Monthly Archives: February 2012

Benjamin Netanyahu and the Politics of Bombing Iran

Andrew Sullivan explains: Netanyahu desperately needs US cover for an attack; and is furious he cannot simply push them around as he was once wont to do. Nonetheless, he has a united Republican front in Romney, Santorum and Gingrich, funded … Continue reading

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Why I Predict Rick Santorum Will Be the Republican Nominee

Demographics. They’re working against white conservatives, and it’s making them ornery. Thanks to demographics, Jonathan Chait at New York magazine explains the fight or stand-down existential dilemma facing Republicans going forward: [T]he psychology of decline does not always operate in … Continue reading

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Blessed are the Ignorant: Rick Santorum Adds a Beatitude to the Sermon on the Mount

“Blessed are ye who lack degrees, for such is the Party of God.” And they applauded. What manner of man is this? _____ “But woe unto those that are educated, for they art snobs.” Here’s a transcript of Rick Santorum’s exact … Continue reading

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Can You Have Your Lent and Capitalism Too?

This past week, have you been indulging or denying yourself? The warring sides of human existence—the selfishly sensual and the altruistic—are brutally depicted in the below painting by Pieter Bruegal titled, “The Fight Between Carnival and Lent” (1559). At left … Continue reading

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Creation Through Evolution?

Maybe the universe is an ongoing creation, and this is how the Creator is doing it, moving us, through a process of evolution, to some end product we can only half-imagine now. _____ Then again, maybe we live in a … Continue reading

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War in 2012: My (Pessimistic) Take on the Israeli-Iranian Standoff

An option for dealing with Iran—the one President Obama would certainly prefer if Israel was led by a liberal politician and the Republicans were not so bat-shit crazy—is containment: let the Iranians develop their nuclear bomb(s) and live, as best … Continue reading

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Rick Santorum: Pro-Torture Catholic

There’s something grimly ironic in a contemporary politician claiming to be a serious Catholic while supporting the torture of prisoners. But this is what Rick Santorum does: he supports the return of Bush-era torture practices. And this, of course, is … Continue reading

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“I Don’t Consent To Searches”: Calm Constitutional Pushback To The Security State

One step toward not being a sheep.

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The Coming War with Iran: Will American Billionaire Sheldon Adelson Be to Blame?

It certainly appears that Sheldon Adelson would have more than a little bit of responsibility for America’s war with Iran, should it occur. Here’s an alarming bit of background on Sheldon Adelson in the Financial Times on Sunday: Then there is Sheldon Adelson, … Continue reading

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Satan over Santa: Rick Santorum Believes the Father of Lies Exists, but Not Father Christmas

It’s getting weird. Call it the Vast Bat Wing Conspiracy against Rick Santorum, for he believes Satan, not Mitt Romney, is his chief opposition. Seriously. I’d rather our politicians profess belief in things innocuous like Santa rather than Satan. But the … Continue reading

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Twitter Blasphemy Watch: 26,000 Now Call for Death of Hamza Kashgari

As of this morning, over 26,000 Facebookers are calling for the death of poet and feminist Hamza Kashgari for Twitter blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad. The number has been steadily climbing over the past week. If you find this as distressing as … Continue reading

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Atheism and Free Will: The End of Praise and Shame?

If you’re an atheist and have concluded that free will doesn’t exist, where does that leave praise and shame? Atheist Jerry Coyne, who does not believe humans have free will, suggests that it leaves praise and shame in the dust: … Continue reading

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Shunned Andrew Watch: Mars Hill Cult Excommunicates Member Who Wouldn’t Write Out His Sexual History

The sheer fanatic creepiness of this is worthy of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. The following appeared yesterday at the Christianity Today website: Over the last month, several blogs have discussed the case of Andrew, a member of Mars Hill Church’s Ballard, … Continue reading

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A Powerful Plea for Gay Marriage from a Republican

Maureen Walsh (R), 16th District, Walla Walla, Washington:  

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My 2012 Prediction: Barack Obama will Bomb Iran

In the hopes of winning reelection, President Barack Obama will bomb Iran. That’s my prediction for the second half of 2012. I say this for three reasons: Economic sanctions and diplomacy are not slowing Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Netanyahu is … Continue reading

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Rick Santorum: Cafeteria Catholic Without a Condom

Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum makes quite a show of his submission to Catholic teaching and his absolute adherence to what I would call Pope Benedict’s Semen Principle. The Semen Principle is the following: Semen must go nowhere but in a … Continue reading

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Gray on Pink(er): Because of Our Evolution, the Irrational We’ll Always Have With Us

John Gray thinks Steven Pinker’s thesis in his new book—in which Pinker argues that the world is progressing toward an ever less violent future—is deluded. In the Jacob-wrestle between Enlightenment rationality and our evolution-formed imperatives, Gray is betting that our … Continue reading

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Appearances vs. Reality

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Twitter Blasphemy: 18,000 Facebookers Call for the Death of Feminist Hamza Kashgari for Insulting the Prophet Muhammad

As of this morning, 18,000 is the number of Facebookers calling for the death of Hamza Kashgari for Twitter blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad. The number was 8,000 on Thursday, 13,000 on Friday, and 16,000 on Saturday. Does anyone know … Continue reading

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Twitter Blasphemy: 16,000 Facebookers Agree That Hamza Kashgari Should Be Executed for Insulting the Prophet

The number of people who have joined a Facebook page calling for the death of Hamza Kashgari for Twitter blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad has climbed from 8,000 on Thursday to 16,000 this morning (I just checked the page). Yesterday, … Continue reading

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