Category: Politics - Page 37

August 14, 2012

Associated Press Carries Water For Christian Privilege In Amish Case

I noticed an Associated Press (AP) story published Monday evening with a very misleading headline. It read “Amish in Ohio Hair-Cutting Case Seek to Avoid Oath”. Why is it misleading? Those of us who struggle to support separation of church and state know why it is misleading. The AP headline was basically biased toward people who don’t want to swear an oath in court.

The story was about the current criminal case in Ohio involving a dissenting sect of Amish people who had cut the hair and beards of other Amish people who they thought were observing their faith incorrectly. The story leads with:

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August 9, 2012

Does Staying With The Boy Scouts Undercut Obama’s Statement Against BSA Bigotry?

It was reported in the Washington (DC) Blade that through a White House spokesperson, President Obama said he opposes the ban on LGBT participation in the Boy Scouts of America. The ban was recently affirmed after a secret two year evaluation. The President made a point to say he would not resign as Honorary President of the BSA. Does staying as the honorary president undercut his opposition to the ban?

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August 6, 2012

Religious Exemptions To Laws Could Lead To Honor Killings

image of Hole in the wall leads to trouble

The Catholic church and other religious conservatives are suing the government to invalidate the new health care regulation that forces them to provide insurance coverage for birth control for non-clergy workers. This follows the recent history of legal religious accommodation like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. But these attempts to knock down the wall of separation of church and state leads down a road I don’t think most people have thought about in trying to roll back religious neutrality.

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August 4, 2012

Humanists Needlessly Drawn Into Florida’s Amendment 8 Battle

image showing wall between church and state

This November, Florida voters will be deciding if they want to gut the state’s Blaine amendment language so it can give money directly to churches. The main benefit would be to allow school vouchers. In the run up to the vote Jon East, writing on the pro-voucher website redefinED had to bring in the evil secular humanists to make a false argument in support for passage of Amendment 8.

A Blaine Amendment refers to Maine Republican Congressman James G. Blaine (1830-1893) who took on the idea, expressed by President Grant in 1875, to pass a constitutional amendment to prohibit the use of tax dollars to pay for any religious school. The idea was mainly anti-catholic since Catholics were the only religious sect at the time to have their own separate schools.

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July 4, 2012

American Secular Census Looks To Count Secular Americans

A new group looks to complete a census of secular Americans who are usually under-counted by religious-centric demographic surveys. American Secular Census is an independent national registry of demographic and viewpoint data recorded from secular adult Americans covering those who are skeptical of supernatural claims. One reason such a census is needed and why secular Americans should participate is what happens in a Washington D.C. that is overly influenced by the religious right.

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June 25, 2012

Us Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Appeal In Mt Soledad Cross Case

San Diego’s Mt Soledad Cross

One bit of good news from the Supreme Court today was it refused to hear an appeal in Trunk v. City of San Diego which concerned the constitutionality of the San Diego’s Mt. Soledad Cross. By refusing to hear the appeal it let stand the 9th Circuit’s last ruling in the long fought 1st Amendment case which said the cross now on Federal land is still unconstitutional. Of course one justice took the unusual step to issue a statement and possible hint to pro-cross people on how to keep the cross on Mt. Soledad.

The 9th Circuit ruled in January of 2011:

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