Doug's Views – Page 18 – Ocassional Thoughts of an Independent Progressive Atheistic Humanist

June 11, 2015April 18, 2020

Findlay Mayor Draws Wrong Conclusion In Seeing Little Need For Police Cameras

For the first time in 16 years, a Findlay police officer shot and killed a suspect. When the press asked if there was body camera or dashboard camera footage of the stop the police said no. Findlay Police don’t have cameras and Mayor Lydia Mihalik said cameras are not cost effective. Obviously the Mayor has a short sighted view of cameras for police officers.

Editor Note: I will say first off that I am not hating on the Findlay Police Department. The incident on Tuesday is still under investigation so I have no reason at this time not believe the official version of events. My concern, in the current climate of eroding trust in the police in general, that body or dashboard cameras would add accountability and would improve citizen trust in the police here in Findlay. I disagree with the Mayor’s position on cameras.

May 31, 2015April 18, 2020

Could Fear Of Islamophobia Lead Atheists To Overlook Religious Bigotry?

What started out as story about a soccer team invoking religious privilege, that was posted on an atheist blog, took a left turn as the author and many commenters didn’t seem to be concerned with an Islamic school soccer team forcing two Catholic girls to sit out half a match because the Muslim player’s religion wouldn’t allow them to mix with strange females. Could the fear of Islamophobia lead some atheists to overlook obvious religious bigotry? Looks like it can.

Hemant Mehta, over at Friendly Atheist, posted a story about two girls who played on a boy’s soccer team in Ontario Canada:

May 29, 2015April 18, 2020

An Inventor And An Author Added To Famous Findlayians

I recently updated my Famous Findlayians page to add two new people. James B. Hill invented the Buckeye Traction Ditcher that helped drain the Great Black Swamp and James Purdy was an author who was ahead of his times but he influenced a number of writers.

Hill lived in Findlay for a number of years early in the 20th century and is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery.

May 18, 2015April 18, 2020

Thinking That Religion Is Only A Bunch Of Pretty Words Is Naive

screencap of Reza Aslan, writer and scholar of religious studies, on the Daily Show for an interview on May 13th

Reza Aslan, writer and scholar of religious studies, was on the Daily Show for an interview on May 13th

Being a Humanist and an atheist, I get exposed to a range of views on religion. On the strict atheist side I hear about how religion should be left in the dustbin of history while on the Humanist side I tend to hear that religion is just pretty words that make people feel good. I’ve always found the idea that religion is just pretty words to be at best naive and ignores the reality in the world.

Last Wednesday, Reza Aslan, writer and scholar of religious studies, was on the Daily Show for an interview.

May 2, 2015April 18, 2020

State Rep. Robert Sprague Tries To Use Ohio Budget To Stick It To Recovering Drug Addicts

State Rep. Robert Sprague, R-Findlay

State Rep. Robert Sprague, R-Findlay, is using the typical Ohio GOP trick of adding terrible legislation to the state budget so the nasty part can’t be repealed through a referendum. The terrible law he doesn’t want to expose to the ballot box? Extra rules on the placement of community drug addiction recovery homes. Which is ironic because addressing drug abuse is one of Sprague’s causes he trumpets in his press releases and through normally introduced legislation.