Today I’ve got a couple stories that I think are worth
reading…so here goes!
1.
ISIS
Over the weekend the militant
Islamist group, ISIS has declared that they have created a caliphate (or an
Islamic State) made up a predominantly Sunni populated area spanning from
Aleppo province in Syria, to the Diyala province in eastern Iraq. ISIS, an extremist Islamic organization has
wreaked havoc over the countryside of Iraq and Syria, capitalizing on weaknesses
from internal conflicts (or in the case of Syria, civil war) and void left by
US troops. An offshoot of Al Qaeda, this
group rebranded itself in 2006, and has slowly been growing. Without American expertise
in the field, the Iraqi forces have been unable to contain the growth and
spread of this group. Further, the Shia dominated government has consistently
alienated the Sunni minority within the nation – further fueling the cause of
ISIS. In the areas that it has
overtaken, ISIS has imposed a strict Sharia law, requiring boys and girls to be
separated and women to wear the full veil in public. In the wake of the growing movement, the US
has deployed 300 troops, in addition to the already 300 advisers on the ground,
to protect the embassy, airport, and American personnel on the ground.
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2.
The Hobby Lobby Ruling
So as if your Newsfeed isn’t already
clogged with people arguing over reproductive rights, how about we add it to
the blog feeds as well, eh? Don’t worry. I’m not about to argue the case one
way or the other here, but I do think its important that everyone understand
what this ruling can mean.
Regardless of how you might feel
on this issue, there are two main points that this decision makes, and that I
think everyone should consider.
1.
Corporations have religious rights, and
therefore
2.
Corporations can exempt themselves from federal
statute if it believes the law to be incongruent to its belief system.
*The ruling actually was written
as a ‘closely held corporations’ – meaning that the majority of the stock is owned
by no more than 5 people. However, with this distinction in definition, the
decision would apply to a very large percentage of businesses throughout the
nation.
The idea that corporations have
religious rights seems to further complicate (or support) the Citizens United
ruling, making corporations even more like people, and less like an
entity. Ruth Bader Ginsberg, in her 35
page dissenting opinion, stated that this ruling has opened Pandora’s Box to
allow for more suits against federal laws with the argument that the statute
violates a religious belief.
"In a
decision of startling breadth, the Court holds that commercial enterprises,
including corporations, along with partnerships and sole proprietorships, can
opt out of any law (saving only tax laws) they judge incompatible with their
sincerely held religious beliefs," Ginsburg wrote. She said she feared
that with its decision, the court had "ventured into a minefield." -- Excerpt from Huffington Post
To learn more check out these articles:
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