John Adams once said that our Constitution presupposes a moral and a religious people. It is wholly unfit, he said, for any other. Now how can this help us sort out our discussions of Rick Santorum and Ron Paul? Let us set aside (for a moment) what I think folks in our circles would agree …
Stupor Tuesday
Well, Romney staggers on. Although Ron Paul has been a tactical wingman up to this point, his very best friend right now is Newt Gingrich. As long as Gingrich stays in, the “anybody but Romney (or Paul)” vote is split. A simple thought experiment gives a head-to-head Romney/Santorum race, in places like Michigan or Ohio, …
Alinsky Ball
Recent days have seen the media and/or new media in an uproar over a couple of incidents that invite a bit more investigation from the intellectually curious. I refer to Rush Limbaugh’s insult of Sandra Fluke, and Kirk Cameron’s gracious response to a question from Piers Morgan about homosexuality. Now in the interests of accuracy, …
We Should Think of It That Way More Often
Note on Intellectuals by W.H. Auden To the man-in-the-street, who, I’m sorry to say Is a keen observer of life,The word Intellectual suggests straight away A man who’s untrue to his wife.
How Jerks Define the Golden Life
One of the common problems that pastors have in giving counsel to troubled couples is the problem of determining when a particular sin in marriage is “actionable.” How bad does it have to be before the wronged spouse can walk? I am speaking here of sexual sins, which, given the nature of the case, are …
Our Ruling Class
I wanted to make sure that I made at least a couple points about this particular travesty from The Journal of Medical Ethics, HA! (JMEH!). The first point to make is that when men have lost their soul, they have not yet necessarily lost their capacity to reason. They can still say B, and do …
Clouds of Nuance and Ineptitude
I have been asked about my passing comment the other day that I thought military action in Afghanistan was justified, and probably in Iraq. This was coupled with my observations on the constitutional procedures for going to war — Congress should declare war. Those who believe all the DC-lawyer-talk need to be asked what circumstances …
The United Methodist Camp Counselor Approach to Foreign Policy
Here are just a few collected observations about U.S. foreign policy and war, particularly war in the Middle East. We have no business toppling any foreign regime and replacing it with another without a formal declaration of war from Congress. It may be replied (for it usually is) that a regiment of constitutional lawyers in …
Proverbial Bedfellows, As In, Strange
Not trying to juice my traffic by writing about Ron Paul. Promise. I am writing about Ron Paul though, because this is all really interesting, and on a number of levels. The thing that interests me right this moment is the clear working arrangement between Ron Paul and Mitt Romney.
Competing Like a Lady
One time, many years ago, our family drove up to a summer basketball camp where Nate was participating. While there, we took a look around, and watched some of the action of a girls’ basketball camp, then still in progress. This was a Christian camp, and yet the girls were swaggering around on the court, …