A forgotten tradition? Of course. AmbivaBlog has more. Much more.

Think again. Abdul Rahman isn’t the first…and unless Islamic law changes…he certainly won’t be the last. From Daveed Gartenstein-Ross: Middle Easterners who leave the Islamic faith have faced serious persecution for decades. Many have been killed, either by the state or by their former co-religionists. But the Abdul Rahman case marked the first time in recent memory that this practice has attracted significant attention. The issue extends far beyond Afghanistan and poses a...

Given that his numbers are low, low, low…this move makes sense. But will the press respond to his “chewing the fat” sessions? My thoughts are here.

Yep…they did it recently…twice. Thankfully “they” were US agents testing our security. Needless to say, we failed. More here.

Alan Stewart Carl nails it on the Abdul Rahman case: There are many cultural rifts between the West and the Muslim world. Some can be closed or at least bridged. But in cases like Abdul Rahman, we in the West cannot find common ground. Killing a man for converting to a new religion is wholly unacceptable. There is no compromise. They are wrong. We are right. Not only are we right, but they need to change as soon as possible. This throws a massive monkey wrench into the “Islam is a religion...

Yet another reason why Islam has to change. More here.

To me, movement away from the radical religious fringe and towards a humble, moral center is a great thing. And somehow, the fact that it’s happening in Texas makes it even better. COVINGTON, Texas (ABP) — Pastor and politician Kerry Horn has been called an agent of Satan. He has faced country farmers trembling with rage. And his faith has been questioned by members of his own congregation. And that’s just the reaction of his “Christianâ€? constituents. “People find...

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, writer for the Weekly Standard, emails TMV and seems to think that Scalia’s recent speeches are perfectly within reason. And after reading his article, I think Daveed has a valid point: BY ALL ACCOUNTS, Scalia’s Freiburg speech did not go beyond the views he already expressed in his Rasul and Hamdi dissents. The applicable legal standard for recusal is supplied by 28 U.S.C. S 455(a), which states: “Any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States...

Formely of The Yellow Line, Alan Stewart Carl is one of the more thoughtful centrist writers around. He recently started up Maverick Views, which I consider a must read. Give Alan a visit and show him some love.

At first glance, this seems like fantastic news. After all, the guy is being let off. But the opening on this story certainly gave me pause: KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan court on Sunday dismissed a case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity because of a lack of evidence and he will be released soon, officials said. Well, what does that mean for the next convert to Christianity where the evidence is overwhelming? Will that person be put to death? I guess we’ll have to...

See why.

Michael Reynolds just celebrated a year in the blogosphere. But he forgot the date. Trust me, I sympathize… I have never been any good at keeping track of dates. Every single year for 26 years I’ve missed the day my wife and I celebrate as our anniversary. July 1st, by the way, I know that. She forgets it, too. It’s not the day we got married (neither of us has a clue about that) it’s the day we met. Approximately. We’re not sure. I keep track of my kid’s birthdays...

Cicero questions our strategy. In spite of the view that the globalized world will deliver long-term freedom and prosperity, I have begun to wonder if openness will be an option as we cross history’s harsh thresholds, hidden in the tall grass. History always reaps the unexpected; its scythe is strident. [...] I believe we are already at a historical threshold. The first indication is utter confusion. The secular world’s response to Shi’a Islam’s nuclear ambition is confused,...

This is very good news: An Afghan Christian facing possible execution for converting from Islam was likely to be released from jail “soon,” a senior government official said following huge Western pressure over the case. “He is likely to be released soon,” the official said, adding there would be a top-level meeting on the matter Saturday. Awesome. Religious freedom deserves no less.

Alan Stewart Carl thinks this is a difficult topic and that we’ll be debating this issue over the next few years. And unfortunately, it seems like it’ll remain difficult… This is one of those issues that is difficult to discuss because it is incredibly complex and yet many insist on taking simplistic and misleading positions. This is not just about basic rights (although rights are involved). This is not just about cultural clashes (although assimilation is an issue). And this is...

Well, Red America is no more and plagiarism brought it down. That’s right…Ben Domenech has resigned due to some heavy pressures from the left, the right, and probably his own conscience. This looks bad for bloggers, right? Well, as the executive editor of washingtonpost.com explains… We appreciate the speed and thoroughness with which our readers and media outlets surfaced these allegations. Despite the turn this has taken, we believe this event, among other things, testifies to...

I think Rhode Island has made the right move on a faith-based abstinence program. More from The Westerly Sun: PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island education officials have banned from public schools a federally funded abstinence program that civil rights advocates said embraced sexist stereotypes and included a voluntary student health survey that violated privacy laws. Lawyers at the Rhode Island affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union first complained last year that a now-abandoned textbook...

Amazingly, cops are coming INTO bars and busting people for public intoxication. I have more here.

RedState characterizes them as such: Those blogs attacking the Washington Post and Ben are so hate filled and envious, they refuse to accept Froomkin as one of their own. Hmmm….do any of you think Donklephant is hate filled and envious? Okay, I admit, I am filled with hate and envy. Damn, they got me.

He’s the Muslim who converted to Christianity and now faces the death penalty in Afghanistan. I don’t like his chances. Find out why.

From the man on the ground… Throughout 2005, I said in writing, on the radio and television that Iraq is in a state of Civil War. It had been in that state for decades. I’d point to all the kindling heaped around the country and point to the smoke on the horizon, but most people politely dismissed the warnings. Now the fire is bigger. Listen. Listen! Iraq is in a state of Civil War. Much bigger than it was a year ago, and next year it will be bigger still, if we do not recognize...

Haha, now this is funny. Rock musicians have these things called “riders.” They’re basically lists of thing that the performer wants in their dressing rooms, be it food, liquor, certain types of furniture, etc. Well, Cheney has a “rider” and one of the demands is that any television in his room(s) should already be tuned to FOX News. Read the whole thing at The Smoking Gun.

Will Slaten wrote a good piece about this issue today, and how it’s neither comparable to gay marriage nor a comfortable marital state. However, will we face the polygamy issue again in the future? I think yes. See why.

No joke. It’s the standard version, and I’m selling it unopened for $500. I’ll also throw in a wireless controller and an extra battery pack for that controller so it won’t run out of juice. Just email me (justinpgardner at yahoo dot com) and we’ll talk.

Not to be too glib, but who else? Bush.