http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=awp5zvUvkwYE&refer=home

April 16 (Bloomberg) — The New York Yankees and the city’s police department were sued by a Boston Red Sox fan who said he was ejected from Yankee Stadium in August because he tried to use the restroom during the singing of “God Bless America.”

Bradford Campeau-Laurion, a 30-year-old resident of Astoria, Queens, said he was the victim of religious and political discrimination. The New York Civil Liberties Union sued yesterday on his behalf in federal court in Manhattan.

“New York’s finest have no business arresting someone for trying to go to the bathroom at a politically incorrect moment,” Donna Lieberman, executive director of the civil- liberties group, said in a statement.
…
Unlike most other Major League Baseball teams, the Yankees seek to prevent fans from moving during the playing of “God Bless America,” according to the complaint. The lawsuit also challenges that policy. Off-duty uniformed police officers at the games are paid by the Yankees, according to the complaint and Browne.
Read More

The article goes on to challenge the charges, saying the man was acting in a disorderly way and was ejected for that reason. Be that as it may, the Yankees do appear to have a “stand still during God Bless America” Policy.

God Bless America is NOT the National Anthem — the Star Spangled banner is, and it is the ONLY song for which you are supposed to stand. GBA is prayer set to words, and it may be patriotic as well, but it is not an official song.

We need an official movement of protest here. For those few who can still afford to pay outrageous prices for baseball tickets, I urge you to protest this policy by deliberately using the restroom, or buying a snack, or simply walking around during this song. Disturb nobody, but make sure they know that you are not standing idly by while they play a musical prayer.

Don’t be drunk, don’t be disorderly, and if they try to stop you don’t take no for an answer. Go as a team, and walk around as a team. Talk on your cell phone, and be otherwise visibly NOT paying attention. If anyone has any baseball tickets to spare, I’ll go with you to do this.

How discouraging it is to see a compete idiot like this telling us in an official capacity that we need not worry about Environmental issues because the invisible Magic Man-in-the-sky will destroy the world when he sees fit. Imagine the damage this moron could cause!

Trina Hoaks interviewed Richard Dawkins at the convention. Here it is.

It’s tax day, so we all filed our forms (or extensions). And yes the churches DO have to file their forms, but they pay no taxes and declare no income. They have no oversight, and they are tax-free by default.

Everyone who pays taxes, pays more so the churches, mosques, temples, synagogues, pay none. Scientologists, Mooneys, Branch Davidians, and Heaven’s Gaters are included. Is that fair?

Hell no. I want ALL my money, and in these troubled times I need it. I don’t want to pay higher taxes so mythology-peddlers can pay none. If they perform a public service, then that’s fine — let them obey the same rules as American Atheists and other 501c3 organizations. But if they just exist to make a profit and grow their ranks, pay up and get out of my wallet.

http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/should-churches-be-tax-exempt

I spent a solid 5 hours in the airport yesterday before they told me my flight was canceled (due to weather, when there was no weather – I won’t be flying Delta for a very long time). At least it gave me the opportunity to finish a book entitled “Losing My Religion” by William Lobdell.

Apart from the fact that the title of the book puts that REM (I stand corrected) song in my head for hours on end, I enjoyed the book, about a religion reporter who loses his faith in the face of all the crap we all know surrounds Christianity. It obviously written by a journalist — small stories independently leading you down a road to reality, as opposed to the big picture Dawkins and Harris types. One such story described his visit to a Benny Hinn event, and the disappointed people who leave the event having emptied their wallets, but are still unable to walk. Very poignant.

Anyway, my flight was canceled and I spent the night in a cheap hotel without my luggage, and without my sleeping pills which I need to sleep every night, so I did not sleep. Having just finished the book, I flipped through the ultra-late-night TV shows and stumbled on the worst faith healer I’ve ever seen — I don’t know his name, but he wore a bright purple shirt and stammered through every sentence.

He healed two people right before my eyes! The first woman he miraculously knew was a smoker, and cured her of her smoking, and then he cured her breast cancer (not her lung cancer) which the smoking had caused, and she didn’t even know she had it! He made her touch her boob, and said “God just healed two lumps!” Hale-fricking-luya.

Then he healed a woman, who he KNEW (God told him) had done something she regretted in her younger years (HOW DID HE KNOW THAT!) and informed her that an angel was behind her to deliver a message that she had been healed of the guilt for the incident.

And THEN he gave away “Miracle water”. What is Miracle water? It’s water, that you get along with a set of instructions. He didn’t say what those instructions were, but if you submitted totallyto those instructions he guaranteed a miracle. Something tells me those instructions included donating money to his church.

Tomorrow is tax day. This lying charlatan pays no taxes because he’s a lying religious charlatan. Gets my blood boiling. It’s a good thing I have a place like this to vent.