‘A lot of unnecessary suffering and deaths’

Last updated on: April 5, 2012 at 2:41 pm By Fred Clark

Matt Yglesias wrote recently about the fact that “Blows Happen to People, Not Just Political Movements“: … the media tends to portray defeats of climate-related legislation as a blow “to environmentalists” rather than a blow to, say, villagers in flood-prone lowlands or drought-stricken Texas farmers. Once you start paying attention, you see this kind of thing in coverage of all sorts of issues. We’ve certainly seen plenty of it in the coverage of the Supreme Court’s consideration of the Affordable... Read more

All in all is all we are

Last updated on: March 5, 2012 at 1:48 pm By Fred Clark

So, if you were born the day Kurt Cobain died, then you’re now old enough to vote. Read more

Seriously, Richard Land needs to be fired

Last updated on: April 20, 2012 at 10:53 pm By Fred Clark

Richard Land, “ethics” spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention, is doubling-down on his claim that the Trayvon Martin case is being overplayed by “race hustlers.” His phrase: “race hustlers.” Who says that? I mean, besides white racists, is there anyone who says that? The Southern Baptist Convention needs to fire Richard Land. Yesterday. Or sooner. The problem with his remarks about the killing of Trayvon Martin, a black child gunned down with impunity more than a month ago in Florida,... Read more

Friday the 13th: A Ghost Story

Last updated on: April 4, 2012 at 4:43 pm By Fred Clark

I don’t believe in ghosts because, if there were such a thing, then I think the following would be a true story. As far as I know, it is not. … It’s not widely discussed. Those who have witnessed it firsthand are, for obvious reasons, reluctant to talk about it. You’ll never see them publicly recounting their tales in front of the cameras and the microphones. These aren’t stories they are eager to tell. But one hears whispers, rumors, stories... Read more

April 4

Last updated on: April 3, 2012 at 7:57 pm By Fred Clark

And so the first question that the Levite asked was, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” That’s the question before you tonight. Not, “If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day... Read more

Dear SBC: Richard Land needs to go now

Last updated on: April 20, 2012 at 10:53 pm By Fred Clark

Dear Southern Baptist Convention: A new name for the denomination won’t change the perception that you’re a parochial Southern institution clinging to mid-20th century white privilege. As long as you employ Richard Land as your “ethics” spokesman, it will be impossible for the rest of the world to perceive you as anything but a parochial Southern institution clinging to mid-20th century white privilege. It’s long past time for Richard Land to “explore new ministry opportunities,” to “spend more time with... Read more

1952 Vincent Black Lightning

Last updated on: April 3, 2012 at 6:19 pm By Fred Clark

“How Great I Am” “A Precious Moment for Jael” “I feel like maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that I have Elvis Costello’s sweat on a piece of toilet paper.” “Generally, devotion like that freaks me out. Big time.” “You are now free to get swept up in the tale of epic romance and frozen corpses, secure in the knowledge that the skies above them are astronomically accurate.” “‘One Million Hijabs for Shaima Alawadi,’ a recently created Facebook page, had nearly... Read more

Banks behaving badly

Last updated on: April 3, 2012 at 3:02 pm By Fred Clark

Matt Taibbi: “Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail” Did you hear about the plot to rig global interest rates? The $137 million fine for bilking needy schools and cities? The ingenious plan to suck multiple fees out of the unemployment checks of jobless workers? … Bank of America has systematically ripped off almost everyone with whom it has a significant business relationship, cheating investors, insurers, depositors, homeowners, shareholders, pensioners and taxpayers. It brought tens of thousands of Americans to... Read more

Why you — yes, you — should take Scalia’s place on the court

Last updated on: April 3, 2012 at 10:36 am By Fred Clark

Three years ago we witnessed the extraordinary spectacle of an entire political party taking sides against a virtue. The Republican Party united to denounce empathy. The proximate cause for that weird little tantrum was President Barack Obama’s statement that empathy was a desirable quality in a Supreme Court justice. That was an unremarkable comment. Of course empathy is a prerequisite for a justice because empathy is a prerequisite for justice itself. Every basis for justice — legal, religious, rational —... Read more

Smart people saying smart things

Last updated on: April 2, 2012 at 11:34 pm By Fred Clark

Carol Howard Merritt: “Navigating the Fullness of God’s Calling“ The only thing that seemed acceptable for women was playing the organ and singing in the choir. I sucked at both. With my complete lack of domestic and musical abilities, I was useless to the church. I wanted to serve God, but how? I suppose that’s when I began to question “God’s intended order for women.” I read Jesus’s parable a thousand times. We were given talents. We were not to... Read more