When you have the money to paint your churches gold, you have enough money to pay income tax, says I.

Wolfrum’s Word

Freedom isn’t free. So why is freedom of religion tax-free? At my latest post at “Alan Colmes Presents Liberaland,” I take a look at whether it’s time to pull the non-profit rug from underneath Churches.

News/Politics

Desperation in Pakistan: Things aren’t getting any better for the millions affected by rampant flooding in Pakistan. At least 1,400 are dead so far, but that number will get higher and higher as money trickles in.

Free Blago: Rod Blagojevich gets off on all but one of the charges against, proving yet again that no matter how inept a politician is, putting them in jail is nearly impossible without help from Karl Rove.

Free Gregory: It seems 13 years was enough time in prison for a homeless man guilty of stealing food.

Dr. Laura Quitting: Dr. Laura Schlessinger told Larry King that she’ll be leaving her radio show to “regain my First Amendment rights.” Apparently, that means she wants to walk freely spouting the N-word as much as she wishes.

Big Porn: Finally we can see what porn looks like in 3-D on an IMAX screen.

Mosque Madness: Park 51 in NYC hasn’t been erected, but it already has given an erection to the GOP, which hasn’t had this much fun with fear since 2004. Via Digby, see if you can catch any fundamental flaws with this latest GOP ad. Or at least have fun reliving 9/11 again. Because I’m pretty sure you’ll be seeing WTC images over and over and over again until November.

Science/Religion

Don’t Be a Dick: The classy and brilliant Phil Plait gives a risky talk to Atheists, telling them to try and not be so smug, it’s annoying people. As always, the man has a point.

Eternal Life: Clones can’t live forever. So much for that plan.

Sports

Brett Favre Returns!: Or not. Who knows? The bigger question is whether anyone outside of Minnesota cares.

Bobby Thompson Dies: Vin Scully looks back on the man who hit baseball’s most famous home run.

Blogs

Conceptual Guerilla: How to defeat “Cheap-Labor Conservatives.”

Sideshow: If you want more links, Avedon is relentless in keeping the news in your face.

They Gave Us A Republic: With Russia and Ukraine stopping grain exports, this promises to be a long winter for USAID and a hungry winter for many in the Middle East.

Emily’s List: Sarah Palin doesn’t speak for me.

Alternet: A new film promises to finally give us the truth about Pat Tillman and the government that used him to death.

Tweet of the Day

“Hey, did anyone take a poll of Native Americans to see if they’d mind if we built America on top of their hallowed land?”

And finally

Newt Gingrich on Gay Marriage:

–WKW

Crossposted at William K. Wolfrum Chronicles