On the morning of May 11, we learned that Brad Hoylman, a New York State Senator, posted an anti-Catholic tweet. We immediately condemned his remark and asked those on our email list to contact him. We also said he should recuse himself from voting on any measure dealing with the sexual abuse of minors. We made [...]
Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin has told her home-state nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Gordon Giampietro, that she will not support him by returning a favorable blue slip to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Giampietro, a former federal prosecutor, has impeccable credentials, but his support for marriage as the exclusive union [...]
On May 1st there was a small story in the Times about its metro editor, Wendell Jamieson, resigning for unexplained reasons. Of course, his "resignation" was forced—he was effectively fired—coming as it did after an internal investigation. "I regret and apologize for my mistakes and leaving under these circumstances," Jamieson said. Were they "mistakes," or was [...]
The controversy over the House Chaplain issue embroiled Washington for about a week, ending in a victory for the chaplain, a loss for Rep. Paul Ryan, and a surge of media attention for the Catholic League. There was anti-Catholicism involved on at least two different levels, though we hasten to say that Ryan, who is a [...]
There are many moral, legal, and professional issues involved in a California bill, AB 2943, which seeks to amend the state's consumer fraud laws by banning gay and transgender conversion therapy. Whether such therapy works or not, or is morally defensible, may not be as important as the free speech implications of this piece of legislation. [...]
GOD HATES GUNS LOVES GAY PORN That is the inscription—in large letters—posted on a big window on the ground floor of Columbia University's Lenfest Center for the Arts; it is located at W. 125th Street between Broadway and 12th Avenue. The Lenfest Center for the Arts is flagged by Columbia as "a dynamic new hub for [...]
A congressional club for atheists? Yes, one was founded last month, but it did not get off to a roaring start: Of the 535 members of Congress, we can count on one hand how many members there are: four. There are probably more left-handed vegans on Capitol Hill than that. So who are the members of [...]
Cardinal George Pell pleaded "not guilty" on May 1 to charges of sexual misconduct dating back decades ago. Though the majority of the charges against him were either thrown out or withdrawn, including the most serious accusations, Melbourne Magistrate Belinda Wallington said there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on some of the other charges. [...]
The April 20 editorial in the New York Times on the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.) is flawed in several ways. It is not the "religious right" that is responsible for the failure of this amendment, it is liberals. The editorial demonizes the "religious right" for "fearmongering," when, in fact, it was liberal women who fought the [...]
In May, President Trump signed an executive order promoting religious liberty. It creates a faith-based program giving religious organizations a greater role in government social service programs. We are particularly happy that Trump pledged not to use this initiative the way his predecessor did: Obama's program stifled the religious voice in faith-based entities; Trump's program enhances [...]