Blogroll

A dubious honor

I learned through South DaCola that the City of Sioux Falls received a singular “honor.” It was acknowledged by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty for getting “right” the “Happy birthday, Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” messages painted on city snowplows. I don’t view it as much of an honor.

First, consider who’s giving the award. […]

The Declaration of Independence in plain American

I’ve long been a fan of H.L. Mencken, the iconoclastic journalist and critic of the early 20th Century. Just last summer I read A Religious Orgy in Tennessee, a collection of his coverage of the “Scopes Monkey Trial” for the Baltimore Evening Sun. That’s why I was surprised this week to discover I was unaware […]

Potential effects of ‘sincerely held religious beliefs’

I have a number of problems with the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision on health insurance coverage of contraceptives and religious freedom. But the concept that corporations can freely exercise religion isn’t the main one. I’m more concerned about what I perceive to be far broader and more problematic issues.

The decision is framed in […]

Rules outweigh rationality — again

I’ve posted before that there are times government elevates rules over simple common sense. While that post dealt with kids and “guns,” it now appears books can get cause government brain farts too.

A 9-year-old Kansas boy and his family had to move their “Little Free Library” after the town of Leawood said it violated […]