by Richard Nelson | Jun 22, 2015 | Blog
The horrific and terroristic murder of 9 black Americans in Charlestown, South Carolina, while they worshiped at one of the oldest African-American congregations in the United States has become the main news story of the week, rightfully. The suspect, who is in...
by Richard Nelson | Jun 19, 2015 | Blog
The debate over identity and who determines it was thrown a curve by Rachel Dolezal, former NAACP leader in Spokane, who was born white but self-identified as black. Defenders of radical autonomy initially fumbled their response, however many soon cozied up to...
by Richard Nelson | Jun 19, 2015 | Blog
Murder is terrible. Throw a racist into a church pew in the midst of a Bible study and prayer time for an hour only to have him draw a gun and begin shooting indiscriminately is a horror. Our collective conscience has been seared by the unspeakable act of Dylann Roof....
by Richard Nelson | Jun 18, 2015 | Blog
Tennessee lawmakers created a stir when they passed a law stating that a woman can be “prosecuted for assault for the illegal use of a narcotic drug while pregnant” if her infant is harmed or addicted to the drug. She can also be charged with homicide if...
by Richard Nelson | Jun 16, 2015 | Blog
In director Rob Reiner's classic movie The Princess Bride, the vengeful Inigo Montoya uttered these famous words to the evil Vizzini: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Perhaps we could use some of...
by Richard Nelson | Jun 10, 2015 | Blog
Whether fairly or unfairly, Kentucky's Appalachian region has long been regarded as a place of poverty and hopelessness. Although blanket statements such as this are rarely 100 percent correct, recent numbers published regarding rising hepatitis C rates in the...
by Richard Nelson | Jun 4, 2015 | Blog
It is difficult and sometimes dangerous to comment on someone's intimate personal choice. But when the discussion lands on the front pages of Vanity Fair and dominates the news, a response is necessary–especially when strident voices demand agreement and...
by Richard Nelson | May 29, 2015 | Blog
Free speech isn’t as free as you’d think. It comes at a price—in fact, a steep price as this last Memorial Day reminds us of Americans who died fighting tyrants and ideologies that have no use for human rights or the freedom to articulate them. If...
by Richard Nelson | May 26, 2015 | Blog
Western Kentucky University (WKU) hosted its first ever Lavender graduation ceremony on May 11 to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender graduates. Critics are wondering when an explicitly heterosexual ceremony will be held. WKU President Gary Ransdell told...
by Richard Nelson | May 18, 2015 | Blog
Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundgren Grimes is projecting approximately 10 percent of the 3.1 million people registered to vote in Kentucky will actually show up to the polls for this year's primary election Tuesday, May 19. To put that into further...
by Richard Nelson | May 14, 2015 | Blog
It appears the Midway City Council will soon hear the first reading of an ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) as protected behavior into its laws. Specifically, the proposal will elevate SOGI to the same status as race and ethnicity...
by Richard Nelson | May 13, 2015 | Blog
Wouldn't it be nice if we could have just one political race that didn't turn ugly? Unfortunately, the race for the Republican nomination for governor in Kentucky is not going to be that race. In an editorial piece on CNN's website titled “Koch Money...
by Richard Nelson | May 11, 2015 | Blog
When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – “Obamacare” – first began to be implented, Kentucky was one of the first states to fully embrace the new health care plan. While the state was hailed at the time for being ahead of the...
by Richard Nelson | May 6, 2015 | Blog
The 64th annual National Day of Prayer will take place Thursday, May 7, at various spots across the United States. The theme of this year's event is “Lord, Hear Our Cry.” It is true that we, as a nation, talk to God quite often. There is a significant...
by Richard Nelson | May 4, 2015 | Blog
When Fayette County Judge James Ishmael issued a ruling last Monday reversing the Lexington Human Rights Commission's 2014 decision that Hands On Originals violated Lexington's fairness ordinance by refusing to print tee shirts for the Lexington's Gay and...
by Richard Nelson | May 1, 2015 | Blog
Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard lively oral arguments over the constitutionality of state laws that keep marriage between a man and a woman. Opposing attorneys jockeyed for position on the social issue of the decade—an issue whose stakes are...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 30, 2015 | Blog
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on whether the U.S. Constitution requires states to recognize homosexual marriage. Here are a few poignant questions: "[Thinking marriage is the union of a man and a woman] has been with us for millennia....
by Richard Nelson | Apr 29, 2015 | Blog
There are some topics that are so unbelievaly heinous, they probably don't even deserve mention. When they pass from taboo into the realm of public policy, however, they must be dealt with. Last week, lawmakers in Denmark approved a law banning people from having...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 28, 2015 | Blog
I invite you to join many Christians around the nation in praying today as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments over the power of states to define marriage between one man and one woman. #PrayForMarriage is more than a prayer for legal victory (though it isn’t...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 27, 2015 | Blog
Natural disasters, while always tragic, have a way of snapping us back to reality. The suddenness of a tornado or a monsoon or a tsunami, even if they were forecasted ahead of time, serve as fierce reminders of how the elements can change our lives in an instant....
