The Civil Rights Fallout of Election 2004

[AuntieSocial]

The Fallout from the Election …

This thread is for statements, press releases, e-mail notifications, calls to actions, &c regarding the concerns over the election results on November 2, 2004

[AuntieSocial]

----- Original Message -----
From: kimberlyblaker (editor of The Fundamentals of Extremism)
To: Undisclosed Recipients
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 9:00 PM
Subject: Fundamentally Aware Alternative

Dear Fundamentally Aware Subscriber,

I was about to put together a quick issue of Fundamentally Aware when I discovered all my newsletter files have vanished. So, I will make due with this brief letter for the time being.

The results of this week's election are incredibly disheartening--tragic, in fact. Our work is now cut out for the next four years as we struggle to maintain some semblance of a democracy and the civil liberties Americans have fought so long and hard to achieve.

In an effort to create greater awareness of the dangers we now face and an understanding of the dynamics of fundamentalism, the authors of The Fundamentals of Extremism: the Christian Right in America have decided at this time of crisis to make the book available to read online--free. We hope that this will encourage public discourse, and ultimately, lead to realistic solutions to protecting America from the so-called "true" Christians and their "family values".

As has been reported over and over, significant numbers of Americans voted for George W. Bush for the "sake of morality." Unfortunately, their ideas of morality are typically upheld by discriminating against Muslims, Jews, atheists, gays and lesbians, African-Americans, and women.

In addition, we are granting permission to reproduce, print, and/or publish portions from The Fundamentals of Extremism. For details or to read the book online, visit www.newbostonbooks.com/Look%20Inside.htm

Please share this opportunity with as many people as possible.

Wishing you a much brighter next week!

Kim Blaker
www.TheWall-OnChurchAndState.com
www.NewBostonBooks.com

[AuntieSocial]

www.atheists.org/

November 3, 2004

A statement on the election
from Ellen Johnson,

What Happened?

George W. Bush won the presidential election on November 2. How did he do it? How did he sway so many Americans to see him as a better candidate than all the others and particularly John Kerry?

Part of the answer that Atheists need to examine addresses the electorates concerns about the importance of “moral values.” Religious conservatives are a strong political force in America because they are well organized and well funded. Because of this they have been able to define the sociopolitical agenda in America and a large part of that concerns “moral values.”

Even with a lagging economy, an unjustified war on Iraq, fifty million Americans without health insurance and more, the religious right has successfully made “traditional moral values” a pressing political issue. But when they talk about “moral values” they are not talking about “morals” per se. When we think about morals, we think about character. We think about things like not stealing and not killing; we think about helping others and being good people. That is not what they mean. When religious conservatives refer to “morality” they are talking about sociopolitical issues like abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia, stem-cell research and of course state-church separation issues and all that encompasses like organized prayers in the public schools, the Ten Commandments on public property, the teaching of evolution and creationism in the public schools, the removal of the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance, etc.

Religious leaders use the term “morality” to advance their “political” agendas in America. They helped the Bush campaign to successfully paint their candidate as being stronger to the American people on those “moral values” than John Kerry. According to CBS News, “When voters were asked which of several issues mattered most in deciding their vote, roughly equal numbers picked the Bush campaign’s main issues of moral values (22 percent) and terrorism (19 percent), as picked the Kerry campaign’s main issues of economy/jobs (20 percent) and Iraq (15 percent).”

Unfortunately, the leaders of the abortion, gay, feminist, scientific and other progressive movements have failed to address the root problem, which hinders their causes and that is religion. They will not challenge religion or the religious for fear of alienating their religious supporters. Eleven states in this election passed referendums outlawing gay marriage. How did the gays allow that to happen? It happened because the gays want to befriend the religious and work with the religious in the hope of being accepted and ultimately change minds that way. It is a good idea in theory but we have just seen how successful it is in reality.

We Atheists have always been there to support their causes when it is they who should have been supporting ours, for that support would redound to their benefit. All too often liberal cause groups are reluctant to accept our support for fear of appearing anti-religious. One lesson from the November election, however, may be that until these groups more openly embrace the support of millions of Atheists and other “seculars” throughout the nation, they will be forever spinning their political wheels. Religion is the problem and not the solution. Religion has been the driving force behind the anti-choice laws, the opposition to stem-cell research, the opposition to gay rights and state-church separation. As long as scientific, feminist, gay and other such organizations fail to address the root causes of their issues then they will not make much progress. Gays, women, and scientists want it both ways. They want to advance their progressive issues and not challenge the threat to them, which is religion. We Atheists need to tell these leaders that religion is the problem and it must be addressed. We need to step off the defense bus and get on the offensive.

Before I worked with American Atheists I was a big supporter and worked with an organization called Zero Population Growth. Overpopulation is an important issue in America and conservative religious ideology is part of the cause of it. Unfortunately, ZPG like many other “liberal” organizations refused to, and still refuses to address this issue head-on. I don’t think they have ever been successful because of it and so I left the organization and joined American Atheists.

Some people call Atheism a “radical” idea and it is. Radical means “root” and Atheism addresses the root cause of the issues we struggle over in America. Maybe the election would have turned out differently if we all had challenged the basic notions of theology, redefined the issues in America and took back control of the discussion.

Don’t get me wrong; I think that Atheists and other “godless Americans” need to engage actively in the political process now more than ever, and address issues of public policy. We must do so smartly and intelligently, and demonstrate political savvy. Most important of all, we need to be focused on issues, not personalities (a principle often ignored in the heat of political campaigns). We need to come across as not only principled, but also articulate, well informed and, above all, well organized. The task facing us in the next two to four years is huge.

I say: “Bring it on!”

Ellen Johnson, President

American Atheists

[AuntieSocial]

----- Original Message -----
From: Anthony D. Romero
To: [e-mail]
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 4:54 AM
Subject: ACLU: Renewing Our Defense of Liberty

Dear Friend,

The re-election of George W. Bush, whose administration has shown a profound disregard for fundamental rights, means our work is now more essential than ever.

The fact is, without a vigorous, spirited movement for freedom, their unrelenting assault on civil liberties could change the face of our democracy.

With you at our side, the ACLU is ready, willing and able to lead that movement.

In the months ahead, they will come after our freedoms under cover of the war on terror. They will stage a full-court press in support of their dangerous social issues agenda. With their political opponents weakened and with the knowledge that they will never have to face the voters again, they see a golden opportunity. They won't let it go to waste. We expect them to move rapidly on everything from funding religion to escalating assaults on abortion to outlawing same-sex marriage.

Over the past four years, the ACLU and its members have shown that we can be successful defending freedom even in the most inhospitable climate. We have built bipartisan support for challenging the Patriot Act and inspired a chorus of voices questioning many of its damaging provisions. We have challenged the Patriot Act in court and won. We have squelched government programs designed to spy on Americans. We have won legal victories curtailing executive power. We have defeated the first-ever federal abortion ban in court.

This fight is far from over. Here at the ACLU we will continue to stand by the values of justice and liberty for all.

To put it simply: We refuse to surrender our freedom. I hope you will pledge to do the same.

Together we will stay the course, meet all challenges, and beat back every attempt to restrict our civil liberties.

Sincerely,
Anthony D. Romero
Executive Director, ACLU

P.S. You may have seen our full page advertisement in the New York Times today. This is just the beginning of a bold campaign to protect the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Please go to www.CivilLibertiesNow.org to stay involved with the fight

[AuntieSocial]

----- Original Message -----
From: Council for Secular Humanism
To: AuntieSocial (changed the recipient to my moniker … I don’t need everyone here knowing my name!)
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 11:00 AM
Subject: Defending Secular Values in Wake of Election

Dear CSH Supporter,

Tuesday's election was not about John Kerry or George Bush. The news is much bigger than a candidate. The election was about a certain fundamentalist view of a Christian God. Specifically, all indications are that self-described evangelical and born-again Christians already make up 42% of the American public, and made up a major voting bloc at yesterday's polls. It seems that Karl Rove's ability to mobilize a mere 4 to 5 million more of these voters than in 2000 tipped the scales for George W. Bush Tuesday. So-called "values" issues were at the top of the agenda for voters who were in many cases bussed by their churches in record numbers, and asked by their churches to vote for George W. Bush for God and country. At the same time, in eleven states, the culture war continues through state measures that passed overwhelmingly specifically banning same-sex marriages. What does this all mean for those of us who support free-thought, secularism, science and the values of the Enlightenment? Frankly, it means we have to fight harder than ever.

The voters who made themselves heard yesterday believe that the Christian bible is the basis for our government and the sole source of morality. They believe that bible tells them that abortion is murder, that stem cell research is likewise immoral because of the ensoulment of fetuses at conception. They believe that creationism ought to be taught in schools, and they largely believe that public education, and numerous other public programs, ought to be dismantled and privatized. They believe in reversing the separation of church and state enshrined in the Constitution, and in supplanting it with a Christian theocracy modeled after a myth of this country's allegedly Christian roots.

They believe the worst sort of person in the world is a secular humanist. They make no secret about this belief.

But what they ignore, and the message we need to work hard to get out, is that there are other, secular humanist values which are at the core of our democratic republic. These values include: social justice, tolerance, diversity, personal liberty, scientific progress, democracy and secular government. In fact, most Americans share these values with us, and we must do more to promote them as the core of secular humanism, and build bridges with Americans who share these truly American values.

In sum, we have a long hard slog ahead to reclaim the values of the Enlightenment this country was originally founded upon. We have significant battles ahead in the Congress and the courts to challenge the constitutionality of faith-based initiatives that have been implemented by Executive Order, without congressional oversight, and to prevent new initiatives that would allow churches to engage in open political endorsements and activities while still retaining their tax exemptions. We can expect the reemergence of measure that would limit challenges to displays of the Ten Commandments, and other attempts to subvert the First Amendment.

No other organization exists that stands against all of these initiatives and beliefs, and stands up for the secular, rational values upon which this nation was founded. The Council for Secular Humanism is the largest organization supporting secularism, science, reason, and ethical alternatives, and against the retrograde, theocratic values of the evangelicals who voted Tuesday.

We can fight these battles and will with your help. You have been there for us, and we will be there for you. Now, more than ever, we must hold the line against those who feel they won a mandate Tuesday. In time, and with your help, we can prove that it is mankind's wisdom and hard-won experience--not a reflexive obedience to religious mythology--that make this country "the land of the free and the home of the brave."

David Koepsell

Executive Director, Council for Secular Humanism