A recent series of articles in The New York Times, entitled “In God’s Name,” examined the troubling relationship between religious institutions and the nations’ local, state and federal governments. In particular, land use is emerging as a contentious issue as disputes are taken to court and important decisions are soon to be made regarding how far religious liberty and equal protection under the First Amendment extends. More »
I have a confession to make. It’s not something I share very regularly — not because I’m ashamed of it, but because it requires a conversation long enough to explain the context. My confession is this: I used to be a Republican. Not a George W. Bush Republican, but a Republican nonetheless. Had I been able to vote back in 1996 and 2000, my 11- and 15-year-old selves would have voted for Bob Dole and George Bush respectively (my seven-year-old self thought that Ross Perot was really cool). I believed in “compassionate conservatism,” and deep down I still do. I was happy to see Mitt Romney become my governor in 2002, but soon afterwards, I lost faith in the Grand Old Party. I couldn’t tell you the exact moment, but it was sometime between the 2002 midterm elections and the Democratic Presidential primaries in early 2004. More »
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