BREAKING NEWS

Is it that a plane may or may not have landing gear trouble...oh, no...never mind. [If you had a news channel on yesterday afternoon, you sat through this 5 to 10 minute nonevent.]

No, in fact it is the sound of CNN jumping back in a panic. Apparently the move of the "near nonexistent" pro-Atheist lot has slapped the network up side the head. I imagine letter, calls, and a whole host of imagined blogging (big timers and us wee folk) have gotten the exec clenching tight.

What's happening, ask RichardDawkins.net. Dawkins is comin' to town...well, CNN. So there is actually some value in checking out Paula Zahn tonight.

Apparently, they plan to rerun the sad story of that family, as seen in the posted video. Then they will follow up with an interview with Dawkins. As Pharyngula suggests, this is damage control. And PZ Meyer has a good point. Having a whole panel of atheist would have engendered a broader conversation. Heck, I wish they would bring in another theist, and allow debate, allow Dawkins to show the vacuousness of the ridiculous theistic claims against atheist.

And definitely think they could have found an American atheists to talk with, as so many of the shrill claims of before were about attacks on their vision of "Americana". So Dawkins ability to talk to these things will be limited. But the man is brilliant, stunningly articulate, and plain fun to listen to. So as a rep to atheism in general, as an expert to dissuade the more egregious fears...He won't do so bad at that...Check out the God Delusion.



For more talk on the previous show, and how much it has ticked people off.
Austin Cline has down two articles on about.com 1 2 - For some reason I got quoted here...Is someone watching and following me...WHERE'S MY TINFOIL?


And if you want some more flavor from that austere panel:

Check out the latest piece out of Debbie Schlussel's strange mind.

Among her many thoughts is that atheists are soon-to-be Islamic militants. Why? One guy, who had an atheist mom did it. Apparently that is a statistically significant piece of evidence. Who needs research and reason, when you got a mind like this?

It is the beauty of a closed mind, great echo chamber.

This silly silly person is just in a long line desperate to be the next Anne Coulter or Michelle Malkin. And like the host seeking to be the next Limbaugh or Hannity...just shake you head and move on to the people who need to be talked to. These people are there own worse enemies, they live in their own personal hells.

BUUUT...If you would like to kick this expert about some more, or would like to see someone tear thoroughly through her words, check out Pharyngula, where PZ Meyer turns her into a feast with his insight.