Outside the Beltway

The man responsible for the deaths of eleven people in a Pittsburgh synagogue has been indicted on 44 counts by a Federal Grand Jury.

In another sign of the rapid secularization taking place in that country, Irish voters last weekend voted to rescind the nation’s centuries-old, albeit not recently enforced, law against blasphemy.

The vise is tightening on the Catholic Church.

Charges have been filed against the man responsible for the massacre in Pittsburgh in both Federal and State court.

At least eight people are dead in a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

The dispute over Ukraine between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Patriarch is widening and nearing the point of a complete break.

The Catholic Church’s problems may have just gotten a lot more serious.

The Ukrainian branch of the Russian Orthodox Church is pushing for independence. Church leaders in Moscow are not too happy about this.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Archbishop of Washington, D.C this week, but his letter reveals that he still has a blind spot when it comes to the Catholic abuse scandal.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints wants to be referred to by its given name. Shouldn’t we respect that wish?

Several states are opening new investigations of the Catholic Church abuse scandal. It’s about time.

An Oregon state agency is suggesting that Walmart’s decision to restrict arms sales to bar people under 21, but over 18, from being able to purchase firearms violates state law.

A top Vatican official is alleging that Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI were both aware of previously unknown allegations of sexual abuse and chose to allow them to be covered up rather than bringing them to light.

Pope Francis took the rare step of sending a letter addressed to all of the world’s Catholics on the sexual abuse scandal. Words are fine, but they need action to back them up.

A Pennsylvania Grand Jury report reveals decades of abuse by some 300 Catholic Priests impacting more than 1,000 children and 26 of the state’s Roman Catholic Diocese.

Another milestone set to be crossed.

In what amounts to a significant, albeit not surprising, change in Catholic doctrine, Pope Francis has declared that the death penalty is unacceptable in all circumstances.

One of the most prominent members of the American Catholic hierarchy has been removed from office in the face of mounting allegations of sexual abuse that stretch back decades.

The Strzok hearing provides a return to this timeworn favorite.

In a 5-4 party-line vote, the High Court declared that the Constitution and Federal Law give the President broad authority over immigration.

The Supreme Court declined, for now, to hear the appeal of a Washington state florist who declined to provide services for a same-sex wedding. The issues it raises, though, are likely to return to the Court in the future.

Donald Trump hinted that he’s considering a pardon for Muhammad Ali, but Ali doesn’t need a pardon.

He thinks his Constitutional rights are being violated. They’re not.

In the age of Trump, morality is optional for conservatives.

Just as they did three years ago when they legalized same-sex marriage, Irish voters turned out in record numbers to repeal the nation’s ban on abortion.

The number of Americans professing no religious affiliation is on the rise. This will have some interesting cultural and political implications.

A writer at National Review is proposing a compromise on the issue of transgender rights. Needless to say, many conservatives aren’t very happy about it.

The church sponsors 20 percent of the youth organization’s membership.

The incident involving Paul Ryan and the House Chaplain has raised some questions.

After hastily removing the House Chaplain under unclear circumstances, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has reversed himself.

The Supreme Court heard oral argument in the challenge to President Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban. It didn’t appear to go well for the challengers.

The Vatican has stopped short of calling the reports “Fake news.”

Not surprisingly, John Bolton has some links to particularly shady people on the right.

Stephen Hawking possessed one of the greatest minds in history, but he will likely be most remembered for not letting a debilitating disease stop him from contributing to our understanding of the universe.

Billy Graham was the son of a North Carolina farmer who grew up to become a counselor to Presidents, Prime Ministers, and even a Queen.

Another day, another Court ruling against the Trump Administration.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the Government’s appeal of the Trump Administration’s revised Muslim Travel Ban

Late yesterday, a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling striking down the latest version of Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban.

The Supreme Court is allowing the latest version of Donald Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban to go into effect.

A horrible terror attack in Egypt.

The first in an occasional series.

While the President of the United States continues to create chaos, Xi Jinping consolidates his power in China.

White House Chief Of Staff John Kelly publicly defended the President’s call to a military widow yesterday, but he got several facts wrong in the process.

The Trump Administration has issued a new travel ban to replace the temporary one that expired late last week, but it still suffers from most of the same defects as its initial efforts.

The Trump Administration has suffered another Court defeat related to the President’s Muslim Travel Ban.

Some Presidents knew how to respond to racism and hatred. The current President doesn’t.

My apologies to Bob Dreyfuss and Rolling Stone.