Giving thanks for a secular ceremony

The Atheist Nexus asks atheists and freethinkers to thank New York Mayor Bloomberg for a secular, clergy-free ceremony commemorating the 10 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

In that post, you'll see handy link directly to an online form for sending a message to the Mayor. Why not do so right now? You're limited to only 300 words, so it'll only take a moment. Here's the simple message I sent: 

America's very roots lie in separation of church and state, in no government sanctioning of religion, and in the freedom to follow any religion or none at all. 

A secular 9/11 ceremony with no promotion of specific religions carries forward those ideals beautifully. Thank you, Mayor Bloomberg, for having the determination to make this a truly American ceremony. 

Make no doubt about; the Mayor did make a courageous decision. Trucking in pious Christian and Jewish clergymen would have not only been easy, it'd have been poltically expedient. As it is, the Mayor is taking a tremendous beating from Americans for his decision to hold a ceremony on behalf of the American people, and not on behalf of magic gods and Middle Eastern religions. (Witness the inidgnation of the zealots, like those here, bleating words like "disrespectful", "slap in the face", "tyranny", and – yes, it had to be there – "traitor". What, no "Bloomberg is Hitler" yet?)

Send the mayor your support. He deserves it.