Thursday, April 10, 2003

Veritatis Splendor I think the reason that North Korea is not blustering nuclear war threats now that the attention has been diverted from it is due to two things: one of which is the existence of moral absolutes. In other words, they are wrong, and they can't deny that they are wrong when ultimately challenged by the US. Acceptance (or non-acceptance) of the existence of moral absolutes is a watershed issue. For instance,when Education Secretary Roderick Paige told a Baptist publication, "All things equal, I would prefer to have a child in a school that has a strong appreciation for the values of the Christian community, where a child is taught to have a strong faith," Executive Director Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State Page’s remarks show "an astonishing mix of disrespect for both American’s religious diversity and the public schools." In a letter faxed to the Department of Education yesterday Lynn, urged Paige to repudiate the remarks or step down. Paige’s press secretary said the quotation in the article was accurate and that Paige has no intention of resigning. Faith in the existence of moral absolutes is a "house built without hands" - it's very hard to figure out how to increase it in a diverse community. It's all too easy to build it on false foundations, which,over the centuries, cause the whole edifice to topple and have to be rebuilt. But, still, it's progressively getting bigger, and maybe the growth will accelerate. For group politics, you could call the second group the anti-transcendents. At their exstreme, they would be the fascists who want to create the Kingdom of God on earth, who actually believe that the State is Most High. This would include the Western-trained Muslim fundamentalists in my mind, who make Islam into a territorial religion with the Sharia law. 12:13:32 AM     Comments

Tuesday, April 08, 2003

Peace Activist Sought Iraqi Help in Iraq. Kara Speltz went to Baghdad to offer comfort and prayers to the war-weary Iraqi people. As it turned out, she needed their help more. Speltz, 65, spent three days in the Iraqi capital documenting the effects of U.S. bombing before Iraqi officials expelled her and members of her Christian group for taking unauthorized photographs. [Associated Press war headlines via GoUpstate.com] 4:52:14 AM     Comments

Google Phone Book - Google has an address and phone lookup feature. Type in a phone number, or a name and city/state, or a name and zip, and it shows you the address with a link to get a map. You can remove your phone and address information from their database here. [birdman] [End the War on Freedom] 3:47:04 AM     Comments

russmo.com - Axes of Evil - cartoon commentary on recent home-grown evils. Too true to be funny. [End the War on Freedom] 3:43:20 AM     Comments

In pictures: Battle for airport. Images from the US offensive to seize Baghdad International Airport. [BBC News | World | UK Edition] 3:37:31 AM     Comments

Tom Ridge is emblematic of what is great about this country. 3:33:34 AM     Comments

It's 3:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. Whatever the latest bug is, it's hit my family very hard. Everybody is sick. Mimi is in bed with chills and I'm trying to clear up my nose with a spot of pepperment tea. I hate what antihistamines do to my body: I have this histamine rush hour traffic when they wear off. And no, they didn't help me get to sleep. Well, leastwise, not any better than a sip of alcohol would. There is an inch of snow on everything. It looks pretty in the urban street-light. If I had the money I think I would hang a web cam in the middle of Field ST so you could look up the street via the web. It is a picturesque view. 3:28:16 AM     Comments

Monday, April 07, 2003

They're glad to see us 9:13:54 PM     Comments

Wednesday, April 02, 2003

"Heaven goes by favor," remarked Mark Twain. "If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." BUSTER - A REAL DOG OF WAR A real Dog of War has been hailed the hero of a British Army raid on an Iraqi stronghold. 7:21:54 AM     Comments

Comment Emperor George What has become of American values and idealism? All swept away in this thoroughly un-American war Jonathan Freedland Wednesday April 2, 2003 The Guardian 7:16:45 AM     Comments

Tuesday, April 01, 2003

Why 'Shock and Awe'?. The Pentagon's "shock and awe" strategy of quickly overwhelming Iraq was the inspiration of a military analyst guided by the 2,500-year-old writings of Sun Tzu. [New York Times: International] 9:35:04 AM     Comments

Friday, March 28, 2003

Sinning in Your Dreams Q: When you sin in your dreams, is it really a sin? A: Yes! Sins originate in the heart and spread outward. Catching the spread while it is still in your dreams gives you a chance to confess and repent and be reconcilled to God. Setting up a feedback loop of watching others sin or tempting yourself to sin will result in scenes like that eventually getting in your dreams. (Likewise, listening to the Bible on tape, for instance, will eventually result in Biblical scenes getting into your dreams! :-) And yes, it is possible over the years to have victory over a certain sin, even in your dreams. To be tempted in a dream and to resist the temptation with God's help is like a breath of fresh air. It is something you will savor the rest of your life. 6:37:57 AM     Comments

Saturday, March 22, 2003

Freedom: More Than Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose. There was a time when wars were fought in the name of liberty. Now Americans fight under the banner of freedom. By Geoffrey Nunberg. [New York Times: International] 5:34:20 PM     Comments

The New Agenda: Go It Alone. Remake the World.. The United States has been the primary force behind several international transformations from rebuilding Germany and Japan, to the defeat of the Soviet Union. By Richard Bernstein. [New York Times: International] 5:34:05 PM     Comments

The Philosopher of Islamic Terror. The roots of Al Qaeda are not in poverty or in anti-Americanism but in Sayyid Qutb's ideas about how Christianity went wrong and how martyrdom could change the world. By Paul Berman. [New York Times: International] 5:32:34 PM     Comments