Administration Stymies Attempt to Insure Children

Last updated on: August 21, 2007 at 3:22 pm By Morning's Minion

The Bush administration is doing its best to prevent states like New York and California from expanding the Children’s Health Insurance Program to encompass children from families above the poverty rate. The rationale is strictly ideological, in that they don’t want the program to substitute for private health coverage, even when private coverage is more expensive and less efficient. For a start, the attempts to stifle attempts by states to expand health care coverage would seem to disrespect subsidiarity. And... Read more

“Though the Mountains Be Shaken”: Toward a Countercultural and Liberative Ecclesial Ethic for Appalachia (3)

Last updated on: August 21, 2007 at 6:08 am By Iafrate Michael

Part Three: This Land is Home to Me (1975) [19] Observing Part one of This Land is Home to Me describes the social, political, economic, and environmental reality of Appalachia as reflected through interviews with ordinary Appalachians, social service providers and church workers. Thus, it strives to examine the Appalachian reality through the lens of the oppressed people themselves, acknowledging the epistemological privilege of the oppressed. It begins by noting the complexity of issues and forces at work in the... Read more

New Member at Vox Nova

Last updated on: August 20, 2007 at 10:40 pm By Policraticus

We are very excited to announce that we have a new contributor at Vox Nova! Rick Garnett will be joining us as our latest addition to the crew. Rick is currently John O’Hara, CSC Associate Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame Law School. His specialties include Church/State relations, religion in the public square, criminal law, free speech, and the death penalty. Rick also blogs over at the incomparable Mirror of Justice and contributes to Prawfsblog. Welcome to... Read more

Anscombe on War and Double Effect

Last updated on: August 20, 2007 at 9:41 pm By Morning's Minion

Bill Luse from What’s Wrong With the World posts an extended excerpt from Elizabeth Anscombe’s “War and Murder” in Nuclear Weapons: A Catholic Response, 1961. This is important stuff and worth repeating in full. Remember, Anscombe was the person who coined the term “consequentialism”. “The principal wickedness which is a temptation to those engaged in warfare is the killing of the innocent, which may often be done with impunity and even to the glory of those who do it…Now it... Read more

Chávez mixing politics with everything else… once more

Last updated on: August 20, 2007 at 7:44 pm By voxnovablog

What’s the worst thing a person can do when somebody else has gone through a tragedy and you offer to help? Expect something back or take advantage of the tragedy, right? Well, Chávez knows everything about that. Perú is complaining that the canned tuna sent to them from Venezuela in the midst of their tragedy has the picture of Hugo Chávez and the opposition Leader in Perú Ollanta Humala as well as a label that reads: “In the face of... Read more

Quote of the Week

Last updated on: August 20, 2007 at 5:00 am By Policraticus

“By democratism I mean the principle that the preservation of a maximum number of human beings is the goal of all positively valuable activity. Above all, it excludes a between the different parts of mankind, which would mean that the fortunes of these parts concern the primary solidaritywhole and that different individuals, nations, and races are solidarity with the whole to different degrees. For such “solidarity” would presuppose that the unity of life is a primary quality which precedes the... Read more

Your Spiritual Confessor

Last updated on: August 20, 2007 at 12:03 am By Radical Catholic Mom

Those of you who dread the Confessional like myself, may have another dread–confessing before your parish priest. Now, in my parish we have many priests, some of you may not be so lucky. If you attend a certain Mass, you may very well never see the other priest. However, in my Archdiocese at Advent and Lent, the Churches hold confessional services where priests from around the city visit and hear confessions. These services are very popular. To tell you the... Read more

“Though the Mountains Be Shaken”: Toward a Countercultural and Liberative Ecclesial Ethic for Appalachia (2)

Last updated on: August 19, 2007 at 2:09 am By Iafrate Michael

Part Two – The beginnings of “Appalachian liberation theology” Before examining the two Appalachian pastoral letters in more detail, it is important to understand their context as an outgrowth and application of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. Vatican II marked a new stance of the Church in relation to the modern world and a new historical consciousness in the Church’s social teaching that acknowledged the need to let the Gospel speak to and transform specific historical moments and... Read more

What Gospel Poverty is Not

Last updated on: August 18, 2007 at 9:01 pm By voxnovablog

For quite a while now I have been searching for more direction as to how to live voluntary poverty in the midst of a society immersed in consumerism and individualism in which I found myself being an active and exemplary participant for many years. I have read Sacred Scriptures and the saints’ writings, but I have often been left with the question as to how to apply these principles to the twenty-first century. What does it mean to live simply?... Read more

Jeremiah Refuses to Support the Troops!

Last updated on: August 18, 2007 at 8:13 pm By Morning's Minion

In response to the imminent Babylonian attack, Jeremiah says: “Thus says the LORD: He who remains in this city shall die by sword, or famine, or pestilence; but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be spared him as booty, and he shall live. Thus says the LORD: This city shall certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon; he shall capture it.” The reaction? “This man ought to be put... Read more