Looking for a good podcast to listen to.  Check our Dogma Free America.

Newest episode is an interview with Rob Sherman.  There are many great shows.

Stop giving our money to churches.  Rob Sherman is filing a challenge to over $2.3 Billion in unconstitutional Illinois State grants.  That’s right….. $2.3 Billion of tax payer dollars going to some of the biggest money makers out there – churches.  Check this example out….

State Representative LaShawn Ford (D-08) voted to send a Grant of $500,000 (see Page 129 of the Details List) to Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School, a Roman Catholic parochial high school on the West Side of Chicago, for a new building.  LaShawn is a Member of the Board of Trustees of Christ the King.

Our taxes from money we worked hard to earn – given to a church.  LaShawn Ford is on the Board.  This is awful.  Not only is it illegal – it is wrong.

I figure we could get rid of the entire Illinois debt in a few short years if we stop giving free money to churches.

From the Camp Quest Web Site.

“Helen Kagin, co-founder of Camp Quest, died on February 17, 2010 at age 76. Helen was an amazing woman, and she will be greatly missed by the entire Camp Quest community. Through her work with Camp Quest, Helen gave children from nontheistic families a place to belong. In honor of Helen’s legacy we are establishing the Helen Kagin Memorial Campership Fund. The Kagin Fund will provide free or reduced registration fees at any Camp Quest camp for campers with financial need.”  

You can donate to the Helen Kagin Memorial Campership Fund through the paypal button on the Camp Quest web site, or by mailing a check to Camp Quest, Inc.; P.O. Box 2552; Columbus, OH 43216 and writing “Kagin Fund” in the memo.

I had the great pleasure of staying at the Kagin house last year just before the 300 went to the creation museum.  Helen and Edwin were wonderful hosts and treated us like family.  It is a memory I will hold close to my heart.  Helen – You will be missed.

Now About Camp Quest…

It’s not too early to think about summer camp, especially if it’s Camp Quest.  Camp Quest is camp for children who hold a natural view of the world.  The country’s first secular camp, Camp Quest started in 1996 and over the years has grown from one location to a network of eight partnered with National Camp Quest in Ohio. Just think of it, camp without Kumbaya, god’s eyes, and altar calls. A camp that makes a kid feel good about who he or she is. No ridicule, no chastising, no guilt!

Camp Quest is not just a week of fun for your kids, it is good for them. Why? Because they get to spend the week where their belief in a natural world is not ridiculed, their ability to think critically is enhanced and encouraged, they will meet some awesome kids from all over the country, and they get to do a lot of cool stuff!

I know someone quite special who went last summer and she can’t wait to get back there this summer.  The other someone quite special I know can’t wait to go this year and see what he missed out on last year.

Camp Quest is for kids 8-17, so check out www.camp-quest.org  for dates, locations, registration information and fees.

In college? Have a free week? You can also learn about volunteering or being a camp counselor.

Have a few bucks lying around? It’s a new year and if you haven’t allotted all your funds for this year yet, Camp Quest is a great place to share the wealth.

This is the tragic story of parents that beat their child to death.  The parents home schooled their kids and kept strict order by beating them with a 15″ rubber tube.  They would often beat the kids for hours at a time.   It appears that they beat their children so much that it caused kidney failure.  They seemed to think it was OK.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said that statements by the parents confirm that they were followers of a fundamentalist religious philosophy that espouses corporal punishment to “train” children to be more obedient to their parents and God.

Well it does say it is good in the bible. (Proverbs 23)

¹³ Do not withhold discipline from a child;   if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.  ¹⁴ Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

So if you want to “save” your kids – ya gotta beat them.  Maybe the problem was that they used a tube and not a rod?

John Loftus and Dinesh D’sousa debate audio is now available.

Give it a listen and post your comments.

(Tip to PZ)

Teach The Controversy.  This poor guy can’t win.

This is what happens when you start to play with the facts.

(Tip to Rebecca)

Last fall the sweet and innocent Desiree Jennings went in for a harmless flu shot.  Then she got sick real sick…

I got flu-like symptoms — nausea, vomiting, body aches, fever — then was lethargic for a week and started blacking out

She was diagnosed with dystonia.  She claims that it was from the shot.

Here is a video analysis of her situation.

Well, the news hounds at inside edition followed Desiree around.  Guess what…..  She is all better.  I guess the pee worked (see above video).  However, the bizarre side effect – she now has a really bad accent.

Review of Bill Maher’s new HBO special.

As long as he stays away from Anti-Vax and a some other crazy ideas he has – I love him.

Sounds like he really got going near the end, I love this part of the review…

One of his best bits in Saturday’s show was when he spoke to those who ask him why he’s always attacking religion, claiming “…it gives people comfort and doesn’t hurt anything..” “well…”, he starts “Other than, most wars, the crusades, the inquisition, 911, arranged marriages to minors, blowing up girls schools, the suppression of women and homosexuals, fatwas, ethnic cleansing, honor rape, human sacrifice, burning witches, suicide bombing, condoning slavery and the systematic f*ing of children…I’ve got a few problems.”

Really?  This is on TV.  How stupid is the average American?  Uh – wait don’t answer that.  So Dr. Oz is a real doctor but he now pimps Reiki!  This smug TV salesman is duping millions of Americans.  How can he call himself a doctor?  So Sad.

The story is a few days old but, New Zealand is very far away .

Scoop Health covered the story of a mass overdose of homeopathic remedies.  The New Zealand Council of Homeopaths spokeswoman (What? They have a spokeswoman?) admitted that…

There’s not one molecule of the original substance remaining

How fantastic!  I think we may need to do one of these in the USA.  I know who should organize it.  The JREF!  The James Randi Educational Foundation.  Are you listening DJ Grothe?  I can see it now… All across America 1,000′s of people take an over dose of Homeopathic stuff and we see what happens.