Secular Coalition for Arizona

Invocation for Opening of AZ House of Representatives Session

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Most prayers in this room begin with a request to bow your heads. I would like to ask that you not bow your heads. I would like to ask that you to take a moment to look around the room at all of the men and women here, in this moment, sharing together this extraordinary experience of being alive and of dedicating ourselves to working toward improving the lives of the people in our state.

This is a room in which there are many challenging debates, many moments of tension, of ideological division, of frustration. But this is also a room where, as my Secular Humanist tradition stresses, by the very fact of being human, we have much more in common than we have differences. We share the same spectrum of potential for care, for compassion, for fear, for joy, for love…

Carl Sagan once wrote, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is bearable only through love.” There is, in the political process, much to bear. In this room, let us cherish and celebrate our shared humanness, our shared capacity for reason and compassion, our shared love for the people of our state, for our Constitution, for our democracy–and let us root our policymaking process in these values that are relevant to all Arizonans regardless of religious belief or nonbelief. In gratitude and in love, in reason and in compassion, let us work together for a better Arizona.

Juan Mendez, serves in the State House of Representatives and represents District 26 which includes north Tempe, northwest Mesa, and a large portion of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community. Yesterday during his inclusive opening “prayer,” he appealed to the legislature to represent ALL the people of Arizona regardless of religious belief and base their decisions on reason and compassion. According to Jonathan Turely, “Arizona had an extraordinary moment.” He’s right of course. The moment was “extraordinary.” It made national news and the dust hasn’t settled yet. The echoes of the last word of this secular invocation hadn’t died out before the story was picked up by USA Today, The Huffington Post, The Raw Story, azcentral.com, and of course Jonathan Turley. There are probably others covering this news item. This should not be news worthy. It should not be an “extraordinary event” when someone comes out and appeals to a legislature to represent ALL of the people it represents. Recent polls show that one in five Americans do not affiliate with a religion. If one looks at only the young people under 30, fully one third of them are unaffiliated—one in 3! Of course, that’s a nationwide survey. NPR did a story back in January about the growth of the nones. In the article they state that religion still rules in America. There is only one openly “none” in the current Congress and that is Kyrsten Sinema who is also from Arizona. Statistics state that the average American is slightly more religious than the average Iranian. Really? Wow!

Evidently, the CAP (Center for Arizona Policy) hasn’t noticed what occurred yesterday. It will and it’ll start lining up candidates to run against Mr. Mendez. However, the CAP could be a little distracted by the fact that a bill it sponsored making abortions illegal after 20 weeks was struck down by Judges in Ninth Circuit Court. CAP may be too busy trying to figure out how to spin the murder conviction of the Pennsylvania abortionist to its advantage or counting the money it made on the $250 per plate CAP Family Dinner with Ben Carson held earlier in the month. Or perhaps CAP is busy playing ghost writer for legislative bills and resolution such as the resolution to maintain the Boy Scout’s “Don’t ask don’t tell” policy.

The Secular Coalition for Arizona is the only group in the state that can seriously impact the CAP and its legislatively imposed policies but we are seriously out gunned. Currently, we only have one professional lobbyist while the CAP maintains a constant presence at the state legislature. Even so, this year we’ve moved from a strictly defensive posture to one that is actively trying to reverse the damage caused by the CAP and 114 bills that have been signed into law since they formed in 1995.

The Secular Coalition for Arizona (www.secularaz.org) is a 501(c)(4) lobbying organization that represents 17 organizations in the Arizona nontheistic community — a vibrant and growing community of Arizonans who self-identify as Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, Freethinkers, and other labels of personal choosing to elected officials in and from Arizona.

Psst…The Secular Coalition for Arizona does accept donations…

So far, Cathi and the marriage equality folks are on the same page—both believe marriage is a fine institution. Cathi wants to limit it to only one man and one woman but doesn’t make a convincing case for that position. There is more in the email.

She quotes statistics from a study performed at Princeton University that says kids raised in an intact house do better in school and generally have better lives. Lest we forget, Cathi likes kids with the possible exception of kids that turn out to be gay. Last year, she killed an anti-bullying bill on the off chance that it would protect gay kids from harassment. Here’s the VIDEO. In the reporting of Cathi’s action on the anti-bullying bill, they call her a “heavy weight lobbyist.”

She’s calling for prayers. She wants her people to join her at the Sandra Day O’Connor Federal District Court Houses to meet for a prayer vigil. Go for it! Because praying works SO well and by all means let’s do it in public in accordance with the Bible (Matthew 6:5) “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.”

It is declared to be among the civil rights of the people of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, to be free from discrimination in public accommodations and employment, and for it to be contrary to the policy of the City and unlawful to discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, or marital status, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION, OR DISABILITY in places of public accommodation and employment and it is contrary to the policy of the City of Phoenix and is unlawful for employers doing business with the City of Phoenix that are vendors, suppliers or contractors and employ more than thirty-five persons to discriminate against any person because of sexual orientation OR GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION.

As you can see, the intention was to add to the list of folks that companies are not allowed to discriminate against in their public accommodations and employment. For some reason, the CAP believes that companies have a constitutional right to discriminate against people of different sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or disability and should be free to do so in their public accommodations and hiring.

The note I got from the CAP states that, “On Tuesday this week, approximately 500 people packed into a downtown Phoenix auditorium and witnessed injustice.”Cathi Herod also thoughtfully provided this LINK (local Phoenix news coverage of the vote). Now, Cathi is on the war path claiming that her legal concerns were not addressed by the council. She’s identifying the council members that voted for the measure and reminded her loyal subjects that “elections matter.” The most pleasing part of her note on the subject was the part where she turns her ire on many of the people protesting against the measure alongside her. She states in her note, “I must share my deep disappointment with how some who opposed the ordinance handled their statements.” She further stated that people on her side were:

“using God’s name in a mean-spirited, bigoted way to oppose the ordinance. Or perhaps you heard some oppose the ordinance in ways that I am sure were grievous to God and grievous to those sitting in the audience. A public hearing seldom is the venue in which one should stand up and speak condemnation on others from a supposed Scriptural standpoint. Regrettably, the misguided words of a few who spoke out against the ordinance greatly hurt our testimony.”

How are you supposed to come out against a provision which expands equality without appearing to be “mean-spirited” or “bigoted?” Telling an entire class of people that you’re not entitled to equality is by definition “mean-spirited.”

In any case, good job Phoenix! Way to stand up for human decency against the tyranny of religious bigotry! And Cathi, keep criticizing your supporters we can use the help.

As much as Cathi and the Center for Arizona policy would like you to think that it’s all about who can use what restroom, the fact of the matter is that the ordinance in question is simply adding gender identity to the list of things you can’t discriminate against and expands protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. It’s about tolerance and fairness and could very well help the economy of Phoenix.

Here is the Declaration of policy:

It is declared to be among the civil rights of the people of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, to be free from discrimination in public accommodations and employment, and for it to be contrary to the policy of the City and unlawful to discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, or marital status, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION, OR DISABILITY in places of public accommodation and employment and it is contrary to the policy of the City of Phoenix and is unlawful for employers doing business with the City of Phoenix that are vendors, suppliers or contractors and employ more than thirty-five persons to discriminate against any person because of sexual orientation OR GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION

Here are the talking points expressed in the email

• Churches should not be forced to hire people who disagree with their religious beliefs. Yet under this law, city government will force Phoenix’s religious institutions to either compromise their beliefs, or face criminal prosecution. 
• The Bathroom Bill creates a “sue first and ask questions later” mentality.
• No matter your views on homosexuality, under the Bathroom Bill you will face the threat of frivolous lawsuits.
• It is irresponsible for the City Council to put every child, business owner, church, and religious organization at risk because of a political agenda from a vocal minority.
• Despite Mayor Stanton’s campaign commitment to transparency, the Bathroom Bill has been rushed through city government in order to hide the true atrocities buried in this law. 

Somehow this “bathroom bill,” as they call it, will negatively impact every Phoenix Business—regardless of their views on the issue and will put churches at risk by preventing them from following their faith.

What are restrooms like in churches these days? Is it common to have a men’s room, women’s room, and unisex “family” facility or do they have a “one holer” with a lock on the door? Does every Phoenix business have separate facilities? Of course not! Larger businesses do but the smaller ones have a single toilet. The larger bathrooms consist of sinks with individual stalls.

That’s a lot of bathroom talk for an ordinance aimed at discrimination. Equality Arizona President Rebecca Winiger contends that all the bathroom talk is bogus. “This legislation will have no effect on the bathroom that any individual – transgendered or otherwise – is currently allowed to use.”

Cathi is urging her minions to pray for the ordinance’s defeat but prayers aren’t enough. They also ask you to call politicians and express your deeply held fear of equality to protect the right to discriminate against people on basis of sexual orientation. Apparently a “family value” such as homophobia is just too valuable to trust with simply prayers to the all-powerful creator of the universe.

Greetings.  It is the return of Brother Jed Smock, the colorful college minister, an inadvertent promoter of Atheism.  Jed is back in town and will be preaching on the University of Arizona campus from February 11^th through the 22^nd .  His over-the-top, cartoonish style will surely capture a sizable crowd.

Jed Smock’s Campus Ministries consist of colorful open air preaching that usually does not change much from year to year. He typically includes tales of his adventures in the American counter-culture of the sixties complete with wild stories of sex and drugs and then his conversion to a self-loathing sexually hung-up Christian.  His style is highly confrontational and he is known to say things like, “I don’t know how the whorehouses in this town stay open — all of you sorority girls are giving it away for free!” or “A masturbator today is a homosexual tomorrow.” He will freely call the people he speaks to “homos,” “fags,” “sodomites,” “drunks,” or “fornicators.”

He spends plenty of time demonizing liberals, homosexuals, fans of rock music, those who engage in premarital sex, feminists, and those who reject traditional gender roles–all of which are apparently destined for hell.  The usually young college students frequently mock him and some of his act is self-parody.  For example, during one Sex Ed with Brother Jed segment he warned the males in his audience that after they get married and finally engage in sex for the first time, to be careful not to mistake their wives anus for her vagina. One student responded with “what if I do and she likes it?”  On another occasion, he stated “you seem to have a fixation with my anus” after being called an “a##hole.”

Brother Jed is the best recruiter for the local freethinking community. If he is the poster child for Christianity the Atheist community looks better in comparison.  His presentation does everything to highlight the ridiculous, superstitious, bigoted, hateful, and reactionary baggage that other Christians sweep under the carpet.  He makes Christianity the object of ridicule it deserves to be and does so in a way that is wonderfully over the top.  He is often accused of being a parody and many of us have to question the intelligence of the church members who finance his travels around the country.

His visits often mark the year’s highest recruitment times for local Atheist and Skeptics groups. Many  milk the opportunity by hosting Brother Jed Bingo.  In these games, listeners are given bingo cards with words on it that regularly appear in his narrative and those who fill their cards out first win a prize.  My copy from last year features such phrases as “Penis,” “Squirt-squirt,” “Whiskey,” “Sexual Frenzy,” “Freaks,” “Get Laid,” and “Oral Sex.”  Ironically, he thinks it’s the young people he talks to who are supposedly obsessed with sex.

There is a dark side in all this.  He drags his teenage daughters around the country with him. They are as brainwashed as he is.  These virginal girls make sex-negative presentations as part of his ministry and open themselves up to rude questioning from the audience that no-one should have to endure.  I remember listeners asking one of his daughters if she had ever masturbated or experienced an orgasm.  As would be expected of someone raised in a sex-negative environment the answer was no.  Needless to say, it saddens me to see people that young subjected to the ridicule their father brings on himself and it saddens me more to see this man instilling these girls with his repulsive beliefs and attitudes.  The idea that young people filled with hormones should be told to feel dirty, sinful, or ashamed every time they experience perfectly normal sexual feelings is repulsive.  Frightening children with threats of hell, damnation and eternal torture is very much a form of psychological abuse.

Brother Jed’s theology is highly idiosyncratic and much of it is rejected by many self-identified Christians.  His God, for example, is not the all-powerful or all-knowing one most Christians worship but one that is largely reacting to human’s free will actions he apparently has little or no control over.  Jed’s idea of a God who is lacking in these areas and presumably not completely competent actually makes much more sense than the God most Christians worship.  He also has stated numerous times that he no longer sins at all, a notion that most Christians consider impossible.

Brother Jed is definitely a trip and it is refreshing if not disturbing to see a Christian so out and open about all the horrible things that many of them actually believe.  He is the author of the book Who Will Rise Up: A Call to Confrontational Evangelism and is the basis for the short film Battle of the Sects.  Here in Arizona he has many unconvinced followers called Jed Heads, and I consider myself one of them.

Click HERE to see him in action at the University in 2008.

My friend John has been active in the Atheist/Freethought community for some time. He’s been in charge of several organizations and was nearing burnout (it happens to all of us) before he decided to dedicate his efforts to bringing Camp Quest to Arizona. Here is his story:

What do you get when you cross a software developer, an artist, a school teacher and a technical writer?  We know, the nerdling in you is probably calculating “Morpheus.”  But that’s not it. And it’s not “Bill Gates in a TARDIS with Bob Ross” either.  You get Camp Quest Arizona!

That’s right; June 2013 will finally see the launch of Camp Quest Arizona among the cool pines of Mingus Springs in northern Arizona. It has been a long time coming for us here and our enthusiasm can hardly be contained!  While Chu-Wan attended Camp Quest West (SoCal) as part of the cabin staff this summer, John was working with the staff at Camp Quest Texas. Not only did we both learn how the camps were run, we also got to see how each camp was able to stir in their own personal flavors and utilize the talents and strengths of their volunteers.

The mission of Camp Quest is at the heart of our camp experience, but so are the diverse and unique talents and perspectives that the staff of Camp Quest Arizona is bringing with them. Along with her education and professional career as an artist and art instructor, Holly is coming in with 6 years of planning and running kids adventure races. Eugene’s love of technology and science fiction is equally matched by his love for the natural sciences and the outdoors. Chu-Wan’s years as a school teacher will bring both the skills of education-based activity planning and invaluable experience with child development.  And John, he just thinks he’s funny, but he has been a mentor for homeless and at-risk children and has the (sometimes) annoying skills of being very detailed and organized, so we suffer through his dry humor in exchange for all of that.

While we don’t yet have confirmations, we are working on a few special guests to come visit us at Camp Quest Arizona who will bring some unique talents and inspirations for our campers. And aside from the staples of camp such as archery, crafts and Socrates Café, we are creating some great interpersonal-communication and team-building games and activities to enjoy throughout the week. For most of the campers, as well as many of the volunteers, this will be their first time at Camp Quest. This means we get the privilege of being a big part of an experience that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Camp Quest Arizona here we come!

Check out their website: www.campquestaz.org.

Perhaps a little mood music while you read this entry is in order. The Arizona State Legislature begins operation on the 14th. Are you all ready for this? The last call for donations has just been sent out by the CAP (Center for Arizona Policy) as they gear up to impose their will on everyone in the state regardless of religious affiliation. There have been a few posts here about the CAP and a few mentions of the Secular Coalition for Arizona. Both organizations are mentioned in the left sidebar on this page and it’s worth reading over from time to time.

The Secular Coalition for Arizona is also gearing up for the legislation session. Many of the affiliates of the coalition met this weekend in Mesa to make plans for the coming year as we closed out our second year of operation. Last year we hired a full time lobbyist to support the members of the coalition and this year we’re adding a development director to further enhance the effort to keep and maintain the secular character of the state government. Present at the meeting was the entire board of directors along with representatives from Flagstaff Freethinkers, FFRF Valley of the Sun Chapter, FreeThought Arizona, Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix, Military Atheists Agnostics and Freethinkers, Phoenix Atheist Meetup Group, Prescott Freethinkers, Secular Student Alliance from Mesa Community College, Sedona/Verde Valley Secular Freethinkers, and Tucson Atheists along with a couple of Liaison Members at Large. In all there are 15 member organizations in the coalition, up from 10 last year. We are often joined in our efforts by other groups such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

The Secular Coalition for Arizona is starting to make its presence known and receiving press coverage. This year instead of being constantly on the defensive, we will be promoting at least two bills before the legislature. One is an Oregon-style “Death with dignity” bill and the other proposes to teach science based sex education in public schools. We will also work against many of the bills proposed by the CAP specifically, ones that blur the line between church and state and those that are based on dogma instead of science and reason.

The main issues that drive the Secular Coalition for Arizona are: Science-based Medicine, Secular Public Schools, Marriage Equality, End-of-life Choices, Religious Privilege in Tax Laws, Women’s Healthcare, Military, and Government Involvement in Religious Expression.

Please log onto the website at www.secularaz.org and read about the organization. While you’re at it sign up for the “Take Action!” email list located at the top of the column on the right.

Before Christmas, there were pagan observations. In Babylon, there was the feast of the Son of Isis celebrated on December 25^th. The Romans had Saturnalia followed by Dies Natalis Invicti Solus or the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. Christmas caroling has its roots in the Roman celebrations. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. In northern Europe, Yule and the Sun god Mithras were celebrated. On the shortest day of the year, a fire was lit at sunset to encourage Mithras to reappear. Evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the deepest part of the winter to remind the inhabitants that life continues and brighter days are ahead. It wasn’t until the middle of the 4^th century that Pope Julius I decided that Christ’s birth was to be celebrated on December 25^th. The celebrations continued, seemingly for a new reason. The birth of the Christmas tree was in 1521 in the Alsace region of Germany.

The common thread through all of the discussion above is that this time of year can be depressing if there is not a celebration of some type to distract you from the misery. Some people say that the holidays are the worst time of the year. One web site suggests 25 ways to find joy and balance during the holidays.

Over at Fox News, Bill O’Reilly distracts himself from the holiday doldrums by creating a fictional “War on Christmas.” The bombastic commentator seems to enjoy mixing it up with David Silverman and the Atheists. To him saying “Happy Holidays” is a war cry and the only “correct” way to pass on season’s greetings is to include the word Christmas. As I’ve stated in a previous posting “Happy Holidays” is more inclusive but according to Bill O, not saying Christmas is part of the “Secular Progressive” agenda. Bill O’Reilly went as far as calling David Silverman a fascist in his last encounter. I’m sure that some people are entertained by such conflicts just as some people like to watch  bottle rockets launched  from butt cracks.

There are a variety of ways to celebrate the Christmas season that don’t involve religious activities. However, I do have nostalgic memories of my family’s traditions. In our home, Catholic mom took us to high mass while Atheist dad played Santa back at the house. Perhaps I’m better for that experience. This year it’s just the two of us and our surviving family members are scattered around the country. We’ll go out and look at the lights in Winter Haven, and watch a few themed television shows (A Christmas Story is my favorite). This year, as in the previous 4 years, we’ll have a few dozen folks over to the house. It will be an eclectic group of heathens and believers–all friends–to share a potluck dinner, roast marshmallows, sing Karaoke, and other activities.

If you’d like to gather with fellow non-believers for some raucous fun with Brother Sam Singleton, you can take in the Atheist Revival show at Laffs Comedy Café. The Tucson Atheists will be “Drinking Godlessly” again at the Red Garter at 6 PM on Thursday the 20^th of December. There will be a variety of winter solstice parties around town. One will be at Black Crown Coffee Company and there will plenty of private gatherings.

The point is you don’t have to believe in Jesus to enjoy the Christmas season. I think Jon Stewart is going to eat Chinese food and go to the movies. Happy Holidays.

Atheists conduct war on Christmas armed with nothing but credit cards and reason.

Tis the season to be shopping…Christmas season lasts about a month—give or take. It starts with “Black Friday” an ancient holiday tradition dating all the way back to the early 60s. While some say the tradition goes back further than that, it’s a sure bet that it is a product of modern consumerism. This season is marked with a great deal of hope. Store owners hope that they will start operating in the “black” before the end of the year. Shoppers hope that they get the latest Chinese gadget before they sell out and everyone hopes that it won’t take 3 light changes to get through the next intersection. Surveys say that Black Friday this year represents over $59 Billion in sales which is a 13% increase over last year’s sales figures. Not all of these sales are going to “good Christians.” Recent surveys say as many as 1 in 5 in this country are a part of the growing demographic called “nones” meaning no religious affiliation. It is not unreasonable to assume therefore that 20% of the sales figures are going to non-Christians. It is apparent that their participation is appreciated by the stores and recipients of the Atheist’s largess. However, that’s not the “war on Christmas” as described by Fox News and Bill O’Reilly.

The front lines of the war on Christmas this year appears to be in Santa Monica, California where the city council has decided that there will be no more Christmas displays in a public park. Apparently the result, the aftermath, of the bloody battle resulted in Christmas Nativity Scene displays in Santa Monica being moved to private property. Praise secularism! For 60 years the taxpayers of Santa Monica supported scenes celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in Palisades Park. Last year they tried a lottery and the secularist won all but three of the 21 available slots. This year the city council decided to get out of the nativity scene business and didn’t allow any displays at Palisades Park. The separation of church and state supporters were fine with that decision but the folks that owned the lion share of the religious displays filed suit. They lost and now things are as they should be. The religious displays are up but they are on private property and not at the cost of the taxpayer. Reason prevails.

This year as the Atheists conduct their war, some are facing off with an actual army, the Salvation Army. Atheists are saying to ignore the annoying bell ringers and give your donations to more deserving charities such as Doctors without Borders, the Red Cross, Amnesty International, Unicef, Heifer International, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Scripps Research Institute, Child’s Play, the Trevor Project, and local food pantries. These organizations are doing good things without the Salvation Army’s discriminatory hiring practices and position on LGBT issues.

With all the “straw manning” that is going on in this it may be hard to remember that Atheists are no more angry at Christmas than anyone else. It is not an act of aggression to defend the constitutional principle of separation of church and state or to point out that an organization is using religious bias to discriminate against a large portion of society.

Finally, saying “Happy Holidays” is not an act of aggression. In fact it is the more inclusive term. But Bill O’Reilly has an answer for that. He says, “You can’t always include everyone.” Well, Bill, that’s just one more thing you got wrong. It’s the end of the year and the beginning of the next. Everyone can celebrate even if it’s only to acknowledge that the days are getting longer. Happy Holidays!

FreeThought Arizona is a 501c3 charity, as such, we are not allowed to take a position on individual candidates but now the election is over. Mitt Romney is no longer a candidate and Barack Obama has been green lighted for another four years in office. Given the choice between the two from a Secularist’s point of view, neither candidate was ideal. Atheists including Agnostics and other FreeThinking Americans are famously independent and leading them is often compared to herding cats. Some say that it’s more like herding butterflies but one thing that we all agree on is that there should be a separation of the church and the state. We universally agree that laws and public policies should be based on science, empirical evidence, verifiable experiences, independent historical accounts, and sound logic—not religious dogma. Given that one concern, President Obama was clearly the better choice.

Here in Arizona, we need to do a better job of keeping church and state separate. We’ve allowed the Center for Arizona Policy to have way too much power in our legislature. With the election behind us, it is time now to begin to work to roll back the power of Cathi Herrod. Her 501c3 organization is in flagrant violation of IRS rules for non-profit charitable organizations and has been active in partisan politics since 1995. She brags about over 100 laws that she has supported that have been enacted into law. We didn’t vote for her but she in effect tells everyone in the state who they should marry. She has decided that gambling is wrong, not just for herself, but for everyone in the state. She’s been instrumental in siphoning off money from the public education system into private institutions that don’t answer to the citizenry and are able to accept and reject students based on arbitrary criteria. She has supported a law that delays divorces by instilling a waiting period and unfunded mandatory counseling which in some cases extends the time women must endure in abusive situations. One of the laws she pushed through made it more difficult for children to be adopted by those that would remove them from state care. However, her most egregious violation of human dignity was her part in killing the Anti-Bullying law. The bill was killed by her because it protected gay kids from bullying. Never mind that it also protected all other kids as well.

The country has rejected Mitt Romney, the homophobic bully. Perhaps it’s time we started rejecting our own homophobic lobbying organization and Cathi Herrod. The best way to make that happen is to support the Secular Coalition for Arizona. The Secular Coalition for Arizona operates on a total budget that is less than the yearly compensation of Cathi Herrod. It is legally organized as a lobbying organization and represents many liaised non-theistic organizations in Arizona. Go to their website (http://www.secularaz.org/) and sign up for Email notification and find out about some of the liaised organizations make up the coalition.