Comments on: Weekly Link Roundup

By: billf

billf — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:57:45 +0000

Comment:

I just found out first hand what a hero Dr. Tiller was. My wife and I ended up needing the services of a man like Dr. Tiller last month. We live in one of the largest cities in the U.S., and we were able to find one doctor to help us. One. If he had been on vacation or otherwise unavailable we would have had to go out of state or out of country for help. Or brought a baby to term who would have had very little chance of ever leaving intensive care during her short, pain-ridden life.

"Pro Life" my ass. The Doctor and his staff who helped us end this pregnancy are the people who are Pro Life in my book. Maybe the quick no-nonsense conviction of Roeder will make the other nut-jobs like him think a little bit. I doubt it, but perhaps there is some hope.

By: Katie M

Katie M — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:21:44 +0000

"Perhaps if American schools taught God and Creationism it would become as unpopular as science, maths and critical thinking is now."

Maybe, but I'd be too afraid to try it just in case the exact opposite happens.

So, wonderful news all around. Excellent.

By: Paul Crowley

Paul Crowley — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:45:22 +0000

at least we have assurance that the rule of law is still operative in America or rather that this particular bit of the rule of law is still operative - it's hard to read this phrase without thinking of all the Bush-era crimes for which no-one was prosecuted.

By: Lenoxus

Lenoxus — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:24:00 +0000

I agreed with the OP on the education thing, but now I agree with Quidam. I guess I'm just easily swayed on things like that… Wikipedia sez: Despite there being a statutory requirement for schools to hold a daily act of collective worship, many do not. OFSTED's 2002-03 annual report, for example, states that 80% of secondary schools are not providing daily worship for all pupils. The statutory requirement was made in 1998. Nineteen ninety-eight! Jesus. At least those 80% have common sense. Oh, wait, I mean, poor Britain is doooomed to be cursed from the Almighty… (at least, that's what folks in the US say about cases like Abington v Shempp).

By: Quidam

Quidam — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:40:19 +0000

Let's not forget that Britain has compulsory religious education and, at least when I was at school there, daily prayers and hymns. As a kid I was very annoyed that the RC's and Muslims got to skip RE and prayers, but I didn't.

This decision only makes sense in that context. America doesn't (officially) teach religion in schools so being taught about atheism or humanism would be no more appropriate than Catholicism

But maybe forcing kids to learn about God in schools why he's less popular in the UK. Perhaps if American schools taught God and Creationism it would become as unpopular as science, maths and critical thinking is now.