The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Conservatives seem to have a twisted idea of what constitutes "freedom of religion." While we are granted this freedom in the U.S. Constitution, many Republican politicians haven't been satisfied with that due to the progression of LGBTs rights over the past few years. Even though the concept of separation of church and state is also mentioned in the Constitution, many GOPers seem to ignore this, and instead take their "freedom of religion" to be absolute, at work or at home, used to ensure their freedoms or to ironically deny others of their own. According to these far-right individuals, if they're forced to serve LGBTs at their workplace, that's discrimination toward them and their beliefs, even though if they refused service to the LGBT community, that would in fact be the epitome of discrimination. If that rationale isn't demented enough as it is, in light of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, some freedom-of-religion-loving Republicans, in...

After receiving some criticism from both the left and the right regarding his anti-Muslim comments, Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson went on the Fox News show, Hannity , to try and elaborate on his previous statements. On the program, Carson and host Sean Hannity engaged in the following back-and-forth: Sean Hannity: "Was that what you were thinking in your mind when you were answering the question, in other words, the way Muslim theocracies currently operate?" Ben Carson: "That's correct. I mean, they currently do not tend to operate the same way that our system does. Now, if someone has a Muslim background and they're willing to reject those tenets and to accept the way of life that we have, and clearly will swear to place our Constitution above their religion, then, of course, they will be considered infidels and heretics, but at least I would then be quite willing to support them." Hannity: "All right, so what I hear in your statem...

Self-described Constitutionalist Ben Carson appears to have trouble understanding the Constitution. On Sunday's Meet the Press , Carson got into the following back-and-forth with host Chuck Todd: Chuck Todd: "Should a President's faith matter?" Ben Carson: "Well, I guess it depends on what that faith is. If it's inconsistent with the values and principles of America, then of course it should matter. But if it fits within the realm of America and consistent with the Constitution, no problem." Todd: "So do you believe that Islam is consistent with the Constitution?" Carson: "No, I don't, I do not. I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that." In case Mr. Carson forgot, the First Amendment says this: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the ...

Very recently, I've seen some far-right evangelicals make comparisons between NBA basketball player Jason Collins and NFL player Tim Tebow. It's usually provided in the form of a cartoon, which goes something like this: Tebow: "I'm a Christian." Media: "Shut your mouth! Keep your religion to yourself!" Collins: "I'm gay." Media: "You're a hero!" First off, the bit regarding Tebow is a definite exaggeration. While the media loves to hear good soundbites and Tebow isn't really known for that, I haven't heard anyone in the media start yelling at the quarterback after he gives thanks to God. It's not like I've heard anything such as this: Tebow: "First off, I've got to give praise to God for giving me the opportunity to play...and..." Reporter Fernando Dipshitz: "Hey, Tebow! Shut the hell up! We don't give a rat's a*s about your God! Talk football, godda*mit!" No, l...