Back Of The Bus Again, Rosa

When she boarded the One-Ten in Brooklyn
And sat in her seat at the front
The men who were seated around her
Had a message, unwelcome and blunt:

Don’t ask, just move to the rear now
The answer is “God made the rule”
You have to respect our religion
You ignorant, secular fool

It’s Orthodox rules that apply here
So move to the back of the bus
If you think that it’s just segregation
Then it’s clear that you’re not one of us

So it’s “back of the bus, again, Rosa”
Though it’s not cos we’re white and you’re black
It’s not racism, no—it’s religion
But you still gotta sit in the back.

Context and rant, after the jump:
Women are required to ride in the back of the Boropark-Williamsburg bus.

The B110 bus travels between Williamsburg and Borough Park in Brooklyn. It is open to the public, and has a route number and tall blue bus stop signs like any other city bus. But the B110 operates according to its own distinct rules. The bus line is run by a private company and serves the Hasidic communities of the two neighborhoods. To avoid physical contact between members of opposite sexes that is prohibited by Hasidic tradition, men sit in the front of the bus and women sit in the back.

It is entirely possible that goyim will prefer not to ride that bus, and the passengers can voluntarily follow what rules they wish. But in New York City, God doesn’t make the laws.

Ross Sandler, a professor at New York Law School and editor of the CityLaw newsletter, said that anti-discrimination laws apply to bus franchises, but that religious groups are sometimes granted exceptions. “Do all these laws apply? Yes, they apply to buses that are franchises,” Sandler said. “The question is whether there is an exception for this particular bus line.”

The Transportation Department said that the B110 had not been granted any exceptions to anti-discrimination laws.

Respect goes both ways. I can expect respect for my positions to the extent that I respect the positions of others, and within the confines of the law. I won’t demand that Orthodox women sit in front, nor that Orthodox men sit in back. But their rules are not mine; their god is not mine.

The Comments at this story are particularly interesting–from remarkably thoughtful to incredibly prejudiced. Sounds like New York City.

My First Experience With Faith-Healing Death

My most recent post touched a very sensitive nerve with me; I’ve bumped up against faith healing before. I can’t blame the believers too much in these cases, but I certainly can blame the religion.

A friend of mine, some thirty years ago,
The eldest son, a farming family’s pride,
Was gone from school, about a month or so
Before we heard the truth—the boy had died.

He’d fallen from a tractor in a field,
Though whether he was dead first, we don’t know;
The coroner’s exam? Too late to yield
An answer; there was nothing it could show.

His parents tried to cure the boy with prayer–
They brought him home, and put their son to bed.
Devout and faithful, hope turned to despair;
It broke their hearts, admitting he was dead.

Their church—to whom they turn when times are rough—
Blamed them, and said they had not prayed enough.

Again, these are the examples that leap to mind whenever I hear “but religion gives people hope”. Perhaps there was nothing medicine could have done for my friend; we will never know. But to have a system in place for blaming the parents for their lack of faith, that is just cruel.

Prayer ‘Cure’ Kills Three

Throw away your medicines!
God alone can cure!
Trust in Him, repent your sins
Make sure your thoughts are pure!
God can cure your HIV
With love that never fades
Trust in Him, and you will see
He’ll cure you of your AIDS
God’s healing is omnipotent
And infinite in worth
It brings an end that’s heaven-sent
To illness on the Earth
So throw away your medicines
Sing praises to His name!
And when your illness kills you, then
Your lack of faith’s to blame.

Deadly pinheaded faith-healing nonsense, after the jump:
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Are Evangelicals Dangerous? A Response

Evangelicals can’t be a threat to science,
But merely to evolution
And they’re only a danger to secular views
Like the ones in the Constitution
Their values are different; I’ll give you that,
Like a focus on unborn life
And a view that the state has a right to define
Who may marry (a man and his wife)
They know the importance of spreading The Word
Which is why they want prayer kept in schools
Without it, the hallways are godless and ill
With just atheist, secular rules.

Are we dangerous? No, we’re as gentle as lambs!
All we want is the bible’s authority
It’s the least we can ask, though it’s always denied
We’re a picked-on and bullied majority

rant, after the jump:

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The Song Of The ‘Gelicals

Headline: Cain: I’ll challenge Perry for evangelical votes

‘Gelical votes come out to-night
‘Gelical votes from one and all:
The ‘Gelical polls closing tight—
‘Gelicals come to the Primary Ball.

‘Gelical votes are black and white,
‘Gelical votes are rather small
‘Gelical votes are not too bright,
And not very nice when they caterwaul.
‘Gelical votes have pious faces
‘Gelical votes have angry eyes;
They like to practise their airs and graces
And wait for the ‘Gelical Right to rise.

‘Gelical votes consider slowly
‘Gelical votes are not so big
‘Gelical votes are oh so holy
They think it’s a sin to gavotte or jig.
Until the ‘Gelical hope appears
They hear their sermons and take their notes
‘Gelicals watch and mind their fears
‘Gelicals pray between their votes

‘Gelical votes are white and black
‘Gelical votes think they’re moderate guys
‘Gelicals jump like they’re high on crack
‘Gelical votes have moonbat eyes
They’re quiet enough when they pose and smile
They’re quiet enough in a media search
Reserving their hatred, scorn, and bile
For sermons heard in the ‘Gelical church

‘Gelical votes are black and white,
‘Gelical votes (as I said) are small;
If by chance it’s a town hall meeting night
They will practise a caper or two in the hall.
If it happens the candidate’s not so bright
You would say they had nothing to do at all
They are resting, and moving the goals to the right
For the ‘Gelical hope, in the Primary Ball.

With sincere apologies to T. S. Eliot.

Headline Muse, 10/14

I am tempted to shout “Neener, neener!”
Or some other phrase, louder and keener
So, just why the excitement?
The bishop’s indictment!
What the fuck, though–a mere misdemeanor?

Headline: First Catholic bishop charged with sex abuse cover-up

Headline: Kansas City Bishop Indicted in Reporting of Abuse by Priest

25 years after the scandal hit the news, and this is the first bishop to be charged. Bishop Finn knew (as in, had seen photographic evidence) of the crimes, yet withheld that evidence for months, out of concern for the children who might be abused because the Catholic church protects its own.

The word “first” here has two connotations. In 25 years, this is the very first time such charges have been brought? What a horrible “first”. On the other hand, if this is the first of an onslaught of charges… it’s about time.

Fox News Commenters Hate America

This isn’t religious, it’s merely tradition
I’m certain our case will be met with approval
A secular prayer—just a trivial thing—
So we’ll fight tooth and nail to prevent its removal

The prayer was a gift from a class in the sixties
Its place in tradition just can’t be denied
This isn’t religious! It’s all about freedom!
And we’ll fight, with our secular god on our side

For decades, the mural’s been there in the hallway
And no one—not one—had complained it’s religious
The taunting and threats that this Jessica’s getting?
It’s her fault alone, cos she’s so damned litigious

She’s out for attention! That’s all that this is!
The god-hating liberal, atheist slut!
We good Christian people should teach her a lesson
How sometimes it’s safer to keep your mouth shut.

How dare she insult us? How dare she mock God?
How dare she belittle the prayer in the hall?
How dare she believe that the law’s on her side—
Remember… this isn’t religious at all!

Angry rant, after the jump:
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No God? No Problem.

So a comment from one of my students put me in mind of this one. For that, this verse is dedicated to a bunch of people who have no idea this blog exists… my students.

I’ve got absolute truths by the dozens
They depend on the god that you cite
And, my brothers and sisters and cousins,
I have to decide which is right.

Each claims their morality’s better
They’re divinely inspired, you see;
So I’d follow their laws to the letter,
Except that they all disagree.

Whenever I look to the bible
To see how a person behaves
I can trust that the info’s reliable,
Like how I should punish my slaves.

I don’t wish to be petty or selfish
I just want to know I am right
Is it worse to be gay, or eat shellfish?
Both are wrong, in Leviticus’ sight.

Is it sinful to kill and eat cattle?
Well, the Hindus, of course, would agree
But then, kosher’s a whole different battle,
Although bacon tastes yummy to me!

I’ve got absolute truths if you want ‘em
Each according to different gods
Some keep them, and others will flaunt ‘em
But you’re breaking some rules, say the odds.

When religions make war over quarrels,
And they claim that their god is the source
Can a person have humanist morals?
Of Course!

The Bravest, Smartest Girl In Rhode Island

The Providence Journal profiles the student behind the Cranston first amendment case; I’d be awfully proud of her if she were my kid.

As a high school freshman, Jessica Ahlquist wore shiny braces, read books and never missed an episode of “Dr. Who,” a TV show about a time-traveling alien who saves civilizations, helps people and rights wrongs.

“I was very shy,” says the 5-foot-tall student.

Hardly anyone noticed her — until she spotted a school prayer affixed to a wall in the auditorium of her new school, Cranston High School West.

She recognized that the mural violated the establishment clause, and began speaking about it at school meetings.

“I didn’t want to talk. I was terrified of saying I was an atheist. When I spoke, I heard a gasp. I knew then that people didn’t share my beliefs. It was an unwelcoming atmosphere. People belittled me and treated me like a little kid.”

She stuck to her guns, showing more intelligence and considerably more courage than her detractors, whose actions say this is a religious fight, but whose rhetoric claims it is an attempt to preserve the school’s traditions and not cave in “because one person in the history of the school objects.”

In this attempt to preserve the school’s traditions…

Since then, she says, students and adults have called her a “stupid atheist,” an ACLU tool, a witch and a “media whore.” They’ve also threatened her through e-mails or at school, she says.

A former classmate told her that, if she knew what he really thought of her, she would kill herself, she says.

Fortunately, some people see a brave girl on the right side of the law, and recognize her for it:

Next month, the ACLU will present her with the William G. McLoughlin First Amendment Award, named after a Brown University history professor and liberal activist.

Read the whole article–these snippets are a small fraction–and add Jessica Ahlquist to your list of real world heroes. It also includes an excellent summary and timeline of the case.

eta:
And read at least a few of the comments afterward–one in particular is from the mom, unnamed but also joined in the suit, who (quite reasonably) goes unnamed to prevent her own child from being harassed like Jessica has been, and you’ll see how ugly a majority can be, and how important rights are for protection against that ugliness.

The False Divide

The faithful and the faithless are identical, in ways,
And it’s silliness to tease the two apart
The parsing of their language, the dissection of a phrase,
Needn’t mean they take these differences to heart
Denying evolution, or contending God’s behind it
Is just one of many issues, don’t you see?
If you simply look around you, why, agreement’s where you find it
And there’s lots of stuff on which we all agree.

Why, there’s levers, wedges, pulleys, all that simple physics stuff,
And the useful things that chemistry can find
And cellular biology—and isn’t that enough?
The important things that God Himself designed!
Though the evidence is plentiful, we part at evolution
And the big bang theory’s more than we can take
If we say that God’s behind it, that’s a reasonable solution
Though that’s not a move the atheists might make

Yes, the faithful and the faithless are identical, in ways,
Like bipedal locomotion, for a start.
There appears to be an equal part their nervous system plays
And they mostly have four chambers in their heart
We can list the similarities, though most of them are trivial,
Cos “trivial” is not the same as “wrong”
And claim that there’s no reason that we can’t all be convivial
No reason that we cannot get along

The majority of Christians have no qualms respecting science
Which apologists take pains to often note
The problem is, their tribal faith is where they put reliance
When their leadership reminds them how to vote.

Context and blather, after the jump:
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