Secular Left - Progressive Religion Free View of the News

Douglas Berger - Independent non-religious progressive
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There is a well organized and well funded effort to gut the Bill of Rights in this country and in the age of Trump, secular people seem to taking it on the chin more often. Secular Left is meant to be the light in the fog of Christian Nationalism supporting the idea that toxic religious belief is the root of most social justice issues today.

  1. 1d ago

    Ministry or Money Machine? Lifewise's $39M Question Part 1

    It has been two years since Christian Nationalists pushed through a change in the Ohio Released Time Religious Instruction law to benefit the religious group LifeWise Academy. Their main plan is to indoctrinate and recruit public school children by removing them from school in the middle of the day for bible classes. Our guest is Keith Comer from Respect Public Schools has been tracking the moves of Lifewise and other RTRI programs in the state and the country. We start by reviewing key Supreme Court cases and related law. We mentions Everson v. Board of Education, McCollum v. Board of Education, and Zorach v. Clauson, describing the last case as allowing off-campus religious instruction if parents agree and public funds are not used. We also explains that Ohio later passed a law in 2014 providing a framework for these programs. Keith Comer of Respect Public Schools describes how he became involved after seeing Ohio House Bill 445, which would have required schools to cooperate with LifeWise. He explains that he created an online map using public information from LifeWise’s website. Comer says parents can always remove their children from school for religious instruction, but schools are not constitutionally required to coordinate these programs unless state law forces them to do so. He says LifeWise sought such laws in several states after encountering resistance. Part 1 also focuses on classroom disruption and recruitment. Comer says taking elementary students out during the school day disrupts instruction, especially when programs target specials, lunch, or recess. LifeWise’s goal is not simply to offer a class, but to increase church attendance and recruit children at a young age. Then we address LifeWise’s finances and political connections. Comer says the group collects substantial money, sends a significant portion to headquarters, and works with organizations such as the Family Research Council, Alliance Defending Freedom, and Moms for Liberty. Full Show Notes & Links Used Send us Fan Mail Support the show Subscribe to our free newsletter Check out our Merch Follow us on Bluesky Find us on Twitter(for now) Find us on Instagram Find us on Counter Social Find us on Mastadon

    Ministry or Money Machine? Lifewise's $39M Question Part 1

  2. Sep 16

    They Built the Surveillance State for Them, Now It's Pointed at Us

    We reflect on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 by revisiting live news coverage from that day. We discuss the amount of misinformation, speculation, and confusion that appeared in early reporting, and we contrast that with later coverage and memorial material. We then turn to the security and surveillance systems expanded after 9/11, including Homeland Security, the TSA, the Patriot Act, surveillance courts, and rendition. We argue that these measures did not keep people safe in the way they were presented at the time, and we connect that to how those tools are being used by President Trump today against his political opponents. A local television report about a deadly crash in Ohio involving an undocumented driver with a Connecticut driver’s license exposes the continued racist attacks on undocumented people by the Republicans panicking over election losses in November. We fact check a National Republican Senatorial Committee mailer attacking Sherrod Brown over transgender issues and drag story time. The claims not only misrepresent Brown’s record and a community event at Harmony Project and the mailer uses falsehoods and culture-war messaging instead of addressing policy issues. Full show notes & links used Send us Fan Mail Support the show Subscribe to our free newsletter Check out our Merch Follow us on Bluesky Find us on Twitter(for now) Find us on Instagram Find us on Counter Social Find us on Mastadon

    They Built the Surveillance State for Them, Now It's Pointed at Us

  3. Aug 25

    Inside the GOP's Honesty Crisis: DEI for Idiots

    We start by debunking a PragerU video about why people believe lies and use it to examine how political media frames public health measures. The claim that pandemic masking and six-foot distancing were examples of manipulation is missing how science actually works. We note that the distancing guidance was based on reducing risk, even if the exact number was not fixed by a single clear standard. LifeWise Academy setup a booth at a school open house in Rossford, Ohio. We explain that since LifeWise is a religious release-time program and schools must remain neutral under the relevant Supreme Court ruling from 1952 and related state rules. Recruiting students at school events can raise legal concerns and school districts often avoid challenges because of the cost of lawsuits. Comments from Trump administration officials and House speaker Mike Johnson show that Republicans lie as a matter of course. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s claims about the relationship of immigration and rent, AG Secretary Brooke Rollins’ comments about SNAP recipients and luxury cars, and Speaker Mike Johnson’s defense of Republican economic policy is just some examples of the honest crisis in Washington DC. These arguments rely on scapegoating and proven failed economic policy that they do not match the evidence on housing costs, food assistance, or trickle-down economics. Full Show Notes & Links Used Send us Fan Mail Support the show Subscribe to our free newsletter Check out our Merch Follow us on Bluesky Find us on Twitter(for now) Find us on Instagram Find us on Counter Social Find us on Mastadon

    Inside the GOP's Honesty Crisis: DEI for Idiots

  4. Aug 2

    Rand Paul And The GOP Still Blaming Fauci

    Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where Rand Paul and other Republicans were trying to trap him into statements they could use against him. The hearing was a political witch hunt and going on six years now. There is a broader anti-science movement in conservative politics, including opposition to gender-affirming care, abortion rights, vaccines, and public health guidance. There is also misinformation, snake-oil products, and claims made by social media influencers and some television ads that are more about profit over health of people. Trump's Religious Liberty Commission was sued for lack of diversity. Contrary to federal law, the commission was dominated by conservative Christians and evangelicals, with no representation from other faiths and atheists. The court dismissed the case by redefining what is meant by diversity. We look at the backlash to progressive and Democratic Socialist wins in some Democratic primaries recently. We hear examples of the criticism from establishment Democrats and media figures, and we argue that voters chose these candidates directly. We say the panic over the DSA is overstated and that Democrats should focus more on fighting Trump and less on attacking progressives. Full Show Notes & Links Used Send us Fan Mail Support the show Subscribe to our free newsletter Check out our Merch Follow us on Bluesky Find us on Twitter(for now) Find us on Instagram Find us on Counter Social Find us on Mastadon

    Rand Paul And The GOP Still Blaming Fauci

  5. Jul 13

    'Told You So' Culture Ignores PTSD: The Platner Pile-On

    While Graham Platner needed to end his campaign after being accused of rape some progressive commentators handled the story badly, especially the tendency to ignore Platner's PTSD and trauma as part of the context for his earlier behavior. We supported him based on the information available at the time, and we explain why the final set of revelations made continued support for him impossible. We are just disappointed that Platner's trauma was ignored by others. Also in Maine, another legal fight over public funds for religious schools reached federal court. The state changed its Human Rights Act after the Carson v. Makin US Supreme Court decision in 2022. All schools receiving public money must follow nondiscrimination requirements for students. Religious schools filed a lawsuit. We re-visit the topic of LifeWise Academy and note that its student enrollment is far below its stated goal. The group’s push for release-time Bible instruction during the school day is not impressing parents who have concerns about the program. Public attention appears to be reducing family participation in the program. Finally the Trump administration and Fox News framing democratic socialists as communists is a reboot of the cold war. We argue that democratic socialism is not the same as communism, and we point to the DSA’s own stated goals, including Medicare for All, expanded democracy, and public ownership of key sectors - they don't support or demand revolution. We end by saying voters should evaluate candidates on their actual proposals rather than on scare labels. We are also disappointed that establishment Democrats are jumping on the bandwagon over the DSA. Full Show Notes & Links Used Send us Fan Mail Support the show Subscribe to our free newsletter Check out our Merch Follow us on Bluesky Find us on Twitter(for now) Find us on Instagram Find us on Counter Social Find us on Mastadon

    'Told You So' Culture Ignores PTSD: The Platner Pile-On

  6. Jun 27

    Socialist Wins, GOP Spin, and the Fight Over Who Gets to Be Free

    We look at Ohio politics, a federal religious-liberty commission, and the reaction to recent Democratic Socialist primary wins in New York City. Ohio Republicans repeat false claims about Dr. Amy Acton and COVID-era county fair restrictions, trying to use that issue to help Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign. They don't explain that in 2020 Ramaswamy supported the lock downs and even mandatory vaccinations. Trump administration’s Religious Liberty Commission, which we say was built around Christian nationalist complaints rather than broad religious liberty is being sued arguing that the commission violated federal requirements for inclusiveness because it was dominated by evangelical voices. We also discuss concern that its report would push the idea that church-state separation is a problem. Finally, we discuss the New York City primary results and the panic they caused among MAGA figures and some establishment Democrats. We argue that Democratic Socialist wins in a heavily Democratic city are being overstated as a national warning sign. We say the issues driving those campaigns are affordability, housing, health care, and wages, and that voters are responding to candidates who seem more willing to challenge Trump-era politics. Full Show Notes & Links Used Send us Fan Mail Support the show Subscribe to our free newsletter Check out our Merch Follow us on Bluesky Find us on Twitter(for now) Find us on Instagram Find us on Counter Social Find us on Mastadon

    Socialist Wins, GOP Spin, and the Fight Over Who Gets to Be Free

  7. Jun 14

    Ohio GOP's Last-Minute Manipulations to Save Ramaswamy's Campaign

    Trump won Ohio three times with an 11 point win in 2024 so why is the GOP nominee for Governor Vivek Ramaswamy tied, in the polls, with the Democrat Dr. Amy Acton? The GOP super-majority in the Ohio legislature is worried too so they decided to manipulate their base to get them to the polls in November for Ramaswamy. Although controlling the state since 2011, the Ohio GOP is letting Trump and his goons focus on Medicaid fraud in the state. Meanwhile the Ohio GOP is putting up a constitutional amendment to require photo ID to vote even though that does nothing to secure an election system they tell us is a model for the country, and they also decided to hide a bill that would ban child marriage so as not to trigger their religious extremist friends totally ignoring the whole Trump Epstein files and other sex abuse scandals with the Catholic church and LifeWise Academy. Full Show Notes & Links Used Send us Fan Mail Support the show Subscribe to our free newsletter Check out our Merch Follow us on Bluesky Find us on Twitter(for now) Find us on Instagram Find us on Counter Social Find us on Mastadon

    Ohio GOP's Last-Minute Manipulations to Save Ramaswamy's Campaign

  8. May 26

    Hold My Beer: Trump's Insurrectionist Slush Fund Makes Old-School Political Corruption Look Quaint

    Of course there is corruption in US politics that some call campaign contributions but President Trump and family have said "hold our beer" with the just the latest being a slush fund to pay off people who attacked the capitol in 2021. There have been corrupt presidents in the past - Harding and Nixon come to mind but nothing like the scale of the Trump family - there doesn't seem to be any policy or action they can't profit from. Other stories in the episode include Ohio Republicans’ effort to place a photo ID requirement into the state constitution. The proposal copies existing Ohio law but we note the added language that could make early voting harder or impossible by limiting voting to in-person voting on Election Day. Ohio Senate President Rob McColley who is running on a ticket with Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio Governor, personally removed a child marriage ban from the Senate Judiciary committee so it couldn't be voted to the Senate floor. It was a bi-partisan bill with no public opposition before McColley stuck his nose in for no apparent reason. For a party that runs on "protecting children" it is a bad look for the Ohio GOP and Ramaswamy. Full Show Notes & Links Used Send us Fan Mail Support the show Subscribe to our free newsletter Check out our Merch Follow us on Bluesky Find us on Twitter(for now) Find us on Instagram Find us on Counter Social Find us on Mastadon

    Hold My Beer: Trump's Insurrectionist Slush Fund Makes Old-School Political Corruption Look Quaint
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There is a well organized and well funded effort to gut the Bill of Rights in this country and in the age of Trump, secular people seem to taking it on the chin more often. Secular Left is meant to be the light in the fog of Christian Nationalism supporting the idea that toxic religious belief is the root of most social justice issues today.

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