Network managers are being urged to run a series of checks on their routers and firewalls to ensure their users will still be able to connect to internet sites in the wake of a major change to the internet's domain name system next week.
On May 5, the world's top domain authorities (led by ICANN, the US Government and Verisign) will complete the first phase of the roll-out of DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) across the 13 root servers that direct user requests to the relevant websites on the internet.
Judge Declares National Day of Prayer Unconstitutional
A year-old, incorrect story about Barack Obama "canceling" the National Day of Prayer made the rounds today. Meanwhile, in reality, Obama's Justice Department was defending the Day of Prayer to a U.S. District Court that just ruled it unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb declared section 119 of US Code 36—establishing an annual National Day of Prayer—to be unconstitutional. Her decision is available here. We certainly agree with everything she writes, and we're sure there will be no major controversy over any of this.
The Freedom from Religion foundation brought the suit, claiming that the statute calling on the president to proclaim a National Day of Pray each year is a violation of the Establishment Clause. Crabb found that the plaintiffs had the standing to challenge section 119 itself, but not presidential proclamations generally.
With the successful installation of the FusionBoard Forum, I'd like to test out a few changes.
If you look to the left at your User Info Panel, you'll notice the addition of 4 lines. Whenever you login to Atheists Today, just click the New Forum Posts link to see what's been posted since your last visit. I would like to try this format out for awhile and remove the Lastest Threads panel from the Front page. It may take some getting use to, but I think it helps with the load times on pages.
I'm sure you've looked around and seen some of the new functions of the Forum, some which we'll use, some we probably won't. We'll take them on slowly and see what works. There are still a few of the new items that aren't even showing up under Admin and I'll have to work with the author of the FusionBoard to see what needs to be done to get them working. I'll keep everyone informed as it happens.
I noticed we lost Similar Threads on the viewthread pages. If we can live without them, it will probably be better on page load time as well, as it basically performs a word search before it shows the page.
Please feel free to post any criticisms, complaints or observations you feel need to be addressed and I'll work on it.
Previously in Under God, we asked what seemed like a logical question: With the only Protestant on the Supreme Court (John Paul Stevens) retiring this summer, should the president appoint another Protestant to replace him?
But a California blogger is asking what seems to be an equally logical question: Should the president appoint an atheist -- or at least a nontheist -- to the Supreme Court? "We don't need another Protestant on the Court. Or a Catholic, Buddhist, Hindu or follower of any of the hundreds of religions that exist on this planet," wrote Tommi Avicolli-Mecca wrote for BeyondChron. "What the court really needs is an atheist."
The nine-member Supreme Court will never be a perfect demographic reflection of the United States. And of all the demographic factors involved in selecting a Supreme Court justice, religious affiliation is one that should never be considered. But what about lack of religious affiliation?
Until atheists are respected, religious tolerance will remain an ideal
The idea of a god has never made sense to me.
Even during my early childhood, the notion of an invisible figure watching over us struck me as fallacious. I found it difficult to believe that an allegedly rational being could allow evils such as genocide to persist. The customary counterargument is that we cannot understand the ways of God, or that "he" is "testing" the victims. Both reasons are uncorroborated, and the latter offends me.
A prominent and misguided opinion is that atheists and agnostics lack morals. This is evidenced by political rhetoric, as well as other media. In 2007, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney stated in a speech that "freedom requires religion," implying that those who lack belief cannot enjoy liberty. According to journalist Robert Sherman, in 1987 President George H.W. Bush went so far as to say, "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
Just noticed the shout from a newcomer.
Greetings sailormyyn. I second Catman's motion - hope you'll come back, and introduce yourself in 'Pleased To Meet You!'.
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