Promotional Wheels Keep on Turning
Photo by OSTILL / 123RF On May 5, in reaction to the Town of Greece v. Galloway Supreme Court decision that found nondiscriminatory prayers before legislative meetings to be constitutional, the American Humanist Association launched the Secular Invocations Program to promote alternatives to sectarian prayers. Already over 150 people have been approved to give secular invocations. Whatever they plan to say, they may want to refrain from concluding with cartwheels.
As reported in June, Phoenix, Arizona, resident Dianne Barker, 65, often attended public council meetings advocating for traveling without cars to promote a healthy lifestyle, and would always end her remarks with a cartwheel. “You need to have passion in what you’re doing rather than 3 minutes and here’s your lobotomy,” the former Ohio State cheerleader explained. Her local government has sent Baker a letter asking her to cease her cartwheeling because it’s disruptive and poses a risk to others. Regardless, the promotional ploy worked. Perhaps secular invocators could give a handstand or the splits a try.
Published in the July / August 2014 Humanist