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A Chicago-type Question

As my wife and I were leaving to go down to the town hall to vote in the primary, my wife told our twelve-year-old that she was going to vote for the candidate she favored. He asked, perfectly seriously, “How many times?” And he’s never even been to Chicago.  Or else he . . . . Continue Reading »

Heavy Dissidence

The novelist Piers Paul Read (a devout Catholic and author of an enjoyable book of popular theology called Hell and Other Destinations )  describes The Face of Catholic Dissidence : There is no irony or humour in his writing. The style is heavy, relentless, academic: the author comes across as . . . . Continue Reading »

Blumenthal and Lies of Aspiration

So Richard Blumenthal, attorney general of leading Democratic candidate for Senate, lied about serving in Vietnam . As a veteran I suppose I should be outraged that a fellow Marine would make such dishonest claims about serving in Vietnam. I do consider such attempts at deceipt sloppy and sad, . . . . Continue Reading »

On the Square Today

In today’s On the Square, Wesley Smith discusses organ donation and presumed consent laws : [L]egislation (A-9865) just introduced by New York Assemblyman Richard Brodsky would turn the current approach for obtaining consent inside-out. Brodksy’s bill would require every applicant for a . . . . Continue Reading »

Half Marriage, Half the Commitment

In Austria and France, some gay couples are trying to get the right to full marriage—while some heterosexuals are trying to get the right to “ half marriage ”: As the number of straight French couples opting for Pacs [domestic partnership agreements] has grown, the number of . . . . Continue Reading »

Nix on Presumed Consent

First Things asked me to opine on the recently introduced New York legislation (A-9865) to enact a presumed consent law for organ donation.  Glad to oblige.  I open by identifying the problem.  From  “Presumptuous Consent:”Many more sick people need kidneys, hearts, . . . . Continue Reading »

Why the Evangelical Left Has No Future

Patheos has a fascinating and frustrating interview with sociologist and historian of religion Rodney Stark. What is fascinating is everything Stark says in the interview, which is mostly about the Crusades. What is frustrating is trying to decide what to excerpt when the entire piece is so . . . . Continue Reading »

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