The First Freedom First simulcast event is now available online right in your browser! Just log on to www.firstfreedomfirst.org and click to watch!

http://www.firstfreedomfirst.org/simulcast-event/watch

Watch performances by Kevin Bacon & the Bacon Brothers, a comedic performance by Marc Maron, interviews with church-state separation advocates, and much more!

Thanks for your support.

~FFF

On behalf of First Freedom First, and all who participated in making this event a spectacular success, many many thanks for your support.

The event titled "First Freedom First presents... Everything you wanted to know about separation of church and state... but were afraid to ask" was filmed on Tuesday, March 25 in Washington DC. Many celebrities appeared, including Wendy Malick, Dan Lauria, Marc Maron, and hosted by Peter Coyote.

Yesterday in the evening, thousands of people filed into movie theaters across the country to watch this historic simulcast event.

Soon, the program will be available for viewing ONLINE through streaming media. More information about that will come as it is available.

DVDs will also be produced and available for distribution.

Again, thanks so much for being a part of this event. If you weren’t able to participate, just stay tuned for more information about the online streaming broadcast and DVD copies.

 

Viva la Freedom!

FFF Event Press Release!

Celebrities to Headline Historic, Simulcast Church-State Separation Event
Community Leaders, Religious Liberty Heroes to Participate in 25-City, Nationwide Movie Theater Event to Focus Need for Church-State Separation in 2008 Elections

 

Actors, musicians and comedians will join church-state community members across the country on Wednesday evening, March 26, 2008 to put church-state separation on the national agenda during the 2008 election season.

In movie theatres in 25 cities across the nation (full list of theaters), interested citizens will gather to learn about the threats to church-state separation and to demand that candidates for elected office answer questions about key issues dealing with individual freedom. Ten questions to ask candidates that have a direct impact on Americans’ lives will be featured.  

Entitled "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Separation of Church and State … but Were Afraid to Ask!," the high-definition program is being hosted by First Freedom First, a joint project of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation...

Peter Coyote, celebrated Hollywood actor and filmmaker, will emcee the program, which will include such special guests as The Bacon Brothers (featuring actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael), actors Michael J. Fox; Jack Klugman; James Whitmore; Wendie Malick; Dan Lauria; and Catherine Dent; comedian and Air America host Marc Maron; singer/songwriter Catie Curtis and satirist Roy Zimmerman. 

 

The event will also feature Americans who have fought for individual freedoms against great odds. The March 26 simulcast is being produced by Progressive Media Agency, a Portland, OR, based firm led by Adam Klugman and Enrique Arias.

 

WHAT:           "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Separation of Church and State … but Were Afraid to Ask!," historic, 25 city, nationwide movie theater simulcast event featuring celebrities and community leaders to focus need for Church-State separation in 2008 elections. 

 

WHO:             Celebrity participants include: Hollywood actor and filmmaker Peter Coyote as emcee;   The Bacon Brothers (band featuring actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael), Michael J. Fox ("Family Ties" and "Spin City"), Jack Klugman ("The Odd Couple" and "Quincy, M.E."), James Whitmore ("The Shawshank Redemption"), Wendie Malick ("Just Shoot Me!"), Dan Lauria ("The Wonder Years"), Catherine Dent ("The Shield"), stand-up comedian and Air America host Marc Maron, singer/songwriter Catie Curtis and singer/satirist Roy Zimmerman.       

    

WHEN:           Wednesday evening, March 26, 2008

WHERE:         37-Cities Nationwide (see www.firstfreedomfirst.org for full theater list)

For more information about First Freedom First, and the simulcast event: www.firstfreedomfirst.org

Hi! I want to let you know about a simulcast theater event on March 26 we've put together - check out www.firstfreedomfirst.org for a participating theater near you and RSVP for your FREE SEAT!

EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE... BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK

presents: a simulcast event in theaters across America

Hosted by Actor/Director Peter Coyote
Featuring special guests onstage:
The Bacon Brothers (Kevin and Michael)

For more information - check out FirstFreedomFirst.org.

Thanks for your support! Spread the word!

~First Freedom First

EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE... BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK

presents:
a simulcast event in theaters across America

Hosted by Actor/Director Peter Coyote

Featuring special guests onstage:
The Bacon Brothers Band
(Kevin and Michael)

Messages and performances by...

Jack Klugman, Wendy Malick
James Whitmore, Catherine Dent
Dan Lauria, Marc Maron, Catie Curtis

with a personal message from:
Michael J. Fox

and meet individual church-state champions sharing their stories of courage.

From the presidential campaigns to city council races, candidates need to hear why protecting our Constitution and Bill of Rights matters!

Join Barry Lynn, Executive Director of Americans United and Welton Gaddy, President of The Interfaith Alliance Foundation – make your voice heard!

Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Columbia (SC)
Columbus (OH), Denver, Harrisburg, Houston
Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Little Rock, Los
Angeles, Nashville, New York, Oklahoma City
Philadelphia, Portland (OR), Raleigh, Richmond,
San Diego, Sacramento, Seattle, Tampa

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

show times vary, please check the website.

RSVP for FREE tickets

to a theatre near you by visiting

firstfreedomfirst.org

First Freedom First is a joint project of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation.

For more information, please visit firstfreedomfirst.org 

Click here and watch a great interview from The Colbert Report with author Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, discussing the Religious Right.

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/?ml_video=90782

Hey friends! First Freedom First is starting an awesome new program.

You pick the date, get some people together and we will send you a free copy of "Jesus Camp," the powerful, award-winning documentary about the Religious Right. We'll also include popcorn, lots of colorful buttons and bumper stickers, a First Freedom First DVD, petitions, a few discussion questions and a disposable camera to photograph the fun. When the event is over, you send us back the signed petitions and photos.

If you are interested, please e-mail sburgess@interfaithalliance.org!

From Claire Brinberg

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Tired of being seen by religious voters as too secular or even hostile toward religion, the Democrat party and its presidential candidates have launched an all-out effort to win their votes.

This effort is apparent on the stump, where many of the Democratic candidates speak openly of religion and God and present moral justifications for their policies. It's also going on behind the scenes, with presidential campaigns hiring strategists to coordinate their outreach to religious communities and holding weekly conference calls with religious leaders.

"It has to be authentic. This is not about Jesus-ing up the party, so to speak ... It just won't work if it's seen as a cynical ploy," said Mara Vanderslice, a Democratic strategist and evangelical Christian.

In 2004, Vanderslice was hired to coordinate John Kerry's religious outreach. She found herself working without a staff or much of a budget. She says the Kerry campaign failed to engage the faith community before it was too late to make a difference.

In the past, "there was almost a joke that you couldn't be a Christian and be a Democrat," she said.

Many voters wouldn't disagree with the joke, according to recent polling. In the 2006 midterm elections, 53 percent of weekly churchgoers voted Republican, as did 60 percent of people who attend church more than once a week, according to exit poll data. What's more, a Pew Forum poll taken just before the election showed only 26 percent of voters considered Democrats friendly to religion.

The leading Democratic presidential candidates are trying to overcome this so-called "God Gap."

"They want to pull away even several percentage points of religious people who up to now have voted Republican," said Michael Cromartie, who studies religion and politics at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington. "Remember, just a few percentage points in any number of states can change an election."

Senator Hillary Clinton has talked about how faith saw her through the turmoil of Bill Clinton's infidelity and political difficulties. Senator John Edwards openly speaks of his "deep and abiding love for [his] Savior, Jesus Christ." Senator Barack Obama has long woven the language of religion into his call for shared responsibility and social justice.

Even bigger changes have taken place behind the scenes.

Clinton and Obama have both hired strategists to coordinate faith outreach. Obama also has a faith point person in each of the three early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. His campaign held a series of "Faith, Action, Change" forums with New Hampshire voters and hosts weekly conference calls for religious leaders.

Team Clinton has assembled a Faith Steering Committee, with working groups targeting individual denominations. Edwards' campaign says it is leaning on his Campaign Manager David Bonior to help rally Catholics, considered a key swing constituency.

Changes are taking place with the party organization too. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who railed against "fundamentalist preachers" during his presidential campaign, is reaching out to evangelicals and other religious groups. Over the past 3 years, the DNC built a faith operation from scratch including a Faith Advisory Council, a research wing, polling and targeted messaging. They're partnering with state parties to bring local clergy members into the tent.

Dean, himself, has increased his visibility at religious gatherings and conducted briefings with religious leaders across the ideological spectrum. He was the first DNC chairman to appear at the Hispanic prayer breakfast.

"Contrary to partisan rhetoric, the truth is that Democrats are people of strong faith and we are guided by our values," he said at the breakfast.

As they seek to increase ties to religious organizations and voters, Democrats are taking a page from the Republican playbook. Republicans have long counted on conservative religious voters as one of their core constituencies.

But Democrats are also trying to build on some success they had in the 2006 election, when Vanderslice helped craft faith-based strategies for several Democratic congressional candidates. She urged them to speak openly about their religion, meet with members of the clergy and advertise on Christian radio.

In one radio ad, Heath Shuler of North Carolina said, "When I was in 8th grade, my mother gave me a note that read 'Heath, make every decision as if I'm standing beside you, for when I'm not, Jesus Christ always is.'" Schuler won, and like Vanderslice's other candidates, he scored significant gains among religious voters.
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There is a risk to all this. If voters feel Democrats are projecting false faith, the new religious outreach could well backfire. For Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, some of the political faith testimonials don't ring true.

"I can't probe into the souls of people," he said. "But sometimes I think that when they never talked about that before and now they're talking about it, you wonder what kind of focus group told them to do that."