Celebrities, generally speaking, are fairly irresponsible or selfish—out for themselves. They have less reason than us not to be. They have rare opportunities to do whatever they want whenever they want. And not having been raised (as aristocrats once were) for their privileged lives, they . . . . Continue Reading »
I wrote here a few weeks ago about how Donald Berwick, the president’s appointee to run Medicare and Medicaid, is a big health care rationing advocate. Now, his boss, Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, has more than implicitly agreed with Berwick’s . . . . Continue Reading »
An oldie-but-goodie. Jul 25, 2006 Fight a democracy, kill the peopleBy SpenglerConventional armies can defeat guerrilla forces with broad popular support, for it is perfectly feasible to dismantle a people, destroy its morale, and if need be expel them. It has happened in history on . . . . Continue Reading »
Every analyst I know is baffled by the Obama administration. The Israeli government is baffled; the Arab governments of the Middle East are baffled; European foreign ministries are baffled; and the journalists and thinktankers and camp-followers are baffled. One hears different things from source . . . . Continue Reading »
On this Memorial Day, I’ve been pondering the problem of gratitude, not only for my children (the two still at home) but for myself. Millions of soldiers and their families sacrificed much, even their lives, and my family and I have gained from their losses. Their losses are real, and often . . . . Continue Reading »
Today on “On the Square,” we offer a few selections from First Things articles reflecting on patriotism, sacrifice, and memory. See A Few Thoughts for Memorial Day . . . . . Continue Reading »
I agreed to write a contribution to a symposium on CELEBRITY. MY dumb thought was: How hard could that be? Pretty hard. Here are my first random observations in search of a point: Celebrity, in the most obvious sense, is the lowest form of fame. Being a celebrity is a sort of gift of public . . . . Continue Reading »
It strikes me that two principles commonly used in textual criticism can actually cancel each other out.1. Charity to the Author: Other things being equal, it’s generally better to be charitable to the author when we can do so. If we find two readings in manuscripts, where one makes a lot . . . . Continue Reading »
In my youth I was fairly sympathetic with the aims of liberation theology, although I could never bring myself to accept this position in toto, as there was too much in the larger worldview that did not quite sit right with me. With liberation theologians I confess that God has called us to care for . . . . Continue Reading »
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