"When you say 'radical right' today, I think of these moneymaking ventures by fellows like Pat Robertson and others who are trying to take the Republican Party away from the Republican Party, and make a religious organization out of it. If that ever happens, kiss politics goodbye." -- Barry Goldwater in The Washington Post (July 28, 1994)

"I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or prostitute." -- Rebecca West

"I abhor war and view it as the great scourage of mankind." Oh no! Jefferson was weak on defense! (That was sarcasm for the sarcasm impared.)

"A liberal is a man so broadminded he wouldn't take his own side in an argument." -- Robert Frost

"From the point of view of the United States, engraving the names of citizens who died in the Vietnam War on an immense marble wall in Washington was a just act. From the point of view of the Vietnamese killed in the US invasion, there are sixty walls missing." -- Eduardo Galeano (Uruguayan journalist,
1940-present)

When I think about Karl Rove making talking points for Bush, this quote also comes to mind: "The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly...it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over." -- Paul Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Propaganda Minister 1897-1945

This is the start of what I hope to be a nice long series of small thoughts. Hopefully some of the ideas expressed in this new category "Thought of the Day" will be further expanded upon in later entries.

Remember September 11th:
On September 11th, 1973, Augusto Pinochet, with the backing of the CIA, led a coup in Chile -- overthrowing the democratically elected Salvador Allende. The US feared Allende because he was Socialist--even though Allende agreed with the Chilean Congress to uphold its constitution.

The following is a paper I wrote for 2005 College Student Essay Competition held by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. If I remember correctly, the writing prompt was that we were to describe growing up as an atheist or agnostic. I gladly took the opportunity to talk about religious freedom. A PDF version of my essay Growing Up Atheist is also available. You might also notice I reuse some of my prior writings from this website.

Growing up living with my grandparents, with my dad in prison and with my mom no where to be seen, I was always the odd kid. Of course, my thick glasses and skinny person did not help matters. My grandparents never brought up religion. I never was indoctrinated into a church. I would be lying if I said that I would be comfortable becoming a religious person. I have had numerous influences in my life growing up, but have finally found my place in this universe. And feel at peace with myself and my beliefs.

I grew up watching Sesame Street, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, The Letter People and other kids television shows. Given my thick glasses, I identified with and idolized the scientists in television shows, seeing as how people looked up to them. I loved learning, soaking up every bit of information I could get. Sometimes I would catch the beginning of other shows like The 700 Club. The cynical among us might say that it was no wonder I later came to identify myself as an Atheist. Television was my first exposure to religion of any sort. Television also served to be my first introduction to the term "Atheist."

Many people that claim to be pro-life claim to be so because they want to support the life of the child. How is it, they suggest, one can claim that the being inside the mother's womb is not a human? This is nothing but a strawman argument set up to equate abortion to murder. Once abortion can be equated to murder then the case can be made for outlawing it, much like murder. However, outlawing abortion would do nothing in the interest of a person that is really Pro-Life.

I was reading an article titled A Culture of Death, Not Life on Common Dreams that spoke of the Right-Wing's handling of recent events such as the Terri Schiavo cases and the death of Pope John Paul II, and I couldn't help but to notice that the author alluding to the Right-Wing and Christians being almost synonymous. This caused me to remember how I used to be.

There was a time at which I would see anything done by racists, bigots, and warmongerers and see the act as being part of being Christian. If someone wanted to restrict peoples' freedoms in the bedroom, it was because that someone was a Christian. When an abortion clinic was bombed, or evolution (or science in general) was derided, it was a Christian doing it. All the wars, suffering, library burning, and progress-stifling were the fault of Christians.