A while back, I posted a clip from the final season of Lost that highlighted the recurring theme of grace of redemption so well. And as this series reaches its finale, I want to post another clip. This one shows the deaths of two core characters, Jin-Soo and Sun-Hwa Kwon. For those unfamiliar with the show, this was a married couple with many problems – Jin was cold and controlling, and Sun was unhappy and unfaithful. And yet they too encountered... Read more
Why is it that pro-torture candidates are seen as “political gold” by some Republican-voting Catholics? One of the “rising stars” being promoted by some Catholics is the retired Lt. Col. Allen West. He isn’t just a big supporter of an unjust war (Iraq), he isn’t just a big supporter of a failed immigration system, he isn’t just a supporter of torture — he was a man actively involved with and proud of torture. (more…) Read more
This e-mail is doing the rounds on Wall Street, and is proving amazing popular. It is a rare insight into how these people think: “‘We are Wall Street. It’s our job to make money. Whether it’s a commodity, stock, bond, or some hypothetical piece of fake paper, it doesn’t matter. We would trade baseball cards if it were profitable. I didn’t hear America complaining when the market was roaring to 14,000 and everyone’s pension plan doubled every 3 years. Just... Read more
Deal Hudson on InsideCatholic once again wrote a good piece on Israel entitled, Remember the Palestinians. He relates in it how his trips to Israel has led him to change his opinion on the situation in the Holy Land: Even visitors have their stories — not about death but about their encounters with Palestinians and Israelis, who sadly become the occupied and the occupier when you arrive there. For the past 43 years, Israel has exercised a military occupation over... Read more
Back in 2004, John Kerry was pilloried for suggesting that fighting terrorism was a law enforcement issues. His opponents instead mocked his approach as effeminate and ineffective, preferring the testosterone-fueled war and torture strategy of Bush and Cheney. Bush and Cheney might have persuaded more people, but Kerry was fundamentally correct. For fighting terrorism is primarily an issue of law enforcement. It is a criminal activity that must be dealt with like any other criminal activity, where basic human rights are respected... Read more
It has become very typical to attack people, not merely for their own beliefs and practices, but the beliefs and practices of their friends, the people they have studied under, or the people they have taught. Of course, such relationships are important. Indeed, it is difficult to deny that a teacher can have an influence on their pupil, but it is an over-simplification to suggest that a student’s thoughts are going to be exactly the same as their mentor. Even... Read more
1. It is reasonable, legitimate and necessary to use the power of the central government (through progressive taxation, income redistribution and support for labor) to restrain the tendency of big business to concentrate wealth in the hands of an elite few, and thus provide social and economic stability. 2. Believing proposition #1 does not make one a “socialist.” Read more
One of the things I find interesting is that many critics of President Obama claim that he is a socialist. Any regulation of the free market ends up being a socialist plot. Any friendships and associations he has which can link him to socialists proves he is also a socialist. Indeed, guilt by association is one of the basic tactics used to create a conspiracy theory whereby he is seen as some sort of vast socialist plot to destroy the... Read more
John Allen has an interesting nugget about generational divides in the Church: “By now there’s a considerable body of data about these “millennial Catholics,” and the consistent finding is that they’re more traditional in their attitudes and practices than the “Vatican II” generation they’re replacing. These younger Catholics are attracted to traditional spiritual practices such as Eucharistic adoration and Marian piety; they have a generally positive attitude towards authority, especially the papacy; and they’re less inclined to be critical of... Read more
Migration is assuming the features of a social emergency, above all because of the increase in illegal migrants which, despite the current restrictions, it seems impossible to halt. Illegal immigration has always existed: it has frequently been tolerated because it promotes a reserve of personnel to draw on as legal migrants gradually move up the social ladder and find stable employment. […] (more…) Read more
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