Saturday Open Thread [3.28.15]
So Rand Paul is giving up entirely any notion that he is a libertarian or has libertarians everywhere, if they are to have any credibility, must publicly condemn and disown him.
“The First Amendment says keep government out of religion, not religion out of government.” — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), quoted by David Brody, speaking at a private prayer breakfast in Washington, DC. Uh, no Rand, that is not what the First Amendment says. It says, with regards to religion, the following:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof[.]
So yes, the Amendment says keep government out of religion, in that it prohibits any law interfering with the free exercise of religion. But Rand skips over the first part of the Amendment, that saying prohibiting any law respecting an establishment of religion. That means religion must stay out of government. No national religion. No law compelling people to attend religious services (attention Arizona). No law allowing people to use religion as a reason to discriminate (attention Indiana and Arkansas). Perhaps radical Christian Conservative Rand Paul means there is no law against mixing religion and politics. That’s true.
And then theocrat Rand says the US needs a religious reawakening, and the lack of religion led to Gay Marriage (the horror):
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Thursday told a group of pastors and religious leaders that the debate over gay marriage was a symptom of a “moral crisis” in America and said he hoped for “another Great Awakening.” […]
“In fact, the moral crisis we have in our country — there is a role for us trying to figure out things like marriage — there’s also a moral crisis that allows people to think that there would be some sort of other marriage.” Paul said earlier this month that allowing gay marriage “offends myself and a lot of people.” He said he would prefer that homosexuals had an alternative “contract” that gave them “equivalency before the law,” while preventing same sex nuptials.
“I’ve said this before, we need a revival in the country,” Paul said on Thursday, as several in the room murmured in approval.
“We need another Great Awakening with tent revivals of thousands of people saying, ‘reform or see what’s going to happen if we don’t reform,'” he said.
Republicans should embrace social libertarians. Rand Paul is not.
The “moderate” Cloutier and Lopez co-sign this drivel:
http://www.delawarestatesenate.com/index.cfm?ref=20200&ref2=176
Hi Readers! I know this is out of our area…..but many of you work or live in Philly, and I just want to call attention to one of the GREATEST HUMAN BEINGS on Earth who is running for Judge in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia. Truly, this woman has done nothing but good and great works in the cesspool of the juvenile court system with the dignity and care to all those falling under her responsibility. She has fast-tracked and demanded attention to detail with timely follow- up, so these families aren’t met with continuous delays and hold-ups that oftens; and more frequently; is the standard that can either derail a child’s future, or delay prosecution for the guilty. It is unsong service for the marginalized, underbelly of our society, that still deserve, and must be attended. Please, feel free to find out for yourself–the primary is May 19th, if you are able to support with a vote, a sign, a buck. She is essentially apolitical as a person, but the Philadelphia/Pennsylvania judicial system is a whole different animal, of which she has to undertake, to move forward from a Master in the Court to a Judge. This is one vote, YOU WILL NEVER, EVER, REGRET. I’ve known her, and named my last child after her. Word.
Help her get where people and the courts need her–but a political process has to send her. Please forgive me, and delete this Delaware Liberal if I did anything in my plea to mess this phenomonal candidate up in that process. She is a keeper….for all sides.
http://www.betsywahl.com/ Betsy Wahl for Judge Philadelphia Common Pleas Court
Drivel? Roads, raises and responsibility. What’s not to like?
I love the wording by the way. The DEGOP is going Malclom X (short of raising taxes) in its effort to get state employees a raise.
The letter contains the old chestnut that government finances are like family finances. That’s the drivel.
“Virtually every working family and every small business owner in Delaware has had to reduce their personal and business budgets by more than 5 percent over the last few years,” Senate Republicans said in their letter, “surely we can do the same.”