The First Day Before Christmas

For the 1st Day Before Christmas, religion gave to me...


In North Carolina, Lawsuit Is Threatened Over Councilman’s Lack of Belief in God

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — City Councilman Cecil Bothwell of Ashville believes in ending the death penalty, conserving water and reforming government, but he does not believe in God. His political opponents say that is a sin that makes him unworthy of office, and they have the North Carolina Constitution on their side.

When Mr. Bothwell was sworn into office on Monday, he used an alternate oath that does not require officials to swear on a Bible or refer to “Almighty God.”

That has riled conservative advocates, who cite a little-noticed quirk in North Carolina’s Constitution that disqualifies officeholders “who shall deny the being of Almighty God.” The provision was included when the document was drafted in 1868 and was not revised when North Carolina amended its Constitution in 1971.

This is totally a dick thing to do. The guy is an atheist, he wins the election and the conservative fucktards want him out, citing an obviously discriminatory law from more than a century ago. What happened to "liberty and justice for all"? Does it mean that non-believers won't get the same justice? Is it like H.W. Bush said, that atheists are not to be considered Americans?

Maybe this is a good thing. The ACLU will not allow Bothwell to lose his seat and will expose those conservatives as bigots. But it's really outrageous that such bigotry is done in this time in the United States of America.