Conservatives on 9th Circuit Can’t Rescue Boy Scouts From Establishment Clause Claim Dan Levine01-02-2009Conservatives on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals couldn’t muster enough votes to rescue the Boy Scouts from the riptide of an Establishment Clause claim. The court denied en banc review Tuesday to a San Diego-based Boy Scouts group in a case that raises tough church-and-state questions (pdf). The appeal drew a wide range of amici: the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and a group of states — including Texas and South Dakota — sided with the Scouts, while California filed for the plaintiffs. A pair of couples, one lesb1an and another agnostic, challenged a lease the Scouts signed with the city of San Diego allowing them to operate recreational facilities on park land. They said the deal violated the Establishment Clause because of the Scouts’ professed reverence of God. In addition, they said they were averse to using the facilities because of the Scouts’ stated policy of excluding gays and atheists.

Remember the facts of the case against the Boy Scouts. The Supreme Court ruled they can discriminate on the basis of religion or sexuality, because they are a “private group”. They are the only discriminatory private group that gets government funding and LOTS of publicly-funded/endorsed special privileges (pulling kids out of public school, free meeting space at the firehouse, etc), and THAT’S illegal, unless the same would be available to any other discriminatory private group. It’s a shame, because had they just declared themselves a public group, they would have been entitled to all these privileges, but they would have had to give up being discriminatory. Remember that: They CHOSE this course.

I often get asked where religious liberty should end, and I often respond with “there’s a gray line”.But the death of children is clearly over that line.I don’t know the details of the Travolta tragedy. It’s not my business, but it IS a good basis for discussion. Scientology (a malevolent scam for foolish people) does not “accept autism” as a possibility, so the parents don’t normally treat it. Duh. This goes along the lines of Christian Scientists withholding medicine from their kids, deciding to pray to their god instead (again, duh).This is not gray. This is parents killing children in the name of mythology. This is bad parenting, to the point of the state having the rightful need to protect the children and remove them from the parents. Child abusers lose their kids, and withholding medicine is child abuse, whether it’s done for religion or not. My sympathies go out to the Travoltas, and I AGAIN say I don’t know the details of their son’s death, nor should I. However, if the speculation is correct, and he was receiving the wrong medication because Scientologists don’t believe the real condition exists, then they ARE responsible.ANY parent responsible for killing their own kid due to idiotic teachings cannot blame the teachings — they must take the responsibility for believing the idiocy and pay the price. Religious liberty ends BEFORE the kids’ well-being is endangered.

AMERICAN ATHEISTS NATIONAL CONVENTIONAPRIL 9, 10, 11, 12, 2009ATLANTA, GEORGIAEmory Conference Center Hotel/Emory Inn 1615 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30329The Emory is just 20 minutes from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The downtown business district and vibrant Buckhead are less than 12 minutes from the hotel. Complimentary on site parking is an added bonus.The Emory offers a two-tiered guest room rate. Guest rooms in the hotel are $109 plus tax for single/double. Guest rooms in the inn (directly connected to the hotel) are $89 plus tax for single/double and include breakfast. You must make your reservations directly with the hotel/inn on or before March 10, 2009 to enjoy our special convention rate. Be sure to tell them you are with the American Atheist convention. Emory Hotel/Inn reservations: (404 712-6000 Visit the Emory Conference Center Hotel/Emory Inn at www.emoryconferencecenter.comConfirmed Speakers at this time: (Read Bios)Ed Buckner: President, American Atheists, Inc.Richard Dawkins: Evolutionist/recognized authorMike Malloy: Nationally-syndicated talk radio personalityJim Morrow: Award winning Novelist(D)evangelical Comedy Troupe: Stand Up Comedy TroupeDr. J. Anderson Thomson: Psychiatrist, researcher, authorNate Phelps: Estranged son of Pastor Fred Phelps (“God Hates Fags”)John Lombard: Helped found the first Critical Thinking organization in ChinaSpecial Event: “Mass De-baptism Ceremony” Folks, we expect to sell out this year. The sheer combination of speakers is broad enough to attract a very wide audience. There are also more speakers you don’t know about yet. Translation: — check out the details and register on-line today.http://www.atheists.org/events/National_Convention

Thanks to those who volunteered to help us load the wiki — now here’s a request for the rest of you to help out American Atheists and our cause.Please help publicize this website. You do this by:1) Digging, Stumbling, facebooking, etc your 5 favorite articles or pages. This can produce DRAMATIC results in traffic and is easily done by clicking the links conveniently placed at the bottom of each article page.2) See those “Blogged” and “toplist” links down the right side of this page? Click there and rate us highly.This is easy stuff, but it does a LOT. Here’s a great way to donate an hour or two this weekend to help out.THANK YOU!

The big news right now is that Mike Newdow is suing, along with the FFRF (but not American Atheists) to remove the “so help me god” and the “invocation” at the Obama inauguration. The Obama Team contacted me before the election several times to issue a statement on the NoGodBlog to solicit Atheist votes. I complied. Since their victory, nothing. No returned calls, no returned emails, and no place in the inauguration. Preachers get to preach their divisive “we all love god and gays can’t get married” bullcrap, but there will be no acknowledgment of secular people AT ALL at the event. Quite frankly, I’m pretty pissed.So yes, the Newdow lawsuit is righteous, and we hope he wins, but what we REALLY hope is that Prez-Elect Obama HEARS FROM YOU about our total lack of presence at his “Interfaith Table“. Preferably, send snail-mail to Presidential Inaugural Committee 2009, Washington, D.C. 20599 (yes, this is the whole address)and tell them to include the 16% of Americans that profess no faith in gods at their inauguration and at their table. We will NOT be ignored.