Stark Contrast

I'd like to say, with all delicious irony fully intact -- God bless Pete Stark.

The California congressman is now the highest-ranking elected official in the United States to "out" himself as one who places thousands of years of human and scientific advancement over 2000-year-old superstition and fairy-tale hokum.

In other words, he doesn't believe in the theory of a god (the proper way of phrasing it incidentally, being that the denial of something which has not and cannot be proven requires no contrarian argument; you wouldn't call someone who didn't believe in gravity and "anti-gravite," you'd call that person an idiot).

When asked whether a so-called athiest can properly serve the people of the United States -- particularly at its highest levels of government -- former Massachusetts governor, presidential candidate and devout mormon Mitt "Please Don't Make Fun of My Silly Name" Romney said this:

"We need people of faith to run this country. Americans want their leaders to be children of God."

Yes Mitt, you're absolutely right. What this country desperately needs right now aren't more people who embrace fact, reason and their fellow humans in the knowledge that this may very well be the only chance we all have to make things right on planet earth. We don't need people who can argue against dangerous religious extremists from a point of unassailable logic rather than the ridiculous belief that one imaginary friend is better than another. We don't need people who understand that one person's religious beliefs should never become a matter of legislation -- particularly when it comes to scientific education and advancements which will save lives, and personal decisions which are best left personal.

No, no -- you're right. What we need are more people like your fellow presidential candidate Sam Brownback -- who say that homosexuality is immoral because an ancient book written by a bunch of primitives who literally knew nothing about anything says so. Or maybe just more people like you -- adhering to the hilarious teachings of a narcissistic con man who essentially cobbled together, in the tawdriest manner possible, stolen bits and pieces from other religions in an effort gain wealth, power, as many wives as he deemed fit, and a flawless means of simultaneously eluding and cheating the very government which you now hope to run.

How about another idea -- more Pete, less Mitt.