Tag Archives: first amendment

In Florida, Atheists Told They Can’t Wear Shirts That Say “One Nation, Indivisible” at City Council Meetings!

A grotesque violation of the First Amendment is taking place in the city of Cape Coral: And here’s another report on the story:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Mosque NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) Spreading from Ground Zero to Other Parts of America

We all like for the lights to come on, but we don’t necessarily want to look out of our kitchen windows and see a nuclear power plant alongside what was once a pristine bay. Likewise, we all like the First … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional, declares a Wisconsin federal judge

Of course, it will be appealed. But this is still big news on the separation of church and state front. This today in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A Wisconsin federal judge on Thursday found the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Bush-Cheney Years

Nostalgic? From the just declassified May 2004 inspector general’s review of CIA interrogations: Sometime between 28 December 2002 and 1 January 2003, the debriefer used an unloaded semi-automatic handgun as a prop to frighten Al-Nashiri into disclosing information. After discussing … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Knowing When to Be Quiet is a Part of Growing Up

Translation: Get with the program, shut up, conform, and obey. In my whisper voice, can I recite the First Amendment?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quote of the Day: Shannyn Moore

Sarah Palin, with her seven million dollar book advance, has now gotten suit-threat happy, threatening bloggers with legal action (in particular Shannyn Moore) if they don’t stop expressing their negative opinions about her. Today, Moore replied bravely in defense of her First … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“We’re a nation not just where you are free to believe or not to believe; we’re a nation founded for Him”: Rick Warren, Kathryn Jean Lopez, and the Theocratic Temptation

Kathryn Jean Lopez, of the National Catholic Register, offers a theocratic spin to the meaning of America (and Obama’s inauguration prayer): Rick Warren reminded us why all eyes were on the Capitol steps that Tuesday afternoon: “in His name.” We’re a … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Was 2008 a Bad Year for Free Speech?: Janet Albrechsten Thinks So

Janet Albrechsten’s review of the threats to free speech that occurred in 2008 (primarily triggered pre-emptively by fears of fundamentalist Muslim violence directed at authors and publishers) is sobering reading. Money quote: If large sections of the media – normally … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Offended?

Tough. I like this quote of Nietzsche’s as a response to those who would feign to protect sensibilities or feelings by censoring speech: Life is hard to bear, but do not affect to be so delicate. Source: Quotation at the beginning … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Attacks by the mainstream media” interfere with Sarah Palin’s “First Amendment rights”?: In an Interview TODAY, Sarah Palin Shows Weird Confusion Over the First Amendment—and Who It’s Designed to Protect

Alex Koppelmann today (at Salon.com) details Sarah Palin’s stange First Amendment confusion: In a radio interview that aired Friday morning, Sarah Palin said Americans’ First Amendment rights are in danger. Ironically, it’s apparently the press who’s threatening those rights. “If [the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment