IntenseDebate - deegeee

7 months ago @ Atheist Revolution - The Wheres and Whens o... · 1 reply · +1 points

I became an atheist in 1976 when I refused to be Bar Mitzvahed around the time of my 13th birthday. My parents were Jewish but (edit:) NOT very religious, so they were disappointed but not devastated. It was a big win for me, though.

Living in the northeastern US, in the suburbs of New York City, being an atheist, even mostly in the closet, was not a big deal. There weren't too many Jewish kids in my school. There was no pressure to be religious. After we said the Pledge in public school, there was a "Moment of Silence" which was fine with me. Everyone was quiet for a few seconds. And during the Pledge, I simply skipped saying the "Under God" phrase. Nobody ever noticed.

I didn't know any other atheists growing up. It wasn't until I discovered online groups such as this one and Austin Cline's sbout.com website did I know there were groups who thought like I did. I also learned of the FFRF and have read some books about atheism and learned about Hitchens and some other known atheists. At 62, I'm more "out" than I was before. I have no kids, but if I did, I'd encourage them to be atheists.

1 year ago @ Atheist Revolution - Harris Wipes Floor Wit... · 0 replies · +1 points

If anything, the moderators favored Trump. He got 5 more minutes of speaking time, according to CNN's review. This was in large part due to his bullying of the moderators into getting extra rebuttal time. There were a few questions where he spoke first and then spoke last even though the moderators were ready to move on to another question after Harris spoke last (which is what should happen). I was yelling for the moderators to mute his damned mike!

Trump also never answered the direct question as to why he killed the border security bill. Instead, Trump babbled about something else about immigration and never returned to the moderator's question. Neither the moderators nor Harris pressed him on that.

My vote for Harris is still mostly one of negative partisanship, but after the debate it is closer to 50-50 than before.

1 year ago @ Atheist Revolution - We Have Created the Co... · 1 reply · +1 points

The seeds for future political violence are being planted now by the GOP leaders whenever they are asked if they will accept the results of the 2024 presidential election no matter who wins. Remember how Senator Rubio dodged and weaved when Meet the Press's Kristin Welker asked him that question repeatedly about a month ago? As long as these GOP leaders keep waffling when asked this simple question, their Maga followers will see it as a license to commit violence if their side (read: Trump) loses. Thankfully, many of these election deniers lost in 2022, particularly in battleground states, so they can't rig the outcome in Trump's favor.

1 year ago @ Atheist Revolution - We Must Defeat Trump\'... · 1 reply · +1 points

When abortion rights are isolated on a ballot, a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans, even in Red states, pass the measure, and not by much (re: what the GOP legislature tried to do in Ohio to require a supermajority to pass a ballot measure). But those same moderate Republican voters will stove vote for the GOP legislators and re-elect Red legislatures. It isn't like state legislatures were flipping Blue all over the country. (Yes, a few chambers flipped since Dobbs, like in PA and VA.)

The best the Dems can hope for is to juice up turnout of the base if these ballot measures appear in November, in swing states. But don't expect many of these moderate (non-MAGA) Republican voters to vote for these ballot measures AND automatically vote for Biden.

1 year ago @ Atheist Revolution - Sticking With a Flawed... · 0 replies · +1 points

Before the debate, my vote consisted of holding my nose a little and voting for Biden. Now I will be holding my nose more tightly.

[Add - I found Trump's endless lying more, especially about Jan-6, disturbing (but not shocking) than Biden's troubles.]

That being said, we have the SCOTUS decision about Trump's immunity claim coming out Monday, although I expect it to be a win for Trump because it will delay the trial(s) long enough so we won't get a verdict before the election, if they even begin before then. And we have Trump's sentencing from his NY hush-money conviction coming up in a few weeks, so that will take Biden's woes off the front page.

1 year ago @ Atheist Revolution - Louisiana Promotes Chr... · 1 reply · +1 points

To the Republicans in Louisiana (and to SCOTUS), atheists and those who are not Christians (and Jews, perhaps) do not exist. If they happen to surprisingly exist, they are simply told to "sit down and shut up" and allow Christian privilege to encroach further into the public schools. And if the courts miraculously strike this BS down, those same Christians and their friends at Fox will scream about their loss of privilege being akin to discrimination.

1 year ago @ Atheist Revolution - Happy Atheist Pride Day! · 1 reply · +1 points

Another brick from the Wall of Separation has been removed in Louisiana with their Ten Commandments in every classroom. Will SCOTUS allow this to happen? Probably.

1 year ago @ Atheist Revolution - Happy Atheist Pride Day! · 4 replies · +1 points

I think we can put Justice Sam Alito on the list for treating us atheists poorly. You heard what he said in that secret recording by Lauren Windsor, an undercover left-wing activist? Justice Alito endorses her suggestion that “people in this country who believe in God have got to keep fighting for that – to return our country to a place of Godliness.” “Well, I agree with you, I agree with you,” Alito says. Then there was his vote with the majority in the 2014 Greece v. Galloway case about prayer before a public town council meeting.

1 year ago @ Atheist Revolution - Donald Trump is a Conv... · 1 reply · +1 points

It's truly awful that there are so many brainwashed Republican voters (and many elected leaders) who will vote for Trump no matter what. To them (and Trump), anything bad which happens to Trump is never his fault. It's always someone else's fault, be it Democrats, the media, a rigged election, a rigged trial, a corrupt judge, a corrupt DA, you name it.

How many votes will Trump lose by but win the Electoral College (EC)? Six million? Ten million? Biden may win over 50% of the PV but still lose the EC, making a total mockery of the EC. The best way to end the EC is for Biden to win the EC but LOSE the PV, something which would drive Trump crazy, even though he won in 2016 the same way. (He, of course, claimed he won the PV because of all the "illegals" who voted, more of his "it's never my fault.....") A reverse of 2016 will hopefully get some Red states on board with the NPV Interstate Compact, something only Blue (and maybe some Purple) states have joined.

2 years ago @ Atheist Revolution - Vote Like Your Life De... · 1 reply · +1 points

I don't live in a battleground state, but my U.S. House district has become a "swing" district after a Republican won it in 2022 for the first time in 28 years. Furthermore, President Biden won this district in 2020 by the largest margin of any of the 18 GOP-won seats in 2022 which Biden won. It's infuriating to have a Republican voting the wrong way on nearly every issue, and I have written my representative 9 times already to let him know, and to try to get him to be more like moderate Republicans in the past (like Chris Shays and Connie Morella) who were not afraid to buck their party.

It is crucial to flip the House in November, not only to neutralize Speaker Johnson (an election denier) the awful Freedom Caucus but to make sure the Dems are in charge next January to properly certify the presidential election.

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