A team of professional movers will use ropes, levers and pullies to move Ted Kennedy into the Senate chamber to hold hearings on this I’m not an apologist for multinational corps. I think they do often treat people wretchedly (Nestle’s among them). As a Catholic, the center of my social theory is the family, not [...]

A Note to Commenters I try to run a pretty loose ship here. I don’t ask for a lot. I don’t want lockstep agreements. I just want respectful disagreements. Think of yourselves as guests in my living room. I am not Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose. In addition to believing a host should be nice to [...]

Which leads to another point Just because you extend mercy and forgiveness to somebody does not mean you are obliged to be a pacifist toward them. I hope for bin Laden’s salvation and the salvation of the members of Al-Quaeda. I also hope that, barring their extremely unlikely renunciation of violence, we can track down [...]

Which brings me to another issue As is my custom, I manage to torque off some people for thinking the Pope has a sound theological reason for not firing bishops (“You keep making excuses for these guys!”) and I also manage to torque off people because I refuse to make excuses for these guys (witness [...]

Lord Jesus, Save me from your followers! Always a pleasure to rise bright and early to find the latest crop of comments from the Lidless Eye crowd, calling me an idiot and the Pope a purveyor of pseudo-intellectual gibberish for the consumption of sycophants. Such winning ways the Lidless Eye folks have! What was the [...]

We adore you O Christ and bless you, because by your cross and resurrection, you have redeemed the world

Light blogging today But I do wish to offer this wholly inadequate token in remembrance of the greatness revealed in my countrymen on that day: Light and Darkness God bless America.

Iraqi Newspapers Echo Bishop Gettlefinger’s Comforting Words to Americans

From the “How to Make Yourself a Completely Ignored Bishop” file Bishop Gerald Gettlefinger of the Diocese of Evansville IN graces a grieving nation with these comforting words for the first anniversary of 9/11 (in the Evansville diocesan paper): September 11, 2002: A year later “I worry! Have those in our hall of government moved [...]

Speaking of Whom… A reader writes: I lifted this from ZENIT. It appears the Holy Father has found the key for GWB to attack Iraq. As Sept. 11 approaches, John Paul II appealed to world leaders to combat terrorism by fighting its roots, especially injustice and oppression. To respond to terrorism means “to undertake new [...]

How to be a Universal Pastor The Holy Father strikes just the right note here, I think. Some will object that in addition to praying for the victims he also prayed for mercy for the authors of 9/11, but surely this is in keeping with the example of Christ and St. Stephen. They obviously did [...]

Why the Sacrifice of Christ was Necessary I’ve said before that we don’t really believe in sin. “Sinners” are charming rogues, we think. Oh sure, I’m sinner. But I’m alright as is our charming, roguish little species. We get into a little trouble sometimes. We’re only human after all. But at bottom, we’re okay and [...]