Author Archives: Walter Olson

About Walter Olson

Fellow at a think tank in the Northeast specializing in law. Websites include overlawyered.com. Former columnist for Reason and Times Online (U.K.), contributor to National Review, etc.

Miscellany, May 4

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Walter Olson

News that former Trent Lott aide Edwina Rogers named as top atheist lobbyist ruffles commenters at Daily Caller [TheDC] Indian skeptic charged with blasphemy for revealing secret behind “miracle” of weeping cross [Doctorow] Denmark Supreme Court, 7-0, strikes down conviction … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Letter from a think tank: Deliver us from deliverables

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Walter Olson

As many readers know, there’s a legal and P.R. battle going on for control of the Cato Institute, the libertarian think tank in Washington where I’m a fellow. The key issues in the dispute, both philosophical and personality-oriented, have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Odds & Ends | 1 Comment

Miscellany, April 5

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Walter Olson

More from Bradlaugh on his health issues [NRO, earlier] Saudi Arabia: “Defense Lawyer Objects to Testimony of Genie Expert” [Lowering the Bar] Monkeys taught by scientists to use money; gambling and prostitution soon appear [ZME Science] Adam Smith prefigures Charles … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Trucker demands religious accommodation for refusal to haul alcohol, tobacco

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Walter Olson

[cross-posted from Overlawyered] Age of accommodation, cont’d: “in Reedy v. Schneider National, Inc. (E.D. Pa. filed Oct. 15, 2010). Vasant Reddy says that he has ‘a sincerely held religious belief that he cannot consume, possess, or transport alcohol or tobacco,’ … Continue reading →

Posted in law, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Miscellany, August 1

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Walter Olson

Following objections from Roman Catholic and other churches, official panel backtracks from assertion that New Zealand is “secular state” [NZ Herald] “Preachers who are not believers,” paper by Daniel Dennett and Linda LaScola [Evolutionary Psychology, PDF, via Alex Tabarrok] Australia: … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Head of St. John Chrysostom to visit NYC

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Walter Olson

The great thing about being in New York City is that if you wait long enough, every celebrity will come visit, even in this case one who’s been dead for 1,603 years. From the website of the Russian Orthodox Church … Continue reading →

Posted in politics | 15 Comments

Miscellany, January 18

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Walter Olson

More bits and oddments expanded and adapted from Secular Right’s Twitter account: NYC’s Met Museum to rename Islamic Galleries, may yank art depicting Mohammed [NY Post] “Motoons republished throughout Europe” — why not here? [MWW] “My advice, as a Christian … Continue reading →

Posted in Odds & Ends | 1 Comment

Miscellany, December 2

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Walter Olson

Yes, it’s true, I’ve been absent from the site for half a year (unless you count Secular Right’s Twitter account) and I’ll be scarce for yet a while longer because of the book manuscript I need to finish. But there’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Odds & Ends | 5 Comments

“We are living in a period where we are surrounded by paganism.”

Posted on June 8, 2009 by Walter Olson

Newt Gingrich, in Virginia Beach, certainly seems to have learned to talk the talk. More: Allahpundit. And Ken Silber has a few “pagan” quotes to recommend to Gingrich, including this from Cicero: “Orators are most vehement when their cause is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 4 Comments

Miscellany, April 22

Posted on April 21, 2009 by Walter Olson

For those who liked the earlier item on pareidolia (the tendency of observers to see religious or other significant images in random patterns) here’s a photo gallery with more such apparitions, including a “hand of God” in an image of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 4 Comments