American Atheists National Convention
There's nothing quite like
it! So, reserve
your room for the
Freethought event of 2010!
Early Registration Ends March 15th
The 36th National
Convention of
AMERICAN
ATHEISTS
AMERICAN ATHEISTS will hold its 36th National Convention April 2-4, 2010
(pre-registration plus a special event starts on the evening of Thursday the
1st) in Elizabeth/Newark, NJ -- right across the river from The Big Apple, New
York! The theme--"BLASPHEMY?--On
The Dangers of Privileging Religious
Beliefs"--is
one that most speakers will touch on in one way or another. As Atheists, we
reject all or almost all theistic beliefs all the time, and we stand ready to
debate religious vs. irreligious beliefs in any fair forum. But the greatest
dangers of religion--to scientific progress, to rational thinking, to democratic
governance, politics, and protections for free individuals, to human rights, to
educational growth, to peace, and to ethical progress for humanity--come when
religion is cloaked with special rights and special protections, when critiquing
religious belief is called "blasphemy" or beliefs are held to be "sacred." Any
idea, religious or otherwise, that cannot withstand untrammeled scrutiny in the
marketplace of ideas should be rejected without further ado.
We will
gather at one of the premier meeting sites on the East Coast -- the Newark
Liberty Renaissance Hotel near Newark International Airport.
(http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ewrnr-renaissance-newark-airport-hotel/)
Fly in to Newark, grab your bags,
and take the shuttle (available 24/7) to one of the most luxurious convention
sites in the area -- easily convenient to New York City!
* SPEAKERS:
We'll have a blockbuster line-up! Confirmed so far are:
DAN BARKER, co-president,
Freedom From
Religion FoundationCECIL BOTHWELL, Atheist city councilman from
Asheville, NC, investigative journalist, author of the Prince of War
ED
BUCKNER, president
of
American Atheists JOHN R.
BUTLER, musician, special guest of the president
SEAN FAIRCLOTH, executive
director,
Secular Coalition for America
TOM FLYNN, editor of
Free Inquiry and executive director of the
Council for Secular
Humanism
EDWIN
F. KAGIN, National Legal Director of American Atheists, author
poet, blasphemy king
WENDY KAMINER, author, lawyer and social critic,
writes about law, liberty, feminism, religion, and popular culture.
PAUL KURTZ, philosopher, author, founder of the
Council for Secular Humanism, Newark native
MARTIN LEWISON, professor of business, wit, former
Wall Street executive
MASSIMO
PIGLIUCCI, author, philosopher, advocate for
science
DARREL RAY, author, psychologist, theorist on
religion's power to infect society
TERRY SANDERSON, president, National Secular Society
(United Kingdom)
JEFF
SHARLET, author of
The Family, original investigator
and exposer of the Christian Right's ongoing attempt to run our government,
operate a famous C Street apartment house, etc.
TODD STIEFEL, entrepreneur and freethought leader, member of American Atheists development committee, and RDFRS Trustee
EDDIE TABASH, attorney, debater, fierce Atheist
advocate
ANDY THOMSON, M.D. psychiatrist; Trustee and CFO of the
Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (RDFRS); interests include evolutionary psychology,
suicide terrorism, and the cognitive neuroscience of religious belief
PORTEOUS
WOOD (KEITH), executive director,
National Secular
Society (United Kingdom)
INDRA
ZUNO, linguist born and raised in
Mexico.
Actor in Mexican theater and TV; now Spanish Court Interpreter for the
US District Court and for the Los Angeles Superior Court. Her talk will be
offered in both Spanish and English; she will also translate simultaneously one
other talk into Spanish.
* THE
VENUE! Book your room now!
The Convention will take place at one of the premier meeting venues in the
NJ-NYC region -- The Magnificent Newark Liberty Renaissance Hotel at Newark
Airport (
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ewrnr-renaissance-newark-airport-hotel/ )
We've arranged a special rate of only $84 (plus tax) for 1 to 4 in a room. This
special rate covers "shoulder daters," in effect beginning Wednesday, March 31
through Monday, April 5, 2010. This allows you and family/friends to make a
"mini-vacation" of the Convention weekend, and visit all the great tourism sites
in the area, including New York City. There is free parking for those staying
at the hotel, along with free internet and other amenities. The hotel is
non-smoking throughout--smokers can call our office about a nearby (easy walking
distance) motel with smoking-permitted bedrooms (higher rates, alas).
The
Newark Liberty Renaissance Hotel is located at 1000 Spring St., Elizabeth, New
Jersey, with shuttle service to and from the Newark Airport, AMTRAK
(www.amtrak.com), and NJ Transit stop at the Newark Airport
station.
Registration and other information about the Convention can be
found on the American Atheists web site at www.atheists.org.
Make your
reservations promptly with the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel by calling
1-866-234-7535. To qualify for the special room rate, you must ask for
the special American Atheists Convention rate of $84 (plus tax). The same low
rate can be had for a day or two on either side of the convention--but you have
to ask for it. RESERVE YOUR HOTEL
ROOM NOW!MORE INFO Hotel --
1-866-234-7535 http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ewrnr-renaissance-newark-airport-hotel/Newark International Airport:
http://www.nyctourist.com/travel_newark.htm
AMTRAK (NE Corridor):
www.amtrak.com
New York City Tourism:
http://www.nyctourist.com/
American Museum of Natural History (New York)
http://www.amnh.org/
Newark, NJ tourism -- includes Liberty Science
Center:
http://www.newjerseybeautiful.com/nj8/newark-museum.html
Please
visit our web-site--www.atheists.org--for details, or call the headquarters
office,
908-276-7300, M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHAT:
The 36th annual National Convention of American Atheists
WHEN:
April 2-4, 2010
WHERE: Newark/New York City, Newark Liberty Renaissance Hotel at Newark International
Airport,
