American Atheists has unveiled the latest episode of their annual report, State of the Secular States, exposing the huge surge and legislative bills favoring religious extremism. The report reveals a record breaking crescendo of bills threatening civil rights, with LGBTQ protections and abortion access being the prime targets. As we approach the twenty twenty four election season, we can expect more religious fanaticism from lobbyists threatening one of the
Constitution's core principles. The stage is now set for a multifront assault on freedom, and the unholy alliance between politics and religion is taking the forefront. So brace yourselves for a dark comedy where the punchlines come at the expense of civil rights and reason. This story is from American Atheists, published January ninth, twenty twenty four, and I'm going to pass that straight to Phoebe to start this story off. So, how do you solve a problem like America?
You break it down to smaller and smaller pieces, and you get even weird a prot I'm not surprised by this. This is the probably the least surprising piece of empirical data that I've seen. There are all these bills wending their way through. Good for the bill, Good for the legislator waiting its time, Yeah, Good for the judge that is gonna be overturned on appeal. Good for the Supreme Court that's going to be filled up with ruling all this
junk. I'm pretty sure that far rather deal with, you know, actual court cases on actual issues. But you know, eighty of these bills made it into law. Are wonderful the twenty twenty two to three legislative session in Texas, they passed Could you not hear six hundred and sixty six bills into more? You couldn't make that number up? So what eighty is an undesirable number? The most desired number of these bills should be this and nothing more.
I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I'm not going to worry about it. Maybe I should, but I'm too busy getting on with my life. I'm too busy ignoring these people, and I'm too busy telling the pieces of legislation. What oh fuck off? I mean this ties a lot into like previous segments that we've done here, just looking at the way that these legislators have weaponized the government against vulnerable communities and doing so for nothing
more than political gain. And I've spoken on this in the past, but what we're continuing to see are these celebrities doing what made them celebrities, and that's been the loudest and most hateful person in the room. Oh you want to build a wall, I'm putting alligators in a fucking moat. Let's see
you outdo that, Wokester like, That's what they do. Every time we, the sane onlookers, see their next racist, sexist, transphobic move, these people are rewarded with either adelation from their sycophantic supporters or a media frenzy saying that how insane they are so and that somehow activates their base to defend them and echo the insanity. So, of course, in all of this
insanity, there's this veneer of religious righteousness. They hide behind that book and they push their agenda all the while projecting that that's what's happening to them. Nobody's pushing their agenda on you. By existing you're an adult, you should know this. But they also know when I say I'm doing the anti human
thing because the almighty sky Wizards said to do so. But when they say that they're gonna do something horrible because sky Wizard sky Daddy said to do it, the rest of their believers will follow online because we're taught not to question the word. So what these people fail to realize is exactly what Nick fish in this article what he said. It's not just the others who will have their civil rights taken, it's just the door they will open as they waltz
in to take everybody's rights everybody. So like, have these people never read Animal Farm? Like I thought that was required reading. People will always find a way to separate themselves from the other, And when there is no longer anyone to hate because of their outward appearance, it will become hate amongst economic classes. Then thought policing. There will always be the others in the mind
of some, and at some point you're going to be the other. So hey, if you're celebrating these things, enjoy, Hey, you remind me original T. Davis. He said the following. You see, Britain you do racism for better than America. America does racist against people who look different to each other. Britain you do racism against people who don't the same as each other. There's time and again we see this and as you mentioned, you know, this isn't really anything new. This is the same old grab
bag. They're just reaching into it. But it is a really good example of once again how fixated they are on clickbait. They're legislating by clickbait. It's not about thinking, because you know, legislation and actually a government that works is boring. You're never going to get a bunch of clicks and you're not going to be the next hit on TikTok. It's just not going to
happen. It's a boring process, but it's an important process. But if you can get up there and say something stupid and everybody goes into a tizzy, well they succeeded with this, and that's one thing. It's one thing for them to do that. It's entirely another for them to decide on what becomes law according to what's going to be the best thing to get me clicks,
what's going to get me views. So let me make sure I say these terrible, hideous things that one half has a stroke and the other half applauds, and all I'm doing is laughing all away, hopefully, and for these people let's be honest. All these state representatives and state senators, they
all dream of being US representatives and US senators. So while they lay in bed dreaming their big dreams of that, they wake up in the morning and say, hey, what can I do to be the next person who's who virtually become politics by mean And that's really all we're seeing here because everything else is just a distraction. They don't want to deal with the real issues. Once again, that's busy. But blaytant, let me remind you. All
animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others. Kelly, I have to disagree with you on one point. I don't think they're doing this instead of being busy with real issues. These are the real issues to them. This is them trying to make a theocracy out of this country.
This is real to them, and we need to act like it's real to us too if we want to try to stop something like a religious takeover, unconstitutional religious takeover of this country is bb You mentioned the quotes from Nick Fish, the president of the American Atheist I even another one hear from them. White Christian nationalists are undottedly going to keep pushing their culture war agenda in state legislatures and on the campaign trail. We know their goals and strategies, and
we believe they can be stopped. But the media and the public need to understand what's at state in twenty twenty four and are not only protections for women, LGBTQ people and racial and religious minorities and atheist but the civil rights of all Americans. And I think that sums up what this report is about. I think it conveys the message that I think that the American Atheists is just trying to convey with the State of the Secular State Reports. And I look
through it, it's a really interesting document. There's a lot of information on it. To be honest, I wish there was a better breakdown of national information, but there's a lot of really, really really good state by state information. And if you're interested in getting involved in something and looking for a cause, if you look at their state by state information, I'm sure there's
something in there that you're going to agree with. I'd agree with because they also list bills that are pro religious freedom, like trying to get religion out of schools and stuff like that. So they really just bills on both sides. So if there's something you really want to get involved in, you could probably find it on this website in this report. So there's a lot of like I said, a lot of state by state, and even if you want to get even closer, there's a lot of things that are happening right
in your neighborhood that are just totally local issues. If you want to get involved, these are the things that are really affecting your day to day life. The president doesn't, but these things that are happening right now in your town do. And I really encourage people to get out there and get more
involved in what's happening with your life and your society. And I kind of wonder if the panel thinks that this trend of more and more religious bills that we're seeing now, because it's definitely on the rise, do you think that this is going to continue? Or do you think this is more like the dying throwers of a cornered animal phoebe. You want to start with you roads are boring, plumbing is boring, river and wastewater management is boring. Taxes
are boring. They're supposed to be boring. This is what politicians are supposed to do. You're supposed to be boring. In my opinion, the job of a politician is boring. It's meant to be boring. You can get all you know excited about effluent management if you really want to. But what we've got here, and I will come to Kelly's question, is we have
people who are living in a very privileged world. You don't go to countries that don't have plumbing and see this kind of thing being done in their legislator. You don't see countries that have roads that don't exist, that want roads to exist, have this happen in their legislature. I'm pretty sure Madagascar does not have bills of this nature when it doesn't have roads, plumbing, a functioning tax collecting system, a functioning wastewater management system for its country. I'm
pretty sure Madagascar doesn't. If you want in the comments below water to email us and say that, yeah, actually Madagascar does, I will make an on screen apology if you can prove me wrong. But I don't believe that this is anything other the bored politicians that are bored doing the boring things. And if you're bored doing the boring things, go and do something exciting. Just because you think you should be doing this doesn't mean you should actually be
doing this. It's boring doing things that make a difference to people's lives. Building houses is boring. Going and fixing potholes is dull. It's not, you know, the most exciting work. You're not rocket scientists that are going to the moon. If you are in your local city council and you're discussing milages and you're discussing cannabis licensing, or you're discussing pothole fixes, or you're discussing the latest ordinance on fire pits in back gardens, that is Dalla's dishwater.
But you've chosen to do that. Stop trying to make your job more than what it is, and stop trying to make it more exciting. You picked a boring job. Live with it or stop doing it. This is why I think they will continue. But until these people realize that the job they're doing is actually pretty dull. Sitting in a room discussing black and white ordinances all day long, we're always going to have the dead you know,
that countroversy that's there. We're always going to go on right sensationalism. But do you think that this is going to continue on a religious ban or do you think that's going to be dying. It is because it's it's exciting and they can defend whatever they do without having to go into any real depth and
reason. I get to draw up some fanciful piece of organs that could say whatever I like, so I can indulge my brain capacity and I don't actually have to defend it in any reasonableay because I can just say Skydaddy said so or so. The book trend of esc So you think this escalating trend is going to continue to escalating until people get bored of these people doing a job that's boring in a way that doesn't do the boring things. So roads need
fixing, swimming pools need building for municipalities, children's schools need plumbing. I want to get back to the issue of religion now right. What I'm saying is what I'm saying is these religious bills will continue because these people are bored with doing the job they should be doing. So it's going to continue because these are bored people doing a boring job. So they're going to find something
they find interesting, and religion is something they've chosen to find interesting. Okay, I'm gonna agree and disagree with something Kelly said when we were talking about like this. The mean politicians. They are, well, there is a set of true believers that are going to continue to fight for this too and nail NonStop. This is what their life work is. They take it very seriously. But the people that we are discussing, the loudest people in the
room. If your name has become an acronym, like pretty much any politician that you know their name by heart because you see them constantly, these are not serious people. These are just people trying to freaking They're doing ads for their podcast every time they drop something into freaking legislative body. Just what they do. I think politician is the politician you do not know about. This isn't an endorsement of anybody, but I will say I'd never heard the name
Bernie Sanders until he ran for president. Never heard this man's name. I was just going to say, that's how we just got Mike Johnson, right nobody because nobody knew who he was, you know, yeah, exactly exactly. So they use these loud people as pretty much like they're the squeaky wheel that you're trying to fix without realizing that the engine is on fucking fire.
That's what these people are. They're they're driving this train. Everything is going insane, but all you focus on is the loud person screaming about brown people. That's what we focus on, because that's their purpose. I expect this to continue until and this is something that Blatant alluded to, and I expected to continue until people realize that the things that need to get done aren't getting done. That's when this starts wearing thin. It's like anything else. You
know. You can tell me the train's coming, and I might wait for but eventually I get tired and realize the train's not coming. And right now we have state legislators that are so tied up and bogged down with what they would say is saving the Republic from craziness and wokeness and all these other things. But what they're really doing is promoting their own agenda of controlling other people.
And as long as they do that, they will continue to remind us just how bad they are at actually that day to day legislation, and when that builds up, people will get tired of that. So for the time being, yes, I expect voices to get shrill. I expect them to get louder. I expect them to get more dangerous, because a caged animal does that. But at the end of the day, they are shrinking.
Religion is dying. They can put it any way they want to, they can scream to the rooftops, they can say whatever they are, but just like their God on that cross, they're dying, and unlike their God, are actually more accurately like their God. Once this dies, religion is going to stay in decay. So let's give it time because we will we have
to outlast it. But I do think you're dead right, Kelly with It's important to be involved, to be aware because yes, you're not going to tell you're not going to change what happens on a presidential level, that's a joke. We we dilute ourselves into that. But down at the local level, there is input, there are changes that can be made, and we individually and collectively as well, can have an impact on that. And that's what's so important, because time and again we get reminded of just how bad
these people are at the day to days of legislation the real world. Kelly, Yeah, I think I think you're right to me, I see these religious issues becoming less and less important as time goes on, and I'm hoping that a decade from now, there's escalating trend that we're seeing now won't be escalating anymore. It will be on, you know, on the opposite side
and going downwards. At least that's what I'm hoping for. But with the rise of the noun in the US, and even just the rise of atheism, which has gone up a good two percent over the last couple of decades, I think these arguments aren't landing as well for the political parties as they used to, so at least I'm hoping so. And uh yeah. Other than that, I don't know what to say else to say. If you would like to get some nice ACA merchandise, though, you can go to tiny dot cc slash to ACA merch