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From: "Hunter Cressall"
To: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
Subject: Positive_Atheism_Letters_Section
Date: Tuesday, August 29, 2000 12:37 PM

Dear Staff,

I can not tell you how pleased I am to find your site -- accessible and well organized -- on the web. I state openly and for the record that I am not an atheist. I am a Episcopalian and a devout believer in a single divine creator. I am also an ardent supporter of equal rights, religious rights (including freedom from religion), and the propagation of reason through secular humanism. Please count me among your supporters and frequent readers and know that all persons of faith are not devoid of reason.

I do have one point of etiquette which I wish to make. In your "no frames" list, you list a section of "scary" quotes. Under this heading falls the name of George "Dubya" Bush. I must point out that the spelling of George W. Bush's middle initial as 'Dubya' could be taken by some as an insult. I feel that when voicing an argument for reason and sanity it is very important to be as professional and adult as possible. I know that few who read your site would find this off-colored or offensive but when our cause is taken to the public we must show as much respect for our opposition as we demand for ourselves. I simply feel it wise to show more maturity toward people like George Bush than they would likely show to us.

This is a small point but I just want to stress the importance for sobriety and maturity when discussing matters of our own civil rights. And, heck, if nothing else, we need to give the religious conservative as little to pick at as possible. I hope my point is taken in the spirit it is intended and that this site remains in place for all who seek its truths. Thank you for the time and care you have spent in maintaining it. And thank you for your time and attention to my letter.

Sincerely,

Hunter Cressall

From: "Positive Atheism" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "Hunter Cressall"
Subject: Re: Positive_Atheism_Letters_Section
Date: Tuesday, August 29, 2000 4:22 PM

I had deleted the "Dubya" a few days before I received your letter. I had forgotten to change it in the No Frames index, and will do so now.

The initial point of the "Gee Dubya" page was to be insulting. This is the same picture that went down with the Quayle quotes lists that were floating around when he was just a heartbeat away from the Oval Office. However, with the recent very scary rhetoric emanating from the Gore camp, it's time to insult on equal terms, and this would definitely entail a less humorous approach from our end -- thus the change. The situation is no longer funny.

Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
Five years of service to
     people with no reason to believe

PostScript: I attended the George W. Bush rally in Portland on October 31, and many of the signs (and even some of the official signs) spoke affectionately of "Dubya."

Material by Cliff Walker (including unsigned editorial commentary) is copyright ©1995-2006 by Cliff Walker. Each submission is copyrighted by its writer, who retains control of the work except that by submitting it to Positive Atheism, permission has been granted to use the material or an edited version: (1) on the Positive Atheism web site; (2) in Positive Atheism Magazine; (3) in subsequent works controlled by Cliff Walker or Positive Atheism Magazine (including published or posted compilations). Excerpts not exceeding 500 words are allowed provided the proper copyright notice is affixed. Other use requires permission; Positive Atheism will work to protect the rights of all who submit their writings to us.