Letter from Rep. Stark - "We don't need divine guidance"

[Synnical]

Background: Rep. Stark applauded for atheist outlook

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

More: Member of Congress holds no god-belief

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[JNelson6563]

1. I've mentioned this here before but

will do so again....

It must be a couple of years ago by now but Pete Stark was on CNBC, the morning show where the hard core supply-side lovin', Bush supporting, money worshippin' talking heads are. Stark was so brutal I was roaring with laughter and disbelief. I thought Steve Liesman was going to start crying or something. When the "healthy economy" was referred to Stark totally waved it away and said "Aw your dreamin'!" When Bush was referred to Stark used the same tone and said something like "Aw he's a fascist!" I tell ya he just kept spitting out real DU type commentary like nothin'. It was great! I called his office and told them that Pete Stark now had an avid fan in northern Michigan.

Now I love him all the more. Thanks for posting this and thanks for taking the time to let Pete Stark know about your support for him. He needs to hear from those who support him. You can be sure he's hearing from those who do not!

Julie

[Synnical]

4. Actually, from what I've read, the fundies haven't attacked yet

Edit to fix stupid formatting and text provided

Yet, being the operative word, I suppose.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/0...

<snippage>

Of the 500 or so responses Stark has received, all but about 25 have been supportive. Even critics didn't write the type of harsh screeds that might be expected on a hot-button topic like religion.

"The negative responses were the most reasoned and reasonable I've ever received,'' he said. "In this instance, the people who have disagreed with me have been polite and reasonable. All in all, this has been a pleasurable experience.''

<snippage>

When explaining, for example, why trying to impeach President Bush or immediately pulling out of Iraq is something even a Congress controlled by Democrats is unwilling to do, he pointed out his party's diversity -- racial, geographic and ideological.

"What I would do tomorrow would get a lot of my colleagues defeated,'' he said, mentioning his willingness to raise taxes to pay for universal health care.

Still, Stark was struck by the fact that not one of his 534 colleagues in the House or Senate was willing to say he or she was an atheist.

[wryter2000]

7. He's awesome

I don't know if you remember, but a few years back when the Repugs were acting all autocratic in the House, Nancy P. took all the dems from the room to figure out what in hell they were going to do, but she had to leave one dem on the floor. She left Stark, and he stood there yelling at the repug who was bloviating at the podium, "You're a fruitcake, Congerssman! You're a fruitcake."

He's been in office for ages and ages. He's very popular around here. They aren't going to be able to get him out of office or shut him up.

[musette_sf]

2. Yay Pete! That's my rep!!!!

i'm so proud to live in his district!

[goodhue]

3. Pete Stark is great

I look forward to his no vote on Iraq war supplemental

[NMMNG]

5. Great letter

K&R

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

6. His letter is more Christian than any pseudo-Christ hate mongers, like Falwell, Robertson

And the entire repug party.

[Synnical]

9. Isn't he, though.

Hmmm.

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

[ozone_man]

8. Ellen Goodman's column In today's paper.

Thanks Pete and Cindy for sharing this letter. We have our foot in the door now.

Now they're campaigning on a wing and a prayer

By Ellen Goodman | March 23, 2007

HE'S NOT EXACTLY a profile in courage. After all, Pete Stark is 75 and has represented his liberal district near San Francisco for more than 30 years. It's unlikely that he'll be tarred and feathered or sent packing for admitting that he's, well, a godless politician.

Nevertheless, last week Stark broke a political taboo. He became the first member of Congress to say publicly that he doesn't believe in "a supreme being." The next most powerful politician to identify himself as a "non-theist" in response to a question by the Secular Coalition for America was a school board president in Berkeley.

Some described Stark's admission as "coming out of the closet." Others rued the fact that God was not on his side. A spokesman for the Concerned Women for America unabashedly bashed him, saying that "a Christian worldview is proper for a politician to have."

Not surprisingly, Stark has no ambitions for the presidency. In one of those endless polls surveying whether we are "ready for" a black, a woman, a Jew, or others to be president, only 14 percent of Americans believe we're ready for an atheist. What Stark has done, however, is open a fresh chapter in this year's hefty book on presidential politics and religion.

(more)

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped...