Daylight Atheism » American Politics

Why the Anti-Science Creationist Movement Is So Dangerous

Ebonmuse — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:49:11 +0000

This essay was originally published on AlterNet.

A few weeks ago, Jon Huntsman torpedoed his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination by making the following announcement:

To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call ... [visit site to read more]

New on AlterNet: Why Creationism Is Dangerous

Ebonmuse — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:52:27 +0000

My latest article has been posted on AlterNet, Why the Anti-Science Creationist Movement Is So Dangerous. In it, I survey the history of the modern creationist movement, point out how it's completely captured one of America's two major political parties, and illuminate the larger ideological goals that lie behind the assault on evolution. Read the excerpt below, then click through and ... [visit site to read more]

Weekly Link Roundup

Ebonmuse — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 05:59:42 +0000

The storm may rage and the winds may howl, but I'm still here! (So far.) Here's a couple of interesting stories I didn't have time to write more about this week:

• Following Rick Perry's urgent prayers for rain in his drought-stricken state, Tropical Storm Don formed in the Gulf, headed toward Texas, and then dissipated ... [visit site to read more]

Tax Breaks for Ignorance

Ebonmuse — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:49:42 +0000

As you doubtless already know, America is suffering through an unprecedented economic disaster. With millions of people jobless and millions of homeowners underwater, the economy is stagnant and its prospects are dim. Which is why, in these hard times, nothing is more important than shoveling more taxpayer dollars into the gaping maw of the fundamentalist carnival sideshow:

A group ... [visit site to read more]

Rick Perry's Prayer Follies

Ebonmuse — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:25:32 +0000

Whether you're an atheist or not, you should be alarmed by the sight of elected officials making a big public show of praying during a crisis. It's not that prayer itself does anything one way or the other - it's that their beseeching the gods for help is a good hint, not just that they have no ideas, but that they've given up even trying and are staking their hopes on a miracle. Which is why this story, ... [visit site to read more]

The Real Meaning of Islamophobia

Ebonmuse — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:45:01 +0000

I don't usually say these sorts of things about Republicans, but good for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie:

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is defending his pick of a Muslim for a state judgeship, saying critics of a lawyer who represented suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are "ignorant" and "crazies".

..."This Shariah ... [visit site to read more]

Dispatches from Future America: Government Increases Budget for Christiancare Program

Ebonmuse — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:40:01 +0000

[Editor's Note: After the two strange messages I received earlier this year, I thought the wormhole, or whatever it was, had closed forever. Evidently not. This past week, as fighting over the debt limit reached a fever pitch, I found a new e-mail from the future in my inbox. Elaborate hoax? Frightening warning of what lies ahead? You be the judge...]

NEW YORK CITY (July 24, 2037) — Mayor Harold Ford Jr., along with a group of civic dignitaries, was on hand for the gala ... [visit site to read more]

New on AlterNet: What Atheists Actually Agree About

Ebonmuse — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:30:35 +0000

I'm pleased to announce that my second column for AlterNet, 6 Ways Atheists Can Band Together to Fight Religious Fundamentalism, has now been posted. My first column, asking why nonbelievers haven't become a political force, drew rejoinders from a lot of people saying that it's impossible ... [visit site to read more]

The Contributions of Freethinkers: Asa Philip Randolph

Ebonmuse — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 18:54:45 +0000

The civil rights movement in America is often identified with Christianity. In large part this is because of the influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was a Baptist minister and worked the language and cadence of sermons into his most famous speeches - especially the famous paraphrase of the Book of Amos, "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

But the civil rights movement wasn't organized or led solely by Christians. ... [visit site to read more]

There Are 10 Times as Many Atheists as Mormons: When Will Non-Believers Become a Political Force?

Ebonmuse — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:39:30 +0000

This essay was originally published on AlterNet.

The propagandists of the religious right shout it aloud as their battle cry: "America is a Christian nation!" And in the trivial sense that ours is a nation populated mostly by Christians, this is true. But in the sense that they mean it, that Christianity was intended to occupy a ... [visit site to read more]

Love Wins

Ebonmuse — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 02:38:32 +0000

And tomorrow is a brand new day.

Congratulations, New York!

EDIT: It seems appropriate to repost these photos, which I took in 2009 at a visit site to read more]

New on Alternet: Atheists as a Political Force

Ebonmuse — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:09:23 +0000

Today I'm very happy to announce that I've become a contributor to AlterNet, the award-winning online progressive news and opinion magazine. My first essay is titled "There Are 10 Times As Many Atheists as Mormons: When Will Non-Believers Become a Political Force?" Read an excerpt below, and then click through to see the rest:

visit site to read more]