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	<title>ChrisWeigant.com &#187; Religion</title>
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	<description>Reality-based political commentary</description>
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		<title>King&#039;s &quot;Drum Major Instinct&quot; Speech</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/01/16/kings-drum-major-instinct-speech/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/01/16/kings-drum-major-instinct-speech/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:07:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[American Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Guest Authors]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5065</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[Program Note: I am taking the day off today.  But I did want to post this link to a transcript of Martin Luther King Junior's "Drum Major Instinct" speech.  This is the speech that was misquoted on his new memorial in Washington D.C., and you really have to read the speech itself to [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Mitt&#039;s Tax Returns</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/01/12/mitts-tax-returns/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/01/12/mitts-tax-returns/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:19:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2012 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=5051</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>What is hiding in Mitt Romney's tax returns?</p>]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/01/12/mitts-tax-returns/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>74</slash:comments>
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		<title>The Real &quot;War On Christmas&quot;</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/12/14/the-real-war-on-christmas/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/12/14/the-real-war-on-christmas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:05:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[American Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=4943</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>But just because the modern-day "War on Christmas" may not, in fact, exist does not mean that such a war never existed in America.  The subject of Christmas was indeed at the heart of a previous bitter political dispute, but you've got to go pretty far back in time to find it.  All the way back to the New England Puritans.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>93</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>From The Archives -- Church And State Revisited: The Story Of Smoot</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/10/13/from-the-archives-church-and-state-revisited-the-story-of-smoot-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/10/13/from-the-archives-church-and-state-revisited-the-story-of-smoot-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:57:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2012 Elections]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=4660</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Because Mormonism is in the news again, due to a Rick Perry supporter calling it a "cult," I thought it was high time to re-run the following column.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Friday Talking Points [175] -- In The Darkest Depths Of Mordor</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/07/29/ftp175/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/07/29/ftp175/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jul 2011 23:37:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2010 Elections]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=4338</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>If I were a Hobbit, right about now I would be wondering just <em>how the heck</em> I wound up at the center of this Washington intraparty political fight, personally.  What (I would ponder in my metaphorical Hobbit hole) had I done to <em>any of these folks</em> to deserve being dragged into this fracas?</p>]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/07/29/ftp175/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>54</slash:comments>
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		<title>From The Archives -- Saint Patrick And The Snakes</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/03/17/from-the-archives-saint-patrick-and-the-snakes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/03/17/from-the-archives-saint-patrick-and-the-snakes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:37:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Humor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=3648</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, lived in the fifth century A.D., and he came to Ireland as a proselytizer for Christianity.  That is about the sum total of the known, verifiable facts about Patrick.  The rest is myth.  Since such mythologizing began only a few hundred years after his death (which happened on March 17, by the way), these myths of Patrick are much more widely known than the thin shreds of his real history (which are limited to two surviving letters written by Patrick in Latin).  Besides, it's much more fun to sit around telling these tales over a pint of Guinness than to dig up actual facts.  Even if the tales are pure blarney.</p>]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/03/17/from-the-archives-saint-patrick-and-the-snakes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>From The Archives -- Church And State Revisited: The Story Of Smoot</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/03/08/from-the-archives-church-and-state-revisited-the-story-of-smoot/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/03/08/from-the-archives-church-and-state-revisited-the-story-of-smoot/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 23:07:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Supreme Court]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=3604</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>[<strong>Program Note:</strong> <em>I know I just did one of these "re-run" columns last Thursday, and that it is probably way too soon to do another.  Sometimes, I re-run columns because I have a dentist's appointment or have to get the car fixed or whatnot, but in both recent cases I am re-running the original column because I think the point made needs making once again.  In other words, that the original column is relevant to a contemporary discussion.  This week, Republican Representative Pete King is holding hearings in the House of Representatives on Islam and American Muslims.  King has, in the past, not only made some rather disparaging comments about Muslims, but has also been on record supporting a terrorist group (the I.R.A.), so he brings a (shall we say) unique perspective to the table.  But while we'll have to wait until Thursday to see just what gets said in these hearings, I thought it was pertinent to remind everyone that congressional hearings on religion have indeed happened before in this country.  Granted, the situation is not exactly the same, but I feel the following is still instructive.  I wrote this column right after Mitt Romney gave a speech on the campaign trail about his religion, for context.</em>]</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>31</slash:comments>
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		<title>Friday Talking Points [157] -- Eight Point Nine</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/03/04/ftp157/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/03/04/ftp157/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Mar 2011 01:06:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2012 Elections]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=3585</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>While technically true ("job growth" is not the same thing as the unemployment rate), but that last sentence could also have been written as: "the unemployment rate fell at the fastest rate in over fifty years -- since 1958, to be exact."  Both are true, and yet they tell very different stories -- "a grim nine percent" versus "fell at the fastest rate in over fifty years."</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>29</slash:comments>
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		<title>From The Archives -- Fred Phelps&#039; Hatemongering And The First Amendment</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/03/03/from-the-archives-fred-phelps-hatemongering-and-the-first-amendment/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2011/03/03/from-the-archives-fred-phelps-hatemongering-and-the-first-amendment/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Mar 2011 23:50:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Free Speech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Bill of Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Constitution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Supreme Court]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=3579</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Phelps knows how to manipulate all of these categories, as he's been at his hatemongering for quite a while now, which has involved previous legal disputes.  He has his own church, for instance, which cloaks (as far as he's concerned) everything he says as "religious speech."  To back this up, he also knows that "political speech" is protected speech as well.  Phelps himself used to be a lawyer (he has been disbarred) who took on civil rights cases, so he knows the legal landscape.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<title>Friday Talking Points [144] -- Midterm Home Stretch</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/10/22/ftp144/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/10/22/ftp144/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Oct 2010 23:57:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2010 Elections]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=2892</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>I'm going to (mostly) resist the urge to take advantage of this column's volume number in order to write a really gross column.  Numerically, and inventory-wise, a "gross" is (of course) one dozen dozen.  Twelve squared.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>14</slash:comments>
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		<title>Friday Talking Points [135] -- The Sky Is Falling!</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/20/ftp135/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/20/ftp135/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:08:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=2568</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>The media, quite obviously, has lost any capacity it once may have had for self-examination, to say nothing of its sense of irony.  Every so often, this is proven beyond doubt by a single story.  This, sadly, is one of those times.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>72</slash:comments>
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		<title>Media Blows Another Story</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/19/media-blows-another-story/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/19/media-blows-another-story/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:30:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=2563</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>There's a mini-tizzy in the media world today after a new poll was released which stated that eighteen percent of Americans think President Obama is a Muslim.  "Golly gee!  How could they think that?" is the overwhelming tone of most of this media tizziness.  Only one article I've seen (so far), though, correctly points the finger where it belongs: at the media themselves.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
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		<title>Obama Reframes Mosque Debate</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/16/obama-reframes-mosque-debate/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/16/obama-reframes-mosque-debate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:21:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=2544</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>President Barack Obama, in a White House Ramadan address last Friday, expressed his thoughts on the "Ground Zero mosque" debate, and in doing so not only got it exactly right, but also managed to change the debate in a considerable way which few have noticed yet.  Because in his comments Friday (and in his off-the-cuff comment the next day), the president refocused the debate from the notion of "should be allowed" to the question of "should."  In doing so, Obama elevated the level of the debate for both him and the project's detractors.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>253</slash:comments>
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		<title>If Gay Marriage Wins...</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/09/if-gay-marriage-wins/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/09/if-gay-marriage-wins/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:36:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[American Society]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=2508</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Last week, a federal judge handed down his decision in the case  <em>Perry v. Schwarzenegger</em>, which said (in no uncertain terms) that gay marriage was a civil right, and should be guaranteed to all -- no matter what voters thought about it -- in much the same way that interracial marriage is a constitutional right guaranteed to all (which happened via a similarly-contentious federal court ruling in the 1960s).  While this ruling was rightfully hailed by gay rights supporters, everyone knows that there is still a long road ahead until it reaches the Supreme Court, where the matter may be fundamentally decided.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>20</slash:comments>
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		<title>Friday Talking Points [133] -- The Silly Season Begins</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/06/ftp133/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/06/ftp133/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Aug 2010 00:45:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
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		<category><![CDATA[The President]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Supreme Court]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=2500</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>August in Washington means the beginning of the official "silly season" of politics.  This is because Congress takes the whole month off, and political news stories become rather thin on the ground.  Intrepid political reporters, wishing to be on vacation themselves, get lazy and start going crazy over non-stories hyped into political wildfires seemingly overnight -- over the silliest of subjects.  But these fun and games have not quite yet begun, because the Senate wrapped up work this week, and a few legal decisions of great moment were in the news.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>160</slash:comments>
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		<title>Conservative Mosque Hypocrisy</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/03/conservative-mosque-hypocrisy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/08/03/conservative-mosque-hypocrisy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:41:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Speech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Privacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Bill of Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Constitution]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=2474</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Instead, I am amazed once again (even though I really shouldn't be by this point) at how adept Republicans and conservatives (but not hardcore Libertarians, I have to admit, who generally put their political philosophy above pandering to the public) are at suddenly throwing large parts of their core ideology over the side of the boat whenever something is happening (or about to happen) that they just don't agree with on a gut level.  "Get the government off everyone's back!" very quickly becomes: "Get the government into your bedroom, your end-of-life decisions, or what chemicals you choose to ingest in the privacy of your own home -- and do it in a manner which we agree with!"</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>67</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/2010b/media/pc080310_govisland512k.asx" length="471" type="video/x-ms-asf" />
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		<title>Supreme Court Helps Out Kagan</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/06/28/supreme-court-helps-out-kagan/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/06/28/supreme-court-helps-out-kagan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:50:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Speech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[The Constitution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Supreme Court]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=2319</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>A Supreme Court ruling just out may serve to blunt Republican criticism of Elena Kagan, who started her confirmation hearings today in the Senate.  So far, Republicans haven't come up with much of any substance to attack Kagan on (although I admit, I haven't watched any of today's confirmation hearings yet), but they all pretty much agree upon one issue -- the fact that Kagan, as dean of the Harvard law school, upheld a school policy of barring military recruiters from campus due to the fact that the military discriminates against gays.  But the ruling in <em>Christian Legal Society v. Martinez</em> seems to give the high court's imprimatur to universities not allowing groups that practice such discrimination on campus -- which Kagan can now point to in defense of her position.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Religion, Bigotry, And Political Hypocrisy</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/05/17/religion-bigotry-and-political-hypocrisy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/05/17/religion-bigotry-and-political-hypocrisy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 01:18:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[American Society]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[The Supreme Court]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=2095</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Pat Buchanan, in his usual less-than-charming manner, <a href="http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&#038;pageId=153417">brought up a point</a> last week about the religious diversity (or lack thereof) of the Supreme Court.  Buchanan pointed out that, if Elena Kagan is confirmed to the highest court (as seems likely), there will be only two religions represented on the court -- Judaism and Catholicism.  He further points out that the court will be one-third Jewish, when Jews account for only two percent of the American population.  Now, aside from the highly amusing spectacle of right-wingers advocating some sort of quota system, I think there's a deeper point here than Buchanan's "pity the unrepresented Protestant majority" theme.  Because, even though virtually no politician would ever admit it, there is indeed a widespread (but unacknowledged) religious bigotry in America.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
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		<title>Saint Patrick And The Snakes</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/03/17/saint-patrick-and-the-snakes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/03/17/saint-patrick-and-the-snakes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:39:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=1683</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, lived in the fifth century A.D., and he came to Ireland as a proselytizer for Christianity.  That is about the sum total of the known, verifiable facts about Patrick.  The rest is myth.  Since such mythologizing began only a few hundred years after his death (which happened on March 17, by the way), these myths of Patrick are much more widely known than the thin shreds of his real history (which are limited to two surviving letters written by Patrick in Latin).  Besides, it's much more fun to sit around telling these tales over a pint of Guinness than to dig up actual facts.  Even if the tales are pure blarney.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
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		<title>My 2009 &quot;McLaughlin Awards&quot; [Part 2]</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/01/01/my-2009-mclaughlin-awards-part-2/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2010/01/01/my-2009-mclaughlin-awards-part-2/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:47:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2010 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2012 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Abortion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Afghanistan]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Polls]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2010/01/01/my-2009-mclaughlin-awards-part-2/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Welcome back to my annual outright theft of <em>The McLaughlin Group</em>'s awards categories for the past year in politics.  What's that?  We're sorry, but out lawyers insist we instead use the phrase "my annual legally-allowable constitutionally-protected parody" instead.  So sorry.  For those of you who missed it, <a href="http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2009/12/25/my-2009-mclaughlin-awards-part-1-2/">Part 1</a> of this column ran last week, on Christmas.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>14</slash:comments>
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		<title>From The Archives -- Why Christmas Is Not On The Solstice</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/12/21/from-the-archives-why-christmas-is-not-on-the-solstice/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/12/21/from-the-archives-why-christmas-is-not-on-the-solstice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:49:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Humor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2009/12/21/from-the-archives-why-christmas-is-not-on-the-solstice/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[Program Note: This column is a repeat of a past Christmas column, which originally ran on Christmas Eve, 2007.  Since today is the Winter Solstice, I thought it was an appropriate subject.  While I apologize for offering up nothing but a re-run today, it was unavoidable, as I will spend most of today [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>12</slash:comments>
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		<title>Constitutionally-Protected Spam</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/03/31/constitutionally-protected-spam/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/03/31/constitutionally-protected-spam/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:33:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2012 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Speech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2009/03/31/constitutionally-protected-spam/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Perhaps I am just being alarmist here.  Perhaps I am wrong about all of this.  Or perhaps we will look back at <em>Jaynes</em> in the future with horror, as our inboxes fill up with mudslinging about the candidates.  I truly hope I am mistaken about this, and not prophetic.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Burris, Race, Religion, And The Senate</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/01/05/burris-race-religion-and-the-senate/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/01/05/burris-race-religion-and-the-senate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:28:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[The Constitution]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2009/01/05/burris-race-religion-and-the-senate/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>The growing intensity of the rhetoric surrounding Roland Burris, Rod Blagojevich, and Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat reached new heights (or depths, depending on your point of view) this weekend, by both Burris and his supporters.  This is getting so completely out of hand that some perspective is sorely needed here.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Religion And Politics</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2008/04/29/religion-and-politics/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2008/04/29/religion-and-politics/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 01:28:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[The President]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2008/04/29/religion-and-politics/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[Note: Due to everyone else blathering about it, I am going to write this column without once mentioning Barack Obama or Reverend Jeremiah Wright.  I am also going to break this blog's motto and escape reality-based politics for one day.  Hope you don't mind.]
&#160;
I invite you to enter an alternate reality with me. [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<title>Debate Questions I&#039;d (Still) Like To Ask</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2008/04/16/debate-questions-id-still-like-to-ask/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2008/04/16/debate-questions-id-still-like-to-ask/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:02:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2008/04/16/debate-questions-id-still-like-to-ask/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Back in the dim and distant past of this presidential campaign (i.e., February), I wrote a pre-debate column <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/debate-questions-id-like_b_88389.html">listing questions</a> I would like to hear both Democratic candidates answer.  Today's column is a revision of this original.  Many of the questions I have are the same, for which I apologize.  I don't normally recycle my own material in this fashion, but unfortunately these questions remain largely unanswered, almost two months after the last debate.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<title>An Exit Poll Vignette</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2008/03/04/an-exit-poll-vignette/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2008/03/04/an-exit-poll-vignette/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Abortion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foreign Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2008/03/04/an-exit-poll-vignette/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><strong>POLLSTER: </strong>We take these polls to "take the pulse" of the people voting, so the news media can report on what the electorate is feeling.  I know some of the answers are inadequate, but there are just so many opinions that the media can pay attention to in any one election.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Born Again, Or Born Democrat?</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2008/02/19/born-again-or-born-democrat/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2008/02/19/born-again-or-born-democrat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:26:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Abortion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2008/02/19/born-again-or-born-democrat/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>There are two different aspects of voter demographics and the media worth commenting on in the presidential race this year.  The first, about the Republicans, the media has so far largely ignored (but may pick up on later); and the second, about the Democrats, where the media itself seems to be the problem.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Why Christmas Is Not On The Solstice</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/12/24/why-christmas-is-not-on-the-solstice/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/12/24/why-christmas-is-not-on-the-solstice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Dec 2007 23:38:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Humor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2007/12/24/why-christmas-is-not-on-the-solstice/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Now, "the end of the year" is just as fluid a concept as any in the calendar business.  Most civilizations which followed used the Egyptian concept of spring being the beginning of the year.  Makes sense, since that's when everything is born anew.  The Romans even used this system, which is also still kind of in use today.  If you start your calendar in March, then count forward, you have July as the fifth month (which was originally called Quntillis), August as the sixth (originally Sextillis), and then a numerical run of September (seven), October (eight), November (nine) and December (ten).  January and February didn't even originally have names, and seeing as how they're the worst months of the year, weather-wise, it's not surprising.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Church And State Revisited: The Story Of Smoot</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/12/10/church-and-state-revisited-the-story-of-smoot/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/12/10/church-and-state-revisited-the-story-of-smoot/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:10:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2007/12/10/church-and-state-revisited-the-story-of-smoot/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>It's only from the outside looking in that "religion" is funny.  Members of that religion consider their own rites normal and proper.  We'd all do well to remember that, presidential candidates included.</p>]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Friday Talking Points [Vol. 11]</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/12/07/friday-talking-points-vol-11/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/12/07/friday-talking-points-vol-11/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 08 Dec 2007 02:55:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Afghanistan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Congress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foreign Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Friday Talking Points]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Name-dropping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taxes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The President]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2007/12/07/friday-talking-points-vol-11/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>It's been a week of circular logic from the political world.</p>
<p>To begin with, Mitt Romney gave a speech on religion.  This speech was brilliantly summed up in a comment to Chris Kelly's recent <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-kelly/mitt-romneys-jesus-is-ju_b_75719.html">Huffington Post column</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>1. We should all be tolerant of religions, even ones we don't agree with.</p>
<p>2. Secularism/atheism is a religion.</p>
<p>3. Let's all hate on those traitorous, treasonous, blasphemous secularists/atheists!</p></blockquote>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>The Separation Of Church And State</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/12/06/the-separation-of-church-and-state/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/12/06/the-separation-of-church-and-state/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Dec 2007 01:17:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The President]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2007/12/06/the-separation-of-church-and-state/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>While many have commented on various different quotes from Mitt Romney's speech on religion today, there was one passage that stood out for me:</p>
<blockquote><p>Today's generations of Americans have always known religious liberty. Perhaps we forget the long and arduous path our nation's forbearers took to achieve it. They came here from England to seek freedom of religion. But upon finding it for themselves, they at first denied it to others. Because of their diverse beliefs, Ann Hutchinson was exiled from Massachusetts Bay, a banished Roger Williams founded Rhode Island, and two centuries later, Brigham Young set out for the West. Americans were unable to accommodate their commitment to their own faith with an appreciation for the convictions of others to different faiths. In this, they were very much like those of the European nations they had left.</p></blockquote>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
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		<title>Will 2008 Be A Ho-Hum Election?</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/10/15/will-2008-be-a-ho-hum-election/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/10/15/will-2008-be-a-ho-hum-election/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:38:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Abortion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foreign Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politicians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The President]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2007/10/15/will-2008-be-a-ho-hum-election/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Conventional wisdom (or at least the self-proclaimed sages of political conventional wisdom, the Washington punditry) has been telling us that the 2008 presidential election is going to be The Most Important Election In Modern Times (if not actually In History), and that (of course) the electorate is More Polarized Than Ever -- which explains not only how incredibly early the contest started, but also the fierce battles for the primaries now being waged.</p>
<p>But what if this conventional wisdom turns out to be wrong?  What if the 2008 election is a real snooze-fest, and voters are barely motivated to go to the polls?</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>20</slash:comments>
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		<title>Tuesday Frivolity</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/09/18/tuesday-frivolity/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/09/18/tuesday-frivolity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:10:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Campaign Ads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foreign Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Television]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The President]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Supreme Court]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2007/09/18/tuesday-frivolity/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today's hodgepodge is mostly frivolous stuff that I just couldn't resist.  There are one or two non-frivolous stories as well, but there seemed to be an embarrassment of riches in the wacky news today.  So without further ado, and with a new box of "Herb Caen brand" three-dots to use up, here we [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>29</slash:comments>
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		<title>He Should&#039;ve Said: &quot;Legalize Bong Hits 4 Jesus&quot;</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/06/25/he-shouldve-said-legalize-bong-hits-4-jesus/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/06/25/he-shouldve-said-legalize-bong-hits-4-jesus/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jun 2007 22:23:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drugs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Supreme Court]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2007/06/25/he-shouldve-said-legalize-bong-hits-4-jesus/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>It should be pointed out that it's not often you get to read the phrase (even with brackets): "bong hits [are a good thing]" in a Supreme Court decision.</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>15</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Gay Marriage And Polygamy</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/05/30/gay-marriage-and-polygamy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/05/30/gay-marriage-and-polygamy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 May 2007 10:32:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[2008 Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domestic Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Television]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Supreme Court]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2007/05/30/gay-marriage-and-polygamy/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Do you support the concept of gay marriage?</p>
<p>That used to be an unimaginable question.  Not "unimaginable" in a negative sense, but "unimaginable" in the original, neutral definition of the word: "unable to be imagined," or "not imaginable."  The concept of two people of the same sex being married wasn't even raised in the American conscience until the 1990s (or perhaps late 1980s -- I haven't researched the actual date, this is from my own recollection).  After that point, of course, the idea has grown in prominence in the American political debate, both pro and con.</p>
<p>But now, mostly due to a Mormon running for president, the issue of polygamy is also inserting itself into the political debate.  So the question must also be asked: Do you support the concept of polygamy?  If so, why?  If not, why not?</p>]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>&quot;Bong Hits 4 Jesus&quot;?  Ras Tafari!  Amen!</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/03/23/bong-hits-4-jesus-ras-tafari-amen/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/03/23/bong-hits-4-jesus-ras-tafari-amen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Mar 2007 03:28:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Drugs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Other]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Television]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Supreme Court]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2007/03/23/bong-hits-4-jesus-ras-tafari-amen/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Because it's hard to reconcile federal law which states that if you are a certain race (Native American) you are allowed to use an illegal drug (peyote) with your religious ceremony, the practice of many Christian sects which use a legal drug (wine) as a sacrament, and the fact that Rastafarians can be arrested for being caught using their illegal sacrament (ganja). Legally, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

But then common sense has never been a strong point of the Drug War.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Army Boots Wiccan Chaplain</title>
		<link>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/02/21/army-boots-wiccan-chaplain/</link>
		<comments>http://www.chrisweigant.com/2007/02/21/army-boots-wiccan-chaplain/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:26:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Chris Weigant</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Foreign Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2007/02/21/army-boots-wiccan-chaplain/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Don Larsen was, by all reports, an excellent Army Chaplain. When he was a Pentecostal Christian, that is. His superior while he was in Iraq, Chaplain Kevin L. McGhee, called Larsen "the best" out of the 26 chaplains he supervised. But then Larsen applied to change his religious affiliation to Wicca, and the Army railroaded him out of Iraq and out of the Army.

The whole sordid story is extensively detailed in a recent article in the Washington Post which (though long) is well worth reading for anyone interested in the subject.]]></description>
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