Victory for First Amendment, jury affirms right to film police

Victory for freedom of speech and the press. A federal jury awarded damages to an Oregon man who was illegally arrested for filming a cop who he believed, was infringing on his First Amendment right to protest outside of a bank. Now, it seems that this guy had set up a table...

Can the government violate the rights of Americans at the border?

An American named Bradley Jardis came back to the U.S., after a very short trip across the border into Mexico. When asked, he declined to answer how he was planning to use shot glasses, he bought in Mexico, to celebrate. Frankly, this question seems kind of silly and...

Gay rights t-shirts banned by schools

Pro gay t-shirts are being banned and censored in schools. One shirt, Jesus is not a homophobe, was banned in a school in Ohio because the student, Maverick Couch, was told it was "indecent and sexual in nature" by the school principal. So, any expression of gay rights, is...

Religions shouldn't get special rights, but they do

In the District of Columbia it is illegal to disrupt a worship service. Why single out a religious service for protection, over say, a meeting of your friendly local humanist group. Good question, why indeed. Is there a lot of people disrupting worship services? Probably...

Do we have to affirm loyalty to the nation and other questions

Since it is Memorial Day, I am going to touch on a couple of stories involving the U.S., our soldiers or its' symbols. First is a 17 year old student who said he was too tired to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The conservative host I listened to (who says he is big on...

Chicago P.D. draws guns on journalists

This is disturbing story out of Chicago. It seems a number of young journalists covering the anti-NATO protests in Chicago were targeted for harassment by the Chicago Police Department. Batteries and external hard drives of theirs were smashed and the cell phone of one...

Christian right-wingers trying to impose religion on your kids

There are a few different versions of the 10 Commandments, but there is one that most Americans, be they Christians or not, are familiar. It is the one that tells listeners to have no other gods, honor the sabbath, not use that god's name in vain, or make graven images. While...

Why were rights of anti-NATO protestors violated by Chicago P.D.?

This is video of four Chicago cops interrogating the political activies a few men who were stopped for turning into a driveway to turn around. Yes, they were stopped for that. Since these men were later arrested for alleged terrorism in a raid with a warrant not even signed...

The life and times of George Carlin

I just finished George Carlin's book, Last Words. It's different than anything else he wrote, because it's his autobiography. Interesting and amusing, of course. Well, when Carlin was younger he knew the comedian and social critic, Lenny Bruce. Bruce was before my time, but...

Why does the Christian rightwing need government endorsement?

William Murray is the son of Madalyn Murray O'Hair. The woman who supposedly forced religion out of public schools. Maybe the most hated person by the Christian right-wing, even two decades after her death. Actually, like most things, it was not quite that simple.Her lawsuit...

The war by the police on your right to film, continues

Ian Van Kuyk is a student at Temple University, in Philadelphia, PA. I have been to Philadelphia a couple of times, it is a beautiful city. He, along with his girlfriend were arrested on March 14, 2012. Heinous crime, they committed? Not really, they were arrested because he...

Why is the Christian right-wing opposing a mosque in Brookfield?

In Brookfield, WI, there is opposition to the building of an Islamic mosque. Why? Do people really think that elderly Muslim women are going to be plotting terrorism against the U.S. Bank building? I am a humanist and I am not going to defend Islam as the so called religion...

NYPD cops violate civil liberties of Occupy Wall Street activists

This is an interesting case out of New York City, where NYPD cops raid a house because of a six year old open carry violation of alcohol. Six cops in fact. At 6:30 in the morning. Of course, the raid wasn't about a six year old case of open carry. It was because they were...

Today is either National Day of Reason or National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer, it is also the National Day of Reason. Only one of these concepts is our nation founded upon, and no, it's not the former. Our nation is a product of the Enlightenment. Men such as Thomas Paine, James Madison, Ben Franklin and Thomas...

Can the government arrest someone and not release their names?

Immigrantion and Criminal Enforcement is the main federal agency charged with enforcing our nation's immigration laws. Well, it seems that they can arrest suspected illegal/undocumented individuals and have stated that they as an orgaization are not obligated to release the...