Ask an Atheist with Sam Mulvey

Back on November 11, 2012, I had the pleasure of doing an interview on your show from Nebraska (Episode 10.7, Winning: The Elections and Islam, November 11, 2012).

At the time, I had just been appointed to my village board in Broadwater (population 128) to fill out the remainder of the term of a long-serving board member who died.

I was reëlected in 2014 by a margin of four votes over the town gun shop owner, who’d previously served on the village board. I am standing for election again November 6; I am currently in the position of chairman pro-tempore (vice-mayor if our city was larger).

The county attorney, who took my affirmation of office, struggled a bit with the state affirmation of office for those who hold no religious faith. He tacked on “so help me God” the first time, probably from force of habit.

Interestingly, when the board recites the Pledge of Allegiance, they have me lead it as chairman pro-tempore (which I recite without the “under God” part). In the four years I have been chairman pro-tempore, no one has ever objected to that formula.

Since my appointment in 2012 and reëlection in 2014, I have been more vocal, particularly in our regional newspaper, pushing back against nonsense letters such as “atheists are the cause of moral decay in society” or “atheists are the cause of mass-shootings” (yes we get those rather regularly).

Interestingly, after I first came out openly as an atheist in the newspaper pushing back against one such letter, I received several telephone calls, personal visits, and postcards from people around the Nebraska Panhandle thanking me for my stance (not bashing religious views, but pushing back against false stereotypes of atheists). No pitchforks and torches at my house.

We’ll see how the election goes in two days. There are four candidates standing for three seats on the village board (the three incumbents which include me, and a challenger who specifically filed to go after me as a liberal and an atheist).

If you folks get tired of Tacoma, you can always set up shop here (the cost of living is cheaper and we could use an alternative to religious programming and agricultural reports).

That’s a very strange Jew, quoting from the new testament. Still, I found the ending funny, in the way he asked the audience to confirm his Amen.

They were most likely the bad type of skin heads.

“White laces: Bootlace color identifying a skinhead as being “white power,” as opposed to a non-racist (“traditional”) or anti-racist skin.”

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2015/racist-skinhead-glossary