I don't think anyone has suggested civil disobedience in the sense of not paying the fine. If anyone has evidence of that, I would like to see it. There is a big difference between what might be ruled as sensible in a forward deployment in, say, Iraq, and the general principle that a member of the Administration gets to decide what gets said or unsaid in the pulpit. I believe the last time this came before the courts -- involving clergy speaking on abortion -- the courts were pretty firm that the priests and rabbis and ministers do not give up their First Amendment rights. Also the part about ministering to non-Catholics is absurd. This was a letter to be read out at a Mass attended by Catholics. Finally, though CAtholics are disproportionately impacted by this law it is not directed only at Catholics. If you are an owner of a Taco Bell or an insurance company who objects you are affected too. That's why it was encouraging to hear Romney promise to end the whole mandate for everyone if he were elected.

Here's an update: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/290159/army-asked-letter-not-be-read-pulpit-kathryn-jean-lopez We hear a lot about separation of church and state. Sometimes we forget that main reason for First Amendment was to protect church from the state.

At least the Ricochet community gets it. The mandate is part and parcel of the philosophy or force behind the Affordable Care Act. Also, the sooner the Administration rids the public square of these pesky religious outfits, the easier it will become for the government to make all the decisions.

The great irony is this: Had Obama simply allowed a religious exemption in line with the traditional  understanding, he would still have made a huge step forward for force (insurers and employers with objections would still have to comply) without the controversy and the opposition that he generated by overreaching for religious outfits too. That's what his liberal Catholic buddies were advising him to do.

Good questions. I'm surprised they apologized at all.

Cynicism tells me Stuart is right. Mike thinks it because of Che's overt racism.

A separate issue is the translation. Methinks Mr. Cameron, inadvertently, is also making a good argument for being extremely conservative when it comes to revising language that has secured a firm foothold in the culture.

Our tree went up with little pain this year. 8 feet. We have a good stand -- but the key is getting a true whose trunk is not that wide.

The Christmas recital was all I feared. Why is it that school music is always the soft underbelly? It's always where those who hate tradition strike first.

It strikes me as amazing that in the 2012 presidential, after the 2010 elections, the tea parties, the rediscovery of the constitution and its virtues, Republicans have as the two leading contenders a man who took more than a million dollars from Freddie Mac and another who gave us a version of Obamacare before Obama.

I'm not wild about Mr. Gingrich, who has more baggage than United Airlines. Still, I hope his candidacy forces Mr. Romney, whom I presume will be the standard bearer, into a more thoughtfully conservative direction. Even though many candidates did not prove viable the process has led to a sharpening of proposals, especially on the economic front. In short, I'd like to see Mr. Romney have to fight for the nomination instead of simply taking it by default. I believe the result would be stronger policy proposals.   

On the other hand, here's a video tweeted by the Department of Homeland Security. I think they are trying to avoid a repeat of a similar incident at a Robinson Family Thanksgiving.

As you can imagine, I'm hearing from lots of people with similar stories. The town appears to be telling people the story is wrong, that it's the state's fault. It's true that it's a state law, but it's not clear who decided to apply it to the kitchen. In any case all this might have been helped if the officials at Morristown actually spoke to me when I called more than three times. They clearly just didn't want to talk to the press. And we can see why.

Thanks everyone. For me manliness takes many different forms, and I too decry a feminized culture that does not allow men to be men -- or, perhaps worse, boys to be boys.

That said, I remain skeptical of boasting. Boasting about heroics is different from a boisterous, rough, competition between men, which has a role in creating a manly culture. I know men who have stood up and done incredible things, including (but not limited to) brave actions in war. I remain suspicious of guys who boast how tough they are. In my experience, many of the toughest people have been the quietest -- and often those you would never guess to be the ones who would stand tall when the crunch came and who would stick with it to the end.

In many ways, the storm over Herman Cain's remarks parallels storms that George H.W. Bush and Dan Quayle faced over comments they once made when each was asked what he would do if a daughter/granddaughter became pregnant and had an abortion. Basically each said he hoped there wouldn't be an abortion, but he would support his child/grandchild in the end. That's a perfectly reasonable answer.

Mr. Cain has not been as clear as he ought to be. Still, if people give him the benefit of the doubt, it because they think he's honest. He conveys that he's prolife, and says he would appoint judges that interpret the Constitution properl, oppose federal funding of abortion and funding for Planned Parenthood. In an update at National Review, he says that people are misconstruing his answer -- that he was speaking about what a president can and cannot do.

He's now accused of being someone who is "personally opposed but." Perhaps. But he doesn't sound like it. I find him believable. I may end up supporting Gov. Romney, but I don't often find him believable. 

Mrs. McGurn reports that Rush is now talking about it.

I think it boils down to this: All this press attention on the cult remark is completely phony. It is not about concern for Mormons. It comes from the same press that celebrates this disgusting play on Broadway -- the Book of Mormon -- that makes baby rape jokes and uses the vilest 4-letter words in its lyrics, all directed at a completely safe group to attack.

The questions being asked of Republicans about Christianity are intended solely to create discord. 

Paul, Belated thanks for putting this all out there, especially in such clear terms. In the back of my mind, I thought there was also something about Jefferson's wife being related to Sally Hemings. Do you know if that's true?

Seems to be a very gothic family tree here.

 I think it means the whole liberal worldview blows up.

It looks as though Brown may be the only one not to welcome them back.

Also, there are issues for the schools. Most have an anti-discrimination clause. But the military still will not allow, say, transgendered. And the truth is that violates the code as much as DADT, though obviously not for as many people.