FREEDOM - The Salt Lake Tribune

Analysis: Does religious freedom report need more ‘teeth’?

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:54:02 MDT

Analysis: Does religious freedom report need more ‘teeth’?

By LAUREN MARKOE Religion News Service

Updated May 22, 2013 12:54PM MDT

Washington • The Obama administration isn’t afraid to call out Republicans for playing politics on Capitol Hill or Wall Street for runaway profits or insurance companies for health care woes. But why, when it comes to protecting religious freedom abroad, is the State Department so hesitant to name names? Watchdogs say the State Department missed a key opportunity to put teeth into its annual assessment of global religious freedom, which was released by Secretary of State John Kerry this week. Co...

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State Department: Reports of anti-Semitism increase

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:10:30 MDT

State Department: Reports of anti-Semitism increase

By MATTHEW DALY The Associated Press

Updated May 20, 2013 01:10PM MDT

WASHINGTON • The State Department appointed a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism Monday as a new report documents a global increase in incidents of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. Ira Forman, former CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council, was named special envoy as the State Department released its annual report on religious freedom around the world. Forman replaces Michael Kozak, who had served in an acting role after Hannah Rosenthal stepped down last year. The 2012 r...

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Paul Rolly: Dick Cheney and me, what a pair

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:41:53 MDT

Paul Rolly: Dick Cheney and me, what a pair

By Paul Rolly Tribune Columnist

Updated May 20, 2013 06:41AM MDT

I met former Vice President Dick Cheney when he was a Wyoming congressman in the 1980s and I was an officer for the Utah Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. We were on a panel at an SPJ conference in Denver. The discussion centered on the government’s need for secrecy versus the public’s right to know. While there were four people on the panel, including a couple of academics, the discussion quickly devolved into a debate between Cheney and me because we were the most passionate...

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Mormon apostle Oaks honored for his fight for religious freedom

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:04:02 MDT

Mormon apostle Oaks honored for his fight for religious freedom

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

Updated May 17, 2013 06:04PM MDT

Respect for religious freedom is waning as more Americans abandon organized churches, and the only way to bring it back is through systematic education. Those were the conclusions of LDS apostle Dallin H. Oaks in his address Thursday in New York City to more than 600 people, including religious leaders of numerous faiths. The event was an annual award ceremony sponsored by The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest organization “dedicated to protecting free expression of religious ...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

IRS may have targeted pro-Hatch group

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:33:53 MDT

IRS may have targeted pro-Hatch group

By Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated May 17, 2013 10:33AM MDT

Washington • A political nonprofit that came to Sen. Orrin Hatch’s defense in the 2012 election says it believes it was one of the conservative entities targeted by the Internal Revenue Service. Freedom Path sprang up in January 2011 and spent more than $570,000 supporting Hatch against a tea party push to unseat him and criticizing his GOP opponents, while keeping its donors secret by organizing as a 501(c)(4) social welfare group. The IRS has yet to rule on Freedom Path’s tax-exempt applicatio...

Minn. OKs gay marriage; governor to sign

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:54:37 MDT

Minn. OKs gay marriage; governor to sign

By PATRICK CONDON and BRIAN BAKST The Associated Press

Updated May 13, 2013 05:54PM MDT

St. Paul, Minn. • Minnesota is set to become the 12th U.S. state where gay couples can get married after a final legislative vote Monday that will let the weddings start on Aug. 1. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton has pledged to sign the bill, and scheduled a ceremony at 5 p.m. Tuesday on the front steps of the Capitol in St. Paul to do so. Minnesota is now the first state in Midwest to legalize gay marriage by legislative vote, and the third nationwide in just 10 days, joining Rhode Island and Delaw...