1. Insert your own reference to Bill Clinton’s example here.
2. The pope and his quote on AIDS in Africa described here.
3. More on Benedict here as well.
4. How indeed can you love the other without listening.
5. OK, that ‘splains it … or not.
6. The shoes.
7. Is that how American’s learn about other cultures?
8. As long as super-model doesn’t actually mean super-model.
9. Not impressed by a modernist heritage.
10. Liberals now accuse Mr Geithner of being a GOP stooge.
11. Ezekiel.
12. When in Rome (take pictures).
13. A letter on chastity.
14. Penal substitution under attack … rightly so from my point of view.
15. A film recommended.
16. Don’t get thrown under that bus.
17. A Diebold kerfuffle germinating.
18. Another argument against abortion.
19. Obama’s four riders of his economic apocalypse.
20. the “Buck stops here” not seen here.
21. So … “gets better mileage than the one it replaces” … when will any automaker make a car that I can buy that improves on the mileage my 2001 Insight? I’d likely buy it.

1. Ms Midgely praised.
2. A question, does a breaking of campaign promises haunt a candidate.
3. Rugged Yankee (?) individualism and the fall.
4. From somewhat left of center, two from the Moderate Voice … one piece having buyers remorse and another piece which doesn’t seem to understand Mr Limbaugh is a government official and “approval” is not the rating that matters one whit.
5. On suffering as martyrdom (and as a reminder martyrdom etymologically means witness).
6. A smooch.
7. AIG money trail. More here (of course they didn’t read the bill … they didn’t give themselves time).
8. A prayer request.
9. One key to happiness.
10. Doing sums.
11. Mr Fareed Zakaria has a post which is being discussed … I read one of his books and found it horrible, filled with any number of little and large factual errors which continually distracted from and diminished any larger points he was trying to make. So, instead of “Is Fareed Zakaria Serious” (the lede of the linked post) one might ask, why does any one take Mr Zakaria seriously.
12. Fear of children.
13. Le tour.
14. Verse.

This weekend while listening to the Chicago Symphony accompany pianist Valentina Lisista performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto #5 it occurred to me that music and art in general composed, performed or created today rarely strives to improve us. It rarely strives for to push us to push us to strive for and to see ideals of good and beauty but instead more often reaches (down?) for “authenticity” and to touch or arouse our raw emotional responses. What can be learned from probing the change in our motives and aims of our art?

Again I want to write more about this … and will work on it but time didn’t permit developing a longer essay last night. This essay has ideas which I think are not unrelated to the probing of that matter as well.

1. Yeee-haaa.
2. Two for St. Patrick’s feast day, here and here.
3. Meanwhile the fast continues.
4. A defense of Mr Madison, for my part I don’t think he anticipated Mr Arnold and what later became the get-out-the-vote machines.
5. No. No No No No. Newspapers do not need federal protection.
6. Speaking of media, some thoughts on Mr Stewart.
7. Hmmm, no communal societies? But, I really liked The Gods Must Be Crazy.
8. A publisher speaks. Oh, I received the book (being a blog neighbor and a conservative … thanks Henry!) and a review will be forthcoming before week’s end.
9. Contra optimism.
10. Love of other and memory eternal.
11. Old and New (Testament).
12. Thoughts on Mr Obama and religion.
13. A film, Ratzinger’s Faith recommended.
14. Capitalism … and a criticism of Ms Rand.
15. Patristics.
16. Loss of faith, oddly enough “faith in polls” was not an item polled.
17. Exactly right.
18. This might make a lot of sense, when dealing with a foreign party, listening to the thoughts of those who have the most to lose and are very close to the situation might be wise.
19. Well, when trying to hold on to delusions about the other, it helps if you over-generalize … and are innumerate to boot. Uhm, “astoundingly large margins” and “sweeping victory?” Uhm, it seems that 2-3% margin of victory looms ever larger.
20. PC stifling conversations and consequence.
21. A rephrasing.
22. And … last but not least … zooooom, in a creepy way.

In an number of previous essays the notions of Bertrand de Jouvenel regarding political theory have been utilized. One of these ideas in particular is that government is rightly formed for a particular society and culture when its authority is freely granted by the people, that is it utilizes the authority granted to it by the people and does not have to resort to coercion. This idea of government does not stem from rights or freedoms and the “standard” contract terminology stemming from Hobbes/Lockean political philosophies. Limitations on government stems from both the withholding of authority and that what actions and freedoms state may grant to a person, does not by that granting make that action ethical or moral. For example, the Roman state (and in fact many states) granted the power of life and death to the state over individual citizens. For over 200 years, Christians were put to death for their faith under this power granted. That however, did not make it ethical or moral for a particular Roman to do put a Christian to death. Or more plainly, it was within the boundaries of Roman rule to put a Christian to death but it was unethical for individual Roman to do so. Nero as Emperor could execute Christians as such but it was unethical for Nero the man to do so.

Christians for just slightly under two thousand years have opposed abortion. A statement regarding abortion made today of and by those against abortion that fixes the idea that the act of abortion is a equivalent to murder and the actor be it the mother or the doctor, is equivalent to a murderer is not unheard of in pro-life circles. Some pro-life activists “go this far” and those criticizing the pro-life Christian position remark that this should be a logical consequence of ascribing personhood to the fetus. It is not necessary to ascribe full or even partial “personhood” to a fetus in order to oppose abortion. But even granting that, a view of government as expressed above combined with Christian ethics does not necessitate that step of equivicating abortion with murder. Read the rest of this entry

1. Considering past investment bank bailouts.
2. A letter to one considering leaving the church.
3. Lent and the economic crises.
4. Considering Mr Geithner.
5. Girls on bikes.
6. Manliness.
7. Hmmm.
8. Issues with the stimulus.
9. Box office woes shouldn’t stop Mr Gore from raking in millions via the stimulus package.
10. Considerations on the Brazilian abortion case.
11. St. Gregory Palamas and seeing the uncreated light.
12. The recovery could take 4-5 years?
13. Soooo …. who long for the other shoe to drop on this one?
14. Well, you how else can they afford under-the-table kickbacks?
15. Considering the BSG finale.
16. Noting St. Benedict (although I though it was St. John Cassian who brought monasticism to the West).
17. “I suppose it would be better …” (and I concur it would be better).
18. Of not letting go.
19. In which “go drink carbonated cow’s piss” is not fiction?
20. Exonerating (partially) Mao? With Holodomor denial to boot no less. Which faces this problem too.
21. On using your hands and the whole higher vs lower professions thing.

1. Taken with Taken.
2. It is taken as a given that we need “good powerful science teaching”. One wonders if that is truly necessary sometimes. I’d always also followed that assumption, but do we need to teach more science to the non-scientists … or do we have to identify and encourage those few who are truly gifted at science? Some math and physics can be found here.
3. Bike messenger delivery of girls?
4. Joe and the Jews. More Jewish cultural musings here as well.
5. Faith, works, and (?) liturgy.
6. Heh.
7. Let your yes mean yes.
8. Architectural contrasts.
9. Pro-choice, some criticism.
10. Systematic theology as oxymoron. Perhaps pneumatological theology might be better?
11. ESCR, Obama and Orthodoxy.
12. The key to the problem with the liberal/progressive agenda.
13. Repentance and lamentation a missing element? Might I suggest visiting a presanctified Orthodox liturgy on a Wednesday or Friday night next week?
14. Same sex love.
15. Recommended podcasts.
16. The stimulus bill put in cultural context.
17. Job. Not theodicy?
18. A suggestion.
19. I couldn’t tell if that was satire or not.
20. Change (or not).
21. Could religion be a factor?
22. Oops.
23. A question asked.
24. Two chapels.
25. A better bike (for the third world).

1. Mr Obama promised to fight earmarks. Oops. A little on some of the earmarks in the latest spending … thing.
2. Mr Obama spoke critically of Mr Bush’s use of signing statements calling them an abuse of power … waits less than 2 months to follow suit.
3. The Christian carnival is up.
4. Science and stem cells, two comparable views, here and here, both from supporters of the research.
5. Underground in Russia.
6. A second decalogue.
7. With the economic woes, the gap between rich and poor shrinks yet oddly enough the cheers of those who think that’s important have been mighty quiet on that front.
8. Modesty and the economy.
9. Another author to investigate.
10. A film as well?
11. Dr and Mr J&H + Tinkerbell?
12. Signs and portents.
13. “Those type of people” in heaven?
14. A faith journey, part one of an interview.
15. Stinking liar!
16. A generation speaks?
17. Considering the Frum/Limbaugh matter (and a little pot/kettle action).
18. A list.
19. A real Iron Man.
20. Is Mr Putin a hero of the global warming crowd?
21. Bailouts and salary caps … and Academe?
22. Mr Biden remains clueless.

1. Church as a noetic Jeremiah.
2. “Hope he fails” and a little hypocrisy from the left via cricket races.
3. Those last moments and eschatological fate.
4. Time on hand.
5. Geek chic.
6. Mean/not mean? I say not.
7. A look back at a look forward and education.
8. Zap.
9. Hmm, will inexperience show up in the comments?
10. I “vant to suck your … fishy parts?“
11. Paglia on the Rush/Obama kerfuffle.
12. Cue, “Talk to the Animals”.
13. Things to do with filters (HT: Swap blog).
14. Not just a crook. A fool. With some unusual concurrence?
15. A toast.
16. Mr Obama as “conditioner”.
17. Kinda what I said on the popularity of Keynesian economics in politics.
18. Ooops.
19. On that “robust” economy (from a comment yesterday) of the 70s and 80s.
20. Well, I’m firmly in category “B”.

1. Art and arithmetic.
2. Yes, and a majority of Americans want a pony with that too.
3. 40 martyrs almost 1700 years ago.
4. Truth or (and?) unity.
5. Makhala-something-or-other.
6. Another not-quite-as-far away place … and bananas too.
7. A conversation between a Christian and an atheist (on faith).
8. A conversation (of sorts) with a liberal.
9. Weirdness in SF … that’s not disgusting?
10. The life use cycle of houses.
11. Drink, drank, drunk.
12. Some remarks on Mr Obama’s stem cell order. More here.
13. Collapse and war … or the reverse.
14. Church and state.
15. So. Would you buy these?
16. I don’t think that word “consistent” means what he thinks it does.
17. Not socialists.
18. Heh. Logic and Lent.

Confession is a sacramental rite which is, to my admittedly somewhat incomplete knowledge, waning amongst the Roman Catholic communities (especially in the US) and very rare to non-existent in the Protestant communities. For myself, as a somewhat recent convert to Orthodoxy (a community which has not left confession behind), I have had had just a little exposure to confession. I have found the experience, actually, surprisingly salutary. Father Andrew, the priest of my parish, shared some interesting thoughts on confession which I would like to attempt to share.

A common notion about confession is that is a juridical one. In the juridical view, we confess to Christ with the priest as our advocate and adviser of the sins of which we are aware. After (and perhaps by) our confession and repentance we are then forgiven those sins. The juridical formula is clear. We admit our guilt and sin, we repent and are perhaps assigned penance, and are forgiven and our slate wiped clean.

This is not the Orthodox understanding of confession. When I am in a relationship with someone I love, sharing of our thoughts, our desires and so on is part of growing close to that person. Of those thoughts and desires and actions regarding the beloved which were contrary to that relationship which are accompanied by repentance and sorrow are especially important toward growing ever closer. Confession to the beloved of those actions and thoughts are especially painful and difficult. Often the difficulties, especially with a loving and forgiving lover, lie not with the other but with the facing of those part of one’s self. But the experience is enormously helpful in growing ever closer to your beloved. Confession then is exactly this sort of sharing. It is sacramental because it involves our relationship with God. Its purpose is to help us in our striving toward Theosis, toward communion with the Creator. It can be hard, in fact should be difficult. Because, honesty about our failings hurts. Facing our sinful nature and in particular our memories of our past sins is needful for this is one of the large obstacles holding us back from growing closer to God. Confession of these sins helps us move beyond these memories and helps us to confront those parts of ourselves.

The weakness of the juridical view of confession is that it is less effective in aiding us in repentance and to move to a place in our relationship with God in which we are less likely to commit those same sins yet again. A communal sacramental view of confession is stronger. It places the motivation in a different place as well. It is not a penal/juridical action. It is an action which is intended, like so very many other parts of this season of Great Lent, to bring us closer to God. That is a motivation which seems at the very least, much more positive in outlook and ultimately if stronger a better one to help us tame our passions and to stoke the fire of the Spirit of God within us.

1. What’s worse than poverty?
2. Tracking Mr Obama’s views on wiretapping.
3. Hunting for a reasonable explanation for Mr Obama’s wish to require people to do that which they think immoral.
4. The history of the synodikon.
5. The rabbit and Lent.
6. This may get discussed this week, and our prayers will be with the family.
7. Undercounting liberals in academia.
8. The Obama administration and the general lack of epistemological humility.
9. Friday’s Akathist ..  a preview.
10. Art and work.
11. Newsprint and trends.
12. Just move along.
13. A book offer.
14. Links from Brandon at Siris.
15. That unreasonably horrible treatment of prisoner.
16. When editing video.
17. Lending, borrowing and morality.
18. What the world needs, a bathing suit that doesn’t get wet.
19. Verse and the bike.

1. In brief, stimulus. And the multipliers might not be what is expected.
2. Unimpressed with a meeting.
3. The economy and some criticism of the popularized viewpoint.
4. A speech, and some changes in a man.
5. Continuing discussion on theodicy.
6. St. Theodora.
7. Tartars in Russia.
8. Of Eucharist and frequency.
9. Contra the prosperity Gospel (cue background music Truly Scrumptious from Chitty Chitty).
10. A prayer request.
11. Depression and the Christian life.
12. A thought for the day.
13. Professional speechwriter blog on Mr Obama’s teleprompter addiction.
14. Demonizing the rich.
15. Heh. (HT: Mad Minerva)
16. Wrestling, sex and a bad idea noted.
17. Values and development.
18. An interesting new development.
19. Mr Freeman.

Much ink, likely some of still non-virtual, has been spilled over the Democrats framing Mr Limbaugh as a leader of the GOP and Conservative movement. As to this topic I’d like to frame a question, which will take a bit of setup.

Obama and the liberal media punditry are framing and identifying Mr Limbaugh as the leading light of the Conservative/GOP. If we examine, what effect does this have and who, besides Mr Limbaugh, benefits then a problem arises. Clearly there is a partisan benefit. Democrats will glean a tactical advantage via this identification. However, looking at the slightly wider picture,  the real question is is how does that benefit the nation at large to identify Mr Limbaugh as a leading speaker for the loyal opposition? It seems to me quite clear that the nation is not aided by this identification.

It seems clear that a strong principled loyal opposition is a clear benefit to the nation. Given that, the best thing for the President to do is to identify the best people within his party and the opposition and ensure the people who are framing the debate(s) over policies are principled and well spoken. The best of us on either side of the aisle. That ensures lively and healthy discussion and ultimately is the best for the nation.

Mr Obama as a point man who is doing exactly not what is clearly in the best interest of the nation. Isolating and focusing on Limbaugh (arguably not the best and brightest of the loyal opposition) is clearly running counter to this idea. So if this is right, he then faces the “stupid or evil” accusation with respect to this matter. Either he is not intelligent enough to realize the implications of what he is doing or he is evil, i.e., working to further partisan/personal factions over and above a clear national interest.

1. One view of the ecnomic problems facing the world today. Another, with an Asian focus, here.
2. Good advice. I need to work on the reading slow part … although a busy life helps there.
3. Hmmm.
4. A post I disagree with at On the Square, the First Things blog … although I think the conclusion of the post disagrees with the content.
5. The desire of Mr Obama to fail meme disabused.
6. When not studying (Greek?).
7. Plugging lefse and a kitchen toy.
8. Considering peer review.
9. Bad pictoral pun.
10. Confucious and … the Desert?
11. A poll (cricket race?) in Pakistan.
12. Hmm, I’m guessing a good peaty single malt isn’t on the ticket either.
13. A suggestion for banking.
14. A two parter of advice for the lay detection of junk science, part one and part two.
15. Stranger than fiction.
16. A series begins … Diesels you can’t get in the US but should be able to … and I too am a fan of the modern small diesel engine as one of our families cars is a VW TDI Golf.
17. Teaching and a problem … which in a sane world would not be a problem at all.
18. Does the bill rejecting the fairness doctrine contains seeds of the same.