Month: May 2004

Public opinion on the gay marriage issue fascinates me as it never has before. There’s been such a rapid shift recently that I am forced to wonder what’s at the bottom of it. Glenn Reynolds is a law professor in a pretty conservative state, and when he reports broad support for same sex marriage (more…

Because I am so totally against censorship of any kind, and I like to encourage people to speak their minds freely, I never imagined that I would delete comments at this blog. But I have, and I don’t like it. It’s, well, depressing to see that there are people in this world who are so…

Let me start by saying that I never said there weren’t any conspiracies. Any time two or more people agree to do something, there’s a conspiracy. It’s just that the big, grand, magical conspiracies, if they exist, tend not to work. I just read Megan McArdle’s piece on doom and gloom, and here’s an excerpt…

A comment posted to the Nick Berg beheading video thread reminded me that conspiracy thinking is alive and well. The anonymous commenter asserted — without any evidence at all — that the beheading of Nick Berg was a “false-flag” operation by the U.S. government. Absurd as it initially seemed, eventually I remembered that many people…

Everyone — especially new visitors — please check out Donald Sensing’s collection of horror stories involving the United Nations. (Link via InstaPundit) Not only is the U.N. corrupt, but in many cases they’re behaving as thugs and terrorists. The stories are appalling, but what’s most appalling is that they won’t appear in most newspapers. (At…

Crazy as things are right now in the blogosphere, I have debated the propriety of posting my usual Friday Online Tests. I decided to go ahead, because this is a weekly tradition at Classical Values, and for all I know, some of the new readers might need a little harmless relief as much as I.…

There’s a lot going on today. Quite coincidentally, I just visited West Chester (Nick Berg’s hometown) where I saw a substantial police presence. Obviously, this was for Nick Berg’s memorial service (which I am not crass enough to attend). There’s quite a bit of controversy as to whether Nick himself was a supporter or agent…

I think I know why. Oh, but before I go any further, I should let readers know that by “they” I don’t mean the Islamists. They’re not even worth dignifying with reasoned analysis. Besides, we already know why they hate us. (It’s because of a thing called “freedom.”) No; my question refers to the Robert…

Regular readers may remember my outrage over what was done to Daniel Pearl by our enemies. (I posted about this atrocity several times, here, here, and here.) I also placed the video at this blog (you can stream it here), because I feel very strongly that every American should: [D]ownload the Daniel Pearl video, watch…

Recently, I predicted that ideological extremists in this country would soon invoke Culture War rhetoric to blame their favorite villains for the Abu Ghraith prison scandal. First came Robert Fisk, who blamed “towns and cities” like Tennessee. (?) Well, it didn’t take long for at least one anti-American “right-winger” to speak up in an equally…

I’ve been in need of a pick-me-up lately (no, not that kind!), and I got it from reading through the Carnival of the Vanities and the Bonfire of the Vanities. Nothing like a lift, and I’ll try to highlight some from each. (Erick and Erica are the respective hosts — the symmetry of which appeals…

My break from blogging lasted around six hours, because I can’t ignore the beheading death of Nick Berg — a local story which has become a national one. The video showing Philadelphian Nick Berg being beheaded by al Qaida in Iraq can be seen at Kevin Aylward’s website. (Link via Glenn Reynolds.) This is a…

My longtime friend died this morning at 11:30 am. I arrived a little after eleven, and noticed her breathing was more labored than usual, the right hand clammy, the left hand quite warm. Yesterday I burned a CD of her favorite music, which she enjoyed during the afternoon and evening. The last thing she said…

Have to run, but I just saw this article, which appears to supply confirmation that Mohamed Atta did in fact meet with Iraqi intelligence in Czechoslovakia. Not that I’d expect to find any mention of it in the Inky. But if I do, I’ll let everyone know!

Here’s a view of part of the Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary: I drive past the place a lot, and it’s tough to get a shot from the road. An austere religious institution, it’s all fenced in and surrounded by tall hedges. But I like the Renaissance/Moorish look, because it reminds me of similar architecture in…

Hey, what’s all this fuss about no one showing up at the Million Mom Assault or whatever the hell it was called? They had plenty of notice, and I highlighted the special coverage the Philadelphia Inquirer gave the event. Well, some corrections are indeed in order. Via Glenn Reynolds, I see that only 3000 out…

Saying war is hell is to remark the obvious. But isn’t death worse than torture? For the record, I guess I should hasten to add that I am against all torture. (Which puts me to the left of Alan Dershowitz.) I’m also against sexual abuse of prisoners, whether here or in Iraq. But still, why…

I don’t keep up with the blogosphere as I should, but thanks to Frank J., I just learned that Rachel Lucas is back, and I am really glad. Although I’ve still only been blogging for less than a year, there are a couple of things I learned from Rachel Lucas. One it’s that you should…

Via Stephen Green, I just read Charles Krauthammer’s take on the scandal some are already calling “Torturegate“. Jihadists, like all totalitarians, oppose many kinds of freedom. What makes them unique, however, is their particular hatred of freedom for women. They prize their traditional prerogatives that allow them to keep their women barefoot in the kitchen…

At long last, I have some good news (and, unfortunately, some bad news) to report from the Philadelphia Inquirer. I have been complaining for some time about the Inquirer’s glaring lack of coverage of the U.N. Oil-for-Food scandal, but finally I am able to report that yesterday I got a call from Carl Lavin, Deputy…