During last night's State of the Union address, President Obama presented a bold progressive agenda for the next four years, from raising the minimum wage to providing pre-K education for all children, and we at the American Humanist Association look forward to supporting many of the initiatives mentioned, especially passage of the Violence Against Women Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. Of course, many humanists and atheists were counting the number of references to God and faith (3 each, if you were curious) and may have been particularly irritated when Obama said, referring to the military, "We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home." Roy Speckhardt, American Humanist Association executive director, responded best by saying, "The universal right to vote isn't God-given, but humanity achieved, as is underlined by our need to keep striving toward that goal." 

What are your thoughts about the President's State of the Union speech? Which part of the President's plan are you most or least excited about? Write to us at hnn@americanhumanist.org and we may publish your comments in an upcoming issue of HNN.

Maggie Ardiente
Editor, HNN