By Marc “The Godless” Randazza
In honor of Halloween, I’m going to write about something that obviously scares the living daylights out of a lot of Americans –
ATHEISTS! Boo!
Elizabeth Dole is a Sleaze – We Already Knew That
Article VI, section 3 of the Constitution states:
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
Elizabeth Dole, (R-NC) did not get the memo. She is desperately trying to hold on to her Senate seat. In fact, she is so desperate that she ran an ad that falsely suggested that her opponent, Kay Hagan, does not believe in unicorns, goblins, witches god. In the ad, the narrator claims that there was a “secret Hagan fundraiser” held by the Godless Americans Political Action Committee, a group that stands up for the rights of Atheists and fights to maintain the separation of church and state.
The ad then cuts away to Godless Americans PAC members stating their beliefs that god and Jesus are not real, and that they would support removing “under god” from the Pledge of Allegiance and removing “In God We Trust” from U.S. Currency. (Related: The New Pledge)
“Godless Americans and Kay Hagan. She hid from cameras. Took ‘Godless’ money. What did Kay Hagan promise in return?”
Then a Hagan voice impersonator is heard saying “There is no god.”
Hagan,who is actually a devout Christian, has countered with an ad touting her Christian bona-fides.
Hagan responded Thursday with an 30-second spot of her own. Referring to the Ninth Commandment in the Old Testament, Hagan says the campaign is about creating jobs and fixing the economy, “not bearing false witness against fellow Christians.”
“Elizabeth Dole’s attacks on my Christian faith are offensive,” Hagan says in the ad. “She even faked my voice in her TV ad to make you think I don’t believe in God. Well, I believe in God. I taught Sunday School. My faith guides my life, and Sen. Dole knows it.” (source)
She also appears to be gearing up to take legal action against Dole. Hagan filed a defamation complaint against Dole yesterday in Wake County, NC.
The fact that Elizabeth Dole is lying to try and keep her job should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed her career. She is the heir to Jesse Helms’ seat in the Senate (nuff said?). She is one of the least ethical people to ever ooze through the U.S. Capitol. In more sensible times, she would have been hurled from the Tarpian Rock and left to rot.
But, should the debate really be about whether she is lying about Hagan’s faith?
The Real Issue
I sympathize with Hagan. I really do. I would be very upset if someone mischaracterized my beliefs. As an Atheist, I would go through the roof if someone falsely claimed that I believed in flesh eating zombies, hobbits, gremlins god. When falsely claiming that someone is an Atheist can be the basis for a defamation complaint, what does that say about patriotic Atheists?
I’m ripping off Colin Powell here: The really right answer is, what if she is? Is there something wrong with being an Atheist in this country? The answer’s no, that’s not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Atheist-American kid believing that he or she could be senator, or president, or a true American?
Hell no.
It is a cruel defamation to assign a faith to one who holds another. However, are the voters in North Carolina so backward, so un-American, that a claim of Atheism could cost Hagan the election? Unfortunately, the answer is a likely “yes.” Most of this nation is still shackled to superstition and tales of magic, and would rather listen to their fraud of a clergyman than think for themselves. North Carloina while not worse than all, is worse than most in this regard.
I find Dole’s actions unforgivable. A true American’s first faith should be the Constitution. After that, you may be an Atheist, a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, or a devotee of the Church of the Sub-Genius, but when you reverse the order, you do not believe in America. When a citizen puts faith before country, that citizen is a mere citizen-groupie. When an elected official puts faith before country, that elected official has committed an impeachable offense. And when a candidate for office attempts to make the election about faith, that candidate’s supporters have a patriotic duty to abandon that candidate.
I have examined all the known superstitions of the Word, and I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded on fables and mythology. Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make one half the world fools and the other half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over the world …
The clergy converted the simple teachings of Jesus into an engine for enslaving mankind … to filch wealth and power to themselves. [They], in fact, constitute the real Anti-Christ. –Thomas Jefferson
You can view Dole’s “Godless” ad on her website here.
Below are a couple of media reactions to it. If you are just as disgusted as I am, I would like to encourage you to join the Freedom From Religion Foundation or donate to the Godless Americans PAC.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMzX_EAfwyc]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM-7Itc3kTo]
