Thoughts of a Republican 26 Aug 2009 A majority held in restraint by constitutional checks and limitations, and always changing easily with deliberate changes of popular opinions and sentiments, is the only true sovereign of a free people. Whoever rejects it does of necessity fly to anarchy or to despotism. Unanimity is impossible. The rule of a minority, as a permanent arrangement, is wholly inadmissible; so that, rejecting the majority principle, anarchy or despotism in some form is all that is left. [Abraham Lincoln, first Inaugural Address, 1861] Politics Quotes Quotes
Philosophy Religious Nones 22 Sep 2009 A new report has shown that one of the fastest growing “religions” is “None” in America. It may be that as many as 25% will be Nones by 2030. But this is not a single group, and is highly heterogeneous. Nones include those who believe in some God, but not… Read More
Politics A bridge to nowhere 17 Sep 2010 The title of the head of the Roman Catholic Church is “pontiff”, which means, basically “bridge-builder” (in Latin: pontifex; I gather it’s thought by some that the Roman priests would bless new bridges, and the bishop of Rome inherited the term when ROme was Christianised). Evidence that the title is… Read More
History Harry Potter, you see, is the wrong kind of magician 15 Jan 2008 In an article on the Catholic or otherwise virtues of Harry Potter (didn’t we do all this a while back), L’Osservatore Romano has an article claiming that Harry Potter is the wrong kind of hero. Why is that? Not, as you might think, because there are wizards in it –… Read More
Sadly the modern Republicans are pretty much the inverse of the 19th century Republicans. If Lincoln had been running in 2007-2008 for the Republican nomination, he would have been drummed out as a radical.