President's Column: "Electrons R Us - OMG!"

by August Berkshire

For many years, Minnesota Atheists has published a combined November-December newsletter. This is because the main thing that happens in December is our winter solstice party, which we advertise in the November-December newsletter and often with a special separate mailing in December, as we did this year.

Furthermore, the production of a newsletter takes dozens of hours that our volunteers often find hard to offer amidst the many parties and family gatherings that occur in December.

Finally, we try to save the organization (our members) money where we can.

However, at the suggestion of Bjorn and Jeannette Watland, we decided to try an experiment that would cost us nothing and would provide those of us who desire it with our monthly installment of local atheist news and comment. We decided to publish a December e-newsletter.

There are some atheist groups that have totally abandoned paper newsletters (if they ever had them in the first place). Call me old-fashioned, and some of you young whippersnappers under age 30 will, but I still like holding and reading a paper newsletter in my hands, rather than squinting at a computer screen.

Besides, it's easy to forget to read one e-mail out of the hundred I get each day. In contrast, I get about ten pieces of snail mail a day, half of which I quickly and easily toss into recycling. This makes it easy to spot my buff-colored Minnesota Atheists newsletter and set it aside for later reading in my commodious reading room.

But, I realize that the internet is the future that is upon us. Resistance is futile. So, enjoy this "bonus" issue of our newsletter. And rest assured that anything of great importance to our members - such as the announcement of our annual elections - will be repeated in the January 2009 paper newsletter.

August Berkshire is the President of Minnesota Atheists and the Vice President of Atheist Alliance International.