Eleven years ago, IAF sponsored a bus ad campaign that said, “Don’t Believe in God? You Are Not Alone.” DART removed the ads four days later based on complaints by offended Christians. Governor Chet Culver commented on the ad, fueling the controversy, saying that he "was disturbed personally by the advertisement and [could] understand why other Iowans were also disturbed by the message". The ACLU got involved and IAF ultimately prevailed when DART finally reinstated the original unaltered ads. Overall, it was a huge win for IAF, which doubled in size as a result.
IAF has been declining for a while.. Our FaceBook page has over 1500 members but our dues-paying membership keeps decreasing. Christian theocrats, on the other hand, wield more power in our government than at any other time in the nation’s history. We need to do that something about that folks. We need a project, a big win like that bus ad campaign to reignite the spark that kept us going for the last ten years.
With all that in mind, I propose that IAF should put up a billboard in metro Des Moines. It should be something in-your-face, attention-grabbing, and pointedly aimed at Christian Nationalists.
Here is my idea:
In a large font: “Theocracy is Un-American.” Underneath in smaller text, ”iowaatheists.org.” All of that would be set against a picture of the US Capitol Building with a huge crucifix shoved through the dome.
It is short and to the point. It leaves no doubt about our target audience or our message. It reclaims patriotism for nonbelievers and supporters of reason. And the sight of it would induce wannabe theocrats to froth at the mouth.
So what do you think? I’m open to any suggestions for improvement, criticism, or possible alternatives. (It’s not like I know anything about marketing.)
Also, this is just a trial balloon. Whatever billboard ideas we come up with would still have to be researched, polished, and then approved by the IAF Board.
p,s. if anyone out there with better photoshop skills than me could put together a mockup of this I would be eternally grateful.
By Robert Cook
Activism Chair
Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers