2007-11-13T21:26:10-05:00

In an interview with John Allen, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn (chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Policy) discussed the draft USCCB voting guide, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States. On the document itself: (more…) Read more

2007-11-13T16:20:12-05:00

Christians are called to find and praise what is good, true or beautiful wherever they happen to find it. Indeed, all three should be seen as related as three ways we encounter being, just as the ancient philosophers understood. Goodness can be and should be judged by beauty; beauty can be and should be judged by truth; truth can be and should be judged by goodness. Being is simple and one with itself, and yet our encounter with it can... Read more

2007-11-13T15:28:53-05:00

Erick Erickson has the details over at RedState. Read more

2007-11-13T14:04:40-05:00

  Corrupt ideas underlie most problems facing America today.  We are informed and guided by ideas that not only debase the human spirit but corrupt our relations with other persons, nature, and God.  Being so enslaved, spiritual alienation and its effects are destined to strike at our efforts to forge an integral human existence. The mythology of the self-contained, autonomous individual is one such idea.  This myth shapes much of American culture, including its socioeconomic and even religious life.  But... Read more

2007-11-12T21:06:52-05:00

National Right To Life is going to announce their endorsement of Fred Thompson.  This is disappointing on a number of fronts.  In the wake of Fred Thompson declining to support the HLA on Meet The Press, count me among the surprised.  Despite protests that his pro-life position is restricted because of his federalist ideals, he has shown a complete unwillingness to assert real leadership on life issues.   This endorsement continues a trend of conservative organizations assuming more concern over realpolitik rather... Read more

2007-11-12T17:03:09-05:00

Having three crumb crunchers and lacking the desire to spend obscene sums of money on date nights, the Forrests on occasion make their way to the video story.  While I find Steven Seagal to be the pinnacle of acting and the Die Hard series to be the finest exhibitions of cinematic excellence, Mrs. Forrest does not and hence I’m relegated to searching the middle ground.  Open Season was a regrettable expenditure of good dollars.  While not unbearably awful, it was... Read more

2007-11-12T16:56:40-05:00

I remember we had a good discussion a while back on the nature and purposes of punishment. I argued that defense against the criminal is the fundamental (and often only) purpose of punishment, and others pointed to the importance of retribution. I thought it would be useful here to reference the thought of Elizabeth Anscombe, as laid out in her insightful essay from 1978, “On the Source of the Authority of the State” (published in G.E.M. Anscombe, 1981, Ethics, Religion,... Read more

2007-11-12T16:24:57-05:00

CSPAN’s web site has a link to John F. Kennedy’s September 1960 speech to ministers in Houston about his Catholicism.  It’s fascinating, especially the Q & A section.  I had not appreciated how hostile some of those in the audience were, and had instead always assumed that his “Church does not speak for me” line had carried the day easily. Relatedly, here’s a news story regarding Mitt Romney’s decision (for now, anyway) not to give an LDS version of “the... Read more

2007-11-12T15:29:22-05:00

The killing goes on in Iraq. As the spotlight focuses intently on the HunsBlackwater, the VandalsDyncorp kill an unarmed taxi driver who happened to get in their way. And of course, the US has decreed that mercenaries are immune from prosecution. And people still deny this is an occupation? Read more

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