Freethought Day: From Witch Trials to Reason
What do science, the First Amendment, and colonial America have in common? Freethought Day!
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t: The Blaine Amendment
This November, Oklahomans head to the voting booths to elect a president—and also to vote whether their tax money may be used to fund religious institutions. State Question 790, "Oklahoma Public Money for Religious Purposes,"... Read More
Vice Presidential Debate Is Surprisingly Presidential
After an initial presidential debate filled with insults and vague policy prescriptions, the first vice presidential debate held last night at Longwood University was a welcome surprise. The debate, while occasionally contentious, focused largely on... Read More
Race and Climate Change in the First Presidential Debate
As a lobbyist, I hate election season. Campaigns show the worst side of politics: the fake folksiness, the reluctant baby-kissing, and the overstated promises that won’t be delivered on. The actual business of governing is... Read More
DC City Council Considers Death with Dignity Legislation
This week I attended a series of meetings with DC city council members as part of a bipartisan and interfaith effort to promote the Death With Dignity Act of 2015. The bill was introduced by... Read More
O’er the Land of the Free…ish Colin Kaepernick’s Quintessentially American Protest
Would you vow to recite and honor words you don’t understand, written by a man you never knew, without question, simply because someone told you it was your duty? If you said yes, that’s not... Read More
Three Things that Must Happen with the Advent of Ending Private Prisons An In-Depth Look at Private Prison Reform
Last Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in a memo addressed from Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to the acting director of the federal Bureau of Prisons that they would be phasing out the... Read More