Dear American Atheists Supporter:
It has been a long time since you have received a newsletter from American
Atheists. It certainly has been a very strange past eleven months for all
of us, and there is a lot of catching up to do. So I'll get right to it.
The Disappearance
The Murray-O'Hairs have been gone since September of 1995. Since then
a number of concerned members have raised questions about that incident,
as well as about the future of this organization. A review of the chronology
of events is necessary here. On September 4, 1996 [actually, 1995 --
crt], the members of the members of the O'Hair family left their home
in Austin, Texas. After a few days, several board members noticed that
no one in the General Headquarters was answering phone calls, returning
messages, or even responding to e-mail or FAXes. It soon became apparent
that the Murray-O'Hairs were not at the GHQ and had not given advanced
notice of their departure to the employees or the board of directors.
Several days later, I did talk to the Murray-O'Hair's on their car
phone and inquired as to what was happening. Jon Murray responded that
"It's too complicated to explain now, but we'll have a conference
call with the board members when we get back and explain everything."
I spoke with all three family members several times during the month of
September as we planned for the picket of the pope in New York City.
About this time, Spike Tyson, the TV Forum Coordinator at Atheist GHQ,
received mailed instructions from Jon Murray to open the building and keep
the TV Forum Shows going. Board member Conrad Goeringer and I asked employees
such as Spike if they had noticed anything unusual about the situation
at the GHQ immediately prior to the disappearance of the family. We found
no tangible evidence of anything which could help us in understanding what
had taken place. There was no evidence of foul play in the offices or anywhere
else that we knew the family had been. There was only the regular business-related
paperwork on their desks. Additionally, the family left in the middle of
a number of important projects they had been hard at work on, including
a new issue of the American Atheist magazine (which has now been
sent out), a bulk-mailing to the East Coast about the upcoming picket
of Pope John Paul II, several book production contracts, and an important
speaking engagement. Robin Murray-O'Hair was in the middle of a number
of Internet-related projects, including the establishment of an independent
site for American Atheists on the World-Wide Web. In addition, they
were expecting delivery of a new computerized typesetting system for the
production of books and other printed materials. Bank accounts for the
organization were left untouched, with moneys intact, and we found a small
pile of money orders and checks for books and other products, which we
have since filled.
What Might Have Happened and Why
Not surprisingly, this affair has attracted considerable attention from
the media and from members and critics of American Atheists. I personally
have been surprised by the proclivity and skill of the "tabloid trash"
segment of the media to fabricate whole stories with minimal hard evidence
and copious speculation, musings, and unfounded accusations. It's too bad
that we are not able to obtain comparable interest and coverage when we
discuss legitimate and substantive issues such as school prayer, censorship,
Atheism, and other related topics!
There has been speculation that:
It is important for you to be assured that we have been diligently looking
for them, having gone to considerable lengths. Since our searches are on-going,
we need complete confidentiality and therefore cannot go into details at
this time.
Selling the Headquarters
Many of you have heard reports that the GHQ is up for sale. It is true.
But it is unrelated to the current situation. The property has been on
the market for at least three years -- and for at least a dozen reasons.
One of the main reasons is that the property is in a high-crime area.
This is also the main reason that we are having so much trouble selling
it.
For some of you, this explanation may be less than satisfactory. Unfortunately
it is based all of the concrete information that we presently have. We
still encourage patience and healthy skepticism regarding any claims made
concerning the disappearance of the Murray-O'Hair family.
Who's Running the Show?
In the meantime, American Atheists and the other Atheist corporations are
under the administration of the board of directors and new officers. The
board of directors has elected me president. I have been a member for seventeen
years, a former chapter director for at least ten years, and I have been
on the board of directors for ten years.
The board of directors is composed of men and women who have a long tradition
of dedicated service to American Atheists. They are Henry Schmuck (Secretary),
Chris Allen (Treasurer), Richard Andrews, Martin Bard, Joseph Ben-David,
Neal Cary, Caroline Gilman, Conrad Goeringer, Dave Kong, and Noel Scott.
We remain fully committed to carrying on the work of the Murray-O'Hairs
on behalf of Atheism and state-church separation. The goals of this
movement as outlined in our Statement of Purposes remains unchanged. This
is an Atheist, First-Amendment cause organization -- and it will remain
as such!
We have asked Frank Zindler to be our new editor of Atheist publications,
and he has graciously accepted. Frank is a noted author of a number of
books. He has written for the American Atheist Magazine since 1977, and
has been a regular columnist since 1984. He is a past board member and
chapter director. Only the very new to American Atheists don't know who
Frank Zindler is. We are proud and pleased that he has agreed to take on
this extra work for the cause.
Some Accomplishments
So what have we accomplished and what are we working on? The GHQ in Austin
has been operating since last October with Spike Tyson as office manager.
There is a total paid staff of four people working there and we have a
continuous stream of wonderful and helpful volunteers who have given generously
of their time to help out. For this we are very grateful. As of this writing
we have out replacement cable-TV program called "The Atheist
Viewpoint" on twenty-three cable systems around the country.
"The Atheist Viewpoint" is produced at CTV Studios on Staten
Island, New York, by Ron Barrier, American Atheists National Media Coordinator.
The show is co-hosted by Ron and me. We are in our second year of
broadcasting. To get "The Atheist Viewpoint" carried by your
local cable company please contact Ronald Barrier by writing to:
Besides the appearances I have made, Atheist spokespersons appear regularly
on radio and television. Ron Barrier, Margie Waite, Frank Zindler, Spike
Tyson, and Gil Lawrence have done radio and television programs from all
around the country, in Canada, and have been on the BBC via phone link.
Ron and I are regular, almost monthly, guests on News Talk Television
which is a national, 24-hour cable TV show originating in New York City.
The format is one of talk-show segments focusing on breaking news
stories. Ask your cable company to carry News Talk Television and
help promote the Atheist view. For more information about News Talk
Television, please call (212) 643-4705. Their web site is: http://www.newstalk/com
Into The Future
Finally, we ask all of you as supporters of American Atheists to remember
the greater issues involved. For whatever reason, the Murray-O'Hairs
are not here to provide the leadership, inspiration, and ideas which they
contributed for so many years. But theistic attacks on science and reason
continue. Wholesale violations of state-church separation and affronts
to the rights of Atheists continue unabated. The need for this organization
is greater than ever! In the weeks to come, you will see more evidence
that American Atheists -- once dormant, threatened, and facing a precarious
future -- is back! It has not been an easy job these past few months. At
times, the legal, technical, and practical aspects of "jump-starting"
this organization seemed almost insurmountable. We are confident that the
worst is now behind us. Spike Tyson, the volunteers, and [the] employees
at GHQ have done yeomen's jobs in getting the day-to-day operations
there up and running. Members of the board of directors have stepped forward
to take on new responsibilities. For many, this is in addition tot heir
regular full-time jobs as editors, musicians, computer specialists,
and one full-time homemaker with children. Everyone is putting in
long hours for the cause. We have the best people working on this. And
there is more. You will soon be hearing from us with an invitation for
you to join our new Volunteer's Network now being set up by Neal Cary.
Neal is a board member and our new National Outreach Coordinator. He will
also be directing our expanding network of state and regional directors,
toward the goal of having American Atheist spokespersons in every state.
This is just part of what's coming as American Atheists moves into the
future.
I want tot hank you all for the tremendous outpouring of support that you
have shown us during these past months. you have been exceedingly patient
with us as we muddled through. Once again, friends of American Atheists
rise to the occasion and for this I will be forever grateful.
Of course we need your financial support, or all our good intentions will
be for naught. You know this. If you don't give up on us, we can go far
with this organization. If you like what you see here, then please send
us whatever financial help you can today.