But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.-- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVII (source) Jefferson was talking about freedom of religion, but truth be told, I feel the same way about whether professional athletes stand or kneel while the American national anthem … [Read more...] about Football Players and Legs
Freedom
Making America Great Again
At first I thought this was just funny, but the more I think about it, the better it makes me feel about America.The reference here is Pastor Martin Niemöller's statement about cowardice in the face of the Nazi rise to power. The best-known version reads like this: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist.Then they … [Read more...] about Making America Great Again
Ferguson Fatigue
It seems fatigue has set in with the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson. I've been following the protests and the police response every night on Twitter since the shooting, and it's been riveting. I keep telling myself to ignore it for a while, and for most of the last two weeks, I keep getting drawn in … [Read more...] about Ferguson Fatigue
The Constitution Is Not a Suicide Pact
"The Constitution is not a suicide pact."The first time I heard that phrase, I thought it was a pretty good line, and I agreed with it. In a sense, I still do. That's because the first time I heard it I interpreted it backwards from how most people do when they invoke it. I never knew why the other interpretation was the one that caught on.I stumbled on the answer the … [Read more...] about The Constitution Is Not a Suicide Pact
Join the Mobile Infantry and save the world. Service guarantees citizenship!
Chris Hallquist intrigued me with a recent post about the number of crazy people who think an armed revolution will be needed in the US in the next few years. I'll ignore the horrible infographic he used at the start of the post for now since I'm currently more interested in his attitude toward such an armed rebellion against the government.Chris suggests that these people … [Read more...] about Join the Mobile Infantry and save the world. Service guarantees citizenship!