Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

CONSERVATIVES AND PORN

Update:  Mollie Hemingway, who knows something about statistics and numbers says:

I read the study and it really is shocking that an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard University could be so clueless about what his data showed. I fear for the state of higher education.  [more]

- (Original post) John J. Miller writes:

You're going to be hearing about this: "Porn in the USA: Conservatives are the biggest consumers"

A quick look at the study reveals all sorts of problems: It doesn't examine individuals, but rather averages across areas, which leads to a red state vs. blue state analysis that allows for startling headlines but in fact tells us very little. . .

For an antidote, read this data-driven NRO piece by Arthur Brooks on conservatives, liberals, and romance. One highlight, drawn from the 2006 General Social Survey:

About 60 percent more Democrats than Republicans confess to having watched at least one pornographic movie in the past year.

This finding never made the news. I wonder why.

OBAMA'S PRO-ABORTION LEGAL COUNSEL PICK SEES PREGNANCY AS SLAVERY

- Update - Andy McCarthy analyzes and dissects Dawn Johnsen's Senate confirmation hearing performance.

(Original post) - Stephen Ertelt writes (bolding mine):

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- With his appointment of Dawn Johnsen, a former NARAL attorney, as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Legal Counsel, pro-life advocates already know they are getting an abortion advocate in the position. But, Johnsen goes further and views pregnancy as slavery.

Johnsen is a professor at the Indiana University School of Law, but she is also a longtime abortion advocate and worked for one of the leading abortion advocacy groups.

Johnsen was the Legal Director for NARAL from 1988-1993.

In an article at National Review, Andrew McCarthy describes the importance of the Office of Legal Counsel.

"OLC, a critically important agency, is the administration’s lawyers’ lawyer," he says. "It authoritatively interprets the law for the attorney general and, in doing so, drives administration legal policy."

"OLC’s credibility is derived from its reputation for apolitical, academic discipline — its commitment to informing policymakers of what the law is, rather than what staffers believe the law should be. Johnsen is, for that reason, a poor fit: She is an ideologue, and an unabashed one," he explains.

McCarthy says that Johnsen's view of pregnancy as slavery wasn't just an off-the-cuff remark.

"It was her considered position in a 1989 brief filed in the Supreme Court," he explains, and the legal papers she filed concerned a Missouri law banning taxpayer funding of abortions.

In the papers, Johnsen said that any restriction that makes abortion less accessible is, in her view, tantamount to “involuntary servitude” because it “requires a woman to provide continuous physical service to the fetus in order to further the state’s asserted interest [in the life of the unborn].”

CAPITALISM AND THE BIBLE

Philosopher Dr. Douglas Groothuis, at his blog, "The Constructive Curmudgeon," suggests:

"In light of the trashing of capitalism of late, and the sad, bad, and mad move toward socialism, I suggest you read this speech by the late Christian philosopher, Ronald Nash on "Socialism, Capitalism, and the Bible."

TEA PARTIES ACROSS THE NATION SHOW OPPOSITION TO "SPENDALOOZA" IN WASHINGTON

- Update 2/28/09 - The Christian Science Monitor has published a useful report.   Video here.

- (Original Post) Michelle Malkin is covering the demonstrations that took place today in cities all across the country.  She has photos galore at her website.   As she puts it, "Fiscal responsibility is the new counter-culture."  She's right!   Obamination

In Nashville -

In Cleveland:

In North Carolina -

(More . . .)

WHY ONE HAS CAUSE TO BE ANGRY WITH OBAMA (AND FEARFUL !)

The list is long and getting longer.  For a sampling:

- Obama's intelligence pick linked to Saudi Arabia
- Obama to rescind Bush protections against doctors who refuse to perform abortions.
- This isn't the free market. It's the freeloader market.
- Obama's speech 'peppered with exaggerations and factual misstatements.
- Larry Kudlow - Obama Declares War on Investors, Entrepreneurs, Businesses, and More 
- Rich Lowry - The guy is a world-class manipulator of words, and just frankly dishonest
- David Limbaugh offers a summary - It just keeps getting worse.

Phyllis Schlafly, 85 - Broken Hip

Michele Malkin says it accurately:

If Phyllis Schlafly were a liberal, she’d already have buildings and holidays named after her, MacArthur genius grants, countless women’s magazine covers, and the unending admiration of the media elite.

At 85, this mother, grandmother, and political icon remains a tireless activist, prolific author, and frequent lecturer. But because she is an unapologetic and outspoken conservative, she is demonized instead of lionized. . . 

She carried her message to the University of California at Berkeley on Tuesday, where she gave a talk on “Feminism vs. Conservatism.” The California Eagle Forums’ Orlean Koehle reports that while coming off the podium after giving her speech, she missed a step and fell and broke her hip.  (more . . )

KRAUTHAMMER - "THE OBAMAIST MANIFESTO"

Charles Krauthammer lays out Obama's vision with crystal clarity:

His three goals: universal health care, universal education, and a new green energy economy highly funded and regulated by government.

. . .  These revolutions in health care, education and energy are not just abstract hopes. They have already taken life in Obama's $787 billion stimulus package, a huge expansion of social spending constituting a down payment on Obama's plan for remaking the American social contract.

Obama sees the current economic crisis as an opportunity. He has said so openly. And now we know what opportunity he wants to seize. Just as the Depression created the political and psychological conditions for Franklin Roosevelt's transformation of America from laissez-faireism to the beginnings of the welfare state, the current crisis gives Obama the political space to move the still (relatively) modest American welfare state toward European-style social democracy. . .  (more . . .)

As Krauthammer says, "Let the debate begin."   (Note that Krauthammer does not comment on Obama's foreign policy.  He analyzes here only his domestic goals)

"RIGHT TO DIE" CAN BECOME A "DUTY TO DIE"

Wesley J. Smith has written an article which should serve as a warning:

Imagine that you have lung cancer. It has been in remission, but tests show the cancer has returned and is likely to be terminal. Still, there is some hope. Chemotherapy could extend your life, if not save it. You ask to begin treatment. But you soon receive more devastating news. A letter from the government informs you that the cost of chemotherapy is deemed an unjustified expense for the limited extra time it would provide. However, the government is not without compassion. You are informed that whenever you are ready, it will gladly pay for your assisted suicide. . .   That is exactly what happened last year to two cancer patients in Oregon, where assisted suicide is legal.  (more . . .)

Chuck Colson Lambasts Congress for "Earmarking" and "Pork"

Colson offers a hard-hitting commentary:

In one sense, earmarking is nothing but pure bribery in reverse. It’s a congressman’s or senator’s way of buying votes from the constituents back home.

The practice is an abomination. It violates the biblical understanding of the limited role of government—which is to preserve order and to promote justice—and it also rejects the principles on which our representative democracy was built.

Read the whole thing.

Johnny Cash Was Born 77 Years Ago Today

Justin Taylor has assembled a great post which includes a short Mars Hill Church video overview of Johnny Cash's life and a couple of YouTube videos of Johnny singing "Redemption" and "Hurt."

Drudge's Links at the Top Of His Page

Here are the captions:

'09 BUDGET SPENDS $11,833 FOR EVERY AMERICAN...
$25,573.48 PER TAXPAYER...
THE $1.75 TRILLION DEFICIT...
PDF FILE: 'A New Era of Responsibility'...
DICK MORRIS: IT'S OBAMA SPREADING PANIC...
US banks post first quarterly loss since 1990... Developing...
Record Government Note Auction; Unprecedented amount of debt... Developing...

And here is the chart Drudge put up:

Me: Crazy, crazy, unspeakably crazy.

Pensioner Spends 30 Years Building Amazing Model of Herod's Temple

- Update 3/1/09 - There's also a nice picture gallery of 19 images.  Mr. Garrard's book, The Splendor of the Temple, is published in the US by Kregel.   (HT: Justin Taylor)

(Original Post) - This is an amazing story -- what craftsmanship, what patience, what an extraordinary contribution to the world!  From Britain's Daily Mail  (HT: HotAir):

For his part, Mr Garrard, 78, has dedicated 33,000 hours to constructing his model and has hand-baked and painted every clay brick and tile and even sculpted 4,000 tiny human figures to populate the courtyards.

Historical experts believe the model, which has attracted thousands of visitors from all over the globe, is the best representation in the world of what the Jewish temple actually looked like.

Click through for several photos and read the whole article.  It will be worth it.  Here is a sample photo:

A peek into the 1:100 scale model, here showing the Court of Prayer, enables one to see the extraordinary attention to detail where Alec has hand-baked and painted every clay brick and tile

And here's a photo from the London Telegraph:

 

Flannery O'Connor: Southern Fiction Writer

Here's an interesting (audio) interview with Brad Gooch, author of the just-published Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor.  His interview, which isn't long, provides an excellent introduction to O'Connor (1925-1954) whose popularity seems to grow year by year.  Readers of O'Connor are well aware of her richly informative collected letters (The Habit of Being) mentioned by Gooch.  Gooch tells us that O'Connor wrote 3 hours each morning and generally wrote three to five letters a day, in addition to caring for 39 peacocks!  She died of Lupus at age 39.

Recently I stumbled upon two online (video) lectures given by Yale Professor Amy Hungerford on O'Connor's novel Wise Blood (available here and here).  They compose part of Hungerford's Yale class on "The American Novel Since 1945" which covers in addition to Flannery O'Connor, Richard Wright, Vladimir Nabokov, Jack Kerouac, J. D. Salinger, Thomas Pynchon, John Barth, Maxine Hong Kingston, Toni Morrison, Marilynne Robinson, Cormac McCarthy, Philip Roth and Edward P. Jones.  All her lectures are online and free.

Denver Archbishop Chaput Warns Against "Spirit of Adulation" Surrounding Obama

Roman Catholic Archbishop Chaput strikes me as a major voice of clarity and sanity in both the religious and public squares.  I'm not a Catholic, but the Archbishop has my profound respect.  Read this account of his speech in Toronto from which the warning about the "spirit of adulation" surrounding Obama is taken.   (HT: Drudge)

IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO LOOK AT OTHER PEOPLE'S DESKS

It makes me feel better about my own.  Here is a picture of the late William F. Buckley, Jr. at his desk.

And here is a picture of the great New Testament scholar, N.T. Wright, at his desk.   

Oslo, Norway Loaded Down With Snow

 Interesting account here (in English!)

Ken Myers: Ten Books to Read on Understanding the Culture

Justin Taylor over at Between Two Worlds posted the following (via James Grant) which I am cribbing (I hope I won't get into trouble.  It's just that Justin Taylor formats posts so well, together with links, that it makes clicking through easy and a pleasure) :

Touchstone editor James Kushiner passes along a list of 10 books recommended by Mars Hill Audio's Ken Myers for understanding culture:

Five “Thinner” Books:

C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man (1943)
Wendell Berry, Life Is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition (2000)
Colin Gunton, Enlightenment and Alienation: An Essay Towards a Trinitarian Theology (1985)
George Parkin Grant, English-Speaking Justice (1985)
Richard Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences (1948)

Five “Thicker” Books:

John McWhorter, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care (2003)
Jacques Barzun, The Use and Abuse of Art (1974)
David Thomson, The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood (2004)
Julian Johnson, Who Needs Classical Music?: Cultural Choice and Musical Value (2002)
Langdon Winner, Autonomous Technology: Technics-out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought (1977)

Me:  From the list above, I have only Lewis' Abolition of Man and Weaver's Ideas Have Consequences. I am not sure what to make of the list.  One of those reading Justin Taylor's post suggested Life at the Bottom by Theodore Dalrymple.  I think I would have added Gene Veith's Modern Fascism among others.  (I have yet to get and read Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism).  Other suggestions?

THE UNDEVELOPED MUSLIM WORLD

Mark Steyn answered a critic of an article of his by saying that he (Steyn) had simply quoted the prime minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Mohammed "one of the least worst Muslim nations."  Dr. Mohammed had said:        

"We produce practically nothing on our own, we can do almost nothing for ourselves, we cannot even manage our wealth," he added... In spite of a number of Muslim nations being extremely wealthy, there is not a single one of them that can be classified as "developed" by any criteria. "[We are] lagging behind in modern knowledge, financial and technological skills and in many instances, effective governments," he lamented. In addition to poverty, ignorance and instability have become such common features in the Muslim world that its detractors assume these afflictions are the natural consequences of following the teachings of Islam, Mahathir said.  [Steyn's emphasis]

To which Steyn added:

He's right . . . The "Muslim" world is not politically developed, economically developed, intellectually developed, scientifically developed - objectively speaking.  Nor is it "free". I mention in America Alone  the 2005 Freedom House rankings of personal liberty and democracy: Five of the eight countries with the lowest "freedom" score were Muslim. Of the 46 Muslim majority nations in the world, only three were free.Of the 16 nations in which Muslims form between 20 and 50 per cent of the population, only another three were ranked as free: Benin, Suriname, and Serbia & Montenegro (which has now split into its constituent parts). As I add, "It will interesting to follow France's fortunes as a fourth member of that group."

TURKEY SLIDING INTO A MIDDLE EASTERN-STYLE POLICE STATE

Michael Rubin writes:

Prime Minister Erdogan continues to emulate Vladimir Putin as he consolidates control in Turkey. Yesterday, after warning the news group to stop criticizing him and calling for a boycott of critical newspapers, his appointees slapped a $500 million fine on the Dogan Group.

Meanwhile, wiretapping scandals continue and even Turkish diplomats say they are afraid to go to restaurants and talk about politics or policy openly as Turkey continues its slide into becoming a Middle Eastern-style police state.

Fox News Report from Sept. 28, 2008 - Timeline Shows Bush, McCain Warning Dems of Financial and Housing Crisis; Meltdown

This video shows that George Bush tried to warn Congress in 2002 that this economic crisis was coming, if something was not done. But congress refused to listen, along with Barney Franks. This video says it all .

RALPH PETERS - EUROPE IN CRISIS

I hadn't realized just how bad things have become.  Ralph Peters informs us . . .

Robert P. George: What Obama Will Give the Left

Prof. Robert P. George says:

With political realities preventing Obama from satisfying his left-wing base on economic and foreign policy questions, look for Obama to give the left the barn on social issues. And expect him to do so in significant measure through the courts.  (more . . .)

Me: No doubt Robert George is right about the social issues and the courts.  But I think he will be giving the left more and more on economic issues as well. 

Czech President Vaclev Havel Compares EU to Soviet Union

Vaclev Havel is one of the great, courageous men of our time.  AP writer Constant Brand reports:

BRUSSELS – The European Union has turned into an undemocratic and elitist project comparable to the Communist dictatorships of eastern Europe that forbade alternative thinking, Czech President Vaclav Klaus told the European Parliament on Thursday. . . 

He said current EU practices smacked of communist times when the Soviet Union controlled much of eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic and when dissent or even discussions were not tolerated.    (more. . .)

Update: 2/20/09 - the text of Vaclev Havel's speech may be found here.

Heather MacDonald Answers Attorney General Eric Holder - What's Really Cowardly is Racial Dishonesty

MacDonald writes:    (HT: HotAir)

Attorney General Eric Holder. . . recently told his Justice Department employees that the United States was a “nation of cowards” for not talking more about race. “It is an issue we have never been at ease with and, given our nation’s history, this is in some ways understandable,” Holder said. “If we are to make progress in this area, we must feel comfortable enough with one another and tolerant enough of each other to have frank conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us.”

To which MacDonald unleashes an energetic, fact-filled response.  Most of us would be hesitant (cowardly?) to respond to Holder's accusation with such boldness and vigor.  But can she be faulted?

The Obama Cult - Continually Creepy...

Jay Nordlinger writes:

You know the Cult of Obama? . . .   I’d like to tell you about something in my neighborhood. There is a display at the big Barnes & Noble, at 66th and Broadway (Manhattan). Only it is not so much a display as a shrine. In any case, it is a window—the main window—and it is devoted to Obama. The window is religious in character, or at least worshipful.

It includes cardboard cutouts of Obama, and front pages hailing his election, and a video monitor. The monitor plays a loop of the Great Man in action, meeting the people, looking benevolent and leader-like. As we were walking past last night, a friend of mine took an iPhone picture: here. The picture does not do this display/shrine justice. You have to see it, to believe it and gag at it.

Frankly, Obama voters and fans ought to be embarrassed. This window is well-nigh North Korean.

The Parable of the Pear Tree

Dr. Ben Witherington of Asbury Seminary writes:

Our Asbury student Scott Cozart told the following parable in chapel this morning.

A father wanted to teach his four sons the lesson of not judging something or someone too quickly, and so he called his four sons together and said "I have a task for you. I want you, my eldest son to go out into our fields and take a look at the pear tree and come back and tell me what your evaluation is of its condition."

So the eldest went out and saw the pear tree. But it was winter, and the son saw the tree on a harsh winter day and reported back and said to his father.

Pelosi and the Pope: Two Quite Different Accounts of Their Meeting

The ever-valuable George Weigle looks at the statements issued by Rep. Nancy Pelosi and the Vatican and asks, "Were they at the same meeting?"  This is really interesting. 

From the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:

It is with great joy that my husband, Paul, and I met with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, today. In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the Church’s leadership in fighting poverty, hunger, and global warming, as well as the Holy Father’s dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel. I was proud to show His Holiness a photograph of my family’s papal visit in the 1950s, as well as a recent picture of our children and grandchildren.

From the Press Office of the Holy See:

Following the General Audience, the Holy Father briefly greeted Mrs. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, together with her entourage. His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception until natural death, which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists, and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of development.

Weigle's comments and elaborations constitute important reading.  In fact I'll include them on page two of this post.

The Stealth Jihad Proceeds

Andy McCarthy reports (my emphases):

Major Muslim organizations throughout the United States are controlled to one degree or another by the Muslim Brotherhood and are engaged in an incremental campaign to install Islamic law — shariah.  So says former FBI agent John Guandolo, who is now speaking out about both the threat and the disinclination of the government to do much of anything about it.  The story is reported in Tennessee's Times-Gazette, here, and by Robert Spencer (of Jihad Watch and author of the important book, Stealth Jihad), here.

Me:  I clicked through to the articles linked above and advise you do so as well.  The "stealth jihad"  is an under reported story to say the least.  The former FBI agent, John Guandolo, has tremendous credibility.   May his sort multiply tenfold.

North Dakota House Passes Abortion Ban

From Minot's KX TV News (HT: Drudge):

North Dakota's House of Representatives has passed a bill effectively outlawing abortion.  The House voted 51-41 this afternoon to declare that a fertilized egg has all the rights of any person.  That means a fetus could not be legally aborted without the procedure being considered murder. . .   The bill now goes to the North Dakota Senate.  (more . . .)

Global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

Transparency International is in the business of ranking global corruption.  "The CPI ranks 180 countries by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys."

I find this very interesting indeed.   Denmark ranks at the top, Somalia at the bottom, with the US tied with Belgium and Japan at #18.  Here's the CTI table of nations  and their rankings.  I haven't studied the methodology and so have no opinion.

Can Obama Be Trusted? How Good is His Word?

Byron York declares, "It's more about showmanship than sunlight."

Back during the presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised something he called “Sunlight Before Signing.” Obama complained that “too often bills are rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them.” So he pledged that, as president, he would “not sign any nonemergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House Web site for five days.”

 “Sunlight Before Signing” faded into darkness with the first bill that came across Obama’s desk. The new president signed the Lily  Ledbetter Fair Pay Act two days after it was passed by Congress — and without posting it on the White House Web site.

Student Sues L.A. City College District Over Gay-Marriage Speech

Los Angeles Times' story here.  

Me: Free speech anyone?  The curse of political correctness must be defeated.  It's an abomination, a betrayal of American liberty, a tyranny allowed to go unchallenged too long.

Disappointing: Bristol Palin Says Abstinence "Not Realistic"

Excerpt from Greta Van Susteren's video interview here.

Victor Davis Hanson - "The Audacity of Irony: Hope and Change Meet Reality"

If you want to read a brilliant evaluation of President Obama and our current political scene, you can't do better than read VDH's analysis.

We have seen irony before, when the moralist Jimmy Carter chastised us with sermons about our paranoid, inordinate fear of Communism and our amoral unconcern with human rights, even as the dividends of his policies were the Soviets in Afghanistan and the Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran — and even greater global misery than before.

For the last 24 months a youthful Barack Obama has daily offered unspecified “hope and change” idealism — all set against the supposed cynical wrongdoing of the tired Bush administration. In the unhinged manner in which his supporters turned a center-right president like George Bush into some sort of sinister reactionary, so too they deified a rookie senator as the long-awaited liberal messiah.

How could irony not follow from all that?   (Keep reading . . .  You won't be disappointed)  

Bat Yeor on the OIC (Organization of the Islamic Conference)

Bat Yeor titles her extremely helpful and informative article, "Geert Wilders and the Fight for Europe."  (I posted previously about Britain's capitulation to Islamists here.)  Bat Yeor does us the service of explaining the OIC's aims and structure. 

" . . .  The OIC’s aim is to punish and suppress any alleged Islamophobia, around the world but particularly in Europe, and it has been a leader in creating the conditions that made the U.K.’s Wilders ban possible.

 The OIC is one of the largest intergovernmental organizations in the world. It encompasses 56 Muslim states plus the Palestinian Authority. Spread over four continents, it claims to speak in the name of the ummah (the universal Muslim community), which numbers about 1.3 billion. The OIC’s mission is to unite all Muslims worldwide by rooting them in the Koran and the Sunnah — the core of traditional Islamic civilization and values. It aims at strengthening solidarity and cooperation among all its members, in order to protect the interests of Muslims everywhere and to galvanize the ummah into a unified body. 

The OIC is a unique organization — one that has no equivalent in the world. It unites the religious, economic, military, and political strength of 56 states. . .  The organization has numerous subsidiary institutions collaborating at the highest levels with international organizations in order to implement

TOO CHRISTIAN FOR THE CHRISTIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA

Edward Feser reports:

Last Wednesday I reported on a controversy involving the decision by academic press Wiley-Blackwell to suspend publication of the Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization, allegedly on the grounds that it is “too Christian.” The editor of the Encyclopedia, George T. Kurian, has claimed in a memo sent to the work’s contributors that the press intended to pulp the entire initial print run of the work and demands that it be revised so as to make it less pro-Christian, more friendly to Islam, and in general more “politically correct.” 

More . . .

Evolution and Religion

The Pew Research Center has done some interesting surveys regarding views of evolution from different religious perspective:

Read more here.   (HT: BetweenTwoWorlds)

Rod Dreher on the Continuing Culture Wars

 Dreher writes (excerpt):

The source of our culture war is conflicting visions of what it means to be free and what it means to be an American - and even what it means to be fully human. More concretely, as Princeton's Robert George has written, they have to do mainly "with sexuality, the transmitting and taking of human life, and the place of religion and religiously informed moral judgment in public life."

Because the cultural left and cultural right hold to irreconcilable orthodoxies on these questions, we find scant cultural consensus. That's life in America. Unless we become a homogenous country, we will continue to struggle to live together, staying true to our deepest beliefs while respecting the liberty of others to stay true to their own. . . 

What irritates conservatives is the liberals' groundless conceit that they fight from a values-neutral position, while the right seeks to impose its norms on others. Nonsense. Marriage was a settled issue until liberals began using courts to impose their moral vision on (so far) an unwilling majority. Who fired the first shot there? . .   [more . . .]

Muslim Wife Beheaded in Buffalo, NY

-  You hadn't heard that?  Hmmm...  I wonder why not?  Could it be that the American Press, like the European press, tries to downplay anything negative about Islam?  To read more about the Buffalo crime and the murder of Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37 read Michelle Malkin's article, "The barbaric Muslim beheading in Buffalo." Read also Pamela Geller's coverage.  Read also Robert Spencer's response to the brief February 13th, Buffalo News article. Spencer also says:

The courageous warrior Pamela Geller has just posted at Atlas Shrugs a harrowing collection of photographs of honor killing victims. Scroll and scroll, and it just keeps going -- so many victims, and still these photographs represent only the tiniest fraction of honor killing victims worldwide. I've posted three here; there are many, many more.

Note that the vast majority of the victims pictured were living in America or elsewhere in the West. Yet the West, with all its humane values, did not save them -- it was too busy sacrificing at the altar of multiculturalism to waste its time with a few murdered women.

Blurring Lines Between the Decent and the Repulsive

One of my blog post categories is "Collapse of the West."  (See the column on the right side of this blog for other categories).   I think what L. Brent Bozell III reports fits that category.   He begins his article by saying,

Daniel Bergner isn’t the devil’s advocate, but he is a pervert’s apologist. This author and contributor to the New York Times Magazine has a new book titled "The Other Side of Desire," which argues it is unfair to judge bizarre, harmful, and disgusting sexual attractions as bizarre, harmful, and disgusting.

Bozell says further,

It’s natural that a New York Times contributor would draw praise in the New York Times Book Review, but the reviewer, National Public Radio commentator Lori Gottlieb, went beyond the call of duty in her February 8 piece. She aggressively touted Bergner’s literary and journalistic gifts, then took up the banner of his libertine crusade to blur all lines between the decent and the repulsive.  [my emphasis]

Me: And that's my cue for categorizing this book and its favorable reception as yet another sign of the "collapse of the West."  When a culture can't distinguish between "the decent and the repulsive," it is done for, barring some sort of supernatural Christian revival.  "Repulsive" is a word one rarely hears.  It's a good, strong word that needs to find its way back into appropriate usage.

- After posting the material above, I came across a symposium, "Islamic Terror and Sexual Mutilation," which expands the discussion of "repulsive"considerably.  It probably deserves a separate blog post, but I'll just note the symposium for now. 

During the horrifying siege of the Taj Mahal Hotel, the Islamic terrorists sexually humiliated and mutilated the guests before shooting them dead. Why? Frontpage has assembled a distinguished panel to discuss this question with us today.

Is Obama's Economic Fearmongering Justified?

I honestly don't know.  But one economics professor takes strong exception to Obama.  Bradley Schiller contends Obama's Rhetoric is the Real Catastrophy."  (HT: Drudge)

President Barack Obama has turned fearmongering into an art form. He has repeatedly raised the specter of another Great Depression. First, he did so to win votes in the November election. He has done so again recently to sway congressional votes for his stimulus package. . .

This fearmongering may be good politics, but it is bad history and bad economics. It is bad history because our current economic woes don't come close to those of the 1930s. At worst, a comparison to the 1981-82 recession might be appropriate. . .  [more . . .]

Quote of the Day - G. K. Chesterton on Original Sin, Beggars, and Kings

From G. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy  -

Christianity preaches an obviously unattractive idea, such as original sin; but when we wait for its results, they are pathos and brotherhood, and a thunder of laughter and pity; for only with original sin can we at once pity the beggar and distrust the king.

Me:  One could draw all manner of applications from this quote, but perhaps the most relevant would be to distrust all would-be "messiahs."  There are none, except Christ alone.  All who suppose otherwise will have their hopes and dreams dashed.   

INSANITY, COWARDICE, AND CAPITULATION IN ENGLAND

- Update 2/17/09 - Daniel Schwammenthal offers excellent commentary in his Wall Street Journal opinion piece, "Britain's Surrender to Islamists."  Bret Stephens has produced an important column on the West's reaction to Mr. Serrano's crucifix in urine (the mocking of Christianity) with the West's refusal to protect free speech when it comes to critiquing Islam.

- Update 2/15/09 - UK ministers who banned Wilders admit: We haven't watched "Fitna"

- (Original Post)  Andy McCarthy notes the astonishing reality of contemporary England [my emphases]:

It has come to this: If you are an Islamic radical, trained to carry out terrorist atrocities in al-Qaeda’s jihad against the United Kingdom, the British will welcome you with open arms. Not content with that, Great Britain will lobby insistently for your release from custody so that you may freely roam British streets—and the halls of Westminster.

If, by contrast, you are a duly elected representative in the democratic government of a country to which England is bound in the European Union, and you speak about the undeniable—though mulishly denied—nexus between Islamic doctrine and jihadist terror, Great Britain will slam her door in your face.

That is the lesson in the appalling saga of Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch parliament and Exhibit Umpty-Umpth illustrating the depths of capitulation to which the West has sunk in its half-hearted bid for cultural survival.

McCarthy continues:

David Ogden for Deputy Attorney General?

Maggie Gallagher says:

Should a man with a long list of pornographers as clients—and a long, outspoken record of objecting to attempts to regulate the pornography industry in order to prevent child sex abuse—be confirmed as deputy attorney general? For Obama nominee David Ogden, even requiring pornographers to keep records documenting that their subjects are not underage would “burden too heavily and infringe too deeply on the right to produce First Amendment protected material.” Does Obama really want a deputy attorney general so deeply committed to the right to produce porn?

The Family Research Council adds: 

David Ogden, nominated to the high-ranking post of Deputy Attorney General of the United States . As a private attorney, Ogden worked for the ACLU and filed a brief in the landmark abortion case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that denied the existence of adverse mental health effects of abortion on women. Ogden has also been one of the nation's most prominent porn defense attorneys, representing not only Playboy and Penthouse, but also PHE, Inc., the largest distributor of hardcore pornography in the United States.

And what about these other nominees (FRC):

Thomas Perrelli is Obama's nominee for Associate Attorney General at the Justice Department. Perrelli won media attention as the attorney for Michael Schiavo, the Florida man who defeated

Center for Christian Study at the University of Virginia

This organization does high-level work. The Center's website lists their Fall 2008 Faith & Life lectures available for listening:

The Biblical Practice of Prayer, Tony Monaghan
The Abuse of Sex, Roger Scruton
What is the Bible, and Where Did It Come From?, Drew Trotter
Saturday Seminar, Understanding the Bible, Bill Wilder
Love and Justice, Nicholas Wolterstorff
Ken Myers, Mars Hill Audio
Dr. Robert Wilken, University of Virginia
Prayer and Art, Gene Veith

I receive the Center's newsletter, Praxis (available at the website).  An undergraduate student is quoted there as saying of Scruton's lecture, "The Abuse of Sex": "I thought it was absolutely amazing... Among professional philosophers alive today, he now is by far the one whom I respect most." 

Other lectures from the Center can be found here.

One-Third of Europeans Blame Economic Collapse On . . .

You guessed it . . .  The Jews.  Ed Morrissey reports on the original Jerusalem Post article saying:

Anti-Semitic attitudes have increased in the wake of the economic collapse, a study across seven European countries has found, with a third of Europeans blaming the Jews for the economy.  Spain appears to have the highest levels of animosity towards Jews . . .

Morrissey goes on to say:

Make no mistake about it; the Jews of the West are in danger of getting completely marginalized at a very bad time in history for it to happen.  If those numbers continue to grow, we can expect pressure from these Western nations to abandon Israel, and more importantly, to abandon the fight against radical Islamist terrorism and Iranian hegemony in the Middle East.

C.J. Mahaney Interviews Pastor John Piper

Mahaney's interviews with evangelical preachers, writers and theologians are always interesting.  Here is his interview with John Piper.  (HT: Justin Taylor)

When asked about his practices concerning morning devotions, Piper answered:

I set aside one hour for prayer and Bible reading using the Discipleship Journal read through the Bible reading plan. That puts me now (February 2009) in Exodus, Psalms, Matthew, and Acts. On the five free days when there are no assignments I focus on memorization.

Darwin Believers Hide Fears of Intelligent Design Behind a Wall of Denial and Ridicule

Casey Luskins wrote a guest article for U.S. News & World Report:

Most Darwinists involved in the public debate today have one, and only one goal: To stifle free debate on this subject and thereby discourage you, the public, from scrutinizing the scientific evidence for yourself.

Over the years, Darwinists have evolved a variety of strategies to accomplish these goals. We see each of these strategies in play in the op-eds and comments by Darwinists in this present forum on U.S. News and World Report. I'll discuss how my opponents on this forum use the strategies of (1) Ridicule, Demonization, and Character Assassination; (2) Equating Darwin-Skeptics with Religion; (3) Persecute Darwin-Skeptics; and (4) Pretend There Is No Scientific Controversy Over Evolution in order to try to dissuade you, the reader, from thinking for yourself on this subject.

Strategy 1: Ridicule, Demonization, and Character Assassination
Darwinists have adopted a discourse of demonization where they try to attack their opponents as dishonest, deceitful, or even worse—uncool and medieval! We should be suspicious of this tactic because . . .  [more]    (HT- Ed Morrissey at HotAir)

-  Gallup poll: "On Darwin's Birthday, Only 4 in 10 Believe in Evolution"

Map of Planned Parenthood Abuses

Ed Morrissey calls attention to the map of Planned Parenthood abuses:

Live Action Films has made news and launched investigations with its Mona Lisa Project, in which Lila Rose and her colleagues conduct undercover investigations into abuses at Planned Parenthood clinics.  They’ve had so much success in finding these abuses that they have created a violations map of illegal and/or abusive PP activity over the last decade. . .    Check out the site.  It’s an eye-opener.

February 12, 1809 - Three Birthdays: Mendelsohn, Lincoln, Darwin

Charles Colson reflects:

Two hundred years ago, three boys were born a few days apart in Germany, England, and the United States. All of them would become renowned and affect the lives of not only their contemporaries but of generations to come.

One would produce great works of art and revive interest in long-forgotten artistic treasures. One would lead his nation to a “new birth of freedom” and pay with his life. The third would be responsible for an idea that, intentionally or not, would rationalize the worst cruelty and oppression the world has ever seen.

Whose birthday is getting the most attention? Of course, the third one.  [more . . .]