Observations and inanities by a second-shift assistant supervisor in the Puppy-Grinding division of the Evil Atheist Conspiracy® (our motto: "Sure it's cruel, but think of the jobs!"), your host, Brent Rasmussen.
What's a socially liberal, fiscally conservative libertarian to do?
Despite my misgivings about his economic policies, I've pretty much decided I'm going to vote for Barack Obama in the upcoming election. My business partner makes a strong case for McCain, but franky, I'm tired of old, white guys running the country.
But then I read a story like this, and it makes me wonder if there really is any point in voting for anyone.
On the second day of a weeklong tour intended to highlight his values, Mr. Obama traveled to the battleground state of Ohio on Tuesday to present his proposal to get religious charities more involved in government programs.
To be fair, Obama does recognize the need to keep closer eyes on the money going to religious organization than the Bush administration has.
Mr. Obama made clear, however, that he would work to ensure that charitable groups receiving government funds be carefully monitored to prevent them from using the money to proselytize and to prevent any religion-based discrimination against potential recipients or employees.
So there is that. After the abuses reported for the past 6 or 7 years in the way public funds were spent in some cases, it will be nice to know that at least some monitoring will be done.
And true, McCain wouldn't do any better. In fact, he's on record as saying that faith-based would continue to have at least the same standing as they have now, which can only mean bad things.
Look, Obama's pandering to moderate Evangelicals more than anything else, and more oversight is better than none. But can't we get a god damned (pun intended) candidate from any party who won't bow to the ass of god every chance he gets?
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Not much of a surprise
I remember from the speech that Obama gave at the 2004 democratic convention the sentence, "I worship (or we worship) an awesome god." While I share your views about the pernicious influence of conservative christians in US politics in the past 20 years, I liked his choice of words because they were unexpected and because they sought to inspire awe rather than create and thrive on fear, which is what so many religious sects do today. The phrase and delivery even restored vitality to the used-to-death word "awesome." Religion isn't going away from US politics or government, and we (atheists and other non-believers) need to keep looking for ways, as we live with it, to educate people about atheists, however we may want to define ourselves. I can't count the times people who have come to see me as a nice person are surprised when I say I'm an atheist. I love to watch the puzzlement on some people's faces as they try to align their pleasant thought about me with the villainous image they have of the puppy-griding, mother-raping atheist. I have usually come out on top.
In the meantime, in politics, I will be drawn to somebody who conveys, if only once in a blue moon, religion as something that can elevate and help humans, rather than a hammer used to crush, belittle, and terrify them.
Frank Moorman, skeptic
But can't we get a god
I would love to see this happen. But do you really think that someone who wasn't religious could get elected????? And what about someone who announced he/she was an atheist?? I don't see that happening anytime soon.
Obama is a politician, and so far he's lived up to everything he said he was. You can't go around thinking you're in love with someone until you can accept them for who they really are.
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