Ohio Elementary School Yearbook Crossed Line
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Vo1. 31 No. 8 Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. October 2014 CBS rejects FFRF’s ad with ‘unabashed atheist’ Ron Reagan The Freedom From Religion Foun- rum’s remarks dissing candidate John even though fully a fifth of the popu- dation’s ad featuring Ron Reagan F. Kennedy’s pro-state/church separa- lation has no religion today?” Gaylor describing himself as “an unabashed tion speech before Houston ministers asked. “If anything should be socially atheist” was rejected for airing by CBS, in 1960. That ad was accepted to run unacceptable, it ought to be blind def- not only by “60 Minutes” (the desired on “The CBS Evening News” and “CBS erence to religion.” placement), but for any CBS show. Sunday Morning.” Reagan is an FFRF honorary direc- The ad debuted last May on both “It appears that if a public figure tor who received the Emperor Has No “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert makes a simple declarative statement Clothes Award from FFRF in 2004 and Report” on Comedy Central. in support of state/church separation, gave an acceptance speech at the 2009 A CBS agent indicated that the ad FFRF and atheism, it’s too hot to han- national convention in Seattle. was rejected “for words and tone.” dle for CBS,” said FFRF Co-President As liberal as his famous father was The celebrity endorsement features Annie Laurie Gaylor. conservative, Reagan stopped going to the son of President Ronald Reagan, “It seems that excess gas, erectile church when he was 12 and has pub- self-described as “a lifelong atheist,” dysfunction and other intimate bodily licly stated he’s an atheist numerous plugging FFRF: functions, not to mention ads wherein times. Hi, I’m Ron Reagan, an un- Ron Reagan political candidates viciously attack The New York Times asked him in abashed atheist, and I’m alarmed each other, are acceptable,” added 2004, in an interview that ran three by the intrusion of religion into just like our Founding Fathers in- Dan Barker, who co-directs FFRF. “But weeks after his father died, if he’d our secular government. That’s tended. Please support the Free- the plain-spoken, witty and slightly ir- like to be president. “I would be un- why I’m asking you to support dom From Religion Foundation. reverent remarks of a well-known fig- electable,” Reagan said. “I’m an athe- the Freedom From Religion Ron Reagan, lifelong atheist, not ure identifying as atheist are too much ist. As we all know, that is something Foundation, the nation’s largest afraid of burning in hell.” for the delicate sensibilities of CBS’ people won’t accept.” and most effective association of The rejection was shocking, since censors.” View the 30-second spot at FFRF’s atheists and agnostics, working to FFRF aired a 30-second spot on nation- “Why are atheism and freethought website, ffrf.org. keep state and church separate, al CBS in 2012, rebutting Rick Santo- still treated as socially unacceptable, Ohio elementary school yearbook crossed line The Freedom From Religion Foun- tion that is “beyond comprehension” dation called on the superintendent of at Addaville Elementary. The horizon- Gallia County Local Schools in Patriot, tal arms of the cross on the bible-like Ohio, to recall and replace a 2014 el- cover carry the word “Believe.” ementary school yearbook whose cover “The inclusion of the Latin cross, features a large Latin cross. which is the preeminent symbol of FFRF, which has 21,500 members Christianity, on a public elementary nationwide, including 600 in Ohio, school yearbook is illegal,” noted Re- wrote Superintendent Jude Meyers on becca Markert, FFRF senior staff at- Sept. 26, asking him to investigate and torney. “It is beyond comprehension take action over a state/church viola- that public school officials would have allowed this publication to be printed with sectarian religious imagery and then distributed to young schoolchil- Inside This Issue dren.” “Religion is a divisive force in public FFRF goes schools,” Markert reminded the dis- to appeals trict. More than a quarter of the U.S. court population either identifies as nonre- ligious (20%) or practices a non-Chris- Page 6 tian religion (5%). She noted that whether or not the yearbook was published by the district or a private entity is “legally immate- Members get rial.” active! FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor commented, “The cover of this Page 9 yearbook would be appropriate at a Catholic or sectarian school, but it’s an egregious violation in our secular College elementary public schools.” essay contest The district contacted FFRF to in- winners dicate it would ensure that the Parent Teacher Organization would be told it Pages 11–15 could no longer use a religious cover for the yearbook. The district said the PTO was responsible for printing the book and that the cover did not have district approval. Addaville Elementary’s yearbook cover. Page 2 Freethought Today Madison, Wisconsin October 2014 Photo by Adam Bouska, courtesy of noh8campaign.com Photo by FFRF awards girl, 8, $1,000 for activism FFRF nixes religion in online curriculum FFRF sent a letter Sept. 2 to Joseph prove unnecessary.” Olchefske, president of Calvert Edu- In his Sept. 25 response, Calvert cation Services in Hunt Valley, Md., CFO Todd Frager wrote, “We have re- about inclusion of religious material in moved the selections in question. We mandatory assignments used in pub- will remove the digital text immedi- lic schools’ virtual (online) curricula. ately and we will no longer print the It was brought to FFRF’s attention selections going forward. Feel free to by 8-year-old Florida student Ema- call me with any additional comments rie Wakefield and Rachel Spiller, her or concerns.” mother. FFRF is proud to announce a $1,000 A complaint letter was also sent student activist award to Emarie and to Sept. 2 to the superintendent of Lee share what she wrote about her experi- County Schools in Fort Myers, Fla.. ence: The school district supervises Emarie’s online instruction, which uses the Cal- vert curriculum, including an assign- My Little Voice ment called “Let’s Read a Poem.” One Emarie Wakefield’s Facebook profile photo. poem (actually a hymn) is titled “God By Emarie Wakefield the homework I was told to do,” then Mann, a musician well-known for turn- be in my head” and starts “God be in (with help from Mom) what about the children that came af- ing Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Hobby Lob- my head, and in my understanding” ter me that weren’t told that freedom by dissent into a song. He wrote a song and concludes with “God be at mine belongs to them, too? Others can do called “Ignore the Trolls” for her, and end, and at my departing.” as they are told when their freedoms the blog SheKnows also did a wonder- Other selections were misattributed are being taken from them, but as for ful piece. Please feel free to point to a and very age-inappropriate, FFRF not- When I was interviewed by the me and my little voice, we’re off to big Facebook “public figure” page that we ed, including passages from the Song local news station about my objection places. administer for Emarie: facebook.com/ of Solomon, the most notoriously to prayers (as well as bible passages When a lot of those little voices EmmieOutLoud/. We started the page erotic book of the bible with its thinly and misauthored prayers being passed come together, it gets too loud to ig- because she hoped to encourage other veiled allusions to oral sex such as “he off as “poems”) in my public virtual nore. Humanity, come with me. Let’s young people to become involved in feedeth among the lilies” and “his fruit school’s curriculum, many people had do big, wonderful things, because even volunteerism. (Her nickname is Em- was sweet to my taste.” a lot to say against me. Many people a little voice is equal under our laws. mie, and she chose “OutLoud” after a Superintendent Nancy Graham had said I wasn’t old enough to have a That’s a self-evident truth. Coco Chanel quote: “The most coura- told the family in correspondence that voice, an opinion or freedom. I’m lit- I have so much gratitude to the geous act is still to think for yourself. some school staff told her “separation tle, so I’m just learning about history, Freedom From Religion Foundation Aloud.”) of church and state” is not in the Con- but so far I haven’t found an age limit for this scholarship, because education Emarie is also outspoken on LGBT stitution and is not a legal standard. on freedoms. makes little voices louder. rights and volunteers by my side at the FFRF noted that the Supreme Court Lincoln didn’t say “conceived in LGBT community center in our area has used the phrase to interpret the liberty for those who are over school- Rachel Spiller writes: (pridecenterswfl.com/), where she some- First Amendment as far back as 1878. aged.” I know this. I had to recite the times leads anti-bullying youth rallies. Graham also misinterpreted the Estab- opening to the Gettysburg Address. This is incredible news! We are Emarie is also involved with a char- lishment Clause. The First Amendment isn’t only for elated! We did, however, eventually ity called “Pushing Daizies” that raises In his response, Calvert CEO Rich- grown-ups. remove Emarie from the Lee County money to send low-income children ard Rasmus denied any intent to pro- I live and grow in a humanist home.