Hemant Mehta is the founder and editor of FriendlyAtheist.com, a YouTube creator, and podcast co-host. He is a former National Board Certified math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. He has appeared on CNN and FOX News and served on the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief and the Secular Student Alliance. He has written multiple books, including I Sold My Soul on eBay and The Young Atheist's Survival Guide. He also edited the book Queer Disbelief.
Back in May, legislators in Nebraska did something incredible: they voted to repeal the death penalty in the state. (They had just enough votes to override Governor Pete Ricketts’ veto.) The Omaha World-Herald called it a “crowning achievement” for State Senator Ernie Chambers who introduced the bill in January even though it had gone nowhere the 37 previous times he proposed it. Chambers (below) also happens to be the highest-ranking openly-atheist politician in the country. Despite the victory, the blood lust in the state is strong. A petition has signed by enough people to suspend the law for now and put the death penalty back up for a vote in next November’s elections. In other words, Chambers’ accomplishment could soon be overturned. It also raises a number of questions: Read more
In 2012, Rodricus Crawford was convicted of killing his one-year-old son, Roderius. There’s been a lot written in Crawford’s defense — he may very well be innocent — but that hasn’t stopped Caddo District Attorney Dale Cox (below) from seeking the death penalty against him. I’m going to skip over the facts of the case and focus on how it was argued. Cox defended his push for the death penalty by quoting the Bible in court, as if we’re guided by the Christian holy book in this country instead of the Constitution: Read more
