I Just thought you guys might like to see this....

[Gagglegnash]

Hi

A story from The Reporter Times (http://www.reporter-times.com/) of Martinsville and Morgan county, Indiana:

Reaching the local atheist group is as easy as dialing 666 ... (http://www.reporter-times.com/stories/2009/04/23/opinion.nw-504087.sto)

There’s either a sense of humor at work here, a vindictive streak, or divine interference.

Whatever the case, chalk it up as odd, at the very least, that when the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign applied for a telephone number, it was assigned 812-666-4135.

Telephone number of the beast?

I thought it was interesting, and I hope it's interesting for you, because it's the first atheist group I've ever heard about out here in the Bible Belt. I'm not alone:

[quote]The Bloomington-based organization believes it is the first to crop up in the Midwestern Bible Belt. “We’re kind of amazed that we sent out our first press release last week and we raised $1,000 in three days,” Klein said. The group’s goal is to come up with $50,000 and buy ads on buses in Bloomington, Indianapolis, Lafayette and Gary./quote]

I'm sure they'd appreciate any encouragement you could give 'em.

[Roadtoad]

Thanks, Dude. I needed to see that!

[Dorian Gray]

You know, one of the things I always hated about church was the offering plate. I don't hate it any less just because it's an atheist offering plate. If they start knocking on doors, I start proselytizing to them at their 'hizzys'.

[MG1962]

I thought it was interesting, and I hope it's interesting for you, because it's the first atheist group I've ever heard about out here in the Bible Belt. I'm not alone:

A year or two ago a group of athiests tried to set up a commune in Western Kansas. I burst out laughing when I was told that. Everyone else that was in the discussion looked at me as thought "What....whats so funny?"

[Gagglegnash]

Hi

You know, one of the things I always hated about church was the offering plate. I don't hate it any less just because it's an atheist offering plate. If they start knocking on doors, I start proselytizing to them at their 'hizzys'.


I didn't think that they needed financial support as much as they might need personal support. Taking an atheist stand in Southern Indiana is a hard row to hoe if you feel alone.

They're just trying to do the same thing, here, as the group did in London, right? It might not work here (http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/05/10/the-ways-of-god-and-man-and-buses-bloomington-says-no-way-to/).

Indiana Atheists seeking to advertise on public buses were recently handed a disappointing decision by Bloomington Transit. The public transportation provider refused to allow their message, "You can be good without God" to be installed on buses, stating that it was "too controversial."


On the other hand...

On behalf of the Indiana Atheist Bus Company, the American Civil Liberties Union is preparing to file a lawsuit against Bloomington on First Amendment grounds.


I figured that someone might want to drop 'em a line and give 'em a pat on the back.

[Soapy Sam]

You know, one of the things I always hated about church was the offering plate. I don't hate it any less just because it's an atheist offering plate. If they start knocking on doors, I start proselytizing to them at their 'hizzys'.

Dreadful thought. Atheists at the door on Sunday morning.
All the hassle of JWs, without the fun argument.
:jaw-dropp

[Klimax]

A year or two ago a group of athiests tried to set up a commune in Western Kansas. I burst out laughing when I was told that. Everyone else that was in the discussion looked at me as thought "What....whats so funny?"

Well I am among them,could you please clarify?(Not in that debate,now)

[Ian Osborne]

On behalf of the Indiana Atheist Bus Company, the American Civil Liberties Union is preparing to file a lawsuit against Bloomington on First Amendment grounds.

Am I missing something here? Surely the First Amendment wouldn't apply to a private transport business, who could sell or refuse advertising to any group or organisation it chooses?

[remirol]

Am I missing something here? Surely the First Amendment wouldn't apply to a private transport business, who could sell or refuse advertising to any group or organisation it chooses?

Many bus systems are supported and run partially or entirely by the city government -- and as such, this makes them no longer precisely a "private" transport business. There's been talk of privatizing MARTA down here for many years in an effort to get the buses to, well, run on time. :)

I'm not sure the lawsuit will prove productive anyway because the city could still surely come up with a different/better excuse not to run the ads, but if anything it'll serve as a smackdown reminder.