Arizona Secular Humanists Letters - ASH

Date: Sun, 5 Jun 05 15:07:31 UT From: kait_duerden@classic.msn.com ("Kait Duerden") Subject: RE: NEXT ASH MEETING 1:00pm Sunday, JUNE 13th 1999 To: mike ross - the snail at aztec

Mike

Living in the UK its a bit far for me to get to Arizona for your meetings but I wish you all the best in the future durection and activities of whatever you call your organisation.

England is a far less goddy place that the USA and the vast majority of the population would at least say they are agnostics. It is getting even more common to be an Athiest here and certainly few people would bat an eyelid if you told them you were an Athiest. Christian churches have an ageing population and are continually selling disused churches for development. Can't happen fast enough for me.

Wishing you all the best

Regards

Kait

---------- From: MIKE ROSS Sent: 02 June 1999 20:04 To: KAIT_DUERDEN@CLASSIC.MSN.COM; ATHEISTCOALITION@HOTMAIL.COM; 372F910C.8E43832D@CARIBE.NET; VIPRESSVERITY@AMERITECH.NET; VINSENDS-REQUEST@EZLINK.COM; TXFREETHINKER@GEOCITIES.COM; SUSANSACKETT@COMPUSERVE.COM; RPFA@WWW.COMPUTEXTOS.COM.PE Subject: NEXT ASH MEETING 1:00pm Sunday, JUNE 13th 1999

The speaker at the 1:00pm Sunday, JUNE 13th 1999 ASH meeting will be:

Alice Prendergast The Hemlock Society

The meeting will be at the

Phoenix Public Library Meeting Room A - 1st floor at front of library 1221 N Central Ave Phoenix, Arizona 1:00 P.M. Sunday June 13, 1999

The Hemlock Society is a group that believes that terminally ill people, who are in intense pain, or who can't function normally, have the right to die if they think dying is better and more humane than living.

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Special Note: Arizona Secular Humanists is splitting into two groups.

The current ASH President, Mike, is forming the ASH Social/Speaker group which will meet once a month on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 1:00.

Each month there will be a speaker either on topics related to Religion/Atheism, Humanism, or issues on how to make the world a better place to live in. Speakers lined up include: FIJA - Fully Informed Jury Association, and Amnesty International. If you know of an interesting speaker or would like to give a talk please e-mail Mike at

mike ross - the snail at aztec

I'm trying to get a group back to the format ASH had when we met at El Dorado Park in Scottsdale, where we brought food and had a speaker. But that may take some time since the Recreation Center at El Dorado Park is now closed on Sundays.

We haven't decided on what to call the new ASH, but we will probably pick some words related to Atheism, Skepticism, Secular Humanism so that we can still use the ASH acronym. If you have a good name e-mail it to me. Several ones we have considered are:

ASH, Arizona Secular Heretics ASH, Arizona Skeptics and Heretics ASH, Atheists, Skeptics and Heretics SAS, Skeptics, Atheists Society HAS, Humanists, Atheists and Skeptics SHAASS, Secular Humanists, Atheists, Agnostics and Skeptics Society. HASH, Humanists, Atheists and Skeptics

I also want the new ASH to continue with the booths at the Tempe Festival of Arts and maybe get one down in Tucson at the Tucson Festival of Arts, put on by FAMA, which is much like the MAMA Tempe Festival.

One area I like is making government obey the constitution. I would like to see if we could get one or two members to try getting the government to obey the law, such as removing the 10 Commandments at the state capital, and removing the publicly funded church at Sky Harbor Airport. Other areas are forcing the local city governments to allow atheists to read prayers at their city council meetings which say RELIGION = SUPERSTITION. This is in addition to now allowing Christian ministers to say their government prayers.

Thirty years ago it was socially acceptable to bash GAY people. The Gay's have done a lot of work to make it unacceptable to bash GAY people now.

But, its still socially acceptable to bash ATHEISTS. I would like to work on making the ATHEIST word socially acceptable so a person can say

"I'm an ATHEIST"

and not feel that he will be bashed for his views on religion.

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Paul Putz and Linda Chapman of the current Board of Directors will take the old ASH or Arizona Secular Humanists on what ever path they want to take it. Even though I'm the President of Arizona Secular Humanists, Linda won't give me a copy of the mailing list so I can send you something like this. Nor will Treasurer Paul give a treasury report so we can find what money is in ASH and who are valid members.

Also Paul and Linda are trying to remove me from Arizona Secular Humanists on the charges that I prefer the word Atheist over the words Secular Humanists - which is true.

And, that a year and a half ago when I asked the ASH board if I could create an ASH booth at the Tempe Festival of the Arts, that I put a copy of the Libertarian Nolan Quiz at the booth. That charge is also true but I had the permission of the then ASH President Tom Vincent who was also a Libertarian. And as an afterthought I have decided it was not wise to mix Libertarian stuff with ASH stuff.

The ASH meetings have gone down from 50 people at El Dorado Park with socializing and having fun, to small meetings with 5 or 6 people with no agenda.

I wish Paul and Linda good luck in what ever direction they want to lead the old Arizona Secular Humanists.

-- "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty " Thomas Jefferson