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

Global Warming

Age of Consent

http://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/article_6fd5edd8-3622-11e0-acf6-001cc4c002e0.html

"Senate Bill 97 would require girls under the age of 16 to give 48 hours of notice to parents before receiving an abortion. Republican Sen. Jim Shockley of Victor told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday that the bill is about protecting children and involving mature decision makers in the abortion process."

He can't have it both ways… The age of consent is 16. If 16 year olds are legally considered "adult" enough to decide for themselves about sex, then they should have the same right in deciding what is best for them concerning the aftermath of having sex at 16? Subject: age of consent for Montana Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 21:04:38 EST In the 1997 edition of the Montana Codes Annotated and the 1997 Montana Law Enforcement Reference Guide section 45-5-501, Definitions part (b) (iii) states that the victim is incapable of consent because he is less than 16 years old. The actual law for sexual intercourse without consent is 45-5-503.

Hitchens in Montana!

Hitchens was in Billings last October and I missed it! Oh I am so mad about it. How could this not hit my radar? I know what it was, typically our local newspaper would not mention it until after the event, or not at all.
I am so bummed out, it may have been my only chance to ever have seen him in action. I am about to cry. Our newspapers and our news stations are awful. I guess from now on out, I have to read every single Montana paper everyday to learn about anything interesting going on. Who has time for that?
The only reason I learned he was in Montana, was because I was watching another one of his many interviews since he has been diagnosed with cancer. He mentioned he has been to all of the states except three, he was able to visit the Little Big Horn and a "park" durng a trip to Montana. He has yet to be to the Dakotas and Nebraska.
Life can be so unfair some times.