The headlines are currently dominated by Carrie Prejean-Boller’s loud claims of “religious persecution” following her removal from the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty. But according to a scathing rebuke from fellow commissioner Bishop Robert Barron, the truth is far less saintly. Prejean-Boller wasn’t ousted for her faith; she was dismissed for a calculated, scripted performance that traded civil rights for political theater. During the Commission’s Fifth Hearing, while Jewish-American witnesses testified about the trauma of university-sponsored segregation, Prejean-Boller didn’t seek justice—she sought a theological loophole to excuse a mob.

The Kestenbaum Distinction: Speech vs. Siege

Shabbos Kestenbaum, currently challenging Harvard through federal court for its “deliberate indifference” to antisemitism, offered the room a masterclass in the First Amendment. His stance was refreshingly honest: He has no problem with students holding antisemitic views. He is perfectly fine with them shouting “River to the Sea” jingles or waving signs that would make a 1930s propagandist........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)