Thursday, January 25, 2007
Pledging . . . Without the drinking
Hugh Hewitt is encouraging people to take a pledge not to give monies to those Senators who vote for resolutions criticizing the president's plan in Iraq. The pledge also a commitment to withhold funds from the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless the chairman of the committee, Sen. Ensign states in writing that candidates supporting resolutions won't get any funding from the committee.
I can take this pledge for two very basic reasons:
1. I have no monies to give. What contributions might come from me and my family had better be worth it. Undercutting the president and general patreus right now in a craven and spineless political maneuver are serious black marks in my book.
2. The Senate caucus is not a club. The pledge is an effort by activists within the party to instill some basic discipline in the Senate, something that has been lacking for a very long time now. I, like Mr. Hewitt, am a party man. That label has to stand for something.
take the pledge today.
I can take this pledge for two very basic reasons:
1. I have no monies to give. What contributions might come from me and my family had better be worth it. Undercutting the president and general patreus right now in a craven and spineless political maneuver are serious black marks in my book.
2. The Senate caucus is not a club. The pledge is an effort by activists within the party to instill some basic discipline in the Senate, something that has been lacking for a very long time now. I, like Mr. Hewitt, am a party man. That label has to stand for something.
take the pledge today.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Good point...
In his most recent column, Dinesh D'souza makes the point that what had started as a movement to defend erotic literature now lionizes creeps like Larry Flynt in a move to protect "free speech". Whether or not someone disagrees with his thesis and his conclusion, I want to highlight what I think is the money quote below:
this autonomous voyuerism is what helps fuel men's sinful and wayward hearts. I urge everyone to read, in conjunction with D'Souza's column This speech by Al Mohler. When people, particularly men, are allowed to feed and fuel lusts unabated, no one benefits in the end.
The spread of porn is not surprising, and neither is its popularity. It is not the appeal of sex, but the appeal of voyeurism. After all, the actors in porn films seek to gratify not themselves but the viewer. The spectator finds himself in an unnatural position of being witness to a sexual act which is conducted fully for his benefit. It’s hard to deny that there is something degrading in the continuous exposure to increasingly hard-core pornography.
this autonomous voyuerism is what helps fuel men's sinful and wayward hearts. I urge everyone to read, in conjunction with D'Souza's column This speech by Al Mohler. When people, particularly men, are allowed to feed and fuel lusts unabated, no one benefits in the end.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Extremism in the pursuit of a pay raise is no virtue
At the beginning of the new year, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, laid out in his annual report a clarion call to increase judicial salaries. In his report, the Chief Justice called it a "constitutional crisis" that threatened judicial independence. I recommend reading about it here. I agree with a lot of conservatives that the Chief Justice's just don't stack up given the language he used (see Confirm Them, Bench Memos). While all would agree that pay for judges should be increased to match counterparts in the private sector and academia (listen here to "the smart guys" discuss the issue, I think the Chief Justice's language is overblown and thus counterproductive.
By the way, in the linked to audio clip above, Hugh Hewitt said that putting kids through college has been a huge obstacle for federal judges and thus their retirements and entry into either the academic or private realms. His offhand suggestion of college vouchers might be a workable idea for the problem of judicial compensation.
Finally, I have heard Justice Kennedy and Justice Ginsburg on C-SPAN speak eloquently on this subject in the past. My only question for both of them would be: If you want and desire a pay raise, would you, since you are enamored with international law, prefer your pay increase to be in dollars or euros?
By the way, in the linked to audio clip above, Hugh Hewitt said that putting kids through college has been a huge obstacle for federal judges and thus their retirements and entry into either the academic or private realms. His offhand suggestion of college vouchers might be a workable idea for the problem of judicial compensation.
Finally, I have heard Justice Kennedy and Justice Ginsburg on C-SPAN speak eloquently on this subject in the past. My only question for both of them would be: If you want and desire a pay raise, would you, since you are enamored with international law, prefer your pay increase to be in dollars or euros?
Church news update
I want to update everyone as to the goings on at the church. When my church Church of the Covenant, officially called Glenn Durham to be our senior pastor, the session also moved to begin the process of planting a church in northern Kentucky.
Tonight, on January 7th, the church will be officially installing Glenn as our senior pastor. It will be a time of great time of worship and rejoicing at God's provision of a shepherd. I will have to remember to keep Glenn and his family in our prayers as they settle in and begin working with the great charge of leading our congregation.
Tonight, on January 7th, the church will be officially installing Glenn as our senior pastor. It will be a time of great time of worship and rejoicing at God's provision of a shepherd. I will have to remember to keep Glenn and his family in our prayers as they settle in and begin working with the great charge of leading our congregation.
I know it's late, but...
I know I'm late with this post, but the holidays were blessed but very busy. I want to wish everyone who reads this blog a happy and blessed new year.
