THE COWTOWN HUMANIST
A chapter of the American Humanist
Association and The Alliance of Secular Humanist Societies.
http://www.freeyellow.com/members6/aha-fw/
http://www.webalias.com/humanism
November 2001 Volume 3, No.
8
Next
Meeting
This
month's meeting will be 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 14, at the Westside UU
Church, 6901 McCart. The guest speaker will be Westside UU Minister Lillie
Henley. See below for details.
Last month
Rosemary
Bell of the Women's Haven spoke to our group about domestic violence. She gave
a fascinating and relevant talk that was appreciated by everyone. Unfortunately,
our turnout was a little lower than usual. It may have had something to do with
the weather, but I'm guessing it has something to do with me. (After all, it's
ALWAYS about me.) Anyway, after Rosemary's talk, we presented her with a small
assortment of goods that the Women's Haven had identified on their "wish
list." This was a first for our group, but we hope to do more donations in
the future. Stay tuned!
It
ain't easy bein' clean
In our
never-ending battle to clean up this town (or at least one stretch of road in
it) we held another trash pick-up in October. My thanks to everyone who helped
sift through the grass, including Mike Haney, Bruce Bergrren, Russell Elleven,
Pam Hughes and Wallace and Gail Harrison, who also brought along their two fine
children to help out. We had a fine morning, and afterward, we convened at the
bagel shop to discuss the day and compare dog bites (just kidding). Now we're
just waiting to hear Bruce's feasibility study on whether we can afford to buy
our own riding mower.
And
the contraband played on
Some of you
may recall that we were contacted, several months back, by a young man who is
in prison, and is interested in learning about Humanism. We had decided
that, although we would not give him a free membership, we would send him
several back issues of the magazine.
Well, the
wheels of justice may move slowly, but the wheels of a prison barely budge. We
have sent the young man a package of magazines twice, and both times it has
been refused by the prison officials; apparently, Humanists are just too
suspicious. However, Russell and I have discussed the situation, and we are
going to try one more time, this time mailing each magazine individually --
sort of hoping to wear them down. With any luck, at least a couple of these
shipments will get in -- maybe even before the prisoner gets out.
It's
beginning to look a lot like . . . solstice
If you've
started taking note of holiday parties, be sure to write down this one: The
Winter Solstice Bash. It's an annual celebration for Humanists, atheists and
all other free-thinkers. The party is set for December 16, and is held in
Weatherford, in the "party barn" (and it IS a barn) of Dick Hogan, a
member of the Metroplex Atheists.
We've had
members attend in previous years, but usually, we just show up and indulge in
all the food and drinks. This year, we'd like to take a more active role,
helping with the planning and providing some goodies. If you can help -- or
even if you'd just like to go check it out, let us know; two of our members,
Shelly and John Hattan, also are involved with the Atheists group, and can
provide even more details. We hope to have a large turnout at this party --
after all, it's "the reason for the season."
Here's
mud in your idea
Some of our
members have expressed an interest in starting a Toastmasters Club for
Humanists and other freethinkers. Of course, this would be a good opportunity
for anyone to sharpen your speaking skills, but mostly it would be another cool
way to get together with like-minded folks and discuss relevant issues of the
day (and night). If you want to know more about the toastmasters first, check
out their web site, www.toastmasters.org.
If you're interested in trying to start a group, post a comment on the yahoo
groups board, or contact Russell Elleven. Cheers!
Thank
you for being a friend
At
Humanists of Fort Worth, we're always looking for new members . . . but we need
your help to find them. Do you know someone who might enjoy
seeing our newsletter? Just let us know, and we will add that person to
our mailing list (electronic or conventional) and send them a few future
copies. Send your suggestion to either Bruce or myself, and we'll take it from
there. There is no cost no commitment -- and no salesman will call.
We're
only hUUman
Religion
and Humanism: They go together like . . . well, DO they go together? Rev.
Lillie Henley, the new minister of the Westside UU Church, will try
to help answer that question. She'll be discussing religious Humanism, the
tradition of Humanism within the Unitarian Universalist church, and some of her
own personal thoughts about atheism and agnosticism and Humanism. (Of course,
she'll also want to hear from all of you, too.) This promises to be fascinating
and wide-ranging discussion, and we hope you will want to attend.
Coming
in December
Linda
Foley, from the local chapter of Peace Action, will be speaking to our
group about their group's current anti-war activities and the controversy
it has generated. This will be a topic that is truly timely and provocative --
mark your calendars now!
Just
for fun
Q: Did you
hear what happened to the minister when he went to Mount Olive?
A: Popeye almost killed him.
Hope to see
you Wednesday,
Jeff
How
to reach us
Jeff
Rodriguez, Chairman
817-732-4235
Mike Haney,
Vice Chairman
mhaneyinfw@hotmail.com
Bruce
Berggren, Treasurer