Washington State: Godless Lefties vs. Tolkien Republicans

milo: yeah, I hear ya. You figure after being branded "Baghdad Jim", you have nothing to lose. le sigh.

Dude should just go back to his grunge tribute band already

OMG GODLESS WASHINGTONIANS

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/12/05/atheists.christmas/index.html

As someone who's an athiest/agnostic/whatever myself, I don't feel comfortable being in any sort of organization to prove so, since -- at this point -- nothing in the U.S. is regularly directing attacks against atheists. I don't get all itch-in-my-jock seeing churches or religious stuff, so big shrug. However, if people want to do so, fine. I kinda thought that sign that the Freedom From Religion folks put up was kinda funny, unintentially, although I appreciate the fortitude of the group putting up such a sign.

But now that someone apparently STOLE IT and threw it in a ditch, only to be found and reinstated, maybe this group made a very salient point! The more people who are so insecure in their own faith in a deity that they do shit like this, the more it proves the main points of the Freedom From Religion folks.

The weirdest part is that this is basically out of the news circuit in the Seattle papers, but still remains on CNN and MSNBC nationally.

Not to excuse the vandalism (and I'm an atheist anyway), but good god that sign is douchetastic.

Guaranteed that your average Christmas gathering is more fun than anything those people put together for the winter solstice.

haha yeah, see this is why I'll probably never be part of a pro-atheism group ever, even if Penn Jillette is part of it.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008493779_church11.html

New Capitol display sought with Santa "hell" warning

By Brad Shannon
The Olympian

A Kansas-based church that has blamed deaths in Iraq on U.S. tolerance of homosexuality has asked Gov. Christine Gregoire's office to approve a "Santa Claus will take you to hell" message to display among other religious statements in the Capitol's third-floor hallway.

The Westboro Baptist Church's message would be near a Nativity set, three signs mocking atheism, and an atheists' sign that celebrates the winter solstice, while also taking a shot at religion as "myth and superstition" that enslaves minds, all in the state Capitol's third-floor hallway.

The first part of Westboro's proposed message, according to Spokesman-Review reporter Rich Roesler:

"You'd better watch out, get ready to cry, You'd better go hide, I'm telling you why 'cuz Santa Claus will take you to hell. He is your favorite idol, you worship at his feet, but when you stand before your God He won't help you take the heat. So get this fact straight: you're feeling God's hate, Santa's to blame for the economy's fate, Santa Claus will take you to hell."

Westboro Baptist, led by Fred Phelps Sr., has protested at funerals for gays and at military funerals, blaming the nation's tolerance for gays for the loss of U.S. military personnel in Iraq. The actions prompted the Washington Legislature to pass House Bill 1168 in 2007, making it a misdemeanor crime of disorderly conduct to disrupt a funeral or protest within 500 feet of a funeral or funeral procession.

The first Westboro Baptist Church sign reads like bad punk rock, or Metallica.

Or a bad Buffy: The Vampire Slayer villain-of-the-week.