American political eschatology

Schmemann says that the distinctive mark of the converted Roman Empire, and of the Byzantine order, was the “state’s” acknowledgement that the end of the church was the end of all things, also then the end of the state. The state no longer existed to promote its own ends, but to . . . . Continue Reading »

It Begins

According to Public Policy Polling, Ron Paul is now within a point of Gingrich in Iowa and Gingrich’s support has shrunk from27% to 22% in the last week.  What is even more ominous is that Gingrich is losing support with Tea Party-affiliated voters.  The poll also shows that . . . . Continue Reading »

Please Listen To Me!

I’m talking to Romney, Santorum, Bachmann and Paul.  The Freddie Mac digs seem to be getting under Gingrich’s skin.  He said he would return all of his Freddie Mac money if Romney returned all of his Bain Capital money (what with all the layoffs and all.)  Big tactical . . . . Continue Reading »

Rising And Falling

Some quick thoughts, 1.  The volume of fire aimed at Gingrich has been increasing slowly up to this week.  Now the paid media attacks and the criticism from the other candidates has increased substantially.  There are still three weeks for everyone in Iowa to hear everything that has . . . . Continue Reading »

High Stakes

 It is a Saturday, but big debate tonight. Gingrich has to decisively win his clashes in order to maintain his debater invincibility cred. If he loses that he is just another guy who used to be for cap-and-trade and a federal health insurance purchase mandate. It isn’t impossible that . . . . Continue Reading »

Pro-Empire Multitude

Smith argues that Hardt and Negri’s proposals for resistance to empire are insufficiently radical (FL is “libertarian freedom”): “what the multitude desires is absolute freedom, and what the multitude opposes in Empire is its repression and restriction of freedom. But just . . . . Continue Reading »

God and freedom again

Smith’s article sums up David Burrell’s argument that we cannot have freedom at all without a Creator as a final cause. Burrell writes: “if I cannot be pushed to will something, but only drawn to do so, not even God can cause me to do something freely, if we are thinking of an . . . . Continue Reading »