(Note: FFRF’s esteemed Director of Communications, Amit Pal, is taking a well-deserved vacation, so I’ll be handling the weekly wrap-up for the next few weeks. — PJ Slinger)
Well, we’ve turned the calendar to August this week, but there still plenty of summer to be had, right? Right?! But no matter the season, FFRF is here upholding the Constitution, thanks to you.
City will need more than the Lord’s Prayer to defeat FFRF
Our big news of the week was that we sued a West Virginia city over its reciting of the Lord’s Prayer to begin its City Council meetings. FFRF and two of its local members on Tuesday sued the city of Parkersburg, whose council members lead the prayer. FFRF also is seeking a preliminary injunction, which would prohibit the City Council from continuing to open its meetings with Christian prayers led by council members.
Watch FFRF’s Ask an Atheist program as Staff Attorneys Patrick Elliott, Elizabeth Cavell and Legal Fellow Chris Line discuss if prayers at city council meetings are constitutional. Our weekly newsbite also highlights this lawsuit.
FFRF asks Air Force to fly straight and true
FFRF has asked the secretary of the Air Force to stand firm against the Family Research Council, a designated hate group. A Wyoming Air Force base colonel recently ordered the removal of a bible from the base’s “Missing Man” tables, dedicated to POW/MIA soldiers, at the request of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
The Family Research Council, however, is petitioning Secretary Heather Wilson to restore the bible.
FFRF has reached out to Wilson on the behalf of its more than 32,000 members, one quarter of who are active duty military or veterans, to implore that the Air Force not give in to Family Research Council’s unconstitutional demands.
FFRF pushes back against ‘theocratic’ task force
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ announcement of a “Religious Liberty Task Force” to enforce his theocratic “religious liberty” agenda is cause for grave concern.
The task force will be charged with carrying out Sessions’ 20-page Principles of Religious Liberty memo, which FFRF sounded the alarm on when it was released last October. The memo signaled an acceleration of the Trump administration’s partnership with the Religious Right to redefine and weaponize the concept of “religious liberty” to allow religiously motivated discrimination and privilege Christianity.
Don’t forget to sign up for FFRF’s convention
If you’re thinking of going to San Francisco to attend FFRF’s 41st annual convention from Nov. 2-4, act now! Rooms at the Hyatt Regency, 5 Embarcadero Place, are going fast!
As you know, this year’s speaker lineup is filled with big names, including Salman Rushdie, Cecile Richards, Adam Savage, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman and Julia Sweeney, among many others.
Make your reservations by calling 1-888-421-1442 and using the code “Freedom From Religion Foundation.” For more information on the convention, click here.
We’ll see you there!
Good golly, Miss Molly, we’ll miss you!
FFRF sadly bids a fond farewell to Editorial Assistant Molly Hanson today. She will be heading to Scotland to pursue a post-graduate degree at the University of Edinburgh. (Don’t forget to pack your bagpipes!) Molly started with FFRF as an editorial intern during her senior year as a journalism student at the University of Wisconsin.
Best wishes from everyone at FFRF, Molly!
