I haven't commented on this column by The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof because I've submitted a letter to the editor regarding it. The Times won't publish the letter if it's appeared anywhere else -- including the Web -- so I'm going to give them a few days to make a decision on publishing it. […]
Former New York Times reporter John McCandlish Phillips takes the "elite" commentariat to task over their outrageous rhetoric when it comes to the religious right. The piece is well worth a read, but I'd like to highlight the autobiographical portion of the article. I come at this with an insider/outsider vantage and with real affection […]
Sen. Chuck Schumer famously expressed skepticism whether then-Alabama Attorney General William Pryor could uphold the law if a case came before him that conflicted with his "deeply held" (religious) beliefs. Republicans, not being complete and total idiots, recognized that this was a code -- though expressly prohibited by the Constitution, the senior senator from New […]
Yesterday's "Best of the Web Today" over at OpinionJournal.com had an item called "Give Me That Old Time Derision." Liberal Democrats are opposed to religion in politics, except when they're for it. "We need to kick the money changers out of the temple and restore moral values to America," Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean […]
The Catholic Church has a new Pope. The main thing I was struck by as news of the selection of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger made its way across the Internet is the surprise and disdain by some -- Lt. Smash has an incredibly useful collection of links here -- that the cardinals would actually chose a […]
The first day has come and gone, and black smoke issued from the chimney indicating that no one received enough votes to be named pope. Using the worldwide reach of Hoystory.com and intrepid reporting, Hoystory.com managed to get the results of the first vote. Of a total of 115 votes -- one per cardinal -- […]
The New York Times reports that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is planning to take part in a conference call on Democrat filibusters of judicial nominees. This story would be worth 3 inches of copy on Page A29 except for one detail: The conference call will connect with TV, radio stations and churches. I think […]
Out of Pennsylvania comes this story on the efforts of one Episcopal priest to reach out to other religions. An Episcopal priest has renounced his ordination to lead a Druid order. W. William Melnyk, former rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Downingtown, called his decision to become a Druid priest "a joyous occasion." Melnyk […]
It remains a big problem at major newspapers. While newsrooms across the country have made it a goal to diversify their staffs -- at least when it comes to skin color and sexual orientation -- and the blind spot when it comes to devout Christians can illustrate how out of touch with "average Americans" the […]
I actually watched some local and network news before the NCAA national championship game came on, and I was a little surprised at a repeated formulation that kept coming up when discussing the late Pope John Paul II. The phrase was something along the lines that people loved the Pope, despite the fact that he […]