When Atheists Attack

I can agree with most of the assertions in this article; however, let's not forget that Obama's meteoric rise was also due in large part to his connection with the creamy, mediocre middle. It wasn't until he had fully stretched his presidential candidacy legs for a year or so that people were like, "Hey, this guy's a smart cookie. Wait...maybe too smart...ELITIST!!!"

Worst VP Pick EVER! For someone trying to distance himself from Bush, he sure did pick one that shares the same ideologies (and obviously even more to the right than Bush). Yeah, she is a reformer, she will reform your constitution to get rid of seperation of church and state. Now she's pulling a Cheney by not talking to the press. I had always thought that at least McCain will be better than Bush if he gets in. Now i'm not so sure.

Worst VP Pick EVER! For someone trying to distance himself from Bush, he sure did pick one that shares the same ideologies (and obviously even more to the right than Bush). Yeah, she is a reformer, she will reform your constitution to get rid of seperation of church and state. Now she's pulling a Cheney by not talking to the press. I had always thought that at least McCain will be better than Bush if he gets in. Now i'm not so sure.

I think Sam Harris said it succinctly, intelligently, thoughtfully, BUT Blastfully. Thank you Sam for putting it out there - however Palinfully it may be for McCain worshipers to read!

I must say up front that I haven't read all posts, but I'll go ahead anyway. Has anyone compared this woman's fundamentalist beliefs with those of our terrorist enemies? I see little difference between her thoughtless, public requests of her God and the crazed petitions of those in jihad. Maybe now we can have empathy for the Muslim people who are outraged by the not-uncommon American Christian tendency to lump them with crazies.

In McCain???s choice of Palin, we see that he is terribly, inexorably tied to the reactionary right wing of his party who welcome Palin???s pro-big oil, anti-science, anti-environmental agenda and Washington insider relationships with lobbyists.
Will she champion the needs of her child, or will she participate in her party???s energetic dismantling of the Americans with Disabilities Act?
Will Ms. Palin allow her party to continue to characterize parents of children with disabilities as ???pigs feeding at the public trough???? Will she strengthen educational programs for students with disabilities, or continue to allow the Special Education to be undermined and attacked by her party?
As her child receives the medical tests and care that children with Down???s syndrome may need will Palin follow her party???s lead to block universal health care?
As a working parent, will she stand against her party and support quality early childhood education, universal pre-school, and paid parental and medical leave for primary caregivers ?
Social conservatives want every child to be born regardless of the care that they will need but fiscal conservatives are destroying the village that is needed to care for these children. How will Sarah Palin straddle this ideological schism in her party?

Does she believe as many members of her party, that a woman who terminates a pregnancy should be tried for murder, the circumstances of conception, her medical condition, her doctor scrutinized by a judge to determine whether or not the woman's decisions meet the strictures of religious law?
Ignorance did not discourage Bristol from sexual activity-- abstinence only education leads to increases in teen pregnancies. Will Palin stand up to her party and and support rigorous coursework in reproductive biology or will she insist on subjecting millions of American girls to the same risks as her daughter?

The Republican party is building a society based on Social Darwinism???the role of government is to protect unbridled competition among market forces and only the most fit survive, once they are born. Ms. Palin???s recent experiences, and the journey she is about to embark on, may impact her policy stances but right now her rhetoric does not reflect what she will learn through her children.

The ignorant: The McCain camp has falsely claimed that Obama supported "comprehensive sex education" for kindergartners (Obama supported teaching them to be alert for inappropriate advances from adults).

The stupid: The McCain campaign twisted Obama's words to suggest that he had compared Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, to a pig after Obama said, in questioning McCain's claim to be the change agent in the race, "You can put lipstick on a pig; it's still a pig." ( McCain once used the same expression to describe Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's health plan.)

The liar: Indeed, in recent days, McCain has been increasingly called out by news organizations, editorial boards and independent analysts like FactCheck.org. The group, which does not judge whether one candidate is more misleading than another, has cried foul on McCain more than twice as often since the start of the political conventions as it has on Obama.

(from an article written by Michael Cooper and Jim Rutenberg, with Jeff Zeleny contributing)

Sarah Palin is the poster child for what happens when man creates God in his own image.

Hey. Some people are saying the Blue Cool-Aid is poisoned. Its not poisoned, its just bad Cool-Aid. Its poorly thought-out. The Blue Cool-Aid isnt poison, its just BAD COOL-AID.

You people are beautiful in your ignorance, perfect in your self-delusion, and iconic in your contempt for anyone who doesn't live in the echo-chamber of your narrow world view.

Truly, at this stage of American History, liberals come under one of three categories: The ignorant, the stupid, or the liar.

And the more you shout your ridiculous and self-serving lies to the firmament, the more only the ignorant, the stupid, or your fellow liars will care what you're shouting.

I fear you are preaching to the choir.

When a presidential candidate's campaign, incessantly exploits their man's heroic mythology, not withstanding whatever courage one may appoint John McCain, the long "unspoken" historical context remains worthy of at least brief consideration. Captain John McCain was shot down during Operation Rolling Thunder over Vietnam. From all accounts, he, and many other Americans faced their imprisonment with courage and integrity. An estimated 52,000 Vietnamese civilians - - men, women, and children, were incinerated as a result of Rolling Thunder's bombardment. McCain himself, has acknowledged that his participation WAS NOT MOTIVATED by patriotism. But, rather, in the PURSUIT OF PERSONAL GLORY. And to what end? Well, to the end that resulted in a NATIONAL TRADEDY, a LOST WAR, and throngs of American veterans, IGNORED by the country, by the very parties and people that sent and kept them there. But despite the vainglorious devastation to both sides in that conflict, an UNREPENTANT John McCain recently voted against veteran's benefits, those supported by his major opponent. This odd dichotomy begs the question: If John McCain, in reflection, offers no support for those that served beside him, nor those who serve today, what has experience provided him? And when a man regarded so highly in heroic terms of military service, confides personal glory as a common motivation to the young Americans who risk their lives, at what point would he acknowledge patriotism as something more considered than the glib hawkishness exulted by the Republican Convention? His choice of Palin is, once again, McCain's vainglorious head rising. For him,.it's about winning, not serving!

I can't help thinking that the American voter's obsession that political candidates seem "just like them" smacks of an infantile narcissism. I don't want my President to be just like me; he/she needs to be smarter, more rational, more open-minded, wiser, more accomplished. A person who is responsible for trillions of dollars, as well as the physical fate of Planet Earth, better be among the best and the brightest.

A great summation of why Sarah Palin should not be VP. I also found this article esp revealing when it comes to her church and it's Dominionist Ideology: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/165994-The-Dominionism-Apostasy-The-Despoiling-of-America-by-Christianity-turned-Evil

I can't help thinking that the American voter's obsession with candidates that seem just like them smacks of an infantile narcissism. Frankly, I don't want someone just like me; I want someone smarter, more rational, more experienced, wiser. Someone who is responsible for trillions of dollars and the physical fate of the planet Earth better be among the best and the brightest. Nothing less will do in this challenging, dangerous world.

This article is one of the most selfsatisfied, irrational pieces of twaddle I have read in a long time. After paring down Mr. Harris' verbiage, his principal point seems to be that only people such as himself can be allowed to run this country. "The little people"--i.e., those who do not live in selected cities in America or attend certain universities or read certain books, ones such as Mr. Harris writes of course--simply are too immature emotionally and intellectually to be allowed any meaningful input into the process. The sole role they should be allowed to have is to follow slavishly the paths pointed out to them by ones such as Mr. Harris. Unfortunately for Mr. Harris many of the "lower orders" in this country descend from those ruffians who also did not respect the "right kind of people." That would be the folks in the American Revolution who shot the officers first since they were almost always the "upper class" who like Mr. Harris also knew that only persons like themselves should have power. And, yes, I am an Obama supporter but friends like Mr. Harris may cost him this election.

This is the best article I've read that cohesively and convincingly articulates all the apprehension, fear and confusion that Democrats feel about the popularity of Sarah Palin. I just don't understand why more people don't see her this way. Well, hopefully now they will. Nice job Sam!

This is the best article I've read that cohesively and convincingly articulates all the apprehension, fear and confusion that Democrats feel about the popularity of Sarah Palin. I just don't understand why more people don't see her this way. Well, hopefully now they will. Nice job Sam!

While I found this opinion piece interesting, I found the headline tremendously misleading. It is suggesting that somehow atheists are attacking, and conjures up images of terrorist atheists, when in reality it is only the opinion of one well-known atheist. The article does mention Palin's fundamentalist-like faith, but it is only one of many points that are discussed. Newsweek should be ashamed of themselves for pandering like this.