Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 85
April 10, 2017
Russell Westbrook for MVP
The Oklahoma City Thunder marketing office called our church a couple of months ago, saying they were offering special deals for church groups. So we got some folks together and got tickets to last Tuesday’s game. They were playing the Milwaukee Bucks, the only other NBA team that I’ve seen in person. The Thunder game began [Read More...]
April 7, 2017
Martin Luther as inventor of freedom
Lutherans aren’t the only ones celebrating the 500th anniversary of Luther’s posting of the 95 theses. Nor are Protestants or other Christians. Luther had a monumental impact on Western Civilization, so even the secularists are taking the opportunity to study Luther’s cultural contributions, from his impact on universal education to his pioneering use of information [Read More...]
Trump attacks Syria
UPDATE: President Trump pulled the trigger on attacking Syria. Some 59 cruise missiles hit an airfield suspected of storing chemical weapons. The President called on “all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria. And also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types.” “We ask for [Read More...]
Dems force “nuclear option” and Gorsuch is confirmed
The Democrats invoked their filibuster privilege to block the vote to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. So the Republicans used the so-called “nuclear option.” They changed the rules to eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. The Democrats, under a previous administration, themselves went nuclear to eliminate the filibuster for other presidential nominations. [Read More...]
April 6, 2017
Court rules that Civil Rights laws cover LGBT bias
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights law bans discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, and sex. The 7th Circuit federal appeals court ruled that the category of “sex” includes sexual orientation. This would mean that any kind of discrimination against LGBT folks is illegal. The ruling only applied to the 7th Circuit [Read More...]
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The Trump campaign surveillance and unmasking
It turns out the Trump campaign was under surveillance. This was reportedly in connection with the surveillance of Russians that our intelligence agencies wanted to keep an eye on. In the course of that operation, so it is said, various individuals connected to Donald Trump were also recorded. The protocol, when that happens, is for the [Read More...]
Trump demotes the hardline Steve Bannon
President Trump removed senior advisor Steve Bannon from the National Security Council. Membership is usually reserved for high-level military officers, intelligence experts, and cabinet members, so the appointment of Bannon, the former editor of Breitbart News, had been controversial. Bannon has been associated, perhaps unfairly, with the alt.right and has been a target of criticism for [Read More...]
April 5, 2017
Exploding myths about cohabitation
University of Virginia sociologist Bradford Wilcox has published a study of the effects of cohabitation, couples living together without marriage. He especially looked at the impact on children when their parents are not married. He quantified his study by examining what percentage of children over time are still living with their parents. Now one could [Read More...]
From energy scarcity to energy abundance
Newspapers tend to offer good coverage of their city’s main industry. So if you want financial news, read the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. If you want entertainment news, read the Los Angeles Times. If you want political news, read the Washington Post. If you want news about the oil industry, read [Read More...]
What Germany is doing for Luther’s 500th Anniversary
Germany has lots going on for the 500th Anniversary year of Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses. The country has spiffed itself up (though Germany is always pretty spiffy), is sponsoring lots of Luther exhibits, and has launched special non-Luther things to see and do. Travel writer Rick Steves tells “What’s new in Germany” after [Read More...]
