Subject: Bush, patriotism, and atheism Some of you may be aware that on August 27, 1988, t

Subject: Bush, patriotism, and atheism

Some of you may be aware that on August 27, 1988, then presidential
candidate George Bush made the following statement:

        "I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens,
        nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation
        under God."

Then, in late June, United Press International reported that
"Parents" magazine had asked 1,000 adults about their view toward
patriotism. About 73 percent said that the country needs more
patriotism; half of the people owned an American flag.

Interestingly, 71 percent said they did not think being an Atheist
had anything to do with patriotism.

According to this poll (I can make no claim as to its validity), the
majority of the American public does not agree with what George Bush
said in his insulting remark. Despite this fact, the media refuses to
comment on the issue, and President Bush will not apologize for his
statement.

I believe that Bush's statement should be insulting to you, even if
you are not an atheist. The fact that he can get away with denying
the citizenship of a minority group in this country is simply
outrageous. His statement would have been no more offensive if he had
denied the citizenship of Jews, Democrats, or anyone else who follows
his or her conscience, regardless of what anyone else believes.

If you believe that Americans, and *all* people, should have the
right to freedom of thought, I urge you to write to the President to
express your opinion about this issue. You can write to him at:

        George Bush
        President of the United States
        The White House
        1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
        Washington, D.C. 20500

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Tom Cook        cook@cpsvax.msu.edu