AU Tampa held a powerful 2007 Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 20th at the John F. Germany Downtown Library. A panel discussion entitled "View Through Four Windows" brought together distinguished speakers from diverse perspectives to answer the question: Is separation of religion and government of value to your religion or culture?

Panelists included:

• Dr. Harold Brockus, President of South Pinellas Chapter of AU and retired pastor of Good Samaritan Presbyterian Church in Pinellas Park
• Samar Dahmash-Jarrah, USF political science instructor, widely-traveled Palestinian-American educator, journalist and author of "Arab Voices Speak to American Hearts"
• John Kieffer, Infantry Major, USAR (Ret.) and Vietnam combat veteran
• Ed Knecht, Esq, former New York State Assistant Attorney General, veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict

Tampa Chapter President Dr. Albert Wells opened the program, and Vice-President Ken Cooley moderated the panel discussion and audience question s. John Kieffer was kind enough to share his presentation notes with us, available here (pdf).

Church-State Activism & Advances
In keeping with AU Tampa's emphasis on K-12 civics education, we encourage our chapter members to read Congressman Frey and former Senator Bob Graham's report 'Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens' (pdf format). Frey and Graham's report prompted a new proposed bill in the Florida Senate which would mandate and emphasize civics instruction in Florida's public schools. This new bill, referred to for now as Committee Substitute for for Senate Bill 1234, can be read online here. We urge you to read through the legislation, and ask your state senator (find yours here) to co-sponsor CS for SB 1234. Likewise, contact your state house representative (find yours here) and ask him/her to propose a similar bill in the house. And it wouldn't hurt to ask Governor Charlie Crist for support as well.


AU Tampa's 2006 Annual Meeting was held Saturday, November 18th at 2:00 pm at the Jan Platt Regional Library. Rob Lorei, news director and co-founder of community radio station WMNF, spoke to chapter members and guests from the Center for Inquiry. Mr. Lorei addressed the need for networking and organization, recognizing the signs of fascism in our country, and working on social issues such as immigration and the minimum wage. Audience members raised questions about science education and the various effects of religious influences from parents and teachers, and discussion on faith-based initiatives. Chapter president Al Wells presented Mr. Lorei with a plaque of appreciation to conclude the meeting.

AU Tampa hosted the chapter's 2005 Annual Meeting at the Jan Platt Regional Library on October 15th. An enthusiastic audience greeted our guest of honor Michael Pheneger, retired US Army colonel and local ACLU spokesman. Mike spoke about the mythology of church-state relations, and the systematic distortion of church-state issues throughout the country. For example, Mike cited the myth that prayer has been driven from public schools and the public square. In truth, the Supreme Court has ruled that the government cannot establish religious ceremonies, but anyone is free to pray anywhere, at any time, without disturbing others. The Federal Equal Access Act allows students to form Bible study or religious clubs and pray in school as part of their club activity. Another example: the fake James Madison and Patrick Henry quotes which are used to falsely imply that the United States is founded on the Judeo-Christian principles.

Chapter President Al Wells	Col. Mike Pheneger (US Army, Ret.)