April 12, 2008 – Special Guest: Scott Dikkers, editor of The Onion
Theocracy Alert details the bill before congress (SR 483) that creates a 10 Commandments Weekend and then digs into the problems with the 10 commandments of the bible, including the fact that the list varies from translation to translation. (the US is not a christian nation. I’m hoping anyone reading this already knows this fact) commandment 3 and the very real monuments that violate it. Commandment 4 and Blue Laws.
I personally have a fondness for Amendments nine and 10 of the completely different & secular Bill of Rights to the US Constitution.
- Amendment nine: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
- Amendment ten: powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Since the 14th amendment applies the Bill of Rights to the states as well as the federal government (and if the federal government could be convinced to acknowledge the existence of the tenth amendment in the first place; concede that there is a limitation on federal power) the Ninth & Tenth Amendments could be wielded by the individual as a lever to reduce all levels of government to those functions detailed in their respective enabling documents. Yeah, I know, it’s a dream. John Lennon has his dream, I have mine.
The damage done by the ignorant attempting to impose biblical law in lieu of civil law has already been significant. To more closely align civil law with the bible would be catastrophic. bills like SR 483 should be opposed, because of the damage they appear to promote. Contact you Senators here.
Scott Dikkers and the faux news outlet (not to be confused with Fox News, which is also false, but not funny) The Onion wouldn’t have been guests that I would have anticipated. (America’s finest news source. Gotta love it) I laugh every time I run across an article from The Onion, but I always wonder how many people believe that the news is real and credible. Then I remember The Enquirer and The Star, and stop worrying about it.
“I’ve never met a satirist who was an ideologue”
The most hate mail that the Onion has ever gotten was over a Mary-Kate and Ashley spoof, not the many, many religious spoofs that the paper has contained. Goes to show you where most people’s priorities lie.
The secret to The Onion’s success? Hiring funny people and teach them how to write news stories. Thoroughly enjoyable interview.
Ignore the man behind the curtain. The Great Oz has spoken.
The Wizard of Oz
2007 Archive episode.
April 14, 2007 – David Randolph, Conductor
The show starts with a tribute to Kurt Vonnegut, who died that week. Back when I used to listen to Selected Shorts on KUT, Vonnegut’s stories were some of my favorites.
Theocracy Alert goes into one of the many problems with the Bush administration, his obsession with religious causes and their promotion within the federal government. A change in Presidents can’t come soon enough. Unfortunately, none of the front runners offer much of a change.
David Randolph the famous conductor of the St. Cecilia Chorus (a secular, non-profit group) also wrote the book This Is Music: A Guide to the Pleasures of Listening. He discusses at length his deep love of music, in spite of the fact that he has been a lifelong non-theist. A revealing interview for those who think that there is something essentially spiritual about music.
The list of composers who were non-believers includes a good number of recognizable names.
God is a concept by which we measure our pain
John Lennon
