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Free Speech Means Freedom NOT to Speak

There’s been a great deal of discussion amongst conservatives about the potential revival of the fairness doctrine, and some action on the left in hope of actually reviving it. I regard the fairness doctrine as a thoroughly reprehensible idea. I did not support it while it was still in existence and I hope it doesn’t…

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How to Keep Religion in the Public Square

Every so often there’s another outburst of complaints about how religion is being suppressed in this country, and how it no longer has its place in the public square. And there are the occasional really silly incidents that actually support such a claim. I note, for example, that our local public library here in Pensacola,…

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They Really Do Believe the Earth is Stationary

Occasionally when I mention “geocentricity” people will roll their eyes and let me know that nobody is believes that any more, nobody is that stupid, and comparing the rejection of overwhelming amounts of modern science in favor of young earth creationism with similar rejection of science by geocentrists is silly, because there aren’t any such…

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Setting the Proper Priority for Tolerance as a Value

Every so often I have a conversation with someone who knows I value tolerance that goes something like this: Q: So you believe in tolerance? Me: (Heroically resisting the urge to tear apart the phrase “believe in x”) Yes, I value tolerance. Q: But then you have to tolerate intolerant people. Me: No, actually I…

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What Stimulus Proponents Could Learn from a Book Title

Readers of this blog know that I preferred our current president over his opponent in the election. After the bailout fiasco, I would have dearly loved to have had a candidate who actually opposed the whole idea. McCain bleated about socialism, but I honestly don’t believe he could have identified a capitalist or a socialist…

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Annoyed at Certain Christian Labels

On Wednesday I got snarky about a post by Jim West, dealing with “Biblical faith” and yesterday I wrote about a test that is alleged (incorrectly) to determine whether I have a “Biblical worldview.” There’s a common element here that annoys me, and it’s these multi-word or hyphenated Christian labels for things that might well…