REGRETS

There was a post about life regrets on Pharyngula this morning. This thing about regreting and emoting about the things we regret in looking back over our lives strikes me as a self-flagelating activity that is a complete waste of time. I added a comment to the thread. Here it is:

"Now in my 78th year, I’ve come to the conclusion that worrying about regrets is a total waste of time. At all times in my life, I did the best I could under the circumstances and attitudes existing at that time.

Can I see that I could have done better sometimes? Of course! The fact that I did otherwise is just how the game of life goes.

What I’m trying to do now is make every day I have left count as much as possible, and that includes relaxing and having a good time once in awhile while I’m still mobile enough to do so. I’m getting ever more active in blogging and working with fellow non-believers to thwart the theist's attempts to turn my nation into a christofascist theocratic hellhole. That keeps me very busy with no time to waste on regrets."

In that vein, yesterday was a very interesting day for me and my wife. We took a little drive up to Sedona and spent the afternoon in the very pleasant company of fellow freethinkers and secularists. Included in the group were Richard Dawkins, Sean Faircloth (author of the new book: Attack of the Theocrats!) and Dawkins Foundation worker, Robin Cornwell.

To say the afternoon was interesting and rewarding would be a gross understatment. It helped get our fledgling secular humanist free thought group off to a good start. We all had our opportunities to talk with our guests personally and hear their inspiring presentations about how far our nation has fallen into theocratic control and how vital it is for all of us to do our part to stem the tide just as the civil rights and LGBT movements have.

We are up against powerful forces with millions of dollars to throw into their efforts. By contrast, we are operating on shoestrings but we are getting into lobbying and grass roots action in solid ways. Sadly, the burden is falling on a small army of overworked, but very dedicated, activists.

We all came away fired up to do whatever we can to stem the tide of christofascist theocracy.

I personally spent much of the evening writing two emails to key members of the Arizona Legislature in response to appeals from the Secular Coalition for Arizona and the Prescott Freethinkers. Theocrats have become so brazen that they actually think they can mandate the teaching of the Bible in tax supported Arizona public schools in complete defiance of both the national and state constitutions!

Here is what I wrote on that subject:

"I, Allen C. Dexter, am a proud descendant of colonists who stood with Jefferson, Washington and a host of others to win independence from temporal and spiritual oppression. I had forefathers who stood on that bridge at Concord and faced the British muskets. Those revered men bequeathed to me and all other Americans the right to choose our own beliefs and not have selected religious beliefs imposed on our children through tax supported public education.

To authorize the teaching of the Bible or any other religious beliefs or traditions in our public schools is not the purvey of a constitutional government of either the United States of America as a whole or the state of Arizona. It would be a clear violation of the federal constitution and the constitution of Arizona, which states:
No public money shall be appropriated for, or applied to, any religious worship, exercise or instruction...
- Article II Section 12, Arizona State Constitution

Rest assured that if this unconstitutional attempt is allowed to progress, it will be challenged in court by Americans such as me who are fed up with religion being shoehorned into the education of our innocent youth under the guise of patriotism. Ignoring our constitution is not, and never has been, patriotic."

Respectfully,

Allen C. Dexter"

As I commented in a previous blog, activities such as these give me a purpose in my now advanced life. I encourage everyone who possibly can to get as involved as is feasible in fighting for our rapidly eroding secular society and government. To neglect this duty equals losing our liberties to people who are all too eager to impose their fanatic way of life and thinking on every American man, woman and child.