In ruling on same-sex marriage, the European Court of Human Rights warns that churches could lose some of their religious freedom.

First, the ruling.

Same-sex marriages are not a human right, European judges have ruled.

Their decision shreds the claim by ministers that gay marriage is a universal human right and that same-sex couples have a right to marry because their mutual commitment is just as strong as that of husbands and wives.

But it goes on.

The ruling also says that if gay couples are allowed to marry, any church that offers weddings will be guilty of discrimination if it declines to marry same-sex couples.

It means that if MPs legislate for same-sex marriage, the Coalition’s promise that churches will not be compelled to conduct the weddings will be worthless.

It always has been worthless, possibly naïve, if not disingenuous. If, today (actually 4 years ago), a photographer can be sued for turning down business from a same-sex wedding and lose, it’s no small step for government to compel churches to do what goes against the church’s beliefs. And the EU court has let us all know this in advance.

Keep that in mind when you hear promises to the contrary.

I’ve heard these statistics elsewhere, but not all in one place. So here’s an article doing just that. It tackles the myths about health care in the United States that ObamaCare was so necessary to fix.

• The U.S. spends too much compared to other countries.
• Other countries are doing better at controlling health spending growth.
• The U.S. has abysmal infant mortality rates.
• The U.S. has abysmal average life expectancy.
• The U.S. has worse health outcomes.

The stats have been manipulated to make the US sound far worse than it really it. In most cases its standing is better rather than worse, and in the rest it on par, if slightly lower, than other countries when comparing apples to apples. And in one case — life expectancy — the numbers used include issues that don’t relate to health care at all.

Read the whole thing. (It’s short.)

Good morning.

1. I think printing money in the basement is their business model.
2. First urban sprawl.
3. Urban sprawl many many many years later.
4. One of these things … not like the others.
5. A prize and for what explained.
6. While its unseasonably warm in Chicago, other areas not so much.
7. Panama.
8. Lawyers talk mandates … more here.
9. Looking at the soak the rich strategy and its effects. Perhaps now the tax the rich don’t cut spending knuckleheads will change their tune.
10. Coming to your computer … in a few years?
11. Math and blogging.