Where’s more atheist advertising when you need it. People always like to write-off atheists as loud-mouthed uptight folks who who can’t say anything contrary to… And, while that may be true, I think it is more true the other way around. Believers are the worst for stuff like that. Which is why I am both glad and surprised to see news stories like these…

First from KRQE regarding buses in London:

LONDON – At least 200 buses in London are sporting new advertisements that declare, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

And then from American Humanist regarding holiday billboards in DC:

“Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” proclaims a new holiday ad from the American Humanist Association. Already appearing today in the New York Times and Washington Post, the message will soon be blazoned on the sides, taillights, and interiors of over 200 Washington DC Metro buses.

The first one is a bit too neutral for me, but I still think that’s it’s funny. The second one it a philosophy that I have shared for years. My old thought that is people (specifically heaven and hell concerned christians) and good out of fear from the afterlife, it doesn’t mean that they are good people, they are just refraining from acting bad. It seems like the emphasis should actually be one being a good and well-meaning person. But then I guess that violates the core of the christian belief, that people are actually bad and need to be threatened to stay in line… A philosophy that I think does more bad then good.

Well, of course I am no longer a resident of Portland, but as someone who both appreciates that city’s “progressiveness” and also finds it to be annoying and generally quite a facade. I thought that the news today was quite interesting. Last year we elected Sam Adams mayor. I did not vote for him: A) because he seems a bit shiny and fake to me (like Al Gore) and B) because he worked to much with Vera Katz who I blame much of Portland’s shallow and short-sighted “development” on.

But I did appreciate the fact that a somewhat large city would elect a gay person as mayor. I think that he is the first openly gay mayor of a “large” American city.

Regardless, he won in a landslide easily defeating his primary opponent (who, no, I didn’t vote for either) and now, not 3 weeks after he has taken office the newspaper’s and the attorney general are asking for him to resign! Why? Because a few years ago he (at 42 years old) had a sexual affair with a 17 year old (which, I believe, is illegal and rather improper). Not only that but as he was priming himself for his mayoral campaign these rumors started to flow. He not only denied tham and had the teen in question deny them, but he did that standard politican clat-trap crap of calling it all lies and a vile smear campaign and all of that. Now it has come out publically that it was all true! He is going to issue a public apology, but I mean, come on. Dude. you broke the law. Like the Governor of Illinois, you should be stripped of your office and sent to the slammer.

I do feel bad for the gay rights folks in Portland (well, and beyond) who have the bad splotch of his actual character to soil that exciting milestone of his election.

Sadly, politians are people. People who will generally lie or say whatever they need to say to get  where they want to get. What’s the old adage? Anyone who wants to be a politican probably isn’t a good person to be a politican…