Crunchy Con

Gen. Casey: Diversity yes, sanity no

Rod Dreher — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:20:06 -0500

Mark Steyn connects some dots on Nidal Hasan. For example, did you know this?: As a student, some who knew Nidal Malik Hasan said they saw clear signs the young Army psychiatrist -- who authorities say went on a shooting...

Bishop Duncan on the Anglican future

Rod Dreher — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:34:05 -0500

Bishop Robert Duncan, head of the TEC breakaway Anglican Church in North America, had a great line capping his Q&A in today's New York Times Magazine: Q: I see a lawsuit was filed by the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh to...

She had everything -- but a life

Rod Dreher — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:05:02 -0500

Alex e-mailed to me the remarkable story of Gaby Hinsliff, the political editor of The Observer newspaper in England -- or rather, the former political editor, inasmuch as she resigned because she concluded she couldn't have both a high-powered career...

First they came for the chickens...

Rod Dreher — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:01:45 -0500

Alex Massie notes another small advance of totalitarianism in Obama's America. Seriously, you don't expect this petty and ridiculous example of nanny statism to exist in the American West. UPDATE: When I first posted this, I thought, "Is there anybody...

Sully: "No more Mr. Nice Gay"

Rod Dreher — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:30:06 -0500

Andrew Sullivan suggests that gays should go hard-negative on their opponents in marriage campaigns. He cites this passage from a Rex Wockner post as creditable: We are fools to have spent all this money and time and not have defined...

Is the US Army politically correct re: jihadists?

Rod Dreher — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:19:05 -0500

Mark Steyn: Thirteen dead and 31 wounded would be a bad day for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, and a great victory for the Taliban. When it happens in Texas, in the heart of the biggest military base in the...

Nidal Hasan: A pious Muslim

Rod Dreher — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:30:43 -0500

Latest from the NYTimes: As military and law-enforcement investigators waited to interview Major Hasan, a contradictory portrait of him emerged. Neighbors described him as a man who dressed alternately in a military uniform and flowing white robes, and who gave...

Nidal Hasan isn't the only Muslim U.S. soldier

Rod Dreher — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:36:10 -0500

David Frum reminds us to keep this image below and these others in mind as we struggle to figure out the meaning of Maj. Nidal Hasan's disgusting mass murder. Frum's right:...

Mr. Marx, time for your flu shot

Rod Dreher — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:44:33 -0500

The lamest Soviet propagandist couldn't have made this up. Yves Smith: It should come as no surprise that those at the top of the food chain get preferential treatment on all levels. But this still stinks to high heaven. Employees...

Newborns cry in native tongue

Rod Dreher — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:40:11 -0500

Amazing findings -- newborns cry in tones native to the language of their mothers, suggesting that they begin acquiring rudiments of language in the womb. What does this say about the humanity of the unborn? Hmm?...

Ft. Hood killer's Islam matters -- but how?

Rod Dreher — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:48:15 -0500

We now know that the Fort Hood shooter, Hasan, was a Muslim, and fancied himself a devout one. We know that he shouted "Allahu akbar!" as he executed American soldiers. We are informed by a retired Army colonel and co-worker...

Bigotry, homosexuality and morality

Rod Dreher — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:12:32 -0500

Ah, now we're getting somewhere interesting. Jamelle says that Ta-Nehisi Coates is right and I am wrong about whether or not Americans are "bigots" about homosexuals because a majority don't support same-sex marriage. (Read Ta-Nehisi's remarks here). What's interesting, and...

Fort Hood massacre: Malik Nadal Hasan did it

Rod Dreher — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:24:08 -0500

Latest report is that the shooters were U.S. soldiers, though no motive is known. The nearby hospital is begging people to come give blood. CNN quoting a soldier based at Fort Hood as having said that the base is so...

Why are there no old Randians?

Rod Dreher — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:52:52 -0500

Libertarian writer Shikha Dalmia says Ayn Rand was right about so much, but fatally wrong about an essential aspect of human nature: the impulse to selflessness and compassion. This explains why she's a cult figure for younger people, but eventually...

Pondering non-religious opposition to gay marriage

Rod Dreher — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:19:40 -0500

The WaPo interviews gay marriage activist leaders, who say they won't change their strategy going forward, despite the Maine loss. How is it they lost given that they had the media and the political establishment on their side? Well might...

App me, baby, I'm an iPhone guy now

Rod Dreher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:14:34 -0500

"I bring you gladsome tidings," Julie told me in a late afternoon phone call. "Our Verizon contract expired in September." Meaning, of course, that we were now free to buy iPhones. Which I did, on the way home from work...

Mary Karr on the joy of conversion

Rod Dreher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:23:16 -0500

From an interview with acclaimed memoirist Mary Karr: I wonder if finding your faith helped your writing. You say in Lit, when you're cautiously becoming Catholic, "It isn't the ritual of the high Mass that impresses me. But the people--their...

One world language?

Rod Dreher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:37:21 -0500

The linguist John McWhorter wonders whether we might be better off in the end with only one world language. Excerpt: Viscerally, as a great fan of Russian for many years, I am as uncomfortable as anyone else with the prospect...

Science isn't only about the facts

Rod Dreher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:29:27 -0500

The biologist Olivia Judson says that science is about a lot more than mere measurements. Excerpt: I mention this because science is usually presented as a body of knowledge -- facts to be memorized, equations to be solved, concepts to...

What does Doug Hoffman's loss mean?

Rod Dreher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:57:36 -0500

For the first time in over 100 years, the 23rd District of New York will be sending a Democrat to Washington. The vaunted Conservative Party insurgent, Doug Hoffman, lost the race he was expected to win. What does this mean?...

Gay marriage: 0 wins, 31 losses

Rod Dreher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:50:28 -0500

Maine voters reject gay marriage -- and the vote wasn't all that close, either. From the NYT: In a stinging setback for the national gay-rights movement, Maine voters narrowly decided to repeal the state's new law allowing same-sex marriage. With...