Apparently, Falafel did him live.

They probably thought he was the Family Feud guy.

There are no Atheists at Par 5 holes?

they probably didnt let him join because hes an abrasive arsehole. this is coming from someone who enjoys the cranky old bastard's books

DammitIForgotMyLogin: Dawkins said he's concerned that the country club official who decided to cancel his talk "believed Bill O'Reilly rather than reading the book."


Well duh, of course he did. Anyone who believes Bill O'Reilly is probably too stupid to be able to read a book.

Oh, grow up.
They can read, but their lips move when they do it.

Fuggin Bizzy: Meh. Dawkins is nothing but a loud, brash, in-your-face militant atheist, so I'm not surprised by this.

Unlike all the witch doctors on TV Sunday mornings.

But can he still dunk?

""It clearly violates the spirit of the Civil Rights Act," he said."

Stupid. Country Club's have rights too! :)

wambu: DammitIForgotMyLogin: Dawkins said he's concerned that the country club official who decided to cancel his talk "believed Bill O'Reilly rather than reading the book."


Well duh, of course he did. Anyone who believes Bill O'Reilly is probably too stupid to be able to read a book.

Oh, grow up.
They can read, but their lips move when they do it.

An oldie but a goodie.

Nabb1: "This is sheer bigotry," Dawkins said. "If the country club had said, 'I'm not having Dawkins speak because he's a Jew, or because he's black, or because he's gay,' they would never get away with it."

Dude may be smart, but he clearly knows nothing about country clubs in this country. Hey, Richard, those are sort of an unspoken selling point in some places.

My reaction exactly, except that I actually laughed when I read that. Maybe in England, Richard, but not in the USA. I mean, that's sorta the cliche, isn't it?

Fuggin Bizzy: Meh. Dawkins is nothing but a loud, brash, in-your-face militant atheist, so I'm not surprised by this.

A little RTFT on my part made this quite nice. :-)

aww, he's such a poor little victim.

Granted, research isn't their forte.

As stated above listening to O'reily is as close as they get to reading.

serial_crusher: Isn't his whole career built around an irrational hatred for religious people? Probably not the best person to complain about bigotry.

*glance at article*

It's farking Rochester Hills? What did you expect? You know... Republican Hills?

/Sitting on Hamlin Rd. as I type this

cscanlon7: [cdn-www.i-am-bored.com image 500x280]

Dear gods in all the heavens that don't exist.

But seriously, speaking engagements are just business. We should decry the cancellation as small minded silliness, but not "injustice." Let's save the big guns for, y'know, actual injustice.

While I enjoy listening to Richard Dawkins from time to time, he really should understand that private clubs can do whatever they like in circumstances like this.

/c'mon Richard, use your brain.
//also, what did you expect to happen with Bill O'Reilly?

The Selfish Gene was a really interesting book. The God Delusion was meh. He's still leaps and bounds better than Bill Maher as far as outspoken public atheist figures go.

Aidan: *glance at article*

It's farking Rochester Hills? What did you expect? You know... Republican Hills?

/Sitting on Hamlin Rd. as I type this

I live off of Hamlin rd, you better not be at my house.....

He's comparing Atheism and bigotry to other religions all while saying Atheism isn't a religion? Which way is it Dawkins? Is Atheism a religion in your eyes or not?

probesport: Aidan: *glance at article*

It's farking Rochester Hills? What did you expect? You know... Republican Hills?

/Sitting on Hamlin Rd. as I type this

I live off of Hamlin rd, you better not be at my house.....

Nah, I'm not at your house. No worries.

But seriously dude, you NEED to change the color scheme in your kitchen. Cause Damn.

Rashnu: The Selfish Gene was a really interesting book. The God Delusion was meh. He's still leaps and bounds better than Bill Maher as far as outspoken public atheist figures go.

Read Shook's "The God Debates". Wicked good. Nice guy, too.

cscanlon7: [cdn-www.i-am-bored.com image 500x280]

Bad shoop is bad.

gregory311: While I enjoy listening to Richard Dawkins from time to time, he really should understand that private clubs can do whatever they like in circumstances like this.

Yes and he can, as a private businessperson or just consumer, raise a stink about their discriminatory business practices. Perhaps I missed where he was demanding government action to force them to hire atheists.

cscanlon7: [cdn-www.i-am-bored.com image 500x280]

Now my pants feel funny, but my brain feels funnier.

gilgigamesh: I'm just happy its no longer PC to suggest people who don't believe in God have no rights and should be rounded up and shot. I mean, it might not seem like much, but that's progress.

haven't been down south have you?

Heh, that's right down the street from my folks place. Lots of money in that place, like marble everything, and cobblestone parking lots, amounts of money.

Aidan: probesport: Aidan: *glance at article*

It's farking Rochester Hills? What did you expect? You know... Republican Hills?

/Sitting on Hamlin Rd. as I type this

I live off of Hamlin rd, you better not be at my house.....

Nah, I'm not at your house. No worries.

But seriously dude, you NEED to change the color scheme in your kitchen. Cause Damn.

My wife wanted the green, I'm not really a fan of it.

Maybe they just found out that he's a complete asshole.

/I'm also an atheist, and I can't point to a single time in my life where I felt discriminated against because of it.

So.. a secularism supporter group (secular usually involving different sects/sections of a religion or religions) asks an atheist to speak, and the country club makes a decision.

It'd make more sense if they banned the whole group for inviting someone who doesn't agree with them heh. Not much more mind you, but still more.

After all, the country club is a private business (usually) subsisting on member fees, payments for specific services from outside the membership, and other things. And private business do decide who to allow in and who to keep out. Just as public business, and government staff in government buildings do.

R.A.Danny: "If the country club had said, 'I'm not having Dawkins speak because he's a Jew, or because he's black, or because he's gay,' they would never get away with it."

Yeah they would. Many exclude those groups from their membership as well.

Except, as noted in the Pharyngula thread on this, this particular club advertised hosting for events regardless of membership. That puts the establishment squarely within the scope of the Civil Rights Act; they cannot discriminate upon characteristics considered protected classes - race/ethnicity, gender... and religion, which for the purposes of civil rights jurisprudence atheism is classfied as a type of, quibbles about "but it's anti-religion" aside. The club owner's blown his own foot off, and if some Google searches on his name are correct he has a history of questionable business practices and poor legal judgement.