An Open Letter to Gov. Bentley

Author: admin / admin's blog

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Dear Governor Bentley,

As you may know, there are 300,000 nonreligious people in the great state of Alabama – six times as many as there are Jews. As a result, we are confused by your apology to Jewish leaders, claiming to be everyone’s Governor, while you completely ignored this much larger segment of your constituency.

Intolerance toward atheists runs deep in some areas of our government, so your response to smaller minorities as you ignore the larger bloc is very troublesome. Many atheists doubt the sincerity of your apology.

I write today to offer you an opportunity to right yourself with the nonreligious population of Alabama by issuing a statement to be read at our upcoming Regional Convention on January 30. I will personally read the statement to the attendees, who will include many leaders from organized atheism around the state.
I further offer to meet with you to discuss the issue face-to-face on Monday the 31st, which will give you the opportunity to quell opposition as we learn about each other’s concerns.

We both know politics is serious business, and we also know that people hold grudges, especially when they have ethical concerns about their leadership. As a Republican, I ask you to work with me to avoid any undue criticism against you and our party.
I look forward to your response.

--
Sincerely,

David Silverman
President
American Atheists, Inc

Comments

Anonymous (not verified) / Thu, 01/20/2011 - 07:20

Seriously, is there a plan to mail this?
Puttin some pressure on the open wound the radical right represents.

Anonymous (not verified) / Thu, 01/20/2011 - 07:49

Go Dave! I like it!

Anonymous (not verified) / Thu, 01/20/2011 - 05:28

Please actually mail this. State Capitol
600 Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, Alabama 36130

Anonymous (not verified) / Tue, 01/25/2011 - 07:58

It was sent to the Governor, yes.

Anonymous (not verified) / Thu, 01/20/2011 - 10:32

This is me not holding my breath

Anonymous (not verified) / Thu, 01/20/2011 - 10:47

Well put. I am not holding my breath with you. The cave dwellers that voted for him got exactly what they wanted: a Christian nut. I am sure they are well pleased with him.

Dave is exactly right though, his apology did not include non-believers.
Bentley said “If I did make anyone of any faith feel disenfranchised, let me say I am sorry.” Since atheism is not a faith, he has not apologized to the atheists of Alabama.

The link Blair provided does say that he not only met with Jewish leaders, but leaders of other faiths. It would be interesting to find out who those other leaders were. Any ideas Blair?

Anonymous (not verified) / Thu, 01/20/2011 - 12:58

Yes, it went out via Fedex today :)

Anonymous (not verified) / Thu, 01/20/2011 - 17:49

Honestly, is demanding an apology really that important? Why not just make a satire of the situation? I mean, I'm not at all offended that he excluded us atheists from his idiotic comments. I'm actually happy that he did because it shows what a pitiful display the political arena has conjured up. So I'm just curious, why are others offended? Are we really that sensitive to this?

Anonymous (not verified) / Fri, 01/21/2011 - 04:43

I think most of us are rather desensitized as to not really feel much offense. That doesn't change the fact that it's an offensive, bigoted, and cowardly comment and "apology".

Anonymous (not verified) / Fri, 01/21/2011 - 07:44

Philosophically you are correct CPT. But its our job as AA's to make a stink about it and show the world the biggoted side of anything religious. We need to pick our fights and take our punches anyway we can.

Anonymous (not verified) / Fri, 01/21/2011 - 07:45

Sorry CAPT, my comment replyed the wrong person...it was ment for NADPH

Anonymous (not verified) / Fri, 01/21/2011 - 11:24

Right, but the thing is, his comments are blunt. Many people are either going to side with him or go against him. I mean, is a reactionary approach the best option? Taking these things head-on seems to be working against us, not for us. Wouldn't going out into the community and revitalizing it with atheist volunteers be a more effective approach to show people that atheists are actually working for the bettermint and aren't always reacting to the instigations by the right?

Anonymous (not verified) / Fri, 01/21/2011 - 12:34

There's a lot to suggest we're gaining ground. The more this sort of thing is exposed, the more people think about it, and the more the inquisitive ask questions they're told all their lives to never ask. It can only help things in the long run. Allowing these bigots to shit all over us without shoving it back down their throats means those who wouldn't otherwise continue to stand idly by and watch it happen as if we deserve it.

Anonymous (not verified) / Fri, 01/21/2011 - 01:14

Great thinking Dave and great job!
I for one, am completely offended by what he said.
He is the mouth of the people of that state and that is typical of how they are.
People in this country need to "recognize their brother" instead of the overly-conservative and childish way of banding in groups, pointing fingers at people that aren't like us.

Anonymous (not verified) / Fri, 01/21/2011 - 03:00

Thank you for writing this. I am disappointed but not surprised that our new Governor choose to make such divisive remarks on his first day in office. Alabama is, after all, still the sate of George Wallace, Bull Connor, Guy Hunt, and Roy Moore. We clearly have our work cut out for us in Alabama but we are excited and energized by Governor Bentley's remarks which only underscore the need for forming the Secular Coalition for Alabama. I am looking forward to introducing the other members of our Executive Committee at the SERAM next week.

Anonymous (not verified) / Tue, 01/25/2011 - 13:47

well hopefully they are at least smaller buildings....

Anonymous (not verified) / Tue, 01/25/2011 - 02:58

f the governor

on another note, here's an article about church foreclosures....hopefully some of these property tax-free clubs are foreclosing in the great state of Alabama....

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/01/25/churches-end-nigh/

Anonymous (not verified) / Tue, 01/25/2011 - 05:21

Could use some foreclosures in southeast PA. For as long as I can remember, there were two churches in the same mile run of road. A third was built about 6 years ago? And now ANOTHER is about to built across the road from one of them. Go for a square mile instead of a mile strip of road and we've got a good 6 or 7 churches, each one a different sect of Christianity.

Anonymous (not verified) / Mon, 01/31/2011 - 15:49

There's a new atheist podcast with five young people that discusses this topic in their latest episode. Check it out - they're pretty good: pascalsbettors.com