April 1, 2003

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We the undersigned ask that you designate this May 1, the first Thursday in the month of May, the National Day of Reason. A proclamation, such as the one that follows would go a long way toward encouraging the application of reason and tolerance in public discourse and affirming the value of maintaining the separation of church and state.

Proclamation

WHEREAS the foundational documents of our great nation were born of the Enlightenment, incorporating, for the first time in history a commitment to the principles of reason, tolerance, democracy, and human rights; and

WHEREAS the consistent application of reason offers hope that we may resolve the many challenges facing humanity, whether environmental, military, economic or social, and will enable moral and ethical interactions among people and their environment; and

WHEREAS the United States of America has been a world leader in fields of endeavor that rely on reason, including scientific and medical research, social reform, democratic government, fair elections, and human rights;

NOW, THEREFORE I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the power vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, the 1st day of May, 2003, a NATIONAL DAY OF REASON, and encourage all citizens, residents, and visitors to join in observing this day and focus upon the employ of reason, critical thought, the scientific method, and free inquiry to resolve human problems and care for the welfare of humankind.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I hereunto set my hand and cause the Seal of the United States to be herein affixed.

Sincerely,

Clark D. Adams
Vice President, HALVASON (The Humanist Association of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada)
Public Relations Director, The Internet Infidels

August E. Brunsman IV
Executive Director, Secular Student Alliance

Matt Cherry
Executive Director, Institute for Humanist Studies

Frederick Edwords
Chair, Camp Quest

Paul Geisert
Director, OABITAR (Objectivity, Accuracy, and Balance in Teaching About Religion)

Tony Hileman
Executive Director, American Humanist Association

Jende A. Huang
Board of Directors, Secular Student Alliance

Edwin Kagin
Director, Camp Quest

Helen Kagin
Registrar & Co-Director, Camp Quest

Bobbie Kirkhart
Atheist Alliance International

Stephanie Kirmer
High School Director, Secular Student Alliance

William A. Schultz
Secretary, The Internet Infidels

Mary Ellen Sikes
Associate Director, Institute for Humanist Studies

Herb Silverman
President, Secular Coalition for America

Barbara Stocker
Vice President, Rationalist Society of St. Louis