HAT meeting 11-16-08

There were 14 people at the November 2008 HAT meeting.

Randy announced that the annual Human Light (see www.HumanLight.org) celebration will be on December 21, 2008 at his house. Randy and Dawn will serve a meal, followed by the Secular Singers leading the group in song. Next, Marilyn Clarke will have a play for us to read.

Randy read a few poems including “Who Are My People” by Rosa Zagnoni Marinoni, “I Am” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and “Every Child” by Hafiz. Next, Barbara Frey read a poem she had written many years ago, “Credo Contempore.” Lastly, Bob Hooper read a poem by Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess.”

I took a photo of the group. It can be seen at our meetup site.

I passed around a sheet of paper so that everyone present could list what information they wanted included in our new directory.

Nominations were received for offices for next year. The present officers were willing to serve another term. No one volunteered to run against the present officers.

Bill Dusenberry spoke about affiliating with a national organization and recommended the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Affiliation with FFRF would benefit us by making available to us various assets that affiliates receive.

Brian Hill gave a review of the book Camelot and the Cultural Revolution: How the Assassination of John F. Kennedy Shattered American Liberalism by James Piereson. The discussion of the book went off on a tangent when the subject of the number of gunmen involved in the incident came up.

November Freethought Schedule

November 2008 Activities of Interest to Freethinkers

November 2008
Activities of Interest to Freethinkers

Sat., Nov. 1, 7:00pm Movie Night at the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th St.
Movie selection: TBA

Sat., Nov. 8, 2:00 pm Secular Singers, meet at Gail’s house, 4630 S. Victor Ave.

Sun., Nov. 9, 1:00pm Humanist Study Group at the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th. We will listen to and discuss a Point of Inquiry podcast.

Tues., Nov. 11, 7:00 pm Liberal Action Network at Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center.

Sat., Nov. 15, 7:00 pm Atheists Meetup Mid-Month Social Gathering. Venue TBA

Sun., Nov. 16, 1:00pm HAT Monthly Membership Meeting at Hardesty Library, 93rd and Memorial. Brain Hill will review the book Camelot and the Cultural Revolution: How the Assassination of John F. Kennedy Shattered American Liberalism by James Piereson.

Sat., Nov. 22, 11:30am Food & Fellowship at The Rib Crib, 6902 S. Lewis.

Sun., Nov. 23, 1:00pm Atheists Meetup at Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center.


Questions? Call Randy at 622-6975 or Dan at 798-3629.

HAT Meeting, 10-19-08

Eight people were present for today’s HAT meeting. Randy phoned me this morning and said he had twisted a knee and would not be coming. I gave the financial report and the membership report. Then I read a selection from Atheist Universe by David Mills. John and Bob also read selections.

Brian gave a review of Just How Stupid Are We?: Facing the Truth About the American Voter. Everytime Brian addresses our group I am reminded of how fortunate we are to have him as a member.

General discussion followed the talk until a little past 3 pm.

October 2008 Activities of Interest to Freethinkers

Fri., Oct 3, 7:00 am
The Breakfast Club with Kimberly Burdick will hold its inaugural meeting on this date. The primary purpose for this Atheists Meetup is to provide an opportunity for those whose work schedule keeps them from meeting with us at other times to be a part of our group.

Fri., Oct. 3, 7:30 pm
Group viewing of “Religulous” at Circle Cinema. Will go out for food following the movie.

Sat., Oct. 4, 7:00pm
Movie Night at the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th St. Movie selection: Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections. This documentary shows how election fraud changed the outcome of the 2004 election and led to even greater fraud in 2006. The documentary reveals how easy it is to change election outcomes and undermine election integrity across the U.S. Running time: 80 minutes.

Sun., Oct. 5, 2:30 pm
OCCJ March. Join the 2-mile march which starts at 322 N. Greenwood. Enjoy barbecue afterwards.

Sat., Oct. 11, 2:00 pm
Secular Singers, meet at Dan’s house, 4925 Spruce, Sand Springs

Sun., Oct. 12, 1:00pm
Humanist Study Group at the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th. We will listen to and discuss a Point of Inquiry podcast.

Tues., Oct. 14, 7:00 pm
Liberal Action Network at Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center.

Wed., Oct. 15, 12:30 am
ALGAE luncheon at White River Fish Market, 1708 N. Sheridan. This is the final weekday luncheon of the year. Note the new time.

Wed., Oct. 15, 7:00 pm
Atheists Meetup Mid-Month Social Gathering. Venue TBA

Sun., Oct. 19, 1:00pm
HAT Monthly Membership Meeting at Hardesty Library, 93rd and Memorial. Brain Hill will review the book Just How Stupid Are We?: Facing the Truth About the American Voter.

Sat., Oct. 25, 11:30am
Food & Fellowship at Lanna Thai, 7227 S. Memorial.

Sun., Oct. 26, 1:00pm
Atheists Meetup at Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center.


Questions? Call Randy at 622-6975 or Dan at 798-3629.

September 2008 Calendar

Sat., Sept. 6, 7:00pm
Movie Night at the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th St.
Gail and Dan will perform a duet at the piano by Eugenie Rocherolle. Feature presentation to be selected that evening.

Wed., Sept. 10, 7:00pm
Atheists Meetup Mid-month Social Gathering at The Royal Dragon in the Fontana Center.

Sun., Sept. 14, 1:00pm
Humanist Study Group at the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th. We will listen to and discuss a Point of Inquiry podcast.

Wed., Sept. 17, 11:15 am
ALGAE luncheon at White River Fish Market, 1708 N. Sheridan. This month and next we revive our luncheon at White River. Come have a bowl of gumbo or red beans and rice with us.

Sun., Sept. 21, 1:00pm
HAT Monthly Membership Meeting at Hardesty Library, 93rd and Memorial. Brain Hill will review the book The Gross National Happiness: Why Happiness Matters for America and How We Can Get More of It by Arthur C. Brooks.

Sat., Sept. 27, 11:30am
Food & Fellowship at The Royal Dragon in the Fontana Center.

Sun., Sept. 28, 1:00pm
Atheists Meetup at Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center.

Secular Singers will not meet this month. Same goes for the Liberal Action Network.
Both of these events should be back on the October calendar.

Questions? Call Randy at 622-6975 or Dan at 798-3629.

HAT happenings

Our humanist chapter met twice this week. On Sunday, August 17, we met at Hardesty Library for our third Sunday membership meeting. There were 14 people in attendance at this meeting. Randy spoke about purchasing a tent for tabling purposes, but no action was taken on the matter.

Randy next read a poem by William Blake: "Auguries of Innocence." We don’t hear the word “auguries” used much anymore. It means “omens” or “portents.”

For my part as Secretary and Treasurer, I reported that we have $1588.61 in the treasury, and the membership total is now 27.

I read two selections for my contribution to our literary reflections time. The first was written by Kenneth C. Davis and was from his recent book American’s Hidden History. The second was written by comedian Lewis Black and is found in his book Me of Little Faith. It seemed that many of the fourteen present had much they wished to talk about this day. We were engaged in lively conversation until someone made the observation that Brian had a program to present. Brian showed a portion of a 4-hour PBS special on Sigmund Freud and C. S. Lewis.

On Saturday, August 23, once again 14 people showed up for Food & Fellowship at Helen of Troy on South Lewis. (It was the same gang of 14, with the exception of four.) We had Greek/Mediterranean food. Some of us were surprised to learn that Bob N, had a new tattoo on his upper left arm. I say some of us, because with 14 people lined up at one long table, those on the north end of the table might have missed out on what was going on down on the south end.

Library dedication, fitness center, drumming

Yesterday was a busy day for me. I did three things: attended the dedication of the new Kaiser Library; joined the fitness center at Tulsa Community College (West campus), and attended the drum circle at the Price house.



The library dedication lasted 45 minutes – not quite the two hours Jan had predicted. The event was larger than I had expected. It was held in the gymnasium of the new community center. The library/community center is all under on roof. One strange aspect of the dedication was the tree watering. A small tree (maybe six feet high in a planter) which is normally at the entrance of the library was moved into the gym. Inasmuch as it is associated with a library, the tree was referred to as “the tree of knowledge.” In the story of Adam and Eve, there is also a “tree of knowledge” (of good and evil), from which grows the forbidden fruit. The symbolic watering of the tree was a way of indicating a hope for the nourishment of the tree. Someone remarked that the complex was to serve the whole person: the library will serve the mind; the community center the body. Did anyone else, I wonder, think of the connection to the Garden of Eden story?



There were many people at the dedication, maybe two to three hundred. I recognized many people at the gathering. Tulsa mayor Kathy Taylor was there, along with former Tulsa mayor Bill LaFortune. (The library was built on the grounds of LaFortune Park.) Speaking at the event were Richard Bales (park director), Fred Perry (chairman of the county commission), Bob Dick (a former county commissioner), LaVerne Ford Wimberly (chairman of the library commission), Bonnie Henke (president-elect of the Tulsa Library Trust Board), Bill LaFortune, and Linda Saferite (head of the Tulsa City-County Library).



Funds for building the Community Center came from the Vision 2025 tax; funds for building the Kaiser Library came from private donations. Among the donors contributing to the building of the library is the Humanist Association of Tulsa. The words “Humanist Association of Tulsa” appear on a plaque near the entrance to the library.



Entertainment at the dedication was provided by a band featuring a steel drum. Steel Around is the name of the band. They played several songs including “Yellow Bird,” and “Brown-Eyed Girl.” Refreshments were served, also.



In the afternoon, we went to the TCC campus and joined the fitness center there. We had to have a picture ID made and then pay the fee to use the facility. We then returned home and I took a nap. We returned to the fitness center later in the afternoon and walked for thirty minutes. The walking track is above the basketball court and circles the court. Several exercise machines are available to use. Down on the basketball court were several people attending a lecture of some kind with a powerpoint presentation.



In the evening I attended my drumming group at the Price house. Craig (former drum circle member) called while we were there, saying he may be back with more stories of his adventures.

Movie Night report

There were just seven members who showed up for Movie Night last night. Present were Randy and Dawn, Jan and myself, and Marilyn, Gail, and Steven. After Gail and I played our duets, we viewed the movie The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Gail brought some lemon bars, and we had the usual popcorn and soft drinks.

August 2008 Activities of Interest to Freethinkers

Sat., August 2, 7:00pm
Movie Night at the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th St.
Gail and Dan will perform duets at the piano by Wohlfarht and Mozart. Feature presentation to be decided that evening.

Sat., August 9, 2:00pm
Secular Singers at home of Gail Storey, 4630 S. Victor Ave. There will be a whole lot of hootin’ and hollarin’ going on. All welcome.

Sun., August 10, 1:00pm
Humanist Study Group at Randy’s, 6705 E. 54th St. Topic: TBA

Sun., August 17, 1:00pm
HAT Monthly Membership Meeting at Hardesty Library, 93rd and Memorial. Yes, we are still meeting at Hardesty. Brian Hill will be showing selections from the PBS special “The Question of God.”

Sat., August 23, 11:30am
Food & Fellowship at Helen of Troy, 6700 S. Lewis.

Sun., August 24, 1:00pm
Atheists Meetup at Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center.



Questions? Call Randy at 622-6975 or Dan at 798-3629.

Food & Fellowship

We had our monthly Food & Fellowship gathering today at Billy Sims’s Barbecue at The Farm shopping center near 51st and Sheridan. There were a dozen of us there enjoying barbecue sandwiches and “fixins” (potato salad, baked beans, chips, etc.). The group included Marilyn C., Marilyn G., Brian, Bob H., Richard, Larry R., Dawn, Randy, Kim, Ron, and Jan and myself.

Down at my end of the table, the conversation was mostly about energy (the high price of, new sources of, wind as, effect of China and India’s growing demand for, etc.). I usually learn something new at these gatherings, and today was no exception. I learned from Richard that there are a series of short (usually 2 to 5 minutes in length) skits that go by the name of “Mr. Deity” which you can find on YouTube, or you can just Google “Mr. Deity” at your computer. I don’t know how many episodes there are of Mr. Deity, but I just finished watching the first five. The link to Episode 1 is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzf8q9QHfhI&NR=1

It’s funny, but at the same time it’s not funny.

After we had finished eating, we all got in our respective vehicles and drove over to the new Kaiser Library in LaFortune Park. We saw the name of our chapter, “Humanist Association of Tulsa,” on a wall which recognized groups or individuals who had made donations toward the building of the library.

We spoke with a librarian who seemed to indicate there would be no problem with reserving the meeting room in the library. The person in charge of meeting room reservations was not there at the time of our visit, but Randy got his phone number to contact him later. As it turns out, the meeting room had already been reserved for the times we wished to reserve it. So our meetings will continue to be held at Hardesty Library at the usual time on the usual day.

The community center portion of the building is not yet open, but should be open by September. There is a possibility we might move there this fall, if we are able to reserve a meeting room in that part of the building.

HAT Meeting 7-20-08

There were 15 people in attendance at the HAT meeting yesterday. There were also several visitors at this meeting. Members attending were John L., Marilyn G., Brian H., Ron McD., Marilyn C., Randy B., Audrey D., Kimberly B., Bob H., and myself. Visitors in attendance were Herb V. F., William D., Larry R., and Jim and Sally McE. After the meeting, three of the visitors paid dues and became new members. Herb, Bill, and Larry.

We discussed moving the meetings to the new Kaiser Library at LaFortune Park. We will go, as a group, immediately after the Food & Fellowship gathering this Saturday (the library is closed on Sundays) to look over the new library and perhaps make a decision then about moving the meetings to Saturday at the Kaiser Library. Anyone interested in having input on this decision should try to join us at Billy Sims’s Barbecue in The Farm shopping center for the Food & Fellowship this coming Saturday at 11:30. After we eat, we will tour the new library. We should also be able to locate the plaque with our group’s name on it as a donor to help build the new library.

I spoke about a new Meetup group I am starting called Liberal Action Network. The purpose of this group is to generate letters to political representatives on issues of concern to ourselves. The first LAN Meetup will be held at The Royal Dragon on 51st Street (in the Fontana Center) on August 16, 7pm. We will be in the room with the large circular table. This will be a working meeting, in that while we are gathered together, we will write our letters. If you would like to do more than bewail the state of things, plan on attending this Meetup group and write a letter with us. Writing materials will be provided. All you need to do is show up.

Marilyn Clarke did an excellent job leading the program, “Freud, Religion, and Primary Process Thinking.” She spoke of the role our parents play in creating religion in ourselves. As young children, we have to rely upon our parents (“magical beings”) who know our needs and fulfill them while we are yet inarticulate. As we get older, we still look for magical beings to fulfill our needs. Now the magical beings become god(s).

June 2008 Activities of Interest to Freethinkers

June 2008
Activities of Interest to Freethinkers


Sat., June 7, 7:00pm Movie Night at the Bradleys, 6705 E. 54th St.

Sun., June 8, 2:00pm Humanist Study Group at Randy’s, 6705 E. 54th St. Normally scheduled for 1pm, meeting time changed to avoid a gap between this event and Stan’s party.

Sun., June 8, 4:00pm Stan’s party, enjoy dinner at Stan’s place, 1513 E. 3rd.

Wed., June 11, 7:30pm Atheists Meetup Mid-Month Social Dinner
See atheists.meetup.com/477 for more information.

Sat., June 14, 2 to 4pm Secular Singers at Gail’s house, 4630 S. Victor.

Sun., June 15, 1:00pm HAT Monthly Membership Meeting at Hardesty Library, 93rd and Memorial. Program Director Brian Hill will show a travelogue film on Paris, France.

Sat., June 21, 7:00pm Combination Solstice Party and Sky Party, Bradley house, 6705 E. 54th. Celebrate with us the coming of the summer solstice; if we have clear skies, we will look at some celestial objects through telescopes.

Sun., June 22, 2:00pm Atheists Meetup at Agora Coffee House, Fontana Center. See atheists.meetup.com/477 for more information.

Sat., June 28, 11:30am Food & Fellowship at The Local Table, 4329 S. Peoria.

Sat., June 28, 2 to 4pm Keystone Ancient Forest Tour (tentative; depends upon interest shown at June 15 meeting).




Questions? Call Randy at 622-6975 or Dan at 798-3629.

HAT Meeting (5-18-08) and other events

HAT held its May meeting on the 18th of the month at Hardesty Library. Attendence was ten. Brian had prepared to show a travelogue on Paris, but the conversation was going so well that when Marilyn spoke up and said lets keep this conversation going, we did just that. For the better part of two hours we sat around the table and talked.

Stan Simpson would like to invite all HAT and TAM members to a party he will host on the afternoon of June 8, which is a Sunday. You may park across the street from his house at the transmission shop. Plan to arrive around 4 pm. The Humanist Study Group will meet at 2 pm and will end in time to drive to Stan's house.

I gave a membership and financial report on our chapter. Ron McDaniel paid his dues, and John Lowerison joined our chapter at the end of the meeting. That brings our membership total for the year up to 23. In the treasury we now have $1,555.31.

I read a poem by Cathryn Essinger titled "The Man Next Door Is Teaching His Dog to Drive." Please, I would like to see a few more people read a poem (or prose selection) at future meetings.

At the Food & Fellowship gathering today, our original venue was closed (second time this has happened to us). Just like last time, we went across the street and ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, Binh-le's. Twelve people were in attendance at this event.

HAT Meeting 3.16.08

At the HAT meeting last Sunday, March 16, there were 12 people in attendance. Two of the twelve were visitors. The program was presented by our program director Brian Hill. Brian spoke on Suzanne Haneef’s book What Everyone Should Know about Islam and Muslims.
I reported that our membership for the year stood at 20. During the poetry reading segment, I read “Letter of Recommendation” by Robert B. Shaw, another poem I first heard read on Garrison Keillor’s “Writer’s Almanac.” Marilyn Clarke recited from memory lines from “The More Loving One” by W. H. Auden.

HAT Meeting 2.17.08

The meeting began with announcements of upcoming events, namely the Food & Fellowship at 11:30 am on the 23rd at Cardigan’s (6000 S. Lewis) and the Atheists Meetup at 2:00 pm on the 24th at The Hideaway (1419 E. 15th).

The new HAT librarian is Kim Burdick. Bob Hooper brought a sack of books and donated them to the Freethinker’s Library. Bob also read a selection from Skeptical Inquirer.

Brian Hill mentioned a report from the Tulsa World about a speaker coming to TU who is going to give a lecture on the “New Atheism.” Some of us plan to attend to see just how hostile the speaker will be to skeptics.

The membership approved spending $144 for a one year trial association with meetup.com. We have had such good results with meetup.com with the atheists group. Also approved was the spending of ten dollar per month on postcards to be mailed to legislators on various issues of concern to us.

I circulated a list for people who would like to take a tour of the Keystone Ancient Forest. If there is enough interest I will schedule a tour for us. There is a requirement that we have ten people minimum to go on the tour.

The program for the day was a reading of some of our favorite jokes.

HAT Meeting 1.20.08

We had a very good turn out at today's HAT meeting with 19 present. Randy even pondered what we might do should our remarkable growth continue. Pictured here you see Marilyn Clarke who spoke about the article "Hot Air Gods" from a recent issue of Harper's magazine.

Randy read a poem by Thomas Hardy entitled "The Dance Continued", and I read "An Overdue Visit from Old St. Nick" which appeared in the December issue of The Oklahoma Observer.

I mentioned the two remaining events of the month: the Food & Fellowship gathering at The Local Table on Saturday, January 26, and the Atheists Meetup on Sunday, January 27 at The Hideaway.

I mentioned that a calendar of our activities can be found at www.atheists.meetup.com/477/calendar. If you lose the monthly list of activities I send out by e-mail, you can always go to this calendar.

Randy asked the group if they had any objection to telling jokes as the program for the February HAT meeting. Most people were in favor of the idea, so come prepared with your favorite jokes next month.

Barbara mentioned that Stan had been in hospital, but he was expected to be discharged today. Howard just had his 90th birthday last Friday and is now under hospice care.

Marilyn related some personal experiences, including the influence of an uncle. We later learned that Richard had had a similar experience in his formative years. The subject of atheism versus agnosticism arose once again. The usual defenses for each position were voiced. Discussion was lively, ranging from national economic policy to where people get their concept of God. We continued on past our normal ending time of 3 pm. Randy checked to make sure no one was outside waiting to use the room.

This was our first membership meeting of 2008, and, being the treasurer, I was in a dues collecting frame of mind. By the end of the meeting I had collected $72 in membership dues.