The End of an Error
2009.01.20 (Tue) 15:58
A little over four years ago, we launched the Two Percent Company. We did so in order to confront a host of disturbing trends that seemed — to us, anyway — to be sweeping like a wave of ra [»]
Another Gris Gris Bites the Dust
2008.01.23 (Wed) 21:50
We're the subject of lots of idiotic verbal attacks. Many of them amount to little more than "you guys suck!" — these lame, drive-by insults, left by people who lack the ability to counter our a [»]
America's Most Hated
2007.02.21 (Wed) 10:21
What's worse in the minds of "typical" Americans than a half-black, half-Hispanic, seventy-two-year-old Jewish woman who's in her third marriage to her Mormon lesbian lover? What's worse in the minds of "typical" Americans than a half-black, half-Hispanic, seventy-two-year-old Jewish woman who's in her third marriage to her Mormon lesbian lover? [»]
The Christmas Armistice
2006.12.13 (Wed) 23:42
We really weren't going to bother this year, but Rockstar We really weren't going to bother this year, but Rockstar [»]
And The Rubber Band Played On...
2006.11.14 (Tue) 14:55
Pure absurdity. A hapless traveller using the handle "eastwest" on . A hapless traveller using the handle "eastwest" on [»]
Hypocritical Advice is the Best...Oh, Skip it
2006.11.10 (Fri) 14:32
This blows us away. In Massachusetts, the only state in which same-sex marriage is legal, a contingent of homophobic asshats has gathered up 170,000 signatures aimed at getting the issue put on the ba [»]
Election Day Recap
2006.11.08 (Wed) 16:04
As we've said many times before, we don't love the Democrats, but we openly admit that we supported them through this past election — if only to get the Republican asshats out of power. So, with [»]
Go Vote*
2006.11.07 (Tue) 12:05
[* Unless you're an idiot. Then please stay home and just pray for your candidates to win. We're sure that will work out just as well for you.]
Of course, to our overseas readers, feel [»]
Sweet, Sweet Schadenfreude
2006.11.03 (Fri) 23:42
It's been a busy week, but before it slipped away from us, we wanted to point out a developing story that we're sure you've read about. In fact, not only have you likely read about it this week, you'v [»]
New Jersey Courts Punt on Gay Marriage
2006.10.25 (Wed) 15:54
The much-anticipated ruling from the New Jersey Supreme Court on the legality of Gay Marriage seems to be little more than a punt. According to an The much-anticipated ruling from the New Jersey Supreme Court on the legality of Gay Marriage seems to be little more than a punt. According to an [»]
Coming Out of the Aneboda*
2006.10.24 (Tue) 15:58
We happened to have the television on in the background while working today, and suddenly noticed something interesting — a particularly progressive IKEA commercial.
The We happened to have the television on in the background while working today, and suddenly noticed something interesting — a particularly progressive IKEA commercial.
The [»]
New Method of Creating Stem Cell Lines, Same Old Bullshit Opposition
2006.08.24 (Thu) 15:14
As all of our readers are presumably aware, the debate over what some call the "morality" of stem cell research has been a hot topic over the past few years. Despite the fact that there are plenty of [»]
Illegal Warrantless Wiretapping Deemed Illegal
2006.08.18 (Fri) 14:36
Can we get a "Duh!" on that one, brothers and sisters?
A Federal District Court Judge Can we get a "Duh!" on that one, brothers and sisters?
A Federal District Court Judge [»]
Drop the Sudafed, Samir!
2006.08.06 (Sun) 17:24
You know, we read about this Georgia meth sting months ago, and quite honestly, we figured it was one of those cases in which the idiotic and overzealous actions of the police (and the DEA) would be t [»]
Separation Issues Still Matter
2006.06.15 (Thu) 22:38
Judicial thorn and outspoken atheist "Rev. Dr." Michael Newdow's most recent bid to get rid of government-sanctioned declarations of religious faith — in this case, his call for the removal of t [»]
Answer to Orrin Hatch: Duh!
2006.06.07 (Wed) 15:48
The latest in an ongoing (and certainly not over) Republican push to amend the Constitution to prohibit gay marriage The latest in an ongoing (and certainly not over) Republican push to amend the Constitution to prohibit gay marriage [»]
In Which We Vent About Arrogant Ignorance
2006.04.14 (Fri) 13:46
One of the main problems facing our country (and, yes, the rest of our world) is the prevalence of extraordinary ignorance coupled with narrow-minded bigotry that so many people seem to demonstrate. H [»]
The Annotated Ranter Strikes Again
2006.03.22 (Wed) 08:19
The Annotated Ranter is back, and this time the Ranter's sights are er is back, and this time the Ranter's sights are [»]
Alito and the Future of Abortion Rights
2006.03.03 (Fri) 21:53
When that Alito guy was confirmed to the Supreme Court, we were pretty concerned. We didn't much like the guy, and in the arena of toadying to the religious right, he was a much bigger concern to us t [»]
The Award for Biggest Idiot of Thanksgiving Goes To...
2005.11.27 (Sun) 15:01
Are our laws meant to keep people safe and free to pursue their lawful and harmless goals, or are they meant to Are our laws meant to keep people safe and free to pursue their lawful and harmless goals, or are they meant to [»]
Blogging in a Dangerous Time
2005.11.22 (Tue) 13:45
Who would have thought that the "Blog Revolution" would, of necessity, be so literal?
For all you bloggers out there, we encourage you to check out the ?
For all you bloggers out there, we encourage you to check out the [»]
McCreary County Looking to Re-Try SCOTUS Case
2005.11.16 (Wed) 23:27
Just five months ago, the Supreme Court issued opinions on two cases in which the Ten Commandments were being displayed on government property. Because of a swing vote by Justice Breyer, the display i [»]
FDA Uses Stupid Excuses to Conceal Asinine Agenda
2005.11.15 (Tue) 20:20
A little over two months ago, we wrote about the FDA's ridiculous and illogical decisions concerning the Morning After Pill. Although research by an independent advisory committee and the recommendati [»]
Newdow Launches Another Salvo
2005.11.15 (Tue) 19:45
God is for Suckers reports that activist atheist Michael Newdow is shooting for the stars in his new suit: Michael Newdow said Sunday that he planned to file a federal lawsuit this week asking for the [»]
Win One, Lose One
2005.11.09 (Wed) 23:15
As we learned this morning (initially via Pharyngula), the recent school board elections in Dover, PA yielded a win for science. From the New York Times: All eight members up for re-election to the Pe [»]
If We Could Only Get Alito to Play This Game...
2005.11.04 (Fri) 09:02
Interested in knowing how various Supreme Court Justices ruled on some recent and important cases, but too busy to read through all those overly verbose opinions? Then play the ACLU's Justice Match ga [»]
Dover Watch - Buckingham Caught in Lie
2005.10.28 (Fri) 21:12
You know, we would have loved to say "we told you so" when we read the news that William Buckingham, the apparent senior moron for the Dover School Board, had to contradict his own sworn deposition fr [»]
Best Quote of Last Week...
2005.10.11 (Tue) 21:53
...goes to Salman Rushdie, an amazingly likable guy. In response to Ben Affleck's reference to "fighting for free speech," which was itself in response to one of Bill Maher's less wholesome jokes, Rus [»]
Parodies of Cops Don't Understand Parody
2005.10.02 (Sun) 14:15
Brent Rasmussen of UTI brought our attention to what shortly became one of the newest faces in our Usual Suspects, fellow percentage blog 90% True. Specifically, Brent linked to Cody Cobb's true story [»]
Forget the Mother - Save That Fetus
2005.09.26 (Mon) 23:16
Now this just pisses us off. We know, we know — a lot of things piss us off, but this really pisses us off. From an AP article: The Bush administration has asked the Supreme Court to reinstate a [»]
Newdow Marches On
2005.09.15 (Thu) 21:42
As reported yesterday by ABC News: A federal judge declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional Wednesday, a decision that could put the divisive issue on track [»]
Catching Up: On Katrina, William, John, John and Jon
2005.09.14 (Wed) 21:35
...and we're back. Most of the general craziness we've been dealing with lately has begun to subside, and we should be back to Ranting (as opposed to just barely keeping up with comments on our existi [»]
More Stupid Excuses from the FDA
2005.09.01 (Thu) 14:36
We saw yesterday that the FDA has once again failed to make the morning after pill available without a prescription. According to ABC News: The FDA on Friday postponed indefinitely its decision on whe [»]
Judge Narrows Newdow's Pledge Case
2005.07.26 (Tue) 23:06
In case you don't know, Michael Newdow is the attorney who is trying to have the "under God" bit in the Pledge of Allegience declared to be an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. He won his init [»]
Thoughts on the Ten Commandments Cases
2005.07.16 (Sat) 00:17
At the end of June, the Supreme Court ruled on two Ten Commandments cases — McCreary and Van Orden. In McCreary, the court upheld the ruling that a Kentucky display of the Ten Commandments in a [»]
One More Time: The Government Cannot Fund the Scouts
2005.07.14 (Thu) 20:36
As only a few news sources have reported recently, a federal judge ruled that the Pentagon can no longer fund the Boy Scout Jamboree, which they've been funding for many years. The cost of the jambore [»]
Snappy Answers to Stupid Senators
2005.06.24 (Fri) 23:06
Wow — we actually heard someone get it totally right on Air America. Of course, it wasn't one of the hosts. It was a guest. This afternoon, on the The Al Franken Show, they welcomed guest Alta C [»]
Psst! Wanna Burn a Flag? Better Hurry...
2005.06.22 (Wed) 21:36
If you've been planning to burn an American Flag, but just haven't been able to find the time, we humbly suggest that you readjust your priority list. The oft-presented but never-passed Constitutional [»]
Schiavo Autopsy Confirms Reality
2005.06.16 (Thu) 01:20
Terri Schiavo's autopsy results were released today, and guess what? It turns out that everything that the religious wingnuts said was completely wrong. We were shocked — shocked — to find [»]
Laws Against "Living in Sin" are Still Really Stupid
2005.05.11 (Wed) 11:50
A little over a month ago, we wrote about a North Carolina dispatcher who was told to either marry her live-in boyfriend or find another job. Apparently, this lunacy tracked back to a standing North C [»]
Alabama Wins Intolerance Contest Hands Down
2005.04.29 (Fri) 19:02
We are so sorry for ever doubting that Alabama would maintain its place as the most intolerant state in the country. We wrote about this a while back when it looked like Virginia was making a play for [»]
Death is Too Good for this Son of a Bitch
2005.04.21 (Thu) 02:24
Last month, a previously convicted sex offender, John Evander Couey, admitted that he had abducted and killed nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford. On Wednesday, some of the details of this crime were relea [»]
Scalia Doesn't Deny Sodomizing His Wife
2005.04.16 (Sat) 01:07
As reported throughout the blogosphere — by many of our Usual Suspects — Justice Antonin Scalia was shocked — shocked! — by the effrontery of one student's question. Scalia is [»]
Airport Screenings: Annoying, Invasive and Apparently Useless
2005.04.15 (Fri) 21:47
If you've flown in the United States any time in the recent past, chances are you've experienced at least some of the problems caused by the "enhanced security measures" put in place after 9-11. You k [»]
Someone Else Who Gets It
2005.04.14 (Thu) 15:47
Read this article by Jonathan Edman, on Kennesaw State University's Sentinel website. (Use BugMeNot if you need to login.) With the constant complaining we hear from folks like the Religious Right abo [»]
So, When Does the Backlash Come?
2005.04.13 (Wed) 21:27
We've been wondering lately when the backlash against the growing Christian theocracy in the United States is going to come. Of course, it isn't a foregone conclusion that any backlash will happen, bu [»]
More *@$%! Media Censorship?
2005.04.08 (Fri) 03:35
We recently received an email from the ACLU that warned us about impending censorship legislation which is about to be presented in the Senate. You can see a similar message on the ACLU web site. Acco [»]
"Living in Sin" is Apparently a Criminal Offense
2005.04.01 (Fri) 14:32
The headline: "Unmarried woman challenges law; Fired because she lived with her boyfriend, she files suit to overturn state cohabitation ban." When we first came across this story on Dispatches from t [»]
Terri Schiavo: What We Learned
2005.03.31 (Thu) 23:28
Earlier today, what was left of Terri Schiavo died in a Florida hospice room. Her feeding tube had been out for two weeks. While we have repeatedly argued for the government to allow this day to come, [»]
Terri Schiavo: Psychics & Loons Set Us Straight
2005.03.26 (Sat) 14:36
In case you're not the kind who cottons to medical or legal facts, and if you're tired of all of the uninformed opinions circulating around the Terri Schiavo case, it's comforting to know that we have [»]
NRA: "Let's Arm School Teachers!"
2005.03.26 (Sat) 00:14
In the wake of the recent school shooting in Minnesota, we came across the following statement from NRA First Vice President, Sandra S. Froman. Apparently, she believes that we should make guns availa [»]
Terri Schiavo: Required Reading
2005.03.24 (Thu) 10:09
Ed Brayton has a post up on Dispatches from the Culture Wars that links to something that should be required reading for anyone who wants to discuss the Schiavo case — the report written by the [»]
Terri Schiavo: The Next Moves (and Daddy Jeb)
2005.03.23 (Wed) 19:56
In a very short span of time, Terri Schiavo's parents seem to have run through their options. Again. But boy howdy did lots of politicians get lots of press out of it! Let's recap the activity of the [»]
Terri Schiavo: What's the Next Move?
2005.03.22 (Tue) 12:03
Let's recap the recent events in the Terri Schiavo debacle. Despite the proper findings of the Florida courts, Congress decided to stick their noses into the personal lives of a group of people who ar [»]
Terri Schiavo: Our Take
2005.03.20 (Sun) 17:26
We haven't said anything about the whole Terri Schiavo debacle because, frankly, we hadn't looked into it enough to have an educated opinion. When we decided to do a little research, it became apparen [»]
Some Sunday Links
2005.03.20 (Sun) 14:53
It has been a little quiet around here since Part V of Allison DuBois Week and the Fourth Edition of the Skeptics' Circle both came out on Thursday. The push of getting those posts out the door, combi [»]
Another Group That Wants It Both Ways
2005.03.12 (Sat) 17:47
It seems that the Salvation Army wants to have their discriminatory cake and eat it too. As reported via the Wall of Separation (the blog of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State): I [»]
This Kid is in High School & He's Already Smarter than Bush
2005.03.10 (Thu) 15:26
It seems that Langley High School in Virginia holds an annual Case Day in which important legal issues are debated by the students. Consider this quote from Philip Wilcox, a high school senior who is [»]
Love and Narriage
2005.03.08 (Tue) 20:13
An interesting discussion has arisen in the blogosphere, including such notable bloggers as Ed Brayton, Timothy Sandefur, Jon Rowe and Jason Kuznicki. The discussion concerns the relative merits and d [»]
Some Ten Commandments SCOTUS Links
2005.03.04 (Fri) 11:57
As we noted earlier this week (and as most people who visit this site no doubt knew), the Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday regarding government displays of the Ten Commandments. The post-gam [»]
Torture Lawsuit Against Rumsfeld to be Announced
2005.02.28 (Mon) 21:54
According to a press release found on Progressive Newswire, the ACLU and Human Rights First will hold a press conference tomorrow, March 1, at 10:30AM EST in Washington, DC to announce a lawsuit again [»]
Gonzales Announces a List of Bad Ideas
2005.02.28 (Mon) 20:49
What do you get when you appoint an asshole who rubber stamps torture as your Attorney General? Shit like this, as reported on Yahoo News: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Monday he would move a [»]
Ten Commandments Cases to Begin This Week
2005.02.27 (Sun) 23:02
Two Ten Commandments cases — Van Orden v. Perry and McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky — are scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court beginning this Wednesday, March 2. For our part, we [»]
Libertarians and ColecoVision
2005.02.24 (Thu) 23:18
We recently heard from reader Joe, who asked about our view of the Libertarian party. He had read a Score entry in which we explained why we do not agree with the Libertarians, and was looking for som [»]
Virginia Government Challenges Alabama's Crown
2005.02.16 (Wed) 01:25
From time to time, all states are guilty of proposing stupid or dangerous legislation, and to be sure, the federal government is no stranger to this phenomenon either. For example, every time we see a [»]
Senate Confirms Gonzales, Predictably
2005.02.04 (Fri) 19:31
No, it wasn't a surprise that Alberto Gonzales was confirmed by the Senate to be the next Attorney General, but that doesn't make it any less tragic, embarrassing, and horrific, and it doesn't make us [»]
Astounding Hypocrisy by the BSA
2005.02.02 (Wed) 20:42
We read through Natalie Angier's speech at the Ethical Culture Society (found via Unscrewing the Inscrutable). It's a lovely speech, a must read for anyone who wants to raise intelligent, independent [»]
Urge Your Senators to Vote "No" on Gonzales
2005.01.26 (Wed) 20:20
A Senate vote to confirm Alberto Gonzales as the next Attorney General is fast approaching. It is inconceivable to us that this man could even be considered for the position of Attorney General given [»]
Thoughts on Newdow - Why the Little Things Matter
2005.01.09 (Sun) 13:31
A few days ago, we reported that Michael Newdow had refiled his lawsuit seeking to have the words "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegience where Congress implanted them in 1954. We fully supp [»]
Newdow Refiles Suit in Pledge Case
2005.01.05 (Wed) 23:55
When Michael Newdow's lawsuit aimed at ridding the Pledge of Allegiance of the phrase "Under God" was dismissed by the Supreme Court in June due to his lack of standing to bring the suit, he promised [»]
Merry Christmas (Seriously)
2004.12.24 (Fri) 11:56
One thing that many of the fundies don't seem to get is that civil libertarians aren't just a bunch of grinches out to kill Christmas. In fact, some of us are very fond of Christmas, and would never g [»]
ACLU Screws Up - Er, no, wait...
2004.12.21 (Tue) 17:32
When we first read this article about how a teen's privacy won out over a parent's right to raise their children, we were outraged. When we read that the ACLU had filed an amicus brief in favor of the [»]
What Don't You Get About "No Ten Commandments"?
2004.12.17 (Fri) 20:59
By now, the news of an Alabama judge wearing the Ten Commandments on his judicial robes when presiding over trials has surely made its way to all corners of the political world. Apparently, Roy Moore' [»]
Leave it to Beaver
2004.12.04 (Sat) 12:12
A recent post by PZ Meyers entitled What women are supposed to want got us thinking about something we've touched on before — the apparent agenda of the Religious Right, and the Bush Administrat [»]
Scouting for God
2004.11.24 (Wed) 17:05
It's been hard to ignore the stories about the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) lately. They've been all over the news - or at least the news that we read. In a nutshell, the ACLU demanded that the Departm [»]
Sign the ACLU's "Refuse to Surrender" Pledge
2004.11.22 (Mon) 18:26
Today, the ACLU has asked all Americans to sign a simple pledge stating that we refuse to surrender our freedom. In the face of the Bush administration's history of disregard for civil rights, as well [»]
Alabama Votes to Retain Segregation Laws
2004.11.21 (Sun) 15:25
Apparently in Alabama, 1950s racism is alive and well as a proposed amendment to the state's constitution to repeal Jim Crow segregation laws failed in a popular vote. Reported by God is for Suckers f [»]
Senate Republicans Add Abortion Clause to Spending Bill
2004.11.21 (Sun) 14:29
This is exactly what we are ranting about on this site. It would be bad enough to try to pass this anti-abortion legislation on its own, but bundling it with the all but must pass spending bill should [»]
ACLU Gearing Up for Bush's Second Term
2004.11.19 (Fri) 17:26
Almost as soon as President Bush was re-elected for a second term, two things happened at the ACLU. First, they experienced an unprecedented surge in donations and membership requests, and second, the [»]