Below The Beltway

I believe in the free speech that liberals used to believe in, the economic freedom that conservatives used to believe in, and the personal freedom that America used to believe in.

Archive for September, 2009

Obama: It’s Disagreement, Not Racism

by Doug Mataconis @ Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009. Filed under Barack Obama, Politics

President Obama appeared on Late Night The Late Show with David Letterman and repeated his belief that the political opponents were not primarily motivated by his skin color:
It was classic David Letterman — acerbic in a fun way — and vintage Barack Obama — charmingly modest.
Asked about Jimmy Carter’s charge that opposition to Obama health [...]

15% Of Americans Now Claim No Religious Faith

by Doug Mataconis @ Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009. Filed under Religion

A new Trinity College study finds that the number of Americans claiming no religious faith is higher than ever:

Americans who don’t identify with any religion are now 15% of the USA, but trends in a new study shows they could one day surpass the nation’s largest denominations — including Catholics, now 24% of the nation.
American [...]

Abandon Your Cars, Says Rich In-Bred Prince Who Owns Lots Of Cars

by Doug Mataconis @ Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009. Filed under Dumbasses, Politics

Some guy named Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor-Mountbatten thinks you should get rid of your automobile:
The Prince of Wales is urging people to give up their cars in favour of walking and public transport to try to reduce carbon emissions.
The Prince, who has two Jaguars, two Audis, a Range Rover and still drives an Aston [...]

Don’t Ever Expect To Get That AIG Bailout Money Back

by Doug Mataconis @ Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009. Filed under Credit Crisis, Economics, Politics

So says the General Accounting Office:
Been holding your breath waiting for government-owned insurance giant AIG to pay back the $120.7 billion taxpayer bailout money?
You may want to exhale.
In a report issued Monday from the Government Accountability Office, AIG is making “some progress” to reorganize and get back on the path to paying back the taxpayers, [...]

Is The Christian Right Moving Away From Gay Marriage As A Hot Button Issue ?

by Doug Mataconis @ Monday, September 21st, 2009. Filed under Gay Marriage, Individual Liberty, Politics

Nate Silver finds something significant in the poll at this weekend’s Values Voters Summit:
Mike Huckabee’s win in the presidential straw poll at this past week’s Value Voters’ summit that’s drawing the headlines. But this is every bit as interesting:
Abortion ranked first among issues of concern to straw-poll voters, getting 41 percent of the vote, with [...]

Things Really Were More Fun In Washington When Clinton Was President

by Doug Mataconis @ Monday, September 21st, 2009. Filed under Foreign Affairs, Humor, Russia

After all, when was the last time you heard of something like this happening:
Boris Yeltsin got so drunk during a visit to Washington in 1995 that Secret Service agents found him standing on Pennsylvania Avenue clad only in his underwear and trying to hail a cab so he could fetch a pizza.
That was among the [...]

Caption Contest Monday

by Doug Mataconis @ Monday, September 21st, 2009. Filed under Barack Obama, In The News, Politics

Barack Obama meets New York Governor David Paterson after telling him through intermediaries not to run for re-election, hilarity ensures:

First They Came For The Jedi

by Doug Mataconis @ Monday, September 21st, 2009. Filed under In The News

And I did not speak up, because I was not a Jedi:
Tesco [a British supermarket chain] has been accused of religious discrimination after the company ordered the founder of a Jedi religion to remove his hood or leave a branch of the supermarket in north Wales.
Daniel Jones, founder of the religion inspired by the Star [...]

British Couple Facing Criminal Charges For Discussing Religion With A Muslim

by Doug Mataconis @ Monday, September 21st, 2009. Filed under Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Individual Liberty, Islam, Religion

While we don’t know exactly what was said, this story from Great Britain seems pretty outrageous:
A Christian couple have been charged with a criminal offence after taking part in what they regarded as a reasonable discussion about religion with guests at their hotel.
Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang were arrested after a Muslim woman complained to police [...]

The Intellectual Bankruptcy Of Conservatism

by Doug Mataconis @ Monday, September 21st, 2009. Filed under Joe Wilson, Obama Derangement Syndrome, Political Parties, Politicos & Pundits, Politics, Republicans, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin

Bruce Bartlett remembers Irving Kristol and what the right has lost:
The intellectual bankruptcy of conservatism today is even greater than it was when Irving Kristol founded The Public Interest in 1965. What passes for a conservative movement these days wears its anti-intellectualism as a badge of honor..
And if you need any confirmation of that fact, [...]

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