Ted Rall, the cartoonist and opinion writer, has an interesting piece out called “Onward Christian Panderers.”

It’s mostly complaints about politicans sucking up to the Christian Right—nothing unfamiliar, though well-expressed. It’s worth mentioning, however, that while Rall might not be a great fan of organized religon, he is a theist. We should notice how many, from liberal religionists to the “spiritual but not religious,” are just as pissed off at religious politics as the average atheist. Moreover, Rall explicitly defends the rights of nonbelievers:

Between 10 and 14 percent of Americans are atheists. Devoting a “moment of silence” in schools sends a message to their children: you and your parents are out of step with American society.

If people want to believe in God, the Great Pumpkin, or a Jesus who lives in Missouri, that’s up to them. But religion has no place in the public life of a democracy. None.