Historical Perspective The preeminent act of America’s first Congress was passage of the Bill of Rights on September 25, 1789. Comprised of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratification was completed on December 15, 1791 with Virginia providing the necessary final vote to complete the process. The first section of the First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment...

Who says that negatively defining someone — facts to the contrary — doesn’t work? It sure does in 21st century American politics. Just look at this Pew Research Center poll which indicates nearly one in five Americans think President Barack Obama is a Muslim: A substantial and growing number of Americans say that Barack Obama is a Muslim, while the proportion saying he is a Christian has declined....

Shirley Sherrod in an open letter on behalf of the NAACP: Not long ago, I sat here in my living room in Albany, Georgia for an afternoon of deep conversation with NAACP President Benjamin Jealous. As he has done in public, Ben movingly apologized for the fact that the NAACP was initially hoodwinked by Breitbart and Fox into supporting my removal. I told him what I want to tell you. That’s behind us, and...

Do Western countries have a right to demand ‘reciprocation’ from Muslim nations when it comes to freedom of religion? And was President Obama in error to come out apparently in favor of the building of a controversial Muslim community center near New York’s Ground Zero? Continuing with our global coverage of this expanding controversy, columnist Rufo Gamazo Rico of Spain’s La Opinion...

After getting in trouble for repeatedly saying the “N-word” on the air when talking about how much black comedians use the word on HBO and issuing an apology later, popular talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger has told CNN’s Larry King that she intends to quit her show when her contract runs out at the end of the year — citing a desire to get her First Amendment rights back: “My...

We have all read and heard about the Iranian nuclear program and its possible capability to produce nuclear weapons; about the diplomatic, economic, and other ongoing efforts to get Iran to come clean on its nuclear weapons intentions; and about the threat such a capability would pose to Israel and to world peace. We have also seen reports about the possibility of an Israeli preemptive strike against such Iranian...

Should a Muslim community center and a mosque be permitted to be built four blocks from Ground Zero in New York? The proposed Cordoba House, so named to invoke Cordoba, Spain, between the 8th and 11th centuries, where Muslims, Christians and Jews are said to have co-existed peacefully, has sharply divided Americans. According to columnist Ignacio Camacho of Spain’s ABC newspaper, the failure of Muslim...

One of the more bizarre reactions to Pres. Obama’s statement supporting the right of a Muslim group to build an Islamic community center two blocks from Ground Zero came from William Kristol:

What W. H. Auden poetically called “The Age of Anxiety” at the dawn of the nuclear era is back to haunt us, a climate of constant dread where bad news always crowds out good. Politicians, abetted by headline-hungry 24/7 media, inflate every occurrence into a crisis and, after each is resolved or fades away, go on to the next occasion for Chicken Little howls that the sky is falling. After months...

Which, believe me, I expect exactly no one who is not already possessed of these qualities with regard to Cordoba House to gain as a result of this post. I put it up here only because I think it’s important to be on the right side of this issue as publicly as possible as well as to pointedly distinguish myself from those who are not.

I just read an excellent article by TMV colleague, Kathy Gill, titled “Burning The Qur’an, Literally and Figuratively.” The article made me reflect quite a bit on the disturbing increase in anti-Muslim, anti-Islam sentiments and rhetoric in our country, but it also reminded me of a very innocent act of 30 years ago. An act that—along with other “Saudi memories”—seems to be very relevant...

Logan’s recent post reminded me to highlight why MPG is a terrible measure that is severely distorting consumer and regulatory behavior. If you had to guess, which do you think saves more gas: going from 20 MPG to 30 MPG, or 30 MPG to 45 MPG? Well the latter is an increase of 15 MPG so you might be tempted to choose that, but they are both 50% increases, so maybe they are the same, right? Well let me...

Yesterday, on “a lazy Sunday afternoon,” I posted a humorous article about “An airline that does not take itself too seriously.” But today is Monday morning, just two weeks before all U.S. combat troops are scheduled to leave Iraq, and there are plenty of things to be taken very seriously. Perhaps foremost among those serious issues is the war in Iraq and, more importantly, as we withdraw our combat...

Has President Barack Obama essentially stepped in it due to his statements supporting the controversial building of a mosque two blocks away from ground zero — then seeming to qualify his initial statements one day later? On Friday night Obama seemed to threw his support behind the right of Muslims to build the mosque in the site they selected. This was surprising to many who had expected the White House...

Some further thoughts, left and right, on Pres. Obama’s speech supporting the proposition that the constitution’s provision of religious freedom for all means that the Constitution provides religious freedom for all.

Earlier today, Barack Obama responded to the avalanche of vitriol from the right that greeted his still earlier remarks about religious freedom in the United States of America. Some people are saying that Obama essentially “walked back” his earlier strong support for the idea that Muslims have the same constitutional right as any other faith tradition has in this country to build a mosque on private...

For CStanley, in comments — Carole King, 1982: “I know this world needs changing. I know the shape we’re in. But with all the confusion, I’ve reached the conclusion, there’s only one place to begin….”

Swamp-Drainage Detritus Raging Moderate, by Will Durst There have been easier times to be a Democrat. Think way, way back to the halcyon days of two years ago. Summer of ‘08. Basking like a lazy cat napping in a sun-drenched window box. Now, not so much. Nancy Pelosi must be thinking someone on her team swallowed a bad-news electromagnet the size of a Buick. Obama’s poll numbers are falling faster than barometric...

Last week, Mexican President Felipe Calderon for the first time said a debate over legalizing drugs should be permitted to go forward. Later that day, after meeting with U.S. lawmakers, leading Mexican lawmakers called for legalizing marijuana in both Mexico and the United States – and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies called for legalizing all illegal...

Do we need yet more proof that some politicians will say anything — LITERALLY — anything to try and demonize a group or person to try to get votes for their side? To some these days, politics is no more than The Fear Factor. In this case, just watch this attempt to demonize illegal immigrant children and also justify changes in the 14th amendment. Watch CNN’s Anderson Cooper trying to interview...

With Friends Like these by Eugene Robinson WASHINGTON — The Republican Party’s candidate for governor of Colorado believes that bicycle paths are “part of a greater strategy to rein in American cities under a United Nations treaty.” The party’s Senate candidate in Nevada wants to privatize Medicare and Social Security — and has called for the United States to withdraw from...

Given the weeks upon weeks of endless, endless, endless self-righteous outrage and smug, preening, posturing blogospheric concern trolling about JournoList — Ezra Klein’s formerly private, now-defunct mailing list for liberal reporters and writers — and how shocking it was that the Washington Post had hired Dave Weigel to write a column about conservatives without first checking to find out...

Talk radio is often talk radio in more ways than one: the talk on the talk radio show and the talk — often controversy — generated by it. And today’s entry is either a career setback or attention booster, in the eyes of some. Or, perhaps, one of those controversies destined to be more of a google link and You Tube than one that will have any impact to their career or the issue raised by the...

Last November, I wrote about how I went from being a political blogger, to being a political candidate and then an elected official because I won my race. Alan Rosenblatt and I then worked to compile a list of similar cases and found less than two handfuls. A Politico reporter researched and wrote and Politico published, More Bloggers Throwing Hats in the Ring on Wednesday. It’s got some nice overview...

Volokh’s Orin Kerr pens a Generic Op-Ed for Judge Walker’s SSM Decision. He’s invited all publications to use it… Just pick the right word you want in parenthesis — conservatives pick the first word, and liberals pick the second. FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION Judge Walker’s decision on same-sex marriage is a reminder of the proper role of judges in our society. Above all else, judges should...