non-profit.  

I'm not a 501-C-3 so that we don't have to limit what we talk about.  If I wanted to limit what we were going to talk about we could be a non-profit and I'd likely make over $60,000 a year.  I'm just trying to get by and I'm frugal about it.  Every penny is stretched to the limit.

Spread this post around, help faithful atheists everywhere. 

______

I just read this quote from Natural posted on our Atheist Nexus group page and found it to be one of the best summations of the "I hate you RRS" effect that I've seen over the years...

Just a warning to anyone reading this who's not familiar with the RRS forums: A lot of people have the wrong impression about RRS, based on rumors and haters, but if you go in with an open mind -- instead of assuming you know what it's all about -- then we are very welcoming of anyone willing to discuss anything with intellectual honesty. Some of our long-time members are people we strongly disagree with, but get along with just fine because they are honest to us and themselves. On the other hand, if you start making claims and accusations with nothing to back it up, we will challenge you unrelentingly. A lot of people can't handle this, and hence we get a lot of haters spreading rumors.

Oh, ironically the reason I noticed the quote was because I was going to look at the new group Natural formed.  Here is the information on his wonderism group. I didn't have an account on nexus, and I still don't.  So if you're looking for me there, you'll be looking for a while.

____

Hey folks, as you know the core leadership of RRS was rather inactive for the first half of 2009, this was due to various factors including several that are personal, however the recession took it's toll as early as the beginning of 2008.  A bunch of folks who were donors and subscribers wrote to us with apologies after they lost their job, or their wives lost their jobs, or something recessionary in nature happened to them presenting a situation in which they had to withdraw their funding of our efforts.  This story was echoed by the SSA who was on the verge of disappearing this year as a result of the hard times, and has raised over $90,000 in two months.  I've been working as many hours as possible in the real world for over a year now to reduce the fundraising burden in order to keep this site afloat.  While I seemed absent on an activist level my time away from the limelight was designed to preserve RRS.  

Since I've been able to alter my schedule to get back to the typical 50+ hour RRS workload, the donations are at an all time low.  This is to be expected of course, there is no current radio show, there was a hiatus, and we're still in a recession... but we're recovering on multiple levels.  I'm gonna manage to work in the 70 hour range on activist activities here, while holding down a job and caring for a son, this week. Signs of a recession ending are upon us.  However, due to the intense workload already on my plate, the show is far from my mind.  Doing the show takes preparation time, editing time, and more... while I currently have 60 hours of unedited material that still needs to be addressed.  Work that needed to be addressed for a very long time now, my sincerest apologies to those who were waiting for that content.

Since I've returned I've been bombarded with countless positive comments, many of which are encouraging me to get the show back up and running, here's your chance to get me one step closer to that.  Yeah... I'm begging for money.  Pick up that phone and call us now to keep the congregation going.  I hate feeling like this, hate having to ask for it, I thought maybe donations would just start coming back organically, but they're not.  So I'm asking.

Let me give you some insight as to some of the things I'm working on that require funds...

1. I'm going to Salt Lake City next month and will be speaking in front of a large atheist group.  I will take some footage engaging Mormons as well.  On my dime.  About $500 for the trip, I'll be staying with a friend.

2. I finally managed to get ALL the footage from the documentary team that failed to produce the RRS movie, due to their own lack of funds.  This includes our in person interviews with Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Dennett, Ellen Johnson, Margaret Downey, and at home conversations and interviews that have never been released.  $3,500 is needed for an apple capable of editing this footage in HD with this $1,000 piece of software.  If you are willing to lend suitable computer or sell one at a discount, let me know.    I can now edit the video in non-hd however I have 30 hours of footage to dig through, which will take quite a bit of time to work on.  The plan is currently a free internet movie.

3. You know those atheist billboards that have been popping up everywhere?  I want to put them all over the web via google ads.  This project is limited only by how much money we have, one could invest $10,000 per day easily in google ads.  

4. I'd like to not have to ask for more hours at work every week, and instead ask for less, spending more time working RRS would get me back on track, I'm so backlogged, it feels like I'm 3 years behind.  

5. I'd like to plan trips to speak at both California and Florida atheist events in the next 9 months.  I have friends/family I can stay with at both to keep costs down.  Groups in Florida and California have been trying to get me to come speak for a while.  Video projects will be made on both trips.  

6. Darth Josh will be coming to visit the RRS house at the end of January to record a show (and scheme), I'd like to help with his travel expenses.

7. I need a laptop to take on these trips, so I can stay connected.  I'm looking at the least expensive model that would do the trick.  $350 

There's obviously a ton of other activist reasons more money could be put to good use, but I think I've added enough transparency and at least a few thousands dollars worth of expenses to give you an idea of how your donation will be put to good use.

So here's your chance... all those folks that sent me words of support in the last three months, telling me how happy you are to see me back full time, help me keep it up!  Show me you really mean it.  I need to see your love in the form of dollars or I need to look into restoring my career aspirations and pull back the amount of time I spend on activism.  Keep in mind, the RRS network of sites will be here for at least as long as I'm alive, and likely well after.  While I might have lost some teammates along the way, I promise you're never losing me.  This has always been my baby.  I'm not going anywhere, don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years.

There are two big ways to help financially: 

1. Donate monthly

2. Donate any amount, any size, consider $15-25. 

3. If you have to do any holiday shopping, start doing it now, and do it through this link.  Amazon.com sells just about everything in the world, you can get your groceries and clothing there as well.  Purchase items you'd normally buy at the store through our amazon link and we'll make a small commission.  Thanks to the few folks who do this year round. 

/begging 

Hey folks, as you know the core leadership of RRS was rather inactive for the first half of 2009, this was due to various factors including several that are personal, however the recession took it's toll as early as the beginning of 2008.  A bunch of folks who were donors and subscribers wrote to us with apologies after they lost their job, or their wives lost their jobs, or something recessionary in nature happened to them presenting a situation in which they had to withdraw their funding of our efforts.  This story was echoed by the SSA who was on the verge of disappearing this year as a result of the hard times, and has raised over $90,000 in two months.  I've been working as many hours as possible in the real world for over a year now to reduce the fundraising burden in order to keep this site afloat.  While I seemed absent on an activist level my time away from the limelight was designed to preserve RRS.  

Since I've been able to alter my schedule to get back to the typical 50+ hour RRS workload, the donations are at an all time low.  This is to be expected of course, there is no current radio show, there was a hiatus, and we're still in a recession... but we're recovering on multiple levels.  I'm gonna manage to work in the 70 hour range on activist activities here, while holding down a job and caring for a son, this week. Signs of a recession ending are upon us.  However, due to the intense workload already on my plate, the show is far from my mind.  Doing the show takes preparation time, editing time, and more... while I currently have 60 hours of unedited material that still needs to be addressed.  Work that needed to be addressed for a very long time now, my sincerest apologies to those who were waiting for that content.

Since I've returned I've been bombarded with countless positive comments, many of which are encouraging me to get the show back up and running, here's your chance to get me one step closer to that.  Yeah... I'm begging for money.  Pick up that phone and call us now to keep the congregation going.  I hate feeling like this, hate having to ask for it, I thought maybe donations would just start coming back organically, but they're not.  So I'm asking.

Let me give you some insight as to some of the things I'm working on that require funds...

1. I'm going to Salt Lake City next month and will be speaking in front of a large atheist group.  I will take some footage engaging Mormons as well.  On my dime.  About $500 for the trip, I'll be staying with a friend.

2. I finally managed to get ALL the footage from the documentary team that failed to produce the RRS movie, due to their own lack of funds.  This includes our in person interviews with Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, Dennett, Ellen Johnson, Margaret Downey, and at home conversations and interviews that have never been released.  $3,500 is needed for an apple capable of editing this footage in HD with this $1,000 piece of software.  If you are willing to lend suitable computer or sell one at a discount, let me know.    I can now edit the video in non-hd however I have 30 hours of footage to dig through, which will take quite a bit of time to work on.  The plan is currently a free internet movie.

3. You know those atheist billboards that have been popping up everywhere?  I want to put them all over the web via google ads.  This project is limited only by how much money we have, one could invest $10,000 per day easily in google ads.  

4. I'd like to not have to ask for more hours at work every week, and instead ask for less, spending more time working RRS would get me back on track, I'm so backlogged, it feels like I'm 3 years behind.  

5. I'd like to plan trips to speak at both California and Florida atheist events in the next 9 months.  I have friends/family I can stay with at both to keep costs down.  Groups in Florida and California have been trying to get me to come speak for a while.  Video projects will be made on both trips.  

6. Darth Josh will be coming to visit the RRS house at the end of January to record a show (and scheme), I'd like to help with his travel expenses.

7. I need a laptop to take on these trips, so I can stay connected.  I'm looking at the least expensive model that would do the trick.  $350 

There's obviously a ton of other activist reasons more money could be put to good use, but I think I've added enough transparency and at least a few thousands dollars worth of expenses to give you an idea of how your donation will be put to good use.

So here's your chance... all those folks that sent me words of support in the last three months, telling me how happy you are to see me back full time, help me keep it up!  Show me you really mean it.  I need to see your love in the form of dollars or I need to look into restoring my career aspirations and pull back the amount of time I spend on activism.  Keep in mind, the RRS network of sites will be here for at least as long as I'm alive, and likely well after.  While I might have lost some teammates along the way, I promise you're never losing me.  This has always been my baby.  I'm not going anywhere, don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years.

There are two big ways to help financially: 

1. Donate monthly

2. Donate any amount, any size, consider $15-25. 

3. If you have to do any holiday shopping, start doing it now, and do it through this link.  Amazon.com sells just about everything in the world, you can get your groceries and clothing there as well.  Purchase items you'd normally buy at the store through our amazon link and we'll make a small commission.  Thanks to the few folks who do this year round. 

/begging 

Darth Josh told me last night how the radio disclaimer is one of his favorite sound bites in RRS history, and I'm inclined to agree with him.  For those that don't know the technicals on it... it's my voice sped up 1.5 times. 

So here's a little slice of RRS history, a download for the disclaimer that was played on our show.  Enjoy!  

You can still hear a bunch of free archived material here.

_____

This is Sunflower, or as we typically call her “Sunny”.  As you know back in November of 2005 we lost our dear Maya.  A few weeks later we just couldn't bear not having cats in our house and went to a local pet shelter to adopt three kittens.  There were a number of things we didn't like about the way the shelter was run, but in the end we had three wonderful cats that we loved–affectionate, playful, and apparently healthy.

It turns out that the shelter let us down in that department too.  It turns out that Sunflower, the littlest kitty, the one bearing the name I gave her the day she came home, is infected with Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), and it has entered an advanced stage even though she is only 3 years old.  Our cats have never had contact with any strange cats since the shelter, and live entirely indoors–our veterinarian has informed us that Sunny almost certainly came from the shelter with the infection.  They went on to say that they have seen over the last couple years increasing numbers of sick cats from that particular shelter and no longer recommend it to people looking to adopt cats.

The shelter was supposed to have tested all of its cats for FeLV, and the tests are very reliable and hard to screw up.  But clearly they were remiss with regard to testing Sunny.  And now Sunny has been living (infected) in close quarters with our other cats for three years.  We've had the other cats tested and miraculously they are negative, so we immediately had them innoculated for the virus.

But poor Sunny is dying.  She will not eat, barely drinks at all, and hardly moves.  When she does move she staggers badly.  She still purrs when I pet her but she is clearly not going to last much longer.  I wouldn't be surprised if she dies tonite.  Given she is suffering a condition which is essentially incurable, I'll be taking her to the vet tomorrow to release her, barely 3 years old, from her suffering.  It's breaking my heart.

Our three kitties have bonded with each other over the years, and are always together, it's going to be very different with Sunny gone.  We really fell in love with our trio of cats, and it became quite a ritual to say “kittycats, kittycats, 1, 2, 3” whenever we saw them.  Or if we only saw a pair we would say “kittycats, kittycats, 1, 2, where's number 3?”  Now there will be no number 3.

My daughter took it very hard when Maya had to be put down.  When the kittens came home, she immediately took to Sunny, as Sunny was the littlest kitty.  And strangely, Sunny took to Neya, perhaps because Neya was the littlest person.  So while the other cats would sleep with Pat and I or follow us around, Sunny would always be found not far from our daughter, sleeping in her bed with her or nearby.  If I had to pick the worst cat to lose, Sunny would be the biggest loss.

It's just not fair.

Even though the atheists failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that God could not have been the spark that set all of creation, they seem to have nailed this debate when Cameron pulled out the get-out-of-hell card. Simply put, this was “what you believe about God will determine where you spend eternity.” At this point, if I wasn’t covering this event, I would have crawled out of the church in shame.

Who won the debate? I was under the impression that Ray and Kirk were not going to rely on their bible to prove their god exists scientifically. By that standard they both broke the rules by referring to the bible multiple times, and proved nothing with their argument from design, so they failed. If there were any rational fence sitters out there I would assume they must agree. As for the respective choirs on each side, I'm sure they both thought their side won completely.

In a another passage [Sam] Harris goes even further, and reaches a disturbing conclusion that “some propositions are so dangerous that it may even be ethical to kill people for believing them”. This sounds like exactly the kind of argument put forward by those who ran the Inquisition.