Contact Information: Edd Doerr 301-260-2988
(Washington, D.C. - June 27, 2002)

Today's 5-4 Supreme Court ruling in favor of school vouchers "is a serious setback for religious liberty, public education and our American constitutional principle of separation of church and state," declared Edd Doerr, president of Americans for Religious Liberty, a 20-year old watchdog and research organization." Today's Court majority set aside more than 50 years of its own precedents and thumbed its nose at the vast majority of Americans who, in 25 statewide referendum elections from coast to coast over the last 35 years, have registered 68% to 32% opposition to school vouchers or their analogs," Doerr added.

"The Court has blithely ignored the pervasively sectarian and discriminatory nature of most nonpublic education and has shown contempt for the basic right of all Americans who wish not to be compelled through taxation to contribute involuntarily to religious institutions, their own or someone else's," continued Doerr, a former teacher in public and private schools and a graduate of church schools." This Court has opened a Pandora's box," Doerr added.

"From this day forward every session of Congress and every state legislature will be torn by demands of sectarian special interests for direct or indirect support of what is, frankly, denominational indoctrination. Vouchers or their analogs will greatly weaken public education, fragment our school population along religious, ethnic, class, ideological, and other lines, while greatly increasing school costs and reducing quality."

Americans for Religious Liberty is a nonprofit public interest educational organization dedicated to preserving the American tradition of religious, intellectual, and personal freedom in a secular democratic state.

July 1, 2002
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

On behalf of the members of the American Humanist Association, I would like to thank you for taking a step in the right direction. Your decision to sign the bill allowing death benefits to be paid to the domestic partners of firefighters and police officers who die in the line of duty is praiseworthy. By supporting this new law, you have shown acceptance toward societies' increasingly accepting attitudes concerning same-sex couples and recognition that they deserve the rights heterosexual couples have.

However, your refusal to recognize June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month is particularly disappointing. Your staying silent on this issue, while others in your office have spoken is disheartening for American homosexual citizens as well as those of us who accept them as worthy citizens. Especially during this time of tragic events, it is necessary to show acceptance for all people of different race, class, gender, and sexual orientation. You have signed proclamations for Black History Month, Women's History Month and Irish-American Heritage Month. By refusing to recognize Gay Pride Month, you are pointedly excluding a large group of Americans. If we are to stay united as a country, we must remember that America is a diverse nation, celebrating freedom, peace, and prosperity. We commend your appointment of Scott Evertz, who is openly gay, to head the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, and hope that such actions will continue.

Mr. President, on behalf of the American Humanist Association, the oldest and largest organization promoting Humanism in the United States, I ask you to continue showing support for same-sex couples and support the diversity of mainstream America. It is necessary for the United States to show foreign nations how accepting we are of all people, regardless of their religious background, race, gender, and sexual orientation.

Sincerely,
Tony Hileman
Executive Director
American Humanist Association

* Except non-Caucasians, women, gays, lesbians, mentally or physically challenged, middle class or poor, atheists, humanists, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and all other adherents of minority creeds, religions, belief systems or political philosophies or other attributes distasteful to wealthy, white, Christian males.

(Washington, D.C. - June 26, 2002) Today the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the 1954 act of Congress which modified our Pledge of Allegiance. "This is a recognition, after nearly fifty years, that requiring the recitation of the phrase 'One nation under God' is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion," states Tony Hileman, executive director of the American Humanist Association (AHA).

Hileman continues, "This ruling shows that the court is willing to strengthen religion-government separation and that it will leave the teaching of religion where it belongs, with parents and in houses of worship. The court now recognizes that this is not the language of patriotic ceremony, but rather, governmental sponsorship of sectarian religion.

"While the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in the past that it is not a requirement of public school students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, students without sectarian faith were placed in the intimidating position of either refusing in front of their peers to recite the Pledge or being forced to pledge to something they do not believe."

With this ruling the Court of Appeals has acknowledged that the current Pledge imposes a religious belief on those without such faith. "The First Amendment does not require hostility towards religion, but mandates government neutrality toward religion," explains Hileman.

The AHA applauds the court for upholding the United States Constitution and preventing public schools from endorsing conformity to a particular religious position.