President's Message
Written by Stuart Bechman   
Tuesday, 01 July 2008 00:00
Since my last message, I am pleased to announce that the board has approved the creation of a new position - Membership and Communications Director for Atheists United - and we've hired Brian Parra, our erstwhile newsletter editor, to step into that position.

The big news this past month in California has been the California Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriage in California. I don't know of any of our own members who have seized on the opportunity to exchange vows, but I am aware of many acquaintances in the GLBT community who either have or are planning to do so very soon. The board has approved a resolution stating that Atheists United is opposed to the upcoming Limitation on Marriage constitutional amendment that was recently approved by the California Secretary of State to appear on the November ballot. The board approved the resolution because of the clear motivations behind the amendment to attempt to enlist the state in enforcing one religious group's morals on all Californians. We have established a relationship with the California chapter of Marriage Equality USA and expect to be active this election season in educating the public. Those of you who have a desire to join in this effort are encouraged to sign up on the AU Church/State listgroup to be involved. (To subscribe, send an e-mail to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .)

Meanwhile, In God We Trust Council proposals continue to ooze across the state. Earlier this month, we were stunned to learn that a person who spoke out at a Lancaster City Council meeting against their proposal to mount an IGWT display in the council chambers (which the Council subsequently adopted) found her house victimized later in the week, with the words "In God We Trust or...?" scrawled across several windows and her sliding-glass door when she woke up one morning. City council members denounced the event, but of course saw no reason to reconsider reversing their approval and funding of the IGWT display. And no suspect for the vandalism has been arrested as of this writing. Over the same period, a longstanding Ford dealer in the Lancaster area caught the attention of local freethinkers at his ad telling non-Christians to "Sit Down and Shut Up" about Christian intrusions in our civic exercises. ( He semi-apologized for "anyone being offended" by his ad after the media disclosed he was hardly a model of Christian virtue, not having attended church in months; but none of us expect him to change his ways.)

Thanks to all of you who participated in our July 3 & 4 "Indivisible Day" events. Since I'm writing this beforehand to meet our publishing date, I can't tell you if the 9th Circuit Court released their ruling on Michael Newdow's Pledge of Allegiance case before now; but if not; I hope you'll join us in the press campaign supporting Newdow's position when the ruling is announced some time this summer. The details of this campaign, too, can be tracked on the AU Church/State listgroup, above.

Now that July 4 is behind us, the next big event that we're focusing on is the AAI Long Beach Convention the final weekend in September. The schedule is out, the prices have been posted, and registration is now open at the Atheist Alliance International website (www.atheistalliance.org). Of course, you'll get the most out of personally attending the entire weekend; but those of you in the outlying areas of the Southland who are thinking the convention is just a little too far away to work for you, the "Internet Streaming" option may be a viable and economical way for you and your friends to still participate. Atheists United will be hosting an Internet Streaming mini-convention at CFI/West during the day on Saturday and Sunday; and we will cover the costs for any of our local affiliate groups to host their own Internet Streaming event.

It's probably not too early to be thinking about our board elections this fall! Normally, nominations are requested at our September general meeting and the elections are held in October. But since the AAI Convention will be the same weekend as our September general meeting this year, the board is having to rethink our approach on how this will happen. Regardless, we think we've laid some great foundations this year for some great opportunities to get involved and make a difference for our community in 2009. Our organization relies on the volunteerism of our membership to accomplish our goals, and we hope that you'll seriously consider seeking out a role for yourself to get involved. And, as always, if you see something that you really like or think we could do better, please e-mail, phone, or grab one of our board members and give us your feedback! We want this organization to be the kind of group and community that we're all proud to be a part of.