Emperor Has No Clothes Award
An award celebrating “plain speaking” on the shortcomings of religion by public figures was inaugurated by the Freedom From Religion Foundation in 1999.
Ron Reagan - 2004
Ron Reagan, the son of former President Ronald Wilson Reagan, was given an Emperor Has No Clothes Award after saying at his father's June 2004 funeral:
"Dad . . . never made the fatal mistake of so many politicians--wearing his faith on his sleeve to gain political advantage."Then came the Larry King Live interview on CNN on June 23. When Larry King pressed Reagan about whether he had thought of running for public office, Ron replied:
"I'm an atheist. So there you go right there. I can't be elected to anything because polls all say that people won't elect an atheist."
Reagan also said: "When you hear somebody justifying a war by citing the Almighty, I get a little worried, frankly."
That was followed by similar remarks about his atheism to The New York Times Magazine.
Reagan also addressed the religious opponents of embryonic stem cell research in a noteworthy address before the National Democratic Convention on July 27,2004:
"Their belief is just that, an article of faith, and they are entitled to it. But it does not follow that the theology of a few should be allowed to forestall the health and well-being of the many."
Although Reagan unfortunately was not free to accept his award in person, he graciously phoned to accept the award. A personalized statuette was mailed to him.
Recipients of the Emperor Has No Clothes Award:
2007 - Christopher Hitchens (coming soon)2006 - Julia Sweeney
2005 - Oliver Sacks
2004 - Anne Gaylor
2004 - Robyn Blumner
2004 - Peter Singer
2004 - Steven Pinker
2004 - Ron Reagan
2003 - Natalie Angier
2003 - Alan Dershowitz
2003 - Pat, Roger & Melody Cleveland
2003 - Penn & Teller
2002 - Steve Benson
2002 - Robert Sapolsky
2001 - Katha Pollitt
2001 - Richard Dawkins
2001 - Andy Rooney, Ted Turner, Janeane Garofalo, George Carlin, Jesse Ventura
1999 - Steven Weinberg
1998 - Clarence Reinders