I’ve got to say it: I never heard of Frisco, Texas before, and had no idea where it is. But it’s apparently a big city of 100,000 people out in the northeast part of the state, north of Dallas/Fort Worth, and they are putting on an atheist convention! These things are getting to be everywhere, and I think this is an excellent development. We just had an excellent event out here in a much more obscure part of the world (but where it is needed), and now Texas is popping up pockets of rationality everywhere.
Let’s see Amarillo and Midland and Corpus Christi join in the trend — a great wave of people of reason standing up and making themselves known all across the state.
Until the Great Texas Atheist Revolution, though, you’ll have to go to the North Texas Secular Student Convention. It’s got a great lineup; everyone in the region should hop into your Volvos with the gay pride bumper sticker and head to Frisco on the 14th of April.
-
Damon Fowler- student activist
-
David Fitzgerald- historian, author of “Nailed: Ten Christian Myths That Show Jesus Never Existed At All”
-
Hemant Mehta- author of “I Sold my Soul on eBay” and “The Friendly Atheist” blog
-
Dorian Mooneyham- student LGBT activist
-
David Smalley, former editor of American Atheist magazine, host of “Dogma Debate“ podcast, author of “Baptized Atheist”
As well as a debate featuring:
-
Matt Dillahunty- President of the Atheist Community of Austin, co-host of “The Atheist Experience“
-
JT Eberhard- High School Coordinator of the Secular Student Alliance, founder of Skepticon
-
John Ferrer
-
Dr. Sloan Lee — Philosophy and Logic teacher at The Cambridge School of Dallas, primary research in the philosophies of religion and science
That explains the tornadoes.
Anyone know what the topic of the debate will be?
Amarillo is really ramping up secular activity. We have two (soon to be three) secular/atheist groups in the area, and helped put on a debate betweeen Matt Dillahunty and Abdu Murray just last month. Getting an actual convention here would be awesome!
http://freethoughtoasis.org/ – The debate video is posted on the front page
Yay! I am so there. I live only a few towns over now. Squeeeeeeeeee!
Also, for those who aren’t sure where Frisco is, it is a northern suburb of Dallas.
I can’t imagine why many people outside of the Dallas area would know anything about Frisco. It’s on the north side of Plano, and is a decent size suburb with a lot of money in it. There are minor league hockey and baseball teams there, but that’s about it. Oh yeah, they have the local Ikea there also.
I want to say that some of the folks from a skeptic/secular group from that area are part of Camp Quest Texas. I also believe that there’s a skeptics organization that meets in a pub in the Frisco/Northwest Plano area.
YOB et al.
Yeeha! I won’t be at this meeting (screwed for time), but my wife and I like to go to the Texas Freethought Convention (like, in October, or something) which was a delightful romp last year. I met the Squidly OL and other Pharyngulords. Next year, that meeting will (purportedly) be in Austin.
[meta]
I hope my peeps in the DFW area are safe and sound. Turns out I was doing some work up near the south end of Dallas yesterday, but never saw or heard anything about tornados until I got home (East Cupcake, TX…Just N. of Houston).
As always, the Rev. beat me to it. God has warned you with tornadoes. I’m still waiting for Pat Robertson to weigh in on this, but I think I know what he’ll say.
Sometimes, the DFW metro area surprises me. Rough transcript of a dialogue on AM 1310’s morning radio show this morning, where they were discussing yesterday’s storms:
Gordon Keith: … and with all that damage, only a handful of injuries and no fatalities reported. Boy, do you think God was looking out for those people?
Craig ‘Junior’ Miller: By destroying their homes?
Keith: Good point. Why are we always spinning things for God? It sure seems like He has a lot of P.R. people running around.
OK, these guys like to play on the edge of the cliff. I’m sure they’ll get some angry e-mails on that little aside … But even so, it’s amazing that there are people willing to make those jokes at all on the airwaves in the Bible Belt.
Deen,
The topic is “Does God Exist?”
It’ll be…fun. ;)
I am very much looking forward to this.
JT #10, so after the “NO”, what is there to debate?
I can’t even look at the word Amarillo without thinking “Repent, Armadillo!”
My hubby and I will definitely be there! And I shall also squeeeeeeee :)
…I’ll be in town for this. Squee!
and JT will be there! SQUEEEEEEEEEEE*deepbreath*EEEEEEEEEEE…
Wow, one i might actually be able to make. we’ll have to see though…i’m still not out to my family, and this could be difficult to explain…
Rawnaeris: me neither. Can you say someone needs help moving to a new apartment?
NTXSSC -2 and counting. Is there any interest in a local Pharyngula meet-up of some sort? Or just a way to locate each other at the event? Secret clenched-tentacle-shake?
I’m up for meeting. I’m not sure if I can pull off a clenched tentacle shake (damn this endoskeleton).
How about I describe myself and any interested parties can gather on me out front?
6’5″ thin-ish caucasian human (honestly) male
Bald with chunky black square framed glasses
grey denim blazer
Black skinny jeans
High top sneakers with the tops turned out
Forged iron squid necklace (See my avatar for pic)
*sadly, I will probably be smoking. :(
Other ideas for meeting welcome.
Also, I’m 42 but look closer to 50-ish. No spring chicken am I.