Katerina asked yesterday how people were going to spend their “stimulus” checks. Good question. No doubt many people will feel – with varying levels of subconsciousness – some obligation to spend the money, as if doing otherwise (say, by saving or paying down debt) is somehow unpatriotic. But as Jordan Ballor has recently written, this is really the wrong way to think about the issue (Warning: Ballor is a Calvinist and the article about to be quoted was written for... Read more
While addressing a group of students, noted linguistic scholar and social critic Noam Chomsky was asked for this thoughts on whether the Republicans and the Democrats belong in the same “category.” His response, which strikes me as historically and structurally accurate, was as follows: Well, Democrats and Republicans aren’t a category—the Republicans and Democrats differ. Like on the rare occasions when I vote–and they are pretty rare–sometimes I vote for Democrats, sometimes for Republicans, sometimes for somebody else. It’s not... Read more
As I’ve noted previously, food prices are increasingly rapidly throughout the world, leading to civil unrest, and threatening to significantly increase malnourishment, if not outright starvation, in the developing world. Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion: Why The Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It, has some thoughts on how to help solve the problem, and why doing so might not be very popular: The remedy to high food prices is to increase food supply,... Read more
I would save it if I wouldn’t have to pay for wedding “stuff”. “When there is a recession, we are told to buy things to get the economy moving; what we buy makes no difference. All desires, good and bad, melt into the one overriding imperative to consume, and we all stand under the one sacred canopy of consumption for its own sake.” William T. Cavanaugh. Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), 13. Read more
A few weeks ago I turned in the final version of the index for Brian Walsh and Steven Bouma-Prediger’s new book, Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement. Compiling an index for a book is tough work, but one of the benefits, of course, is that you get to read the book several times before anyone else gets to. I know several of my readers over at CatholicAnarchy.org know Brian Walsh’s work very well, and you won’t be... Read more
Iron Man is the first major hit of the summer, and it hits the summer blockbuster season full throttle with a real hit. It is one of the few movies based upon a comic book series which works and makes its way to film without any scene which feels silly. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that the film has a sense of humor and is not taking itself too seriously. This is not to say, however, that... Read more
“Does war alter our ‘grammar of assent’? In times of peace, do we see ourselves as Christians (a solid, sure noun) who happen to be American (adjective, of secondary import)? Which is to suggest: we could be Christians who ‘happen to be’ Afghan or Iraqi. An alteration in our self-understanding, to be sure: but the center and pivot, “Christian,” would stand firm, the task and blessing accorded to peacemakers. And this, whether we live amid victims or victimizers: small matter,... Read more
The breakdown of the family is our biggest domestic problem. Children need a married mother and father, and those without a solid family structure enter this world with a significant disadvantage. Heather MacDonald, an investigative journalist and reformed lawyer, has been chronicling this for some time and her new piece is worth a look. She wrote a summary here. And the New York Times has an informative article here. This breakdown affects crime and community cohesion in a big way.... Read more
From Andrew Sullivan: Perusing the National Review’s “Corner”– a fair representation of the views of the mainstream American pseudo-conservative movement– reveals the following: – The number of times the words “health care” is mentioned: 7 – The number of times the word “Iraq” is mentioned: 15 – The number of times Rev. Wright is mentioned: 230 It’s clear why they are focusing on this. But, to be fair, I doubt the number for the mainstream media are much better. It... Read more
The whole “Anti-Catholicism” title just puts me in “war” mode and alienates me from the world… I like the approach of the Apologists of the Patristic era like Justin Martyr when he tried to convince the Roman Emperor that “more than all other men are we your helpers and allies in promoting peace.” Read more
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