AMERICAN ATHEISTS, INC.
PRESS RELEASE
Sept. 7, 1999

http://www.atheists.org
http://www.americanatheist.org



Atheists claim "See You At The Pole" event is "Majority Rule Religion"
"Free Speech" claim is a ruse - event is violation of First Amendment
Bill of Rights should be posted in classrooms instead of "commandments"


1999's "See You At The Pole" (SYATP) event, a yearly exercise by which
Christian students use specific flagpoles, those located only on public
school property, for religious exhortations, "is not, as some would have you
believe, an issue of free speech or free association," noted Ron Barrier,
National Spokesperson for American Atheists.

The mass usage of public school flagpoles is scheduled for Wed., Sept. 15,
1999.

"Although the American Center for Law and Justice, a law firm started by
television preacher Pat Robertson, claims that this event is 'student-led
and student-initiated,' this is simply not the case.  It is a premeditated
attempt at child recruitment in the public schools - spearheaded and
instigated by adults, pastors, churches and other outside evangelical
organizations," he added.

"Evangelical groups are attempting to control the public school forum by
attempting to coerce students to publicly identify their religious
inclinations.  Not only is this type of 'loyalty oath' illegal, it is
'majority-rule religion' which is the type of sectarian harassment our Bill
of Rights is designed to discourage," Mr. Barrier noted.

Mr. Barrier added that "TV shows, interviews and reading the SYATP
materials make it very clear that free speech is not the issue.

"It's a show of force, not a show of faith," he said.

According to Mr. Barrier, "Common Ground, a series of pamphlets
distributed in churches by Search Ministries, Inc., gives explicit
instructions to parents as to how to train their children to evangelize and
recruit in the schools.  The instructions include 'bait & switch' tactics as
well as various 'confidence' schemes."

Ellen Johnson, President of American Atheists, noted that "the real
agenda of SYATP officials is to target young people for evangelism. They
want access to school children in an environment where parents are liable to
exercise the least amount of control over their child's welfare and ethical
upbringing."

"American Atheists suggests that the Bill of Rights be posted in
classrooms across the country, instead of the so-called commandments,"
stated Ms. Johnson

For more information, please contact:
Ellen Johnson, President        (973)334-5110
Ron Barrier, Spokesperson       (718)967-6453


American Atheists, Inc.
P.O. Box 5733
Parsippany, NJ 07054-6733
Tel: (908)276-7300  Fax: (908)276-7402