GAMPAC--Godless Americans Political Action Committee--Launched 3/9/04

Did anyone see the news conference at the National Press Club on CSPAN?

Two highlights: Wally Kaplan predicts that any candidate the PAC endorses or contributes to will likely turn down the endorsement and return the check.

Margaret Downy reads a list of state constitutional provisions, from Maryland, Mass, NC, SC, Tenn, and Texas, restricting atheists (and even Jews and Muslims in a strict reading in some cases) from holding public office.

posted their link in Activism/Events.
http://godlessamericans.org/

Bwahh! haa! ha! did you hear the one lady that said thanks Ralph Reed and that they where going to follow his plan and learn from his mistakes?

I hope they have more.

Will it work? How long before candidates will accept GAMPAC endorsements unashamedly?

All branches of the federal government are sympathetic to the wishes of fundamentalist Christians. When Americans start to stand up to their tyranny we will begin to get our country back. That is why it is so important to support gay marriage because it is the straw that will break the fundies back. If Americans believe in equal rights for gays and lesbians it sends a message to the fundies that they no longer control the cultural debate and their power and influence is on the wain.

the most rabid, mouth-frothing, Jew-hating Christian fundies can give freely to any candidate they want to and no one will make a peep of protest. Or if they do, the candidates can make a campaign point about flouting the will of the establishment. But just let an atheist organization make out a check or make an endorsement and--well, you get the definition incarnate of "persona non grata."

When Margaret Downey stated there is a requirement for belief in a supreme being in order to hold office in Texas.

So I went and checked it out for myself.

Holy Shit. There it is in black and white, bigotry, enshrined in my state constitution:

Article 1 - BILL OF RIGHTS
Section 4 - RELIGIOUS TESTS
No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/txconst/sections/cn000100-000400.html

So, in Texas, since I don't acknowledge a Supreme Being (unless they'd accept my belief that Heidi Klum is a supreme being :evilgrin:), I'm a second class citizen who's not allowed in public office.

That is profoundly unfair, to say the least. It couldn't possibly hold up. I was shocked to hear that youy had to be a Christian in Massachusetts. Barney Frank is illegal!