tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268022792011-11-10T21:36:48.152-08:00Peternoreply@blogger.comBlogger501100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826488492765512002-05-01T19:01:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:08:08.500-07:00

I have no time for this, but my two cents on keeping back from the collection plate: My thoughts are related to this post at Amy Welborn's site. In it, the writer calls for a slow regeneration of the Church, over a generation or more.This may be the way it will go, but revolutionary change is not un-Catholic per se, though perhaps not the rule. I remember Chesterton said something about the

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826561126324192002-04-29T22:47:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:09:21.126-07:00

I am still alive. I've been very busy with the Some Stuff I mentioned a few days ago. So much so, that I'm not really able to post at all; except, that is, for a brief announcement that I am, indeed, still alive, and will return.

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826597959261492002-04-27T11:42:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:09:57.960-07:00

Hokiepundit has an amusing quote about pre-marital sex. Highlights the reason that the proper terminology is "extra-marital sex" not "pre-marital sex." Or, that, at the very least, even if both terms can be used, you run afoul of at least one of them no matter how you slice it.- Jimmy Tomato

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826631119241292002-04-26T10:29:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:10:31.123-07:00

Okay, Louder told me how to post a link: here is the latest on guitars from BryanAnd here is my last shot on the topic (Louder is right -- you just have to stop sometime, although it goes against my grain to ever shut up when arguing):I thought Bryan had already gotten rough, but apparently the rogue comments about Catholicism weren't enough -- now he accuses me of being a lawyer! (

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826662613037602002-04-24T21:58:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:11:02.616-07:00

Well, it looks like I am the point man in the war against guitar music in church. If I knew how to link to the post at junkyardblog, I would . . .I would quibble with your quibbles, Bryan, except that I can't merely quibble: I think you have fundamentally misunderstood a lot of my statement.First, my statement about "three thousand year old harp music" was not meant to mean only harp music.

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826680590408092002-04-23T22:48:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:11:20.590-07:00

I won't be posting very heavily for a week or so. I've got Some Stuff to do. I promise (seriously and completely) to wrap up my children's fantasy essay as soon as I return in full force. Conveniently, my brother seems to be in a blogging mode, so this blog should not become boring in the coming days. But you know how blogging goes: sometimes it goes; sometimes it doesn't; and considering the

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826724260822992002-04-23T22:41:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:12:04.263-07:00

The Spare MidgeModicum 22The stutter in the lace had never ended. Even out in Nomads Field, I had felt it: the sort of noise, a kind of ache, that you soon ignore. As we neared the palace, the stutter worsened.And then, in the palace, I could hear the wail.I wondered if Egg's viruses were taking hold. Egg said they might not, not right away. They were sneaking into the co-Am on the minions but

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826765258468162002-04-23T19:49:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:12:45.260-07:00

I forgot to finish my thought on federalism: However, given the state of the Commerce Clause, we should not be afraid to enact a mere law to ban cloning simply because a proper constitutional scheme would not allow it. There are so many trivial laws proposed and passed based on Commerce Clause authority, that it would be an abdication to not enact an important bill because of theoretical

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826779430379132002-04-23T18:13:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:12:59.430-07:00

Federalism and cloning: Louder is right that cloning is of sufficient moral import that we should have a national policy (also because if one state allows cloning, all the research facilities will move there, undermining the point of a ban). As to the constitutionality, I do not know what grant of power the proposed ban relies upon -- the Commerce Clause, presumably. If so, the problem is with

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826801519793232002-04-23T17:49:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:13:21.520-07:00

HokiePundit wishes that I would provide an e-mail address and/or a way for readers to post comments. Sorry, Hokie. I deliberately forwent both because I already spend too much time reading my favorite blogs (like Hokie's) and posting to my own blog. If I had to read and respond to e-mails and comments, too...! Because I know I would never do it, I didn't want to implicitly promise I

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826832222558262002-04-23T17:43:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:13:52.226-07:00

Bryan over at JunkYardBlog pointed out this article on cloning by Charles Krauthammer. I'm kind of pleased that Krauthammer ultimately uses -- as his strongest objection to cloning -- the argument that manfacturing humans for disposal is dangerous.Creating a human embryo just so it can be used and then destroyed undermines the very foundation of the moral prudence that informs the entire

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826846068416372002-04-23T16:43:00.000-07:002007-04-28T01:40:19.569-07:00

Hmph. I did not realize how long my half-response to Bryan would be. Guess that explains why a full response was going to take so long.-Jimmy Tomato

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826876975135312002-04-22T11:42:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:14:36.976-07:00

Instapundit excerpts his own article, saying that by seeking a national solution (i.e., a ban) on cloning, Bush is being a "fair-weather Federalist." While Reynolds' general point is valid -- not everything is a Federal issue -- it seems to me that cloning is of sufficient depth and import that a Federal solution is called for. Would Reynolds object to the national banning of slavery? Or would he

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145826892133368852002-04-22T09:59:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:14:52.136-07:00

You bloggers are crazy. I tried writing a comprehensive response to Bryan's post about guitars in church, but was stymied by the amount of time it was obviously going to take. The partners at my firm will fire me without a second thought if I submit my billable hours with twelve percent devoted to some client called "Blog." So, while it goes against my grain to offer only half a response, here

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145827001367344262002-04-22T01:30:00.000-07:002006-04-23T14:16:41.370-07:00

The Spare MidgeModicum 21Because I forced myself off-line this past Saturday, I completely neglected to post this. So much for keeping to my schedule...Although Egg had run simulations in the ship's Am, the only real test of his plan was to do it for real. Of course he wanted to know how it went. He was tempted to tap us both through subdermal monitors, but he was afraid of being detected. We

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830165427880492002-03-02T22:53:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:09:25.426-07:00

I just learned of these two documents from the Vatican: Ethics in Internet and The Church and Internet. I haven't read them yet, but I wanted to alert you to them.Our friend Libertarians at Samizdata have already picked up on a quote, taken from an article in Wired, in which the Church mentions and condemns the libertarianism of the Internet. Samizdata headlines their posting thus: "Libertarians:

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830249360073542002-03-02T11:50:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:10:49.363-07:00

Continuing my response to an article about cloning...Reynolds answers some more objections: 2. Cloning will work too well. It will produce so many successful clones that it will replace sexual reproduction, leading to a loss of genetic diversity. The inconsistency with the argument above is obvious. Also, widespread cloning won't lead to a loss of diversity: at least, if everyone alive cloned

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830334550168062002-03-01T21:42:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:12:14.550-07:00

A very thoughtful article by John Derbyshire, on death and 9/11.http://www.nationalreview.com/derbyshire/derbyshire030102.shtml

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830368309909192002-03-01T19:21:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:12:48.310-07:00

There's another selector out there, this one to determine your religion. Although I don't put too much stock in these things, I was actually worried that I'd not be what I think I am. As it was, there were no real surprises:1. Eastern Orthodox (100%)2. Roman Catholic (100%)3. Conservative Protestant (89%)4. Seventh Day Adventist (77%)5. Orthodox Quaker (76%)6. Orthodox Judaism (61%)I don't know

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830388841913012002-03-01T19:06:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:13:08.840-07:00

You know, if you ever come here and my banner above does not appear -- I apologize. I still haven't figured out if it's a browser issue or something else. My banner is coming from a server other than BlogSpot (since BlogSpot does not serve images); so maybe that's the issue. I'm looking at solutions.

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830429349213482002-03-01T18:58:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:13:49.350-07:00

So Daschle says that if we fail to capture bin Laden, then the war will be a failure. Never mind if we destroy al Qaeda, rout the Taliban, rebuild Afghanistan, kill Saddam, liberate Iraq, scare the French, clean up the Phillipines, bring down the Iranian mullahs, and, oh by the way, make homeland America just that much safer... If that one pathetic psychopath escapes, it will all be a colossal

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830457943489132002-03-01T16:59:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:14:17.946-07:00

The Spare MidgeModicum 8Midge had gone shopping. Singing earrings; mobile tattoos; a small dancing monkey with a choreography co-Am; a real-time shunt into the gallery of Willi Chun himself, who produced livid works of Incompletion every forty two minutes; and, more mundanely, a wardrobe not quite available on little Takla Makan.Of her new wardrobe she wore a veil (a fabric of suns and moons),

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830504266003712002-03-01T16:35:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:15:04.270-07:00

Kevin Holtsberry has a nice anecdote about trying to see U2 as a youth. His anecdote; the NRO article that prompted his anecdote; and my next modicum of The Spare Midge, have all got me wondering about the potential conflicts between Art and Faith.I'm not about to resolve such conflict in this post. But things do occur to me.Like almost everyone else in this age, I have chosen my form of

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830537680596662002-03-01T15:03:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:15:37.680-07:00

It seems I have, via permalinks, mysteriously transmittted my physical sickness to HokiePundit. I'm sorry, man. I would not wish this on anyone -- well, except for a few choice Democrats; but never you, HokiePundit, never you!

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830558916958682002-03-01T10:30:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:15:58.916-07:00

I've previously made two excerpts from my jen-yoo-wine copy of The London Gazette from July 1691 (on the Ottoman [read Muslim] siege of Vienna and a sale of Francis Bacon's Essays); here is another interesting excerpt: A Tall slim Youth, with lank light brown Hair, aged about 16, of a fresh Complexion, with a long Roman Nose, Servant to Mr. John Young, of Westminster, Dancing-Master, rid away

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830593417858652002-02-28T22:24:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:16:33.416-07:00

You may notice, in an earlier post, I wrote the possessive of Reynolds as Reynolds's. I think, stylistically, some might prefer Reynolds'. My feelings are mixed. The programmer in me wants to minimize the exceptions, and so I apply my rule: For the possessive, attach an 's. Neither style, with a word-terminating s, is pretty. Such are the trials of the writer... Apropos of grammar: One thing that

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145828887103978072002-02-22T00:04:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:48:07.113-07:00

In March of 1783, as the peace negotiations dragged on, a leaflet circulated throughout the camp. The soldiers had not been paid for a very long time; Congress had, throughout the War, been begrudging in its allocation of money. The leaflet's anonymous author, joining in the mutinous spirit of the army, said: "If this, then, be your treatment while the swords you wear are necessary for the

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145828919595146062002-02-21T23:05:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:48:39.596-07:00

I re-posted the seventh modicum of The Spare Midge, right below, because I felt it got lost amid all that blather about -- well, you know. This has been a cluttered Thursday... Anyhow, this morning (very long ago it seems), I promised a little bit on the Writerly Art. Nothing big, I'm afraid; just an observation about writing SF.Imagine you are reading a book set in the year 2002. You

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145828948750766192002-02-21T21:40:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:49:08.753-07:00

The Spare MidgeModicum 7The line of mourners took me closer. The lace was stuttering. I had felt it stuttering back in the train, back in the hotel, even during the infall to Rock. I had felt this kind of stutter, now and then. The minions of the lace, which burst out of Midge and, across the aether, relentlessly sought my brain, sometimes got confused. They had no real sentience in their folded

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145828974134909102002-02-21T18:11:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:49:34.133-07:00

1. Never lead with the Molotov cocktails.2. Know that if you have any intelligent (and passionate) readers at all, they will respond to you that day; so never release a polemic in bite-sized, unpremised installments.With this new knowledge in hand, I go forward.

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829015122227922002-02-21T16:05:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:50:15.123-07:00

I recognize that the quote below explicitly addresses Man's spirit only, whereas my rantings, at least implicitly, address Man's spirit and body. In some ways this is because John Paul II is following his predecessor Pius XII, in that one can make a concession of sorts: That the human body may "take its origin from pre-existent living matter." This is not the concession it seems, however

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829033613977772002-02-21T15:05:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:50:33.613-07:00

From the article linked below, a crucial quote from the current Pope:Theories of evolution which, in accordance with the philosophies inspiring them, consider the spirit as emerging from the forces of living matter or as a mere epiphenomenon of this matter, are incompatible with the truth about man.You don't have to accept that because it's from the Pope; but you can see that he has not,

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829061316563922002-02-21T14:17:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:51:01.316-07:00

Okay, I said I was going to retreat from this for a while, but I did read something that makes me want to be clearer. Bryan Preston has a nice thought experiment about a pair of doctors. (And the answer, Bryan: The materialist Doctor #2 indeed did the most good.) Bryan's point, here and subsequently, is that rejecting materialism in toto is wrong -- even from a Christian perspective.

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829079988882002002-02-21T12:35:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:51:19.990-07:00

GRAB BAG. Woo-hoo! I got my first disturbing search request. Unfortunately, it's lame as these things go: "stories hard core porn." • In my previous post, I addressed the President -- who, of course, reads my blog every morning and every afternoon. It was kind of rude to call him a cynical liar. Sorry, sir. But veto it, anyway. Now get back to the war, sir. Thank you. • Rod Dreher has a bit about

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829100335411762002-02-21T11:34:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:51:40.336-07:00

Please, Mr. President. Kill Shays-Meehan. Read this reminder by Rich Lowry. Don't become a cynical liar...

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829154134755512002-02-21T11:16:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:52:34.136-07:00

John Cleese, in an interview on one of the Fawlty Towers DVDs, starts talking about political correctness and has an interesting psychological take on PC types:If you're in a group of people and you find that one person is particularly touchy -- they have difficulty controlling their emotions; greater difficulty than the other people in the group -- then you can't have so much

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829191101447912002-02-21T00:25:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:53:11.103-07:00

WHEW! Okay, that's through Part VI of Intelligent Design etc. Yeah, it's something of a rant. I said, at the outset, that I was only blogging. That is no excuse for intellectual sloppiness; but it might be an excuse for a lack of thoroughness. And frankly, I anticipated that I'd push people's buttons. Hyperbole does do that. Anyhow, I'm not trying to be a provocateur, as such; I'm just

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829265148061182002-02-20T23:45:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:54:25.153-07:00

Intelligent Design Is Better Than PornPart III: I Am Not the WalrusSo a God-fearing man cannot believe in evolution? Yes: but to be precise: He cannot believe in an evolution that says: Man arose spontaneously from something not-Man. One must distinguish between adaptive evolution and evolution of species. Man may become taller on the savannah or more portly on the floes of ice; but

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829478122872442002-02-20T23:28:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:57:58.123-07:00

Kevin Holtsberry has a response to the start of my Intelligent Design stuff. He says I'm being hyperbolic. He's right. My main problem with these brief posts is that I'm not taking the time to define terms. And yes, I'm hardcore. But I hope, by the end of it all, it's at least a little bit clearer what I'm driving at. And it's important to note that, when I talk about Evolutionism, I'm not

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829567333551452002-02-20T20:21:00.000-08:002006-04-23T14:59:27.336-07:00

Intelligent Design Is Better Than PornPart II: Pick a TeamI'll say it starkly: No one who truly believes in God can be an Evolutionist; no one who truly disbelieves in God can be anything but an Evolutionist.Now, obviously there is such a thing as weak belief in God: Among those, for example, who imagine He just got the ball rolling and stepped aside -- thus making evolution possible, if

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829632849591142002-02-20T18:43:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:00:32.850-07:00

Oh my gosh! I just found the best link ever: http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/.Chesterton online! I'm dizzy...Okay, maybe I'm a terrible newbie or something. I knew there were books online (http://www.newadvent.org/ has a tremendous selection of Catholic documents, even the Summa); but man oh man... I've got to get out more (out into cyberspace, that is).

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829672217500692002-02-20T13:39:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:01:12.220-07:00

I followed a link through my referrer logs and found Bryan Preston at his http://junkyardblog.blogspot.com/. Check him out. He's really good. And while you're at it, check out the others in my permalinks: They deserve more hits! (Except maybe Instapundit. I mean, really, how many more hits does that guy need?)In noting my new series Intelligent Design Is Better Than Porn (a.k.a. ID is

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829700449847142002-02-20T12:04:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:01:40.450-07:00

Paul Donnelly over at National Review Online reminds us that this war is a religious war. Now, I don't say this because I welcome religious war. Some might suppose I do, since I am a Catholic and hence in a very real conflict with the theological assertions of Islam. But I do believe that all this talk about "Islam" meaning "peace" is a bit delusional. You can't win a war when you don't

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829755972382082002-02-19T18:05:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:02:35.973-07:00

Intelligent Design Is Better Than PornPart I: The Premise That Dare Not Speak Its NameIt is very important that something is understood: Evolutionism does not come from any factual evidence. You don't look at a bunch of fossils -- or even a bunch of finches -- and say: "Holy smoke! Man evolved from lower life-forms!" No. Those who reject creation by God do so because they have

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829921728064242002-02-18T23:30:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:05:21.730-07:00

Sgt. Stryker wonders why the ritual of exorcism can be so elaborate, when it seems that all one really needs to do is cry: "Begone in the name of Christ!" -- and poof! The demon should be gone. Stryker wonders if this does not represent some sort of disparity in the traditions of the Church.There is no disparity.Christ gave seven sensible signs to the Church that are meant to convey

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145829953387970962002-02-18T22:12:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:05:53.390-07:00

The Spare MidgeModicum 6When we got to Rock, Midge didn't hurry through the Wall. She planned to go on to Shento and complete Scott's errand, since there was no reason not to; but for Midge there was always time for diversion. She put the bags and me in a hotel. She got herself fresh and, within the hour, had left. I didn't follow. I didn't want to. I didn't need to. And she knew I would only

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830003106189912002-02-18T17:33:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:06:43.106-07:00

I didn't know that Alice Cooper http://www.jesusjournal.com/jj_testimony/cooper.html is now a Christian. Since I myself am a headbanging Catholic, this news just warms my heart...

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830035962236662002-02-18T13:48:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:07:15.963-07:00

Sgt. Stryker says that a fine should be commensurate with a person's income. While he makes a good point about making the fine hurt -- a $10 fine is nothing to a billionaire and therefore would have no deterrent effect -- I have two problems with this:# I'm not so sure that the purpose of a fine is deterrence (anymore, that is, than the purpose of any punishment is deterrence). I should think,

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830079631075342002-02-17T18:37:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:07:59.633-07:00

Intelligent Design Is Better Than PornIntroductionKevin Holtsberry, in his most recent BlogWatch, distills a comment of mine into: "intelligent design better than porn." As I discussed in an earlier post, unusual phrases are seeds; and Kevin has provided me with a wonderful seed.Intelligent design, of course, is most immediately relevant to evolution; but the evolution of species being dependent

Peternoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26802279.post-1145830109303744322002-02-17T12:41:00.000-08:002006-04-23T15:08:29.306-07:00

I have read several articles -- such as this one and this one -- that advise President Bush to veto the Shays-Meehan-McCain-Feingold-And-Other-Idiots "campaign-finance reform" bill.This obscenity should be vetoed. It should be burned and its sponsors and supporters denounced as the anti-democrats that they are. How anyone, in his right mind, can think it is good to ban political advertising 60

Peternoreply@blogger.com0