Last Hour

Incredible in Cincinnati on Saturday night as well. My only complaint was, even though I only knew a few, I wanted Jason Isbell to play a few more songs. Was the Louisville show at the Palace?

How long does beer in a growler stay fresh? I ask because when I buy beer my eyes are usually bigger than what I can handle, which ordinarily means a decently stocked refrigerator, but could be wasted beer if I fill up multiple growlers.

Agreed, and while the Big East is down (and Louisville is by no means a world-beater), it is absurd to compare the team with a true Freshman replacing the starting QB mid-game at the beginning of the year, to this team that clawed its way to at least a share of the Big East title by improving each week.

Georgia beat Kentucky 19-10 and they are going to play in the SEC championship game. LOL

I'll take the bait... EVERYBODY is entitled to pray however they feel they should given their particular belief system. This is not a violation of their freedom of religion. EVERYBODY is permitted to pray out loud in their church, in their house, on the sidewalk, in a public park, on the radio, etc... Constitutionally, there can not be the appearance of an establishment of a particular religion at a taxpayer funded event such as graduation. In the grand scheme of things, one prayer at graduation is probably not that big of a deal. While I won't go as far as to say that this is "just stupid" these particular arguments are arguably frivolous. All of us can argue all day as to how far is too far, but per the supreme law of the land, this activity of a violation. Additionally, the Supreme Court has interpreted this conduct the same way for years. This particular situation has been beaten to death, the situation is pretty simple. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Subsidized education? Even if the class is 100% Christian, technically, absolutely no favoritism towards any particular faith. Answer, fork out the dough for a private school, or pray all you want quietly. I would also argue that this protection should be even heightened with a school setting given the threat of publicly funded indoctrination. I'm a proud Christian, and a Catholic one at that. In my opinion, society in general has seen a decline of values. We have also seen an increase in Christians picking and choosing which parts of the Bible/their religion they wish to follow and disregarding the rest. Unfortunately, this has been mirrored in society by people using the Constitution when it helps their argument, and disregarding it when things aren't how they wish them to be. If the Constitution means anything, it offers protections when they may be unpopular. If you're really worried about the decline of values and Christianity, attack the man who sits in the front pew on Sunday, yet hits his wife on Tuesday, or the parent who spends their paycheck at the liquor store instead of putting food on the table. Otherwise, we're left with talking points with such blatant holes in them, that frankly they come across as ridiculous.

There will always be deference given to legislators, but if a law doesn't comply with the constitution, it might as well not exist...

Absolutely, the smartest people should be in leadership positions. I fail to see how enforcing the Constitution, the supreme law of the land, is someone calling all of the shots. Additionally, I definitely have quite a bit of Homer Simpson in me. I have a few pounds I can afford to lose, I probably drink too much beer, and I love sitting on the couch watching tv.

I had a response typed out, but hit the wrong button and lost it. Essentially, other than trying to explain that we might not be as far apart as it might seem other than a lack of talking points, I really would only like to add the following -- Communism? Really?

Religion doesn't have to be excluded from public life, that would be a prohibition on the free exercise, however in a situation like graduation, we have a celebration of the culmination of 4 years of taxpayer funded education in a public place. By having a non-secular prayer however, it appears that the school is endorsing a particular religion at an event funded by both majority and minority tax dollars. Unfortunately, the answer to your second paragraph is a private school. Among other reasons, many parents make the choice to spend a lot of money in order to have their children exposed to religion at school. Religion is about the most personal choice that most people have. Given it's importance, the 1st Amendment includes protections (although many see them as limitations). Churches enjoy tax breaks, when the draft came up people were able to avoid the war for genuine religious beliefs, the government doesn't tell preachers how their services should be run etc... As I stated, I'm Catholic. When I graduated from a public university, I quietly thanked God for the opportunity I had. I would have liked for there to have been a public prayer, but I understood why there wasn't one. I get upset at probably the majority of political correctness (Happy Holidays at stores, some unnecessary claims of racism, sexism, etc...). Heck I even understand how something like a ban on a prayer at graduation would get under a lot of people's skin, and I'm not exactly comfortable myself when it is my religion being quieted. I do however find a problem with equating how things may have used to have been or we personally wish they would be with automatically being constitutional.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." Given the 14th Amendment's application of the 1st Amendment to the States, it is a very fine line whenever religion is used in any government activity or place paid for by tax dollars. By allowing a majority's beliefs to be espoused in these situations, we come awfully close to the appearance of an establishment of a particular religion, most often Christianity, at the expense of minority beliefs. On the other hand, the majority's free exercise is arguably underhanded. In this regard, absent a compelling interest, religion is withheld from public functions. I am a white, straight, registered-Republican, middle-class Catholic male. I fall into the majority in seemingly every category possible, yet I still feel that the ACLU is absolutely necessary. I don't agree with many of the lawsuits they bring about, but they are a necessary watchdog. If we were to allow the appearance of a state-sponsored religion to continue to be afforded more and more leeway, then we are undertaking a piecemeal denigration of anyone who chooses to believe something different from the majority. To analogize with the gun control thread, if we continue to regulate what kind of firearms citizens are allowed to own, what right will the 2nd Amendment be protecting 25, 50, 100 years from now? In the same vein, labeling enforcement of the 1st Amendment as un-constitutional could not be further from the truth. Strictly textually, everyone is free to believe and practice whatever and however they wish. In regards to the Framer's intent, the Free Exercise and Free Establishment Clauses were added as different sects of Protestantism were represented in the earliest stages of our country. They did not want an national religion similar to the Church of England, therefore the Clauses ensure that each particular faith can be practiced. The text however explicitly says religion, specifically prohibiting establishment and impediments to free exercise. When tax dollars are involved, the exercise is not free. The ACLU exists so to place a check on this fine line. Bballfamily, this post is not necessarily directed at you, I simply wanted to add my two cents, and used it as an opportunity to actually introduce the text of the Constitution. I don't necessarily disagree with everything you said, but can you elaborate what you mean by "defending many forms of pervasion?"

Ha! I used to read a bunch, but haven't for awhile. I've picked it up again lately with having a little down time and the Reds starting up again. If you are in Clifton a lot, head up the hill on Clifton Ave. and check out Cilantro for some pretty awesome Ameicanized Vietnamese food. Its directly across the street from Hughes High School.

Skip the burritos and order the fish tacos. Unfortunately if you order the meal, you only get two, so it is kind of pricey and might not fill you up, but they are absolutely incredible. If you have a free Tuesday, go up there for $2 tacos and mix and match the fish tacos with different toppings and salsas, and you will be back for more than than just the beer. Since this is a beer thread, I've been sipping on Founders Red's Rye PA. It has 70 IBUs, so if anyone likes IPAs, I would highly recommend it.