Mastodawn

Billrm455 Jan 13, 2023

Chad Loder Jan 13, 2023

Journalist collective Ignite The Right has just been suspended from Twitter, joining @igd_news, @CrimethInc, @chadloder, @VPS_Reports, and countless other research and news collectives to be banned from the platform by Elon Musk and Twitter's new deputy Trust & Safety Chief Andy Ngo.

Follow them on Mastodon: @UnmaskUTR

Ignite The Right is dedicated to documenting and preserving evidence of the white supremacists who organized and attended the deadly 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville.

In October, Ignite The Right famously exposed a Boston-area cop as a neo-Nazi and organizer of Unite The Right rally. The nazi cop was fired from the police force and the DA is reviewing every case he ever touched.

EDIT: Andy Ngo is not actually officially working at Twitter. "Deputy" was meant in the sense of a deputized citizen.

Billrm455 Jan 9, 2023

Atheist Advocate ⚛️ 🌊Jan 5, 2023

Religiously, Congress doesn’t reflect America.
Even though nearly three in 10 claim no religious affiliation — a rate that is steadily rising — only two of the 534 members of Congress publicly identify as such.
Nearly 88% in Congress identify as Christian, compared with only 63% of U.S. adults. 57% of congresspersons identify as Protestant and 28% as Catholic, both higher than national rates. 6% of Congress identifies as Jewish, compared with 2% overall.
https://apnews.com/article/survey-congress-religious-affiliation-b707939002cc7ed43e7f346cd33a66cc

Survey: Religiously, Congress doesn't reflect America

Religiously speaking, the incoming 118th Congress looks like America — that is, the America of decades past, rather than today. Congress is far more Christian, and religious overall, than today's general population.

Associated Press

Billrm455 Jan 9, 2023

Atheist Advocate ⚛️ 🌊Jan 9, 2023

Atheists Condemn NY Governor for Forcing New Yorkers into Religious Substance-Use Programs...

https://www.atheists.org/2022/12/ny-governor-hochul-secular-recovery-bill/

Atheists Condemn NY Governor for Forcing New Yorkers into Religious Substance-Use Programs

Albany, NY—Today, the religious equality organization American Atheists denounced New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s surprising decision to veto the life-saving Secular Recovery Bill (A.8163/S.7313). Earlier this year, the New York Assembly and Senate passed this legislation with bipartisan support. The Secular Recovery Bill would help atheists and religious minorities recover in court-ordered substance treatment programs. The bill simply requires courts to inform New Yorkers of their constitutional right to object to religious 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and instead participate in a nonreligious substance abuse treatment program. “Very often, we hear from people trapped in court-ordered substance abuse programs that force religion on them. It’s already difficult to recover from addiction. But suffering through unwanted religious indoctrination at the same time makes recovery so much more difficult,” said Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists. “New Yorkers need to know that it’s their constitutional right to attend a secular program before it’s too late and they’re stuck in a program that violates their freedom of religion.” This problem is widespread. The American Atheists-commissioned U.S. Secular Survey, which includes data from nearly 34,000 nonreligious U.S. residents, found that 15.2% of participants undergoing substance abuse treatment experienced stigma and discrimination in these programs for being nonreligious. In 2014, an atheist settled a case with the state of California and his court-ordered religious rehab program for $2 million. In November of this year, United Airlines agreed to pay a Buddhist pilot $305,000 for forcing him into Alcoholics Anonymous’s religious program. “Governor Hochul had the chance to help nonreligious New Yorkers, religious minority New Yorkers, and anyone who prefers a secular, evidence-based option. Instead, she decided to veto this bill and put New Yorkers’ recovery and lives at risk. It’s immoral and unconstitutional for the state to force people into religious programs, especially vulnerable individuals struggling with addiction,” added Gill. According to a 2017 Gallup report, 40% of New Yorkers are nonreligious. That’s more than 3 million New Yorkers. In addition, nonreligious Americans are now the largest “faith constituency” in the Democratic Party. During the midterm elections, nonreligious Americans voted for Democrats over Republicans at a greater than 2:1 ratio, according to AP VoteCast. “Governor Hochul has betrayed nonreligious New Yorkers, ignoring the discrimination and stigma we face,” said Martina Fern, a Buffalo-area resident and the Development Director for American Atheists. “When I was addicted to alcohol, I thankfully got the help I needed through Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS). If a religious 12-step program had been my only option, I would not be nine years sober today.” American Atheists worked with Assemblyman Harvey Epstein, who sponsored this legislation, and national partners to ensure that the bill provides protection for both nonreligious people and religious minorities. The organization will continue to advocate for passage of the Secular Recovery Bill in the 2023-2024 legislative session.

American Atheists

Billrm455 Jan 9, 2023

Atheist Quote Bot Jan 8, 2023

#atheism
Tooted by a #bot!
SN# 667

Billrm455 Jan 9, 2023

Robert Reich Jan 8, 2023

Putting people out of work is the Fed’s means of reducing workers’ bargaining power and the “upward pressures on prices.”

But fighting inflation by putting people out of work is cruel, especially when America’s safety nets - including unemployment insurance - are in tatters.

Billrm455 Jan 8, 2023

Thomas A. Hegna, Ph.D Jan 7, 2023

I really like this idea.

Billrm455 Dec 23, 2022

#WindowFriday Bellingham, WA, USA
It's rain and the snow is leaving.

Billrm455 Dec 23, 2022

#DogsOfMastodon Typical Husky. 'There's snow out here and I'm finally comfortable. Just go away and leave me alone.'
Nikita 15 years old.