The Most Hated Woman In America...

and I don't mean Hillary Clinton. Madalyn Murray O'Hair was a modern-day Joan of Arc. She stood up to the most violent, sadistic, hard-headed, mean-spirited, holier-than-thou Americans: Holier-than-thou Christian Fundamentalists. But to see what she was able to accomplish (and what she didn't accomplish) you have to go back in time, to the early 1950's, during the height of the Cold War.

The Cold War fucked up America big time. It kept Conservatives in power for a long time, using the War to use the patented "war mongering" attack to control the American people. This was the beginning of a Fundamentalist movement to instill Gawd in a more powerful appearance to the children.

If you were a Communist, you were godless. Your Gawd would have been Stalin. You work, you sleep, to do everything for Stalin. Well, the U.S. leaders saw this as the opportunity to make Gawd an even more over-seeing being over the Christian Nation. It was the battle of good vs evil: godless Commies and god-filled (let's face it, it was only supposed to be the Christian Gawd) America. It was an easy choice, go to heaven or go to hell.

To keep the dissident's numbers down, an indoctrination of putting Gawd in the public schools, adding "under God" in the Pledge of the Allegiance, and using Evangelical Christian's hypnotic presence to brainwash the people through the emergence of television.

One woman, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, was the first to call Bullshit to this government's attempt to control it's people through fear of a Gawd that will hope you get burned in oil for eternity (how peaceful, Christian-like of them). Over finding out that the public school her son attended made all the children recite, daily, the Lord's Prayer in PUBLIC school, she decided to stand up to the status quo, go against what 9 out of 10 people (called the "mentally ill") believe, that there is a higher power pulling strings, working everything on this planet like a puppeteer.

She fought and took the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and won a landmark case (Murray v. Curlett) which put an end to ANY (especially the Christian) prayer in public schools. Contrary to what you hear from a Religious Fanatical, OUR Constitution separates church and state. Fundies (though there is nothing "fun" about them, at least, until you get them in the bedroom) will stretch and spin the truth to say "well they expected everyone to believe in Gawd but you can pick your own." Bullshit!!!

What Ms O'Hair did was start a movement that continues to grow through this day and will continue into the future. With the vast array of information available nowadays to find out the truth, the movement will grow exponentially, just like the internet grows exponentially. Sure, as long as there is an Alabama, Texas, Rural Pennsylvania, and Appalachia there will be Gawd. But more and more people can stand up and say "I don't believe this horseshit" and will be calm to the fact that they are not the only ones.

Throughout her forty plus year life, Ms O'Hair endured attacks to her home, death threats against her and her two sons, and kidnappings by Christian Fundies, but that never stopped her from speaking her mind. Sometimes solace in yourself is more important than offending others. She could not stand to see this country overtaken by the Religious Right. Seeing them use anything and anyone as fodder to carry on it's zealous takeover.

Madalyn Murray O'Hair founded the American Atheist, dedicated to defending the civil liberties of atheists and advocating for the complete separation of church and state. It also releases a monthly magazine called the American Atheist Magazine. In a 1965 interview with Playboy, she claimed religion was "a crutch" and an "irrational reliance on superstitions and supernatural nonsense." Just think, a mother of two children granting to be interviewed by Playboy, speaking the truth to a nation of growing post-WWII rebellious teenagers, had a definite impact on this nation.

These same people became the protesters who stood up to this oppressive government, fighting wars for the likes of GE and the "big three": Lockheed Martin, Boeing Corporation, and Raytheon Corporation. The "big three" gets one out of every four dollars doled out by OUR Defense Department. Thanks to the likes of President's Reagan and Nixon, who used religious people as a pawn in their global takeover and the biggest war chest in the world, then giving that war chest to the companies who spent the money to get them elected.

Too bad Madalyn wasn't alive in 2001 (she "died" in 1995), or we could have heard her go ape-shit over the way the right wing Christian Fundamentals used a national tragedy and Gawd to gain a stronghold over the war chest again. The same companies are in control again: hell, they even own most of the media in the U.S. Gawd is becoming a more focal point in politics.

And Christians are drinking the kool-aid again, falling for "radical Muslims" "abortion" "gay marriage" and "intelligent design" this time instead of "Commies" and "godless". The Evangelical Right has held control again of our country, and "mavericks" like John McCain have to "kneel before Zod" and do exactly what the Fundies want, or they won't get elected. How stupid are the people, as a whole, who allows themselves to be swayed in such a non-subtle manner; but back the people who are perpetrating the ruse.

Maybe we all can take a little from Madalyn Murray O'Hair, see what you truly feel about these following quotes from her. Look in your heart, not in a book, and see if this is what you believe. You don't have to fear, there are many more like me, and her.

"An Atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church. An atheist believes that deed must be done instead of prayer said. An atheist strives for involvement in life and not escape into death. He wants disease conquered, poverty vanished, war eliminated. "

"I feel that everyone who wants to say anything, do anything, should be able to say anything or do anything, within the limits of not hurting another person."

"In an unconstitutional partnership with the state, the church can impose the most irresistible, if covert, controls conceivable. "

"No god ever gave any man anything, nor ever answered any prayer at any time - nor ever will."

"Religion has caused more misery to all of mankind in every stage of human history than any other single idea. "

"Religion is induced insanity. "

"The relationships that people have - that are sexual, psychological, emotional - these relationships are not open to supervision by parents, schools, churches, or government. Nobody has any right to intervene at all in any kind of relationship like that. "