DOGMA FREE AMERICA

Rich and Rob talk about Religiously Mandated Animal Torture

Rob announces a coup for his podcast, ERcast.

Are US infidels unwittingly eating religiously tortured turkeys for Thanksgiving?

A guy in Georgia claims he got fired because he would not wear a sticker saying 666 days without an industrial accident.

Duquense University will not have a secular student group.

A bunch of emails.

Direct Download Of Episode 194

Interview with Sean Faircloth of the Richard Dawkins Foundation For Reason And Science, about his new book, Attack Of The Theocrats.

Click here for the direct download of the episode.

Rich and Sean talk about:

• The US Constitution’s guarantee of secular government.
• How Theocrats have done a good job trying to take over.
• Who are the Theocrats.
• What can be done to stop them.

Flynn and Rich discuss a new format.

No pork for Ohio prisoners.

An alternate–Christian–version of Advance Australia Fair is sung in some religious school in New South Wales.

Circumcision will keep going on in all of California.

Strange signs in Brooklyn

Bunches of emails.

Direct Download Of Episode 190

Don’t forget you can leave us a voice mail message, too.  Just click on our contact section for the number.

First–the news most of you care about the most, we are scheduled to record a new episode with Flynn Wednesday night, or Thursday night (I am supposed to have minor surgery on my sinuses on Tuesday so it depends on how I feel).  This is going to be another my occasional written blog posts, on a topic that interests me, that may or may not have do to with dogma. This one does not.

But now what I actually am writing about today. Hat Tip to Carlos Miller, one of my favorite photography and civil-liberties bloggers.  Check him out.

By now we have all heard about these “Occupy Wall Street” protests that have spread across the country, where young, mostly middle-upper class looking, youths, are occupying various parts of US urban areas protesting . . . well protesting something, I can’t really tell.  Apparently “Wall Street” is bad, or something, so they are protesting against nothing in particular with no clear goals and no actual demands, at least as I can see.  But that’s okay as far as I am concerned, protesting for the sake of protesting can be a valuable exercise in and of itself, but it is not exactly the same call to action that we saw in the mass “end the war” protests in the 1960s, or even Tea Party protests that we have seen in the past few years.  But that’s not what I want to talk to you about today.  I want to talk today about a bizarre protest in D.C.  And when I say bizarre, I mean BIZARRE.

Watch the video below, and you will see that the protestors are apparently discussing their methods, and staying within the law (which is good), but they do it in such a strange way, that I have to call it cult-like.

Here is my transcript of the beginning of the video:

Speaker:   . . . where we might jeopardize.

Crowd (in unison, chanting):  the point where we might geopardize.

Speaker: What has so far been a phenomenally productive relationship with the park police.

Crowd (in unison, chanting):  What has so far been a phenomenally productive relationship with the park police.

It goes on like that for quite some time.  A speaker says something, and pauses not only after each sentence, but after each independent clause, and the people around him (maybe 80 or so, by my count), all chant what he or she just said back.  Word . . . by . . . .word.  Over and over again.  Bizarre.  To me it sounds a lot like responsive reading you might hear in a church or reform synagogue.  I don’t know why they are doing this, but it certainly does not seem to be a good means of encouraging independent thought and critical thinking about what they are doing, it sounds more like the kind of rote recitation I see associated with  dogmatic religions and dangerous religious cults.  I, for one, find it deeply disturbing to see this instead of independent action and independent thought.  Back in the Days Of Yore when I was an undergraduate student at The University Of Colorado–Boulder, we were never really big into protests, as a rule (it was 1984-1988, for crying out loud), but I saw a few and participated in a few.  Living in DC for a few years while attending law school, I saw more than a few more, and I also have seen a bunch on the steps of the State Capitol building in Denver.  I don’t ever remember seeing this kind of bizarre ritual among protesters.  At any rate, watch for yourself and reach your own conclusions.  Possibly I am so old and out of touch that I am unaware of some kind of societal trend or educational technique used in schools these days that is responsible for this bizarreness.

More analysis after the video.

Bizarre, huh?

Which brings me to the arrogance referred to in the title of this post.  Anyone who has ever listened to the podcast knows how I feel about freedom of speech (I’m for it).  So, I find it simultaneously ironic, heartbreaking, and ridiculous that these protestors, exercising a rights of freedom of speech and public assembly guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution , have no regard for the First Amendment right that the guy doing the filming has to record what they are doing in a public place.  They ask him to stop.  He refuses (and rightly so).  They then stand in front of him to block what he can see (legal for them to do so, probably, but certainly not in the spirit of freedom of expression and open debate of public issues).  He raises his camera up higher, and they get closer to him and start holding up a piece of cloth to block the view of the lens (see last parenthetical).  I guess these people don’t get it–no person or group has a reasonable expectation of privacy in any public place, and if you engage in public protest people have the right to record what you are doing, period.

You may not want him to record you–tough.  He can.

You may not consent to him  recording you or photographing you–tough.  He doesn’t need it.

And if you don’t want someone recording your face during your public protest because you are afraid of, oh I really don’t know, afraid of something, then you have two choices, don’t protest in public or wear some kind of face covering during your protest (I, in fact, did so when I covered a protest against the Church Of Scientology for the podcast).

One last thing, I love it when the guy who says that he is also an independent journalist claims that the right to record in public places without the consent of the people recorded might exist in Texas, “but this isn’t the South.”  Apparently the First Amendment stops at the Mason-Dixon line, in his opinion, but I have news for this guy, DC is south of Mason-Dixon.  Way South.

The Bizarro World Episode Of Dogma Free America. Warning: Regular listeners’ heads may explode upon listening.

Rich and Rob tackle some important dogma related stories, including:

Voodoo curses against federal prosecutors in the USA

Public prayers at High School football games in Arab, Alabama.

A young girl accused of blasphamy in Pakistan for a spelling error.

A young girl killed in a ceremony in Japan.

An email.

A voice mail.

Happy Jewish New Year.

Direct Download

Please drop us a line with questions and comments.

Direct Download of Episode 187.

Rob checks in from an undisclosed remote location.

Rob and Rich start off with an impromptu discussion of atheist/skeptical activism and breaking outside the bubble of like-minded thinkers.

Rock Beyond Belief is apparently going to happen on March 31, 2012.  For more information, go to rockbeyondbelief.com

A Texas man claims that he has a religious right to deny his animals proper medical care, but to pray to god for their health instead.

Someone charges the everyone involved in the Jehovah’s Witnesses on a worldwide basis with crimes against children.

An Indian court instructs a lawyer to read a religious book.

A Christian midwife in the UK sues for the right to wear a skirt in the operating room.

Gov. Rick Perry is a jackass.

Warren Jeffs convicted and sentenced to life in prison in San Angelo, Texas.  Well done, Texas!

Direct Download of Episode 186.

Remember, you can leave us a voice mail message on the hotline.  Just click on the Contact page.

Please forgive this post if it is a little self-indulgent, but some of you might find it meaningful.

Last Thursday night was not a good night for me.  It had started off well enough.  I dropped my dogs Caesar and Haley off at the kennel and hopped on a Southwest flight to Baltimore to visit family and friends.  Upon landing, I went through the modern ritual of turning on my cell phone and checking my voice mail, email, and Twitter.  The only voice mail message I had was a frantic call from the kennel requesting that I call them immediately about Caesar.  I had repeatedly warned the kennel that Caesar could be aggressive with dogs other than Haley, and my immediate fear was that they had allowed him to get into a fight with another dog.  If only that had been the case.  Standing on the airplane with other passengers about to deplane, I was informed that Caesar had taken ill, and in fact was so ill that he had to be taken to a local veterinary hospital, that the kennel had authorized a blood transfusion, and that if Caesar had not had the blood transfusion he would die.  I frantically called the vet clinic when I got of the plane.  By this point I was bent over one of the chairs, sobbing.  I am sure that I was quite a sight for the passengers still coming out of the jetway.  The vet came on the line.  Caesar, she informed me, had internal bleeding.  They were about to start the blood transfusion, without which he would quickly die.  She said that he would need surgery by the morning to have any chance of survival, but even that was not certain.  She also informed me that the surgery would cost a minimum of US$5,000, and possibly up to US$7,000 or more.  That kind of financial outlay was just not feasible.  There was no other choice.  I instructed the vet to put my friend Caesar to sleep.  She called me back a little later and told me that she gave him a kiss for me, and that he had died peacefully.

Caesar enjoying a walk near my house in Aurora

Listeners of the Podcast may remember Caesar for the times when he barked loudly during the show.  In my memory this happened dozens of times, but it was probably no more than a handful.  I wanted to put some of my memories of Caesar somewhere, so here it is.  Forgive me if it is a divergence from the mainstream of this podcast and website.

Caesar watching me on the exercise biking doing rehab on my knee.

My ex-wife and I adopted Caesar from the Denver Dumb Friends League in 2003.  He had been found wandering the streets of Aurora, Colorado in an emaciated state.  His healthy weight was about 80 pounds, but when we adopted him he weighed less than 50 pounds.  Once we restored him back to health, Caesar was energetic, playful, mischievous, and sweet.  He was also the hungriest dog I have ever met.  Within a month of adopting him, we took him to a barbeque that a friend was having, and much to my embarrassment Caesar went around eating any food that had been left out in the open.  I later learned that he had eaten at least six hamburgers right off the plates of the other people there.  I often tried to cure him of the bad habit of scavenging for any available food, but I guess that the harsh lessons in survival he learned while on the street were destined to stay in his system.  No matter what I tried, if I left any kind of meat or bread of cheese unattended, he would scarf it down as soon as I left the room.  The only exception was pretzels.  He hated pretzels.

Although not originally intended to be Caesar's throne, that is exactly what this chair became.

He loved attention, especially getting his tummy rubbed or scratched, but he was not a needy dog, and would sometimes wander off to some forgotten corner of the house where he could keep an eye on what was going on through a window.  He was fiercely protective, and he would bark loudly when anyone passed by (much to my chagrin when I was recording a podcast).  He was a great watch dog.  He loved the daily walks we took (used to be runs before my knee exploded last summer), and loved to take long hikes in the mountains of Colorado.

Caesar and I cross a bridge on a hike last summer

Even though he was protective of the house, whenever anyone came over for a visit, he was very friendly and was almost universally loved by anyone, although for some reason he was terrified of small children.  In fact, that was the only time I ever saw him afraid–with kids 7 and under.  I have often wondered why that would be.  Perhaps he had a bad experience with a child in his former life–a life that will always be shrouded in mystery due to the circumstances of his rescue from the streets of Aurora.

Watching over me.

Caesar was my friend.  Some of my fondest and happiest memories are of him.  For a portion of my life, he was my only constant companion. Now he is gone.  I miss him.  I will continue to miss him.

Caesar and I in an old abandoned hut.

I don’t know what happened to cause the injury that led to his death.  In retrospect I realize that he was acting as if something was wrong with him in the days leading up to the end.  He was not interested in eating–I actually had to coax him to eat on last Tuesday and Wednesday (I thought he had some kind of stomach ache).  He was lethargic.  He lay down in strange places and stared at me.  Always eager to jump in the car, I again had to coax him.  I even thought to myself as I was putting him in the car to go to the airport:  “You are really getting old all of the sudden, boy.”  Alas, he was not just getting old.  He was injured, he was in pain, and I did not have the wit to realize it.  I always thought he would grow old with me.  I had visions of him being one of those nice old dogs that you see people walking down the sidewalk, their faces gray with age, tottering along in their dotage.  I think you owe it to your pets to be with them in the end, and it pains me that I was somewhere else when I made the horrible decision to end it, and that someone else had to give him that goodbye kiss.

He loved to go into the mountains with me.

Good bye Caesie.  You were loyal, you were friendly, you were loved.  You were my friend.  And you were a good boy.

Flynn and Rich talk about not talking about Elevator-Gate.

The BJP party in one of India’s states decides that public school students need to read religious texts as part of their schooling.

The Archbishop of Sante Fe, New Mexico talks about Satan.

Fundamentalists in Somalia outlaw a pastry because it looks too Christian.

Police in New South Wales, Australia will be allowed to remove Muslim women’s veils at traffic stops in order to identify them.

A man in Sydney, Australia is beaten 40 times (allegedly) with a cable as a Sharia punishment for drinking.

There is a proposal to requiring people to pay for parking on Sundays in part of London, and the churches are outraged.

Click here for the online petition for Athests of Florida.

Direct Download of Episode 185

For links to the Skepticamp Specials we had while on vacation:

Direct Download of Skepticamp Special Episode 181 (Matt Young).

Direct Download of Skepticamp Special Episode 182 (Desertphile).

Direct Download of Skepticamp Special Episode 183 (Mike Smith)

Direct Download of Skepticamp Special Episode 184 (Rich talks about DNA)

Direct Download of Episode 180

Dr. Stuart Robbins, Phd, spoke at our recent Denver/Boulder Skepticamp event about Physics For Skeptics.

It was a very entertaining and informative talk. I think you will enjoy it.

Stuart also writes a great blog, Exposing Pseudo Astronomy.

Stuart Robbins, Phd.

Direct Download of Episode 179

Rob and Rich talk circumcision and goat killing.

Police in the London borough of Tower Hamlets allegedly turn a blind eye to extremist crime because they don’t want to be accused of being Islomophobic.

The Louisiana house apparently thinks a 10 Commandments monument on the State Capitol Grounds is a good idea, and completely secular, to boot.

MI-6 and GCHQ launch Operation Cupcake against Al Queda in the Arabian Peninsula.

The Governor of the Great State of Texas thinks praying to His Lord And Savior Jesus Christ (amen) is the cure to what ails the USA.

An email.

Direct Download of Episode 178.

Long-time listeners of the Dogma Free America podcast will know that I have no overarching political philosophy and that I equally despise both the Republicans and the Democrats.  I have long thought (and occasionally said) that a Religious Left could some day, potentially, pose as much danger as today’s Religious Right.  If the push behind some kind of socialist utopia were supported by religious dogma, and if the proponents thought that they were doing God’s Will in pushing for whatever pet policies they think are important, then a future Religious Left could force us down a rabbit hole towards a genuine dystopian catastrophe  in the same fashion that today’s Religious Right wants to force us all to bow down before Jesus Christ in a theocratic totalitarian state.

So I have found the recent attacks against some Republicans by the Religious Left to be intriguing.  Some Religious Left activists apparently think that the budget plan set forth by House Budget Committee Charmian Paul Ryan (R-Wi) are against the teachings of their Lord And Savior Jesus Christ (amen).

Here’s a quote from a recent column:

Last week, just after House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan finished talking to an audience of religious conservatives here, he was confronted by Bible-wielding activist James Salt, who demanded that Ryan read the Gospel of Luke. Salt, who works for the left-leaning Catholics United, was protesting the budget cuts Ryan has proposed — cuts that will disproportionately affect the poor. Ryan rushed to a waiting vehicle rather than accept Salt’s proffered Bible.

Shortly after that, a small group of liberal clerics held a press conference to protest Ryan’s fiscal plans. “This budget has more to do with the teaching of Ayn Rand than the teachings of Jesus Christ,” the Rev. Jennifer Butler said.

Ryan has cited Rand as the “reason I got involved in public service.” He encourages his staffers to read Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged,” a paean to a stark and self-centered individualism. (Her other books include the title, “The Virtues of Selfishness.”)

Catholics United and other religious leftie groups were all over the inter-tubes last week complaining that Republicans were more interested in the political and economic policy of the uber-Atheist Ayn Rand (not only an atheist, but one with a funny sounding accent–so a foreign-born atheist, to boot!).  That’s right, the Religious Left was complaining that Republicans should look to the Bible for their authority on moral issues, instead of some atheist philosopher.  Wrap your head around that–American leftists criticizing Republicans for not being Biblically-based in their policies.  This is like the Bizarro World from DC Comics.  I will say it again because you may have been to shocked the first time you read it for it to fully sink in–the religious left attacking Republicans for following an atheist.

I have never been a big fan of Ayn Rand, and I once tried to read Atlas Shrugged, but I found it too ponderous.  But all of these attacks by the Religious Left have made me think that there may be something to what she has to say, and that if they are attacking her atheism instead of the content of her philosophy–it shows the totally moral and intellectual bankruptcy of their position.  I guess I would call what they are doing something like the logical fallacy of poisoning the well.  The fact that Rand is an athiest is about as relevant to the validity of her philosophy as her hair cut, or her accent.  And if attacking right-wing atheists becomes a favorite left (or should I say “progressive”) tactic, what will that mean to all of the atheist lefties who would otherwise be the fellow-travelers of these folks.

Which brings us to this vile little campaign style ad by a leftie religious group calling itself the American Values Network:

Literally attacking Republicans for adopting a philosophy promoted by a now-dead atheist. If an ad like this were put out by Republicans we would all be aghast, and rightly so. But now some religious-left group thinks that they can gain some momentum for their viewpoint by wrapping themselves in the Bible and attacking atheists. Shameful, but to me, not unexpected.

Flynn joins Rich for some witty banter and to talk about crazy Dogma.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews are told that they should consult with a Rabbi first before reporting the crime of sexual abuse of a child.

A Pennsylvania woman pleads guilty to religious themed child abuse–involving killing a chicken and a goat.

A girl gets off Scott-free for stabbing her mother because the spirt voices told her to do it.

Some email.

Direct Download Episode 177.

Direct Download of Episode 176

Flynn joins Rich for what was supposed to to be a mini-cast discussing Terry Jones in Dearborn, Michigan, but it turns into long discussions about accents, fundraisers, and Rich living in a shed for a month when he was a teenager.

We will be having our meetup Saturday the 30th at 7:00 p.m. at Union Jacks in Coiumbia, MD.

Here is a message from Flynn:
Hi everyone, this is Flynn.  Next wednesday, May 4, 2011, I am participating in a charitable endeavor for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, during which I will be “locked up” and will need to be bailed out.  Naturally, the bail-out money goes to MDA, to send some very deserving children to summer camp.  I hope you will go to the website below and donate generously for a very worthy cause.  My bail is $3,000.00, so donations of $50.00-100.00 would be greatly appreciated.  Also, I’d really appreciate if you could forward this e-mail and/or ask friends and family members to donate as well.  If anyone has any questions about the authenticity of this e-mail, just call me at (4100 727-8710 or (443) 570-2926.  (Don’t want anyone to think the money is going to a scammer in Nigeria or the Ukraine).

The link to the website to donate is www.joinmda.org/baltimore2011/fmzrow

Thanks again,

Flynn

Direct Download Of Episode

Jamye Returns.

Jordan tries to put Danish Motoon artist Kurt Westergard on trial for blasphemy.

School administrators in South Carolina will no longer be able to send out religious emails.

Prayers will be limited in South Orange County in California.

Orlando Bethel makes a return to the program, this time in Ohio.

Scientology’s clever ploy to limit the ability of protesters in Chicago goes down in flames.

A religious leader in Australia says he had to sexually abuse a young man to protect the young man from homosexuality.

Dogs may be banned in Iran.

Direct Download of Episode.