discrimination of atheists

[kandrathe]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/charlie-ma...53418.html

I think the US should win a few spots on this discrimination list.
There is now 1 person in congress who has the courage to admit she is not religious. (another 10 keep it a bit in the dark).

For a person to be unwilling to admit they are a member of a minority group is not discrimination. Politicians are elected by popular votes, and as a politician you hope to sway a majority of people to give you their vote. The more you are different than your potential constituency, the less likely that constituency will be in identifying you as a representative. I really have no sympathy since no one can tell what you believe until you feel the need to announce it. If pressed by media for a stance on God, they have the ability to tell them to jump in the lake, or more politely that their personal beliefs are personal and not relevant to their public service. Politicians who proclaim advocacy for one side or another are doing it to pander to a block of potential voters.

In that respect, we all practice discrimination in our daily decisions. Big D discrimination requires there to be an enforceable policy or law. If Walmart requires all employees to be Baptists, that is a discriminatory policy that should be challenged in a court. If the Congress required all members to believe in God, that would be a discriminatory policy or law. Even racial quota's to give minorities advantages in applications are discriminatory, and only are warranted by order of courts as reparations for prior evidence of discrimination. As a former employer, and current college administrator, I would say we endeavor to be aware of the mix of various minority groups and to do the best we can to reflect the mix within the population we serve. Differences can expose discrimination, but sometimes that discrimination (little d discrimination) is done by the individual rather than (big D) the provider of the service. (example: http://health-equity.pitt.edu/469/ - although targeted marketing will also affect consumer choices )

This is the case also with elections, each individual practices small d discrimination in choosing which person should represent them. Sometimes that decision is bigoted, based on that persons gender, race, creed, sexual orientation. If someone votes for (or against) Obama because he is black, or Hillary because she is a woman, or Barney Frank because his is gay, or Kyrsten Sinema because she is unaffiliated religiously, then they are probably a bigot, yes. How do you determine the intentions of the voters? Maybe the voters really thought that person expressed in their campaign the best solutions to the issues facing government. Or, more often, that candidate is your guess at who may advance your legislative priorities.