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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman">Today the
American Humanist Association (AHA) unveiled a new billboard in Moscow, Idaho,
the latest of a series of billboards that have appeared in the in area since
last year. The new billboard features the familiar image of a U.S. quarter--but
with one important revision: in place of the national motto, the coin reads “In
Good We Trust.” The AHA’s website address also appears in bold letters to the
right of the coin’s image. <BR><BR>“This billboard nicely sums up two of
the main messages of the American Humanist Association,” said Roy Speckhardt,
executive director of the AHA. “First, that you don’t have to believe in God to
be good--in fact, humanists and other nontheists see being good as one of the
most important of responsibilities in our one and only life. Second, that church
and state should remain separate for the benefit of us all.” Speckhardt argued
that “In Good We Trust” is a more inclusive and appropriate sentiment than the
“In God We Trust” motto, which runs afoul the First Amendment.<BR><BR>The
display is the fifth such billboard that has gone up in the Moscow area,
following billboards which have read, "Don't Believe in God? You are Not Alone,"
“Want a Better World? Prayer Not Required,” “Million are Good Without God” and
“No God? No Problem!” All are part of an extensive advertising campaign to
spread awareness about being good without God. An image of the display can be
found here: </FONT><A
href="http://americanhumanist.org/system/storage/29/1499/ingoodwetrust-sky.jpg"
target=_blank><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">http://americanhumanist.org/system/storage/29/1499/ingoodwetrust-sky.jpg</FONT></A><FONT
size=3 face="Times New Roman"> .<BR><BR>“Too many think that morality is the
exclusive domain of the religious--we’re here to prove that assumption wrong,”
said Speckhardt. “We also want to reach out to other nontheists to let them know
there is a community out there for them.”<BR><BR>The billboard will run on
Highway 95, just south of Moscow near the Sweet Avenue cross street, facing
northbound traffic.<BR><BR>David Niose, president of the American Humanist
Association, pointed out that the official national motto had an unsavory
beginning. "The adoption of the 'In God We Trust' motto came at the height of
the Cold War and McCarthyism in the 1950s, and it is unfortunate that we still
cling to such religious rhetoric today. E pluribus unum, the Latin phrase for
'out of many, one,' would be a much more appropriate motto. It reflects the true
character of American society and government." <BR><BR>The American
Humanist Association billboard campaign is part of a larger effort to spread
awareness about nontheism. Other like-minded organizations such as the United
Coalition of Reason have placed billboards in numerous cities across the
country. In addition, the AHA ran bus ads that read "No God? …No Problem!" in
Washington, DC, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 2009
winter holiday season.<BR><BR>The American Humanist Association (</FONT><A
href="http://www.americanhumanist.org/" target=_blank><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">www.americanhumanist.org</FONT></A><FONT size=3
face="Times New Roman">) advocates for the rights and viewpoints of humanists.
Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., its work is extended
through more than 100 local chapters and affiliates across the United
States.<BR><BR>Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without
theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and
humanity.</FONT><BR><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>