In the context of my two recent entries on gun control, some bloggers have argued that am I elevating my own personal opinion to the level of Church teaching simply because I quote the US bishops on the topic, and further suggest that it might be prudent to listen to them (I should clarify that I am referring to Zippy in the comments, not the author of the post itself). The main point of his argument is that when I refer to the bishops’ “teaching” on gun control, I am in error, for there is “no magisterial teaching on gun control”.
Why We Should Listen to the Bishops
June 30, 2008
81 Comments | 
America, Bishops, Culture of Life, Gun Control, USCCB, Violence, War and Peace, war | 
Permalink
Posted by Morning's Minion
Electing not to vote?
June 30, 2008Great post today, M.Z., which gives some perspective on the positions of various VN contributors in the face of continuing accusations from around the Catholic blogosphere. I did want to clarify one thing, though:
Henry Karlson, Michael Iafrate (Catholic Anarchist) and Policraticus have clearly stated they aren’t supporting the two major party candidates.
Just to be clear, I have not defined my intentions as clearly as, say, Policraticus. I am not supporting either candidate in the sense that I will not endorse either one of them. This does not necessarily mean that, when push comes to shove, I will not vote for one of them, or for a third party candidate. I have said, and I still believe, that not voting is a valid position for a Catholic, especially for those of us concerned about the pseudo-religious insistence on the “duty to vote” for whatever reason (usually the romanticized “self-sacrifice” of soldiers). Had Clinton won the Democratic nomiation, I was firmly committed to abstain from the absurdity that that lineup would have represented.
But I am not, nor have I ever been, an absolutist when it comes to voting. I find both positions problematic: to insist one has a duty to vote or to insist that Christians may never vote is to elevate voting to a level of importance that it does not deserve. Indeed, voting is mostly just a game. Rhetoric of “change” is simply that: rhetoric. As the saying (sometimes attributed to Phillip Berrigan) goes, if voting could really change anything, they would make it illegal.
25 Comments | Abortion, America, Anarchism, Culture of Death, Election, Michael Iafrate, Politics, The State, Violence, Voting, Vox Nova, War and Peace | Permalink
Posted by Michael J. Iafrate
Beginning the Politics of Fear
June 30, 2008Courtesy of Joe Lieberman. When your pal is trailing in the polls, resort to scare tactics.
22 Comments | Election, Policraticus, Politics | Permalink
Posted by Policraticus
This Fourth of July Weekend: No Separation Between Temple and State
June 30, 2008Buddhist Temple on the National Mall:
So, it seems there is to be no wall of separation between temple and state. Only between the church and state.
17 Comments | Culture, Dialogue, Henry Karlson, The State | Permalink
Posted by Henry Karlson
Consistency in Ad Hominen Dismissals
June 30, 2008A) Bunch of aging hippies and
B) Bunch of know nothing aspiring academics
are not consistent.
Ideological blindness often keeps people from recognizing that the typical writer on this blog is younger. Such should be obvious from the lack of discretion often shown in entering particular arguments. I believe the median age on this blog is close to 30. Going through Gerald Campbell’s bio, I’m guessing he is the senior member of the blog and a bit of an outlier age-wise.
Since these things come up from time to time, I figure it would be a good time to review some things for the casual reader. The pelvic issues as some label them don’t come up all that much on this blog. There have been about 45 posts with divorce in them and 25 or so posts addressing gay marriage. Most of those are tangential treatments. I’m not aware of any issues over the Church’s teaching over contraception. Abortion has been addressed in 220 posts and is certainly the most contentious issue on the blog. All contributors agree that the legal sanction of abortion is an abomination. Several contributors believe that correcting this abomination through law is unachievable as society is presently constituted, and therefore a wider approach needs to be taken toward evaluating the efficacy of any candidate’s approach to abortion. In other words, the reduction of incidence of abortion should take precedence over attempts to limit the scope of legal abortion given societal realities at this time. I and other contributors do not find this sufficient, but I also don’t feel the need to reiterate my previous arguments on every occasion I’m given the opportunity.
From what I understand, I and Gerald Campbell are the only ones to have endorsed Obama for President. Henry Karlson, Michael Iafrate (Catholic Anarchist) and Policraticus have clearly stated they aren’t supporting the two major party candidates. Although he hasn’t formalized it, I’m pretty sure Jonathan Jones will be endorsing McCain. I don’t anticipate Blackadder will be endorsing Obama, and likewise I don’t anticipate Mornings Minion endorsing McCain. RCM and Katerina haven’t declared to the best of my knowledge. My memory simply fails on who the other contributors are considering, if they are considering anyone.
117 Comments | Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by M.Z.
Talk By Michael Sean Winters
June 30, 2008Michael Sean Winters, author of “Left At the Altar: How the Democrats Lost the Catholics and How the Catholics Can Save the Democrats,” will be speaking at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington DC this Tuesday. The talk, including a book signing, will take place in the North Conference Room (enter through the garage) at 7pm on Tuesday, July 1. I know nothing about the book, but it–and the talk– promise to be fascinating. Winters blogs over at America magazine. See this entry on his book, and the related Washington Post story. If you are in the area, come on by! And say hello to me!!
12 Comments | Morning's Minion, Politics | Permalink
Posted by Morning's Minion
Book Review: Why the Democrats Are Blue
June 29, 2008The widely noted problems Barack Obama faces with “white working class” voters is not simply another example of the stubborn ethnic, cultural, and religious loyalty among subsets of voters that has been present since the American founding. In the aftermath of the break-up of Roosevelt’s wildly successful New Deal coalition, Catholics voters (or, perhaps more accurately, Catholics who vote) have fled the Democratic Party. Why? Mark Stricherz’s Why the Democrats Are Blue: Secular Liberalism and the Decline of the People’s Party is an explanation of the answer hinted at by his subtitle.
9 Comments | Books, Democracy, Jonathan, Politics | Tagged: Add new tag | Permalink
Posted by jonathanjones02
Vox Nova at the Jukebox: Jonathan David
June 29, 2008
When I was in high-school, my favorite book was Catcher in the Rye. My favorite TV show was My So-Called Life. My favorite film was Rebel Without a Cause. Notice a pattern? Teen angst, baby!
No doubt if they had been around at the time and I had known about them my favorite band would have been Belle and Sebastian. Jonathan David, for example, is a near perfect distillation of all too common scenario (for my teenage self, at least). It also includes an homage to French cinema, and a scripture reference (I have no idea what the outfits are an homage to). Enjoy.
1 Comment | Blackadder, Music | Permalink
Posted by Blackadder
Pope doesn’t wear Prada
June 29, 2008Glad we got this settled. I was losing sleep.
4 Comments | Fashion, News, Policraticus | Permalink
Posted by Policraticus
Feast of Sts Peter and Paul
June 28, 2008
The Feast of Sts Peter and Paul is one of the most important, and yet most glossed over, feasts of the Church Year. Yet, it should be easy to see its value. Sts Peter and Paul are the two most significant Apostles in the New Testament, and their ecclesial ministries end together with their martyrdoms in Rome. Despite previous conflicts against each other, they die united for Christ, embracing each other in love, recognizing each other as providing an authentic voice of Christ’s desires for the Church. They merge their authority together into one, forming a new Apostolic See, the See of Rome. And since it exists as the continuation of the authority of the two most important Apostles of the early Church, the See of Rome becomes, as it were, the heart which lovingly directs the Church throughout time. It is no wonder that St Irenaeus, writing in the second century, would declare the church at Rome as the church which all other churches must heed: Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Ecclesiology, Henry Karlson, Liturgical Year | Permalink
Posted by Henry Karlson
Second-Best Options and the Second Amendment
June 28, 2008If I had a magic wand that could magically get rid of all the handguns in the United States, and prevent people from getting any more of them, I would use it. But I don’t have such a wand, and if my plan for dealing with the social problems associated with handguns was to search high and low for such a wand, most people would, I think, conclude that I was wasting my time.
A national gun ban, in my view, was the gun control folks’ equivalent of a magic wand. I don’t know how effective a national ban would have been in limiting gun deaths and/or gun crime, but the question is largely irrelevant. Such a ban was never a realistic possibility. From 1939 until last Thursday, the Second Amendment was basically dead letter. It provided no meaningful restriction on the ability of government to restrict access to handguns, up to and including a total ban. Yet despite this, neither the federal government nor any state government has come anywhere close to passing such a ban, and if Heller had gone the other way, no such ban would have been forthcoming. Read the rest of this entry »
34 Comments | Blackadder, Gun Control, Law, Supreme Court | Permalink
Posted by Blackadder
Presidential Race at the end of June: Obama looking very strong
June 27, 2008Confused over the national presidential polls? I am. We have a number of updated poll data amounting to some disparate information. Real Clear Politics has some of the major poll resuts up. The June 23-25 Gallup Poll shows Barack Obama and John McCain at a tie. Yet, the Newsweek and L.A. Times/Bloomberg polls show Obama with a 15% and 12% lead, respectively. 0%-15% is a large margin. Real Clear Politics, taking the average of eight national polls, puts Obama ahead by 6.3%. If we exclude the two extreme polls (Gallup and Newsweek), Obama is ahead by 6% nationally.
By most estimates, the General Election is a tight race nationally. But lest we forget, I will remind us all the popular vote of the United States does not elect the president. Just ask Samuel Tilden, Grover Cleveland, and Al Gore. And in rare circumstances, the House of Representatives decides. Just ask Andrew Jackson. So while some McCain devotees will cling to the fact that, nationally, the two major candidates for 2008 are in what appears to be a tight contest, what really count right now are the States’ votes. And it is there that we find that Obama is well ahead of McCain. Read the rest of this entry »
45 Comments | Election, Policraticus, Politics | Permalink
Posted by Policraticus
Roe and Heller, They Go Together
June 27, 2008One issue in yesterday’s post on gun control that provoked a vigorous response was my contention that Roe and Heller were decided with the same underlying philosophy that emphasizes the right to individual liberty as long as it does not impinge upon the equally valid rights of another citizen. This is a very different philosophy of from that of Aquinas, where law is deemed an ordinance of reason for the common good made by him who has care of the community.
65 Comments | Gun Control, Law, Morning's Minion | Permalink
Posted by Morning's Minion
The Politics of Infallibility at Vatican I (Part 5)
June 26, 2008The Infallibility Debates
The subsidiary committees had anticipated the question of papal infallibility despite their intention to exclude it from the Council agenda. Therefore, they drafted a short schema on papal infallibility which could be made available to the Council. It was subsequently added as a fourth chapter to the schema on the primacy of the Bishop of Rome and distributed to the Council Fathers on March 6 when the announcement was made by the Presidents that papal infallibility would eventually be coming before the Council. Nearly 140 comments and suggested amendments were submitted to the deputation de Fide by March 25. The deputation digested and summarized the submissions on the primacy in a 104-page folio for distribution on April 29. The next day, a 242-page folio on infallibility was given to each Council member. Because the question on papal primacy and infallibility was to be considered immediately, the deputation was forced to work daily until May 8 to provide a revised schema to be discussed by the Council.[1] Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Bishops, Church Doctrine, Church History, Policraticus | Permalink
Posted by Policraticus
Rape victims’ groups support Supreme Court decision
June 26, 2008“[I]f you have a death penalty, why not apply it to child rapists ?“
As if it were that simple. Let us see why victims’ rights groups like the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault that have a much better understanding of the issue actually disagree with Gerald and support the Supreme Court’s decision on Kennedy v. Louisiana (emphasis mine) :
“The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) supports the Supreme Court’s decision, released this morning to overturn the death penalty for child sexual assault cases. Victim advocates have long been concerned that the death penalty for child sexual assault cases could backfire and result in lower reporting rates and fewer convictions of sex offenders.
“The issue of child sexual abuse is complex. Most child sexual abuse victims are abused by a family member or close family friend. The reality is that, child victims and their families may feel greater reluctance to come forward, knowing that doing so could effectively send a grandparent, cousin or long time family friend to death row. In addition, capital punishment trials are notoriously stressful for the witnesses involved, and typically face a lengthy appeals process. This forces the child witness to relive these painful events over and over again, severely disrupting their healing process.
The National Association of Social Workers also support the court’s 5-4 decision:
“We are heartened that the Court found the real-life experiences of victims and their families, as well as research on the reporting of child sexual abuse, persuasive. This ruling supports the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse while providing an opportunity for victims to heal,” said NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH.
25 Comments | Consequentialism, Culture of Death, Death Penalty, Family, Katerina Ivanovna, Supreme Court | Permalink
Posted by Katerina Ivanovna
A Shameful Supreme Court Decision
June 26, 2008The US Supreme Court has declared the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns to be unconstitutional as it violates the so called individual “right to bear arms”. We need to unpack this. The Catholic perspective is to start with Aquinas, who viewed law as “an ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community”. The Enlightenment era gave us another view of the law, predicated on the notion of individual liberty as the foundation of society. In other words, the person has to right to do as they wish in search of personal fulfilment, as long as it does not impinge upon the rights of another. Law is then all about the enforcement of social contracts.
224 Comments | Culture of Death, Gun Control, Law, Morning's Minion | Permalink
Posted by Morning's Minion
Cuba unveils new lung cancer vaccine
June 26, 2008Here’s a story for those among us who uncritically accept as a truism that capitalist medicine automatically results in innovation while more humane health care systems automatically result in lower quality care. This just in, from AlertNet.org:
Cuban scientists said on Tuesday the first vaccine to extend lives of lung cancer patients has been approved by Cuban authorities for use and is available in the island’s hospitals.
The drug, CimaVax EGF, has been shown to increase survival rates on average four to five months and much longer in some patients, they said in a news conference at Cuba’s Center of Molecular Immunology. In contrast to chemotherapy, the traditional treatment for lung cancer, they said CimaVax EGF has few side effects because it is a modified protein that attacks only cancer cells. They said it was the first lung cancer vaccine to be approved anywhere in the world, although there are others currently being tested. “It’s the first vaccine for lung cancer registered in the world,” said Gisela Gonzalez, who headed the development of the vaccine, begun in 1992. The drug is in various stages of clinical trials in a number of other countries and is most likely to be approved next in Peru, where it could be publicly available by year’s end, Gonzalez said.
[...]
“It’s possible to provide this vaccine to any patient, because it’s available in Cuba, it’s approved by the Cuban drug agency so we can market the vaccine in Cuba and we can receive patients from outside,” she said. The exception would probably be Americans, she said, who are restricted from Cuba travel by the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba in place since 1962. “Even though there is a new therapeutic tool approved in Cuba they probably wouldn’t be able to come to Cuba to receive it because of the embargo,” Crombet said. The drug has been approved for clinical trial in the United States, but its possible use there is at least two to three years away, Gonzalez said.
20 Comments | Capitalism, Cuba, Health Care, Michael Iafrate, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Michael J. Iafrate
McCain Wants to Start WWIII, Re-Institute Draft
June 26, 2008Okay, so not really. But given the way some of McCain’s prior statements have been twisted, I can almost imagine the DNC running an attack ad based on that premise:
Only World War III would prompt Republican presidential candidate John McCain to bring back the military draft, McCain said on Tuesday.
Many Americans are fearful the U.S. government will be forced to reinstitute the draft given the prolonged Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Asked about that possibility by a potential voter in Florida during a telephone “town hall meeting,” McCain said: “I don’t know what would make a draft happen unless we were in an all-out World War III.”
24 Comments | Blackadder, Election, McCain, Media, War and Peace | Permalink
Posted by Blackadder
Quote of the Week: John of Salisbury
June 26, 2008Although this art of logic has manifold utility, still, if one is learned only in it, and ignorant of aught else, he is actually retarded, rather than helped to progress in philosophy, since he becomes a victim of verbosity and overconfidence. By itself, logic is practically useless. Only when it is associated with other studies does logic shine, and then by a virtue that is communicated by them. Considerable indulgence should, however, be shown to the young, in whom verbosity should be temporarily tolerated, so that they may thus acquire abundance of eloquence. The minds of the immature, even as their [growing] bodies, must first be [well] fed, lest they become emaciated. Thus, by means of plenty of nourishing food, they can put on weight and acquire strength. During this stage, the flesh is allowed to luxuriate to a degree that might [otherwise] be considered excessive. At a later age, the surplus fat of the young will be sufficiently burned out and purified by the exertion of labor, the burden of responsibility, and the strain of work. As students mature and grow in understanding, our tolerance of unrestrained verbosity should diminish, and the impudence of sophistry (which Aristotle calls ‘contentious,’ but we refer to as ‘deceitful’ or ‘cavilling’) should be suppressed. It is the duty of those who have the title and function of teachers to see this. However, rules alone are useless. Theoretical principles must be consolidated by practice and assiduous exercise, except perhaps where a disposition has already been transformed into a habit.
– John of Salisbury. Metalogicon. trans. Daniel D. McGarry (Gloucester, MA: Peter Smith, 1971), 244-25 (IV:28).
5 Comments | Henry Karlson, Quotes | Permalink
Posted by Henry Karlson
From Around the Web: Worth a Look
June 25, 2008George Weigel on Benedict and the revival of the Latin Mass. Art critic Roger Kimball on critical thinking and the Enlightenment. Two good pieces from The Atlantic: Is Google Making Us Stupid? and a consideration of the unintended consequences of good intentions – an American Murder Mystery. Jonathan V. Last previews, negatively, the new Brideshead Revisited film. For fans of the Sopranos, a definitive and I think convincing case that Tony is dead. Stephen Norwood reviews the relationship between Harvard and the Nazis. Bjorn Lomborg calls for coolheadedness in the global warming discussion. John Derbyshire explains why many conservatives don’t like science. Yuval Levin on public opinion and the debate over embryos. Kay Hymowitz explains why some teens intentionally try to get pregnant. A fascinating, and vanishing, Albanian tradition.
5 Comments | Culture, Jonathan, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by jonathanjones02
Voting and Nolo Contendere
June 25, 2008Nolo Contendere: I do not wish to contest.
Upon a defendant offering this plea, the judge will then say, “The court finds the defendant guilty.” For the man who chooses not to contest an election by voting, do we likewise claim he abides whatever candidate is elected?
57 Comments | Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by M.Z.
McCain’s record on abortion not so pristine
June 25, 2008Gerard Bradley says he has “an unmatchable record on life issues.” Deal Hudson proclaims: “McCain IS pro-life!” Oswald Sobrino one-ups Hudson, declaring McCain “extremely” pro-life. Maybe these three men are not very informed on McCain’s record on life. Would it be charitable to borrow a term that Christopher Blosser slings at Doug Kmiec and call them suckers? Perhaps ideologues is a bit kinder and more accurate.
Before I get into this, a brief caveat is in order: I am not interested in comparing McCain’s record on life to that of Obama. They’re both dreadful, and I believe that when Catholics get into the business of trying to determine who is “better” on life they are promoting a concessional and cowardly rather than prudent and principled exercise. That said, this post, like the one I wrote on Obama, ought to be read as a freestanding critique.
We know that McCain has a checkered record on life issues, having fully supported federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. That’s an issue that the pandering Hudson once deemed non-negotiable. Truth is, Bradley, Sobrino, and Hudson (among many, many others) either deliberately marginalize the ESCR issue or they leave it out of the discussion altogether in order boast of McCain’s pro-life cred. Candor has never been the strong suit of the ideologue. When it comes to partisan politics, it appears some will overcompensate by sacrificing honesty and Catholic perspective for the good of the party, using terms like “IS” and “unmatchable” and “extremely” in order to quell any would-be objections from those of us who live in reality and think with our faith. Read the rest of this entry »
82 Comments | Abortion, Election, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Policraticus, Politics, Pro-Life | Permalink
Posted by Policraticus
Culture as Popular Culture
June 25, 2008As we head into the summer doldrums, I know that many of our readers here at Vox-Nova are probably suffering severe withdrawal from their favorite TV programs. Luckily, I have just the thing: A ten part lecture series! The lectures, by Prof. Paul Cantor of the University of Virginia, examines the interactions between commerce and art, and studies the myriad ways in which artists have been influenced by economic concerns.
Lecture One introduces the topic.
Lecture Two focuses on Shakespeare, and the ways in which his plays were influenced by economic considerations arising out of the Globe Theater, and Royal patronage.
Lecture Three examines the economics of painting, dealing in particular with the rise of painting in the merchant cities of Italy and the Netherlands. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Art, Blackadder, Culture, Economics, Film, History, Literature, Music | Permalink
Posted by Blackadder
A Response to President Bush’s Pro-Life Record
June 24, 2008Recently, Ryan Anderson from First Things Blog defended President Bush’s pro-life record. Though he did not link to us, he mentioned that “several members of the blog Vox Nova” argue that Bush has not done too much against abortion. He links to Christopher Blosser from the Catholics in the Public Square blog to prove his point that many contributors from Vox Nova are ignoring the facts.
From reading both Ryan’s and Christoper’s points and the arguments being made by my fellow contributors– Henry, Morning’s Minion, Michael Iafrate, Nate Wildermuth, and Gerald Campbell–it is evident that pro-life success is defined quite differently depending on perspective.
Both Ryan and Christoper argue that pro-life success is equivalent to legislation. And if one accepts their definition of success, they are absolutely correct. Wow, President Bush has been the most successful president in US history regarding pro-life leadership and laws! The problem for both Anderson and Blosser is that none of our contributors look to legislation alone to draw their conclusions. They look to the numbers. And when the numbers are read, problems begin to emerge for many pro-lifers. The only organization that has thoroughly researched abortion is Planned Parenthood’s Alan Guttmacher Institute. And when we look at the research of the AGI we will notice a few significant points. First, abortion rates have steadily been declining since 1981. All of us should agree that any decline in abortion is a success. According to Anderson’s and Blosser’s logic one MAY conclude that anti-abortion LAWS affect abortion RATES, but if that is the case, then why was there a peak in abortions in 1989 under pro-life President Bush I and steep declines in abortion under pro-abortion President Clinton? Read the rest of this entry »
119 Comments | Abortion, Bush administration, Radical Catholic Mom | Permalink
Posted by radicalcatholicmom
“Nothing is in more trouble on the planet today than the meaning of Democracy”
June 24, 2008Two of my professors on the great American philosopher John Dewey: John McDermott, discusses Dewey’s liberalism, and Gregory Pappas talks about Dewey’s emphasis on “the local” in democracy. These talks given along with others within the greater context of classical American philosophy.
24 Comments | Philosophy, Policraticus, Politics | Permalink
Posted by Policraticus
Catholics Lean Toward the Democrats
June 24, 2008Mark Ambinder highlights some interesting new data from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown. It shows that 60 percent of American Catholics support the Democratic party, or lean toward the Democratic party, while 36 percent support or lean toward the Republican party. Stripping out Hispanics changes the numbers only marginally: 57-40. This marks a distinct change from 2004, as Republican support has fallen a full 10 percentage points.
19 Comments | Abortion, Catholic Social Teaching, Culture of Life, Death Penalty, Economics, Election, Morning's Minion, Politics, Voting | Permalink
Posted by Morning's Minion
Racism Without Racists?
June 24, 2008Previous in Series: “Rational” Racism
So far all of our attempts to pick out the specific intent or motivation that make an individual act racist have failed. But perhaps we have been looking in the wrong place. Perhaps, as the example of the restaurant owner might indicate, our thinking about racism should concentrate not so much on the intent of an action and as on its effect, and even there not so much on the individual instance but on wider social outcomes.
This shift in focus from intent to effects has certainly been present in the law over the past few decades, and it has also been present, I think, in a lot of discussion about race and racism generally. Among some segments of the population, for example, it is common to hear more emphasis placed on what is called “institutional” or “systemic” racism than on the actions of individual racists themselves.
If what makes an action or institution or policy racist is not the intent behind it but its effects, then the obvious question is: what kind of effects are necessary for an act or institution to be racist? Read the rest of this entry »
5 Comments | Blackadder, Morality, Racism | Permalink
Posted by Blackadder
The Nativity of John the Baptist
June 23, 2008
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? Why then did you go out? To see a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those who wear soft raiment are in kings’ houses. Why then did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, `Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.’
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come (Matt. 11:7 – 14).
Among those born of women, no man is greater than St John the Baptist. Such words can easily lead one to confusion. Is not Jesus, because of the incarnation, a man born of a woman? Should not Jesus therefore be greater than John? Is he now to be seen as John’s inferior? Read the rest of this entry »
Comments Off | Henry Karlson, Liturgical Year, Saints, Salvation History | Permalink
Posted by Henry Karlson
Karl Rove, Pro-Life Champion
June 23, 2008Peter Steinfels wrote an interesting columna few days in which he revealed that Karl Rove is set to be the featured speaker at the National Right to Life Committee’s annual convention (Hat tip: Grant Gallicho.) Steinfels asks:
“Is it politically naïve to be surprised that the nation’s leading anti-abortion organization, which describes itself as nonpartisan, would make the star of its election-year convention the embodiment of the Bush administration’s politics at their most calculating and hard-hitting?”
38 Comments | Abortion, Morning's Minion, Politics | Permalink
Posted by Morning's Minion
“Rational” Racism
June 23, 2008Previous in Series: Racism without Race?
Start with a question that at first glance may seem far removed from matters of race and racism: why do teenagers pay higher rates for car insurance than do other drivers? The answer, obviously, is that they have a higher rate of accidents. Note, though, that a particular teenager will still be a higher rate even if he happens to be an excellent driver and will never get into an accident. Why? Because while a particular teenager might be safe, many of his peers are reckless and/or inexperienced, and it is not possible for the insurance companies to distinguish him from the others. To the extent that there was a low cost way of distinguishing between good drivers and bad drivers, insurance companies would use it, and in fact teen drivers do often pay more or less for insurance depending on their sex, because it turns out that teenage boys get into a lot more accidents than teenage girls.
This process is known as statistical discrimination, and in many areas of life it is considered unobjectionable. Yet, as with so many other things, when it comes to race matters are different. Read the rest of this entry »
13 Comments | Blackadder, Driving, Economics, Racism, Statistics | Permalink
Posted by Blackadder
2008 Presidential Candidates’ Tax Proposals
June 23, 2008While researching about tax proposals by each candidate, I came across the Tax Policy Center by the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution. I have only glanced through it for a couple of hours and they seem to have very helpful information. If you are like me and you prefer to see charts and tables rather than text when it comes down to numbers, then this seems to be a good resource. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Obama and McCain tax proposals:
They also have papers on how federal tax policy could improve the living standards of working families, which seem worth our time as well. Morning’s Minion has already posted on the candidates and their respective tax policies based on the Tax Policy Center numbers.
Are you familiar with the Tax Policy Center? What do you think? Do you recommend any other resources on tax policy and research?
4 Comments | Katerina Ivanovna, McCain, Obama, Politics, Public Policy, Statistics, Taxing, The State, U.S. Affairs, Voting | Permalink
Posted by Katerina Ivanovna
The Politics of Infallibility at Vatican I (Part 4)
June 23, 2008A Turn of Events
The month of January saw little progress for the work of the Fathers. The schemata on faith and discipline had been so dissected that the deputations were forced to not only revise it, but completely rewrite it in light of the hundreds of amendments proposed by the Fathers. It had become clear that some sort of revision to the rules of procedure was needed to maintain a certain level of efficiency. Butler writes, “The general dissatisfaction found expression in a number of representations addressed to the Presidents and to the Holy Father himself.”[1] Senestréy took the initiative to craft a lengthy statement suggesting a time restriction to each speaker at the General Congregations so that the Council could be more productive and businesslike. Petitions of agreement flooded in to the Congregatio de postulatis, which in turn formulated proposals to the Presidents for possible reforms of procedures. The Presidents announced on February 22, 1870 that, by the order of the Pope, the procedure as outlined by Multiplices inter would be modified. Speakers would have a time limit and any debate could be ended by a vote to closure. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments Off | Bishops, Church Doctrine, Church History, Policraticus | Permalink
Posted by Policraticus
St. Thomas More and the Constitution
June 22, 2008
Today is the feast day of St. Thomas More, the patron saint of lawyers and politicians. More was that rarest of all creatures, an honest lawyer and politician. He also got his head cut off, which goes to show what that sort of thing will bring you.
I’ve long thought that the example of St. Thomas More was, or at any rate ought to be, of particular relevance to judges. Under our system of government judges are called upon to settle legal disputes between different parties in accordance with the positive law applicable to the factual circumstances of the case. They are not, generally speaking, empowered to “do justice” on a case by case basis as they see fit.
In most cases, the result demanded by the law and the “just”* result will be the same. Occasionally, however, the two will differ. A legal technicality may require putting a clearly guilty and dangerous criminal back on the streets. A law or policy which seems reasonable enough may conflict with a constitutional provision or statute of higher authority, and thus under the law may be deemed void. A law which in general leads to the best result may, in a particular case, lead to an unfavorable one. Read the rest of this entry »
3 Comments | Blackadder, Law, Morality, Supreme Court | Permalink
Posted by Blackadder
Laura Bush, Cindy McCain, and Mike Huckabee defend the Obama’s
June 22, 2008Laura Bush defended Michelle Obama from those silly charges of not being patriotic. Mike Huckabee told Republicans to stop “demonizing” Barack Obama. Cindy McCain thinks wives should be off limits, and that Michelle Obama is a “fine woman. She’s a good mother. We both are in an interesting line of work right now.”
Run a respectable campaign, GOP, not a tabloid.
Maybe some Catholics should cease promoting propaganda and advocating absurdity by returning to responsible and reality-based political commentary. Criticism of Obama’s platform is fair game (believe me, I am all over it). But let’s leave the hyperbole and histrionics to Glenn Beck.
124 Comments | Election, Policraticus, Politics | Permalink
Posted by Policraticus
Humbled to be an American
June 21, 2008This upcoming Wednesday, after nine years of being a resident alien, I will become a United States citizen. I have been waiting for this time for so long. It is hard to express in words the great joy that I feel right now. At the same time, I do feel a great deal of nostalgia that leads me to reflect on this important step in my life. It means more than just a U.S. passport: for the first time in my whole life, I will be able to exercise my right to vote. I had not reached the age of eighteen yet when the presidential election in Venezuela came around in 1998 to elect either Hugo Chávez or his opponent Enrique Salas Römer. A few months following the election, we were moving to the United States forever. I have not been back to Venezuela ever since. These are some of my reflections as I transition from merely observing, listening or just taking the back seat in the issues that affect this country to actively participating and working towards the common good in the United States. These are some of my thoughts that follow my identity crisis when I first moved here. I knew who I was and my role was in Venezuela, because the context was an integral part of who I was and who I turned out to be. Once the context changed, I had to answer the crucial question: “Who am I now?” and “What am I going to do now?” This is the story of how I have come to love the country where I have lived, eaten, learned, studied, fallen in love, grown in faith, cried, laughed… for the past nine years.
19 Comments | Identity, Immigration, Katerina Ivanovna, Labor, Latin America, Nationalism, Patriotism, Solidarity, The State | Permalink
Posted by Katerina Ivanovna
Vox Nova At The Movies: Mongol
June 21, 2008How does one present a movie about the life of Genghis Khan? With the often contradictory and questionable biographical material we have, which do you show and which do you gloss over? Those questions, of course, will be answered differently depending upon how much of the Khan’s life you want to show; for Sergei Bodrov, in his 2007 movie Mongol, the answer was clear: show the Khan’s path to ascendancy, and end with the battle that gave to him effective control over all his Mongol kinsmen.
Comments Off | Film, Henry Karlson | Permalink
Posted by Henry Karlson
The Politics of Infallibility at Vatican I (Part 3)
June 21, 2008The Council Commences
Thomas Canon Pope provides the most generous estimate of the number of prelates invited to participate at the council with 1044.[1] The total number of prelates who attended the Council was 793, by far the largest and most ecumenical council in previous Christian history.[2] It was determined beforehand by the Directing Commission that all bishops with Episcopal sees and all Cardinals of the Church were entitled to sit at the Council. In addition to these, titular bishops who were either vicars apostolic or overseeing foreign missions were admitted. Abbots who were ordinaries of a diocese with certain episcopal jurisdiction were admitted, as were those who were presidents of monastic communities. Finally, the Superior Generals of religious orders were permitted to attend the Council.[3] The admission of titular bishops and religious would later become a point of contention from some Minority bishops who were displeased with the size of this particular voting bloc.
The first gathering of the bishops was at a Pre-synodal Congregation held in the Sistine Chapel on December 2, 1869. It was a strict meeting addressing the formalities of the Council. Read the rest of this entry »
Comments Off | Bishops, Church Doctrine, Church History, Policraticus | Permalink
Posted by Policraticus
A Free Market for Water
June 21, 2008Both at home:
There are clear gains from having an active market in water rights. It would help solve the problems posed by current water shortages in the West, and it would provide the flexibility necessary to confront the impact of climate change on water supplies in the coming decades. It would be, in a word, fluid.
And abroad:
The solution for the poorer parts of the Third World is deregulation of the market for piped water, combined with the enforcement of property rights. Yes, I’m saying that Third World governments should consider letting private companies sell water at any price they want… And no, I don’t mean a water concession with a price regulated by the government, I mean true laissez faire in water supply. No price regulation, no rate of return regulation, no government ownership of assets, no political pressure to keep prices low.
Many of the world’s poor don’t get good water because they don’t live near a piped water connection. Or if they have a connection, it is often bad and irregular, with backflow putting dangerous and dirty substances into the drinking water. The underlying problem is that many governments artificially hold down the price of water, or they won’t let water companies cut off nonpaying customers. The result is that water companies don’t want to serve these poor customers in the first place, and they certainly don’t want to spend money by adding more water connections for the poorer areas. Deregulation would give water companies a stronger monetary incentive to serve these customers.
34 Comments | Blackadder, Capitalism, Economics, Environmentalism | Permalink
Posted by Blackadder
Quote of the Week: Paul Evdokimov
June 20, 2008
“The final revolution cannot occur unless the Church becomes charged with the energies of the Holy Spirit. By her very nature, the Church cannot sanction any canonized social norm and this is why she acts with the greatest flexibility in regards to local circumstances. Yet, if the Word of God consoles, it also judges. This explains the certain detachment of the Church’s clairvoyant witness. She condemns all compromise and conformism, but her penetrating realism unmasks and confronts the demonic elements. The universal and most pertinent task before us is to place the goods of this earth at the disposal of all people, without depriving them of religious and political freedom. It is the problem of wealth and not really the poor who covet this wealth. In a technological and free market civilization, a poet, a thinker, a prophet — all of these are considered useless beings. Artists and disinterested intellectuals already constitute a new form of the proletariat. For sure, above all, by an obligatory international taxation, it is necessary to suppress material hunger. It is also necessary to consider those who hunger and who know that it is not by bread alone that mankind lives. It is most urgent to affirm the primacy of culture and the spirit of finesse. Modern society needs to protect poets and prophets, and while accepting demons out of respect for freedom, we ought equally to reserve a place for angels and saints who are just as real as other people and the demons. To doubt that we human beings might be capable of mastering not only the cosmos but ourselves, would be to renounce the dignity given to us as children of God. It is precisely to this world of ours, closed to everything but itself, that the assurance of faith is given in order to penetrate the walls and manifest the invisible presence of he Transcendent One, to raise the dead and move mountains, to cast the fire of hope for the salvation of all and to connect this world and its emptiness to the ‘Church, full of the Trinity.’”
–Paul Evdokimov, “Culture and Faith,” pages 195 – 215 in In the World, of the Church: A Paul Evdokimov Reader. trans. Michael Plekon and Alexis Vinogradov (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2001), 207 – 8.
10 Comments | Henry Karlson, Quotes | Permalink
Posted by Henry Karlson
I would consider voting for Obama if…
June 20, 2008A name that has been whispered among the many for Barack Obama’s ticket is Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson. Nelson is a moderate Democrat, widely respected among Republicans and members of his own party. Nelson is one of four pro-life Democrats currently in the Senate, and he has shown himself to be an unwavering defender of life. He has been endorsed by both the Nebraska Right to Life PAC and Nebraskans United for Life. If he were to be selected as Obama’s running mate, I would consider voting for Obama this November with the hope that Nelson would not only mitigate Obama’s strong position in favor of legalized abortion, but also bolster the growing presence and effect of Democrats for Life within the party.
Why would Obama select Nelson? It’s a long shot, but the dividends from such a choice are obvious: Read the rest of this entry »
100 Comments | Election, Policraticus, Politics, Pro-Life | Permalink
Posted by Policraticus
