Rachel Ford is a programmer, and since 8:00 to 5:00 doesn't provide enough opportunity to bask in screen glare, she writes in her spare time. She was raised a very fundamentalist Christian, but eventually "saw the light." Rachel's personal blog is Rachel's Hobbit Hole, where she discusses everything from Tolkien to state politics.
If you’ve never heard of Steven Crowder, please accept my apologies in advance. He recently posted a piece on his Louder with Crowder site about the Qur’an that is simply too funny — and sad — to pass up. But not funny in the way that Crowder, a former Fox News contributor and conservative comedian, might hope. In the piece, Crowder and co-author Krystal Heath attempt to present “5 Reasons The Qur’an Can Never ‘Coexist’ With The Constitution… Ever.” Keep in mind that Crowder is a pretty hardcore Christian who uses his site to promote a lot of the conservative talking points. He’s smart enough to go beyond “Jesus says soooo!”… but, all the same, it’s not terribly sophisticated stuff. After all, when your site responds to discussion of non-discrimination protections for gay customers with NAZIS! or abortion decisions with HOLOCAUST!, you might have been better off sticking with the straight-up religious defense. Read more
Coloma Convent Girls’ School in Croyden (England) introduced students to an interesting perspective on sex, courtesy of a group called Pure in Heart UK. The Croyden Guardian reports that the group was speaking (by invitation) at the school and ended the presentation by handing out a pamphlet called the “Single Catholic’s Guide.” Read more
Explaining her decision to block an exemption for rape and incest victims from Tennessee’s newest proposed abortion restrictions, State Rep. Sheila Butt made the peculiar argument that such an exemption shouldn’t exist because rape and incest isn’t typically “verifiable.” Democratic Rep. Craig Fitzhugh proposed the amendment, along with another that offered an exemption for mental health reasons, as part of the restrictions put forth in HB 977. The bill would mandate counseling and a 48-hour wait period for any woman who wanted an abortion, except in cases of medical emergencies. Fitzhugh’s proposed amendments would have bypassed the wait period for those additional cases. Butt, a Republican, took umbrage with both suggestions. An exemption for mental health, she argued, was simply a “loophole for the abortion industry.” Her response to the exemption for rape and incest victims was equally callous. This amendment appears political because we understand in most instances, this is not verifiable. Let’s make sure that these women have the information and the understanding to act. Read more
Last Friday, the California Fourth District Court of Appeals upheld an earlier court ruling that teaching yoga in school does not violate the constitution. The case in question stems from a suit that was filed after the Encinitas Union School District introduced yoga classes in 2012. Some local parents claimed that the class was indoctrinating students in Hinduism, thus violated their Christian beliefs and the students’ constitutional rights. The district, however, was actually pretty conscientious about ensuring the secular nature of the program, and the parents in question were, let’s say, stretching the truth with their claims about indoctrination. Read more
In an interview last week with conservative talk radio host Dana Loesch, Republican Presidential hopeful and Texas Senator Ted Cruz expressed support for the Indiana religious freedom law in its original state. There is, he lamented, “a concerted effort targeting people of faith.” And unless someone can refuse to provide a service (that they otherwise provide) based on a customer’s sexual orientation, we’re basically at the point of forcing rabbis to eat pork. Read more
