Trampling on the First Amendment

This may not technically be unconstitutional, since it’s a state government that’s endorsing a particular religion not Congress or the federal government, but it’s certainly totally antithetical to the spirit of religious freedom, and to the Founders’ intent and determination to keep...

Today in Photoshop Funditry

The Brooklyn based Hasidic Jewish newspaper Der Zeitung, proving once again that when it comes to religious fundamentalism neither the Christians nor the Muslims hold a monopoly on the market of stupidity [emphasis below is mine]. Much ink has been spilled over the now-iconic Situation Room image, showing...

Discovery Friday #1: Rechelle Unplugged

Taking a cue from Bob, my Managing Editor over at VIA, I have decided to start a new Friday tradition here at Comments from Left Field. I’m calling it Discovery Friday and the concept is pretty simple (because who wants something complex on a Friday right?). It goes like this, I find a blog that I...

Pres. Obama’s Speech in Cairo

I thought it was superb — one of his best speeches ever. It had all the usual hallmarks of an Obama speech: soaring language, emphasis on themes of unity, interconnectivity, and mutual respect. It laid out a grand vision for what Obama called “a new beginning,” and identified seven specific...

“This should be a fight over the official prayer itself”

Steve Benen puts the Rick Warren controversy in broader perspective: The real problem isn’t with who will give the invocation, but rather, the fact that there’s going to be an invocation in the first place. We had 144 years of presidential inaugurations, dating back to George Washington, in which...