Unkept promises

No, I am not speaking about politicians, but about myself. There are a few essays that I really should be writing. I have promised Chthonya and a few other people a follow-up on "This Age of Thieves"; Jennilee has asked my opinion on Britney Spears' "My Prerogative" video, which I have now seen; and in my last post I said I would have a look at Bush's politics from the viewpoint of Christianity and anti-abortion positions. All of these things will be done, I hope in the next few days.

"Human beings don't do this to each other"

I had already made up my mind never to visit America again, due to the fact that there are more guns than human beings there. I am a strong opponent of the so-called "right to bear arms", and I would feel extremely uneasy living in a country where everyone I meet should be expected to have the means to kill me out of hand in their pockets or in their drawers at home. But now I have an even better reason never to set foot in that country: government there has clearly gone mad. Read the following:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/resonant8/71077.html?view=1057445#t1057445
and then don't bother to write to ME. Write to newspapers. Write to your MP. Write to the Government, to the Churches, to magazines, to friends of yours who do not know that Soviet-style obscenities like this can happen, and inform them. Protest. Write to your local US embassy. Write to the White House. Make sure that this foul law, and the vicious agencies that enforce it, know that the public knows about them. This is not only an American issue: already the government of that country is strong-arming everyone within reach to adopt their "standards" of "security"; the people must know what this amounts to. I do not know what I will do myself, but I do know that I both terrified and furious. We cannot allow them to get away with it.

I hadn't heard of this before, but apparently it is a possibility - and not a distant one either...

...under the crazy, archaic voting system for the US presidency. Well, at least it would be fun.
From today's NEW YORK TIMES:

President Edwards?
( Read more... )

Strictly for Catholics only - pity there is no Non-Catholic-lock facility

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, US, has written a long and magnificent pastoral letter on the duties of a Christian at election time. It is so wholly grounded in Catholic belief that anyone who does not take Catholic doctrine seriously would get nothing from it; but to anyone who does, this letter may well come as a revelation. Personally, I did not think that there was anyone alive who could state the grounds of Christian attitudes with such clarity, depth, and force; I hardly imagined anyone could since C.S.Lewis went to his rest. Based on this piece of writing, and knowing nothing else about the Archbishop, I would say he would make an excellent Pope. However, if you are not Catholic, I repeat, spare yourself some pointless exertion.( Read more... )