altara

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Freedom of Religion

Not sure whether there is a universal definition of religious freedom, but here is mine. Religious freedom means no persecution, no discrimination, freedom to worship, and freedom to speak and spread word.

It does not necessarily mean freedom from evenly applied taxation, nor does religion prevail over the public interest. Except for clerics, employment laws regarding discrimination should apply, and requirements for health insurance should prevail over religious doctrine. And this should true for churches as well as for more secular activities such as hospitals and universities. Requiring coverage of contraception as a matter of public policy does not endanger freedom of religion in this country.

Remember the legal prohibitions regarding polygamy and use of hallucinatory drugs.

Bonus thought: pharmacies, which are licensed to serve the public, should not be allowed to refuse to fill prescripions because of religious objections of owner, manager, or employee.

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Just the Guys

Yesterday, I heard a political commentator say something like "If these guys, or women would address this issue ....".

I think that he didn't need the words "or women" The word "guys", particularly in sports, now includes "women" and "girls".

Sunday, March 04, 2012

Don Imus and Rush Limbough

In 2007, Don Imus made on-air comments about the Rutgers womens basketball team that were clearly meant to be funny but were obviously offensive

In 2012, Rush Limbough, in a political rant, has called a female law student a "slut" and made other offensive remarks.

Don Imus was fired. Why is Limbough still on the air?