"...cleanse them by water in the name of Allah, his Messiah and his Holy Spirit.” - Matthew 28:19, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Arabic version.
Manners and Morals
Simon Cowell for President!
OK, that's a tongue-in-cheek suggestion. For one thing, he’s not a U.S. citizen. But attorney and legal and constitutional analyst Maureen Martin is convinced we need a presidential candidate with the “X Factor” Simon Cowell promotes and embodies.
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The Trouble with Traditionalism
The communitarian conservative agenda is not about just praising a particular set of values and sentiments and then leaving people free to discover what's best for them. "Crunchy cons" are intent on making people better by using government to "incentivize" good behavior, in great part by using regulation to "remedy" the value-destruction they believe is caused by market capitalism. For a full critique of this political philosophy, you should read Frank S. Meyer, which I highly recommend. For now it will suffice to mention just two big problems with Brooks's and Dreher's reasoning. . . .
It Really Is a Wonderful Life
Merry Christmas, everyone. Now is the time to be with family and, if you're lucky, focus on the things that are important.
This leads me to a common sentiment that I've heard. I often hear people talk about how someday they want to do some good. When they make their money, they're going to give back and help the world they took so much from.
Why wait? You can make a difference in someone's life today.
Regrets, I’ve Had a Few—Countering a Contemporary Cliché
To live life without regret. Never to look back, always moving forward. To insert additional cliches about seizing the day and so on.
This seems to be a pretty common theme among the people I meet. There is a sentiment that regretting your decisions is not just a waste of time but an actual detriment to your development, that to look back on your past with a heavy heart will keep you from moving forward.
I regret nothing!
I say that's a lie, and a dangerous one.The Dance of the Straw Men
If you're a social conservative, chances are you’ve had a conversation something like this:
Conservative: “But if we accept homosexual behavior as normal, how do we retain other traditional taboos, like the one against incest?”
Liberal: “That’s just a straw man. Nobody’s going to advocate incest.”
Now, read this, from Tauriq Moosa, tutor in ethics, bioethics and critical thinking at the University of Cape Town, South Africa (courtesy of my friend Dale Nelson):
Thirdly, and oddly, people exclaim “just” repugnant. We will examine this more closer later. Nonetheless, why should the sexual activities of two consenting adults concern us? This is the same question we can ask those who are ‘against’ homosexuality (which is like being against having blue eyes). It is none of our business what two consenting adults wish to do (as long as no one else is harmed/involved without consent). . . .
We cannot leave it up to the whims of our emotions to implement policies and laws which could, unnecessarily, cause suffering to other people, as is the case with gay people, women, and indeed the current brother-and-sister couple.
Pretty lively for a straw man, isn’t it?
Annals of Cultural Change: Deer Season a Half-Century Ago
This week hunters across America storm the woods loaded for deer. For yet another indication of how times have changed, consider this account of deer season a half century ago.
‘Hope and Change’ Is in the Grand Tradition of . . . John Stuart Mill?
John Stuart Mill might have given ammunition to those who would overturn tradition and "fundamentally transform" society.
Getting ‘Expelled’
All atheists aren’t Darwinists, but nearly all Darwinists are atheists. Why? Ben Stein’s film. With Polish subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 38 minutes 5 seconds.
Penn State Scandal Exposes Unseemly Media Motives
The Penn State University football scandal has been ugly in a variety of ways, but not all of them are immediately obvious. In particular, the mainstream press, so proud of its progressive views on most moral matters, showed the puritanical streak they always reveal when a person widely believed to be of good moral character can be knocked down and branded a hypocrite. The media coverage in this case displayed the classic American journalism tactic of conveying salacious stories under cover of moral indignation. This was obvious in the rush to make Penn State football coach Joe Paterno the center of the story.
Does Government Have the Right to Issue Licenses … for Anything?
The requirement for marriage licenses in the U.S. has been justified on the basis that the state has an overriding right, on behalf of all citizens and in the interests of the larger social welfare, to protect them from disease or improper/illegal marriages; to keep accurate state records; or even to ensure that marriage partners have had adequate time to think carefully before marrying.
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