Thursday, August 27, 2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015
SCOTUS Ruling On Gay Marriage Signals End of Christian Dominance
Yesterday's monumental Supreme Court decision, essentially putting to rest the debate over marriage rights, was long overdue. The significance of the day would be difficult to over state.
But on that day that the issue formerly known as "gay rights" became just "rights," it also became clear that the once-mighty influence that religion has had over this country has withered.
The number of U.S. citizens identifying themselves as Christian has been in decline for some time, with the sharpest change visible in the younger generations.
Could the familiar image of the evangelical holding the "God Hates Fags" sign be the reason why so many have become disillusioned with the world of faith?
Why faith is in decline, of course, is too complex an answer for this moment. But one must consider that the Christian right going all in on stopping the unstoppable march toward marriage rights has tarnished the wholesome, friendly mask that the Christian lobby once wore.
In the era of ever-present video, the old guard like Pat Robertson can't spout crazy shit and pretend like they never said it when questioned later. Their bigotry and madness are archived and searchable, and not very appealing to a generation that has grown up chafed by ever-present war with a traditional cause (see: religion).
Is it possible that one tradition — banning the formal recognition of a union between two people for a minority group — might have laid bare the inherent hypocrisy of faith-inspired legislation?
"Treat others as you would have them treat you, unless..."
In an ideal world, it is the position of this site that the government would have no hand in marriage whatsoever. There's no reason that churches or other organizations can't handle the ceremonies on their own, and I'm sure we have enough attorneys to iron out the contractual obligations (the medieval reason that government got involved in love in the first place).
However, with all the strings attached to marriage today, and the tune those strings play for healthcare, finances, and a host of other mashed potato bowl in which the government has stuck its... hand, Metafederalism is proud to congratulate all those involved in scoring a major victory for civil rights and liberty in the Obergefell v. Hodges case.
But on that day that the issue formerly known as "gay rights" became just "rights," it also became clear that the once-mighty influence that religion has had over this country has withered.
The number of U.S. citizens identifying themselves as Christian has been in decline for some time, with the sharpest change visible in the younger generations.Could the familiar image of the evangelical holding the "God Hates Fags" sign be the reason why so many have become disillusioned with the world of faith?
Why faith is in decline, of course, is too complex an answer for this moment. But one must consider that the Christian right going all in on stopping the unstoppable march toward marriage rights has tarnished the wholesome, friendly mask that the Christian lobby once wore.
In the era of ever-present video, the old guard like Pat Robertson can't spout crazy shit and pretend like they never said it when questioned later. Their bigotry and madness are archived and searchable, and not very appealing to a generation that has grown up chafed by ever-present war with a traditional cause (see: religion).
Is it possible that one tradition — banning the formal recognition of a union between two people for a minority group — might have laid bare the inherent hypocrisy of faith-inspired legislation?
"Treat others as you would have them treat you, unless..."
Metafederalism on Marriage
In an ideal world, it is the position of this site that the government would have no hand in marriage whatsoever. There's no reason that churches or other organizations can't handle the ceremonies on their own, and I'm sure we have enough attorneys to iron out the contractual obligations (the medieval reason that government got involved in love in the first place).
However, with all the strings attached to marriage today, and the tune those strings play for healthcare, finances, and a host of other mashed potato bowl in which the government has stuck its... hand, Metafederalism is proud to congratulate all those involved in scoring a major victory for civil rights and liberty in the Obergefell v. Hodges case.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Libertarian News Magazine Gagged by Justice Department
The Justice Department just forced a news outlet to remain silent. In America. From Reason.com:
For the past two weeks, Reason, a magazine dedicated to "Free Minds and Free Markets," has been barred by an order from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from speaking publicly about a grand jury subpoena that court sent to Reason.com.
(...)
Yesterday, after preparing an extensive legal brief, Reason asked the US Attorney's Office to join with it in asking that the gag order - now moot and clearly an unconstitutional prior restraint - be lifted. This morning, the US Attorney's Office asked the Court to vacate the order, which it did. We are free to tell the story for the first time.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Press Solidarity!
...with journalists using the name Kirby Delauter. The Washington Post's full story about Kirby Delauter is here. Kirby's Facebook post looked like this:
Oops, sorry, actually it's this (courtesy of NPR, click to embiggen):
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