Ultra-Orthodox Jews have organized a big rally in New York city this coming Sunday, featuring leading rabbis as speakers, to warn about the dangers of the internet and as part of their ongoing war “Against the Scourge of Technology”. Publicity for the event says: [Read more…]
The New York Times has a horrible story about sexual abuse of children in the Orthodox Jewish communities. Rather than bringing the perpetrators to justice, the members of the community turn against the accusers. It is depressingly similar to the way that the Catholic church responded to sexual abuse allegations against its leaders. [Read more…]
As expected, both sides on the same sex marriage issue are treading warily and hopefully after president Obama’s statement that he personally supports it. His supporters are hoping that this statement, although minimal in scope and somewhat belated in timing, will still be sufficient to energize those who have been disillusioned by Obama’s failure to deliver on so many other issues and will lead to full-fledged equality soon. [Read more…]
We have probably all seen someone make a rude silent gesture to another person who could not see it. The question is whether something is rude even if no one sees it. In other words, does an act become rude simply by virtue of the intent of the actor or by the response of the audience? This happens sometimes in intercultural exchanges where a gesture or a statement that is not at all rude in one culture is offensive in another. [Read more…]
A woman speaks at a city council meeting in the town of Lincoln, Nebraska at a public hearing on a proposed LGBT equality protection ordinance. Her words provide a remarkable example of non sequiturs strung together to simulate an argument what is in reality just Bible-based homophobia. [Read more…]
It is quite extraordinary how the Catholic Church seems to go out if its way to alienate women. Fresh from their assault on nuns (see here and here), the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is now targeting Girl Scouts. Both my daughters were girl scouts and it would be tough to find a more wholesome or inoffensive group. But the old men of the Catholic Church seem to see it as a gateway to evil. [Read more…]
Both of them had good segments.
Here The Daily Show weighs in. [Read more…]
I think that the easiest job in the world is one that involves offending religious people. If such a job opens up, I will apply for it in a flash.
Recall the recent event in which some high school students at a journalism conference walked out on Dan Savage when he pointed out that the Bible was a major source of anti-gay sentiment. Savage later apologized for some of his language and for denigrating the students who walked out but not for the ideas expressed. [Read more…]
The fallout from president Obama’s statement yesterday that he was in favor of same sex couples having the same right to marry as any other couple has been interesting to observe.
There have been those who have found reasons to criticize it, saying that it was long overdue, that his emphasis that it was his personal opinion diluted the impact because he did not say that he was going to fight vigorously for it to become law, that he was saying this for political reasons to galvanize his base of supporters, that he was forced to do so by vice president Joe Biden’s statement, even that he was doing this because he needed ‘gay money‘ to counter the loss in Wall Street money that was now going to Mitt Romney. [Read more…]