From Gallup polls, by way of Crooks and Liars

Willingness to Vote for Non-Traditional Presidential Candidates
by Gallup polling dates

Meanwhile, support for homosexual and atheist candidates has grown, though fewer would support either of those types of candidates than a Mormon. Only about one in five Americans said they would vote for an atheist when the item was first asked in the late 1950s, compared with 45% today. Just 26% said they would support a homosexual presidential candidate in 1978, compared with the current 55%.

This is good news to many of us. We rarely have the input that is so important to gauge how well we are effecting the world we live in. Read the full article for a glimpse of how the poll was conducted and you will see that in many ways the media itself discredits us by simply ignoring us. Years past, Atheist was not on the list. And in the 20’s who would think a Black man or a woman could conceive of making a legitimate run for the White House. We as a group have possibly contributed to our own lack of trust by how easily we call people out on their stupid pet tricks ( hey look at me I’m a humble and pious slave to Christ) and god beliefs. I know how hard it is to resist when someone desperately deserves to be criticised or mocked.

The real idea comes to mind that we as atheists make progress best by being fully informed and by continuing our pursuits individually. What makes us a dynamic and unstoppable force is that we have such a wide base of knowledge and our pursuits mostly are wholesome and beneficial to the world at large. We are not slaves to bad ideas such as religious beliefs and faith based lies. Our basis in fact of how we live is a tribute to the very best that human kind has to offer. We don’t waste our time on prayerfully talking to an imaginary playmate. We don’t waste our time on fabricated beliefs that are mostly superstition. In some small way I think that most people are beginning to understand that who we are is more like the way they want to be. And to point out the one simple fact is that we are getting better at it all the time. The polls prove it.

American Atheists has posted a story about something I have been talking about that has been growing in the Chicagoland area and is becoming a real nuisance for some neighborhoods where mosques have been built. Mosques sending out calls to prayer across neighborhoods via loudspeakers and fill the air with wails to the masses to stop what they are doing and pray to the imaginary sky daddy of Islam. When I worked in Bridgeview,Il. only a few blocks from the Bridgeview Mosque, I heard this crap over loudspeakers five stinking times a day. This noise makes Christian churchbells seem like nothing. It’s hard to tune out, as it’s so loud the wailing sounds came right through closed windows and can be heard despite the hustle and bustle of office noises.

Here is the article describing what is happening because of these calls to prayers from loudpeakers of The Masjid Nur Al-Islam mosque at 21 Church Avenue in Kensington in NYC.

Muslim call to prayer irks some residents – Mosque loudspeaker disturbs peace and quiet in the neighborhood, they say

“Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,” the man sings in simple and repetitive musical notes. The message is in Arabic, and translates to, “God is the greatest.”

In Kensington, the call to prayer is amplified by a loud speaker perched atop the Masjid Nur Al-Islam mosque at 21 Church Avenue.

FULL STORY

If you haven’t heard it before, it sounds just like this. Imagine trying to take an afternoon nap and being woken up by this:

Church bells are one thing, but chanting religious dogma over loudspeakers is another. I didn’t even know what category to put this under…we need one for “obnoxious and inconsiderate” maybe?

[Sorry, godRon, but this isn't exactly about gawd, unless "little tin gawds" and "toy soldiers" qualify...]

Before watching this video, I advise you to do some deep breathing exercises. It is safe for viewing at work, as there are no deaths, no injuries, no blood or gore, no torture–just our Grande Armee, traversing a major city in Iraq…

After watching this video, repeat the deep breathing routine.

As a truck driver, I have spent (cumulatively) many, many hours in harrowing traffic situations. To show for my thirteen years behind the wheel, I have received this many tickets: zero. And I have never rear-ended a vehicle, by accident or by design. Although I have wanted to, and although I have secretly thought some drivers deserve it, I have never even come close to “kissing bumpers”.

My silly fantasy notwithstanding, this video appalled me! But then, I’m just another “terrorist-loving, America-hating, bleeding-heart Lib’rul”, I guess…

From DownWithTyranny blog:

“My friend Adam sent me a video today that he watched on Olbermann’s show. It shows how American troops have to drive down the streets of Iraq just to survive– to avoid being blown up when stuck in traffic. Watch it and ask yourself, “If this were troops from some occupying country driving down my streets, how would I feel towards them?” In fact, more than anything else it reminded me of a science fiction movie where aliens from another galaxy have come to earth, taken over, and regard the inhabitants as little more than the way we regard insects.”

Yes, there is the security issue–a stopped vehicle is a fixed target. But why do I feel that this is just one more instance of American arrogance? That the armored vehicle’s driver would like to go my fantasy one better–not just nudge the car ahead of it, but to drive over top of it? It’s hard to imagine that the average citizen of any occupied country would welcome us as “liberators”!

The proper answer to all questions is: We should not even BE in Iraq!

Who knew that “JD” (as in WWJD) stood for Black Jack…

And Jeebus! What a hottie! (Do they still say that?)

Yep, I could love me some of this Jeebus…

This is so truly bizarre, I hope you can follow it. (BTW: the image, lifted from GoogleImages and found by entering “stupid Texas”, seemed appropriate–but has no direct bearing on this story; if I can find a better one, I will replace it.)

From Welcome to Pottersville (#59–Assclowns of the Week: President in Diapers Edition; please enjoy the photo of GWB before perusing the portion I’m bringing you!):

From Kos himself comes this amazing story out of, surprise surprise, Texas. Warren Chisum, chairman of the powerful Texas House Appropriations committee, had a week ago circulated a memo (in a mercifully brief [two-page].PDF file) that not only challenges the “theories” of evolution, not only challenges that the earth revolves around the sun, not only challenges that the earth actually rotates on its own axis BUT that catapulting such despicable propaganda is a Jewish plot.

Think I’m making this up? Trust me, as good as I am, I can’t. Just click on the link and read this guy’s memo and then weep bitterly in sackcloth and ashes that Molly Ivins isn’t alive to read this.

If your PC can’t support a .pdf file, I’ll give you the links from the second page of Warren “AssClown” Chisum’s supporting documentation for his bizarre assertions, and also urges legislators across American to introduce legislation outlawing Evolution–AND he guarantees it will stand up in a court of law! From a “fixed-earth” blog: (Oh, please link there–you won’t thank me, but you won’t be sorry you went–it’s really worse than you think!)

The non-moving Earth

& anti-evolution web page of

The Fair Education Foundation, Inc.

Exposing the False Science Idol of Evolutionism,
and Proving the Truthfulness of the Bible from Creation to Heaven…

- since 1973 -

Marshall Hall, Pres.

From BurntOrangeReport: Warren “Anti-CopernicaChisum”

It’s clear Chisum’s god…doesn’t want to fiddle around with open and public debate about whether the Legislature ought to stop strangling of the middle class before it tightens its grip on our throats and transfers more middle class money to the rich.

Why fund public schools or keep colleges available to the middle class if they are filling our children’s heads with damaging Kabbalistic fantasies? (Yes, Copernicus, Darwin, et al, are part of a Kabbalistic Conspiracy according to the fixed-earth crowd).

Gravity (Pft!), night and day (bah!), biological reproduction (ugh!). Who needs such immoral ideas corrupting our kids? No, spend the money on those with more visible signs of God’s Blessing. The Elect. The ones with the money.

I hope Chisum has the decency to appropriate a little more for velcro, though. I’m worried about the gravity thing.

If the Earth isn’t spinning, then my head must be! What’s next? Green, projectile vomiting?

I’ve got a headache…

Havidol –
“WHEN MORE IS NOT ENOUGH”

P.T. Barnum is credited with the saying, “There’s a sucker born every minute” and it’s so true. People will believe anything, and when it comes to medicine they are just waiting for that next new pill to come on the market.

Amazingly, many people think this is a real drug and the pill-poppers are all over this one even though it doesn’t even exist!

LINK: Fake drug, fake illness — and people believe it!

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A media exhibit featuring a campaign for a fake drug to treat a fictitious illness is causing a stir because some people think the illness is real.

“I think people identify with the condition,” he said.

The “Important Safety Information” is hilarious:

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Problems can be avoided if you take HAVIDOL only when you are able to immediately benefit from its effects. To fully benefit from HAVIDOL patients are encouraged to engage in activities requiring exceptional mental, motor, and consumptive coordination. HAVIDOL is not for you if you have abruptly stopped using alcohol or sedatives. Havidol should be taken indefinitely. Side effects may include mood changes, muscle strain, extraordinary thinking, dermal gloss, impulsivity induced consumption, excessive salivation, hair growth, markedly delayed sexual climax, inter-species communication, taste perversion, terminal smile, and oral inflammation. Very rarely users may experience a need to change physicians.
Talk to your doctor about HAVIDOL

[Ed note: Revenant has pointed out that "There's a sucker born every minute" was actually said by one of PT Barnum's competitors. Thanks Rev!]

Let’s see how long it takes the GOP to jump on this bandwagon. Do they innovate? Rarely. Are they inferior copycats? In my opinion…

Check out “the new blog in town”: The Gavel, the brainchild of Madame Speaker. (She’s even included a “Children’s Page”.) You can see videos (YouTube, no less) of speeches, read the text of bills and track their progress.

As this is still the United States of America, where freedom of speech is protected (subject to cancellation at any time, by capricious presidential fiat), you may post alternate or oppositional blogsites in the comments.

I think this is a wise move on her part. I, for one, do not trust the corrupted mainstream media (excepting C-SPAN) to give the Democrats fair treatment. To say nothing of “balanced”…

POW! Take that, Fox Noise! (h/t to Keith Olbermann, for FNS’s new moniker)

Looks like Oprah’s jumping on the psychic bandwagon…

Her focus in today’s (Thursday 02/14/07) episode seems to be “Do You Believe or Not,” but her guests appear to be all alleged mediums (the South-Parked John Edward and debunked-to-death Allison DuBois among them) with nary a skeptic or openly-professional magician in sight to offer any kind of balance to the show – but true, it hasn’t broadcast yet, so I don’t know for sure.

You can take a poll on her website, but it’s biased in that most of the questions only offer you “Yes” or “No” as options, no “Need More and Better Evidence” or “Honestly Don’t Know” as possible choices, for example. You can submit a more detailed story, but as usual you’re not guaranteed any privacy or confidentiality, so who knows who might see the information you put down. I started to submit a mini-rant, but my paranoia got the better of me!