Archive for October, 2008
An Open Letter to Senator Obama by Kate
I read this moving letter by Kate at The Radula and felt it needed to be shared. Remember, It’s not just election day that’s important but everyday after that matters too. Holding our politicians accountable to their word and promises is our responsibility.
Dear Senator Obama,
In a few hours I will be seeing you in Albuquerque NM. I have no hope what-so-ever that you will see me among the crowd of thousands, or that I will have the honor and privilege of speaking with you in person, but there are a few things I want you to know.
Now I’m no Joe the Plumber, and I don’t even hope to suddenly start earning a quarter of a million dollars and buy my own business. I’m a mom, and what I want is to be able to work, to keep a roof over my head, and clothes on my children’s back and food in their bellies. I want them to have a future they can be proud of.
It’s not the economy, sir. Or not just the economy. I’ve been working at odd jobs since I was five, been saving money, been paying taxes and had farm employment at the age of 11. I’ve gone to college, got a few degrees, and had a profession before chronic illness put an end to all that. And in all that time I’ve never begrudged a single tax penny that was spent on educating others and giving hope to the poor and disadvantaged, for the promotion of science and technology, and for keeping green spaces in America.
It’ isn’t just the economy. It’s education and health care. Without those, people like me cannot re-enter the job force, and the hope for the future of American economy is dim. Education, especially in the sciences, will allow our country to once again become competitive in the world market, create jobs, clean our environment, and provide needed advances in health care.
My daughter is a marine biologist in California, but her employment is in limbo because of the city hiring freeze. Her job is to provide educational opportunities for young children. The aquarium where she works will be cutting programs, freezing new requests for field trips, and has frozen hiring because of lack of funding. Not only does this mean that my daughter is not getting a paycheck, but it means that all of those children who go through that aquarium are not getting the exposure to marine biology and the positive encouragement and experiences in the sciences that our children need to keep them interested in their educations and engage them in science as a possible career path.
Sir, when I heard Senator McCain make that comment not once but repeatedly about the ‘overhead projector’, I nearly fell out of my seat laughing. Then I realized that there were so many people out there who did not understand what he was talking about, and perhaps had never had the opportunity or experience of visiting a quality planetarium as I had when I was younger. I remember the awe and excitement of seeing the night sky in the middle of the day, of seeing the stars and planets in their motion speeded up on the dome of the planetarium. It made such a profound impact on my life that I stayed with the planetarium astronomy club, then went on to college to pursue a degree in astrophysics.
If only other children could have the wonderful experience I have had!
I did go into the sciences as a career, and worked in engineering during the difficult economy of the 80s, then, when I became too ill to work, once again returned to college, got a degree in teaching, then got off social security until my illness progressed to the stage where I could no longer work. One of the problems I encountered in getting off social security and returning to the work force was that my health insurance would not cover existing conditions, and since my diagnosis is Lupus, that included an awful lot.
Now I hope to get into remission long enough to once again return to the work force, but in order to do so I will have to have an opportunity to have adequate health care. It’s my hope that I will be able to work long enough to pay my student loans, buy a home for myself and my children, and to put some money and security away for the day I am no longer able to work. Without adequate health care, that will be an impossibility.
Senator Obama, tonight I’ll be cheering for you, and having the audacity to hope that you will not only ascend to the presidency, but will make good on your promises to America, promises that will continue to give hope not only to myself, but to the millions of Americans who have lost hope, who have lost the opportunities to work, to provide for their families, to become educated, and to maintain their health.
Sincerely,
Kate
Wassup Obama!
True dat.
Pipe Wrench Fight!
What if the lyrics to those catchy 80s songs actually told the story that was portrayed in their whacked-out artsy videos? You might get something like this…
Be sure to check out their remake of Tears for Fears’ Head Over Heels as well.
Tip o’ the pipe wrench to the creators.
Via: Pharyngula
You F*cking GO GIRL!
*Swoon*
Oh, Hellzzz Yeah!
So, now that you have some proper motivation. Go! Post a blog entry, comment on one (or more), make a video or whatever you can. Make your voice heard. Stand up for your secular American rights.
Happy Freethought Day!
From FreethoughtDay.org:
Over 300 years ago, on October 12, 1692, Governor William Phipps of the Colony of Massachusetts made a decision that brought to an end the horrendous Salem Witch trials.
A Christian, nevertheless he declared that spectral evidence (supernaturalism) would no longer be admissible in court, and so the trials, due to lack of appropriate evidence, came to an end. The governor’s decision was a distinct departure from the general community’s extant thinking and a giant step on the path toward the principle of legal neutrality that would, when the United States incorporated into its brand new Constitution a Bill of Rights, assure each U.S. citizen the freedom to follow his/her conscience regarding matters of ultimate belief.
Spread the joy of being a freethinker and support these fine organizations that fight to uphold these American secular rights we all enjoy.
American Humanist Association
Secular Coalition for America
You know who I’m voting for? ‘That One’
Palin on ‘Pyramid’
Be sure to check out all of Edward Current’s videos on YouTube.
How many churches do you need?
I’ve always been amazed at just how many churches there are in my little city of less than 20,000 residents. I used to joke that there was a different church on just about every street corner. I recently did a Google Maps search for “church” in Tullahoma, TN and nearly dropped my jaw.
Here’s the map. (scroll down the listings on the left side and start clicking ‘Next’)
With 10 churches listed on each page, I made it to page 8 before the results started to get into neighboring cities and towns.
Now, some of these churches are small, single building establishments with a small congregation and many of them disappear after a couple years of service only to be replaced by another funny named worship center a few months later. A few, however, dwarf entire subdivisions where people are struggling to feed their families. Take the newly erected Church of Christ at Cedar Lane. The size of this 15-acre complex-o-worship is gargantuan compared to the government-run Tullahoma Housing Authority subdivision right across the street and is as large as about half the apartment complex right next door. (Here’s a Google Maps image - the complex was still in construction when this image was taken, but you can still make size comparisons. THA subdivision is to the left, apartment complex is above.)
According to city-data.com, in 1999, 17.2% of Tullahoma residents live below the poverty level and 7.3% live below 50% of the poverty level. The median household income in 2007 was $36,500. So, when I think about all the money spent building, running and maintaining these houses of prayer, I’m never quite sure whether to laugh or cry. Imagine if just a fraction of that money had been spent on things that actually advance this small city and its residents (like our city’s school system and our fantastic Hands-On Science Center) instead of being spent on first century stupidity.
Honestly! How many churches do you need?
Best. T-Shirt. EVAR!
And mine just arrived courtesy the XKCD store. Now, if only it came in a Dr. Horrible lab coat style.
I love you, Tina Fey
I had to edit this post due to NBC’s crap embed code that breaks my site design.
A little bit of logic…
… is all you need.
Personally, I still wouldn’t count Jesus as a friend simply because I never knew him. Maybe I’m strange, but I tend to reserve the designation of ‘friend’ to people I’ve actually met.
Via: The Friendly Atheist & Pablo Moroe
Do you know where your candidate stands?
As voter registration deadlines get closer, you may find yourself wondering just where certain candidates stand on the issues that you find important. One way to do just that is to find out how they voted on previous legislature. And Project Vote Smart has a simple system for doing just that. The site has profile pages for every incumbent and office seeking individual, highlighting their political career and previous voting records.
Go to Project Vote Smart’s website and enter your full Zip code for a complete list of office seekers (House and Senate) in your area and then check their voting records. You can also search for a specific candidate by last name as well as view all office seekers in your state.
So if negative attack ads have you worried about how your favorite candidate has performed in office, now you can go see for yourself.
Be sure to check out Obama and McCain’s profile pages and make sure you’re supporting the right person. If you’re supporting a different candidate, just hit up their 2008 Presidential Candidate page.
After all, “Knowing is half the battle.”
DO IT! Like, Nowsville.
I mean it. NOW! You’ve only got a few days left. So stop reading this and go register. I did. It only took me a couple seconds. You can spare a couple of seconds, right? For your future, I mean. Right?
Mythbusting the God hypothesis
If you don’t read “Least I Could Do“, you’re missing out on a daily dose of high-quality humor.
RAYNE FOR JESUS ‘08
