Join us for a Des Moines Area Atheist MeetUp at Rock Bottom Brewery (map) tomorrow night, December 18, at 7:00 p.m. This will be a great time to visit with old friends and meet some new ones! Click here for more information or to R.S.V.P. Special thanks to Daren J. for organizing this MeetUp. See everyone there!

The new Iowa Secularist poster is now available for download. Help the Iowa Secularists reach out to other secularists by printing off a few posters and hanging them around town. Who knows, you may learn that your neighbor or a co-worker is a secularist just looking for a community!

In an effort to improve the ways in which we communicate with our members, the Iowa Secularists are overhauling the quarterly news letter to provide better content in a better format. However, we need your help to offset the cost. We are currently seeking a one-time donation of $250.00 to cover the increased cost of printing and postage. If you are able to contribute or have questions please email the news letter editor, Brian Sabel at bsabel [AT] iowasecularist [DOT] org.

Contributions to the Iowa Secularists are not deductible for purposes of income tax.

Join the Secular Humanists of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City on Tuesday, November 21, at 7:00 in the UU Fireside Room (map), Janeta Tansey of the UI Department of Psychiatry will talk with us about “Psychiatric Narratives, Medications, and Disrupted Identities.”

NOTE: VENUE CHANGED TO GRANITE CITY BREWERY
Join us for a Des Moines Area Atheist MeetUp at Granite City Brewery (map) tonight, November 16, at 6:30 p.m. This will be a great time to visit with old friends and meet some new ones! Click here for more information or to R.S.V.P. Special thanks to Daren J. for organizing this MeetUp. See everyone there!

We have changed software for our Forum to take advantage of new security features. While the posts appear to have migrated properly, many avatars and profile settings did not. We will attempt to transfer as many of them as possible. If you have specific questions please email the webmaster.
UPDATE The new forum software will not allow us to transfer the avatars from the old software. You should reload your avatar from your home file.

Iowa Secularists Cedar Rapids Branch extends an open invitation to our community. Join us for an evening of intelligent discussion with like-minded individuals. Our monthly meeting is Thursday October 26th at 7:00pm. This months meeting place The Cedar Rapids Chop House, deck area. Located at 200 1st Avenue NE in Downtown Cedar Rapids. Come with discussion points, and an open mind.

The House of Representatives will vote on the Public Expression of Religion Act (H.R. 2679) on Tuesday, September 26.

Please call your representative today to urge him to oppose this bill. If possible, please call both the DC office as well as your local office.

Rep. Leach
DC Office: (202) 225-6576
Burlington Office: (319) 754-1106
Cedar Rapids Office: (319) 363-4773
Iowa City Office: (319) 351-0789
Ottumwa Office: (641) 684-4024

Rep. Boswell
DC Office: (202) 225-3806
Des Moines Office: (515) 282-1909/ (888) 432-1984

Callers can simply say:

“As your constituent, I urge Rep. Leach/Boswell to oppose the Public
Expression of Religion Act (H.R. 2679). This is an extreme and unwise
proposal that will keep Americans from turning to the federal courts to
protect their fundamental constitutional rights to worship freely and to
make decisions about religion for themselves and their families, without
interference or coercion from the government.”

The House Judiciary Committee has just approved a bill that will undermine the ability of Americans to fight for separation of church and state in court.

Please contact your legislators today to let them know you oppose this legislation.

Click here for the action alert from AU and a form to send to your senators and representative.

Quoted from an action alert from Americans United for Separation from Church and State:
“This morning the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would deter Americans from defending their religious rights in court. The so-called “Public Expression of Religion Act” (H.R. 2679) is now headed to the House floor for a full vote. Similar legislation (S. 3696) is also pending in the Senate. These bills would deny attorneys’ fees and out-of-pocket costs in cases won by advocates of church-state separation. The measure would make it much more difficult for citizens to challenge government-backed religious activities.

These bills are extreme and unwise proposals that will keep Americans from turning to the federal courts to protect their fundamental constitutional rights to worship freely. Members of Congress should stand up for the Bill of Rights, instead of undermining it with this harmful legislation”

Redemption for the Iowa Secularists!

What!?

That’s right, the Iowa Secularists need redemption. Can and bottle redemption, that is! The Iowa Secularists are asking you to pitch in and send us your can and bottle redemption money to help fund membership and community outreach.

Why Can & Bottle Redemption?
Well, first of all, it’s kinda funny! Second, it will be a bit of friendly competition. But more importantly, if each of us contributes a little, it will add up to a lot.

What is the money for?
The money for the Redemption drive will be earmarked exclusively for outreach. Specifically, we will use the funds to reach other Iowans who are looking for what you’ve already found - a community of people who share the same values that you do.

How does the Redemption Drive work?
First, redeem your cans and bottles to your local recycling center. Keep a tally of the redeemed amounts. Mail a check with “Redemption” in the memo for the amount redeemed to the Iowa Secularists at P.O. Box 883, Iowa City, IA 52244-0883 before the end of each quarter of the calendar year. On January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st of each year we will tally up the redemption amounts and announce how much we raised that quarter and who the biggest redeemer is. On January 1st of each year we will announce the total for the year and who the year’s biggest redeemer is.

The first quarter ends on September 30th so start redeeming today! We will announce this quarter’s leader on October 1st. Happy redeeming!