Summary: SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: <a href="http://polarisfinancialplanning.com/polaris-blog/the-phil-ferguson-show-podcast/" rel="noopener">http://polarisfinancialplanning.com/polaris-blog/the-phil-ferguson-show-podcast/</a><br><br>National Public Radio has declared that it is nixing the comments sections on its website. This decision has resulted in a lot of discussion about the merits of comments sections, the nature of online discourse, and NPR's responsibility to the public. We discuss.<br><br><br>We also speak with Sarah Haider of Ex-Mulims of North America regarding France's (now suspended) Burkini ban, and we finish the show with a reading from Chris Matheson's humor book, "The Story of God."<br><br>_____<br><br>NPR article on its comments section decision: <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/ombudsman/2016/08/17/489516952/npr-website-to-get-rid-of-comments" rel="noopener">http://www.npr.org/sections/ombudsman/2016/08/17/489516952/npr-website-to-get-rid-of-comments</a><br><br>Sarah Haider's Heat Street article "Repressive Burkini Bans Will Do More Harm Than Good:" <a href="https://heatst.com/culture-wars/repressive-burkini-bans-will-do-more-harm-than-good" rel="noopener">https://heatst.com/culture-wars/repressive-burkini-bans-will-do-more-harm-than-good</a><br><br>David Smalley "What's Killing the Atheist Movement:" <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/dogmadebate/2016/08/whats-killing-the-atheist-movement" rel="noopener">http://www.patheos.com/blogs/dogmadebate/2016/08/whats-killing-the-atheist-movement</a><br><br>Chris Matheson's "The Story of God:" <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Story-God-Biblical-Comedy-about/dp/1634310241/ref" rel="noopener">https://www.amazon.com/Story-God-Biblical-Comedy-about/dp/1634310241/ref</a>=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472478175&sr=8-2&keywords=the+story+of+god