AMERICAN ATHEISTS, INC.http://www.atheists.orghttp://www.americanatheist.orgFor more information, please contact:Ellen Johnson, President (973) 625-6900Dave Silverman, Communications Director (732) 648-9333HOUSE BILL TO CUT FIRST AMENDMENT LITIGATION FEESIS “GREEN LIGHT” FOR ABUSE SAYS ATHEIST GROUPA bill that would end compensation for attorneys challenging unconstitutional practices in respect to the separation of church and state invites widespread government abuse, an Atheist watchdog group charged today.H.R. 2679, the “Public Expression of Religion Act” (PERA) introduced by Rep. James Hostettler would amend a portion of the U.S. Code and disallow fees from attorneys who successfully represent individuals or groups litigating many First Amendment issues. The American Legion recently announced its support for this measure, claiming that lawyers were “profiteering” at the expense of the taxpayer, and that even the threat of litigation impinged on religious practice.Ellen Johnson, President of American Atheists, said that the bill is a “green light for local and state governments that often promote unconstitutional practices, everything from sectarian prayer at public meetings to putting up religious monuments on government property.”"The intent of this bill is to discourage concerned individuals and advocacy groups like American Atheists from using our courts to defend the First Amendment.”Dave Silverman, Communications Director for American Atheists, said that the Legion and others supporting PERA are misleading the public over the issue of costly litigation.”Too often, government officials have no problem using the public treasury to defend these unconstitutional practices in court, and the taxpayer has little or no say in the matter. If Rep. Hostettler and the Legion want to save us all a few bucks, they would not allow these violations in the first place.”More on the “Public Expression of Religious Act” can be found at http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/pera1.htmAMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.
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PLV:
Hey, wouldn’t sweat it. Phreddy loves the attention. Masochistic tendencies are my guess.
Reminds me of a joke:
What’s the difference between a masochist & a sadist?
The masochist says, “Hit me!”
The sadist says, “No.”
Any young atheists want to check out a good site, here it is:
http://s10.invisionfree.com/youngatheists/index.php?act=idx
I’ll go see V for Vendetta very soon.
Darrow-you obviously haven’t seen the movie “V for Vendetta”. Guy Fawkes was a treasonus bastard and while I disagree with your statement that he “got was coming to him” (being hung, drawn and quartered) I do believe that his crime was very grave indeed and he needed to be made an example of. The protagonist “V” is inspired by Fawke’s act of civil disobedeince but “V” is a true freedom fighter and not a religiously (catholic) motivated terrorist like Fawkes was. Go see the movie.
Darrow “Alex, thinking of being quartered? Remember to wear bulky jackets as you head for the underground – I hear that the Bobbies do a bang-up job on people who wear baggy jackets….”
Just if you are brown or black and don’t understand orders being shouted at you by the police in English to stop. As a native Briton with nearly albino skin I doubt that would happen to me!
Darrow “So long Alex. Could you take Phredummy along?”
Sorry Darrow but I’m here to stay and unfortunatley it seems phreedm is too.
Alex.
“McDonalds for “making them fat” or sue Macintosh because their i-pod made their ears hurt,”
Oh, let’s throw in the coffee case, too.
McDonalds and other “fast food” franchises / chains have created a form of food that simply did not exist until their food chemists devised the products.
The energy density of McDonalds foods exceeds just about everything in nature. A “shake” (yep, the lawyers made them rename it because it didn’t have much (if any) MILK in it) in the large size has more than 2000 Calories – or the energy used by the average adult in one day.
I could go on – the soda companies and “big Gulp” size portions of soda contain vast amounts of sugars (most of those sugars are not available to you at the grocery store – that white granular stuff is Sucrose – but the majority of the sugar in these products is Fructose – from corn) and that sugar is cheaper than artificial sweetners and flavoring. The ICE is more expensive than the sugar!
Want to tell me how spohisticated advertising selling food so energy-dense that the closest natural equal would be lard and honey is even remotely reasonable?
Of course, it is the coffee case that makes the news. McDonalds decided that hotter coffee was a good marketing strategy. Hundreds were burned. Those cases settled. One 80+ lady, whose daughter was driving, was handed the tray with the coffee by her daughter – typical drive-through process. Unfortunately the coffee was over 200 f or 96c. The car was struck from behind at the drive-through and the boiling-hot coffee spilt into the lap of the 80+ victim.
Where did the punitive damage award come from? Just the PROFIT McDonalds made from 1 day’s sales of Coffee in the US.
A NICKLE – to the average citizen – 16 million is to McDonalds.
We don’t need lawyers…our responsible corporations will look out for us.
According to the Revealer: “‘The War on Christians’ conference is coming to D.C., featuring a modified-A-list of conservative heavyweights organized by Vision America, including Alan Keyes, Gary Bauer, Sen. John Cornyn, Phyllis Schlafly, Sen. Sam Brownback and Rep. Tom DeLay, as well as some Jews…”
Alex, Thought you were “for Guy” not reviewing the film. Apologies are due and offered.
Also, thought you said you wer taking a trip back – and I’d pay Phredummy’s freight if you could take him along. Just tell hime he can see a circus and drop him at Piccadilly Circus – that 5-way roundabout will certainly turn his head.
Of course, he may be busy with the origninal quote to this post… Hanging with the MAN talking up how Christians are always the persecuted minority.
If you aren’t headed back….well, perhaps we can affix enough postage to Phredummy and send him somewhere nice – I think there are any number of good destinations in central Africa.
I think Africa already has more than its fair share of problems without sending them another christian missionary.
I think Africa already has more than its fair share of problems without sending them another christian missionary.
True.
I was hoping that exposure to drought and famine among Christians might trigger a crisis of faith in Phredummy.
Or, he might just be off the blog – in either case, we profit from the end of the nattering nabob’s incessant negativity.
Sorry, Spiro. But – take heart – more R’s are headed to the cells you once occupied.
alexgator1
Alex,
I ALWAYS remember Nov. 5 – it’s my DH’s birthday! I’m glad you told us about this movie. When I saw the preview for it, I thought it was just some dumb action/cartoon type movie – now I want to see it!
I’ve been really into books on CD lately. I’m in my car at least 40 minutes a day driving my son to school and home, and I LOVE listening to books while driving. It’s doubled my “reading” time.
Anyway, I just listened to a CD of a radio dramatization of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” VERY SCARY – the more so because I can see it happening all too easily it this country.
I especially like the character “Serena Joy” – she was a tv evangelist who was admonishing women for having jobs outside the home – then the “revolution” happens and Serena has to get off tv and be a stay-at-home wife – a role she does NOT relish. Be careful what you wish for . . .
pasta la vista
I really think we should all IGNORE Phreedm. I have responded to him a couple of times, but he never answers. He tends to swoop in, make provocative statements, then leave without adequately defending his position.
He’s never going to change his mind – and he’s never going to change our minds! I don’t know why he comes here – shouldn’t he be out protesting at abortion clinics, or converting heathen natives, or out doing other good works?
I’m with you, Pasta, I’m not going to respond to him, and I’m not going to mention him anymore after this.
I’m not a regular contributor to this blog, so I won’t make much of a difference, but if all of us ignore him he might use up less of our valuable space.
I tried to extend the olive branch to Phreedm once. I even used those exact words on a thread right before Christmas. It fell on deaf ears, no response.
I agree that we should try to be less critical of opposing posters. I like your attitude a lot, it is something I was advocating a few threads back myself.
But Phreddy…Why do you continually bomb threads with off topic stuff? You totally hijacked the Iraq thread today. Bummer. Not the end of the world, but it was the end of a great discussion.
Alex–
I saw “V for Vendetta” today. Really enjoyed it!
I think the movie concentrated more on the gov’t being intolerant, than on it being a religious dictatorship.
I wonder if xians have a fear of a “godless” or atheistic gov’t – like we have a fear of a religious state?
I think any gov’t that doesn’t tolerate people’s CHOICES (choice of religion-or lack thereof, choice of sexual partners, choice of politics, etc.) is a gov’t to be feared.
I liked what V said: “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.”
[blockquote]why are religion nuts so pissed off all the time???[/blockquote/
I think it's cause they know that any consolidated effort to disprove their fantastical way of thinking will result, in an intelligent society with the same thing... less believers.
They're pissed cause they're scared
[blockquote]phreedm said, “People are fed up with an unelected group forcing their opinions on the rest of us”
Kinda like the religious organizations do all the time?
Way to shoot yourself in the foot.[/blockquote]
Er… I’d say amen… but somehow the word doesn’t fit
I’ll go with well said !
[blockquote]I was hoping that exposure to drought and famine among Christians might trigger a crisis of faith in Phredummy.[/blockquote]
I’ve read a lot of Phreedm’s posts in my months of lurking here… and a couple of times I’ve nearly put a fist through my new puter-screen…
Drought and famine, I think, fall into the category of “tests” for fundies.
“HE IS TESTING US !! TESTING US !!”
Well, um… God… if you’re listening… it’s no fair giving someone a test they haven’t studied for !
It always strikes me as odd… Christians always say that all manner of calamities are God’s way of testing us… ok… then how can he be such an all-good, all-loving father-figure-god-thing if to test his faithful he’ll pull a stunt like… oh, say Hurricane Katrina !
Ok… I’m not doing the quote tg right… sorry about that…
On most blogs I’ve posted on it’s a bracjet thing… gotta remember to do HTML here…