Xmas Parties this year

The 2011 Season (1st Sober)

Actually had a great time at the Navy Reserve Xmas party this year! No prayer and not a single person said Merry Christmas. Amazing!

On the other hand, someone at my office suggested we sing Christmas carols at the office Christmas party. I cringed and thought, I will have to find something else to do next Friday. I managed to skirt attending last years party, but we have a couple of new ladies in our department that have been over zealous in preparing for the party. Its seems to me, its no longer voluntary. I was asked outright if I was going to participate in the Secret Santa, and I reluctantly said yes. I feel like complaining to management about the blatant abuse of my goodwill. I did not forget to sign up, it was on purpose damn it. This is not my favorite time of year. I do not want to play their reindeer games, especially now that our new employees have decided to take over and I wonder how far they will push it. The way they behave is exactly what one would expect from people who assume everyone celebrates Christmas. Its very rude and unprofessional.
Update: We had our division Xmas party yesterday, it was fun. More like amusing. I did notice there were a few other co-workers like me appeared to be reluctant participants. I wore a Hum Bug Oscar the Grouch Xmas t-shirt under my hoodie. I did flash it to those I trusted had a similar outlook about the festivities. I admit it was fun, its just very irritating to be "pressured' to attend and play along. And it was telling to see our new Christian co-workers decorations and especially all the posters, screamed "Merry Christmas"! not Happy Holidays. A blatant, thumbing of the nose to half the people in the room. I have decided to send a Xmas card to management and ask them to tone it down a little. The handful of true believers we have had way too much fun strutting their stuff.
Talking about Xmas cards, I did not send any last year and will no longer do so. My sister sent New Years cards last that works for me. I digress, A Mr. Hitchens received a card, written on a torn piece of brown paper bag, was something like this: Money is tight, times are hard, Here is your dam Xmas card.


By the way, we do have a tree in our house and we open gifts Christmas morning, just like I did growing up. We don't go to midnight mass, or go to church or perform grace. Its all about family and spoiling ourselves and our children, since really we have need for nothing.

This year will be different for us, we will be staying home (2nd time in 18 years). It won't be as much fun, with just the four of us, but it will be less stressful for me and to make up for it, the kids can ski everyday on the local mountain. Also this year, I will be taking vacation the week between Xmas and New Years.The best part of the "Holiday's" for me, is when we have friends and family over New Years Eve. We play pinochle and then Wii past midnight.

Have a Happy New Year

Conspiracy

Being an atheist and apolitical I find people who believe in conspiracy theories troubled souls. Most of these people have one thing in common. They lead very isolated lives, mostly by choice. They cry wolf so often for every little thing , and they wonder why no one takes them seriously? They shout the sky is falling and point at every possible conspiracy as the cause.  They do not seem to realize everyone that is associated in some way to these claims are their neighbors. One good example is someone I know who subscribes to anti-government theories could point to everyone in my family as co-conspirators. Which of course is silly. My father was a journalist, my brother is a deputy sheriff, my sister is a thespian and I was in the military and now work for state government. All job descriptions which are continuously connected to one conspiracy or another at the local level and beyond. From what I can see after traveling all over the world and our great nation and meeting people of all walks of life, I am convinced most conspiracies exist only in the minds of those who do not understand how things really work beyond their simple life. The world is a big scary messy place and they fear what they do not understand. Fear equals anger then which fuels violence, and individuals then lash out and blow things up. This never works for the benefit of the individual, or for some perceived impossible goal for a group of like minded individuals.  

Our system of government is specially designed to disrupt long standing conspiracies, we have an election cycle and the separation of power. Politics is a nasty business, but someone has to do it. Who that is depends who wants to enter the fray. Who those people are tend to be convinced they can make a difference, but seem to forget the loyal opposition feel just as strongly. Therefore there is a sense of futility within the population when things do not go exactly how they think it should. So many withdraw and sit back and fume over  their situation, go online and discover other malcontents who fuel their angst against the system. It’s easier to blame someone and throw up their hands and pretty much give up because life is one huge conspiracy after another. They are helpless and blameless for their inability to function within their own society.

Too bad so much time is spent on conspiracy theories, for or against. But it seems human nature to go on and on about these distractions. It is difficult to face reality no matter who you are. Its easier to focus on what you can’t fix rather than what you can. Think local, that’s how as an individual can really make a difference. Make a positive contribution to your community. I mean positive not political, for politics is all about self interest and not for the community as a whole.  Even thought this will not directly change the world, at least you might feel better about yourself and hopefully your neighbors too.

Comment posted on MSNBC

After reading many comments about the new bible version about to be published and seeing so many arguing about translation and other nonsense, only a few like me drilled it down to a meaningful retort against the bible overall.

Here is my comment

If religion is so important why do so many people know so little about theirs? It was recently pointed out that atheists know more about what is in the bible than most everyone sitting in the pews. People say they believe in God but can't really say why. To actually read the bible from cover to cover would be a shocking experience to modern Christians. If anyone today reads the whole bible all the way thru and still thinks its the "Good Book" they are cruel people who worship a cruel god.

Soviets teaching strict atheism?

My email to the author, because I am so tired of this kind of comparison between communism and atheism.

Dear Sir,

I discovered your book "The Religious Case Against Belief” at the Lewis and Clark library and have enjoyed it very much.

I do have one question. Being an American atheist, I was wondering exactly how did the Soviets teach "strict atheism"? Through example, my children learn secular values, so I am not sure what you meant on page 52. I have listened to hours and hours of debate on what is the difference between agnostics and atheists. From what I can tell, claiming to be an atheist only means one thing. An Atheist is a person who does not believe in a god or gods. period. How the person thinks or believes in anything else is not apparent.

I do appreciate your learned opinions and it has been fun to finally read something that is not overly sectarian or secular.

Montana Prayer Breakfast

unbelievably unconstitutional

inconceivable ignorance

unconvincing understanding

precocious to pompous

piously pretentious

evangelical egoist

silly sectarian