Shaking Things Up In America!

-by, Marquell Garrett
-DATED: March 21, 2008



Over 8 years now I have considered myself and atheist at least in some part. There was much time were I indeed dared to challenge my true knowledge and identity by falsely presenting myself as an agnostic-atheist. I must say from my past experiences that it is not possible to be an unadorned agnostic. It simply doesn’t exist. I learned that a person must decide whether or not to believe or not to believe in a higher-being or power regardless of the principles surrounding the proof of God or a higher-being. I decided a long time ago that there were no god and the fact is that accusing myself of being an agnostic is simply to try to avoid the negative stigma and discrimination that comes with being an atheist, at least in America. I find now though that this was very hypocritical of me and cowardly of me. A person should not hide what they are for any reason, not even to protect their own freedom or life. Life isn’t about making compromises to protect ones right to happiness and freedom. Surely happiness and freedom is a corner stone of life and should be protected but life is about pursuing happiness and freedom and being true to oneself. If I was to deny my true convictions and principles then I would deny my own happiness and freedom and thus my own life which are the very things all Homo sapiens holds dear to their hearts. I am not speaking for all non-believers when I say this but an atheist generally is a freer person than a theist not because he or she has a free and open mind, for this is great, but an atheist is generally freer because he or she allows nothing to hold them back even if it goes against the very core and fabric of their dreams, convictions, and heart. There are troubled times in this world for the non-believer. There is no place of refuge or land of freedom and equality were the atheist can go to pursue their happiness, freedom, and dreams. I wanna tell you about this great and powerful nation. A couple centuries ago a few men gathered around and talked about how cruel and unfair the government was and that something had to be done about it. These men talked about principles like freedom, equality, and basic rights of the individual. These men talked about a government that would be created by the people and ran by the people. These men talked about man’s basic right to live and let live. These men then inspired the birth of an Army and set out to create such government. The problem was though that by doing so was a direct act of high treason that would be punished by death. These brave men didn’t care though; they believed that all men should be free and have fair and equal representation by their government. These men went on to create that great government and nation and attempted to spread the ideas of such government across the globe. This nation physically still stands today but is far different from its original founding principles. If the men who dreamt up the idea of this nation were around today they wouldn’t even recognize the nation because it has become the very thing they hated. That nation is the United States of America and many have come to call it America, the land of dreams and hopes. But America has no dreams and hopes for the non-believer. America has no dreams and hopes for the two young men who meet in their freshman year of college, feel in-love, and wishes to marry. America has no hopes and dreams for the non-believer who is forced to observe a national religion through means of spending currency that reads In God We Trust and living in a nation that has a pledge that represents only the religious majority and not the non-believers. Things are not right in America. At some point citizens of a nation have to stop and observe their nation to ask, what has happened to this nation? I am asking America today, what has happened to this nation? What has happened to the fair and equal representation of all people by its government? What has happened to the right for one human being to marry another and not have this right regulated by the government? What has happened to Separation of Church and State? What has happened to the rights of the individual far outweighing the rights of the government? Since when has America become the land where the government picks and choose whose dreams and hopes will flourish and come true? Things are certainly out of whack in America. I think that it’s about time to put things back in whack. I think its time to shake things up a little bit. It’s time for Americans to hold the politicians and government officials accountable. It’s time to elect government officials based on whether or not they believe in freedom and equality for all no matter the circumstances. It’s time to elect officials who will listen to the people and report to the people instead of electing officials that will force the people to listen to the elected officials and report to the elected officials. It’s time to pick up our picket signs and march on Washington. The only difference is that we should not surround the capital and demand to be heard. No, we have done this for over 200 years. We need to walk on to the Senate and House of Representatives floor and tell the Senators and Representatives the way things are going to be. It’s time to march on Washington and go to the White House, not to surround it for we have been doing this for almost 200 years. No, we need to enter the White House, march into the Oval Office and demand to the President that he either acts in the best interests and wishes of the people or get the hell out of the Oval Office. We need to march on Washington and storm into the Supreme Court to demand they accept all cases that clearly involves a person’s civil and constitutional rights being violated. In addition to this we need to let these Supreme Court Justices know that if they act in manners that will not reflect the Constitution or the rights of the individual then they will be thrown out on their butts. It’s time to take all U.S. currency that reads In God We Trust and take it the door steps of the Treasury and demand that the phrase “In God We Trust” is removed. It’s time for children of not only non-believers, but children of true Americans, Americans that believe in equality and freedom, to set down on the pledge in the school houses and refuse to recite the pledge to the flag. Yes, it’s time to shake thing up a little bit. Some are going to say that this is hateful, this is anti-Christian, this is anti-American, and that this will never solve anything and only infuriate the people. Well I have this message for those people who say such things. The non-believers in this nation are already infuriated. The homo-sexual couples who are denied the right to adopt a child in the state of Florida are already infuriated. The Homosexuals in 49 out of 50 states that are denied the right to marry their lover are already infuriated. The atheist that is denied the right to teach in a classroom and serve as the head of a department in a college because the parents and students feel that it would be too offensive to have an atheist in such position is infuriated. The atheist who is denied the right to live in a community neighborhood peacefully because community neighbors feel it is too difficult to explain to their kids what an atheist is, is infuriated. The transsexuals who are denied the basic right to live in their home without being disturbed and work without being fired is infuriated. Thousands! That’s the number of people who are fired from their jobs and forced from their homes after deciding to be true to themselves and undergo a sex change. I am very sure that the thousands of non-believer parents who have children that are forced to recite the pledge to the flag or face disciplinary or social consequences are infuriated. No, I think its time to shake things up a little bit. Things have been out of control and out of whack for far too long. You know I stated in my Atheist Review that atheist should learn to control their own neighborhoods and control their own fate. Well here we are almost a year later and not enough atheists are controlling their own fate. I said in my speech The Fate of America that if you don’t make the difference then no one else will. It’s time for us to control our own fate. It’s time for atheist to elect government and political officials that reflect what is in the best interests and concerns of the atheist. It’s time to see an atheist become a U.S. Congressman. It’s time to see an atheist become a U.S. Senator. It’s time to see an atheist become a U.S. President. It’s time to see an atheist become a Supreme Court Justice. It’s time to see an atheist become a citizen. It’s time to see an atheist group be given thousands of dollars from federal and State resources to help the thousands of poor and homeless atheist Americans out there that are not heard. But it just isn’t time to see these great things happen for the atheists. It just isn’t time to see a major grocery store franchise owned by an atheist. No, it’s time to see a homosexual elected to the Congress. It’s time to see a homosexual openly admit being a homosexual and find themselves still elected Governor. It’s time to see a homosexual elected to the White House. It’s time to see America put aside all of our beggaring and hatred and elects a homosexual as a United States Senator. I had a person tell me once that homosexuals in this country will never achieve anything because they won’t stand up for anything in this nation. Well I have a message for all of those who agree with this. Why would someone stand up to be beat back down again? Why would someone admit to being a homosexual only to be fired from their jobs, tortured, isolated, and denied their basic civil and equal rights? It is only natural that homosexuals have remained in the closet for so long. But I will tell you what else is natural. When a person is beaten for so long, when a person is kept down for so long, when a person find themselves un able to pursue their happiness and denied their basic human rights for so long, it is only natural that they will eventually have enough and rise up against the oppression. I have another message for America. Homosexuals in this nation have had enough. Atheists in this nation have had enough. The transsexuals in this nation who are called freaks and fired from their jobs in this nation everyday have had enough. And I will tell America one more thing. The uprising is coming. The homosexuals are standing up. The atheists are standing up. A revolution is about to happen in this nation and if anyone tries to stop it or is on the wrong side of the battle field they will surely fail. You see the prejudice, torturing, and hatred has gone on long enough. America is suppose to be the land of the free and the home of the brave yet haven’t been 100% free since it’s creation so it’s time to shake things up a little bit. The people in power are not just going to give or recognize the homosexuals’ basic civil, equal, and human rights. No, the homosexuals are going to have to take them. The people in power are not just going to give or recognize the atheists’ basic civil, equal, and human rights. No, my fellow atheists we are going to have to take them. The religious majority is not going to accept homosexual rights and their right to marry who they very well please, so the religious majority will have to be forced by the homosexuals to accept and deal with the fact that homosexuals are human beings and deserve the same rights as any one of them. The religious majority is not going to accept that the atheists in this nation will be treated and represented fairly by this government and not be oppressed by religion so my fellow atheists, we are going to have to force them to accept and deal with the fact that we will have our rights. In conclusion, nothing will come to the non-believers in this nation by simply demanding for their rights. The atheists in this country will have take control of their own fate by electing officials that represent their interests and concerns. The atheist will have to start their own communities and businesses, invite others to join, and set the example of an ideal America. Nothing will come to the homosexuals in this nation by simply demanding for their rights. The homosexuals in this country will have take control of their own fate by electing officials that represent their interests and concerns. The homosexuals will have to start their own communities and businesses, invite others to join, and set the example of an ideal America. Sitting around hoping and waiting for change will solve nothing, you have to get out there and make the change. If the government is either unable or unwilling to protect someone whether it is the person’s rights or the person’s freedom then it would only be natural and wise for that person to do anything and everything to protect and preserve their life and freedom regardless of the views of the government. America likes to pretend that there isn’t a prejudice and hatred problem in this nation by ignoring the massive amount of inequality and prejudice homosexuals have to go through every day in this nation. America likes to ignore the way it forces non-believers in this nation to observe a supernatural being through a national symbol of religion. America likes to pretend that there is no prejudice toward the atheists in this country but yet atheists are forced to move from their neighborhoods everyday and fired from their jobs. There is a major problem in America and what needs to be done about it is that We need to let the world know of the prejudice, discrimination, and hatred in this nation and take control of our own fate. Yes, it’s time to shake things up in America.