If only most religious people would use very simple Web searches when religious questions arose, organized religion would shrink at incredible rates. In the 1990s, freethinker Farrell Till predicted that religion would wither away with the growth of the Web. Though the rise of the Web has been a factor in turning people away from organized religion, there are still large numbers of people attending houses of worship, and so forth.

Civil libertarians the world over are mourning the deaths of 12 people killed by alleged extremists in Paris. Gunmen attacked the offices of the Charlie Hebdo newspaper, a “satirical” publication known for carrying cartoons that allegedly ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad, among other things.

Many people reject important critiques of their culture because they have problems with the sources of those critiques. Many people commit the genetic fallacy by assuming that because a critic exists outside one’s group, that critic cannot be taken seriously. Or they will go further and commit the fallacy of poisoning the well by asserting that a person’s membership or former membership in a particular group makes that person hostile and untrustworthy where criticism of another group is concerned. Others will launch ad hominem or personal attacks against their critics.

President Barack Obama has declared January National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by signing a Presidential proclamation. The President condemns slavery and human trafficking, not only in the U.S., but worldwide.