• Heh, an impression of the Left?
• Left, Right and assumptions on Islam. I’d have to say my “assumptions” are a little different. I don’t fear “The Right is concerned about a monolithically hostile Islam that the West must defend itself against.” instead, I have this notion that religions always have people with a different level of faith and commitment from the casual to the very fervent. Islam is not “moderate” internally so the violent fervent will always be with us as long as there is an Islam.
• US decline of influence … going strong since 1945!
• Ideology and Idol.
• Blame shifted away from Bush and the Admin, by a non-supporter no less.
• A person who left the fame/fortune treadmill.

More here.

•  The Christian Carnival is at Everyday Liturgy.
• Scum? noted.
• Preparing for Lent.  And here. I’d like to also mention on Monday March 10, if you celebrate Lent in your parish or tradition, find a local OCA or Antiochan Orthodox parish and go to the Canon of St. Andrew (that is repentance and Lent have a connection for you). There is no better liturgical reflection on repentance than that to be found anywhere.
• On that Game this weekend (and church).
• On Market and the left.

The rest of morning linkage can be found here.

Links:

• Anticipating matriarchy.
• Good news. “Myanmar’s detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday was allowed to meet with top members of her party as well as with a government liaison officer, an official told AFP.”
• Bush and Obama, both good men and some evidence.
• Run away! Please.
• Two paths to a secular government and society.

• Some good said about McCain.
• The death penalty and secularization.
• Blasphemy in Afghanistan.
• On becoming pro-life.

Things seen over the weekend:

• Apologetics links, with a science/faith twist.
• Jesus and pacifism and from elsewhere a supporter of pacificism speaks out.
•  Contra optimism.
• Hmmm. Not a joke, apparently.
• Private war discussed.

Seen around yesterday:

• Yon, with a little more epistemic weight than the ordinary Joe (or newsman or pundit for that matter), on Petraeus reassignment.
• Cranmer lays out the, err, his case for conservatism.
• Iraq noted (a briefing) and an article and cautionary note from Yon. I think the safest assumption is that the Conventional Wisdom of both “sides” is fraught with error and simplistic sloganizing.
• The Lucifer effect. One thing noted at the bottom of this piece, there is a reverse Lucifer effect that the experiment can be recast prompting heroism not evil from us. One wonders if that could be used to good effect regarding the Pontius Pilate pro-choice argument.
• An endorsement, well that and a buck can buy you a soda.

Out in the blogs yesterday:

• Bill Clinton lying. Say it ain’t so. Actually, that brings out a question, the left is outraged that they think Bush lied. And how then do they remember Mr “never inhaled” Clinton, who was certainly a reflexive liar, in a good light one wonders?
• Lots of Spirit building/improving posts today. One on marriage. On prayer. On improving everything. And fasting.
• Economics and the Laffer thing.
• Jihad comes to Atlanta.
• The Christian Carnival is up at Chasing the Wind.

As a former “Blogwatch” contributor and as well on my home blog, I am in the habit, whenever schedule, time, and life permit, to collect some “highlights” or links from my morning RSS dump. At Blogwatch I posted 4 links per day. I plan to offer 4 (or so) links that might be of interest from my slightly larger collection posted at my blog.

• Is this man noted on the left, if so … how? A view from one on the right.
• Facts, who needs facts? One wonders why the networks don’t have a running “real-time” fact-check on a ticker. Mr Gardner also comments on the former President’s “help” on Ms Clinton’s campaign.
• 90% of Iraqi suicide/homicide bombers were foreigners.
• Another view of the state of the debate on abortion here. Pro-choice “losing the moral high ground.” In which high ground is seen as “respectability”?