News from the Week March 7 – March 11, 2022

Friend:

I’m pinch-hitting for CEO Rachel Laser this week while she’s in Bremerton, Washington. She’s meeting with parents, faith leaders, media and as many folks as she can reach to convey what’s at stake in AU’s landmark Supreme Court case, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District.

At its core, the case is about a public school coach who violated the religious freedom of students by pressuring them to join his public prayers at the 50-yard line at high school football games. Church-state separation means that no one should ever have to choose between their religious freedom and being part of the team.

Rachel is out in Bremerton meeting with some of the religious and nonreligious advocates who are fighting back to protect First Amendment rights. She’ll be back next week to tell you more about the experience—including the community members she met who support AU, the school district, and church-state separation. Meanwhile, follow her on Twitter at @RachelKLaser for real-time updates: [link removed]

In other news, my role as AU’s Vice President of Strategic Communications is drawing to a close, as I segue into happy retirement at the end of the month. There has been no better organization or cause with which to close out my career in public affairs than AU and our essential fight to keep religion—and especially religious extremists—out of our government and laws.

I am immensely proud of what AU is and does and privileged to have been a part of it for the past two years, along with my cat Spinoza who has interrupted way too many Zoom calls. And I’m going to miss our close-knit and talented Communications team, and the rest of my dedicated colleagues.

But I’m thrilled to share with you the news that, as Rachel announced this week, AU’s communications strategies will be in the skilled hands of Andrew L. Seidel, who begins with us on March 21: [link removed]

Andrew is one of the leading lights of our movement; he joins AU with a decade’s experience as a First Amendment attorney and after 5 years as Director of Strategic Response for the Freedom From Religion Foundation. I can’t wait to witness what Andrew brings to AU and our cause.

I’ve now spent almost 40 years fighting for a more just and equal society, here and around the world. No one works for Holocaust education, a protected environment, gun safety, peace and equality in Israel/Palestine and religious freedom without having a good idea of just how long it takes and how hard it is to achieve meaningful change.

But as Spinoza’s namesake wrote, “Minds are conquered not by arms, but by love and nobility.” And, we communications professionals add, by hard work and good arguments.

Thank you for your support for freedom, for equality, and for democracy.

Onward,

Naomi Paiss
VP of Strategic Communications

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Facts vs. Fiction In Kennedy v. Bremerton Supreme Court Case:
The lower courts repeatedly found that the facts in this case are clear: Some students felt coerced to join their football coach’s orchestrated public prayers on the 50-yard line immediately after football games. But the coach’s lawyers tell a different tale.
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Christian Nationalists May Say They Support Ukraine, But Their Hearts Belong To Putin:
Christian nationalists may now claim to support the people of Ukraine, but those words ring hollow. They’ve been sleeping with the enemy for too many years to switch sides now.
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Anti-Science Christian Nationalists Are Still Playing The Long Game:
Although 100 years have passed since Kentucky’s ill-fated effort to criminalize the teaching of evolution in public schools, anti-evolution bills are still surfacing in the states—and the tactic of threatening teachers with steep fines is suddenly in vogue again among Christian nationalists.
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God’s Endorsement Fails To Carry Texas Candidate To Victory:
A candidate seeking the Republican nomination for a seat in the Texas Senate lost a primary election recently—despite her claims that God would carry her to victory.
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Get Involved – Check Out AU’s Latest Events:
Looking for ways to get more involved with Americans United? AU’s chapters in New York, Tennessee, California and Pennsylvania all have upcoming virtual events—visit au.org/events to learn more!


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