Edmund Burke’s Anti-Ideology

Last updated on: June 18, 2008 at 1:13 pm By jonathanjonesuiwdpt

Reading Edmund Burke’s seminal work Reflections on the Revolution in France was an experience like reading Guardini or watching City of God: enthralled by content and craftsmanship, you don’t want it to end. The conservative principles of Russell Kirk are deeply rooted in Burke, the man once forgotten in the glitter of early Twentieth Century rationalist promise and discovered by Kirk as a graduate student at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Below the fold I offer the first part of... Read more

Codpiece Diplomacy Alive and Kicking

Last updated on: June 18, 2008 at 11:41 am By Morning's Minion

Everybody’s least-favorite candidate, Rudy Giuliani has popped back into public view to attack Obama on security grounds. Surprise! Here is a statement he issued through the McCain campaign: “Throughout this campaign, I have been very concerned that the Democrats want to take a step back to the failed policies that treated terrorism solely as a law enforcement matter rather than a clear and present danger. Barack Obama appears to believe that terrorists should be treated like criminals — a belief... Read more

The Politics of Infallibility at Vatican I (Part 2)

Last updated on: June 18, 2008 at 10:00 am By Policraticus

Part 1 Preliminary Politics The news of the Council brought about mixed responses within the Church. Conservative circles tended to desire a strong reaffirmation of the centrality of the See of Rome, and a forceful condemnation of the rampant European liberalism. The more progressive camps were far less enthusiastic about the significance of the Council, and tended to react against the conservative actions. The chief element of Catholic conservatism was neo-ultramontanism, and its champion certainly stood in the person of... Read more

Will McCain Get the Chance to Bomb Iran?

Last updated on: June 18, 2008 at 1:21 am By Edward Blackadder

In yesterday’s post on the Boumediene decision, there was a bit of a side discussion on the likelihood of McCain’s bombing Iran. It seems to me, though, that we may have gotten ahead of ourselves on this. According to Intrade, there is about a 33% chance of McCain’s being elected President. Meanwhile, there is a 25-30% chance that the U.S. and/or Israel will execute air strikes against Israel prior to December 31, 2008. The possibility that President Bush would engage... Read more

Consequentialism on the Supreme Court

Last updated on: June 17, 2008 at 3:02 pm By Morning's Minion

One of the National Review’s advocates of codpiece diplomacy, Peter Wehner, takes issue with the Supreme Court decision in Boumediene v. Bush, determining that non-citizens locked up in Guantanamo Bay have the right to challenge their detention. As the majority noted: “Some of these petitioners have been in custody for six years with no definitive judicial determination as to the legality of their detention.'” I’ve already discussed this case, and the dissent by four Catholic justices, here. I’ve argued that... Read more

Must There Be a Winner

Last updated on: June 17, 2008 at 12:16 pm By M.Z.

I have avoided commenting upon the Human Rights Tribunals occurring in Canada. One of the more notable ones involve Mark Steyn being accused of making derogatory comments upon Muslims. Other cases involve people accused of making derogatory remarks about homosexuals. Previous readers of my commentaries know that I hold a pretty low view of the First Amendment. More recent comments on homosexuality have probably been seen to belie my view that a number of acts including speech acts should not enjoy... Read more

With Obama, it really is a vote for abortion (among other things)

Last updated on: June 17, 2008 at 9:01 am By Policraticus

I think speculating on which Supreme Court Justices a potential president may appoint is a waste of time. I do not think it should be a major factor in how one chooses which candidate to support. As I have noted before, if twelve years of purportedly conservative, “pro-life” presidencies (Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush) with five Supreme Court appointments (Sandra Day O’Connor, Anthony Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, and Clarence Thomas) do not result in a repeal of Roe... Read more

Not the Same

Last updated on: June 17, 2008 at 5:39 am By Edward Blackadder

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said that a good catchword could stop people from thinking for 50 years. Something similar seems to be true of the “it’s the same as race” argument. The argument is most prominent these days in matters relating to homosexuality, but it’s hardly confined to such discussions. Similar analogies have been made by everyone from proponents of deaf culture, to animal rights activists. In a society without many examples of moral righteousness, it is perhaps not so... Read more

In A Lecture On Islam, Küng Proclaims The True Faith: The Enlightenment

Last updated on: June 17, 2008 at 4:38 am By Henry Karlson

Hans Küng is an interesting figure. Early on in his career, he produced some fine theological works — his study on Karl Barth was recognized as an important Catholic work on Barth. However, as has become apparent throughout his life, his theological problem is the same as many others: he over-idealizes the advances of the Enlightenment, and uses its ideals to judge and criticize religious tradition. He doesn’t use it to only become self-critical within Catholicism, but he also uses it to engage and criticize any and all world... Read more

The Floods and Prayers

Last updated on: June 16, 2008 at 4:13 pm By Radical Catholic Mom

I didn’t want the massive flooding in Iowa and the storms in the Midwest to be ignored here at VN. We are praying for all those affected. Natural disasters are terrible in that so many are affected. Read more

What city is known as the birthplace of Jesus?