Trump May Have Hit The Ceiling

Ken AshfordConstitution, Election 2016, Godstuff, Immigration and Xenophobia, Republicans, Rightwing Extremism/Violence, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

Donald Trump has defied political pundits for months now.  When he first attacked John McCain, the thought was that it would kill him in the polls, but then he went up.  And that’s been the story for over four months now.  He keeps on appealing to the worst-of-the-worst conservative base and his numbers go up. But many are now saying … Read More

Thoughts and Prayers

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Gun Control, Right Wing and Inept Media, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

There seems to be a backlash to this almost reflexive (and increasingly meaningless) response to mass shootings, best exemplified by the cover of today’s New York Daily News: There has also been a backlash to the backlash.  Christians got offended at what is being called “thoughts and prayers shaming”.  The Weekly Standard offered a headline that blared,“Liberal Outrage Over Prayers … Read More

In A Few Decades*, Americans Will Laugh At This The Way We Laugh At Victorian-Era Magazines

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

You wouldn’t invite a stripper to your family Thanksgiving, would you?  Because they might perform their act just as you start carving the bird. And if that’s true, then why would you let your gay grandson bring his “partner” to Thanksgiving?  You might get gay juju on the stuffing. *I say “a few decades”, I hope “a few years”

But Can They Build A Bridge Out Of Her?

Ken AshfordGodstuffLeave a Comment

What the hell is happening over at Fort Meade? Air Force dental technician accused of being a witch The Military Religious Freedom Foundation is representing a former Air Force contractor who says she was fired from a dental clinic at Fort Meade, Maryland, after complaining that her co-workers discriminated against her because she was Hindu.  She claims they then accused her of … Read More

Republicans Don’t Really Want “Religious Freedom”

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Polls, RepublicansLeave a Comment

Someone at Daily Kos pulled certain results of this PPP poll and turned it into this revealing bar graph: What does it mean? While most Republicans want religious freedom, almost half of them mean they want religious freedom for Christians only (and/or no freedom for followers of Islam).  Perhaps they don’t understand what “freedom” means, or perhaps they think “religion” means Christianity … Read More

Update To Pope Meeting Kim Davis

Ken AshfordGay Marriage, GodstuffLeave a Comment

In a follow-up to an earlier post, I should mention that the Pope, while admitting to meeting Kim Davis the other day, is doing some serious backpeddling today: In a formal statement, the Vatican said Friday that Pope Francis’s meeting with Kentucky clerk Kim Davis “should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its … Read More

Kim Davis Secretly Met With The Pope

Ken AshfordGay Marriage, Godstuff, Women's IssuesLeave a Comment

Not much of a secret anymore: Pope Francis met privately in Washington last week with Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky who defied a court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a Vatican spokesman confirmed on Wednesday. Ms. Davis, the clerk in Rowan County, has been at the center of a nationwide controversy over whether government employees … Read More

The Pope’s Speech To Congress (And By Extension, The American People)

Ken AshfordCongress, GodstuffLeave a Comment

He reminds us that “America” is more than the United States, and that we are all immigrants.  He calls out the black/white-good/evil mindset in politics and promotes pragmatism in resolving problems.  He reminds us of the Golden Rule in calling for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty (as well as a subtle nod to banning abortions).  He speaks of … Read More

The Right Wing Welcomes The Pope

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Right Wing Punditry/IdiocyLeave a Comment

The Pope’s message:: In his strongest remarks yet concerning the world’s economic and financial crises, the pope said, “Money has to serve, not to rule. “We have created new idols,” Pope Francis told a group of diplomats gathered at the Vatican on May 16, and the “golden calf of old has found a new and heartless image in the cult … Read More

Here Come Da Pope

Ken AshfordGodstuffLeave a Comment

I am a BIG Pope Francis fan.  And I like that he is coming to America and he’s going to do some papal spanking. I noted this morning that Lindsey Graham tweeted about how the Pope has pro-life views.  Indeed, he does.  But he also has very strong views on sexual equality, climate change, and income disparity.  I wonder how … Read More

Huckabee Needs To Attend Just One College Level Course On The Law

Ken AshfordConstitution, Courts/Law, Election 2016, Gay Marriage, GodstuffLeave a Comment

As far as conservative Christians candidates go, I always thought that Mike Huckabee was a slight cut above the rest.  He doesn’t seem dogmatic, and he was governor at one time.  So you would think that he would have some sense, while also being true to his conservative principles. But this past week he has proved to be either a … Read More