Archive for the 'In God We Trust' Category
October 27th, 2008, 11:15 am by Michael Doss
A couple of events that will interest you free-thinkers (especially politically-inclined), happening this week:
Lori Lipman Brown, Director of the Secular Coalition for America and the country’s first lobbyist for atheists will be speaking at the Crystal Cove Auditorium at UC Irvine on Tuesday, October 28 at 6 p.m. The event, sponsored and organized by Orange County Atheists and UCI’s Atheists, Agnostics & Rationalists will feature a discussion entitled “A Place at the Table: How the Nation’s First Lobbyist for Nontheists is Being Received on Capitol Hill.” In addition to the presentation, Lori will answer questions and be available afterward to talk with.
Bruce Gleason of Backyard Skeptics wrote to let me know that on Wednesday the 29th at 7:p.m. at Villa Park city hall, atheist activist Eddie Tabash and Atheists United president Stuart Beckman will be speaking at Villa Park’s town hall meeting to debate and discuss Measue AA, the measure that will allow the citizens of Villa park to vote on a “In God We Trust” plaque on the wall of the city council chambers. In case you miss it, the event will be videotaped and on youtube before the election.
Posted in: Atheist • Church/State • Events • In God We Trust • Liberal | Post a Comment »
October 10th, 2008, 4:53 pm by Michael Doss
A Villa Park atheist today fired the latest shot in the battle to place “In God We Trust” in that city’s council chambers.
Bruce Gleason announced the launch of NoOnAA.info, an anti Measure AA website with information about the proposal, arguments against it, and church-state separation history.
Gleason is the founder of “Backyard Skeptics”, a group for freethinkers and atheists in and around Villa Park. The group is an affiliate of Atheists United, a national group also fighting for church-state separation.
According to Gleason, “asking the electorate to vote on this issue is an attempt to sidestep the real issue of the constitutionality of the motto. The majority of citizens might not have any objections to that motto, but it’s the government’s duty to preserve the rights of the minorities regardless of the opinion of the majority”.
Villa Park voted in April to let the city’s residents decide on whether to display “In God We Trust”. In contrast, every other Orange County city that has voted to display the motto has done so by vote of the council alone.
Fountain Valley and Yorba Linda are the most recent cities to approve motto displays, both doing so September 16. In June, Los Alamitos approved a display, following Tustin, which voted to display the motto in May (along with city and state mottoes). Huntington Beach approved the motto in April, San Clemente and Mission Viejo in March, Cypress in February, and Westminster in July 2007.
Posted in: Atheist • Church/State • Election2008 • In God We Trust • Liberal | 2 Comments »
October 2nd, 2008, 1:06 pm by Michael Doss
While Dana Point hasn’t made “In God We Trust” an issue yet, reporter Chris Daines is ahead of the game, asking candidates for that council a new question every week until the election. This week’s question: Should Dana Point display ‘In God We Trust’ in council chambers?
The answers are pretty standard (one no, one yes, and one cop-out), but it’s nice to see it’s an issue people are thinking about. As it stands, no cities are currently considering the motto, but last time I said that, Yorba Linda proved me wrong.
Posted in: Atheist • Church/State • Election2008 • In God We Trust • Liberal | Post a Comment »
September 22nd, 2008, 11:49 am by Michael Doss
 “Unsinkable Atheism,” the 14th Annual Atheist Alliance International (AAI) Convention, is taking place September 25-28 at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. The convention will feature speakers, workshops, and musical events, all with an atheist/freethought theme.
Featured speakers include Ellen Johnson (Executive Director for Godless Americans Political Action Committee and former American Atheists president), Lori Lipman Brown (lobbyist for the Secular Coalition for America), Michael Shermer (publisher of Skeptic Magazine), and Michael Newdow (”In God We Trust” attorney), among others.
The convention will also feature a number of exhibitors, including national names like American Atheists, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, as well as local groups Orange County Atheists and Orange County People for Animals.
Admission to the four-day event is $160 ($80 for students), and day passes are available as well. More information can be found at the AAI website. Yours truely will be there - it should be an interesting event.
Posted in: Animal Rights • Atheist • Church/State • Events • In God We Trust • Vegetarian | Post a Comment »
September 19th, 2008, 5:28 pm by Michael Doss
 Following our story two weeks ago, the city of Tustin on September 11 unveiled its “Motto Wall”, near the main lobby of City Hall, featuring “In God We Trust”, as well as California’s “Eureka” and Tustin’s own “City of Trees” mottoes.
In addition to the mottoes, each displayed in 4-inch high letters, the Motto Wall features plaques with a history of each motto and its respective branch’s government seal.
The full story, including more photos of the event and display, is available here.
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September 17th, 2008, 11:20 am by Michael Doss
 In separate votes last night, both Yorba Linda and Fountain Valley passed motions to display “In God We Trust” in their council chambers.
After several months of weird power plays and questionable council procedure, Fountain Valley voted 3-2 to display the motto on the outside entrance to council chambers, in 4-inch foam or plastic gold-colored letters above a 32-inch city seal. The display will be paid for by a private party.
The vote comes after Fountain Valley’s council voted down a proposal in June, had the issue reproposed two weeks later, and the council deciding in July to instruct staff to research displays.
I was “lucky” enough to attend Yorba Linda’s meeting in person (city council meetings are an exercise in patience, listening to crotchety people rant, and mindless business — not exactly fun), and got to watch the proceedings. The council was kind enough to move the discussion to the top of the agenda (instead of spot 23 of 26) for the sake of the Boy Scouts who wanted to speak on it, so that was one nice thing to come out of the evening. Otherwise…
In addition to the kid from Troop 779, five Yorba Linda residents spoke in favor of the motto, all of them meeting regulars (the council members knew them all by name). Two people, John Halbur of Yorba Linda and Bruce Gleason of Villa Park, spoke against the display. Both sides used the standard arguments — “it’s for patriotism” or “it represents all faiths” in the pro-motto camp, and “it’s divisive and unnecessary” or “the city should respect people of different or no faith” for those against it.
In the end, I don’t think anyone was surprised when the council voted 4-0 for the display, though somewhere along the line the city manager’s suggestion of the motto alongside a city seal became “the motto, alone, above the dais in reflective letters, hit with spotlights so the cameras can see it”. Just like Jesus would have done, I’m sure.
Added bonus: Outside the meeting after the vote, speaker Bruce Gleason and myself were told “If you don’t support ‘In God We Trust’, you don’t belong in America” and “there’s a place for you at the Kremlin”. There was also a suggestion that atheism was akin to the “horrors” of kids being taught about homosexual parents. Stay classy, Yorba Linda!
Further reading:
Yorba Linda City Council says ‘In God We Trust’
Fountain Valley votes 3-2 to display ‘In God We Trust’
All Liberal Atheist Vegetarian ‘In God We Trust’ stories
Posted in: Atheist • Church/State • In God We Trust | 6 Comments »
September 16th, 2008, 1:13 pm by Michael Doss
 As reported last week, Yorba Linda’s city council will consider an “In God We Trust” display at their monthly meeting tonight. Several local freethought and church/state separation groups will be on hand to have their say, though my sources tell me that a “yes” vote is very likely.
And in what’s turning into the hard-to-kill zombie of IGWT votes, Fountain Valley’s council will again discuss the motto tonight, after voting down a proposal in June, then having Mayor John Collins repropose it two weeks later, this time in the form of “well, IF we were going to do it, how would we?” - a pretty sneaky workaround. In July, the council decided to instruct staff to research displays (even after voting against it), and tonight, they’ll review display options. I’m not sure how this is legal, really, but it’s happening.
Posted in: Atheist • Church/State • Events • In God We Trust | Post a Comment »
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