Recent Comments
- Neighborhood Walk (2)
Gen X Revert: "My brother lives in Pittsburgh (Mt. Lebanon) and whenever I visit I realize how out of shape I am. Just walking the neighborhood with the large hills…"
- Gay Marriage in California (14)
Peter: "gbm3: Weekends are usually when I have the time to participate in blogs. But my office is moving this weekend and I may not have time to respond to…"
Jerry: "Well, you picked a good book to be incensed by, not a strawman. Perhaps you could write up a critique of some key part of the book in the future for…"
Peter: "Introduction to Christianity.…"
- Engaged Encounter Part I: House of God? (8)
whizkidforte: ""Sing of the Lord's Goodness" actually kinda reminds me of "Take Five" by the late, great jazz saxophonist Dave Brubeck. . . Not that that's a good…"
Ales Rarus
A Rare Bird, A Strange Duck, One Funky Blog
random thought of the moment:
We do not have to create a conscience for ourselves. We are born with one, and no matter how much we may ignore it, we cannot silence its insistent demand that we do good and avoid evil. No matter how much we may deny our freedom and our moral responsibility, our intellectual soul cries out for a morality and a spiritual freedom without which it knows it cannot be happy. The first duty of every man is to seek the enlightenment and discipline without which his conscience cannot solve the problems of life. And one of the first duties of society to the men who compose it is to enable them to live by the light of a prudent and mature conscience. I say “spiritual” and not merely “religious,” for religious formation is sometimes no more than outward formality, and therefore is not really religious, nor is it a “formation” of the soul.
— , No Man Is an Island [1955]
constitution
Palinoscopy
Sarah Palin was not a train wreck in the Vice Presidential Debate last night, but three things stood out for me.
First, when asked about the constitutional role of the Vice President, in light of Dick Cheney's contention that the Vice President is part of the Legislative branch, Palin either did not realize the question was […]
The State Should Get Out of the Marriage Business
Oh dear. Bush apologist, McCain supporter, and former senator Rick Santorum has offered his addlepated opinion on the recent gay marriage ruling in California (Fedora Tip: 2 Political Junkies. He says:
"…The state Supreme Court there ruled, 4-3, that same-sex couples can marry. In doing so, four judges rejected a statute that passed in a referendum […]
Is Discrimination Always Wrong?
In response to Gutter Ball Master's post, "Dr. Paul May Do Harm", I offer the following article as rebuttal. I do not claim to be in total agreement with it, but I present it as an opposing viewpoint.
I Favor Discrimination
"If ever anyone wants to discredit me, he can cite the title of this article. I […]
Gay Marriage in California
Yesterday, the California Supreme Court struck down a statutory regime that gave same-sex couples essentially the same rights and duties as married couples, but called them "registered domestic partners" instead of "married couples." This, the court said, violates the equal protection clause of the California Constitution.
The court did not say whether same-sex couples should be […]
Continuing the Revolution
Okay, odds are pretty good that Obama will be president. Unlike Dean's flash-in-the-pan campaign of 2004, Paul's presidential campaign has a genuine political philosophy powering it. I have been amazed at how folks have turned onto his ideas when they are presented well—however, the "presented well" part is the catch, and cutting through the prejudice […]
