Freethought Radio

Guest: Michael Graziano. We first talk with FFRF Associate Counsel Sam Grover about his incisive recent blog on how constitutional absolutism is literally killing us. Then, FFRF Communications Director Amit Pal interviews Professor Michael Graziano regarding his fascinating new book Errand Into the Wilderness of Mirrors: Religion and the History of the CIA.

After we report on state/church news and victories in Florida, California and North Carolina, FFRF Legal Director Patrick Elliott describes FFRF's new lawsuit challenging proposed bible distribution in Oklahoma public schools. Then we hear author and journalist Katherine Stewart, accepting FFRF's "Freethought Heroine" award, warn of the dangers of religious nationalism.

After reporting state/church news in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Alaska, we devote a segment to the dangers of the proposed Christian-right authoritarian "Project 2025." Then, we hear the engaging speech by Ron Reagan (son of the former president) given at FFRF's annual convention last month, where he tells us about the authoritarian threats to our planet and to democracy -- and what we can do about those threats.

Prayer is the target of this week's show: the National Prayer Breakfast and school-board prayer. For Valentine's Day, we hear Susan Hofer sing Dan Barker's freethought love song, "It's Only Natural." Then, we speak with FFRF attorneys Sammi Lawrence and Chris Line about their watchdog letters of complaint to public officials who violate state/church separation and the legal friend-of-the-court briefs they have written to keep religion out of government.

After reporting an FFRF victory removing the Ten Commandments from a Mississippi county courthouse, we announce FFRF’s new “I’m Secular and I Vote!” campaign to impress candidates with the concerns of the fast-growing demographic of nonbelieving voters. We honor the life of freethinking civil-rights activist W. E. B. Du Bois, founder of the NAACP. Then we talk with Armin Navabi, a former Muslim from Iran, founder of Atheist Republic and author of the book Why There Is No God: Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God.