Historically, the Vernal equinox has been celebrated cross culturally with signs of rebirth and fertility (birth, rebirth, bunnies, eggs, etc). Many religious have tried to usurp this celestial event for their own, but they are wrong. This event is for all of us, everywhere.

Happy equinox.

RALEIGH — When GlaxoSmithKline bought ToddStiefel’s family business for $2.9 billion last April, he began to think about what to do with the rest of his life.

A Duke University graduate, Stiefel wanted his windfall to better society. Like many modern philanthropists, such as Bill and Melinda Gates or Warren Buffett, Stiefel is not motivated by religious zeal. In fact, Stiefel has become one of the country’s biggest benefactors of atheist causes.

Last month, Stiefel gave $500,000 to the Secular Coalition of America, a Washington-based coalition that lobbies on behalf of 10 groups of atheists, humanists and agnostics. That’s on top of two smaller gifts to two of the coalition’s members: a $100,000 matching grant to American Atheists and a $50,000 matching grant to the Secular Student Alliance.

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Oh, by the way, that matching grant is already in effect! We made the Helen Mitzman fund last year, and Todd has done it for us again, offering 100K to match all donations. Make your tax deductible donation today, and come to the convention to meet the man!

Recently, bigots at the Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Mississippi were faced with a big problem: a gay was planning to show up to prom and convert all the poor innocent hetero kids to gayism with their gay germs!

The school board canceled the prom due to “distractions” after Constance McMillen requested permission to wear a tux and bring her girlfriend as her date. The horror! First the board tried banning her from the event, and when the ACLU stood up for her and demanded she be allowed to attend, the board took their ball and ran home.

According to CBS News, “District officials say they hope private citizens will host a prom.”

Well, private citizens have stepped up. In particular, godless heathen citizens! Well done to Todd and Diana Stiefel for donating $20,000 through the American Humanist Association to host a secular, inclusive event.

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The San Francisco Atheists protested against the Ninth Circuit Court’s ruling in favor of inclusion of the religious phrase: “in God we Trust” in the pledge of allegiance. It was a beautiful sunny morning and afternoon and about 30 people turned up to protest this obscene court ruling.

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Last week, I brought to your attention the rumor circulating about atheist Michael Middlebrooks and his alleged confrontation with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. In a special report of Atheist News, Joe and I had the opportunity to interview Middlebrooks to get his side of the story. We attempted to contact Governor Crist several times, but were unable to obtain a comment.

You can stream the episode here. Or listen to the two part YouTube version below:

There was still a little snow on the ground, a remnant of the winter I was deciding I didn’t like, so I kicked it. I decided it was a good thing to kick the snow, as a kind of “death to Winter” statement.

Being a child, I made up a superstition that if I “kicked the last snow” I would have a good summer. Of course I knew it was something I made up that had no real value or consequence, but I did it anyway, just because. It became a tradition for me. If it snowed after I kicked the last snow, then I had obviously not kicked the last snow (merely the second-to-the-last snow, which didn’t count), so I had to go out and kick it again.

I taught my daughter the superstition when she was very young (maybe 3), and she seemed to enjoy it. Once she got a little older (maybe 6 or 7), I told her that I had made it up, just like every other superstition had been made up, and I swear, I SAW something click in her mind. I saw a light come on. Suddenly she knew about stepping on cracks, throwing salt, breaking mirrors, etc. It was a wonderful moment to witness and share with her.

Here’s the fun part: She told her friends it was lucky to kick the last snow, and then told them I’d made it up after they’d done it. She spread the meme, and the realization that followed!

So go out there and kick the last snow before it melts, or make up your own superstition and tell your kids. Enjoy — all that can happen is that it will spark a bit of skepticism in those who follow, and are then informed that you (or I) just made the stuff up.

None of the nearly $1 million set aside to tackle sex abuse in New York’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities has been spent, even as another program set up to help scrambles for cash.

The state has earmarked $950,000 since April 2009 to fund Assemblyman Dov Hikind’s plans to teach Hasidic Jews to speak up against child molestation.

But the money sits untouched as Hikind figures out the details of Shomrei Yeldainu – Hebrew for “Guardians of our Children” – the Daily News has learned.

“You have to develop something that is done correctly working with the rabbis and leaders,” said Hikind (D-Brooklyn).

The $950,000 was included in the 2009 state budget for the Office of Family and Children’s Services, said Matt Anderson, a budget spokesman for Gov. Paterson.

It’s the first time the state has funded a sex abuse program geared toward helping a specific ethnic group.

“Apparently, the Hasidim will only go to the Hasidim for help,” said Edward Borges, an FCS spokesman.

Read more:

I’ve written and spoken before on the terrible situation in the NY Orthodox Jewish community that allows child rapists to go unchecked and unpunished. It has been said that if you want to be a pedophile, this is THE place to prey.

The reason the problem exists is to a large extent, summarized in the last sentence: they only go to their own for help. Naturally, when you have this kind of a cult mentality, “their own” are often supporters of the rapists, not the victims (as disgusting as that sounds).

If the money for helping victims is going untouched, then the undeniable conclusion is that it is not serving the purpose for which it is intended.

What is the Jewish community doing to spread the word that here is help from OUTSIDE the group? I suspect the answer is NOTHING. This is a cult, and just like every other cult they abhor outsiders because outsiders make sence and provide justice, as opposed to the utter subservience dished out by the cult.

The problem is compounded by a fear of the government appearing antisemitic if they press into the problem. This must not be used as an excuse. Children are being hurt, and it is the government’s job to step in and protect the children. Use the money to fund publicity to the Jewish children, and provide a few undercover cops to root out the swine.

Oh, and by the way, if you’re a child rapist, you’re not all that worried about the invisible man-in-the-sky, so no kosher meals in prison unless you pay for it yourself, m’kay?

Where is the media coverage beyond the atheist Web Pages? Some atheists have stated a skeptical view of this incident without proof. As Hemant Mehta says in his Friendly Atheist Blog, “But you mean to tell me Crist — a Republican candidate for Senate — attacked someone he was talking to while on the campaign trail and there were no cameras around?”

Proof would be great. I certainly appreciate the skepticism. According to Atheists of Florida there are at least two witnesses to the event other the Crist and his wife. I am willing to take Mr. Middlebrooks and the second witness at their word for now.

In the meantime, John A. Kieffer, the President of Atheists of Florida, emailed the following letter (along with a snail mail copy) to Governor Crist:

March 8, 2010

Office of Governor Charlie Crist
State of Florida
PL­05 The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL 32399­0001

Dear Governor Crist:

I am writing on behalf of Michael Middlebrooks, an Atheists of Florida member and doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida. He personally informed me of the details below, and a witness to this event is available for verification.

On Friday, March 5, 2010, during an informal evening gathering in St. Petersburg, Florida, Mr. Middlebrooks approached you to ask a question. Following a cordial handshake, he asked about the letter you placed in Jerusalem to prevent hurricanes from hitting Florida, to which you replied, ”Who’s more powerful than God?”

Upon asking again and getting a similar reply, he informed you that he does not hold a belief in God. According to him, you then reached out and “ripped” a campaign sticker off his chest, which read ”Charlie Crist for US Senate 2010,” placed there moments earlier by your campaign worker. Mr. Middlebrooks noted that you quickly turned your back to him while simultaneously shouting to him over your shoulder that you “felt sorry” for him.

Governor Crist, your reaction to Mr. Middlebrooks, an atheist whose views on religion are constitutionally protected, is sadly symbolic of the intolerance and bigotry that atheists across the state have endlessly endured.  Imagine instead if you had ripped a campaign sticker off some other religious minority, say a Jew or a Muslim, shouting, as you did here, that you felt sorry for them. The outrage in such a case would create newspaper headlines around the world.

Let there be no mistake. Atheists of Florida members are outraged by your bigoted and humiliating reaction to Mr. Middlebrooks. Attacking his minority worldview is an affront not only to him, but to me and all non­believers who expect you, as Florida’s chief executive, to protect and defend our constitutional
rights, including our right to freedom of religion.

Therefore, I urge you to promptly offer a letter of apology to Mr. Middlebrooks for your demeaning assault upon his character and person. What you did could be
considered a hate crime because you committed this battery while denigrating his personal religious worldview. I would refer you to F.S. § 877.19.

Your letter may be forwarded to me for personal delivery to Mr. Middlebrooks.

Sincerely,
John A. Kieffer
President, Atheists of Florida

Posted by Blair Scott

Michael reports, “Then when I told Charlie that I did not believe in God he turned beat red and ripped the sticker off of my chest. He did a 180 to start shaking other peoples hands, and turned to scream over his shoulder that he feels sorry for me.”

You can view the original thread here.

AAI’s entry on it is here.

Rob Curry of the Atheists of Florida plans on demanding an apology from Crist.

Posted by Blair Scott