AU Students

Over the weekend, Washington was slammed by a treacherous snowstorm that dumped two feet of snow in some areas.

Since I grew up in Ohio and went to college in Syracuse, N.Y., the snow didn’t really bother me much. But for others here, the blizzard was a difficult experience.

Some years ago, I attended a press conference held by notorious anti-abortion zealot Randall Terry. There weren’t many people at the event, and afterward Terry asked me where I was from.

When I told him I worked at Americans United, he replied, “You and Barry Lynn had better watch it – you’re going to hell!”

I rolled my eyes and shrugged it off. I expect that sort of thing from a guy like Terry, so it was no big deal. In his view, pretty much everyone is going to hell.

It’s always fun to report on church-state victories, and yesterday, we had a big one.

The District of Columbia Council voted 11-2 to permit same-sex couples to marry in the nation’s capital. And despite threats from the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, the council refused to unduly broaden the measure’s religious exemption, which already adequately protected religious freedom.

Some members of the clergy in Washington, D.C., are angry because the city council will no longer automatically do what they want.

As The Washington Post reports today, clergy in the nation’s capital are used to having their calls returned promptly; they expect the council to be responsive to their demands.

The New York Times today reported on a sad and worrisome situation in Vallejo, Calif.

Though the community faces a financial crisis, much like the rest of the country, The Times asserts the town is also struggling because “its political system increasingly reflects the influence of evangelical churches.”

It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of the Religious Right. Through my work at Americans United, I’ve opposed this movement for 22 years and have written three books challenging the Religious Right’s perspective.

I don’t believe that everyone who holds Religious Right views is a bad person. But I would be remiss in my duties if I failed to point out that, increasingly, many in the Religious Right are telling big, fat, honking lies. This is a shame, because it makes it impossible to have a civil exchange of views in the public arena.

As we start off this week, the debate over reproductive rights restrictions in the U.S. House’s proposed health-care legislation continues to rage.

When I picked up my Washington Post at the breakfast table this morning, the first thing I saw was a blaring headline reading, “Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum.” All I could think was, “This ought to be good.”

It appears Cyprus is to the Middle East what Las Vegas is to the United States.

Well, sort of. Just as Sin City has become the destination for many American nuptials, Cyprus apparently has a booming wedding industry as well – but for a completely different reason.

Main Street Plaza, Salt Lake City, UT - Photo by Flickr user Ecnerwal

Next time you’re in Salt Lake City, you had better refrain from kissing your loved one in public. It could get you arrested.

Especially if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which runs the show in town, doesn’t like you or what you stand for.