I have to agree with Chris Hallquist's take on the Brian Eich mess particularly his closing:There’s a tradition of arguing that, as John Stuart Mill put it, society’s informal sanctions can “a social tyranny more formidable than many kinds of political oppression.” It’s possible to imagine situations where that might really be true—if there were a Pope of Liberalism, who unlike the real Pope people actually listened to, who in spite of having no legal authority could in practice have anyone o … [Read more...]
Paleo Pat Pines for Powerful Putin
April 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Self proclaimed paleo-conservative Pat Buchanan loves him an anti-gay, bear-back ridin', judo flippin', ex-KGB operative named Vlad. It's just about the most absurd thing imaginable, and it's all under the title "Which Side is God on Now?In his Kremlin defense of Russia's annexation of Crimea, Vladimir Putin, even before he began listing the battles where Russian blood had been shed on Crimean soil, spoke of an older deeper bond.Crimea, said Putin, "is the location of ancient Khersones, … [Read more...]
We’re Running Out of Enemies
March 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Weird week, and it's only Tuesday.First we find out from Nate Phelps that his father Fred is extremely ill and has been "excommunicated" from his own church:As for the question of whether we picket his funeral or not, my vote is no. Being more humane than Fred Phelps is a pretty low bar, and if we can't clear that we're screwed.Next we find out that Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-Fil-A, now regrets his entry into the marriage debate. He's withdrawing from the argument and has dropped … [Read more...]
Abortion Leads to Murder?
August 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I always hate the way the media and the lobbyists behave after a shooting. About 15 minutes after a shooting you can expect that a gun control lobby will hold a press conference pushing for stronger regulations. About 7.5 minutes after that, the NRA will have a rebuttal. A little while later some right wing Christian group will show up to explain that this is all because we took prayer out of schools.I know the lobbies pretty much have to do this. It's their job after all. And the media … [Read more...]
Why Are The Millennials Leaving? Because They Can.
August 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Just about everyone is reacting to the Barna Group's surveys that show a decline in church membership among the millennial generation. Just about everyone sees the problem through the lens of their own experience.Rachel Held Evans wants a change in substance - high church, more open minded with less focus on listing the things you shouldn't be doing with your genitals. Richard Lindsay says that we need a change in style and substance, by doing everything that Evans says not to do. And … [Read more...]
