[Original post August 21, 2012] Both good ideas and bad ideas form from and as part of the larger “idea fabric” all of us share. The comments of Representative Todd Akins (R-Missouri) about “legitimate rape” are one stellar example. The below is an attempt to explore the bundle of bad (a.k.a. FALSE) ideas contained in his comments. Akins, who is […]

[Originally posted Nov 5 2012] A group of pastors and members of North Carolina’s NAACP released the following letter in response to anti-Obama advertisements and other actions by the BGEA (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) headed by Franklin Graham. We believe this letter is an important counterpoint to many voices in this political season. As background, Franklin Graham was confronted before […]

Is there any word or sentiment which is off limits these days? Last week, talk radio shrieker Pete Santilli accused Hillary Clinton of being involved with the killing of American troops in Benghazi, Libya. And then he offered this: “I want to shoot her right in the vagina and I don’t want her to die right away. I want her […]

“My spiritual pain is unbearable. I keep having the same unsolved question: if my rifle claimed people’s lives, then can it be that I… a Christian and an Orthodox believer, was to blame for their deaths?” — Mikhail Kalashnikov Not long before his death in December 2013 (he was 94), Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK-47 rifle, wrote a letter […]

Salon magazine these days tends to major on Shrill. But that major caveat aside, their recent “The right’s Ayn Rand hypocrisy: Why their ‘religious’ posture is a total sham” carries real weight. Despite the Shrill. Earlier this week, CNN reported that American Atheists, an advocacy group for atheists and atheism, would have a booth at the 2014 Conservative Political Action […]

“Do not question others’ faith just because you disagree with them. It adds nothing to the discussion and only causes strife.” – Charisma News comments guidelines “President Obama…. Would you allow me to share with you that I and scores of others have serious doubts about your conversion and the authenticity of your Christianity?” – Charisma News editorial (emphasis in […]

FOX News gave Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher, massive amounts of airtime. U. S. Senator Rand Paul and FOX pundit Sean Hannity praised Bundy’s stance against the federal government. (Never mind the federal government owns the land Mr. Bundy grazes his cattle on, which is what the dispute is about, and has owned the land for generations.) The entire conservative […]

I know…. here we go again, taking the bait from Mr. Limbaugh and ensuring that his nonsense (and thus his brand) stays highly visible. That formula has worked well for him in the past and will continue to work for him in the future. So why do I do it anyway? Because: Rush Limbaugh is one of the world’s most […]

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That is, don’t put people in prison without a trial or even specific accusations of wrong-doing. “Walking while Muslim” or “Walking while a bearded male in Iraq / Afghanistan” is not a good reason to put someone into solitary confinement for (in many cases) over a decade. What if […]