Tag Archives: First Amendment

Towards a more Balkanized America: Kim Davis & The Flight Attendant

While there is something more than a little unattractive about the relish with which the jailing of Kim Davis, the errant county clerk (a Democrat, as it happens) unwilling to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples, has been celebrated … Continue reading

Posted in Church & State, law | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

“A Kind of Hydraulic Effect”

Writing in the New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin wonders where the Hobby Lobby decision might lead: The great Oliver Wendell Holmes once observed that important Supreme Court decisions “exercise a kind of hydraulic effect.” Even if the authors of such decisions … Continue reading

Posted in Church & State, law, politics | Tagged , | Comments Off on “A Kind of Hydraulic Effect”

‘Religious Freedom’, Dogs and Taxis

CBC: A Saskatoon man who is blind and uses a service animal has launched a complaint to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, alleging a local taxi company is not providing service because of his guide dog. Mike Simmonds claims he’s … Continue reading

Posted in culture, Religion | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Balkanization Watch

It’s difficult not to despair sometimes when confronting some of the excesses of the zero tolerance crowd in the nation’s schools: the toddler sent home for pointing in a way that made his fingers look like a gun, and all … Continue reading

Posted in Church & State | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Satanic Versus

Joseph Laycock of Religion Dispatches talks here to (and about) “Lucien Greaves”, who is, apparently, the man behind the piece of Satanic kitsch now planned for Oklahoma. Disappointingly, Greaves turns out to be a rather wishy-washy devil worshiper: In 2005, … Continue reading

Posted in Church & State | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Devil Rides Out

Could some Satanic kitsch be about to descend upon Oklahoma City? The Daily News reports: A satanic group unveiled designs Monday for a 7-foot-tall statue of Satan it wants to put at the Oklahoma state Capitol, where a Ten Commandments … Continue reading

Posted in Church & State | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A Bitter Pill?

This piece is from the Guardian and it comes with some of the paper’s usual irritating baggage, but it is still worth reading as an examination of the factual background to the Little Sisters HHS case: The ACA has a … Continue reading

Posted in law | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Religious Freedom!

I’ll admit it. This made me laugh. The Guardian reports: In their zeal to tout their faith in the public square, conservatives in Oklahoma may have unwittingly opened the door to a wide range of religious groups, including Satanists who … Continue reading

Posted in Church & State, law | Tagged , | Comments Off on Religious Freedom!

For Thee, But Not For Me (Again)

Fox News: Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said Sunday the Catholic church remains opposed to ObamaCare in large part because it requires businesses to offer health-insurance plans that include no-cost contraception. Dolan, the former president of the … Continue reading

Posted in Church & State, politics | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Religious Freedom!

It’s not just the HHS contraception mandate. Another front opens up in the ‘religious freedom’ debate. The Daily Telegraph reports: As beads of sweat slithered down his temples, Andrew Hamblin stared in wide-eyed wonder at the three-foot timber rattlesnake he … Continue reading

Posted in Church & State | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments