Wilson County’s God and Country Day, August 17th
Posted by exquisitetruth on August 8, 2008
It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted here. I’d apologize, but I am pretty sure all five of my readers will understand.
Recently, I decided that it might be fun to take my family to the local county fair. So I looked up Wilson County’s fair, and checked to see what interesting events they might have to offer. I was disappointed, but not altogether surprised to discover that Sunday, August 17th was to be designated “God and Country Day”. Fair organizers describe the event as an opportunity to, “Help us show strong support for the men and women of Wilson County who are faithfully serving our country through their military service.” Apparently, we are only able to support our veterans if we are Christians. Christians are also offered $2 off admission if they present a church bulletin at the ticket booth. My first reaction was to think, “Well, I guess we’re not going on that day.” But after thinking about it a bit I got angry about it. Why should my family and I feel excluded from this community event? Wilson County, TN has a long history of violating people’s first amendment rights, and by the looks of an event like this, they don’t seem too worried about continuing that tradition.
I posted a link to the event on the local Nashville Atheists and Secular Life groups, and wrote a letter to the ACLU for advice. Blair Scott, of American Atheist, was kind enough to get involved and provide our fledgling groups with some support. Blair sent the following letter to Sheryl Lewis ((615) 449-3724 or e-mail at mclewis0120@yahoo.com), the event’s coordinator:
From the Office of Blair Scott
National Affiliate Outreach Director &
Alabama State Director, American Atheists, Inc.
PO Box 41, Ryland, AL 35767-2000
Office: (256) 701-6265 Cell: (256) 503-1123
bscott@atheists.org www.atheists.org/al/
Mrs. Lewis:
I contacted the Wilson County Fair Office two days ago and talked to Andy Brummett and Helen (last name unknown) about the $2 discount for church bullets and the “God and Country” theme on August 17th at the Wilson County Fair.
I was advised by Helen that only those people that attend church are eligible for the discount because it is a promotion for “God and Country Day.” I asked her specifically if citizens that attended Synagogue, Mosque or Temple who do not usually receive bulletins for the service or atheists, agnostics and other non-religious citizens would get the same benefit. Her answer was clear: the discount is for those that attend church on Saturday and Sunday.
However, I received a note from Eric Stubbs, one of my constituents here in Alabama, that you had advised him that all citizens would be eligible for the discount if they brought a printed document of their organization’s Web Page. In addition, a reporter at the Wilson Post advised me that the County Promotions office told her the same thing.
Clearly we have a communications disconnect here between the two county offices that I would appreciate some clarification on. Based on the Wilson County Fair Office’s remarks, which were clearly discriminatory and violate the Civil Rights Act and Tennessee State Constitution, I issued a Press Release on this issue and advised non-Christian citizens to do exactly what you had advised Eric Stubbs to do: bring a printout of the group’s Web Page and ask for the same discount that church-going citizens received.
If the County is allowing anyone that is part of a non-profit organization to receive the discount, then clearly the practice is non-discriminatory and we do not have an issue. However, I would strongly recommend changing the Web Page to reflect this and urge the county to discontinue the use of the phrase “church bulletin” as the means to a discount off admission, as it gives the appearance of a discriminatory practice.
Please advise what the official position of Wilson County is on this matter. Because we have received conflicting information and contradictory data from separate Wilson County offices I cannot make a decision about whether or not to retract my charge of discriminatory practice and policy.
In addition to the church bulletin discount, I would like to inquire as to why “God and Country” was used instead of something that would be more inclusive for all citizens within Wilson County and the surrounding areas. Based on the Web Page, it would seem to me that “Patriotism Day,” “Proud to be an American Day,” or “Support the Troops Day” would be a more appropriate theme than “God and Country.” Using “God and Country Day” lets thousands of area citizens know that they are “second class” when it comes to Wilson County. Whether or not that was or is the intent of Wilson County is irrelevant because that is the way non-religious citizens in the great state of Tennessee perceive it.
In anticipation of your reply,
In reason,
Blair Scott
National Affiliate Outreach Director, American Atheists
Alabama State Director, American Atheists
Online: http://atheists.org/al and http://alabamaatheist.org/naod
Email: bscott@atheists.org or alabamaatheist@gmail.com
Pri Phone: (256) 701-6265
Sec Phone: (256) 503-1123
Postal: PO Box 41, Ryland, AL 35767-2000
MySpace: http://myspace.com/alabamaatheist
YouTube: http://youtube.com/blairscott
American Atheists is a nationwide movement which defends the civil rights of nonbelievers, works for the separation of church and state, and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy. American Atheists, Inc. PO Box 158, Cranford, NJ 07016, Tel: (908) 276-7300 Fax: (908) 276-7402
Blair has yet to receive a response of any kind from Mrs. Lewis, but it seems clear from what response he has received, that the event is explicitly intended to honor the Christian churchgoing citizens of Wilson County. When Christians are given a discount to a government endorsed community event, it is the same thing as instituting an atheist tax. They may as well advertize that atheists will be assessed a $2 fee for attending the fair.
With Blair’s help, we at Nashville’s Secular Life have organized an event of our own. We plan to attend the Wilson County Fair on August 17th. We will be wearing shirts proclaiming our support for foxhole atheists when we gather at the main entrance before enjoying a group lunch at the fairgrounds. The following is the official press release:
AMERICAN ATHEISTS, INC.
Office of the National Affiliate Outreach Director & Alabama State Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AUG 06, 2008
For more information, please contact:
Blair Scott, National Affiliate Outreach Director and Alabama State Director, (256) 701-6265, bscott@atheists.org
WILSON COUNTY TN FAIR’S “GOD AND COUNTRY DAY” AND CHURCH PROGRAM DISCOUNT DISCRIMINATORY AND LIKELY CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATION
Wilson County’s Fair Office has made August 17th “God and Country Day” at the fair with a tribute to military personnel. In addition, they are offering a $2 discount for anyone bringing a church bulletin.
The official government endorsement of a religious event at the fair and giving special discount only to Christian citizens is likely a violation of the Tennessee (Article I, Section 3) and Federal Constitutions (Establishment Clause). Providing a discount only for churchgoers is a clear form of discrimination against anyone attending non-Christian churches, Atheists, and other non-theist citizens of Wilson County and the surrounding areas.
When asked why Wilson County was discriminating against non-Christian citizens, a Wilson County Fair Office representative stated, “That is just God and Country day and promoting that event.” The representative continued, “That’s one of the discounts for that Sunday for people that do attend church.”
Blair Scott, the National Affiliate Outreach Director for American Atheists said, “It is unfortunate that Wilson County has decided to specifically endorse and promote Christianity through this program and discriminate against its non-Christian citizens. I was disappointed when the Fair Office stated they did not see this as discrimination.”
Mr. Scott, along with Secular Life Nashville, North Alabama Freethought Association, and Florence United Non-Theists will be gathering at the fair on August 17th wearing T-shirts to support Foxhole Atheists during the tribute to military personnel at the fair. Additionally, area Atheists will be bringing print-outs of their group Web Pages and asking for the $2 discount on admission. Invitations to participate have been sent to other Atheist groups throughout the United States.
AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for nonbelievers, works for the total separation of church and state, and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.
American Atheists, Inc.
PO BOX 158
Cranford, NJ 07016
Tel: (908) 276-7300
Fax: (908) 276-7402
I encourage any sympathetic parties to join us in proving that Christian faith is not ubiquitous, and does not have a monopoly on compassion and patriotism.
