In his clumsy, populistic way, Senator Tom Coburn (R,OK) has hit on something really important: Since it's clear Kagan is not an originalist (although it's not clear what she is), it's not surprising that natural rights strike her as a distraction from the proper work of a Supreme Court justice. When she says D.C. v. …
The Gift of Faith: Cyril of Jerusalem
From his Catechetical Lectures, around 347-8: But there is a second kind of faith, which is bestowed by Christ as a gift of grace. For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit: to another faith, by the same Spirit, …
Katharine Jefferts-Schori: Pushing People Towards the Margins
If you are given the opportunity to talk long and frequently long enough, you will blurt out the truth, as Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori did in New Zealand: Disagreement with The Episcopal Church about gay bishops is one thing: but why have those two ordinations provoked such intense antagonism? Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori …
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Rufinus on the Canon of Scripture
From his Commentary on the Apostles' Creed (36-38): Whence also the Apostle says, "All Scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable for instruction." And therefore it seems proper in this place to enumerate, as we have learned from the tradition of the Fathers, the books of the New and of the Old Testament, which, …
It's Easier to Have a Permanent Majority When You Know What You're Doing
Ari Berman at The Nation worries: But Democrats, beset by internal dysfunction and legislative gridlock, also run the risk of throwing their majority away. “Their chief challenge now is governance, which is daunting in its own right,” Teixeira writes. “They have an ambitious agenda in areas such as health care, financial reform, education, energy, and …
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Russian Spying: "It Didn't Do Us Much Good"
The recent arrest of a "ring" of Russian spies in the US brings back memories of the Cold War--well, for those of us who were alive and aware at the time. Readers of this blog know that I have a lifelong interest in Russia that ended up with some interesting business and other types of …
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Kagan's Confirmation: Getting the Judiciary to do the Legislature's Job
E.J. Dionne is sounding awfully triumphalistic these days: This week's hearings over Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court will mark a sea change in the way liberals argue about the judiciary. Democratic senators are planning to put the right of citizens to challenge corporate power at the centre of their critique of activist conservative …
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Sometimes Permanence is a Liability: The Lesson of Meyers Luggage
The death of Palm Beach luggage dealer Edwin R. Meyers brings back some interesting memories of travel gone by. Meyers Luggage played a crucial role in my family's foreign travel, but my last encounter made me do something I never thought I would do. In the 1960's my parents did a great deal of travel …
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You Will Never Be Forgotten for Being a Jerk
This gem of wisdom, from Engineering Tips: I would like to offer a suggestion that in your dealings with your co-workers, colleagues, fellow industry professionals, bosses, underlings, secretaries and the general public, put on your happy face and be polite. Your rewards may be few or none for doing the right thing, but YOU WILL NEVER …
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Is This the Parting Point Between the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion?
Drew asked me an interesting question regarding this in response to a previous post: Do you think that at any point in the foreseeable future, the ABC or the rest of the Anglican Communion will sever its ties with the ECUSA in favor of one of its rivals? The short answer is this: I think …
Positive Infinity 