WASHINGTON, D.C.¬–With the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission having second thoughts about allowing advocacy ads on its buses, the Freedom From Religion Foundation wants the commuters to decide instead.
Washington, D.C-area commuters are riding on PRTC buses on the Prince William and D runs that are wrapped with a giant message stating, "I'm an Atheist and I Vote." The ads are part of a Freedom From Religion Foundation campaign to highlight the exploding secular vote in advance of the June 4 Reason Rally and the June 14 presidential primary in the District of Columbia.
But PRTC is exhibiting qualms about the ads. "A spokesperson for Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission told FOX 5 under their current ad guidelines that they could not deny the two-week ad buy, but the commission is considering new guidelines on June 2 on what kinds of ads would be allowed," a local TV station has reported.
FFRF feels that this sort of a reconsideration is arbitrary and undemocratic. Why not let the individuals using these buses resolve this instead? Journalists should interview commuters on the buses running the ads to get their feedback. Here's the PRTC bus schedule that includes the timings for the Prince William and D runs.
"We find it astonishing that PRTC officials are developing cold feet due to a bit of a brouhaha," says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "This should be determined democratically, and the democratic thing to do here is to leave it to the folks riding these buses."
FFRF is a nonpartisan, apolitical freethought association (umbrella for atheists, agnostics and other nonbelievers) working to keep religion out of government. Learn more at www.ffrf.org.