It isn't absurd at all, Foxy. Atheists have always been the pariahs of society. In fact they still are;
Here Are All The Atheists In Congress
The previous article debunked a lot of the myths surrounding atheists and this one points out that when it comes to representation the 20% of the population that is unaffiliated with any religion does not have a corresponding number of elected representatives who classify themselves as unaffiliated. Out of 535 at the federal level there should be over 100. Instead you will be hard pressed to find 3 who are willing to admit to being unaffiliated, let alone being atheists.
So there is a stigma that is associated with being an atheist. It is a handicap if you want to run for public office. That should not be the case but the math doesn't lie.
Since that poll ran the Tea Party was regained some ground politically and atheists are again the #1 most hated group in America. Since this topic is not about the TP I am just going to mention that while the goals and principles that you just outlined are noble and worthy the people who are being elected to represent them are not measuring up well against them. This isn't just my opinion. It is shared by the population as a whole. Yes, I too would prefer that it was otherwise. However the reality is that the elected TP members of Congress are not acquitting themselves well when it comes to winning the hearts and minds of the population as a whole.
And yes, the same argument can be leveled against Atheists except that they don't have a political agenda. They are not seeking to reform the nation. They are simply standing up for individual 1st Amendment rights. The military burial grounds contain headstones of all faiths and for the Atheists there is this symbol;
Millions of Atheists quietly go about their lives, some serving and dying, just like everyone else. They don't any "vitriolic hatred" of Christianity at all. All they ask is they be treated equally. If one religious symbol is going to be erected at the 9/11 memorial then all should be there too because it wasn't only Christians who died that day.
The individual right to equality when it comes to religion is something that all Christians should be upholding for Atheists because if the Atheists are deprived of that right then Christians won't have any right to it either.