The unaired Superbowl commercial that everybody is talking about.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

The ad featured a Spanish-speaking mother and daughter apparently traveling from Mexico to the United States. The end, which shows the pair discovering a door in a giant wall, was reportedly banned from TV since it commented on President Donald Trump’s promised border wall.

A part of the ad was shown which then directed you to Journey84.com which then promptly crashed. (Back up now.)

However attempts to stifle the message of inclusion ultimately failed miserably: 

One after another, on the NRG Stadium field, on the streets of Houston and perhaps most important of all, in ad after ad from the giants of corporate America such as Coke and Anheuser-Busch, a message of inclusion and equality in defiance of Trump emanated from an event that always is much more than a football game. 

The tone was set inside the massive football stadium even before kickoff when three stars of the hit musical Hamilton made a simple but significant addition to the words of America the Beautiful. 

When the original Hamilton cast’s Schuyler Sisters trio of Phillipa Soo, Renee Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones reached the line, “And crown thy good with brotherhood,” they smiled and added, “and sisterhood,” to a roar from the crowd.

At halftime the irrepressible Lady Gaga also let her feelings be known with an amazing performance that not only entertained but also could be its own advertisement for inclusion and acceptance: 

Before plunging toward the field, tethered by wires, she added, “One nation. Under God. Indivisible. With liberty. And justice. For all.” 

A few minutes later, singing Born This Way she added the word “transgender” to the Super Bowl conversation likely for the first time ever: “No matter gay, straight, or bi, Lesbian, transgender life…”

Ultimately Donald Trump's favorite quarter back may have won the game, but the message of the day was anything but Trump approved. 

Air Force changes its rules after airman refuses to say "so help me God" as part of his oath for reenlistment.

Courtesy of the Washington Post:  


After an airman was unable to complete his reenlistment because he omitted the part of a required oath that states “so help me God,” the Air Force changed its instructions for the oath. 

Following a review of the policy by the Department of Defense General Counsel, the Air Force will now permit airmen to omit the phrase, should they so choose. That change is effective immediately, according to an Air Force statement. 

“We take any instance in which Airmen report concerns regarding religious freedom seriously,” Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said in the statement. “We are making the appropriate adjustments to ensure our Airmen’s rights are protected. 

“The Air Force will be updating the instructions for both enlisted and commissioned Airmen to reflect these changes in the coming weeks, but the policy change is effective now. Airmen who choose to omit the words ‘So help me God’ from enlistment and officer appointment oaths may do so.”

Okay that is just great news and a real step forward for the non-theists in this country.

I am very excited about he progress that we are making right now in tamping down the rampant religiosity and embracing a more secular point of view.

Nobody wants to deprive people of their religious freedom, but there is no excuse for it invading the lives of those who choose a different path.