Tag Archive

A Controversial View on Freedom of Religion

Published on April 11, 2021 By sirrahc

The issue of “religious rights” and the “free exercise of religion” is a contentious one in the United States. (And elsewhere, of course.) It boils down to “Who is allowed to do what?” and “Who decides?” Naturally, the First and Fourteenth Amendments come up, as does the fan-favorite “separation of church and state”. Incidentally, that […]

Ben Carson on Political Correctness

Published on May 31, 2015 By sirrahc

“Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins.” — Benjamin Franklin, author, inventor, political activist, Founding Father So-called “political correctness” has increasingly become the bane of the First Amendment and anyone […]

Atheism is Patriotic? What the…?

Published on April 7, 2013 By sirrahc

The title of this post is in reference to an article I came across several months ago: “Atheists Claim ‘Religion Is Unpatriotic’”. When I read the headline, my first reaction was, “Are they serious?” If we’re talking about America, then I think the sentiment is, well, questionable, to say the least. It seems that, for […]

Pro-Intelligent Design Group Wins First Amendment Suit

Published on August 29, 2011 By sirrahc

Early last year, I wrote a brief post about a suit brought against the California Science Center for unlawful discrimination against a pro-Intelligent Design group and the subsequent cover-up of the details behind the censorship. (If you don’t want to read the articles I link to in the original post, you can get the important […]

Shouting “Fire!” and the First Amendment

Published on June 16, 2011 By sirrahc

What do a crowded theater and anti-war pamphleteering have in common? What do they have to do with your First Amendment rights? Stay with me, and all will be made clear…. It seems whenever one has a discussion about First Amendment rights (well, often, anyways), inevitably someone brings up the bit about shouting fire in […]

Governor Bentley’s ‘Christian Brother’ Remarks

Published on January 21, 2011 By sirrahc

Just days after being sworn in as the new governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley has already found himself in a bit of hot water for something he said. In a speech at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church’s service honoring MLK, Jr., Bentley declared, “Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their […]

URGENT: DISCLOSE Act is Back!

Published on September 22, 2010 By sirrahc

We knew it was inevitable, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has dusted off the DISCLOSE Act for a vote. But first, let me review for a moment…. Unless you’re a new reader/visitor, you probably remember that I wrote about this Act back in June/July. (Here, here, here.) DISCLOSE is a terrible piece of […]

The DISCLOSE Act and “Has the NRA Lost Its Way?”

Published on June 21, 2010 By sirrahc

What are they thinking?! The National Rifle Association (NRA) just cut a deal with the Democrats. This deal will protect the NRA from some obnoxious requirements in a proposed bill, but at the expense of the free-speech rights of many other groups. And, it’s not exactly terrific for the gun lobby, either. Before we get […]