Monday Miscellany, 9/9/24

The question is whether a developing child in the womb is worth protecting.  Is he or she a human being?  If so, abortion at any stage is abhorrent.

On some, maybe most issues, there is a continuum of positions, with a spectrum in the middle that can be described as “moderate.”  Abortion is not like that.  It’s a binary issue:  you either support it or you don’t.  There is no “moderate” position.

A pro-lifer can push for laws that result in fewer abortions, as in the 6-week states (with Florida’s law being challenged with a referendum that would remove virtually all restrictions).  But a 15 week ban only masquerades as “moderate,” since it still legalizes nearly all abortions.

HT:  David Mueller

Switzerland Is Reconsidering Its Neutrality

Since 1515, Switzerland has been a “neutral” country, successfully staying out of foreign wars, even as they raged all around it.  The last century saw two world wars, but those world at war did not include Switzerland.

Not that they didn’t have wars.  They had some civil wars and were invaded a few times, most notably by Napoleon.  And Swiss mercenaries were highly prized employees through the 19th century, fighting as contract workers rather than troops under the authority of their government.  But Switzerland didn’t take sides in international conflicts.

Swiss neutrality was formally recognized by other nations, making Switzerland useful for international diplomacy (as a place where warring sides could meet to negotiate with each other) and international finance (with the famously confidential “Swiss bank accounts” allowing for transactions free of government interference).

Today, though, Switzerland is reconsidering its policy of neutrality.  A study group has issued what is being described as a “bombshell report” recommending that Switzerland develop a “common defense capability” with the European Union and NATO.

The main reason is the continent-wide fear of Russia in light of its  attack on Ukraine.  Sweden and Finland had also been officially neutral throughout the Cold War, but the fighting so close to their borders led them to join NATO.

There is also a financial motive.  Swiss law forbids selling weapons to countries that are at war.  The Swiss defense industry is missing out on money to be made by exporting military supplies.

The study group’s report recommending modifying Switzerland’s neutrality policy is very controversial in Switzerland, with opposition coming from both right wing and left wing parties.

Leftist Dictator Changes the Date of Christmas

The leftwing dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro is giving a gift to his people, celebrating his election to the presidency that virtually everyone condemns as fraudulent.  He is making Christmas come early.

On his weekly television show, Maduro made this announcement:  “This year and to honor you all, to thank you all, I am going to decree the beginning of Christmas on October 1. Christmas arrived for everyone, in peace, joy and security!”

In the midst of mass protests and arrests of his critics, Maduro–who has opened two new prisons to accommodate his 2400 new political prisoners–evidently wants to spread holiday cheer, with Christmas decorations and music going up early.  He also hopes to boost the economy, as workplaces give Christmas bonuses and shoppers spend more freely.  Inflation in Venezuela this year is 99.98%, which sounds like a lot, but it has come down since 2018 when it was 63,374%.

This is not the first time Maduro has revised the liturgical calendar.  Last year he had Christmas start on November 1.  In 2021, he had it start on October 4.

Christmas, of course, is a season.  I couldn’t find out when the Christmas season in Venezuela will end.  I don’t know what this change does to Advent and Epiphany.

At any rate, this is an especially blatant case of government presumption, asserting its authority over religion, culture, and time itself.