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{"id":3258,"date":"2011-06-02T10:32:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-02T10:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/06\/catholic-online-asks-a-useless-question.html"},"modified":"2011-06-02T10:32:00","modified_gmt":"2011-06-02T10:32:00","slug":"catholic-online-asks-a-useless-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2011\/06\/catholic-online-asks-a-useless-question.html","title":{"rendered":"Catholic Online asks a useless question"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Does President Obama feel that he is above the law<\/a>?\u00a0 Now, I\u2019m not saying in most cases such a question is useless.\u00a0 Personally, I think questions like this are always useful.\u00a0 I think one of the great traditions of our\u00a0civilization,\u00a0going back to Magna Carta<\/a><\/em> and beyond, is that the lawmaker is accountable to the laws he makes.\u00a0 I know, I know.\u00a0 Magna Carta<\/em> probably gets a little too much credit there, but this is a blog post.\u00a0 I can over simplify if I want.\u00a0 For a more detailed explanation of what Magna Carta<\/em> was and wasn\u2019t, and what it did and didn\u2019t do, consult any Medieval history text from before around the mid 1980s.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Anyway, back to my point.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure it is a worthwhile question.\u00a0 It is something we should \u2013 should \u2013 care about.\u00a0 I just fear we don\u2019t.\u00a0 In our age of no principles, just pundits, I fear all we care about is winning.\u00a0Getting what we want.\u00a0 So many today could care less if Obama overstepped his authority, or if George W. Bush did, or Clinton, or anyone.\u00a0 As long as Our Side Wins, that is what matters most.\u00a0 Of course if the other side is in power, suddenly it is of utmost concern.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not how you do principles.\u00a0 Principles apply to anyone, King and Peasant alike.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Punditry, unfortunately, applies principles whenever convenient.\u00a0 It is wrong if it makes the other side look bad.\u00a0 It is right if it makes my side look good.\u00a0 And I fear we\u2019ve come to that point today, where far too many in our Wiki-world\u00a0don\u2019t care a wit over what Obama does, as long as, in the end, my side wins.\u00a0 Hence Catholic Online\u2019s worthwhile, but ultimately futile, question.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"