When I was in Dublin Ireland, I met with Ashling O’Brien and Ciarán O Floinn. We found an unoccupied meeting room in the basement of the Ashling Hotel (no relation to Ms O’Brien) and did an interview for their podcast, Freethought Friday. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHmWYCD5mdY[/youtube]
Social Justice for Reasonable People: Racial Justice Discussions
How can reasonable people discuss racial justice? Any secular group that focuses on people of color often gets ironic criticism for being exclusive. Though in my experience with American groups, I don’t know of any secular group that disallows whites from joining. As a biracial Asian-American, I have always been there doing my small part […]
It never ends
I’m in Northern Ireland at the moment, speaking tonight in a suburb of Belfast. When I was a young boy, back in the late 1960s, I heard the name Belfast on TV news the same way I heard the names Beirut, Syria, or the West Bank: they were always associated with riots or bombings. Yesterday, […]
Joycelyn Elders Approves of Sander’s Marijuana Legalization Plan
Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is most known for taking stances such as support for comprehensive sex education that included education on masturbation that were not just controversial with the general public, but during the Clinton administration as well. She also received disapproval during her tenure for saying that marijuana legalization should be studied. A pediatrician, […]
The Hateful Voter
Although support for same-sex marriage has risen from 39 percent in 2001 to 55 percent in 2015, GOP candidates are still running their homophobic credentials to court evangelical voters. Republicans face an aging base at the polls that lags behind the country in same-sex marriage acceptance at 32 percent. Religious belief also plays a role […]
We voted for Bernie
Lilandra and I will be going abroad soon, touring 15 countries in six weeks, starting next week. So we took advantage of the option for early voting while we’re still here. In Texas, we have to register to vote, and we have to show ID. Sometimes women have even had to have legal proof of […]
Three reasons not to raise your child to fear any god
There are a great many Christians who use the Bible for parenting guidance. As a former Christian, I did when my children were very young. If there is one piece of good advice on parenting (though it isn’t meant that way) in the Bible, it is this: 11 When I was a child, I talked like […]
Darwin Day in Wisconsin
Appleton Wisconsin in February has four to five foot-tall piles of snow all over absolutely everything. I live in Texas, where it is hard to remember what color snow is. I was invited to speak here by Alexa Blumenstock, a self-motivated activist whom I have encountered in Washington, Columbus, Omaha, Memphis, Manhattan, and I don’t […]
Possibly World’s Largest Gathering of Atheists in Foxholes
Although you can’t officially salute them yet because they are trainees, you can unofficially salute the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. The group just hosted a meeting of a possible world record 270 Airmen recruits based in the San Antonio area. They discussed where atheists get their morals from, which every atheist knows is […]
Making it through the GOP Debates
I really appreciate the people, who are going the distance on watching the GOP debates especially. It takes real determination to wade through all that. There is another one for the good people of New Hampshire tonight. It’s important for me and everyone, who feels the same to get as many people to watch […]