Snowe(d) In?

It looks like the far right and far left can find a little common ground here: Snowe should become a Democrat, because she obviously is no longer welcome in the GOP.

This is similar to what has happened to a large portion of the voting public, who have also become Democrats, as there is no room for them in today's GOP.

Banning Burqas is Bad

So now, instead of a war on terror, we should start a war on Islamic fashion?

Is this really the current thinking in the shallow end of the pool?

This is an issue of the most fundamental freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution. Banning the garb of a specific religious sect with no rational justification is a frontal attack on civil liberties.

I believe each and every person on the planet should have the right to choose what they want to wear - or not to wear. Banning the burqa is not the answer.

Religious garb should not be subject to discriminatory laws. If you don’t like the burqa, don’t wear one. But grow up and face the fact that some do choose it, and show some respect for that choice.

Fundamentalism: Iran v. USA

Apparently Frank F did not understand what Frank S wrote. Let me summarize.

Iran is one example of what can happen when religious conservatives control the political landscape. The author was formerly part of an American Christian movement with aims very similar to those of the Iranian Muslims currently ruling that country.

Mandatory prayer in school, anti-gay laws, abortion bans, elective wars, capital punishment, rolling back civil rights, defeating the union movement - all of these are issues that the Iranian Mullahs and the American Christians would see eye-to-eye on.

Frank Schaeffer provides a unique insiders perspective into the motives and tactics of the fringe elements that promote theocracy in the USA. Oppressive religion is offensive to American values, whether Christian or any other faith.

The similarity of Christian Fundamentalists with Islamic Fundamentalists is not imaginary - it is real, and a very serious threat to the Republic. Our secular government is our greatest innovation, and the basic reason that the American system has been so successful, and so widely emulated. Continued vigilance is required to protect and defend our Constitution from being perverted in the service of religion.

Tea Party Cancellation

This is just a simple case of a business owner defending his interests. Simon apparently has a legal right to refuse access to this property, and that right trumps the protest.

The Tea Party should be held on property that belongs to the public. The irony would only be too delicious.

A Tempest in a Teacup

I’m not sure where Jennifer learned the definition of “massive”. This outpouring was anything but. Take Columbus, OH for example. 7,000 show for the Tea Party - but 60,000 showed up for an Obama rally in November. The Tea Party attendees were even outnumbered by McCain turnout (10,000), which was never termed “massive”.

This was a modest protest, over-hyped and overplayed in the media, and truly nothing to get excited about unless you are part of the 24-hour news cycle.

Blowing (Coal) Smoke on Energy

Creating any incentive to further pollute the environment with fossil fuel consumption is a short sighted and inefficient use of human and material capital.

There is no advantage to this technology unless one ignores all of the externalized costs associated with consuming coal.

Promoting and advancing dead-end “solutions” is, unfortunately, what we have come to expect from the polluting industries.

The Truth Hurts

Singling out Islam seems a bit short-sighted. Why not address the lies and omissions in our history texts regarding all religious traditions? Certainly the ‘whitewashing’ of Islam can’t be any more misleading than the portrayal of Christian religions in most texts.

It is true that misinformation is harmful to our ability to properly address the world. But we should not allow ourselves to be persuaded that Islam is uniquely misrepresented. It is true that Islam has been spread by the sword - but it is hardly unique in this regard. Christianity has been promulgated using the very same strategies of conquest - and any historical treatment that portrays Islam as a violent, expansionist faith should not omit the same truths as they relate to the Christian tradition.

Iowa court okays gays

How is this an attack on traditional marriage? I haven’t seen anyone protesting the traditional marriage rights of mixed gender couples, or seen any indication that this ruling would impact these rights.

What is really happening is that equal protection is being properly understood to protect the rights of minority populations against the tyranny of the majority - exactly what our Constitution is supposed to do. Eventually this understanding will be adopted by the SCOTUS, and same-gender couples will no longer be denied the rights afforded their mixed-gender cohorts.

What really galls is the attempt to frame this issue as an attack on “traditional marriage”. It is no such thing. What really is going on is a pre-emptive war on the rights of a persecuted minority, and the judicial system is rightly rejecting such arguments as unconstitutional.

Marriage as a sacred union is not at issue here - marriage as a legal union is what has been denied to same-gender couples. The Iowa court is correct to recognize this distinction, and has ruled appropriately. Their unanimous decision speaks clearly to the unsupportable assertions of homophobic activists.

The bottom line if you don’t approve of gay marriage? Don’t have one.

Closing Gitmo

Unfortunately some detainees can’t be deported to their home country because of the threat of persecution. My personal thought is that any detainee that cannot be found guilty in a court of law should be granted political asylum in the US - the nature of their extended detention could make any deportation problematic.

Despite the prohibition on bringing trained fighters into the USA, without proving their guilt on criminal charges, there is no basis to assert that they should not be granted asylum. The failure in this case would be in arresting and detaining individuals without having sufficient evidence to justify their detention.

Social Security: GOP profiteers seek insolvency

Social Security can be made solvent forever with some simple adjustments. Remove the ceiling on payroll taxes and means test the benefits, and the program is self-funding. It’s not rocket science - just math. Unfortunately math has never been the strong suit of the GOP.

Klavan cracks me up...

Rush is an entertainer. His show is hilarious. As long as you don’t believe a word of it - his show is a laugh riot.

Thanks for a laugh. Next time please be more polite.

Klavan’s challenge was offered with insults and disrespect, proving his argument on the tone of discourse hollow.

I’ve listened to Rush with an open mind plenty of times, and the results are predictable. Limbaugh inevitably provides poorly reasoned arguments that are suitable as comedy, while offending the intelligence of anyone who would attempt to take him seriously.

Rush is no more than a popular entertainer. That he happens to promote hateful ideas is unfortunate - that he has an audience of millions that take his word as gospel is tragic. That Klavan considers him a good representative of Conservatism is just sad.

From Russia with Love

After Bush provided Russia a complete pass to wage war against their citizens and neighbors, Obama must be careful and deliberate while building the foundation for future criticism. Russia no longer takes us seriously, because for the past eight years, we have not been worthy of their respect, and barely worthy of their disdain.

Obama is a different kind of leader, who will not judge Russia so generously as Bush - and will take the time and effort to make sure we have leverage before acting.

NY-20: GOP on the mend?

Certainly the GOP will do better by focusing on Obama, rather than trying to run on the (dismal) GOP record of the past eight years. But to portray this dead-heat as representing an opening for Republicans is rather optimistic.

Statistically, NY-20 is about 2% more Republican than the average nationwide. Tedisco is also a well known and respected politician in the state, relatively speaking, while his opponent was a complete unknown. Tedisco should have blown Murphy out of the water - the fact that a completely unknown Democrat could pull even with a prominent and long-serving GOP representative, and possibly end up taking the seat, does not speak well to GOP prospects.

This may not have been a “safe” seat for the GOP - but if this thesis on GOP openings is true, it should not have been this easy for the Democrats to compete.

Babies and Bathwater

Violence against women is wrong, regardless of who perpetrates the violence, and regardless of their religious convictions.

Focusing on the religion of the perpetrators is a distraction from the fundamental struggle against all violence.

A misunderstanding of the “cycle of violence” reveals a lack of insight into the current plight of women in the world.

What is most disturbing is a pile on with others in attacking a religious tradition, rather than recognizing the importance of divorcing religion from violence.

A universal doctrine of women’s rights does not require a blanket condemnation of religion.

Congress Doesn't use a Secret Ballot

It sounds to me like Specter needs a little tweak to the arbitration provisions to get on board EFCA. That may not be necessary for passage, but if it is, I would not be surprised to see such a compromise happen.

There are many ways to skin this cat.

There is much more to protecting workers than secret ballots in union drives. EFCA is designed to somewhat level a playing field that has been demonstrably tilted against labor. Bringing back card check is not the end of protection for workers - it is the beginning.

Of course, the whole idea behind all attacks on EFCA is to scare workers into submitting to management’s desires, while ignoring their own interests. Fear is the enemy of freedom.

Pressing Obama

It’s true that Obama is facing more criticism now than during the campaign - that’s only natural, as now he is making real policy. However, the premise of this column is deeply flawed. The assumption that there was some special treatment afforded Obama by the media during the campaign is simply false.

The press has been independent the whole time - it’s sour grapes to claim otherwise.

Nobody expects a President to be perfect.

The Devil and Private Health Insurers

The health insurance industry sold its soul to the devil a long time ago. Any industry that extracts outrageous profits from the suffering of others has clearly made a faustian bargain.

There really is nothing to fear from universal coverage. The most likely scenario is that all Americans will be guaranteed a basic level of health coverage, and will have the option to purchase any supplemental coverage on the free market.

Reducing the costs of health care while ensuring coverage for all is a very good idea for our economy and the health of our people. No other advanced economy allows so many to go without health care coverage, or wastes as much money as the US does on health care.

Even employers are beginning to see that the current system is broken, and calling for universal and portable coverage. Nobody benefits from our current system except for the insurance companies that inflate the cost of health care. The poor, the jobless, and the youth of our nation have been victimized for far too long.

Rush to Judgement

Obama has the opportunity to revive the economy and implement his agenda. He would be foolish not to - and fellow Democrats are fools if they stand in his way. The American public supports Obama’s agenda. There is plenty of good news for the average citizen in Obama’s proposals. Health care, cap and trade and tax reform are all likely to improve the economy in the long term, while action on banks, mortgages and energy will help get the economy moving again. Most Americans understand that Bush handed Obama the keys to a country with a damaged economy, and that sorting out the mess left by the GOP will take some time.

Undoubtedly Obama understands that there is a window of opportunity that must be taken advantage of before it closes, and is moving rapidly to achieve as much as possible while the political tide is high. Obama can afford to pay less attention to electoral politics because the Democrats have majorities in both houses that are a lot safer than any in recent memory.

If you really think the Democrats are going to line up to pillory Obama, you are living in your own fantasy. The GOP can’t hope to win unless it can offer a reasonable platform to the nation. Good luck with that.

You can expect health care reform to come to a vote this year. Tax reform will be ongoing, with broad relief now, and some focused increases on upper-quintile earners coming over the next four years. Cap and trade is likely to be put to a vote before 2010 as well.

So you can expect reduced health care costs, a more progressive tax code, and a more sustainable tax and energy policy to be in force before the end of Obama’s first term. The economy is likely to recover during this same time frame, and banking and mortgage reforms will stabilize the housing market once unemployment levels off.

A cleaner and greener planet for your kids is just a bonus.

“Cap and Trade” will transform the economy, as it is intended to.

What all the GOP pundits fail to realize is that carbon credits can be bought by environmentalists, too. Once all the credits have been purchased and put out of service, our economy will no longer rely on massive subsidy of polluting industries.

It’s time to change to sustainable living - hopefully we can.

GOP confusion

Steele is right on abortion, and he was right about Rush. For crying out loud, he’s only been in office 6 weeks, and is doing his best to get the GOP back on track, but if the party is so backwards that it denies reality, I suppose his days are numbered.

Abortion is a choice - that’s the law. Rush’s show is ugly - that’s the reality.

Still, it sure is fun to watch the sparks fly…

'Believe in God or Die'???

The latest American Religious Identification Survey shows that the number of those who believe in no religion at all has almost doubled in the last 18 years, rising from 8 percent to 15 percent since 1990.

Great news for Bill Maher. For the rest of us: worrying evidence of the slow decline of the best and freest culture the earth has ever known.

I think you overestimate the importance of religion to the best and freest culture the earth has ever known. Freedom is exactly what is on the rise here.

This idea—the idea of religion as a human evil—strikes me as very strange given the, you know, facts.

Really? So the fact that religious belief has repeatedly led to wars and intense human suffering doesn’t strike you as even a little evil?

None of this is proof of the existence of God, of course, but it is fairly substantial evidence that we need faith in order to thrive, that without it we sink into either murderous violence or suicidal ennui.

Faith may be important, but faith in God is foolishness. Faith in ourselves is what we need to thrive - not faith in some imaginary robed superbeing.

As for all the other, more peaceful faiths that uplift and sustain so many, they may sometimes promulgate ignorance and superstition in trying to speak of what can only in the end be experienced, but just as often, and sometimes simultaneously, they are the source and center-point of the best in our communities and in our hearts. Without them, we won’t be here for long.

I heartily disagree. We would all be better off without faiths that promulgate ignorance and superstition. God is dead - and we’re all better off without.