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FFRF’s Director of Strategic Response and Constitutional attorney Andrew Seidel tells us about our recent final victory in our five-year federal lawsuit challenging prayer and preaching at the Chino Valley, California, school board. After hearing the song “Reincarnation,” words by cowboy poet Wallace D. McRae and music by Dan Barker, we talk with FFRF’s Director of Communications Amit Pal about the rise of Hindu nationalism in India, with alarming parallels to the push for Christian nationalism in the United States.
FFRF and other secular groups are protesting the Attorney General nomination of William Barr, a religious extremist who disrespects secularists and state/church separation. During this anniversary week of Roe v Wade (January 22, 1973), we celebrate the life of Margaret Sanger by hearing Dan Barker’s song “No Gods, No Masters.” Then we talk with University of Chicago Law Professor Geoffrey Stone about his book Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America’s Origins to the Twenty-First Century.
We recap FFRF’s impressive legal statistics for 2018 (1,060 formal complaint letters to erring government officials ending 315 state/church violations!). FFRF’s Robert G. Ingersoll Legal Fellow Colin McNamara briefly joins us to recount the ruckus his complaint over religious displays is creating in Camden, Mo. The rest of the program is devoted to a never-before-broadcast interview of the fascinating, freethinking, feminist and feisty Cecile Richards, formerly head of Planned Parenthood, before an audience of 1,000 freethinkers. Tune in to hear what it was like growing up in Texas as the daughter of Gov. Ann Richards, Cecile’s first state/church protest in sixth grade, how Jared Kushner tried to “bribe” Planned Parenthood to stop providing abortions and why Cecile thinks patriarchy might be in its last gasp. P.S. As a bonus, we play a bit of “Sandan Shuffle,” by saxophonist Virginia Mayhew, granddaughter of Ansel Adams and daughter of longtime FFRF member Anne Helms.
FFRF’s lead attorney Rebecca Markert tells us about our recent victory by the Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals, who refused to rehear their decision declaring unconstitutional the practice of the Chino Hills (California) School Board opening sessions with prayer. After hearing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declare that Christians should fight marriage equality “until the Rapture,” we listen to folksinger Malvina Reynolds perform “This World.” Then we speak with Nigerian activist and scholar Leo Igwe, who tells us about next week’s humanism convention in Abuja, “Leaving Religion: Risks, Challenges and Opportunities,” and the dangers nonbelievers face in that country.
Princeton professor Imani Perry tells us about her new biography, Looking For Lorraine: The Radiant Life of Lorraine Hansberry, about the artist/activist/freethinking author of the play and movie Raisin In The Sun, who was the first Black woman to have a play on Broadway. We celebrate the New Year on a relaxing but irreverent note by hearing some songs written by Eric Idle of Monty Python, and a beautiful rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” performed by Scottish balladeer Jim Malcolm.
During this week of the Winter Solstice, we rejoice in a federal court victory. FFRF attorney Patrick Elliott tells us about the positive decision in our legal challenge to bible classes in West Virginia public elementary schools. After hearing some “holiday humor,” Christmas jokes, and irreverent seasonal songs (including Tom Lehrer’s “A Christmas Song” and Roy Zimmerman’s “Christmas is Pain”), we explain the real reason for the season and listen to Tim Minchin’s “White Wine in the Sun” and Dan Barker’s “Solstice Tribute.”
We celebrate the December 15 “Bill of Rights” Day. FFRF Legal Assistant Whitney Steffen tells us about the many “Winter Solstice” and “Bill of Rights” displays that FFRF members are erecting around the county to counter the Christian nativity scenes on public property. Then we talk with Leslea Mair, co-director, producer, and writer of the beautiful new documentary “Losing Our Religion,” about ministers who have lost their faith.
This week’s guest is feminist-topical singer/songwriter Kristin Lems, who will perform one of her classic songs and a new song about Trump (“Like a Duck”). Tune in to learn more about a surprising First Amendment violation halted speedily in Illinois by FFRF constitutional attorney Ryan Jayne. The show includes a first-hand report on the International Conference on Sharia, Segregation & Secularism, a comment about Einstein’s “ungodly” auctioned letter, and a recap of FFRF’s irreverent Winter Solstice displays countering Christian nativity scenes in public forums around the U.S. Outro music includes a selection of songs with lyrics written by the thoroughly secular Ira Gershwin, in honor of his Dec. 6 birthday.
Twelve-year-old author Bailey Harris, who started writing her first book when she was eight, speaks at FFRF’s annual convention in San Francisco on November 2, telling us how she came to write the freethought children’s book My Name Is Stardust. Then we hear the actor, director and producer John de Lancie (who played “Q” on Star Trek: The Next Generation) explain to our convention audience “The value of telling the truth.”
