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When your team is on top, there’s no need to complain
That the rules that you play by aren’t fair
So let’s look at the interfaith statement again
But let’s notice which names are not there.
I Spoke Too Soon
February 22, 2012 at 7:19 am 
Cuttlefish Religion, Politics, and Strange Bedfellows
February 21, 2012 at 5:51 pm Cuttlefish No, wait–it’s actually good news this time!
I’m used to religious groups disagreeing with one another. I get really nervous when they start agreeing, cos it usually means an attempt at consolidating political power. And there’s nothing that gets a quarrelsome group to unite like a common enemy. And if you’re talking about uniting religious groups, who’s left to band against? So, yeah, it makes me nervous when 14 different religious organizations all sign on to one statement. (continues…)
The Ballad Of Bryan Griem
February 20, 2012 at 9:02 pm Cuttlefish Once, a low, disgusting man
Who believed he knew God’s plan
And whose prejudice was nothing less than sinister;
Gave his honest Christian views
To the people in the news
He’s the Reverend Bryan Griem—and he’s a minister.
(rest of the ballad–and a bit of a rant–after the jump)
Cranston Cliff-Notes
February 19, 2012 at 1:36 pm Cuttlefish What with the decision not to appeal, and now some articles reporting on the scholarship Jessica will be getting (the brainchild of The Friendly Atheist, and proudly supported by Freethought Blogs), a whole new crop of people are hearing about the Cranston Banner for, apparently, the first time. Or if they have known about it, they haven’t learned much, because they are using the same ignorant arguments they have from the beginning.
And they are continuing to threaten. I read a fresh comment today specifying that someone should knock some of Jessica’s teeth out. So, yeah, this has been a fixture of Cranston commentary since at least October. But in the minds of some, who are more concerned with her soul than her safety, there are sadder things about the Banner case… like Jessica’s atheism.
Why couldn’t she just look the other way? After all, only six words out of the whole banner are objectionable! Besides, since atheists don’t believe in God, they shouldn’t be offended by any mention of Him! And it’s not fair to shove atheism down our throats! Hey, when she wins, all that money will say “In God We Trust” on it!
Though some Cranston Christians supported her, for the most part it was “Praise the Lord and start the persecution“. Christians were, it seems, a highly oppressed majority. It was clearly Jessica’s fault that the school had been violating the constitution, and with God on their side, they would surely win the appeal!
Her own representative called Jessica an “evil little thing”. Local businesses refused to deliver her flowers.
The Christian mob wanted their own religion to have a special, favored status, and to be able to punish Jessica for her atheism. On the other side of the world, we saw what that looks like. And we saw that it can happen to Christians when they are in the minority. The only way to be certain that you will not be mistreated when you are in the minority, is to keep those laws safe when you are in the majority. It’s a matter of mutual respect, and of maintaining that wall.
It’s a lesson Cranston is learning the hard way. And one which, as evidenced by their comments, some people are not learning at all.
(and I have learned that I had no idea how much I had written on this one thing!)
A Rapist Named Virginia
February 18, 2012 at 1:20 pm Cuttlefish If a person named Virginia
Tried to stick an object in ya
In a manner you objected to, we’d have to call it rape.
When this horrid violation
Is an act of legislation,
Then not only is it legal, it’s a crime if you escape.
It’s as if the state has told you
“If you struggle, we’ll just hold you,
So you might as well surrender, though it’s all against your will
We’re not looking to dissuade you
From your choice, as we invade you;
It’s the price we pay for safety… and we’re sending you the bill.”
Rant follows (trigger warning)
Headline Muse, 2/17
February 17, 2012 at 10:57 pm Cuttlefish What’s the Journal attempting to do?
When it asks “how religious are you?”
Do they want us to note
How God wants us to vote?
It’s a poll we should probably skew
Headline: How Religious Are You?
Ok, not a headline, but a poll you should have fun with. Tell your friends.
Cuttlefishism?
February 17, 2012 at 5:32 pm Cuttlefish Ok, this is just fun.
I was looking for something I had written long ago, and search engines were being no help at all. Still haven’t found it, and am wondering if perhaps it’s a false memory. But that is not what I am writing to tell you about.
I want to tell you about Cuttlefishism. And it’s just great. A couple of 8th graders, back in 2006, had a bit of fun creating their own “Cuttlefishism” religion. We’ve all been there. But these kids (who are college-aged now, if counting on my tentacles works) put up a website in support of their new religion (apparently taking advantage of a “create a free church website” link–how perfect).
And it’s just adorable. I had to check, though; did they predate me? Checking, I see I was indeed a Cuttlefish before their website went up, so I’m safe from lawsuit.
Anyway, I would love to make their day. There hasn’t been an update on their site in 4 years or so, but you can go and sign their guest-book, and maybe sign up for their forum! (I don’t even know if they would still get email updates to let you in, so I can’t promise we’ve just found a place where our Cuttlefish Army can congregate.) Mostly, I just had a big dumb smile on my face looking around their site and remembering, just a bit, what it was like to be an 8th grader having fun.
New Jersey’s Fun-House Mirror
February 17, 2012 at 12:46 pm Cuttlefish Assemblyman Jay Webber, R-Whippany, said his party’s opposition to the same-sex marriage bill is not about judging anyone or imposing a moral point of view.
“Gay and lesbian New Jerseyans have every right to live as they please, but they shouldn’t be able to tell others what constitutes marriage,” Webber said.
My right to decide
For a gay groom or bride
Is a matter of freedom, you see—
I’ve a right to my view
And to force it on you
But you mustn’t impose one on me.
You can live as you please
Which as everyone sees
Is enough, to a certain degree;
Though your views may be fine
They will never trump mine…
And that’s how we know we are free
Rant, following:
Headline Muse, 2/16
February 16, 2012 at 11:39 pm Cuttlefish The school board in Cranston was feeling
The pressure some locals were dealing:
Some hated the manner
They dealt with the banner—
They were, we agree, unappealing.
Headline: No appeal on Cranston prayer banner
It’s over. With any luck, it will fade into the woodwork and a week from now no one will even remember. Jessica will graduate, and half the audience at her graduation will boo. The other half will give her a standing ovation.
The second half are in the right.
The Sterile Life Of The Everyday Atheist
February 16, 2012 at 12:46 pm Cuttlefish I get the strangest things showing up on my computer to read. Most recently, a Rhode Island bishop wrote a piece entitled “the sterile life of the everyday atheist”. Because it’s not enough that celibate men know all about women’s reproductive rights, these highly religious, didn’t-just-drink-the-Kool-Aid-but-mixed-the-batch-up believers know all about what it must be like to be an atheist. I think the position of authority has gone to his fevered noggin; he actually thinks he has an opinion worth reading. I’ve already answered him, in the links; turns out there is a Cuttleverse for nearly every occasion!
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