Happy National Day of Reason!

Today is the National Day of Prayer.

Really. The President says so. And he's the Ten Commander guy.

"Hey, Sysm. What's wrong with that? People of all faiths reflecting on how their faith influences their lives."

All faiths? Huh. Sounds good. Well, first of all, read the fucking thing. Monotheist. Male Pronoun.

"Okay, so forget all of those Hindus. At least it covers Christians, Jews and Muslims, right?"

Muslims? Ha ha! You're funny. Let's say I'm Jewish. Can I apply to be a coordinator for the National Day of Prayer Task Force? Nope. Not according to Shirley (Mrs. James) Dobson:

Thank you so much for your interest in becoming a volunteer for the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Knowing that you are busy and have many pressures that impinge upon your time, we deeply appreciate your willingness to consider "pitching your tent" with us. God has assembled an elite force for this endeavor. Our team is made up of extremely dedicated men and women who love and serve Jesus Christ and who have a heartfelt belief that prayer is the only hope for our country. Through their efforts, a covering of intercession blankets our entire culture - a "prayer shield" that is critical at this juncture when America faces turmoil within and grave threats from without. As our Task Force works to achieve the divine purposes to which we are called, we'd be encouraged to have you join us.

So I guess that "persons of all faiths" thing is pretty much bullshit, huh?

Hmm. Bullshit from the President. Lip service about people of other faiths. Gee, that might actually erode my confidence in the President.

I wonder what thoughtful people at our Christian colleges have to say? I'm sure they'd love to have the decent Christian President and Vice President visit their campuses.

Nope.

They seem to think Bush and Cheney are dishonest, manipulative, condescending fucktards. Though they're a bit more diplomatic than I.

Thankfully, the elite atheist underground militia is mobilizing a counter-event. The National Day of Reason, in their letter asking the President for their own proclamation, they say:

We the undersigned ask that you designate ... the first Thursday in the month of May, the National Day of Reason. A proclamation, such as the one that follows would go a long way toward encouraging the application of reason and tolerance in public discourse and affirming the value of maintaining the separation of church and state.

Good luck with that guys.

Note: I was completely oblivious to this event prior to reading Eric Zorn's column in the Chicago Tribune. I am continually amazed that the Tribune gives Mr. Zorn prominent column space. He's been a phenomenal advocate for a sensible division of Church and State. Ad he's been consistently willing to represent his humanist views.