While I cannot (by which I do not mean “will not,” but truly cannot) endorse the opening paragraph of Kevin Michael Derby’s “The Silence of Father Neuhaus,” the rest of the piece is excellent, and even the fulsome praise in Mr. Derby’s first paragraph serves a rhetorical purpose, heightening the effect of the criticism throughout the rest of the piece.  Mr. … [Read More]

In 2004, His Eminence Raymond Burke, archbishop of St. Louis, received a standing ovation from the denizens of St. Blog’s Parish, that loose collection of conservative Catholic bloggers, when he declared that pro-choice Catholic politicians such as John Kerry should be denied Communion for the sake of their souls.  Archbishop Burke was rightly hailed as courageous, and St. Blog’s parishioners defended … [Read More]

Bill Sammon, the author of The Evangelical President: George Bush’s Struggle to Spread a Moral Democracy Throughout the World, cannot be labeled a critic of President Bush.  As both the senior White House correspondent for the Washington Examiner and a reporter for the Washington Times, he’s had greater access to the President than any other journalist.  And his book has been … [Read More]

Well, no, not really.  Babar Ahmad is a British Muslim who ran jihadist websites that raised money for radical Muslims fighting in Chechnya and Afghanistan.  He’s currently being held in England, awaiting extradition to the United States.  His case is of interest to me, because it was Ahmad to whom former U.S. Navy signalman Hassan Abujihaad passed classified information on the … [Read More]

Last week, I reported that a number of newspapers had decided not to run a two-part storyline appearing in Berkeley Breathed’s comic-strip Opus (the reincarnation of his once wildly popular Bloom County).  In the comic, the main female character, Lola Granola (a name redolent with meaning), had decided to convert to radical Islam and had begun to wear a burqa.  According … [Read More]

What is the life of a 17-year-old worth? Two stories caught my eye today—one from the Rockford Register Star, the newspaper of my adopted hometown of Rockford, Illinois, and one from the Grand Haven Tribune, which I grew up reading in Spring Lake, Michigan.  Each is the story of a young man who “volunteered to serve his country.”  One, Christopher D. … [Read More]

They would, wouldn’t they? Politicians could be counted on to give a tepid response to King Abdullah II of Jordan, when before a joint session of Congress this week he made an impassioned plea for the United States to lead in an active pursuit of an Israel-Palestinian peace. Politicians, after all, know which side their bagel is buttered. It got quieter … [Read More]

Having already seen ample evidence that the neocon Evil Empire is wild about Rudy Giuliani and supports him enthusiastically for president, last week I encountered further proof courtesy of Jonah Goldberg, who is syndicated in the Lancaster New Era. Although our evening paper pretends to be on the center-right, in contrast to its equally narcoleptic morning counterpart, which is Democratic, most … [Read More]