Rep. Monique Davis (D) wants atheists out of America

http://www.chicagotribune.com/...

From Crooks and Liars:

Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) interrupted atheist activist Rob Sherman during his testimony Wednesday afternoon before the House State Government Administration Committee in Springfield and told him, "What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous . . . it’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!

"This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God," Davis said. "Get out of that seat . . . You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon."

http://media.richarddawkins.net/...

The audio is shocking. And this bigotry is coming from a Democrat in Illinois. No wonder atheists are the most mistrusted minority group in America. If she substituted muslim, jew or presbyterian for atheist her career would be over.

The story I linked to was posted on Sunday. And yet I can't find any evidence of an apology forthcoming from Rep. Davis. I am not holding my breath.

•  tip jar?

  for exposing bigotry towards atheists in America.

  by csquared on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:01:05 AM PDT

  •  to be clear

    she is a state Rep., not a US Rep.

    Ignorant as she is, it probably won't hurt her politically.

    by InsultComicDog on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:07:05 AM PDT

    •  Rep. Davis endorsed Obama

      But I doubt Obama will need to distance himself from her bigoted comments as he did from Rev. Wright.

      It just shows the double standard in America when it comes to bigotry towards atheists.

      by csquared on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:12:01 AM PDT

      •  99 percent of all Illinois Dems endorsed Obama

        This has nothing to do with him.

        And sadly this is not the first or last really stupid thing that will be said by an Illinois Democrat in the state capital.

        by modemocrat on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:18:48 AM PDT

        •  I support Obama.

          My last comment was more about the double standard in the way atheists are treated in America.

          I agree that this has nothing to do with Obama. In fact, I think its ridiculous that he was forced to apologize for Rev. Wright's comments.

          by csquared on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:26:08 AM PDT

          •  Lake of Fire for unbelievers

            Nirvana

            Where do bad folks go when they die?
            They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
            They go to a lake of fire and fry
            See'em again 'till the 4th of July

            I knew a lady who came from Duluth
            Bit by a dog with a rabid tooth
            She went to her grave just a little too soon
            And flew away howlin' on the yellow moon

            Where do bad folks go when they die?
            They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
            They go to a lake of fire and fry
            See'em again 'till the 4th of July

            People cry and people moan
            They look for a dry place to call their home
            They try to find some place to rest their bones
            While the angels and devils try to make their own

            Where do bad folks go when they die?
            They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
            They go to a lake of fire and fry
            See'em again 'till the 4th of July

            by FishOutofWater on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 06:01:48 AM PDT

            •  Not Nirvana

              Lake of Fire is a Meat Puppets song Nirvana covered in their MTV Unplugged show.

              by dmd76 on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 06:11:43 AM PDT

              •  No Nirvana for Meat Puppets?

                Damn atheists.

                by FishOutofWater on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 06:19:53 AM PDT

                •  brief bio on Davis

                  can be found here.

                  by seesdifferent on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 11:23:35 AM PDT

                  •  I'll donate $1,000 to a Dem primary opponent n/t

                    by PhotogHog on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:24:14 PM PDT

                    •  I'll do $500

                      This devil has to go.

                      by leema on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 04:25:21 PM PDT

                  •  I am soo-o stealing this. n/t

                    by RavinDave on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 03:17:36 AM PDT

              •  Had that been an actual Nirvana song

                There would have been a wild contrast between highly abstract lyrics, interspersed with explicit and gag-inducing imagery.  For example:

                she eyes my like a pisces / when I am weak

                huh?

                versus

                I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black

                urp!

                by slippytoad on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 06:24:10 AM PDT

                •  Precious-

                  :)

                  by RF on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 12:12:19 PM PDT

                •  Not so abstract

                  I took it that Cobain was describing Courtney Love exhibiting the supposed characteristic of the sign (creative, artistic, highly romantic) at some moment when he was feeling vulnerable.

                  The other one was gag-inducing, but again I think this was just more of him pouring out his love for her: he would even devour her tumor were she to suffer from cancer.

                  by LisainNYC on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:36:06 PM PDT

              •  Props to the Puppets.

                Thank you for the correction.

                by Pris from LA on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:09:46 AM PDT

              •  True, but Kurt did it better (also "Plateau")

                by ratmach on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 12:43:05 PM PDT

              •  as a nonbeliever-

                the day theocrat authoratarians cease and desist their constant and perpetual assault upon MY countrys Constitution in their blatancy to infuse it with their psuedo beliefs, i will be here with my nonbelieving ass in amazement of super self sanctified ignorant dumbasses such as Monique Davis.
                 todays Worst Person

                by playtonjr on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 06:50:08 PM PDT

                •  silly

                  So who are you going to vote for...god fearing Hillary or church going OBama?

                  Or are they both a little too stupid and gullible to meet your superior intellectual standards?  

                  Silly

                  by Jagger on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 09:46:44 PM PDT

            •  Virtuous non-believers get Limbo.

              Just ask Virgil.

              by polecat on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 06:35:12 AM PDT

              •  Dante's sock puppet, not the original

                Vergil wasn't Christian, but Dante admired him greatly, so who better?

                I have heard, but cannot confirm, that the common English spelling of Virgil was a riff on Virgin, though I have no idea what he wrote that could be tied to Christianity.

                by freelunch on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:00:19 AM PDT

                •  Virgil was regarded by some Christians . . .

                  . . . as a prophet.  One of his Eclogues (the fifth?) describes the birth of a child who will usher in an era of peace.

                  by lgenespears on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:23:26 AM PDT

                  •  The fourth Eclogue, to be exact. (n/t)

                    by Allogenes on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:35:41 AM PDT

                  •  Medieval scholars referred to Virgil

                    as "The Poet", just as they and the Islamic scholars referred to Aristotle as "the Philosopher".

                    Don't forget to read Virgil's Aeneid, his Roman 'embellishment' (none dare call it a rip-off) on the Illiad and the Odyssey, creating (not merely transcribing and communicating as Homer had) a total mythical history of Rome, tracing the history of Rome (falsely) back to the Trojan side of the Trojan War via Aeneas, a Trojan hero.

                    by caseynm on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:30:49 AM PDT

                    •  Arma virumque cano

                      ...high-school Latin teacher made me memorize the first ten lines of the Aeneid.  Still got 'em.

                      by Randomfactor on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 10:57:43 AM PDT

                      •  ... Troiae qui primus ab oris

                        Italiam fato profugus
                        Laviniaque venit litora...

                        Oh, the memories.

                        by Dauphin on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:16:00 PM PDT

                      •  She apperantly needed to learn that

                        de gustibus non disputatum est

                        true for taste and religious beliefs

                        by Renie on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:55:27 PM PDT

                    •  The Aeneid

                      is much more than a "rip-off" of Homer. Readers will find a more nuanced and ambivalent stance toward war and power-seeking in Virgil than in Homer. Aeneas seems to lose his humanity in the quest to essentially found Rome, and the cry of Turnus at the end seems to echo through the ages as the cry of those who have been conquered.

                      by Valtin on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 11:14:38 AM PDT

                      •  Agree and disagree:

                        The Aeneid is much much more than just a rip-off, and it's one of the most beautifully written works of literature ever.  But I'd argue the Iliad is much more sophisticated than Vergil when it comes to war.  

                        by pico on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 01:51:54 PM PDT

                        •  Who knows? You might be right

                          They are both great works. I was surprised when I read the Aeneid, because I felt that Virgil's sensibilities were closer to that of our time. But that's purely subjective, I know.

                          by Valtin on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 05:43:56 PM PDT

                •  Publius Vergilius Maro, Christian, NOT, but

                  I have no idea what he wrote that could be tied to Christianity.

                  Oddly enough, I happen to know that. (My motley education, scraps and odds and ends...)

                  Medieval scholars, looking for an excuse to cover the fact that they rather liked Virgil, came up with the idea that some lines in one of the Eclogues could be construed as a prophecy about the birth of a miraculous boy. Dante would have been familiar with this consensus.

                  Before the modern era scholars and educated people were often scrambling for some excuse to enjoy pre-Christian writing, and would contort surviving works if necessary with far-fetched interpretations. It was better than refusing to copy them, and letting them be lost, I judge. We can jettison the interpretations now, and replace them with, well, with interpretations hat our grandkids will doubtless consider equally spurious in some other way. Somebody said every generation has to re-translate Homer, and that's one of the reasons.  

                  by Christopher Walker on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:25:18 AM PDT

                  •  Thanks to All

                    Does anyone have a recommendation for a translation for the eclogues? I haven't read Vergil since high school and have no intention of reading it in Latin.

                    by freelunch on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:43:34 AM PDT

                    •  Eclogues and Georgics

                      I'm pretty sure this one was the translation recommended by my classics teacher. It's not real recent, and I can't assure you that it's a splendid translation because my Latin isn't good enough to make me a credible judge. However, I remember it as perfectly readable:

                      The Eclogues and Georgics of Virgil / translated by C. Day Lewis. Garden City, N. Y. : Anchor Books, 1964.

                      by Christopher Walker on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:03:20 AM PDT

                      •  Thanks

                        I've heard of Lewis and think I may have his translation of the Aeneid (sadly, I still have a copy of my HS Aeneid, too, but doubt that I could understand more than 15% of it).

                        by freelunch on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:08:58 AM PDT

                        •  Cecil Day-Lewis

                          Father of Academy Award-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis.

                          Cecil was also a poet and critic, and eventually was named Poet Laureate of England.

                          Amazing family, that.

                          And PS -- Daniel is married to Rebecca Miller, daughter of award-winning playwright Arthur Miller. Daniel starred in one of the big-screen adaptations of Arthur Miller's The Crucible.

                          Family dinners were either wonderful or scary.

                          by Brooke In Seattle on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 09:21:11 AM PDT

                •  Virgil's name

                  What I've heard is that Christians changed Vergilius' name to "Virgil" because it was Latin for "rod", which was understood to be a reference to the cross...

                  by Abou Ben Adhem on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 01:52:22 PM PDT

              •  I can't go that low

                n/t

                by Robobagpiper on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:08:50 AM PDT

                •  That was so bad

                  I had to 4 it.

                  by freelunch on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:14:53 AM PDT

              •  Actually the most interesting place...

                ...in the whole Divine Comedy is Limbo, where you get to hob-nob with the great philosophers. If I'm bound for there I'd be happy.

                by Pris from LA on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:14:38 AM PDT

                •  See W. S. Merwin

                  for one excellent contemporary translation.

                  by Creosote on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 02:19:56 AM PDT

            •  Randy Newman

              Cain slew Abel, Seth knew not why
              For if the children of Israel were to multiply
              Why must any of the children die?
              So he asked the Lord, and the Lord said:

              Man means nothing, he means less to me
              Than the lowliest cactus flower or the humblest Yucca tree
              He chases round this desert cause he thinks that's where I'll be
              That's why I love mankind

              I recoil in horror from the foulness of thee
              From the squalor and the filth and the misery
              How we laugh up here in heaven at the prayers you offer me
              That's why I love mankind

              The Christians and the Jews were having a jamboree
              The Buddhists and the Hindus joined on satellite TV
              They picked their four greatest priests and they began to speak

              They said, "Lord, a plague is on the world, Lord, no man is free
              The temples that we built to you have tumbled into the sea
              Lord, if you won't take care of us won't you please, please let us be?"

              And the Lord said

              I burn down your cities--how blind you must be
              I take from you your children and you say how blessed are we
              You all must be crazy to put your faith in me
              That's why I love mankind

              You really need me
              That's why I love mankind

              by manumoka on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:24:56 AM PDT

              •  Great song.

                Frank Zappa wrote a good one too.

                Dumb All Over
                by Frank Zappa

                Whoever we are
                Wherever were from
                We shoulda noticed by now
                Our behavior is dumb
                And if our chances
                Expect to improve
                Its gonna take a lot more
                Than tryin to remove
                The other race
                Or the other whatever
                From the face
                Of the planet altogether

                They call it the earth
                Which is a dumb kinda name
                But they named it right
                cause we behave the same...
                We are dumb all over
                Dumb all over,
                Yes we are
                Dumb all over,
                Near n far
                Dumb all over,
                Black n white
                People, we is not wrapped tight

                Nurds on the left
                Nurds on the right
                Religous fanatics
                On the air every night
                Sayin the bible
                Tells the story
                Makes the details
                Sound real gory
                bout what to do
                If the geeks over there
                Dont believe in the book
                We got over here

                You cant run a race
                Without no feet
                n pretty soon
                There wont be no street
                For dummies to jog on
                Or doggies to dog on
                Religous fanatics
                Can make it be all gone
                (I mean it wont blow up
                n disappear
                Itll just look ugly
                For a thousand years...)

                You cant run a country
                By a book of religion
                Not by a heap
                Or a lump or a smidgeon
                Of foolish rules
                Of ancient date
                Designed to make
                You all feel great
                While you fold, spindle
                And mutilate
                Those unbelievers
                From a neighboring state

                To arms! to arms!
                Hooray! thats great
                Two legs aint bad
                Unless theres a crate
                They ship the parts
                To mama in
                For souvenirs: two ears (get down!)
                Not his, not hers, (but what the hey? )
                The good book says:
                (it gotta be that way!)
                But their book says:
                Revenge the crusades...
                With whips n chains
                n hand grenades...
                Two arms? two arms?
                Have another and another
                Our God says:
                There aint no other!
                Our God says
                Its all okay!
                Our God says
                This is the way!

                It says in the book:
                Burn n destroy...
                n repent, n redeem
                n revenge, n deploy
                n rumble thee forth
                To the land of the unbelieving scum on the other side
                cause they dont go for whats in the book
                n that makes em bad
                So verily we must choppeth them up
                And stompeth them down
                Or rent a nice french bomb
                To poof them out of existance
                While leaving their real estate just where we need it
                To use again
                For temples in which to praise our god
                (cause he can really take care of business!)

                And when his humble tv servant
                With humble white hair
                And humble glasses
                And a nice brown suit
                And maybe a blond wife who takes phone calls
                Tells us our God says
                Its okay to do this stuff
                Then we gotta do it,
                cause if we dont do it,
                We aint gwine up to hebbin!
                (depending on which book youre using at the
                Time...cant use theirs... it dont work
                ...its all lies...gotta use mine...)
                Aint that right?
                Thats what they say
                Every night...
                Every day...
                Hey, we cant really be dumb
                If were just following gods orders
                Hey, lets get serious...
                God knows what hes doin
                He wrote this book here
                An the book says:
                He made us all to be just like him,
                So...
                If were dumb...
                Then God is dumb...
                (an maybe even a little ugly on the side)

                by cometman on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:51:37 AM PDT

                •  It always comes back to Zappa

                  doesn't it, and it always will!

                  by armenia on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:09:11 AM PDT

                •  Austin Lounge Lizards

                  Well, they recorded it. I think Kinky Freedman wrote it:

                  I know you smoke, I know you drink that brew
                  I can't abide with a sinner like you.
                  God can't either so I know it to be true.
                  Jesus loves me but he can't stand you.

                  I'm going to heaven boys, when I die
                  Cause I've crossed every T and dotted every I
                  My preacher tells me I'm God's sort of guy
                  Jesus love me but you're gonna fry.

                  God loves all his children, by gum
                  That don't mean he won't incinerate some
                  Can't you feel those hot flames licking you
                  WooWooWoo

                  I'm raising my kids in a righteous way
                  So don't be bringing your kids over to our house to play
                  Yours will grow up stoned, left-leaning and gay
                  Jesus told me on the phone today

                  Jesus loves me this I know
                  And he told me where you're going to go
                  There's lots of room for your kind down below
                  Whoa Whoa Whoa

                  Jesus loves me but he can't stand you!

                  by newmexicobear on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 09:58:33 AM PDT

                  •  I don't hear of the Austin Lounge Lizards

                    too often, but I love their song "Leonard Cohen's Day Job." And that got me thinking about what Cohen has to say about Christianity. I think he's got it right in this verse:

                    And Jesus was a sailor
                    When he walked upon the water
                    And he spent a long time watching
                    From his lonely wooden tower
                    And when he knew for certain
                    Only drowning men could see him
                    He said "All men will be sailors then
                    Until the sea shall free them"

                    by RAZE on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 10:31:37 AM PDT

                •  70's era rap style

                  Not the content obviously, but the way he delivered this song was essentially a rap, not singing.

                  by CyberHippy on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 12:05:18 PM PDT

        •  You missed that comment by a mile....

          Of course it had nothing to do with Obama.  

          by dkmich on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:40:24 AM PDT

          •  She's Clearly a Follower of GHWBush

            I wonder is she voted for him when he exposed his religious bigotry?

            by freelunch on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 06:48:25 AM PDT

            •  Does Separation of Church and State

              Exist at all in this country?

              I believe in God, but I should not be judged by an entity that "trusts in god" in secular society.

              I believe in God, but I should not be spending money that "trusts in god" in secular society.

              I love me some Christians and I love me some atheists.

              I love me some Buddhists too, but they're more like agnostics.

              by interdependence on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:11:50 AM PDT

              •  I met a man in Singapore who said to me

                "I don't believe in any specific religion, but I respect all of them."

                Some people just get it.

                Others, like Monique Davis, simply don't.

                by GrannyOPhilly on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 10:46:15 AM PDT

                •  Atheism is not a religion.....

                  I don't believe that there is no god.  I know that their is no evidence for the existence of a god anymore than there is evidence that the Easter Bunny or Santa exists.  When religious people bring me their source, then we can discuss whether or not I believe it/them to be credibile.  Until then, I don't believe squat.

                  by dkmich on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 02:46:57 AM PDT

            •  No she's definitely not

              Generally she's as Democratic as they come. This is a huge surprise.

              by bornadem on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 07:46:40 AM PDT

              •  not a surprise at all.

                African American community has lots of Christianists.

                by DrSteveB on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:08:25 AM PDT

        •  Context

          So did she rant out of the blue?

          Or was there some sort of provocation leading to her response?  Not to excuse her words but I would like some context.

          I don't know the rep which was a target of her ire.  But if he is a neo-atheist, neo-atheists, like neocons, are always looking for a fight.  Provocation and fighting is their purpose for living.

          So what is the context?

          by Jagger on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:29:16 AM PDT

          •  Pretty broad stroke there

            Care to back it up with some evidence about legions of neo-athiests looking for a fight?  Perhaps explain the evolutionary imperative behind this "purpose for living"?  As far as I can tell from your comment you are the one looking for a fight.

            by filchyboy on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 10:37:06 AM PDT

          •  To this "neo-atheist"

            Those sure sound like fightin' words!

            Do you honestly think those things? Was Martin Luther King provoking and fighting when he was demonstrating in Memphis? How else are minorities supposed to assert their rights other thank provoking and fighting?

            by The Icelander on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 10:44:10 AM PDT

            •  WTF is a neo-Atheist?

              If there's anything that hasn't changed through the history of man it's Atheism. Every other religion has bent and twisted with time, though believers think their beliefs are the same as the founders of their religions. So I'm wondering what a "neo-Atheist" is? Not believing in a supreme deity is the same every day. It can't be "neo" if it's the same as it has always been.

              by Intercaust on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 10:57:04 AM PDT

              •  I think the neo part is the combination

                of calling enough attention to your lack of belief to get noticed and not getting killed or exiled for it.

                by HiBob on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 11:14:56 AM PDT

              •  WTF is right!

                I didn't know there were neo-atheists. Do we have fundi atheist? Recombined and reformed?

                "Give me that ol' time atheism it's good enough for me"

                by high uintas on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 11:47:09 AM PDT

              •  Technically, atheism has changed.

                Atheists throughout history have defined themselves by their disbelief in the gods of their dominant culture, which have changed over time.  I have yet to meet a modern atheist who explains his stance by saying, "I don't believe in Zeus."  Nor did atheists in the past generally advocate banning all religion, as a good number of modern atheists do.

                As for what a neo-atheist is, I have no idea.  I think  Jagger probably meant a proselytizing atheist, as opposed to one who keeps his/her personal beliefs personal and doesn't try to impose or force them onto others.  I've met plenty of proselytizing atheists, and they did tend to pick fights, although I wouldn't consider it fair to generalize that to atheists in general any more than to Christians in general.  They were damned annoying, though...but once again, no more so than Christian proselytizers.

                by Elsinora on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:26:58 PM PDT

                •  Neo-atheists

                  Atheists throughout history have defined themselves by their disbelief in the gods of their dominant culture, which have changed over time.  I have yet to meet a modern atheist who explains his stance by saying, "I don't believe in Zeus."  Nor did atheists in the past generally advocate banning all religion, as a good number of modern atheists do.

                  As for what a neo-atheist is, I have no idea.  I think  Jagger probably meant a proselytizing atheist, as opposed to one who keeps his/her personal beliefs personal and doesn't try to impose or force them onto others.  I've met plenty of proselytizing atheists, and they did tend to pick fights, although I wouldn't consider it fair to generalize that to atheists in general any more than to Christians in general.  They were damned annoying, though...but once again, no more so than Christian proselytizers.

                  You are exactly right in my references.  There are intelligent, thoughtful atheists and then, there are shallow, aggessive, mocking, provocative neo-atheists.  Thoughtful and neo-atheists goes together in the same manner as neocon and thougthful. It just doesn't happen. I ran across the term neo-atheist sometime back and it's use is more common with time. It is a very appropriate term.

                  Neo-atheists give a bad name to atheists and create some pretty bad backlash.  Their tactics are very counter-productive.

                  by Jagger on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 03:52:01 PM PDT

                  •  I tend to disagree

                    I think the silence and nonconfrontational stance of traditional atheists is directly linked to their present status as America's most despised minority. The tone of a Hitchins or a Dawkins may border on the belligerent, but I think it's a useful check on a public discourse that all too often takes the centrality of religion in public life as a foregone conclusion and even an agreed upon good onto itself.

                    by ADamiani on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 10:13:37 PM PDT

                •  It's funny that you brought this up

                  because I often explain my atheism by saying that I don't believe in Zeus.  Or Thor.  And for the same reasons, I don't believe in whatever god the person I'm talking to believes in.  And for the record, none of the many atheists I have met have ever advocated banning all religion.

                  by Aocreata on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 06:34:47 PM PDT

          •  here's context

            Rob Sherman has been a fightin' atheist for quite some time, and has litigated a fair bit. He's well known in Chicagoland (and around Illinois).

            Last fall, the Illinois General Assembly passed PA 95-680, amending the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act (105 ILCS 5), making a brief period of silence to open the school day mandatory (rather than optional) in public schools. Though vetoed by the Governor, the legislature overrode, and it became effective on October 11.

            Immediately, educators, through various organizations, virtually statewide, decided not to act on the law. Meanwhile, Mr. Sherman filed suit in federal court to stop enforcement on a constitutional challenge.

            The background on why this passed in the first place is, in itself, interesting. State Representative James Meeks, an ordained minister, had made waves in 2006 when he threatened to bolt from the Democratic Party to run for governor. His threat was palpable, as a threatened schism in the Chicago AA community's voting bloc could have thrown the governorship to the GOP. He holds great sway with many AA members of the legislature.

            The legislature has found themselves quite embarrassed over the publicity generated, and has been working to undo the revisions in PA 95-680, though some legislative manuvers have slowed down the current bill (passed the state house, but got hamstrung in the senate by the sponsor of last year's bill - Kim Lightford).

            Rob Sherman can be a pain in the backside. His stance on tax policy is downright GoOPer/libertarian/RonPaul kinda stuff. But he's a strong ally on church/state issues like this.

            by wystler on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 11:23:11 AM PDT

            •  AA is ambiguous and to be avoided.

              It can mean both "African-American" and "Asian American".  I suspect that you mean the former, although the later use is better established.

              by ohwilleke on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 01:20:18 PM PDT

              •  criticism is fair

                but the context makes it pretty darned clear, no?

                by wystler on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:02:48 PM PDT

                •  There are Asian American communities in Chicago

                  too, and it certainly led to puzzlement and analysis for a momement.

                  by ohwilleke on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:37:21 PM PDT

                •  Not really...

                  ...I assumed you meant "anti-aircraft".

                  Sometimes it's best to not use abbreviations at all because they've all been overloaded so many times it can get confusing very quickly.

                  No, I'm not just trying to be PC.

                  PC = politically correct, printed circuit, personal computer, post cibum (after meals, used on Rx), primary care, professional corporation, polycarbonate, primate conservation, polymer concrete, and on and on and on...

                  by Mad Dog Rackham on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 06:51:45 PM PDT

                •  I assumed Alcoholics Anonymous

                  Which, being church-based, and constituting a relatively large bloc of the population of many urban areas ... though probably not full of voters ... but still, it is what came to mind.

                  by mataliandy on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 08:51:52 PM PDT

              •  why did you

                hyphenate "African-American" but not "Asian American"?

                by grollen on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 03:59:49 PM PDT

                •  Because that is the style that I have

                  seen most commonly used by others in writing the respective terms for reasons that are obscure to me.

                  by ohwilleke on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 05:04:57 PM PDT

                  •  nod

                    hyphenation can be interesting

                    by grollen on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 06:03:24 PM PDT

              •  AA = Alcoholicus Anonymus n/t

                by kalmoth on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 04:43:23 PM PDT

            •  Who knew?

              He holds great sway with many AA members of the legislature.

              ...that so many members of the Illinois state legislature hit the sauce?

              /snark

              by sigmarthebad on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 02:15:38 PM PDT

            •  By the way,

              Rob Sherman (no relation, thank God!) is now a candidate for the Illinois House, as the candidate of the Green Party in the northwest suburban 53rd District.

              Expect him to get trounced on Election Day, although his name recognition may give the Greens the 5% of the vote they are looking for to expand their status as a major party in Illinois.

              by Randall Sherman on Tue Apr 08, 2008 at 09:50:28 PM PDT

              •  i don't know that he gets 5%

                Rob Sherman is an election day pariah here. In 2006, he ran in the Dem primary for that seat, losing badly to a neophyte who I'd met at a local DFA meet-up. Mike was no stellar candidate either(!!!), but he outpolled Rob Sherman 3565 to 1112.

                by wystler on Wed Apr 09, 2008 at 08:37:41 AM PDT

          •  the target of her ire

            was not another representative, but a citizen activist (who is an atheist) testifying in front of the Illinois State Government Adminsitration Committee about a $1,000,000 grant to a religious school.

            by