from Jamie Raskin:
UPDATE: We just won a big victory in the Defense Authorization bill, defeating 217-208 the anti-Muslim amendment I railed against in this speech. Original post: The First Amendment compels government neutrality among religions. Rep. Trent Franks' (R-Az) amendment would direct the government to do a study exclusively on the Islamic religious doctrines and texts that have been used by terrorists to justify violence. But what about the religious doctrines and texts from other faiths that terrorists have used to justify violence? If we are going to study the way terrorists have exploited religion to justify violence against innocents, let's not understate the vast enormity of the problem or exacerbate it by targeting and vilifying a single religious group. The First Amendment prevents governmental scapegoating of a single religion which the Framers knew was a recipe for civil discord and state repression. Details: http://politi.co/2uf5NJ4.