First Amendment Quote of the Day - February 28, 2014

"Religious liberty is a deeply radical concept. It was at this country’s founding and it hasn’t become less so. Preserving it has always been a full-time battle. But it’s important, because religion is at the core of people’s identity. A government that tramples religious liberty is not a government that protects economic freedom. It’s certainly not a government that protects conscience rights. A government that tramples religious liberty does not have expansive press freedoms. Can you think of one country with a narrow view of religious liberty but an expansive view of economic freedom, freedom of association, press freedoms or free speech rights? One?"

Mollie Hemingway in "Dumb, Uneducated, And Eager To Deceive: Media Coverage Of Religious Liberty In A Nutshell; Most Reporters Are Simply Too Ignorant To Handle The Job", The Federalist, Feb 28, 2014. via Get Religion.

First Amendment Quote of the Day - February 2014

"I am Jewish and value protection of pray[er] in schools and religious freedom of expression in public and private life. If the rights of Christians are not protected neither are my rights and that hasn't worked out well for Jews historically. I believe G-d gives us purpose and strength and will guide us if we allow it. Our laws are based on Judeo-Christian values and create the moral and fair way to establish authority and maintain civil and societal norms. Without G-d we are only intelligent animals."

Becky Berger, Candidate for Railroad Commissioner in the 2014 Texas Republican Primary, in reply to the question "Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values", asked of all candidates by iVoterGuide.com

First Amendment Quote of the Day - February 26, 2014

Maybe this one should be subtitled "Why the First Amendment is Endangered":

"All press are required to stay strictly on message. Any press who ask guests or Mr. Farrow about off-message topics will be immediately escorted out of the event.”

 Press Guidance for a presentation event honoring Ronan Farrow with "Reach the World's" annual Cronkite Award for Excellence in Exploration and Journalism.

First Amendment Quote of the Day - February 25, 2014

" I mean these kinds of things keep on surfacing, in part because you and your TV station will promote them."

                  President Barak Obama, in an interview by Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, when asked about the 157 recorded visits to the White House by IRS Chief Douglas Shulman during the years that the  IRS Tea Party Targeting Scandal was occurring.  The 157 visits were officially listed on the White House Visitor Logs for the time period between October 2009 and December 2012. The IRS Scandal is still being investigated by Congress as of Feb 25, 2014.

Starting Tomato Plants From Seed, Step 2: Moving Sprouts From Paper into Pots

 This is Part 2. The first post (click here to read it) explains how to start the seed using weak tea, paper towels and baggies. This post shows how to pick them out and move the little seedlings into pots, where they will grow until time to set them out.  

  Now, just 3 days later, most have sprouted, some even have their first set of leaflets. Some have only just begun to open, or maybe even have not sprouted yet, but they have had a good soak, so I will plant them all now.

Use tweezers to gently pick them up by the seed casing (the cotyledon)  - never touch the root! Tug gently, straight and level, to remove from the paper without bending the plant.  If the root has already penetrated the paper and doesn't pull free easily, don't worry - instructions below on how to save it.

Lay the little plant, root end down, against clean wet potting soil in a paper cup, newspaper pot, peat pot or plastic six pack from other plants.

  Cover gently - but not deeply - with more damp potting soil. Just barely cover it. It is ok if you get a bit of earth on the cotyledon, it will grow out of it.

If the seed has not yet sprouted at all, put it with the point side down and just barely cover it with a sprinkle of dirt.

 If the root is caught in the paper, simply cut out a square of paper around the root, being careful not to touch or cut the root in the process.

Then just plant the piece of paper towel along with the little plant:  root down, covered with soil, cotyledon side up, barely covered at all. 

Place them all under lights to keep them warm and give them the light they need. I used T8 daylight bulbs in cheap 4 foot shop fixtures that hang from chains. Hang the lights about 2 inches above the plants.

And watch them grow!!!  Be sure to mist them daily, maybe twice daily if it looks like they need it. I used bottled water so that it won't have any chlorine in it, but you can also use tap water that you let sit overnight first.  If you don't have a spray bottle that gives a fine mist, you could also use an eyedropper. Even better, according to many, is to water from below by poking holes at the base of the cups, setting them on a tray and putting the water in the tray. If using newspaper or peat pots, you wouldn't even need to make holes. :-)

 I laid a tinfoil shade over the fixture to keep the light and warmth in, and to let the light reflect as much as possible onto the plants.

 

And there they are, right at a week  after they were first put into their papers: little heads popping up, some getting taller already, others still stretching to get the kinks out as they wake up from their long sleep.  

Have fun with your seedlings, and I will post again soon to show how they are coming. :-)

UPDATE March 11, 2014: The third post is up: click to read - and thank you! :-)

First Amendment Quote of the Day - February 22, 2014

"I welcome today’s announcement that the FCC has suspended its “Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs,” or CIN study. This study would have thrust the federal government into newsrooms across the country, somewhere it just doesn’t belong. The Commission has now recognized that no study by the federal government, now or in the future, should involve asking questions to media owners, news directors, or reporters about their practices. This is an important victory for the First Amendment. And it would not have been possible without the American people making their voices heard. I will remain vigilant that any future initiatives not infringe on our constitutional freedoms."

                                            FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai's statement on the suspension of the FCC's proposed Critical Information Needs study, aka "CIN".

First Amendment Quote of the Day - February 21, 2014

 Arizona has passed a bill that will allow Christians and Hindus to refuse to provide service to abortionists without fear of being sued for discrimination. It will allow Moslems to refuse to provide service to people accompanied by service dogs without fear of being sued for discrimination.  It will allow Wiccans to refuse service to Christians without fear of being sued for discrimination. It will allow members of the Church of Christ to refuse service to Catholics without fear of being sued for discrimination. It will allow Amish to refuse service to their own members who are being shunned, without fear of being sued for discrimination.

The actual text of the Arizona Free Exercise of Religion Bill (AZ Senate Bill 1062) that the Arizona Senate passed today:

"41-1493.  Definitions

"In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:

"1.  "Demonstrates" means meets the burdens of going forward with the evidence and of persuasion.

"2.  "Exercise of religion" means the practice or observance of religion, including the ability to act or refusal to act in a manner substantially motivated by a religious belief, whether or not the exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief." ...

..... "[Sec. 2.]  Section 41-1493.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

"41-1493.01.  Free exercise of religion protected; definition

"A.  Free exercise of religion is a fundamental right that applies in this state even if laws, rules or other government actions are facially neutral.

"B.  Except as provided in subsection C of this section, state action shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability."

"C.  State action may substantially burden a person's exercise of religion only if the government or nongovernmental person seeking the enforcement of state action demonstrates that application of the burden to the person's exercise of religion in this particular instance is both:

"1.  In furtherance of a compelling governmental interest.

"2.  The least restrictive means of furthering that compelling governmental interest.

"D.  A person whose religious exercise is burdened in violation of this section may assert that violation as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, regardless of whether the government is a party to the proceeding.

"E.  A person that asserts a violation of this section must establish all of the following:

"1.  That the person's action or refusal to act is motivated by a religious belief.

"2.  That the person's religious belief is sincerely held.

"3.  That the state action substantially burdens the exercise of the person's religious beliefs.

"F.  The person asserting a claim or defense under subsection D of this section may obtain injunctive and declaratory relief.  A party who prevails in any action to enforce this article against a government shall recover attorney fees and costs.

"G.  For the purposes of this section, the term substantially burden is intended solely to ensure that this article is not triggered by trivial, technical or de minimis infractions.

"H.  For the purposes of this section, "state action" means any action, except for the requirements prescribed by section 41-1493.04, by the government or the implementation or application of any law, including state and local laws, ordinances, rules, regulations and policies, whether statutory or otherwise, and whether the implementation or application is made by the government or nongovernmental persons."

                                      Source: Arizona State Government Website: http://www.azleg.gov/