A Requiem for Consensus

The American public has two fundamentally different views of the human person and of reality. These views cannot be held simultaneously and each offers a contradictory understanding of how government should relate to individuals and to the family. The national government can ultimately adopt only one of these perspectives and this cultural battle will determine the philosophy our government employs in the immediate future and will determine which laws govern human life and marriage.

There has been an unusually high number of articles in the last 24 hours that use character attacks to make political points. This is the weakest form of argument because it attempts to divert attention from the real issues. Unfortunately, these arguments seem to be working today.

Here is a sample:

Thomas Friedman suggests that the right's personal attacks are similar to the conservative attacks faced by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin before his death.

Gore Vidal warns that the U.S. "will have a dictatorship soon" because division is so strong that the military is the only institution capable of holding the country together.

John Perry wrote an article about a domestic military intervention on NewsMax that has quickly been removed from their site.


These articles are scare tactics, but they reveal a deep division in our country. The real problem is that there are almost no philosophic assumptions shared by the two sides. The division concerns our very relationship with reality and is something that democratic institutions are unsuited to settle. This is something that needs to exist in common prior to the establishment of a social contract government.

Discussion of Catholic-Russian Orthodox Unity

There is new hope for possible Catholic-Russian Orthodox unity. The interview Archbishop Paolo Pezzi granted to Corriere della Sera stated that this unity could take place soon, even within months.


NC Register: Is Catholic-Orthodox Unity in Sight?

Quebec: A Story in Lost Parental Rights

In Quebec, the state has ruled that its authority over children is greater than the parent's right to educate according to their wishes. Moral and religious relativism is 'objectively' taught in this province's classrooms. This curriculum is even forced on those that home school. Totalitarianism based on moral relativism grows more firmly entrenched in Canada every day and slowly the rights of parents decline... The danger is that the elements we see in Canada are slowly beginning to be adopted in the U.S. Let's hope this movement does not make further gains in our country.

"...the Drummondville judge ruled that 'parents do not have ultimate authority over the moral or religious education of their children, and that the state can impose a curriculum that conflicts with the moral codes parents strive to instill.'"

Horowitz Plays Chopin

Vladimir Horowitz is recognized as a legendary pianists and perhaps one of the greatest players of all times. He performs Chopin's Ballade in G Minor (Opus 23).

Angelo Scola

Angelo Scola is the Patriarch of Venice and an important member of the Catholic Movement Communion and Liberation. Check out his website.

A Non-Triumphant European History

Here is an interesting review of Dark Continent: Europe’s Twentieth Century.

The New Totalitarianism, "hate crime," and same-sex "marriage"

This classic Michael O'Brien essay covers the degeneration of democracy and the consequences this loss has for those who do not consent to the new generation of political correctness.

"The totalitarian begins with a seemingly benign re-education, but as he extends his grasp into more and more aspects of human life he gradually becomes hostile to everything outside of his own will."

"No grotesque executions. In some cases there may even be no visible dictator, only a system or a social philosophy which permeates and controls everything. Indeed, the world may appear to be perfectly normal. The philosopher Josef Pieper points out that this is the most dangerous form of totalitarianism of all, almost impossible to throw off, because it never appears to be what, in fact, it is."

"How long will it take for our people to understand that when humanist sentiments replace moral absolutes, it is not long before very idealistic people begin to invade human families in the name of the family, and destroy human lives in the name of humanity?"

"... in the modern age it takes little more than one generation to turn a war crime into an “act of compassion."

Democracy and European Institutions

Interview to Declan Ganley, leader of the No campaign for the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, on the Wall Street Journal.
How the Irish Can Save Civilization (Again)

Is America coming apart?

Pat Buchanan: Is America coming apart?

Sarah Palin on Healthcare

The former Governor of Alaska published an opinion piece titled "Obama and the Bureaucratization of Health Care" in yesterday's Wall Street Journal.

The Irony of "Constitution Day"

Colleges and universities that receive federal funding must now create a Constitutional education program on September 17th or risk losing money. While I support the opportunity for citizens to learn more about our government, it is ironic that this program is something that is specifically allotted to states within our founding document, so, we are legally violating its mandates while attempting to make it more publicly known.

Raymond Arroyo on the Kennedy Funeral

Raymond Arroyo's Blog: KENNEDY, THE CATHOLIC LEGACY AND THE LETTERS

Radiation of Fatherhood: Play by Karol Wojtyla

The complete text is available for Karol Wojtyla's "Radiation of Fatherhood".

John Paul II's plays are beautiful and we are lucky to have this available online.

Caritas in Veritate: Dominican Presentation