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 »
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 »
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 »
“Frankly, I’m sick of this crap”in America magazine, Fr. James Martin on James Carroll’s latest outburst about priest celibacy. . . . . Continue Reading »
In the news today, Damian Thompson reports on the “tired, trendy, dated music” now being scheduled for the papal Mass in Coventry during the pope’s visit to England this fallincluding “One of the most hideous of all folk hymns, ‘Make Me a Channel of Your . . . . Continue Reading »
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. Brodksys bill would require every applicant for a . . . . Continue Reading »
In Austria and France, some gay couples are trying to get the right to full marriagewhile 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 »
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 »
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 »