Monthly Meeting – American Atheists President Nick Fish & Convention Preview
0This will be our Monthly Meeting at our New Location! Wednesday, March 6, 2019 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Radisson Hotel Cincinnati Riverfront 668 W 5th St · Covington, KY Nick Fish – President of American Atheists Nick Fish is a civil rights and civil liberties activist with more than a decade of fundraising and grassroots organizing experience with many of the nation’s most prominent political organizations and progressive non-profits. A native of Michigan, Nick studied political science at Albion College before working in Raleigh, North Carolina managing a voter outreach office that registered more than 5,000 new voters and knocked on 25,000 doors in…
Rep. Massie Introduces Bill to Abolish Federal Department of Education (Press Release)
0Press Release received from Massie.Press@mail.house.gov WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Thomas Massie introduced H.R. 899, a bill to abolish the federal Department of Education. The bill, which is one sentence long, states, “The Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2018.” On the day of Betsy DeVos’ scheduled Senate confirmation for Secretary of Education, Massie said, “Neither Congress nor the President, through his appointees, has the constitutional authority to dictate how and what our children must learn.” Massie added, “Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. should not be in charge of our children’s intellectual and moral development. States and local communities…
Secular Summit 5 – Columbus, OH
0The Center for Inquiry hosted a Secular Summit at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. President Jim G. Helton, Vice-President Torey Lacey, and Secretary Jen Scott represented our Ohio members when they discussed humanist celebrants, the importance of separation of church and state, and women’s reproductive rights with Cindy Peters, Legislative Aide to Senator Cecil Thomas, and Representative Brigid Kelly.
Kentucky Days of Action
0President Jim G. Helton along with board members, Chrissy Helton and Jen Scott, represented the Tri-State Freethinkers when they traveled to Frankfort, Kentucky on a cold snowy day to talk to state representatives about women’s reproductive rights. Along with our partners from Planned Parenthood, we spoke up against the ultrasound bill and the 20-week abortion ban bill.
Monthly Meeting: Debunking Creationism & ACES Awards
0Our January Monthly meeting pulled no punches when it came to debunking Creationism. Through all of the speaker presentations one thing became clear, creationism is a problem that we need to continue to challenge it. We heard from our President Jim G. Helton on the creationists claims and how their movement is impacting our society. Brian Taft spoke about the evidence for evolution and the claims of the so-called “creation scientists”. Trey Tatum and Bridget Leak brought the house down with a shortened version of their play: Ken Ham’s Journey To The Center of the Earth: Trey Tatum (http://www.treytatum.com/), local playwright…
Public School Athletics No Place for Religion
0Another victory for the Separation of Church and State in our Kentucky public schools! Tri-State Freethinkers recently wrote a letter to Russellville High School regarding a photo posted to social media a sign quoting the Book of Romans from the Christian Bible. Some may think that a football game is an extra-curricular activity and therefore would not be subject to the same rules regarding the separation of church and state. The following is a quote from our letter: On June 19, 2000, the Supreme Court heard a case in which a Texas school board policy that allowed “student-led, student initiated prayer”…
Ark Encounter School District Flooded with Separation of Church and State Violations
1Violations, some dating back as far as 2009, include misuse of school communications to promote religious events, Christian and bible displays in school offices, religious themed homework assignments in Chemistry class, and the harassment of children reading books about evolution.
The Tri-State Freethinkers reaffirms its support of women, LGBTQ people, minorities and the rationally minded
0Election season has finally come to a close and the outcome couldn’t be more foreboding for atheists, freethinkers, members of the LGBTQ community, minorities and those who support equal rights and the separation of church and state. With the election of Donald Trump and Mike Pence, in addition to what is now a conservative majority House of Representatives and Senate – not to mention near-certain appointments of ultra-conservative Supreme Court justices in the future, we are left with a choice: Either wallow in self-pity or rise up and stand together, determined to fight back against the regressive ideologies of those…
The Tri-State Freethinkers reaffirms its support of women, LGBTQ people, minorities and the rationally minded
0“United we stand.” This phrase is more important now than ever.
Upcoming Event: Identifying Church/State Violations in Public Schools
0Tri-State Freethinkers invite you to attend our first informational session on identifying violations of the separation of church and state in our public schools. We have spent the last three years fighting against school endorsement of religion in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana with great success. We want to share what we’ve learned so that as parents and members of the community, you will feel confident in identifying, reporting, and standing up to unconstitutional endorsements of religion from the state. WHO IS THIS FOR? Parents, children, activists, teachers, and concerned members of the community HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? This is…