1. Comment #156327 by mintcheerios on April 7, 2008 at 10:45 am

If she said something like that to a Muslim, her career would have ended on the spot.

Other Comments by mintcheerios

2. Comment #156328 by Monosilabbiq on April 7, 2008 at 10:49 am

Blimey ! It was difficult to follow the thinking behind the verbal attack made by Davis. The comments on other sites show that she has upset a lot of people within her own constituency.

Lets hope that democracy is seen to work.

Other Comments by Monosilabbiq

3. Comment #156329 by annabanana on April 7, 2008 at 10:50 am

[sarcasm]Right. I forgot that this was in the Official Atheist Handbook:

You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon.

Looks like she really caught him.[/sarcasm]

Other Comments by annabanana

4. Comment #156330 by Prankster on April 7, 2008 at 10:52 am

Democracy in action eh?

Other Comments by Prankster

5. Comment #156331 by Pattern Seeker on April 7, 2008 at 10:53 am

As a native Chicagoan this makes me really sad...

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6. Comment #156332 by Peacebeuponme on April 7, 2008 at 10:54 am

What a moron

Other Comments by Peacebeuponme

7. Comment #156338 by Thor'Ungal on April 7, 2008 at 11:08 am

I forgot that this was in the Official Atheist Handbook

[sarcasm]
Of course, it right under the section that says "without god everything is permitted."

How can we build a religion devoted to the Lords of Chaos unless people pay attention to the scriptures.
[/sarcasm]

Other Comments by Thor'Ungal

8. Comment #156341 by eXcommunicate on April 7, 2008 at 11:12 am

Jeez, this lady was way out of line. To her I'd say how dare she be a Democrat with a philosophy like hers! I know some of you on this board dislike Obama, but he has never chastised atheists or demeaned the atheist point of view. You can have someone go to church for 20 years, yet still have respect for others, and then you can have a woman like this who (apparently) goes to church and has no respect for others. It takes all kinds. There are asshole theists and there are asshole atheists.

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9. Comment #156342 by al-rawandi on April 7, 2008 at 11:14 am

I was called a "piece of shit atheist" the other day.



The untiring charity of believers is what most thoroughly endears them to me.

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10. Comment #156343 by Prankster on April 7, 2008 at 11:14 am

Is she complaining over the beliefs held by Sherman or the fact she got caught funneling all that money?

Seems she's thrashing around for an excuse and so turns on Sherman whilst playing the religion card to divert attention from her activities.....the plot thickens.

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11. Comment #156344 by room101 on April 7, 2008 at 11:15 am

The Chicago Tribune link provided above has the audio for this exchange...I recommend listening to it.

Davis is a certified nutjob - she starts off calmly and end ups wailing and berating this guy in classic "Sunday preacher" style.

I hope this gets more national airplay - people like her and Sally Kerns need to be weeded out and exposed (disposed).

Other Comments by room101

12. Comment #156346 by RainDear on April 7, 2008 at 11:16 am

Once again, trying not to offend our American friends but ---

How is it possible for these idiots to get elected? What the hell is wrong with your country?

I know respectable secularist thinkers like Austin Dacey are strongly against calling these people American Taleban, but how far is this from them? Is public stoning really the essential difference? If an American politician harbours this much hatred against reason, justice and free speech, the middle ages are much closer on that side of the Atlantic than I ever thought possible.

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13. Comment #156348 by mejdrich on April 7, 2008 at 11:21 am

Wow. I'm shocked. But also amused. To all you commenters, here, thank you. You just put a smile on my face.

Other Comments by mejdrich

14. Comment #156351 by Silent.Bomber on April 7, 2008 at 11:25 am

Truly shocking, what is happening to the world?

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15. Comment #156352 by discipline on April 7, 2008 at 11:25 am

As somebody on the Rational Responders site wrote: contrary to what this dimwit might think, Abraham Lincoln was an atheist (most of his life anyway). Here are some choice quotes:

"My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them."
-- Abraham Lincoln, to Judge J S Wakefield, after Willie Lincoln's death, quoted by Joseph Lewis in "Lincoln the Freethinker."

“What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.�
-- Abraham Lincoln, quoted by Mary Todd Lincoln in William Herndon's Religion of Lincoln, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, p. 118

“It will not do to investigate the subject of religion too closely, as it is apt to lead to Infidelity.�
-- Abraham Lincoln, Manford's Magazine, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 144

“The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession.�
-- Abraham Lincoln, quoted by Joseph Lewis in "Lincoln the Freethinker"

“The only person who is a worse liar than a faith healer is his patient.�
-- Abraham Lincoln, quoted by Victor J Stenger in Physics and Psychics

“Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes his aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not that we be not judged.�
-- Abraham Lincoln, sarcasm in his Second Innaugural Address (1865)

“It is an established maxim and moral that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false is guilty of falsehood, and the accidental truth of the assertion does not justify or excuse him.�
-- Abraham Lincoln, chiding the editor of a Springfield, Illinois, newspaper, quoted from Antony Flew, How to Think Straight, p. 17

“Oh, that [his Thanksgiving Message] is some of Seward's nonsense, and it pleases the fools.�
-- Abraham Lincoln, to Judge James M Nelson, in response to a question from Nelson: "I once asked him about his fervent Thanksgiving Message and twitted him with being an unbeliever in what was published." Quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 138

“The United States government must not undertake to run the Churches. When an individual, in the Church or out of it, becomes dangerous to the public interest he must be checked.�
-- Abraham Lincoln, regarding the Churches, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 143

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16. Comment #156355 by al-rawandi on April 7, 2008 at 11:32 am

Oh and,



GO CUBS!

Other Comments by al-rawandi

17. Comment #156357 by CanadAdam on April 7, 2008 at 11:36 am

You can email the bigot here: mdavis@hdsmail.state.il.us

Other Comments by CanadAdam

18. Comment #156358 by adamd164 on April 7, 2008 at 11:37 am

She should resign; but she won't. Instead, they'll praise her for standing up to us morally bankrupt aggressive atheist folk. That's what's most sickening.

Other Comments by adamd164

19. Comment #156359 by Clydey on April 7, 2008 at 11:53 am

Who on earth does that woman think she is? For a black woman, who has doubtless been on the receiving end of similar discriminatory remarks, to use that platform to highlight her own prejudice is, frankly, almost criminal.

I hope that hopelessly ignorant mental midget is held accountable for her outburst. She exhibits precisely the attitude that makes my blood boil.

Other Comments by Clydey

20. Comment #156360 by Diacanu on April 7, 2008 at 11:53 am

it's dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!

Haven't listened to the audio yet, does the crowd start barking "heil, heil, heil!!!", after that gem?

Other Comments by Diacanu

21. Comment #156363 by Clydey on April 7, 2008 at 12:01 pm

Actually, she does get a few approving squeals from the flock. It was embarrassing and infuriating in equal measures.

Other Comments by Clydey

22. Comment #156364 by jmrunning3 on April 7, 2008 at 12:02 pm

Wow. I didn't realize I had given up my rights as an American.

Monique Davis seems to be from the same school of thought as Oklahoma's own Sally Kern. Both have lost the right to be called "representative", in my view.

Other Comments by jmrunning3

23. Comment #156365 by Philip1978 on April 7, 2008 at 12:03 pm

How very interesting!

What really gets me is she actually sounded frightened of Sherman, she practically accused him of wanting to harm children ONLY because he had no belief.

It seems that a person could be the Baby Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells, but the fact that he is a religious man, that somehow exonerates him from being the one who is a real danger to kids!

The person who turns around and asks people to stop forcing religion down kids throats and its all "SMITE HIM!"


Methinks double standards and dangerous ones at that, why can't people tell the difference between being a complete bastard who happens to be an atheist and someone who is just an atheist? Is it really that difficult to comprehend that a lack of belief is just that, a lack of belief and that decisions and morality come from COMPLETELY different things!

SPLITTERS!
:)

Philip

Other Comments by Philip1978

24. Comment #156366 by SkyBlueJim on April 7, 2008 at 12:04 pm

I see that she is backing Barak - can we expect him to denounce her in the same terms as he denounced Reverend Wright?

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/12/17/african_american_illinois_legi.php

Other Comments by SkyBlueJim

25. Comment #156367 by TheSwede on April 7, 2008 at 12:06 pm

Diacanu:

No, but they bark "Amen, amen, amen!!!"

To all:
If this had happened in my country... By Thor's hammer! - there would be no end the the following debate, but there would be a very quick end to her career!

Other Comments by TheSwede

26. Comment #156369 by Styrer- on April 7, 2008 at 12:12 pm

17. Comment #156357 by CanadAdam on April 7, 2008 at 11:36 am

You can email the bigot here: mdavis@hdsmail.state.il.us

While it would doubtless be satisfying to take her to task directly, I'd prefer to have the e-mail address of the person who can sack her forthwith for, at the very least, bringing the due process of the legislature into disrepute.

Any idea?

Best,
Styrer

Other Comments by Styrer-

27. Comment #156370 by CargoShip359 on April 7, 2008 at 12:12 pm

I know it's a small positive but the guy at the end seems okay : /

Other Comments by CargoShip359

28. Comment #156371 by sarah95 on April 7, 2008 at 12:18 pm

The saddest part is not her incoherent hateful nonsense. It's the fact that her long off-topic interruption was not checked by the person in charge. In fact, when she'd finally finished, the person in charge THANKED her for "sharing her point of view" and then warned the atheist to stay on topic, and not to reply to the accusations made against his own personal character. It seems as though discrimination between religions can be outlawed and publicly chastised, but when religion makes an attack on lack of faith, it's just "look the other way."

The Reverend Wright lady needs to be sacked, and to take a constitution class, complete with biographies of Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and Abe Lincoln.

Other Comments by sarah95

29. Comment #156372 by black wolf on April 7, 2008 at 12:22 pm

Apparently Davis would welcome legislation to mandate a certain 15-20% minority of the population to sit in the back of the bus.
I'm glad that almost all commenters at Eric Zorn's blog (linked above) despise her conduct, apart from one presumably sarcastic all-caps yeller, one disgruntled man Sherman had successfully campaigned against, and one lapdogging Davis follower who didn't even attempt to formulate an argument.

Other Comments by black wolf

30. Comment #156373 by adk on April 7, 2008 at 12:23 pm

How did she go from the issue at hand (government money going to a church) to atheists practically handing out guns to kids at school? Unbelieveable! Am definitely writing a letter or something.

Other Comments by adk

31. Comment #156374 by Phil T on April 7, 2008 at 12:23 pm

Demented... No other word for her.

Other Comments by Phil T

32. Comment #156375 by tieInterceptor on April 7, 2008 at 12:24 pm

outrageous,

and since when religion is about defending the kids, and Atheism is about destroying... what a nutjob

Other Comments by tieInterceptor

33. Comment #156376 by Mango on April 7, 2008 at 12:25 pm

What do guns in school have to do with the separation of church and state? Rep. Davids engages in the same kind of ridiculous argument as person who gets pulled over for speeding and proceeds to yell at the officer, "Why aren't you catching rapists and murderers instead of giving me a speeding ticket?!"

Other Comments by Mango

34. Comment #156377 by quill on April 7, 2008 at 12:25 pm

Comment #156367 by TheSwede:
To all:
If this had happened in my country... By Thor's hammer! - there would be no end the the following debate, but there would be a very quick end to her career!

This wouldn't happen in your country, because in Sweden your tax money already goes toward building churches and there's nothing you can do about it.

I read about this, actually, and I do hope she loses her job. It might happen since she is a Democrat and all. But then she's also black and as we know, the black community is exceedingly religious.

Other Comments by quill

35. Comment #156381 by Diacanu on April 7, 2008 at 12:35 pm

Clydey-

Who on earth does that woman think she is? For a black woman, who has doubtless been on the receiving end of similar discriminatory remarks, to use that platform to highlight her own prejudice is, frankly, almost criminal.

Well, notice how she tried to wrap herself in Lincoln, as if to say "Lincloln was (insert whatever good quality) therefore, you're the opposite of all that, and thus the intolerant one".

All her language was like that.
Painting him as the villain, so that being intolerant to him would be seen as tolerant.

But I agree with the poster who said it was probably all to cover up her money funneling.

Other Comments by Diacanu

36. Comment #156382 by notsobad on April 7, 2008 at 12:35 pm

It's just a red herring to conceal the fraud.

Other Comments by notsobad

37. Comment #156383 by quill on April 7, 2008 at 12:39 pm

"My earlier views at the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger with advancing years, and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them." - Abraham Lincoln

Other Comments by quill

38. Comment #156384 by Zaphod on April 7, 2008 at 12:44 pm

What a nut bag. She is so misinformed and ignorant.

It is hard to decide what a suitable response would have been.

1. Karate chop to the neck or
2. Explain articulately what an atheist is and what it is not.

My emotions are strongly voting for option 1.

Other Comments by Zaphod

39. Comment #156385 by Barbara on April 7, 2008 at 12:44 pm

Probably not quoted exactly:

I don't see you fightin' against guns in school.

I'm pretty sure Rob Sherman would speak against it if someone was lobbying to allow guns in school.

That lady sounded alot like a preacher. You know the kind that start in normal tones and then screech at you when it's point-makin' time.

EDIT: Oops! I see room101 has already made the 'preacher' connection.

Other Comments by Barbara

40. Comment #156386 by Peacebeuponme on April 7, 2008 at 12:45 pm

Clydey

For a black woman, who has doubtless been on the receiving end of similar discriminatory remarks, to use that platform to highlight her own prejudice is, frankly, almost criminal.

Not sure what her sex or skin colour has to do with this one chappie.

Black people now have an added responsibility to fairness and equality now do they?

Other Comments by Peacebeuponme

41. Comment #156392 by Enlightenme.. on April 7, 2008 at 12:52 pm

That audio's good (thanks room 101)

You can just hear the point where her endorphins kick in giving her that righteous indignation high.

Other Comments by Enlightenme..

42. Comment #156395 by aleprechaunist on April 7, 2008 at 12:56 pm

Peculiar and shocking. I nearly 'spewed'...

Other Comments by aleprechaunist

43. Comment #156396 by quill on April 7, 2008 at 1:01 pm

Apparently she actually goes to Rev. Wright's church as well.

Other Comments by quill

44. Comment #156397 by al-rawandi on April 7, 2008 at 1:02 pm

Peace,



They have no special responsibility, but you think they would know what it feels like to be discriminated against.

Perhaps she should remember the chants of "nigger" hurled at MLK the next time she decides to ignorantly berate a citizen of the US.

Other Comments by al-rawandi

45. Comment #156400 by Bobington on April 7, 2008 at 1:10 pm

We should riot in the streets; looting and pillaging.

Oh wait, we're not the ones who do that.

Other Comments by Bobington

46. Comment #156401 by Peacebeuponme on April 7, 2008 at 1:11 pm

al

They have no special responsibility, but you think they would know what it feels like to be discriminated against.

Certain Asian Muslims in Britain preach the subjugation of women. That the discriminated can discriminate is neither surprising nor relevant to the article.

Other Comments by Peacebeuponme

47. Comment #156402 by TheSwede on April 7, 2008 at 1:13 pm

Quill wrote:
"This wouldn't happen in your country, because in Sweden your tax money already goes toward building churches and there's nothing you can do about it."

True that some money goes to building churches (though I can't see that any church at all is being built, since we already have more churches/capita then most countries: And most goes to restoration and not building).

But that's not a point about my comment, now is it?

Language like that would still get you fired many times over.

Other Comments by TheSwede

48. Comment #156403 by Diocletian on April 7, 2008 at 1:13 pm

It is a great shame that Representative Davis is ignorant of the Harlem Renaissance and people such as Nelle Larsen, Langston Hughes, and Richard Wright. She is obviously unaware of the many atheists who stood alongside Martin Luther King as he fought for equality for ALL peoples. Due to her ignorance and bigotry she has brought shame upon herself, her position, her constituents, and her State.

Let's not allow this to go unnoticed. Complaining among ourselves does nothing - write to Representative Davis (PZ has provided the link). She does not accept email, so you will need to send a letter or postcard - but please demand a public apology! The best way to fight this sort of bigotry is to make people ashamed of holding such prejudices.

Other Comments by Diocletian

49. Comment #156405 by DamnDirtyApe on April 7, 2008 at 1:15 pm

Must... Jeffersonise it up... with one of my favourite Jeff quotes:

'The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.'

Good Lincolns too, folks. :D

Other Comments by DamnDirtyApe

50. Comment #156406 by quill on April 7, 2008 at 1:16 pm

Don't write - phone! Her contact information is as follows:

Springfield Office:
241-E Stratton Office Building
Springfield, IL 62706
(217) 782-0010
(217) 782-1795 FAX

District Office:
1234 West 95th Street
Chicago, IL 60643
(773) 445-9700
(773) 445-5755 FAX
Cook County

I called earlier and although she wasn't in, they said the phones had been ringing all day.

Other Comments by quill