Neither presidential campaign has distinguished itself with its veracity. But there is a hierarchy of deceit in campaigns, as in life. I recall an incident during the 1976 campaign, perhaps apocryphal, perhaps not. Jimmy Carter had said he would never lie to the American people. A group of reporters came to Plains, Ga., to interview Read more
Companies are usually accountable to no one but their shareholders. Internet companies are a different breed. Because they traffic in speech — rather than, say, corn syrup or warplanes — they make decisions every day about what kind of expression is allowed where. And occasionally they come under pressure to explain how they decide, on Read more
As their once core demographic diminishes, Republicans are going to any lengths to capture and keep the white vote. As Republicans were promoting themselves as a multiracial party from the platform in Tampa two weeks ago, an ugly incident on the convention floor suggested not everyone had got the memo. From the podium a range of speakers of Read more
The tutorial in 8th grade biology that Republicans got after one of their members of Congress went public with something from the wackosphere was instructive, and not just because it offered female anatomy lessons to those who get their science from the Bible. Take a look around key committees of the House and you’ll find a Read more
Hostility towards religion has grown to unprecedented levels in the United States, according to a national survey that describes more than 600 examples in the last decade. Examples include local government zoning laws discriminating against churches and city officials telling senior citizens that praying over government-funded food violated the “separation of church and state” and Read more
Catholics in the Philippines and the United States are preparing to celebrate the October 21 canonisation of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, a teenage catechist killed in the 17th century. Witness accounts in the records of Jesuit missionaries show the teenage catechist from Guam died trying to protect his mentor, Jesuit Father Diego Jose Luis San Vitores, Read more
Last week, Gallup released new data that, at first glance, appeared to show a significant change in Americans’ perspectives on abortion. The number of Americans who identify as “pro-choice” has dropped six points since last July, from 47 percent to 41 percent, while half (50 percent) of Americans identify as “pro-life.” Given the charged election year atmosphere, Read more
The number of new credible accusations of clerical abuse in the United States dropped in 2010, however more dioceses are receiving “management letters”. So says the Report on the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which also highlights 428 new credible allegations of child sexual abuse were lodged against 345 Read more