28/06: VOTE FOR MCCAIN
Some facts in brief:
If you do not vote for John McCain in the upcoming fall election, you are voting for Barack Obama.
Principled conservatives who are too pure to vote for John McCain--and prefer to cast a protest vote for some other irrelevant blowhard--are voting for Barack Obama.
Frustrated and alienated conservatives who too distraught over the lack of a "conservative" choice--and choose to stay home--are voting for Barack Obama.
Just as every citizen who did not vote for George H.W. Bush in 1992 (and I know so many of you had reasons that struck you as fully justified at the time) voted for Bill Clinton, any person who does not vote for John McCain in 2008 is actively voting for Barack Obama.
Bottom line: any American who offers less than full support for the Republican ticket owns every single policy and decision of the Obama administration.
Get over yourself and get in the game. There is too much at stake to act out of narrow self-interested principle.
If you do not vote for John McCain in the upcoming fall election, you are voting for Barack Obama.
Principled conservatives who are too pure to vote for John McCain--and prefer to cast a protest vote for some other irrelevant blowhard--are voting for Barack Obama.
Frustrated and alienated conservatives who too distraught over the lack of a "conservative" choice--and choose to stay home--are voting for Barack Obama.
Just as every citizen who did not vote for George H.W. Bush in 1992 (and I know so many of you had reasons that struck you as fully justified at the time) voted for Bill Clinton, any person who does not vote for John McCain in 2008 is actively voting for Barack Obama.
Bottom line: any American who offers less than full support for the Republican ticket owns every single policy and decision of the Obama administration.
Get over yourself and get in the game. There is too much at stake to act out of narrow self-interested principle.
Category: Courts
Posted by: A Waco Farmer
From the New York Times:
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
Published: June 27, 2008
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday embraced the long-disputed view that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to own a gun for personal use, ruling 5 to 4 that there is a constitutional right to keep a loaded handgun at home for self-defense.
Back in March, following oral arguments, we discussed the case here.
While the fairly extensive coverage of the issue is worth the reread, I am a bit reluctant to redirect your attention to this post as I made an embarrassing mistake in my discussion of federalism, not noting nor taking into account that the District of Columbia is not even a quasi-sovereign entity---but a fully subordinate federally controlled territory. Tocqueville corrected my error.
Worth special note, however, is
A PREDICTION FROM TOCQUEVILLE:
My prediction is that the Court will recognize a full-bodied individual right to gun ownership under the 2nd Amendment (This is why we care. The Court will be deciding what the 2nd Amendment means, and the 2nd Amendment means the same thing in and out of D.C.). But I predict that the Court will strike down the D.C. statute as unconstitutional on very narrow grounds. In short, I expect the Court to find that an outright ban on gun ownership is patently unconstitutional. But the Court will leave plenty of room for the regulation and control of gun ownership for health and safety reasons. And this right to regulate may likely be broader for the states than it is for the federal government.
Good work, Tocqueville. Just another example of why all good men (and women) should read our blog regularly.
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
Published: June 27, 2008
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday embraced the long-disputed view that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to own a gun for personal use, ruling 5 to 4 that there is a constitutional right to keep a loaded handgun at home for self-defense.
Back in March, following oral arguments, we discussed the case here.
While the fairly extensive coverage of the issue is worth the reread, I am a bit reluctant to redirect your attention to this post as I made an embarrassing mistake in my discussion of federalism, not noting nor taking into account that the District of Columbia is not even a quasi-sovereign entity---but a fully subordinate federally controlled territory. Tocqueville corrected my error.
Worth special note, however, is
A PREDICTION FROM TOCQUEVILLE:
My prediction is that the Court will recognize a full-bodied individual right to gun ownership under the 2nd Amendment (This is why we care. The Court will be deciding what the 2nd Amendment means, and the 2nd Amendment means the same thing in and out of D.C.). But I predict that the Court will strike down the D.C. statute as unconstitutional on very narrow grounds. In short, I expect the Court to find that an outright ban on gun ownership is patently unconstitutional. But the Court will leave plenty of room for the regulation and control of gun ownership for health and safety reasons. And this right to regulate may likely be broader for the states than it is for the federal government.
Good work, Tocqueville. Just another example of why all good men (and women) should read our blog regularly.
27/06: Yes, This Pope Is Catholic
Category: Religion & Public Policy
Posted by: an okie gardener
Pope Benedict XVI continues to hold the line on Roman Catholic doctrine, as evidenced by the recent appointment of Archbishop Raymond Burke, recently of St. Louis, to head the Supreme Tribunal, the highest court for ecclesiastical law.
From USA TODAY:
Burke has led the charge among a handful of U.S. bishops to discipline Catholic politicians who stray from church teaching. In 2004, he told Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry he could not receive Communion in St. Louis because of his support of abortion rights and in 2007 said he would refuse Communion to then-Republican candidate former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani for the same reason.
Full Story.
Official Site of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The front page contains Burke's farewell statement upon his new appointment.
Burke's traditional Roman Catholicism can be seen in this excerpt from a 2007 column:
Last year, in the face of the fierce battle to prevent the approval of a proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to clone human life for the purposes of scientific experiment, the Archdiocese
launched the Rosary Crusade for the Protection of Embryonic Human Life. As you know, now the battle ground has shifted. Now, we must work steadfastly and tirelessly to repeal the constitutional amendment
which was passed. I urge you to continue to pray the Rosary daily for the work of the Respect Life Apostolate, for the reversal of the decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, and the reversal of “Amendment 2").
The Rosary is one of the most effective prayers in the Church. Many victories of the Church are connected to a crusade of praying the Rosary, for example, the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. It is my desire to renew publicly the Rosary Crusade in the Archdiocese, during the next months. If you have remained faithful in praying the Rosary for the Protection of Embryonic Human Life, please continue the same. If you have not yet begun or have discontinued the praying of the Rosary, I ask you to begin praying, at least some decades of the Rosary, from today forward. Our Blessed Mother never fails to hear the pleas of her children, especially when they are on behalf of innocent and defenseless unborn human lives or the lives of those who are heavily burdened by advanced years, special needs or serious illness.
From a Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Burke's which drew some attention at the time:
39. But, there is no element of the common good, no morally good practice, that a candidate may promote and to which a voter may be dedicated, which could justify voting for a candidate who also endorses and supports the deliberate killing of the innocent, abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, human cloning or the recognition of a same-sex relationship as legal marriage. These elements are so fundamental to the common good that they cannot be subordinated to any other cause, no matter how good.
Ol' Benny 16 knows how to pope.
From USA TODAY:
Burke has led the charge among a handful of U.S. bishops to discipline Catholic politicians who stray from church teaching. In 2004, he told Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry he could not receive Communion in St. Louis because of his support of abortion rights and in 2007 said he would refuse Communion to then-Republican candidate former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani for the same reason.
Full Story.
Official Site of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The front page contains Burke's farewell statement upon his new appointment.
Burke's traditional Roman Catholicism can be seen in this excerpt from a 2007 column:
Last year, in the face of the fierce battle to prevent the approval of a proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to clone human life for the purposes of scientific experiment, the Archdiocese
launched the Rosary Crusade for the Protection of Embryonic Human Life. As you know, now the battle ground has shifted. Now, we must work steadfastly and tirelessly to repeal the constitutional amendment
which was passed. I urge you to continue to pray the Rosary daily for the work of the Respect Life Apostolate, for the reversal of the decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, and the reversal of “Amendment 2").
The Rosary is one of the most effective prayers in the Church. Many victories of the Church are connected to a crusade of praying the Rosary, for example, the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. It is my desire to renew publicly the Rosary Crusade in the Archdiocese, during the next months. If you have remained faithful in praying the Rosary for the Protection of Embryonic Human Life, please continue the same. If you have not yet begun or have discontinued the praying of the Rosary, I ask you to begin praying, at least some decades of the Rosary, from today forward. Our Blessed Mother never fails to hear the pleas of her children, especially when they are on behalf of innocent and defenseless unborn human lives or the lives of those who are heavily burdened by advanced years, special needs or serious illness.
From a Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Burke's which drew some attention at the time:
39. But, there is no element of the common good, no morally good practice, that a candidate may promote and to which a voter may be dedicated, which could justify voting for a candidate who also endorses and supports the deliberate killing of the innocent, abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, human cloning or the recognition of a same-sex relationship as legal marriage. These elements are so fundamental to the common good that they cannot be subordinated to any other cause, no matter how good.
Ol' Benny 16 knows how to pope.
Category: American Culture
Posted by: an okie gardener
In this article in Christianity Today, Chuck Colson urges our political candidates to raise and debate the problem of our growing prison population. He points out that in the last 35 years there has been a six-fold increase in the number of prisoners, and that currently 1 in every 100 U.S. citizens are incarterated. State governments spend $50 billion per year in prisons.
Colson advocates programs to change the lives of those imprisoned. Citing studies he notes
Though many sociologists of the 19th and early 20th centuries attributed crime to environmental factors like poverty, an inadequate criminal justice system, and racism, landmark studies in the last 30 years have shown that crime is really about wrong moral decisions. For example, in their 17-year-long study The Criminal Personality, psychologists Stanton Samenow and Samuel Yochelson found that crime, in every case, was "the product of deliberation," and gave the antidote of "conversion to a whole new lifestyle." And in their definitive study Crime and Human Nature, Harvard social scientists James Q. Wilson and Richard Herrnstein found that crime is caused by a lack of moral teaching during the morally formative years.
Colson's point echoes two of my recent posts, on the spread of crime in Memphis, and on the shaping of killers by the Nazis.
At bottom, what we need to debate nationally, is how to become a society that provides positive shaping of the human conscience, and encourages healthy family life.
As you can guess, I am not a Libertarian.
Colson advocates programs to change the lives of those imprisoned. Citing studies he notes
Though many sociologists of the 19th and early 20th centuries attributed crime to environmental factors like poverty, an inadequate criminal justice system, and racism, landmark studies in the last 30 years have shown that crime is really about wrong moral decisions. For example, in their 17-year-long study The Criminal Personality, psychologists Stanton Samenow and Samuel Yochelson found that crime, in every case, was "the product of deliberation," and gave the antidote of "conversion to a whole new lifestyle." And in their definitive study Crime and Human Nature, Harvard social scientists James Q. Wilson and Richard Herrnstein found that crime is caused by a lack of moral teaching during the morally formative years.
Colson's point echoes two of my recent posts, on the spread of crime in Memphis, and on the shaping of killers by the Nazis.
At bottom, what we need to debate nationally, is how to become a society that provides positive shaping of the human conscience, and encourages healthy family life.
As you can guess, I am not a Libertarian.
Category: America and the World
Posted by: an okie gardener
25/06: Another American Hero
Category: US in Iraq
Posted by: an okie gardener
If the MSM of today had the patriotism of their predecessors, the story of Lance Corporal Christopher Aldesperger would have been featured on the front pages of all newspapers.
Story here. From The Rott.
Story here. From The Rott.
24/06: Cuba the Oppressed
Category: America and the World
Posted by: an okie gardener
More evidence for those who might still need it, that the Cuban people live under tyranny. Cuban blogger threatened. Free speech must be powerful indeed since all tyrants fear it.
Category: America and the World
Posted by: an okie gardener
Police have arrested about 26 members of the violent criminal gang known as MS-13, based in El Salvador. Story here.
This last paragraph makes another case for border control.
Many of the defendants were in the United States illegally, and two were additionally charged with re-entering the country unlawfully after having been deported, the DOJ statement said.
In other news, according to this story, the Interior Department has stated that Mexican drug smugglers have made some areas on the U.S. side of the border unsafe.
This last paragraph makes another case for border control.
Many of the defendants were in the United States illegally, and two were additionally charged with re-entering the country unlawfully after having been deported, the DOJ statement said.
In other news, according to this story, the Interior Department has stated that Mexican drug smugglers have made some areas on the U.S. side of the border unsafe.
Category: Religion & Public Policy
Posted by: an okie gardener
The Pew Foundation has released the latest data from its survey of Americans on religion, including religion and politics.
Some of the data on party affiliation:
38% of Evangelicals identify as Republican and 24% as Democrat.
31% of Mainliners identify as Republican and 29% as Democrat.
66% of those belonging to Historically Black Churches identify as Democrat.
52% of Mormons identify as Republican.
47% of Jews identify as Democrat.
37% of Muslims identify as Democrat.
41% of Hindus identify as Democrat.
Survey results on party identification.
Full results including demographics, state-by-state percentage composition, etc.
Some of the data on party affiliation:
38% of Evangelicals identify as Republican and 24% as Democrat.
31% of Mainliners identify as Republican and 29% as Democrat.
66% of those belonging to Historically Black Churches identify as Democrat.
52% of Mormons identify as Republican.
47% of Jews identify as Democrat.
37% of Muslims identify as Democrat.
41% of Hindus identify as Democrat.
Survey results on party identification.
Full results including demographics, state-by-state percentage composition, etc.
Category: American Culture
Posted by: an okie gardener
The Scottish Parent Teacher Council blasted Wikipedia, and other internet sources for providing inaccurate information to students. Article. Link from Drudge.
I remember in graduate school that someone kept a list on the bulletin board of the Religion faculty mailroom of errors in Wikipedia entries concerning history and religion. When I worked in the Baylor library we tried to steer students toward scholarly material, both on and off line. My advice to my students for their writing is: don't use Wikipedia as your sole source. And don't believe everything you read.
A former British prime minister once said that the primary purpose of an education was to enable one to tell when the other fellow was talking rot. You need your own base of good, reliable information to make that judgment.
One of the major problems I have noted with student use of the internet for research is a lack of digestion. Back in the day (I was in college in the mid-70s) when we did library research we read books and periodicals. Since photcopiers were in their infancy, expensive and poor qualitity, we took notes of what we read. The process of reading and then writing summaries required us to digest the material. Now, students too often skim an internet source, then copy and paste into a paper, perhaps changing a few words in the hope of avoiding plagurism. Pages of books and periodicals, if consulted, tend to be scanned and used the same way.
The papers too often read like undigested material thrown together.
I remember in graduate school that someone kept a list on the bulletin board of the Religion faculty mailroom of errors in Wikipedia entries concerning history and religion. When I worked in the Baylor library we tried to steer students toward scholarly material, both on and off line. My advice to my students for their writing is: don't use Wikipedia as your sole source. And don't believe everything you read.
A former British prime minister once said that the primary purpose of an education was to enable one to tell when the other fellow was talking rot. You need your own base of good, reliable information to make that judgment.
One of the major problems I have noted with student use of the internet for research is a lack of digestion. Back in the day (I was in college in the mid-70s) when we did library research we read books and periodicals. Since photcopiers were in their infancy, expensive and poor qualitity, we took notes of what we read. The process of reading and then writing summaries required us to digest the material. Now, students too often skim an internet source, then copy and paste into a paper, perhaps changing a few words in the hope of avoiding plagurism. Pages of books and periodicals, if consulted, tend to be scanned and used the same way.
The papers too often read like undigested material thrown together.
