Heart Of The Beholder

Want to watch a good movie? For free? Right now, at your computer?

Heart Of The Beholder is a riveting movie based on the true story of Ken and Carol Tipton, who opened one of the first video rental stores in the early 1980s. The drama begins when members of Rev. Donald Wildmon's National Federation for Decency (later renamed the American Family Association) insist that their store remove movies that they claimed to be "obscene or a detriment to the community and its children." Films such as Hail Mary, Taxi Driver, Agnes of God, Blazing Saddles, Animal House, Mr. Mom, The Last Temptation of Christ, and many other movies were targeted. They even demanded the movie Splash be removed: the movie promoted "bestiality" because Tom Hanks makes love to a mermaid. After refusing to remove these movies, blackmail and corruption are later employed to ruin the Tiptons.

I watched this movie a couple of years ago, and again last year. It was even better the second time. Despite film festival awards and positive reviews, Heart of the Beholder has had a long struggle with distribution because of persistent pressure by religious fundamentalists. (What they don't understand is that this movies bashes censorship, not religion.) Now the producers are offering the entire movie for free viewing online, segmented into clips (like DVD chapters). Get some popcorn, get comfortable, and watch the movie right here.

Across The Bay 12K 2007

Once again, it's time for the annual Across The Bay 12K race, and here I am on the home stretch on Crissy Field, after running nonstop from East Fort Baker near Sausalito. Made the finish chute in one hour and twenty minutes -- a bit disappointing, compared to previous years. I can't blame it on the beard; nevertheless, it will be shaved off Monday morning, so take one last look at the face fuzz!

Congressional Reality Check

Today marks a momentous occasion for American freethinkers.

American law is made by Congress, which is divided into the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are currently 100 Senators and 435 members of the House of Representatives. This legislative branch of 535 well-educated and powerful men and women has never, in all of American history, had a single member disclose a disbelief in "God" or gods. This is statistically anomalous: any sample of 535 educated leaders should have at least a small number of nontheists in the group.

Then again, congresspeople are politicians. They say what their constituents want them to say, and toeing the "God Bless America," "Under God," and "In God We Trust" lines get them elected and reelected, regardless of whether they actually believe in such supernaturalism.

The dam is bursting, starting today. Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), a Member of Congress since 1973, is the first to go on record as a nontheist. (Not "atheist," although "nontheist" is defined essentially the same: disbelief in a deity.) This was in response to an inquiry from the Secular Coalition for America, a Washington, D.C. lobby for nontheistic Americans. (I had the pleasure of meeting SCA Director Lori Lipman Brown last year.) Stark said he "does not believe in a supreme being." "I look forward to working with the Secular Coalition to stop the promotion of narrow religious beliefs in science, marriage contracts, the military and the provision of social service," he said.

534 presumed theists and 1 brave nontheist. Will the next nontheistic Member(s) of Congress please make themselves known now?

Hair Today

It's been a while since I have posted a recent photo of myself here. Well, here we go. The beard's back for no other reason than sheer laziness. It won't last.

The other hair? It hasn't been cut all year, as I'm thinking about letting the 'fro return. Hell, Sammy Hagar still looks good with long hair, and he has over a decade on me!

And no, I don't color my hair. It looks darker in the winter (especially indoors) because it's lost the sun-fading exposure and it contrasts with my lighter untanned flesh. The skin will get darker and the hair will get lighter (and longer) as summer beckons!

Missing: God

Most of my misdirected mail is quite ignorant -- after all, they have the wrong "Mon!" But this one is ignorant on so many levels. Read on, then read my commentary:

-----Original Message-----
From: ******@aol.com
To: Mon@aol.com
Sent: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 2:19 PM
Subject: New Dollar Coin

The new $1.00 coin with the picture of George Washington on it does not contain the words, "In God We Trust". A quick search of the other coin denominations in your collection will confirm that every one containes these faithful words.

The new George Washington $1.00 coin is the first money ever issued by the USA in modern history without the words "In God We Trust". By omitting these words, our politically correct, secularist leaders made a conscientious decision that either; 1) God does not exist, or 2) that God exists, but can no longer be trusted.

I am personally offended and fed up with the denigration of God and Christianity in my country.
I am certain George Washington would never have agreed to his picture on the coin if it any way diminished faith in God.

What can we do to show our displeasure? First of all, let's boycott the coin. Do not ask for it at banks. If it is given to you in change ask for dollar bills instead and tell the person why. Write your Senators stating your displeasure. Finally, if you agree, pass this e-mail on to others.

Collectively, we must send a strong message to those secularists who are trying to remove God from our culture. If we do this, some 300 million $1.00 coins will back up and rot in the supply chain! To GOD be the glory!

Whew. There's a lot of these "conspiracy-theorist theist" emails going around now. What's peculiar is that no one seems up in arms about what else is missing: The word "Liberty" and the original national motto of the US: "E Pluribus Unum." Never mind that stuff, where's God? It's a shame that so many cling to "In God We Trust" and ignore the beautiful and inclusive symbolism of "E Pluribus Unum." E Pluribus Unum ("One from Many") is on the Great Seal of the United States, which is as old as the US itself.

Actually, these slogans are not missing: they have been moved (demoted?) to the edge of the new dollar coin (except for "Liberty," which remains personified by the Statue of Liberty on the reverse coin side). Some of these coins have smooth edges -- no text at all -- but these were the result of a minting error, and are now highly valued collector's items.

Think about it: E Pluribus Unum. With all our differences, we are one people, one nation. Now think about "In God We Trust." Huh? We don't trust in our conscience, our intellect, our family and friends, but we trust in a supernatural deity? And who's "We?" And what's this doing on public currency, anyway? This is no more appropriate than "In Allah We Trust" or "In Vishnu We Trust" or even "In No God We Trust."

While various laws have placed "In God We Trust" on some US currency since religious-hysteria 1860s Civil War days, it was ordered on all US currency during religious-hysteria 1950s Cold War days (the same zeitgeist that added "Under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance). A Constitutional showdown on this issue may be underway soon, as this violates the separation of church (the religious "In God We Trust") and state (public currency).

Let's restore "E Pluribus Unum" as our national motto, and retire "In God We Trust."