If you’ve returned to this blog page more than once, congratulations. You’re an intelligent reader. At least, that’s what my computer’s editor says. When I compose, I’m forever being red flagged for sentences that are too long and paragraphs that are too complex. So being on this site makes you stand head and shoulders above the crowd.
Yes, I could shorten my sentences and dumb down my paragraphs, but as Bartleby the Scrivener likes to say, “I would prefer not to.” So thank you for reading this far, especially the many of you who live in France, which my analytics page says you do. This statistic doesn’t surprise me, but it would surprise my high school French teacher. A native speaker, he gave me a D in the language. I bear him no grudge, however. I still watch an occasional French film.
My computer’s editor doesn’t care for my subject matter, either. I tend to be an eclectic reader and so I write disparate blogs. Being an atheist, for example, I sometimes comment on articles from, Freethought Today, a bulletin FFFR publishes monthly. The last edition announced Media Bias, a site which keeps tabs on truth tellers in journalism, lists Freethought Today as among the least biased of all the publications they rate.
True! I could hardly believe it myself. What’s more, as a political figure who advocated to put church properties on the tax rolls, I rejoiced at an article from its August edition. (“in The News,” pg. 8) Apparently, buried deep within the national budget lies a new provision that will jolt Donald Trump’s Evangelical base. Next year, churches are obliged “to pay a 21% tax on some types of fringe benefits they provide to employees.” The regulation will cost a pretty penny and no doubt stir up a hornet’s nest.
Meanwhile, Christian nationalism plots its steady progress. (Ibid pg. 6-7) Their goal is to print “In God We Trust” on everything from toothpaste to tampons. It will be an uphill battle, I suspect, as the country is moving in a more inclusive direction. Most citizens, for example, “don’t support allowing gay Americans to be denied services because of the religious convictions of the business owner.” (Ibid pg. 8.) Even Ireland, that bastion of Catholicism, has a measure on its upcoming ballot to abolish blasphemy laws. It appears to have a good chance of passing, too. (Ibid pg. 8.)
If you’ve read this far, by the way, it’s time for a second round of applause. You’ve proved you have an open mind.
(Originally published 8/29/18)
