The good news: California’s 13th district Representative Pete Stark has worked with the Secular Coalition for America to reveal himself as the first openly non-theist in the United States Congress ever. That takes a lot of courage, especially when there are many Americans who openly acknowledge that they will discriminate against any non-religious candidate for public office.
The bad news: Not a single other member of Congress was even willing to acknowledge in private to the Secular Coalition of America to not being a theist.
About ten percent of Americans in general are non-theists. A even higher rate than that among educated professionals - the sort of people who get into Congress - are non-theists.
So, we can be very confidence that there are a lot more non-theists in Congress than just Pete Stark. However, they’re too intimidated by American religious bigotry to admit it.
In these days when the Religious Right has bullied American liberty into a corner, we all suffer from their intimidation.
Thank you, Pete Stark, for showing them the way.
5 Comments
1 John wrote:
Old Congressman Pete Stark…of 35 years plus in Congress is not only an atheist, but he is just an ‘old fart’ so to speak who wants to piss off the world. He rants and raves at his constituents and is not a nice guy…he’s not a “poster child” that any organization would want to represent them…atheists or otherwise. Check out where he denigrated a constituent who just returned from an overseas deployment to Kosovo…the soldier wrote his congressman (Pete Stark) and got this angry insulting voicemail back. (See the link to the Fox News video below).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djeGqNVXjZE
2 Congress Watcher wrote:
Fox News is hardly an objective source, but I’ll take what you say at face value…
…and return with the idea that we shouldn’t elect people to Congress based on whether they’re personally nice, but rather on whether they do a good job. Peter Stark has had a strong voting record in accord with America’s traditional liberal civic values.
3 Dot O'Brien wrote:
Please improve your site. I want to make a donation to your campaign and can’t find a place to do it. Please use my email address and direct me to make a modest donation..
4 Dot O'Brien wrote:
WHY IS YOUR NAME ON PETE STARK’S SITE?
5 Dot O'Brien wrote:
how can i find Roy Carter’s web site?