"The First Amendment applies to every person and every religion."

Given their antic and piratical culture, not to mention their tendency to pray "In the Name of the Pasta, and of the Sauce, and of the Holy Meatballs," I asked Desky if Pastafarians should be regarded as authentic worshipers of His Spaghettiness or just in it for the, uh, saucy fun.

Put aside the crazy "Obama's a Muslim" idiocy -- assume John McCain had won the presidency instead. Do you really think the Senate would confirm a Muslim candidate right now, even a conservative right-wing one? I don't.

Much ink was spilled over Mitt Romney's speech last week about his Mormon faith. Very little attention was paid to America's dark history of anti-Mormonism.