"Something terrible happens somewhere -- and what is happening in Syria is not just terrible but atrocious in the literal meaning of that term. Americans naturally feel we must 'do something.' The easiest something to do involves bombers, drones, and cruise missiles, all of which are promised to be precise and to keep our forces and people at a safe remove from the battle zone. ..." Read more
"Out of the Closet and Into the Pews." If you're running against birth control, you're going to have to lie. Pat Robertson says gay ninjas tried to kill him. RIP Russell Doughten, I wish he was making the Left Behind reboot. Christian Piatt and his readers recommend some blogs. Harold Pollack on libertarian attempts to diminish the meaning of freedom. Read more
I mean, come on, it's not like they're trying to repeal the 14th Amendment, right? Wait ... what? Read more
What would convince me that military action against Syria is justifiable as a last resort? Show me a press conference outside of the Albert Einstein Institution in Cambridge, Mass., with Gene Sharp standing at a podium, flanked by the joint chiefs of staff, the president and the secretary of defense. "There's no other option," Sharp says. "This would be the most effective, wisest approach. The best remaining option for the people of Syria." Show me that and I'll accept that this is a last resort. Read more
But the next word Peter says is "but." "The Bible says one thing, but ..." That's terrifying for folks like poor Doug Anderson. They revere the Bible as their authority, their lifeline and lifeblood. And so, for them, if "the Bible says" we must never say "but." If "it is unlawful" then it is unlawful no matter what else the Bible says about a whole theology of welcoming and loving people. Read more
What we value, we study, and what we refuse to study, we devalue. Check out Washington Monthly's college rankings. If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you shouldn't thirst for Yuengling. MLK's dream included a demand for a minimum wage of $15.27/hour in 2013 dollars. Walmart CEO still lying about the minimum wage. How Reagan helped Saddam commit atrocities. That tuna is something far, far worse than tuna. Read more
It would be wrong and unfair for us to make a facile leap to the conclusion that just because the Gospel Coalition's views on legal equality for LGBT people are identical to the views of Robert Mugabe and Vladimir Putin, it automatically means that they are in the wrong. But as long as we're thoughtfully considering all of the possibilities and potential implications of this agreement, we should note that it is also quite possible that Mugabe and Putin are as horrendously wrong in their views on this issue as they tend to be horrendously wrong about everything else. And if that's the case -- if this view is of a piece with the immoral, abusive, unjust and oppressive immorality that shapes everything else these strongmen believe -- then it would seem to be a Very Bad Thing to find oneself agreeing with them. Read more
Also in dispute is Kerry's claim that thousands of Americans were killed during the alleged war in Vietnam. Kerry also claims that the names of these men are carved into a wall in Washington, D.C. Others, however, have pointed out that the names aren't really "carved" -- they're really only superficial scratches in the marble. These critics also note that, by allegedly getting themselves killed in Southeast Asia, the men listed on that wall gave aid and comfort to the enemy. John Kerry supports those men, which makes him unfit for command. Read more
"Initial media reports linked the death of the pony to satanic cults and ritualistic killing," the police said in a statement. "The police have sought the advice of experts and have come to the view that the death of this pony was through natural causes. All the injuries can be attributed to those caused by other wild animals. This incident received significant media reporting, some of which was clearly sensationalist." Read more
Vin Scully and others who made the most of being given "en extraordinary break." The Battle of Blair Mountain. NSA is now providing script outlines for paranoid dystopian thrillers. Inhospitality is the opposite of evangelism. "I am not gonna separate families or send them back." Corey Robin on Jean Bethke Elshtain. "Our Turn to Dream." Read more
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