As Yakov Smirnoff, that most important symbol of Perestroika would say 'America - What a Country'. Yes, I'm old enough to remember Perestroika, Lake Placid, and few previous Cold War, pre-Glasnost events as well. I just act immature to get younger women.. Anyway, the great thing about America is we tolerate even dumb people, like American Atheists.org ...
Who are they? Well, we never heard of them until we came back to New York this week, and saw them on TV. We don't fully understand Atheist in general, but we think we have an idea. It's kind of a combination of those who are in total rebellion from having strict religious rules jammed down their throats, and those who are so scientific, they need actual proof of everything. Hell, their logo is a frigging Atomic Symbol. That should tell you everything you need to know...
In short, they lack the one lynchpin that holds ALL religious believers together, no matter what religion they ascribe to: Faith. Faith is what make us all believe. None of us saw Christ on the cross, or were there when he rose Lazarus from the dead or turned water into wine. Very few of us have seen what would be classified as an absolute miracle, although that 1980 hockey game was pretty close. Without it, you are left trusting everything to science, and that believers are kidding themselves - and that's what American Atheists is doing...
AA as we will call them for good reason, is having a recruiting campaign. Come to think of it, AA is unfair, because even 12 Steppers believe in a higher power.. Their original plan was to put a billboard each in Muslim-rich Paterson, New Jersey ( a total hellhole - I stopped there ONCE), and in Williamsburg, Brooklyn - home to the largest Hassidic Jewish area in the city of New York. Above is the billboard they were going to place, which say the same thing - 'You Know It's a Myth.... and you have a choice'. Needless to say, the Hassidic community (the most strict Jewish sect, aka the guys dressed like Amish with the curly tendrils down their sideburns) were less than pleased about this. The Muslim reaction? You'd be surprised, but we'll get right back to that...
They protested putting up the sign before Clear Channel advertising got to work, and they did the smart thing - they talked the building owner to NOT let them put it up. Eventually, it is going on a more neutral site off of the BQE - the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway for those of you from the Upper Conway-Lower Aynor area.. As for the Muslim group? It went up..... and no one seems to care. A spokesperson for the local temple said basically it is their right under the Constitution under Freedom of Religion - or lack thereof. Kinda funny, and apparently, the Atlantic Ocean must somehow temper that religious fervor that Muslims in the Middle East and Asia seem to suffer from.
We imagine many of you don't care, because many people think Judaism and Muslim are false religions. However, if this were aimed at Christianity, people would be burning up Facebook and Twitter all over the place. The truth is, either should bother you - and not bother you. It is their right to advertise, even if it's for the dumbest of reasons. It's what makes America: Tolerance of Stupidity. Even tolerance of dumb blogs...
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