Sam Harris, Ph.D. (born 1967)
Neuroscientist, Author, and Outspoken Atheist
. . . truth has nothing, in principle, to do with consensus: one person can be right, and everyone else can be wrong. Consensus is a guide to discovering what is going on in the world, but that is all that it is. Its presence or absence in no way constrains what may or may not be true.
Bertrand Arthur William Russell (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970)
Nobel Prize in Literature, British Philosopher, Logician, Mathematician,
Historian, Social Critic, Anti-War Activist, and Anti-Imperialist
None of the higher mental processes are required for conservatism. The advocate of change, on the contrary, must have a certain degree of imagination in order to be able to conceive of anything different from what exists . . . Both intelligence and sympathy, therefore, tend to be less repressed by an education hostile to the status quo than by one which is friendly to it . . . Orthodoxy is the grave of intelligence, no matter what orthodoxy it may be. And in this respect the orthodoxy of the radical is no better than that of the reactionary.
By Madison S. Hughes (05.14.2011)
The oppressed have a long memory, and rarely forget; conversely, the oppressor seems historically amnesic of its oppressive past.
As [the Department of Defense’s] “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy enters its final weeks, another mostly closeted military group is stepping into the open this summer. [Atheists of Meade] and nearly 20 other unofficial atheist fellowship groups have sprung up in recent months on U.S. military installations in the United States and around the world. In addition, students at all three service academies have started officially recognized groups of nonbelievers at their institutions. The ultimate goal would be the appointment of atheists as military chaplains in each service. Supporters say it will help ensure atheists’ fellowship needs are met, and their religious freedoms — including freedom from the imposition of religion — are protected. Read more . . .
Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882)
American Essayist, Lecturer, and Poet, who led the
Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century
What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.
Americans United opposes creationism in public school science classes because it is based on a fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible . . . A new documentary with the provocative title “No Dinosaurs in Heaven” explores these issues . . . ‘No Dinosaurs in Heaven’ intelligently argues that public education must steadfastly resist the encroachment of religion in the form of creationism, and that science literacy is essential to a healthy democracy.” Read more . . .
Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Ross (c. March 1822 – March 10, 1913)
African-American Abolitionist, Humanitarian, and Union Spy during the American Civil War
I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other. I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.
It is one thing for a person, either disapproving of gravity or disbelieving in its power, to step off of a ledge. The only people he harms are himself and the potential person he might land on below. But it is simple insanity to put the fate of the United States – and, indeed, the fate of the world – into the hands of such a person. Read more . . .
Ann Coulter is a horrible, ignorant person who once wrote a whole book accusing liberals of being Godless, as if that were an insult, and advancing arguments against evolution that made the standard noisy creationist look like a veritable scholar . . . By the way, the Coulter challenge is still open, and has been for five years. All anyone has to do is pick one paragraph, any paragraph, from her evolution chapters in Godless, and post it with a defense of its accuracy. Read more . . .
It is hard to find a tax cut that Congressional Republicans dislike. Unless it is a tax cut pushed by President Obama . . . “ Republicans will have to stand up to the fact if they oppose it they are for tax cuts for the rich but not for the middle class . . . ” Lower- and middle-income workers are the greatest beneficiaries of the tax cut . . . Democrats note that Republicans had no problem extending the so-called Bush tax cuts of 2001, even though those cuts were also originally designated as temporary. “This seems to be one of those situations where, since Obama says yes, we say no,” Read more . . .
Always Question Authority 