The Electronic Frontier Foundation ( http://www.eff.org ) receintly turned 15 years old has been a steadfast friend in keeping the internet free and protecting our online rights. If not for the EFF we wouldn't be enjoying the liberties and freedoms we have today. Over the last 15 years EFF has done an extraordinary job with a small staff and a tight budget.
In these days of multiple hurricanes and disasters I am concerned that people might forget organizations like EFF and donate all their money to other causes that are getting more attention. However - EFF is extremely important and that in the long run our online freedom is something we dare not put at risk because we are focusing on other issues.
So although I care about a lot of things, I'm going to donate to EFF and make sure that they don't get forgotten in a world of overlaping disasters. I would like to help do the things that EFF does, but they do it so much better. So by donating to them I feel like I am hiring them to support the causes and issues that are important to me. So as we approach the end of the year I'd like others to join me and support EFF so that we can continue to keep the Internet in the hands of the people.
Tom Dalay pranced into court demanding the judge recuse himself because he's a Democrat. In Texas judges are elected and all of them are either Democrats or Republicans. So the fact that the judge is a Democrat in Texas doesn't mean the same thing as other states that prohibit judges from being involved in politics.
What Delay screwed himself is that the judge ruled that another judge should make the decision about his recusal. What this means is that he will eventually get a hearing and have to wait maybe 90 days and if Delay wins then he'll get a new judge that may also be a Democrat. Similarly, if a Republican is appointed then the Prosecutor in theory could also ask for a new judge.
In the mean time the charges sit there and Delay is hobbled. Delay won't be back at his job at least until this is resolved and it's not going to proceed while they are arguing about who the judge is going to be. In the mean time my pld buddy Roy Blunt will get used to having Delay's job and is unlikely to hand it back to him if Delay wins down the line. The bottom line is Delay has already lost no matter what the outcome is at this point.
Letter to the Editor
During the nomination of John Roberts various Republican related groups were running TV ads supporting Roberts and saying that he shouldn't be required to answer questions. The also demanded an up or down vote on the nomination. Now Harriet Miers is the nominee and I don't see the Republicans running ads urging that she get a fair process. It seems the Republicans have a different process for nominees they like and nominees they don't like. If Roberts was urged not to answer questions an get and up or down vote then why should Miers nomination process be different? After all - this isn't the first Bush crony sent to the Senate for approval.
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I think the real reason Bush appointed Miers is because he needs someone he can call from jail who will get him out.
PRESS RELEASE: Date 10-19-2005
From: Marc Perkel
Founder / First one - Church of Reality
http://www.churchofreality.org
CONTACT: marc@perkel.com
TITLE: The Church of Reality get IRS non-profit recognition
The Church of Reality announces today that it has received 501(C)3 Tax Exempt IRS status. The IRS called today to confirm that the approval had been granted and that the paperwork will be sent in the next few days. The approval process taking nearly 2 years is finally complete after a long and complex process.
There were several complications with the Church of Reality getting it's approval relating to technical definitions as to what constitutes a "Church". Definitions of words mean different things to different organizations. The CoR recently amended it's application to apply as a religious organization rather than a Church to fit into IRS guidelines. A Church - according to the IRS - is a building where wedding a funerals are performed - where people get together - where there is a youth program, etc. As a new religion that was created on the Internet the CoR didn't yet fit this model and this created confusion in the approval process requiring the application be transferred to Washington for further scrutiny. The IRS is skeptical of Internet based churches.
Although the IRS looks closely at the religion itself it turned out that at no tome was the belief system an issue. There is no requirement that a religion worship a fictional deity in order to qualify as a religion. Much of the delay in processing was due to the IRS staff being overworked as agents are reassigned to investigate Islamic religious groups to see if they are funding terrorists.
CoR founder Marc Perkel says, "This is a big step forward for the Church of Reality. We could have become a church without applying for IRS status and that is perfectly legal. However we wanted to go through the process to demonstrate that we are a credible organization and that everything is legitimate. There is a psychological component to promoting a new religion and even though it's not required, to have IRS status creates the appearance of legitimacy. It shows that the CoR intends to be a major player in the competition for the religious mind space."
The Church of Reality is a religion based on believing in everything that is real. What makes it a religion is that what a person believes in is a personal choice. Most people choose to believe in some sort of fictional based religion. A Realist who practices Realism is someone who has dedicated himself to the pursuit of reality the way it really is and is committed to evangelizing reality to move society in a reality based direction. Realism is a doubt based rather than a faith based religion where truth is purified through scrutiny.
Information on the belief system of the Church of Reality can be found on the their web site at http://www.churchofreatity.org
Letter to the Editor
Many people are asking, "Is God punishing America for its sins?" Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan declared that God was punishing America for attacking Iraq. TV Preachers Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell often declares Florida hurricanes is the wrath of God for being pro gay. But is it God who's punishing America or is Reality itself punishing America?
Warm water in the Gulf of Mexico causes more and stronger hurricanes. Ignoring warnings that terrorists are about to attack leads to terrorists being successful. Going to war with Iraq for reason that turned out to be lies leads to a drop in America's trustworthiness and empowers our enemies. Having incompetent political cronies in charge of FEMA leads to hundreds of deaths. A nation spending more than it earns leads to bankruptcy. And overpopulation leads to resource shortages.
It is not God but Reality that is punishing America. We are a nation who has turned our back on reality and allowed our nation to be run by a Christian cult who envisions the future in the destruction of the world and is advancing the cause of Armageddon though a reckless disregard for the principles of cause and effect. If we are going to turn America around we are going to have to put Realists in charge who put reality first when making the important decisions that affect us all. Now that we've seen the devastation that is caused by ignoring reality I think it's time for America to come home to the real world.
Letter to the Editor
It's seems that Iraq has passed it's constitution - or have they? More people voted for the constitution than there were registered voters in some areas. Some people might disagree wether or not a constitution approved by a rigged vote is legitimate. But there's one think I think we can agree on - that Iraq has an American style democracy.
Letter to the Editor
President Bush this week touted Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers as being an evangelical Christian in order to send a signal to his base that the "fix is in" and that he knows how she will vote on issues like Abortion and the Separation of Church and State. But can this nominee serve two masters? Is she going to put the Constitution ahead of her religious beliefs as required by her oath of office? Or is she going to substitute her religious beliefs for the law as her fellow evangelicals expect?
As the founder of the Church of Reality I find it disturbing that the president appears to be part of a plot to undermine our basic freedoms and shift power to a small cabal of Christians who feel that they own America. We Realists have a big problem with the mixed messages and the level of deception that is going on around this nominee. America has turned it's back on reality and it's time to question whether or not we should accept this nomination based on our faith in President Bush.