THE JO-TEL is going to drink its way to Dover

CAVEAT: This post is filled with hurtful stereotypes.

I drive a lot.  From Santa Rosa to Roseville and Rocklin to San Jose, all from the jo-me based in San Francisco.  It gives me too much time to listen to NPR get pissed about politics.  Nothing is worse than the sickeningly symbiotic nature of religion and politics that Mitt Romney had to go ahead an make mega explicit in his last speech, a blatant attempt to court the evangelicals that elected Bush.  According to Romney:

Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.

Ironic that freedom of thought is, in reality, what opens the window for man to chose not to commune with God.  Since, you know, God doesn't exist.  And what's worse it that while, sure, the Dem candidates are not as bad as Romney, none of them would be caught dead saying they were not religious.  It's not really their fault though.  Americans are impossibly stupid.  It makes me just want to flush politics down the toilet.  Even if my vote counted (it mathematically does not since no election has ever been decided by one vote), it wouldn't really count because I would never be able to outvote the same idiots that elected Bush because Kerry didn't hate gays enough.  Isn't it great that freedom allowed middle America to discover the profound belief that homosexuals are sinful!  Praise!  

But I don't think the situation is irredeemable.  But, contrary to Hip E., I don't believe the answer is to fight religiousity with Dawkins-esque logic.  I mean, we are talking about dumb people here.  Can't fight fire with water in this context, unfortunately.  My solution is to "live as example".  I prefer this strategy because (a) I think it works better, and (b) it's more fun.  Basically, this is a call to all atheists: I know we all try to be great people: moral, friendly, generous, light, caring.  But it can be hard because, you know, work is hard and sometimes we come home and just want to drink three beers and yell at Hip E. for being annoying.  But I would encourage everyone to make an extra effort to be scrupulously moral, affable, genial, etc. because you are representing all atheists — beacons to the world that morality and goodness are divorced entirely from traditional religion.  And, in fact, liberated for the wasteful anachronisms of religion, we atheists have more time and resources to devote to general good living.  (Sorry about this post, I am drunk.)  That includes charity, which I hope to do some of in the near future.  It's getting more and more important to me.  So reallocate all the time you would have spent reading books like God Is Not Great and The God Delusion, and go out and do charity, be nice, and have drunk fun with friends.  

In addition to working better, I think living as an example is more fun.  Let's be honest, if everyone lived as clear-headed and correctly as us, things might not be as fun.  I mean, it's only a matter of time before even the idiots figure things out.  Let's enjoy this time, when we alone know what's going on.  No religion to erect boundaries to our art!  No ancient morality to impede our naked dance parties!  Adam and Eve did not exist, so neither did the snake or the apple!  Everything is still cool!  We are creating in the true life zone!  Don't come down the mountain to preach, come down the moments to party!  And be great people!  That, by their pure example, make religion crack and die like a stale mass on a Sunday when there are better things to do!  Let's live for us!  Atheists of the world unite!!!

-Shark