Columnists

August 8, 2012

Vacation Trials and Tribulations

by Rev. George W. Rutler

It is not my practice to take vacations. They strike me as a form of surrender, like Evacuation Day in New York City, which marked the end of the British presence in Manhattan on November 25, 1783. In fact, the…

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August 7, 2012

The Reason for “Partisanship”

by George Weigel

Complaints that Washington-is-broken, which seem to have new intensity in recent years, often go hand-in-hand with laments about “partisanship” in politics. And, to be sure, there are reasons to be concerned about the functionality of our political system and its…

August 3, 2012

Roger Scruton’s Green Philosophy

by Francis Phillips

Too often the debate about climate change, global warming or ecological concerns in general has descended into acrimony and opposing factions. Thus those on the Left, who insist that drastic, global measures must be enacted to save the planet, are…

July 31, 2012

Russia is Sick and Dying

by Michael Cook

For those of you who regularly read my blog, congratulations! Aside from the warm glow inside that comes from the satisfaction of a job well done, you’ll also know that we have in the past mentioned that Russia’s demographic future is not…

July 30, 2012

The Endgame Begins in Syria

by George Friedman

We have entered the endgame in Syria. That doesn’t mean that we have reached the end by any means, but it does mean that the precondition has been met for the fall of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad….

July 27, 2012

Our Civic High Priest

by Gary S. Smith

The tragic shooting in Aurora, Colorado, which killed 12 and wounded 58, has again accentuated the important role presidents play as our chief civic priest. The governor of Colorado and local clergy helped provide words of solace and encouragement to…

July 26, 2012

The Obama Nullification Doctrine

by Marvin J. Folkertsma

In December 1828, South Carolina had 5,000 copies of John C. Calhoun’s “Exposition and Protest” printed and distributed throughout the state. A defiant document, Calhoun’s “Exposition” outlined a theory of constitutional interpretation first adumbrated in the infamous Kentucky and Virginia…

July 25, 2012

The Church and the End of the Welfare State

by George Weigel

Throughout the post-Vatican II years, the U.S. bishops’ conference has typically defended the welfare state and not infrequently urged its expansion. Everyone familiar with the situation knows that this has had far more to do with the political predilections of…

July 24, 2012

Bravo for the Boy Scouts; Boo for the Washington Post

by Robert R. Reilly

The Boy Scouts are as American as apple pie, and they have decided to keep it that way. This has earned them the censure of the Washington Post’s editorial page last week. The Scouts decided to reaffirm the policy to…

July 23, 2012

Boy Scouts Rules out Gay Members

by Carolyn Moynihan

In the teeth of protests the Boy Scouts of America is sticking to a membership standards policy which excludes homosexual persons, both adult leaders and Scouts. That, according to media reports, is the meaning of a press release which mentions…

July 20, 2012

Murdered by the Mafia

by Edward Pentin

On July 3rd, just days after the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI would beatify the Sicilian anti-Mafia priest Don Pino Puglisi, it became clear not everyone was happy with the decision. Police discovered a bomb in the form of…

July 19, 2012

Is America Coming Apart?

by Jason Edwards

Best-selling author and controversial social scientist Charles Murray is back in the news. This time it’s because of his new book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960–2010. In “Coming Apart,” Murray deftly wields both statistical data and anecdotal…

July 18, 2012

The War on (little) Women and Other Insanities

by George Weigel

The Supreme Court’s minor mistakes have few systemic consequences. But when the Supremes make a big mistake, the error tends to seep throughout the entire political process, poisoning everything in its path. That was what happened with the Court’s 1857…

July 17, 2012

How Bismark Lost Kulturkampf

by Michael Cook

Now that the Affordable Care Act has survived its Supreme Court challenge, there comes the fight over its implementation. Moral considerations rank high on the list of casus belli for Catholics and other religious groups. They fear that the Act…

July 13, 2012

How Not to Solve Poverty

by Rebekah Hebbert

And was Jerusalem built here Among those dark satanic mills? … I will not cease from mental fight, Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand, Till we have built Jerusalem In England’s green and pleasant land (“Jerusalem,” by William…

July 12, 2012

Origins of the Universe

by Sheila Gribben Liaugminas

Can science prove or disprove the existence of God? Has the origin of creation without a creator come to be settled science? Are these questions knowable, even by the brightest minds in the world? Yes, sort of, is the basic…

July 11, 2012

Meditations of the All Star Break

by George Weigel

For the past two decades I’ve taught in Cracow every July. I’d not trade the experience for anything, but it’s had one drawback: I haven’t seen baseball’s All Star Game in a long time. The game itself is no big…

July 10, 2012

The Harm of Same-sex Marriage in a Nutshell

by Carolyn Moynihan

Same-sex marriage and related claims, such as adoption of children, are fast becoming flavor of the month among western politicians. Irish pollies are among the latest, so the family-oriented Iona Institute has prepared an excellent, short, briefing paper on the…

July 9, 2012

The Obamacare Decision: A Mixed Bag

by John A. Sparks

The case that received more media attention and more consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court than any in recent history has been decided. The 5-4 decision upheld the “individual mandate,” the central feature of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care…

July 6, 2012

The Euro Is a Frankenstein Currency

by Mark W. Hendrickson

What do Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the architects of the euro currency have in common? Answer: They both created monsters. The euro is not “money” any more than the monster created by Dr. Frankenstein was a man. Whatever resemblances there…

July 5, 2012

Teens Hiding Online activity from Parents

by Mariette Ulrich

It won’t make the news to report that teens occasionally, or even habitually, indulge in activities of which their parents disapprove. Nor should it come as a surprise that the young folk attempt to hide this behavior; thus it has…

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