Showing posts with label Vandalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vandalism. Show all posts

Monday, May 5, 2014

About Omaha Atheists' Response To Vandalism

Omaha Atheists have been doing highway cleanup for several years.  Last weekend, a few days before our scheduled cleanup day, we found something unfortunate on our sign.


I was surprised it took that long for something atheist to get vandalized around here.  That surprise is part of the problem.  When the Omaha Coalition of Reason billboard was up a couple years ago, the most that happened was people bitching about it.  When that billboard went up, I was fully expecting something to happen it like happens to a great number of atheist billboards.

Atheists are still a stigmatized group.  We're far from the majority, but people are still threatened by us enough to do things like this.  I could speculate about why this particular incident happened, but speculation is all it would be.  Whether it's an effort to bully us and remind us that we're hated, a bored teenager, or just someone who drives by this sign every day and couldn't take seeing the word "atheist" one more time, it doesn't really matter as much as the fact that this is common.

That's what makes Omaha Atheists' response to this so spot on[1].

Photo Credit:  Omaha Atheists

We're doing this by having an event called "Meet An Atheist" next Monday at local coffee shop Caffeine Dreams.  Even if the vandal doesn't show up, maybe someone else will stop by and learn that atheists aren't such bad people.

Getting people to understand that is the mission of Omaha Atheists, and pretty much every other local atheist group out there.  Because we're definitely not going anywhere.

We still cleaned up the highway.

Photo Credit:  Biblename Foto
And when we do it again this Fall, there will likely be a clean sign there.  Paid for by the taxpayers of Nebraska, which I suspect includes our vandal.

Also, thanks to Fox 42 for reporting on this issue:


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1.  I'm slightly biased, as I was involved in that being approach, but it was a decision that took no debate.
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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Please Do Not Harass The Guy Who Vandalized The Atheist Monument (And Some Other Responses)

The Atheist Monument in Florida was recently vandalized[1], but that story has a happy ending.  The young man who did it has already apologized.  He posted what appears to be a sincere apology[2] to American Atheists' Facebook, the same place he had outed himself as the vandal.


With the picture, American Atheists posted:
The vandal, Zach, has sent us an apology, which we have accepted.
We appreciate everyone's support and completely understand and agree with your feelings about this—what he did was hurtful to our community and just reinforces the untrue idea that atheists are second-class citizens, worthy of contempt and ridicule, just because we do not believe in gods.
The vandal is just a teenager and he made a mistake. We ask people NOT to call or text him (his phone number has been leaked); two wrongs don't make a right and this is not appropriate, either. Thank you for understanding.
We have asked him to clean up the monument and send us another picture of him with it to show us that he holds no ill-will against us. We'll let you know when we hear back.
Thank you again for your support. - American Atheists
He's a minor who chews tobacco, but that's a different issue for a different day.  I'm choosing to take the apology as sincere and moving on.  Although, I really don't even care if it's sincere or not.  If it turns out that it's not at all sincere, the point that we don't deserve such mistreatment has been made.  That's why I want to highlight American Atheists' request.

If you've received his phone number since it was leaked, please do not use.  Please do not harass this young man.  The point's been made.  It's time to move on.

But while Zach did the right thing, there's one person who didn't get it[3].

"Fuck yo shit! U come in our town on our terf! The commandments weren't hurtin a damn soul! Yall started this shit! Now its our move! Maybe he shouldn't have spit on it but shit it does rain ya know! Stupid dumbass! U wont a police report? What happened to seperation of religious and state matters? Haha ur a joke! U want a war u got one! Hes a kid who's angry and feels stepped on! Thats why he did that shit! How much have Christians been persecuted?!?! And u wanna bitch cuz some kid spit on your rock? Ur fucking pathetic all of you!"
Fortunately, this grammar & logic deprived individual and moderately racist[4] doesn't appear to be representative of the reaction from Christians.

Also posted on the American Atheists Facebook[5] was:
This is an apology from those that stand on the non-ignorant side of the people that actually understand and follow the laws of Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion. 
Some kids in our town (Keystone) were brought up on extremist Christian ways and in some churches it is so bad that they can be considered a cult. The fact that the American Atheists Inc built a monument not 30 feet from the 10 Commandments at the courthouse in Bradford County really irritated a bunch of people in our area. But there are a handful of liberal minded and forgiving, not to mention understanding, people here that do not wish to thrash the name of other religions. Some Atheists, some Christians. Keystone may seem like the Christian melting pot due to its high populated area of churches, but there are a few that I am even friends with that follow other religions such as Atheism, Hinduism, and Wicca. I find it funny how those who follow the religions that are not Christianity are less aggressive to others. While Christians on the other hand are more than willing to smite those who act against people who don't follow God. 
I am ashamed to be surrounded by such pig-headed and closed minded people. I apologize for them.
It's kind of ranty and makes the mistake of calling atheism a religion, but the point is that a Christian is rightly condemning the behavior of other Christians.  Another was this picture sent via Twitter[6].


All 4 of these are a good thing.  Even the negative one.  This collection of responses shows that open minded Christians will respect our rights and racist morons like Ace will be the kind of haters that are the example of what we're fighting against, with the apparent help of some Christians.

I've seen people complain about this monument, saying that it's a waste of money.  Or that it's focusing on the wrong thing.  I think this shows that those criticism are nonsense.  The publicity and good will garnered from just this incident has been worth the cost of this granite bench.

I'm looking forward the atheist monuments that follow.

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1.  http://aparticularblogbyaparticularatheist.blogspot.com/2013/07/christian-shows-what-he-thinks-of.html
2.  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151715134537418&set=a.495249962417.276326.71352317417&type=1
3.  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=601168653260565&set=o.71352317417&type=1
4.  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=589951394382291&set=o.71352317417&type=1
5.  https://www.facebook.com/AmericanAtheists/posts/10151715412632418
6.  https://twitter.com/HaruhiKatrina/status/359111694175305729
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Saturday, July 20, 2013

Christian Shows What He Thinks Of The Atheist Monument, Doesn't Use His Brain

Many Christians weren't happy about the Atheist Monument[1] that recently went up in Florida.  One in particular recently did what we all knew was inevitable.  Vandalism.

Photo Source:  American Atheists[2]
Fortunately, it's minor damage that hopefully can simply be washed off.  Although, the point is how brazen people think they can be in committing such acts.  They think they can damage our shit with no consequences, because of the out of control Christian privilege.  They're so bold with it, this guy photographed it and posted it on American Atheists' Facebook page[3] to brag about it.

Note their response to it.  They've alerted the police and will let them decide what to do about it.  That's what it takes to show people like Mr Osborne that they we're not going to take their abuse.  A previous proactive response to something is what prompted my decision to join American Atheists.  This makes me glad I did.  Both were done by Dave Muscato, American Atheists' Public Relations Director[4].  He was a good hire, and now I think I can say that without it because of the personal bias I have from having known and respected him before he got that job.

Imagine how Christians would react if an atheist did this to any Ten Commandments monument.  They wouldn't simply alert police.  They'd lose their fucking minds over it.  They'd be out for blood.

We already know how Dave Silverman would react to it.  He'd denounce it[5].  I wonder how many Christians will do the same.  I wonder how many will praise it.  There's sure to be Christians of both kinds, but I wonder which group will be larger.  I have my suspicions, but time will tell.

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1.  http://aparticularblogbyaparticularatheist.blogspot.com/2013/06/such-christian-responses-to-atheist.html
2.  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151713368867418&set=a.495249962417.276326.71352317417&type=1
3.  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=546274018741029&set=o.71352317417&type=1
4.  http://atheists.org/about-us/staff
5.  https://twitter.com/MrAtheistPants/status/337266068357799936
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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Many Many Links, Without Comment (Except For The Comment)

I don't know how some of the bigger bloggers manage to publish so often.  I'm terrible about bookmarking more things to share than I can find the time to write about.  I've decided to start sharing them as a group on Saturday mornings.  Sometimes they'll be timely news stories (give or take a week).  Other times they'll be random, older bits I've come across & just want to share.

But first I'm gonna drop a bunch of things I had bookmarked to share that still seem worth sharing.  And, even with sharing this much crap on Thursday evening, I've got some stuff already on the post for Saturday.  This should be an interesting experiment.


Teen Denied Communion After Marriage Equality Facebook Post


Kids Without God

Christian Group Says Demon Sex Makes You Gay



Atheist Census




And Some Stuff About Billboard Vandalism:


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