This is the e-mail I sent on November 21, 2008 to Ed Buckner:

The following is an appeal to the Board of Directors of American Atheists, Inc:

While I am not a member of American Atheists, I am a concerned American atheist.

In a recent post on your blog, Edwin Kagin praised the recent conclusion of American Atheists’ lawsuit against the Hardesty, Oklahoma public school and certain named officials as a victory for atheists and thanked the Smalkowski family “for their praise of our [American Atheists'] efforts on their behalf.” Soon after, disparaging comments appeared, apparently from the Smalkowski family, directed at Edwin Kagin and American Atheists. I contacted David Silverman to ask that he verify the authenticity of the comments, and he replied that he didn’t know if they were from the Smalkowskis. I then asked that he investigate further, and let me know the results. I have yet to hear back from anyone.

I took it upon myself to try to find the Smalkowskis, and after a brief search, found Chester Smalkowski’s My Space page. In response to a message I sent him, he told me he was indeed the author of the comments in question, and that he meant every word. It literally took me five minutes to find him, but it seems American Atheists couldn’t be bothered.

While I understand very well that there are 2 sides (at least) to every story, and that those not directly involved will never have all the details, this much is clear:

1. The prayer circles after basketball games continue.
2. For fear of their safety and to avoid harassment and intimidation, Nicole Smalkowski and her siblings are being home schooled.
3. The Smalkowskis fired your legal team following the criminal trial.
4. Even though the Smalkowkis were awarded a monetary settlement in their civil case, it wasn’t enough to cover their legal expenses.
5. American Atheists has been awarded a monetary settlement resulting from the federal case it filed directly related to the Smalkowski case.

To address this disparity, I am asking American Atheists to split their settlement, minus legal fees, with the Smalkowski family. You are under no legal obligation to do so, of course, but consider that without the Smalkowskis, Nicole in particular, American Atheists would not have been entitled to anything in the first place. Having American Atheists profit while apparently turning a blind eye to the plight of the Smalkowskis is a moral outrage. Sharing the settlement with the Smalkowkis would go a long way toward demonstrating that American Atheists truly defends and supports the atheists of America.

Since I haven’t received any answer to my private request, I’m making a public appeal to members of American Atheists and everyone concerned to join me in pressuring the leaders of American Atheists to do the right thing and share their monetary settlement with the Smalkowskis.

::links edited out per poster’s request ::

We aren’t commenting on this further, because we CAN’T comment on this further.  Get it?

American Atheists cashes in, the Smalkowskis continue to pay the price for speaking out.

I urge members of American Atheists to withdraw their membership and donate their dues to Nicole Smalkowski at the following address:

Nicole Smalkowski
c/o education
716 E. McKee St.
Greeneville, TN 37743

I’m sure any donation would be a welcome show of moral as well as financial support.