Newsletter of the Humanist Society of Santa Barbara

www.santabarbarahumanists.org AUGUST 2019

Join Us for the August Speaker Meeting at Valle Verde:

Confessions of a Public Defender Denise M. Gragg

From a lifetime as a public defender, Denise Gragg will share the lessons she’s learned about the criminal justice system, the causes of criminal conduct, the cures for criminal conduct, and the singularly destructive impact of the death penalty on the institutions of justice.

Our Speaker: Denise M. Gragg has been a southern California public defender trial attorney for over 30 years and has represented both juveniles and adults charged with crimes ranging from misdemeanors to homicides. For the last 25 years, she has specialized in capital defense. Source: Steve Benson/Creators Syndicate

Denise has taught courses on subjects ranging from forensics to psychiatry in multiple fora, including the NAACP LDF’s capital defense training seminar, the California Public Defender’s Association (CPDA) and California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ) yearly capital defense seminar, and other CPDA and CACJ training events. She has a BA in Government from Pomona College and a JD from Berkeley Law at the University of California, Berkeley.

When: Saturday, August 17, 2019 Where: Valle Verde. 900 Calle De Los Amigos, Santa Barbara, CA. Parking: Please park at Veronica Springs Church, 949 Veronica Springs Road. Free shuttle to and from meeting. No parking at Valle Verde (except for handicapped parking). Shuttle driver has a dedicated cellphone: 805-679-3660 Time: Doors open at 2:30 pm. Program begins promptly at 3:00 pm Meeting Donation: $2 members, $5 non-members. Students with ID are free. ======After Meeting Buffet Dinner: Join us for dinner at Valle Verde, $25 per person. We are required to provide a firm count for dinner therefore please RSVP to Nan Cisney at [email protected] by noon Wednesday, August 14 if you plan to join us for dinner. Parking lot shuttle also available after dinner. For More Info: Call 805-769-4772

The HSSB Secular Circular – August 2019 2

The President’s Column based on the simple concepts of variation Reflections between generations and selection by natural By Roger Schlueter processes. Those who argue “goddidit” attempt to reduce this sprawling idea into a bland, meaningless explanation. It’s their loss but our As most of you know, I have relinquished my responsibility to see that future generations are position as President and member of the Board not deprived of the beauty of evolution. although I will still engage in a few activities to help the Society. In addition, I will have an The concept of simple things combining to form occasional column in our newsletter. At our complex entities extends to the whole universe. summer solstice party, the Board - lead by Judy For example, all matter that we now know of, Flattery - gave me a poster board of pictures of consists of differing combinations of electrons, the speakers we’ve had over my years of getting protons and neutrons. You, a rock and a speakers for our monthly meetings. I also got a submarine are all just various combinations of nice thank you note signed by those who were at these three constituents. As another example, the picnic and a copy of The Origin of Species by the incredibly complex flow of water going over Natural Selection which is a prized addition to Niagara Falls can be modeled as just points my book collection. My sincere “Thank You” to moving on an octagonal lattice. Our brains, the Judy, the Board and to the entire Society. most complex organ that exists, is simply a vast array of neurons sending electrical impulses You certainly know about Darwin’s seminal across synapses. work and the enormous influence it had and continues to have on the course of life sciences Thanks, Darwin! for the last 200 years. But I suspect that most of you don’t know how his masterpiece ends:

“There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breather into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”

What a poetic and “grandeur” way to bring his decades of work on evolution to a conclusion, although he went on to publish several more works, his final effort focusing on worms.

This is arguably the most important implication of evolution that naysayers and creationists Photo by Robert Bernstein miss. The seemingly endless variety of life that has evolved on Earth arose from just a self- [And Thank You, Roger for your many years of replicating molecule is truly stunning. Whales support & leadership to our society and to to spiders to redwood trees to cancer all arose keeping Darwin’s discoveries alive! –ed. ] The HSSB Secular Circular – August 2019 3

HSSB Breakfast with Nick Fish, President of what we are “for” not just what we are “against” Atheists United and that’s where humanism comes into play. By Robert Bernstein & Diane Krohn is not a top-down On the afternoon of Friday, July 26, we received organization. It can provide support and an urgent email from the headquarters of activism to local organizations that are allied American Atheists, advising that their new with them. president, Nick Fish, was going to be driving He sees these local community organizations as through Santa Barbara that evening, was very important. "After all, you know your available for breakfast the next morning, and community best." American Atheists has 170 would love to meet with representatives of our "affiliate" organizations. There is no exclusivity HSSB group if we could pull something together requirement. For example, a local Unitarian on such short notice. Society is welcome to be an affiliate even if they or their members believe in a god. We jumped into action and greeted him the next morning with a delegation of 12 members. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has a team of ten attorneys and is ready to take on a range of lawsuits as needed. They can provide "constituent service" to an individual or local organization dealing with religious intrusion in local public governance.

American Atheists is a smaller organization with only two attorneys. They have to be more selective and take on what he calls "high impact" A dozen Santa Barbara Humanists meet Nick Fish, cases. They tend to take on cases in Federal President of American Atheists, for breakfast at court. Unfortunately, the Federal courts under Cody’s Café. Photo courtesy of Robert Bernstein. Trump often block such cases. In particular, they deny "standing" in the case of many Nick was heading up to San Luis Obispo to give lawsuits. a talk to the local Atheists United chapter. "Standing" means that you personally are Robert asked him about the anticipated shift of affected by the law in question. Under recent the American Atheists organization from being more restrictive rulings, "standing" has come to staunchly anti-religion to taking on a more mean that you are physically and materially positive Humanist stand. harmed in an ongoing manner.

Fish said that he is not the " of " and So, if you go to a local planning commission for can't speak for all atheists, but he feels it is project approval and they have some religious important to talk openly about our values, i.e. procedure or symbols, you can't claim "standing” because before and after that short interaction you no longer have any "harm" done “An atheist believes that a hospital should be to you by their religious activity. built instead of a church. An atheist believes that deed must be done instead of said. American Atheists intends to publish a set of An atheist strives for involvement in life not official principles they stand for, similar to a escape into death.” - Madalyn Murray O’Hair short version of the Humanist Manifesto. The HSSB Secular Circular – August 2019 4

However, American Atheists will not deal with men.”]. He mentioned another group, No Longer every issue. It won't take a position on issues Quivering, an organization supporting women such as urban planning, public transit, or gun in breaking free from strict religious laws. Fish said what we can all do as individuals patriarchies which forbid any form of birth is to affirm in public that we are atheists when control and promote having many children. we take a position on such matters of public policy. This normalizes atheism in the same way Fish has been with American Atheists for seven that LGBTQ people have normalized themselves years. Prior to that he was with Secular by “coming out". Coalition for America. He worked for the Obama 2008 presidential campaign and other Some issues are inherently matters of religion. Democratic Party efforts. The “End of Life” issue is a good example. In general, the only organized opposition to He is particularly drawn to solving problems compassionate end of life choices have been where the common opposition to progress is religious "right to life" people. Their opposition religious in nature. is based on religion rather than on how it harms real people in the here and now.

Another example is child marriage. There are still many U.S. states where children as young as 15 years old can be pressured into marriage. In many cases this is only allowed in the case of "religious exemption". Fish currently lives and works in New Jersey and said that the state of New Jersey is finally moving to end such religious exemptions for child marriage.

New York still has such exemptions. He said it is notably evangelical Christians, Orthodox , Nan Cisney, Judy Flattery, Sondra Wikman, Dave Flattery, and certain Muslim groups that want these Wayne Beckman meet with Nick Fish, President of American Atheists. Photo courtesy of Robert Bernstein. religious exemptions to allow children to marry. Nick Fish grew up in a fairly secular, nominally He spoke of one case of a 15 year old girl who Christian family in a rural area near Flint, was forced to marry and bore 2 children by age Michigan. He has only been in church for church 17. She managed to escape the marriage with activities a few times in his life. He was an Eagle her babies. She tried to file for divorce but was Scout, and since his Boy Scout troop was based told she could not do so because she was under in a public school there was no praying or saying the age of 18! In addition, she could not get grace. social safety net services, such as food stamps, because she was underage. He wants to lead American Atheists in a direction away from its history of "in your face" They are working with the group "Unchained at confrontation to a more effective and more Last" to end such absurd laws. [Unchained At personal strategy. He said it is important to Last website reports: “Child marriage is legal in meet people “where they already are” to tell the U.S., and an estimated 248,000 children as stories of how you came to be an atheist, what young as 12 were married here between 2000 your values are, and how you or others are and 2010. Almost all were girls wed to adult personally harmed by religion in everyday life. The HSSB Secular Circular – August 2019 5

He commented that sharing personal stories can He noted that churches also provide progressive be a challenge for us scientific, data-driven activism. He gave an example of Quakers types, “But if we truly believe the data, the data lobbying for better public transit as a matter of tells us stories work.” social equity for poorer people.

He said that the struggle for LGBT rights is Religious intrusion in public affairs can backfire. similar but not exactly the same. "History may He gave an example of a court case where a not repeat itself but it does rhyme!" [A Google Muslim was asked to be sworn in on a Christian search shows this is attributed to Mark Twain . The Muslim held his hand over the bible but actually first appeared in 1987 by Joseph without touching it. Anthony Wittreich in "Feminist Milton"]. The case was later challenged in court because In some ways it is easier to hide your atheism one of the jurors admitted he discounted the than it is to hide being LGBT. Atheists who live Muslim’s testimony since he did not physically in small towns can be a challenged when people touch the bible. casually ask to which church they belong. Nick Fish commented that unlike LGBTQ people, "We Fish has served on a Grand Jury in New Jersey. ARE recruiting!" Being an atheist "IS a lifestyle They are not supposed to use religious oaths choice." under New Jersey law. Yet over the years the oath was written on a laminated card for the American Atheists is seeking a Los Angeles Grand Jury and words like "so help me God" director and would like to have a bigger were included. It took a challenge to get them to presence overall in California. Americans restore the oath to its original secular wording. United is the only other group that works at a state level. The aim is to counter "Project Blitz" He noted that the British provide an array of which is a coalition of Christian right-wing holy books for swearing oaths. Someone asked political groups [for more on Project Blitz see if that included Klingon (!). “No, but it does Roger Schlueter’s Presidents Column March 2019 include a British book of laws.” SC and the work Satanic Temple is doing to combat it in June 2019 SC. –ed.] Fish noted that more elected officials are coming out as non-religious if not directly as atheists. Houston has some of the largest American Atheist organizations in the country. Notably, Congressman Jared Huffman of California has come out as a Humanist (Note that The demographics are definitely on the side of he is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara). Along atheism for the future. The latest generation is with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Huffman is co- aged 18-22 and follows "Gen Z". 40% of them chair of the Caucus in Congress, are non-religious. For the next age groups on up which currently has 8 other members; all through the Millennials that figure is still 35%. Representatives (no Senators yet).

Many people stay in churches for social reasons Kyrsten Sinema is a senator from Arizona who and/or for the social safety net. Public social also claims no religion. She took her ceremonial safety nets are correlated to reduction in church oath of office holding her hand on a copy of the membership, as seen in social democracies in U.S. and Arizona Constitutions rather than a Europe. religious text, such as the Bible.

The HSSB Secular Circular – August 2019 6

American Atheists was founded by Madalyn And Dianne Feinstein introduced it in the Murray O’Hair. A 2017 documentary, “The Most Senate. It has bipartisan support, but it has not Hated Woman in America,” reviews her work, been passed. her kidnapping, and murder. Here is a review from the Friendly Atheist website. The movie is California has many gun laws for good reason. available on Netflix. The purchase process checks that the buyer is a responsible gun owner. In California, the buyer Gun Violence: A Public Health Crisis has to take a test and wait ten days. In contrast, Toni Wellen - 7-20-19 in Arizona a person can fill in a form and walk out with a gun on the spot. Toni Wellen founded the Coalition Against Gun Violence 24 years ago with Eileen Pritikin. Many people impulsively buy a gun with the idea Wellen asked for a show of hands of how many of homicide or suicide. The Goleta Post Office have been touched by gun violence. A couple of mass murderer woman could not buy a gun in hands. How many are gun owners? A couple of California. She went all the way to New Mexico hands. to get one. The Gilroy shooter reportedly got their assault rifle in Nevada.

There is no gun registration in the U.S. but there is licensing. If there were registration it would be with the Department of Justice and it would have to be renewed every two to five years. For 24 years Toni’s group has worked to pass such a law, so far without success.

In California it is not allowed to buy a clip with more than ten bullets. The Colorado shooter had a 100 bullet clip. The effect was devastating. Toni Wellen, co-founder of Coalition Against Gun With a smaller clip there is a chance for a crazed Violence. Photo by Robert Bernstein. shooter to be stopped when reloading.

She first talked about a Gun Violence Restraining California also does not allow the purchase of Order (GVRO) as a way for family members to more than one handgun per month. This take guns from someone they think is unfit to restriction does not apply to rifles and shotguns. have a gun. The California law was written by Das Williams after the Isla Vista massacre. The This year there is legislation pending to extend Speak For Safety Website has more information that restriction to those guns. People who buy about the GVRO and how to obtain one. multiple weapons often sell to those who should not own one. There are currently 20 laws 60% of gun deaths are suicides. The majority of pending in the California legislature. those are white males over the age of 65. Family members often have to face the difficult decision Wellen presented a graph that showed that to take away the car keys from a loved one… that California gun death rates from 1993-2017 were is also the time to take away the guns. less than in the U.S. overall. She argued that this shows that the California laws do make a Lois Capps introduced the GVRO bill at a Federal difference. level in 2016. Salud Carbajal reintroduced it. The HSSB Secular Circular – August 2019 7

A 1996 mass shooting in Port Arthur, Tasmania, Over 1300 guns have been collected in Santa Australia resulted in their Conservative Prime Barbara in a local buyback program. It is Minister demanding a buyback program for all anonymous and people are given a Smart and assault weapons. There have been no mass Final gift card in exchange. Many participate shootings in Australia since then. New Zealand because they have children at home. The had few gun laws. The recent mass shooting led program receives some funding from the City of to immediate enactment of gun laws. Santa Barbara, but not enough. They have never received any grant money and depend on The U.S. is different. We have one mass shooting individual donations. The City of Goleta after another (and yet another at the Gilroy declined. Many who participate in the gun Garlic festival a few hours up the road from here buyback program are ex-felons who are not this past weekend!) with little meaningful action allowed to own a gun anymore. at a national level. One difference is the National Rifle Association (NRA). There are 40 shootings Wellen explained that it is no longer enough to each day in the U.S. with 9-10 involving children. talk of and tears unless that leads to awareness and action. It is time to demand a The way the U.S. was founded is part of the plan to end gun violence. 40,000 Americans die reason. The Revolutionary War led to many each year from gun violence. If it were a disease people having guns. After the Revolutionary we would demand action. We must treat it in War most people did not have guns in their exactly the same way: as a public health threat homes but during the Civil War people were to be solved. issued rifles and went home with them. People got used to having guns in the home and using I noted that radio talk show host Thom them to kill. Hartmann has offered a very practical solution: Require gun owners to purchase liability In contrast, Australia was founded as a penal insurance exactly as car owners are required to colony. There was no violent founding of the do. This would have at least two benefits: country. Guns were used to deal with a 1) If someone is harmed with a gun, challenging environment. compensation would be available to them and/or to their families. In the U.S. there is a swelling of public opinion 2) If a person is unfit to own a gun, they will not now against gun violence. We pay $20 be insurable and will have to give up the gun. billion/year for the effects of gun violence in the streets including helping those injured for life. Wellen claims that the insurance companies have resisted such a law. I would argue that this A group called States United To Prevent Gun approach has not yet received widespread Violence opened a gun store in . consideration. First time buyers came in thinking they might buy a gun. Instead, they were offered guns that Another listener asked what can be done to get were part of historic massacres or other rid of the Second Amendment. In the past, this tragedies. A hidden camera showed how people was narrowly interpreted, however, in 2008 the responded as they were offered a gun used by a Supreme Court expanded the interpretation in child to accidentally kill his brother or a San the Heller decision. They ruled by 5-4 that an Diego mass shooting gun or a Sandy Hook individual has a right to own a firearm, even massacre gun or a gun used by a 9 month old though the Second Amendment refers to a “well- child to shoot his mother in a Walmart. It made regulated Militia”. In recent years medical them think twice. Watch the video . personnel have organized around this issue of The HSSB Secular Circular – August 2019 8

gun violence. The NRA pushed back and said September United Way Day of Caring doctors should “stay in their lane.” The doctors By Judy Flattery pushed back with the hashtag, #thisisourlane. The medical professionals described having to Please consider joining fellow HSSB members tell a family their child has died, and having to on Saturday September 14 to serve our beautiful operate on people who have been shot many community in the 28th Annual Day of Caring times. sponsored by the United Way of Santa Barbara County. According to the United Way website, One safety program that requires no laws: last year over 1000 volunteers were deployed to “Asking Saves Kids” (ASK). This encourages over 50 sites. The value of their donated labor parents to ask if there are any unlocked guns in was estimated at $300,000. the house before letting their child play there.

One of the most effective laws needed at a Federal level is a universal background check. This will happen when people demand this change from their elected officials. Currently, even if one state enacts strong laws, a criminal or mentally disturbed individual can buy their guns in another state with lax laws.

Toni Wellen sent a follow-up email to HSSB saying, “It was an honor to speak to and with Last year our 7-member HSSB team selected a everyone at your last meeting. Please invite work assignment that included sweeping, your members to visit our cleaning windows, gardening, and some website: www.sbcoalition.org and to follow us painting at the Presidio and the Alhecama on social media.” Theater.

By signing up early we have a broader choice of volunteer work assignments. The work hours are typically 9-noon and followed by a free “Thank You, Volunteers” lunch in Oak Park. If you are interested please contact [email protected].

Source: Demetri Martin, Point Your Face at This, Submitted by: Diane Krohn Grand Central Publishing, 2013 The HSSB Secular Circular – August 2019 9

Non HSSB Events of Interest HSSB Contact Information Officers: Upcoming Events in California: President: Judy Flattery, [email protected]  September 14: Santa Barbara Day of Caring. Secretary: Diane Krohn, [email protected] Join your fellow humanists in supporting Treasurer: Neal Faught, [email protected] organizations throughout our beautiful city. Sponsored by the United Way of Santa Board Members at Large: Barbara County. Wayne Beckman, David Echols, Mary Wilk, Nan  October 13: California’s 18th Annual Cisney, Clover Brodhead Gowing, Colin Gordon Freethought Day! Speakers, entertainment and an author’s panel with Q&A. Featured Newsletter Editor & Submission Deadline speakers include , Monica Judy Flattery [email protected] Miller and Debbie Goddard. Sacramento, CA. Deadline for submissions to the Secular Circular is http://www.freethoughtday.org/ midnight, the last day of each month.

Upcoming Events Outside of California: HSSB Speaker meetings are held on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 3:00 pm, in the Theater Room at Valle  August 9-11: Skepticon 2019. This is a Verde, 900 Calle De Los Amigos, Santa Barbara. June skeptic/freethinker/educational conference and December social events are held elsewhere. that is held annually in St. Louis. It is the largest, free, skeptic conference in the Speaker Meeting Parking (with free shuttle service 805 nation. St. Louis, MO. https://skepticon.org/ 679-3660) is at Veronica Springs Church, 949  September 26-27: Secular Lobby Day, Veronica Springs Rd., Santa Barbara. No parking at Washington D.C. Sponsored by the Secular Valle Verde unless you have a handicapped parking placard. Coalition for America. Meet the members of the Freethought Caucus! Focus this year is Check our web site: www.SantaBarbaraHumanists.org on expanding access to secular, evidence- for past issues of SC. At meetings, a donation of $2 from based addiction recovery programs for members and $5 from non-members is appreciated. all Americans. Register here at First-time visitors and students with ID are welcome on www.lobbyday.us. a complimentary basis.

 October 16-20: CSICon 2019. The Flamingo Annual HSSB membership dues: $36 for a single Resort, Las Vegas. Register at person, $60 for a couple, $100 for a Society Supporter, https://csiconference.org/ and $300 (or more) for a Society Patron. Non-members  October 18-20: Freedom From Religion may subscribe to hardcopy of this newsletter for an Foundation Annual Convention. Madison WI. annual fee of $20. E-mail copies provided at no charge.

For more information and to register: To join HSSB: Send your contact information and a https://ffrf.org/outreach/convention check for your membership dues to HSSB, P.O. Box 30232, Santa Barbara, CA 93130, Attn: Mary Wilk. For membership information contact Mary Wilk at “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not [email protected]. ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” For any information about HSSB, call 805-769-4772. – Stephen Hawking Copies of this and past newsletter are posted on the HSSB website. “I am an intransigent atheist, though not a militant one. This means that I am not fighting Like us on Facebook against religion. I am fighting for reason.”

- Ayn Rand

Humanist Society of Santa Barbara PO Box 30232 Santa Barbara, CA 93130

HSSB Calendar

Tuesday August 13: Board Meeting. 5:30 p.m. Home of Mary Wilk. Members are invited to attend. Dinner provided by Judy. Saturday August 17: Monthly Meeting 3:00 pm. Speaker: Denise M. Gragg. Confessions of a Public Defender. Location: Valle Verde Theater, 900 Calle De Los Amigos, Santa Barbara.

Tuesday September 17: Board Meeting. 5:30 p.m. Home of Mary Wilk. Members are invited to attend. Dinner provided by: ______Saturday September 21: Monthly Meeting 3:00 pm. Speaker: TBD. Location: Valle Verde Theater, 900 Calle De Los Amigos, Santa Barbara.

Tuesday October 15: Board Meeting. 5:30 p.m. Home of Mary Wilk. Members are invited to attend. Dinner provided by ______Saturday October 19: Monthly Meeting 3:00 pm. Speaker: Dr. Joey Chatelain, A Brief Tour of the Minor Bodies in the Solar System. Location: Valle Verde Theater, 900 Calle De Los Amigos, Santa Barbara.