George H.W. Bush:
No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.
First they came for the atheists.
And I was an atheist.
And they got me.
So.
Who's next?
Trailer for the newly released documentary on
DALTON TRUMBO
and the infamous Hollywood blacklist.
I saw TRUMBO recently and was extremely impressed. I had read Dalton Trumbo's anti-war novel Johnny Got His Gun decades ago, and I knew he had been blacklisted, but that's about all I knew.
(N.B.: What I don't know could easily fill the world's largest library).
For instance, Dalton was convicted of contempt of Congress and actually went to jail as a result.
Despite being blacklisted, Dalton continued to write and his scripts were produced with the help of various people who acted as "fronts". The resulting films were some of the best received of the decade (including an Oscar winner).
(If you haven't seen it already, you should check out a film called THE FRONT which is a fictionalized look at how some blacklisted writers used "fronts" to get their scripts accepted. This movie was written by a formerly blacklisted writer and features several blacklisted actors in prominent roles).
One of the most eye-opening sequences in the TRUMBO documentary described the old Japanese-American internment camps being "dusted off" in preparation for housing the new enemy: America's left-wing liberals.
(I searched YouTube for a clip of this section, but couldn't find it. So you'll all need to go and see the film in a theater, or else buy/rent the DVD when it comes out).
So here's a topic for discussion.
Since our country's government
(1) actually imprisoned thousands of Japanese-Americans in World War Two based solely on their ancestry, and
(2) were prepared to imprison thousands of Americans during the 1950s based solely on their left-wing liberal politics, and
(3) currently are imprisoning who-knows-how-many Americans for suspected ties to Muslim terrorism, then
(4) what are the chances that an empowered christian evangelical administration would try to round up all the atheists?
Consider the above as a COMMENTS-BASED POLL and cast your vote accordingly by posting a comment below. On a scale of 1 to 10, please, with 1 being NO CHANCE WHATSOEVER and 10 being YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT.
ATHEIST RESOURCES ONLINE
Here are a few useful links:
American Atheists
American Humanist Association
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Freedom from Religion Foundation
Full disclosure: I am a member of the above organizations.
Now let's start a list of great atheist blogs:
Pharyngula
Anyone else have a favorite blog to nominate for this list?
Links to PREVIOUS EDITIONS of YOUR SUNDAY ATHEIST:
Please check out earlier editions of the series:
#4: Child Abuse Edition
Discusses three award-winning documentaries exposing the abuse of children at the hands of preachers, evangelists, and Catholic priests.
#3: Barna Evangelicals
Explodes the myth of Monolithic Evangelicalism in the USA (sort of).
#2: Contraception & Abortion Edition
Discusses the Bush Administration's recent attempts to blur the distinction between contraception and abortion.
#1: Anti-Puritan Rebellion Edition
Discusses the John Edwards kerfluffle and the effect America's obsession with illicit sex has had upon society.
Reminder: It is never too late to add your own comments, tips & recs to a diary entry.
As always, here is your Video Reward for making it all the way to the end.
Gosh We're All Really Impressed