(The National Day of Prayer may be a semi-blasphemous joke, but I do take prayer seriously. Here are three classics.) A prayer of St. Francis of Assisi O Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is discord, harmony. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sorrow, joy. Oh Divine Master, grant that I... Read more
In 1952, Congress passed a law establishing the National Day of Prayer as an annual religious observance. Quick: give me another sentence that uses the words "Congress," "law," "establish" and "religion." The NDP is another example of what Solicitor General Ted "Arkansas Project" Olson might call "ceremonial deism." Despite it's apparent flouting of the First Amendment, the NDP is seen as mostly harmless — religious in such a squishy, Seeger-type, lowest-common-denominator way that it only offends those Americans at the... Read more
Left Behind, pp. 45-46 Untold millions are still untold Untold millions are outside the fold Who will tell them of Jesus’ love And the heav’nly mansions awaiting above? So our man Rayford Steele has finished his “emergency duty,” which consisted of walking to the terminal of O’Hare airport instead of accepting a ride. Confronted with the chaos and carnage of multiple plane crashes, a lesser man — a Bernie Laplante — might have panicked and done something foolish, but not... Read more
Last April, American troops helped Iraqis topple a statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad. That statue was only a symbol, but it was an important symbol. Its fall — an image broadcast around the world — signified the fall of Saddam's tyrannical reign. Other statues were soon torn down and American troops were busied tearing down other such symbols of the hated regime, including the omnipresent posters and murals of Saddam throughout the capital. But some symbols remained. Among... Read more
1. Just added my longtime friend and former Prism colleague Dwight Ozard to the links list on your right. Dwight is celebrating his latest UPEP count, which is lower than it's been in a long time (lower is good). I hope that you will never have to worry about your UPEP count. If I ever do, I hope I will do so with as much grace and courage as Dwight has shown. 2. Mark Schmitt of The Decembrist detects a... Read more
Speaking of The Gettysburg Address, one has to wonder whether the Sinclair Broadcast Group would allow Ted Koppel to read these words on ABC's Nightline: But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it... Read more
This story, about a poll measuring attitudes towards public education in Delaware, offers some interesting info on perceptions about the No Child Left Intact Behind legislation. But I'm linking to it mainly because of this remarkable and incomprehensible passage: The poll found broad support for full-day kindergarten for all children, which is available in only a few Delaware school districts. But the consensus broke down when it came to paying for all-day, with some saying they wanted "government" funding, others... Read more
Wolfowitz short on US casualties ASKED how many American troops have died in Iraq, the second-ranked US Defense Department official today estimated the total was about 500 — more than 200 soldiers short. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was asked about the toll at a hearing of a House Appropriations subcommittee. "It's approximately 500, of which — I can get the exact numbers — approximately 350 are combat deaths," he responded. "He misspoke," spokesman Charley Cooper said later. "That's all."... Read more
Now — here is my secret: I tell it to you with an openness of heart that I doubt I shall ever achieve again, so I pray that you are in a quiet room as you hear these words. My secret is that I need God — that I am sick and can no longer make it alone. I need God to help me give, because I no longer seem to be capable of giving; to help me be kind,... Read more
Back in college, I played club league volleyball. Club league as in not varsity. We had some pretty good players, but nobody was under the illusion that we were an official, varsity team. Our league had nothing to do with the NAIA, to which Eastern College's varsity teams belonged. And it had nothing to do with the NCAA teams that our rivals Temple and Villanova fielded in other sports. Still, it was great fun. The league included club teams from... Read more
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