This interpretation of religious freedom could transform our nation from one where rights are respected and uniformly protected under the law to one where subgroups are identified for discrimination, isolation and exclusion by those who interpret their religion as one that calls for differential treatment of others based on their identity, viewpoint or way of life.

But Puerto Rico's struggles reach back far beyond this fall. "[T]he devastation of neoliberal policies has made Puerto Rico's crisis following Hurricanes Irma and Maria much, much worse," SW concluded in an editorial.

Because Puerto Rico is held by the U.S. as a "territory," it will be forced to depend on the federal government for the funds and resources needed to rebuild. This will come on top of a debt regime and other aspects of the U.S. colonial relationship with Puerto Rico that set the stage for the island's crisis before the hurricanes hit.

And now, the aftermath of Hurricane Maria will present another opportunity to increase the U.S. government's and Corporate America's control over the lives of the Puerto Rican people.

In addition to Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who typically votes with the caucus, the nine Democratic co-sponsors of Crapo's bill are: Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), John Tester (Mont.), Mark Warner (Va.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Gary Peters (Mich.), and Michael Bennet (Colo.).

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii; Kamala Harris, D-Calif.; Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.; Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.; Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., also issued statements or postings on social media Wednesday calling on Franken to step down.
The 14 women were joined by 14 male Senate Democrats: Schumer, Durbin, and Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Tom Carper of Delaware, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Gary Peters of Michigan, Tom Udall of New Mexico and Ron Wyden of Oregon.

No, not if we properly define “religion.”
Until very recently in Western history, “religion” was not a separate “thing” apart from a culture’s entire way of life....

Religion does not necessarily involve belief in spiritual beings or gods, but does universally involve the answers a culture develops to the “ultimate questions:” — Why are we here? What is our purpose? Who made us, and why? And, what is the right thing to do?

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.... Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.