An Exceedingly Interesting Round-up

You will like this round-up of links. No, seriously, you will; it is full of chewy, satisfying round-uppy goodness, and contains no artificial sweeteners, and I will fully resist the urge to fall into my cowgirl lingo of yore. Some religion, some politics, some gossipy stuff.

Bookworm: is wondering if Obama is an atheist:

Obama’s White Houses instinctively uses the same wishy-washy language atheists use: “My heart is with you.” “My thoughts are with you.” “I send you my wishes.” No prayers. Never any prayers.

Well…but that doesn’t mean he’s an atheist. Could be he likes to keep his prayerful inclinations really, really private. Could be he has some sort of disconnect or that his prayers are especially recollected; we know he sat in Jeremiah Wright’s church for 20 years and didn’t hear anything-he might have been praying. Could be the way he prays is not like other people pray, or that he fears his prayers would not be understood by the rest of us. Or, you know…gods don’t, themselves, pray.

Governmental intrusion on the seal of Confession: pithily entitled: Today’s Practical Problem:

The past century is nothing if not a stark lesson in how easily utilitarian calculations can, in the name of some greater good, strike at the very roots of human dignity.

Indeed. You’ll want to read it all.

“…His mercies are not spent…”: Benedict’s inscription in the Book of Remembrance at Yad Vashem. His speech (which predictably displeased some) video here.

Archbishop Chaput: on living as a half-way Christian. It’s not a good thing. If you recall Revelation, “half-way Christianity” made Jesus vomit. Be like a little child.

F. Scott Fitzgerald got it right: the rich are different from you and me. And some citizens are more equal than others.

He should be, but he ain’t:

“In Obama’s wide grin as Sykes was telling her joke, we saw the smug look of a man who enjoys seeing his critics dehumanized. The president of the United States should be better than this.”

Something is nagging me about the idea of the president getting a kick out of seeing his critics “dehumanized,” when he spent the last year or so wagging a finger about treating people with humanity, and being post-partisan. I guess some humans are more entitled to being de-humanized than others, or something.

Winston Smith had to drink ersatz coffee, too: Prices set to skyrocket. Of course. Well, for as long as there are monks, no ersatz for me!

Hawaii: Celebratin’ Islam!

Frank J. Starting Trouble: if you like gossipy rumors. Althouse was already hinting and NiceDeb has the pictures.

Neo-Neocon crying: “masks off! Masks off!”

AP notices: the Notre Dame Dust Up. I love it when the press focuses.

President not as beefy as first thought. A bit silly, actually.

Smile, and smile and be a villain. It’s not just for females, anymore.

People are out of work: Why doesn’t Obama hire someone who can calculate? I mean numerically.

This is not difficult: he’s showing more class than them. And also not feeding a beast.