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Now that the curtain’s been pulled back on the false wizardry of a deregulated financial system, and Americans have been left holding a bag full of bank bailouts, home foreclosures, historic levels of unemployment and poverty, and wage stagnation for those with jobs, “loser” is a label most of us can, in one way or another, wear easily in the current economy. So goes the American Dream these days.

U.S. colleges and universities have a long tradition of political activism. They are centers of intellectual activity; concentrations of young people live in close proximity; and students can…

The right to erect a monument, for any cause, is an opportunity. It’s a chance to lend dignity and consequence to a public space. A monument is also an aesthetic opportunity. It doesn’t have to be beautiful, but a successful monument makes it hard to imagine its setting without it. The American Atheists monument fails on both counts.

Or, as I would have titled this post, if not for the delicate sensibilities of the RD editors, “God Breaks Wind on Lutherans.”

Garry Wills gets our vote for quote of the week.

A professor, a rabbi and two comedians discuss religion and politics.

Of course the good pastor may have had an ulterior motive.

As Election Day approaches, the most craven, partisan, dire (and dumb) religious appeals begin to surface.

The Vatican has thus far given the thumbs down on the Obama admin’s first couple of candidates for ambassador. One wonders whether the U.S. routinely allows countries to decide who our ambassador should be?

Most mornings, I get up early and ride my bicycle. I do this because I love to ride and because I could stand to get into shape. Before I leave, I kiss my wife on the cheek and tell her that I love her. She replies in her tender, throaty whisper, “Be safe.”