Mississippi Atheists

Public Hearings on the Mississippi Personhood Amendment

2011-06-29T10:46:00.001-05:00

Efforts to end reproductive rights for women in Mississippi have been underway for some time. Back in 2009, the American Family Association made it known that they considered our state to be a perfect battleground. Personhood Mississippi held a press conference in February 2010 to unveil their plans to impose a "personhood" amendment on Mississippi. And in earlier this month, we saw that the proposed amendment was before our State Supreme Court.

Mims has just informed me that the "personhood" amendment (Amendment 26) is now headed for public hearings around Mississippi. The hearings are scheduled to start on July 7 in Southaven and conclude on September 6 in Cleveland. You can see the schedule here. Mims noted that both Hattiesburg and Gulfport are on the schedule.

Mims reminds us why we should care about this:

If you know anything about this Amendment, you know that it is the product of a very conservative christian world view committed to social engineering through our legal system. If you have any doubt that this is a religiously motivated, go to the Personhood Mississippi website.

If you oppose efforts to abolish reproductive rights for women in Mississippi, please consider attending a public hearing near you to make your voice heard.

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Action Alert: Student Religious Liberties Act (SB2151)

2011-01-22T09:44:00.001-06:00

Big thanks to Oliver for the post about the Student Religious Liberties Act of 2011. This is not one we can afford to ignore, as it would be devastating to science education in our state.

Who Should You Contact?

It appears that the bill has been referred to the Senate Education Committee. Therefore, I suspect that is who we should plan to contact first. Here is what I could find about the membership of this committee:

Videt Carmichael, Chairman

Gray Tollison, Vice-Chairman

Members: David Blount; Hob Bryan; Terry C. Burton; Doug E. Davis; Merle Flowers; Alice Harden; David Jordan; Tom King; Chris McDaniel; Bennie L. Turner; Michael Watson; J. P. Wilemon, Jr.; Lee Yancey

How Do You Contact Them?

Here is the contact information for all Senators. It should be fairly easy to write, email, or call each of the senators on this committee and explain why this bill should be allowed to die in committee. In fact, I'll make it even easier. Here are the email addresses for everyone on the committee that has one (two members do not):

vcarmichael@senate.ms.gov, gtollison@senate.ms.gov, dblount@senate.ms.gov, tburton@senate.ms.gov, mflowers@senate.ms.gov, aharden@senate.ms.gov, djordan@senate.ms.gov, tking@senate.ms.gov, cmcdaniel@senate.ms.gov, bturner@senate.ms.gov, mwatson@senate.ms.gov, jwilemon@senate.ms.gov, lyancey@senate.ms.gov

You can simply copy and paste this into your preferred email program. If you receive a reply, please let us know so we can share the news here.

Thank you for your help.

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Action Alert: Ask Our Lt. Gov. to Respect Separation of Church and State

2010-12-21T13:28:00.002-06:00

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has issued an action alert suggesting that we contact our Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and ask him to respect separation of church and state. The nativity display which now sits in our state capitol was his idea, and that is not all.

From the action alert:

Lt. Gov. Bryant, according to a news story, requested that the 9/11 Remembrance Foundation place a life-size nativity display in the capitol rotunda to "honor our troops."

Lt. Gov. Bryant told a reporter: "Recognizing our troops at Christmas, praying for our troops, I think it's a perfect fit."

The FFRF is requesting that we write to Lt. Gov. Bryant at the address below in order to make it clear that we object to his role in bringing the nativity scene to our state capitol. Here are the "talking points" they provide to assist those of us who plan to write letters:

Displaying a nativity scene in the Mississippi state capitol building sends a message of governmental endorsement of Christianity. FFRF objects to "public forums" on government property involving religion. There should be neither religious nor irreligious displays on government property.

A nativity scene on government property shows great disrespect for nonbelievers, and those of minority faiths. In the U.S., 15% of residents identify as nonreligious, and the violation makes the nonreligious feel like political outsiders in their own community (ARIS 2008).

Religious symbols and displays have no place on government property. Elected officials should not use their government position and government property as a place for promoting their religious views. FFRF will gladly remove its sign if religious displays are kept out of the state capitol.

And finally, here is the address to use:

The Honorable Phil Bryant
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
P.O. Box 1018
Jackson MS 39215
Web Form: http://www.ltgovbryant.com/contact/

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Sumner Hill Junior High School Needs to Hear From You

2010-07-07T07:21:00.002-05:00

Sumner Hill Junior High School in Clinton, MS, is a public school. They are part of the Clinton Public School District. The following is from their website:

We believe...

Faith in God is the cornerstone of our community.

Again, this can be found on the web page of a public school in Mississippi.

Contact information for the school is as follows:

Sumner Hill Junior High School
400 W. Northside Drive
Clinton, MS 39056
Phone: (601) 924-5510

The school's principal, Willie McInnis, can be reached via email at wmcinnis@clinton.k12.ms.us. Please remember to keep any correspondence respectful, and please share any responses you receive.

It may also be worth contacting the Freedom From Religion Foundation and/or Americans United for Separation of Church and State, both of whom make it easy to report violations via online forms. It would probably be most effective if the reports were made by someone in Clinton.

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Oppose Gov. Barbour's Prayer Proclamation

2010-06-26T07:06:00.002-05:00

Despite the stubborn insistence by Gov. Barbour that the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history is no big deal, he has designated June 27 as a Day of Prayer and is calling on Mississippians to pray for the coast. Right, since it worked so well when Louisiana did it.

In the aftermath of Louisiana's ineffective prayerfest, Annie Laurie Gaylor (Freedom From Religion Foundation) issued a statement, "Nothing fails like prayer in the Gulf of Mexico," in which she noted that it is unconstitutional for government officials to call on citizens to pray.

Prayer is what politicians fall back on when they don't want to offer true leadership. Are we prepared to learn anything from this environmental disaster? Or are we just going to pray about it?

She asked those concerned about separation of church and state to write letters to the editors of key newspapers and to contact the Louisiana senate leadership and express their disappointment.

Now that Gov. Barbour is encouraging prayer in our state, the Freedom From Religion Foundation is asking us to do the same. Specifically, we are being asked to contact Gov. Barbour to express our displeasure with his prayer proclamation. Barbour's email address is governor@governor.state.ms.us and a mailing address and phone number are provided here.

H/T to the Freethinker

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How to Help Nashville

2010-05-15T11:42:00.001-05:00

I know our state has plenty of problems, but our neighbors to the North need help. For a variety of reasons, some of them understandable, the mainstream media has largely ignored the plight of Nashville, TN. Now that the floodwaters have receded, so too has any national attention Nashville is likely to receive. I posted a desperate plea for help I received over at Red State Progressive and want to call your attention to it here.

For specific ideas about the many different ways you can help, please see this page at Nashvillest.

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Volunteers Needed to Assist With Oil Spill Clean Up

2010-05-01T13:37:00.003-05:00

If you have the time to spare and live within driving distance from the Gulf Coast, volunteers are desperately needed to help out with the massive oil spill. For more information about volunteering, see:

This is going to be a massive undertaking, and it sounds like large numbers of volunteers are going to be needed.

Image Credit: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team

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Action Alert: Oppose House Bill 586

2010-01-16T09:47:00.001-06:00

I received the following today from the National Center for Science Education:

Dear Mississippi members of NCSE,

We thought you would like to know about a proposed bill which has just been introduced in the Mississippi legislature by Rep. Gary Chism [R-District 37]. House Bill 586 has been referred to the House Education Committee.

HB 586 would require local school boards to begin every high school biology course with a lesson on human evolution. However, the bill mandates that such lessons "... shall not evidence bias through selective instruction on the theory of evolution, but rather, shall have proportionately equal instruction from educational materials that present scientifically sound arguments by protagonists and antagonists of the theory of evolution."

The bill provides no indication of how to define or recognize "scientifically sound arguments", but is clear in requiring equal time for "educational materials" [also undefined] from both supporters and opponents of evolution. Since there are no "scientifically sound arguments" against evolution which have been presented or accepted by the scientific community, it seems clear that any arguments against evolution presented in such a lesson are very likely to be the sort of religiously-based ones which creationists put forward. Thus this bill could easily have the effect of opening science classrooms to the presentation of those particular religious views which reject evolution.

Last year Rep. Chism introduced a bill which would have required biology textbooks in Mississippi to include an evolution disclaimer similar to that mandated in Alabama. At the time he was quoted in the "Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal" as saying "Either you believe in the Genesis story, or you believe that a fish walked on the ground."

To read the full text of HB 586, see:
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2010/html/HB/0500-0599/HB0586IN.htm

NCSE has a news story about this bill here:
http://ncse.com/news/2010/01/antievolution-legislation-mississippi-005283

If you should want to contact your representative or members of the Education Committee about HB 586, the following may prove useful.

A roster of House members, with contact information:
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/h_roster.pdf

A list of House committees with their members:
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/htms/h_cmtememb.xml

To track the status of HB 586 [or any other bill]:
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2010/pdf/lookup.htm

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Ask Grains of Montana to Stop Discriminating Against Atheists

2009-12-15T10:24:00.002-06:00

Earlier this month, we heard from Steve about the Grains of Montana, a restaurant in Biloxi that was offering a 10% discount to anyone who brought in a church bulletin. Steve pointed out many problems associated with this practice, noting, "...it really seems like taking a step backwards socially and ethically to me." Many of our readers agreed, and a lively comment thread soon emerged. Now it is time to let Grains of Montana hear from us.

Steve has already contacted the Freedom From Religion Foundation after learning that they recently helped to resolve just such an issue in North Carolina.

At this point, we're calling for a letter writing campaign in order to make sure that the owners of this franchise hear from us and learn that this questionable practice is costing them customers. The mailing address for the Biloxi location is:

Grains Of Montana
1777 Popps Ferry Rd
Biloxi, MS 39532

However, because Grains of Montana is a chain with at least two locations, it may also be helpful to contact the headquarters in Montana. Fortunately, they have a contact form on their website.

We hope to get a sample letter or two up here soon. Some of the main points I plan to hit include the following:

Offering this discount discriminates against those who do not attend church by charging them more for the same order. This is a violation of the federal Civil Rights Act.
This policy does not seem tourist friendly.
This policy penalizes poor churches who may be unable to afford bulletins.

I'll probably also quote the following from the Civil Rights Act:

All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation . . . without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, or national origin.

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Church-State Violation in Memphis

2009-09-19T09:23:00.001-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

While perusing Friendly Atheist this morning, I see that the Memphis City Council's practice of allowing a “Chaplain of the Day” to open their sessions with sectarian prayer has been noticed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). I am glad to see the FFRF getting involved in this unfortunate church-state violation.

As Hemant (Friendly Atheist) notes,

People ask why they should support atheist organizations. This is why. It’s a powerful moment when a group’s staff attorney can instill the fear of no-god in a city or state government :) FFRF has the Constitution on its side. Memphis has a god. I’ll take FFRF every time.

Bravo! Here is some information from the FFRF about how you can help.

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American Atheists Issues Action Alert on HB 25

2009-01-14T05:48:00.000-06:00

Image via WikipediaBelow you'll find an action alert issued by Blair Scott, the National Affiliate Outreach Director of American Atheists and Alabama State Director. This alert will go a long way toward making sure that other atheists in the U.S. know what we are dealing with here regarding House Bill 25.

ACTION ALERT: MISSISSIPPI
Proposed Mississippi legislation will put “just a theory” stickers in biology textbooks.

Representative Gary Chism from District 37 in Mississippi, has sponsored legislation to amend the state’s constitution in order to place “just a theory” stickers in Mississippi biology textbooks. The legislation, HB25, has been referred to the Education and Judiciary A committees for review and has a good chance of passing the committee for a House review.

You can read the entire proposed legislation, which will enact a constitutional amendment, online at:
http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2009/pdf/HB/0001-0099/HB0025IN.pdf

The proposed constitutional amendment includes different definitions of the word theory instead of the scientific one.

It describes evolution as a “controversial theory some scientists present as a scientific explanation for the origin of living things.” It goes on to state that, “No one was around when life first appeared; therefore statements about life’s origins should be considered a theory.

It then makes the statement that, “Evolution refers to the unproven belief that random undirected forces produced living things.” It then goes on to list a creationist manifesto of “problems with evolution” such as the Cambrian Explosion, “lack of new major groups of other living things appearing in the fossil record,” “lack of transitional forms,” and the “complete and complex set of instructions for building a living body” (read as Irreducible Complexity).

The proposed legislation, while unconstitutional in and of itself, is full of scientific misunderstanding, a misrepresentation of scientific theory, false statements about evolutionary biology, and a gross ignorance of the Theory of Evolution.

What can you do about it? You can contact Rep. Gary Chism and the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Education and Judiciary A committee and ask them to vote against this bill and keep it from being forwarded to the floor for a vote.

You can contact Gary Chism via email at gchism@house.ms.gov, by phone at (662) 327-0777, or via USPS at PO Box 1018, Jackson, MS 39215. His online biography is located at: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/members/house/chism.xml

The Chairman of the Education Committee is Cecil Brown (cbrown@house.ms.gov or (601) 359-3330). The Vice-Chairman of the Education Committee is Sara Thomas (sthomas@house.ms.gov).

The Chairman of the Judiciary A Committee is Edward Blackmon, Jr. (eblackmon@house.ms.gov or (601) 859-1576). The Vice-Chairman of the Judiciary A Committee is Angel Cockerham (acockerham@house.ms.gov or (601) 783-6600).

Make sure you reference HB25 in any email, letter, or phone call. Do not insult the Representatives or use derogatory language. Please keep letters and phone calls polite and professional.

For legal purposes, you can reference the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District (http://www.pamd.uscourts.gov/kitzmiller/kitzmiller_342.pdf) and Selmer v. Cobb County Schools (http://alt.cimedia.com/ajc/pdf/evolution.pdf).

You can also contribute funds to American Atheists, Inc. to help fight legal battles just like this. You can designate your contributions to the “Legal Action Fund” and your donation will be spent exclusively on legal action against those that would infringe upon the Separation of Church and State. Please visit http://atheists.org/contribute to donate.

Thanks to Micah C. for bringing this legislation to our attention. It is the work of volunteers that help catch SOCAS violations and report them. Without the diligence of local volunteers many more violations would go unreported and unchallenged than already do.

Contact the Education Committee About HB 25

2009-01-09T11:28:00.000-06:00

Image via WikipediaSince posting about HB 25, a bill before the Mississippi State Legislature designed to misinform students about evolution by slapping ridiculous stickers on science textbooks, I've been busy. My first task involved determining exactly who we need to contact with regard to HB 25. It ended up taking quite a bit longer than it should have, but I think I now have an answer. The bill has been referred to the House Education Committee. The members of this committee include the following state representatives:

Cecil Brown, Chairman
Sara R. Thomas, Vice-Chairman
Noal Akins
Toby Barker
Billy Broomfield
Kelvin Buck
Kimberly Campbell Buck
Clara Burnett
Bryant W. Clark
Alyce G. Clarke
Linda F. Coleman
Reecy L. Dickson
Bob Evans
Herb Frierson
Joe C. Gardner
Esther Harrison
Gregory Holloway
Wanda Jennings
Brandon Jones
Sherra Hillman Lane
John Mayo
Kevin McGee
David W. Myers
Russ Nowell
Jimmy Puckett
Rufus Straughter
J. Shaun Walley
Greg Ward
Joseph L. Warren
Tom Weathersby
Linda Whittington

I realize that this is a large committee. Fortunately, they all have e-mail addresses so contacting them may be a simple cut-and-paste job. If you'd like to focus on the representative(s) of your district, you can find out who represents you by entering your zip code. My particular representative is not on this committee, so I will contact other members as well.

Once again, thanks to Pharyngula and Tony's curricublog for breaking this one.

HB 25 Threatens Science Education in Mississippi

2009-01-09T05:49:00.001-06:00

Image via WikipediaOkay gang, we have a dire need for some activism to oppose House Bill 25. If passed, this bill would require an anti-evolution sticker on every science textbook in which evolution was discussed. I have already contacted the National Center for Science Education to make sure they are aware of this bill. The next step probably involve contacting our representatives in the House. It may also be worthwhile to consider writing letters to the editors of our local papers (although I often wonder whether that could do more harm than good in a state like ours). This is an important issue, and we at Mississippi Atheists will certainly do what we can to defend science education in our state.

H/Ts to Pharyngula and Tony’s curricublog

Reproductive Freedom at Risk in Mississippi

2008-09-21T14:23:00.000-05:00

Image via WikipediaA woman's right to reproductive freedom is under assault in Mississippi. In August, the Bush administration's Department of Health and Human Services proposed regulations which could restrict access to even basic reproductive health services, including birth control. So much for Republicans being about small government and deregulation! Of particular relevance to readers of this blog, the proposed rules emphasize religious belief over health care needs. In fact, the proposal allows health care providers to deny women access to birth control based on their religious beliefs. Time is quickly running out on the period of public comment, which ends on September 25. Take action here while time is left.

Why is this so important? According to the ACLU of Mississippi,

The rule leaves open the possibility that – based on religious beliefs – health care providers, including hospitals, insurance companies, and pharmacies, could deny women access to birth control. In addition, the rule may permit health care providers to withhold information and counseling about a wide range of health care services, including birth control and abortion.

Action Alert: Stop Fundraising for Bigotry

2008-05-23T07:07:00.004-05:00

From the Secular Coalition for America:

Last week the House of Representatives passed legislation (H.R. 5872) creating a commemorative coin for the Boy Scouts of America, an organization that explicitly discriminates against nontheists (as well as gays) in admission, employment, and even volunteer opportunities. By directing the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins as a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), the House is sending an estimated $3.5 million dollars directly to their organization. Now the Senate is beginning to organize efforts to pass the Boy Scouts legislation this summer.

To join me in taking action to stop this bill, contact your elected officials here.

Tags: Secular Coalition for America, H.R. 5872, Boy Scouts, discrimination, atheism, atheist, activism, atheist activism, U.S. Mint, coin