The People v. Free Exercise of Religion

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." -- Amendment I to the U.S. Constitution

"The Federal Government may not treat same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose, even if concluded or recognized by one of the states." -- Defense of Marriage Act

Congress is prohibited from restricting the free exercise of religion, yet an act of Congress invalidates Fran and Anna Simon's Jewish wedding -- sanctified by Rabbi Jamie Korngold. [more]

This is part 2 in a 3-part series. Read part 1.

How Soon they Forget

Lance Armstrong had surgery today to repair the clavicle he broke while racing two days ago. Said Lance, "It's the biggest setback I've ever had in my cycling career." This from the man who quit the sport when cancer almost killed him.

Also on Monday, infamous Boulderite Ward Churchill took the stand in defense of his $94,000 per year teaching job at CU, saying, "When you bring your skills to bear for profit, you are the moral equivalent of Adolf Eichmann." You nailed it (and yourself) Ward.

How We Change Hearts and Minds

When Rabbi Jamie Korngold married Fran and Anna Simon in 2005, she made sure all present understood that the marriage had no legal standing.

According to Anna, "That was a surprise to many people." But, according to Fran, the wedding "really affirmed our relationship in their eyes, particularly the people closest to us."[more]

This is part 1 in a 3 part series.

Photo By: Peggy Dyer, www.peggydyer.com

AIG on their Faces

So, whose fault is it that AIG is using their bailout money to pay huge (by most people's standards) bonuses to the very people who made the bad decisions that brought them to where they needed the bailouts?

Well, clearly there is plenty of fault for Bush and the 110th Congress, as well as Obama and the 111th Congress. They tell us that these bonuses were required by contract and had to be paid.

But didn't the big automakers just get some bailout money, and wasn't one of the conditions that they had to renegotiate union contracts? Clearly it can be done.

Also, retention bonuses are paid to keep good employees on board. What's the worst that would have happened? These great employees would have left?

But I think a huge part of the blame falls to all of us, who seem to require quick action from our government in preference to correct action. We've seen it many times, and rarely do the legislators involved ever get called to task for responding to this primal fear.

It seems to me that the best time to enact protections against the things that contributed to the current economic crisis is when writing "emergency" legislation. Wouldn't it make sense to tie any stimulus or bailout money to regulations and protections against financial abuses, rather than spending the money and then going back later and trying to pass the new regulations when memories have dimmed?

Galapagos Free Birds

A flight of fancy from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands.


Galapagos Free Bird from Mike Ellis on Vimeo

Bicycle safety -- just too inconvenient?

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden recently testified against Colorado Senate Bill 148, the Bicycle Safety Bill. Does the law officer really hate bikes so much that he would argue against their safety? Based on his previous comments and actions, I have to say he does, especially if their riders come from Boulder. [more]