First guarantee minority rights. Elections come later.

Last updated on: August 14, 2013 at 2:46 pm By Fred Clark

Government cannot be sectarian. If the sectarian identity of the government -- and therefore of the governed -- can be changed in the next election, then no one has freedom of conscience, only the possibility of privilege of conscience contingent on whether one's own beliefs correspond with those of the majority. The stakes are too high. Freedom of conscience cannot be dependent on whether or not your sect wins the next election. Without a guaranteed right of religious liberty for religious minorities, dissenters and outsiders, elections are profoundly anti-democratic. Read more

7 things @ 11 o’clock (8.14)

Last updated on: August 13, 2013 at 6:15 pm By Fred Clark

In Australia, actual journalism keeps some Palinesque liars out of politics. Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry. Reince Priebus unable to use words he's deliberately twisted beyond recognition. When you're fighting in court for the right to lie in your advertisements, you've lost the moral high ground. The news from Florida. Erick Erickson and the "Let's Have Sex on a Big Pile of Cash" scam. RIP Jean Bethke Elshtain. Read more

Scenes from the class war (8.14)

Last updated on: August 14, 2013 at 1:25 am By Fred Clark

House Republicans plan to double cuts to nutrition aid to $40 billion. Every year, 700,000 Americans go bankrupt due to medical bills. GOP plans to fight Obamacare by convincing everyone not to buy health insurance. Student loans as a Ponzi scheme. Walmart vs. jobs. The disease of viewing colleagues as nothing more than "costs" to be minimized. Two companies thriving by disproving the Walmart/McDonald's model based on that disease. Read more

2 years ago: Testamints, tattoos and holy underwear

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 6:21 pm By Fred Clark

At best, such "witnessing tools" come across as clumsily misguided, which is why, again, I'd advise against them. But perhaps even something as tacky as Testamints could serve a better, more useful function as an inward, devotional reminder. Read more

The bad faith of climate-deniers cannot be denied

Last updated on: August 13, 2013 at 5:14 pm By Fred Clark

If ice and dirt are not capable of willfully acting in bad faith, then the House Republican's claim that "global warming is a total fraud and it is being designed" cannot be true. Unless inanimate objects are capable of fraud and deliberate dishonesty, the bad faith in this dispute cannot lie on the side of those claiming the reality of climate change. If dirt is not purposeful and evil, then the bad faith must lie on the other side. Read more

7 things @ 11 o’clock (8.13)

Last updated on: August 13, 2013 at 12:35 am By Fred Clark

Bank of America empties dead man's bank account. Tennessee judge rules against Judaism. Left Behind reboot casting news. Volunteer's rejection reveals unspoken agenda. Jesus juking the royal baby. "Angel" gives all the credit to dedicated first responders at accident scene. It was a dark and stormy night ... Read more

Flipping the script on Russia’s anti-gay persecution

Last updated on: August 13, 2013 at 3:16 am By Fred Clark

Thers: "Would there be any question whatsoever of the United States of America participating in an Olympic Games hosted by a country that refused to guarantee the safety of Christian athletes or spectators, or that had passed laws against Christians similar to those Russia has imposed against homosexuals?" Read more

6 years ago: Cossacks and Prairie Muffins

Last updated on: August 4, 2013 at 6:19 pm By Fred Clark

What right do we have, they ask, to impose liberty and dignity on them when that's not what they want? That's how they'd like to frame the question, although I'm not sure any sense can be made of it. It's a bit like the "You don't tolerate my intolerance" nonsense -- an ouroboros swallowing its own tail. And it's not a harmless bit of nonsense, since the freedom from freedom they insist on requires others to join them in servitude. Read more

‘Night Vale’ needs to sound more like Art Bell

Last updated on: August 12, 2013 at 11:50 pm By Fred Clark

The storytelling of Night Vale is really good, but the form needs to complement the content. It should be a radio play, not a book on tape. And it should be a radio play that sounds like a radio broadcast. Somebody like Roy Blount Jr. or Tom Bodett should be reading this stuff. George Noory or Art Bell would be terrific. Or just find someone who can do a good Jean Shepherd imitation. Read more

7 things @ 11 o’clock (8.12)

Last updated on: August 11, 2013 at 10:50 pm By Fred Clark

The paleontologists came to America before the Pilgrims did. Don't miss the Perseids -- an annual chance to stare at the heavens and make wishes. Donald Trump is not too bright. Self-righteous family re-enacts the book of Jonah. Why Ariel Castro is just like George Washington. A pastor erects 10 Commandments monument and brags about his erection. Read more