Faith in Public Life’s Nick Sementelli says “Chuck Colson Doesn’t Like the Truth About His Homophobic Record.” GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) listed Colson in their recently launched “Commentator Accountability Project” which “aims to put critical information about frequent anti-gay interviewees into the hands of newsrooms, editors, hosts and reporters.” As Sementelli reports, Colson says he doesn’t belong on that list, protesting that GLAAD’s definition of anti-gay speech “is skewed,” mischaracterizing any disagreement as “gay-bashing.” GLAAD’s doesn’t use... Read more

Frances Robles of the Miami Herald reports that the “U.S. Department of Justice, FBI and FDLE to probe Trayvon Martin killing“: The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI will investigate the killing of Miami Gardens teenager Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer, the department announced late Monday. The announcement coincided with a statement from Florida Gov. Rick Scott asking the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to offer “appropriate resources” in the case. The federal and... Read more

“Given a choice between the two, I wonder which we’d be more inclined to frequent — the church with the bouncer-pastor, or the bar with the pastor-bouncer.” “The Ten Commandments monument that was the focus of the 2005 Supreme Court case Van Orden v. Perry was one of Cecil B. DeMille’s very first attempts at viral marketing.” “What’s an inerrantist pastor to do when one of his children turns out not to be a believer?” “Why affordable housing is a... Read more

“The Jimmy McNulty Gambit” is a fascinating post from Aaron Bady that ties together several disparate things while also provoking thought in several different directions. I’m going to quote from it quite a bit here, but you really should go read the whole thing. Here’s the beginning: In season five of The Wire, Jimmy McNulty invents a serial killer and tries to use the press to spur a systemic reaction to an irritant that doesn’t really exist, but also sort... Read more

On June 8, 1989, I went out to a bar for a drink after class. Had I done the same thing the previous night it would have been a crime, because that was the day before my 21st birthday, and the legal drinking age here in Pennsylvania is 21. That age is calculated from one’s birthday, of course. So are all the other legal milestone ages, such as 16 (learner’s permit), 17 (driver’s license), 18 (voting and draft registration), 25... Read more

Yesterday was the 100th birthday of civil rights genius Bayard Rustin. Alvin McEwen quotes the following, from the National Black Justice Coalition: Saturday, March 17, 2012, will mark the 100th birthday of the late civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. Rustin was a proud Black gay man who was an indispensable architect of the Civil Rights Movement. His most noteworthy achievements include serving as chief organizer of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, mentoring the late Dr.... Read more

I haven’t heard whether the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council has yet proposed the following as the next popular trend for state legislatures. But if not yet, it’s only a matter of time. This is the next logical step for Virginia, Texas, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, etc. If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him, if a man has had intercourse with her but it is hidden from her husband, so that she is undetected though she has... Read more

“Please take a seat in the shaming room. A middle-aged, male state legislator will be with you in a moment.” “Governor I have a rash on the back of my hand. Please let me know when I can come over and you can look at it and prescribe some medication.” “To Erma and all of you old feminists? I’m not sitting here any more.” “I’ve never built a wiki page before; yesterday I built two. We are not helpless.” “This... Read more