In a different time, and a different place, a peace maker saw the rise of violence in his homeland. He understood the cause of the violence, and found that those in government, with their policies were collectively at fault. What he said, though based upon a particular situation, nonetheless has some universal value. How would you adapt these words to fit the violence which we have seen rising in various parts of the world? I now take up the ticklish... Read more
One of the hottest books in the children books section is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins published by Scholastic, Inc. Not only is this book popular amongst kids, but their parents as well. There are waiting lists at libraries around the country for the three books that make up this trilogy. In light of this weekend’s massacre, I was thinking that The Hunger Games is a book that is more relevant than ever. If you are not familiar with... Read more
Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, for by you, Most High, they will be crowned. Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whose embrace no living person can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those she finds doing your most holy will. The second death can do no harm to them. Praise and bless... Read more
What happened on Saturday was real. Of that event, we can know nothing. We only know about it, but we cannot know it. We can project into the event and try to create “something” (perhaps “something” meaningful, cathartic, or “something” that temporarily cures our boredom), but that “something” is not reality. It is a spectacle. For those who have known death, real death, they know that it is not spectacular: it is ordinary. Tragedy is not a spectacle; it is... Read more
We are a society. We are an intrinsically interconnected group of people forming a cohesive social unit. What one person does or says affects us all. It strikes me that those most opposed to assigning any societal blame to this political assassination are those who believe, in classical liberal tradition, that we are merely a group of autonomous individuals solely responsible for our own actions. But culture matters. Our friends on the right understand this when it comes to sexuality.... Read more
There are legitimate areas of political debate following the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Giffords of Arizona that I wish to explore. 1. The counterarguments of mental health and gun ownership tend to obfuscate the amount of uncertainty present. The tendency is to offer mental illness as a “no tolerance” palliative. Once we get to specifics, we start excluding people and quite reasonably. For example, bulimia hardly seems to be a reason to exclude a person from gun ownership. Moving to... Read more
In response to the murderous outburst of political violence in Arizona, an un-named Republican senator said that this should be a cautionary tale for Republicans, that “there is a need for some reflection here – what is too far now? What was too far when Oklahoma City happened is accepted now. There’s been a desensitizing. These town halls and cable TV and talk radio, everybody’s trying to outdo each other.” The staggering fact is that this senator lacked the courage to... Read more
These thoughts are not original with me: I am cribbing them from the sermon preached today at Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel in New Orleans at the 7:30 AM mass. (Hat tip to the unknown celebrant!) Today is the feast of the baptism of the Lord. Today we celebrate not only the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan, but our own baptism. This was not something that happened and can then be forgotten: it was and remains for... Read more
The details of the story are still coming out. A gunman attacked Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at a public event, shooting her in the head; it sounds as if she is still alive but in critical condition. The attack also killed and injured several others at the rally. Read more here and here. Read more
Tragic news out of Arizona: a second person has died after being cut from the transplant list to save money. This is a real life death panel, and yet passes almost unnoticed. The National Right to Life doesn’t seem to have anything to say about this, while spilling enormous amounts of ink trying to show that the Affordable Care Act is full of murderous health care rationing. It’s time to call out this corrupt and bloated organization for what it is – a... Read more
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