Obama’s Ft. Hood Speech Bullshit

President Obama’s speech yesterday at the memorial for the victims of the Fort Hood massacre turned religious pretty quickly. Of course, I’m sure most atheists expected this, as religion’s infestation of American politics is famously complete. I listened (on the NPR) to the most of the memorial, and went unfazed at the staple religious regurgitations that are said every time we remember loved ones who have died. You know, usually in an event so tragic, so unfair, that any loving god would be compelled to intervene. The clichés mostly bounced off me (General Casey went as far to quote the Bible). However, one line grabbed my attention. It strikes back to a common complaint from New Atheists.

No faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor – President Obama 11/10/09

Really, Mr. President? In reality, faith can be used to justify any action. Isn’t that is the whole idea? If you evoke faith you can claim, say, wishing brain cancer on someone, murdering your daughter, killing a doctor, torturing, genocide, and terrorism are all legitimate expressions thereof. In the Torah, Koran, and Bible, God orders the commission of, and facilitates terrible violence. The fact is, just the opposite of what President Obama said is true. I’d like to think (foolishly?), this probably isn’t lost on Obama, but he could never publically say so.

I was very annoyed with this nonsensical dribble. In America, it is a fact that a theist can say anything and go largely unchallenged out of ‘respect’. Though this may be slowly changing, we have a long way to go in our struggle against faith, and the taboos society places its scrutiny.

Below is Obama’s full speech, and a video of the murderer of Dr. Tiller claiming his barbarism is justified.

Full Speech

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Murderer

UPDATE: Religious License Plates Ruled Unconstitutional

Story from The Associated Press

Remember when Florida and South Carolina decided that Christian themed license plates were a good idea? After all, what is a better medium to announce your beliefs (as long as they are Christian) than a license plate? Luckily, the plates were held up with an injunction earlier this year after several secular groups sued.

Well, the matter finally had its day in court, with great results. Not only did U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie say that plates where unconstitutional, in her ruling the judge blasted the defense.

… [To] gain legislative approval of a specialty plate promoting the majority religion: Christianity. Whether motivated by sincerely held Christian beliefs or an effort to purchase political capital with religious coin, the result is the same. The statute is clearly unconstitutional and defense of its implementation has embroiled the state in unnecessary (and expensive) litigation.

Judge Currie got it exactly right. This is another blatant attempt by politicians (and the state) to cash in on the peoples’ religion, and for some, to proselytize. Sure, religious establishments make money hand over fist exploiting their flock, but the state has no business or legal right to do the same.

Lt. Governor Andre Bauer, who endorsed the evolution denying Mike Huckabee for President, was the driving force behind the plates. He, like all theists, predictably tried to play the victim. Blaming liberals for his judicial defeat, the idiot Bauer coughed up this gem:

“I don’t expect anything different from a liberal judge who was appointed by Bill Clinton, if she wants to single me out, so be it.”

Adding:

“[The ruling] once again shows how liberal judges are not just interpreting the law but making legislation.”

This quote raises some obvious questions: How stupid can one be and still be Lt. Governor of South Carolina? How ignorant can one be of U.S. history and law and still get elected (See: Sarah Palin)? I mean, Bauer has to have read the first amendment, right? Is he familiar with the idea of a legal precedence? Hell, does he know what precedence means? What is more, I fail to see how Judge Currie’s ruling is “just interpreting the law but making legislation”.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

That is pretty hard to misinterpret, don’t you think Mr. Bauer? Indeed, it’s very clear. Face it kooks, religion has had no place in state, and hasn’t since the founding. This is, and never has been a Christian nation.

Fundie groups are already planning to skirt the law.

Within hours, a private Christian group said the ruling doesn’t stand in the way of its “plan B” to get a similar plate issued using a state law that permits private groups to issue tags they design.

[…]

But the Palmetto Family Council will try to get the tags on the cars faster. The council registered “I Believe” as a group’s name with the South Carolina Secretary of State in March as the license tag case simmered on Currie’s docket.

“This is day one for that process,” said Oran Smith, the council’s president. “If we meet all the requirements, which I hope we would as an organization, we would certainly want to move forward very quickly with our own ‘I Believe’ tag.”

And the Culture War continues.

Junkie: Jesus is Trying to Frame Me!

Via Godless Blogger

Original Story @ UPI.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Nov. 10 (UPI) — Police in Kentucky said a man found with drug paraphernalia claimed he was set up by someone at the highest level of power: Jesus Christ.

Louisville police said officers performing a home check on Craig Dunn, 52, who is on home incarceration for a parole violation, discovered a tube of aluminum foil burnt on one end and a teaspoon with burns and possible drug residue, WLKY-TV, Louisville, Ky., reported Tuesday.

Police said Dunn told them Jesus was attempting to set him up and was the probable owner of the items.

Dunn is facing a drug paraphernalia charge, police said.

More From the Religion of Peace

Islamists Behead Teacher In The Philippines

Via BBC

Police in the southern Philippines say the severed head of a kidnapped schoolteacher has been found in a bag at a petrol station.

Gabriel Canizares was abducted by Abu Sayyaf militants three weeks ago. His body is still missing.

He was travelling with colleagues on the island of Jolo when he was seized.

The militants had demanded a ransom equivalent to $42,000 (£25,000; 28,000 euros) for Mr Canizares, which his family refused to pay.

[…]

Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for many of the country’s worst terrorist attacks, including the firebombing of a ferry in Manila Bay that claimed more than 100 lives in 2005, and the abduction of American tourists in 2001.

RELATED: A Religion of Peace?

Venn Diagram

Update: "Too Westernized" Daughter Dies After Two Weeks in Coma

Twenty year old Noor Faleh Almaleki, who was run over by her father in Phoenix for being too westernized, has died.

Via The Telegraph:

At a court hearing in Phoenix, Stephanie Low, prosecuting, said Almaleki had admitted to the crime.

“By his own admission, this was an intentional act and the reason was that his daughter had brought shame on him and his family,” Mrs Low said.

“This was an attempt at an honour killing.”

Family members told police that Almaleki attacked his daughter because he believed she was not living according to his traditional Iraqi values.

They said he became infuriated when his daughter married a man in Iraq but then decided to live with her boyfriend and his mother in Arizona.

Religion claims another victim, Noor Faleh Almaleki.

The Only Cool Thing a Theist Has Ever Done

Lego Moses sure looks pissed, maybe he had an idea of the scene that awaited him.

The Brick Testament calls itself “The world’s largest, most comprehensive illustrated Bible”, it is the only bible worth reading. And by “reading” I mean “looking at the pictures”.

I really want the last supper poster though.

Update: Man Who Ran Over "Too Westernized" Daughter Caught

Related: AZ Man Ran Over His Daughter for Rejecting Iraqi “Values”

Story via ABC News:

A 10-day manhunt ended when police arrested an Iraqi immigrant accused of running over his 20-year-old daughter to punish her for becoming “too Westernized” and rebuffing the conservative ways he valued.

Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, fled from Peoria, Ariz on Oct. 20. He was arrested by U.S. marshalls in Atalanta when he arrived at the airport there, according to the Associated Press.

His daugher Noor Faleh Almaleki, 20, remains hospitalized in critical condition after her father hit the young woman and her boyfriend’s mother with his Jeep Cherokee on Oct. 20 in the parking lot of theDepartment of Economic Development in Peoria.

Noor Faleh Almaleki is in “life-threatening condition,” Peoria Police spokesman Mike Tellef told ABCNews.com last week soon after the incident.

Jesus 2009

Not Surprising for a Christian

“This is the first time, I swear!”