Clipmarks | AtlLiberal's clips

Tradition or Atrocity?

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:12:26 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Isn't it time more people stepped up to condemn this practice? Should modern day knowledge not replace outdated tribal rituals? I have no idea how common place this practice is but I think most would find it injurious to the child.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

Saudi Arabia: Eight-Year-Old Girl Wants Divorce

A girl as young as eight shouldn't even be married, never mind trying to get a divorce — and from a man who is fifty years older! It's only because traditionalist Islam continues to sanction the barbaric practice of marrying off prepubescent girls is this even an issue and that's only because Muslims believe that their prophet, Muhammad, married a girl of about the same age.

This practice would probably be easier to stamp out if only it were permitted for Muslims to say "Not everything Muhammad did was right, and just because Muhammad did it doesn't mean we should today." That, however, is difficult in a religion that considers even visual depictions of Muhammad to be blasphemous, never mind criticism. It's good that most Muslims around the world reject marrying little girls, but it's only in spite of Islamic traditions.

Tags: islam, child bride, saudi arabia

USA minus Alaska

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:03:38 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: If all you look at is Fox Noise or read is The Washington Times then you may have missed this tidbit. It stands as yet another example in a growing list of examples of poor choices that McCain has recently made.

Clip Source: www.dailykos.com

Recapping Palin's Secession Scandal

If you spent yesterday at a Labor Day picnic rather than at the computer, you missed the story that broke here regarding Sarah Palin's 1990s membership in the Alaskan Independence Party (AIP).

Note I said Independence not Independent. It's not just an "independent" party--it is a party whose explicit goal is to have a vote on Alaskan independence.

As user Liz Arnett first informed us yesterday morning, the AIP is a political party in Alaska whose motto is "Alaska First." It's goal is to have a vote on Alaska's state status so that Alaskans may decide whether the state should secede, become a territory, become a commonwealth, or remain a state.

Yesterday night, it was is confirmed that Sarah Palin and her husband were members of the AIP at least in 1994. Indeed, Palin reportedly attended the AIP convention.

Tags: politics, mccain, alaska, palin

Christian Recruiters

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:29:50 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I couldn't help but picture this "harvest" as the missionaries lop off peoples critical thinking with their dogmatic blades.

Clip Source: www.kwtx.com

Foreign Missionaries Defy Ban During Olympics

(August 22, 2008)--Christian groups including Southern Baptists that ignored a Chinese ban on foreign missionaries say their underground evangelism during the Olympic games was a success.

Drawn to a nation of 1.3 billion people under atheist rule, the groups prepared for years for what the Southern Baptists once called "a spiritual harvest unlike any other."

Missionary Mark Taylor of Awaken Generation says 115 people from 12 countries gathered in Thailand for orientation before scattering throughout China.

The Southern Baptist Convention and Youth With A Mission carried out larger efforts.

Tags: religion, proselytizing, christian

It Beats Jesus on Toast!

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:34:43 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I'm astounded too. Not by the "Allah meat" but by the gullibility of people. And they even found a vet who gave credence by claiming it "defied scientific explanation". As far as no explanation this shows an astounding lack of imagination. I'm no vet but can readily come with an explanation as could any rational person. But then, who ever claimed that the Allah beef followers were rational?

There is a name for this phenomenon: pareidolia:

"The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the viewer; such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals or seeing shapes in clouds."

I'm off to McD now and fully expect to find a holy patty. Ha!

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

'Allah meat' astounds Nigerians

Diners have been flocking to a restaurant in northern Nigeria to see pieces of meat which the owner says are inscribed with the name of Allah.

What looks like the Arabic word for God and the name of the prophet Muhammad were discovered in pieces of beef by a diner in Birnin Kebbi.

He was about to eat it, when he suddenly noticed the words in the gristle, the restaurant owner said.

"When the writings were discovered there were some Islamic scholars who come and eat here and they all commented that it was a sign to show that Islam is the only true religion for mankind," he said.

Thousands of people have already gone to the restaurant to see them since they were discovered last week.

A vet told the newspaper the words "defied scientific explanation".

"Supposing only one piece of meat was found then it would be suspicious, but given the circumstances there is no explanation," Dr Yakubu Dominic said.

McCain's Desperate Move

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:12:11 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: While it may be that all VP picks are politically motivated, the good choices usually are those that besides being politically advantageous are also beneficial to the nation. After the nation discovers who Sarah Palin is and what she believes I think that McCain will realize what a colossal blunder he has made. Or maybe not??

Clip Source: www.salon.com

McCain's Palin pick is the epitome of tokenism

Suddenly all anyone needs to qualify as a potential commander in chief is to be a religious ideologue with female gender characteristics?

Aug. 30, 2008 | It is hard to think of a more cynical and contemptuous political act this year than John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate. Having served as governor of Alaska for less than two years -- and as mayor of a small town before that -- her qualifications for national office are minimal.

Palin is the epitome of tokenism, exactly what conservative Republicans have always claimed to scorn, until today, as the politics of quotas and political correctness.

But if Palin's résumé is limited, to put it politely, she possesses the only two qualities that McCain now seems to consider essential: She is a right-wing religious ideologue with female gender characteristics.

Tags: politics, palin, vp, republican

An Old Myth Investigated

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:49:51 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: This clip is from a short piece explaining very well why, as Cline points out, freedom of and freedom from are two sides of the same coin. You can't have one without the other. Interested people might benefit from linking to the original and reading it in its entirety.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

What is Freedom From Religion?

Freedom of Religion Requires Freedom From Religion

Conservatives insist that the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, and argue against strict separation of church and state. Too often, though, conservatives seem to have a flawed understanding of what freedom from religion really entails and fail to realize that freedom from religion is crucial to religious liberty in general.

It is evident that a person misunderstands the concept of freedom from religion when they say that promotion of the idea is part of an effort to eliminate religion from the public square, to secularize America, or to deny religious believers a voice in politics. None of this follows from a belief that people have a right to be free from religion.

Tags: constitution, government, religion, atheism

Off Limits? I Think Not

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:57:39 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Ordinarily a situiation such as the pregnancy of Sarah Palin's daughter would be off-limits but the Republican party has been the first to put it front and center as a political tool. The Holier than Anyone Right has used this to showcase how "special" their darling VP hopeful really is and the point has driven home at the RNC yesterday. That and the supposed non-political issue of McCain's POW status.

Have the voters become so inured to the Republican machine that they are incapable of seeing through their deceptions and lies?

Clip Source: www.opednews.com

Palin and the Christian Persecution Syndrome

The McCain camp explains that the pregnancy does not disqualify an otherwise highly qualified person. But Palin’s utter lack of qualifications and questionable record in office call this explanation into question.

I have been wondering amid all the evidence on Sarah Palin’s lack of qualifications, questionable dealings as governor, and her big-spending, sales-tax raising and debt-ridden mayoral tenure, why in the world the Rovian Republican machine picked her. Yes, I know she was selected to appeal to the hard core Christian dominionists and their somewhat less fanatical ilk.

That, however, does not explain signing off on a pregnant minor daughter in a candidate being sold on family values, abstinence only education and the principle of much of modern right-wing Christianity that parents are absolutely responsible for their children’s walks as Christians.

Tags: republican, hypocrite, abortion

Palin's History Knowledgte

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:45:20 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: For a subject that I'm sure she has a strong opinion about it's remarkable that she comes to that opinion without understanding the facts first.

Yeah, she sure is ready to lead the country!

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

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Palin On Pledge Of Allegiance: "If It Was Good Enough For The Founding Fathers, It's Good Enough For Me"

In a 2006 questionnaire for Alaska's gubernatorial race, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin seemed to muddle her American history.

Question: Are you offended by the phrase "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?

Palin: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I'll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.

The pledge, of course, was not written until 1892 and the words "under God" were not added until the 1950s.

Tags: palin, politics, history, prayer

McCain's VP Choice a Marginal Creationist

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:45:41 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: To be fair, it doesn't appear that McCain's pick for VP is a dyed-in-the-wool creationist but she still believes in the absurd notion that biblical creationism has a ligitimate place in the science classroom. Her ridiculous "teach the controversy" stance is of course the back door ploy by religious fanatics to gain a toehold in public classrooms. I don't see them siding with Native American's to teach their particular creation myth.

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

Intelligent Design and the Alaska Governor's Race

The volatile issue of teaching creation science in public schools popped up in the Alaska governor's race this week when Republican Sarah Palin said she thinks creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the state's public classrooms.
Palin was answering a question from the moderator near the conclusion of Wednesday night's televised debate on KAKM Channel 7 when she said, 'Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.'

Asked for her personal views on evolution, Palin said, "I believe we have a creator."

She would not say whether her belief also allowed her to accept the theory of evolution as fact.

"I'm not going to pretend I know how all this came to be," she said.

Tags: creationism, science, biology, religion, evolution

Are We Safer Now?

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:42:28 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I doubt if the public's safety was forefront in this misguided attempt to silence protest during the RNC. Partly because of hysterical paranoia of terrorists the powers that be have long used the pretense of protection to denigrate and undermine our most basic rights and freedoms. And do we stand up and raise our fists in anger over theses blatant stabs to our freedoms? Afraid not. It seems everyone just sits back in their easy chairs and watches as the powers that be wall off protesters to Orwellian "Protest Zones".

Yes, bad people want to do us harm. But a modicum of sanity should accompany our plans to provide a reasonable level of protection from these people. As it is now, this smacks more of politics than of legitimate protection.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Dozens Detained Ahead of Convention

ST. PAUL, Minn. — On the weekend before the Republican National Convention, law enforcement agencies detained dozens of people and issued a series of search warrants aimed at groups believed to be organizing demonstrations while delegates and Republican officials are in town.

On Friday night the Ramsey County sheriff's department, accompanied by the St. Paul police, detained people inside a building here that was being used as a headquarters to plan protests.

“They handcuffed all of us,” said Sonia Silbert, 28, from Washington. “They searched everyone.”

Ms. Coffey said that the officers, citing fire violations as the reason for their visit, “detained over 50 people in an attempt to pre-empt planned protests.”

The sheriff's department continued the sweeps on Saturday morning, executing warrants for three houses in Minneapolis and two in St. Paul, detaining more than 50 people and arresting 4.

Tags: politics, convention, republican

Pakistan Honor Killing

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:01:46 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Religion continues to wreck its havoc around the world. This time, under the guise of "tribal custom" the brutal murder of 5 women in Pakistan has come to the forefront. No longer can we accept the excuse that certain practices are custom or tradition. These acts of barbarity must be made public and soundly condemned.

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

“Our tribal custom”

Balochistan Senator Sardar Israrullah Zehri stunned the upper house on Friday when he defended the recent incident of burying alive three teenage girls and two women in his province, saying it was part of "our tribal custom." Senator Bibi Yasmin Shah of the PML-Q raised the issue citing a newspaper report that the girls, three of them aged between 16 and 18 years, had been buried alive a month ago for wishing to marry of their own will. The barbaric incident took place in a remote village of Jafarabad district and a PPP minister and some other influential people were reported to have been involved. The report accused the provincial government of trying to hush up the issue. Ms Shah said that the hapless girls and the women were first shot in the name of honour and then buried while they were alive. She also said that no criminal had been arrested so far.

Tags: religion, custom, tradition, misogyny

We Just Don't Get It

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:17:24 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Yep! How could anyone escape the iron clad logic of presented here? Well, I'm sold. I've always said that if anyone could provide irrefutable evidence I'd convert in an instant. Hallelujah!

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

The Atheist Delusion

[Video]

Tags: parody, god, religion, humor

Hail Mary!

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:51:12 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: By her social agenda alone she should scare the pants off any thinking voter. By her own words, an avowed Creationist, anti-science fundamentalist, and she denies global warming is man-made. I didn't know that GWB had a sister!

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Palin: You're no Hillary Clinton

None of my pro-Hillary female friends are falling for this obvious GOP pander. To the contrary, McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his VP is drawing hoots of derision.

Once they learn that Sarah Palin opposes rape and incest exceptions for women seeking abortion, they completely write her off.

One female friend said: "Sarah Palin is to the movement for women's equality what Clarence Thomas is to civil rights. She's an extremist and an enemy to the cause that has been fought on her behalf.... Someone should stand up and say: 'I know Senator Clinton. Senator Clinton is a friend of mine. And Sarah Palin is no Hillary Rodham Clinton.'"

Then she added, with a laugh, "The only thing he is going to let her do in the White House is teach him how to use the internet."

Another said, "It just seems desperate and calculated."

Tags: politics, abortion, evolution

Catholic Patriarchy

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:14:17 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: If your reaction to this clip is a blase "who cares" then the odds predict that you have a penis. It's remarkable that after centuries this outmoded way of thinking still holds sway. And what's even more remarkable is that women are sometimes responsible in not more forcefully opposing this outdated dogma.

Clip Source: www.concordatwatch.eu

Women need secularism

These proverbs from Slovakia show the other side of "family values". This is the name of a whole system of control which can prevent a woman from leaving an abusive marriage and further cement her in place by burdening her with unplanned children. The control imposed by the Vatican disproportionately affects women. That's because the hierarchy of obedience which goes from the pope to the parish priest doesn't stop there: it continues on, from the head of the household down to his wife.

Women must be kept at home and bearing children for the Church. Ordaining them as priests would give them dangerous authority. On 29 May 2008 the Vatican issued a decree "Regarding the crime of attempting sacred ordination of a woman". This is such a grave offence that it incurs automatic excommunication, on a par with heresy, schism, and laying violent hands on the Pope.

Tags: dogma, women, religion

A Sad Story

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:27:28 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Religious delusions kill again. Another small child sacrificed for dogma.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

Religious Group Starves Toddler for Not Saying "Amen"

Ramkissoon and four others identified by police as members of a cult called 1 Mind Ministries are charged with first-degree murder in the death of Javon Thompson. Members did not seek medical care for Javon when he stopped breathing, and the boy died in his mother's arms, according to court documents that described police interviews with a confidential informant and two children. He would have been about 19 months old when police say adults stopped feeding him in December 2006. ...Another unnamed informant told police that after Javon died, Antoinette left the boy's body in a room for more than a week, claiming "God was going to raise Javon from the dead," the documents show.

It might sound absurd to say that God would raise this child from the dead, but it's no more absurd than believing that Jesus rose from the dead.

Tags: religion, cult, enablers, demon, theology