This is a copy of a letter I wrote to Congressman Pete Stark (D-13th District, CA) on hearing the March 12th announcement  that he has gone on record acknowledging his nontheism in response to an inquiry from the Secular Coalition for America:

Dear Representative Stark,

I am not in your district and I do not know much about you personally or where you stand politically but it does not matter. I feel that you represent me in a way that my own congressman never has because I, like you, am a freethinker and a nontheist. In an environment where polls show that Americans without a god-belief are more distrusted than any other minority and that the majority of our countrymen would not vote for an atheist even if he or she were the most qualified for office, it takes a great deal of courage to take a public stance on this issue of conscience. That's true for most us. Admitting you don't believe in God can be devastating to family, career and friendships. Few of us do it lightly or without a great deal of soul-searching. I admire your courage and strength of character.

It could be that, if I were in your district, I still might not vote for you. I make my judgments based on how I feel about the political stance of the candidate on the issues, not on his or her race, creed or sexual orientation; but even if I didn't vote for you, you would still be my representative in Congress in a way no other is yet and I thank you and wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Hugh Kramer