An Atheist Monument? (Or, On Herding Cats)

A leader’s role is heady brew,
But difficult to swallow;
Please, name yourself the King of cats—
I do not think they’ll follow.

You want to build a monument
And point it at the sky
Assuming that they notice, cats
Will only ask you, “Why?”

Feel free to tell the feline folk
It’s there on their behalf
Assuming that they notice, cats
Will only point and laugh.

Point out its deep symbology,
Its praises, proudly sing!
Assuming that they notice, cats
Would rather play with string.

You’ve snatched religious trappings,
Without falling in their trap—
Assuming that they notice, cats
Would rather take a nap.

It isn’t meant for worshipping—
It isn’t meant for prayer;
Assuming that they notice, cats
Will probably not care.

A leader’s role is heady brew,
But difficult to swallow;
Please, name yourself the King of cats—
I do not think they’ll follow.

Thoughts, after the jump: [Read more…]

On Adequate Sampling

He claimed it was a goblet of the sweetest, purest wine
But the first sip tastes like vinegar to me.
He said, “but near the bottom there’s a sip that’s just divine—
You may have to drink a lot of it to see.”
He calls me narrow-minded cos I haven’t tried the rest
Says my condemnation takes a lot of gall
And he’s sure that there’s a sip in there that truly is the best
Which I can’t deny until I’ve tried it all.
It’s true, I haven’t tried it all, but gladly I’ll forego,
Since the first sip only made me want to spit
It might not all be vinegar—I guess I’ll never know—
But the man himself is surely full of shit.

Context here, of course.

NYTimes Article On Cranston

Nothing you haven’t heard before. But a lot of people who haven’t heard it before are going to hear it. (The link goes to the New York Times article on the Cranston banner.)

I’ve been arguing with a few people, away from here, about this case. I don’t know–to me, it seems so cut and dried; why would any religious believer want to side with the notion of “yes, the government can choose which religion to promote.” Seriously, Jessica is fighting for their rights, even as they (figuratively, I hope) spit on her.

Cuttledaughter has been following Jessica’s story; it’s too late to hope she grows up to be like Jessica, but it is not too late to be proud that she takes Jessica’s side.

Headline Muse, 1/26

For three decades, aboard Alaska Airlines
You got food trays that featured some prayer-lines
But the passengers spoke
And the owners awoke,
And the Psalms become no-longer-there-lines

Headline: Alaska Airlines Ends Prayer Cards On Flights

The idea to distribute the cards in the first place came from a marketing executive who borrowed the idea from another carrier as a way to differentiate Alaska’s service, according to the airline’s statement.

But that view has now changed. “A business that aspires to be diverse and inclusive shouldn’t have a religious agenda. Religious beliefs are deeply personal and vary greatly among our customers” Egan said in an emailed statement.

Praise The Lord, And Start The Persecution

Down went the banner; the judge had sealed its fate
Down went the banner; the protests were too late
Up jumped the students, the godly, Christian squad
And when they pledged allegiance, they shouted UNDER GOD!, saying

Praise the Lord, and start the persecution
Praise the Lord, and start the persecution
Praise the Lord, and start the persecution
And we’ll all* stay free!

Praise the Lord, protect our institution
Praise the Lord, and find us a solution
Praise the Lord, and down with evolution
Cos the Lord made me!

Yes, the Cranston people yelled it
The learned judge beheld it
He saw what he was not supposed to see!

Praise the Lord, let’s start a revolution
All aboard, and fuck the constitution
Praise the Lord, we’re after restitution
So we all* stay free

Praise the Lord, and start the persecution
Praise the Lord, and start the persecution
(Can’t afford, without your contribution
Cos it’s far from free!)

*all Christians, that is.

My version is based on the original Frank Loesser song, but I couldn’t find a video that contained it. Video, for those who don’t know the song, after the jump: [Read more…]

Cranston T-Shirt Video

No, not “Evil Little Thing”. This is the pro-banner T-shirt. It’s actually a nicely produced bit of video reporting from the Providence Journal, in my opinion–a low-key portrait of perfectly nice people who think their rights are being trampled on, because their privilege is being reeled in.

I assume that proceeds are going toward court costs, but I haven’t been able to confirm it.

RI Clergy Group Defends Jessica Ahlquist

The Christians in Cranston, I’m pleased to report,
Are not all the threatening, violent sort.
Some are the meanies we rightly belabor
But some, strangely, follow the creed “love thy neighbor”
They gathered together to make us aware
There are Christians in Cranston who really do care
They look on their peers in dismay and in shock
At the sort of behavior that came from that flock—
The threats and the taunting, the language, the signs,
The bile that the radio DJ opines,
And to top it all off, all this loathsome behavior
Is done in the guise of protecting their Savior
Or really, a message to Him, on a banner,
Which bids them behave in a Christian-like manner.

So now that the word has come down from the top
Will we witness the good Christian bullying stop?
Will the Christians remember that Judgment is God’s?
….I saw the town meeting. I don’t like the odds.

Religious group defends Ahlquist: wpri.com

[Read more…]

H.R. 290

H.R. 290 has just passed the House;
Now it looks for the Senate’s approval.
It’s meant to address the debate on the cross
And prevent its untimely removal

A memorial site is a wonderful thing;
It reminds us of terrible losses
Defenders of freedom who lay down their lives
And all of them, big fans of crosses

(Now, the Jewish, the Muslim, the atheist troops—
Shall we see that their rights are protected?
That’s not the intent of this bill; what it does
Is get Hunter, its scribe, re-elected.)

[Read more…]

Christian Jailed (5 Years) For Blasphemy

When the faith of the majority
Abuses its authority
They ought to take a breath and look around
We could point to an example
(Cos, believe me, they are ample)
Where a different pecking order can be found
When you’re on the top and winning
It’s the furthest thing from sinning
To bring praying to the courthouse or the schools
But when big and small trade places
See the anger on their faces
When they hear it’s the majority that rules

Context, after the jump: [Read more…]