Subject: SF Atheists - Meeting 6PM Saturday Mar 26

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 14:56:05 EST

San  Francisco Atheists 
Friendship  –  Learning  –  Action / Affiliated with American  Atheists 
POB  1741, Pacifica, CA, 94044  / www.SFAtheists.com 
Coordinator:  Jim Heldberg, 650-359-6874, [email-masked] 
Issues:  Jennifer Hallman / Treasurer: Adrienne Mowery / Webmaster: Lenny 
Maughan /  Action: David Fitzgerald 
Bay Area  Advisors: Larry Hicok, Tom Maley, Richard Golden, Mark  Thomas 
Senior  Advisor: Dave Kong, California Director for American Atheists, 
[email-masked] (mailto:[email-masked]) 

“Wisdom  or Waldorf – a School Suit” 
Dan Dugan  and his PLANS group are suing Waldorf Schools. 
This  strange old German cult, named for a cigarette, teaches religion, 
racism and bad  science in 125 US schools. 
(Prayer  tables, gnomes, angels, reincarnation, no mirrors, no textbooks, no 
computers,  no black crayons or clothes, white people have better souls, 
hearts don’t pump  blood, mistletoe cures cancer, etc.) 
You won’t  believe this weird cult is in our schools, but you’ll be glad Dan 
is digging  them out. 

"Philosophy:  What It Used to Be and Why We Need It Back" 
Richard Carrier,  well-known speaker and author, will discuss his new book “
Sense and Goodness  without God” as an example of what philosophers rarely do 
anymore: establish a  complete philosophy of life that is relevant and useful 
to everyone.  He will outline what philosophy once  was, its several branches 
and how they are important to us, and why the  philosophy of old should become 
a central part of our lives again  today. 

6:00  pm Saturday, March 26, 2005 
Schroeder’s  Restaurant, rear  dining room, 240 Front Street 
SF  Financial District, 2 blocks north of Market, between California St. and  
Sacramento St. 
Use  California Street cable car, or BART/MUNI Embarcadero stop.  Parking on 
street or at nearby  garage. 
Bar  and restaurant remain open after meeting, to Greet Old Friends & Make 
New  Friends

“Sweet Reason” Charms  SF Atheists 
Last  month, Molleen Matsumura discussed her new non-religious advice column, 
and our  members were delighted.  For more  information about “Sweet Reason,”
 go to http://humaniststudies.org/sweetreason.html.  To send a letter, 
address [email-masked]. 

Supreme Court Justice  Criticizes Jefferson 
During a  recent Supreme Court case, Justice Scalia criticized America’s 
Founders by  saying that the Declaration of Independence was wrong!  He said that 
our government does not  derive its authority from the consent of the governed 
as the Declaration  proclaims, but rather, “it derives its authority from 
God."  Since he couldn’t even pass a high  school civics test, why is he a 
Supreme Court judge? 

Gov. Arnold Supports  Separation of C & S 
Schwarzenegger, a  Catholic, says he has no trouble squaring his faith with 
his support of abortion  rights and other moderate stances contrary to church  
teachings. 
"The people of  California, all of them are not Catholics.  So therefore, I 
do not bring in my religion into this whole thing," he  said.  "As a matter of 
fact,  religion should have no effect on politics.  If you make a decision it 
should not be  based on your religious beliefs," he added.  "I'm a big 
believer in separation of  church and state." 

Essays at  www.SFAtheists.com 
Our  members wrote some really good stuff.  “Essays” has good answers for 
those annoying religious  folks. 
Death with  Dignity

Rod  MacKenzie is working for a Death with Dignity law in California, like 
Oregon, to  allow terminally ill patients to request life-ending drugs from 
their  doctor.  The Religious Right says  people can’t “play god,” but many 
secularists want to make their own  choice.  ACLU will sponsor a DWD forum in El 
Cerrito on April  4.  Info: www.dwd.org, [email-masked], 510-849-0361.

CALENDAR 
March  25-27 –  Atheist Conventions, Philly & LA 
April  13 –  Atheism Day, birthday of Madalyn Murray O’Hair and Thomas  
Jefferson 
May  20 – visit  by Ellen Johnson, American Atheists

Other Bay Area Atheist  Groups 
East Bay  Atheists - www.eastbayatheists.org 
Atheists  of Silicon Valley – www.godlessgeeks.com 
Rossmoor  Atheists – http://rossmooratheists.info/ 

Points to  Ponder 
I don’t  want to believe.  I want to know. --  Carl Sagan 
I cannot  believe in a god who wants to be praised all the time. -- Friedrich 
Nietzsche,  philosopher, 1844-1900 

If  you have questions, or wish to be removed from our  
mailing  list, please contact us by  the  information above.