Apostate conservative Ross Douthat is one of today's most interesting political writers. Here's his take on todays' problematic US political dynamics:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/opinion/sunday/douthat-bloomberg-lapierre-and-the-void.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0
I don't agree with everything he says (the bit about the rights of religious institutions being 'negotiable at best,' I find inaccurate. There's tremendous freedom of religion in the US--more than almost anywhere else. I assume Douthat is referring, however, to the fact that healthcare law forces some non-church but religiously affiliated employers (like Catholic hospitals) to cover birth control, which is against there religious principals. Here, Douthat fails to note that religious freedom applies to everybody, not just socially conservative Christians; it's an accident of history that employers sponsor healthcare coverage in the United States. I'm fine with that, but your employer has no business involving itself in whether birth control is covered by standard insurance policies. I'd also point out that birth control pills are one of the most effective ways of reducing abortions, so most of us ought to be able to come together on that one, even if we don't agree that individual rights should trump the rights of institutions. Still, I respect that this is a problematic issue), but his overall I find his analysis incisive and accurate. It's worth your time.
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