-Caveat Lector-
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Saturday, January 23, 1999 1:35 PM
Subject: re: AANEWS for Saturday, January 23, 1999
from: AMERICAN ATHEISTS
subject: AANEWS for January 23, 1999
A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S
~~ A A N E W S ~~
#518 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1/23/99
http://www.atheists.org
ftp.atheists.org/pub/atheists/
http://www.americanatheist.org
---------------------------------------------
A Service of AMERICAN ATHEISTS
"For Reason and the First Amendment"
----------------------------------------------
In This Issue...
*Update on the pope's St. Louis; are we paying for religious
spectacle?
* American Atheist Magazine poll -- cast your ballot!
*Picket the pope in St. Louis next Wednesday...
* A note to AA members
* Resources
* About this list...
ST. LOUIS GEARS UP FOR PAPAL ROAD SHOW -- BUT ARE
TAXPAYERS PICKING UP THE TAB?
Secret Planning Kept From Public, "Anti-Terrorism" Spending Mark JP-s
Visit
**
He's coming.
Months of planning, PR work, spending, "prayer" and, yes, media spin
are about to come to fruition when Pope John Paul II arrives in St.
Louis, MO. on Tuesday for the final leg of his hemispheric visit.
His reception and tour in this gateway to America's heartland is a
carefully scripted performance; and as with papal visits elsewhere,
despite the apparent media blackout on criticism, there is some
grumbling, and questions concerning the use of public funds to
underwrite this religious spectacle. Here's the latest...
* The public is picking up the check for many of the costs associated
with the papal tour, thanks to the blatant recognition of the Vatican
as a political -- not just religious -- entity. Even so, "The city
(of St. Louis) may still find itself on the wrong side of the First
Amendment if it is spending money directly to facilitate or conduct a
religious ceremony," notes yesterday's edition of the St. Louis Post
newspaper. "The city of St. Louis is no doubt spending hundreds of
thousands of dollars to prepare for the events surround his (John Paul
II) two-day sojourn in St. Louis -- money for miles of orange
fencing, police overtime, street closures and traffic rerouting."
Even so, Post writer Denise Field makes the argument that "none of
these government expenses crosses the constitutional line," and "While
they are expenditures on behalf of a religious leader, they do not
endorse his beliefs."
While the Post claims that the city treasury should subsidize other
events such as a Super Bowl parade or a visit from a foreign
dignitary, though, the fact remains that the constitution puts a
different standard on the use of public monies for religious exercise.
No other "foreign dignitary" is the head of a religion, though weak
comparisons have been made to the pope's status as both prelate and
government leader, and the Queen of England who is, technically, the
head of that nation's church. And there seems to be no accounting of
exactly how much money is coming from the taxpayers.
School districts are shutting down, fire and police departments in St.
Louis and surrounding communities are mobilizing, and even surgical
procedures in local hospitals are being rescheduled. The highway
patrol is reportedly bringing in an extra 100 officers from Kansas
City.
* At least $400,000 in tax money is being used thanks to a grant from
the US Department of Justice, ostensibly to respond to any "terrorist"
threat during the papal visit. Police Chief Ronald Henderson told
reporters last week, "The sky's the limit on what could happen," and
revealed that the Justice Department perk has been used to purchase 40
chemical protection suits, two inflatable decontamination units, a
special computer to analyze evidence and other unspecified items. In
addition, hazardous material and antiterrorist teams from the Marine
Corps and the US Department of Health are being mobilized, and will be
standing by at the local airport. "The papal visit helped expedite
our getting the gear," gushed public officials including Rep. Dick
Gephardt (D-St. Louis County) and the local Fire Chief.
Indeed, the pope seems to have made the difference in the city
obtaining the $400,000 grant. Last summer, the Justice Department
turned down the city's application saying that it was not among the
nation's 1120 largest counties which had been targeted for the money.
* The papal visit is causing the anticipated disruptions due to
traffic closure, crowds and the expensive "security" costs associated
with the trip. "Hospitals are increasing staffing during the papal
events," notes the St. Louis Post, "and some are prepared to turn
conference rooms into staff dormitories, should patient loads and
traffic snarls make it necessary." Considerable planning has been
devoted to the possibility that the pope may be attacked or fall ill;
the St. Louis Fire Department's medical director, Dr. Jeff Kalina,
will. be riding in the papal motorcade -- at public expense.
Security consciousness (some might say paranoia) reigns, as city
emergency units go on full alert to "keep track of area emergency
rooms to try to distribute the patient load across St. Louis and St.
Louis County."
The pope's visit is also disrupting hospital schedules, and elective
surgery at many facilities has had to be rescheduled. Local police
estimate that as many as 1 million persons will "see the pope during
his two-day visit if the weather is good," notes, the Post, but there
is no accounting of costs -- or who will pay -- for the added support
services.
The city's Director of Health and Hospitals, Dr. Larry Fields, began
mobilizing municipal resources last November "for a coordinated public
- and private -sector response to anything from a flu epidemic to an
act of biological terrorism. A government-funded seminar took place
in St. Louis on January 15, supposedly to discuss terrorism and
possible medical consequences during John Paul's road show. "About 50
representatives from area hospitals heard presentations by specialists
from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the US
Public Health Service and the Defense Department." Another
revelation; resources from the Department of Defense are being used
for this religious visit, since "experts" are in town "to coordinate a
response in the event of biological or chemical terrorism."
* It is now official -- First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will be
joining her husband, Bill Clinton, to obsequiously greet the pontiff
when he arrives in St. Louis on Tuesday. Vice President Albert Gore
will the White House's sendoff man when the pope departs on Wednesday,
and he will be joined by wife Tipper Gore.
* There are ancillary costs that cannot be measured at this time.
Along with the "official" tab which taxpayers will be picking, there
is an associated but less-publicized cost from the shutdown businesses
will suffer as the pontiff's road show travels around St. Louis.
"Businesses worry about disruptions from papal visit," noted a Post
dispatch earlier this month. It quoted one entrepreneur who stands to
lose $2,000 or more if his garage is closed by police and other
government agents. A police department spokesperson attempted to put
spin on this aspect of the papal visit cryptically saying, "It's
frustrating and a challenge, but it's also an opportunity for St.
Louis to be showcased around the globe." Businesses in and around the
different venues for papal events will be closing; in one building
alone, sixty businesses will be shutting down for two days according
to the office manager. "Business owners agreed that there were costs
involved in their preparations, but none had exact figures." Some
have criticized what they described as a blanket of secrecy in the
planning process. In early January, a special agent for the Secret
Service in St. Louis noted that figures were not available for the
cost of his agency's operations either. The local internal Revenue
Service offices will be shutting down -- surely an inconvenience with
the tax season getting underway, as will the library system.
* There is a distinct political agenda at work during Pope John Paul
II's visit, especially on the abortion rights question. Local church
members including students are being mobilized to line the pope's
motorcade route and wave 20,000 white pennants that have been
distributed by the Archdiocesan Pro- Life Committee. The pennants,
designed by a local article, include the papal seal and the
inscription "John Paul II, Defender of Life." There is also the usual
hoopla and boosterism, including an "Ultimate Rock Celebration" and
youth rally.
* The papal visit is marked by the expected lack of any meaningful
criticism or questioning in the media concerning the Vatican's social
agenda; but there is a proliferation of kitsch and religious
absurdity. One local tavern is offering a special brew they call
"Holy Smoke Papal Porter Beer" -- perhaps the only sensible activity
of any note. The name purportedly comes from the smoke that rises
from the Vatican chimney when a new pope has been elected. The giddy
media, intoxicated by the lavishness and spectacle of this event, even
gives publicity to such religious kitsch news like the prayer vigil
conducted by the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, a local order of Roman
Catholic nuns. Known as the "Pink Sister," the nuns have been praying
for the last several months in hopes that clear weather would grace
the pontiff's excursion to their city. Coincidentally, the weather
report looks favorable and no precipitation is forecast, although
tornados, floods and other calamities are taking place elsewhere.
* Why did the Vatican choose St. Louis as the venue for the latest
papal extravaganza? One reason is the city's (claimed) enormous
Catholic population spread out among 236 parishes, and 147 Parochial
schools. In addition, the Church owns twenty local hospitals. In the
metropolitan area, over 100,000 students attend Catholic schools
including St. Louis University. The church claims the allegiance of
nearly 25% of those people living in Missouri, and 20% in nearby
Illinois -- a "faith customer" base of some 650,000 people. The city
is also replete with religious themes, starting with its moniker after
the canonized King Louis IX of France.
What To Expect When JP-2 Comes To Town...
If the pope's remarks and activities in Mexico are any indication,
Americans can still expect an excoriating rebuke from John Paul over
questions such as abortion rights, consumer culture, and religious
diversity. It is known that one of the current pontiff's goals has
been to unite the various Christian denominations in time to celebrate
the arrival of the year 2000 and the Vatican's much-hyped "Jubilee
Year." In public, expect John Paul to repeat the plea he made in
Mexico to a hungry flock of faithful, that the Roman Catholic Church
"be the seed of unity and not the cause of division of humanity." In
private, John Paul is telling his bishops and archbishops to redouble
their efforts at recruitment, especially in areas where Protestant
"sects" are gobbling up a greater share of the believer-marketplace.
John Paul can also capitalize on his image as an avuncular, friendly
"papa figure" that everyone supposedly loves; the challenge will be in
turning that adoration, especially amongst America's Catholic laity
and some of the church apparatus, into obedience to dogma. Many
Catholics, while they admire the behavior of the pontiff and the
trappings associated with his visit, still disagree on matters such as
abortion rights, celibacy for priests, and sex between consenting
adults. While John Paul II is embraced and loved by his flock, they
often perceive him as an antiquated relic who is painfully out of
touch with the trends of the modern world.
**
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THE
POPE'S VISIT TO AMERICA ?
Pope John Paul II's American visit is about more than just sappy
homilies, singing, parades and religious spectacle. Americans need to
ask some tough questions dealing with state-church separation, public
funding of religion, the Vatican's diplomatic status as recognized by
our government, and much more. What do you think?
Head on over to the latest American Atheist Magazine on-line poll and
let us know. Cast your ballot to several questions, read some
background on these issues, and post your remarks for others to
peruse. Visit us at http://www.americanatheist.org, but hurry --
polling closes next Wednesday!
**
PICKET THE POPE IN ST. LOUIS...
American Atheists will host a two-day conference and protest action in
St. Louis, MO during Pope John Paul II's visit to that city, January
26& 27, 1999. The event will include the "Opposing Theocracy"
Conference at the Holiday Inn, 4545 North Lindbergh Blvd. On
Wednesday, January 27, American Atheists will gather at 8:00 a.m.
outside the TransWorld Dome for a peaceful demonstration.
If you'd like to learn more, call our 24-hour AA Information Line in
St. Louis at (314)-994-1250. Or, register on line for any and all of
the Conference events by logging on to
http://www.americanatheist.org/convention/pope99.html and using our
secure transaction server. We look forward to seeing you for this
exciting conference and demonstration, January 26 & 27, 1999!
**
A NOTE TO AA MEMBERS AND THOSE WHO HAVE PLACED ORDERS...
American Atheists has been in the process of relocating to our new
facility in New Jersey. That move has, naturally, resulted in a
disruption of our publishing schedule, mail processing and ability to
ship orders for books, videos and other products. As announced, we
began holding orders about December 20. It is only now that we are
starting to work our way through the backlog -- and this includes
online orders for subscriptions, memberships, products and other
items. We ask your patience, and hope to have your orders on their
way to you in the coming days.
Another problems is that some of you who have registered for the St.
Louis "Opposing Theocracy" conference have not heard from us. Your
orders have been received --we know who you are. So, pack your bags,
head to St. Louis, and join the fun and action.
Getting in touch with us has been a problem. You can now reach our
offices at 908-259-0700, or fax us at 908-259-0748.
We apologize for any delays and inconvenience this has caused.
**
RESOURCES FROM AMERICAN ATHEISTS...
* For information about American Atheists, send mail to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Please include your name and postal mailing
address.
* For a free catalogue of American Atheist Press books, videos and
other products, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Kindly include
your postal mailing address.
* The American Atheist Magazine is now on the web! Check out select
articles from the current or back issues, as well as special web-only
features. Visit us at http://www.americanatheists.org
* If you are a current member of American Atheists, sign up for our
e-mail discussion group, aachat. We have over 120 participants who
discuss topics such as Atheism, religion, First Amendment issues and
lots more! Contact Margie Wait, the Moderator, through
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
ABOUT THIS LIST...
AANEWS is a free service from American Atheists, a nationwide movement
founded by Madalyn Murray O'Hair for the advancement of Atheism, and
the total, absolute separation of government and religion.
You may forward, post or quote from this dispatch, provided that
appropriate credit is given to AANEWS and American Atheists. Edited
by Conrad Goeringer, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Internet Representative for
American Atheists is Margie Wait, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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