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Last Words

I buy secondhand books.  My collecting habit began in New York, when I was young.  We could go to the remainder floor of certain publishers located in Manhattan and buy hardback books for twenty-five cents or a dollar.  Paperbacks were five or ten cents.  These were books that no . . . . Continue Reading »

On the (Weather) Front

 This is word from the frozen North of America.  We are up to 4 degrees below zero this morning.   We are not truly snowed in, but local schools, my college and many other places are closed because of the extreme cold.  I think that Alaskans are probably laughing at what . . . . Continue Reading »

Escapism

I can’t help but notice it here, notice it there, notice it everywhere.  A few days ago, I read Steve Hayward, on Powerline , asking, ” So When Can We Expect Obama’s Malaise Speech? “  This does feel familiar, a sense of dread, a hopelessness.  Well, in the . . . . Continue Reading »

Regressive Studies

One of my astute sons has been trying to persuade me that the current idea of progress is actually regress; we seem to moving away from civilized behavior to get back to our roots or something, forgetting the long slog of mankind away from them to gain something better and cleaner for human . . . . Continue Reading »

Senator Portman and Relativism

Ohio Senator Portman, a supporter of DOMA, has come out in favor of gay marriage. This reversal of principle about marriage is apparently rooted in the relative in that his change of mind comes about because of a relative: his son. He also suggests that Republicans cannot hope to attract the votes . . . . Continue Reading »

Forming a New Republican Anti-Poverty Message

Arthur Brooks argues that conservatives have Faulty Moral Arithmetic . He is complaining about Republicans and conservatives, though perhaps more about the perception about Republicans and conservatives than about their essence. There have been many reports and studies over the years about the . . . . Continue Reading »

The Right to Die in Massachusetts

Massachusetts voters are considering an assisted suicide law.  I do not deny the right of the states to create this type of legislation; better there than through federal law or mandate.  I can be an American citizen and remain one while moving from a state whose laws I do not condone to . . . . Continue Reading »

Mean Christianity

Last week, Kimberly Hyatt of Patheos asked why Christians are mean in “Look at the Christians: See How Mean They Are” . “Perhaps it is past time for us to stop focusing on what others are doing or trying to do and start taking responsibility for our own actions and their . . . . Continue Reading »

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