AMERICAN ATHEISTS, INC.
http://www.atheists.org
http://www.americanatheist.org

For more information, please contact:
Ed Buckner, President (770) 432-3049
Dave Silverman, Communications Director (732) 648-9333


       AMERICAN ATHEISTS NAMES ED BUCKNER NEW PRESIDENT


For Immediate Release

(Cranford, NJ). Acting President of American Atheists, Inc., Frank
Zindler today announced that the Board has named Dr. Ed Buckner as
President, effective immediately. According to Zindler, "We were most
gratified to have had a number of superb candidates for the position of
President. The Board is confident that the future of American Atheists
the organization and indeed all Americans who are Atheists is bright now
that Dr. Buckner has accepted this appointment."

Dave Silverman, National Spokesperson for American Atheists, noted that
"Many who are active in the movement know of Dr. Buckner's
accomplishments, originating in the Atlanta Chapter of the Society of
Separationists (then an American Atheists affiliated corporation),
helping to grow the Atlanta Freethought Society through its formative
years, and then most recently serving as the Executive Director of the
Council for Secular Humanism."

Buckner commented, "I'm honored and pleased to become the President of
the world's best organization for promoting Atheism and for protecting
the rights and reputations of Atheists. Religion and the followers of
various religions certainly do some good in the world and in the U.S.,
but the dangers associated with religion are not merely abstract or
historical. Every day brings fresh reports of horrors committed by those
claiming to be doing what they do in the name of God, and the current
U.S. Presidential campaign also shows that we have much work to do.
Candidates like Senators John McCain and Barack Obama obviously believe
that pandering to the shallowest emotions and the deepest, if
ill-founded, beliefs in the name of God is still politically necessary
in America. We must continue the courage and hard work of Atheists who
came before us to educate this nation, to protect our liberty by
defending the separation of government and religion, and to right many
wrongs. I expect Atheists to hold me accountable."

A hardcore Atheist, Dr. Buckner has written, spoken, debated, and
appeared often in the media, both locally and nationally. He has debated
or spoken across the nation, and a few times outside the U.S. He earned
a doctorate (1983) and M.Ed. (1975) from Georgia State University; B.A.,
English, Rice University, 1967.

AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for
Atheists; works for the total separation of church and state; and
addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.

American Atheists, Inc.
PO BOX 158, Cranford, NJ 07016
Tel.: (908) 276-7300
Fax: (908) 276-7402