Is it, or is it not? Satire in this country these days is often hard to discern, and I found Alice Shannon’s letter of Jan. 29, a vituperative religious diatribe attacking atheists, to be a case in point. It’s level of vitriol was so off the chart that after I recovered from the shock and awe, I had to smile. It’s gotta be satire, right?

However, recalling drive by dousings of elderly women promoting peace, gives me cause to wonder. Shannon expounds mightily in a admirable economy of words to “stomp out atheists in America,” and that the “majority of Americans would love to see atheists kicked out of America.” “Stomp,” “kick” and “love”; now there’s a menage a trois for you! And I must have missed that vote. Ah, I get it; gotta be satire, right?

She avows that we all “can believe in God any way you want,” and gives three Christian examples (not Buddhism, Islam, Wiccan, Jewish faiths, etc.), but that we “must believe.” Freedom of religion doesn’t include freedom from religion in her world.

Heh, heh, heh. Gotta be satire. Right?

She also cites the “In God We Trust” on our currency. Money trumping the U.S. Constitution? She speaks to atheists: “Get off of our country.” Wait a minute. Didn’t the Rolling Stones sing, “Hey, you, get off of my cloud?” Hoo boy! Gotta be satire!

She winds up with “Atheists have caused the ruin of this great nation ...” by “being able to practice what can only be called evil.” Come to think of it, I know an atheist — let’s consider his evils (just for America’s sake):

He’s compassionate and caring about those less fortunate — definitely evil; he values the process of law and justice — definitely evil; he believes in the patriotism of dissent and the right of others to express opinions — definitely evil; he esteems equality under the law, one person/one vote — definitely evil; he believes that one can be moral and ethical without religion — definitely evil.

Tsk, tsk, those atheists. Yeah, yeah, I know here’s jihads, Crusades, suicide bombers, Inquisitions, Pat Robertson, Ted Haggard and his “New Life,” right-to-life snipers (now that’s gotta be satire), abusive Catholic priests, “Man on Dog” Santorum, etc., ad infinitum. Oops. I forgot — more satire.

Is it, or is it not? That is the question, Alice.

Gotta be satire, right? Gotta be.

George Harbeson

Ninilchik