Quickie 1: Lance’s Memorial is this Sunday. Everyone is welcome. The Court Tavern, 124 Church St New Brunswick NJ. Sunday 3-8pm. There will be music, food, and lots of Atheists.Quickie 2: I’m leaving for the weekend to go to Balticon (www.balticon.org) where I will be speaking on Douglas Adams (The official “ghost of honor”).Quickie 3: Happy Memorial Day, Happy Summer, and Happy 17th anniversary to my wife.There. Now I need a cigarette.

This post is dedicated to the blank piece of paper sitting in front of me. I stared at the paper and pondered the future of the organization I support, the movement I love and the country I miss. And I realized something: Our goals are attainable.The purpose of a for-profit corporation is money, but the purpose of a non-profit org is quite literally to go out of business because there is no need for the organization anymore. Non-profits are suicidal — They want to die. I hope I live to see the day when we close the American Atheists Center because the separation of church and state is safe, and Atheists are accepted in the population at large. We’ll have a hell of a party.I think we can do it, and I think we can do it in our lifetime. In fact, I think we can do it in 15 years. I think the momentum is so heavily on our favor right now it’s like accelerating a car down a hill with the wind at your back. We don’t even need much gas.It’s easy to say we should all cooperate, and I have some pretty good ideas on exactly how this should happen, but I think the big next step should be to get more congresspeople to come out as Atheists. It should be loud, prominent, and before the November election — we need to make it an issue. If we can get 5 congresspeople to make a statement, we could pin McBush into a heck of a corner and raise awareness at the same time.

Religion is a stupid idea. We all know it, but we rarely say it. Not that only stupid people are religious, but that religion is a stupid idea that is sometimes believed by smart people due mainly to an effort to escape their own mortality. It’s true that religion is stupid, it’s also true that it’s politically incorrect to say so. My opinion is that we’ve been nice for the past several years (“I respect your beliefs even though I disagree”), and it’s time to be a little honest. What say ye?

The second red line is 47% and the third blue one is 48%Pretty pathetic but if sixteen percent of biology teachers do not believe in science, can anyone answer what they are doing in schools? Or even better, who hired Sunday School teachers from religious corporations to teach science in public schools? Read more here.I think it is not only a conflict of interest to have someone from a private religious corporation going into a secular public school to misinform children on the state of the science in the world, but it is also a form of bait and switch. You send your child to a secular public school for an education thinking that they will be taught the curriculum you are insured will be provided to your child. Then you find out your school board has no intention of providing your child with any science education at all. A classic example of Bait and Switch. Someone should truly go to jail.Peter Nuhn

The author brought this to our attention:

On May 15, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5872, an act “To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes.” The other purposes? The sale of the coins by the Secretary of the Treasury, with a surcharge on each coin sold to “be paid to the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation.” In other words, this is a congressionally mandated fundraiser for the Boy Scouts. With the act allowing for up to 350,000 of this coin to be issued and fixing the surcharge at $10 per coin, the Boy Scouts could receive as much as $3.5 million from their sale. Never before, in the long history of U.S. government issued commemorative coins, has this benefit been granted to an organization that promotes religion or discriminates based on religion.

http://tinyurl.com/5yqgeaNow is the time to contact your senator! http://www.senate.gov/

Faith Leaders from Across the Commonwealth to Declare it?s Time to ?Insure PA Now?!PHILADELPHIA: On Sunday, May 18, more than 1,000 congregations representing faiths from across Pennsylvania will focus their sermons on the need to expand the access to affordable, quality healthcare. This is the second statewide clergy day focusing on healthcare. The first ?Justice for All? event, held in February featured 247 congregations. ?Providing access to affordable, quality health insurance isn?t just a ?public policy? question, it?s a moral question,? said Pastor Bill Devlin, the leader of the statewide faith coalition. ?Every faith believes that it is critical to care for our physical being as well as spiritual need. Without access to care, too many people are unable to do that ? and that is morally wrong.? During this weekend?s events, the need for healthcare reform will be highlighted during services across Pennsylvania . At each location, congregants will be asked to add their name to the growing list of Pennsylvanians who demand that elected officials enact real healthcare reform now. Elected officials will be presented with the names of their constituents who support immediate healthcare reform. …In March, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed ?Pennsylvania Access to Basic Care? (PABC) (SB 1137), a plan that will provide access to care for almost 250,000 uninsured adults. The plan will also provide special grants to small employers to help them cover the costs for their employees and protect Pennsylvania ?s physicians by extending state help for their insurance premiums. The bill awaits action in the state Senate.Pennsylvanians United for Affordable Healthcare is a 501(c)4 organization dedicated to improving the access to affordable, quality healthcare. To learn more or to join our coalition, visit www.insurepanow.org

Although we are not a faith organization, this is NOT a faith issue. However, I DO agree that THIS is what churches should be doing — uniting to help all people without pushing religion.We DO need healthcare reform (not just in PA), and this effort seems to be right on the money.

A number of e-mails and comments have been received criticizing the Board of Directors of American Atheists for its dismissal of Ellen Johnson as President. Acting President Frank Zindler has been answering at least some of these critics as time has allowed.In reply to one person who suggested that the dismissal was rash, precipitous, or even without cause, Zindler replied:

“Thank you for writing to American Atheists concerning the dismissal of President Ellen Johnson. Please be assured that this was not an action that was taken lightly or without an immense amount of agonizing on the part of all members of the board. Two special meetings of the Boards of Directors of American Atheists, Inc., and its four affiliated American Atheists corporations were held for the purpose of allowing Ms. Johnson to discuss policies concerning which she and the boards disagreed. For reasons known only to Ms. Johnson, she did not take part in those meetings and did nothing to resolve the issues in question. Consequently, at a third special meeting of the boards, a majority of the directors felt it their fiduciary responsibility to remove Ms. Johnson from the office of President, although she has not been removed from membership on the boards themselves.”

Several critics have argued that it was unfair or even treacherous to dismiss Ms. Johnson while on her civil-rights march to Mississippi. Zindler’s reply was

“Concerning Ms. Johnson’s ‘Bill Moore March’ through Alabama and Mississippi, I must inform you that this was carried out without the sponsorship of American Atheists, Inc. For complex legal reasons, the Board of Directors had instructed her not to do that in any way that would give the impression that the action was an official activity of American Atheists, Inc.”

Several of Zindler’s letters have contained the following paragraph:

“I hope you will understand that most of the members of the boards of directors are seasoned Atheists with long experience in American Atheists, Inc., going back to an early period in the career of Madalyn Murray O’Hair. We care deeply for the organization she founded and wish to see it prosper. We honor her memory and seek by all legal means available to advance her cause — the cause of Atheist civil liberties, separation of state and church, and the liberation of the human mind. We feel now more than ever that this is the most important Atheist organization in America — not only in what it is trying to do but also in what it is in fact doing.”

One writer has even alleged that the boards dismissed Ellen for reasons of power or personal gain, to which Zindler replied:

“Your assertion that the Board dismissed Ms. Johnson ‘for seemingly no better reason that to exercise power’ is particularly troubling, as it presumes either that we acted out of whim — i.e., with no compelling reason of fiduciary responsibility — or that we somehow will enjoy personal gain from this painful action. I cannot expect you to believe that we did in fact have important reasons of fiduciary responsibility for the simple reason that I am not at liberty to tell you what those were. However, as for the second assumption — that of personal gain from exercise of power — I would have you know that all the Directors of the Board serve without salary, as do the Secretary and Treasurer. Although Ms. Johnson as President did receive a very modest salary, as Acting President I am serving without pay — as I have done for 13 years as Managing Editor of American Atheist Press (itself a full-time job). “I will be Acting President probably for only five or six months, until a new President can be selected. Nevertheless, I hope you will stay with us and help us in our fight against the forces of ignorance and superstition — not only through my brief tenure in an office I never sought, but also into the future with whomever succeeds me.”

Zindler also has expressed gratitude for Ellen’s accomplishments in many of his replies, for example “I agree with you perhaps more than you can appreciate that Ellen Johnson has been a brilliant and effective leader of the Atheist movement and has made many extremely important contributions to the cause of reason, Atheist civil liberties, and separation of state and church.”

This is very good, and very important, and the AU had a great press release, so here it is.

Religious Groups Remain Free To Make Decisions About Marriage In Keeping With Their Theology, Says AU’s Lynn The California Supreme Court decision in favor of same-sex marriage respects the boundaries between religion and government, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State In a May 15 decision, the court majority held that the state constitution mandates that same-sex couples have the same right to the benefits of civil marriage as opposite-sex couples. The justices made clear, however, that the ruling applies only to civil marriages. Religious communities remain free to marry same-sex couples or not, in keeping with their theology. Said the court, ?[A]ffording same-sex couples the opportunity to obtain the designation of marriage will not impinge upon the religious freedom of any religious organization, official, or any other person; no religion will be required to change its religious policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples, and no religious officiant will be required to solemnize a marriage in contravention of his or her religious beliefs.? The court cited Article I, Section 4 of the state constitution, which says in part, ?Free exercise and enjoyment of religion without discrimination or preference are guaranteed? and ?The Legislature shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.? The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, said, ?This decision is an important victory for church-state separation. The court majority made it very clear that civil marriage is a secular institution governed by principles of freedom.? ?The court also made it clear that no congregation can be forced to marry people in violation of their theological standards,? Lynn continued. ?That?s a strong reaffirmation of religious liberty.?

One important note that I feel has been ignored in the issue: If churches can not be forced into marrying gay couples because it violates their religion, cannot the same be said for churches that WANT to marry gays? Shouldn’t the Unitarians (or someone else) be speaking up here, demanding the right to marry gays, under their Constitutional right to freedom of religion?The only true solution to the Gay Marriage issue is to separate a religious institution from a civil one. Any church should be able to marry anyone, or refuse to do so, based on religious grounds. But the STATE MUST “join” any two adults who so desire. That’s the only way everyone gets what they want.

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaonFaith.pdfI sat in a hotel bar last night watching their big TV screen, when the news pops up with Senator Obama “going Christian”. A brochure with the Senator standing in front of a huge cross, touting “Faith and Morals” was plastered on the screen, and I felt the bile in my belly begin to boil.TRUE: In the above-listed PDF he gives sturdy lip-service to the separation of church and state, which is more than I can say for any other candidate (HILLARY!).I just can’t stomach when politicians literally promote prejudice by linking religion and morality. I feel offended at a deep and profound level when they unflinchingly throw secular people to the side and push their Jesus down everyone’s throat.To be clear, I’m not complaining that he is a Christian, or that he SAYS he’s a Christian, but when he USES Christianity and the LIE that morality and religion are linked JUST to get elected, I feel betrayed. Yes. That’s the word.

I took my wife and friend to Van Halen last night in the Izod Arena, which used to be the Continental Arena,and everyone still calls “Meadowlands”. The good news is they were great! Eddie, Alex,and David together played like the old days, and Eddie’s kid Wolfgang (who looks like Valerie Bertinelli with short hair) kept up well.But EDDIE is still the star of the show, and made sounds with his guitar I didn’t know a guitar could make. Rock on, gentlemen!Funny though… I used to be able to hear the keys “click” when I typed on my keyboard.