Several religious and nonreligious groups were asked a single question: What should Obama’s priorities be? We answered, and the results are posted here. I wrote about taxing the church. The FFRF wrote about the separation of Church and State, and the AU talks about the Faith Based Initiatives. Moslem and Catholic groups responded as well.Please check out this web site, register, and vote as you see fit. Of course, comments here are welcomed. http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/what-should-obama-s-priority-be-after-inauguration

In 2005, I had the honor of leading the effort to lobby Congress on behalf of nontheistic Americans. While my love for policy and the work of the Secular Coalition for America has grown, so has the organization. In fact, what was expected to remain a lobbying organization with a staff consisting solely of one lobbyist (me), has also grown. This growth is exciting and it is growth that I have pushed for. The Secular Coalition for America now has a staff of six individuals, is involved in many larger coalition efforts, takes the lead on issues of special interest, and is recognized by members of Congress and consulted by the media and legislative personnel regularly. In short, the Secular Coalition for America has grown to be a powerful and complex organization in fewer than four years. With that growth come new needs. The Secular Coalition for America now needs an executive director, an individual whose expertise is running a major national organization. While I am extremely proud of having birthed this baby, it is time for both me and the Secular Coalition for America to continue to grow. For the organization, this means finding an exceptional leader whose passion is continuing to grow the nontheist movement. For me personally, that growth includes reconnecting to my skill sets in the legal and policy realms, and stepping down as director of this wonderful national organization. As I embark on a search for my next exciting venture, my wish is that the many wonderful individuals who have supported the Secular Coalition for America will not only continue that support, but increase it as the movement grows. I am forever grateful to this organization for the tremendous experiences it has allowed me to enjoy. I continue to support the Secular Coalition for America and the nontheist movement in the broader sense. I have thoroughly enjoyed working for the Secular Coalition for America. And I look forward to the future – for me outside the organization, and for the continued success of the organization I helped develop. Best wishes,Lori Lipman BrownDirector, Secular Coalition for Americawww.secular.org

Lori was a great lobbyist and should be credited for helping to bring this movement some of the momentum we now enjoy. She will be missed.

American Atheists joined with 18 other secular and humanistic groups to ask President Obama to deny the position of honorary President of the Boy Scouts.Once again, the BSA is a private group that discriminates. There is nothing wrong with that, legally, unless the US President is their honorary President (or they get government money or special privileges not afforded to other private discriminatory groups), which is a direct violation of the law.This press release is very well written. Please check it out.

The usual lull in publicity after Xmas is not happening this year. Between the lawsuit in KY, the newly-announced convention schedule, the bus ads, the billboards, the Newdow case, and of course Rev. Warren, the press has been a much more active part of my life over the past month than has been expected.Last night, Al Rantel had me on KABC in LA for a half hour, and tonight I’m doing Head-on Radio from 6-7pm EST.My point: The media is really interested in hearing from Atheists right now, so this is a very good time for atheists to write letters to the editor and op/ed articles. Here are some tips:1) Make sure they are timely and relevant2) Short and sweet works best. 3) Well-formed sentences — look intelligent4) Local papers publish!!5) Use the A-word.

ACTION ALERT: MISSISSIPPIProposed Mississippi legislation will put “just a theory” stickers in biology textbooks.Representative Gary Chism from District 37 in Mississippi, has sponsored legislation to amend the state’s constitution in order to place “just a theory” stickers in Mississippi biology textbooks. The legislation, HB25, has been referred to the Education and Judiciary A committees for review and has a good chance of passing the committee for a House review.You can read the entire proposed legislation, which will enact a constitutional amendment, online at:http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2009/pdf/HB/0001-0099/HB0025IN.pdfThe proposed constitutional amendment includes different definitions of the word theory instead of the scientific one.It describes evolution as a “controversial theory some scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin of living things.” It goes on to state that, “No one was around when life first appeared; therefore statements about life’s origins should be considered a theory.It then makes the statement that, “Evolution refers to the unproven belief that random undirected forces produced living things.” It then goes on to list a creationist manifesto of “problems with evolution” such as the Cambrian Explosion, “lack of new major groups of other living things appearing in the fossil record,” “lack of transitional forms,” and the “complete and complex set of instructions for building a living body” (read as Irreducible Complexity).The proposed legislation, while unconstitutional in and of itself, is full of scientific misunderstanding, a misrepresentation of scientific theory, false statements about evolutionary biology, and a gross ignorance of the Theory of Evolution.What can you do about it? You can contact Rep. Gary Chism and the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Education and Judiciary A committee and ask them to vote against this bill and keep it from being forwarded to the floor for a vote.You can contact Gary Chism via email at gchism@house.ms.gov, by phone at (662) 327-0777, or via USPS at PO Box 1018, Jackson, MS 39215. His online biography is located at: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/house/chism.xmlThe Chairman of the Education Committee is Cecil Brown (cbrown@house.ms.gov or (601) 359-3330). The Vice-Chairman of the Education Committee is Sara Thomas (sthomas@house.ms.gov).The Chairman of the Judiciary A Committee is Edward Blackmon, Jr. (eblackmon@house.ms.gov or (601) 859-1576). The Vice-Chairman of the Judiciary A Committee is Angel Cockerham (acockerham@house.ms.gov or (601) 783-6600).Make sure you reference HB25 in any email, letter, or phone call. Do not insult the Representatives or use derogatory language. Please keep letters and phone calls polite and professional.For legal purposes, you can reference the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (http://www.pamd.uscourts.gov/kitzmiller/kitzmiller_342.pdf) and Selmer v. Cobb County Schools (http://alt.cimedia.com/ajc/pdf/evolution.pdf).You can also contribute funds to American Atheists, Inc. to help fight legal battles just like this. You can designate your contributions to the “Legal Action Fund” and your donation will be spent exclusively on legal action against those that would infringe upon the Separation of Church and State. Please visit http://atheists.org/contribute to donate.