Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Atheist Preston Smith answers Lake Worth Mayor, Pam Triolo

Comment Up

Madam Mayor, 

Your recent public Facebook post is outrageously slanderous toward my image and I am urging you to immediately remove it and issue an apology to repair any damage caused.  The libelous nature of your maligned blame is nothing short of utterly appalling.  We have taken note that this allegation has been posted on an official Mayoral account, using, presumably, city resources and time.

The Courts have consistently provided wide latitude and protections to First Amendment speech, insofar that instances of parody are, in fact, explicitly protected.  The tweet you are bizarrely referencing is clearly viewed as satirical hyperbole, which any reasonable person can conclude.  

An offensive tweet from a personal account is irrelevant to your indefensible actions of disrespect and victim-blaming as an elected official.  The blatant religious-viewpoint discrimination Lake Worth has demonstrated during my atheistic invocation cannot be excused, no matter how "offensive" you may find them.  Being offended is not the litmus test for holding office, you are here to serve all, or none.  Is this the standard you are setting for future viewpoints you disagree with, be they Satanic, Muslim, or Pastafarian?  Will you Google search all blogs, social media, and cached sites of the speaker to find anything alarming and offensive to your sensibilities?

You will quickly learn by our showing of solidarity, atheists literally prove more knowledgeable of the Bible than Christians (Pew Study, Religious Knowledge Survey, 2010).  We have to be, in order to defend our points against constant attack.  The Bible has many, many brutal methods of savagery, honor rape, torture, arranged marriage to virgin girls, stoning children to death, ethnic cleansing, the suppression of women and gays and atheists (a.k.a. witches, heretics, heathens), human sacrifice, and condoning slavery.  For a plethora of passages to read at Christmas -- originally a Pagan holiday -- I strongly suggest Deuteronomy, Leviticus, and Numbers (see attachment).

Unequivocally, rape under any circumstance is no joke.  The broader point is, rape, child brides, polygamy, concubines, and other horror stories were commonplace during the book's inception (hint: a book written entirely by men).   Practiced during the early Iron Age and throughout the Bronze Age, this immoral behavior was fully endorsed by your god and never corrected by Moses, Jesus, or any other Abrahamic mythical wizard (refer to the 10 Commandments, rape didn't make the cut).  How convenient to ignore those pesky facts, while simultaneously criticizing an atheist for pointing them out in jest, from a personal account, during a debate with a total stranger, six months ago, unrelated to you, and while protected by our secular Constitution's 1st Amendment Freedom of Speech.

I look forward to a retraction and apology at your earliest convenience.

Preston Smith
Proud member of American Atheists 

8 comments:

Lynn Anderson said...

In regards to the Facebook page by Lake Worth voice on this subject, Chris McVoy was the ONLY commissioner who stayed in the room. He knew absolutely nothing about this walk-out by the rest of the commission that apparently was well planned.

Anonymous said...

Preston,you are one offensive little self righteous dude. You ,who ask for tolerance ,are anything but. You are a very bad advertisement for your way of life. Why did you have to give your speech in front of the Commission in December? Why not some less offensive month to Christians? I am a Christian and believe in Jesus Christ.YOU,Mr. Smith ,should have been sensitive to Christians like me. Preston, in order to receive respect,you must give respect.Stop throwing a tantrum, Preston. Ask forgiveness for any offense you have caused, and ask to speak again at a more appropriate time of the year. And Preston, read the works of a man called the Dali Lama. You could use some pointers. Katie Mcgiveron

Anonymous said...

Good on him. Well, both Smith and McVoy.

Lynn, this shows you have been correct all along, and here you have an ally in an unlikely source.

Lynn Anderson said...

Sometimes it just seems that the more religious you think you are, the less tolerant you are. This seems hypocritical to me but what do I know?

Words or others beliefs can't hurt you.

Anonymous said...

Well one thing is for sure Lynn. Your little beat down is infuencing all your posts relating to the dais. Time to look at every issue based on its merits.

Lynn Anderson said...

8:55, well, why don't you do just that? I could not have said it any better...I look at all issues based on their merit.

What about democracy? What about a guest that you invited and treating him with respect whether you like his message or not?

Anonymous said...

The mayor took down her Facebook post. now who won this silly game?

Anonymous said...

Sad little man. Looking for his 15 minutes. He asked for freedom of speech as promised by the Constitution, but when others exercise it and it happens to oppose his views, he tries to cry foul. What a mixed up little man. He speaks of rape often, maybe he has experience....