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After reporting an FFRF victory removing the Ten Commandments from a Mississippi county courthouse, we announce FFRF’s new “I’m Secular and I Vote!” campaign to impress candidates with the concerns of the fast-growing demographic of nonbelieving voters. We honor the life of freethinking civil-rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois, founder of the NAACP. Then we talk with Armin Navabi, a former Muslim from Iran, founder of Atheist Republic and author of the book Why There Is No God: Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God.
FFRF staff attorney Sam Grover updates us on our amended complaint adding more plaintiffs to our lawsuit (filed along with the ACLU) challenging the live nativity scene performed by Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana, and the accompanying harassment and death threats. Then Abigail Cantor, an award-winning national water management expert (as well as musician) tells us about the science behind what needs to be done in Flint, Michigan (and other cities) to improve water quality.
This week we celebrate the birthday of Charles Darwin and the 90th birthday poet Philip Appleman (a Darwin scholar). Annie Laurie interviews Dan about his best-selling new book, GOD: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction (Foreword by Richard Dawkins). Then Dr. Abby Hafer champions Darwin’s ideas by discussing her delightful new book, The Not-So-Intelligent Designer: Why Evolution Explains the Human Body and Intelligent Design Does Not.
Iowa atheist Justin Scott tells us about his experience interviewing political candidates in the Iowa caucuses about their views on the separation of state and church. After hearing Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders respond to Justin, we talk with Jane Donnelly by phone from Dublin, who just testified before the U.N. on behalf of Atheist Ireland and ‘teachdontpreach.ie’ about the problem of Catholic control of public schools in the Republic of Ireland.
Aleta Ledendecker tells us about the secular invocation she delivered before the City Council of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, that was rudely cut off by the mayor and boycotted by city council members. Then we talk with California attorney Michael Newdow about his new federal lawsuit challenging “In God We Trust” on U.S. currency.
Legal fellow Ryan Jayne updates us on FFRF’s New Jersey lawsuit challenging millions of “historic preservation” dollars handed to churches, many for the purpose of worship. We discuss a cross on a Kentucky city water tower, a cross on an Illinois war memorial, and government censorship of freethought speech. Then we interview feminist atheist author Sikivu Hutchinson about her new book, White Nights, Black Paradise, about Jim Jones’s People’s Temple and the 1978 massacre at Jonestown.
FFRF wins Liberty Institute’s “Scrooge Award.” Another FFRF banner is vandalized. Political candidate panders to piety. NYC mayor de Blasio hands $20 million to religious schools. Alabama chief justice Moore defies same-sex marriage law. After listening to Holly Near’s song “I Ain’t Afraid” and Dan Barker’s version of Ruth Green’s poem “FFRF,” we hear Ruth Hurmence Green interviewed in 1979 about her book The Born Again Skeptic’s Guide To The Bible.
Texas Governor Abbot censors FFRF’s “Bill of Rights Nativity” from the state capitol. Wisconsin lawmaker Scott Allen uses government resources to convert non-Christians. Idaho post office removes Christmas greeting from window. After hearing Paul Robeson sing “The Bill of Rights,” we talk with Thomas Sheedy who won the Richard and Beverly Hermsen Student Activist award for fighting to establish a secular club at his high school. [Photo by Ingrid Laas]
In the News: FFRF banners and signs have been stolen or defaced, so we announce a “Resurrection Pledge Campaign” to help replace them. New banners in Olympia, Washington and Illinois courthouse. After hearing Richard Dawkins reading the Foreword for the audiobook he wrote for Dan Barker’s book Godless, we end the year with some relaxing freethought and seasonal music from FFRF’s “Adrift on a Star” CD.
