Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 383
October 2, 2013
Children as casualties of the sexual revolution
“In contemporary America,” says Anthony Esolen, “condemnation of pedophilia rests on sentiment and not on moral reasoning. Nobody can simultaneously explain why pedophilia is so vile and uphold the first commandment of the sexual revolution: Fulfill thy desires.” Though society, at present, still condemns pedophilia, Dr. Esolen shows that the same principle is governing other [Read More...]
Yet another crown for the aged
Our grandchildren are coming in great profusion and in rapid succession. Our other daughter had her baby: Thomas Gene Edward Hensley. Though I sympathize with the lad for having two middle names, I am greatly touched at the tribute, not only to me but to my recently-deceased father. A picture of the boy with his [Read More...]
October 1, 2013
The government is shut down
Lawmakers were unable to come up with a compromise to keep the federal government open, so it’s shut down. “Essential” government functions, such as those affecting national security, will continue. (I know, I know. . . Why is the government doing things that aren’t essential?) But lots more offices will shut their doors. Most discussion [Read More...]
Check out the Obamacare insurance exchange
Today the Obamacare insurance exchanges go live. Everyone without health insurance must buy some, under penalty of law, from a list of approved companies. Here is the website where the uninsured must sign up: Health Insurance Marketplace, Affordable Care Act | HealthCare.gov. I thought that we could all look up what we would have to [Read More...]
Production vs. redistribution
Economics columnist Robert Samuelson is worried that we are moving from an affluent society (based on economic growth that benefits everyone) to a “spoils” society (an economic mindset based on taking money from other people). From Robert J. Samuelson: Here comes the spoils society – The Washington Post: There are two ways to become richer. [Read More...]
September 30, 2013
Shutdown countdown
The federal government runs out of money at the end of the day today and will shut down tomorrow unless the House of Representatives and Senate can strike a deal to keep the money flowing. Republicans, who control the House, are saying they won’t pass such a resolution unless Obamacare is delayed for a year. [Read More...]
The shift from freedom to tolerance
Liberals used to champion individual freedom, including religious liberty. But, argues Family Policy Institute scholar Joseph Backholm, that concern has shifted to a new set of values centered around tolerance, the need to prevent anyone from being discriminated against. To the point that some Democratic lawmakers and the American Civil Liberties Union are now opposing [Read More...]
Republicans as the new 1989 Democrats
Today’s Republican party is in exactly the same situation as the Democratic party of 1989 and making exactly the same excuses for why they can’t win a national presidential election. This is the point made by two Democratic strategists who revisit an essay they wrote way back then, only this time they apply it to [Read More...]
Keeping and remembering everything
In a discussion of memory, the internet, and our impulse to document every moment of our lives (are we really going to look back at all of the photographs on our cell phones?), novelist Dara Horn tells about a medieval synagogue that, in its refusal to throw away any mention of the Name of God, [Read More...]
September 27, 2013
Off for the baptism of Michael Gustavus
This weekend, I’m making a mad dash to Oklahoma to be there for the baptism of my new grandson, Michael Gustavus. Getting ready to go, I came across this, which has rated a RealClearReligion link, a rather flippant dismissal of infant baptism except as a communal rite of welcome. Compare that discussion to this one: [Read More...]
