Roughly seven years ago, we witnessed our homeland attacked by unfamiliar men born of a culture we still don’t truly understand. Since then, we’ve allowed the coating of our everyday lives in a blanket of fear, woven by leaders elected to uphold our nation. We’ve seen our Constitution shredded, treated like toilet paper with warrant-less wiretapping, missing emails, and a criminal dismissal of habeas corpus. We waited anxiously as an American city was destroyed, its people abandoned. We watched American soldiers transformed into momentary monsters at Abu Ghraib and, through our government, are repeatedly involved in the dastardly inhumane act of torture.

We’ve grown disgusted by our leaders’ ideological, cowardly, pathetic agenda that has tarnished our name around the world and made our cities and people less safe through haphazard policies and an embarrassingly mismanaged war in Iraq–one that should have never been waged, and has killed too many for too long; a war that has financially chained us to China and dragged us into a murky bog of a weakening economy and unfathomable national debt.

Still, our American pride remains. As it should. But the source of this pride, the strength of our soul, has been lost in the vicious mix of bickering, and a disregard for our standards as a people that has come to define American politics. This hollow shell where cynicism equals wisdom and the louder you speak the more true your opinion. A place where cowardice leads to abandoned civil liberties and fear of an enemy rots our subconscious. This is the world in which we now live, and must survive. A new era with new questions. New problems with a need for new answers.

Sen. Obama understands this world, a world that needs to hope. But, as Obama is first to point out, hope alone is not enough. People like to question his ability for change, but the change of which Obama speaks is not merely reliant on him. It relies on all of us to demand action from our government that will reinforce the foundation of American greatness. He is offering his superb political abilities as a tool to the American people with which to fix the collapsed veins of our democracy. And he is making this job possible by promoting bipartisan politics, translucency in government, honesty in words, strength in judgment and a refusal to sacrifice the will of the American people for a politics of pandering that now controls Washington.

It is with this great asset, a man of astounding character with a rich history of public service, that we will work tirelessly to fix what has been broken by the outgoing administration and build the mechanisms necessary to carry us successfully into a rapidly changing future. This is not a movement of infatuation and foolishness, but the march of a people seeking a way out of the fog of this new century and into the light of a new day. It is an acceptance of the dire state of our world, not a denial of reality, which motivates us to act, to learn, to be involved and pay attention. And all this will be achieved through a immovable embrace of the values that make up our true national soul: Fairness, inclusion, strength, honesty, hard work, determination and yes, hope for a better tomorrow. Anything less would be un-American.

“What do I mean by ‘Do the Obvious,” you might ask. The best example that comes to memory would be that of actor Sean Penn. Think about this: Sean Penn, serenely sitting in his Los Angeles home, sees the same massive red, orange and white spiral we all witnessed bearing down on the Gulf Coast, thinks “Holy shit!,” gets up, buys a fucking boat and drives 1,900 miles to New Orleans and starts saving people. That’s what I mean by Do the Obvious. He didn’t organize a rally (that would be disregarded by our relativists at Fox News, and most likely by the White House). He didn’t sign a petition, or get on a fucking blog and write about how pissed off he was. He simply got up, used the resources available to him, and changed a dire situation for the better, to the maximum of his personal capacity. That’s it.

Action needs no complication. And high-mindedness pales in comparison to simple deeds.
Protests, letters to the editor, even the ranting done on the pages of this Site are not nearly enough to break through the affliction of a docile demeanor we’ve all aquired. Instead of becoming emboldened in the pursuit for personal, and thus national, greatness, we’ve fallen to the paralyzing effects of fear, propagated by the effects of a decaded of progress and prosperity, followed by a vacuum of leadership during the most crucial of hours, days, months, and years.

No matter how engrossed we become in our digitized distractions and passively righteous indignation, nothing will make more of a difference than simple actions.
When you think back to what you’ve done with your life, be able to truthfully say, “I did something.” It doesn’t have to be “I did something great.” Simply that you took action when action was needed, an action for which you hold respect. So, when the time comes, remove your gigantic rear from your appropriately named La-Z-Boy, do whatever is most obvious, and the better off we all shall be.

Well, that certainly makes a lot of sense. Until now, it boggled my mind that so many people would be opposed to stem cell research and saving Earth from global warming. But it turns out that they just had no idea what the fuck anyone was talking about. You say, “The earth’s temperature is rapidly rising.” And they’re like, “What the fuck is ‘temperature?!’” At that point, you should just beat their ass.

There is absolutely no excuse for not understanding at least the simple principals of science, if for no other reason than to be a respectable human being. I’m not saying you have to believe it. (Actually, I am, but whatever.) All I’m saying is that not understanding the world around you, especially when that understanding has become so crucial in the public political arena concerning issues that will effect all of our lives, is unforgiveable. By not taking the time to figure out what this whole global warming thing is about, you are affecting my life. Because of your ignorance, you are restricting the needed advancements in policy, funding for further testing, and public support for issues and sciences that may prove to be our only hope in the unsettlingly near future.

We must no longer excuse ignorance in our neighbors, peers, and fellow citizens. Today, in this increasingly digital age, gaining knowledge has become easier than at any other point in history. Remember a time, before Google, when you didn’t know the answer to a question you had? In the past, you may have forgotten, that question would probably be merely forgotten, depending upon its importance in your life. Now, all one must do is reach her hands outward until she reaches a keyboard, and the Internet will provide you the answer to whatever your mind can muster. Maybe the problem is that, despite our nearly unlimited access to information, most people aren’t asking any questions. This, my friends, is shameful.

“Who Told You about God?
Mom: So, what kind of animals do you think we will see at the zoo?
Small boy: I think elephants and snakes… Mom? Are there also pretend things there, like dinosaurs and God?
Mom: I think we need to have a talk when we get home.

–N train near Union Square”

Ok, I’m officially proposing the first peace deal between the radicals of our country’s brand of Christianity and the non-believers they hate. (Note: The non-believers they hate are offering the first peace deal. Ironic, no?): We, the non-believers you hate, will completely forget about the dinosaurs. I mean, completely. The American Museum of Natural history’s dinsaur exhibit? Gone. Dinosaur themed rides? Gone. All them damn bones? Gone. We won’t just destroy all the evidence, we’ll clear our minds of their existence. In exchange for demanding a more responsible position than…oh, fuck it. Nevermind. I’m going to go ride my triceratops.

In fact, finding such a person, I believe, would prove far more astonishing than any stance that person might take. So few people clearly adhere to a worldview even partially defined by the void of belief we call atheism that a politician with enough credibility to thrust himself into a presidential race probably doesn’t exist. And should that person exist, I can only hope that they run as a Republican because the last thing the Democrats need is to offer the American people a leader who’s convictions oppose the foundation of their beliefs. Even if their beliefs are as unsubstantiated by facts as those confounded WMD.

It also states that theories of Charles Darwin are “the true source of terrorism”.

It’s funny because basically the exact opposite is true. It is widely known that the real cause of terrorism is extremist religious groups who are fighting on behalf of their creator.

The following disturbing caption accompanies a picture of the World Trade Center attacks: “Those who perpetuate terror in the world are in fact Darwinists. Darwinism is the only philosophy that values and incites conflict.”

Luckily the book is no major threat because the schools and universities are disregarding the text because of its irrelevance to the current curriculum. It is also not the first time something like this has happened, the Scientologists did the exact same thing a few years ago.

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Section 36. Whoever wilfully blasphemes the holy name of God by denying, cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, his creation, government or final judging of the world, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching or exposing to contempt and ridicule, the holy word of God contained in the holy scriptures shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars, and may also be bound to good behavior.

I don’t think there is much that I can say about this aside from the obvious fact this draconian law is completely ridiculous! Thankfully I haven’t heard any cases of this actually being enforced, so I think it’s time for this law to be removed from the books. I love Penn Jillette’s idea about having a 12 month expiry on all laws so that only the important laws would continually be renewed while the useless ones would be forgotten.

Ok, hold the phone. If any Christian with “convictions” of this nature wants to know why atheists (and I’m sure more than a few reasonable members of your own faith) think you are dangerous idiots, it’s because of decisions like this. I’m not saying you have to abandon your beliefs or ideals to a world that doesn’t agree, but for fuck’s sake, don’t drag innocent people into your insolent ignorance!

Depsite what value possible life may or may not have, the actual life of a woman was put in jeopardy because of your arrogance. This is just one of countless occasions where religious righteousness has placed the lives of other in harm’s way. (Think everything from the the Crusades to the Spanish Inquisition to September 11!) Add gay-bashing, abortion clinic-bombing, the blocking of funding for stem cell research, and your denial of the effectiveness of condoms in preventing the spread of STDs and HIV/AIDS to the mix, and you severly tarnish any good deeds that your organization may produce.

While I am afraid of you, and disregard your beliefs as haughty foolishness, I can only hope, for the good of a religion who’s work often benefits this world, that your theistic colleagues will throw your born-agin ass in the theological trash where you belong. Douche.

This, along with other factors like the good ol’ Internet, I believe, is the reason the 2008 presidential campaigns have such a jumpstart compared to previous election periods. (There’s still more than 600 days left until the new race is over.) We are all so tired of the current state of affairs that those of us who still even care are latching on to a future that doesn’t include George W. Bush as our president. (Though his mistakes will still be rippling through our reality, I’m sure.) Anyway, just one more reason why scientists should stop worrying so much about global warming, and just figure out this time machine business already. It’s freakin’ 2007, people! Come on!