Whine to your friends about how you never get comments.  I will call this experiment a success.

The first assignment in my composition class was to write a response to an editorial or to a letter to the editor.  My first choice was rather bland because there wasn’t much I was interested in responding to at the time.  Then I came across this turd while visiting friendlyatheist.com.

I had been toying with the idea of posting my work on my blog to get a critical response or just share what I’ve been working on, so here you go.

I wrote this response three times.  The first time was at my work computer, but I forgot to email it to myself so I could edit it from home.  The second draft is what I eventually turned in.  The reason the third draft exists is because I thought it might have to be double-spaced (it didn’t), so I cut out a ton of information I thought was necessary to get it down to the one-page limit, essentially summarizing my work.  Now I have a nifty little 2GB USB drive to carry all my crap around with me.
Here’s the second draft (read the article first or it won’t make sense):

This article is a stunning example of why atheist representation is desperately needed at the interfaith gathering at the Democratic National Convention.  The ignorance and bigotry displayed by the author concerning atheist behavior and beliefs is positively staggering. 

First of all, the insistence that atheism is a religion is not only incorrect but offensive.  While it is true atheism is classified as a religion in the eyes of the law, it is done so for the purpose of simplification; it is important to consider that freedom of religion requires freedom from religion as well.

Among the misrepresentations of atheistic views is the perception that Atheists claim there is no God.  This is categorically false.  An atheist might say “I do not believe in God.”  Disbelief does not equate disproof.  On the contrary, most atheists I know would say that while they don’t believe in a God, they’re agnostic towards the possibility and would happily change their minds if there were evidence.

Another common method of attacking atheism is the quotation of scientists to indicate that atheism is, as the author puts it, “a sad and shallow belief.”  In this case he cherry-picked a quote from Albert Einstein to indicate that he was a religious man.  He wasn’t; he was a self-proclaimed agnostic.

The most outrageous part of the letter was the far-fetched comparison of the holocaust to a pro-atheism billboard which quoted John Lennon, then the subsequent attempt to link atheism with all the ills of the world.  The non sequitur arguments that followed were so absurd they bordered on satire.

If we are to believe Mr. Laugesen, atheism leads to the non-existence of ethics, humanitarian organizations, higher education and results in tyranny and genocide.  Someone ought to remind him that the birth of logic and Western thinking was irreligious in nature.  Remind him of the resistance to the teaching of science by Creationists. 

What about the millennia of anti-Semitism on religious grounds which culminated in the Holocaust he had the nerve to exploit?  When falsely warning that atheism would lead to tyranny, perhaps someone should point out that America was settled by many people who were trying to escape the tyranny wrought by the Church of England.  This was among the main reasons a “freedom of religion” clause was included in the First Amendment!

As if the taunts and insults sprinkled throughout this article weren’t enough, he goes on to assert that the reason atheists weren’t invited to the interfaith service is because they’re rude!  The irony would almost be funny if it weren’t so frustrating. 

The best example of why atheists need a voice at the DNC can be summed up with the author’s own words:  “[Atheists] should act more like Christians and Jews.”  If one were to replace “Atheists” with “Muslims,” he would be fired in a heartbeat.  Campus Atheists and Secular Humanists chairman Joe Foley says it best,”…atheists are one of the last groups remaining that it’s still socially acceptable to hate.”

 The third draft, which my wife jokingly referred to as “the abridged version,” is here:

This article is a stunning example of why atheist representation is desperately needed at the interfaith gathering at the Democratic National Convention.  The amount of ignorance and bigotry in this article is positively staggering. 

 

The insistence that atheism is a religion is not only incorrect but offensive.  The only reason it is classified as a religion in the eyes of the law for the purpose of simplification; it’s important to consider that freedom of religion requires freedom from religion as well.

 

The most outrageous part of the letter was the far-fetched comparison of the holocaust to a pro-atheism billboard coupled with subsequent attempts to link atheism with all the ills of the world.  The non sequitur arguments that followed were so absurd they bordered on satire.  If we are to believe Mr. Laugesen, atheism leads to the non-existence of ethics, humanitarian organizations and higher education, then results in tyranny and genocide. 

 

As if the taunts and insults sprinkled throughout this article weren’t enough, he goes on to assert that the reason atheists weren’t invited to the interfaith service is because they’re rude!  The irony would almost be funny if it weren’t so frustrating. 

 

The best example of why atheists need a voice at the DNC can be summed up with the author’s own words:  “[Atheists] should act more like Christians and Jews.”  If he had said “Islam” instead of “Atheism” in any of his points, he would be fired in a heartbeat.  Campus Atheists and Secular Humanists chairman Joe Foley says it best,”…atheists are one of the last groups remaining that it’s still socially acceptable to hate.”

Moving back to Peoria has done wonders for my active/social life. It’s not that Lincoln had nothing to do (they didn’t), my main challenge was finding the time to do it. I was on the road for two hours a day, five days a week, then ended up in Peoria every other weekend visiting family (who suddenly wanted to see us now that we’d left the area–go figure).

This Saturday I was hanging out with 35,000 intelligent people in Springfield. One of them was Ollie, who provided the wheels to our little voyage, and was most pleasant company.

We arrived at about 11 and made our way to the venue. Along the way were a number of vendors but not many people. Just when I foolishly thought we had beat the rush, we reached the entrance… and found out the end of the line was X number of blocks in the other direction.

I say “X” because with the rate at which the line grew, there is no feasible way to determine how long the line was when we got to there. So after a quick-paced power walk (I ought to get a medal for keeping up with Ollie), we got to the end and waited in line for about an hour. And that was with it moving at a steady pace.

I had to abandon my bottle of water, still half-full, at the security entrance. Apparently the Secret Service thought it would be a good idea to strip people of their beverages during 90-degree weather.

We ended up about 100 yards to the left of Obama (symbolic, no?) and got a decent enough view of him and Biden. Paramedics were zipping through the crowds at various intervals to cart off those who’d passed out due to heat exhaustion (thanks Secret Service).

That reminds me. Reality-deprived Conservative scumfucks: next time you parrot Fox News’ Barackstar propaganda, keep in mind that people pass out in crowds for medical reasons too. Damn, he’s a politician, not Elvis.

Anyway, I have some footage of the event as well as a few photos. After the speeches were made and things were winding to a close, we got about 30 feet or so from the candidates before they started walking towards the old capitol. Guess my handshake will have to wait.

I’m quite excited about Biden. He was my original pick during the primaries. While there are a few important things I vehemently disagree with him on, during the debates he came off as a realist, something I respect. After he dropped out, I became an Obama man. For me, this is the dream ticket.

I’ll try to get those photos and video posted sometime tonight. I have to purchase a new card reader to get the data off the damn camera.

Later that night I ended up in a conversation about parsnips and Cheeto dye (that’s how they get the Cheetos orange, dur), at a party at my friend’s house in the middle of nowhere. Sunday I ended up painting a stairwell and changing light bulbs in the Move That Never Ends. Tonight I’ll be going there to throw away crap that’s sitting in the garage now that I’ve found a dumpster to rent for less than $400 (the nerve!). Still need to find a home for those cats, and boy have we been trying. They’re free, folks. Free cats. Get ‘em while they’re hot.

I have two cats which I must give away, one is a longhair black cat with yellow eyes, one is a shorter-haired orangey cat. Both are male, both neutered and both de-clawed in the front. Their names are Shadow and Casey, respectively. Both have up-to-date shots… um.. both are house cats… friendly… dumb… what else… the black one is two years old and the orange one is three (I think).

If anyone is interested, let me know. All the no-kill shelters are full and not taking new pets.