Your Need To Know

As a follow up to my earlier post about the American Humanist Association advertising on the Washington DC Metro Transit buses. Here is a recent article from the DC Examiner.

Metro Fields Hundreds of Complaints About Bus Ads

by Kytja Weir
Examiner Staff Writer 12/3/08

Hundreds of people have fired off complaints to Metro for running an ad campaign on its buses that questions the belief in God.

The transit system said the controversial ads have solicited just one compliment, while receiving 251 complaints.

“Why believe in a god?” say the American Humanist Association ads that went up on a handful of buses two weeks ago and inside the buses on Monday. “Just be good for goodness’ sake.”

The ads have sparked more ire than usual for Metro, said agency spokeswoman Candace Smith, even though advertising on buses and in stations has long been a legal morass for transit systems nationwide.

“As a public agency, Metro must observe the First Amendment with respect to the acceptance of commercial advertising,” Smith said. “Although we understand that feelings and perceptions will vary among individuals within the community, we cannot reject advertising because an individual, or group, finds it inappropriate or offensive.”

The transit system has lost lawsuits when it refused to run ads. It had to run posters suggesting that President Ronald Reagan led a “jelly bean republic” after losing a court decision in 1984.

Since then, Metro has allowed many campaigns that spark complaints, including recent ads for the “Fallout 3″ video game that some deemed too violent. The transit agency’s ads cannot be factually misleading or false, nor can they violate laws or incite violence, Smith said. Profanity is also out. Everything else must be accepted.

For some, though, even the questioning of the existence of a god translates to obscenity. One person wrote to Metro, “That ad is obscene to me!? I wouldn’t want my children reading that.”

Another wrote of plans to complain to the American Civil Liberties Union on grounds that the ads violate a separation of church and state by a publicly funded organization.

The local branch of the ACLU said it had not received complaints about the campaign, nor would the free-speech advocates likely take on the case as they have successfully sued to keep such advertising open.

“The principle is as old as the hills,” said Fritz Mulhauser, staff attorney for the ACLU of the National Capital Area. “If Metro opens its space and walls to advertising, it cannot pick and choose.”

It’s not clear how many of those who complained actually ride the Metro system, as all but five complaints arrived via e-mail. One signed an e-mail as a “D.C. resident, Metro rider, and ‘BELIEVER’ in God,” while another writer acknowledged, “I have never had the privilege to actually visit Washington, D.C.”

Some of the letter writers said they learned of the campaign from FOXNews.com or AOL and wrote in before the ads appeared on any buses.

The American Humanist Association began running 20 ads on the backs and sides of Metro buses starting Nov. 17 in Northwest and Southeast. Another 200 ads, which run inside behind the drivers’ seats, began Monday.

On Sunday, the Beltway Atheists plan to piggyback on the campaign and give out sweaters to homeless people in Dupont Circle to kick off of a week-long “be good for goodness’ sake” program.

The controversy has been a boon for the D.C. nonprofit American Humanist Association, which spent less than $12,000 on the bus ads. Since starting the campaign, 638 new members have signed up, spokesman Fred Edwords said. Traffic to its Web site spiked, Edwords said, and donors contributed thousands of dollars.

Metro spokeswoman Smith said the number of complaints represents a small fraction of its ridership, which averages more than a million trips on buses and trains daily.

“Do we think we’re losing customers over this?” Smith said. “I doubt it.”

She said Metro responds to each complaint, urging those who complain to contact the advertiser directly. Or, she said, “They can pony up money for counter advertising.”

She said no groups have contacted the agency to buy ads in response to the campaign, which ends in late December.

Technorati Tags: Humanism, American Humanist Association

By ERIC GORSKI, Associated Press Religion Writer

You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars.

Ads proclaiming, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday.

In lifting lyrics from “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas.

“We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you,” said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group. “Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion.”

To that end, the ads and posters will include a link to a Web site that will seek to connect and organize like-minded thinkers in the D.C. area, Edwords said.

Edwords said the purpose isn’t to argue that God doesn’t exist or change minds about a deity, although “we are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people’s minds.”

The group defines humanism as “a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity.”

Last month, the British Humanist Association caused a ruckus announcing a similar campaign on London buses with the message: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

In Washington, the humanists’ campaign comes as conservative Christian groups gear up their efforts to keep Christ in Christmas. In the past five years, groups such as the American Family Association and the Catholic League have criticized or threatened boycotts of retailers who use generic “holiday” greetings.

In mid-October, the American Family Association started selling buttons that say “It’s OK to say Merry Christmas.” The humanists’ entry into the marketplace of ideas did not impress AFA president Tim Wildmon.

“It’s a stupid ad,” he said. “How do we define ‘good’ if we don’t believe in God? God in his word, the Bible, tells us what’s good and bad and right and wrong. If we are each ourselves defining what’s good, it’s going to be a crazy world.”

Also on Tuesday, the Orlando, Fla.-based Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian legal group, launched its sixth annual “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign.” Liberty Counsel has intervened in disputes over nativity scenes and government bans on Christmas decorations, among other things.

“It’s the ultimate grinch to say there is no God at a time when millions of people around the world celebrate the birth of Christ,” said Mathew Staver, the group’s chairman and dean of the Liberty University School of Law. “Certainly, they have the right to believe what they want but this is insulting.”

Best-selling books by authors such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have fueled interest in “the new atheism” — a more in-your-face argument against God’s existence.

Yet few Americans describe themselves as atheist or agnostic; a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life poll from earlier this year found 92 percent of Americans believe in God.

There was no debate at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority over whether to take the ad. Spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said the agency accepts ads that aren’t obscene or pornographic.

Published in San Francisco Chronicle 11-11-08

The American Humanist Association wants to raise public awareness of humanism and raise controversy. I certainly believe this will do it. Humanists don’t need supernatural explanations for their life here on earth. They do not believe in any God or any afterlife. Their new web site for this effort is whybelieveinagod.org. While this group has a right to their advertisements, I am offended by their use of Christmas music to do so. My opinion.

Yes, I also believe in being good - being good because we were given the Godly ability to know right from wrong. Because it is the Godly thing.  I must agree with the 92 percent of Americans who believe in God.  There is no other explanation for me.  That’s why we are Godlike.  That’s why we have a Soul-our own Godliness given only to mankind.  What is your opinion?  Leave a comment and speak your mind.

Gina

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Humanism

I did what you told me…

I sent the e-mail to 10 people like you said….

I’m still waiting for this miracle to happen!

To all my friends who in the last year sent me best wishes, chain letters, angel letters or other promises of good luck if I forwarded something…. That CRAP didn’t work!

This year could you just send money, vodka, or gas vouchers please.

Which brings me to the subject of this post:

E-Mail Etiquette

The slightly humorous photo and caption above represents an e-mail I recently received from a friend. Now, I appreciate a good joke and a good laugh as much as the next person. As a matter of fact, I have written about the benefits of having some humor in your life every day. And I certainly believe in regular communication with our friends. But sometimes there is just too much ‘crap’ in our in-box. I didn’t mind receiving this e-mail, nor was I offended by it. But since I was already workiing on an article about e-mail etiquette, I thought I would include it.

Here is a brief ‘E-Mail Etiquette Guide’

• Don’t forward ‘chain letter’ e-mails. They are annoying and they take up space. Although they seem to be a fact of life, the internet is glutted with them. They attempt to play on the wishes and fears of the recipients (with good fortune, money, etc.) and many succeed.
• Don’t send unsolicited e-mails. We all get tons of “spam” e-mails these days. Most of them are from people we don’t know. But receiving too many e-mails from friends and family might be annoying. You might cause them to ignore any e-mail from you. It’s a good idea to ask before sending jokes, links, or other unsolicited e-mail to friends. You will probably find some will say “no.”
• Don’t YELL. Don’t write IN ALL CAPS. It’s not nice to shout and it takes longer to read an e-mail written this way.
• Don’t leave the subject line blank. This is more important to many peole than you might imagine. It could also be cause for your e-mail not being read. When we are cruising through the junk in our in-box, we are looking at the subject as much as who sent it. Use a “relevant” subject title that is pertinent to the message.
• Don’t overpuntuate. Six exclamation marks are not necessary to get your point across!!!!!! Use emphasis when necessary, just don’t overdo it.
• Don’t overlook grammar and spelling. Turn on the spell checker. Poor grammar and spelling (and typo’s) can be a bad reflection on you. This is especially important when sending business e-mail.

While there are many more Do’s and Don’ts, these are the basics of e-mail etiquette. These things are even more important when using business e-mail or sending correspondance from your workplace. Just remember:

You are communicatng with another person. Be nice. Be courteous. Realize the other person may not have the same feelings or etiquette toward e-mail as you. E-mail is a great thing. Keep it great.

Gina