The Pope continues to be rather silent about the disaster in Venezuela. Why? Here a supporter of Pope offers his best gloss of the Pope’s underwhelming response to socialist-dictatorship Venezuela. Earlier the Pope had a nice visit to socialist Bolivia. And before that a gentle visit to communist-dictatorship Cuba. But Pope Francis does goes out […]
The Pope’s softness on Cuba, Bolivia, and Venezuela Read More »
Chelsea Manning is out of prison — but here are the whistle-blowing questions for both those exulting and those gnashing their teeth. “Whistleblowing and Government Secrets, Chelsea Manning edition.” “In his final days in office, President Obama commuted the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning. While in the employ of the US Army, Manning had downloaded
Exult or gnash teeth at whistle-blower Chelsea Manning’s release? Read More »
Thomas Hager (p. 240) describes well the attitude of a majority of students and professors within the universities, when Hitler and and his Culture Minister demanded that all Jews be removed from their professorships: “German university students were, in general … devoted to making Germany great again. They were strongly pro-Nazi. Among faculty members, there
Forcing professors out, 1933 edition Read More »
I worked in construction for some years before returning to graduate school. My crew members were all hardworking guys, and an ethos of manly ruggedness prevailed among them. Beer was drunk. Pickup trucks were driven. Camping and fishing were practiced faithfully. I am, of course, no slouch in the manliness department. Let’s be clear about
Loving Money and Books – Which Is More Evil? [Good Life series] Read More »
Here’s Albert Shanker, who was president of the American Federation of Teachers for twenty-three years, from 1974-1997: “When schoolchildren start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of school children.” The quotation’s accuracy is disputed, but it captures perfectly the relevant stances in education’s structurally adversarial dynamic. As in legal proceedings, attorneys
Teachers unions and what’s good for the children Read More »
When he was only 23, Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) was excommunicated from the Jewish community in Amsterdam. His precocious intellect has already formed and argued themes that were to be developed into his mature works, Theological-Political Treatise (published anonymously in 1670) and Ethics (1677). The excommunication document said, in part: “no one should communicate with him,
Why Spinoza was excommunicated Read More »
“The Pope’s Four Big Mistakes About Libertarianism.” Co-written by María Marty and Stephen Hicks for PanAm Post. Also in Spanish: “Los Cuatro Errores del Papa Francisco Sobre el Liberalismo.” “What Good is Religious Freedom?” Tara Smith in Arkansas Law Review. “Which Religion is the World’s Best?” My thoughts on the best religion ever, at Savvy
This week in religion — three things to read Read More »
My article, co-written with María Marty, was published in PanAm Post: The opening: “Pope Francis has given us several glimpses of his position on liberalism. His are criticisms are direct and sometimes crude. And while the Pontiff got some points sort-of right, his message revealed mostly a lack of knowledge—or an intentional denial—of the principled
The Pope’s Four Big Mistakes About Libertarianism — article published Read More »