Way back in January, there was a silent auction at the Fearless Launch party. One of the items up for bid was a guest spot on Geeks Without God. Months later, we finally got the winner of the epic bidding war on the podcast. Eric Jacobson, the big winner, joined us to talk about his experiences in local politics and we get to talking about what it will take to get atheists into a position where they can actually have an impact on the political process. We also talked about the (then upcoming) historic vote for marriage equality in Minnesota. For his donation, of course, Eric also got a crack at our five questions.
For more information on the Minnesota House vote for marriage equality, here’s a good article.
Nick and Molly’s Representative, Jennifer Loon, was one of four Republicans who voted to support same-sex marriage.
On Monday, The Minnesota Senate approved same-sex marriage.
Governor Dayton signed the bill into law on the 14th, making Minnesota the 12th state in the Union to legalize same-sex marriage. Go Minnesota!
The IMDB page for Eric’s film, Trollhunter.
More info about Perrin Aybara from the Wheel of Time series.
From The Friendly Atheist, an image showing states where atheists are prohibited from holding public office:
I think it’s misleading to talk about atheists not being able to hold public office in the podcast, and show this map, without acknowledging that the Supreme Court actually invalidated those provisions in state constitutions in 1961 in Torcaso v. Watkins. Yes, it’s a shame that those provisions still exist in writing, and yes it’s shameful that they weren’t overturned until 1961, but we take away from credibility about legitimate complaints of actually still existing discrimination against atheists when we exaggerate discrimination that doesn’t actually exist any more.
I will continue to be upset about it until the laws are taken off the books. Regardless of the constitutionality of the provisions, the states have made clear their opinions on atheists in office, and I would still consider it discrimination.
When you talk about complaints of discrimination, could you share some examples that you consider more legitimate?
Thank you for your comment. I think a point of concern is that the laws do still exist – even if they are unconstitutional – and they serve as a means to discouage atheists from seeking public office.
However, you are correct that we should seek to be accurate at all times so we definitely appreciate the clarification.