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Hello, heretics! Time for the first Morning Heresy news roundup of the Biden administration. It's pretty much the same thing, just less Trump stuff probably. Today's episode, "Without the Aid of Tear Gas." Thread time! https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/without-the-aid-of-tear-gas/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=morning%20heresy
There’s lots of good news for science & reason with the new POTUS. But because we’re a bunch of stuffy smartypants buzzkills, we do need to raise our objection to the MASSIVE amount of god-talk at the inauguration & surrounding ceremonies @jackmjenkins: https://religionnews.com/2021/01/20/for-president-joe-biden-an-inauguration-filled-with-faith/
Yesterday we tweeted, "It is unfortunate that these messages of unity do not acknowledge nonreligious Americans. So many calls for prayer—and the presumption of religious belief—exclude us." https://twitter.com/center4inquiry/status/1351946199247552515
"… there’s a distinction between expressions of personal faith and the weaponization of faith. We can presume the best of intentions from the new White House. But the best way to deal with religious faith at government ceremonies is to leave it out."
Jim Underdown lamented the same in his latest “Ask the Atheist” column: “I dream of an America where national political ceremonies don’t actively exclude 30–50 million (maybe more) citizens who don’t believe in god, grace, souls or miracles.” https://centerforinquiry.org/blog/one-nation-above-god/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=morning%20heresy
I don’t know whether the musical revue at the end of the evening counted as a government ceremony, but that Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard “Undivided” song literally had the line, “Yup, you either go to church or you’re gonna go to Hell.”
Oh! How nice! I feel undivided already.
Oh! How nice! I feel undivided already.
Okay some more CFI stuff, and then we’ll get to some of the better new-president news.
Tonight, tonight, tonight, we’re gonna make it right, because we’ll have Maria Konnikova on Skeptical Inquirer Presents! It’s free! 7pm ET! Go sign up now. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Li-g72gXQJCiem1MNYaj5g
Tonight, tonight, tonight, we’re gonna make it right, because we’ll have Maria Konnikova on Skeptical Inquirer Presents! It’s free! 7pm ET! Go sign up now. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Li-g72gXQJCiem1MNYaj5g
At Skeptical Inquirer: The Website™, Rob Palmer has the second part of his interview with Ross Blocher of "Oh No, Ross and Carrie!" discussing Flat-Earthers, firewalking, and urine-drinking. Wait, what? https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/oh-no-its-ross-blocher-part-ii/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=morning%20heresy
In his speech, President Biden said a few good things about our favorite values, like reason, facts, and truth. No mention of science, but he talks about that a lot otherwise. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/01/20/biden-inauguration-speech/
The president put us back into the Paris Climate Agreement.
@eilperin @StevenMufson @brady_dennis:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/01/20/biden-climate-change-inauguration/
The president scrapped the Muslim ban ( @ayshabkhan)
https://religionnews.com/2021/01/20/the-nuke-we-survived-american-muslims-breathe-sigh-of-relief-after-travel-ban-reversal/
... which CFI opposed from the get-go. https://centerforinquiry.org/press_releases/trump-muslim-travel-ban/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=morning%20heresy
@eilperin @StevenMufson @brady_dennis:https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/01/20/biden-climate-change-inauguration/
The president scrapped the Muslim ban
( @ayshabkhan) https://religionnews.com/2021/01/20/the-nuke-we-survived-american-muslims-breathe-sigh-of-relief-after-travel-ban-reversal/
... which CFI opposed from the get-go. https://centerforinquiry.org/press_releases/trump-muslim-travel-ban/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=morning%20heresy
In so doing, we did get our nod from the new boss. “[The Muslim ban was] a stain on our national conscience and are inconsistent with our long history of welcoming people of all faiths and no faith at all.” https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/proclamation-ending-discriminatory-bans-on-entry-to-the-united-states/
PLUS: Biden reinforced Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 addressing LGBTQ discrimination, implemented a mask mandate on federal property, and issued a “100 days masking challenge” for Americans. By @AishvaryaKavi https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/20/us/biden-executive-orders.html
Dr. Fauci led the delegation bringing the U.S. back into the World Health Organization. @PaulSchemm:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/fauci-coronavirus-biden-trump-who/2021/01/21/22467be6-5bce-11eb-a849-6f9423a75ffd_story.html
Good news, but the WHO is not perfect: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2019/09/quackery-at-who-a-chinese-affair/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=morning%20heresy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/fauci-coronavirus-biden-trump-who/2021/01/21/22467be6-5bce-11eb-a849-6f9423a75ffd_story.html
Good news, but the WHO is not perfect: https://skepticalinquirer.org/2019/09/quackery-at-who-a-chinese-affair/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=morning%20heresy
QAnon cultists are reeling over the fact that everything went as it was supposed to yesterday, with no mass executions or tribunals. By @drewharwell & @craigtimberg.
“It simply doesn’t make sense that we all got played.” No, I actually think it does. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/20/qanon-trump-era-ends/
“It simply doesn’t make sense that we all got played.” No, I actually think it does. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/20/qanon-trump-era-ends/
Bad news: The Trump team got a rule in under the wire allowing SBA to give loans to religious businesses “engaged in teaching, instructing, counseling or indoctrinating religion or religious beliefs, whether in a religious or secular setting.” @Post_AG: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/01/20/sba-faith-based-loans/
Can we actually download the CIA’s UFO files? @snopes confirms, yes. They even include a “request for an identification of a ‘Space Message'”!!! https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/cia-files-ufos/
China’s efforts to discredit American vaccines are now “turbocharged” and apparently Don Rumsfeld is part of an evil coronavirus plot. Now that's a known unknown. @gerryshih: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/vaccines-coronavirus-china-conspiracy-theories/2021/01/20/89bd3d2a-5a2d-11eb-a849-6f9423a75ffd_story.html
There's more to see at the blog, but we'll stop there. Have a good Thor's Day, all.
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Get all the news relevant to the secular, skeptic, and reality-based communities delivered to your inbox every weekday (more or less)! Subscribe at https://centerforinquiry.org/newsletter/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=morning%20heresy
