Daylight Atheism » Free Speech

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]

Be Careful What You Wish For (Why I Hate Hate Crimes Legislation, But I Love Hate Speech)

Ebonmuse — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:20:18 +0000

By Sarah Jane Braasch-Joy

In loving memory of my baby brother, Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

I saw a woman in niqab on the UC Berkeley campus the other week. I was shocked. I didn't approach her. I didn't speak to her. She was with two other women in hijab, on the opposite side of a wide walkway.

But, I was shocked. And, appalled. Here was a woman (or, at least, I assume she was a woman), in the heart of what is arguably the most politically liberal ... [visit site to read more]

Weekly Link Roundup

Ebonmuse — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 16:28:07 +0000

Some scattered thoughts to contemplate on a Saturday morning:

• Earlier this year, my post on urban agriculture drew some spirited disagreement. Now there's a study from Ohio State University which concludes that Cleveland could supply all its own produce, poultry and honey if the many vacant lots in the shrinking, ... [visit site to read more]

6 Ways Atheists Can Band Together to Fight Religious Fundamentalism

Ebonmuse — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:48:40 +0000

This essay was originally published on AlterNet.

If atheists were as politically organized as the religious right, we could accomplish a world of good in combating theocracy and standing up for human rights and secularism. But whenever an atheist political alliance is ... [visit site to read more]

To Win, We Just Have to Show Up

Ebonmuse — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:55:28 +0000

In the wake of marriage equality's victory in New York State last Friday, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler posted the following to Twitter:

Now, fully 1 in 9 Americans will live in a state with legalized same-sex marriage. Our mission field is getting more complicated.

On the surface, this is ... [visit site to read more]

I Am An Atom of Atheism

Ebonmuse — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:07:33 +0000

The blog Ungodly News has created a whimsical periodic table of atheism, and I was surprised and pleased to find out that I'm on it:

visit site to read more]

Photo Saturday: Ai Weiwei's Zodiac Circle

Ebonmuse — Sat, 14 May 2011 14:19:11 +0000

This past week, on a sunny spring day, I went on my lunch hour to see a new public art installation in midtown Manhattan:

visit site to read more]

Free Speech Still Under Attack

Ebonmuse — Thu, 05 May 2011 11:00:12 +0000

Free speech is always and everywhere under attack in the world, and as depressing as it is to have to keep pointing that out, I think it's vital to highlight it when it happens so that this human right is never taken for granted. Unfortunately, these past few weeks have offered a surfeit of examples.

First, there's India, whose government has quietly issued new rules allowing for the censorship of any internet content ... [visit site to read more]

On Qur'an Burning, Redux

Ebonmuse — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:07:03 +0000

A few months ago, I wrote briefly about an obscure Florida pastor who had the idea of burning a Qur'an. At the time he backed off under intense pressure, but later changed his mind and went through with it. This would have gone nowhere, except that some Islamic mullahs in Afghanistan (aided by Hamid Karzai, who cynically fanned the flames), incited their ... [visit site to read more]

Some Atheist Victories of Note

Ebonmuse — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:34:12 +0000

I wrote last month about the Fort Worth atheist bus ads and how the city decided to ban all religious messages in the future, so as not to have to deal with us again. At the time, I observed:

It was only when groups who aren't in the majority want to exercise their equal rights that people get angry... Still, as hypocritical as this is, I'm not bothered as long as the new policy is ... [visit site to read more]

Darkness Gathers Over Pakistan

Ebonmuse — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:38:45 +0000

"When we consider the founders of our nation - Jefferson, Washington, Samuel and John Adams, Madison and Monroe, Benjamin Franklin, Tom Paine and many others - we have before us a list of at least ten and maybe even dozens of great political leaders. They were well-educated. Products of the European Enlightenment, they were students of history. They knew human fallibility and weakness and corruptibility... They attempted to set a course for the United ... [visit site to read more]

Caution: The Pope Is Coming!

Ebonmuse — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 03:16:47 +0000

Beware! You could lose your job for reposting or passing on the following image:

This altered image, which looks to me like a perfectly reasonable and important warning to children, got a man fired from his job - specifically, Hugh Dallas, an official for the ... [visit site to read more]