Ricky Gervais presented a well-written piece on why he is an atheist last month in the Wall Street Journal. He also responded to some questions and his response to the question “How do you plan on celebrating Christmas?” was striking to me:

Eating and drinking too much with friends and family. Celebrating life and remembering those that did, but can no longer.

They are not looking down on me but they live in my mind and heart more than they ever did probably. Some, I was lucky enough to bump into on this planet of six billion people. Others shared much of my genetic material. One selflessly did her best for me all my life. That’s what mums do though. They do it for no other reason than love. Not for reward. Not for recognition. They create you. From nothing. Miracle? They do those every day. No big deal. They are not worshiped. They would give their life without the promise of heaven. They teach you everything they know yet they are not declared prophets. And you only have one.

I am crying as I write this.

He goes on in that answer with a touching anecdote about his mother that is worth reading.

Emphasis mine:

In the absence of the governmental checks and balances present in other areas of our national life, the only effective restraint upon executive policy and power in the areas of national defense and international affairs may lie in an enlightened citizenry – in an informed and critical public opinion which alone can here protect the values of democratic government. For this reason, it is perhaps here that a press that is alert, aware, and free most vitally serves the basic purpose of the First Amendment. For, without an informed and free press, there cannot be an enlightened people.

Potter Stewart, Justice of the United States Supreme Court, in his concurring opinion in New York Times v. United States, where the government asked the court to issue prior restraint against the New York Times to prevent it from publishing the Pentagon Papers. The court ruled 6-3 in favor of the Times.

The rest of the opinion, only a few other paragraphs, is worth the read.