Mumbai attacks and their relevance for the US

Though the attacks in Mumbai carry none of the hallmarks of Al Qaeda (aside, that is, from indiscriminate murder), the focus on attacking foreigners (and Jews–not Israelis, just Jews) seems supiciously like a tactic they often use, of attacking foreigners abroad as a prelude to attacking them at home. There are even some hints at what this might be a prelude to. (I remember an analyst on Fox News–whose name unfortunately escapes me–mentioning also that AQ tends to attack in times of political transition. An attack soon would certainly help them set the tenor for the Obama administration.)

And I hope the Buchananite, “blowback” folks are taking notice. I mean, clearly if India stopped being such a passionate supporter of Israel and scaled back their “imperial” ambitions abroad, Islamic terrorists would have no reason to attack them, right?

Further, on Dobson

One of the things Dobson’s “prophecy” mentions in passing is a Supreme Court case, Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000). The site (how I love Oyez) includes the oral arguments, which can certainly be listened to with profit; but especially instructive (and chilling) are the dissents, one of which was authored by Stevens, which gives a peek in how a slightly more liberal court may rule on issues like these.

Recall that this case was decided for the Scouts by the slimmest of 5-4 majorities. That is, four of the justices recognized no right on the part of the Scouts to exclude homosexuals, despite the fact that the organization understood same-sex relations to be a violation of ethical conduct.

By this they will know that you are my disciples

I have to admit that two of my favorite blogs on the internet are God’s Politics and WorldMag’s Commentary, which more or less runs the gamut of Christian political thought on the web (exclusive of Jesus Radicals, AKA “Fundamentalists with Dreadlocks,” and LAF).

So it was a pleasent surprise when I found my two sources “in dialog”, as we say in the argot of Writing 1. Apparently Wallis is in a huff on HuffPost because James Dobson of Focus on the Family wrote a less-than-sanguine prophecy about the future direction of the Obama administration.

Obama Constitutional Qualifications Update

This is blog reportage at its best.

Yes, I still think it could have catastrophic consequences. Yes, I do hope Obama has some certificate sitting somewhere that proves his case without a doubt. But after thinking this had been quashed for good when it failed on the state level, I must admit to feeling a little giddy.

Marcus, meet Cicero. (Alternatively, a pun: Philip’s philippic.)

Blog Applauds Cop Killing?

Following up on our meeting, I would like to point out this blog which appears (to be charitable) to applaud the cold-blooded murder of Sgt King, which shook the Delmar Loop on Halloween night. NB the post’s assertion that “all cops are white.” A related link on the site claims (perhaps tendentiously) that the memorial for Sgt King has been subjected to repeated vandalism.

Legalizing gay marriage is not a values-neutral decision

I think my response to washulibs merits reposting:

If gay marriage were simply a matter of granting gays a certain legal privilege, it would not matter much to me. I wouldn’t be enthusiastic for it, but I wouldn’t shed any tears over it, either. But experience from states like Massachusetts has shown that, once the proverbial foot is in the door, gay marriage becomes a cudgel for forcing religious conservatives to violate their fundamental beliefs. There have been cases, for example, of conservatives who run little bed and breakfasts who, because of their religious beliefs, do not give rooms to unmarried couples, who have been sued for not giving rooms to gay married folks. In Canada there have even been attempts to say that religious leaders who hold homosexuality to be immoral are engaging in “hate speech.”

I think the biggest myth about gay marriage is that legalizing it is a values-neutral decision. Perhaps some perceive it that way, but for too many gay marriage is a weapon to enforce the normalcy of homosexuality whether religious conservatives will have it or not. In actuality, Christians such as myself and others are left in the unenviable position of having to force the law to reflect our values so we don’t have the values of others forced on us. I truly believe traditional marriage is THE bulwark holding back attempts to criminalize the expression of our fundamental moral beliefs.

It’s not a fatwa, but it’s still pretty good

I don’t suppose I could get myself put on this thing retroactively?

There are bad ways to lose… And there are bad ways to win

And there are ways to win that are worse than losing.

NB: Thanks to the wags who pointed out the typo in out masthead–’”independant” should indeed be “independent.” But it’s amazing how seeing one letter off can make people feel so clevar.

The Media and Obama

I don’t know if I buy Howobamagotelected.com’s claim that they found the most informed Obama voters–and some of the disparity in information might be due to looking at the news through a partisan lens to begin with (one tends to remember the things that embarasses one’s opponent more)–but this is genuinely interesting, and in some cases (like the SNL skit) I really do believe there was a case of the pomo version of events (“I can see Russia from my house!”) replacing what actually happened.

We could get a fuller picture if we could see if a similar partisan lens was reflected in the knowledge of McCain voters, but I truly suspect this site is on to something.

“Anus Randius” by itself is worth the price of admission

There have been plenty of brainy commentaries about the bailout from various sources, but for my money there’s nothing better than the bailout elucidated as a dialogue between Socrates and his shrewish wife, Xanthippe. (It’s more fun if you’ve read Clouds.)