As we bid goodbye to July this week and head into the final stages of summer, FFRF is certainly glad you are a member of our august organization, which continues to fight for your constitutional rights.
Just look at what we’ve been up to this week alone!
Calling out the Catholic League
FFRF has lodged a formal complaint with the IRS after the Catholic League engaged in unlawful political campaigning in a recent post, “Kamala Harris is not religion-friendly.”
The Catholic League posted the July 24 article “assessing her candidacy for president of the United States,” clearly intended to encourage readers not to vote for Harris. The following day, the Catholic League posted a second article entitled “Spinning DEI for Kamala.” It is clear that the Catholic League is attempting to take a position in the presidential election, in violation of IRS regulations.
The Catholic League was quick to take a swing at FFRF, which spurred many hateful emails to FFRF from members of the Catholic League.
“My foes should have learned by now that no one can shut Bill Donohue up,” wrote Donohue, the league’s president. “We will continue to publicly hammer anti-Catholic bigots. We will be deterred by no one. Bet on it.”
FFRF responded on X: “We called the Catholic League out for its illegal election interference and asked the IRS to force it to follow the law. Now, Bill Donohue is lashing out and attacking our co-president. We want to support the rule of the law. The Catholic League wants to spread hate.”
Calling out a sheriff’s religion-tinged website
FFRF was able to make sure that the Tennessee-based Chester County Sheriff’s Office no longer promotes religious iconography on its website. The main page of the sheriff’s website, which lists names, photos and titles of staff, also displayed a “Thin Blue Line” flag with a New Testament quote from Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” That image has been removed from the official website.
Calling out the Supreme Court’s integrity
FFRF commended President Joe Biden’s endorsement on Monday of official court reform as a significant step toward restoring balance and integrity within the nation’s highest court.
In response to the high court’s decision which gave presidents broad immunity for prosecution for crimes committed in office, Biden proposed the “No One Is Above the Law Amendment.” The constitutional amendment “would make clear that there is no immunity for crimes a former president committed while in office,” writes Biden. He also proposed a “binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court.” FFRF, which has long supported the Supreme Court Ethics and Recusal Act, applauds Biden for this proposal.
Calling out Project 2025
FFRF warns that, although the primary architect of Project 2025 announced this week that he is stepping down, the threat posed by the Christian nationalist roadmap continues.
On Tuesday, the Heritage Foundation announced that Paul Dans, who directed the controversial 2025 Presidential Transition Project, is leaving his role this month. Politico reports that the work of Project 2025 — which includes policy and personnel prescriptions for a Republican administration — will continue.
Calling out faith-based movies
On this week’s “Ask an Atheist” Facebook live program, FFRF’s Chris Line, Sammi Lawrence, Scott Knickelbine and Preston Bowden react to the trailers for “God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust” and “Average Joe,” two “faith-based” movies coming out this year. The FFRF staffers pick apart the religious, logical and legal arguments made in the movies, and they have a broader conversation about religious propaganda in these kinds of films.
Calling out the Theocrat and Secularist of the Week
FFRF Action Fund’s “Theocrat of the Week” is Tennessee state Rep. Monty Fritts, who authored House Joint Resolution 803, which was signed into law this spring and urged Tennesseans to join in prayer and fasting throughout July.
The Action Fund’s “Secularist of the Week” is Oklahoma state Rep. Mickey Dollens, who took to X to expose the “religious agenda” of state Superintendent Ryan Walters and some legislators. Dollens courageously wrote: “Public schools are not Sunday schools. The state superintendent and numerous GOP politicians in Oklahoma are on a Christian nationalist crusade to force their religious agenda onto everyone else’s kids.”
Calling out the Oklahoma superintendent
This week on Freethought Radio, we describe our legal efforts to gain information about the attempt by the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Education to put the bible into every classroom, and similar attempts in Tennessee to inject religion into government. Then Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor talk with Cara Fitzpatrick, author of the new book, “The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America.”
Calling you to try out our virtual billboards
Have you tried creating one of FFRF’s new virtual billboards? It’s fun and only takes a couple minutes! You can even post it on your social media apps! (We have three choices: one on being a secular voter, one on being an “unabashed” nontheist and one letting you create your own slogan.)
And finally, here’s a call-out to you, our faithful members! Thanks for reading and being a valuable member of FFRF! We hope you have a great weekend!
PJ Slinger
Freethought Today editor
