Religion Dispatches
…— and they have the right to do that. Isn’t that amazing? I served in the military to preserve their right to show everybody that they’re the biggest idiots in the world. “We should be thankful they aren’t suicide bombing. At least their craziness is limited to signs.” At one point, one the Phelpses turned to Clark and said, “You’re a fag and you’re going to hell.” “These guys,” Clark said, “they’re hilarious.” Seriously. Read the entire colu…
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…ormative influence of (wait for it) Buddhism, Jainism, Sufism, television, military calisthenics, Swedish gymnastics and the YMCA, as well as of radical Hindu nationalism, upon today’s postural yoga practice. There is no doubt that the Vedas, Upanishads, and folk traditions of India have been formative toward yoga: yoga is almost inseparable from them. Nevertheless to assert that yoga is essentially and primarily a Hindu practice means to ignore m…
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…jingoistic populist anthems—from Charlie Daniels’ anthems of praise to the military might of the Reagan years to Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” (which spoke of the U.S. putting a “boot in your ass”). Those who transgress (see “Chicks, Dixie” in your dictionary) are hounded off the radio. And those who did play in that world (see Johnny Cash in the 1980s) lost that audience when they explored deeper, darker themes. The era of t…
Read More…That might come as a huge surprise — and affront — to women serving in our military. Democrats shouldn’t overplay the masturbation bit. I understand the, shall we say, urge to do it. O’Donnell has proved herself to be a sexual puritan, but the masturbation clip shouldn’t be re-told with too much glee about discovering “the crazy.” But does she still think women serving in Iraq or Afghanistan endanger our national security? That seems like, uh, fer…
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…eople here say it’s the “last free place in America.” The site of a former military base, Slab City takes its name from the concrete slabs on which campers park. The state owns the land, but does not maintain it and people live here for free. There is no water, electricity or septic. Most of the people only come in the cooler winter months. But about 150 people, an incredibly hardy bunch, live here year round, braving temperatures that will climb…
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…rmingham Jail” to support Beck’s message to honor special men and women in military service. For the resounding end to her remarks, King seemed briefly to speak in tongues, and then a small chorus began to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the “black national anthem.” I can guarantee you, that is not a hymn the predominately white crowd at the Mall on Saturday could sing along with. James Weldon Johnson is rolling around in his grave, for real. Th…
Read More…merica’s tolerance of homosexuality and for the presence of gays in the US military. The church operates a number of Web sites, including www.godhatesfags.com, on which it disseminates its rabidly anti-homosexual views. The church has gained notoriety for staging protests at the funerals of US soldiers in order to draw attention to its message. Albert Snyder’s son, Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, was a US Marine who was killed on March 3, 2006 duri…
Read More…group that is fighting for same-sex marriage and open homosexuality in the military—not to mention the idea that sodomy is just an alternate lifestyle?” Coulter responded: “That’s silly, I speak to a lot of groups and do not endorse them. I speak at Harvard and I certainly don’t endorse their views. I’ve spoken to Democratic groups and liberal Republican groups that loooove abortion. The main thing I do is speak on college campuses, which is about…
Read More…, and gays.” Was Beinart awake for, oh, I don’t know, anti-Islamism in the military, House Republicans’ campaign against the Council on American Islamic Relations, or the “documentaries” produced by the Clarion Fund, or the “ex-terrorists“-turned-Christians dispatched to speak on the evils of Islam and the sole soul-saving power of Christ, or Liberty University’s showcasing of it’s own ex-Muslim dean, or the religious right’s discontent with John…
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…two million undocumented residents who enroll in college or enlist in the military. The failure of the congress to act on the bill, however, has prompted Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez to threaten a new civil rights movement for immigrants. Evoking the legacy of Cesar Chavez, he is calling for acts of civil disobedience. This past spring, the National Council of La Raza called on congress to honor Chavez’s legacy by passing immigration reform. In r…
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