An Atheist Ad

[The following is an article from the June 25, 2009 New York Times City Room Blogs by DANIEL SLOTNIK, I thought I'd share]



Advertisements proselytizing toothpaste and jeans do not make us question our beliefs. But a series of posters on city buses promoting atheism is intended to do just that.

An Atheist Bus Campaign has arrived in New York. The ads, which say “You don’t have to believe in God to be a moral and ethical person,” underscored by the URL for the New York City Atheists Inc. Web site, will appear on about 20 city buses.

Ken Bronstein, the president of New York City Atheists, a New York affiliate of American Atheists, planned the commercials. He said the posters will only run on Manhattan bus lines, and some members of his organization had already noticed them.

The ads will remain on buses for about a month and will be officially introduced at a news conference on Saturday at Columbus Circle in front of the Time Warner Center at 1 p.m.

“This was a test campaign,” Mr. Bronstein said, adding that he hoped to expand the commercials to the other boroughs in two to three months.

The New York commercials were inspired by the first Atheist Bus Campaign in London last January. They were put on 800 buses in response to a campaign by a Christian group whose relatively innocuous messages contained a URL for a Web site that warned that nonbelievers would “spend all eternity in torment.”

The New York messages are not in response to any such statements, but merely intended to build on what creators believe was the success of the London campaign. Mr. Bronstein said it was something of a challenge to draft a message that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York deemed acceptable.

“I had to be very careful in what they would accept,” Mr. Bronstein said. It took time “to find a statement that we thought was positive, it wasn’t bashing religion and it wasn’t huge.”

Joseph Zwilling, the director of communications for the Archdiocese of New York, said the ads were not offensive in the Catholic Church’s view, given their wording.

“It’s a free country, and they’re allowed to say whatever they want on the side of buses,” Mr. Zwilling said. “They’re not attacking or disparaging the Church as far as I can see.”

Mr. Zwilling said the archdiocese occasionally runs ads in the transit system, usually on the subway. He said the ads “were designed more to invite Catholics back to the practice of their faith.”

The advertisements cost more than $10,000 and were paid for by an anonymous donor.

Jane Everhart, the director of communications for New York City Atheists, said that one goal of the campaign was to increase membership.

Mr. Bronstein said he was more focused on establishing “atheist pride” and promoting acceptance of atheism.

“I’ve had people call me in tears, and tell me they thought they’d never see a sign promoting atheism in New York,” he said.

Mr. Bronstein said he thought American society was opening up to atheism because of a series of events he referred to as an “atheism awakening,” like the publication of best-sellers on atheism by writers like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.

But the moment he was certain atheism was acceptable was when he heard President Obama’s inaugural address, which included a reference to “nonbelievers” among an enumeration of various religions.

Ms. Everhart thought it was about time.

“People who are religious have been advertising for generations,” she said. “But atheists never have. We have not come out, and this is part of our coming out.”

Rizal Day moved to June 19

I'd like to share this article from Manila Bulletin which was also shared to me by Dean Jorge Bocobo..

By BEN ROSARIO June 19, 2009, 6:24pm. The century old practice of observing Rizal Day on Dr. Jose Rizal’s death anniversary is expected to end soon following the final- reading approval of a bill moving the national holiday to June 19, the national hero’s birth date.Before adjourning its regular session early this month, the Lower House disposed of House Bill 5408, unanimously approving the measure on third and final reading and sending it to the Senate for its action.HB 5408 seeks to amend the Administrative Code of 1987 to move the annual observance of Rizal Day from December 30, the date of his execution, to his birthdate.

Authored by a group of solons led by Reps. Raul T. Gonzales Jr. (Lakas-Kampi, Iloilo) and Jaime Lopez (Lakas-Kampi, Manila), approval of the measure was supported by the National Historical Institute which disclosed that the December 30 observance of Rizal Day traces its historical roots to a decree issued on December 20, 1898 by President Emilio Aguinaldo.

NHI Chairman Ambeth R. Ocampo said the decree actually declared December 30 of each year as a day of national mourning and was intended to honor Rizal and other Filipino patriots during the Spanish period.According to Ocampo, Rizal Day was declared one of the official holidays of the country with the enactment of Act No. 245 of the Philippine Commission. It was signed on February 1, 1902. Ocampo supported Gonzales’ contention that commemorating June 19 as Rizal Day is more appropriate, considering that birth anniversaries are celebrated than the death anniversary of heroes.

“The NHI maintains that the observance of Rizal Day should be done on June 19, his actual date of birth. If Rizal Day is observed on June 19, classes have just started and students would be able to actively participate in the commemorative activities,” said Ocampo.

On the other hand, Lopez noted that the Rizal’s death alone did not trigger the 1896 revolution that Filipinos thought catapulted the country to independence. “It was his life-long accomplishments done during his lifetime that inspired and pushed us Filipinos to fight and work for our greatness as a race,” Lopez said.Other authors of the bill include Reps. Justin Chipeco (NP, Laguna); Ma. Victoria Sy-Alvarado (Lakas, Bulacan) and Ma. Evita Arago (LP, Laguna).“It is only proper, and it is about time that the country bestows this great man with deference and honor by marking the day of his birth as a National Holiday, and to call it ‘The National Hero Day,” said Chipeco, who represents Calamba City, Dr. Rizal‘s birthplace.

AN UNBIASED OUTCRY.. An excerpt

Ako ay isang middle class pinoy, isang officer sa isang malakingkorporasyon at may asawa...dalawa anak. Di na importante pangalan kokasi parepareho naman tayong mga middle-class....trabaho 9-5, inom konti tapos uwi sa pamilya, laruin si baby, itutor si ate/kuya tapos tulog na,pag wala na pera intay nalang ng sweldo.Sa nangyayari ngayon sa ating bansa, lahat nalang ng sector ay maingayat naririnig, tayo lang mga middle-class, tax paying at productive Pinoysang di naririnig. Subalit, buwis natin ang nagpapaikot sa bansang ito.Pag may mga gulo na nangyayari, tayo ang tinatamaan. Kaya eto ang liham kosa lahat ng maiingay na sector na sana makagising sa inyong bulag na pag-iisip.

Sa Mga Politiko:- diyos ko naman, sa dami na nang nakurakot ninyo di na ba kayomakuntento kelangan nyo pa ba manggulo.

Sa Administrasyon:- hayan ayus na ha, pinatawad na namin ang pandaraya nyo sa eleksyon,pruweba dito e di kami umaatend sa mga panawagan ng people power, kayasana naman gantihan nyo kami ng magandang serbisyo at magaling na pamumunoat malaking bawas sa kurakot naman please para kahit papano maramdamannaman namin na may napupuntahan ang binabayad naming buwis.- saka Madam GMA, step down ka na pag parliamentary na tayo sa 2007,tingnan mo, i-announce mo mag-step down ka kapag parliamentary na tayo,resounding YES yan sa plebiscite at tigil pa ang mga coup at people power labansayo. Try mo lang.........

Sa Oposisyon:- di nyo pa ba nakikita na dalawang klase lang ng tao ang nakikinig sainyo....isa ay bayaran na mahihirap kung di man ay tangang mga excited na reporter na parang naka-shabu lagi....mga praning e at naghahallucinate.- Bago man lang kayo maglunsad ng kilos laban sa administrasyon,pumili muna kayo ng magiting at nararapat na ipapalit sa liderato ngayon.Hirap sa inyo paresign kayo ng paresign wala naman kayo ipapalit na maayos.Advise lang galing sa isang middle-class na syang tunay na puwersa salikod ng lahat ng matagumpay na People Power, magpakita muna kayo ng galing bago nyo batuhin ang administrasyon. Wala na kaming narinig sa inyo kundi reklamo, e wala naman kayong ginagawa kundi magreklamo....para kayong batang lagi na lang naaagawan ng laruan.....GROW UP naman...sa isip sa salita at sa gawa.- please lang gasgas na rin ang pagrarally nyo na katabi nyo ay mgabayaran na mahihirap, magtayo nalang kayo ng negosyo at iempleyo ang mgarallyista para maging productive silang mamamayan. Sige nga, pag nagrarally kayo yakapin nyo nga at halikan yang mga kasama nyong nagrarally!! NungPeople Power namin nagyayakapan kami lahat nuon.- Wala naman mangyayari sa mga rally nyo nakakatraffic lang, kami pangmiddle-class ang napeperwisyo. Di nyo kayang paghintayin ng 3 araw angmga rallyista nyo kasi kelangan nyo pakainin at swelduhan ang mga yan.Kung gusto nyo tagumpay na People Power kami ang isama nyo....pero pagod nakami e, sori ha.

Sa Military:Alam nyo lahat tayo may problema, pati US Army may problema, 2,000plus na patay sa kanila sa Iraq na parang walang rason naman, pero nakita nyoba sila nagreklamo? Wala diba kasi professional sila na sundalo.....yandapat ang sundalo di nagtatanong sumusunod lang. Kasi may mga bagay na dikayang maintindihan ng indibidwal lamang, at ang mga nakatataas lang angnakakaintindi ng kabuuan, kaya ito ang panuntunan ng lahat ng militaryng lahat ng bansa. Pero parang military natin yata ang pinaka-mareklamo.Sabi nga sa Spiderman "with great power comes great responsibility".....kaya maging spiderman kayo lahat at protektahan ang mamamayan. Sa totoolang natatakot kami kapag nagrereklamo kayo, kasi may baril kayo at tangke, kamiwala.Wala ako comment sa mga mahihirap, di naman kasi sila maingay na kusae, may bayad ang ingay nila.

Signed,Isang Middle-Class pinoy na walang puknat na binabawasan angsweldo ng Buwis!

AN EXCERPT

YoungBlood: Injustice of Law
By John Henry C. Liquete
Inquirer News Service

SOMEBODY asked: What do you call a thousand lawyers chained at the bottom of the ocean?
The reply was: A good start.

It is true that some lawyers have turned their backs from the real vision and reason for which lawyers exist.

I have nothing against lawyers. In fact, I hope to be one, someday; I am a now in my second-year law. But certainly I will not be the kind who will defile the temples of justice.

When the impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives ended, I found myself utterly disgusted with the way the law was used to hide the truth and, worse, make a mockery of justice. To my view, some lawyer-congressmen, by their behavior, disgraced the profession, which supposedly puts premium to integrity and justice.

As a law student, I always have been made to understand that laws are made to protect the innocent, serve the ends of justice and seek out the truth; and to allow an accused to defend himself, punish the guilty and discourage people from doing others wrong. I was also taught that our Constitution was formulated to protect the sanctity of the ballot and strengthen the institutions of democracy, among others. Indeed, our Constitution and our laws do not exist to conceal the truth, encourage wrongdoing and, least of all, suppress justice. And, certainly, they were not meant to be strictly interpreted in their technical and narrow sense, but in the context of justice, righteousness, decency, rectitude, and, most of all, integrity.

“Every instance of a man’s suffering the penalty of the law is an instance of the failure of that penalty in effecting its purpose which is to deter from transgression,” says Archbishop Richard Whately.

But hallelujah, laws have become effective in the Philippines because few suffer the penalty of the law and not because they discourage transgression. For example, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is getting away with a violation of law after just saying “I am sorry.”

Indeed, this example demonstrates how the law could be so easily abused -- ironically, many times as a means to committing an injustice.

Perhaps, why some lawyers don’t care a whit about tarnishing this noble profession could be explained by looking at the quality of law education they got. Most law schools today tend to guide their students into merely focusing on passing the bar and on memorizing laws, for a chance of attaching the initials A-T-T-Y before their names. Nothing about justice and the ends of the law is given due importance.

I am studying law not only because I want to become a lawyer but also because I am awed by its wondrous mechanisms and its power to uphold and celebrate justice, its real and ultimate objective. I want to become a lawyer because I want to play a significant role in promoting the cause of justice.

People may think I’m crazy because I have impossible dreams. But I believe and keep faith that someday this nation will overcome the difficulties it is grappling with right now, and soar high, with much to be proud of, in the eyes of the world. I believe and keep faith in the inner goodness of our people as the key in the transformation of society for the better. The evils we see in our society should not deter us from our pursuit of true justice. I believe lawyers should be among the first to do something to free this world from the debilitating grip of greed and injustice.
There will be those saying that I am not practical, that I am too far off from reality. These are probably the ones who have lost hope in our people. We have to revive that hope in them to create a society that is founded in and driven by idealism. A revolution in the heart and the mind is called for here. We need revolutionaries to persuade our citizens into becoming active participants in our nation’s quest for justice.

I’m 20 years old now. My age has absolutely nothing to do with my dreams. Young or old, age should never be an excuse for a person’s “state of idealism.”

Unfortunately, today’s politicians don’t listen to what we, the young, have to say; they would not hear the “hope of the fatherland.” Our cries, like our demand for Ms Arroyo’s resignation, have landed on deaf ears. When we air our discontent and voice our aspirations, people in government complain and label us as destabilizers, communists even. How can we light the flames of hope in our country if our voice remains unheard?

We appeal to the so-called leaders of our country: Lend your ears to us, we have a lot to say and a lot to suggest. If you really believe we are the hope of the future, as we often hear you say, then listen to us. (Many of us have become cynical and apathetic because of the callousness of many of our public officials.)

When I get my law degree, I may be familiar with the law and jurisprudence. But when I step out into the real world, will I find them relevant to the life of every man and woman in this country at least, and being applied as well to promote the cause of justice? I’m worried, that given the present situation, I will find myself out there as if I know nothing.

Still I would like to believe that most of our lawyers, unlike lawyer-politicians, are not deaf to our people’s cry for justice and righteousness.

John Henry C. Liquete, 20, is a Political Science graduate from Saint Louis University. He is in his second year at the San Beda College of Law.
Editor's Note: Published on page A11 of the October 11, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer