By George Kane

Our first public meeting of the decade got off to a rocky start as members and interested newcomers arrived at the Ridgedale Library. The meeting room there, it turned out, was booked for a local Democratic Party meeting. A phone call over to the Southdale Library discovered that we were, in fact, booked there instead. The group was forced to move the presentation by State Representative Phyllis Kahn to the Southdale Library, but first Chair Jack Caravela convened a business meeting, in the hall outside the Ridgedale meeting room. There we conducted the nomination of officers for the coming year, as required by our constitution. The candidates’ campaign biography statements appear beginning on page four.

 

If someone were to ask me four years ago what my happy place was like, the answer would be very different than what it is today. I have never been a fan of the outdoors. I'm not athletic and have never been camping. Camp Quest of Minnesota has completely changed my perception of ‘happy.’ I'll even be so bold as to say that it has completely changed my life.

 

By Jeannette Watland

It's a familiar scenario. You go to an atheist event and walk into a room full of men. There may be a few women, but in many cases men make up the majority of atheist groups. Why is this? There is no original sin in atheism. There is no book telling us women are inferior. We don't force our women to cover up for religious reasons and women can hold office in these organizations with no questions asked. Atheism seems like it would be the perfect platform for empowerment. So why is it that these groups have such a hard time attracting more women?

 

There are groups in Minnesota that are busy tearing down the wall that separates church and state. These groups are well staffed, well organized, and well funded. They are also highly motivated. When their activities go unchecked, the religious freedom of all Minnesotans –believers and non-believers alike – is slowly eroded. It’s time for us to fight back.