http://www.samharris.org/site/security_trust/Urgent Appeal: Please Help Protect Ayaan Hirsi Ali Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the most prominent advocate of free speech and women’s rights in the Muslim world, and for this she must live under perpetual armed guard, even in the West. Unfortunately, on October 1st of this year, the Dutch government officially rescinded its promise to protect her. Now, Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s friends, colleagues and admirers must come to her aid. I have created a page on my website that links directly to the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust. The money raised by this trust will pay Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s security expenses. In the event that money remains after these costs have been met, it will be used to encourage and protect other dissidents in the Muslim world. The ongoing protection of Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a moral obligation. It is also a strategic one: for here is a woman doing work that most of us cannot do–indeed, would be terrified to do if given the chance–and yet this work is essential for preserving the freedoms we take for granted in the West. If every reader of this email simply pledged ten dollars a month to protect Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the costs of her security would be covered for as long as the threat to her life remains. Thanks in advance for your support. Sincerely, Sam Harris Ayaan Hirsi Ali In 2005, TIME included Ayaan Hirsi Ali in its list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People. If you would like to know more about her, please read Christopher Caldwell’s fine profile in the New York Times Magazine. You can also read the essay that Salman Rushdie and I recently published in the Los Angeles Times, or the one that Christopher Hitchens wrote for Slate.

American Atheists CaliforniaRALLY FOR REMOVAL OF RELIGIOUS REFERENCES IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCEAND ON NATIONAL CURRENCYTuesday, December 4, 2007San Francisco Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals BuildingAmerican Atheists California, in conjunction with Bay Area Atheist and Humanist groups, will rally in front of the San Francisco Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals building on Tuesday, December 4, to support the idea of removing religious references and slogans in the Pledge of Allegiance and on national currency.In 2004, when Michael Newdow argued before the Supreme Court for removal of ?under god? in the Pledge of Allegiance, California Atheists showed their support by rallying at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.The court dismissed that suit due to lack of standing and never addressed the real issues. Undaunted, Newdow found parents with solid standing and is now representing them in a new suit.In addition, the prolific Dr. Newdow has another suit that challenges placement of the religious slogan ?In God We Trust? on our nation?s currency. Both suits are now before the Ninth Circuit. Oral arguments have been set for December 4 in San Francisco.The rally is a celebration of unity among god-free Californians intended to not only support Dr. Newdow, but also encourage the Ninth Circuit to adhere to its landmark 2002 decision.The rally will begin at 7:30 a.m. and include a program of speakers. Signs will be provided. Both cases are scheduled for the morning session, and participants are welcome to attend court proceedings after the rally (seating on a first-come, first-served basis).The Richard Dawkins website (richarddawkins.net) is planning to tape the event for broadcast. Help us make a good showing in support of First Amendment rights.WHAT: Rally at the San Francisco Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals building (Seventh and Mission) for removing religious references and slogans in the Pledge of Allegiance and on national currencyWHEN: Tuesday, December 4, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. MORE INFO: www.sanfranciscoatheists.com, (415) 771-9872, dksf@atheists.org. CONTACT: Dave Kong, California State Director for American Atheists dkong@atheists.org, http://www.atheists.org/ca (AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists, Freethinkers and other nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.)

ELLEN JOHNSON ON FOX NEWS THANKSGIVING (TOMORROW, THURSDAY NOV. 22 TO DISCUSS AA APPEAL, UTAH CROSS CASE ELLEN JOHNSON, President of American Atheists will be on the Fox News Channel on Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 22, 2007) to discuss the appeal on the Utah Christian cross case. Johnson will be on “American Pulse” with Julie Bendaras at 2:25 PM ET — check local listings. On Tuesday, a US District Judge ruled that 12-foot-high Christian crosses on public land — erected to ostensibly honor fallen members of the Utah Highway Patrol — conveyed a secular, not religious, message. Visit http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312455,00.html for background. American Atheists has announced that it will appeal the decision. WHO & WHAT: Ellen Johnson, President of American Atheists discusses the legal appeal on the Utah Christian cross case. WHERE: FoxNews Channel, “America’s Pulse” with Julie Bendaras. WHEN: Thanksgiving Day, Thursday November 22, 2007 AT 2:35 PM ET, check local listings MORE INFO: http://www.foxnews.com (AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists, Freethinkers and other nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.)

Those who know me know that Turkey-Football day is one of my favorite holidays. Theists give thanks to an invisible man in the sky. Atheists give thanks to humans.So thanks to our vets, to those who came out of the Atheist closet, this year, and of course to the readers of this blog. You’re awesome!

God is a Brazilian. (see the link to the title of this post) I know you have been asking yourself if God exists, what nationality is he? Well he has finally come out and announced he is a Brazilian. How do we know? Well Brazil just found remarkable massive new oil reserves off Brazil’s coast. Further proof that God loves money. He bequeaths it to those of his same nationality. Is Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva kidding? We can only hope. But do any of you question his assertion on the nationality of God?Peter Nuhn

ST. GEORGE, Utah – A judge sentenced a polygamous-sect leader Tuesday to two consecutive terms of five years to life in prison for his role in the arranged marriage of teenage cousins. Warren Jeffs, 51, was convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in the marriage of a 14-year-old follower and her 19-year-old cousin in 2001. It will be up to the Utah parole board to decide how long he actually stays behind bars.

OK Really. I’m being honest here. Sometimes I’m surprised at how stupid some people can be. Really. She was 14, and marrying her cousin. And this guy had lots of followers. Stupid, stupid followers.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1685965,00.html?cnn=yes

In the journal Cell, Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University reports success in turning back the clock on cheek cells from a middle-aged woman, while James Thomson of University of Wisconsin, the first to isolate human embryonic stem cells, achieved the same feat with foreskin cells from a newborn baby. The achievements completely reset the boundaries of the stem cell debate, because both groups generated cells that looked and acted like embryonic stem cells, but without the need for eggs, embryos or ethical quandaries about where the cells came from. “I think this is the future of stem cell research,” says Dr. John Gearhart, the biologist who first discovered human fetal embryonic stem cells. “It’s absolutely terrific.” What’s more, these advances are only the latest in a year’s worth of exciting firsts in the field. Earlier this month, scientists in Seattle successfully nurtured a line of embryonic stem cells from monkeys using the same process that created Dolly. The feat brings us one step closer to being able to generate patient-specific stem cells to treat diseases in human patients, since primates are evolutionarily closer to humans than mice, in whom the process was tested.

This apparently will end the debate over stem cell research, and once again science will be able to progress without mythologists complaining and campaigning to stop them — all in an effort to gain money and power. Even a moronic theocrat will be unable to stem discoveries, all of which make humanity a little less dependant on deities for answers. Now, as science moves forward, and makes life-saving discoveries, we will be able to quantify how many lives were lost (or will be lost) due to the interference by the religious right. Science rocks. Congratulations to the geniuses who save lives – for real.

A federal judge has ruled that some 13 12-foot crosses memorializing fallen Utah Highway Patrol troopers convey a secular, non-religious, meaning and do not violate the U.S. Constitution.In a win for the Utah Highway Patrol Association against the group American Atheists Inc., U.S. District Judge David Sam held Tuesday that the memorial crosses, found along various highways throughout the state, do not represent a government endorsement of an particular religious belief. Such an endorsement would violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.”Even classic religious symbols may have various meanings and purposes depending on their context,” Sam wrote. “The memorial crosses at issue communicate a secular message, a message that a patrolman died or was mortally wounded at a particular location.”News of the ruling was well met by state troopers. “Obviously we’re pleased,” said UHPA president Shane Mebker. “The intent all along was to honor the sacrifice of these men for the state.” Mebker said he was also pleased that Sam recognized that recognition.Sam also noted that because the crosses were funded by donations through the Utah Highway Patrol Association, no government money was spent on them. Also, the UHPA is not considered a religious organization and thus the government cannot be seen as legally “entangled” with a religious organization or belief.Much like the Ten Commandments, Sam said the Latin cross may act as a secular as well as a religious symbol, depending on the context. The reasoning was taken from two U.S. Supreme Court rulings issued recently which held that displays of the Ten Commandments can be on government property as long as its context is historic and not religious in nature.American Atheists attorney Brian Barnard called Sam’s ruling troubling in that the judge held that the cross as a symbol is as secular as the Christmas tree. “Such a holding demeans the cross and those religions which revere it. That vast majority of society today knows exactly and immediately the message a Roman cross conveys. It is not a generic symbol, but the preeminent and exclusive symbol of Christianity,” Barnard said.The legal controversy over the memorial crosses is not over yet. Barnard said American Atheists will ask the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver to review the case.

DECATUR, Ga. – The 80-year-old leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch is at the center of a sex scandal of biblical dimensions: He slept with his brother’s wife and fathered a child by her.Members of Archbishop Earl Paulk’s family stood at the pulpit of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church a few Sundays ago and revealed the secret exposed by a recent court-ordered paternity test.In truth, this is not the first ? or even the second ? sex scandal to engulf Paulk and the independent, charismatic church. But this time, he could be in trouble with the law for lying under oath about the affair.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21888916/

ELLEN JOHNSON TAKES ON BILL DONAHUE,CATHOLIC LEAGUE ~ GOLDEN COMPASSCNN, FRIDAY NOV. 23 ELLEN JOHNSON, President of American Atheists, will be a guest on CNN Headline News this Friday, November 23, 2007, in an exchange with Bill Donahue of the Catholic League. The topic is the soon-to-be-released movie, THE GOLDEN COMPASS based on the book of the same title by Atheist writer Philip Pullman. The Catholic League has condemned this critically-acclaimed book for promoting a “stealth Atheist agenda.” The movie is slated for release on December 4, and news reports have established that producers New Line Cinema, have “toned down” portions of the film that religionists might find offensive. The Catholic League has called for a boycott of the movie. (See: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/critics/blog/2007/11/another_salvo_at_the_golden_co.html ) The segment with the Johnson/Donahue debate will air nationwide on the CNN Headline News channel sometime after 5:00 PM ET on Friday, Nov. 23. Check local listings. You can then join the conversation and post your comments on the NoGodBlog at http://www.nogodblog.com . WHO & WHAT: American Atheists President Ellen Johnson takes on Bill Donahue, Catholic League over the forthcoming film “The Golden Compass” WHEN: This Friday, Nov. 23, 2007 beginning at 5:00 PM ET, check local listings. WHERE: CNN Headline News channel, http://www.cnn.com MORE INFO: http://www.cnn.com (AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists, Freethinkers and other nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy