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Comment by Joan Denoo on November 23, 2012 at 9:23pm

Richard Collins. Some wisdom on the art of secular parenting, via the Kiosk at the Secular Web:It starts off with:

-- Dale McGowan, Parenting Beyong Belief

Earlier this year on the way home from school, she told me about a chat she'd had that day with Mrs. W, her teacher at [her] Lutheran preschool. "I told Mrs. W I think God is just pretend. But I said I'm still thinking about it. And I asked if she thinks God is pretend."

I looked at her in the rearview mirror, munching on the apple I'd for once remembered to bring for her snack, so beautifully innocent of the fact that she had stood with her little toes at the edge of an age-old chasm, shouting a courageous and ancient question to her teacher on the far rim. My daughter, you see, hasn't heard that there are unaskable questions.

"So what'd Mrs. W say?"

"She said no," Laney said, matter-of-factly. "She said, 'I think God is very real.'"

"Uh huh. Then what did you say, Laney?"

"I said, 'That's okay--as long as you're still thinking about it, too.'"

It closes by noting that:

I often find myself humbly suggesting that it is possible to raise children every bit as ethical, caring, loving, humane, inspired and well-adjusted without religion as with it. In reality (my favorite place to be, after all) I don't believe parenting without religion is merely "as good" as parenting with it. I think it is immeasurably better. I think it blows the doors off religious parenting in every respect--powerful inquiry, reasoned ethics, ecstatic inspiration, cosmic humility and profound humanity--and I am floored by my good fortune to live in one of the few human generations to date when raising children without religious indoctrination is a practical possibility.

-- Dale McGowan, Parenting Beyong Belief

Comment by Joan Denoo on November 21, 2012 at 5:46pm

Petraeus Should Have Been Fired Years Ago

"By endorsing Spiritual Fitness repeatedly, Petraeus revealed a total disregard for both the "No Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment to the Constitution and the "No Religious Test" prohibition of Clause 3, Article VI of the same. It’s no exaggeration – it’s a bare-knuckled fact – that Petraeus was complicit in a de facto mutiny against America's most cherished and beloved governing document.  This violation of his oath to support and defend that foundational bedrock document is a matter of import on a scale far greater than his foolish affair. That dalliance itself constitutes a high crime, if there is jurisdiction extant under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, as well as an unforgivable security risk to the Central Intelligence Agency."

"Spiritual Fitness is a markedly destructive and corrosive agent that has the practical consequence of rampant demoralization, disorientation, and disorder within the armed forces."

"As a part of a national "stand-down" ostensibly meant to address the tragic wave of suicides that have reached tsunami proportions within the U.S. Army, 800 brand new soldiers at Fort Sam Houston in Texas were forced to attend a mandatory training session that ended up, incontrovertibly, as a sectarian, electronic candle lit, Christian prayer vigil . 

"Thirty-eight of these soldiers (the vast majority of whom happen to be practicing Protestants or Roman Catholics), with the brave Staff Sergeant Victoria Gettman in the courageous forefront, swiftly contacted our civil rights foundation for immediate help. A federal complaint against the Army is now contemporaneously pending an ongoing official investigation."  

This is NOT an "enemy within" it is a government that uses our young men and women as fodder for wars of greed for power and property. It is a nation that does not provide jobs for its young and many decide to join the military for economic reasons, not to free people from suffering. Using religion to make men and women more obedient and willing to make sacrifices of themselves for some unworthy cause drives a sane person to terrible self-destruction. 

Comment by Joan Denoo on November 20, 2012 at 1:43pm

For an index of William Black's reports go to

The Black Financial and Fraud Report:

Today's report:

Black Report: Craziness on Three Continents

Comment by Joan Denoo on November 19, 2012 at 12:50pm

Shadow Banking Grows to $67 Trillion Industry

A stack of $100 dollar bills equals a million dollars, one hundred million, and one billion dollars. Below them is ONE trillion dollars. Notice the wee-little man on the left lower corner. Now think about this a minute, how does $67 Trillion dollars look?  

Comment by Joan Denoo on November 19, 2012 at 11:36am

Ruth, I agree, absolutely. And other comments stand out as well:
“Over the last 40 years global insured losses from climate-related disasters have jumped from an annual USD 5 billion to approximately USD 60 billion.”
~ Swiss Re, the world’s largest reinsurance company

"Ironically, the current method for calculating national economic well-being (GDP), counts the billions spent on fixing storm damages as a plus."

~ Brent Blackwelder

Comment by Joan Denoo on November 19, 2012 at 11:22am

Comment by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on November 15, 2012 at 2:53pm

Brent Blackwelder's language strikes a chord with me: "cheater economics".

... we must move from our current global system of cheater economics and casino economics to a true-cost economy. In a true-cost sustainable economy, the climate-disrupting effects of coal and oil would be factored into their prices, and prices would rise beyond most people’s idea of affordability. Ironically, the current method for calculating national economic well-being (GDP), counts the billions spent on fixing storm damages as a plus.

from Climate Change Trumps Terrorism As Threat To National Security

Neal, all I can say is *Ouch!* Atheists are trusted as much as rapists? Euugh! How could people be so crazy?

Comment by Joan Denoo on November 14, 2012 at 5:40pm

If only Neil deGrasse Tyson were gay and an acknowledged atheist, we could have a president who is gay, atheist, black, and very intelligent. That would be a whale of a lot more beneficial to USA than the dumb ones we have had. I don't mean to imply Obama is dumb, I just disagree with his fiscal policy. 

Comment by Neal Schermerhorn on November 14, 2012 at 3:54pm

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/11/13/164963163/would-you-vote-f...

I was surprised to see NPR write on this topic. Wondering what others have to say.

Comment by Joan Denoo on November 14, 2012 at 3:33pm

Put Elizabeth Warren on the Banking Committee!

We need people on the banking committee who understand finance and the good of the entire population, not just those who vote for greed. 

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