I think it was Michael Shermer who noted that when a missing link is found between two known fossils, it creates two more “missing links”, one on either side of it, for the fundies to complain about. But here’s a pretty good one, from about 47 Million years ago.

The preservation is so good, it is possible to see the outline of its fur and even traces of its last meal.

The fossil, nicknamed Ida, is claimed to be a “missing link” between today’s higher primates – monkeys, apes and humans – and more distant relatives

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Although it’s not really a surprise, recent availability of Defense documents clearly show that the Bush administration thought of the war in Iraq as a religious crusade — meant at least in part to spread Christianity in the Islamic world.

Just like the Moslems said, and just as we all feared.

People died, and still die, on both sides of this useless and possibly illegal war. Indeed, they are still using American Soldiers to spread Christian Bibles (which carries a death penalty if they get caught).

Military Religious Freedom Foundation statement on the Bagram scandal.

From Public Record, “Rights Group Uncovers Other Cases Of Military Proselytizing Christianity to Muslims.”

The lesson we should learn here is obvious: politicians should be disqualified from holding office if they place their bible above the constitution. It’s not about religious freedom, it’s about priorities — if America is not your #1 priority, then you have a conflict of interest and shouldn’t be in charge.

It’s ironic that this comes out as the LA Times published an opinion that we atheists are boring and complain a lot. I admit it does get tiresome to continually fight idiots who want to kill people for their own religious gains, but the “boring” fighting will continue until America steps up and stops electing idiots and zealots for leaders.

I wonder what the LA times would say to the families of the soldiers who went to war thinking they were defending America, but died defending Bush’s religion.

I can go so many places with this. The supposed virgin in a dress is calling us subhuman. The ones who raped kids, and covered up for those rapes, thereby causing more rapes, all in the name of self-preservation. The condoms causing AIDS. Stem Cell research. This list goes on and on.

Please note, I am not angry when I see stuff like this. The emotion I feel is clearly pity. Some of these fools know they’ve wasted their lives praying to a statue or a fictional character in a book, but it’s too late for them to change now. It is their ego that keeps them in the priesthood. Others lash out at us because we are growing and they are losing, and this trend will continue. They are hurling insults, because they have nothing else to say. Poor old fool.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota judge has ruled that a 13-year-old cancer patient whose parents want to treat him with “alternative medicine” must seek conventional medical treatment for their son.
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Daniel was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and stopped chemotherapy in February after a single treatment. He and his parents opted instead for “alternative medicines” based on their religious beliefs.

Child protection workers accused Daniel’s parents of medical neglect; but in court, his mother insisted the boy wouldn’t submit to chemotherapy for religious reasons and she said she wouldn’t comply if the court orders it. READ MORE

This is another no-brainer — brainless parents who nearly killed their own child and still intend to do so. The mentally-challenged teen has cancer which will likely kill him if the doctors can’t administer chemo, but the parents are incredibly stupid and careless, and want to cure the boys cancer with herbs and sweating. This wonderful “alternative treatment” has had the fantastic result of allowing the tumor to grow, further endangering the boy’s life.

The judge and Child Protective Services have rightfully seen that religious freedom ends when a child’s well-being is in danger, and they’ve stepped it, but the fact remains that the parents ARE GUILTY OF CHILD ENDANGERMENT and need to go to jail. This kind of crap doesn’t deserve respect from anyone. Their other 7 children are all in constant danger, because their parents are willing, and indeed eager, to place them all in the same jeopardy in which they’ve placed their Daniel.

If we are to evolve as a society we must not tolerate this kind of bunk. Child endangerment for religious reasons is child endangerment, and nothing less. It’s society’s duty to throw both parents in jail and place the kids in healthy environments.

This year I’ll be returning to Camp Quest in Michigan for a week of fun with a bunch of kids — including my own. This will be my third time in four years, and I am really looking forward to it.

I went to a summer camp which was supposed to be secular, but they prayed en-masse before every meal. This was as close as I could find to truly religion-free, and those silly prayers bothered me much more than they should have. They pointed out that I was different — three times a day.

Now, Camp Quest has 7 active locations, including one in the UK, and that’s STILL not all. The Center For Inquiry is running Camp Inquiry, which is a “friendly competitor” for Camp Quest. Here’s an article and podcast on CI.

Note that neither of these is an atheist version of Jesus Camp. This is all about freedom of thought and the understanding that being an Atheist is not a bad thing — but there is never indoctrination.

Atheist parents are strongly encouraged to sign your kids up for one of these camp experiences. Either way, your kid will come home with skinned knees, a huge smile, and lots of nonreligious friends. Atheist camp is awesome. C U Soon Michigan!