As the evening of the Fourth of July approaches, I thought I would offer a few words that might salve the consciences of some sensitive Christians when it comes time to set off the fireworks tonight. And no, I am not here talking about the conscience issues raised by firing off … [Read more...]
King David On The Fourth of July
The Fourth of July is next week, and a number of us are going to set off fireworks -- and, if the past is to be trusted, we will set off some really good ones. But what are we celebrating? One of the things my grandchildren have been put up to during the fireworks are cries like, … [Read more...]
Is Christianity Right Wing?
As the crisis in our nation deepens, we must recognize the culpable role of the Church in bringing this crisis about. Because we have not been people of the Word, the result has been no prophetic ministry to the world. As things get worse, the confusion in the Christian world … [Read more...]
The Tashlan Temptation
The election yesterday provided me a real sense of relief, and in several ways it was a very good night. On the positive side of the register, eleven ballot initiatives that defined marriage as consisting of one man and one woman passed, many of them by whopping margins. The … [Read more...]
87 Billion
Part of the slipperyness of this presidential campaign can be seen in the taunts registered against John Kerry by the Republicans -- "he voted for the 87 billion before he voted against it!" And I agree that Kerry's explanations are lame, and that he is a flip-flopper, and so … [Read more...]
The Mantle of Momentum
I have said in this space before that I do not have a great deal of faith in polls. I don't think we have the ability to interview 250 Americans, render general by induction, and determine what candidate 250 million Americans actually favor. But another observation needs to be … [Read more...]
Dogpile Dan
Despite the fact that I remain above the fray, and the fact that I don't know who I am going to vote for, the current set-up has its inspiring moments. The current inspiration is the nation-wide journalistic dogpile with Dan Rather on the bottom of it. … [Read more...]
Wishing I Could Vote for Bush
There are quite a few reasons, actually. But none of them push me over the line. After eight years of Clinton, it has been comparatively pleasant to have a government staffed with grown-ups. Add to that the fact that Jean-Francois Kerry is, in countless ways, insufferable. N'est … [Read more...]
A Vietnam War Crime
Well, it seems that Vietnam is not only back in the news, but is back in a visceral way. Since we are all reliving this, and I had no real outlet for addressing any of it at the time, allow me just a few thoughts. I watched a few minutes of John Kerry's 1971 Senate testimony … [Read more...]
Showboat
One recent political surprise is the fact that the swift boat controversy has actually become a controversy. Normally this kind of thing just gets buried. I don't know if this issue has feet because of Internet coverage, because of Fox News, or because there are some Democrats … [Read more...]