AMERICAN ATHEISTS ACTION ALERT email

[Dawn]

I received this email and I hope it is okay to pass on and to duplicate it here. Gurdur and Never, if this isn't okay please feel free to delete it.

Here it is:

AMERICAN ATHEISTS ACTION ALERT
http://www.atheists.org

LET PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA KNOW THAT YOU SUPPORT SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE, END TO FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE "BAIL OUT" FOR RELIGIOUS GROUPS!

President -Elect Barack Obama and his transition team have opened a new web site, "Change.gov" to provide information and solicit input from the public on matters of national concern. It is a great opportunity for all Americans -- including Atheists, Freethinkers, Humanists, and Secularists -- to speak out and let our agenda be known to the incoming administration.

AMERICAN ATHEISTS urges you to let President-elect Obama and his transition team know that the separation of church and state is an important issue to millions of Americans who "have no religious belief." We are also concerned with ending the federal faith-based initiative and similar state programs which transfer billions of dollars to churches, mosques, temples and other sectarian groups to operate social services. This amounts to the imposition of a religion tax on the American people. It compels millions of Atheists, Freethinkers, Humanists and other nonbelievers to fund religion-based social programs that operate with minimal oversight, are of dubious efficacy, and amount to a "bail out" of houses of worship which have been losing congregants for many years. Is this fair?

Mr. Obama has an opportunity to roll back the dangerous practice of funding religion under the welfare reform. A number of religious leaders, however, are confident that the new Administration will retain the Faith-Based Initiative, or make only cosmetic reforms -- such as having churches "promise" that they will segregate religious proselytizing and taxpayer-funded social services.

The "Change.gov" web site can be our way of politely telling President-elect Obama -- "Their Religion -- Our Money -- No Way!"

* Let your voice be heard! Visit the "Change.gov" web site (http://www.change.gov) and post your remarks on the AMERICAN MOMENT section which solicits input from the public. Copy your message to the CONTACT section. Always ask for a response to the issues you are raising!

* Make your remarks brief, concise and polite. Many Atheists, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and other nonbelievers supported Mr. Obama in his candidacy; we suggest that remarks not reflect a hostile or adversarial position. Instead, point out that the faith-based initiative is a bad idea, imposes an unfair "Religion Tax," and is bad social policy.

* This issue does not concern religious belief, but rather the unconstitutional funding of religious belief and institutions by the government.

* Share your comments and observations on blogs and other forums include the NoGodBlog at http://www.nogodblog.com .

Let's have our voices heard in Washington!

(AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists; labors for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.)