Image by sneakerdog via Flickr

When they were the minority party during the Bush years, the Democratic Party revealed themselves to be wholly ineffective at mounting even mild opposition. They submitted to the draconian Patriot Act, went along with Iraq, and squandered countless opportunities to halt the damage Bush and Cheney did to the U.S. Bush was the 2 year-old loose in the toy store, and Democrats in Congress were the parent who decided it was best just to look the other way. Now that the Democrats control the Presidency and both houses of Congress, one would think that they might be able to deliver on the message of change on which President Obama campaigned so effectively. Sadly, this has not been the case.

When it comes to being an effective opposition party, the Democrats have never seemed particularly effective. And yet, I have generally assumed that they could govern once in power. In contrast, the Republicans have been (and in my opinion, continue to be) an extremely effective opposition party. Those who count them out now are underestimating their prowess. Of course, they have repeatedly proven that they are thoroughly incapable of actually governing when in power. Given their flawed political ideology, this is hardly surprising.

No, the surprise has been that the Democrats, once in power, do not seem to be much more capable. Despite their majority in Congress and their control of the Presidency, the Democrats have become little more than a bad joke. They have the superior political ideology to be sure, but their delivery has been disastrous so far. Obama seems completely incapable of setting aside his fantasy of bipartisanship. As a result, he is unlikely to accomplish any of the progressive reforms he promised those of us who voted for him. The party allows itself to be held hostage by Republicans and a handful of conservative "Democrats," further ensuring that nothing meaningful will be accomplished.

Unless Democrats in Congress and especially President Obama can grow a spine and push through some progressive legislation, they are guaranteeing that potential Democratic voters will stay away from the polls in 2010 and 2012. They still have time, but so far I can see only one reason that I would even think about bothering to vote and that is to make it more difficult for the Republicans to regain control of Congress. Then again, it is getting harder and harder to tell the difference.

Subscribe to Atheist Revolution

Tags: Bush, Democratic Party, Patriot Act, Congress, Obama, Democrats, Republicans, bipartisanship

Religious organizations sometimes do good things. Fortunately, some of these organizations work to make it harder for religious leaders to sexually abuse children. Here are a few organizations doing good work in this area of which you should be aware:

• BishopAccountability.org
• StopBaptistPredators.org
  
• Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP)
  

If you have your own blog and are looking for material to write about (and who isn't?), consider spreading the word about these groups, what they do, and why they are necessary.

Subscribe to Atheist Revolution

Image via Wikipedia

I'd like to be very clear about two things. First, I acknowledge the existence of atheist Republicans and Libertarians. Second, I am neither a Republican nor a Libertarian. You see, I've been taking some heat lately from a handful of readers who are evidently disgruntled with my progressive political bent and the fact that I express it from time to time here. The criticism does not bother me, but I do find it somewhat puzzling.

I have never made any secret of my progressive political orientation. In fact, I mention it in the About section prominently featured underneath the banner at the top of this page. It is part of who I am, and I am uninterested in hiding it.

What I find puzzling about this sort of criticism is that it almost appears as if the critics think I should be politically neutral. But I make no pretense of being neutral about what I do. This is not some sort of objective news site; it is a blog. In fact, it is an atheist blog dedicated to breaking free from irrational belief and opposing Christian extremism in America. The fact that the modern Republican Party has thoroughly embraced willful stupidity and Christian extremism places me in direct opposition to them (at least to those of them who embrace the current leadership).

Libertarians, Independents, and rational Republicans who are as disgusted as I am over what the GOP has become, you are always welcome here. Just realize that while I do focus on atheism, I will not ignore politics. I am a political progressive who is sad to no longer be able to think of myself as a Democrat, and I am not ashamed to write about what I believe.

Subscribe to Atheist Revolution

Tags: atheist, Republicans, Libertarians, Democrat, progressive, politics, atheism

According to the Sunday Book Review published in The New York Times, Richard Dawkins' The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution now holds the number 5 spot on the hardcover nonfiction list. Not bad at all, and I'll be surprised if the book doesn't climb even higher.

Subscribe to Atheist Revolution

We all realize that the world we inhabit is far from perfect, right? Even on a good day, there are some things we'd probably all like to improve.

Consider the following goals for a moment:

• Reduce costly military conflict
• Promote LGBT equality
• Promote atheist civil rights
• Promote the equitable treatment of women around the world
• Reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS
• Improve quality education for all
• Reduce unwanted pregnancies
  

Wouldn't it be great if there was something we could do that would lead to simultaneous progress in each of these areas, as well as many other worthy goals? What if I told you that there was indeed something we could do that would have that sort of impact?

We can work toward ending the special status currently enjoyed by religious belief. This is not going to happen overnight, but it is an extremely worthy goal. We do not need to call for the abolition of religion, although I see little wrong in hoping that that will eventually occur. We need only end the privileged status currently attached to religious belief.

As AC Grayling wrote in a recent article in The Guardian,

It is time to demand of believers that they take their personal choices and preferences in these non-rational and too often dangerous matters into the private sphere, like their sexual proclivities. Everyone is free to believe what they want, providing they do not bother (or coerce, or kill) others; but no-one is entitled to claim privileges merely on the grounds that they are votaries of one or another of the world’s many religions.

H/T to Proud Atheists

Subscribe to Atheist Revolution

Time for another idiot of the week selection. A new "winner" is announced here each Saturday for the purpose of highlighting an example of extreme idiocy. With birthers, deathers, Glenn Beck, and Michele Bachmann on the prowl, it gets harder and harder to select just one a week.

Since I was accused of picking too obvious a choice last week (and rightly so), I tried to dig a bit deeper into the more obscure choices for this week. This week's nod goes to Elliott Abrams, Bush's Deputy National Security Adviser and Iran-Contra criminal, who appeared on Fox "News" this week to push for a U.S. attack on Iran. That is not enough by itself to make him idiot of the week. For that, you need to consider the following statement from Abrams:

My own view is that most Iranians now — after June, after the stealing of the election — would not rally around the flag. People used to say that — that if there’s an attack on Iran, you know the population is going to get patriotic. But that’s what Americans would do. I don’t know that it’s what Iranians are going to do, considering the way that regime is hated in Iran.

Right, so the Iranian people would welcome us as liberators. Hmmm...why do I feel like I've heard that before? Is Abrams unaware that we are already mired in two wars that aren't going especially well, that our economy is in shambles, or that we'd rather sit idly by calling our president a socialist while our fellow citizens die from lack of affordable health care?

This whole neo-con worldview, which Abrams embodies, has thoroughly failed. We'd be the idiots if we looked there for wisdom.

H/T to Think Progress

Subscribe to Atheist Revolution

Image by minusman via Flickr

If you are a regular reader of Proud Atheists, you know what recently happened to its author, Mark. The short version is that Mark and his family were threatened by what initially appeared to be a dangerous Christian extremist via email. Mark contacted the FBI to report the incident (which I consider a smart move on his part). As it turns out, it appears that the perpetrator may have been a child (reportedly age 12) playing a prank. Mark received a couple of comments on his blog from people claiming to be the parents of the perpetrator. A couple days later, Mark posted an update saying that the investigation was closed and the matter had been resolved. I'm glad to hear that. He was right to take the threat seriously, and I hope any of us would have done so had we been in his place.

Many outside the small community of atheists who are open about their atheism and willing to speak their minds have a hard time believing that hate mail, including threats, is not uncommon. It is a sad truth. Many of us, even those who are less public about their identities than Mark, receive unbelievably vile hate mail on a fairly regular basis. Most of the threats I receive are passive (e.g., "I've been praying that you die of cancer."). I tend to dismiss these rather easily, especially when they involve prayer. But the active threats can be scary and are something to take very seriously.

Especially in the U.S., we should be aware that atheism has come to be associated with virtually everything despised by mainstream culture. It is no wonder that we consistently rank at the top of any "most hated" list. I'm not advocating hypervigilance here, but I do think we should be careful and take time to evaluate our own level of risk.

Subscribe to Atheist Revolution

Tags: atheist, Christian extremist, atheists, threats, atheism, hate, risk

Image by NatalieMaynor via Flickr

October has been my favorite month of the year as long as I can remember. When I was a child, growing up on the West Coast, October signified the beginning of fall. It was when the leaves changed, when one would first notice a nip in the air, and of course, it was the month of Halloween. October doesn't hold the same magic today. There is no fall season here in Mississippi, as summer turns to "winter" rather abruptly. And Halloween is frowned upon by the legions of Southern Baptists who occupy this state. These days, I may watch more horror movies during October than usual, but that is about it.

What I remember most about October from my childhood was that it was a time of transition. Summer clothes were put away as the weather changed. The plants that drove me crazy with allergies during the summer months disappeared, and I could breathe freely again. Time seemed to move more quickly as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas gave me things to anticipate.

And how I used to love Halloween! Even when I was too old for the door-to-door candy begging ritual and no longer believed in ghosts, monsters, and gods, Halloween was special. It was about mischief. It was about hiding behind the mask of anonymity. It was the one night when we would cause trouble for no reason other than the date. I did plenty of destructive and stupid things on Halloween. While I wouldn't do such things now, I remember them fondly, even if they carry a twinge of guilt.

October always seemed to be about possibility. With the various markers of transition and change, it felt like new possibilities were on the horizon. Things might be different, and they might be so in exciting ways. Maybe that is what I most miss today.

Subscribe to Atheist Revolution

Tags: October, Halloween, Mississippi