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Monthly Archives: May 2011

Michelle hears the call

Michelle Bachmann says she has heard the call to a higher vocation. This presents a number of questions, both theological and scientific. In some cases, a mixture of both. Now, when I was back there in Catholic school, there were nuns that put forth the proposition that the Lord would call you to his service. […]

Friday Night Music-Randy Newman redux

If I’m not mistaken, Randy was the artist with whom I started this feature. Back then, the Randy Newman videos on youtube were few and far between, and of fairly bad quality to boot. Though I don’t like to repeat artists, I’m making an exception for Randy because-well, because I want to and this is […]

A small bit of welcome news

We in Connecticut can take some pride in our House delegation, everyone of whom voted against renewing the Patriot Act. I owe an apology to Joe Courtney, since a short while ago I predicted he’d vote the wrong way, as, in my defense, he has in the past. When they are old and grey, the […]

Noted in passing

God appears to have changed his mind about Missouri.

It’s not judicial activism when they do it

I would very much like to know the legal basis upon which a Texas judge enjoined the City of San Antonio from naming a street after Cesar Chavez. Given the two hundred name changes that went unchallenged (according to the proponent of the name change), it’s hard to believe there’s some sort of statutory standard […]

Another Republican frame adopted

It has been observed often, but always bears repeating, that the media in this country, whether consciously or unconsciously, sides with Republicans by adopting their terminology and the frames they put around issues. A good case in point is this article in this morning’s Times, about the special election in New York tomorrow. Several times […]

The fruits of bi-partisanship

We can all take heart that bipartisanship is indeed not dead. When it comes to depriving the American people of their civil liberties, Republicans and Democrats are able to come together with amazing alacrity. Witness the recent announcement that Harry Reid has reached agreement with the Republicans to continue the egregious provisions of the so-called […]

The Last Friday Night Music?

According to mathematician and Biblical Scholar Harold Camping, the world is going to end tomorrow, so I am going to take this opportunity to bid adieu to anyone who might actually be wasting their time reading this blog on their last few hours on earth. I know I’m not going to waste any of my […]

A certain asymmetry

Recently the Wall Street Journal ran an article about an Administrative Law Judge who grants nearly 100% of the claims before him. There was also an implication that he was able to steer cases from one particular lawyer to himself. Predictably, this has led to calls from Republicans for Congressional investigations into the entire disability […]

The hippies did it

Via Kos, big news: A five-year study commissioned by the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops to provide a definitive answer to what caused the priest sexual-abuse crisis has concluded that neither the all-male celibate priesthood nor homosexuality are to blame. Instead, the report says, the abuse occurred because priests who were poorly prepared and monitored, and […]