After much moaning and groaning about missing the Atlanta Skeptics, I decided to try to create a group in my own little town of Spartanburg. Originally from Spartanburg, I recently moved back after a ten year stint in Greenville and am happy to be here. And although Greenville has better shopping, more restaurant choices, and a prettier downtown, Spartanburg has a cool hippie vibe and NO BOB JONES UNIVERSITY.
So, the first meeting of the Hub City Skeptics will take place at the Panera Bread on East Main Street in Spartanburg, SC on March 14, 2009 at 10am – also known as Pi Day (get it? 3.14?)
I have created lame Google, Meetup, and Facebook Groups to publicize the group, but only know enough about the web to be annoying. Sorry.
Many of my non-skeptic friends wonder, WTF is a skeptic? Well, it is basically one of those annoying people at every party who gets into an arguement about religion, homeopathy, chiropractic, or politics and DEMANDS proof, or throws around terms like "straw man arguement" or "logical fallacy". In fact, after attending Atlanta Skepticamp, I can tell you that many of these guys are IT nerds who edit wikipedia.
And I freakin' love them. Seriously, I have become the biggest science geek, and if I was single, I would probably be the biggest skeptislut ever. You can have your vampires that sparkle in the sun, I will take a socially retarded 30 year-old programmer with years of pent up sexual frustation any day! Actually, that is kind of what I married. (Shh, don't tell Marty!)
If you wonder why such a group is needed in Spartanburg, here is a great example:
From Reason.org
In 2006, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford:
Newswatch Host David Stanton: What do you think about the idea of teaching alternatives to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution in public schools* for instance Intelligent Design?
Gov. Sanford: I have no problem with it.
Stanton: Do you think it should be done that way? Rather than just teaching evolution?
Gov. Sanford: Well I think that it’s just, and science is more and more documenting this, is that there are real “chinks” in the armor of evolution being the only way we came about. The idea of there being a, you know, a little mud hole and two mosquitoes get together and the next thing you know you have a human being… is completely at odds with, you know, one of the laws of thermodynamics which is the law of, of … in essence, destruction.
Our governor is not that bright. I also don't know if he really believes this, or if he is just parroting what he has been told to say to stay "in" with the Republicans.
Most recently, our governor has shown that while he does not believe in accepting stimulus money from the federal government to help our state's unemployed, he will throw in a good word for you with Jesus:
Thanks to PZ Myers for showing me what is happening in my state from all the way up in Minnesota.
Gov. Sanford just got PWNED. What a doofus! I wish I were living there sometimes lil sis, just so I could go to the meetings and support your world!
I LOVE MY SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You realize that every single politician in this country identifies themselves with one religion. Democrat, Republican, doesn’t matter.
So you can pick on Sanford for following a religion but don’t ignore Obama’s radical religious past.
You attack on Sanford is an example of a strawman’s argument.
My mom is on unemployment but Sanford’s whole point is that the stimulus package is a big fat porkfest. It will do nothing to help the economy. The only reason he is accepting the money for unemployment is because all the democrats would scream bloody murder otherwise. Just take a look at our state budget. BECAUSE Sanford has run such a tight ship, we are in MUCH better shape than most states. Just take a look at Cali. They are totally screwed because they have a fiscally liberal governor in the same vein as McCain, Lindsey Graham. They are not conservatives except when it comes to social issues. They are the worst type of “conservatives”. As you know, I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal just like your ex-boyfriend Penn :)
As to the whole creationism in school, it wouldn’t be an issue if we didn’t give the government so much power. Giving the government more power is all great and wonderful until someone comes to power that you disagree with. That is why I totally disagreed with all the government increases under Bush. He made the Presidency a much more scary position because he expanded the power so much.
After reading back over that, I can make my whole paragraph a lot simpler.
Religion is never an issue in government UNLESS the government has too much power…..