A few days ago, Glenn Greenwald tweeted to this link. Go, read. Perhaps it was just a joke, ala Catch-22: “pssss! they’re going to disappear him!” And perhaps not. And now the Whistleblower has outted himself, which I think is probably a very smart idea. Better off in plain sight: The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the... Read more
This is so lovely, and makes me really miss my Alle. It reminds me of everything she taught me about love and about God. Which is a lot: I will never be half as loving as Alle was; that much love is a gift of grace, and one I lack. But I can remember my dear, beautiful girl and realize what she taught me about God — the constancy of a love so unconditional; a love that watches as you... Read more
Yesterday morning my email and twitter feeds were busy with people laughing and saying “he did it again! It’s downright spooky!” while sending me this link to Pope Francis’ homily, which contained many important themes but was particular heavy on the subject of idolatry: ‘The Lord is the only God, there is no other’, but then live as if He was not the only God and have other deities at our disposal…There is a danger of ‘ idolatry: idolatry, which... Read more
“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.” ― George Orwell, 1984 Just some stuff to think about as we digest all of this breaking news about what the government knows and when it knows it, how it gets it and where it stores it. And how ubiquitous is the case (tracking credit cards, too?). Do people fear the wheels are coming off the trolley? Is this fear widespread? A few weeks... Read more
Regular readers know I have, for some time, now, set my comboxes to close after a few days. For some reason, with our new situation, once comments are closed, all of the comments are vanishing. People put a lot of thought and effort into their comments — most of the time — and it seems to me I shouldn’t be putting out a combox at all if your comments are going to vanish. So, until such time as we figure... Read more
Today is the anniversary of the death of Robert F. Kennedy. On Facebook, Bishop Christopher Coyne posted this quote from him: “What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists, is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.” Something to ponder in a world where extremism is become commonplace. We’ll not see the like of RFK again, to our detriment. I... Read more
What could you possibly say to him? Major Major wondered forlornly. One thing he could not say was that there was nothing he could do. To say there was nothing he could do would suggest he would do something if he could and imply the existence of an error or injustice in Colonel Korn’s policy. Colonel Korn had been most explicit about that. He must never say there was nothing he could do. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But there’s nothing... Read more
“One of the things that I don’t do well is this. . .Do you understand?” Whaaaa? That was our First Lady, not having one of her best moments while dealing with a heckler at (what else?) a fundraiser. Obama was addressing a Democratic Party fundraiser in a private Kalorama home in Northwest Washington when Ellen Sturtz, 56, a lesbian activist interrupted her remarks to demand that President Obama sign an anti-discrimination executive order. Obama showed her displeasure – pausing to... Read more
If you’re not subscribing to The Catholic Answer Magazine (which you should because it’s a little six-times-a-year gem of Catholic information on scripture, doctrine and tradition, but I won’t scold!) I hope you’re at least liking the OSV Twitter account so you can click on to some of its goodness! The July/August edition is particularly rich, as it examines Eucharistic Adoration, Concupiscence, the Eastern Churches and the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne. Much of that is behind the paywall — which... Read more
Two weeks ago at First Things, I wondered what it would be like if Rep Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) had her way and women ruled the world. This week I’m continuing on the theme of men and women and families and faith: Family illiteracy, [author Mary Eberstadt] says, “breeds religious illiteracy.” In turn, increasing our scriptural literacy is one way for Christian communities to help their members understand and form families. Eberstadt’s book…has, in tandem with Helen Smith’s Men on Strike,... Read more
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