"Kruse's book investigates how the idea of America as a Christian nation was promoted in the 1930s and '40s when industrialists and business lobbies, chafing against the government regulations of the New Deal, recruited and funded conservative clergy to preach faith, freedom and free enterprise. He says this conflation of Christianity and capitalism moved to center stage in the '50s under Eisenhower's watch..."
Regarding the pledge:
"It starts with a proposal by the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic lay organization, to add the phrase 'under God' to the Pledge of Allegiance. Their initial campaign doesn't go anywhere but once Eisenhower's own pastor endorses it ... it catches fire."
"Conservatives can’t stop gay marriage. But they can stop laws that prevent discrimination. And in Indiana and elsewhere, they’re succeeding..." Read more
New research says many parents in the UK many not be aware that their children have a weight problem unless they are extremely obese. The finding has prompted suggestions that more needs to be done to help parents understand official measures of overweight and obesity, the health risks associated with childhood obesity, and how to promote healthier lifestyles in their children... http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/291681.php
"These bills rationalize injustice by pretending to defend something many of us hold dear," wrote Cook. "They go against the very principles our nation was founded on, and they have the potential to undo decades of progress toward greater equality … The days of segregation and discrimination marked by 'Whites Only' signs on shop doors, water fountains and restrooms must remain deep in our past. " http://mashable.com/2015/03/29/apple-tim-cook-indiana-anti-gay-law/
Podcasts have been around for a decade. But all of a sudden, people are sitting up and taking notice. In the past few months, at least two media comp... Read more
Jeb Bush would seem to be the near-ideal presidential candidate for the billionaires who own American democracy -- he wants what they want and believe... Read more
Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who is expected to announce a campaign for president, said over the weekend that she could improve the econo... Read more
More bloodlust from Fox's wingnut Judge Jeanine Pirro and her neocon buddy John Bolton. I guess Fox didn't want to leave The New York Times out there ... Read more
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Fans of ... Read more
Explaining how Ted Cruz could win the Republican nomination, Ben Domenech of The Federalist observes that he doesn't just match up with energized cons... Read more
Some say that we are in the midst of the 6th great extinction on Earth? Is this true? Join us as we explore the nature of extinction, from biology, and the great past extinctions, to culture, language, technology and the future of both our species and the Earth's biosphere, and ask whether, and to what extent extinction required for progress, and what we can do to preserve existing biodiversity on our planet.
Extinctions: Tragedy to Opportunity featuring the sequencer of the neanderthal genome Svante Paabo, planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton, best-selling author Diane Ackerman, ASU president Michael Crow, AMNH curator and athropologist Ian Tattersall, Neil Gershenfeld, Director of the Center for Bits and Atoms at MIT, and moderator and Origins Project director Lawrence Krauss.
Russian blogger Marat Burkhard told Radio Free Europe that working in an infamous "troll factory" generating fake internet posts and comments was "Orw... Read more
"Some people say "what difference does it make what people believe?" or "why can't you just live and let live?" Well because that's exactly what the evangelicals and wingnuts in America today are against! I don't think some people really understand just how dangerous the Republican Party's pandering to the religious right really is. Make no mistake about it - there's a Christian conspiracy afoot that wants to..." http://youtu.be/OUpS4gKpctM
This might be one of the least invasive sight aids for the visually impaired that we've spotted: it's a camera that sits in the shirt pocket, Her-sty... Read more
When Cathy McMorris-Rodgers posted a call on Facebook for ACA horror stories, I'm sure she expected to see people rise up, shaking their fists over ta... Read more
Of course they should be forced to pay. That they haven't is just a sign of how crazy our political system has gotten since the Reagan years. Hopefull... Read more
WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that President Barack Obama was an "anti-war president." "The world is starving for American le... Read more
Republicans have long been viewed as more effective than Democrats in pushing their policy priorities in state legislatures. One reason why? A group c... Read more
It's common to hear that teachers should be paid better — more like doctors and lawyers. In 2009, the Equity Project, a charter school in New York dec... Read more
That supposedly "liberal" newspaper, The New York Times is back at it again, giving another neocon warmonger a platform to push the United States into... Read more
A key section of the secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement has been leaked to the public. The New York Times has a major story on the... Read more
Sean Hannity's pathological hatred for our democratically elected president was on full view tonight as he got together with Liz Cheney for an Iran-nu... Read more
Two George Mason University students built a fire extinguisher that can put out a blaze without using water, foam, or chemicals. The device emits a lo... Read more https://youtu.be/uPVQMZ4ikvM
Conservative radio host Mark Levin on Thursday said that President Obama is the "greatest threat" to Jews in Israel "since the 1930s." "Barack Obama,... Read more
The CEO of the ratings website Yelp said the company will take steps to only expand into states that don't have "religious freedom" laws like the one ... Read more
Are the biblical Ten Commandments REALLY responsible for our laws and morality, as many Christians claim? Do we owe anything to them at all? (Read on...) http://youtu.be/tz3EEqtcJME
Rand Paul, like his father, courted the college vote with his libertarian views on national security issues. Ron Paul also held some of the religious ... Read more
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) harnessed major banks' reported threats to withhold funds from Senate Democrats' campaign arm as a fundraising tool in a ... Read more
