Former Governor-turned-political-commentator Mike Huckabee is a man of whom I am not a fan. And it is not just him personally, but everyone he represents: the new conservative Christian Right. The kind of people who want to see In God We Trust on every public building. The kind of people who want to have the [...]
By: Barry Belmont
Politics and religion have a very nuanced and complicated relationship with one another, historically speaking. This is especially true amongst those figureheads who feel comfortable straddling both fields with impunity. I have in mind the talking heads of Fox News in particular, though many political pundits have at the very least strong religious feelings. And [...]
22Mar11
Gays, Glee, and Big-o-try
By: Barry Belmont
There are children, today, in the twenty-first century, in arguably one of the most advanced and civilized nations to have ever existed on planet earth, that will kill themselves, because they are ashamed they are gay. They are ashamed because for centuries, the notion of homosexuality has been treated with contempt and disgust and those [...]
22Mar11
In God We Trust: A Case Study
By: Barry Belmont
Some people, as it turns out, see absolutely nothing wrong with the national motto of “In God We Trust” appearing on all sorts of things, including the money supply, schools, public universities, etc. This is because their cultural and cognitive biases are blinding them to the actual offensiveness of such a statement by merely reaffirming [...]
22Mar11
In God We Trust
By: Barry Belmont
If you haven’t yet heard, Representative Randy Forbes (R-Va) has put forth a House Resolution to reaffirm the national motto as ‘In God We Trust’ by posting this motto on many public buildings including court houses, schools, and practically all governmental buildings. The bill has over sixty co-sponsors and is advancing to the floor of [...]
By: Barry Belmont
Dogmatism, whether it be political, philosophical, national, or religious, is generally a practice to be shunned. Rarely is a more terrible scourge created than when this unmovable frame of mind is coupled with an inexplicable sense of pride. At every turn it is up to those of us free of such traps of the mind [...]
By: Barry Belmont
It’s remarkable that people can have literally the best intentions possible (for instance wishing to prevent WWIII) and yet with the wrong set of thoughts, facts, and theories about the universe come off as crazy, slightly prejudicial, and at the very least, a little silly. This is a video of a Christian woman asking for [...]
19Jan11
Should Witches Be Put on Trial?
By: Barry Belmont
Gah…what is the solution to this?
By: Barry Belmont
Certainly as libertarians one should be as free as the wind to show pornographic content of any kind (of consenting adults) with consenting adults. Presumably this includes porn of the Buddha, the god Vishnu, Jesus Christ, and a panoply of other divine figures (Thor, Odin, Hathor, Ra, too!). However, an artist in Sweden by the [...]
13Dec10
Nickel and Dimed and Offended
By: Barry Belmont
So I know a lot of you had to read that “Nickel and Dimed” book as part of your freshmen orientation and I also know very few of you actually enjoyed it. You thought it was biased or boring or only kinda true or what have you. But this is the first time I’ve heard [...]
