USAF Staff Sergeant Dan Rawlings was directly responsible for the atheist holiday sign on Travis Air Force Base. He’s been doing the podcast circuit, and recently checked in with the Angry Atheist for a chat.
You can listen to it right here:
Afterwards, he started getting the inevitable “me-toos!” and “I thought I was the only one!” trickle of emails. This is empowerment. Change is impossible without organization. Here is a note from a fellow military atheist who Dan recently inspired to get active.
“Just wanted to drop a note to say that I listened to the podcast you did with Angry Atheist. Thank you for being one of those guys that are standing up for military atheists.
I returned from deployment in October last year and decided to get more involved with the movement, and as you’ve seen I’ve got group that I’m trying to grow in San Diego.
I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to add you as a friend here. I need to grow my relationships on Facebook with people that feel the same as I.
Thanks for your service and activism within the community.
Thomas”
I’m going to have to turn this song into a music video for the ‘New Foxhole Atheists’. We’re the generation that is finally breaking the stained-glass ceiling.
¡VIVA!
Lyrics are pretty damned relevant:
(below the fold)Into the Dungeon with evil men
The people have risen we’re free again
Come out of the closet
Come out of the hole
Come out of the woodwork
Come into the fold
Rebels and fighters, a license to kill
Unite with the bandits down from the hills
Open your windows
Open your doors
Open your minds
To a freedom of thought
[Chorus:]
Viva la revoloution
Viva la revoloution
Viva la revoloution
Viva la revoloution
Raise our voices, raise our flag
Smash the symbols of the life never had
Long live the symbols
Long live the scheme
Long live our hopes
Long live the dream
Dance in the streets at the carnival
Celebrate the victory now
Drink the wine from the rich man’s cask
This revolution won’t be the last
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3 comments
Grammar Merchant
February 11, 2012 at 1:27 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Justin, I just wanted to say thanks for the good work you, SSgt Rawlings, and others are doing. I’ve never served in the military, but half my buddies from high school (and several of my old D&D gaming buddies) are current or former service personnel, and nearly all of them are atheists or agnostics, and those who aren’t are at least open-minded enough to accept the others. What all of you are doing…It means a lot to a great many people. Keep up the good fight, and thank you for your service.
TV200
February 11, 2012 at 1:59 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I do love me some Adicts.
Thomas
February 11, 2012 at 3:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Not to steal anyone’s thunder, but it was reading The God Delusion while on deployment that got me looking at getting involved with the free-thought movement. I just wanted to acknowledge the courage Dan has shown stepping forward as an atheist.
To give credit where it is due, it was actually you, Justin, that inspired me to come out as an atheist in the military. Since coming back to San Diego, I’ve become involved with the local organizations, in addition to establishing the San Diego chapter of MAAF.