I wonder, during the Christmas season [actually, I wonder most of the time, but I'm only getting around to writing this now], if there is any possible middle ground left in American discourse over religion. Thomas Jefferson wrote The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. That wasn't strictly true in Jefferson's day, as Patrick Henry could have attested after litigating the Parson's Cause against the established Anglican church of Virginia, or any citizen of Massachusetts could have explained [as he or she paid taxes to support a State Church until the 1830s]. Jefferson is talking about an ideal society in which religion neither extends into, nor affects the course of government and the right of the governed. Doesn't exist and hasn't existed, even in the United States, although we've argua...

Homophobe bigot Mike Huckabee recently denigrated the quest for equal rights before law for homosexuals as somehow lesser in nature because (according to Huckabee) it fails to meet the same threshold of violence and hatred experienced by black people before and during their lead role in the (still-ongoing) civil rights movement in America. Worse, Huckabee then implied that there is some tit-for-tat equivalency with (purely-mythical) "christian-bashing", as if that makes gay-bashing somehow an acceptable fact of life (like an eye-for-an-eye, Mike?). Huckabee then quickly tries to recover from his despicable use of violence as a threshold calculus for the legitimacy of a movement for equal rights before law, saying "violence is wrong no matter who is behind it." Thanks for the afterthought, Mikey. From Huckleberry's deplorable interview on the TV show "The View" : HUCKABEE: For us to stand there that day and to see Barack Obama taking the stage, to rea...

When last Thursday I wrote a sort of tribute to Edmund N. "Ned" Carpenter II, praising his longtime advocacy of justice and drug policy reform, I had no idea that Mr. Carpenter apparently was very ill with pulmonary fibrosis. He passed away the very next day . While Mr. Carpenter lived a very long and fruitful life, his loss is nonetheless very sad. I am honored to have met Ned Carpenter and to have had the chance to thank him for his work. Had I known at the time that he was also a recipient of the Bronze Star for Army combat service in World War II, I would have thanked him doubly. Ned Carpenter's voice and his contributions will be greatly missed. I hope those who agree with his forward-thinking, compassionate, common sense views on justice, civil rights and public policy will carry on his fight. We have immense shoes to fill. h/t Nancy @ Delaware Way .

I have to wonder if Libertarian Party chair Bill Redpath isn't smarting enough from criticisms that his recent press releases in the wake of the Angela Keaton debacle were shown to be profoundly unconcerned with American imperialism abroad. Little else explains the new LP release quoting Redpath about President-elect Barack Obama and Afghanistan. Here's Redpath: "What we hoped to see with the incoming Obama administration were plans for a total withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq," says William Redpath, national chairman of the Libertarian Party. "Instead, we're seeing the same missteps of the Bush administration that have kept our troops in the Middle East since 2001." ... "Shifting troops from one front to another is not 'bringing them home,' as Democrats promised to do in 2006," says Redpath. "Obama is pursuing a hawkish foreign policy that should worry any advocates of non-intervention. He'll keep us in that region f...

... with my criticism of President-elect Barack Obama's selection of evangelist Rick Warren to present the invocation at his inaugural. Shirley, whose opinion I deeply respect, asks I would be curious to know who you would have selected to do the invocation (or, perhaps you would have chosen not to have one). Legitimate question. I do find it fascinating that public school events are generally forbidden, on pain of lawsuit, from having a non-sectarian prayer at, say, a football game, or even having Christamas concerts any more, but that the civil inauguration of the President of the United States is free from such constraints. However, that's not directly responsive to your question. Here's the answer: I'd like the invocation at the Presidential inauguration to be presented by someone who has not politicized his or her pulpit. As I object to Pastor Warren, I would object to any Catholic clergyman who had called for, say, Senator John Kerry to be refused communio...

From AWC : A new report by the U.S. Army War College talks about the possibility of Pentagon resources and troops being used should the economic crisis lead to civil unrest, such as protests against businesses and government or runs on beleaguered banks. “Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security,” said the War College report. The study says economic collapse, terrorism and loss of legal order are among possible domestic shocks that might require military action within the U.S. International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn warned Wednesday of economy-related riots and unrest in various global markets if the financial crisis is not addressed and lower-income households are hurt by credit constraints and rising unemployment. U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., and U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., both said U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry P...

...and one that is deserving of your visit, even if you have no idea who Dominique is, or who her daughter Ashley was. Dominique must have been writing with tears streaming down her face, and one of those granite lumps that constrict your throat to the point that the only way words will come is through a keyboard. I have known Dominique only through cyberspace, even though--both living in Delaware we must only be separated by a handful of miles. Those of you who visit here from other places, especially if you find anything of occasional value, please do this.... Go to Down with Absolutes , read about Ashley's life and Dominique's loss, and post a comment. Please.