1 January 2015 
    

Another trip around the sun together has come to a close and a new year is here. 2015 promises to be a productive year for the CFFC and we are so glad to have you as a supporter. The freethought movement in Central Florida and support of state/church separation activism continues to grow rapidly as we work hard to keep other people's religious doctrine from impacting our secular government and the private lives of all citizens.

In this new year edition we invite you to check out all the other local group's websites, Facebook pages, Facebook groups, and Meetup groups at our Allies page here as well as the events posted on the Orlando Coalition of Reason's Events page here. The calendar there takes events from several local groups and compiles them in one place using a Google Calendar.

Lastly, a big "Thank You" to everyone who has been a supporter of our organization over the last two years. Without the support of individual contributors, volunteers, and reports of violations we would never have been as effective. 

Thanks so very much!
News You Can Use
Local or regional news that matters to you 

Marriage Equality Day (of Confusion) - January 6th

Next week, same sex marriages should be permitted across Florida. A federal judge has ruled that a ban resulting from the 2008 ballot measure was unconstitutional and the Supreme Court has refused Attorney General Pam Bondi's request to extend the court-ordered stay preventing marriage equality. 

To muddy the waters a bit, the law firm representing the Florida Association of Court Clerks advised them through a non-binding opinion that clerks should not (and might be sued if they) issue marriage licenses anywhere except Washington County where the lawsuit originated. The pie chart to the right shows that 69% of clerks (LOL) in an AP survey last week (see pie chart) did not plan to issue licenses to same sex couples with most others unsure or not responding. With this contradiction, Bondi has asked the Judge to clarify the ruling. We are still waiting for that clarification as of this writing on January 1.

Fortunately, marriage licenses issued in ANY Florida county are valid ANYWHERE in the state. We have confirmed that, on Tuesday, the Osceola County and Orange County Clerk's offices will issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. More will soon follow.
 
We ARE slowly becoming a nation "with liberty and justice for all."

Here are two excellent marriage equality resources for you:
Orange County School Bible Distributions

Things still look good for the removal of all religious literature distributions in Orange County public high schools. School Board Attorney Woody Rodriquez noted at the last board meeting that there will be a board workshop in January and in February the Board will vote on an updated policy. No firm dates are available yet.

An updated policy will likely restrict outside group literature distributions in such a way as to prohibit our materials as well as those of religious organizations. We will be there to offer our support of the policy change along with our assistance in crafting language which will stand up to legal challenges. Stay tuned for those meeting dates on our Meetup page here.

Keep up with all these news stories on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Something To Do
More Coalition events here
A few events from the Orlando CoR
 
Sat, Jan 3 at 8:30 AM - Deltona 

Meetup, Discussion and Pizza

Sat, Jan 3 at 12 PM - Orlando

 

Dinner with the Hispanic American Freethinkers

Sat, Jan 3 at 6:30 PM - Orlando


Sun, Jan 4 at 4:30 PM - Orlando

Wed, Jan 14 at 7 PM - Melbourne

 

Sun, Jan 18 at 11 AM - Oviedo
 
Sat, Jan 24 at 7 AM - Casselberry
Secular Quotable



"The defense of science and reason is

the great imperative of our time."

 

Christopher Hitchens

Activist Assignment
Simple ways you can help with our shared goals

Do you live near a school, library, or other public building? If so, you can help us out by being our eyes and ears!

If you live near a public school, then drive through or pass by the parking lot occasionally. Look for banners advertising worship services or other religious signage and let us know about it. Organizations renting space may not advertise outside the times when they are actually paying to lease that space. Sometimes churches and schools don't follow the rules like they should.

If you live near a library or another government building, go inside once in a while and check it out. Perhaps there is religious literature being displayed in such a way as to violate the law. We can look into it with you and ensure that our government isn't promoting one religion over another or promoting religion over non-religion.

If you find something there (or anywhere else) that appears to be a violation be sure to let us know using our Contact Us page at the CFFC website.
Friends of Ours. Friends of Yours.
Allied organizations which deserve your attention 

There are so many freethought groups and allies in and around Central Florida. Find them at our Allies page. If you see one missing let us know!

Help Wanted!
Want to help with our work? Here's how.

Are you interested in helping guide CFFC into the future? Whether you have a specific skill or simply want to help out however it is needed, please let us know. There is much work already being done with more to do! Some tasks include:
  • Online research
  • Basic bookkeeping
  • Special events tabling
  • Social media management
  • Complaint intake and data entry

Some projects under way include incorporating in Florida, becoming a 501(c)(3), assembling a Board of Directors as well as standing and ad hoc committees to do the work of the organization. Use our Contact Us page to learn more or to offer your help!
CFFC
PO Box 621123
Oviedo, Florida 32762
cflfreethought.org
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