American Atheists, Inc.
P O Box 140195
Austin, Texas 78714-0195
(512) 458-1244

E-mail address: Ejonband@aol.com
Home phone:   201-334-4033


PRESS RELEASE:  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                   January 31, 1996

    Ellen Johnson, President of American Atheists, today demanded
that Republican presidential hopeful Pat Buchanan apologize and retract
his claim made on January 29 that the U.S. Constitution shouldn't
protect Atheists.  Johnson stated that "ten to twelve percent of
Americans are Atheists."
    In a speech given to the Washingon-based Heritage Foundation,
Buchanan accused Federal judges of "spurning the majority's will by
protecting "criminals, Atheists, homosexuals, flag burners, illegal
aliens-including terrorists-convicts and pornographers."
    Johnson stated that "It's appalling that a presidential candidate
doesn't understand that the Bill of Rights is not subject to majority
vote.  Ours is one nation under the Constitution" and "the equal
rights of all the nation's citizens are protected by that document."
    The Republican party claims that it supports family values.  It
seems that those values include discrimination, bias and prejudice
against Atheists and other minorities.
    On August 27, 1987, then Vice President George Bush, at O'hare
International Airport in Chicago, denigrated the patriotism of Atheists
by stating that he didn't think that Atheists in our country should
be considered citizens or patriots because he considered America
one nation under a god."
    Johnson stated that "in the United States the rights and
privileges of citizenship should never be predicated upon one's
position with respect to religion."  She concluded that "America needs
a President who respects and recognizes the constitutional principle
of state-church separation and not the religious bigotry values
of Pat Buchanan."