As an organization, the Iowa Secularists strive (1) to support a community and network of atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, and other non-religious persons and also (2) to build the resources necessary to actively support the Separation of State and Church in the state of Iowa by encouraging members to stay in touch with legislators, providing action items for specific threats, and by reaching out to form alliances with other organizations, including faith-based organizations, which have similar goals.

In order to reach these goals, we aim (1) to be a positive, articulate, well-reasoned, and respected voice for secularists in Iowa, (2) to educate the public on the value of secular ideals, separation of state & church, and living without religion, (3) to improve the image of secularists by reaching out to, finding common ground with, and building alliances with organizations with views that differ from ours and by positive contributions to our communities through service and involvement. In addition, we call for our representatives (1) to avoid sarcastic, negative, or vitriolic language when articulating our views and (2) To avoid the perception that the Iowa Secularists is against religion or religious organizations.

Overall, we hope to advance the Enlightenment ideal that freedom of conscience is of paramount importance to a free people.

The National Day of Reason is Thursday, May 1. We will have events in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. The Des Moines event will be at the Des Moines Botanical Center Oak Room and will begin at 7pm. The Cedar Rapids event will be at Beams Auditorium at the Cedar Rapids Public Library and will being at 6:30pm. The Des Moines event will have an episode of Mr. Diety and both events will show the movie The God Who Wasn’t There followed by a discussion. Both events are free and open to the public and were organized by the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids groups.

We would also like to encourage everyone to donate blood on the Nation Day of Reason. Other groups have done blood drives to counter the ‘National Day of Prayer.’ I am still looking for someone who may be interested in working to organize the state-wide blood drive next year. I would also love to hear from you if you donate blood this year and/or are interested in donating next year.

Thursday, May 8th, Iowa City/Coralville Meetup at Old Chicago in Coralville at 7pm. For more information and to RSVP visit the website here.

Saturday, May 10th, Iowa Secularists River Run. We will be canoeing on the Maquoketa River in eastern Iowa. To see the current details for this event and to RSVP, visit the Meetup site here. We plan on getting started in the morning and I am happy to organize car pools if that would be helpful. Please RSVP as soon as possible. I will soon be sending out a list of things to bring if you are planning to attend. We will update the website and the Meetup site with more information when we have an idea of how many will be attending. Thanks so much to Sally and Mike for making these arrangements.

Thursday, May 15th, Des Moines Meetup at Legends American Grill, 8460 Birchwood Ct., Johnston, at 7pm. For more information or to RSVP visit the website here.

Thursday, May 15th, Cedar Rapids Meetup. Leonardo’s Pizza, 2228 16th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids. For more information and to RSVP visit the website here.

Saturday, May 24th, Iowa City Meetup, Capanna Coffee Co., 136 S. Dubuque St., downtown Iowa City. For more information and to RSVP visit the website here.

Sunday, May 25th, Memorial Day Potluck in Cedar Rapids, 4:00 PM at the home of Niles and Carol Ross. All are welcome. Please RSVP through the Meetup site by May 22. This will be a great chance to mingle and get to know your fellow Iowa Secularists! Niles and Carol will provide chicken breasts, and you bring what you like to share. Bring your own soft drinks, hard drinks, whatever drinks. Arrive approximately 4 PM, and we will have dinner approximately 5 PM. This is a “no shoe house” so be prepared to remove your shoes on entrance. We will have movies set up for the kids. Learn more here.

Each Saturday, North Iowa Secularists meeting at 10:00am at the Mason City Airport Cafe at Hwy 122 W. For more information and to RSVP visit the website here.

Each Sunday, Des Moines weekly meeting, 12pm Please RSVP on message board. Panera Bread on 42nd St., West Des Moines, in the back room., visit the Meetup site for more details and updates here.

1) The Iowa Secularists Board of Directors met yesterday, Saturday, April 19th.

a) Creation of chapters: We have created provisional chapters. Chapters shall have at least 5 members of any status but at least 1 must be a contributing member. Provisional chapters are authorized to raise and expend no more than $500 annually for projects under the supervision of the board until such chapters become permanent chapters. Members will have a chance to suggest details regarding the chapters at the annual meeting. The board will also continue to work on the details of the permanent chapters to be presented at the annual meeting. Permanent chapters will then form after the annual meeting.

b) Expansion of board: The IS board of directors shall be expanded from five to seven. The director positions shall be staggered 3 yrs terms of office with the first terms of the new positions determined by lot for one one year term and one two year term at the first board meeting following election for the purpose of maintaining an even board turnover rate. The two new positions shall be elected at the annual conference by special election immediately following the general election of the board positions currently up for election

c) Composition of board: Because IS is a statewide organization and the organization is best served by having a geographically representative board, the membership on the board of directors has been restricted to no more than three members from any single chapter. An IS member may join a geographically distant chapter, however, such an action shall not be solely for the purpose of running for the Board. The Board reserves the right to disqualify any candidate for Board Director under such circumstances. This will ensure that the entire state is best represented on the board

d) Lifetime membership: We have also created a lifetime membership. This is a single $1000 registration. The tshirt and newsletter will be available each year to lifetime members as they are to contributing members but the lifetime member must request these items each year. I am happy to announce that our first lifetime member is Niles Ross.

2) The National Day of Reason is Thursday, May 1. We will have events in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. The Des Moines event will be at the Des Moines Botanical Center Oak Room and will begin at 7pm. The Cedar Rapids event will be at Beams Auditorium at the Cedar Rapids Public Library and will being at 6:30pm. Both events will show the movie The God Who Wasn’t There followed by a discussion. Both events are free and open to the public and were organized by the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids groups.

3) Also on the National Day of Reason, Thursday, May 1, we would like to encourage everyone to donate blood. Other groups have done blood drives to counter the ‘National Day of Prayer.’ Because we are so close to the date, we will not be organizing a state-wide blood drive this year but hope to do so next year. Please let me know if you would be interested in working to organize this. I would also love to hear from you if you donate blood this year and/or are interested in donating next year.

4) Iowa Secularists River Run on Saturday, May 10. We will be canoeing on the Maquoketa River in eastern Iowa. To see the current details for this event and to RSVP, check here. We plan on getting started in the morning and I am happy to organize car pools if that would be helpful. Please RSVP as soon as possible with at least a maybe so that we can give the outfitters a deposit and an estimate of the number of people to expect. I also have a list of things to bring that I will send out to you if you are planning to attend. We will update the website and the Meetup site with more information when we have an idea of how many will be attending. Thanks so much to Sally and Mike for making these arrangements!

5) Memorial Day Potluck in Cedar Rapids, Sunday, May 25, 4:00 PM at the home of Niles and Carol Ross. All are welcome. Please RSVP through the Meetup site by May 22. This will be a great chance to mingle and get to know your fellow Iowa Secularists! Niles and Carol will provide chicken breasts, and you bring what you like to share. Bring your own soft drinks, hard drinks, whatever drinks. Arrive approximately 4 PM, and we will have dinner approximately 5 PM. This is a “no shoe house” so be prepared to remove your shoes on entrance. We will have movies set up for the kids. Learn more here

6) In addition to the various events of the Corridor branch of Iowa Secularists, we are going to have ten FAMILY social events per year, each month - excluding July and December - that will be held the first Friday of each month. Bring friends and guests. All events begin at 7 PM and start in June. For more information, for the locations, and for the details of the events, please visit the Meetup site
here.

7) We have officially booked the Iowa State Center for the 3rd Annual Iowa Secularists Conference. I previously posted that the conference would be held in Des Moines, but it will actually be in Ames. Thanks so much to Kyle for working on all the details and making the arrangements! Our keynote speaker will be Lori Lipman Brown from the Secular Coalition for America. We will very shortly have registration available online. For now, please make sure to mark your calendars for July 12th in Ames!

8) We have also reserved a block of rooms at the Gateway Hotel in Ames. Again, thanks so Kyle for getting this arranged! The rooms are available for Saturday, July 12th and the hotel is just down the street from the Iowa State Center. Call 515-292-8600 to make a reservation. Room Rates are as follows: Superior Double or King $102, executive king $112, executive jr. suite $132. These rates do not include hotel tax and sales tax. This is just the closest hotel to the conference – you can stay anywhere else that you like as well. *Update* I have posted an additional list of hotels in the Ames area in the forum under Action Items and Events.

9) The Iowa Secularists Lobby Day was a great success! Brian, Bob, and Craig were able to meet with their legislators and I heard from a few others who were not able to attend but did contact and heard back from their legislators. Brian was also able to make some progress with a legislator potentially interested in sponsoring our group to lead a secular opening to the session in place of the daily prayer. Brian also made an appearance in Senator Joe Bolkam’s weekly email in the visitors these week section! If anyone else has heard from their legislators, we would love to hear the response!

10) The North Central group which meets every Saturday at the Mason City Airport Café now has a Meetup site at http://atheists.meetup.com/668/

11) Julia Sweeney will be performing her one-woman show “Letting Go of God” in Iowa City on Saturday, October 25, 2008 at the Englert Theater! The Englert does not yet have ticket information available but I will send out more information when it is available. Visit Julia’s website here

12) For those of you who missed Massimo Pigliucci at his reading for Live from Prairie Lights during Iowa City Darwin Day, you can listen to the recording at this link

This is a case-in-point to support the view that people can be extremely hostile to atheists. The audio is not for the feint-of-heart but worth a listen. Notice the applause at the end.

Council for Secular Humanism Deplores Intemperate Comments from Rep. Monique Davis; calls for Davis to resign

(Amherst, New York) –Rep. Monique Davis, a Chicago Democrat and member of the Illinois legislature, stepped egregiously over the line when she verbally attacked atheist activist Rob Sherman for his religious unbelief during his testimony April 2nd to the House State Government Administration Committee, says the Council for Secular Humanism.

Sherman had been testifying before the committee that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s plan to donate one million tax dollars to Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago was unconstitutional when Davis launched into a diatribe against atheists, asserting that atheists did not have a right to present testimony to the legislature. Challenging Sherman, Davis wondered aloud, “I don’t know what you have against God. Some of us don’t have much against him. We look forward to him and his blessings.” Affirming that the people of Illinois believe that there is a God, Davis went on to suggest that the philosophy Sherman was spreading was “extremely dangerous.” “It’s dangerous to the progression of this state. And it’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists,” shouted Davis. After Sherman thanked Davis for sharing her perspective with him, Davis shot back, “Get out of that seat! You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon.”

The Council for Secular Humanism is appalled by Davis’s apparent belief that atheists and other nonreligious individuals are not entitled to the same rights and liberties as other citizens.

Ronald A. Lindsay, director of the Council for Secular Humanism’s First Amendment Task Force, is calling for Davis to resign. “In informing Sherman that he had ‘no right’ to be there merely because he was an atheist, Davis confirmed that she is not willing to be a representative of all her constituents, regardless of their religious beliefs,” said Lindsay.

“She is unfit to serve in her office, just as a representative who told a Jew or a Hindu to ‘get out of that seat’ would be unfit to serve. If she does not resign, the Illinois House has an obligation to expel her,” continued Lindsay.

Sherman, after being told repeatedly by Davis to get out of his seat because he was an atheist commented that he felt like Rosa Parks, “who also was told, get out of that seat and arrested when she didn’t give up her seat on the bus to a white person.”

You can listen to the full exchange here (courtesy of Richard Dawkins.net).

This article provided courtesy of the Council for Secular Humanism

Jaime is at a conference so I’m doing the events update this month. That, of course, means it will be done with far less style and completeness than usual, but here goes!

10 - Iowa City - Old Chicago meetup @ 7:00
11 - Iowa City - Clarence Darrow: The Search for Justice @ 7:30
13 - Des Moines - Sunday meetup @ 12:00
17 - Des Moines - Monthly meetup @ 7:00
26 - Iowa City - Capanna Coffee meetup @ 10:00 a.m.
Each Tuesday - Ames - ISU AAS @ 7:00
Each Saturday - Mason City - North Iowa Secularists @ 10:00am at the Mason City Airport Cafe at Hwy 122 W.
Each Sunday - Des Moines - Sunday meetup @ 12pm Please RSVP on message board.

I’m almost certain that I left some out. If so, please email me at bsabel@iowasecularist.org and I’ll make an update!

Next week, on Thursday, March 27, members of the Iowa Secularists will converge upon the Iowa Statehouse in Des Moines for Iowa Secularist Lobby Day to meet with our legislators to discuss the importance of church-state separation and respect for non-religious Iowans. I hope that you can find some time to visit with your elected representatives on this exciting day.

If you are not able to join us on Iowa Secularist Lobby Day, please send an email to your legislators to make your views as an Iowa Secularist member known. You can find out who your legislators are and how to reach them by using the search function at this internet address: http://www.legis.state.ia.us/FindLeg/. When you write, let your legislators know you are a member of the Iowa Secularists. You may use the sample letter below or draft your own language. It is very important that you send this email to let your legislators know that the Iowa Secularists exist and that we expect our elected officials to be mindful of our rights as nonbelievers and secularists.

If you are able to join us on Iowa Secularist Lobby Day, please send an email to your legislators to schedule a time to meet with him or her to discuss Iowa Secularist issues. You may use the sample language below or draft your own language. I will be on hand in my capacity as a lobbyist if you would like someone to accompany you when you visit your legislators. You can learn your legislators’ names and contact information by following the link above. Please email me at bsabel@iowasecularist.org if you plan to attend so I know how many members to expect.

I hope you can join me for Iowa Secularist Lobby Day on Thursday, March 27, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This will be a great coming out party for non-religious Iowans and secularists, and I would love to see you there!

–BJS

Sample letter – not attending Iowa Secularist Lobby Day

Dear Representative/Senator ____________:
I write today to let you know about an organization of which I am a member called the Iowa Secularists. The Iowa Secularists are committed to promoting church-state separation and the rights of non-religious Iowans.
Maintaining the Wall of Separation between church and state ensures that no person’s rights are suppressed because of their religious beliefs–or lack thereof. Our Founders began a tradition of religious tolerance by disallowing religious establishment and ensuring free-exercise of religion. I urge you to be mindful of how these values protect all Americans regardless of their religious beliefs. Non-religious Iowans depend upon your good work to ensure that our rights are not disregarded in the political process. If you would like more information about the organization I belong to, you can visit our website at www.iowasecularist.org.
I thank you for your time and your service to the people of the State of Iowa.
Sincerely,
Your Name
123 Main Street
Township, IA 50000

Sample letter – attending Iowa Secularist Lobby Day

Dear Representative/Senator ____________:
I will be at the Statehouse on Thursday, March 27, 2008, participating in the Iowa Secularists Lobby Day and would like to meet with you. I am from [Your Town], a part of the state which you represent. The Iowa Secularists are committed to promoting church-state separation and the rights of non-religious Iowans. I would like to talk to you about the ways in which these issues influence your work. Please email me to let me know what time would be best for me to come visit you.. If you would like more information about the organization I belong to, you can visit our website at www.iowasecularist.org.
Sincerely,
Your Name
123 Main Street
Township, IA 50000

We are very excited to announce the launch of the Iowa Secularist Church | State Separation Campaign! Each month for the next twelve months the Iowa Secularists will focus on a particular issue related to the separation of church and state. The Campaign will consist of discussion in our local groups and on the forum of the meaning of church-state separation, a quote of the month, letter writing campaigns to newspapers and elected officials, an Iowa Secularist lobby day at the Iowa Statehouse, and the presentation of a “Friend of the First Amendment” Award at the Annual Conference of the Iowa Secularists. We will make resources available to help you write letters and advocate for the separation of church and state and for the Iowa Secularists. Here’s what we have planned for March:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

Iowa Secularist Lobby Day will be Thursday, March 27, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Come to the Capitol and speak to your legislators. Brian J. Sabel, a registered lobbyist for the Iowa Secularists, will be at the Capitol all day speaking to various elected representatives about the importance of the separation of church and state and about the concerns of the members of the Iowa Secularists. Come out and show your support for the separation of church and state and for the Iowa Secularists!

Local Group Discussion Questions: In our local group meetings this month we will discuss the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment. Consider the following questions:

• Check out a new blog started by some Iowa Secularists at www.justatheists.com.
• The National Day of Reason this year is May 1st. We will have events this year in both Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. The Cedar Rapids event will take place at Beems Auditorium at the Cedar Rapids Library and the Des Moines event will take place at the Oak Room in the Botanical Center. I will post more details as they are available.
• Our 3rd Annual Iowa Secularists conference has been scheduled for July 12th in Des Moines. Our keynote speaker will be Lori Lipman Brown, director of the Secular Coalition for America. I will post more details about the conference and registration information as it is available.
• We are planning a canoeing trip for Iowa Secularist families on Saturday, May 10th. Right now it looks as though we will be traveling on the Maquoketa River. If you are interested in participating in this trip, please let me know so that we will have an idea of the number of people who plan on participating. We are especially hoping that some of you with kids will be able to take this opportunity for your kids to meet other secular kids!
• Camp Quest of Minnesota registration is open for both campers age 8-17 and volunteers. The website is at http://minnesota.camp-quest.org/.

Tuesday, March 11th, UNI Freethinkers (UNIFI) meeting
GABSYV (Campus Edition) at the Hemisphere Lounge UNI Campus in Cedar Falls from 7-10. Topic: “Can Faith & Science Coexist?”

Thursday, March 13th, Iowa City/Coralville Meetup at Old Chicago in Coralville at 7pm. For more information and to RSVP visit the website here.

Wednesday, March 19th, Des Moines Meetup at Legends American Grill, 8460 Birchwood Ct., Johnston, at 7pm. For more information or to RSVP visit the website here.

Thursday, March 20th, Cedar Rapids Meetup. Leonardo’s Pizza, 2228 16th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids. For more information and to RSVP visit the website http://atheists.meetup.com/587/.

Saturday, March 22, Iowa City Meetup, Capanna Coffee Co., 136 S. Dubuque St., downtown Iowa City. For more information and to RSVP visit the website here.

Tuesday, March 25th, Ames, Jaime Sabel, President of the Iowa Secularists, will be speaking at the ISU Atheist and Agnostic Society Meeting at 7pm in Ross 125 on the ISU campus.

Each Tuesday, ISU AAS meeting at 7pm in Ross 125 on the ISU campus, Ames.

Each Saturday, North Iowa Secularists meeting at 10:00am at the Mason City Airport Cafe at Hwy 122 W.

Each Sunday, Des Moines weekly meeting, 12pm Please RSVP on message board. Panera Bread on 42nd St., West Des Moines, in the back room., visit the Meetup site for more details and updates here.

I am happy to announce that we officially have a keynote speaker for our 3rd Annual Iowa Secularists Conference. Lori Lipman Brown, the Director of the Secular Coalition for America, will be joining us as our keynote speaker.

“Lori Lipman Brown is a former Nevada State Senator, private practice lawyer and law professor. Her legislative record in the arenas of public education, mental health care and the repeal of consensual sex crimes resulted in her being named Civil Libertarian of the Year by the Southern Nevada chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and Legislator of the Year by the Nevada chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Brown has been a frequent political commentator on television and radio and a regular columnist in a variety of print media.”

-from the Secular Coalition website at http://www.secular.org/staff.html.

Mark your calendars for July 12th and I’ll send more details as well as information on how to register as it becomes available. Thank you to those who have sent ideas about conference sessions!

Thursday, February 21 at 7:00 PM

Zio Johno’s, Marion
755 7th Ave
Marion , IA 52302

We will have another round of fabulous conversation and expanding our secular social circles. For more information and to RSVP please visit the Meetup site here.