That means Iowa has seven more days to basque in the white hot light of media attention at the center of the American political universe; seven more days to birddog presidential candidates as they crisscross the state in their final push to win the Iowa’s electoral votes; seven more days for atheists, freethinkers, and humanists to make our voices heard.
On Tuesday, February 4, the hordes of journalists, talking heads, and TV cameras will slip away, not to be seen again until 2023.
That’s still seven more days than most other states in the country get.
So let’s take advantage of every minute of every day that we have left before the caucuses to protect the separation of church and state, fight creeping theocracy in America, and preserve religious freedom for secular and minority Americans.
Here are five things IAF members can do in the next week to tap into the media attention for the secular issues that matter to us.
There are still dozens of campaign events all across Iowa. You can easily find them all at the Des Moines Register’s Caucuses Candidate Tracker. Go to the event nearest you and ask that candidate — whoever it is — a question. “I’m an atheist. What will you do to earn my vote?” “What will you do to preserve the separation of church and state in America?” Or come up with one of your own. I’ll give you extra points for recording your questions and posting them on social media. Use #AtheistVoter on every video you post. Also, send it to me. I’ll put it up here on Heathens of the Corn.
Check out the Atheist Voter page at American Atheists. It is a treasure trove of information about secular issues, presidential candidates, and other actions you can take to magnify the voices of atheists and freethinkers.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Concentrate on one issue. Make it short, sweet, and to the point.
Talk to your friends. Find out who are planning to caucus and who are not. Every time you find someone in that latter group, persuade them to change their minds. Twist their arms. Shame into going to the caucuses. Whatever it takes. (Okay, there are legitimate reasons why some people can’t attend the caucuses. We should probably cut them some slack. Everybody else needs to go. The stakes are too high for anyone to pretend their voice doesn’t matter.)
GO TO YOUR CAUCUS.
Atheists and nonbelievers in America can no longer afford to be complacent. Evangelical Christians have organized effectively for the last forty years. They have honed their tactics to a razor sharp edge and use them to promote theocracy every chance they get despite their shrinking population.
We need to take advantage of our growing numbers and do the same.
Get active. Ask questions. Raise your voices. Caucus on February 3. Most importantly, VOTE. Protect your freedom of religion the way America's founding fathers intended when they wrote our godless Constitution.
[Edited to include more things you can do.]
By Robert Cook
Activism Chair