Mrs. Brown goes to Washington

Lori Lipman Brown's first year as a lobbyist representing atheists was anything but boring.

She received vicious hate mail. She heard congressional testimony that compared the American Civil Liberties Union to the Taliban. And she even made a few appearances on Fox News as the sacrificial liberal lamb.

During one of the appearances, the host actually said to Brown: "They say there are no atheists in a foxhole. But if you were in an attic in New Orleans and the water was coming up to right below your chin, do you think you'd be praying?"

Brown was, no doubt, confused. But she recovered nicely.

"I told him that if I was up to my neck in water, instead of praying I would be trying to get out of the water. Then I said, 'In the aftermath of Katrina, humanist and atheist groups -- all of the groups that don't rely on a higher power to make things happen -- took a very active role in raising money and going out and trying to help. We believe we have to do the best we can in this life to make things as good as they can possibly be right here and now.'"

Brown shared this story and others on Sept. 17 at the Las Vegas Library. During the 90-minute discussion, which was co-sponsored by the Humanist Association of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Freethought Society, she summarized her first year in Washington, D.C. as a secular lobbyist.

"I would say that it was much more successful than I thought it would be," said Brown, director of the Secular Coalition for America, following the talk. "There was more attention from the media than I thought there would be. And I had no idea that we would serve as a resource for people who are being attacked for being nontheistic.

"I'm glad that my group has become a resource for those people."

Politicians and their staffs have also been open to her and her organization, said Brown.

"I've been included, just like any other lobbyist," said the former Las Vegan. "Some representatives embrace the fact that I'm there. Some just accept it. Some are still not sure why any religious minorities should have any rights at all.

"But I've been accepted. No member of Congress has ever been rude or obnoxious to me -- and I've visited members and staffs who have a zero percent voting record with us."

Brown said members of the Nevada delegation, though they don't identify themselves as atheists, have also been accepting.

"I think what she's doing is very important for our country," said U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, who is Jewish. "I'm a strong supporter of the separation of church and state. And through her work, Lori is emphasizing the importance of that concept to our country.

"But I think she has a challenge ahead of her," continued Berkley, a Democrat. "These are very challenging times to be a secular lobbyist."

The Secular Coalition for America has a staff of two, Brown and associate director Ron Millar. The organization's first-year budget was about $100,000.

It has been funded for a second year, but its budget has not increased.

The mission of the coalition is to increase the visibility and respectability of atheists and to keep religion out of government.

"Some of the things we had hoped for have already happened," said Brown, who started her second year in D.C. on Sept. 20. "People who are theistic, religious folks I lobby with, have started to pay more attention to the fact that not all Americans believe in God. Just the fact that they recognize that is huge.

"But the real point of success will be when Congress members and their staffs start calling us when a church-state issue comes up, to ask what our position is. That's already happened a couple of times, which I think is great. They're starting to find out who we are."

For more information on the Secular Coalition for America, call 202-299-1091 or visit Secular.org.

Matt O'Brien is CityLife's news editor. He can be reached at 871-6780 ext. 350 or mobrien@lvcitylife.com.