*****************************************************************************************************
Michigan Atheists Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 7
Greg Reich, Editor
*****************************************************************************************************
April 19, 2003
*BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR UPDATED WEBSITE AT:
http://www.michiganatheists.org
In this issue:
-Godless March on Lansing
-Guest journalists
-New location for the monthly Sunday Brunch
-Summer solstice picnic
-Governor Granholm announces plan to improve schools that involves church partnership
-Justice Scalia makes disturbing remark at Religious Freedom Celebration
GODLESS MARCH ON LANSING IS ONLY THREE WEEKS AWAY
Please join us in Lansing as we make history by staging the first Godless March on Lansing in Michigan on May 10, from noon until 3pm. The staging area will be at the front east porch and east lawn of the State Capitol Building.
Our goal is to bring together members, leaders, and friends of diverse godless organizations that represent the tens of thousands of godless citizens in Michigan. In keeping with the incredibly successful Godless Americans March on Washington, we will gather together to speak out and demand our place at the table in Michigan.
For a list of speakers and downloadable fliers advertising this demonstration, please visit: http://www.michiganatheists.org/gamol_1.htm
For further info, call Arlene at 313-388-9594, or e-mail her at amarie@atheists.org
GUEST JOURNALISTS AND BOOK AUTHOR TO JOIN MICHIGAN ATHEISTS AT LANSING MARCH, SUNDAY BRUNCH
Sylvain Pak, a freelance writer, and Richard Pak, a freelance photographer, are coming all the way from France to do a piece about life for Atheists in America. They will be attending our Sunday brunch on May 4, and they will be joining us at our Godless March on Lansing on May 10.
Sylvain Pak's work has appeared in French titles such as T'el'erama, Biba, Femme, L'Optimum, Medias, L'Entreprise, and Management. She does work in France and abroad; her work often appears in the UK.
Richard's work has been published in the French and British press. His photography may be seen in The Independent Magazine, The Observer, Le Monde, Liberation, Le Point, L'Express, and Le Nouvel Observateur.
Another guest, J.C. Hallman, is a published author who will be coming from Iowa to join us at the March. He is currently working on a book about evolving conceptions of God--from his secular point of view.
ATTENTION: THE SUNDAY BRUNCH NOW HAS A NEW LOCATION
Thanks to the efforts of Michigan's Assistant State Director, George Schiffer, we now have a new location for our monthly Sunday brunch:
WHERE: Denny's
7725 N Wayne Rd
Westland MI
(Between Plymouth and Cowan across from Westland Mall)
Phone: 734-427-2711
WHEN: First Sunday of each month. Next gathering: May 4
TIME: 11:00AM (Note that this is a new time, changed by popular demand)
Denny's has a private room and has agreed to reserve it for us on the first Sunday of every month.
Please pass this information on to anyone who does not receive this electronic newsletter, but would have interest in joining us.
For further info, call Arlene at 313-388-9594, or e-mail her at amarie@atheists.org
OLD FASHIONED PICNIC TO CELEBRATE SUMMER SOLSTICE
Michigan Atheists will be meeting for an old fashioned picnic at Tattan Park in Westland on June 22 at noon. Participants are encouraged to bring their own food and something to share. Cups, plates, napkins, and forks will be provided. Grills are available, but guests must bring their own grilling necessities.
We have a pavilion, so join us, rain or shine.
We will be at Tattan Park's Pavilion #2, which is located south of Ford Road, north of Cherry Hill, east of Newburgh Road, and west of Wayne Road. Take Carlson/Central City Parkway to the site. It is located near Westland City Hall.
For further info, call Arlene at 313-388-9594, or e-mail her at amarie@atheists.org
GOVERNOR GRANHOLM ANNOUNCES PLAN TO IMPROVE SCHOOLS INVOLVING PARTNERSHIP WITH FAITH COMMUNITY
On April 14, Governor Granholm announced that her administration will enter into a partnership with the private sector, including churches, to turn around high-priority schools in Michigan.
According to Michigan's official website, http://www.michigan.gov: "...schools will be partnered with a local business and/or faith organization to offer support..."
While such a partnership may be as harmless as support in the form of an after-school literacy or tutoring program, the potential for abuse on the part of faith-based organizations in the form of proselytization and indoctrination is certainly present. There is no mention of how such abuses would be prevented, or how the partnerships would be regulated.
This announcement is the result of the identification of several schools that failed to meet standards set by Bush's No Child Left Behind program. While improvement in these schools is certainly desirable, two questions must be on the mind of the taxpayer: 1)to what extent will these programs be funded by taxpayers? and 2)what regulations will be in place to monitor for abuse?
The governor's office has been contacted regarding this issue. No response has been received so far. Readers are encouraged to write the governor's office with any queries regarding this issue.
*Special thanks to Liz Daly for this contribution.
At the Religious Freedom Celebration on January 12, 2003, Justice Antonin Scalia apparently indicated that "...because theistic belief was held by most of the founders of our nation, then it is permissible to allow the government to impose this religious viewpoint on all our citizens today...", according to a January 31, 2003 article by Rev. Jeffrey G. Jones of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fredericksburg.
The article paints a disturbing portrait of this Supreme Court Justice, but it is not the first. Justice William H. Rehnquist, who has been Chief Justice since 1986, has been known to opine that the Ten Commandments lay the foundation for American government, in spite of the fact that the first three (depending on whose version of the decalogue one reads) fly directly in the face of both the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. It is dubious that the rest, within the context of most versions of the Bible, have anything to do with the foundations of American law.
The Supreme Court's Bronze Doors have an artistic representation of the true foundations of American law. Although the representation of "Moses the Lawgiver" on a frieze in the Supreme Court's chambers is often cited as evidence for the position Rehnquist shares with revisionist historians, this representation appears along with a much more general set of examples of historical lawgivers. According to the Supreme Court's website, the bronze doors actually depict the historical development of American law.
The full article regarding Scalia's remarks may be found at: http://www.freelancestar.com/News/FLS/2003/012003/01312003/864965
A wonderful breakdown of how the Ten Commandments part ways with the foundations of American law may be found on the American Atheists website at: http://www.atheists.org/church/tencommandments.html
The Supreme Court's website is http://www.supremecourtus.gov
ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER
If you have news to contribute, please send it to Greg Reich at miatheistnews@aol.com. The main intention of this newsletter is to inform Atheists and other godless citizens in Michigan of news and events pertaining to us, and call us to action when necessary. However, as time and space allows, opinions and other special sections may be added. Advertising is welcome, and will go to fund a hardcopy version of the newsletter. If you have friends who would be interested in subscribing to this electronic newsletter, please have them send their subscription request to miatheistnews@aol.com. Unless otherwise noted, all articles are the intellectual property of Greg Reich and Michigan Atheists. Reproduction of this newsletter, in whole or in part, is allowed with the proper source citation.
If you would like to unsubscribe, please send an e-mail to MIAtheistNews@aol.com with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.