Removing Confederate Statues One Step In Acknowledging Historical Mistakes

image of Statue of the traitor Robert E. Lee in Richmond, VA.
Statue of the traitor Robert E. Lee in Richmond, VA.

New Orleans, Charlottesville, and Baltimore are the latest flash points in countering white supremacy efforts to sanitize our history. Confederate statues and monuments have been removed or there are plans to remove them. Some people complain that such actions are erasing history but in fact removing Confederate statues is one step in acknowledging our historical mistakes.

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Center For Inquiry Uses Manufactured Outrage For A Payday

image of Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist, had a recent book tour appearance in California canceled because of past insensitive remarks about Muslims. It fanned the flames of misunderstanding about ‘free speech’ as a concept. No matter how many times it’s explained, some people refuse to understand. It also doesn’t help when a freethought group tries to make some money on that misunderstanding.

I thought it was cute to get a fundraising email from the Center for Inquiry (CFI) last week complaining about Dawkins having his free speech blocked by a California radio station. It seems that the station came across some abusive comments Dawkins has made over the years about Islam. The weird neo-con/alt-right/Christian conservative/angry atheist intersection showed how easy it’s for people, including those who should know better, to get the “free speech” concept wrong.

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Why I Hate Trumpcare And Why Repeal & Replace Is A Scam

image of a crowded ER waiting room
The GOP would like us to return to the bad old days of overcrowded emergency rooms for non-emergency healthcare

While the GOP in the US Senate try to find a way to bribe and strong arm enough votes to pass their version of Trumpcare, I had another debate with a conservative friend about the issue. He doesn’t think he should pay for someone else’s healthcare. This is why we are so far apart on the issue. He thinks it’s like buying a car and I think healthcare is a fundamental human right and a basic plan should be provided and funded by the government using tax dollars.

Josh Marshall, over at Talkingpoints Memo puts the divide clear and to the point:

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Imprecise Labeling Of Terrorists Hurts Us All

image of Andy Burnham the mayor of Manchester UK
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester UK

Terry Firma over at Friendly Atheist, got in a thither because an elected official in the UK tried to claim the bomber in the suicide attack in Manchester wasn’t a Muslim. Firma falls into the trap most people do when they react to terrorism by people who don’t look like them. While the bomber’s religion probably did play a part in the motivation in the attack, Firma misses the point that using such a wide brush to label religious people doesn’t make sense and can cause more collateral damage.

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