Robin, can you link to that? I’m curious about those letters now.

Rob Sherman has posted a 40 page PDF file of the relevant documents from the Bush Presidential Library on his website.

This is nothing like that. Rape is a serious crime; this is a politician being a jerk.

As fellow atheists and freethinkers, we should be standing by this man’s side and supporting him. How are you being “friendly” to him?

As skeptics, we should demand proof of something before we believe it. I’ll give that it’s entirely possible (even probable!) that the scene happened as described, but I’m not going to go on some campaign against Crist or accuse him of attacking somebody just because somebody whose views on religion are similar to mine said he did. I will, however, keep an eye on Crist in the future.

I’m not saying Middlebrooks is a liar. But I’m not going to take his claim seriously unless he can back it up.”

This is reminiscent of the 1970s when a woman who was raped needed independent verifiable evidence in support of the claim before she was taken seriously.

As fellow atheists and freethinkers, we should be standing by this man’s side and supporting him. How are you being “friendly” to him?

The Bush presidential library contains quite a few letters about this quote, some specifically including it, but in White House replies to this correspondence, the hateful remark is neither denied nor corrected. Staff memos make it clear that President Bush was aware that some Americans had heard he said this and were offended by it, but was in no hurry to change their impression.

That’s not proof, but it is evidence in favor of the quote’s accuracy.

Plus, if I am not mistaken, George H. Bush has denied he said it.

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http://www.blogtalkradio.com/atheist/2010/03/09/florida-governor-crist-lashes-out-at-atheist

The Atheist Forum on BlogTalkRadio will interrupt our standard programming to cover this breaking new story on what would be a relatively minor incident if it were not the Governor of Florida who lashed out at an atheist for not believing in god!

If we do not speak up and stand up for ourselves, then who will?

Listen on your PC by going to the above link, or listen by phone by calling 914-338-0261 at 6:00 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, March 9). For those who cannot listen live, the show will be recorded for later podcast online and through iTunes.

Believe it or not, cameras are not everywhere yet, and this was a completely impromptu incident. The local press would care if they were present, but they are not ubiquitous. Let’s be seriouis; they go where they are called on their beat or for big events (not to every minor opportunity to shake hands while visiting the folks at home).

Like Charlie Crist, I am a native of St Petersburg, and it’s not unusual for Crist to visit his home town without it becoming a media event. This is really little more than an overgrown small Florida town (one of about two dozen “cities” in Pinellas County).

When an incident like this happens, it is only reasonable for those involved to speak up about it regardless of whether the state of evidence immediately provided meets the most stringently applied skeptical standards. I am concerned by the unspoken implication I see in some comments that silence might be a better alternative. To remain silent is to be complicit in our own oppression, no matter if the attack is great or (as in this case) relatively small.

Furthermore, while it is perfectly appropriate to withhold judgment until all the evidence is in, my hope is that atheists, skeptics and freethinkers of all descriptions will maintain a sense of balance to be able to resist the temptation to overcompensate by attempting to diminish legitimate concerns over one abuse just because it is not nearly as egregious as so many others. Every attack, be it large or small, deserves to be brought out into the light, and cynical calculations about potential political fallout should have no place in the determination of whether to speak up. We don’t really know if this will help or harm Crist in his primary battle with Rubio, and that does not matter to a nonprofit organization with its primary purpose to stand up for equal protection and respect for atheists.

How can we ever gain respect from others if we do not even respect one another, or if we belittle other atheists who decline to be treated with such evidence contempt?