Rules Are for Schmucks: Beware the Power of the “Defender of Faith”

Several decades ago, when my sister seemed to be slipping off the golden path to graduating from college, I made her a promise: “If you graduate I’ll give you a trip to England to see... Read More
Rules Are for Schmucks: A Second Chance for Free Speech

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to re-hear a case that’s vitally important for anyone inclined to criticize religion. Maybe they’ll get it right the second time. Dearborn, Michigan, puts on a festival... Read More
Rules Are for Schmucks: Should Religious Privilege Extend to Prisoners?

Last spring I described how even the dissent in the Town of Greece v. Galloway Supreme Court case approving sectarian prayer at official government meetings left much to be desired. It seemed that every single... Read More
Rules Are for Schmucks: The Truth about the Houston Subpoenas to Christian Pastors

Senator Ted Cruz and the rest of the Christian Right were in an uproar last week over the City of Houston’s subpoenas to several Christian pastors, requiring them to provide copies of sermons and other... Read More
Rules Are for Schmucks: Bigotry plus Greed

Same-sex marriage first became legal in Pennsylvania last May, when a federal district court ruled that the state’s statutory ban on marriage equality violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. "In future generations,”... Read More
Rules Are for Schmucks: It’s Not Okay to Cite the Bible When Talking about Global Warming

Secretary of State John Kerry did a great disservice to the debate over the response to global warming last month by dragging religion into a discussion where it doesn’t belong. “Before God created man,” theologian... Read More
Rules Are for Schmucks: The Sanctuary Scam

Francisco Aguirre has now become the latest poster boy for “sanctuary,” the bizarre concept that a criminal should be able to avoid arrest by taking shelter in a church. Aguirre is a native of El... Read More