The Atheist and Crist

Governer Crist at the Western Wall in Jeruselum where he prayers to god to prevent hurricanes in Florida

Governor Charlie Crist at the Western Wall in Jeruselum where he prays to prevent hurricanes in Florida.

Last week, Governor Charlie Crist tore a campaign sticker off an atheist outside a pizza parlor in St. Petersburg and then yelled at him. (Details on the story here). The atheist in question, Mr. Middlebrooks, was interviewed by the Atheist Nexus. The interview was posted on their website on Monday.

Mr. Middlebrooks comes off as a very even-tempered guy. It is hard to imagine that his behavior would have been offensive aside from the fact he asked a question about Crist’s views on hurricane averting prayers. But it doesn’t appear that Crist lost his cool until Mr. Middlebrooks told him he was an atheist, which does lend credence to the claim that Crist’s response was a result of his bigotry against atheists and the nonreligious who make up 14% of Florida’s population.

The Crist campaign is still not commenting on this issue. The Atheists of Florida are giving the Governor time to respond to their letter asking for an apology. If they don’t receive one they are apparently preparing a follow up. In the meantime, the folks a Atheist Nexus are encouraging Atheists to contact the Crist for Senate Campaign and the Governor’s office to ask him to apologize for his offensive behavior.

To contact Charlie Crist for US Senate: http://charliecrist.com/contact/
To Contact Governor Crist: http://www.flgov.com/contact_governor

Listen to the interview below: (in two parts)