British on the War and the U.S.
Interesting piece at the Washington Post on the British attitude towards the U.S. and a possible war with Iraq.
While the typical attacks on Bush and "American idiocy" get my ire up (they never seem to offer real alternatives), I can nonetheless understand (if not agree with) their concern over our dominance: if you were them, would you like the fact that there was another country that was basically able to do whatever it wants in the world, if it puts its mind to it? I don't think they should be worried, because we generally do operate with good intentions, but I can still understand their unease.
Sunday, January 26, 2003
Saturday, January 25, 2003
Wanna know what's bad for the environment?
Divorce.
I'm serious! Go read this! Four university profs have found that divorce can negatively impact the wellbeing of our environment.
Divorce.
I'm serious! Go read this! Four university profs have found that divorce can negatively impact the wellbeing of our environment.
Friday, January 24, 2003
Good news from Cali
Many of you may have already heard about the great news from Sacramento, where Bishop Weigand supported one of his priest's decisions to confront pro-abortion Catholic [sic] governor Gray Davis about his stance. Weigand made his comments in his homily at the diocese's annual Pro-Life Mass on Tuesday. You can read the homily here.
Also from the diocese is this: Bishop Weigand last year invited the Legion of Christ to establish their first full-fledged university in the U.S. in the Diocese of Sacramento.
Things are looking good out there!
Many of you may have already heard about the great news from Sacramento, where Bishop Weigand supported one of his priest's decisions to confront pro-abortion Catholic [sic] governor Gray Davis about his stance. Weigand made his comments in his homily at the diocese's annual Pro-Life Mass on Tuesday. You can read the homily here.
Also from the diocese is this: Bishop Weigand last year invited the Legion of Christ to establish their first full-fledged university in the U.S. in the Diocese of Sacramento.
Things are looking good out there!
disgusting
Amy Welborn today posted a question the National Catholic Reporter asked House Minority Leader and pro-abortion Catholic [sic], Nancy Pelosi, in their story entitled, "Priesthood's Loss is Capitol's Gain." The question and answer from the article Amy posted is, "Is it more difficult today to be a pro-choice Catholic then it was, say, 10 years ago?" I won't spoil the answer... you'll have to go read it.
Amy Welborn today posted a question the National Catholic Reporter asked House Minority Leader and pro-abortion Catholic [sic], Nancy Pelosi, in their story entitled, "Priesthood's Loss is Capitol's Gain." The question and answer from the article Amy posted is, "Is it more difficult today to be a pro-choice Catholic then it was, say, 10 years ago?" I won't spoil the answer... you'll have to go read it.
Another blog
I should also mention a group-blog I'm a part of... The Lidless Eye Inquisition. In the future, any posts concerning integrists or quasi-schismatics to the "right" (for lack of a better word) will be posted there and linked here.
NB: disagreements with fellow orthodox Catholics who have more "traditional" preferences (again, for lack of a better word) will be posted here.
I should also mention a group-blog I'm a part of... The Lidless Eye Inquisition. In the future, any posts concerning integrists or quasi-schismatics to the "right" (for lack of a better word) will be posted there and linked here.
NB: disagreements with fellow orthodox Catholics who have more "traditional" preferences (again, for lack of a better word) will be posted here.
Byron on Daschle
Econ and finance prof Mark Byron has a solid post on Daschle's "stimulus plan." I recommend reading it.
Econ and finance prof Mark Byron has a solid post on Daschle's "stimulus plan." I recommend reading it.
Power instead of Service
Tom at Disputations has a great post on how the National Catholic Reporter and like-minded folks have it all wrong about the priesthood. These people see it as a power thing, when it's supposed to be about service.
Tom at Disputations has a great post on how the National Catholic Reporter and like-minded folks have it all wrong about the priesthood. These people see it as a power thing, when it's supposed to be about service.
NBC on "our allies"
Andrea Mitchell tonight reported on the rift developing between the US and "its allies," without noting that the rift is only between the US and France & Germany. No mention of our other allies (beside the UK) who are supporting us. The way Mitchell described it, France & Germany are our only allies!
There was also a lot of talk about not going it alone, not acting unilaterally. But as Rumsfeld made clear the other day, we have allies who are willing to support us. Again, the fact that France & Germany may not go alone, or that there may not be a UN resolution, doesn't mean it's a unilateral, "going it alone" action. As someone pointed out, the little war in Serbia wasn't done with UN support.
Fortunately we have other sources of media to get a more accurate picture of what's really going on.
Andrea Mitchell tonight reported on the rift developing between the US and "its allies," without noting that the rift is only between the US and France & Germany. No mention of our other allies (beside the UK) who are supporting us. The way Mitchell described it, France & Germany are our only allies!
There was also a lot of talk about not going it alone, not acting unilaterally. But as Rumsfeld made clear the other day, we have allies who are willing to support us. Again, the fact that France & Germany may not go alone, or that there may not be a UN resolution, doesn't mean it's a unilateral, "going it alone" action. As someone pointed out, the little war in Serbia wasn't done with UN support.
Fortunately we have other sources of media to get a more accurate picture of what's really going on.
Thursday, January 23, 2003
And Powell goes hawkish
This Washington Post story indicates that Colin Powell has gone hawkish on war with Iraq over the past week or so, and that the public French veto threat on Monday was the clincher.
Way to push the one guy in the administration closest to your views over the edge, Paris.
This Washington Post story indicates that Colin Powell has gone hawkish on war with Iraq over the past week or so, and that the public French veto threat on Monday was the clincher.
Way to push the one guy in the administration closest to your views over the edge, Paris.
Rummy's not popular in Paris
The French government wasn't too pleased with Rumsfeld for his dismissal of the French and German leaders as "old Europe," according to this story.
Know what I say? Too bad. The article quotes one French minister as being "profoundly vexed" over Washington's stance on Iraq. Huh? Our position is vexing? I think the minister has got it a little reversed.
The French government wasn't too pleased with Rumsfeld for his dismissal of the French and German leaders as "old Europe," according to this story.
Know what I say? Too bad. The article quotes one French minister as being "profoundly vexed" over Washington's stance on Iraq. Huh? Our position is vexing? I think the minister has got it a little reversed.
Safire's take
Bill Safire thinks that European political power plays are driving France and Germany's recent stances viz. Iraq, in this column today.
Bill Safire thinks that European political power plays are driving France and Germany's recent stances viz. Iraq, in this column today.
More on Le Carré
Richard Cohen at the Washington Post today had a great column on the dumbfounding nature of that Le Carré piece I looked at last week.
Richard Cohen at the Washington Post today had a great column on the dumbfounding nature of that Le Carré piece I looked at last week.
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
Surfacing for a moment...
FYI, I haven't blogged in a week because writing the dissertation has (finally) begun. If anyone wants to know about how the U.S. Lutheran-Catholic dialogue is contributing to a solution the ecumenical dilemma over the simul justus et peccator email me at the link at the bottom left.
For the rest of you... I've got to blow a little steam off. I'm really ticked at the French and Germans. Don't get me wrong... I tend to like the people (hey, I've got relatives in both places), and they definitely have their pros. But their respective governments are acting without any sense that I can see.
What exactly do they think can come from their policy viz. Iraq? Are they trying to hide something? How else can one rationally explain their behavior of late? I'm completely befuddled and frustrated by Schröder and Chirac. And I'm not the only one. Go read today's Washington Post editorial. Or check out some of the more speculative thoughts linked at this post from Instapundit. Or this old column from George Will.
Their behavior is inexplicable. Fortunately, we aren't pinning our hopes on them. Rumsfeld rightly notes that there are a lot of other countries in Europe beside France and Germany, and those other nations are with us. That's U.S. us.
FYI, I haven't blogged in a week because writing the dissertation has (finally) begun. If anyone wants to know about how the U.S. Lutheran-Catholic dialogue is contributing to a solution the ecumenical dilemma over the simul justus et peccator email me at the link at the bottom left.
For the rest of you... I've got to blow a little steam off. I'm really ticked at the French and Germans. Don't get me wrong... I tend to like the people (hey, I've got relatives in both places), and they definitely have their pros. But their respective governments are acting without any sense that I can see.
What exactly do they think can come from their policy viz. Iraq? Are they trying to hide something? How else can one rationally explain their behavior of late? I'm completely befuddled and frustrated by Schröder and Chirac. And I'm not the only one. Go read today's Washington Post editorial. Or check out some of the more speculative thoughts linked at this post from Instapundit. Or this old column from George Will.
Their behavior is inexplicable. Fortunately, we aren't pinning our hopes on them. Rumsfeld rightly notes that there are a lot of other countries in Europe beside France and Germany, and those other nations are with us. That's U.S. us.
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Those wacky religious people!
Mark Shea posts today about a blog on which the writer tries to be cute by comparing the goofy beliefs of the Raelians with Christian dogma, or at least that writer's view of it. In this case, part of it includes a belief in a literal seven-day creation, but as Mark notes, most Christians don't believe that.
Details, details.
Mark Shea posts today about a blog on which the writer tries to be cute by comparing the goofy beliefs of the Raelians with Christian dogma, or at least that writer's view of it. In this case, part of it includes a belief in a literal seven-day creation, but as Mark notes, most Christians don't believe that.
Details, details.
Honesty from an Abortion Rights Supporter
Writing an op-ed piece in the NYTimes, Peggy Loonan (yes, Loonan, not Noonan) first tells her fellow pro-choicers to stop spinning the issue, and second utters this gem: "Legal abortion kills pre-viable human life. But the rights of a pre-viable human life should not take precedence over the rights of a woman."
Ms. Loonan acknowledges that abortion kills human life. On the Op-Ed page of the New York Times. Can you believe it?
Unfortunately, she follows it up by denying that the right to life trumps every other right, which it does, at least in the case of two innocent people with opposing rights.
Still... to see that first sentence in a column in the Times... wow.
Writing an op-ed piece in the NYTimes, Peggy Loonan (yes, Loonan, not Noonan) first tells her fellow pro-choicers to stop spinning the issue, and second utters this gem: "Legal abortion kills pre-viable human life. But the rights of a pre-viable human life should not take precedence over the rights of a woman."
Ms. Loonan acknowledges that abortion kills human life. On the Op-Ed page of the New York Times. Can you believe it?
Unfortunately, she follows it up by denying that the right to life trumps every other right, which it does, at least in the case of two innocent people with opposing rights.
Still... to see that first sentence in a column in the Times... wow.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
That's the title of the fifth Potter book, set to be released on June 21st, according to this CNN story. The new book has 250,000 words and is more than a third longer than the fourth book, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", which was already a good-sized book.
As I may have mentioned before, I read the third and fourth books after seeing the second Potter movie in November, and I generally enjoyed them. They definitely are not worthy of the over-concern many people give them.
That's the title of the fifth Potter book, set to be released on June 21st, according to this CNN story. The new book has 250,000 words and is more than a third longer than the fourth book, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", which was already a good-sized book.
As I may have mentioned before, I read the third and fourth books after seeing the second Potter movie in November, and I generally enjoyed them. They definitely are not worthy of the over-concern many people give them.
National Sanctity of Life Day
Today President Bush proclaimed this coming Sunday National Sanctity of Life Day.
A positive sign, to be sure. I'll be curious to see if he makes any comments on the 22nd, the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Today President Bush proclaimed this coming Sunday National Sanctity of Life Day.
A positive sign, to be sure. I'll be curious to see if he makes any comments on the 22nd, the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Catholic Politicians
According to this EWTN story, on Thursday the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- headed by Cardinal Ratzinger -- is going to release a document on the responsibilities of Catholic politicians.
Should be pretty interesting reading. Maybe St. Blog's Parish should make sure it gets in the hands of Ted Kennedy et al.
According to this EWTN story, on Thursday the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- headed by Cardinal Ratzinger -- is going to release a document on the responsibilities of Catholic politicians.
Should be pretty interesting reading. Maybe St. Blog's Parish should make sure it gets in the hands of Ted Kennedy et al.
Anti-Americanism and its Intellectual Roots
OpinionJournal has published a Policy Review piece by Lee Harris on the intellectual origins of contemporary anti-Americanism.
It's a very interesting article, but be warned: it's long.
OpinionJournal has published a Policy Review piece by Lee Harris on the intellectual origins of contemporary anti-Americanism.
It's a very interesting article, but be warned: it's long.
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